In whose interest? The drift of economic policy

Is the government really committed to the autonomy of its policy-making institutions? Is this reflected in its relationship with the Reserve Bank of India? Who are the identified and who the intended beneficiaries of economic policy? What does recent legislation on child labour say on this question? Is the media’s general euphoria about the government’s ‘pro-poor’ orientation, with specific reference to the 2016-17 Union Budget, actually borne out by the budget figures? What are some of the implications of the disastrous policy of demonetisation unleashed by the government in 2016? What have been some of the more egregious aspects of the economy’s track record during the NDA’s first innings starting in 2014? This chapter addresses these and allied questions on India’s recent experience of economic governance.