Category Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies

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SNA-SPARSH: Reforming India’s Fund Flow for Centrally Sponsored Schemes

Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) form the backbone of India's welfare and infrastructure delivery, jointly funded by the Centre and states but implemented through state-level agencies. For years, the fund flow architecture behind these schemes suffered from a structural inefficiency: money was released in advance rather than as spending actually occurred, leaving large sums idle across thousands of implementing-agency bank accounts. 

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Assessing the Effectiveness of the Swasthya Sathi Scheme in West Bengal (2016)

Health insurance has emerged as a critical policy instrument for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in India. Before the introduction of Swasthya Sathi, West Bengal faced significant challenges related to catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), low insurance penetration and unequal healthcare access.

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Andhra Pradesh’s Population Management Policy (2026) : A Critical Policy Analysis

Against the backdrop of a falling Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 1.5, significantly below the replacement-level fertility rate of 2.1 required to maintain a stable population, the Andhra Pradesh Government has proposed a Population Management Policy aimed at encouraging higher fertility rates through financial incentives and family-support measures.

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The Mirage of the Metro Boom: Analyzing Structural Losses and the Last-Mile Chasm in Indian Mass Transit

Over the past two decades, India’s urban transport planning has shifted heavily toward high-cost, capital-intensive metropolitan rail systems. Promoted as the definitive solution for traffic congestion, vehicular emissions, and rapid urbanization, billions of dollars have been systematically funneled into building heavy rail infrastructure.

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Who really needs to make the sacrifices?

Speaking to members of the Indian diaspora at The Hague in mid-May, Prime Minister Modi said the war in West Asia can overturn the gains of the Indian economy in the past decade.

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