Author: cprindia

What is food regulation?

Food is regulated in order to ensure that it is safe for human consumption. Food regulation guidelines help set reliable standards of disclosure, so people know what goes into an item of food, and can make informed choices about what they eat. The institutionalisation of food regulation also serves the purpose of providing the public with assurance that food is certified as safe for consumption.

This is however a complex task as there are a very large number of persons and enterprises are in the business of food, and by the diversity of enterprise-scale, food cultures and knowledge systems. Food regulation is a public good: everyone benefits from having a credible framework. Food regulation also has economic effects on the production side. It interacts most directly with food processing and production industries, but has effects for every type of food-related economic activity from farm to fork. Moreover, its effects are both domestic and international, as food regulators determine what foods are permitted for importation into their country. There are also legal requirements of inter-legibility between domestic and international standards by virtue of WTO treaty obligations, in which food regulation plays a part.

Regulations must necessarily contend with vast amounts of scientific uncertainty on many issues relating to food. Food regulators therefore formulate their regulations based on an assessment of risk to human health. These regulations are expected to be reasonable in relation to the anticipated risk, and to balance the concerns of health and safety with the economic interests of food businesses.

Scope and Design of Food Regulation

Food is regulated through activities that include setting food safety standards, developing guidelines, mandating disclosure, devising certification standards, testing of products, monitoring and supervision, and the imposition of sanctions and penalties. It also includes public education about food safety amongst the general public and to people and enterprises in the business of producing and selling food.

Food regulation requires scientific expertise and infrastructure. It also has economic and administrative dimensions. It needs to have feet on the ground in every single place where food is made and sold. It needs to be agile, to keep pace with changing marketplace conditions.

In terms of regulatory design, it might be useful to think of food regulation as a domain of specialisation. Food regulation does not need an arms’ length relationship with government, except to establish a domain of specialisation. In fact, India’s food regulation system is quite closely integrated with the executive state for monitoring and enforcement activities, although it has some financial and administrative independence. The parent ministry for food regulation, i.e., the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is responsible for providing approvals and support to FSSAI. Food regulation also has a quasi-judicial side, to support its penal and sanctions-making powers.

The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provides the legal framework for food regulation in India. This law was enacted with the objective of consolidating numerous laws and regulations relating to food regulation. It also established an agency to make and implement science-based rules and guidelines applicable to the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food. Following this law, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (‘FSSAI’ or ‘the food authority’) was established in 2008. The law also provides for monitoring and enforcement, and for a system of integration and coordination between regulation, policy and compliance aspects of food regulation. It also provides for coordination between various agencies and officials of the central and state governments in their regulatory work.

FSSAI’s principal function is to make regulations and policy. It lays down standards and guidelines in relation to articles of food, and provides for licensing, registration and accreditation for food business operators. It is mandated to specify systems for enforcing its standards, for accreditation of certification systems and for certification of food safety management systems for food businesses.

FSSAI lays down procedure and guidelines for regulatory activities, including for quality control of food imports, for accreditation of testing labs, for labelling of food articles, and for sampling and analysis of food items. The manner and procedures for risk analysis and risk management in relation to food are also to be laid down by it.

FSSAI also has broad market shaping roles. It may be called upon to provide scientific advice and technical support to central and state governments for framing policy in areas that have a bearing on food safety and nutrition. It can take up initiatives to educate both food business operators and the general public on food safety, hygiene and nutrition. It can also take up self-regulatory interventions – such as through labelling and information campaigns – to encourage manufacturers and consumers to make and eat healthy food.

FSSAI is expected to collect and collate data regarding food consumption, incidence and prevalence of biological risk, contaminants in food, residues of various, contaminants in foods products, identification of emerging risks and introduction of the rapid alert system. It is also expected to contribute to the development of international technical standards for food, sanitary and phytosanitary standards.

Both the content and the rule-making process of food standards are also required to follow India’s commitments to the WTO, under the Agreement for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, which require for standards to be non-discriminatory to international trade. In this, our food standards often guided by the Codex Alimentarius, an international compilation of food standards, although this is non-binding and its local application is sometimes controversial.

