About the Course

This Budget season, we bring to you a stand-alone capsule on Understanding Budgets.

Originally part of our course, 'Understanding State Capabilities', this 2 hour module, the capsule draws on real examples from Accountability Initiative’s own research work in sectors such as education, health, sanitation, nutrition from across India, and uses mix of presentations, videos, handouts, quizzes and interactive learning tools.


Who should participate?

This course is likely to benefit you if you are a young professional in the development sector, a student interested in knowing more about the Indian state, or anyone else interested in knowing about Budgets. It may be particularly useful for journalists looking to understand the basics of social sector Budgets in time for the Budget Announcement.

Format: The course is entirely online and delivered in English. It is self-paced.

Duration: January 26 - Feb 15

Effort: Approximately 2 hours

FeeThis capsule is priced at Rs 499 + GST. If you are a journalist interested looking to unpack the Budget through your work, write to us at usc@cprindia.org.

THIS COURSE IS NO LONGER OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT AS OF MARCH 10, 2022.



Hear from Alumni

5 star rating

Let's bring out the change!

Kaustubh Varat

Great course with great content and great use of multimedia! It is a great amalgamation of theory and practices that the government institutions follow in th...

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Great course with great content and great use of multimedia! It is a great amalgamation of theory and practices that the government institutions follow in their daily life. The real-life examples make it easy to understand the different dimensions of the issues that are pertinent for decades. The course talks about the gaps in the existing system and how one could work around it to make it better. The sandwich-model of making the government accountable is need of an hour and we need more public discussion around it. The insights from the bureaucrats and activists make the course more engaging. I strongly recommend the course to anyone who really wants to understand the functioning of government and bring out the change by making it more accountable and citizen-centric.

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5 star rating

The State - Simplified!

Avani Kaushal

The course helps break the myth that the State is a mysterious monolith. The Modules, through interesting videos, audios and infographics, give us a peek int...

Read More

The course helps break the myth that the State is a mysterious monolith. The Modules, through interesting videos, audios and infographics, give us a peek into Who-Does-What-and-How in the State. The course is a practical toolkit to help make sense of Citizen-State interactions. Through USC, I've also learnt the importance of seeking accountability from the right people. I'm thankful to AI for its continuous efforts in making evidence based research more accessible to others.

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Registration and Fee

Step 1

Signing up for this course is a 2-step process. Register for the course using this form.

Registration and Fee

Step 2

This capsule is priced at Rs 499 + GST, and is free of cost for journalists. Write to us at [email protected] with a valid proof to avail this offer.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Understanding Budgets

    • About this capsule

    • 1.Introduction to Budgets

    • 2. Why must You Look at Budgets?

    • 3. Key Terms and Processes in the Budget

    • 4. Review Quiz-1

    • 5. Union and State Budget Processes

    • 6. Why do Budgets Matter to You?

    • 7. Challenges of Working with Budgets

    • 8. Review Quiz-2

    • 9. Exercise: Reading the Budget

  • 2

    Signing Off

    • Congratulations!

    • Feedback Form: Let Us Know What You Thought