Fast-growing countries urbanise, and the share of urban population rises. Since India has not had a Census since 2011, the size of the current urban population is an estimate. The World Bank puts it at 37%, below the world average of 58% and China’s level of 66%. Towns are where the bulk of economic activity, particularly in the modern, evolving sectors, takes place. If India is to grow, so must its total urban space.
The Himachal Pradesh government has again opened the debate on relaxing Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972 — a provision that has, for five decades, protected the state's most sacred resource: its land. Under this Section, a non-agriculturist cannot buy land in Himachal without prior permission from the state government. This legislative instrument ensures that land is not reduced to a commodity but continues to embody livelihood, culture and ecological balance.Today, in the name of "encouraging investment, industry, tourism and housing", the state government is tempted to loosen this protective clause. But to tamper with Section 118 is to play with fire.
Mangroves are one of the keystone species that cover 0.15% of the total geographical area of India as per the Indian State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023). They play a vital role in maintaining the biodiversity of the coastal ecosystem. They also act as natural barriers against storm surges, protect the coastline from erosion and help fight climate change by serving as carbon sinks thereby storing blue carbon.
Tikender Singh Panwar The Union Budget 2026 has cut urban development allocations by 11.6%, lowering funding from ₹96,777 crore to ₹85,522 crore. This reduction raises concerns about the sustainability of essential services amid rising challenges such as mass migration, climate…
Contrary to naysayers, the RSS practices what it preaches. It is closer to the Gandhian teaching of improving the individual morally and spiritually to change the external environment.
Revenues flow overwhelmingly to Central utilities. The resource is local. The land is local. The risks are local. The profits are not.
The IMPRI Centre for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies (CHURS), IMPRI – Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi, convened an online policy discussion on Cities, Local Governance and the Union Budget 2026–27 as part of IMPRI’s 7th Annual Series of Thematic Deliberations and Analysis of the Union Budget 2026–27, which was held on February 4 at 6:30 p.m. IST.