Representation, transparency and consultation are important features of food regulation. The law provides for the representation of consumers, farmers, retailers, and food industry, including small scale industry in the composition of the food authority, and in its various panels and committees. Several other ministries of the central government and the state governments, and experts and food scientists are also represented in it. The law also provides – perhaps uniquely for a statutory regulatory authority – that one-third of its 22 members should be women. The law provides for consultation in the regulation-making process, for formal representations by stakeholder groups, and for the disclosure of scientific opinions that it has received and adopted.

The administrative structure of food regulation is made up at the central level of FSSAI, which is advised by several Scientific Panels, a Scientific Committee and a Central Advisory Committee. The administration of food regulation is headed by the Chief Executive Officer (‘CEO’), who is both member secretary of FSSAI and Chairperson of the Central Advisory Committee. At the state-level, food regulation is administered by Commissioners of Food Safety appointed by state governments. Designated officers and food safety officers function at district and local level in coordination with state and local authorities. They have a frontline role in monitoring, inspecting and ensuring compliance with regulations at the local level. In addition, there are Adjudicating Officers and Food Safety Appellate Tribunals, to carry out the adjudication of offences and penalties under the Act.

The Central Advisory Committee and the CEO are responsible for providing administrative coherence to the overall framework for food regulation.

Issues and Challenges

Food regulation has a critical role to play in allaying public concerns about food adulteration, junk foods and the indiscriminate use of chemicals in farming and food processing. This has some Indian dimensions: poor hygiene practices and lack of enforcement capacity. There are also growing concerns about  unhealthy fats, salt and sugar in processed foods, that are to be addressed through food regulation.

There is also the challenge of having differing requirements for small and big enterprises. Regulations that are appropriate for large and organised manufacturers might be quite difficult for small operators to comply with. Perhaps for this reason, our food regulations tend to treat small scale and micro enterprise food businesses as a distinct category from larger businesses, and the rules differently applicable to these categories. This approach might help rationalise the cost of regulation for small enterprises, while ensuring that they are not left out of the regulatory system or made illegal for their inability to comply with regulatory mandates.

Uncertainties about the regulatory process might also be an area of concern for the food authority. The food authority’s actions have been struck down by courts for procedural shortcomings in some instances, whereas in others the courts have directed the authority and food commissioners to ensure improved implementation of the law and regulations.

Some of the other challenges of food regulation include staffing shortages and inadequate laboratory infrastructure, which means that food businesses might see regulation as paperwork rather than as a credible threat of being inspected.

The integration with international markets is another area of challenge. There are several instances in which Indian exporters have been prevented from selling their goods in other countries for failure to comply with local regulations. This could be because of the difference between Indian regulations and international standards, or because it was difficult to monitor and enforce standards for small scale and unorganised suppliers. The Indian government and the food authority have opposed the use of international standards as a backdoor trade barrier, while also promoting increased participation of developing countries in the formulation of international standards.

In this edition of CPR Faculty Speak, Damodaran talks about his work and interests at CPR, why they matter, what impact he hopes to achieve and more.

Tell us about your research work and interests at CPR.

My main area of interest – both as a journalist and now researcher at CPR – is agriculture. Working at CPR has given me the opportunity to look at this sector from a more long-term and strategic perspective rather than being focused on the immediate. As a reporter, I would be primarily concerned about the progress of the current monsoon, the impact of its late withdrawal on the standing kharif crop, and whether the government’s recent slashing of import duties on edible oils and pulses may hurt farmers more than leading to any real softening of food inflation for consumers. But at CPR, I am able to think beyond the next harvest/sowing season of how global sugar and coffee prices will behave in response to continuing dry weather in Brazil. And that’s necessary for my own understanding of agriculture.

Why do these issues interest you?

The government’s latest Periodic Labour Force Survey report for 2019-20 has shown that agriculture employs 45.6% of India’s workers, despite contributing to only 16.7% of its GDP at current prices. Any poverty reduction or growth strategy in India is contingent upon agriculture’s performance – its ability to generate employment and incomes. These, I believe, needn’t be just in the farms, but also outside: Crop production per se may take place in farms that cannot absorb more labour. But there is far more potential to create jobs in aggregation, grading, warehousing, processing, transporting and retailing of farm produce – not to speak of supplying fertiliser, seeds, agri-machinery, extension, financing and other services to farmers. Agriculture’s links to the rural or the wider economy is something that most policymakers and economists inadequately appreciate or understand. Nor are the solutions offered – “we need to get people out of agriculture” – particularly helpful, as they don’t answer the simple question of “how” and “where”. In fact, given how little Indian agriculture’s true potential, whether for domestic value-addition or exports, has been exploited, one can even ask “why”!

