Monthly Archives: April 2021

At Ashoka University in Haryana, one can choose from 21 major and 18 minor coursesAcademician Pratap Bhanu Mehtas resignation from Haryana-based Ashoka University in March not only resulted in protests by students, but also put the spotlight on universities that offer them the option of getting a well-rounded and expansive intellectual grounding in all kinds of humanistic inquiryin the form of a liberal arts degree. Though specialised liberal arts colleges in India are still relatively youngmost of them were established only about a decade agothey are increasingly becoming popular and beginning to gain a wider student base.

Liberal arts courses are designed to introduce students to four areas of studyarts, humanities, natural and social sciencesand enable them to critically evaluate the environment around them. According to the draft National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 document, A liberal arts education enables one to truly develop both sides of the brainthe creative and analytical side.

How, not whatCourses under the umbrella of liberal arts are designed with a multi-faceted approach to challenge students understanding beyond their lived experiences. They are focussed on the how rather than on what.

Students are not taught what to think, but how to think, says Dishan Kamdar, vice chancellor of Pune-based Flame University. Such a learning system helps students develop abilities to connect the dots, hone a creative mindset, and inculcate skills to think out of the ordinary.

This has resulted in a majority of the graduates coming out of our education system not being employable as they lack the requisite skill sets for 21st century jobs, says professor Malabika Sarkar, vice chancellor, Ashoka University. Liberal arts focus on all-round development and in shaping students intellectual, aesthetic, social, physical and emotional capacities not only equips students for a career but also for life.

Every liberal arts college provides an opportunity to combine multiple academic interests into a single degree programme ranging from arts and performance, communication and design, to history, economics and even international relations.

At Ashoka University, a not-for-profit university and a philanthropic initiative that has raised over 1,100 crore in the past eight years through 119 individual and 27 corporate founders, students can choose from a range of 21 majors and 18 minors while making it mandatory to opt for two co-curricular courses.

Slow, steady growthIn the past few years, the awareness of liberal arts education has increased considerably, say academicians.

For instance, Bengaluru-based Azim Premji University, which began by offering two postgraduate programmes in 2011, currently operates 11 degree programmes and 30 short-term courses across the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Mumbai-based Jyoti Dalal School of Liberal Arts (JDSoLA), established in 2016, started with a batch of 60 students; today it has 120.

Shivali Padmanabh, 25, who completed her liberal arts undergraduate course in 2017 from Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gujarat, recalls it was a new concept when she signed up for it. When I was looking for options for my undergraduate degree, I was looking for a holistic approach over any specialised degree. Liberal arts back then was a rather new concept, she says, adding that since her graduation she has noticed a considerable increase in the number of students per batch in her university.

Applications have grown manifold in the last few years, with higher growth seen from international boards and from students who have taken international entrance tests like the SAT or ACT, says Kamdar of Flame University, a private philanthropic initiative that receives funding through grants. Our incoming class has more than doubled in the last few years.

One of the factors behind the growing popularity, say experts, may have to do with the faculty chosen. At JDSoLA, candidates need to have a PhD or an MA and six to seven years of industry experience in the specialised area. Selection is done after several rounds of rigorous interviews, and once selected, they go through intensive training, informs Dr Vaze.

At Azim Premji University, says the registrar Manoj P, We look for deep and sound disciplinary expertise. After multiple rounds of interactions, including campus visits, the facultys abilities are also gauged on the basis of their display of passion for teaching, and more importantly, an openness to engage with a learning community beyond their disciplinary boundaries.

Another factor that might have worked in favour of these universities is that they are increasingly opting for foreign collaborations to stay true to their idea of exposure. Many foreign universitiesfrom the best in business schools to Ivy League Universitieshave signed MoUs with universities like Ashoka, Azim Premji, and NMIMS in India, which ensure that international professors visit these universities for classes/sessions. Some of them also offer exchange programmes.

However, one of the biggest concerns about liberal arts education is about its future prospects, meaning how and what the degree could lead to, especially because these three- to four-year courses can cost anywhere between 4 lakh and 10 lakh a year.

Dr Neeti Sethi, Chair programmes, and professor of liberal arts courses at Thapar School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in Patiala, Punjab, points out that while the purpose of liberal arts education is much beyond just securing a job, getting a job is not something that can be completely ignored since many students might have educational loans to pay off.

