R. Ramakumar
@ramakumarr
Followers
10K
Following
4K
Media
213
Statuses
2K
Economist, with above normal interest in politics. Tweets, when put out rarely, are personal.
Mumbai, India
Joined January 2010
India's delivery of >20 million vaccine doses today is an example of how perverse public policy can be. If >20 mil doses were possible today, why was it not a week back? The 7-day average ending yday was 6.9 mil/day. How did >15 million people suddenly demand vaccines today? 1/2.
120
1K
4K
1/ <THREAD> How do we explain and understand the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka? In this thread, I try to follow some of the major events in the nation's economy over the last few years and situate the present crisis in a context.
62
1K
3K
Kerala's Chief Minister making a clear political statement today -- while inaugurating 53 new hi-tech school buildings. An all-girls school choir singing a secular welcome song -- "thank you for this world, a house of love" -- wearing their school uniforms!. #KarnatakaAgainstHate
20
421
3K
A quick thread on today's announcement of the Government of India (GoI) to open up Covid vaccination to those above 18 years of age from May 1st. The fine print is dangerous. The decision comes with a considerable liberalisation of the pricing of vaccines. 1/n . .
86
2K
2K
A thread on Bharat Biotech's (BB) pricing of Covaxin at Rs 600/dose for State governments and Rs 1200/dose for private hospitals. The pricing of Covaxin at prices higher than Covishield puts the so-called Indian vaccine even more out of bounds for the poorer Indian citizens. 1/n.
50
1K
2K
I dedicate this classic by the legendary Rahat Indori to the intellect of the judge of the Surat district court.
19
547
2K
1/ <Thread> on the Niti Ayog's press release "Myths & Facts on India’s Vaccination Process". It is a pity that the Niti Ayog, unlike its venerable predecessor Planning Commission, is being turned into a joke in the public eye by its present incumbents.
43
696
1K
Were vaccines deliberately suppressed for a week to create a spectacle on boss's birthday? Why is public policy being held hostage to politics in such a blatant way? Are people to be pushed to the brink of suffering, just to feel relieved on a day of the boss's choice? 2/2.
15
310
1K
A thread in response to different views expressed against my tweets and articles on Covid #vaccines. Many were abuses; I ignore them. I try to take the reasonable questions and try to answer them here. One question and one answer in each tweet below. Its a long thread, btw! 1/n.
39
635
1K
Scientists of IICT/CSIR pay ₹1400/Covaxin dose. The irony: it was IICT that developed a synthetic route for the agonist molecule with indigenous chemicals @ affordable price for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. The product of their research is being sold back to them at a premium! 1/2
22
412
989
Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca) was a 97% public funded vaccine. Yet, Oxford exclusively licensed it to AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca exclusively licensed its Indian market to Serum Institute (SII). SII is now making a close to "super profit". Public funded, but private profits. 2/n.
25
384
907
This is absolutely laughable. There is no data on income poverty in India after 2011-12. All data cited afterwards are deceitful extrapolations. The data for the 2017-18 round were not released by the government. But leaked data show why the government wanted to block it. 1/n.
This is just an incredible graph. India is making absolutely amazing strides against poverty. (ht @scienceisstrat1)
20
325
904
Basically, the GoI has withdrawn itself from any commitment to ensure vaccines to the States. It created a vaccine shortage over the last 4 months, but is now passing the buck to the States by asking them to purchase the vaccines directly from the manufacturers. 4/n . .
10
381
839
Ok, now that Mr Pai has thrown his hat into the ring, can he show one place in any budget document that provides an estimate of the "net proceeds" or the "divisible pool"? A CAG report would also do! I request Mr Pai not to make a bad situation worse for his bosses in Delhi.
Hiding? What a stupid joke by this Yellow Rag @thenewsminute every year a Budget is presented to parliament which has full details of all collections,accounts audited by CAG. Nothing is hidden. This Yellow Rag does not the ability to read budget papers. What a Shame.
33
250
826
This phenomenon of providing more doses than received, as I learn, is called "negative wastage" of vaccines. Squeezing out an 11th vial out of a pack of 10 vials. #Kerala's wastage rate is -4.36%. On the other hand, the wastage rate in Punjab is +4.9% and in Tamil Nadu is +8.8%.
Kerala has received 73,38,806 doses of vaccine from GoI. We've provided 74,26,164 doses, even making use of the extra dose available as wastage factor in each vial. Our health workers, especially nurses have been super efficient and deserve our wholehearted appreciation!.
