The Kerala government in its Budget 2025 has proposed to reduce the quarterly road tax for stage carriages by 10%, seemingly to promote public transport. Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal seen arriving to present the State Budget 2024-25 during […]

The Congress having tasted defeats in successive Assembly elections in Kerala, Shashi Tharoor is making a point not only to Kerala’s Congress leaders but also to the party’s national leadership Recent statements by Congress leader Sashi Tharoor on his stand on […]

The budget expectation was therefore straightforward, such that unproductive expenditure was rationalised and new avenues to generate revenue explored. A weak fiscal position has been a long-standing issue in Kerala. As mentioned in the budget speech, there is a realisation […]

The AAP had nothing new to offer to the middle class, and the BJP struck their emotions with a timely income tax rebate announcement in the union budget 2025. Delhi election results have weakened the already weak opposition. The loss […]

  Kerala’s public finance management has been under stress for quite some time. In the recently published fiscal management index by Niti Ayog, Kerala is ranked 15 out of 18 states, which shows the depth of the challenges the State […]

The announcement of social security for gig workers is a welcome sign   For the last five years, the frenzy around the Budget speeches has been about capitalinvestment, specifically allocating more money for various infrastructuredevelopments to cater to the demand […]

Amid global trade uncertainties, India needs to up its game in the GCC zone—a well-thought-out FTA is the need of the hour, which will solidify the partnership, unlocking new opportunities for mutual economic growth!   With India’s markets in the […]

Despite Delhi enjoying more power than what is offered with the 74th amendment to other urban local bodies, it has not truly grown as a liveable city.   The Delhi Assembly elections are around the corner, and for most observers […]

The recent announcement of the PM E-drive (Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement) scheme marks a step towards sustainable mobility in the country. With an outlay of ₹10,900 crore for two years for the PM E-Drive scheme, the Centre intends […]

A drone view shows a landslide site after multiple landslides in the hills in Wayanad district, in the southern state of Kerala, India, July 31, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas (REUTERS) The news and the images from the landslides in Wayanad district […]

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 […]

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 […]

While the BJP suffered an unexpected setback in the Hindi heartland, notably in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Haryana, they succeeded in making an inroad into the south Indian state of Kerala, where it failed miserably in opening an account […]

The 2024 Lok Sabha Election was nothing short of a Bollywood film, filled with emotional dramas, exchange of strong rhetoric on both sides, and blame-gaming, among others. Shortly before the commencement of the general election, the opposition joined hands to […]

The potential of building a suburban railway network surpasses that of metro systems, offering a broader opportunity for integration and connectivity. Recent media reports hint at the potential introduction of a metro rail or light metro rail system in Kerala’s capital, […]

The highly anticipated Kerala General Elections of 2024 culminated in a surprising turn of events, with a notably low voter turnout across the state. Despite the fervent campaigning by the political parties, the actual polling figures fell short of expectations, […]

For many decades now, the bus transport sector in India has not received sufficient attention and support from the Union government As India gears up for another general election, political parties are actively engaged in releasing their manifestos. Despite being […]

Overcoming gender stereotyping requires a concerted effort to shift societal perceptions, offering women the space to pursue personal and career aspirations freely Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s February 22 call for a gender audit has reignited the conversation on women’s labour participation, […]

ഡി ധനുരാജ്, ചെയർമാൻ, സെന്റർ ഫോർ പബ്ലിക് പോളിസി റിസർച്ച് ഒരു പ്രതിസന്ധി ഒരു അവസരമാണ്, 2024 ലെ കേരള ബജറ്റിന്റെ പശ്ചാത്തലം അത്തരം അതിശയകരവും ഉറച്ചതുമായ പ്രഖ്യാപനങ്ങൾക്കായി ക്രമീകരിച്ചതാണ്. തീർച്ചയായും, നയ പരിഷ്കാരങ്ങൾ പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കാനുള്ള വേദിയല്ല ബജറ്റ്, എന്നാൽ നയ നിർദ്ദേശങ്ങൾ സൂചിപ്പിക്കാൻ ധനമന്ത്രിമാർ ഈ വേദി ഉപയോഗിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. എന്നാൽ ഇവിടെ, ധനമന്ത്രി അതിന്റെ […]

