Bihar Alcohol Ban 2016-2024: Impact, Failures, and Political Future
When Chief Minister Nitish Kumar banned the sale of alcohol in Bihar in 2016, it sparked mixed reactions. Recently, the Patna High Court castigated State government officials, suggesting that they were making money from the rampant illicit liquor trade enabled by them. The High Court made strong remarks while overturning
Book Review: Neha Dixit’s ‘The Many Lives of Syeda X’ is Uniquely Authentic and Eye-Opening in Portraying Working-Class Women
At a construction site in New Delhi on April 30, 2009. Syeda’s story busts several myths about women in general and Muslim women in particular. It opens our eyes to industrial growth and development, smart cities, labour laws, government policies, and welfare programmes. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA India
Deep-Sea Fishermen of Kerala and Tamil Nadu: Life, Risk and Survival in the Arabian Sea
The fishermen who go for deep-sea fishing are the most valiant among the marine fishing communities inhabiting the coasts of Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram. Their predecessors used to set sail in all seasons on the Arabian Sea even before the arrival of GPS and wireless communication. | Photo Credit: Joseph Rahul
India’s Economic Inequality Crisis: How Elite Development Models Failed the Nation
On June 4, 2005, the venerated business house of the Tatas signed an agreement to set up a steel plant in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. Virtually on the same day, a private militia known as Salwa Judum (“Peace March” or “Purification Hunt” in south Chhattisgarh’s Gondi language) emerged in Bastar to protect
Punjab Paddy Crisis 2024: Worst Procurement Delays in 25 Years Hit Farmers
Gal lag ke seeri de jat rove, Bohlan bichon neer vagya, Le aa tangli, naseeban nu faroliye, Tudi vichon putt Jagya. (A farmer embraces a peasant, and cries, As sorrow flows through the grains. ‘Bring a rake, let’s sift through our fortune, In this heap of chaff, O son Jagya.’)
Bibek Debroy (1955-2024): The Scholar Who Shaped India’s Economic Transition
Bibek Debroy—”Bibekda,” “Bibek sir,” and simply “Bibek” to his close friends and colleagues—who passed away on November 1, 2024, was a policy advisor of a different breed. He straddled the complexities of economic policymaking with ease. His breadth of understanding of issues, diverse interests, ability to communicate intricate policy matters
Samsung Workers’ Strike Is a Milestone in Tamil Nadu’s Labour Movement in the Post-Liberalisation Era
When the workers of the Samsung Electronics unit in Sriperumbudur, 40 km from Chennai, went on strike for better wages and improved conditions on September 9, little did they realise that their struggle would evolve into a watershed moment in Tamil Nadu’s labour movement in the post-liberalisation era. When it
PTR writes: Has UP’s economy surpassed Tamil Nadu?
A month ago, social media (LinkedIn and WhatsApp especially) were abuzz with an infographic which showed that Uttar Pradesh’s economy (as measured by Gross State Domestic Product, or GSDP), as a proportion of India’s economy (measured by Gross Domestic Product, or GDP) had overtaken that of Tamil Nadu—with Uttar Pradesh
Economic Perspectives | C.P. Chandrasekhar writes: Indians lining up for jobs in Israel exposes India’s unemployment problem
Recruitment drives held over the last week of January, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and Rohtak, Haryana, for Indian workers to undertake construction and caregiver jobs in Israel have captured global attention. Thousands of job aspirants, who had either registered online or just walked in for interviews, were seen as vying
Data | Indian manufacturing sector on its way up post COVID-19: Annual Survey of Industries 2021-22
Employment fell marginally in 2020-21 due to the pandemic but gained momentum in 2021-22 with 7 per cent year-on-year growth in the manufacturing sector, according to the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI). “In fact, the estimated number of persons engaged in this (manufacturing) sector in 2021-22 has exceeded the pre-pandemic level (that is 2018-19) by more