5
194
809
A thread on the claims made by GoI in its press conference yesterday (see and for the recording). Let me take, one by one, their so-called repudiation of "reports in a section of the media followed by some uninformed tweets"! 1/n.
25
510
787
Delhi anchors discussing exit polls for Kerala is super fun. They have no clue of the State's politics. Their analysis is limited to rumours, hearsays & 2-day picnics. Seasoned commentators talk sense. But anchors dismiss them; make fun of them. Sad, but the joke is on you, guys!.
12
96
776
1/ <Thread> A major news today was the decision of @shailajateacher, former Minister for Health in Kerala, politely declining the offer of the Ramon Magsaysay award for 2022. A newspaper, however, editorialised the news and called it a "second historic blunder".
18
207
747
A thread on the allocation of vaccines across Indian States. Some argue that the existing allocation of #vaccines is fine, that the new system of States being free to buy vaccines directly would be equally fine, and that there is nothing to worry. Is is true? Hardly. 1/n.
17
422
718
1/ A brief thread on inheritance taxes:. Sometime in August 2014, a news item caught my attention. It said that Lakshmi Mittal, the steel tycoon, is planning to buy Blencathra, a 2850 feet-high peak, in Cumbria, UK. Curious about why the guy would buy a mountain, I dug in.
40
301
707
So, if there is a shortage of vaccines after May 1st, as everyone will flock the vaccination centres, the GoI will simply say that the States are responsible and that they failed to procure enough vaccines from the vaccine companies. 5/n . .
9
224
655
The repeal of the 3 farm laws - unconstitutional, with no demonstrable benefits & aimed to expand corporate control over agriculture - is a major political victory for India's peasant movement. Their resolute struggle has shown and amplified the power of dissent in our democracy.
5
142
641
No one "hates" the NRIs. But get the facts right. According to the RBI, over 90% of overseas Indians work in the Gulf region and South East Asia as mostly semi-skilled and unskilled workers. The Gulf region accounts for 54% of the value of the annual remittances to India. (1/n).
34
248
632
BASIC FACT: If the Indian economy shrinks by 7.7% in 2020-21 and then grows by 11.1% in 2021-22, the economy would have grown only by 2.2% over 2 years i.e., between 2019-20 & 2021-22. So, friends in the media, this is a terrible condition. Please report the truth #EconomicSurvey.
12
209
630
Rather pathetic PR work that unnecessarily raises suspicions on WHO's action & Covaxin's effectiveness. When will we in India learn the real meaning of the words "objectivity" & "professionalism"? Why does India's leadership revel at sensationalism rather than scientific temper?.
20
135
626
This is a highly regressive policy, which needs to be opposed by the States. It will inflict a serious cash burden on the State finances. It will lead to a rise in vaccine prices. This will exclude millions from voluntarily coming forward to vaccinate themselves. 7/n . .
9
185
576
This manufacturer-determined price will most probably be the base price from which States will have to bid to procure vaccines. This is just what the private vaccine firms were asking the GoI to do. It allows them to make super profits in the midst of the pandemic. 3/n . .
9
185
559
The GoI has essentially given freedom to the vaccine makers to sell 50% of their vaccines to the States "in the open market". At what price? This press note says: "private vaccination providers shall transparently declare their self-set vaccination price." 2/n . .
3
178
541
It will allow the GoI to use the manufacturer-State government bargaining to hide its failures in planning for vaccines. It is essentially a gift to the private vaccine makers, with the attendant financial burden seamlessly passed on to the citizens. n/n.
16
178
535
11/ Rajapakse's organic misadventure was supported by many Western environmental groups. Let's call them the "green imperialists" - agents of Western efforts to continue colonising the global carbon budget, and deny the developing world their rightful due in carbon emissions.
2
100
530
The term agriculture is mentioned in the Union Budget speech just 7 times. It would be only 5 times if we left out 1 heading & 1 appendix. Of the 5, 2 are under natural farming, 1 is under customs duty, 1 is under NABARD & 1 is under stubble burning. That's all! #UnionBudget2022.
13
195
540
1/ From today's The Hindu. Let me put out a short thread on how this piece got written, and why I think it is important in the ongoing debate on Union-State economic relations. This was a topic I started looking at, first for some fun but later with some academic amusement.
