Reuben Abraham

CEO & Senior Fellow, IDFC Institute, and Visiting Scholar, Urbanization Project, New York University.

Niranjan Rajadhyaksha

Niranjan Rajadhyaksha is the former executive editor of Mint. He writes the award-winning Cafe Economics column. Niranjan studied economics at the Mumbai School of Economics, taught the subject for some time, and then moved into financial journalism.

He is also a member of the academic board of the Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics and a trustee of the Takshashila Institution. His book, The Rise of India, was published globally by John Wiley and Sons (Singapore) in 2007.

Bamboo is Not a Tree
Wed, 10/05/2022 - 02:52 5 Min Read

Starting 2009, CCS consistently campaigned for reforms in bamboo regulations in India through its Bamboo is Not a Tree campaign, presenting regulatory reform recommendations to 13 concerned Central Ministries. In 2017, in a big win for bamboo-based livelihoods in India and for us at CCS, the Indian Forest (Amendment) Ordinance changed the classification of non-forest bamboo from 'tree' to 'grass'.

Vikalp
Wed, 10/05/2022 - 02:50 5 Min Read

Vikalp was a skill voucher pilot project, acknowledged as the model for NSDC's STAR Scheme (a INR 1,000 crore skill development scheme launched by the Ministry of Finance). A vikalp voucher is an instrument given to an individual, which enables him to obtain training from any training institute accredited with the provider of the voucher.

Demonstrate the benefits of using the Voucher model in skill development - as compared to existing models of intervention for skill development / funding of skill development programs.

test
Fri, 08/26/2022 - 16:20 2 Min Read

The Street Vendors Act (SVA), 2014 defines stationary and mobile vendors. It does not mention weekly vendors. Not much literature about weekly vendors is available. Often the discourse on street vending is about stationary vendors, and sometimes about mobile vendors. We do not know how many weekly vendors are out there and how many of them are surveyed or registered. Many of them vend at different locations on a rotational basis, and so their enumeration poses a challenge.

Read Next
Preparing the Fields for Genetically Modified Crops in India
26 Aug 2022 1 Min Read

By 2050, the world will need to produce 60-70% more food than what it is already producing to feed an anticipated population of 9.3 billion people. A large proportion of this demand is expected to come from the developing world. With India’s population set to reach 1.7 billion by 2050, its annual domestic food production must increase to 333 million tonnes against the current level of 252 million tonnes. But the farming-as-usual approach would significantly reduce natural resources.

ViewPoint 11: Fuel and Fertilizer Subsidies: Instituting Direct Cash Transfers
23 Aug 2022 1 Min Read

An assessment addressing the government’s decision on direct transfer on fuel and fertilizer subsidies and recommends design solutions for direct transfers while suggesting avenues to ensure an easy transition.

Author / Edited by:
Parth J Shah

Viewpoint 12: Bamboo Regulation in India : The Need for Reforms
23 Aug 2022 1 Min Read

This memo examines the current state of laws and policies that affect bamboo in India, with the goal of setting out a broad framework for reforms that would pave the way for sustainable development of the country’s bamboo sector. The first section provides an overview of the opportunities and restrictions on the sector’s growth due to India’s current forestry policy, transportation restrictions and land tenure system. The second section explores policy considerations that uniquely situate the bamboo industry to be an engine of development for the Indian economy.

A Teary Tale of Onion Exports
28 Jun 2022 1 Min Read

Onions are a very important crop for both Indian farmers and consumers. Whenever there are price fluctuations in the market, the Government changes the rules on the trade of onions. In 2020 alone, the trading status of onions was changed 7 times, i.e. the government would ban the exports of onions and then relax it. This distorts the market and disincentivises investments in trade infrastructure like warehousing.

Opening Gates for India’s Keepers of Forests
28 Jun 2022 2 Min Read

Approximately 275 million people involved in the Minor Forest Produce (MFP) economy (World Bank 2005), a significant portion of which is tribal population, struggle with this every day. Collection, processing, and sale of MFP comprise the backbone of the forest sector. The government estimates the collection potential of MFP is INR 1900 crores and the production potential of INR 4000 crores (TRIFED n.d.). But what holds the sector back is a regulatory conflict at the Union and state-level

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