For over a decade, affordable housing has been positioned as a cornerstone of India’s urban development program. Government schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Urban (PMAY-U), new financing norms and private-sector innovations were expected to unlock millions of homes for low- and middle-income families. Despite these policy initiatives, the affordable housing segment appears to…
Odisha’s Jharsuguda district has for long stood at the crossroads of industrial growth and rural disadvantage. While it hosts some of the biggest power and metal industries, a number of villages in the region continue to report significant gaps in education, skill development, and economic opportunities for adolescents and women. It is against this backdrop…
The global economy of the twenty-first century is built on critical minerals, which fuel everything from advanced electronics and digital infrastructure to electric mobility, renewable energy systems, and defence technology. Securing steady and varied access to these minerals is now crucial for India’s rapidly expanding economy, which is committed to profound decarbonization, technological competitiveness, and…
The notification of all four national labour codes on 21 November 2025 marks one of the largest legislative overhauls of India’s employment framework in decades. In an effort to modernize rules on wages, industrial relations, safety, and social security, the government replaced twenty-nine fragmented laws with four broad codes. The reform has promised simplicity and…
Every year on November 21, World Fisheries Day provides a significant opportunity to consider the social, ecological, and economic importance of both inland and marine fisheries. The day highlights the world’s commitment to sustainable fishing methods and the protection of the rights of fishing communities. More than 30 million people rely on the fishing industry…
In India, water is more than a resource Water Budgeting in Aspirational Blocks is a report released by the NITI Aayog on 19 November 2025, anchoring water planning at the most local level: namely, the block. The report represents a shift from broad planning to community-based action and seeks to translate national ambitions into real…
India and Sri Lanka have agreed to extend their High Impact Community Development Projects framework for five more years, in a renewed push for neighborhood development cooperation. An official statement was issued in this regard by the High Commission of India in Colombo in early November 2025. The extension keeps one of India’s most long-running…
Uttar Pradesh has embarked on an ambitious campaign to cover every beneficiary household in the state under key welfare schemes. Referred to as the Zero Poverty Campaign, it reached its first major milestone on 15 November 2025. That was the deadline set by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for districts to complete the first phase of…
A quiet revolution is taking place in the heart of one of the most agriculture-intensive states in India. Andhra Pradesh, once called the “Rice Bowl of India”, is testing advanced digital machinery in its ag-biosystems sector and this experiment could have implications for the national agrarian landscape. Based on a recent overview, the government of…
Each year in December, Nagaland’s highlands come alive as different tribal communities, artists, tourists, and entrepreneurs converge into a vibrant ten-day celebration, Hornbill Festival. It has silently grown to become one of the most important forces for social change in India’s northeast. Reviving Indigenous Identity and Cultural Dignity In a rapidly modernizing India, tribal cultures…
