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The Economic Survey 2016-17, a pre-budget document to review the economic health of the country, was emphatic in focusing foreign investors’ upbeat on Make in India campaign. However, the survey was silent on domestic investors’ reciprocation. In the first year of Make in India campaign, domestic investors were impressed by Modi government’s Minimum Government Maximum Governance slogan and his assertiveness to push reforms which were restricting investment in the country. Domestic investors were jubilant to announce several new projects in the hope of good days ahead.

WARANGAL: If the promises made by the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and other ministers are implemented sincerely, newly formed Telangana state may become heaven for working journalists. The Telangana state government has decided to build hundreds of houses and gift them to working journalists free of cost. Similarly Telangana government has also decided to provide free treatment to journalists.

Environmentalists have expressed their concern about the negative geological impact of major hydro projects in Sikkim and the future of the Teesta river which is apparently drying up.

Close on the heels of a politically-loaded budget of the Modi Government in 2016, India gets reminded by IMF of key macro-economic challenges which may hinder growth – high household inflation expectations, still large fiscal deficits, and potential risks from weak corporate and bank balance sheets.

As Bhubaneswar tops the list of smart cities to be built in the first phase and the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik praises the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu for the first time for being generous to the state, the Congress senses a secret deal between the BJP and the ruling BJD in the state. The Naveen wants the central watchdog, CBI to be slow in investigation into the ponzi and mining scams that has engulfed senior BJD leaders. In return the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre would seek BJD's support for the passage of the critical Bill that has been held up in the Rajya Sabha. BJD has not much been a problem to the NDA when issues like Rohith Vemula and JNU issues were discussed in Parliament.

LUCKNOW: Major political parties are involved in an intense fight for crucial Dalit votes in the forthcoming state Assemblies polls.

Financial sector reforms were hogging the limelight in the run up to the budget. The focus of attention was the bulging non-performing assets (NPAs). The problem was not altogether new. Major banks have been saddled with bad debts for a long time. Only these have been swept under the tattered carpets of banks. What was different now was the Reserve Bank’s insistence that these should be recognised.

The third budget of the Narendra Modi Government at its mid-point takes care to shift emphasis to farmers and agriculture, ahead of a round of state elections, given its weakening hold over the country. It is designed ostensibly to 'transform' the lives of the poor, especially farmers whose incomes are to get doubled by 2022, as the Prime Minister announced on budget day.

CHANDIGARH: Downhill of politics continues unabated. First it was 2015’s communal polarization wave which threatened India’s unity and integrity. Now intra-community and caste polarization is destroying the country’s social fabric. Ironically, the Parivar’s national flag-waiving, ‘akhand bharat’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ slogans shouting ‘patriots’ have been mainly behind the divisive happenings.

Once the US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter descends in India in the April it would become clear whether the new found bonhomie between Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama has proved to be a futile exercise or the USA administration still considers Pakistan is its best strategic partner in South East Asia. On number of occasions impressions were given by the Indian government that American establishment and its think tank at the initiative of Obama has brought about a change in its perception and attitude towards India. But at least, the issue of sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan by Obama administration has laid bare the realty and exposed the façade of friendship and tea diplomacy.