Reetika Khera
Professor
Economics
Contact Information
Email: [firstname]@hss.iitd.ac.in
Office: 2659 7319
Room No: MS 603
Research Areas
Social policy in India, including health and nutrition, education, social protection, employment, poverty, inequality, impact of digital technologies in welfare.
Academic Background
Ph.D. (Economics), Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.
MPhil (Development Studies), Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.
MA (Economics), Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.
BA (Economics), Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.
Employment History
2006-7: Post-doctoral research associate, Princeton University.
2011-14: Assistant professor, IIT Delhi.
2014-2018: Associate professor, IIT Delhi.
2018-2020: Associate professor, IIM Ahmedabad.
2020-2022: Associate professor, IIT Delhi
Publications
Journal papers
(peer reviewed)
Aadhaar: Costs of Digital Red Tape Economic and Political Weekly, Insight, Vol 59, No. 19, 11 May, 2024. With Amod Moharil.
Health Checkup: The Changing State of Health Centres in North India", Economic and Political Weekly, Special Article, Vol 59 (8), February 2024. With Jean Drèze and Rishabh Malhotra.
Some questions of ethics in randomized controlled trials, Review of Development Economics, https://doi.org/10.1111/rode.12996. 2023
Mothers' Social Status and Children's Health: Evidence From Joint Households in Rural India, Demography 10217164. https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-10217164. 2022 (With Diane Coffey and Dean Spears)
Maternity Entitlements: Women's Rights Derailed, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 56, No 47, 20 November, 2021 (With Jean Drèze and Anmol Somanchi)
Minimum Support Prices in India: Distilling the Facts, Review of Agrarian Studies, Vol 11, No. 1, 2021. With Prankur Gupta and Sudha Narayanan.
Aadhaar and the creation of barriers to welfare", Interactions, ACM, November 2020 (With Sareeta Amrute and Adam Willems)
Information Technology and Welfare: Social Security Pensions in Andhra Pradesh, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 55, Issue No. 26-27, 27 Jun, 2020. With Vineeth Patibandla.
India’s Welfare State: A Halting Shift from Benevolence to Rights , Current History, Vol 119, Issue 816, April 2020.
Casting the Net, India's Public Distribution System after the Food Security Act, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 54 (6), 9 February, 2019. With Jean Drèze, Prankur Gupta and Isabel Pimenta.
Fashions, framing and expertise: ethical hazards for economists , Journal of Global Ethics, Vol 15, Issue 1, April 2019.
Impact of Aadhaar on Welfare Programmes, Economic and Political Weekly, 16 December, Vol 52, No. 50. Special Article.
Aadhaar and Food Security in Jharkhand, Pain Without Gain?, With Jean Drèze, Nazar Khalid and Anmol Somanchi. Economic and Political Weekly, 16 December, Vol 52, No. 50. Special Article.
Recent Social Security Initiatives in India, With Jean Drèze. World Development, Vol 98, October 2017, pp. 555-572.
Children's Development: Baby Steps in Odisha, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 50, No. 40. Special Article.
Food Security: Bihar on the Move, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 50, No. 34. With Jean Dreze and Jessica Pudussery. Special Article.
UID: From Inclusion to Exclusion, Seminar, August 2015.
Public Health in North India, An Exploratory Study in Four States Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 50, No. 21, pp. 53-58. With Kritika Goel. Insight.
Understanding Leakages in the Public Distribution System, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 50, No., February 2015. With Jean Drèze. Insight.
Cash vs. In-kind Transfers: Indian Data Meets Theory, Food Policy, 46, pp. 116-128 , 2014.
Rural Poverty and the Public Distribution System, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 48, No 45&46, 16 November, 2013. With Jean Drèze. Special Article.
Mid-Day Meals Looking Ahead, Economic and Political Weekly, August 2013.
On the NIPFP Response, Economic and Political Weekly, Discussion, Vol. 48, No. 10, 9 March, 2013. Discussion.
A Cost-Benefit Analysis of UID, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 48, No. 5, 2 February, 2013. Commentary.
Regional Patterns of Human and Child Deprivation, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 47, No. 39, 29 September 2012. With Jean Drèze. Special Article. Food Security Act: One Step Forward, One Step Back?, Seminar, No. 634, 2012.
Revival of the Public Distribution System: Evidence and Explanations, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 46, No. 44-45, November, 2011. Special Article.
Trends in Diversion of Grain from the Public Distribution System, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 46, No. 26, 21 May, 2011. Special Article.
India's Public Distribution System: Utlization and Impact, Journal of Development Studies, Vol 47, No. 3, pp. 1-23, 2011.
The UID Project and Social Welfare, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 46, No. 9. 2011. Perspectives.
The BPL Census and A Possible Alternative, Economic and Political Weekly, Volume 45 (No. 9), 27 February, 2010. With Jean Drèze. Special Article.
Women Workers and their Perceptions of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Economic and Political Weekly, Volume 44 (No. 43), 24 October, 2009. With Nandini Nayak. Special Article.
Right to Food: Beyond Cheap Promises, Economic and Political Weekly, Volume 44 (No. 29) 18 July, 2009. Insight.
Starvation Deaths and “Primitive Tribal Groups, Economic and Political Weekly, Volume 43 (No. 52), 27 December – 2 January, 2008. Commentary.
Self-Targeting on Employment Programmes, Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Volume 51, No. 2, 2008.
Access to the Targeted Public Distribution System: A Case Study in Rajasthan, Economic and Political Weekly, Volume 43 (No. 44), 1-7 November, 2008. Special Article.
