Category Center for Work and Welfare

WhatsApp Image 2026 09 01 at 10.33.27 AM

Reimagining Retirement Security: The Evolution of India’s National Pension Scheme Since 2004

Center for Work and Welfare, Governance and Law, Policy Update, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes

The National Pension System (NPS) was notified by the Ministry of Finance on 22 December 2003 and became effective from 1 January 2004. Originally introduced as the New Pension Scheme, it was designed as a new defined contribution system to replace the traditional defined benefit Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for new government recruits and represents a major shift in India’s approach to old-age income security.

IMPRI Desk
September 1, 2026

Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), 2024 : A Sustainable Urban Governance Model

Policy Update, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for Work and Welfare, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Social Sector

Historically, Hyderabad was known as “City of lakes”, it was built with a cascade of interconnected lakes (Golusu Katuu), and storm-water drains (nalas) around the Musi river to store and redistribute monsoon runoff across the Deccan plateau. Following the Musi river floods of 1908, prompted engineer M. Visvesvaraya designed an integrated flood-defense system featuring Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs, supported by thousands of catchment tanks (swarajya, 2016)

IMPRI Desk
August 31, 2026

Community Health: A Responsive Action for Koylanchal Initiative (CHARAK)

Policy Update, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Center for Work and Welfare, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes

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.

IMPRI Desk
August 29, 2026

Mera Yuva Bharat (2023): Bridging the Youth Empowerment Gap

Policy Update, Center for Work and Welfare, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes

Before MY Bharat was launched, India already had several programmes for young people. But these programmes were managed by different departments and organisations. As a result, young people did not have one common platform to find opportunities related to volunteering, leadership, skill development and practical learning. At the same time, the government faced the challenge of connecting India’s large youth population with activities related to nation-building. This created a need for a more coordinated and technology-based platform for youth participation.

IMPRI Desk
August 24, 2026

Transforming India’s Credit Ecosystem through the Unified Lending Interface (ULI)(2025)

Policy Update, Center for Work and Welfare, Economy and Infrastructure, Public Finances and Macroeconomics

India's financial inclusion landscape has witnessed significant transformations over the last decade, primarily driven by the expansion of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). While the combination of Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) accounts and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) successfully democratized the payments ecosystem, a critical structural challenge remained unsolved: the formal credit gap.

IMPRI Desk
August 22, 2026

WhatsApp Image 2026 08 21 at 11.08.02 PM

Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme: Can Fiscal Autonomy Strengthen Grassroots Democracy?

Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Agriculture, Food, Nutrition Security and Rural Development, Center for Work and Welfare, Policy Update, Public Finances and Macroeconomics

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment gave Panchayati Raj Institutions constitutional status and strengthened the framework for decentralised governance. However, effective local self-government also requires financial capacity. Article 243H of the Constitution enables State legislatures to authorise Panchayats to levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees, and to provide for the assignment of revenues and grants to them. Thus, the constitutional framework recognises fiscal capacity as an important component of effective local self-government. Continued dependence on government grants, however, can limit the ability of Panchayats to respond independently to local priorities.

IMPRI Desk
August 21, 2026

Namami Gange 2.0 (2021-2026) : Assessing River Rejuvenation, STP Infrastructure and Community Participation Policy

Policy Update, Center for Work and Welfare, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

The Ganga supports more than 400 million people. It gives them water to drink, land to farm, and a reason to pray. But it also carries the waste of cities, factories, and towns along its 2500 km stretch. That is the core problem. For many years, cleaning the Ganga has been a national priority. In 2014, the Namami Gange Mission was launched.

IMPRI Desk
August 18, 2026