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Physical Performance of MGNREGS in Balasore District (Odisha)

December 17, 2019

( Mampi Bose and Naresh Kumar Nayak )

Balasore is one of the coastal districts of Odisha with an area of 3806 sq.km, of which almost 9 per cent is forest land. It is located in the northern part of the state. The district is primarily a rural district as almost 89 per cent of the total population and almost 91 per cent of the total workforce of the district belongs to rural areas.

Mental Illness: Why are we not talking about it?

December 3, 2019

( Trisha Agarwala )

When the word ‘mentally ill’ or ‘depressed’, is uttered various images are conjured in one’s mind but most of all it is a topic that people generally want to avoid. Of course, adding to this is the confusion around mental health and stigma surrounding it.

Why the uproar about increasing cesses and surcharges

November 29, 2019

( Malini Chakravarty )

Lately, you might have come across two terminologies – cesses and surcharges – being discussed frequently in the media. It is possible you may have even wondered if cesses and surcharges levied by the Central government are just like any other tax, what all the fuss is about.

A Safe Public Transport System: An Enabler to Women’s Participation in the Workforce

November 22, 2019

( Shuchita Rawal )

Indian women contribute just 18 per cent of national GDP, one of the lowest proportions in the world. This reflects the fact that only 25 per cent of India’s labour force is female.

Lines We Cross: ‘Women’, Intersectionality and the Global South

November 18, 2019

( Sakshi Rai )

In 2015, Nivedita Menon’s published an article on “Is Feminism about ‘Women’? A Critical View on Intersectionality from India”. The article scrutinises intersectionality as a universal policy framework, repudiating it as it undermines feminist politics in the context of Global South.

15th Finance Commission: Is shrinking fiscal space the only concern for the states?

November 13, 2019

( Simonti Chakraborty )

The Terms of Reference (TOR) of the 15^th Finance Commission (15^th FC) has met with several criticisms ever since its publication on 27th November 2017. Experts have explicitly expressed concerns about particular provisions in the TOR which are seen as potentially moving against the fiscal autonomy of the states.

Championing Tax Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific

November 9, 2019

(The Diplomat; Sakshi Rai )

There is no denying that the global financial system is broken. A recent report by UNESCAP shows that income inequality has grown in almost 40 percent of all Asia-Pacific countries, coinciding with an increased concentration of wealth.

Linking Health Budget to States’ Performance- Does it Pose any Problem?

November 8, 2019

( Happy Pant )

NITI Aayog came out with an assessment of the States and Union Territories on their health performance in its report, Healthy States Progressive India a few months back.

Promotion of Farmer Producers’ Organisations: Rhetoric versus Policy Action

November 5, 2019

( Gurpreet Singh )

There has been a continuous policy discussion by the current Union Government on doubling the farmers’ income by 2022. On the contrary, evidences of farmers’ distress due to declining/stagnant income have been observed in the recent times in the form of farmers’ protests and agitations in various parts of the country.

Tax Cut and GDP Growth, and Few Basic Lessons of Economics

October 30, 2019

( Suraj Jaiswal )

Among the many solutions proposed to counter the ongoing economic slowdown, tax rate cut seems to the one that government has chosen to implement. The corporate income tax rate has already been cut.

Some States Are More Equal Than Others

October 24, 2019

( Neeti Biyani )

The Charter of the United Nations lays out that the UN is founded on the basis of sovereign equality of all its member states – implying all states have equal rights and duties as equal members of the international community.

Challenges in Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in India

October 10, 2019

( Jawed Alam Khan )

The Post-2015 Development Agenda succeeded the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the form of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and it was agreed upon by the international community including India in September, 2015.