SPRF
Introduction To categorise petrol as being just another commodity, would understate its significance. Long before it became a household expense, it served as an instrument of industrial expansion, military strategy, and statecraft. From the oil shocks of the 1970s to the Gulf Wars and more recently, the disruptions following the Russia–Ukraine and West Asia conflicts, […]
Introduction Gig work is often presented as a hallmark of “platform capitalism,” where technology firms organise labour into on-demand tasks through smartphone applications (Saxena, 2026). India has over 7.7 million gig workers and this number is expected to grow fourfolds by 2029–30, with the sector potentially contributing 1.2% to the country’s GDP. According to the […]
During the second wave of COVID-19, tens of thousands of migrant workers were abandoned and left to their own devices. Through empty bus depots and highways, many attempted to reach their home state on foot. The workers were from Bihar and Jharkhand who had left their homes and travelled to Surat, Delhi, and Ahmedabad in […]
Out of every ₹100 India spends, less than ₹4 goes to rural development. Of that, barely 40 paise supports rural women’s skill based livelihoods, where nationally 100 women depend on a single trainer to learn the skills meant to transform their incomes. From early morning chores to long hours in the fields, rural women across […]
Introduction The National Education Policy 2020 was introduced about six years ago, replacing the 1986 policy, and is now past the nascent stage of preparation. NEP 2020 emphasized a big shift in early childhood education, introduced a new school structure, and intended to make learning multidisciplinary and flexible. As the policy moves out of its […]
Introduction The Indian state’s role and responsibility in ensuring rural workers’ livelihoods have been revived with the introduction of the VB G RAM G Bill, which was prompted by the issue of the MNREGA program facing rollout gaps, wage non-paying delays, pressure typified by actual allocation levels, as well as requests for increased administrative oversight over […]
During India’s first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the dawn of the ‘Orange Economy.’ He highlighted how creators—from Guwahati musicians and Kochi podcasters to Bengaluru game designers and Punjabi filmmakers—are powering India’s march towards a $5 trillion economy. The orange economy, also known as the […]
1. Introduction Public Policy, most laconically, is defined as “whatever governments choose to do or not to do” (Chakravarty & Sanyal, 2017, p. 4). The recently released draft national labour and employment policy, the Shram Shakti Niti, makes for an interesting case study on why “not doing something” is an equally, if not more important […]
Fueling growth in an economy primarily requires investments, whether for technology, infrastructure, or government interventions. The global financial system has evolved significantly: from the use of cash and traditional banking tools such as cheques and demand drafts, to more advanced systems like digital payments (e.g., UPI), and more recently, toward decentralized technologies like cryptocurrencies. While […]
What is the purpose of a policy that does not resonate with the realities of the people it is made for? The two faces of Delhi are evident to anyone who has found themselves stuck in the city’s traffic. On one hand, there are glossy shopping malls and wide roads that promise a ‘world-class’ city. […]