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From fractions to millions: Getting more people to challenge corruption using mobile phones
An initiative to use mobile phones to combat corruption in programmes that matter to the poorest people in India.
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Coupons and cash transfers give people a choice unlike the PDS
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a part of a series of articles on the proposal to shift from PDS to coupons or cash transfers. To see the introduction, click here . Paying cash instead of grains will give people a choice Another strong argument for coupons or cash is that the recipients will have the choice to spend it on what matters most to them. Proponents of reform have argued that the Indian policymakers tend to be paternalistic, and often argue that if the government gives cash instead of grains, poor people may misuse it, including by drinking it away. They have argued... -
Shifting from PDS to coupons or cash transfers: Assorted arguments
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a part of a series of articles on the proposal to shift from PDS to coupons or cash transfers. To see the introduction, click here . Please read other articles in this topic before getting here… The cost of administering the PDS is high Some economists have pointed out that the cost of administering the PDS is very high, and it is now possible to transfer cash to people at a cheaper rate. This is one of the strongest arguments for a shift from PDS to cash transfers, in my opinion. The amount of money that could be... -
PDS does not reach the right people, let’s shift to cash transfers or coupons
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a part of a series of articles on the proposal to shift from PDS to coupons or cash transfers. To see the introduction, click here . Many have argued that half the PDS entitlements reach the “non poor”. I believe that resources are scarce, and the government should spend the money on people who need it most. We should thus be concerned if resources are being spent on those who do not need it. In considering whether resources reach the right people, we should remember that we have a rather poor system of identifying the poor. The poverty-line... -
The PDS does not work, let’s shift to coupons or cash transfers
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThis is a part of a series of articles on the proposal to shift from PDS to coupons or cash transfers. To see the introduction, click here . In evaluating alternatives including cash transfers, it is first important to identify both contributions and failures of the system. Proponents of reforms today have focused exclusively on the problems, without dwelling on the things that it has done. There is a reason why the PDS is so popular in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra and increasingly in other states including Chhattisgarh. In all these cases the PDS has worked and means a lot... -
Shifting from PDS to coupons or cash transfers: FAQs
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsThe Public Distribution System (PDS) in India has come under a vigorous attack in the recent months. There have been calls to dismantle the system and to replace with alternatives such as providing coupons or cash transfers. Without any doubt the PDS has serious problems, and performs abysmally in some parts of India. Unfortunately, these are also among the poorest regions where the need for protection from hunger is the greatest. Considering that the PDS is supposed to contribute to something as fundamental as food security, such poor functioning must be addressed. In the recent past there have been discussions... -
The meaning of ‘getting married’
Posted on May 13, 2011 | No CommentsSerious questions on when exactly I got married... -
Dogs of Delhi University
Posted on April 29, 2011 | No CommentsPandit Ji’s tea stall was the first to open in Delhi University and he was greeted by six of us waiting for him impatiently. I think that my five canine companions were brothers and sisters; I do not know their ancestry, but I get a clear idea from the choice of expletives that were used when they had sex in front of his shop. But for such brief encounters, there was a symbiotic relationship between them and the shop. The university with its adjoining forest cover invited joggers, walkers, laughers and feeders every morning. A brisk middle-aged man stopped by... -
We are a pair-o’-docs
Posted on March 23, 2011 | 2 CommentsThoughts on similarities and differences from a man on the verge of getting married. -
Needs, priorities, habits
Posted on February 8, 2011 | No CommentsI returned home with my body pulling me in two directions. It felt like there was a layer of glue in my throat pulling the layers of my throat together; I had never felt that parched. My bladder on the other hand felt like the Mettur dam after a heavy monsoon shower: ready to burst any minute unless the floodgates are opened. Do I go left to the kitchen to quench my thirst, or do I first go right to the restroom? I paused for a moment to consider the dilemma and decided to check my e-mail instead. Checking e-mail... -
Understanding UID through “radio tags”
Posted on February 2, 2011 | No Comments“Do you want to wear an anklet or do you want to go to prison?” said a US consular officer in Hyderabad about the tagging of some Indian students in the United States to monitor their movements. These anklets contain a GPS device that closely monitors the movements of the students, and will alert officials in case they move beyond areas that they have been authorised to. The anklets provide a useful analogy to the Unique ID (UID) project by the government of India. Let me explain. In an article entitled Prison without walls, Graeme Wood argues that such radio...
