c m y k c m y k MIND POWER MAHATMA GANDHI KOBE BRYANT PAGE The best way to find yourself is to lose These young guys are playing checkers. I’m 8 yourself in the service of others out there playing chess. Edit DECCAN CHRONICLE FRIDAY | 31 JANUARY 2020 | HYDERABAD 31 JANUARY 2020 No room to manoeuvre: Subhani Nirmala in a tight spot omorrow, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman would present her second Union Budget. In normal circumstances, it would be a great honour to be in a position to influence the lives of 130 crore Indians. THowever, thanks to a deadly cocktail of the Narendra Modi gov- ernment’s policy mistakes and non-conducive global factors, Ms Sitharaman finds herself in the most unenviable situation that finance ministers could have ever found themselves in. As the finance minister in early 1990s, Dr Manmohan Singh might have handled a bigger crisis and steered a tottering economy away from turbulent waters. But he did not have the burden of creating a miracle. Ms Sitharaman, however, has no such luxury. Expectations from the Union Budget are almost infinite. Taxpayers want to pay less tax, the poor want higher spend for welfare; farmers want high- er prices, but consumers are not ready for it; experts want people to save more, but companies are in no position to increase the take-home salaries LETTERS of employees. Every finance minister has faced this dichotomy. But Ms Sitharaman is confronted with ever starker contradictions and has very CORONAVIRUS little financial headroom to manoeuvre. So instead of giving little to every- Trump’s W. Asia plan: body and help nobody, she must be selective in her budgetary support. If The coronavirus is required, fiscal discipline could be eased for investing in assets that could boost the economy and provide a long-term value for the future genera- striking fear in people. tions. Infrastructure and construction are the two sectors that boost We must be prepared demand for multiple others. when we get into In the infrastructure sector, the government could speed up the work on It’s not to bring peace physical contact with the dedicated freight corridor project. A higher investment in this project would boost the infrastructure sector and also create an alternative to road anyone having cold or freight, which is dependent on imported fossil fuels. The construction sec- haps lukewarm: in a tele- previous US administra- fever which are tor could be revived merely by increasing the loan tenure for houses phonic conversation with tion. This could allure to considered to be the bought in satellite townships. A longer tenure would reduce EMI, thereby Mahmoud Abbas, Saudi his Likud party those vot- making more people eligible to buy a house, and restricting such loans to Talmiz Ahmad Arabia’s King Salman bin ers who had moved away symptoms of the virus houses in satellite townships would decongest the core cities. Abdulaziz assured him of in earlier elections, thus and take precautions. Similarly, the government could allow gram panchayats to set up corpo- the kingdom’s continued ensuring victory in a The government must rate entities with all villagers being shareholders to raise debt for building support for the Palestin- close campaign. In basic cold storage facilities and setting up food processing units for the ian cause. But the foreign return, Mr Netanyahu take steps to protect locally grown produce. While the government’s expenditure on these facil- office thanked the Trump will help consolidate citizens. ities would boost the economy now, the value-added products would administration for its Christian evangelist Pallavi Shingarajula instantly increase the income of farmers. efforts “in developing a backing for President Hyderabad Ms Sitharaman could also boost the economy by restructuring personal n Tuesday ear- The realisation of this comprehensive peace Trump, who is facing income-tax slabs. She could remove all tax deductions except for buying lier this week, so-called state will be con- plan” that could initiate impeachment and possi- The government must make the insurance and pension products, and reduce tax slabs to two — say 20 per US President ditional; it will come into “direct peace negotiations ble removal for gross mis- public aware about coronavirus cent for high-earning people and 10 per cent for the rest. A lower tax rate Donald Trump being after a four-year under US sponsorship”. conduct. and educate them about measures would make tax evasion unattractive in terms of its sheer opportunity cost announced the period, by which time Most observers see the However, a Netanyahu to be taken to control its spread. O K. Vyshnavi and a simple plain-vanilla could reduce the cost of tax compliance. And not details of his “deal of