Category Center for ICT for Development

India–Germany Dual-Use Technology Cooperation 2025: Expanding Strategic and Defence Horizons

Policy Update, Books, Center for ICT for Development, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Centres, Economy and Infrastructure, IMPRI Research, International Relations and Strategic Studies, Policy Briefs, Research, Science and Technology, Thematic Areas

India and Germany are celebrating their strategic partnership, which has been over 25 years long, and recently started cooperating in defence and dual use technologies more than before. The world is getting more and more uncertain—due to conflicts, climate issues, and technological disruptions—the two countries want to increase their partnership through practical cooperation in high-tech areas supporting civilian as well as military purposes.

IMPRI Desk
November 11, 2025

Pathway to Progress: North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) 2017

Insights, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for ICT for Development, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Governance and Law, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being, Policy Update, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes, Urbanization, Habitat, Transportation and Regional Development

When India speaks of inclusive development, the Northeast often features at the center of the conversation, a region of not only picturesque beauty and rich diversity but also persistent infrastructure gaps. In 2017, recognizing that existing central schemes were not fully bridging these gaps, the Government of India launched the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDONER).

IMPRI Desk
November 7, 2025

Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) – 2012

Insights, Center for ICT for Development, Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Centres, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Policy Update, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes, Science and Technology

Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) started in July 2012 as a three-year scheme addressing India’s growing import dependency. In 2015, it underwent its first major revision, extending the program to 2020, adding 15 verticals, and simplifying approval processes to encourage faster investment. By 2017, strategic amendments further expedited procedures and extended deadlines to the end of 2018. Applications closed in December 2018, but implementation continues. In 2020, the Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) was launched as a successor, focusing on incentivizing component manufacturing with 25% capital expenditure support.

IMPRI Desk
October 28, 2025

Reimagining Make in India: The Indigenous Chip Production

Insights, Center for ICT for Development, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, In News

Indian engineers have designed a three-nanometre chip. Another team of Indian engineers is hard at work developing a two-nanometre chip, right at the frontier of chip technology. So, India is taking great strides in the area of semiconductor design and manufacture, right? Wrong.

IMPRI Desk and IMPRI Desk
October 24, 2025

OpenForge 2015–2025: A Decade of Empowering Open-Source Government Innovation

Center for ICT for Development, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Policy Update

India is emerging as a global center for its vast digital user base and government initiatives, free and open source software (FOSS) innovation. India's digital ecosystem is well deployed to use open-source technologies, with more than 96% of the 4G users accessing the Internet through open-source platforms such as Android. Recognizing this capacity, the Government of India (GOI) has actively promoted the adoption of open-source since 2015, notably through Openforge, an official platform for collaborative development of e-governance applications.

IMPRI Desk
October 17, 2025

Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Plant: A Major Step Towards Self-Reliance

Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Center for ICT for Development, Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Policy Update

India is steadily moving towards self-reliance and technological independence, especially under programs like Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India. These initiatives aim to reduce reliance on imports across various sectors, including sustainable energy. An essential part of this shift is gaining the ability to access and process critical minerals. Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are crucial in making high-performance components like Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPMs). These magnets are widely used in wind turbines, electric cars, electronics and defense applications.

IMPRI Desk
October 17, 2025

Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal (BioRRAP): India’s Single-Window Framework For Biological Research- Policy Highlights 2025

Policy Update, Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Center for ICT for Development, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation

India is emerging as a global leader in biotechnology, with its biotech sector valued at USD 165.7 billion in 2024 and projected to reach USD 300 billion by 2030. Recognising the sector's vast potential to address global challenges, the Government of India launched BioRRAP (Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal) in 2022, an online platform developed and maintained by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under the Ministry of Science & Technology.

IMPRI Desk
October 17, 2025