Research and Analysis

This is the first entry in Swaniti’s two-part series on the socio-economic landscape of Uttar Pradesh, the government schemes being implemented to address key issues across the state, where gaps in service delivery exist and how they may be filled going forward. In this paper, we seek to develop an understanding of the socio-economic situation in the state, providing the foundation for a further examination of government schemes and service delivery gaps.

This is the final installment of Swaniti’s series on green jobs in South Asia. Previously, we have sought to define green jobs, examine the potential and risks they bring to workers and economies at large, and understand how government policies can affect the creation of decent green jobs. This installment provides a bring overview of the current situations around green jobs in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. In India, one case study looking at new rules implemented for the collection and recycling of e-waste provides an example of how initiatives can promote environmental protection, jobs, and growth in a circular economy by regulating processes designed to curb a growing issue. At the same time, it also provides an example of the need for government rules and policies to ensure marginalize peoples and informal workers at risk of losing their livelihoods are explicitly included in these transitions.

A draft of the Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022 was released for public comment by the Ministry of Communications late last month. The new bill seeks to replace the existing regulatory framework – the Telegraph Act, 1885, the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950 – and provide a framework for regulating all aspects of the telecom industry, including service provision, networks, infrastructure, and spectrum, which is defined in the bill as as the range of frequencies of radio waves. In short, this is a broad overhaul and modernisation of India’s telecom regulations to include new technology and communication platforms.

Climate change can be seen as a market failure for a number of reasons, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a critical part not only of slowing and mitigating climate change but of correcting its market failures. The use of carbon financing – a funding tool to further climate change objectives by trading in carbon credits to make it a marketable good – and establishment of carbon markets has the potential for significant financial and environmental impact in industries ranging from agriculture to electric vehicles. To ensure these markets operate in an effective and ethical manner, however, the state must intervene and ensure the usage of standardised methodologies and regulations. The private sector, apart from its current involvement in development of renewable energy, must also expand in the space of financial adaptations. In India, the recent passage of the Energy Conservation Amendment Bill, which includes provisions on establishing carbon markets, marks an important step forward in formalising and regulating carbon offset trading and ultimately in reducing and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in order to meet Nationally Determined Contributions.

The first installment of this three-part series provided an examination of the defining criteria of green jobs, including the importance of ensuring that green jobs are decent jobs that provide fair wages, benefits, and worker protections. Climate-smart investments can create tens of millions of green jobs while mitigating climate change and its effects. This will […]

The Impact of climate-smart investment and the creation of decent green jobs Executive Summary The range of sustainable initiatives providing benefits to the environment, national economies, and individual livelihoods is vast, covering solar-powered cold storage for small-holder farmers’ produce, the expansion of city-wide recycling programs, large-scale wind and hydro power infrastructure projects, and numerous other […]

Introduction The brutal heatwave stretching across much of South Asia continues to persist into its third month. After suffering through the hottest March across India in 122 years, the northwest and central regions of the country saw the same record fall again in April. Then on 1 May, Nawabshah, Pakistan set the highest recorded temperature […]

Introduction With the second largest population in the world, India should have no shortage of world-class athletes. In fact, it could logically be argued that India likely does have more world-class athletes than any other country – if only they had the means and opportunity, as well as the national infrastructure, to train in a […]

Introduction Diversity — in biology, ecology, and geography, to say nothing of the countless forms of human diversity — is undeniably one of India’s greatest assets. One of seventeen megadiverse countries, India is home to roughly ten percent of the world’s known plant and animal species. This biodiversity is due in large part to the […]

Executive Summary COP27 saw the world come together to make a range of strategic commitments on addressing climate change, with a particular focus on developing nations and climate finance. This provides an opportunity for India to benefit from a number of available strategies on climate change, especially in its agriculture sector, and the launch of […]

Context  Why was G-20 conceptualized? Twenty-four years after the major economies (G-7) of the world formed a group to discuss and exchange ideas, the need to bridge a dialogue between developing and developed nations was realized. In 1999, Paul Martin (then Prime Minister of Canada) and Larry Summers (US deputy treasury secretary) realized the need […]

An Overview of the programme, progress thus far, best practices, and next steps Executive Summary The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched by the Government of India in 2018, has been a highly successful initiative thus far. By prioritising outcomes over outputs, expanding the developmental focus beyond the economic indicators, and encouraging a sense of collaborative […]

In 2019, air pollution contributed to 12% of deaths worldwide, roughly 7 million people. In India, nearly 18% of all deaths — around 1.7 million people — were caused by air pollution, no surprise given the country has the highest levels of PM2.5 in the world. How does the air get polluted? Taken as a […]

India’s pledge at the COP 26 to phase ‘down’ and not phase ‘out’ coal was met with mixed reviews. While many nations criticised the country’s stand as being detrimental to combating climate change, climate experts have come out in support of India’s stand.

MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) is now in its thirteenth year of operation. MGNREGS has developed to become one of the world’s largest social protection systems.

