NCAER in the News

Opinion: Isha Dayal. The emissions from air travel, local transport and accommodation for COP delegates are staggering. The COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11-22, will take stock of climate commitments made by countries as well as advances in curbing carbon emissions. However, conducting such large-scale international conferences comes with its own costs, particularly additional...   Read More

Highlights

  • ‘Innovative’ model of idol immersion in Delhi that avoids the Yamuna, But are we still in murky waters?

    Breaking away from the age-old tradition of immersing idols in rivers such as Yamuna this year set a new trend in Delhi. Following the directive of the National Green Tribunal-appointed committee idol immersion in the Yamuna this Dussehra was largely avoided albeit reluctantly by the ritual loving public. Instead the idols were immersed in artificially...   Read More

  • Opinion | An inclusive strategy for India to revive its economic growth

    Putting more money in the hands of the poor who have a high propensity to consume should be the aim of our fiscal policy. Abhijit Banerjee Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer have just been awarded the 2019 economics Nobel for their work on combating poverty. Banerjee Raghuram Rajan and others have also underlined the seriousness...   Read More

  • Smog does affect health but there is no data on the problem’s magnitude

    While we do not question the basic premise that air pollution has adverse health impact we are sceptical about the figures quoted and the methodology adopted in estimating the cost. In the past three years several studies have linked air pollution with health effects. For instance the State of Global Air 2019 published by the...   Read More

  • The best way to reform India’s architecture of fiscal federalism

    On 29 July 2019 the government amended and added to the terms of reference (TOR) of the 15th Finance Commission (15th FC) asking it to “... examine whether a separate mechanism for funding of defence and internal security ought to be set up..." The amendment has been interpreted as an attempt by the Centre to...   Read More

  • The great water paradox

    India’s relatively wet climate offers hope even in today’s dire situation. What is needed is the enforcement of programmes aimed at conserving our most precious resource Water water everywhere/ Nor any drop to drink.” These words from an evocative poem by the famous 18th century English poet Samuel Coleridge echo the helplessness of a harried...   Read More

  • Economic Graffiti: What is to be done about growth

    Arvind Subramanian’s paper ‘India’s GDP Mis-estimation’ published in June this year caused a lot of controversy. I was initially sceptical of his argument. But now having heard him at the India Policy Forum at NCAER on July 10 where he presented more data on India’s slowdown I am convinced about the significance of his research....   Read More

  • Opinion | An unimpressive budget after the massive electoral mandate

    India had an opportunity to take major initiatives but what the bureaucracy gave us is just another incremental budget The Bharatiya Janata Party’s massive electoral mandate provided a great opportunity for introducing major fiscal and other initiatives through the budget. Unfortunately that opportunity has been missed. Following her meteoric political rise finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman...   Read More

  • A demographic window of opportunity: on population and policy

    In India investing in the laggard States will ensure their role as being the greatest contributors of the future Last month the United Nations released the 26th revision of World Population Prospects and forecast that India will overtake China as the most populous country by 2027. The only surprise associated with this forecast is the...   Read More

  • Dr G C Manna, Senior Adviser NCAER appointed to the National Statistical Commission

    New Delhi (Wednesday July 10 2019):  Dr Gurucharan Manna Senior Adviser at NCAER and former Director General of CSO and NSSO Government of India has been appointed a member of the National Statistical Commission.  Dr Manna has nearly 40 years of specialized experience in sample design estimation procedures for household and establishment surveys and the...   Read More