Empowerment Guarantee Act, Economic and Political Weekly, Volume 43 (No. 35), 30 August – 5 September, 2008. Commentary.
The State of India’s Children (with Jean Drèze and Sudha Narayanan), Indian Journal of Human Development, Volume 1, No. 2, July-December, 2007.
Political Economy of State Response to Drought, Economic and Political Weekly, 16 December, 2006. Special Article.
Mid-Day Meals in Primary Schools: Achievements and Challenges, Economic and Political Weekly, 18 November, 2006. Perspectives.
Bringing Grassroots Democracy to Life: The MKSS Campaign in the Rajasthan Panchayat Elections, Economic and Political Weekly, 19 February, 2005. Commentary. Monitoring Disclosures, Seminar, February 2004.
Crime, Gender and Society in India: Insights from homicide data, Population and Development Review, Volume 30, No. 2, 2000. With Jean Drèze.
Journal articles
Locked Out: Emergency Report on School Education, Children First, Issue 1. With Nirali Bakhla, Jean Dreze and Vipul Paikra.
Covid Relief for the Poor - Too little, too late, Seminar. December 2021. With Rishabh Malhotra.
Balancing corruption and exclusion: Comment on the response, Ideas for India, 19 November. With Jean Drèze and Anmol Somanchi.
Balancing corruption and exclusion: A rejoinder, Ideas for India, 28 September. With Jean Drèze and Anmol Somanchi.
A Review of the Coverage of the PDS, Ideas for India, 19 August, 2020. With Anmol Somanchi.
COVID-19 and Aadhaar: Why the Union Government's Relief Package is an Exclusionary Endeavour, EPW Engage, With Anmol Somanchi.
Clarification on PDS Leakages, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 50, No. 39. With Jean Dreze, Himanshu and Abhijit Sen. Discussion.
UID project: Does Evidence Matter, Yojana, July 2014. [Full version of I4I article]
Books
Drèze, Jean and Khera, Reetika (2015), Readings in Social Policy and Public Action, unpublished compilation.
De, Anuradha, Khera, Reetika, Kumar, AK Shiva, Samson Meera (2011), PROBE Revisited (New Delhi: Oxford University Press).
Battle for Employment Guarantee (2011), (New Delhi: Oxford University Press). Edited.
Reviews: Gayatri Sahgal, The Book Review;
Rob Jenkins, Realizing the Right to Work, Economic and Political Weekly;
Pradeep Baisakh, "Ground Zero Realities", Governance Now.
Citizen's Initiative for Right of Children Under Six (2006), Focus On Children Under Six, Abridged Report (New Delhi: Right to Food Campaign). Contributor.
Dey, Nikhil, Drèze, Jean and Khera, Reetika (2006), Employment Guarantee: A Primer (New Delhi: National Book Trust).
Chapters in Books
Democratic Politics and Legal Rights, in Sudhir Krishnaswamy and Mihika Tiwari (ed), Oxford University Press. Under review.
India’s Food Security Act: Five Misconceptions, in Rajat Kathuria and Neetika Kaushal Nagpal (ed), Governance and Development: Views from G20 Countries (Springer Verlag). Forthcoming.
Mid-Day Meals in Primary Schools, in (Ed.) (2009), Elementary Education in India: Issues and Challenges (Mussoorie: Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Public Administration). With Jean Drèze.
Mid-Day Meals in Primary Schools: Achievements and Challenges, in Baru, Rama (Ed.) (2008), “School Health in India” (New Delhi: Sage Publications).
Not everybody loves a good drought, with Aruna Roy, in Nirmala Lakshman (2007) Writing A Nation: An Anthology of Indian Journalism (Ed.), (New Delhi: Rupa Publications).
Conferences
Information Technology (IT) and Welfare in India: Does IT work?ACM Compass Proceedings 2020 (With Vineeth Patibandla).
Selected seminars, lectures and interviews
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@reetikakhera2444
The Under-belly of Digital Healthcare in India, 13th International Conference on Health, Wellness and Society, Digitizing Health and Wellbeing, Vancouver, 14 September, 2023.
Understanding InequalityLSE III Event, 27 September, 2022.
Big Data Meets Big Brother, University of Kent, iCSS, 3 December, 2021.
Most Parents Want Primary Schools to Open Because Online Education Is a Cruel Joke for Their Kids The Wire. With Karan Thapar. 3 August, 2021.
Three critical questions about MSP, The Wire. With Karan Thapar. 2021.
50th Foundation Year Lecture>Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum 13 January, 2021.
Politics, Technology,and Governance", Arun Mohan Sukumar, Reetika Khera Mod: Srinivas Kodali, Hyderabad Lit Fest, 27 February, 2020.
T.G. Narayanan Memorial Lecture 2018 - 2019, Asian College of Journalism, Chennai.
Popular Articles
The Food Security Act has revamped the PDS, The Hindu, 6 September, 2024.
Why are government canteens important when 80 crore people get free grain? , The India Forum, 1 July, 2024.
Lifeline for Crores of Elderly, But Ignored by the Centre, The NSAP Is a Pension Scheme of Delays, The Wire, 13 May, 2024 | सामाजिक सुरक्षा पेंशन पर सरकार का क्या रुख है? Dainik Bhaskar, 14 May.
Subsidised Food Canteens Create Democratic Spaces In Deeply Divided Societies India Spend, 8 May, 2024.
Guarantee is precarity, welfare is self-care The Hindu, 16 April, 2024. | Welfare Spending in the Past Two Decades: Has the NDA era been different? The India Forum, 17 May. With Md. Asjad.
Neither the right to privacy nor the right to information, The Hindu, 8 August, 2023.
