Strengthening Regulatory Governance in India: The Role of Risk-Based Inspection Systems
Should every business be inspected in the same way?Imagine two food businesses operating under the same regulatory framework.
Category Center for the Study for Finance and Economics
A New Asset Class: Decoding SEBI’s Specialized Investment Fund Framework (2025)
India’s investment-management landscape has traditionally offered mutual funds for relatively standardised pooled investments and Portfolio Management Services (PMS) for investors seeking greater portfolio flexibility. SEBI identified a regulatory gap between these two products: investors seeking more sophisticated strategies could require greater flexibility than conventional mutual funds provide, while PMS involves a substantially higher minimum investment.
National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL), 2021: Assessing India’s Bad Bank Strategy for Resolving Stressed Assets
In the Economic Survey 2016–17, the idea of a centralised ‘bad bank' for India was first floated on the background of legacy non-performing assets (NPAs) that had built up in the public sector banks as a result of the infrastructure and corporate loan surge between 2008 and 2014. The idea of a ‘bad bank' is to buy and manage the stressed assets so that banks can realign their balance sheets and concentrate on their core business of lending and specialised institutions can focus on value recovery.
BHAVYA-Rasayan (2026): Developing Dedicated Chemical Parks to Strengthen India’s Chemical Manufacturing Sector
The Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana Rasayan (BHAVYA–Rasayan Scheme) was announced in the Union Budget 2026–27 and approved by the Union Cabinet for establishing three dedicated Chemical Parks in India. Of the total financial outlay of ₹3,030 crore, ₹3,000 crore will be allocated for establishing common infrastructure and basic utilities, while ₹30 crore will be earmarked for administrative expenditure. The scheme will be implemented over a period of five years, from FY 2026–27 to FY 2030–31. It focuses on strengthening India’s chemical manufacturing ecosystem by creating dedicated industrial clusters with improved infrastructure and shared utilities.
Atal Pension Yojana (2015-2026): Assessing a Decade of India’s Pension Push
The Atal Pension Yojana (APY) was introduced in 2015 as a voluntary pension scheme to address a pressing gap in India's social security system. It was originally launched as the Swavalamban Yojana under the UPA government before being relaunched and renamed Atal Pension Yojana in 2015 and thus, giving the scheme a stronger and wider reach. This shift was necessary because most Indian workers exist outside formal employment. As a result, they do not receive employer-linked pension benefits, which leaves them with limited financial security after retirement. To address this, Atal Pension Yojana was designed to encourage retirement savings among this segment in order for subscribers to become entitled to a guaranteed monthly pension once they turn sixty.
Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme: Can Fiscal Autonomy Strengthen Grassroots Democracy?
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment gave Panchayati Raj Institutions constitutional status and strengthened the framework for decentralised governance. However, effective local self-government also requires financial capacity. Article 243H of the Constitution enables State legislatures to authorise Panchayats to levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees, and to provide for the assignment of revenues and grants to them. Thus, the constitutional framework recognises fiscal capacity as an important component of effective local self-government. Continued dependence on government grants, however, can limit the ability of Panchayats to respond independently to local priorities.
Building a Healthier Rajasthan: The Economics of Health Assurance
Manorama BakshiArjun Kumar India cannot claim first-world economic productivity while its citizens remain exposed to third-world, catastrophic medical bills. Healthcare shocks routinely force households to sell assets, take on debt and cut essential spending, trapping families in a cycle of…