the Hamas should have been plan as a non-starter. US victory is not assured. to forget, it would boost consumption, increase demand, create jobs and century” to bring peace eliminated as a political diplomat Nicholas Burns Some Israeli commenta- Hyderabad revive the virtuous cycle once again. between Israel and the and military entity and believes it “forfeits any tors view the Trump- Palestinians. With a the Gaza Strip brought pretence of fairness” and Netanyahu orchestration beaming Israeli PM under the control of the condemns the Palestin- of the peace plan ann- NIRBHAYA DELAY Benjamin Netanyahu by Palestinian Authority. ians to live permanently ouncement as “a crass I am unhappy that Nirbhaya’s his side, Mr Trump The Palestinians will also as “stateless people”. US and blatant intervention parents are fighting for justice Comedian’s grounding ironic released the 180-page plan recognise Israel as a Democratic presidential in Israel’s political since seven years. The death he has been touting ever Jewish state. For the candidate Elizabeth War- process”. Another prob- penalty has been delayed for years he humour of the situation is evident though this amounts to deny- since he entered the Palestinians, this is the ren has called it a “rubber lem is that some right- due to the convict centric laws. It ing a comedian flying rights. It drips with irony that the sardonic wit White House three years “new Balfour stamp for annexation”. wing elements in Israel should be executed once the mercy Tof a left-leaning comic should find a medium in the air as he aired his ago. Declaration”, the harbin- Aaron David Miller, a for- find even the idea of a lim- petition is rejected. Otherwise, the ire in public against a right-wing television anchor, who isn’t so much a There was a carnival- ger of a new “naqba” (cat- mer US peace negotiator, ited Palestinian “state” seriousness of the death penalty figure of fun as one who’s loved or hated but can’t be ignored in the cur- like atmosphere at the astrophe). feels the plan has harmed unacceptable and could will be lost and other rapists could rent climate of national divisiveness. launch. Jared Kushner, What the Palestine American “credibility blame Mr Netanyahu for take the laws lightly. There is an Airlines have to be in tune with the Establishment given the competition the President’s son-in-law “state” will seek to offer and integrity”. this concession. urgency to review laws to ensure in the skies. Little wonder then that they were quick to rule against the and author of the plan, impoverished Palestin- Clearly, the plan has lit- Whatever the calcula- justice to the victim on time. comedian. Was there a suggestion of breach of due process in the airline celebrated the occasion ians is economic opportu- tle to do with peace and all tions of the beleaguered Shivani Muthyala ordering a six-month flying ban immediately, even though the rules spec- with members of Israel’s nity: modern infrastruc- to do with the immediate US and Israeli leaders, Hyderabad ify a ban can only be in pendency as the internal committee meets and hardcore right-wing ture will be constructed, personal and political Israel’s actions to imple- decides within 30 days? lobby in the US, all with a tunnel or a high- interests of both “Bibi” ment the plan through There is, however, no high dudgeon to be shown in these fraught times, staunch supporters of Mr speed railway linking the Netanyahu and Donald annexations of occupied ABIDING HYMN when the decorum of flying can be upset by the merest show of dissent. Netanyahu. A jubilant West Bank with Gaza. It Trump. territories and creation of Thank you Prime Minister Only physical unruliness can lead to a passenger being debarred for flying “Bibi” Netanyahu then will have access to two The plan was fresh realities on the Narendra Modi for abiding by your for upto six months. In this case, the comedian can be deemed guilty only described Mr Trump as Israeli ports, whose announced a few hours ground will only make words ‘Sabka Vikas’ and including of using offensive words, that are par for the course these days in the pub- “the greatest friend Israel waters would remain after the Israeli attorney- the Palestinians more the hymn Abide With Me during lic sphere, thanks again to the loudness in Left vs Right and right versus has ever had in the White under Israeli control. The general indicted Mr frustrated and, perhaps, the Beating Retreat wrong debates. House”. Mr Trump called infrastructure and eco- Netanyahu on corruption more desperate. This (Vandemataram makes way for There is an irony to be noted in a presenter of views, known for badger- it the “ultimate deal”. nomic zones will be charges, compelling him could lead to an escala- Abide With Me, DC, Jan.