The Anna Bhagya fiasco and thinking beyond rice, The Hindu, 10 July, 2023.
Maternity entitlements in freefall, The India Forum, 14 June, 2023 | also in Scroll.in, 27 June. With Jean Dreze.
One in seven Indian primary schools run by a lone teacher, The Hindu, 26 May, 2023. With Rikesh Choudhary and Jean Dreze.
लंबी अवधि के लिए ओपीएस वालों को योगदान करना चाहिए, जैसे विकसित देशों में होता है, Dainik Bhaskar, March 2023.
Thinking beyond free grains, MoneyControl, 1 February, 2023.
जिस खाद्य सुरक्षा घोषणा को जनहितैषी माना जा रहा है, लोगों को उससे न के बराबर फायदा है, Dainik Bhaskar, January 2023.
बड़े व्यापारियों की कर्जमाफी, इंडस्ट्री को दी जाने वाली छूट क्या फ्रीबीज़ नहीं हैं?, Dainik Bhaskar, 24 August.
The Freebies Debate: An 'Anti-Democratic' Turn, BQ Prime, 24 August.
Should there be limits on ‘freebies’? , The Hindu, 19 August.
यदि टीचर बच्चों को एक्स्ट्रा समय नहीं दे पाएं तो उनके स्कूल से ड्रॉप-आउट होने का डर, Dainik Bhaskar, 7 April.
मेडिकल शिक्षा के बजट को बढ़ाने की जरूरत; पिछले दशक में यह बहुत निराशाजनक रहा है, Dainik Bhaskar, 24 March.
जीवन की रेस में हम उम्मीद कर रहे हैं कि दुर्बल पैर वाले भी सलामत पैरवालों का मुकाबला करें, Dainik Bhaskar.
देश में आर्थिक असमानता पर चिंता करने की जरूरत; 1% लोगों के हाथों में देश की एक तिहाई संपत्ति Dainik Bhaskar.
Six types of problems Aadhaar is causing – and safeguards needed immediately, Scroll.in, 2 January, 2022 | आधार से जुड़ी पांच तरह की परेशानियां और उनके निराकरण के सुझाव, Dainik Bhaskar.
आधार को वोटर आईडी से जोड़ना सवालों में; ऐसे मामले में कभी भी ऐच्छिक जैसा कुछ नहीं होता!, Dainik Bhaskar, 24 December, 2021.
स्वस्थ भारत के लिए कई मुद्दों पर काम करना होगा ये एनएफएचएस-5 के आंकड़े चेतावनी हैं, Dainik Bhaskar, 10 December, 2021.
बच्चों की सुरक्षा सर्वोपरि, पर शिक्षा भी जरूरी; प्राथमिक स्कूलों का खुलना अब इसलिए आवश्यक, Dainik Bhaskar, 25 November, 2021.
एनीमिया से लड़ने के लिए सरकार अब राशन के चावल में आयरन मिलाएगी, Dainik Bhaskar, 11 November.
Hunger Index Is Limited, but There’s Enough Proof That India Has a Problem The Wire, 28 October | भूख सूचकांक में खामियां हैं, पर कमी हमारी व्यवस्था में भी है, Dainik Bhaskar, 28 October.
लोकतंत्र गगनचुंबी विचार नहीं, जिंदगी का सार है; इतिहास में हुई चर्नोबिल परमाणु दुर्घटना में हमारे लिए कई सबक छिपे हैं, Dainik Bhaskar, 14 October.
कमजोर पृष्ठभूमि के बच्चों के लिए ऑनलाइन शिक्षा मिथक ही है, ऑनलाइन पढ़ाई में स्मार्टफोन की कमी, इंटरनेट पर खर्च जैसी कई बाधाएं हैं, Dainik Bhaskar, 16 September.
विश्वविद्यालयों के रैंकिंग इंडेक्स उच्च शिक्षा के मकसद से धोखा हैं, विदेशी इंडेक्स में रैंकिंग को इतना महत्व क्यों, Dainik Bhaskar, 28 August.
क्या भारत एक ‘डेटा ब्लैकहोल’ बनने के रास्ते पर बढ़ रहा है, The Wire Hindi, 14 August.
प्राथमिक स्कूल आवश्यक सेवा हैं, इन्हें सबसे पहले खोलना जरूरी, छोटे बच्चों की शिक्षा न हो नजरअंदाज, Dainik Bhaskar, 6 August.
निगरानी लोकतंत्र को दीमक की तरह खोखला कर देती है; हैकिंग निगरानी का यंत्र है, पारदर्शिता नहीं, Dainik Bhaskar, 22 July.
महिलाओं के स्वास्थ्य की चिंता, Prabhat Khabar, 16 July.
प्रवासी मजदूरों पर उच्चतम न्यायालय का आदेश निराशाजनक है, आदेश से मजदूरों को नहीं मिलेगी असल राहत, Dainik Bhaskar, 8 July | Indian workers deserve more than Food Security, The Leaflet.in, 8 July.
“Either we all live in a decent world, or nobody does.”, The Third Eye, 30 June.
दुनिया बिग डेटा के लिए पागल हम मूल आंकड़े ही नहीं जुटा पाते, सरकार महामारी के प्रकोप को कम आंक रही, Dainik Bhaskar, 24 June.
Doorstep delivery of rations sounds like a good idea – but it actually raises many hard questions, Scroll.in, 12 June.
दिल्ली में राशन की होम डिलीवरी योजना से भ्रष्टाचार बढ़ सकता है, आधार सत्यापन की वापसी राशन से वंचित करेगी, Dainik Bhaskar, 10 June.
