-The Indian Express Arvind Subramanian cited the circumstances involving Pratap Bhanu Mehta's exit and the fact Ashoka University can no longer provide space for academic expression and freedom. Noted economist Arvind Subramanian has resigned as professor from Ashoka University, citing the circumstances involving Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s exit and the fact Ashoka, even with its private status and private capital, can no longer provide space for academic expression and freedom. Subramanian had joined Ashoka...

-The Indian Express NITI Aayog’s draft report is well-intentioned. But its failure to address the policy distortions at the root of migrant workers’ issues cannot be overlooked The lockdown-induced suffering of millions of migrants raised awareness regarding their magnitude, vulnerability, and role in the economy. It also led to a flurry of measures by the central and state governments. It is now encouraging that the Niti Aayog, on the request of the...

School meals ensure nutrition for millions of vulnerable children across the world. Almost 370 million children worldwide are covered by school feeding programmes. While 100 million school children benefitted from the noon meal scheme in India prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries like Brazil (48 million), China (44 million), South Africa (9 million) and Nigeria (9 million) too run similar programmes for school children. However, an estimated 39 billion in-school...

-Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) ‘Analysis of Union Budget’ is a publication which Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) brings out every year following the presentation of the Union Budget in Parliament. This document presents our analysis of the priorities and trends in the Union Budget with regard to the sectors and issues that are directly relevant for the poorer sections of the population. Accordingly, this publication focuses...

-The Indian Express Although there has been a lot of public discussion on digital modes of education for school children, online and video classes catered largely to urban or educated elite populations whose children went to private schools. In India, school closures post the spread of the pandemic started as early as March 2020. As months went by, concerns increased: Would learning levels drop, existing inequalities deepen? The Annual Status of Education...