Private-sector job reservations based on domicile are a bad idea

Domicile-based job reservations in the private sector don’t work. They only raise the cost of compliance and force businesses out of the states that introduce such laws. Besides, courts have often said that they come in the way of economic freedoms. Karnataka, which was forced to backtrack on such …

‘Elections have never been fought on electoral issues; it’s always about a personality.’

Over the past decade, Indian politics has seen systemic changes with the changing nature of the electorate, the expansion of political competition in one sense and its shrinking in the other, the use of tools like social media and the decline of old political constants. As India approached another …

Why is India not generating enough jobs?

The unemployment rate was a worrying 9.2% in June. Never mind what the government says, unemployment is now at crisis proportions and most estimates say India will struggle to create enough jobs in the foreseeable future. One study says that even average growth of 7% will produce fewer jobs than ne…

Hathras tragedy turns focus on safety emergency planning at religious gatherings

The Hathras stampede, which claimed 121 lives has brought into focus again the lack of safety measures at religious gatherings. A study showed that between 2001 and 2014 more than 2,421 people died in over 3,000 stampedes in India, most of them at religious events. Another said that 79% of all stam…

NEET disaster underscores all that’s wrong with India’s entrance exam system

The latest controversy over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET, shows how broken India’s entrance exam system is. Paper leaks and corruption are common, calling into question the effectiveness of the process and where it leaves aspirants. So routine is the leak of p…

What lies beneath the tussle over Birsa Munda’s legacy?

Birsa Munda, the legendary tribal rebel who died more than 120 years ago, is at the center of a heated political battle. Sangh Parivar outfits are using his memory to co-opt Adivasi identities into the saffron fold while demanding that tribals who have converted to ‘non-indigenous’ religions, such …

‘$5.8 bn in impact investing last year, 40% growth over 3 years’

Impact investing, which aims to achieve positive social or environmental results alongside financial returns, is considered a big opportunity in India. Impact funds usually earn a market rate of return, which flies in the face of the belief that investing in social or environmental priorities is im…

Why do exit polls get it wrong so often?

There are several structural problems with the way exit polls are conducted in India – from inadequate sample sizes to the blending of irrelevant historical data into the projection, an improper understanding of the demographics, voters withholding their true choices from researchers and many more.…

India’s roads are among the most unsafe in the world, so how do we change that?

The data shows that India’s roads are among the most unsafe in the world. In 2022, more than 4.6 lakh accidents were reported in which 1.68 lakh people lost their lives and nearly 4 lakh were injured. The impact of accidents is felt well beyond the tragedy itself – the economic loss alone is equiva…

Can digital lending become the norm?

 It is estimated that India’s digital lending market will grow to an astounding $515 billion by 2030. While there are serious challenges such as data privacy and predatory practices, the RBI has stepped in to protect consumers. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.