Decoding inequality in a digital world, The Hindu, 11 May.
India’s vaccine policy mess is due to its reliance on technocrats instead of public health experts, Scroll.in, 8 May, 2021.
वैक्सीनेशन का फायदा तभी होगा, जब सभी वर्गों को टीका मिले, इसका इंतजाम करना सरकार की जिम्मेदारी", Dainik Bhaskar, 30 April, 2021.
কী আশায় বুক বাঁধা যায়? Ananda Bazaar Patrika, 28 April, 2021.
'Much more space must be given to public health experts in designing the vaccine strategy", Mid-Day, 26 April.
Going beyond Tamil Nadu’s ‘freebies’ narrative, The Hindu, 5 April.
फ्री वॉशिंग मशीन, फ्री चावल की सुर्खियों पर न जाएं, जानें कि तमिलनाडु में सियासी दलों के मेनिफेस्टो में वाकई में क्या है Dainik Bhaskar, 1 April, 2021.
खाद्य सुरक्षा के दायरे को कम करने की कोशिश, जबकि लॉकडाउन के दौरान बड़ी आबादी को इसी ने राहत दी, Dainik Bhaskar, 18 March, 2021.
देश के गांवों में 6% और शहरों में महज 25% लोगों के पास कंप्यूटर, ऐसे में ऑनलाइन लर्निंग कैसे कामयाब होगी?, Dainik Bhaskar, 5 March, 2021.
गरीबों के लिए कैंटीन की योजनाएं, नौटंकी या नेकनीयत? कई राज्यों में डिमांड के बावजूद फेल हुई योजना Dainik Bhaskar, 14 Feb, 2021.
ऊंची-ऊंची बातें करने से किसी का स्वास्थ्य नहीं सुधरता, आगे चलकर लोगों को इसका खामियाजा भरना पड़ेगा Dainik Bhaskar, 4 Feb, 2021.
क्या भारत एड्स के समय जैसी नैतिक भूमिका निभा सकता है? Dainik Bhaskar, Jan, 2021.
আত্মনির্ভরতা শুধু গরিবের জন্য? Ananda Bazaar Patrika, 5 Jan, 2021.
स्वास्थ्य और पोषण: कोरोना के बाद मॉल और सिनेमाघर खुले, लेकिन आंगनबाड़ियां अब तक बंद हैं, Dainik Bhaskar, 24 December.
How Hunger came back to haunt India Mint, 23 December.
MSP — the factoids versus the facts , The Hindu, 19 December, 2020. With Prankur Gupta and Sudha Narayanan.
नए कानूनों से सुधार की बजाय, मंडी व्यवस्था के खत्म होने का डर है, Dainik Bhaskar, 10 December.
क्या सरकार को मिड-डे मील योजना के लिए अक्षय-पात्र जैसी संस्थाओं की ज़रूरत है? The Wire Hindi, 30 November.
Can the right to work be made real in India?, The Hindu, 13 November, 2020.
सामाजिक और आर्थिक बदलाव, वास्तव में सुधार के लिए राजनीति आम जनता के हाथों में सबसे कारगर उपाय है, Dainik Bhaskar, 12 November.
What Pay Ratios in NIFTY50 companies tell us about income inequality in India" Feminism in India, 11 November, 2020.
क्या हमारा लोकतंत्र पैसेवालों का लोकतंत्र होने की कगार पर है?, Dainik Bhaskar, 29 October.
जो भारत हमें रोजमर्रा की जिंदगी में दिखता है या दिखाया जाता है, उसमें लगभग 80% लोग गायब हैं, Dainik Bhaskar, 14 October.
Pay Ratio Report: “RIL has blatantly dodged mandatory requirements. SEBI and government are sleeping,” says Dr Reetika KheraThe CSR Universe, 5 October.
Where is the Covid money, honey?, Economic Times, 30 September.
हम कैसे मान लें कि निजी व्यापारी आढ़तियों की तरह व्यवहार नहीं करेंगे; एमएसपी पर अधिनियमों में सरकार की चुप्पी चिंता करने वाली है, Dainik Bhaskar, 25 September.
देश की बड़ी आबादी को तालाबंदी ने बर्बादी की कगार पर पहुंचा दिया है, यदि हम वास्तव में देशप्रेमी हैं, तो इससे उबरने के लिए सक्षम वर्ग को कमर कसनी होगी, Dainik Bhaskar, 7 Sept.
नीति बनाने वाले भूल गए हैं, स्वास्थ्य सेवाओं से भी जीडीपी बढ़ सकती है; अब 70 साल से चली आ रहीं गलतियों को सुधारने का मौका है, Dainik Bhaskar, 19 August.
लोकतंत्र और सभ्य समाज में न्यायिक प्रक्रिया के वास्तव में चार उद्देश्य होने चाहिए- रोक, दंड, सुधार और पुनर्वास, Dainik Bhaskar, 15 July.
PM's One-Nation, One-Ration Scheme - What Not To Do NDTV.com, 6 July.
देशभर की जेलों में कैदी के संक्रमित हो रहे, कोरोनाकाल में जेल में कैदियों की भीड़ खतरनाक साबित हो रही , Dainik Bhaskar, 25 June.
Modi government's 'One Nation, One Ration' is an attempt to deflect attention from actual solutions, Scroll.in, 17 June.
वन नेशन वन राशन की घोषणा लोगों का दिल बहलाने के लिए और असली मुद्दे से ध्यान भटकाने के लिए बढ़िया उपाय है, Dainik Bhaskar, 11 June.
