Op-Eds

Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic women have exhibited higher levels of depression and anxiety than men across nations and social classes On the occasion of the World Mental Health Day on October 10 it’s time to put under the spotlight issues pertaining to gender and women’s mental welfare. With the theme this year being “Mental...   Read More

Privatisation may not ensure redemption for the loss-making airline but it still is high time the government gets this done The much-delayed privatisation of Air India has suffered from several false take offs. Since the interim Budget of 1991-92 India has followed a policy of disinvestment with regards to Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs). The...   Read More

The economic consequences and political benefits associated with it encouraged many countries to try and “game” the system by making superficial improvements on indicators being measured and when that failed by putting explicit pressure on the World Bank research team. “The much-touted Ease of Doing Business Index (EoDB) is dead. The flagship product created by...   Read More

1st episode of Land of a Billion Season 2! by the Quint This podcast features Mr Deepak Sanan  NCAER and Vivek Kumar Singh the Additional Chief Secretary Revenue and Land Reforms in the Government of Bihar. Mr Sanan speaks extensively about NCAER’s work- Land Records and Services Index (N-LRSI). The episode explores various questions and...   Read More

The NCAER recently undertook a study on cooperative agro-processing and identification of institutional financial lacunae in the cooperative movement The cooperative movement in India has regained focus after the Union Government recently created a Ministry of Cooperation to provide a separate administrative legal and policy framework for streamlining the cooperatives. The move is expected to...   Read More

Statutory regulatory authorities need autonomy in staffing their organisations with specialists who have integrity and knowledge Newspapers reported recently the call of the chairman of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) for a “standalone legislation”. NFRA is a relatively new regulator —largely invisible to the general public—constituted in October 2018 under Section 132 of the...   Read More

With better transport and communication facilities this region has the potential to grow trade with bordering nations. The ‘Look East’ policy of 1991 gave way to the ‘Act East’ policy” of 2015. The objective of the latter is to promote economic cooperation cultural ties and strategic relationship with countries in the Asia-Pacikc region. This would...   Read More

India should maintain an appropriate level of reserves avoid excessive volatility of the exchange rate and prepare banks and firms to handle greater volatility. In recent months tapering seems to have become the buzzword again.'Tapering' refers to the phenomenon when the central banks of advanced countries particularly the US Federal Reserve Board (FRB) start withdrawing liquidity...   Read More

While some headline economic indicators suggest a recovery we must not overlook weaknesses in employment-intensive sectors and still-worrisome joblessness that point to persistent distress. The official estimates of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter (Q1) of 2021-22 together with other recent information enable us to form a fairly comprehensive picture of how...   Read More

Professor Sonalde Desai is Distinguished University Professor at University of Maryland Sonalde Desai, Professor at NCAER, who holds a joint appointment at University of Maryland, USA, has recently been appointed as Distinguished University Professor (DUP) at the University. DUP status is a permanent honorific title that recognises exceptional records in research, teaching, and service. It...   Read More