Media Coverage

The budget’s dangerous philosophy

Mint

  • 17 March 2016

Can we listen to the budget as an annual public statement by the government of its economic and social philosophy and intent? The centre abandoned five-year plans that earlier laid down a road map of where government policies are headed. The budget,...

GST: Palatable for Industry, Sour for Fiscal-Federalism

Mainstream Weekly, VOL LIV No 12, New Delhi

  • 12 March 2016

“Taxes are the Sinews of the State.” —Cicero A Viewpoint So far in India, right from suppliers of raw materials, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and ultimately consumers—all are made to pay indirect taxes to the Centre and...

Presence of 29 percent stunted children in India is a silent emergency: Louis Georges Arsenault

Firstpost

  • 12 March 2016

Speaking at a day-long consultation on ‘Public Investment in Nutrition: Challenges and Opportunities in the New Fiscal Architecture in India’ UNICEF India Representative, Louis Georges Arsenault stated that presence of 29% stunted children in...

PM Modi, This Bill Can Be Easily Passed. So What Gives?

NDTV

  • 7 March 2016

There is a strong dividing line between symbolic actions and just plain tokenism. Alas, the Prime Minister's suggestion that only women members of parliament should speak on March 8, International Women's Day, would fall in the latter category....

Budget 2016: At the time of deepening distress, govt's rural push may not be adequate

Firstpost

  • 4 March 2016

The preliminary reactions of many people after the Budget presentation gave the impression that farm sector got a boost in terms of a significant increase in budget outlays for the sector. But a closer look reveals that behind this apparent increase...

By no means a ‘socialist’ Budget

Hindu

  • 1 March 2016

Be it education, health, pensions for the socially vulnerable, distressed farmers, or MGNREGA, the 2016 Union Budget has nothing radical to offer. Appearances can be deceptive. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s emphasis on doubling farm incomes,...

Budget 2016: Will changed Centre-State resource sharing impact fund usage for development schemes

Firstpost

  • 26 February 2016

Most states are left with unspent balances in development schemes of different departments, which in turns impairs achievement of objectives of these schemes. Though, the extent and quality of fund utilization varies across states and across...

Budget 2016: Nirbhaya Fund is a dud; Jaitley should urgently find ways to utilise it

Firstpost

  • 22 February 2016

The high incidence of violence against women and the ensuing public outcry has brought the issue to the forefront of the policy discourse in the last few years, underscoring the need for the government to undertake substantive interventions to...

One in every three rural households living in debt

Business Standard

  • 20 February 2016

The ticket size may be different but more households in rural areas are taking loans than urban areas. The incidence of indebtedness in rural areas stands at 31 per cent, compared with 22 per cent in urban areas, according to the latest data on...

Crisis in the Social Sector

Mainstream

  • 14 February 2016

A crisis situation has emerged in the social sector in several parts of the country due to lack of availability of adequate financial resources. The ‘social sector’ includes women and child development, nutrition, health, education, panchayat...