The pages in the calendar slip by and a new year is round the corner. It was a year of momentous changes. And as 2015 nears, there is a sense of hope… and expectancy, as the nation waits for the promise to materialise. The most important change of 2014 was the general elections that threw up a clear winner: Narendra Modi led the BJP to a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha. Still, the BJP went ahead and formed a coalition government, giving berths to its pre-poll allies in the Cabinet. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which enjoys a majority in the Lok Sabha, is at the Opposition’s mercy in the Rajya Sabha where it is in a minority.
The BJP and its allies are in power in more States now than they were at the beginning of the year, having added Maharashtra and Haryana to their kitty. The dismal mood in the first half of the year has clearly given way to optimism.
This is more than well reflected in the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty, that have risen 30 per cent since January 1. Yet, Corporate India is waiting for the government to act; for it to translate its pre-poll promises into action and ring in the
The coal and telecom scams, both of which had their origin under the former government, continue to hog the headlines. The Centre has come out with a coal allocation policy after the apex court verdict.
The year that is drawing to a close saw e-commerce becoming the gamer changer, with more and more Indians shopping on the Net. E-commerce start-ups raised millions of dollars from venture capital and private equity investors. Homegrown e-commerce player Flipkart is battling it out with multinational giant Amazon, while other players continue to make waves. You name it – shoes, watches, clothes, furniture, books, the latest smart phones, gadgets, electronic goods – Indians bought it over the Internet, thanks to the hefty discounts being offered.
So much so, that the organised retailers are crying hoarse, calling for regulation against the discounting by the e-commerce players. The story continues.