Opinion: Manish Sabharwal and Kartik Narayan. A five-point agenda to fix the country’s PF scheme could shift 50 million people from informal to formal work. Let’s blend idealism with pragmatism. The excellent book Making Social Spending Work by Peter Lindert suggests societies need safety nets to catch those in need because of unlucky opening balances,... Read More
Opinion: Sanjib Pohit and Chetana Chaudhuri. Installation, maintenance in renewable energy will create jobs, even as energy transition poses challenges. COP28 emphasised that transitioning from fossil fuels in energy systems is required in a just, orderly and equitable manner. The path of decarbonisation requires shift to low-carbon options. Demand-side management measures like production and supply... Read More
Opinion: Sonalde Desai. If universities are to remain home to creativity, they must embrace both radical thinking and scepticism toward received wisdom. This is important not just for humanities and social science but also for science and engineering. In recent weeks, two American university presidents, Claudine Gay from Harvard and Liz Magill from the University... Read More
Opinion: Poonam Munjal and Palash Baruah. The attention the archipelago is receiving must be leveraged through strategic marketing campaigns, both by government and private stakeholders. Lakshadweep, a uni-district and the smallest Union Territory of India, is getting attention like never before after Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted pictures of his “exhilarating experience” during his visit to the UT,... Read More
Opinion: Udaibir Das. Facing unprecedented socio-economic challenges, the financial system must act decisively to preserve its vital economic role. 2024 will be a make-or-break year for the financial sector. It will rise to the challenge of a changing world or fall into irrelevance and chronic stress. The fate of finance and the global economy hangs... Read More
Opinion: Manish Sabharwal. Jan Vishwas Bill 1.0 recognised this problem but couldn’t do enough. A Jan Vishwas 2.0 that aims higher is needed, so that job creation can be accelerated Tulsidas’s Ramacharitmanas asks, Jaum mrigpati badha medukanhi bhala ki kahai kou tahi (if a lion kills frogs, will anyone speak well of him)? The Indian... Read More
Opinion: Asrar Alam. Despite targeted Skill India government initiatives strive to boost female participation, societal pressures and caregiving responsibilities stand out as formidable barriers. The PLFS 2022-23 furnishes valuable insights into female workforce participation, underscoring how family dynamics shape caregiving responsibilities and impact women’s career trajectories. Given the magnitude of the need, there is an... Read More
Opinion: Raka Saxena and Laxmi Joshi. Unlocking the full potential of AI, ushering in an era where technology and agriculture converge. In the dynamic landscape of agricultural development, rural progress undergoes a significant metamorphosis with the infusion of technology, contributing to a structural transformation that reverberates across rural communities. Despite agriculture’s historical resistance to digital... Read More
Opinion: Jyoti Thakur and Poonam Munjal. In India, women still face numerous hurdles to access employment and, once employed, to access decision-making positions. Claudia Goldin’s winning the 2023 Nobel Prize in the Economic Sciences, with her comprehensive account of women’s earnings and their underrepresentation in the global labour market, has aroused renewed interest among the... Read More
Opinion: Poonam Gupta. Each sequential release of GDP estimates by MoSPI (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation) generates considerable excitement. Yet, perhaps many of us are unaware that each year’s estimates are revised six times over a stretch of three years before they are finalized. For example, the first estimate of growth for the current... Read More