Insights

The article analyses the Union Budget of 2022-23 from the lens of the health sector and highlights the areas of focus this year and where more attention is needed for strengthening healthcare systems in the country. It also talks about what the budget has provided for tackling the pandemic.

Through an analysis of the Union Budget 2022-23 for school education, the article discusses whether the fiscal support provided for this sector is sufficient to recover from the crisis induced by COVID-19. It also talks about NEP implementation, and sheds light on the schemes that address the digital divide.

Keeping in mind the Government’s goal of doubling farmers’ Income by 2022, it is imperative to look at important budgetary allocations towards the agriculture sector, and the likely impacts of changing schematic allocations in Union Budget 2022. The article discusses some of these issues, in the context of rainfed/dryland agriculture practices which struggle to attain reasonable returns and require special policy attention

As per latest CGA data, tax collection so far has indeed been impressive. The question however, is whether this can be sustained over a longer period without domestic demand picking up significantly, which in turn requires economic recovery to be more broad-based.

A sound public finance management (PFM) roadmap for children is an important entry point for addressing their special needs. There is a need to rethink  the process of child budgeting and strengthen the systems and institutions involved which can go a long way in realising their rights and ensuring their holistic development.

The policy direction should have been towards addressing the root cause rather than focusing on short-term measures. The budgetary provisions towards agriculture and allied sectors should be directed towards bringing sector-wide improvement by addressing the need for community-based infrastructure development.

While discussions around online education have focused on the digital divide, there is also a need to emphasise the role of teachers. This piece presents findings from a CBGA survey of government school students in Delhi, highlighting gaps in teacher availability and the systemic issues behind it.

The article argues that for a dependent population group like children, services like running care homes, adoption centres, counselling etc. under the existing schemes are both necessary and important and cater to a large beneficiary base.

During the pandemic, with closure of institutions and adoption of online education,we have seen a multi-fold growth of Edtech industries in India. Does this drive for technology in education is a solution for universal quality learning?

While India is committed to ‘leaving no one behind’, the digital delivery of school education has left many students out of the loop as initial communication could not be established with them.

The piece unpacks the policy framework governing the compensation for ASHA workers. It analyses the various challenges faced by this cadre of frontline workers, particularly in light of the pandemic. It argues for improvement in their status, as well as the need for pushing gender-responsive employment policies in India.