How does working at CPR help in pursuing your above research interest?

Much of my professional career has been in newsrooms or editorial meetings and focused mainly on the next day’s big story. At CPR, I have been fortunate in interacting with scholars who are as much, if not more, passionate and optimistic about Indian agriculture than me. I would like to specifically mention Mekhala Krishnamurthy and Shoumitro Chatterjee here. Equally, there are many others, including Partha Mukhopadhyay and Yamini Aiyar, who are deeply engaged with issues concerning state capacity that is important when it comes to framing and implementation of policies on agriculture and rural sectors. I have also benefited from participating in conversations with colleagues at CPR’s Initiative on Climate, Energy and Environment. All these interactions would, of course, have been more satisfying without the restrictions on physical meetings imposed post-Covid; I joined CPR this April just when the second wave had hit!

What impact do you aim to achieve through your research?

During my short stint so far, I have been able to contribute to Understanding the Rural Economy, a CPR series that takes cognizance of issues of both current and long-term relevance. A couple of these notes – especially one that points to a possible reversal of dietary and cropping diversification in India during the last decade and another that seeks to estimate the country’s farming population which is significantly agriculture income-dependent – have, I believe, significant policy implications. I hope to write more such detailed notes relating to agriculture and rural policy in the months ahead.

Is there anything else that you are now working on while at CPR?

I have finished writing a firm history of Hatsun Agro Product, India’s largest private dairy company. This just-published book documents both the company that has traversed every potential stage of a business enterprise – from tiny to small, medium, big and, finally, large – and its “new capitalist” founder. Currently, I am working on another business biography project, which is on an “old capitalist” who headed India’s third largest industrial house at the time of Independence. I hope to complete a significant part of work on this project as well in the coming six months!

To know more about Harish Damodaran’s work and research, click here.

Bhubaneswar, Tuesday, 21 September 2021: The Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi under its initiative ‘Scaling City Institutions for India: Water and Sanitation initiative’ is pleased to announce the signing of a Letter of Understanding (LoU) with the Housing & Urban Development Department (HUDD), Government of Odisha (GoO), PR & DW, Odisha and UNICEF on 21 September, 2021.

Through this unique partnership, SCI-FI initiative will support the Urban –Rural convergence on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) and Plastic Waste Management (PWM) in Odisha to ensure Swachha Odisha and Swastha Odisha. This initiative aims to formalize the efforts to ensure district-wide sanitation by demonstrating the urban-rural convergence of FSSM and PWM services in seven identified districts- Angul, Balasore, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur and further mainstreaming across the state.

During the signing, Pratap Jena, Hon’ble Minister, PR&DW & H&UDD, Odisha said that this initiative would contribute towards fulfilling Hon’ble CM’s vision of Swachh Odisha and Sustha Odisha. He said that Odisha has emerged as a champion in managing faecal sludge and plastic waste in 114 ULBs, with this endeavour it will strive to serve the rural population by linking them to urban facilities like FSTPs and MRF for faecal sludge and plastic waste management. He further reiterated that this initiative will strengthen both Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies to provide efficient services to the citizens of the district through a district wide sanitation approach.

G. Mathi Vathanan, Principal Secretary, H&UDD, Odisha highlighted the uniqueness of the model of urban rural convergence and said that Odisha is a pioneer state in management of faecal sludge and plastic waste. He said that Odisha’s efforts in these areas are getting recognition and accolades. This unique initiative will be able to promote good health of citizens by combating pollution of water bodies and land. He reiterated that this novel initiative will begin with a select districts and subsequently it will be up-scaled state wide covering 32 districts within a year.

Speaking on the partnership, Ashok Kumar Kaluram Meena, Principal Secretary, PR&DW Department said that policy making has to be at state level. Breaking artificial divide of urban and rural governance through convergence is crucial for improving FSM within the state. Urban-rural convergence will aim to achieve ODF sustainability in the State. Odisha has taken various innovative models in transforming sanitation landscape and this initiative is another novel initiative as it will serve rural areas by connecting it with urban facilities. He added that the Department has already notified Odisha Rural Sanitation Policy in 2020 which underscores adoption of safe and scientific management of solid waste with a special focus on plastic waste and liquid waste management.

Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, Chief Secretary, Odisha, delivered the Keynote Address. He said that Odisha has Odisha has made progress on FSM in urban areas through its interventions. Within the last five years, women and transgender groups have been mobilized in managing FSM operations. To sustain these efforts district wide through concerted efforts on FSM and PWM, this partnership would be crucial. This initiative will be operationalized in the first phase in 7 districts (Angul, Balasore, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, and Sambalpur) through collaborations with 43 urban local bodies.

Monika Nielsen, Chief Field Officer, UNICEF Odisha said that this is a scalable model. Convergence will attempt to promote cleanliness in villages. UNICEF Odisha team is happy to be part of this journey to scale up this initiative.

Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi expressed that inter department convergence has been part of debates from 90s, however with this unique partnership between urban and rural departments will be pivotal in improving sanitation through a district-wide approach. It will also serve as a lessons for such collaborations for future. She added that state level policies and implementation efforts that break artificial divide between urban and rural governance are crucial for improving sanitation for all.

Sangramjit Nayak, Director, District Administration & Mission Director, H&UDD thanked dignitaries including representatives from 43 ULBs present for the event and assured full support by the state Government to the districts, ULBs and PRIs on this path breaking initiative which will be the first such initiative in the country.

This event was attended by nearly 90 participants. There was representation from Housing and Urban Development Department, Odisha, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, Odisha, UNICEF Odisha, Centre for Policy Research, District Collectors and ULB officials from all seven districts selected for operationalizing the partnership.

A short presentation made at the event is available from here.

*********

For further information and to schedule interviews about the initiative, please write to: sci-fi@cprindia.org or shubhagato@cprindia.org or anju.dwivedi@cprindia.org or hrudananda@cprindia.org

Dear Friends,

As President, I have come to relish this annual ritual of writing the foreword to CPR’s annual report. This is my moment to bask in the glory of the awe-inspiring public service and high standards of scholarship set by my colleagues. I list here but a few highlights of CPR’s work through this year. I hope this will give you a glimpse of the depth and range of our intellectual and policy engagements and tempt you to go through the contents and publications in this report. In an increasingly chaotic and complex world, CPR scholars have valiantly sought to understand and interpret events through sober, evidence-based discourse. I am proud that through our work, we have stayed true to our fiercely independent spirit and commitment to democratic dialogue.

The reporting year 2020-21 will find its place in history. At every crucial moment, from the national lockdown in March 2020 to the deadly second COVID-19 wave in April 2021, the farmer protests, the significant developments on India’s borders and the geopolitical shifts in our neighborhood, to debates on net-zero targets and building a resilient climate-ready State, CPR scholars remained at the forefront, contributing actively to policy implementation, forging new partnerships with governments, civil society and academia and initiating new research to enrich the policy discourse and interpret the impact of this historical moment.

The health and economic consequences of the pandemic dominated much of CPR’s policy work in this period. Within weeks of the first national lockdown being announced, CPR faculty reoriented their work to respond to COVID-19. Two notable engagements with State governments include appointments of CPR scholars to the COVID-19 Global Advisory Council of the Government of West Bengal and to the Government of Punjab Group of Experts, tasked with developing a post-COVID economic strategy for the state. In addition, CPR scholars were appointed as members of the Lancet COVID-19 Commission India Task Force and the Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System. Alongside with working at the state and national government level, our COVID-19 response involved active engagement at the grassroots. Accountability Initiative was instrumental in anchoring an alliance called PULSE (Platform to Understand, Learn, Share and Exchange), that includes over 100 members from government, civil society, academia and the donor community. The alliance focuses on ensuring that grassroots experience makes its way into the policy discourse. In addition, they launched a series called Inside Districts, documenting the trials and tribulations of frontline workers in responding to the pandemic. We also undertook several research projects, in partnership with government and academia, to build an evidence base on how to respond to COVID-19. Key research themes included internal migration, urban livelihoods, understanding transmission dynamics and the preparedness of the health system.

Beyond our COVID-19 response, the perils of work from home and tyranny of Zoom notwithstanding, 2020-21 remained a productive year for CPR. Our scholars continued the tradition of publishing path-breaking books, writing in the popular press and engaging in the everyday life of policymaking. We published two important books this year including, Shylashri Shankar’s masterful book, Turmeric Nation: A Passage Through India’s Tastes and Manju Menon and Kanchi Kohli’s Beyond the Coal Rush Rush: A Turning Point for Global Energy and Climate Policy?. Our national level policy contributions ranged from engagements with the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Finance Commission, the NITI Aayog, the National Commission of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, amongst others. We also launched new research and welcomed new faculty in areas such as the rural economy & agriculture, state capacity and regulation, health financing, Dalit politics, election studies, national security and foreign policy.

