The Policy Monitor
While the finance ministry tries to address the slowdown by spending beyond what their pockets allow, it must not forget to ensure that the numbers are credible over the medium term. Moreover, it’s time we discuss about the credibility of finance ministry as much as we bat for a credible central bank.
If we see the implementation at the district level, where the act is finally going to get approved the non-compliance due to the ‘pressure’ by the State government in the name of development questions the very fundamental idea of ‘development, where people are not empowered to have legal backing for there voice when the same voice is going to challenge the so called development discourse of the state.
In the times to come, climate protection and adaptation investments will become a precondition for peace and stability, and will require unprecedented efforts to transform societies, economies, infrastructures and governance institutions.
Work, worker and workplace- these three terminologies are undergoing a massive transformation today, spurred by the three forces of change- technology, demography and customer empowerment.
Rooftop agriculture allows urban areas to become more innovative and efficient in their resource utilization through smart farming towards producing local, clean and healthy food (free from residues) with much reduced carbon footprints.
The steps taken by FC XIV towards strengthening the panchayat planning processes through fiscal decentralisation are significant. Now, when Finance Commission XV will be giving its recommendations, it is important for the government to consider the above challenges for effective utilization of these funds.
To say that India is still in the nascent stages of digitizing education is an understatement. Our cultural mindset makes us way too comfortable with the traditional brick and mortar system of education rather than readily adapt to digitized and unbundled education format.
It’s a pity that India in spite of having unique opportunities to double the Lentil, Green gram and Black gram production in Rice Fallows particularly in the inland coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal, and other upland ecosystem in Eastern and North-eastern States besides improving yields in other pulses, the Country is resorted to import Pulses heavily on regular basis!
The havoc created by Air Pollution in Delhi NCR could be turned into an opportunity by creating a National Fodder Bank utilising Rice-Wheat straw, left for burning, and fortifying the same with nutritious food legume stover.
The simplified bottom line is here. While slow growth with high inflation suggests supply side rigidities, slow growth with inflation below target suggests demand weakness.