17
294
544
Just by selecting the people it selected as members of its committee, the Supreme Court (SC) has disincentivised farmer's groups from cooperation. All 4 members have positions supporting government's Farm Acts. It shows the SC is not genuinely interested in resolution. #FarmLaws.
6
165
534
The role of GoI will now be limited to the vaccination of the first 30 crore vulnerable sections, who will get the vaccine free. Rest will have to pay a substantially higher price than at present. There is no ceiling set on the price for vaccines. 6/n . .
3
158
513
Professor Abhijit Sen has passed away. He was undoubtedly India's most competent and knowledgeable agricultural economist. The discipline will be terribly poorer without him. Always so affable and kind with comments and advice, his departure is a deep personal loss too.
18
96
520
The Sri Lankan breakdown we witnessed today - to reiterate - is a product of long history, but also of the utter failure of IMF's neoliberal loan packages over five decades, the rise of right-wing authoritarian politics and the official embrace of pseudo-science. #SriLankaCrisis.
11
118
476
The disastrous, Tuglaqian, experiment with vaccine markets in May 2021 comes to a partial end. Central procurement raised from 50% to 75%. Ego prevents centre from accepting responsibility for poor policy choice. Blame placed on States to cover up for centre's policy failure. 1/2.
12
182
492
Covaxin is a product of Indian public funded research. Its SARS-CoV-2 strain was isolated in the National Institute of Virology, Pune under ICMR & transferred to BB for development & manufacture. A report in The Hindu said this on the agreement in April 2020; see snapshot. 4/n
5
199
465
WRONG. The Swaminathan panel suggested fixing MSP at 50% over the C2 cost of production. The government fixed it at 50% over the lower A2+FL cost of production. Due to this, farmers lose about Rs 300-500/Q in MSP. I had written about it in 2018:
#FarmBills2020 | Swaminathan Panel report recos were not implemented by previous govts for 8 years, we implemented Swaminathan Panel Report recommendations, says Prime Minister @narendramodi
13
215
417
Customary November tweet every year. You can still buy and read.
2
69
422
What is an incremental rank? 1 to 2 is doubling. 200 to 400 is also doubling. In developmental indicators, the former is easy but the latter is tough, if not impossible. To celebrate the former is pathetic. Comparing the two is even worse. Such a poor cover-up of UP's poor rank!
23
112
414
Did the GoI retain any control over the intellectual property (IP) of the technology? If yes, why did the GoI not share the IP with more firms based on non-exclusive licenses? Why did the Government of India (GoI) give an exclusive license to only BB to produce Covaxin? 7/n.
3
127
403
Bill Gates played a major role in convincing Oxford Uni of the IPR way; that was how AstraZeneca got an exclusive license. The license remained exclusive though the vaccine was to be marketed on a non-profit basis in perpetuity. The Covaxin case is much like the Oxford case. 3/n.
5
116
398
BB is indeed a competent firm with a fair track record in vaccine production over the years. But that is not the problem here. Where is the contract between ICMR and BB? Why has it not been made public, given that taxpayer's money was involved in funding the collaboration. 6/n.
2
119
397
10/ Rajapakse obliged. He posed himself as an organic farming messiah, and banned all chemical fertiliser imports from May 2021. In a blog post in Sept 2021, I had described this in great detail and drawn the contours of its disastrous consequences:
2
78
392
1/ <Thread> On why Government of India's (GoI) vaccine plan for June 2021 is plain misleading. GoI says it will "make available" 12 crore vaccine doses in June, of which 6.1 crore is GoI quota and 5.9 crore will be available for direct purchase by States and private hospitals.
11
220
371
9/ This is where the organic farming lobby entered the scene to fish in muddy waters. Home-grown anti-science enthusiasts, and external advisors like Vandana Shiva, advised Rajapakse that the forex pressure could be relieved if Sri Lanka stopped importing fertilisers.
2
84
357
The GoI should immediately release all the agreements between ICMR and BB to the public. We have to know what control the GoI retained over the IP. How did GoI leverage its IP rights in the midst of the pandemic? Was a public technology let free for private profiteering? n/n.
10
130
353
23/ In all probability, Sri Lanka will now take another new IMF loan with even more stringent conditionalities, and move into yet another deflationary spiral. This, and the rightward shift in internal politics, will only worsen the conditions of people's lives and work. END.