In the last few years, we have broadened our approach to work more closely at the sub-national level. This year, we deepened our engagements by entering into long-term partnerships with the Government of Punjab and the Government of Odisha to work with the urban development departments on slum upgradation. We also signed two different Memoranda of Association with the Government of Meghalaya to support the planning and finance department and the State Capability Enhancement Project. In addition, new partnerships have been initiated with governments in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka.

This has been an important year for climate action across the globe, particularly with the release of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and preparations for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2021. CPR, through its Initiative on Climate, Energy and Environment (ICEE), as you doubtless know, is home to the country’s leading voices on the issue. We have also played an important role on the global stage, shaping debates on climate change. Continuing this tradition, Navroz Dubash is the lead author for the IPCC chapter on national and subnational policies and institutions to address climate change. In addition, ICEE remained at the forefront of key debates, including on climate institutions, net-zero targets, energy transitions and air pollution. This formidable team is truly at the cutting edge of one of the most pressing issues of our time.

In 2020-21, we welcomed several new colleagues to the CPR family but also suffered difficult losses. In June 2020, we lost Ved Marwah, a long-term associate with CPR and just as I signed off this year’s annual report, we had the devastating news of the sudden passing away of Keshav Desiraju, our governing board member. Both men were amongst India’s finest public servants, whose integrity and commitment were unparalleled. We learnt from them the value of public purpose and CPR remains committed to fulfilling their legacy by remaining true to the values and principles they stood for.

As always, I am grateful for the unflinching support we receive from our governing board under the leadership of Dr Meenakshi Gopinath, whose guidance and commitment to our scholarship has been a consistent source of strength. Our fabulous finance & management team, led by Alaknanda Jain and Anup Roy, who have navigated the chaos of COVID-19 to ensure that our faculty have the space to do their best, even as we become more 21st-century in our day-to-day administration, and our communications team, led by Hemali Sodhi, who have ensured that we transitioned from the seminar room to the Zoom room with ease, while pushing us to reach out to newer audiences. Finally, to our funders. whose trust and support has enabled us to adapt to the new circumstances and new challenges that we confront today. I remain deeply grateful.

With warmest thanks,

Yamini Aiyar,
President and Chief Executive,
Centre for Policy Research

Rahul Verma is a Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). He is also Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University. His research interests include voting behavior, party politics, political violence, and media. He is a regular columnist for various news platforms and has published papers in Asian Survey, Economic & Political Weekly, and Studies in Indian Politics. He has a PhD in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley, US. He completed his MPhil in Political Science from Delhi University, MA in Development Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and BA from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University.

In this edition of CPR Faculty Speak, Verma talks about his work and interests at CPR, why they matter, what impact he hopes to achieve and more.

Tell us about your research work and interests at CPR.

At CPR, I lead a team of researchers that broadly work on themes related to Indian politics and political economy. Specifically, my interests lie in voting behavior, party politics, and political violence. At present, we’re analysing the Parliamentary debates of the 15th and 16th Lok Sabha. I’m working on a manuscript with my colleague, Asim Ali on the Congress Party in India, and organising fortnightly discussions with scholars who study political parties on transformations within state-level parties across India. We are also in the final stages of completing an edited volume titled, “Dalits in the New Millennium” with Prof. Sudha Pai, Shyam Babu and 25+ chapter contributors. These research projects are supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (RLS).

In addition to these issues, I work closely with the State Capacity Initiative (SCI) here at CPR where, for instance, we’re doing some work on Panchayats and Panchayat Secretaries which ties in with frontline bureaucrats – one area the SCI focuses on. Another key area of my work is the YouGov-Mint-CPR Millennial Surveys (conducted bi-annually) to understand the anxieties and aspirations of millennials situated across India’s towns and cities; financial, political, interpersonal, among others. We are in the process of building such collaborations with different organisations. For example, we have been organising a discussion series on topics of contemporary importance with the Trivedi Centre for Political Data (TCPD) at Ashoka University and a similar series with Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). The idea behind undertaking all this research is to stress the importance of politically informed policymaking, in other words, to bring politics back into discussions related to public policies. Finally, apart from training young scholars, we wish to create a community and  network of scholars across the globe to interpret emerging politics in India.

