Op-Eds

As India sets its sights on Viksit Bharat—a vision of becoming a developed and prosperous nation—one crucial factor could determine the success of this ambitious goal: the full and active participation of women in the workforce. Despite the nation’s significant growth since the economic liberalization reforms of 1991, the decline in female labour force participation...   Read More

Constitutional independence alone is not enough. It must be bolstered with strong public accountability and transparency. Emerging market regulators face significant challenges in maintaining their credibility when domestic and external entities level allegations against them. The Hindenburg Report's accusations against the Adani Group and India's Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) have thrust the integrity of...   Read More

The World Bank’s measure of extreme poverty, at $2.15 a day, represents a level of deprivation that is rarely seen in the West. At this income, hunger or its shadow is an inescapable feature of life. Estimates suggest that over half the children born to poor families are undernourished. One could argue that even a...   Read More

Expanding the RBI’s mandate or shifting to a discretionary regime could undermine stability and prove counterproductive. India adopted inflation targeting (IT) in September 2016. The government announced a 4 per cent Consumer Price Index (CPI) headline inflation target, within an upper limit of 6 per cent and a lower limit of 2 per cent. The...   Read More

There are several challenges but also opportunities. India’s agricultural sector faces challenges, including climate change, land degradation, and market access issues. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), introduced in 2016, provides financial assistance for crop losses. With 49.5 crore farmers enrolled and claims totalling over ₹1.45 lakh crore, the scheme is a cornerstone of...   Read More

As the global economy fragments along geopolitical lines, countries are seeking new ways to flourish, or at least insulate themselves against geopolitical shocks. Drawing from a newly constructed database, this column explores the concept of ‘connector’ countries, which can be vertical along supply chains or horizontal across markets. The authors argue that vertical connectors may...   Read More

Odisha, on India’s eastern coast, has become a notable example of disaster management and climate adaptation. Frequent cyclones, floods, and coastal erosion have driven the state to implement adaptation strategies praised globally for their effectiveness. However, beneath these success stories lies a more complex narrative that challenges the sustainability and equity of these measures. As...   Read More

From its management of the devastating Super Cyclone in 1999 to the more recent challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the state of Odisha has been a testament to the power of adaptive governance. In this post, Souryabrata Mohapatra discusses four key aspects of Odisha’s model for disaster resilience – multi-layer institutional framework, ground-up approach, capacity-building, and...   Read More

The long road ahead to meaningful energy transition. From bringing the power sector under GST with low rates to government support for MSMEs in the renewable energy space, a lot remains to be done The impact of climate change is unmistakable, as seen in the rising number of heat-related illnesses and deaths in India and...   Read More

A focus on MSMEs as job creators is needed. Their problems with GST and credit need to resolved. Recently, Arvind Panagariya, the Chairman of the Finance Commission, expressed his view that employment challenge is on account of the country not being able to generate employment in labor-intensive sectors. The transition from agriculture to other sectors...   Read More