Op-Eds

Janani Suraksha Yojana, launched in 2005, has helped reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery. But the utilisation of antenatal care has been low. Creating government programmes to incentivise desired behaviour has a long history in development planning. Unfortunately we have no guidance on when success can be celebrated and the programmes be...   Read More

Enhanced financial inclusion and financial literacy are crucial in empowering individuals to navigate financial systems, access credit, and leverage digital platforms effectively. Financial inclusion in India has traditionally been equated with the expansion of banking networks and the proliferation of bank accounts among the underserved. However, complete and effective financial inclusion encompasses far more layers...   Read More

To become a Lakhpati Didi, a critical skill is digital financial literacy — financial knowledge and the ability to take effective decisions On our way to Kolhapur, we stop at a tea stall-cum-convenience store run by Savita tai (name changed), who greets us with a smile. While sipping tea, we overhear her discussing the delivery...   Read More

India aims to reduce agriculture's 'self-exploitation' through non-farm jobs. This requires addressing problems with job laws, promoting direct benefit transfer, improving infrastructure and human capital, and reforming social security and labor codes. In 1918, B R Ambedkar wrote, 'If we succeed in sponging off our labour in non- agricultural channels of production... they will cease...   Read More

The Federal Reserve’s actions alone don’t explain the rise and fall of inflation but they were far from irrelevant. For precisely three years now, the economics profession has been collectively fixated on inflation. February 2021, 36 months ago, was the last time consumer-price-index inflation in the United States (all items, 12-month percentage change) was at...   Read More

While opening of bank accounts has increased over the years, the wide gender gap in availing credit needs a policy response. The following facts have emerged from the spread of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, introduced in August 2014. It has led to greater financial inclusion in the case of males and females, with...   Read More

Critics of the Federal Reserve argue that the acceleration of US inflation in early 2021, and the rapid disinflation of recent months, had nothing to do with monetary policy, because the sources of above-target price growth were all on the supply side. This view is both right and too simple. BERKELEY – For precisely three...   Read More

The interim Budget 2024-25 has emphasised on efforts to achieve net-zero emission by 2070. The proposed expenditure for the New and Renewable Energy Ministry has increased significantly — from ₹17,729.46 crore in Budget 2023-24 to ₹26,376 crore in Budget 2024-25. The major increase is for the Solar Power (Grid) scheme, from ₹4,970 crore in 2023-24...   Read More

Gujarat has consistently ranked among the fastest growing States in India. According to the World Bank's income group classifications, the state is on the verge of achieving high middle-income status. Three key features characterize Gujarat’s remarkable growth process. First, growth in the State has been diversified across sectors. Instead of being confined to a manufacturing...   Read More

The population dialogue in India has been dominated by concerns about population explosion. However, it is time for us to move these fears and learn from the experiences of other countries. In her speech, while presenting the 2024 budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman promised a committee to study India’s population growth to ensure that the...   Read More