Besides, parents still struggle to fit such courses in the ideal educational path they imagine for their children. There is a lot of interest for such courses in India but that comes mostly from students, not parents. People from my generation rarely understand the significance of liberal arts, adds Sethi. This, she says, might also have to do with the limited number of degree options while growing up.

But all this seems to be changing. A 2017 Dell Technologies report predicted that 85 percent of the jobs of 2030 have not been invented yet. In this context, liberal arts universities believe that the jobs of the 21st century will require a capacity to think critically, read discerningly, write persuasively, and be conscious of the impact of ones actions on society and environment.

In my experience of studying higher education trends, Ive seen that liberal arts courses are still misconstrued as not an equivalent of their mainstream counterparts. Majorly so because of the narrative of securing a decent job as the outcome of enrolling in a degree. This is slowly changing as students focus on education more than the need of securing a job, says Akshay Chaturvedi, founder and CEO, Leverage Edu, a higher education and career guidance platform.

Harshali Padmanabh, who is pursuing arts and business from the University of Waterloo, Canada, says the reason behind opting for liberal arts was the exposure to a wide array of subjects. I did not know what I wanted to get out of the degree back then, but I knew I wanted to acquaint myself to newer ideas for which the degree seemed ideal, she says. Employment is a secondary consideration. When you want to learn life skills, charting out a unique path becomes the focus.

Chaturvedi adds that though its still an urban concept, over the last three to five years such courses are being increasingly opted for by people from Tier II and Tier III cities as well, indicating the rising awareness about its significance.

Global vs local Despite the efforts taken to put Indias liberal arts universities on the global map, they have failed to grab a spot even in the top 100 over the years. The reasons might be many, say academicians.

Universities should focus on providing quality education and their interests should be towards the concerns of the students more than those of their investors, says Balveer Arora, chairman, Centre for Multilevel Federalism, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi.

We received applications that exceeded the size of the current batch by more than 10 times, a clear indication of the rising demand for liberal arts education. Dr Achyut Vaze, dean, Jyoti Dalal School of Liberal Arts

Elucidating what the Indian education landscape has to offer, Vaze says a local perspective will further develop the creative thinking, innovation, and problem-solving abilities of students. India has a rich cultural heritage, thriving schools of philosophies and ideologies, and a vibrant political and social life. It provides a unique, multi-dimensional, and highly specialised foundation for an education in liberal arts, giving an edge to Indian colleges that cannot be replicated abroad, he says.

Another aspect that Indian universities still lack in comparison to the ones abroad is the focus on admitting students from diverse backgrounds to enable the exchange of different viewpoints. In India, such programmes must become truly inclusive. If the student body does not truly reflect India, and somehow becomes an island of privilege, it would not serve its intended purpose, says Manoj P.

(This story appears in the 23 April, 2021 issue of Forbes India. You can buy our tablet version from Magzter.com. To visit our Archives, click here.)

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The State Of Liberal Arts Education In India - Forbes India

After decades of broken promises and half measures on child care, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced today the federal government will invest roughly $30 billion over five years to help offset the cost of early learning and child care services.

This federal investment the single largest line item in the massive 739-page budget document tabled today is designed to significantly reduce what parents pay for care in the coming years. The government's stated goal is to make life more affordable and to drive economic growth by drawing more women into the workforce.

The federal government estimates the COVID-19 pandemic has driven at least 16,000 women out of the job market altogether, while the male labour force has grown by 91,000 over the same period.

Another recent analysis by RBC found that almost half a million Canadian women who lost their jobs during the pandemic still hadn't returned to work as of January. Employment among women in Canada who earned less than $800 a week has fallen almost 30 per cent, the bank reported.

Freeland said this child care investment will help counter some of the gender disparities fuelled by the pandemic crisis.

Freeland said that, as result of the new spending, the next 18 months could see a reduction of up to 50 per cent in the average child care fees paid by parents. With child care expenses running nearly as high as rent or mortgage payments in some cities, the household savings could be significant.

But to get average fees down to that lower level, the provinces and territories would have to kick in more funding as well. The promise of additional federal money could be used as a bargaining chip to convince provinces and territories to boost their own spending in this area.

Freeland said such an affordable child care system could increase the overall size ofthe economy as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP) by some 1.2 per cent.

"It's expensive, but it's an investment worth making," shesaid.