13
57
353
Q1) Why should India give vaccines free? Who gives vaccines free?. A1) Most countries are giving Covid vaccines free to their citizens. I shall give examples of some major countries, including United States, United Kingdom, China, Germany and France. See screen shots below. 2/n.
14
126
316
1/ <Thread on vaccination in India>. It is a matter of joy that India has administered 1 billion doses. Every Indian should be proud. However, it is equally important to mellow down and have a calm and dispassionate look at facts. I will attempt it in this thread.
6
146
317
It appears that the GoI has some control over the IP because the GoI had given approval to the Haffkine Institute, Pune to manufacture Covaxin on 16 April 2021. If the IP was BB's, then GoI would not have been able to do this. 8/n.
2
92
313
A democratic & people's govt listens to people & their views. An authoritarian & arrogant govt considers people as subordinate & minions. As #Kerala withdraws amendment to its Police Act, this difference b/w Kerala and others reveals itself starkly. Well done, @vijayanpinarayi.
12
50
305
. A2. ) Vaccines are global public goods and it is the constitutional responsibility of enlightened welfare states to provide them free to everyone. Right to health flows directly from Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, and right to free vaccines is a sub-set of it. 11/n.
4
80
291
12/ Sri Lanka's organic farming policy was a disaster. In most countries, agriculture held up during the pandemic. But it was the opposite in Sri Lanka. According to IMF, there was "worse-than-anticipated impact of the chemical fertilizer ban on agricultural production".
2
43
290
Extraordinary admission of failure. Pile on supply where no demand exists; and cut supply where ample demand exists. This was the so-called "liberalised vaccine policy" of the vishwaguru! There is still time. Disband it. Make vaccination truly free and universal.
Taking on the private sector for failing to pick up the 25% #COVID19 vaccines quota allotted to them, Commerce and Industry Minister #PiyushGoyal said that government will ensure everybody gets a free vaccine in the country with or without their help.
3
123
293
Now, if GoI did not retain the IP, why not? Why did it allow a product of public research to be controlled by one private company aiming at commercial profits? Remember, BB then sold-off exclusive rights to sell 100 million Covaxin doses in USA to Ocugen for more profits. 11/n.
2
87
285
The @guardian had asked me to write an obituary for M. S. Swaminathan. Here it is, online. I am told that it would appear in print soon.
2
62
287
4/ First, the Easter bomb blasts of 2019 in three churches and three hotels in Colombo, which killed about 253 people, led to a huge fall in the flow of tourists to Sri Lanka. The number of tourists fell by 18%. This led to major strains on the foreign exchange reserves.
3
34
282
22/ That the IMF template doesn't work anywhere is well-proven, but equally important is the sheer mismanagement of the economy by parties of all persuasions. And Rajapakse's embrace of pseudo-science in agriculture, profusely praised by Narendra Modi, made matters worse.
5
49
269
14/ So, agricultural production fell; food shortages led to inflation; and food imports became necessary. Production & export of tea & rubber were hurt. Thus, a policy aimed at reducing pressure on forex reserves ended up, perversely, increasing the pressure on forex reserves.
1
35
266
What was the role of BB? An ICMR official told News18 that "ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the pre-clinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine", and that ICMR had selected 12 institutes in India for clinical trials. See 5/n.
1
74
263
3/ The economy was stuck with the colonial-era exports of tea and rubber, and garments. The exports of these commodities suffered as global commodity prices fell over the past decade. But two recent events in 2019 ended up imparting a major shock to the Sri Lankan economy.
3
28
264
The big news from #Kerala is the closure of #BJP's account. It has scored a big ZERO. The bigot Kummanam lost to V. Sivankutty in Nemom; the thug K. Surendran lost both seats; the clown E. Sreedharan lost in Palakkad. Phenomenal vote for secular politics; Kerala is now BJP-mukt!.
"We are going to close that account this time", said Pinarayi Vijayan today morning. Voted in the Nemom constituency, Thiruvananthapuram. Against the icon of Kerala's fascist thugs. For V. Sivankutty, a comrade who will show the fascists their real place in the city.
7
46
264
In sum, the best and most efficient strategy would have been a free supply of vaccines by the centre to States, and the centre paying a regulated price (covering normal profits) to vaccine producers. With universal access, this was the most equitable policy to follow. n/n.
11
72
257
On the IP related issues in Covaxin, see Clearly, the way GoI used its leverage with BB was disappointing. And given the way BB has now over-priced Covaxin, disappointment gives way to suspicion. We need transparency. h/t for the link: @tjayaraman 12/n.
