1st July 2016: Transporting India to the 2030s

Rakesh Mohan
Brookings India

Abstract:
The discussion will focus on India’s transport needs over the next couple of decades, and what we need to do to satisfy them.

Organised by:
Brookings India

Date: July 1, 2016
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Brookings India
No. 6, 2nd Floor,
Dr. Jose P Rizal Marg,
Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi-110021

Location:

Note
Please confirm your participation at info@brookingsindia.org.

28 June 2016: The Urban Landscape of Love and Marriage: A Study of the Middle Class in Delhi

Parul Bhandari
Centre de Sciences Humaines, (CSH), New Delhi,

Abstract:
The ideals of love, romance, and choice marriages are increasingly associated with city dwellers, and more specifically with the so-called progressive, modern, ‘neoliberal’ middle class. This talk deconstructs and unpacks these categories and ideals, posing the poignant questions of what it means to be middle class in Delhi? More specifically, this talk examines the construction of middle class identity by young professionals in Delhi, through their experiences of romance and criteria for selection of a spouse. The first part examines the changing landscapes of urban Delhi - coffee shops, restaurants, leisure spaces, and describes the specific ways in which these spaces enable a middle class identity. The second part of the talk focuses on the ideals of being middle class. In that, it elucidates the way these ideals are appropriated by both the section of the middle class that ‘belongs’ to Delhi and those who have migrated to Delhi to acquire higher education and better professional opportunities. This talk then explains the construction of middle class identity in experiences of romance and matchmaking in the urban space of Delhi.

Date: June 28, 2016
Time: 03:45 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall
Centre for Policy Research,
Dharma Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi–110021(INDIA)

Location:

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30 June 2016: The law on medical malpractices and possible reform areas

Gopinath N. Shenoy, Medico-legal Consultant

Abstract:
The speaker will be sharing his experience as member of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) on the Medical malpractice and the existing regulations and the involvement of enforcement agencies in streamlining medical practice. He will concentrate on four key areas: (i) disclosures mandated by law; (ii) referral practices and commissions; (iii) consent; and (iv) duty of physician towards patients - all in terms of protecting the patients, especially: where they spend; how and on whom they spend; when they spend; and, are these logical.

Date: June 30, 2016
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T Building
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy,
18/2 Satsang Vihar Marg, Special Institutional Area,
New Delhi-110067(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

23 June 2016: The Multiplier Debate and the Eurozone Crisis

Joshua Felman
International Monetary Fund

Abstract:
In a famous paper, Blanchard and Leigh (2013) discovered that there was a strong link between fiscal consolidation projected in Spring 2010 and subsequent growth forecast errors. They interpreted this link as indicating that forecasters had used multipliers that were far too low. This paper argues that this interpretation was not correct. The real problem was that forecasters failed to foresee the euro area crisis.

Date: June 23, 2016
Time: 04:30 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T Building
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy,
18/2 Satsang Vihar Marg, Special Institutional Area,
New Delhi-110067(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

9 June 2016: Integration between spot and futures markets and the way forward in commodity markets

Samir Shah
NCDEX

Abstract:
Indian agricultural market structure is characterised by over 7000 markets (APMCs). Each market in most states (other than a few states which have started the reform process) act as disconnected markets where a skewed market structure exists with an average of only 4-5 buyers to every seller. This deprives the small and marginal farmer from effective access to markets. We believe that 'right to market access' should be a cause that needs to be championed for farmers in India. 'Right to market access' means the ease with which a farmer can sell across grade, location and time. NCDEX Group and Government of Karnataka pioneered the beginning of this program of 'right to market access' through a reform program by building the first ever State Agri Market (SAM) initiated a few years ago. More recently Government of India has initiated an e-NAM project to set up a National Agri Market. Agri futures have been developed by NCDEX over the last 13 years. How can we build an effective market structure that integrates NAM, SAM, Futures seamlessly?

Date: June 9, 2016
Time: 04:00 P.M.

Venue:
Conference Hall, Ground Floor
R&T Building
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy,
18/2 Satsang Vihar Marg, Special Institutional Area,
New Delhi-110067(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Those who are interested may please confirm your participation at bins.sebastian@nipfp.org.in

3 June 2016: PAISA 2016 A new era in fiscal devolution in India? Studies Tracking fiscal devolution to State governments and Panchayats in India

Opening Remarks:
Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India

Discussants:
Indira Rajaraman, Retired professor of economics and member of Thirteenth Finance Commission of India
Santosh Mathew, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development
Pinaki Chakraborty, Professor, National Institute of Public Finance Policy

Moderator:
M.K. Venu, Founding Editor, thewire.in

Abstract:
The papers will explore the evolving devolution narrative in India from two perspectives. The first paper will present findings from a detailed exploration of 19 state budgets to understand the effects of the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC) recommendations on resource allocation at the state level. This paper will specifically focus on implications of the FFC recommendations on social sector investments and the emerging role of the Union government in this changed scenario.

The second paper studies the decentralization narrative from the perspective of Gram Panchayats. Through a detailed exploration of the Karnataka state budget and an expenditure tracking exercise that focuses on 30 Gram Panchayats in Mulbagal Taluka, Kolar district, this study tracks trends in fiscal decentralization in the state and attempts to identify the specific quantum of monies spent in the jurisdiction of Gram Panchayats contrasted with the money that Gram Panchayats actually receive.

Date: June 3, 2016
Time: 10:00 A.M.

Venue:
Lecture Room 2
India International Centre,
Max Mueller Marg,
New Delhi - 110003(INDIA)

Location:

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Note:
Please rsvp to ndevaraj@accountabilityindia.org