Farm Income Tax Exemption Is Financially and Socially Unfair: PRICE’s Rajesh Shukla

January 5, 2026

A small, wealthy minority controls a disproportionate share of farm income, while the political narrative continues to be framed as if all farmers need to be tax-exempted. Advances in digital infrastructure have made targeted and technology-driven taxation feasible, with political will now the primary obstacle rather than administrative capacity. Allowing tax exemptions to persist despite rising inequality risks deepening social discontent and undermining the legitimacy of India’s growth model.

Indian cities may turn into illness zones unless we act with alacrity

Rajesh Shukla December 10, 2025

India’s urban transformation is often framed as a story of rising aspirations and expanding opportunity. Yet, the health systems serving these cities tell a different story. PRICE’s analysis of its ICE 360 data (2023), combined with findings of the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS), reveals an urban health ecosystem that is increasingly...

Why larger and more populous states gradually losing their fiscal strength

Ashok Banerjee, Rajesh Shukla December 3, 2025

India’s federal structure rests on a delicate balance between the Centre’s revenue-raising powers and the States’ expenditure responsibilities. In theory, larger and more populous states should possess stronger fiscal capacity, given their vast consumption base, economic diversity, and administrative reach. In practice, however, many of these states...

The politics of Bihar must move from patronage to performance

Rajesh Shukla November 11, 2025

Bihar needs to make governance, not giveaways, the basis of its politics to uplift its people and catch up with other big states. Every election season, Bihar is promised a new dawn. Each campaign paints development as its central theme, yet the state continues to rank near the bottom of India’s economic and social tables. Since Independence, politics has flourished but...