Of the $30 billion promised today, $27.2 billion will be used to "bring the federal government to a 50/50 share of child care costs with provincial and territorial governments," says the budget document.

The government's stated goal is to drive down child-minding costs within five years to just $10 a day per child, nationwide significantly less than what most working parents pay now in all jurisdictions outside Quebec.

The budget earmarks another $2.5 billion for the Indigenous early learning and child care system to create new spaces, to build or renovate existing centres and to support after-school care programs on-reserve.

The budget also sets aside money to make over 400 existing child care centres nationwide more accessible for children with disabilities.

After that initial $30 billion has been spent, the government says it will allocate $8.3billion a year in new program spending nearly eight times more than what the federal government spent on child care last year to make child care a permanent fixture of the country's social safety net.

That money is to be used to lower costs, create new spaces and hire more early childhood educators to bolster the quality of care in years to come.

Citing research compiled by TD Economics about Quebec's existing child care regime, Freeland said such a national child care system could eventually generate more in economic returns than what it costs the federal government.

In Quebec, where parents already pay less than $10 a day for care, the TD study suggests that for every dollar invested in child care, between $1.50 and $2.80"comes back to the broader economy."

Before the implementation of the Quebec Educational Childcare Act in 1997, the labour force participation rate for women in Quebec was four percentage points lower than in the rest of Canada.

Today, that rate is four points higher than the Canadian average. Quebec women now have some of the highest employment rates in the world, Freeland said.

A senior government official, speaking on a not-for-attribution basis during a technical briefing for reporters, said Quebec would see some of the $30 billion in child care spending but the details of that "asymmetrical agreement" will be worked out at a later date.

In her budget speech in the House of Commons, Freeland said she was determined to build this nationwide "social infrastructure" after previous attempts failed.

"I make this promise to Canadians today, speaking as your finance minister and as a working mother we will get it done," she said.

"COVID has brutally exposed something women have long known: Without childcare, parents usually mothers can't work."

Freeland said the child care program will not materialize overnight. Ottawa will have to negotiate the program with the provinces and territories because child care is principally a provincial responsibility.

"This is not an effort that will deliver instant gratification. We are building something that, of necessity, must be constructed collaboratively, and for the long-term. But I have confidence in us," Freeland said.

The Liberal plan got a thumbs-upfrom child care advocates Monday, with the Canadian Child Care Federation praising the government's "incredible leadership" on a long-promised program.

"Importantly, this is not just about spaces, but a historic investment in building a system, which will include Canada's early childhood education workforce. It will take timebut we are ready to start moving forward for all," the federation said in a statement.

Child Care Now, a national advocacy group, called the $30billionplan "historic" anda"turning point" because it will create accessible and affordable care by capping the amountparents pay.

WATCH | Working parents say national child-care plan could be life changing:

"Provincial and territorial governments will be hard pressed to turn away, especially given that each has stated repeatedly through the pandemic that child care is essential to their own economies," saidMorna Ballantyne, the group's executive director.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, meanwhile,signalled his party would oppose the child careinitiative.

"This is one area where we'll be proposing amendments and ever better policies," he said."I'd prefer letting parents be in the driver's seat and giving options to all Canadianfamilies.

"Canadians deserved better than an election-style budget when we're in a pandemic."

In 2006, former prime minister Stephen Harper tore up a previous funding agreement for a national child care system,opting instead to send cheques to parents with young children.

"This is dj vu," O'Toole said, adding child care is a provincialresponsibility and premiers should take the lead. "The Liberals have promised this three times before and did they consult before making it a fourth time?"

Cardus, a faith-based think tank, offered a similar criticism, saying this sort program will unfairly punish parents who care for their own children.

"Supporting parents directly is the equitable way to help all families, regardless of the type of care arrangement they use," said Andrea Mrozek, a senior fellow with the group. "The proposed plan devalues the work parents and other caregiversdo outside of an institutional setting."

At successive Liberal Party policy conventions, delegates have endorsed child care measures.

But at the party convention earlier this month, members signalled their top priority was some sort of national pharmacare plan to help Canadians pay for prescription drugs.

There are no new spending commitments for pharmacare in this budget. Instead, the government commits to "moving forward" on such a plan and working with the provinces, territories and other stakeholders "to build on the foundational elements that are already in progress, like the national strategy on high-cost drugs for rare diseases, toward the goal of a universal national program."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the Liberal budget "let the ultra-rich off the hook" by failing to levy a wealth tax that could have helped tofund new programs like pharmacare. He said he doesn't trust Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to keep his promises.