Why do these issues  interest you?

I’ve always been interested in the ‘political’ as influencing everything around us. I believe that the imagination of modern India, especially post-independence, has been a political project. This is not to suggest that we do not have deep civilisational roots and ethos, but since 1947,  the “Idea of India” is deeply political. A project which many thought wouldn’t succeed. There were doomsday predictions about India’s chances to survive as a democracy. Not only have we defied those predictions, but Indian elections are the greatest show on the planet. For sure, democracy has changed India, but it is time that theorists engage seriously with what is happening in this part of the world as we are the busiest laboratory of democracy.

There are now many changes sweeping through our country, with sites of contestation growing, and it is interesting to understand how politicians and parties affect these. As actors with their own set of vested interests who are undoubtedly fallible, there’s no denying that they make mistakes. This strand of political psychology is something we’re looking to bring more into our upcoming research; understanding what shapes and motivates such actions– the ideology, beliefs, preferences and biases they hold. Caricatures aside, these complex actors are central in understanding politically and historically-informed policymaking. Simply put, it’s important to study these leaders as they are not simply prisoners of the past, but making history as we speak!

How have these issues evolved in the country and globally over the years?

Most often issues evolve slowly, even though one feels they’ve woken up to a sudden change. Globally we’ve been seeing a recession in democratic values. Simultaneously, newer forms of campaigning have emerged, and voters have become complex because of a whole host of emergent contingencies and issues. We see the political space fragmenting like never before; but all of this took time. It is just as important to study that interstitial period as it is to understand the contemporary political landscape. Again, we’re in a period of flux and paradoxes that necessitate research, even more so here in India, which offers fertile ground to study complex interrelated phenomena: the rise of a dominant-party system after 25 years of a coalition government, in the midst of a proliferation of numerous representative parties; the conservative beliefs amongst millennials coming up against the increasing political awareness and participation in protests among student-activists, material conditions having improved but citizens continuing to remain strongly rooted to their identities; the examples are many. These contradictions are inherent in the system itself; it has evolved in this way and will continue to do so.

What impact do you aim to achieve through your research?

As I said, the idea is to put the spotlight on politics in understanding the public policies. Institutionally, the idea is to see CPR develop as a hub of cutting edge research on politics and political economy in India. In doing so we would like to scale-up collaborations with scholars in India and across the globe, undertake research for a global audience, mentor young researchers into being ambassadors for CPR and ensure ours is an organisation which becomes a platform for robust debate, disagreements and discussions- the 3 Ds which are so essential in a democracy!

What does a typical day look like for you at CPR?

The pandemic created a ‘new-normal’ but now that some members of my team and I have returned to office, we are making efforts to return to the ‘old-normal’. The work day remains the same – I normally have meetings with my team: either in person or online, to discuss on-going projects and brainstorm on future plans. I try to keep the first half of the day reserved for my personal reading and writing. Apart from this, the day goes by in responding to emails, meeting with faculty colleagues at CPR, making other calls, or in the workshops or talks that we’re organising. I also enjoy spending time with my team, getting to know them more through conversation (and through what they bring for lunch!). This academic year, I’m also teaching at Ashoka University (as Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science), so engaging with students takes up a large part of Tuesdays and Thursdays.

What are you currently working on and why is it important?

As I mentioned in the beginning, the team is working on a number of projects right now. Similarly, with the colleagues at the SCI we have created a research agenda on how politics and politicians impact state capacity. Our work on mapping the manifestos of three main national parties since Independence to understand similarities and differences in the issues they focus on is on its way to completion, while our draft manuscript on the Congress party is halfway done. We also have our fortnightly workshops to deliberate on the changing nature of state-level parties, and their future. These research topics coalesce to lend insights into the changing nature of India’s political landscape whereby the country’s arrival into the fourth party system has been informed by significant changes in the form and substance. The emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the nationally dominant party and the shrinking of the main opposition are the most important of these. Additionally, ideological shifts currently underway have the potential to transform citizen-state relations and federal dynamics in the coming years. Through our work at CPR, we wish to draw attention towards the operationalisation of this political change and what it means for India’s future.

To know more about Rahul Verma’s work and research, click here.