Researchers Publication

We study the fiscal health of state electricity distribution companies (discoms) in India and its bearing on the supply of electricity. India has, in a policy landmark, lately achieved near-universal household electrification, in large part through Central funding of infrastructure totaling Rs. 5 lakh crores as well as state bailouts totaling Rs. 35 lakh crores...   Read More

Installation, maintenance in renewable energy will create jobs, even as energy transition poses challenges. COP28 emphasised that transitioning from fossil fuels in energy systems is required in a just, orderly and equitable manner. The path of decarbonisation requires shift to low-carbon options. Demand-side management measures like production and supply chain adaptation or improving energy efficiency...   Read More

The attention the archipelago is receiving must be leveraged through strategic marketing campaigns, both by government and private stakeholders. Lakshadweep, a uni-district and the smallest Union Territory of India, is getting attention like never before after Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted pictures of his “exhilarating experience” during his visit to the UT, early this month. In a matter...   Read More

If universities are to remain home to creativity, they must embrace both radical thinking and scepticism toward received wisdom. This is important not just for humanities and social science but also for science and engineering. In recent weeks, two American university presidents, Claudine Gay from Harvard and Liz Magill from the University of Pennsylvania, resigned...   Read More

Facing unprecedented socio-economic challenges, the financial system must act decisively to preserve its vital economic role. 2024 will be a make-or-break year for the financial sector. It will rise to the challenge of a changing world or fall into irrelevance and chronic stress. The fate of finance and the global economy hangs in the balance....   Read More

Despite targeted Skill India government initiatives strive to boost female participation, societal pressures and caregiving responsibilities stand out as formidable barriers. The PLFS 2022-23 furnishes valuable insights into female workforce participation, underscoring how family dynamics shape caregiving responsibilities and impact women’s career trajectories. Given the magnitude of the need, there is an urgent call to...   Read More

Unlocking the full potential of AI, ushering in an era where technology and agriculture converge. In the dynamic landscape of agricultural development, rural progress undergoes a significant metamorphosis with the infusion of technology, contributing to a structural transformation that reverberates across rural communities. Despite agriculture’s historical resistance to digital integration, the sector is experiencing a...   Read More

Jan Vishwas Bill 1.0 recognised this problem but couldn’t do enough. A Jan Vishwas 2.0 that aims higher is needed, so that job creation can be accelerated Tulsidas’s Ramacharitmanas asks, Jaum mrigpati badha medukanhi bhala ki kahai kou tahi (if a lion kills frogs, will anyone speak well of him)? The Indian Penal Code makes...   Read More

In India, women still face numerous hurdles to access employment and, once employed, to access decision-making positions. Claudia Goldin’s winning the 2023 Nobel Prize in the Economic Sciences, with her comprehensive account of women’s earnings and their underrepresentation in the global labour market, has aroused renewed interest among the international community in the persistently low...   Read More

Each sequential release of GDP estimates by MoSPI (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation) generates considerable excitement. Yet, perhaps many of us are unaware that each year’s estimates are revised six times over a stretch of three years before they are finalized. For example, the first estimate of growth for the current year 2023-24, the...   Read More

ARTICLE I Sage Journals Impact of Product and Process Adoption Strategies on Business Expectations: Evidence from India During the Pandemic Bornali Bhandari, Samarth Gupta, Ajaya Kumar Sahu, and K S Urs January 2024

The number recently put forth by a government-constituted task force represents, at best, an interim assessment till the final report is out. The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) released a report on “Logistics Cost in India Assessment and Long-term Framework” on December 14, 2023. The report is an outcome of a consultative approach...   Read More