The Government of Odisha has unveiled a Rs 1.7 lakh crore state budget for fiscal year 2021-22, that officials claim will help the state's economy faster from the pandemic's shadow. Although it is an expansionary budget, most experts see it as the need of the hour. But does it do enough to ensure the economy sees a sustainable, accelerated recovery…

Why has India been one of the worst sufferers of the Covid-19 outbreak? What are the socio-economic implications of the pandemic? Why do lockdowns impact modern-day economies so hard? Is it necessary to make a choice between “life” and “livelihood”? Where do we go from here? Arun Kumar, formerly Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, seeks to answer these…

In a few months from now, India will be entering the 75th year of its Independence. There is much to celebrate, but there also is a lot to be concerned. The democracy of ours, for which the founding fathers of this nation had fought hard, faces unprecedented threats and challenges. In a free-wheeling conversation with Rajesh Mahapatra of Odisha Dialogues,…

Why are all the good mangoes exported from India? Why should we pay our house help more? Why most drivers take a bow while passing by a temple, but are often reluctant to wear the seat belt? What’s common between a box of cereal and your resume? Each of these questions has an answer in economic theory, which is what…

Covid-19 vaccination has been rolled out. A few adverse events have been reported post- vaccination. What procedures have been adopted to ensure maximum safety? Will the vaccine save lives and not create long-term complications? How to ensure a robust supply chain that the vaccine requires? Why is it important to adopt right communication and advocacy strategies? What steps are essential…

Among its key features, it's the language issue in the new National Education Policy that has drawn most attention. The language question is rather more important in the context of Odisha as the state has a large tribal population, multiple dialects are spoken by its people and there already is a policy on multi-lingual education.

In early January, the government said it expects the economy to contract 7.7% in FY 20-21, much less severe than what was expected earlier. Is this too good to be true? In a free-wheeling conversation with the chairperson Odisha Dialogues' advisory board Dr Pulin Nayak, the former chief statistician of India Dr Pronab Sen says he still believes the contraction…

Crimes against women continues to be on the rise, notwithstanding a plethora of laws, rules and institutional mechanisms that are in place. Each time a conscience shattering crime against a woman is reported, it triggers response that could range from utter indifference to irreprehensible absurdity. Why is our social fabric seeing such erosion? Why do law enforcing agencies continue to…

Judiciary has a role, a responsibility and an obligation to protect the interests of marginalised sections of the society. In today's day and time, it would, however, seem to be coming short on this count. Watch Justice Madan Lokur speak his mind on this topic of high relevance and connect to developments unfolding in India today. Justice Lokur was delivering…