Columnists

Jean Drèze

The writer, a former member of the UPA’s National Advisory Council, is visiting professor at the department of economics, Ranchi University

National Family Benefit Scheme is in urgent need of revival

Sun, Dec 05, 2021

🔴 Jean Dreze and Jasmin Naur Hafiz write: Revamping it won't be possible without a major increase in the NFBS budget

How loopholes in Aadhaar-enabled payments are putting poor people at risk of being swindled

Wed, Oct 06, 2021

Jean Dreze, Vipul Paikra write: Many similar cases of AePS-enabled fraud have emerged in Latehar, Jharkhand. Most of them are unresolved

Where is the strategy for dealing with learning loss during Covid?

Fri, Sep 17, 2021

Jean Dreze writes: At a time when extra resources were urgently needed to bring children safely back to school, the education budget was reduced by 10 per cent or so, even as the Union budget as a whole increased by more than 15 per cent

Without Aadhaar, without identity

Mon, Jul 05, 2021

Vyom Anil, Jean Dreze write: People who lose their Aadhaar number may not be able to retrieve it, and risk losing all social benefits.

Free shots for all: This must be India’s vaccination strategy

Wed, May 05, 2021

It is bad enough that we depend on just two suppliers. What is baffling is that the government has now allowed them to set their own prices.

There is an urgent need for safeguards against unfair discontinuation of social benefits

Tue, Apr 20, 2021

Temporary denial of food rations is one thing, cancellation of ration cards is far more serious. How many cards have been cancelled for lack of Aadhaar linkage? No one really knows.

Imbalances in India’s cereal economy need more than a short-term fix

Sat, Jan 23, 2021

The need of the hour is to expand distribution under the PDS. Failing that, the country is heading towards another round of wasteful stock accumulation even as poor people struggle to feed their families.

If improvement is norm, it is important to be alert to patterns of stagnation in child nutrition indicators

Sat, Jan 02, 2021

Jean Dreze writes: Surjit Bhalla picks on data, but fails to debunk evidence of alarming trends in child nutrition.

New evidence on child nutrition calls for radical expansion of child development services

Thu, Dec 17, 2020

If India’s overwhelming goal is to become a $5 trillion economy within a few years, there is no reason to pay attention to children. But if it is development in the full sense of the term, then child development is paramount.

Averting hunger during monsoon calls for bold food security measures

Tue, Jun 09, 2020

The cash crunch is hindering the state governments’ relief efforts at every step. Centre must urgently provide additional foodgrain to poorest states for expanding PDS coverage.

Excess stocks of the Food Corporation of India must be released to the poor

Thu, Apr 09, 2020

Jean Dreze writes: Releasing food is all the more crucial as the emergency cash transfers proposed by the finance minister are likely to have severe limitations.

Ill fares Aadhaar

Tue, Oct 02, 2018

There is little to show by way of Aadhaar benefits for the poor. And the costs are staring at us.

Hollowing out a promise

Fri, Jul 13, 2018

NREGA is a demand-driven programme and if the demand vanishes because wages are low and uncertain, nothing will be able to save it.

Know your Aadhaar

Tue, May 08, 2018

Bill Gates’s claim that it raises no privacy concerns is misleading. Crucial issues that have to do with confidentiality of data and state surveillance are at stake.