The Government of India has sent strong signals through the direction and pace of India’s energy transition to meet India’s renewable energy generation capacity target of 175 GW by 2022.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has created global disruptions, with over 41 lakh lives being affected globally.

For long in India, the laws governing agriculture markets remains anarchic. The State has found reasons to overregulate the agriculture sector- regulating prices, banning exports, restricting private trade, regulating markets etc.

The socio-economic crisis precipitated by the fallout of COVID19 pandemic and the intermittent lockdown undertaken to contain the spread of the virus has adversely impacted millions of households, especially the vulnerable and deprived households.

Covid-19 pandemic poses multiple challenges to countries across the globe; with cases as high as 44,43,793 over 188 countries/regions1 , more than half of the world population is undergoing some form of social distancing.

Women are the strong pillars of any vibrant society; whose empowerment is crucial to achieve an inclusive economic growth for the nation.

Agriculture is the bedrock of the Indian economy primarily because of the source of livelihood for about 58 per cent of India’s population.

India, the seventh largest country in the world in terms of geographical area, is home to more than 1.21 billion 1people.

Ensuring access to flexible credit across all economic levels of beneficiaries regardless of the demographic variability has been one of the major objectives of the current government in India in the last five years.

On July 15th, 2019 Swaniti had the opportunity to present to 19 Andhra Pradesh Parliamentarians on issues of livelihood.

Emerging economies are facing a considerable drop in their consumption and savings pattern worldwide (World Economic Outlook, 2017).

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top ten causes of death and the leading cause from a single infectious agent (above HIV/AIDS). Millions of people continue to fall sick with tuberculosis each year.

Healthcare spending accounted for 9.9% of world GDP in 2014 according to the World Bank. At the global level, healthcare spending by national governments as a proportion of their GDP stands at 5.84% as of 2015.

There has been a rapid growth in the economy for the last 4 years. This change has been due to the initiatives and determination of the current government.

India ranks seventh in the world in terms of area under cultivation, at 329 million hectares and 4th among the BRICS nations.

The status of female employment in India has been the subject of much debate of late in the national fora, due to its intrinsic relationship with female empowerment.

With more than 54% of its total population below the age of 25, India is undoubtedly one of the youngest countries in the world.

In the past decade, Telangana state faced ongoing problem with its water resources, in terms of both availability, as well as quality.

Often termed as a ‘paradox’, India’s relationship between lagging child and adult nutrition figures has often provided a humbling counterview to the exponential economic trajectory.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of those rare fields which has attracted academics as well as massive private investment principally from tech giants.

NITI Aayog’s task of collecting and aggregating data to quantify Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to provide policy inputs for pertinent issues can be integrated through blockchain technology.

The Finance Commission primarily concerns itself with formulating recommendations for Centre-State financial relations.

The Unemployment Rate (UR) has steadily climbed from 3.8 in 2011-12 to 5 by 2015-16. The slow and steady rise of the figures has been accounted to severe under employment and low Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR).

Defence has always been a cornerstone for any nation’s economy and growth as it enhances facilitation of government’s foreign policies, peacekeeping operations and humanitarian relief missions.

Carved out from southern Bihar, Jharkhand was recognized under the Bihar Reorganization Act as a separate state on November 15, 2000.

Universal healthcare is one of the primary tools for public good. Access to healthcare in India remains far from universal and the funds committed to it show the grim picture.

According to the Census 2011, the urban population in India grew by 31.8% as compared to 2001. About 31.2% of Indians now live in over 7,935 statutory/census towns, with the percentage of urban population being higher than the

India is among the largest producers of milk, fruits and vegetables, marine products, meat and poultry in the world. The rich agricultural and livestock resource base has resulted in a total production of more than 500 million MT

Road construction is a critical aspect of infrastructure development in rural as well as urban India. An improvement in road connectivity brings with it several social and economic benefits.

The Indian Railways (IR), a 162-year-old national asset has the distinction of being the second largest railway system in Asia and the fourth largest railway system in the world, operating more than 19,000 trains and 7,112 stations.

Each year, India invests a hefty sum of nearly Rs. 35,000 Crore in the health sector. However, despite heavy investment in the sector, the emphasis and specificity is not reflected in the health indicators.

Nodal Agency : Department of Road Safety, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)

This brief sheds light upon the various aspects related to rural tourism and the great potential that India keeps for emerging as a rural tourism icon. After discussing the key factors responsible for the potential growth of rural tourism.

The tangible and intangible impacts of secured housing are numerous and invaluable to both people and the local economy.

According to the Economic Survey 2015-16 fertilizer subsidy forms 0.8 % of the GDP.In the Union Budget 2016-17, fertilizer subsidy amounted to almost 27.9 % of the total subsidy amount.

Human trafficking is a deplorable human rights violation that occurs worldwide. Trafficking in persons for labour and/or sexual exploitation is a form of modern-day slavery.

