West Bengal is one of India’s most populous states, with a large and diverse population and significant welfare and development needs. Managing its public finances over the years has always been a major balancing act. The annual 2026–27 Budget places strong emphasis on welfare, rural development, infrastructure and employment, while also seeking to support economic growth and investment to steer the local economy forward.
About 1,55,707 sq km in size with a population of around 4.5 crore, Odisha is also home to a long coastline of nearly 480 km, is highly dependent on agriculture and allied activities (around 29 percent of Gross State Domestic Product for the year 2025-2026), has a significant tribal population in the southern and western districts like Koraput, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj and Kandhamal, and is frequently hit by cyclones, floods and droughts. These structural characteristics highlight that disaster resilience and welfare is at the very core of the state development agenda.
Haryana occupies an important position in India's economic and administrative landscape, combining a predominantly agrarian economy with substantial industrial, manufacturing and services activity, particularly owing to its proximity to the National Capital Region. Haryana's proximity to the NCR, particularly the Gurugram–Manesar belt, has strengthened its industrial, IT and services economy, attracting major investments and multinational firms. At the same time, water-intensive paddy cultivation contributes to groundwater depletion, while post-harvest stubble burning adds to NCR air pollution, making agricultural diversification and environmental management interconnected policy priorities.
Lakshadweep is the smallest Union Territory (UT) in India with an area of 32 sq km, a most remarkable outlier of all the States and Union Territories of India. The Union Territory has 36 islands, consisting of 12 atolls, 3 reefs, 5 submerged banks of which only 10 are inhabited (Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra, Andrott, Kalpeni and Minicoy) and are treated as a single uni-district administration. According to Census 2011, Lakshadweep has a population of 64,473, with its literacy rate, since then, having risen to the second highest in the country, at 91.85 percent, and sex ratio at 946 females per 1,000 males. More than 93 percent of the native people are Muslims and the islands (excluding Minicoy) are counted as a tribal area with the maximum percentage of Scheduled Tribe population in all the Union territories.
Policy UpdateAyana N K Background Meghalaya, meaning “the abode of clouds,” is a hill state in Northeast India covering about 22,430 sq km. According to the 2011 Census, it has a population of around 29.67 lakh. The state is predominantly…
When the price of essential kitchen items like onions, potatoes, or dal shoots up suddenly, it acts as an immediate financial shock to millions of households in India. For a lower-middle-class or vulnerable family, a sudden spike in vegetable prices means they have to compromise on health, nutrition, or other vital household needs. Historically, regular food grains like rice and wheat have always had a massive safety net managed by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) through the Public Distribution System (PDS). However, highly perishable items—like horticultural vegetables and protein-rich pulses—were left completely at the mercy of unpredictable market forces.
Dolly Kaushik The next contest over strategic power may not be fought over oil alone. Increasingly, it is being shaped by lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements – the minerals behind electric vehicles, renewable energy, electronics and defence systems.…