Why cash can save the rural jobs scheme, LiveMint, 26 May, 2020.
Getting cash transfers out of a JAM, The Hindu, 13 May, 2020. With Jean Dreze.
How will India emerge out of the lockdown?, The Hindu Parley, 24 April, 2020. With G. Ananthakrishnan and Dr. Giridhar Babu.
Cash Chorus Is Flawed. Use "Odisha Model" Instead, NDTV online, 11 April, 2020.
Succour for the most vulnerable, India Today, 11 April, 2020.
Covid-19: What can be done immediately to help vulnerable population, Ideas for India, 25 March, 2020. | Hindi in The Wire and Gaon Connection.
From apathy to action", The Hindu, 30 March, 2020.
Is there an opportunity here? BBC (in Hindi) | Tamil.
स्वास्थ्य पर सरकारी खर्च ही नहीं व्यवस्था भी सुधरे, Dainik Bhaskar, 14 January.
सूचना और निजता, दो अधिकारों की गाथा, Dainik Bhaskar, 30 November.
A Stepmotherly state, India Today, 29 November.
Viable solutions to PDS portability are being ignored in the push for Aadhaar, Indian Express, 28 November.
जिस तकनीक पर नोबेल मिला, उस पर कुछ सवाल, Dainik Bhaskar, 20 October.
मिड डे मील योजना भारत के लिए क्यों ज़रूरी है, BBC Hindi, 7 September.
पौष्टिकता बने पहली प्राथमिकता, भारत में हर तीसरा बच्चा कुपोषण का शिकार, Dainik Jagran, 1 September.
अनुच्छेद 370 का हटना : कश्मीर से मतलब कश्मीरियों से नहीं, Amar Ujala, 11 August
समाज रचना की अहम सीख है मिड-डे-मील, Dainik Bhaskar, 10 August.
তথ্যদুনিয়ার সিঁদকাঠি, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, 8 August, 2019
The Makings of a Digital Kleptocracy, The Hindu, 31 July, 2019
सामाजिक सुरक्षा के नाम पर : हम किस परिवार में पैदा होते हैं, वह एक लॉटरी के समान है, Amar Ujala, 23 July, 2019
क्या सच में आधार सशक्तिकरण का हथियार है?, Dainik Bhaskar, 20 July.
कैसे करें न्याय?, Amar Ujala, 5 April, 2019.
Why Indian voters need NYAY, But deserve more than basic guarantees, News18.com, 28 March.
The Aadhaar Ordinance, Overruling the Supreme Court, BloombergQuint, 1 March.
Back to Basics, India Today, 1 February, 2019.
आधार पर अभी भी सवाल, Outlook Hindi, 22 October, 2018.
Aadhaar verdict, Big data meets big brother, Mint, 1 October.
The Poor are left to themselves, The Hindu, 29 September.
A let-down, but dissenting view is reason for hope, Times of India, 27 September, 2018.
If the Supreme Court could change its mind on Section 377, it will on Aadhaar too, Hindustan Times, 27 September.
Food for Thought, India Today, 11 August, 2018.
These Digital ID's have cost people their privacy - and their lives, Washington Post, 9 August, 2018.
गरीबों का राशन, Amar Ujala, 15 June.
Surveillance is the anti-thesis of freedom, Deccan Herald, 10 June.
Tale of Two Whistleblowers, Indian Express, 28 April.
Aadhaar in Welfare is Pain without Gain, Hindustan Times, 24 April.
Aadhaar: A Double Whammy, India Today, 29 March.
Smarter than Aadhaar, Business Standard, 13 March.
तमिलनाडु से क्यों नहीं सीखते, Amar Ujala, 18 March.
Aadhaar's $11-billion question , Economic Times, 7 February.
Why India's Big Fix is a Big Flub , New York Times, 22 January.
Aadhaar's Twin Existential Crisis, , Business Standard, 18 January.
Aadhaar has no role in plugging leakages’, Hindu Business Line, 10 January.
Mind you, data security isn't the worst thing about Aadhaar ’, ThePrint.in, 8 January, 2018.
PDS ko khatam kar dega DBT', Prabhat Khabar, 8 January, 2018.
None of the problems in the implementation of NREGA can be fixed by Aadhaar. On the contrary, Aadhaar is the source of some problems”, Invisible Lawyer, 18 December.
It is time for judiciary to call out the Indian government’s lie on ‘voluntary Aadhaar’, Scroll.in, 7 December.
Why ABBA must go The Hindu, 13 November.
आधार पर अदालत की सुनें Amar Ujala, 13 November.
Why govt-subsidized Amma, Indira canteens are life-saversHindustan Times, 25 August, 2017.
Maut aur taqleef se jhoojhti janata Prabhat Khabar, 20 August.
आधार: जीवन के अधिकार पर प्रहार Prabhat Khabar, 2 August.
The Government is speaking in two tongues on the right to privacy Interview, Business Standard, 23 July.
The Different Ways in Which Aadhaar Infringes on Privacy, The Wire, 2 June.
Digital India: Ek Nazar, Prabhat Khabar, 18 July.
The Real Beneficiaries, Indian Express, 2 June.
िनजता दायरे में आधार, Amar Ujala, 16 May.
हानिकर है आधार की अनिवार्यता, Prabhat Khabar, 11 May, 2017.
आधार को पैन कार्ड से जोड़ना कितना ख़तरनाक है?, BBC Hindi, 26 April, 2017. Tamil.
आधार - निजता और लोकतंत्र पर प्रहार, Navbharat, 9 April, 2017.
Evidence No Bar, Indian Express, 5 April, 2017.
