Paris

The Curious Case of Unspent Funds

Every year the week before and after the budget, debates across all media channels and civil society tend to focus on “allocations” – how much money has been allocated for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan? What is the jump in allocations for rural development? How much is health getting? But amidst the outcry on allocations, the most … Continue reading "The Curious Case of Unspent Funds"

Paris

The Right to Information – Open to Interpretation

Mandakini Devasher Surie Whether it is the debate over access to judges’ assets or individual income tax returns, the Right to Information Act (RTI Act) gets people talking. As a developing area of legislation with few legal precedents, the RTI is open to interpretation. I discovered this first hand a few weeks ago at the … Continue reading "The Right to Information – Open to Interpretation"

Paris

JNNURM – A Work in Progress

Avani Kapur As India completes 60 years of being a republic, one can’t help but look around at our towns and cities and wonder where we are heading. And as a resident of Delhi, the first thought that comes to my mind (maybe due to the infinite signs that plague Delhi roads in anticipation of … Continue reading "JNNURM – A Work in Progress"

Paris

Pratham Launches its Annual Status of Education Report 2009

Pratham’s Annual State of Education Report (ASER) 2009 was launched last week. ASER is a path breaking effort at monitoring outcomes and pushing for accountability from government for monies spent. The report is based on a study of 575 rural districts in India and covered 16,291 villages, 338,027 households and 6,91,734 children. The annual survey … Continue reading "Pratham Launches its Annual Status of Education Report 2009"

Paris

Money for Nothing

Yamini Aiyar and Anit Mukherjee Elementary education policy in India is, as economist Lant Pritchett characterizes it, in a ‘Big Stuck’. Stuck because despite money being poured in to the system – funding for elementary education has had a five-fold increase since the launch of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) in 2001 – outcomes remain … Continue reading "Money for Nothing"