Op-Eds

The strategic question is not simply whether India possesses rare-earthresources or whether imports from China can be reduced. The real policychallenge is understanding what happens in between Most Indians know the parable of several blind men trying to describe anelephant. One touches its trunk and believes it is a snake. Another feels itsleg and insists...   Read More

Gig workers in India face a financial literacy gap impacting their ability to manage income, insurance, and taxes, calling for targeted policy, education, and platform-based solutions to enhance their financial well-being. A delivery rider is paid through an app, buys his fuel and sends money home via UPI, and can tell his customer rating to...   Read More

Rising public capital expenditure has supported growth, but weak private participation suggests India’s infrastructure investment cycle is yet to turn decisively. Government data shows that India grew at a scorching pace of 7.8 per cent in the first quarter of FY 2026-27. This was the highest Q1 real GDP growth during the four years from...   Read More

A motorist sees E20 simply as petrol with a higher ethanol content. But before it reaches the vehicle, the fuel passes through blending facilities, storage terminals, transportation systems, underground storage tanks, pipelines, pumps and dispensing equipment. Every stage matters in determining whether the fuel reaching the consumer retains the quality with which it was produced....   Read More

Should lead to better jobs, more productive firms. India’s economy has started the new financial year on a strong note. Real GDP grew 7.8 per cent in the April-June quarter, making India once again one of the fastest-growing major economies. Consumption remained reasonably strong, investment picked up and exports also performed better. These are encouraging...   Read More

The ultimate measure of success will not be the sophistication of the algorithms. It will be whether the farmer is better off Summary India’s farm sector is embracing AI amid climate stress, tiny landholdings and tighter resources. The article argues that the key question is who captures the productivity gains: farmers, tech platforms or input...   Read More

Crop-specific yield assessment should be intensified in rain-fed districts. Tur, soybean and maize deserve particular attention. India’s 2026 monsoon is becoming an increasing concern for the economy—not simply because rainfall is deficient, but because the deficit is highly uneven across regions and is concentrated in areas important for rain-fed agriculture. Recent assessments indicate substantial shortfalls...   Read More

What are the hopes and desires of young job seekers in urban India? In the summer of 2023, armed with a long list of questions, we set out to survey over 3,000 randomly sampled men and women, 24 years of age on average, and living in the middle-class residential areas of Delhi. Our interest lay in understanding...   Read More

El Niño can set off a chain from rainfall shocks and crop losses to lower farm incomes, higher food prices and weaker rural consumption. Irrigation can help break this chain—but only when water reliably reaches farmers, particularly those at the tail end of command areas  Summary El Niño is emerging as an economic shock for...   Read More

The EU and India concluded FTA negotiations in January 2026, just as the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism entered its definitive financial phase. In this post, Banerjee and Morotti argue that while the two policies are not inherently at odds, differences in how the EU and India measure and recognise carbon costs risk saddling Indian...   Read More