Articles

September 9, 2024

Kerala’s Patriarchal Dominance and Low Female Workforce Participation

Though Kerala has witnessed and experienced various social reform movements starting from the latter half of the 19th century, there have not been any decisive movements attacking patriarchy at a larger scale The discussion around the Hema committee report on […]
August 30, 2024

2024 Presidential Election: Voters, parties and policy communication

The Sri Lankan crisis is a multi-faceted catastrophe, with the worst-ever economic crisis, Covid-19 induced socioeconomic challenges and political fluidity collectively making the people suffer in all aspects of life, in turn paralysing the nation. Out of the total 8.8 […]
August 23, 2024

Strategic Para-Diplomacy: Reimagining Kerala’s Engagement with a Changing World

The recent controversy over the Kerala government’s decision to appoint K. Vasuki as the officer in charge of “external cooperation” has drawn attention to an important but often overlooked aspect of India’s foreign policy landscape – the role of subnational […]
August 22, 2024

Lateral Entry in Civil Services: Navigating the Controversies and Challenges

This article analyses the recent move of UPSC to recruit senior officers of bureaucracy through ‘lateral entry’. The government dropped the move in the wake of organised protests by the opposition parties and dissent by a couple of NDA-allies. Highlights […]
August 21, 2024

Toddy regulation in Kerala: Need for liberalised policies

Kerala, renowned for its cultural richness and natural beauty, is at the cusp of transformative changes in its liquor policy. As per the Kerala Abkari Act, 1967, “toddy” denotes the liquid derived from coconut, palmyra, date, or any other palm […]
August 16, 2024

Has the conscience of Keralites died? On the death of a sanitation worker in Trivandrum 

Key Takeaways: The death of Joy, one of the three sanitation workers hired by the railway to unclog the Amayizhanjan Canal in Thiruvananthapuram, unveiled the inefficiency of the state in full light. Two days after Joy went missing, his decomposed […]
August 12, 2024

India’s defence budget 2024: Hits and misses

Key takeaways: While the budget has been positively received, its long-term effectiveness in projecting India’s power internationally and achieving inclusive development remains to be evaluated. The defence sector budget remained the same as the interim budget, marking a 4.79% increase […]
August 12, 2024

Budget 2024-25: India’s energy transition plan

India, targeting a $7 trillion economy and decarbonisation target by achieving 500 GW of fossil-fuel free generating capacity by 2030, needs a well-rounded strategy that harmonises economic development with environmental sustainability. To reach India’s goal of achieving 50 percent of […]
August 2, 2024

Budget expands gender allocations

Both the Interim Budget and the full Budget show a significant shift from focusing solely on women’s development to emphasising women-led development. Unlike previous years, the Gender Budget statement for 2024–2025 comprises three parts. Part A includes 100 per cent […]
July 31, 2024

India needs to focus on its senior care economy

In the Viksit Bharat 2047 timeline, India would have transitioned from the demographic dividend phase to an ageing society. So, it is imperative to plan on building an ecosystem for senior care to address all the challenges of an ageing […]
July 31, 2024

Budget 2024-25: Striving for effective transit planning

India still lags in employing planners who have a multi disciplinary approach when planning a city. As remarked in the Union budget 2024-25, cities are growth hubs of a country, and contribute substantially to the GDP of India. Efforts have […]
July 30, 2024

Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump: New Challenges to Personal Protection Mechanisms

Image Credit: Evan Vucci/AP Context In the backdrop of the attempted assassination of the former US president, Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party in 2024 US presidential polls, the article examines the new challenges in the personal […]
July 22, 2024

An Analysis of Past Gender Budgets in India

Gender responsive budgeting (GRB), started in 2005-06, is a step in the direction of promoting equitable distribution of public resources for a historically silenced, abused and neglected population. Even though not legally mandated, a separate gender budget statement has been […]
July 3, 2024

Cloudburst in Kochi Exposes Urgent Need for Effective Stormwater Management

Kerala faces significant challenges in collecting accurate rainfall data due to a shortage of rain gauges, adversely affecting the design of stormwater infrastructure. Key Takeaways On May 28, the city of Kochi experienced an intense cloudburst, resulting in over 100 […]
June 24, 2024

India’s Ambitions in Chabahar: Securing the Project Amidst Financial and Regional Hurdles

In May 2024, India Ports Global Ltd. (IPGL) and the Ports and Maritime Organisation of Iran (PMO) inked a 10-year contract to develop and operate the Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar. The stalled deal eventually materialised with the effective work […]