News: PSB’s have played a key role in the “new welfarism” model of the government. However, the immense effort undertaken by the PSB agencies has not been rewarded adequately. In this context, a mere comparison of PSB’s with private sector banks is illogical. Because, three-fourths of the banking sector is burdened with social objectives in… Continue reading Public sector banks: More sinned against than sinners
Author: Ram Manohar
The new fintech department of RBI has its work cut out
News: Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) created a new department to supervise and regulate fintech. Through the department, RBI plans to promote innovation in the sector and also identify the challenges and opportunities associated with it. Fintech ecosystem has seen the entry of ‘Big Tech’ like Alibaba, as well as decentralized products and… Continue reading The new fintech department of RBI has its work cut out
The baton of forest restoration in the net zero race
News: For carbon sequestration, India must revisit its policy framework and reverse the decreasing participation of local communities. After India’s pledge to set a net-zero target by 2070, at the COP26 summit, Glasgow, saving forests has become much more important. In a study by Griscom (2017), natural climate solutions that also include forests can provide… Continue reading The baton of forest restoration in the net zero race
On Track For 2070 Net Zero Target
Relevance: Clean energy transition News: India’s announcement to reach net-zero emissions by sourcing 50% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030 is a significant moment for the global fight against climate change. Why it is imperative for India to achieve net-zero emissions? India’s economic growth has been among the highest in the world over… Continue reading On Track For 2070 Net Zero Target
Why India Needs A Fiscal Council
News: Recently, the Union Minister of State for Finance in a written reply to the Parliament ruled out setting up of a fiscal council, which was recommended by the FRBM Review Committee. It was reasoned that, there are institutions that already perform some or all of the proposed functions of the Fiscal Council. For example,… Continue reading Why India Needs A Fiscal Council
India climbing up the ladder of emerging tech patents, shows data
News: Domestic and global companies in emerging technologies have filed over 80,000 applications in India between 2016 and 2020. Areas ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data to the cloud, Edge, cybersecurity, and real-time processing account for 70 percent of all technology patents. India is now ranked 8th in… Continue reading India climbing up the ladder of emerging tech patents, shows data
Why India’s policy to produce ethanol-blended petrol is short-sighted
News: Recently, the government revised the EBP program by advancing a 20 percent blend target (E20) to 2025 from 2030. The ambitious policy to promote ethanol-blended petrol will be bad for India’s food and water security. Because, in a world moving towards electric vehicles (EVs), batteries and hydrogen, ethanol is less suited for India amid… Continue reading Why India’s policy to produce ethanol-blended petrol is short-sighted
Electric vehicles, hydrogen and climate
News: The rising temperatures across the globe have forced the global countries to shift towards low carbon transport technologies (e-vehicles). The financially devastating climate events of 2021 have forced global countries to search for low carbon technologies. For instance, hurricanes in the US, China, and India, floods in Australia, Europe, and Canada, cost $170 billion… Continue reading Electric vehicles, hydrogen and climate
Reformist laws for trading in farm output are best enacted by states
News: The Model Agriculture Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2017, or model APLM act is a better option compared to the central farm law. It is also more comprehensive than the recently repealed farm laws. A model APLM act for doing away with the APMC-controlled regime was drafted for states in 2017… Continue reading Reformist laws for trading in farm output are best enacted by states
Liberalize the funding of non-profit ventures
News: Non-profit Organisations are subjected to strict norms in India. How strict regulations for NGOs is affecting their survivability? In 2015, The Centre amended the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, to require the renewal of non-profit funding permits every five years. This led to delicensing of many NGO’s. For instance, in 2015 and 2017, over 15,000… Continue reading Liberalize the funding of non-profit ventures
