Block Experience in Kashmir
As part of my Masters programme, I was placed with Borderless World Foundation in Kupwara, Kashmir for block placement in April-May 2010. The organisation runs homes for girl children in three districts – Kupwara, Budgam and Anantnag. They had also started a home in Jammu by then and had started with the intention of caring […]
OSR! OSR! Where’s my OSR?
“Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice: That alone should encourage the crew. Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true.” The Hunting of the Snark By Lewis Carroll These thoughts come after my attending two mega meetings, on ‘Own […]
It is Quite Simple, Really
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 […]
Subsidise LED lamps!
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 […]
It Takes Two to Tango
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 […]
Remembering Dr. K.S. Krishnaswamy
“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 […]
If it is broke, fix it!
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, […]
Endorsing Candidates Across Parties: Promoting Apolitical Politics
Karnataka assembly elections just got over. The sight of small processions mainly consisting of women and adolescents coming from the class that forms the bulk of domestic help and other support services was common during the campaign process. It was not uncommon to see the same faces in processions shouting slogans for different parties. This […]
Comprehensive Government Finance Architecture – the Australian Example
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” ~ Abraham Lincoln The Financial Rules, the Treasury Rules/Code, the Accounting Codes and the Civil Services Rules broadly provide internal controls in the Government of India and the state governments. These rules and codes comprise basic […]
Conflict of Interest – The Bottom Line
The Asian Development Bank defines corruption quite concisely as ‘abuse of public office for personal gain’. Conflict between personal interest and the public interest is implicit in all incidents of corruption. Any corrupt act invariably compromises the larger public interest. Whether it is the frauds in Commonwealth Games, the allocation of 2G, denotification of government […]