Among the announcement, Kerala’s plan to become a care hub for people from around the world for retirees could give a significant fillip to the economy. A crisis is an opportunity, and the context of Kerala’s budget for 2024 was […]

The focus of the budget has been on the continued thrust on visibility outcomes, which are mostly infrastructure in nature. The interim budget, as anticipated, did not have any major announcements or surprises, yet it effectively lays the groundwork for […]

The budget is not populist, but aims at fiscal consolidation and strengthening of the economy with a lot more fiscal prudence — something that is not expected in a budget so close to the general elections. The interim budget on February […]

In a railway project like the circular rail system, it’s crucial to ask what equity and stake local governments have in regional development, which integrates land seamlessly with infrastructure and market forces. Indian cities serve as growth engines, contributing significantly […]

(പൊതുഗതാഗതം പോയ പോക്ക് എന്ന തലക്കെട്ടിൽ തിങ്കളാഴ്ച പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ച ലേഖനത്തിന്റെ അവസാന ഭാഗം)​ കേരളത്തിലെ പൊതുഗതാഗത വ്യവസായം ഇന്ത്യയിൽത്തന്നെ സമാനതകളില്ലാത്ത വിധം സ്വകാര്യ മേഖലയെക്കൂടി പങ്കാളിയാക്കിക്കൊണ്ടുള്ളതായിരുന്നു. ഈ രീതിയിലുള്ള പൊതുഗതാഗത സംവിധാനം കേരളത്തിന്റെ വികസന മാതൃകയിൽ വഹിച്ച പങ്ക് തള്ളിക്കളയാനാവുകയുമില്ല. വൈദ്യുതീകൃത ബസുകളും എൽ.എൻ.ജി എഥനോൾ ഹൈബ്രിഡ് ബസുകളും കൂടുതലായി നിരത്തിലിറക്കി ഓടിക്കാൻ സ്വകാര്യ സംരംഭകരെ […]

A city’s resilience is an important factor in ensuring its sustainability, the well-being of its citizens, and the security of investments made Locals retrieve their belongings at Kamatchi Amman Nagar area inundated with floodwater after heavy rainfall in the aftermath […]

സംസ്ഥാനത്തെ പൊതുഗതാഗത മേഖലയെന്നാൽ കെ.എസ്.ആർ.ടി.സിയുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട വിഷയങ്ങൾ മാത്രമാണെന്ന് നമുക്കൊരു തെറ്റിദ്ധാരണയുണ്ട്. കേരളത്തിൽ സ്വകാര്യ വാഹനങ്ങളുടെ ഇപ്പോഴത്തെ സാന്ദ്രത ലോകത്തെ തന്നെ ഏറ്റവും ഉയർന്നതാണ്. ദേശീയപാത, സംസ്ഥാനപാത, മുനിസിപ്പൽ റോഡുകൾ എന്നിവയുടെ വികസനത്തിൽ മറ്റ് ഇന്ത്യൻ സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങളുമായി താരതമ്യം ചെയ്താൽ ശരാശരിക്കു മീതേയാണ് കേരളത്തിലേത്. ആളോഹരി സ്വകാര്യ വാഹന ഉടമസ്ഥതയിലും അമേരിക്കയുടെയും യൂറോപ്യൻ രാജ്യങ്ങളുടെയും തോതിനൊപ്പം […]

A decentralised blockchain technology with an immutable ledger could be explored to enhance the security and transparency of voting. Another set of five assembly elections are concluding this week. As expected, the elections often bring forth discussions around the voter’s […]