"Pharmacare was something he campaigned on it was in the throne speech and now his budget has completely abandoned it. What's to say he won't do the same with child care?" Singh said. "They're breaking their commitment and their confidence with Canadians, and they'll have to pay a price."

But Singh said there's "no way" his party would trigger a mid-pandemicelectionby voting against this budget in the Commons.

The pandemic has killed thousands of seniors in this country, including many in long term care homes. A recent report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) found 14,000 long term care residents have died of COVID-19 in this country to date, representing 69 per cent of all COVID-related deaths in Canada significantly higher than the international average of 41 per cent.

Many have called for reforms to the way long term care functions in Canada to avoid future tragedies. Today, Freeland promised $3 billion in new spending over five years to help the provinces and territories implement new standards of care in these homes.

The Heath Standards Organization and Canadian Standards Association are now drafting new national guidelines for long term care homes. The new money announced today is meant to ensure those "permanent changes are made," Freeland said.

"We have tragically failed so many of those living in long term care facilities," she added. "To them, and to their families, let me say this I am so sorry. We owe you so much better than this. As a country, we must fix what is so clearly and utterly broken."

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Liberals promise $30B over 5 years to create national child-care system - CBC.ca

Falk said its good to see the government is extending the COVID-19 relief aid for those affected with job losses, but she is disappointed there doesnt appear to be a plan for more economic opportunities for Canadian families.

Many workers have had their wages cut and hours slashed because economies arent open yet, she said, but there isnt a plan for that.

This is the first [budget] for two years, right, so that makes it a little more difficult maybe for the government, she said. But were getting a little bit better of a financial snapshot of where Canada is at.

Larry Ingram of Turtleford, the former federal Liberal candidate for the BattlefordsLloydminster, said he is in favour of the budget.

Im looking at the budget to some degree now and thinking that its a good budget, he told battlefordsNOW. I think that if the Opposition Party supports it, then we will be in a good position. I honestly believe that the federal Liberals have done a really good job with the COVID-19, keeping it under control as much as possible.

As far as support for agriculture in concerned, Ingram says that also requires more response on the provincial levels for risk management program upgrades.

Im an hour out of North Battleford and the things Ive been asked about over the last while have been more related to packages like the AgriStability, which the federal government has proposed to the provincial governments, that they go and do their share of the funding. The provincial governments havent been doing that yet, he said. So that is one of the things that has been more clear to me. You cant blame the federal government for it not coming out yet.

Looking at economic opportunities in the federal budget, Ingram said he believes there is significant job creation right now.

Especially as we move into the Green Energy , he said. There are a lot of jobs going to be in that, as people decide its time we went there and start getting involved in the supporting of it. There will be a lot of jobs manufacturing and actually just repurposing a lot of the vehicles and the equipment to electric.

On the governments high debt load and current financial situation, Ingram said the country couldnt have been able to get through this pandemic as well as it did without the federal Liberal party being in charge in Ottawa, responding to the nations needs.

Everybody is pretty well aware of that we have been able to control the pandemic quite a bit because of the federal Liberal party, he said. So Im quite happy with what this budget is coming out with. I look at it, and Im supporting it.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW

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Conservative MP says budget needs job creation, while former Liberal candidate pleased with document - battlefordsNOW

Liberal MP Sean Casey and Conservative MP Rob Moore agree Monday's federal budget was an election budget, but they do not agree on the implications of that.

Casey, the MP for Charlottetown, did not hesitate to label Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's plan an election budget, saying he fully expects an election in the fall because the behaviour of the opposition will make an election necessary.

"When you look at the obstructionist tactics that are being used by the opposition to thwart the government's agenda from going forward, and when you look at this budget, in my view it's quite clearly an election budget," he said.

While it is a budget Casey would be happy to campaign on, Moore, the MP for Fundy-Royal in New Brunswick, who has Conservative caucus responsibility for P.E.I., characterized it in a different way.

"This is a budget that is all about an election and not about actual results," said Moore.

Moore expressed concern about the money set aside to support the tourism industry, which is perhaps the hardest hit sector in the COVID-19 pandemic. That support tapers off through the summer and into the fall.

