Pathway Towards Formalisation of Migrant Labour post-COVID-19

Author:

June 16, 2020

Economy and Finance, Human Rights and Social Justice

COVID-19 has provoked a migrant crisis in India which has uncovered the incalculable socio-economic vulnerabilities confronted by a vast segment of the country’s workforce. This article dissects the impact of the recent labour law relaxations by many state governments on the stated agenda of labour formalisation. It also probes the adequacy of the proposed labour code reforms by the central government for the protection of migrant workers. The article culminates with recommendations for systemic reforms towards formalisation of labour, based on best practices achieved by different states in India.

State of Public Finance in India during COVID-19

Author:

Yash Budhwar

May 21, 2020

Economy and Finance

Financing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic would have been difficult for the Indian government irrespective of its financial and economic health. The authorities responsible for mitigating the spread of the coronavirus, the state governments, are acutely hamstrung given the existing federal fiscal framework. Read on to find out how in times of ill-health, amidst the ongoing pandemic crisis, their capacities have been shackled further.

India and Covid-19: Economic Challenges, Impact and Policy

Author:

Sukanya Mukherjee

May 11, 2020

Economy and Finance

India’s fight against COVID-19 has been on for some time, yet, new ambiguities and uncertainties surface with the ever-evolving nature of the crisis. Sukanya Mukherjee in her article engages with the numerous challenges facing the Indian economy, the impact of the crisis and whether the policy responses have been robust.

In Conversation with Dr. Sanjaya Baru – ISPP Policy Review

Author:

ISPP Policy Review

May 7, 2020

Economy and Finance

Brexit and its Impact: ‘Irish Whiskey’ the Newest Emerging Global Whiskey

Author:

Ishan Sarna

April 11, 2020

Economy and Finance

Irish whiskey has remained less popular than Scotch whisky. This article explores how the original inventors of whiskey have may regain their lost prominence with the grant of the geographical indication status by the European Union. It also delves into the potential impact of Brexit and the Covid-19 epidemic on the Irish Whiskey industry.

How reliable are our estimates of Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation?

Author:

Karan Bhasin and Bhakti Anand

April 1, 2020

Economy and Finance

There has been a lot of discussion regarding India’s inflation targeting framework and the conduct of monetary policy over the last couple of years. The recent decision of the government to scrap the 2017 Consumption Expenditure Survey has implications for the same as the new consumer price index (CPI) weights will have to wait for the next round of the survey. This will result in a higher share of food in the new inflation series over the coming months. While on an average, it will not have a significant impact on the conduct of monetary policy, there could be times when the CPI figures may be higher due to seasonal factors that shore up food prices. Therefore, a serious review of the choice of inflation target is warranted as a part of the review of the Monetary Policy Framework initiated by the RBI.

Banking Distress: Causes and Remedies

Author:

Pronab Sen

February 4, 2020

Economy and Finance

The past three years have witnessed rapidly increasing stress on the Indian banking sector, with non-performing assets (NPAs) steadily climbing from under 3% to over 11% of total assets. Loan-loss provisioning for these NPAs has seriously eroded the capital base of a number of banks, thereby limiting their ability to make further loans. There is now a general consensus that the state of Indian banking is one of the biggest challenges facing the country in accelerating investments and growth. Pronab Sen in his article argues that much of the problems currently being faced by the banking sector arise from a fundamental change that occurred in the Indian banking sector after 2002.

Fiscal Federalism and GST: In Conversation with Sudipto Mundle

Author:

Ashima Mahajan

February 3, 2020

Economy and Finance

The world is currently in increasing turmoil because of factors such as the global economic slowdown, protectionist policies adopted by the USA, and the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. It is imperative that cooperative federalism between the Union and the States is encouraged for India’s economy to remain resilient in the face of international economic turbulence. Ashima Mahajan speaks to Sudipto Mundle about fiscal federalism, GST, Finance Commission, and possible solutions to having a cooperative fiscal arrangement between the Center and states.

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