Enforcing and regulating net neutrality is not a straightforward task. Varying capacities to understand and adapt to technological changes make net neutrality a complex ecosystem to enforce. Recently, the Department of Telecoms tried to ease nerves by saying there was […]

The challenges in addressing hunger and poverty cannot be effectively met through general schemes devised solely at the central or state levels. India’s poor ranking in the recently published Global Hunger Index brought the focus back to discussions around poverty, […]

A development in India’s ‘care economy’ for the elderly will depend on the wealth growth of the younger generation in the next two decades. Key Points India is at the threshold of a demographic transition marked by a surging ageing […]

India’s public transport system lacks efficiency, finance, and professionalism. Even the discourse around buying electric buses is not well-informed or debated. It demands structural changes in the way the business is conducted. Recently the Union government announced 10,000 electric buses […]

A clear objective needs to be set, and the scheme must be monitored to study whether it is achieving its intended impact. The Shakti scheme, implemented by the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government, has garnered attention due to its provision of free […]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kerala is seen as a strategic attempt to expand the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s presence in the state, which has been historically a hard carapace to crack for the national party. Modi’s two-day visit […]

Waste management systems are often failing in India, the latest example being the land dump at Brahmapuram in Ernakulam District, Kerala. The land dump of Kochi Municipal Corporation (KMC) located at Brahampuram, about 20 km away from the city, caught […]

ക​ഴി​ഞ്ഞ വ​ർ​ഷ​ങ്ങ​ളി​ലേ​തു​പോ​ലെ​ത്ത​ന്നെ മൂ​ല​ധ​ന ചെ​ല​വി​ന് മു​ൻ​തൂ​ക്കം കൊ​ടു​ക്കു​ന്ന​താ​ണ് ഇ​ത്ത​വ​ണ​ത്തെ​യും കേ​ന്ദ്ര ബ​ജ​റ്റ്. അ​ടി​സ്ഥാ​ന മേ​ഖ​ല വി​ക​സ​ന​ത്തി​നു​​വേ​ണ്ടി ഇ​ത്ത​വ​ണ മാ​റ്റി​വെ​ച്ചി​രി​ക്കു​ന്ന​ത് ജി.​ഡി.​പി​യു​ടെ 3.3 ശ​ത​മാ​ന​മാ​ണ്. ഒ​മ്പ​ത് സം​സ്ഥാ​ന​ങ്ങ​ളി​ലെ തെ​ര​ഞ്ഞെ​ടു​പ്പ് ന​ട​ക്കാ​നി​രി​ക്കു​ന്ന​തും പൊ​തു തെ​ര​ഞ്ഞെ​ടു​പ്പി​ന് മു​ന്നോ​ടി​യാ​യു​ള്ള അ​വ​സാ​ന ബ​ജ​റ്റ് എ​ന്ന നി​ല​യി​ലും മാ​ത്ര​മാ​ണ് ഇ​ത്ത​വ​ണ​ത്തെ ബ​ജ​റ്റ് പ്രാ​ധാ​ന്യം അ​ർ​ഹി​ക്കു​ന്ന​ത്. അ​ടി​സ്ഥാ​ന മേ​ഖ​ല​യി​ലെ വി​ക​സ​നം ചൂ​ണ്ടി​ക്കാ​ട്ടു​ന്ന​ത് തെ​ര​ഞ്ഞെ​ടു​പ്പി​ൽ വി​ജ​യ ഫോ​ർ​മു​ല​യാ​കു​ന്നു​വെ​ന്ന​തി​നാ​ൽ […]

The announcements made in the Union Budget 2023-24 are mostly on the expected lines. The trend towards increasing capital expenditure with every budget aligns with the mission projects previously announced. An increase in the outlay for the railways and coastal […]

