Dhanush Mendu

CSPR Fellowship / State Scan Workspace

Internship Log & Field Ledger

Weekly continuous record tracking research directives, execution logs, analytical reflections, and deliverables under the guidance of Dr. S Subramanian (Director, CSPR).

CORE DIRECTIVES & MANDATE

State Scan – Telangana: Systematic tracking of state public finances, liability ratios, macroeconomic indicators, and district-level economic data for transparent reporting.

RUNNING SKILLS INVENTORY
Public FinanceData VisualizationTelangana State ScanR & PythonFiscal Modeling

Timeline Span

Jul 2026 - Aug 2026

Total Logs Filed

5

Associated Projects

6

2026 Weekly Ledger

5 Filed Reports
WEEK 08

Week 8: Core Team Operations & Kerala Framework

Aug 24, 2026 — Aug 30, 2026

PROJECT LOG & EXECUTION

1. Context & Objectives

Deepening Telangana's fiscal analysis, taking ownership of broader Southern-state comparative research, and expanding data-vis capabilities.

2. Action Taken & Methodology

- Calculated debt sustainability ratios linked to infrastructure spending. - Interrogated major SPVs and started reviewing Kaleshwaram CAG reports. - Joined CSPR Core Team, managing intra-team recruiting and cross-state workflow standards. - Prototyped a reproduction pipeline for the Kerala Status Report on State Finances using Apple OCR + Python.

Linked Work:Telangana Fiscal Health / Broader Fiscal Liability Analysis ↗Kerala State Finance Status Report Reproduction ↗Southern-State Fiscal Data / Research Workflow ↗

WEEKLY REFLECTION LEDGER

✓ Wins & Milestones

Win: Evolved from data extraction to interpreting fiscal sustainability. Formalized Core Team management. Challenge: Reproducing external tables required complex OCR and Python integration. Learned: Nuances of assessing infrastructure growth against debt expansion.

WEEK 07

Week 7: Telangana Fiscal Health & Liability Auditing

Aug 17, 2026 — Aug 23, 2026

PROJECT LOG & EXECUTION

1. Context & Objectives

Acquiring Telangana indicators on fiscal debt, SPVs, capital accumulation, and FRBM compliance. Began managing Monthly Spotlight.

2. Action Taken & Methodology

- Computed Debt burden, Guarantee burden, and Own Revenue Strength ratios. - Manually scraped data from Debt & Guarantees Vol V/2, FRBM material, and CAG State Finance audits. - Built an entity-level guarantee/SPV database documenting sanctioned vs. outstanding exposure. - Overcame missing recent detailed classifications by relying on CAG's off-budget borrowing analysis.

Linked Work:Telangana Fiscal Health / Broader Fiscal Liability Analysis ↗

WEEKLY REFLECTION LEDGER

✓ Wins & Milestones

Win: Laid benchmarks for historical comparison. Challenge: Fiscal info scattered across volumes with differing categorizations; synthesized them carefully without unsupported assumptions. Learned: Legal ownership of debt vs economic incidence.

WEEK 04

Week 4: Insurance & C-Sections Causal Analysis

Jul 27, 2026 — Aug 2, 2026

PROJECT LOG & EXECUTION

1. Context & Objectives

Data analysis cross-checking NCRB crime data vs GBV numbers, and shifting toward a strong causal visualization on Insurance & C-Sections.

2. Action Taken & Methodology

- Assessed HMIS and IRDAI databases for Karnataka. - Split team into 4 parallel workstreams: Insurance-Provider links, State Benchmarking, Regulatory mapping, and Fertility data. - Polished microdata analysis using Tableau and STATA to deliver striking visuals for CSPR's Data Speaks column.

Linked Work:Karnataka NFHS-6 / Data Speaks ↗Insurance, C-Sections & Health-System Analysis ↗

WEEKLY REFLECTION LEDGER

✓ Wins & Milestones

Win: Produced highly intuitive and beautiful visualizations. Navigated iterations translating heavy econometric regressions into accessible policy insights. Learned: Balancing scientific rigor with communicative ease; advanced Tableau visualizations.

WEEK 03

Week 3: NFHS-6 Exploration & Identification

Jul 20, 2026 — Jul 26, 2026

PROJECT LOG & EXECUTION

1. Context & Objectives

Understanding the Karnataka state scan report (Data Speaks). Generating insights from the NFHS-6 factsheet.

2. Action Taken & Methodology

- Deep dived into NFHS-6 indicators, specifically on Gender Based Violence (dropped 44% to 14%) and rising C-Sections. - Corroborated C-section data with WHO limits (>15%). - Examined urban-rural differentials and public vs private healthcare disparities.

Linked Work:Karnataka NFHS-6 / Data Speaks ↗

WEEKLY REFLECTION LEDGER

✓ Wins & Milestones

Win: Faculty appreciation for astute data identification. Challenge: Pitched GBV idea but shelved it due to lack of causal strength to pursue health/insurance instead. Learned: NFHS survey methodologies and routing.

WEEK 02

Week 2: Karnataka Budget Analysis & Data Ingestion

Jul 13, 2026 — Jul 19, 2026

PROJECT LOG & EXECUTION

1. Context & Objectives

Getting acquainted with CSPR's vision and mission. Compilation of monthly time series data and extraction of Karnataka's budget tables.

2. Action Taken & Methodology

- Compiled monthly time series data (2014-2026) covering over 50 fiscal variables for southern states. - Extracted Karnataka state budget tables using Tabula and Excel OCR. - Modeled Committed Expenditure Ratio and built efficiency indices benchmarking Karnataka. - Led team coordination for smooth task assignments.

Linked Work:Karnataka State Finance / Budget Analysis ↗

WEEKLY REFLECTION LEDGER

✓ Wins & Milestones

Win: Team cohesion and smooth execution. Challenge: District data extraction required OCR and scripting. Learned: Budget structures, committed expenditure nuances, and identifying local fiscal flexibility.