Opinion: Tamanna Akter Tithi, Milan Mathew & Raktimava Bose. The Sundarbans, spanning approximately 10,000 square kilometres across India and Bangladesh, is not only the world’s largest contiguous mangrove forest but also a critical ecological buffer zone and a major economic asset for both countries. Situated at the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers,... Read More
Opinion: Palash Baruah and DL Wankhar. Households, both rural and urban, spent about 13.53 per cent of their annual education expenditure on coaching and tutoring in 2022-23. This is 1.67 percentage points higher than 2011-12. Dependency on coaching to improve academic performance is now common at all levels of education. There was a time when... Read More
Opinion: Udaibir Das. Constitutional independence alone is not enough. It must be bolstered with strong public accountability and transparency. Emerging market regulators face significant challenges in maintaining their credibility when domestic and external entities level allegations against them. The Hindenburg Report's accusations against the Adani Group and India's Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) have thrust... Read More
Opinion: Souryabrata Mohapatra and Surbhi Mishra. As India sets its sights on Viksit Bharat—a vision of becoming a developed and prosperous nation—one crucial factor could determine the success of this ambitious goal: the full and active participation of women in the workforce. Despite the nation’s significant growth since the economic liberalization reforms of 1991, the... Read More
Opinion: Shekhar Aiyar. The World Bank’s measure of extreme poverty, at $2.15 a day, represents a level of deprivation that is rarely seen in the West. At this income, hunger or its shadow is an inescapable feature of life. Estimates suggest that over half the children born to poor families are undernourished. One could argue... Read More
Opinion: Barry Eichengreen and Poonam Gupta. Expanding the RBI’s mandate or shifting to a discretionary regime could undermine stability and prove counterproductive. India adopted inflation targeting (IT) in September 2016. The government announced a 4 per cent Consumer Price Index (CPI) headline inflation target, within an upper limit of 6 per cent and a lower... Read More
Opinion: Souryabrata Mohapatra and Sanjib Pohit. There are several challenges but also opportunities. India’s agricultural sector faces challenges, including climate change, land degradation, and market access issues. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), introduced in 2016, provides financial assistance for crop losses. With 49.5 crore farmers enrolled and claims totalling over ₹1.45 lakh crore,... Read More
Opinion: Shekhar Aiyar and Franziska Ohnsorge. As the global economy fragments along geopolitical lines, countries are seeking new ways to flourish, or at least insulate themselves against geopolitical shocks. Drawing from a newly constructed database, this column explores the concept of ‘connector’ countries, which can be vertical along supply chains or horizontal across markets. The... Read More
Opinion: Souryabrata Mohapatra. Odisha, on India’s eastern coast, has become a notable example of disaster management and climate adaptation. Frequent cyclones, floods, and coastal erosion have driven the state to implement adaptation strategies praised globally for their effectiveness. However, beneath these success stories lies a more complex narrative that challenges the sustainability and equity of... Read More
Opinion: Souryabrata Mohapatra. From its management of the devastating Super Cyclone in 1999 to the more recent challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the state of Odisha has been a testament to the power of adaptive governance. In this post, Souryabrata Mohapatra discusses four key aspects of Odisha’s model for disaster resilience – multi-layer institutional framework, ground-up... Read More
Opinion: Chetana Chaudhuri and Sanjib Pohit . A focus on MSMEs as job creators is needed. Their problems with GST and credit need to resolved. Recently, Arvind Panagariya, the Chairman of the Finance Commission, expressed his view that employment challenge is on account of the country not being able to generate employment in labor-intensive sectors.... Read More