Economic & Political Weekly’s March 2026 issues (Vol. 61, Nos. 10–13) cover higher education governance, caste-based poverty, development-induced displacement, digital surveillance in criminal justice, rural women’s employment, and West Asia geopolitics.
Articles in This Issue
- Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025: In Search of an Alternative — Centralisation of higher education, federalism concerns, commercialisation risks
- Do Caste-based Disparities Influence Multidimensional Poverty? — Chamba (H.P.) case study; SC/ST/OBC gaps in income, consumption, welfare schemes
- Displacement without Rehabilitation: Upper Indravati Project, Odisha — Development-induced displacement; dam-affected tribal communities
- Bail without Liberty: Digital Surveillance and the Changing Meaning of Release — Electronic monitoring alters bail jurisprudence; civil liberties vs. surveillance
- Agricultural Growth and Rural Women Employment — Productivity gains ≠ women’s employment gains; gender-disaggregated analysis
- From Asset to Liability: Rethinking the US–Israel Alliance — West Asia conflict drivers; Israeli lobby; US strategic calculus
Key Themes
| Theme | GS Paper | Key Argument |
|---|---|---|
| Higher education centralization | GS2 | VBSAB 2025 violates cooperative federalism; PMO control over universities |
| Multidimensional poverty & caste | GS2, GS3 | SC/ST/OBC households significantly worse on all indicators; MPI > income thresholds |
| Development displacement | GS2, GS3 | Upper Indravati dam (Odisha): tribal communities displaced without adequate rehabilitation |
| Digital bail surveillance | GS2 | Electronic monitoring = conditional freedom; privacy vs. state control |
| Rural women in agriculture | GS3 | Productivity growth without gender-inclusive employment policy |
| US–West Asia | GS2 | Alliance reconfiguration; Iran war risks; India’s energy exposure |
