Centrally Sponsored Schemes and India’s Shifting Federal Balance
The State governments across India are increasingly facing backlash when it comes to welfare provisioning, with the most criticism centered on finances and fiscal stress on individual States. While concerns about shrinking fiscal space are often raised, these are not unusual. In fact, this is how States are meant to function. In our fiscal federalism, […]
The Economic Survey 2020-2021: Growth Does Not Necessarily Work for the Poor
Dedicated to the Covid Warriors, the 561-page-long Economic Survey of India for the year 2020-21 was placed before the Parliament of India on January 29, 2021. The survey, being an analysis on the macroeconomic status of the economy, estimated the Covid-induced economic contraction at 7.7 percent of the GDP during FY 2020-21, with the GDP […]
Education Cess and its Neglect of Education
Towards the end of March, we all rush to complete our investments in the Tax Saving instruments and also furnish our declarations to save tax. There would be many of you who despite all the exemptions end up paying taxes to the government. Ever wondered what happens to the different taxes collected from you? All […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
The Incentive Mechanisms of the Rashtriya Swastha Bima Yojana (RSBY) – Are They Geared for Service Delivery? The Case of Karnataka
This article was written after the Centre for Budget and Policy Studies completed a household survey in the district of Shimoga in Karnataka in November 2010. The team had been interacting with various stakeholders – the department of labour, the insurance company, the district officers, hospital administrators and the beneficiaries of the scheme over the […]
Mothers Day, a Reflection
May 9th was celebrated around the world as Mothers Day. A day where the urban population in India took some time to celebrate their mothers and her influence in their lives. However, in India, Mothers Day has very little meaning to the 254 mothers out of 100,000 who die every year during or after child […]