Op-Eds

Chennai has demonstrated that wastewater reuse is not just a pipe dream, selling secondary-treated wastewater and using proceeds to rejuvenate water bodies. What India needs is an ecosystem to treat 70% of water going down drains. India is set to become home to a quarter of the world’s urban population living in water-stressed regions. While...   Read More

Different approaches to regulation risk fragmenting the global digital finance landscape Stablecoins have emerged as a practical alternative to the traditional banking system for payments and remittances. These digital coins seek to maintain stable value by pegging to currencies like the dollar, combining blockchain technology with reserve backing. They bring opportunities for more accessible and...   Read More

India has taken big strides in its logistical infrastructure but must press ahead with reforms to meet its aspiration of becoming a global trading powerful. Easing and speeding up exports is critical to that endeavour. India’s merchandise exports grew by a significant 39% from $317.5 billion in 2014 to $441.7 billion in 2024. This rise...   Read More

Data from a recent survey on MSMEs in Assam shows a paradox. While most MSMEs have adopted digital payment systems, a large share of their customers still prefer to pay in cash. According to a recent survey conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) for the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES), Assam, nearly...   Read More

The Generally Accepted Principles and Practices for sovereign wealth funds (known as the Santiago Principles) represent a notable experiment in voluntary multilateral cooperation. Yet recent critiques fundamentally misunderstand their nature and purpose, treating them as mere transparency guidelines rather than a comprehensive macro-financial governance architecture. This misreading ignores both their historical context and contemporary relevance—a...   Read More

Planners in India need to look at whether they are investing in the most sustainable and cost-effective transit solutions. Among the various aspects of Viksit Bharat by 2047, an urbanised India is sure to be a principal one as it is expected that urban India will be the engine of growth in this transformation. Let...   Read More

There’s ambiguity on the applicable tariffs on several products. India should sort this out before finalising a trade deal with the US. The US has brought uncertainty into global trade given the announcements, amendments, postponements, legal blockades, and legal backings to reciprocal tariffs imposed on goods imported from across the world. As the largest economy...   Read More

India’s economic growth over the past few decades has been impressive, but the benefits have not reached everyone equally. While urban areas and formal sectors have prospered, many in rural and informal economies remain excluded. The long-anticipated ‘trickle-down’ effect has not materialized, emphasizing the need for inclusive and employment-oriented policy interventions. Technological advances, especially Artificial...   Read More

Although digital means have helped facilitate business transactions, the advent of UPI is yet to make a pronounced change in the manner in which many Indian firms handle their day-to-day transactions, considering that many of them have still continued to rely on petty cash An active area of research is the cash holding behaviour of...   Read More

Water must be treated as a finite economic resource, not a limitless political entitlement. This requires tough reforms. Water underpins nearly every aspect of human well-being, from food security and sanitation to clean energy and public health. Yet, as cities expand, industries grow, and agriculture continues to dominate water use, we are confronting a sobering...   Read More