75. India’s Endless Rural Crisis (with Narendar Pani & Anusha Ravi Sood)

Economist Narendar Pani talks to journalist Anusha Ravi Sood about rural India’s enduring economic and social crisis that does not seem to have an end in sight. 

They discuss some of the root causes of the ongoing farmer protests, and go beyond them to explore the dynamics of farming, migration and urban jobs over the last few decades. They discuss challenges that have remained unaddressed, and have even become worse. 

Dr Narendar Pani is a Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore. An economist by training, author of many books, he takes a multidisciplinary approach to issues of Indian political economy. 

Anusha Ravi Sood is a journalist based in Bangalore, and currently Assistant Editor at The New Indian Express.

For further reading and listening:

• [Podcast] BIC Talks #58: Farm Reforms Need Farmers’ Trust, with Ajit Ranade.
• [Report] Inequality and the demand for non-farm jobs, Narendar Pani et al, NIAS, 2019.
• [Report] Inequality and Farmers’ Suicides in India, Narendar Pani et al, NIAS, 2019.
• [Policy Brief] A Strategy for Migrant Workers, Narendar Pani, NIAS, 2020.

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