Category Centres

Ease of Living Index (2018): Assessing Urban Governance and Quality of Life in Indian Cities

Policy Update, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Center for ICT for Development, Economy and Infrastructure, Insights

The Ease of Living Index (EoLI) is a Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) assessment tool designed to help Indian cities evaluate themselves against global and national benchmarks and to encourage a shift toward outcome-based urban planning and management. MoHUA launched the first edition on August 13, 2018, describing it at the time as more than just a ranking exercise, an open and participatory assessment combining self-reported data with physical audits of urban metrics, intended to create a baseline for evidence-based urban policy debate (PIB, 2018).

IMPRI Desk
October 1, 2026

Sewa Mitra: Assessing the Uttar Pradesh’s Digital Response to Migrant Employment

Policy Update, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being

The COVID-19 lockdown exposed a fundamental weakness in India's labour-market architecture: millions of workers possessed valuable skills and extensive work experience but remained largely invisible to formal systems of employment matching. Uttar Pradesh experienced this challenge at an exceptional scale.

IMPRI Desk
October 1, 2026

BRICS Tourism Cooperation under India’s 2026 Chairship: Priorities and the Jaipur Declaration, August 2026

Insights, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Economy and Infrastructure, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, International Relations and Strategic Studies, Policy Update

The BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting under India’s 2026 Chairship concluded on 21 August 2026 with the adoption of the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Communiqué 2026, known as the Jaipur Declaration, following Tourism Working Group meetings in May and August. Nine BRICS member states participated in the ministerial meeting, with four represented at the ministerial level and four by the Heads of Delegation, alongside India. The Declaration’s 15 clauses combine more specific areas of cooperation on travel facilitation, connectivity and digital technologies with broader commitments on artificial intelligence, sustainability, skilling, qualifications recognition and tourism exchanges (BRICS Tourism Ministers, 2026). The central challenge is implementation. Tourism is delivered largely through businesses, local communities and workers, while the Declaration relies substantially on voluntary cooperation, national priorities and available resources. The key task for India is therefore to convert the more concrete commitments into working arrangements while giving its broader priorities enough institutional structure to survive the transition to China's chairship in 2027.

IMPRI Desk
October 1, 2026

India–France Innovation Roadmap 2030 (2026): A Technology and Innovation Partnership

Policy Update, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Insights, International Relations and Strategic Studies, Science and Technology

Diplomatic relations between India and France date to 1947, and the bilateral Strategic Partnership, India's first with a Western power, was established in 1998, anchored on non-interference in internal affairs, strategic autonomy, and independence from each other's military alliances. Recognising 25 years of that partnership in 2023, both countries adopted the Horizon 2047 Roadmap to guide bilateral cooperation

IMPRI Desk
October 1, 2026

India–New Zealand Strategic Partnership Roadmap 2030 (July 2026)

Policy Update, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Insights, International Relations and Strategic Studies, Policy Briefs

India and New Zealand's relationship has historically been steady but modest in scale, anchored in Commonwealth ties, a shared democratic outlook, and a small but growing Indian diaspora in New Zealand. Momentum began building visibly from 2024, when Foreign Ministers met on the sidelines of "Raisina Down Under" in Canberra to discuss Indo-Pacific priorities, followed by a bilateral Defence Cooperation MoU signed in early 2025 (High Commission of India, Wellington, 2026).

IMPRI Desk
October 1, 2026

Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Development Initiatives and Quick Impact Projects (2023–24): Elevating India–Pacific Partnerships

Insights, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Economy and Infrastructure, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, International Relations and Strategic Studies, Policy Update, South Asia Studies Center

The Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) was established in November 2014 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to Fiji, marking a transformative shift in India's diplomatic and economic engagement with the South Pacific. Comprising India and 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs): Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, FIPIC was created to address the unique development priorities of these island nations through structured, action-oriented plurilateral cooperation.

IMPRI Desk
September 30, 2026

Sustainable Agrarian Mission on Use of Agro-Residue in Thermal power Plants (SAMARTH), 2021

Policy Update, Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes

The estimated biomass generation in India is 750-754 MT per year of which 228-230 MT is surplus after utilizing biomass for conventional purposes like fodder, manure and for industries (Administrative Staff College of India, cited in Ministry of Power, 2023). Most of this surplus, especially paddy straw and other crop residues from northern states, has traditionally been burned in the open, which is a major source of seasonal air pollution in Delhi-NCR and neighbouring areas (Ministry of Power, 2023).

IMPRI Desk
September 29, 2026