പ്രതീക്ഷിച്ചതുപോലെ ഈ വർഷവും അടിസ്ഥാനസൗകര്യ വികസനത്തിലും മൂലധനച്ചെലവിലും ശ്രദ്ധ കേന്ദ്രീകരിച്ചുള്ള ഒരു ബജറ്റാണ് കേന്ദ്ര സർക്കാർ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചിട്ടുള്ളത്. കഴിഞ്ഞ കുറേ വർഷങ്ങളായി മോദി സർക്കാരിന്റെ പ്രവണത ഇതാണ്, പ്രത്യേകിച്ചും റെയിൽവേ, റോഡുകൾ, സാമൂഹിക അടിസ്ഥാന സൗകര്യങ്ങൾ എന്നിവയുടെ കാര്യത്തിലാണ് കൂടുതൽ ശ്രദ്ധ നൽകിയിരിക്കുന്നത്. സമ്പദ്‌വ്യവസ്ഥയുടെ മിക്കവാറും എല്ലാ മേഖലകളെയും സ്പർശിക്കാൻ ബജറ്റ് ശ്രമിക്കുന്നുണ്ടെങ്കിലും റവന്യൂ പിരിവ്, […]

The Union Budget presented on February 1 focused on capital expenditure for infrastructure development that mainly includes the railways, highways, and roads. The Union Budget presented on February 1 focused on capital expenditure for infrastructure development that mainly includes the […]

India has a growing logistics sector representing 5% of India’s Gross Domestic Product and employing 2.2 crore people. India has the second largest road network in the world through which 68% of the freight movement happens along with a well-functioning […]

The recent floods in Bengaluru was a result of an unplanned infrastructure, developed by flouting the laws in city governance, and by disregarding the building capacity to tackle the challenges of urbanisation. In recent years, the paucity in programming and the lack […]

Dashboards need to carefully select key indicators and ensure that the quality of the data used is high. Otherwise, they will remain as a visualisation exercise and not be able to provide insights expected from them The recent controversy about […]

With the slew of initiatives under the Knowledge Economy Mission, the State through its recent Budget 2022-23, firmly established its aim in transitioning to a knowledge economy – an economy that creates, consumes and disseminates knowledge to enhance growth and […]

Kerala has consistently topped the charts with a near hundred percent literacy rate among all Indian States. Even with this favourable statistic, the standards of teaching, quality of education, absence of academy-industry-linkages, etc. have been concerns to address in the […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered many economies towards ‘Big Government’, triggering a populist surge with large expenditure and borrowing, coupled with unprecedented power to meet contingencies. With Kerala, this has been a decadal trend regardless of the political parties coming […]

The debate on the utility and feasibility of K-Rail continues in Kerala. The arguments range from the environmental to the geographical divide for those who do not favour the proposed project, whereas the supporters of the project pitch for the […]

Rahul V Kumar & Dr D Dhanuraj Off budget borrowings through KIIFB, CAG reports and finally the acceptance of the state government indicates the dire financial situation of the Government of Kerala. The Government is desperate to generate revenue to […]

കിഫ്ബി, മറ്റു വരുമാന സ്രോതസ്സുകളിലൂടെയുള്ള വായ്പകളും സിഎജി റിപ്പോര്‍ട്ടുകളുടെ അടിസ്ഥാനത്തിലും ഒടുവില്‍ ഇപ്പോള്‍ സംസ്ഥാന സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ തന്നെ സമ്മതിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തതിലൂടെ കേരള സര്‍ക്കാരിന്റെ കടുത്ത സാമ്പത്തിക സ്ഥിതി വ്യക്തമാണ്‌. ഒരു സാമ്പത്തിക ദുരന്തം ഒഴിവാക്കാന്‍ വേണ്ടി വരുമാനം ഉണ്ടാക്കാനുള്ള തീവ്രശ്രമത്തിലാണ്‌ സര്‍ക്കാര്‍. വരുമാനവും സാമ്പത്തിക പോരായ്മയും അതിരൂക്ഷമാണ്‌. ഈ പ്രതിസന്ധി തരണം ചെയ്യാന്‍ വരാനിരിക്കുന്ന സംസ്ഥാന […]

