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, […]

Perinthalmanna has an effective system for the management of biomedical waste with few areas for improvement Waste management is a pressing concern for urban practitioners, government officials, as well as state and local governments. In Kerala, a majority of regions […]

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 […]

By Amal ChandraCPPR YLF Fellow 2023Urban centres worldwide are grappling with the challenge of managing increasing volumes of waste generated by growing populations. In this pursuit, innovative and sustainable waste management solutions are essential. One such solution that has gained […]

പലവിധത്തിലുള്ള ദുരിതത്താൽ ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുന്നവരാണ് വൈപ്പിൻ ദ്വീപുനിവാസികൾ. അക്കൂട്ടത്തിൽ ഏറ്റവും പ്രധാനമായ ഒന്നാണ് വൈപ്പിനിലെ അശാസ്ത്രീയമായ മാലിന്യ സംസ്കരണം. വൈപ്പിനിലെ മത്സ്യബന്ധനമേഖല നേരിടുന്ന പ്രതിസന്ധികളിൽ പ്രധാനപ്പെട്ട ഒന്നാണിത്. മീൻ പിടിക്കാൻ വലയിടുമ്പോൾ പലപ്പോഴും പ്ലാസ്റ്റിക് ഉൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള മാലിന്യമാണ് കിട്ടാറുള്ളതെന്ന് തൊഴിലാളികൾ പറയുന്നു. ഇത് തങ്ങളുടെ സമയം പാഴാക്കുന്നു. പലപ്പോഴും ബോട്ടിന്റെ എഞ്ചിൻ കേടാകുവാനും, വല കീറുവാനും വരെ […]

Indian students’ role in politics goes back to the freedom struggle, where students emerged as trailblazers in the Swadeshi Movement, leading picketing campaigns against foreign goods to ignite a spirit of economic self-reliance and national pride. After independence, the activism […]

With the approval of the “PM-eBus Sewa” bus scheme for augmenting city bus operations by the Union Cabinet, India’s path towards achieving its net zero targets by 2070 is lauded by many. The scheme would have an estimated cost of […]

The upcoming Maldives Presidential election holds historical significance as it features seven candidates vying to challenge incumbent President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih. The presence of former President Abdulla Yameen, who is advocating for an India-out campaign while aligning with China, adds […]

The New York Times has recently brought out a sensational investigative story on global Chinese propaganda and the interlinkages of a network of activists’-groups, non-profit organisations, and shell companies in such operations. At the heart of this network is an […]

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 […]

In the 21st century, energy is an important tool that shapes geopolitics and controls the geoeconomics of countries. Central Asia has emerged in recent years as an alternate energy source for countries like China and India as their growing populations […]

As defined by Kerala’s tourism department, homestay means “A family business carried out by the owner of the house providing accommodation alone or food and accommodation facilities to tourists visiting Kerala”. The state’s homestays can be divided into two categories: […]

With the world’s second-largest road network, Indian roads carry 85% of passenger traffic and 60% of freight traffic and are thus the lifeline of the nation’s development. However, the overreliance on private vehicles has resulted in traffic congestion, road safety […]

By copying or stealing new technologies through espionage or violation of the IPR norms, Chinese firms have been able to spend more on production by undercutting the prices of global competitors which need to develop such technologies through protracted research […]

The freeze on constituency boundaries for both the Indian parliament and the respective state assemblies is set to end in 2026. This means that a census-based delimitation is scheduled to be done in the upcoming years. Given the exponential rise […]

The development model of Kerala emphasises a welfare state, however, there is a lack of adequate documentation recognising the participation of private players in the welfare and development of the State. The public transport sector of Kerala has turned a […]

In the bustling world of bartending, where creativity and hospitality intertwine, there exists a realm of untapped potential for women in Kerala, India. However, the path to women’s empowerment in this sector is marred by invisible barriers and overlooked opportunities. […]

Seaweed (macroalgae) refers to marine algae found in oceans and seas, exhibiting diverse physical and physiological characteristics while holding significant ecological importance. Seaweeds have wide-ranging applications in industries such as agriculture, cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals, energy and packaging. In India, there […]

For the past several months, Israel has been beset by massive protests by thousands of Israeli citizens against the judicial reforms initiated by the right-religious coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The present government is the most right-wing government […]

In recent years, Education Technology (EdTech) has witnessed remarkable growth. With the Indian EdTech market contributing 6% to the global EdTech market, it is projected to reach a value of $10 billion by 2025, at a compound annual growth rate […]

The Central Government’s formulation of the four Labour Codes in 2020 received much fanfare and was touted to herald major reforms in Indian labour laws. Three long years have passed, and it is yet to be implemented. A section of […]

Women across the world still have difficulty finding employment and obtaining equal access to the global workforce. Legal barriers to the employment of women have been one of the biggest reasons why women are less likely to enter the labour […]

“CHINA’S SUCCESS AT SHANGRI-LA DIALOGUE?” According to some reports, the large Chinese delegation led by its new Defence Minister Gen. Li Shangfu seemed pleased as they headed back home after the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, as their mission was […]

“The Chinese intelligence network has now reached greater heights of expansion and professionalism under the leadership of Xi Jinping.” Sun Tzu, the most influential Chinese military writer of the 6 th century BC says that success in the realm of […]

The inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a member of the G20 has been a subject of discussion and has received strong support from many G20 members. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently wrote to the G20 leaders, calling for […]

The issue of inadequate bus connectivity between Vypin and Kochi city has plagued the residents of Vypin for more than 18 years now. With the recent draft scheme notification dated  May 17, 2023, by the Kerala State Transport Department to […]

Disrupted lives deserve the relief of policies aimed at refugee well-being, welcoming host communities and local integration. Low and middle-income countries (LMCs) host 85% of all refugees The recent Greek coast shipwreck tragedy was another reminder that the lives of […]

India’s Connect Central Asia (CAA) policy of 2012 is a broad-based framework involving political, economic, security and cultural connections. Reviving the cultural and civilizational linkages within the region will be a driving force to destabilise the existing peace and security […]

PM Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US in June 2023 has added further momentum to the critical technology cooperation between India and the US as the significant defence contracts, particularly the agreement for the production of jet engines in […]

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 […]

The dawn of the 21st century in India-US relations was marked by a series of significant events, with the inception of the historic visit by then-President Clinton to the Indian parliament in March 2000 acknowledging the emergence of India as […]

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 […]