SPRFDriving evidence-based policy change. We deliver impactful, non-partisan research across economics, governance, environment & climate change, foreign & defense policy, and human rights & law, focusing on monitoring and evaluating policy progress in crucial areas impacting society. We bridge the gap between research and public policy.
This project seeks to explore the nuances of the Indian welfare state, and draw comparisons between the welfare approaches taken by different governments at the state and centre. Particularly, the project will involve exploring the political environment during which major welfare regimes and institutions were created, the management of these institutions by the central and state governments and the political economy of welfare in Indian public life.
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Abstract In India, Scheduled Tribes [STs] face disadvantages in accessing almost all tools required for socio-economic development– including education, healthcare, and information and communications technologies. This disadvantage results in a digital divide between the STs and the non-ST population of the country. The repercussions of the digital divide were evident in the backdrop of the […]
The Indian Parliament represents the predominant theatre of democratic deliberation and participation in the country and serves as the orienting source of nation-building strategy and legislative outlook. As a result, the quality of discussion of key bills in the Parliament represents a complex system of public consultation, standing committee reports, political concerns and federal cooperation. […]
Introduction: India’s Data Security Crisis In a significant breach of data security, the private information of lakhs of Indians who registered on the CoWIN app for Covid-19 vaccination has allegedly been leaked. According to reports, a Telegram bot was responsible for divulging the details provided during registration on the CoWIN app. Journalists and opposition politicians […]
World Health Day is going to be celebrated this year on 7 April, and will mark the beginning of a year-long campaign on maternal and newborn health, titled Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures. The campaign aims to urge governments and the healthcare community globally to prevent maternal and newborn deaths, and to ensure women’s health and well-being. At SPRF, we have written extensively on gender-sensitive healthcare, reproductive health, and postnatal health from a policymaking perspective.
Abstract This essay focusing on maternal incarceration analyses how keeping the mother in custody can turn punitive for her child. In India, when mothers are incarcerated, their children under the age of 6 accompany them in prison. Otherwise, most children end up homeless. This piece uses National Crime Records Bureau [NCRB] data, judgements, and ethnographic […]
Context According to the Sample Registration System [SRS], in India, between 2016-2018, the maternal mortality ratio [MMR] was 113 deaths per 10,000 live births – a decrease from 130 deaths per 10,000 live births between 2014-2016 (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2021a). The government’s multi-pronged policy aims to curb home births and increase institutional […]
Introduction In September 2024, a meeting was held in Hyderabad to discuss integrated Perinatal Mental Health intervention in rural India. Representatives from six districts of Telangana partook in the meeting to identify key problems to maternal mental health in rural India and investigate potential solutions. Maternal Mental Health (MMH), also called Perinatal Mental Health (PMH), […]
Introduction Throughout India’s history, both pre- and post-independence, Maharashtra and West Bengal have been leaders in advancing social reforms for women. Maharashtra’s contributions include the pioneering efforts of Jyotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule, who broke societal barriers by establishing the first school for girls in Pune. Reformers like Dhondo Keshav Karve further pushed […]
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The term Shershabadi (original Shershabadia) has direct reference to the community’s place of origin, i.e., the former Jawar-e-Sarsabad, which comprised parts of Murshidabad, Malda in West Bengal, and Sahibganj district in Jharkhand.
Owing to various social, political, and environmental reasons, they migrated from their place of origin, and are now settled in Kishanganj and its neighbouring districts, in Bihar. Originally a community of settled agriculturists, they slowly dispersed along the river banks and tried to make a living through cultivation.
arrow_outwardThe photo story captures the neighbourhood which falls under the administration of Tiruchirappalli City Municipal Corporation and is navigating complex ecological, geographical, and governance problems.
arrow_outwardMalihabad, tehsil and Nagar panchayat in Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh is famous for its mangoes. The Malihabadi Dussehra, a variety of mango, got its Geographical Indicator [GI] tag in 2009[1]. Even though Mangoes are widely consumed across the subcontinent, a common narrative of all the mango cultivators of the region is: “Everybody loves mangoes, but no one wants to make the lives of mango farmers any better.”
arrow_outwardn the east of Delhi lies Ghazipur. Over the years, Ghazipur has become an essential route and a stop for people looking to purchase flowers for special occasions.
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