2
72
254
6/ As a result, Sri Lanka had one of the lowest indirect tax rates in the world prior to the pandemic. This led to a major fall in indirect tax revenues. GST/VAT revenues fell from 443,877 LKR million in 2019 to 233,786 LKR million in 2020 i.e., by close to 50%.
1
46
254
2/ To begin with, Sri Lanka's economic growth rate was on a decline from around 2012 itself. Its GDP growth rate fell rather steadily after 2012. The post-war growth acceleration petered out soon, and the current account deficit widened in the absence of export growth.
1
31
250
5/ Secondly, the new President Gotabaye Rajapakse, in a thoroughly ill-advised move, cut VAT rates from 15% to 8% in Dec 2019. Also, the "nation building tax" of 2%, and the economic service charge and PAYE tax, were all abolished.
7
28
250
Given the above interventions, it is clear that the GoI and ICMR had significant authority over how BB dealt with the technology. So, what's the real story behind Covaxin's IP? Does the GoI actually hold the IP? We need to know this. 10/n.
1
77
248
24/ Its high time that the Niti Ayog stops being a tail of the BJP. You are a policy-making body. You have to provide reasoned policy advises to the GoI. It is not your job to enter into political fist fights with opposition parties. Seriously guys, have some sense! Do your work.
11
75
250
<thread> 1/ The focus in the Union Budget 2022-23 on natural farming and chemical-free farming is a huge mistake and a misdirected policy path. Zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) is quackery, and has no sanction among agricultural scientists.
6
99
252
2/ Myth 1: The criticism against GoI is that it delayed placing advance purchase orders for vaccines till January 2021. Other nations had placed orders by June 2020 itself. Bangladesh placed its first order with SII in November 2020. Why couldn't the GoI place orders earlier?
4
88
242
Also, ICMR flaunted power & asked BB to release Covaxin before 15 Aug 2020. ICMR Chief warned BB: "non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, you are advised to treat the project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse." On what basis? 9/n.
2
67
239
. A5. ) The problem is that the centre has managed to insulate itself from any price rise and the attendant budget burdens, while it has passed on a higher budget burden to the States. It is ethically unfair in a federal democracy with shared developmental goals. 17/n.
1
68
242
7/ The pandemic hit in March 2020, and it made the bad worse. Tourist inflows and tourism revenues fell further. Exports of tea and rubber declined due to lower demand. Remittances, another booster to the foreign exchange reserves, also fell as Lankans across the globe lost jobs.
1
24
240
"We are going to close that account this time", said Pinarayi Vijayan today morning. Voted in the Nemom constituency, Thiruvananthapuram. Against the icon of Kerala's fascist thugs. For V. Sivankutty, a comrade who will show the fascists their real place in the city.
5
23
243
. A3. ) See transcript of the Poonawallah interview below. He said that while they make normal profits, they are looking to make "super profits" in the coming months. Thus, he said in another ANI interview, that his preferred price for Covishield is Rs 1000/dose. 13/n
9
98
240
Q2) Why should India give vaccines free? There is nothing wrong in charging. A2) There are two or three problems with this argument. First, there is already considerable vaccine hesitancy in India. Charging Rs 400-600/dose (*2 for 2 doses) will only reinforce hesitancy. 8/n.
2
65
235
In a "Cut the Clutter" video, @ShekharGupta argued that due to #APMC reforms in Bihar, it's agricultural growth rate surpassed Punjab's. In this blog, I argue that Gupta's enthusiasm is misplaced. After 2011-12, Bihar's agricultural growth was negative.
9
101
236
1/ The former CEA is acting smart by pointing to India's investment rate under constant prices rather than investment rate under current prices, which Prof Basu (@kaushikcbasu) is referring to. And he then calls it "clearly incorrect" and all. Is he right? No.
What data are we quoting for India’s fixed capital formation being 29% now? That’s CLEARLY INCORRECT! See from the NSSO estimates👇it is 34%! 🤦🏻♂️. On employment too, see piece by @surjitbhalla in @TOIIndiaNews news today to know incorrect data are peddled to suit fake narratives!
6
101
239
8/ With the pandemic, the government was forced to raise budget expenditures. In the context of falling revenues, the fiscal deficit exceeded 10%. In Feb 2022, the IMF identified 3 reasons for this: pre-pandemic tax cuts, weak revenue performance and higher lockdown spending.