Feeding Insecurities, Hindu Business Line, 31 March, 2017.
मिड-डे मिल में आधार अवैध Prabhat Khabar, 29 March, 2017.
No Good Will Come from Linking Aadhaar to Mid-Day Meals | आधार को मिड डे मील से जोड़ने पर नुकसान के सिवा कुछ हासिल नहीं होगा, The Wire, 24 March, 2017.
Four videos that show why Rajasthan needs to desperately fix its public distribution system, Scroll.in, 9 March.
What Explains The Popular Support for Demonetization. In Hindi. नोटबंदी को मिले जनसमर्थन के पीछे क्या कारण है? The Wire, 27 February, 2017.
Ten Things We Need to Change, Livemint, 4 February, 2017.
Nice to See NREGA Trending. But Urgent Fixes Required, NDTV, 3 February, 2017.
मनरेगा में कैसे फूंकी जाए जान?, Rashtriya Sahara, 4 February, 2017.
यूबीआई कितना व्यावहारिक, Amar Ujala, 31 January, 2017.
After many u-turns, has Modi finally recognised the importance of social security measures?Scroll.in, 8 January, 2017.
एक अच्छी पहल की खामियां, Amar Ujala, 6 January, 2017.
A Phased Approach Will Make a "Basic Income" Affordable for India, The Wire, 20 December 2016.
Why We Need to Open ‘Amma Canteens’ All Over India, The Wire, 8 December, 2016.
Amma's canteens, baby care kits most significant additions to Tamil Nadu welfare schemes: Reetika Khera, Catch News, 7 December 2016.
Aadhaar-enabled Exclusion and Corruption, Deccan Herald, 27 November, 2016.
निन्यानबे फीसदी बनाम एक फीसदी, Amar Ujala, 22 November, 2016.
The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Modi's 'surgical strike' on Black Money, NDTV, 14 November, 2016.
Policy Disaster, Frontline, 11 November, 2016.
कुपोषण से कैसे लड़ सकते हैं, Amar Ujala, 19 October, 2016.
Big Media’s Take on the Aadhaar-LPG Savings Saga Highlights Why We Can’t Trust It, The Wire, 7 October, 2016.
Could the virtual world of Pokémon Go be used to help rich Indians see real struggles of the poor?, Scroll.in, 30 July, 2016.
क्या 'आधार' लोगों का अधिकार छीन रहा है?, BBC Hindi, 27 July, 2016.
On Aadhaar Success, Its All Hype - That Includes the World Bank, NDTV.com, 23 July, 2016.
Food Security Act: How are poor states doing?, Ideas for India, 29 June, 2016.
Jean Dreze & Reetika Khera: Any state can reform PDS if it has political willInterview, Catch News, 17 June, 2016.
Five Aadhaar Myths that Don't Stand Up to Scrutiny, The Wire, 23 March 2016.
मजदूरों के हक में मनरेगा, Amar Ujala, 4 February, 2016.
Digging holes, filling them up, Indian Express, 3 February, 2016.
For NREGA, Tamil Nadu is the only hope", NDTV.com, 2 February, 2016.
Community kitchens: An idea whose time has come, Scroll.in, 22 January 2016.
The Right(s) Perspective on Populism, Business Today, 17 January, 2016.
Child Development: Kerala tops, Gujarat flops, Bihar hops, NDTV 24x7 | बाल विकास - केरल टॉप, गुजरात फ्लॉप, बिहार हिट NDTV India, 18 November 2015. With Jean Drèze. Child Development: How are Indian states faring?" Ideas for India.
PDS in Bihar, The Road Ahead Live Mint, 3 November, 2015.
A Nobel for the idea of well-being, The Hindu, 17 October, 2015. Against the tide: Deaton's economics" Ideas for India.
गरीबी के बारे में डीटन ने बढ़ाई है अर्थशास्त्र की समझ, Outlook Hindi, 15 October, 2015.
Five Myths About Aadhaar, Outlook, 18 September, 2015.
Thought for Food , खाद्य सुरक्षा: सुधर सकते हैं फिसड्डी राज्यों के भी हालात Outlook, 21 August, 2015. With Jean Dreze.
आधार: ज़िंदगी में तांकझांक का तर्क कितना सही?, BBC Hindi, 17 August, 2015.
गरीबी से जंग के भोथरे हथियार, Amar Ujala, 31 July, 2015.
Nurture Mission, Frontline, 24 July, 2015. With Rajkishor Mishra.
Seven reasons why India needs eggs, Scroll.in, 10 June, 2015.
Eggs and Prejudice, Indian Express, 6 June, 2015.
And the Unique Identification juggernaut keeps rolling, The Wire, 3 June, 2015.
नकद हस्तांतरण से क्या हो पाएगी खाद्य सुरक्षा, Amar Ujala, 26 April 2015.
Whose Bharat is it?, Outlook, March 2015.
Ending the APL Scam , LiveMint, 3 March, 2015. With Jean Dreze.
The Meaning of Vikas , Outlook, February 2015.
Fiscal Attention Deficit, HuffPost, February, 2015.
Kaise Pahuche Garibon Tak Anaaj, Amar Ujala, February 2015.
Social Welfare: India is trailing among the BRICS , The BRICS Post, 1 December, 2014.
The Whys and Whats of NREGA, Indiaspend.org, 4 November, 2014 | मनरेगा से क्या है मोदी को दिक्कत?, BBC Hindi, 25 November.
'विकास मॉडलों' के बीच ओडिशा से सबक, BBC Hindi, 17 November, 2014. With Jean Dreze and Rajkishor Mishra.
