Articles by Yamini Aiyar
The elusive quest for jobs in Viksit Bharat
In its prescriptions, the budget lays bare the unresolved tensions in economic policy making that brought us to such a pass. And this budget offers little by way of solutions.
Published on Jul 23, 2024 10:03 PM IST
Needed, a reframing of the debate on jobs
India needs a national jobs strategy that takes a holistic view of the economy, engages with its weaknesses and identifies solutions
Published on Jul 16, 2024 08:50 PM IST
Mandate 2024: The mirror has cracked
Will the BJP recognise the constraints placed on its dominance by voters? Can the Indian voter and INDIA bloc use the space to build a new consensus on justice?
Published on Jun 05, 2024 01:22 AM IST
Viksit Bharat vs Garib Kalyan, a balancing act
Garib Kalyan today remains aligned to political opportunism rather than a robust substantive welfare commitment.
Published on Feb 01, 2024 10:23 PM IST
Beyond Silkyara smiles, gloomy state of workers
The policy environment is callous towards workers. This is scandalous since India now has the tools to provide universal social security to all workers
Published on Dec 02, 2023 12:06 AM IST
A public servant or his master’s voice?
Democracy will not survive, in spirit, when State institutions, particularly bureaucrats, are actively politicised
Published on Nov 06, 2023 11:42 PM IST
Simultaneous polls may hurt federalism
State and national polls at the same time can offer national parties a structural advantage, undercutting the space for regional parties
Published on Sep 05, 2023 09:51 PM IST
Modernity mandates can’t be exclusionary
Universal registration of births is a laudable goal. But the new births and death bill can result in deep exclusions and burden poor citizens
Published on Aug 08, 2023 10:03 PM IST
Raj laws can spur a new welfare model
Laws on a minimum income and benefits for gig workers bring the conversation on rights and citizenship into the core of the welfare debate
Published on Jul 26, 2023 10:13 PM IST
The steel frame needs some training reform
The English-speaking, engineering graduate is the face of the IAS today. This calls for training on social norms, public purpose and structural inequalities
Published on Jul 03, 2023 10:14 PM IST
Keep India’s delicate federal balance intact
Dual control of the IAS is at the heart of the federal structure. The Delhi ordinance challenges it. It can create fissures between Centre, states
Updated on May 26, 2023 05:09 PM IST
Grassroots democracy needs urgent attention
India’s experiment with grassroots democracy, 30 years after the creation of local government institutions, highlights the dangers of overcentralisation.
Published on Apr 23, 2023 07:40 PM IST
In India, is a guaranteed funded pension feasible?
New models piloted by Andhra Pradesh and Brazil show a path beyond political posturing, and ensuring fiscal sustainability, certainty of benefits and innovation
Updated on Apr 02, 2023 09:21 PM IST
The structural constraints that hinder reform in India
Data from the 2023 Economic Survey illustrates an enduring tension in the dynamics of Centre-state relations that constrains policy reforms.
Published on Mar 09, 2023 08:02 PM IST
Welfare spending cut could pose significant livelihood challenges
In re-prioritising expenditure with its big push on capex, the finance minister is taking a bet on the Indian economy, one that, for the moment, has significant risks for the livelihoods of India’s poor and vulnerable. Let’s hope it pays off
Updated on Feb 02, 2023 07:42 AM IST
Celebrate civic political action for its own sake
The battleground for substantive democracy in India has largely been outside the electoral arena in the form of citizen-led mobilisations. In 2023, when state polls will dominate discussions, the challenge will be to preserve this space
Updated on Dec 30, 2022 09:11 PM IST
India’s agrarian sector needs a budget boost
Farm policymaking slowed down after the repeal of three laws in 2021. But the climate crisis, geopolitical instability and inflation have exacerbated the urgency for reforms
Updated on Dec 02, 2022 08:56 PM IST
Yamini Aiyar and Mekhala Krishnamurthy
Reframing policymaking to tackle rural inflation
Rather than relying on new infrastructure projects, which are both capital-intensive and slow to start, the focus must be on the maintenance of existing infrastructure
Published on Nov 02, 2022 08:56 PM IST
India’s key role in 21st century non-alignment
As Covid-19, the climate crisis, and Russia’s war in Ukraine exacerbate inequities in the world order, there is a strategic relevance for India to be a leader of developing nations in their quest for equity and autonomy
Published on Aug 24, 2022 09:05 PM IST
What Sri Lanka tells us about the democratic project
The contemporary global moment has not been democracy’s finest. Across the world and, indeed, in Sri Lanka, formal democratic institutions are increasingly in conflict with and consciously undermining democracy’s ideals
Published on Jul 20, 2022 08:58 PM IST
Understanding the Agnipath protests
Economic vulnerability, especially unemployment and the social value of government jobs, lie at the heart of the ongoing stir against the scheme. Protesters are driven by the desire for social prestige and the chance of upward mobility
Updated on Jun 20, 2022 09:23 PM IST
The rural economy needs a new deal
Covid-19, the Ukraine war, and the climate crisis show that policymaking for rural India must shift from a knee-jerk approaches to one that invests in long-term risk management
Updated on May 31, 2022 08:14 PM IST
Reviving the spirit of Centre-state alliance
For cooperative federalism to survive, empower the moribund Inter-State Council to fulfil its role of mediating Centre-state relations
Updated on May 08, 2022 07:37 PM IST
Decoding the BJP’s model of welfarism
It positions welfare as empowerment, but strips it from the language of rights, and enforces it through centralised delivery mechanisms
Published on Apr 14, 2022 06:16 PM IST
The female voter has shifted the arc of electoral politics
The emergence of the female voter as a critical vote bank defies the framework of the identity, caste-based dynamic that has dominated our understanding of politics
Updated on Mar 10, 2022 10:31 PM IST
Apathy, cynicism of babus hurt welfare
To reform the system, bureaucrats have to start believing in welfare. Only then they will be able to find the right algorithm
Updated on Feb 23, 2022 08:35 PM IST
Inadequate spending on health and welfare schemes is a cause for concern
India needs far greater investments in health. That is the one lesson that Covid-19 has taught us, but once again we have refused to learn
Published on Feb 01, 2022 10:28 PM IST
The politics of hate vs politics of secularism
The grammar of secularism was not adopted to eschew religion; it was a pathway to peace. Today, we have shunned this principle, favouring instead a competitive religious politics that co-exists with hate
Updated on Dec 28, 2021 09:15 PM IST
Yamini Aiyar
The farm laws: Why this is not a 1991 moment
Beyond their political significance, the story of the farm laws, from their conception to repeal, raises critical questions about India’s economic policymaking frameworks and pathways to reform factor markets
Updated on Nov 26, 2021 07:13 PM IST
Yamini Aiyar and Mekhala Krishnamurthy
We are failing our children
There is grim news on education. But the silver lining is that the pandemic forced innovation. Build on it
Updated on Nov 19, 2021 03:51 PM IST
Yamini Aiyar