Can gig work help generate sustainable jobs

Many semi skilled workers are taking up jobs with online companies such as Zomato, Ola, Uber among others. The gig economy has produced about 8 million jobs and is expected to triple to 24 million jobs in the next 3-4 years. While the sector offers opportunities to informal sector workers to get r…

The role health budget plays in India’s economy

The Union budget 2021 claimed a 137 percent increase in health and well being. However, the Union health budget still remains at about 0.34% of GDP – a slight increase from 0.31% last year’s budget estimate. The biggest scheme introduced in the past few years is the Ayushman Bharat scheme. In Febr…

How did the banking system evolve and why banks fail?

On March 15 and 16th of 2021, the United Forum of Bank Unions called for a two day strike in order to oppose the proposed privatization of Public Sector Banks by the Centre.  The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman in her Union Budget Speech 2021-22 stated that the Centre wanted to privatise IDBI…

How the government implement the right to work programmes

According to the latest data released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, the unemployment rate in the country has increased to 6.9%. In this scenario, most people fall back on the government to provide them with work. Right to work is a directive principle in the Indian Constitution. The…

Understanding Union Budgets since Independence

On 1st February 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the first ever paper-less and digital Union Budget for the fiscal year 2021-22. This is the first time the budget documents were paperless since Independence. All members of Parliament received soft copies of the Union Budget. We …

Why is India’s Female Labour Force Participation Falling?

In November last year, India’s female labour force participation rate fell to its lowest points at 6.9%. While 67% of all men of working age are employed, only 9% of all women of working age are employed in the country. The longer term trends suggest that female labour force participation rates in …

From Green Revolution to present – the History of Agricultural reforms in India

With discussions around agitations related to the recent Farm laws, what is missing is context. Reforms in agriculture have a history since India’s independence starting with the Green revolution. This history is important to understand the present.  In this episode, Kunika Balhotra, Suno India’s …

How does GST work, and why state governments are not happy with it

The Goods and Services Tax which is commonly referred to GST was passed in the parliament on the 29th of March 2017.  GST is a tax which is levied on most goods and services. It is an indirect tax which is collected at the point of consumption, and not at the point of origin. It replaced other tax…

Role of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)s in India’s Economy

In a developing country like India, MSMEs are the backbone of the economy. The MSME sector contributes to 45% of India’s Total Industrial Employment, 50% of India’s Total Exports and 95% of all industrial units of the country and more than 6000 types of products are manufactured in these industries…

Decoding India’s GDP and Economic slowdown

The Indian economy is in the doldrums. The Indian economy was already in bad shape before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. In 2019, India’s Gross Domestic Product i.e. GDP growth was 4.18%, lowest in that decade. The coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdowns spiraled the economic downturn int…