Unshackling India

AMID the huge farm and job crises, rising inequalities, tepid investment growth and banking sector challenges, what is the way forward for the country and its economy? In ‘Unshackling India’, economists Ajay Chibber and Salman Anees Soz argue that India can foster a prosperous and inclusive economy if it sets its mind to it. The book highlights the challenges before the nation and offers policy prescriptions. It is only through some radical changes, insist the authors, that the arc of India’s trajectory over the next 25 years will make it an economic power of the 21st century.

THE recent Sino-Indian standoff has triggered several writings, the latest being ‘Contested Lands: India, China and the Boundary Dispute’. The book looks at the dispute through the lens of history to help readers understand the nub of the issues. Why have India and China been unable to solve this through talks? What is the genesis of this mistrust? How do individual histories of the two Asian neighbours contribute to their aggressive stance? Are there other players pulling the strings? Maroof Raza, a former Army officer and an eminent commentator on global, military and security issues, tries to answer the questions.