Category Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies

Presidential

Presidential Reference: Why the Supreme Court’s Response Falls Short

The Supreme Court’s reply to the Presidential reference is a big letdown. The Constitution Bench’s task was to ascertain if the Court can prescribe timelines for Governors and the President to decide on a Bill that comes up before them, and whether the conduct of Governors and the President is justiciable.

Unions

It’s Time for Unions to Work the Talk

The four labour codes long in the making have finally been notified. The good thing is that a legal framework now exists for a company inclined to provide social security for the gig workers it employs to actually provide it. Uber, for example, says it has been waiting for such a legal framework. Any labour law is only as good as its enforcement. Where workers and their unions are strong enough to compel enforcement, laws are complied with.

Bihar elections 2025

The Uncounted Loss: How Bihar’s Fate Was Sealed Before Polling Day

The Bihar results were out even before polling began: Bihar has lost, whoever the victor in the Assembly elections. With well over one crore women being paid Rs 10,000 crore by the incumbent government, supposedly for self-employment ventures, and promises of future fiscal support for such enterprises, the political economy of state handouts had been entrenched before polling began.

Mission LiFE: Lifestyle for Environment

Mission LiFE – Lifestyle for Environment – Policy Update 2025

Policy UpdateMuskan Thakur “This word is LiFE, which means ‘Lifestyle For Environment’. Today, there is a need for all of us to come together and take Lifestyle For Environment forward as a campaign. This can become a mass movement towards…

Bihar Election

The Economy of Influence: Grand Bribery and the Bihar Election Results

The Bihar results are astounding, with National Democratic Alliance (NDA) sweeping an unprecedented 202 seats (83%) out of 243. Political analysts and correspondents covering the elections have proved to be utterly wrong. Most of them expected it to be a close fight.

Putin

Sanctions Without Strategy? Trump’s Tougher Line on Putin Walking on a Slippery Surface

In a sign of how desperate the situation has become on the US-Russia front, the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, was forced to up the ante against the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, by announcing new sanctions targeting two of Russia’s largest oil companies and postponing his planned meeting with Putin in Budapest indefinitely.

Cooperation

India and Australia: A Fresh Curve in Cooperation

India’s recent defence engagement with Australia reached a new milestone during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Canberra and Sydney earlier this month for the inaugural Australia-India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue. The visit, the first by an Indian Defence Minister to Australia in over a decade, produced key defence agreements that upgrade the relationship from declaratory strategic convergence toward greater operational cooperation. The discussions included a Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap to advance maritime cooperation, as well as renewing and strengthening the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation.

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