"Whether you're talking about the tourism sector or small business, people are in need of help in Atlantic Canada right now," he said.

"Some of the funding for the tourism sector is earmarked for next year, when I know that the many tourism operators in my riding, they need help this year."

Casey said there is no need for alarm.

"It isn't a concern at all. The prime minister has been clear from the get go that we will be there for as long as it takes. So, although the plan is to scale these measures back, if they need to be increased they will be," he said.

"The plan laid out in the budget anticipates that the vaccines will catch up to the variants, that the economy will start to come back."

Moore also attacked the lack of focus on health care during the pandemic.

"There's nothing in it about health care. Our health-care systems are strained to the max right now," he said.

"The premiers were calling for help in that regard. Instead, we see this new program about child care that's going to cost $30 billion."

Moore said the child care program is set out as something that will be developed over the coming years, and expressed doubts about whether it would actually happen, saying the Liberals have promised national child care programs before.

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Freeland delivered an election budget, Liberal and Conservative MPs agree - CBC.ca

Former Liberal Party leader Andrew Peacock has been remembered as a "great Australian" who has left an "indelible mark" on the country.

Tributes have flowed from all sides of politics since news of his death at the age of 82 on Friday evening.

"Andrew was a hugely significant figure in Australian politics of the 70s and 80s, and played a dominant role in the development of the Liberal Party," former prime minister John Howard said.

Former Victorian Liberal premier Jeff Kennett told the ABC Mr Peacock was "a wonderful servant to the country".

"He was a wonderful servant within the Liberal Partyand was an inspiration for the youthof the Liberal Party when he entered through the seat of Kooyong in 1966," he said.

Born in Melbourne on February 13, 1939, Mr Peacock was elected to Parliament at the age of 27.

His age saw him dubbed the "colt of Kooyong", a moniker which stuck for his nearly three decades in Parliament.

He held a number of cabinet portfolios during his time in politics, including as foreign minister between 1975 and 1980, then led the Liberals at elections in1984 and 1990.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who currently holds the blue-ribbon seat of Kooyong, said Mr Peacock was "a great Victorian, he was a great Australian, and he will be greatly missed".

"Australia has lost one of its greats in Andrew Peacock," he said.

"He combined great elegance, styleand substance and he left an indelible mark on the Australian political scene."

After leaving politics in 1994, Mr Peacock served as Australia's ambassador to the United States from 1997 to 1999.

He spent much of the rest of his life in the USand died at his Texas home.

He is survived byhis third wife Penne andthree children.

His daughter Ann Peacock said her "beautiful, loving, most caring, thoughtful, generous and brilliant father" would be "so greatly missed".

"Your guidance and deep love for us will live in my heart, we are absolutely devastated," she said.

AAP: Joe Castro

Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday remembered Mr Peacock as "one of our greatest Liberals, who helped shape Australia and the Liberal Party over three decades".

John Hewson, a former colleague of Mr Peacock who went on to follow in his footsteps as Liberal leader, said: "Andrew was a great Australian."

"I think he would havebeen an excellent PM," Dr Hewson told the ABC.

"I always saw him as a small-l liberal, really, in a large-L Liberal Party. I know that annoys some people in the Liberal Party to say that, but that's what he was.

"He had very strong and compassionate social policy views while he was preparedto take a harder line view on the economic issues and so on."

Dr Hewson said his friend and colleague made "principled stands" during his time in political life, both within the party and in his role as foreign minister.

"I was very pleased to be his friend as well as working for him. We had funny occasions together outside of Parliament," Dr Hewson said.

Mr Howard said his former colleague and rival was a "quite outstanding foreign minister" who forged important relationships with countries in the region and deepened the US alliance.

He is known for taking a stance against the Khmer Rouge genocide.In his earlier position as minister for territories, Mr Peacock played a key role in the path to Papua New Guinea's independence.

Mr Peacock spent much of the 80s battling with Mr Howard for the party's leadership positionand he served as opposition leader twice.

Mr Howard acknowledged the pair had their personal differencesbut said they had "well and truly buried the hatchet" by the time he was appointed US ambassador.

"He brought to all that he did in public life a great amount of style, flair and distinction," Mr Howard said.

AAP: Alan Porritt

In 1987,Mr Peacock and then-Victorian opposition leader Mr Kennett were recorded in a phone call using colourful language about Mr Howard, who was federal Liberal leader at the time.

