Op-Eds

Historically, India has had a much larger share of workers who are self-employed and a smaller proportion of wage and salaried workers. In this post, Farzana Afridi outlines recent trends in self-employment and the key issues associated with such work. She proposes policy solutions to address constraints around skilling, access to formal credit, and legal...   Read More

The grants have strengthened local finances, but deep-rooted institutional constraints remain a challenge  For more than a decade, Finance Commission (FC) grants have served as the backbone of fiscal decentralisation in India. They were intended to give Panchayats predictable, formula-based resources so that local governments could plan works, maintain essential services and respond to citizens’...   Read More

While India’s fish consumption has been dominated by freshwater species, high-value marine fish and shrimp are expanding their footprint. In this post, Bandyopadhyay and Joshi discuss how this transition is reflective of broader changes in income, urbanisation, technology-driven market access, and consumers’ nutrition awareness. They highlight the role of policy in ensuring affordability, strengthening environmental...   Read More

India’s shrimp industry – one of the country’s most globally competitive export sectors – stands at a defining crossroads today. ndia’s shrimp industry – one of the country’s most globally competitive export sectors – stands at a defining crossroads today. For years, the United States served as its top and most lucrative export destination, especially...   Read More

India’s ambitions of fast and inclusive growth sit uneasily with one stubborn fact: most working-age women are not in paid work. This is puzzling at first glance. Women’s education levels have improved steadily, health outcomes have seen major gains, and aspirations have risen across generations. Yet participation in the labour market remains strikingly low. This...   Read More

Recent studies confirm that India remains a major virtual water exporter, with rice, cotton, and sugarcane — some of the world’s most water-intensive crops — driving this invisible drain Picture a glass of water. Now imagine it contains not just water but the story of how it travelled through soil, nourished crops, and eventually left...   Read More

While global innovation leaders invest 2-4.5% of their GDP in R&D, the figure stands at 0.64% for India. In this post, Mondal and Pohit contend that the country ought to recognise R&D as an economic engine, raising public investment and the contribution of the private sector. Further, instead of only playing catch-up, there is a...   Read More

In May 2025, Hyderabad Metro Rail implemented its first major fare revision in over seven years. While the initial increase—based on recommendations of the Fare Fixation Committee—was announced mid-month, public concerns led to a subsequent 10 per cent discount being applied within days. The episode highlights a recurring challenge in India’s urban transport systems: how...   Read More

Institutional autonomy, not the cycle, will shape outcomes. Global financial institutions continue to frame the 2026 outlook for emerging markets through a familiar cyclical lens. The consensus assumes US monetary easing, a softer dollar and a modest global slowdown will favour local-currency assets, credible disinflation paths and balance-sheet repair. This narrative is historically grounded and...   Read More

The impulse that led to the passing of MGNREGA celebrated the spirit of inclusive development. However, the engineering that rendered the spirit behind MGNREGA into functioning machinery requires repairs and unclogging. Unless we recognise both achievements and challenges facing MGNREGA, it will be difficult to repair it, and this omission will continue to haunt both....   Read More