Paper in the form of files, circulars, government orders are at the heart of India’s bureaucratic tradition
Category: Op-Eds
Continue The Additional Foodgrains Scheme: A Critical Lifesaver During COVID, It Remains Greatly Needed
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana’s five additional kilograms of foodgrains per person kept hunger at bay for 80 crore people during the pandemic. Economic conditions remain just as dire for the poor. High inflation makes extra purchases of foodgrains at market rates to meet their household needs an unlikely proposition.
Union Budget and the Unresolved Tensions in National Policymaking
In the pandemic years, the government made a concerted effort to clean up its act and restore the credibility of its fiscal math
Budget 2023: Learning Losses During COVID Cannot be Compensated by the Inadequate Allocation for School Education
During the pandemic, allocations for school education were reduced. The increase in funding in this budget had to be of an order that would mitigate the damage done.
Budget 2023: Infrastructure Spending Grows But At The Expense Of Social Sector Spending
While the capital expenditure of the government doubled, this is the first time, since 2009, that social sector spending is less than 20% of total government expenditure.
Ensure Growth with Jobs: Don’t Leave Poor Behind
In the Indian context, social policy, which includes social protection, is critical. How have some of the government schemes and interventions fared in this regard?
Budget, Of the Government, By the Government, For the Government
If public spending in India is to improve, the burden lies on us to remind ourselves of the ‘people’s reality’ every budget season.
Citizen vs Labharthi? Interrogating the Welfare State
Given the centrality of welfare in the BJP’s electoral discourse, it is important to ask if there is a distinct BJP welfare model. If so, how do the two different narratives on welfare – the ‘revadi’ and the ‘labharthi’ – reconcile to shape this model?
Welfare Initiatives | For the People
The evolution of India’s welfare state tells the story of the power and possibility of democratic participation—one that has shaped national and global discourse.
Yamini Aiyar: Why Think Tanks Are Critical to Indian Policymaking
By serving as convening hubs for diverse stakeholders to come together and discuss pressing policy concerns, Indian think tanks help U.S. policymakers understand local viewpoints.