As India approaches the Union Budget for 2026-27, the fiscal landscape is poised at a critical juncture. With the economy recovering from global disruptions and aiming for sustained high growth, the budget presents an opportunity to recalibrate policy frameworks in line with developmental imperatives.

Drawing from my research on public …

Basic income transfers under gender budgeting can be a judicious tool for coping up livelihood crisis, not an electoral tool. 

In the end, the 2025 Bihar election was not decided by caste arithmetic, liquor bans, or development promises. It was decided by gender budgeting - 1.25 crore direct bank transfers …

( interview by Priyasmita Dutta )

NEW DELHI – Given the severe fiscal constraints of state governments, the 16th Finance Commission should ideally recommend 50% vertical tax devolution to states, according to National Institute of Public Finance and Policy Professor Lekha Chakraborty. However, this is ambitious given the global economic …

Introduction

Integrating a gender lens in a federal budget of an emerging country context is not easy, as it is a clarion call to go “beyond the gross domestic product (GDP)” paradigm. Gender budgeting, a macro-fiscal tool to tackle gender inequalities, has been increasingly recognized for its efficacy for fiscal …

India’s fiscal federalism is at a crossroads. On November 17, 2025, the 16th Finance Commission (FC), chaired by Professor Arvind Panagariya, submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu. Covering the period 2026–31, this quinquennial exercise will determine how the world’s largest democracy allocates resources between the central government and its …