Micro-entrepreneurship is being increasingly recognized as one of the prominent ways of poverty alleviation and income generation in developing countries.

The share of agriculture in the GDP of India has reduced from 30% in 1990-91 to less than 14% in 2014-15, however 52% of total workforce is still dependent on farm sector for sustenance.

India’s urban population is expected to increase to 600 million by 2031 from 285 million in 20011. There is a growing need for cities to be adequately equipped to meet the mobility requirements of the current population as well as of those yet to join the population.

Central and State Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) have played a pivotal role in shaping the economy and industrial landscape of the country since independence.

The water sector in India has always been plagued by multiple challenges such as inefficient use of water resources, conflicts between various categories of water users, inadequacy of funds to complete resource development projects.

Food safety is an important social and health priority for any country. The recent controversy around non-adherence to food safety standards by one of the world’s largest dairy and food products companies has brought food safety issues in India into much sharper focus.

I was not aware that services offered at the AWC would include supplements also, it aided me during my pregnancy as I definitely felt better as compared to my last pregnancy when I didn’t take any supplements.

The ‘Start up India, Stand-up India’ campaign was announced by the honourable Prime Minister on 15th August, 2015 seeking to provide an impetus to the entrepreneurial landscape of India.

The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) enables Members of Parliament (MPs) to recommend development-related works based on the local needs of their constituencies.

On 17th June, 2015, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister gave its approval to the Housing for All by 2022″ Mission – National Mission for Urban Housing to address the issue of affordable housing in urban areas.

Workers can demand worksite safety, working hours, welfare provisions, annual leave, health, and working conditions.

The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code, 2019 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 23rd July, 2019 by the Ministry of Labour & Employment after inter-ministerial consultations and suggestions received from the public/stakeholders

Human trafficking is a deplorable human rights violation that occurs worldwide. Trafficking in persons for labour and/or sexual exploitation is a form of modern-day slavery, a human rights violation that constitutes a crime against the individual and the State.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) was established in 1934 under the Indian Medical Council (IMC) Act, 1933, with a primary aim to standardise both training in medicine and the accreditation of medical and surgical proficiency in India and abroad.

Talaq, under Islamic law, refers to the husband’s right to dissolve the marriage and divorce his wife. One such form of talaq is that of talaq-e-biddat or instantaneous triple talaq.

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2018 aims to amend section 7 of The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006.

In light of the recent spate of heinous sexual attacks against girls across the country, there has been increasing public outrage over the issues of sexual assault against minors, and against females in particular.

In order to comprehensively understand the challenges faced by the transgender community in India, an Expert Committee was established by the government in 2013.

India has emerged as a surrogacy hub for couples from different countries for past few years. For the same reason India has earned the epitaph of the world capital of surrogacy and particularly the village of Anand in Gujarat, is popularly known as the ‘cradle of the world’1.

Road accidents has been recognised as a serious public health problem across the world. More than 1.2 million people die each year on the world’s roads, making road traffic injuries a leading cause of death in the world.

In a developing economy like India, where more than 70 percent of the population depends upon agriculture for their livelihood, agriculture credit/rural finance becomes a matter of credit concern.

The Citizenship (amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced by Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Rajnath Singh on 19th July 2016 in the Lok Sabha.

This brief attempts to analyze certain key skill development schemes operational within the country i.e. Deen Dayal Upadhayay Grameen Kaushal Yoj (EST&P) and PMKVY.

Geospatial information plays a significant role in a digital economy, as the targeted delivery usage of geographical data.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) refer to rights provided to individuals or organizations pertaining to specific innovation or invention in products or processes for a certain period of time.

On 21st December 2010, the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Dental Council of India (DCI) had issued notifications, wherein the existing statutory regulations had been amended to provide for a single National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS/BDS course.

In June 2016, the Union Cabinet approved the National guidance for creating an ecosystem which is conducive and encouraging for the Civil Aviation sector in India

The Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2015 was passed by the Parliament during the just concluded Budget Session.

India is predicted to be amongst the fastest growing markets. By 2020, India is projected to be the world’s third largest middle class consumer market behind China and USA.

Daniel Flynn & Gargee Basu The Digital Age of Public Service Delivery Systems in India India has been a leader in the digitization of public services since the launch of the Digital India initiative in July 2015, as the government fine-tuned its focus on the country’s future by improving ICT governance and policy making, expanding […]

The simplest definition of "cryptocurrency" can be found in the two parts of the word itself: "crypto" (data encryption) and "currency" (medium of exchange).

Technology policy and regulation in India have been rapidly evolving in recent years as policymakers and corporate leaders grapple with complex issues on everything from social media to data protection to cryptocurrency.

Imagine you’ve to head out to an important appointment and you need to reach on time. You check Google Maps and it gives you an estimate of a hour

Almost everyone in India is currently talking about NYAY. Playing on a hindi synonym for ‘justice’ the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) scheme has evoked