Spending ‘health & wellbeing’ allocation dependent on third tier of govt; capacity of local bodies must be stepped up

 

The presentation of the Budget every year is followed by a series of critical reviews on changes in inter-sectoral allocations. Subsequently, not much attention is paid …

(Co-authored with Rudrani Bhattacharya)

 

Budget 2021-22 has now been tabled in parliament and there is no denying that it is an interesting attempt, combining a slew of institutional reforms in various sectors with a fiscally aggressive stance. Coming after a year of deep recession due to …

Extraordinary times require extraordinary policy responses. Against the backdrop of macroeconomic uncertainty in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has presented a “significant” fiscal deficit number – which went upto 9.5% in FY21 – from a position of strength. Simultaneously, commencing a fiscal consolidation path …

(Co-authored with D Priyadarshini)

 

Recent news reports suggest the upcoming budget may include proposals for a Bank Investment Company (BIC) anchoring the government’s shareholding in its banks. With a predominantly bank-led growth strategy, banks face the daunting task of managing the pandemic’s impact on their balance …

(Co-authored with Amandeep Kaur and Divy Rangan)

 

Climate change commitments require long term fiscal policy instruments, such as climate responsive budgeting and ecological fiscal transfers . In India we have Climate Action Plans at national and subnational government levels. However, a roadmap towards comprehensive climate responsive …