"On a personal note, I remember him as a very close friend," Mr Kennett said.

"We lived so much of our political lives in each other's company, both the highs and the lows," Mr Kennett said.

"It's sad that he's gone. But unfortunately, we're all going to follow him."

Victoria's Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien said Mr Peacock was just as comfortable in the betting ring at Flemington as he was in the corporate boardrooms of Collins Street.

"He was a giant of the Victorian Liberal Party," Mr O'Brien said.

Victoria turned blue under Mr Peacock in the 1990 electionbut "unfortunately the rest of the country didn't play along otherwise Andrew would've been prime minister," Mr O'Brien said.

"His career shows you can have an enormous impact on the state and on the country without being prime minister."

Mr Frydenberg said Mr Peacock's passing would be "mourned by those on bothsides of the political aisle".

"Because he pursued his politics as he pursued life with vigour, with dignity and with the utmost decency," he said.

Former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard expressed her condolences the family of Mr Peacock, who she said would "be remembered fondly for both his political career and diplomatic service to Australia".

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Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said he was "a respected former liberal leader, minister and ambassador to the US who advocated for liberal values over so many decades".

Mr Albanese said Mr Peacock was a "fine Australian" who would be sadly missed by his family and many friends.

Mr Peacock was known for encouraging younger MPs from all political parties.

"He was distinguishedfor that sort of standing across theaisle," Dr Hewson said.

"He didn't play favourites. Hewasn't tribal in today's sense.

"Ithink he took people on theirmerits. He encouraged people andencouraged them to meet their fullpotential."

Health Minister Greg Hunt, who was recruited by Mr Peacock as a young student, remembered a "true parliamentarian".

"He loved the parliament, he loved the notion of freedom, he loved the concept of each Australian being theirbest self," he said.

Mr Howard said Mr Peacock was respected by both Republicans and Democrats during his time representing Australia in the US.

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Former Liberal leader Andrew Peacock remembered as 'great Australian' with lasting legacy - ABC News

Portage-Lisgar MP and deputy leader of the official opposition Candice Bergen says the federal Liberal budget has let a lot of Canadians down.

The first federal budget in more than two years was presented Monday afternoon by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, and proposes over $100B in new spending, something Bergen says isn't surprising.

"This is just what Liberals like to do - spend money. (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau and the Liberals do not have the ability to manage the economy," says Bergen. "(The budget) is not going to do what's needed to create jobs. It's really what Trudeau has called his reimagined economy, which dabbles in risky economic activities like abandoning our natural resources. It really leaves our economy in a very precarious position. So, I'm concerned about this budget."The first federal budget in more than two years was presented this afternoon and proposes over $100B in new spending, something Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Bergen says isn't surprising. (File photo)

The budget also calls for a tax on luxury items like cars and personal aircraft that retail over $100,000, and boats that retail over $250,000; while also proposing a national childcare plan. Bergen notes that many Canadians were hoping for a plan to safely reopen the economy, but there is little in the budget that addresses that.

"Let's keep this in perspective as well - when COVID hit, the Prime Minister and the federal government had some jobs to do like keep our borders safe and make sure that we had vaccines, they failed miserably on both of those fronts," she notes. "Other countries are vaccinated and starting to think about reopening, and we are now being hit with what I call a Trudeau third wave, and so this budget is really a lot of big spending and it's not going to create jobs. It's not going to do what we wanted to see that needs to be done."

Additionally, the budget shows the federal deficit is projected to sit at $354.2 billion for the year that just ended, with it slated to drop to $154.7B in the current 2021-22 fiscal year.

"There's no fiscal anchor. There's no plan to bring some responsibility back to our economic outlook," she adds. "Not only is there massive spending that's going to result in a massive deficit, but we're also going to have a debt of $1.2 trillion."

The federal government will need at least one opposition party to support the budget to avoid an election this spring.

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"This Is Just What Liberals Like To Do, Spend Money," Says Portage-Lisgar MP Of Federal Budget - PembinaValleyOnline.com

COVID-19 has so far killed over 3 million people worldwide. Despite the human tragedy and economic cataclysm, India and the world will recover. What will not recover, however, is the absolute death of public faith in public expertise and public intellectuals, given the obnoxious and blatantly hypocritical COVID commentary.

