Each time cases surged, schools were the first to close and only restarted in person months after every other economic activity had resumed.
Category: Op-Eds
Centre Can’t Absolve Itself Of Its Role In Worsening Fiscal Health Of States
Even on the verge of elections in five states, Union Budget 2022 was surprising for its restraint in not resorting to populist measures. Yet, while much of the debate focused on whether the decision to expand capital expenditure (at the cost of revenue expenditure) was the right one in the current time, what has received relatively less attention are implications of the Union Budget on the fiscal health of the states.
‘Upskill Women, Encourage Businesses, Pay Them Well’
With women being hit the hardest by the pandemic, panelists at the inaugural edition of The Indian Express Thinc Series on Gender discussed ways to get them back into the workforce and remove the gap year bias.
Federalism and Bureaucracy: The Original Design vs. A Culture of Centralization
The articles in this series seek to make sense of the many manifestations of political and economic centralization in India today, with a particular focus on the historical antecedents of India’s federal institutions and how greater centralization in these institutions is altering state-business relations, India’s welfare architecture, as well as electoral competition.
Budget And Politics In Pandemic Times
Applying a political economy lens to the recently announced Budget 2022-23, Yamini Aiyar contends that the emphasis on capital expenditure over welfare in the two Budgets announced during the pandemic are a mere continuation of a shift in political narrative towards “market-friendly reforms” that began with the Modi government’s re-election in 2019.
Renegotiating India’s Federal Compact
The future of Indian federalism rests on how contradictions created by new distributive pressures and political delimitation are negotiated.
Budget 2022 Increases Education Spending, Samagra Shiksha Scheme Key For School Reopenings
The budget for Samagra Shiksha has grown by 20% but is still lower than projected budgets of the education ministry
Budget 2022 Shows How Quickly We Forget the Social and Welfare Net That Served Us During COVID
With revenues of the government expanding significantly, this was an opportunity to present a more expansive budget. Unfortunately, the budget made a clear choice.
India Underspends On Nutrition, New Nutrition Programme Yet To Be Implemented
The guidelines of the restructured scheme, Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0, are still being worked out and POSHAN 2.0 has not yet been approved, an RTI response revealed
Education Is Key To Battling India’s Poverty Challenge
Intergenerational mobility in India is low. Those born poor are likely to stay poor, as inequities are entrenched. Now consider what two years of school closure will have done to widen the vast gap.