Policy UpdatesHimanshi Singh Background India’s development diplomacy in Africa is shifting from conventional approaches to emerging areas such as Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). India’s own DPI experiments, such as the biometric ID, instant payment system (UPI), and large-scale health management…
Policy UpdatesPurbaa Jagannath Background Despite the significant contribution of micro, small and medium industries to the country’s industrial output, employment and exports, most of them are using old machines, old boilers and old processes with much higher energy consumption than…
India and Singapore completed 60 years of diplomatic relations in 2025, evolving into a strong Indo-Pacific partnership. Singapore supported India’s Look East and Act East policies, while the 2005 CECA strengthened economic ties. Singapore is now one of India’s largest FDI sources, with investments exceeding US$170 billion over two decades (High Commission of India in Singapore, 2026). The relationship was upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in September 2024.
India's livestock sector is central to rural livelihoods, nutritional security and agricultural incomes. However, the country historically faced a paradox: it possessed a large indigenous bovine population, but the productivity of many animals remained low because of inadequate genetic improvement, limited access to quality breeding services and insufficient propagation of genetically superior indigenous animals. Against this backdrop, the Government of India launched the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) in December 2014 to develop and conserve indigenous bovine breeds, genetically upgrade the bovine population and improve milk productivity. More than 80% of low-producing indigenous animals are reportedly owned by small and marginal farmers and landless labourers, making genetic improvement particularly relevant for rural livelihoods. The mission has an outlay of Rs 500 crore during the 12th Five Year Plan. During 2014-15 Rs 150.00 crores was allocated for development, preservation and conservation of indigenous breeds
Graphene is an extremely thin material made from carbon, just one atom thick, yet around a hundred times stronger than steel. It is also flexible, transparent, and an excellent conductor of electricity and heat. Because of these properties, scientists often call it a “wonder material,” expected to shape future electronics, batteries, medical devices, and smart sensors. Countries that build graphene research and manufacturing capacity early are likely to gain an advantage as these technologies mature over the next decade.
The CHARAK initiative is a targeted corporate social responsibility intervention designed to address specialised healthcare challenges in India’s coal-mining regions. Unlike national health schemes such as Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY which identify beneficiaries primarily through socio-economic deprivation criteria CHARAK covers households with an annual income of up to ₹8 lakh, protecting the vulnerable "missing middle" who often fall outside standard welfare safety nets. Additionally, rather than operating purely as an insurance payout, CHARAK serves as an institutional bridge by using Northern Coalfields Limited’s (NCL) Nehru Shatabdi Chikitsalaya (NSC) to coordinate direct referrals to empanelled super-speciality hospitals nationwide.