Consider this: when Rahul Gandhi announced that he was suspending his campaigning for the final phases of the ongoing election in Bengal, the usual suspects held him up to be a paragon of virtue, going on to suggest the BJP was irresponsible. Conveniently ignored was the fact that local West Bengal leaders, like president of Bengal Congress Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, were carrying on with their rallies. Of course, these same public intellectuals never opened their mouths when the BJP had at the outset, much earlier on, suggested to the Election Commission that public rallies should not be held and only virtual campaigning should take place. To note, that particular suggestion was shot down by the same secular parties lauded by said public experts.

Similarly (justifiably), criticising the Kumbh Mela does not make you a bigotdespite the disaggregated nature of the Sadhu collectives attending it. But everyone naming and shaming the Tablighi Jamaat super-spreader event was deemed a communal bigot, despite the evasion and lying being coordinated right from the top of the Tablighi Jamaat leadership in India, which subsequently went into hiding.

What is particularly hilarious in all of this is, these same conscience keepers now outraging over the ongoing election campaigning were at the forefront of egging on the farm protests. Pizza-making and foot massage machines at the protest venues were hailed as human interest stories and the huddling of protestors was glossed over. Not one of these truth speakers ever cared pointing out that these protests were a veritable super-spreader event.

This is not to say the central government or the BJP is blameless. Indeed, any nuanced commentary would point out that mistakes abound on both sides. Yet, while one can expect politicians to trade one-sided commentary, the reason people read or listen to public intellectuals is because you are expected to call out all public failings not just the ones that suit you.

This isnt unique to India. Even at the start of this pandemic, when socialist Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand imposed a total lockdown it was hailed by these liberals, but Narendra Modis India doing the same was passed off as some kind of genocide in action. Donald Trump refusing to shut down businesses was roundly criticised as atrocious policy making, but socialist Swedens mass infection (and hence rapid acquired immunity) strategy was hailed as pioneering and visionary. A family friend of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and head of the US Covid-19 efforts, Doctor Anthony Faucis early pronouncements warning people against wearing masks was ignored, but Trumps resistance to masks made him a hate figure.

All the while where Trump was blamed, the same liberal media going after him completely ignored the deliberate falsification of information by their beloved Cuomo. Whats worse, when it emerged he had knowingly herded elderly people in old age homes with other COVID affectees, the media conveniently downplayed what was in effect an act of mass murdereither through commission or omission.

But lets return to India. The same Indian commentariat that was hailing Joe Bidens victory over an allegedly incompetent and anti-globalist Trump, have now zipped completely shut given Bidens own anti-globalist and anti-humanitarian export controls on raw materials required for the Novavax vaccine. Indeed, those mocking Modi for his friendship with Trump, are now unable to demonstrate how their great love for Biden and the Democrats has yielded health benefits for India.

Today Maharashtra accounts for 30 per cent of all COVID cases, and Delhi, yet another opposition-ruled state, is rapidly catching up given these are the two economic hubs. One is absolutely accurate in pointing out that the states should be running their own vaccination policies determining their own criteria. However, what they equally fail to point out is that these same statesDelhi or Maharashtrafailed in their own internal and public assessments to predict the second wave.

Maharashtra had, for its part, shut down the big COVID centres it had put up, precisely because its own state doctors prognostication was that COVID was in its terminal phase. It is absolutely accurate to point out that the central governments Stalinist price and distribution controls on vaccines have caused inexcusable shortages. The same people pointing this out would equally ignore their beloved doctor Faucis testimony to Senator Paul Rand that vaccines only assured immunity against the initial strain of the virus and not the current virulent variants. They will equally not point out that the same opposition state governments they love so much shared the exact same assessments as the central government, grew just as lax, and at no point during the entire year-long nightmare, ever provided an alternate assessment or made alternate arrangements. This despite most of the health decisions being devolved back to state governments, following the third phase of unlocking.

Let us be clear, the central government hasnt exactly covered itself in glory, but the state governments if anything have proven to be just as bad or significantly worse. Irrespective of that, the only people to have permanently lost credibility are Indias self-referential, personal access and personal favour-driven public commentariat.

Disclaimer:Abhijit Iyer-Mitra is Senior Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. Views expressed are personal.

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Hypocrisy of Liberals: They Outrage Over Election Campaigning, But Egged On Farm Protests - News18