Asmi Sharma and Nancy Pathak, Author at Centre for Financial Accountability

Whither State Care? India’s Non-Contributory Pension System

Social protection and social security are crucial components of a country’s development agenda. Social security mech...

Crores spent, Smart Cities Mission leaves behind more bills, superficial infrastructure

The decade-long programme to transform India’s cities was driven mostly by Central and state funding and invested little...

Coverage General Infrastructure Finance SMART CITY MISSION AT TEN

Article

Budget For National Social Assistance Programme Remains Stagnant Yet Again

A woman resident of the Wazirpur slum washing utensils before setting off to work. Photo: Jignesh Mistry. As expected, t...

Coverage General National Finance Union Budget

Article

Social Security Budget: A Forgotten Footnote

Representational image: An old person sitting on an Indian street. Photo: Flickr CC BY 2.0 (ATTRIBUTION 2.0 GENERIC) The...

Coverage General Indian Economy National Finance Union Budget

Article

Narendra Modi’s Decade in Power Has Brought a Shrinking Welfare Landscape to India

Asmi Sharma and Nancy Pathak Declining allocations on social welfare spending, and neglect of existing schemes and progr...

Coverage General

September 16, 2026

Asmi Sharma and Nancy Pathak

Whither State Care? India’s Non-Contributory Pension System

Social protection and social security are crucial components of a country’s development agenda. Social security mechanisms not only reflect economic growth but also indicate the capacity of the state to deliver welfare to its poorest and most marginalised populations (Sülzer 2008). The Internati...

Coverage General Indian Economy

Article

October 28, 2025

Asmi Sharma and Nancy Pathak

Crores spent, Smart Cities Mission leaves behind more bills, superficial infrastructure

The decade-long programme to transform India’s cities was driven mostly by Central and state funding and invested little in the social well-being of citizens. A car drives through a flooded road after heavy rainfall in Bengaluru in October 2024. | ReutersThe Smart Cities Mission, launched in June 2...

Coverage General Infrastructure Finance SMART CITY MISSION AT TEN

Article

February 18, 2025

Asmi Sharma and Nancy Pathak

Budget For National Social Assistance Programme Remains Stagnant Yet Again

A woman resident of the Wazirpur slum washing utensils before setting off to work. Photo: Jignesh Mistry. As expected, the budget for the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) – a crucial centrally-sponsored social security scheme that provides non-contributory pensions to the most marginalise...

Coverage General National Finance Union Budget

Article

February 18, 2025

Asmi Sharma and Nancy Pathak

Social Security Budget: A Forgotten Footnote

Representational image: An old person sitting on an Indian street. Photo: Flickr CC BY 2.0 (ATTRIBUTION 2.0 GENERIC) The government’s budgetary allocations and poor implementation of welfare policies paint a concerning picture of oversight and disregard. The Economic Survey of India 2023-24 wa...

Coverage General Indian Economy National Finance Union Budget

Article

September 28, 2023

Asmi Sharma and Nancy Pathak

Narendra Modi’s Decade in Power Has Brought a Shrinking Welfare Landscape to India

Asmi Sharma and Nancy Pathak Declining allocations on social welfare spending, and neglect of existing schemes and programmes, underscore how welfare has come to be constrained in the past ten years. While announcing the government’s disinvestment and monetisation of public assets plan in 2021, Prim...

Coverage General

Article