माई-बाप सरकार' की वापसी, Amar Ujala, 15 October. | Mai-Baap Sarkar Returns, scroll.in
Bitter Pill to Swallow, Indian Express, 2 September, 2014.
The Hills Aim Higher, Outlook, 24 August, 2014. | हिमाचल को भी देखिए, Amar Ujala, 14 July, 2014.
Aadhaar-enabled DBT is more demanding than DBT, Business Standard, 28 June, 2014.
मेरे गुजरात की कहानी, Amar Ujala | Growing up in Gujarat, NDTV, 8 April, 2014.
UID project: Does Evidence matter?, Ideas for India, 5 February, 2014.
सामाजिक सुरक्षाः अपने ही क़ानून मरोड़ती सरकार, BBC Hindi, 19 November, 2013.
Do Government Schemes Ever work?, Yahoo News 22 October.
A Welcome Intervention, Deccan Herald, 29 September, 2013.
Five Misconceptions about the Food Security Bill, Reprinted in LiveMint, 8 August, 2013. Ideas for India version.
The Devil is in the detail, The Hindu, 6 August. | व्यक्ति नहीं परिवार अहम, Amar Ujala, 3 August, 2013.
Don't crunch this lunch, Times of India, 21 July, 2013. Hindi translation published in Dainik Jagran.
Food Security is Affordable, Hindu Business Line, 14 April, 2013.
Lessons from the East Godavari Pilot, The Hindu, 11 April, 2013.
Cash for Vote, Frontline, Volume 30, No. 4, March 2013. | Malayalam translation, published in Mathrubhumi. | DBT par Sanshay, Hindi translation, published in Rashtriya Sahara, 24 February, 2013
Working Things Out, Hindustan Times, 20 February, 2013.
Is UID Linked Cash Transfer a Good Idea, Business Standard, 10 January, 2013.
Food Security Act: Should the Centre Emulate Chhattisgarh?, Hindu Business Line, 28 December, 2012.
Benefit Transfer or Vote Transfer, Deccan Herald, 16 December, 2012.
Long Road to Cash Transfers, Financial Express, 4 December, 2012.
खरा नहीं है नकद का सौदा, Amar Ujala, 28 November, 2012.
Tamil Nadu's Striking Progress in Welfare , India Together, 10 September, 2012.
A Bill that asks too much of the poor , The Hindu, 5 September, 2012. With Jean Drèze.
Putting Kerala to Work , The Hindu, 1 August.
Experiments with Aadhaar , The Hindu, 27 June 2012, with Jean Drèze and Bharat Bhatti. | Response to the Minister's response, The Hindu, 4 July 2012, with Jean Drèze and Bharat Bhatti.
Adhaar se Kiska Uddhar, Amar Ujala, 28 February 2012
UID: Road to Exclusion?, The New Indian Express, 16 February 2012
Ghere Se Bahar, Amar Ujala, 31 December 2011
Lessons from Brazil , Frontline, 17-30 December 2011
PDS Leakages: The Plot Thickens , The Hindu, 12 August, 2011
Signs of Revival, The Hindu, 12 June, 2011.
Going Against the Grain, Hindustan Times, 27 January, 2011.
Biscuits, Tehelka, Volume 7, Issue 52, December, 2010.
Chhattisgarh Shows the Way, The Hindu, 14 November, 2010. With Jean Drèze.
Not all that Unique, Hindustan Times, 30 September, 2010.
Wages of Delay, Frontline, Volume 27.
Slow but Steady Success, The Hindu, 25 April, 2010. With Karuna Muthiah.
Incentives that work, The Hindu, 10 May, 2009. With Meera Samson and Anuradha De.
Lok Adalat or Joke Adalat, The Hindu, 22 February, 2009. With Jean Drèze.
Pati Experience, Frontline, Volume 26, No. 1, 2009.
Battle for Employment Guarantee, Frontline, Volume 26, No. 1, 2009. With Jean Drèze.
Banned but still there, Frontline, Volume 26, No. 1, 2009. With Jean Drèze.
Rajasthan Way Ahead, Frontline, Volume 26, No. 1, 2009. With Anish Vanaik.
From accounts to accountability, The Hindu, 6 December, 2008. With Jean Drèze
The Black Hole of NREGA Records, Yojana, August, 2008.
Glucose for the Lok Sabha?, Hindustan Times, April 2008. With Jean Drèze.
Rajniti ko Badalti Rozgar Garanty, Hindustan, March 2008. With Jean Drèze.
Corruption in NREGA: Myths and Reality, 22 January, The Hindu, 2008. With Jean Drèze and Siddhartha.
Employment Guarantee and Migration, 18 July, The Hindu, 2006.
India's Right to Food Campaign, Just Change, October 2005.
Beasts in Uniform, Tehelka, 18 June 2005.
Lawmakers push for work entitlements,, India Together, 28 July, 2005.
Inquiry outcome awaited: Yatra Attack, , India Together, 27 June, 2005.
Not everybody loves a good drought, The Hindu Magazine, 2 January. With Aruna Roy.
Using your Illusions, Hindustan Times, 18 February, 2004. With Jean Drèze.
Mid-Day Meals in Rajasthan, The Hindu, 13 November, 2002.
Poverty of Policy, Scarcity of Will, The Times of India, 17 May, 2001. With Jean Drèze.
Social Media
क्यों आधार को अनिवार्य बनाने की हड़बड़ी में है सरकार? The Wire, 28 March, 2017.
सरकार आधार कार्ड के तमाम फ़ायदे गिनवाती रही है, पर क्या इसके कुछ नुकसान भी हैं? BBC Hindi, 24 March, 2017.
