My book, The Measurement Trap: India’s Quest for Social Progress Through Eight Decades, is now listed on Routledge. It asks a question that has followed much of my work: how does a democracy decide what counts as progress, and what happens when the numbers themselves become politically contested? The book traces India’s public measurement systems across eight decades, from the statistical ambitions of the early planning era to later debates on welfare, accountability, the census, public data, digital governance and democratic oversight. It is also about what gets missed: women’s unpaid work, environmental harm, inequalities in health, and the lives that do not fit neatly into administrative categories. In many ways, it grows out of the same concerns I have been writing about at whatcounts.in. Routledge listing: routledge.com/The-Measuremen… Publication: 26 March 2027 #TheMeasurementTrap #DevelopmentEconomics #PublicStatistics

Mitron. This was the moment India’s growth story got hobbled. It is now a whole decade and the man asked for just 50 days. I marvel at India’s patience and forgiveness.

Hospitals being asked to record respiratory illnesses and burn injuries by the Hon’ble Supreme court is an admission of the health damage caused by pollution & firecrackers. But why are we documenting the damage instead of preventing it? Our children should not have to become statistics in a hospital report before their health is taken seriously. @MoHFW_INDIA @JPNadda

RT @SushantSin: In even a half-decent country with a functioning government and sensible prime minister, such a situation in the national c…

Sadly, just as we predicted in our book #DemonetisationDecoded (with Prabhat Patnaik and @cpc01) none of the stated objectives was achieved and far too much long-lasting damage was done to the economy, ordinary people and informal activities.

Blast from the past. Back then, there was always a ready excuse for Delhi’s pollution. AAP blamed the BJP. The BJP blamed the AAP. And people continued to suffer and die. Today, the BJP is in power at both the state and central levels. There is no one else to blame. So why does enforcement of the restrictions imposed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court remain so weak? Is it simply a failure of governance, or wilful contempt of the Court’s directions? swachhindia.ndtv.com/why-are…

Every year after Diwali we argue about crackers. This morning 15 of Delhi's 59 stations were above 400. The ₹8,300 crore clean air plan due to start in September is still waiting on a World Bank loan. We are breathing in another winter of announcements. janvayu.in/delhi/

The capitalist class will never give up if we don't force them into peace and an equitable future. And this is not a antiquated social paradigm but the only framework that can help you understand the insane levels of political violence around us. Kyoto University Symposium 2026: "Geopolitics in the Time of Monsters" Keynote 3 (Presentation 11): Prof. Radhika Desai Professor Radhika Desai examines the crisis of world capitalism through her geopolitical economy approach. She argues that Western decline and China’s rise reflect a deeper struggle over production, imperialism and socialism. Drawing on Marx, Smith, Keynes and Gramsci, she challenges prevailing accounts of world war, fascism and neo-feudalism. The discussion explores artificial intelligence, Russia’s economic system, Trump’s tariffs and neoclassical economics, concluding with an exchange with Bill Mitchell on the left’s retreat from macroeconomic policy and the role of planning. Radhika's Links: Website: radhikadesai.com/ Books: radhikadesai.com/books/ Neutrality Studies Links: Neutrality Studies Substack: pascallottaz.substack.com Support Neutrality Studies: neutralitystudies.com/donate Neutrality Studies shop: neutralitystudies.com/shop Time Stamps 00:00 Geopolitical economy and capitalism’s crisis 06:06 The changing world order 17:26 Imperialism, nations and development 27:45 Marx, monopoly and planned production 39:00 Neoliberalism and capitalism’s decline 50:37 Q&A: Keynes, AI and multipolarity 59:33 Russia, China and imperialism 1:19:17 Bill Mitchell: where the left lost its way #Geopolitics #Imperialism #Capitalism #China #Neutrality

The mask is off: replacing NREGA with GRAMG all set to save the centre Rs 50,000 crore. "Actual Central releases Rs 5,539 crore so far in FY27". Peanuts! financialexpress.com/policy/…

RT @im_mansigupta: A country waging war against itself. Or people who can afford to buy and burst crackers waging war against poor, kids,…

Delhi’s pollution problem doesn't begin with Diwali fireworks or end with the stubble-burning season. Its industries emit year-round. To illustrate the scale of the problem: 54% of high-polluting units breached emission limits this season. Read here: indianexpress.com/article/ci…

Look at Sikkim. A statewide firecracker ban dating back to 2014, reinforced by police action, shop inspections, border checks, seizure of illegal crackers & accountability for violations. Even Rangpo Municipality has reiterated the ban. Meanwhile, Delhi-NCR gets temporary permissions for green crackers, conventional crackers reportedly remain openly available & enforcement continues to be questioned. All Governments and courts must take this as an example and stop treating clean air as a negotiable privilege & start treating the right to breathe as a fundamental obligation that demands year round enforcement. @SikkimGovt @SikkimPolice @SikkimIPR 👏👏👏👏 @moefcc @CPCB_OFFICIAL @CAQM_Official @DelhiPolice

