Mishik Sharma

When the West Asia war disrupted tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz, the shock did not stay confined to ports and pipelines. It travelled, almost overnight, into the most intimate space in Indian life — the kitchen. That single disruption has produced two very different responses since. One came from households. The other is now being designed by the state. The first was spontaneous. Faced with uncertainty over LPG supply, households began buying induction cooktops in numbers that surprised even manufacturers. The second is taking shape through policy. The petroleum ministry is reportedly preparing a framework to introduce ethanol as a mainstream household cooking fuel. Industry consultations are underway, and a formal policy is expected as early as September. At first glance these look like two unrelated developments. In reality, they point to a recurring pattern in India's transition strategies. India has become ambitious at setting direction. It remains weak at buildin...

1 Introduction: Value-Addition and Beyond  India's agricultural transformation has, for decades, been viewed primarily through the lens of production. Better seeds, improved irrigation, mechanisation, crop insurance, soil health, and higher yields have all been central pillars of agricultural policy. These efforts have undoubtedly strengthened the country's agricultural capacity and food security. Yet as India's economy has matured, the national conversation has increasingly shifted from producing more to creating more value. Across political speeches, policy documents, and development programs, one phrase has become almost ubiquitous: value addition. The idea is straightforward. Farmers should not merely sell raw agricultural produce. More of that produce should be processed, branded and marketed as higher-value products, enabling producers and rural regions to capture a larger share of the final consumer price. This thinking has inspired several important policy initiativ...

Part I: Reimagining the University The University We Forgot to Build India possesses one of the world's largest higher education systems. Tens of thousands of public colleges, hundreds of universities, millions of students, and an ever-expanding ecosystem of specialized institutions together form an educational network that reaches every district of the country. Over the past three decades, this network has expanded considerably through the establishment of engineering universities, medical universities, agricultural universities, private universities, and specialized institutes catering to increasingly diverse professional needs. Most discussions on higher education naturally revolve around improving research output, increasing employability, strengthening institutional autonomy, modernizing infrastructure, enhancing faculty quality, and improving national and global rankings. These are undoubtedly important priorities. Yet an equally important question is seldom asked: What is th...