Of Fiscal Policies and Protocols

More of a memoir and less of economical analysis By Sanchari Ghosh Released months before the general elections, noted economist Arvind Subramanian authored ‘Of Counsel – The Challenges of the Modi-Jaitley Economy’ promised a peek into the government’s economic policies but comes across as the author’s memoir during his stint at the office as the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA). Subramanian became the CEA in 2014, succeeding Raghuram Rajan, and held office till 2018, and was a part of some of the most daring and controversial economic policies of the Modi government. Hence, the expectation was that the book would provide some great insights and clarifications on policies like demonitisation and introduction and implementation of Good and Services Tax (GST). However, instead of starting with bang, he begins the GST chapter on a personal note on how he and...