On Diwali night, many of Delhi’s pollution monitors stopped reporting PM2.5 just as readings neared 1,000. At 1am, only 13 of 39 were sending it, though they kept sending other readings. Last year, 29 of the same monitors recorded more than 1,000. @htTweets #Diwali

दिवाली की रात 2 बजे: दिल्ली के 39 में से 25 स्टेशनों पर PM2.5 का आँकड़ा दर्ज नहीं 8 से 9 नवंबर की रात 2 से 3 बजे के बीच CPCB के data अनुसार दिल्ली के 25 स्टेशनों पर PM2.5 का कोई आँकड़ा दर्ज नहीं हुआ। ये उन 39 स्टेशनों में से हैं जिनका आँकड़ा पिछली दिवाली की रात भी दर्ज है। इन 25 स्टेशनों का आँकड़ा इस घंटे दर्ज नहीं हुआ: Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Aya Nagar, Bawana, CRRI Mathura Road, Chandni Chowk, Dwarka Sector 8, IMD Lodhi Road, ITO, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Mandir Marg, Mundka, NSIT Dwarka, Najafgarh, Narela, Nehru Nagar, North Campus DU, Okhla Phase 2, Punjabi Bagh, Pusa, R K Puram, Shadipur, Sirifort, Sri Aurobindo Marg, Wazirpur। जिन 9 स्टेशनों का इस घंटे दोनों दिवाली का आँकड़ा है, वहाँ औसत PM2.5 576 µg/m³ रहा, WHO की 24 घंटे की सीमा का 38.4 गुना। पिछली दिवाली इसी घंटे इन्हीं स्टेशनों पर यह 562 था, यानी इस बार 2.5% ज़्यादा। शाम 6 बजे से हर घंटे का औसत PM2.5 (µg/m³): शाम 6 से: 141, पिछली दिवाली 107 (31.5% ज़्यादा) रात 7 से: 181, पिछली दिवाली 146 (23.9% ज़्यादा) रात 8 से: 265, पिछली दिवाली 222 (19.4% ज़्यादा) रात 9 से: 403, पिछली दिवाली 354 (13.8% ज़्यादा) रात 10 से: 506, WHO सीमा का 33.7 गुना रात 11 से: 515, WHO सीमा का 34.4 गुना रात 12 से: 610, WHO सीमा का 40.6 गुना रात 1 से: 597, WHO सीमा का 39.8 गुना रात 2 से: 576, पिछली दिवाली 562 (2.5% ज़्यादा) #Diwali2026 #DelhiPollution हवा WHO सीमा से 38.4 गुना भारी, फिर भी 25 स्टेशनों का आँकड़ा दर्ज नहीं। hawakahisab.in

Congratulations to Delhi for getting a double-, triple- or whatever-engine Sarkaar that is moving swiftly to choke us all to death — and doing so stealthily. There were no PM2.5 readings recorded at 25 of Delhi’s 39 monitoring stations between 2 and 3 a.m. on the night of November 8–9. WHY? ❓ Is the government suppressing the data? ❓ Were the monitors deliberately switched off? ❓ Or was the pollution so dangerously high that it exceeded the measuring capacity of the equipment? Whatever the reason, the government owes the people of Delhi an explanation. But there is one thing the people of Delhi can be certain of: the fact that the data has gone missing doesn't mean the pollution has disappeared too. The poisonous smoke we have been inhaling since last night will continue to choke our lungs, threaten our lives and shorten our life expectancy. And through it all, the BJP will keep clapping.

Dear @gupta_rekha Ji, @myogiadityanath Ji, @NayabSainiBJP Ji, & @narendramodi Ji: do you care about public health? If so, why such obnoxious level of firecrackers in #DelhiNCR at this hour of the night? Does public health matter to you at all? This is ridiculous!

A flat in my housing society caught fire last night. People didn't stop burning crackers even after that. And you expect people to care about the environment? Or the dogs? You are an Indian idiot.

Can citizens invoke Article 21 against the judiciary that knowingly allows a city to become a gas chamber while failing to protect the very right to life it is constitutionally bound to uphold? Is this grounds for a writ of mandamus, or has judicial abdication itself become the question? @sanjayuvacha @advbharatchugh

RT @nilanjanaroy: Up on the roof relighting diyas. Watched some men light elephant bombs and chocolate bombs. Three of them were coughing…

Sixty years in public life, and still the same person. Proud of you, Ma. ❤️ "The values that I learnt growing up survive. I have tried my best to be true to them: loyalty to family and friends, sincerity and feeling for others, the idea of being dutiful and responsible. I think I can say that in these I am the same person Rajiv met sixty years ago." - CPP Chairperson @SoniaGandhi Read her interview with The Hindu about her upcoming book, Belonging: A Journey of Love. thehindu.com/news/national/s…

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