Introduction Inflation measurement plays a central role in shaping monetary policy, welfare schemes, wage negotiations, and economic planning. In India, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has emerged as the primary indicator of retail inflation, directly influencing policy decisions taken by Reserve Bank of India and welfare targeting by the government. Recognizing rapid changes in consumption…
Introduction The Industrial Relations Code (IRC), 2020 was India’s effort to consolidate and modernise fragmented labour laws governing industrial peace, worker rights, trade unions, and dispute resolution. However, within a few years of its implementation, challenges in interpretation, implementation, and socio‑economic impact prompted policymakers to revisit the law. In 2026, the government introduced the Industrial…
Introduction India’s fiscal federalism relies on a sophisticated machinery of constitutional bodies that allocate resources between the Centre and the states. Among these, the Finance Commission plays an indispensable role as the apex expert body responsible for equitable fiscal devolution. Established under Article 280 of the Constitution, the Commission periodically recommends how tax revenues should…
Introduction Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping economies, governance systems, and social services across the world. While many countries focus primarily on building powerful AI models, India is taking a broader and more inclusive approach — developing an AI Applications Stack that connects technology directly with citizens’ everyday needs. Rather than limiting AI to elite research…
Introduction India has quietly entered a new phase in its civil nuclear journey with the introduction of the SHANTI Act (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act). Rather than being just another amendment, this law represents a structural redesign of how nuclear power is owned, regulated, financed, and made accountable. For…
Introduction Inflation is not just an economic term — it directly affects household budgets, savings, investments, and government policy. In India, the most trusted indicator of retail inflation is the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Recently, India introduced a new CPI series with 2024 as the base year, replacing the older 2012 framework. This revision reflects…
Introduction Poverty eradication has been a core objective of India’s development policy since independence. Successive governments have introduced a wide range of schemes aimed at improving income security, food availability, housing, healthcare, education, and employment. Programmes such as the Public Distribution System, MGNREGA, National Rural Livelihood Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, and Direct…
Introduction The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted by the United Nations in 2000 as a global commitment to address the most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges by 2015. Among the eight MDGs, several are directly linked to health outcomes, reflecting the intrinsic connection between health, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development. India, as a…
Introduction Poverty reduction has remained a central objective of India’s development strategy since Independence. Over the decades, several institutions and scholars have produced different estimates of poverty using varying methodologies, poverty lines, and indicators. While these estimates often differ in magnitude, a common conclusion emerging from most studies is that poverty levels in India have…
Introduction The Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme is one of the world’s largest school-based feeding programmes and represents a unique convergence of education policy, social welfare, and nutrition security. Though widely perceived as a post-independence welfare intervention, the idea of providing meals to school children in India is nearly a century old, with its earliest institutional…