Radio
Canada Broadcasting Corporation, on the National Food Security Bill, 2013.
Voice of America, on Mid-day meals, 18 July, 2013.
Television
Demonetisation: One Year On, The Big Fight, NDTV 24x7, 11 November, 2017.
Demonetisation: Hit or Miss?, We, The People, NDTV 24x7, 5 November, 2017.
Aadhaar: To Link or Not?, Agenda, NDTV 24x7, 30 October, 2017.
Govt. plans subsidy transfer for PDS. Is it a viable idea? Desh Deshantar, RSTV, 20 July, 2017.
Privacy par sawal kyon? CNBC Awaaz, 20 July, 2017.
Is Aadhaar a breach of privacy? Adda, CNBC Awaaz, 4 May, 2017.
Aadhaar Par Bawaal Kyon? Adda, CNBC Awaaz, 28 April, 2017.
आधार : ज़रूरत और शंकाएँ , Desh-deshantar, RSTV, 28 March 2017.
Aadhaar Must For Tax Returns, PAN: Transparency Or Violating Privacy?, Left, Right and Centre, NDTV 24x7, 22 March, 2017.
Is the high value rupee ban in India a failure?, Al Jazeera, 1 January, 2017.
बिहार और मध्य प्रदेश में सबसे अधिक कुपोषण , Primetime, NDTV India, 12 October, 2016.
ICDS and Mid-Day Meals: Who decides the menu?, The Big Picture, RSTV, June 2015.
Sentiment over science , The Buck Stops Here, NDTV 24x7, June 2015.
Reforming NREGA, Charcha Mein, DD News, November 2014.
War on Poverty, The Big Picture, RSTV, October 2014.
Should Modi Government Keep UPA Welfare Schemes, Left, Right, Centre, 14 October 2014.
Primetime, Narega mein badlav ki koshish?, October 2014.
Newspoint, Kya Rs. 500 crore se ruk sakegi mehengayi, July 2014.
Badi Khabar, Sarkar nayi par mehengayi ki samasya vahi, July 2014.
Whose afraid of the Food Security Bill?, Truth vs. Hype, NDTV 24x7, 2014.
Food Bill: Game Changer?, Left, Right and Centre, NDTV 24x7, 26 Aug, 2013.
Is Malnutrition a Bigger Problem than Hunger?, State of the Nation, CNN-IBN, 14 August, 2013.
Garibi kam karne ko kitne gambhir neta, Muqabala, NDTV India.
Garibi rekha ko lekar ghamasan, Prime Time, NDTV India.
Kya hai garibi ki hakikat, Badi Khabar, NDTV India.
The Hunger Project, Truth vs. Hype, NDTV 24x7.
Is the food security bill a fiscal nightmare?, We Mean Business, NDTV Profit.
Cash transfer: Direct benefit or mere tokenism?, NDTV Profit, Jan 2013.
Paying out or paying off India’s poor, Inside Story, Al Jazeera, 2 Jan, 2013.
Direct Cash Transfer and beneficiaries of subsidies, Sarokaar, RSTV, October 2012.
Is the Government prepared for drought?, Big Picture, RSTV, July 2012.
The Republic of Hunger, 101 East, Al Jazeera, May 2012.
Projects
Data and Privacy: Putting Markets in (their) Place 26 November, 2022
Some Questions of Ethics in RCTs 7 February, 2021
Minimum Support Prices in India: Distilling the Facts, with Prankur Gupta and Sudha Narayanan, 27 February, 2021
Pay ratios in the Nifty50, with Meghna Yadav
Jean Dreze, Reetika Khera with the PEEP team
Maji, Souparna (2017), A Database of articles on Demonetisation
Kundal, Shubham and Agarwal, Mukul (2017), Demonetisation: An estimation of Losses due to ATM Queuing, Economic and Political Weekly, 28 October, 2017.
Monika Yadav Midday meals scheme: Are government claims exaggerated?, Ideas for India, 31 July, 2017.
Rishabh Malhotra How Demonetisation Broke Delhi’s Markets – But Not People’s Faith in the Move, The Wire, 17 June 2017.
Anmol Somanchi, Srujana Bej and Mrityunjay Pandey, Well Done ABBA?, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 52, No. 7, 18 February, 2017.
Aditi Priya and Shagun, Even in Delhi, Basing PDS on Aadhaar is Denying Many the Right to Food, The Wire, 25 October, 2016.
Prankur Gupta, Estimating Kerosene Leakages from the Public Distribution System, Ideas for India, 24 September, 2014.
Rhythm Gupta, Yasoob Haider and Payoj Jain, Chhattisgarh’s Food ATMs: Portable Benefits Minus Biometrics, India Together, 15 September, 2014.
Honours
Dec 2012 - Jul 2013: Think-Tank Initiative Fellowship, Associate professor, Institute of Economic Growth
2016- 18: Sulaiman Mutawa Associate Chair Professor, IIT Delhi.
2016: ICCR-King's India Institute, Visiting chair professor, King's College London.
2017: International visitor, Stanford Humanities Center, Stanford University.
2020: Malcolm Adiseshaiah Award for Distinguished contribution to Development studies
2021: Narendra and Chandra Singhi Chair Professor
2018-2019: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiPSJio7jJY">TG Narayanan Memorial Lecture, ACJ Chennai</a>
Teaching Areas
Development economics, public economics, social policy
Courses
Indian Economic Problems and Policies
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Public Finance and Public Economics
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Planning and Economic Development
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Research Methods in Economics
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Introduction to Economics
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Development Economics
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Development Economics
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