With the upcoming Union Budget, once again there have been discussions over the rural employment guarantee Act be extended to urban areas after a parliamentary standing committee put forth its recommendation to the Union government. The main arguments favouring such a scheme are […]

The hotly-debated topic in recent times in Kerala is the K-Rail project. K-Rail is a government-proposed speed-rail corridor connecting Kasaragod in the north and Thiruvananthapuram in the south. K-Rail promises a 200 km per hour speed, and is expected to […]

Dwindling remittances will have dire consequences for the Kerala economy The historic discovery of oil in West Asia and the subsequent commercialisation of it in the 1960s stimulated great demand for skilled and unskilled labour. Keralites, confronted with a stagnant […]

The apathy towards business and investments in Kerala is once again in the limelight with the recent remarks by Sabu M Jacob, Chairman of Kitex Garments. Kitex is a leading garments manufacturer with a significant export market share in the […]

When we talk about the kind of challenges that Kerala is going to face post -pandemic, it can be differentiated into health, economic, and social. Vaccinating the entire population of Kerala is bound to be a major hurdle. Now, Kerala […]

There is a political message Pinarayi Vijayan gives to the public and his opponents by choosing a team of freshers for the Cabinet in the second term. He is consolidating his position in the party and is becoming the ultimate […]

For decades, Kerala has been known for the adverse political climate it creates for development projects and especially ent­repreneurial initiatives. Pinarayi kept up the traditional focus on education and basic infrastructure, but also tried to come out of the traditional […]

During his first term, Pinarayi Vijayan converted every crisis into an opportunity. Now, he has the unique chance to open a new path to governance and economic reforms Most of the pollsters who observed Kerala assessed that the campaign trail […]

Dr D Dhanuraj with Ananthitha Anandan Today could be marked in the history of democratic Kerala as a decisive turning point.  As the 2.7 Crore voters of our State are expected to cast their vote today, what will be the […]

The whip culture in the political system should be done away with, and instead, the more significant ideological debates featuring in the socio-cultural context should be encouraged to maintain the sanctity and survival of the political space. D DHANURAJ  and […]

Rahul Gandhi’s extensive focus on Kerala and Tamil Nadu is a good opportunity for him to resurrect his political career by leading from the front — this will not only help the Congress in the south, but will also give […]

While vaccination is a public good and bestows a greater responsibility on the government, the greater the availability of the vaccine in a deregulated space, the closer we get to the intended outcomes Dr D Dhanuraj and Sam Thomas After […]

By D Dhanuraj with Ananthitha Anandan You cannot expect anything short of a ‘magical populist budget’ from a two-term ‘Finance Minister’, especially when presenting his last budget supposedly. Therefore, it was not entirely surprising when Dr Thomas Issac presented Kerala […]

One of the conditions laid down by the Centre for the state governments to increase their borrowing limit is to ‘bring in reforms to streamline the revenue of urban local bodies (ULBs)’. Though this has been in the discussion since […]

The resounding victory of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi polls has engendered various debates among political circles as well as the citizenry. While the opposition parties have to learn a lot from the way the Arvind Kejriwal-led […]

The bullet trains and the high-speed trains are in the news for the last few weeks. After taking charge as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray announced that the bullet train project worth Rs 1 lakh-crore investment, connecting Ahmedabad […]

Recent announcements by the FM involving financial stimulus for the revival of the real estate sector are nothing but a reaffirmation of the importance of the sector. Estimates by the NITI Aayog show that the sector has a size of […]

The summer of 2019 is not only heated up by the intense general election campaign but also by the above average temperature forecasted in many parts of India. Even though the agrarian distress has been a major campaign issue, the […]

The black money trail in election campaigns has been a widely discussed topic in India over the decades. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has shared its concerns about the role played by big corporate houses, anonymous donors and foreign […]

The development of inland waterways will help in the protection and conservation of waterways and canals. It will complement the SAGARMALA project, which envisions to build 10 economic zones spanning 300-500 square kilometres. The flagging off of the PepsiCo’s 16 […]