1
33
235
Pretty rich, coming from a group that copied their uniform from Mussolini's Italy, considered Hitler's treatment of Jews as a model for India, always declared their loyalty to the British Raj and runs garbhasanskar programmes inspired by German eugenics.
17
124
235
In @scroll_in, I argue that by liberalising #vaccine sales & deregulating vaccine prices, the Union government has allowed vaccine manufacturers to make super profits. Vaccine prices will rise, excluding millions from access to vaccines. #VaccineShortage.
10
137
233
I was asked to make a jargon-free presentation - for a layperson - on the performance of the Indian economy in the last decade. In the process, I also assess the tall claims of the government, and explain what the reality looks like. Alert: it's long!.
6
95
241
20/ There is an excellent Himal interview with Ahilan Kadirgamar on Sri Lanks's long tryst with IMF (. Here, he weaves together narratives on economic crisis and the rightward shift in Sri Lankan politics, aided by conditionality-driven IMF programmes.
1
50
231
8/ GoI also returned Pfizer's application for EUA citing absence of local bridging trials. But it gave Covaxin EUA in January 2021 without any Phase 3 data. In May 2021, we still do not have Phase 3 results of Covaxin! Why were different criteria applied to Covaxin and Pfizer?.
2
86
228
Tube workers in London are on a historic strike. Their extraordinary leader -- Mick Lynch -- is a class act. Cursed, despised and abused by a servile media, he just demolished them one by one in every TV show. I just spent 45 minutes binge watching his videos. Don't miss it. 💪.
5
36
226
What can be more heartening than receiving the cover of your new book! The book, published by @Tulikabooksdel, has a longish introduction from me, and 16 chapters from leading scholars in agrarian studies and agricultural economics. I will keep posting updates!. #EconTwitter
13
37
226
. A2. ) Thirdly, If States are unable to finance this and charge people for vaccines, most of them simply cannot afford it. An average Indian family with 3 adults will have to pay Rs 2400 for two doses, which is a major part of their monthly income. 10/n.
1
58
224
Views from the Western Express Highway in Mumbai this morning. Slums across the service roads of the highway are considered shameful to the "Mother of Democracy". So they have been covered behind curtains and posters. With this, poverty has been eradicated in Mumbai. Jai ho!
18
86
220
I spoke to Karan Thapar on India's one billionth vaccine dose. I tell him that the celebrations are premature & misplaced; India has fully vaccinated only 31% of its eligible population. Public health milestones are not political spectacles. @thewire_in.
5
72
215
. A2. ) Secondly, States are being asked to purchase vaccines from producers. Many States have, rightly so, decided to give vaccines free. This is a major financial burden for States. Vaccinating 100 crore people twice @ Rs 400/dose costs Rs 80,000 crore for all States. 9/n.
8
53
216
13/ The IMF went on: "the recovery. is expected to be dragged down by a temporary restriction on the use & importation of chemical fertilizer, with an adverse impact on agricultural production, & by the negative effect of. FX shortages & the suspension of certain imports".
2
23
214
3/ Orders were not placed with foreign or domestic producers till 2021. On the foreign front, none of the discussions from "mid-2020" resulted in any order placed till April 2021. Further, no foreign vaccine had emergency use approval in India to facilitate placement of orders.
2
63
211
15/ But the IMF's intentions were deeply suspect as usual. In 2016 itself, Sri Lanka had entered into a 36-month extended EFF arrangement with IMF for US$1.5 billion to support an economic reform agenda. The conditionality set by IMF was to reduce fiscal deficit to 3.5% by 2020.
1
33
208
. A5. ) States are already bearing much of the tasks on the health front to address the pandemic. States cannot bear more burdens. Rs 80,000 crore can be easily allocated by the centre for the vaccines, which can then be given free to all. What is the PM Cares Fund for? 18/n.
7
62
211
The remittances from USA was only 23% of all remittances to India. This was so because the Indian diaspora in the USA are characterised by high skills and high earnings. So, lets have some balance here. It is the sweat of our workers in the Gulf that dominate remittances. (3/3).
6
58
207
Q3) Should not vaccine producers like Serum Institute make a profit? What is wrong with it?. A3) It is wrong to assume that SII makes a loss on its vaccines at Rs 150/dose. Adar Poonawallah himself said in an NDTV interview that SII currently makes a normal profit per dose. 12/n.
3
48
208