Dual control of the IAS is at the heart of the federal structure. The Delhi ordinance challenges it. It can create fissures between Centre, states
Tag: Decentralisation
Grassroots Democracy Needs Urgent Attention
India’s experiment with grassroots democracy, 30 years after the creation of local government institutions, highlights the dangers of overcentralisation.
Does India Need More Federalism or Less? – Debate
What do such Centre-state entanglements say about India’s federalism? And what should we be batting for – a more federalised structure or a stronger Centre?
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.
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.
Renegotiating India’s Federal Compact
The future of Indian federalism rests on how contradictions created by new distributive pressures and political delimitation are negotiated.
Four Lessons the Pandemic has Taught Us on Accountability
The COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark across the world. A global economic crisis now compounds human tragedies. The world is witnessing recessions, increased debt, mass unemployment and a decline in real wages, resulting in food and nutrition insecurity.
This National Panchayati Raj Day, Local Governance is More Important Than Ever Before
Many states have made panchayats the nodal agency for COVID-19 coordination, but sometimes there may be gaps between the torrent of duties being delegated to them and the reality of how they can implement these activities.
Post COVID-19, India Needs Increased Focus on Air Quality
The coronavirus crisis necessitates making health and social protection a priority. But we must not lose momentum on the strides made in tackling air pollution.
Deconstructing the Indian bureaucracy
T.R. Raghunandan’s new book, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Bureaucracy But Were Afraid to Ask provides a satirical and insightful deconstruction of the bureaucracy for the common man