Business Standard: “India achieving developed-country (Viksit Bharat) status by 2047 would require appropriate structure and strategy besides getting its act together on both types of investments — physical capital and human capital. India Out of Work diagnoses the key adverse trends threatening to derail the country’s much-acclaimed demographic dividend. India, according to the authors, is beset with a poly-crisis on triple fronts — employment, education and economy. India needs to grow at 8 per cent consistently to reach advanced-country status by 2047. It has to swim against the tide of growth, which has fallen from 7.8 per cent during 2004-14 to an arguable 6.2 per cent between 2014 and 2024. Achieving this status would require an annual net job creation of 10-12 million in the non-farm sector, which has fallen from 7.7 million to 4.3 million. The other handicaps are India’s high population density of 483 per sq km, against China’s 148 in 2023; a low employed-to-population ratio of 41 per cent (against a global average of 56 per cent); and dominance of the less-efficient informal sector, which accounts for 85 per cent of output and employment, compared to 60 per cent globally. “
Frank Bruni on brain health: “Along with popular brain journalism there are plentiful brain books, written by members of a growing pantheon of brain whisperers who promise that the right diet, exercise and engagement can safeguard our smarts. In “Keep Sharp,” Dr. Sanjay Gupta assembles tools for a task detailed in the subtitle: “Build a Better Brain at Any Age.” “The Ageless Brain” presents a best-brain protocol by Dr. Dale E. Bredesen, and it inspired a recipe collection, “The Ageless Brain Cookbook for Seniors,” by Hadwin Macy. Dr. David Perlmutter has stretched his prescriptions for brain health into more than a half dozen volumes, including “Grain Brain” (about the danger of too many carbohydrates), “Brain Maker” (about the benefits of gut microbes), “Brain Defenders” (about the importance of the immune system) and “Brain Wash” (about detoxing the brain). To feed your thoughts, heed his thoughts. Or just play with puzzles.”
WSJ: “AI is coming to small business, helping companies to organize supply chains, plan production and execute other functions in ways that only multibillion-dollar enterprises were once able to afford. More than 50% of small businesses, including owner-only firms, said they plan to use AI tools this quarter to boost productivity, according to a March survey from Citizens Financial. Their use of AI is rapidly increasing. Among businesses with 20 to 99 people, 84% said they plan to use artificial intelligence this quarter. And 91% of those with more than 100 workers said they are using it to boost productivity right now.”
FT on spiralling: “At the risk of sounding platitudinous: life can be horribly frustrating. You feel like you’re finally getting somewhere, and then you mess things up again (in the way you always do) and you’re right back at square one, stuck in your familiar, depressing rut. Round and round you go in the same old circle, never seeming to make any progress, until you finally lose that most precious of commodities: hope. But consider this: what if you were going round and round, but in a way that is actually OK — normal, healthy, desirable, even? What if, despite all your cock-ups and self-chastisements, you were actually getting somewhere, just on a slightly more roundabout trajectory to the one you had imagined?”
