Op-Eds

The overall health insurance coverage of house holds is impressive but pricier, complex self-financed insurance products hinder wider adoption. One of the most concerning and unsustainable aspects of healthcare financing is the significant out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses that households bear. These costs are aggravated by the relentless rise in medical expenses and inflation. Health insurance, often...   Read More

The emissions from air travel, local transport and accommodation for COP delegates are staggering. The COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11-22, will take stock of climate commitments made by countries as well as advances in curbing carbon emissions. However, conducting such large-scale international conferences comes with its own costs, particularly additional carbon emissions —...   Read More

When it comes to gender parity, India’s story seems quite curious. The Gender Parity Index (GPI) reached one in the country at primary education level (Class I - V) in 2009-10 and has been greater than one (in favour of females) for all levels of education since 2018-19. The GPI has also been consistent across...   Read More

Three communiqués, two approaches, one global economy. In the rarefied world of economic policy-making, where the public and markets are distanced from complex decision-making, communiqués serve as windows into the ambitions, hesitations and geopolitical leanings of powerful economic blocs. Released in October 2024, three influential documents from Brics, the International Monetary Fund’s International Monetary and...   Read More

With the rapid rise in internet use in India, the incidents of online frauds/ scams/ cheating has also seen a spurt. Identity theft, social engineering, phishing, skimming, QR code fraud, OTP fraud, frauds using NFC technology, fake cashback links, UPI fraud, etc have now become the buzz words. Fraudsters and scammers are now using advanced...   Read More

If south India wants a larger population, it needs to focus on family-friendly policies or encourage migration from more populous states. In 1944, Stalin (Joseph not MK) established the Mother Heroine award for women who had given birth to 10 or more children. In the wake of population decimation during World War II, motherhood was...   Read More

These households or persons are generally difficult to approach, or they refuse to entertain  survey investigators. Even when they do let them in, much of the data, especially related to income or expenditure, tends to be under-reported. This is a serious problem for a rapidly growing country like India, where incomes are rising at a fast rate....   Read More

India’s push toward electrical vehicles (EVs) by 2030 is a bold and necessary step, aimed at achieving 10 million EV sales annually and creating 50 million jobs across the ecosystem. India’s push toward electrical vehicles (EVs) by 2030 is a bold and necessary step, aimed at achieving 10 million EV sales annually and creating 50...   Read More

Seawater must be used for producing this clean fuel, else there will be further pressure on groundwater. Green hydrogen seems to be the centre of action as the clean fuel for enabling net zero emission. As hydrogen has a much higher energy density than alternative fuel choices like propane or gasoline, it can serve as...   Read More

From risk management to catalysts for growth. Following the Asian and 2008 financial crises, financial stability became the bedrock on which modern market-based financial systems were designed to withstand shocks. This shaped how central banks globally managed systemic risks, with many, especially in advanced economies like the Bank of England and Sveriges Riksbank, beginning to...   Read More