(Co-authored with Pramod Sinha)

Even as exports face difficulties, sari endures as more than fabric—a repository of memory, identity and quiet resilience

In December 1975, a newspaper editorial mentioned India’s sari exports for the fiscal year 1974-75¹. Valued at just over Rs 7.5 crore—equivalent to roughly $9 million …

As India approaches the Union Budget for 2026-27, the fiscal landscape is poised at a critical juncture. With the economy recovering from global disruptions and aiming for sustained high growth, the budget presents an opportunity to recalibrate policy frameworks in line with developmental imperatives.

Drawing from my research on public …

Basic income transfers under gender budgeting can be a judicious tool for coping up livelihood crisis, not an electoral tool. 

In the end, the 2025 Bihar election was not decided by caste arithmetic, liquor bans, or development promises. It was decided by gender budgeting - 1.25 crore direct bank transfers …

( interview by Priyasmita Dutta )

NEW DELHI – Given the severe fiscal constraints of state governments, the 16th Finance Commission should ideally recommend 50% vertical tax devolution to states, according to National Institute of Public Finance and Policy Professor Lekha Chakraborty. However, this is ambitious given the global economic …

Introduction

Integrating a gender lens in a federal budget of an emerging country context is not easy, as it is a clarion call to go “beyond the gross domestic product (GDP)” paradigm. Gender budgeting, a macro-fiscal tool to tackle gender inequalities, has been increasingly recognized for its efficacy for fiscal …