Op-Eds

The conceptualisation of financial autonomy was such a prescient aspect of the scheme that it immediately forged a bond with the target audience, exhibiting results from the very day of the launch. When the American author, public figure, and civil servant Clare Booth Luce asserted in the mid-twentieth century, “A woman’s best protection is a...   Read More

Overhauls to multilateral development banks could be a lasting legacy of India’s G20 presidency. Reforming the multilateral development banks (MDBs) is an important aspect of the global reforms agenda under India’s G20 presidency. The World Bank Group (WBG), as the largest MDB, is the most prominent candidate for such reforms. By taking a lead in...   Read More

Though it will have little impact on exports to EU, India must oppose this trade-discriminatory move. While the world is grappling with finding finance for energy transition towards low carbon pathway, European Commission has announced a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as a part of its Green Deal (or Fit for package 55). EU’s CBAM,...   Read More

Debt is projected to increase by the largest amount in the same states that are currently the most heavily indebted. At 28 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), states account for nearly a third of the total debt of Indian governments. (The central government accounts for the rest.) In coming years, the share of...   Read More

Competing newspaper op-eds by PM’s Economic Advisory Council and two former chief statisticians have led to back and forth about the weakness of our statistical systems and political motivations behind impugning statistics. However, they offer a silver lining by highlighting the importance of statistics for evidence-informed policymaking. Several observations are noteworthy: Indian national statistical systems...   Read More

India was an outlier on fiscal outcomes pre-pandemic, and it drifted further in the high-debt direction during COVID. At their peak in 2020-21, the public debt and fiscal deficit of the General Government (the Centre and the States together) stood at 89 per cent and 13 per cent of GDP, respectively. With the recovery of...   Read More

The Government of India has initiated various national highway projects of significant investment in the Northeast. The highway projects are expected to enhance internal connectivity as well as growth of the States’ economy and create new opportunities for people. The Government’s effort to enhance connectivity in the North-east is visible in many major national highway...   Read More

It is important to consider multiple time zones for India, perhaps starting with two to keep things simple. A green revolution is underway, with green energy, green buildings, green transport, green finance and more. It is time to think of ‘greening the time’ to enable our ambitious climate goals. What does ‘greening the time’ mean?...   Read More

Offering discounts on inflated MRP to lure consumers should be construed as an act of price manipulation. Online marketing or e-marketing has captured the landscape of shopping experience in the country. The ease of online browsing has meant consumers have a variety of choices, get convenient delivery services, return and exchange facilities and not to...   Read More

In the fifth and final article in the Ideas@IPF2023 series, Eichengreen, Gupta and Ahmed reveal how high levels of debt in India limit the resources available for other priorities. At the same time, they predict that there is no immediate crisis of debt sustainability, as institutional factors limit rollover risk, and interest rates have not risen with additional...   Read More