Kerala has witnessed a disaster of an unprecedented nature in a century. The timely action and response in the aftermath of the floods has helped to arrest the death toll. The state government machinery geared up their coordination activities to […]

With the exponential growth in the number of personal vehicles in Kerala in the last two decades, the pedestrian sidewalks started disappearing from our cities at an alarming rate. Most of the discussions on urban mobility have focussed on motorised […]

The debt-ridden Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) repeatedly finding a space in the regional media is no longer a surprise for the people of Kerala. The day-to-day functioning of this public sector undertaking is limping due to inefficiency, inferior […]

Most of the times educational institutions in India are in news not for their academic achievements but for the controversies surrounding them.  In the recent times, three news stories related to the academic institutions that received more attention from the […]

The debate on the quality of the educational institutions and the courses they offer has been and continue to be in the limelight for many years.  The demographic dividend is still an elusive panacea given the academic excellence existing in […]

This is a continuation of the previous article which appeared in Pallikkuttam and authored by Dr. D Dhanuraj** In the previous edition of Pallikkutam, I wrote on the Government run arts & science colleges in Kerala and the various guidelines […]

In this article Dr. D Dhanuraj, Chairman of CPPR, tries to find out the lessons the Health Insurance Market can learn from the already successful Telecom Market by doing a comparative market approach.  In India as on today, private healthcare […]

Dr. D Dhanuraj, Chairman of CPPR looks into the various woes of the Indian Educator. This article* is the first in this series and more on the theme will follow in the coming months. The issues and challenges faced by the […]

Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) for 2014 was released by the ASER Centre mid-January. This is their tenth report which in their own words “a way summary of what we have observed over the tenures of UPA I and […]

It will not be an exaggeration when I say, ‘the Union HRD Minister and her ministry are always caught in controversy’. The decision to end German Language learning in Kendriya Vidyalayas and impose Sanskrit in its position was imperious to […]

 I was on an official trip to the United States as part of the ‘International Visitor Leadership Programme’ (IVLP), last month. This gave me an opportunity to interact with the leading ‘Think tanks’ and ‘Universities and Academia’ in the US […]

Ensuring Energy Security of the nation signifies the non-traditional preparedness of the establishment to tackle the challenges in the 21st century. Economic dexterity results in varied demands of the energy supplicants and even the slight derailment from supply could take […]

** Allotment of new batches to the high schools to upgrade them to higher secondary schools is the latest controversy surrounding the education sector in Kerala. Since its beginning since early 90s, higher secondary sector courted controversy in regular intervals. […]

  The fact that achievements of Kerala state in education and health sectors are comparable with the developed countries is widely known. The recognition for the value and the role of education in social development came as early as in […]

By D. Dhanuraj Centre for Public Policy Research The nation is going to polling booths to elect its 16th LokSabha and the debate is entrenched on the type and nature of the policies that would accentuate the economic growth that […]

It is told that there are six types of You Tube interfaces which adjust automatically according to the gadgets and connectivity speed. With such mind boggling provisions in the internet) and the availability of cheaper smart phones and tablets, the […]

The recent strike by the Auto Rickshaw drivers in Kochi City exposes the fundamental flaws in the Governance structure and policy note. Kochi is one of the emerging metro cities in South India having a total population of 1.8 million […]

By D.Dhanuraj These days, budget discussions are one of the media favourites, especially for the visual media because of its ability for creating a buzz easily across the various segments of the society. Kerala Budget 2013 is the latest one […]

Dear Minister, History reckons with you for the most number of Budget presented in the world. You are an experienced craftsman presenting the budget in a mercurial way. Your experience in politics and administration are un parallel and presents a […]

The recent hullabaloo in the coalition exercise of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has awakened the interest of political scientists to discuss Dharma in coalition politics, Neethi in policy making of a coalition arrangement and Karma of the coalition leader. Though […]