Women’s Safety: Bridging the Gap Between Policy Intent and Implementation

29 Sep 2026

Context: Nearly 15 years after the December 2012 Delhi gangrape, India has developed significant legal, financial and institutional mechanisms for women’s safety, but implementation and accountability gaps persist.The central challenge is shifting fr...

Tackling Food Loss and Waste: India’s Opportunity

29 Sep 2026

Context: Food loss and waste (FLW) threaten food security, nutrition, natural-resource efficiency, climate goals and farmer incomes despite India producing enough food for its 1.4 billion population.September 29, the International Day of Awareness of...

Farmers Need a Share of India’s Solar Boom

28 Sep 2026

Context: India’s installed solar capacity has risen sharply from 2.82 GW in 2014 to 168.04 GW by August 2026, making India the third-largest solar market after China and the U.S.However, most utility-scale solar capacity is concentrated with large co...

Preventing Overcharging of Patients by Private Hospitals

23 Sep 2026

Context: High mark-ups on medicines and medical consumables can substantially increase hospital bills and contribute to medical impoverishment.Recent examples from Maharashtra indicate a large gap between the procurement price paid by hospitals and t...

Preventing Overcharging of Patients by Private Hospitals

23 Sep 2026

Context: High mark-ups on medicines and medical consumables can substantially increase hospital bills and contribute to medical impoverishment.Recent examples from Maharashtra indicate a large gap between the procurement price paid by hospitals and t...

UPI: Towards Code-less Digital Payments [Prelims Bits]

22 Sep 2026

Context: RBI and NPCI launched UPI Tap-and-Pay, enabling RuPay credit-card payments without QR codes or OTPs for transactions up to ₹5,000.UPI: Unified Payments Interface, developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI); enables instant ba...

CCTV Surveillance at Medical Stores: Government Proposal and Concerns

22 Sep 2026

Context: The Union Health Ministry has proposed mandatory Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance at medical stores to curb the unauthorised sale and abuse of prescription medicines.A draft notification proposes that medical stores maintain CCT...

Supreme Court Strikes Down Maharashtra’s Methanol Rules

22 Sep 2026

Context: On 18 September, the Supreme Court struck down provisions of the Maharashtra Poisons Rules, 1972, concerning the sale, possession and use of methanol.The Court held that the restrictions were arbitrary and disproportionate, violating Article...

NGOs and the Changing Landscape of Foreign Funding in India

21 Sep 2026

Context: The proposed Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) Amendment Bill, 2026 has triggered opposition from civil society groups and political parties, particularly Christian organisations.The debate centres on the regulation of foreign fundi...

Lessons from India’s Smallholder Farmers for Rural Transformation

16 Sep 2026

Context: Global development is facing multiple pressures from conflict, climate change, food insecurity, persistent poverty and fiscal constraints, exposing limitations of conventional development models.India’s experience with smallholder farmers, w...

Census 2027: Concerns Over the Questionnaire

09 Sep 2026

Context: The 2027 Census population enumeration questionnaire contains 40 questions, including several personal details such as Aadhaar, mobile, voter ID, passport and bank-account information.Concerns have been raised that some questions may have li...

Student Deaths: Beyond “Accidents” — A Crisis of Neglect and Accountability

08 Sep 2026

Context: Recent student deaths due to incidents such as the Satya Niketan building collapse in Delhi and the Old Rajinder Nagar coaching centre basement flooding tragedy have raised deeper questions about safety, accountability and the vulnerabilitie...

The Political Cost of Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) Schemes

07 Sep 2026

Context: Since 2020, Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCTs) have increasingly become an electoral strategy in India, particularly for attracting women voters. While they provide direct financial support and recognise women’s unpaid care work, their...

FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026: Constitutional Concerns over State Intervention

03 Sep 2026

Context: The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) regulates foreign donations to organisations in India, balancing legitimate concerns of national security, transparency and public accountability with the autonomy of civil society institution...

Thailand’s Peaceful Society Promotion Act: Political Amnesty and Its Limits

02 Sep 2026

Context: Thailand’s Peaceful Society Promotion Act, an amnesty law aimed at political reconciliation, came into force on August 24, 2026, after being passed by lawmakers in July.The initiative comes amid continuing political polarisation involvi...

What Goes on Behind the Screen When You Pay Through UPI?

01 Sep 2026

UPI: India’s Digital Payments BackboneUnified Payments Interface (UPI) enables instant bank-to-bank payments by connecting users, banks and payment apps through infrastructure operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).In July 2026...

Meta Settlement: Shift from Platform Policies to “Design Accountability”

29 Aug 2026

Context: Meta has agreed to pay over $17 billion over the next decade to settle claims brought by 47 U.S. states, Washington DC and other territories alleging addictive platform design, misleading claims about harms and improper collection of data fr...