Category Centres

Israel-Hamas Tensions: Charting the Path Forward

World woke to the worst horror stories and visuals of an unprecedented and well-coordinated attack by the internationally designated terrorist group Hamas based out of Gaza on Israeli civilians and settlers breaching the hitherto impregnable borders and supposedly impregnable fences of the Israeli defence Forces.

Data and Public Policy: Municipal Finance Case Study

Dr Soumyadip Chattopadhyay commenced his session with the assertion that the future of development and governance public hinges on the effective utilization of data. India's policy-making institutions are embracing this shift, recognizing the exponential growth of data across various sectors and levels. It's essential to grasp that the formulation and execution of development strategies entail numerous decisions, both small and large, influenced by uncertainties and the ever-changing economic, institutional, and technological landscape.

Key Trends and Issues in India’s State Finances

Ms Pandey discussed the state deficits in an aggregated manner, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the overall state deficit soared to 4.1%, primarily due to a sharp decline in revenues and an increase in state expenditures. It's worth noting that the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM) mandates that the fiscal deficit should be limited to 3% of GDP. However, in the fiscal year 2020-21, states were unable to meet this target and had a fiscal deficit of 4%. Even the central government's fiscal deficit rose to 9% during that period.

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