Everyone agrees that there is a lot of black money in the country. Some say it is 50% of Gross Domestic Product. Black money is generated when a transaction is either illegal, or is hidden from tax authorities. The easiest way of doing this is through cash transactions. Hence the popular notion of ‘suitcases’ of currency notes changing hands.There is… Read more »
SEMINAR THEME: ‘Making public services work for the poor – A Karnataka experience’ DATE: 29th October 2013 VENUE: Hotel Capitol, Rajbhavan Road, Bangalore 09:30 am – 10:00 am Registration 10:00 am – 10:45 am Inaugural session Welcome and introduction to the seminar Jyotsna Jha, Director, CBPS Inaugural address Former Chief Justice of India Padma Vibhushan Shri. M. N. Venkatachaliah… Read more »
The CBPS annual seminar this year is on October 29th, on the theme Making Public Service Work for the Poor. Research studies we undertook in the last year will be shared and the findings discussed.
When should subsidies be used as a policy tool? Can we use subsidies to encourage ‘desirable’ behaviour’, assuming for a moment that we agree on what it is. Would encouraging energy saving behaviour be a candidate for a subsidy if it can be shown to be in the larger public interest? There is an improved lighting technology available today in… Read more »
The Food Security Bill, now being debated in Parliament, promises supplies of rice and wheat to poor citizens at a subsidised price. At the time of writing this, the Lok Sabha had passed the bill. Is this good or bad? Food security is good. So is good health. Will this Bill ensure good health? Or is this an irrelevant consideration? Let… Read more »
State of Traffic as an indicator of governance ‘Blow horn …. Please’ painted on the back of trucks and buses hark back to the days of single lane roads where you had to blow horn (or if it was in the night use dipper) to signal to the vehicle ahead of you to give way. If you just think… Read more »
Governance is often seen as what the government does, which is only partly true. Although governance has been variously defined, most of them recognize that governance has two aspects – one, it is exercise of power and authority and two, it is about the government’s ability and capacity to effectively fulfill its mandate (for a full discussion on governance –… Read more »
“It is important that in the midst of an elitist euphoria that “India is Shining”, it is not forgotten that governments in the country should realise fully their responsibility towards the poor and the socially deprived. Globalisation and privatisation cannot perform the tasks which only reformed governments can do to assist this section of the community. As Dr. Rao said… Read more »
They say ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, meaning leave alone anything that is working fine. But if something is broken, it would be unwise not to fix it. Unlike in the west, we do not have a throw-away culture; from Apple Macs and Blackberrys to mixer grinders and umbrellas, everything is repaired. But in the government it is… Read more »
For the academic year 2011-12, I worked as a Lecturer in one of the renowned colleges in Bangalore. After the academic year was complete, I took a short break and started working in a research organisation since September 2012. Less than a year there and less than a year here doesn’t make me an expert. So, why this effort to… Read more »