Category Insights

Insights, a blog published by IMPRI.

Niti, Nyaya, and Niyat: Through the Lens of Everyday Justice

In this essay, I argue that addressing situations of injustice necessitate a triad of Niti (a combination of laws, policies, procedures, the legal, and the administrative systems, and bureaucracy), Nyaya (substantive, distributive justice), and Niyat (which includes two components: one, the social, economic, and political will, commitment, or intention of those in power combined with the second, agency of pro-active citizens, and the role of civil society).

India’s lead in seeking Peace: Role of Developing Nations in ending Ukraine War

The developing world has a big stake in the early end to the war. Global uncertainty and higher prices weaken growth and export momentum. Sustained divisions risk sanctions that a country like India can trip over. The war increases the risk of climate change.

War, said Carl von Clausewitz, is continuation of politics by other means. That is pithy, but ignores the economics. War is immensely profitable for quite a few parties. Let us take a bird's eye view of the Ukraine war - clear-eyed is all that counts, not if the bird in question is hawk, dove or raven.

India’s G20 Presidency comes at a Difficult Time

For India all this has been a grave challenge while navigating the minefields of geo politics and securing her national interests and strategic autonomy. It is stuck as her strategic partners are at war. Her sane voice falls on deaf ears of geo political contestations.

Addressing the crucial meeting of the G20 Foreign Ministers today, Prime Minister Modi reminded them that as leading economies of the world, they also have a responsibility towards those who are not in the room.

Good and Services Tax (GST) Collection: India’s progress towards ‘One Nation, One Sales Tax’

The progress of India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST), based on taxing value-addition, introduced as a dual tax levied by both the centre and the states, in a short period since 2017 when it was introduced, has been commendable. The GST has helped India progress towards the vision of ‘one nation, one sales tax’; and has helped reduce transaction costs of businesses at all levels, while facilitating lower logistics costs toward greater global competitiveness.  To implement GST, a Constitutional amendment was needed as in the then-existing Constitution, there was no provision for levying sales tax on goods by the Union government, and the states could not levy sales tax on services.

Development Course in the Himalayas

The Himalayas are the youngest range of mountains in the world and are still in the formative stage. The plate movements between the Indian and Eurasian plates continue to keep the entire region from Kashmir to North East in seismic zone IV and V. This means that the entire Himalayas are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters like earthquakes and landslides.

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