India’s Gender Budget: Big Numbers, Small Impact
In her 2023-24 Budget speech, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasised nari-shakti, or “women’s potential”, and stated that facilitating inclusive, women-led development was the government’s priority. This was also reflected in India’s G20 commitments during its G20 presidency last year. This year’s Union Budget also shows the government’s commitment to women’s economic
Modi’s Billionaire Boom: The Hidden Cost to India’s Public Sector
The Forbes World Billionaires annual list for 2024 included 25 new names from India, taking the number of Indians to 200. The Narendra Modi decade has undoubtedly been fantastic for a section of the super-rich, and through the years of COVID, reverse migration, agriculture crisis, and the collapse of many
India’s Onion Export Ban Backfires, Leaving Maharashtra Farmers in Crisis
An onion farmer in Beed, Maharashtra, in May 2024. The Indian onion farmer has lost a big opportunity to capture the international market. | Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B Maharashtra’s second Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has started his statewide tour ahead of the Assembly election. He opened his yatra
Two Myths About the Indian Middle Class
The first myth is in invoking the “middle class” as synonymous with income taxpayers, investment gains, and so on. Promoting policies for the middle class, the ordinary Indian, or the common man naturally enjoy broad support. | Photo Credit: Rajanish Kakade Politics is about who gets what. This definition of
Will Conflict of Interest Allegations Against SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Buch Impact Indian Public Sector Banks?
The performance of SEBI has a direct impact on market operations, mergers and acquisitions, and the overall economy. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The integrity of India’s financial markets has been called into question following allegations of conflict of interest against Madhabi Buch, the current chairperson of the Securities and
Global Reports Spotlight Rising Food Insecurity in India, But Modi Government Chooses to Shoot the Messenger
Each year, five organisations—the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the World Food Programme—join hands to publish a report on the state of food security and nutrition in the world. This report that comes close on the heels of the
SEBI’s Buch Under Pressure: Can India’s Market Watchdog Chief Weather the Storm?
When the Satyam scam came to light in January 2009, it was a bolt from the blue for India’s stock market. Unlike anything ever seen or experienced by way of scams, this was stunning in size, complexity and impact. Then chairman and CEO of the IT company, Ramalinga Raju resigned
Wayanad Landslide Disaster: When Nature Rewrote the Map
“This was Mundakkai,” murmurs a rescue volunteer, pointing towards his right. From where we stand, atop a destroyed house, the view is frightening. A huge expanse of land lies in front of a tall mountain, the earth raw and wounded, like a vast, long scar. The soil is a muddy
NDA’s Discriminatory Fund Allocation Widens Centre-State Rift
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime period has witnessed the emergence of a new slogan: “double engine government”. It virtually declares that a State where voters elect a BJP government will receive special fiscal support from the Centre. There cannot be a more obnoxious form of political favouritism in the
Unified Pension Scheme: A Half-Measure That Fails to Address Deeper Issues?
On August 24, the Union Cabinet approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which guarantees an assured pension to government employees who joined the service after January 1, 2004, under the National Pension System. This optional scheme, which will be applicable from April 1, 2025, will benefit 23 lakh Central government