Policy UpdateKavin Adithya C.B. Background The India-Republic of Korea (ROK) Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue (FPSD) is a formal bilateral mechanism established in 2010 following the elevation of India-ROK relations to a Strategic Partnership. This dialogue was further reinforced when…
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.
The Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) Initiative was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s working visit to Washington, D.C., on 13 February 2025 during the second term of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed the India–US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, emphasising mutual trust, shared interests, technological cooperation, and closer ties between the two countries.
The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the National Programme on High Efficiency Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Modules was approved by the Union Cabinet on 7 April 2021, with a total outlay of ₹24,000 crore, to build gigawatt-scale domestic manufacturing capacity and reduce India's dependence on solar imports. It is administered by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Tranche-I, a smaller pilot worth ₹4,500 crore, required manufacturers to integrate the full value chain, from polysilicon through to modules, to qualify. This bar proved too high, only three manufacturers ultimately won Letters of Award (LoAs), for a combined 8,737 MW, leaving most of the scheme's intended capacity-building potential untapped.
The Global Initiative of Academic Networks - GIAN was introduced by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, in 2015. The primary objective of the initiative was to enhance the quality of higher education in India by facilitating engagement of distinguished international faculty in Indian academic institutions. In its initial phase, GIAN primarily supported short-term teaching assignments of 1 to 2 weeks, predominantly in centrally funded institutions such as IITs, NITs, and IISERs. With the launch of GIAN 2.0 in 2025, the program has been restructured to adopt a more comprehensive and outcome-oriented approach. The revised framework places emphasis on sustained academic collaboration, research partnerships, transparent financial management, and inclusive state-wise implementation. Over the past decade, GIAN has contributed to exposing Indian students and faculty to global pedagogical methods, research practices, and academic networks.
For over a hundred years, India’s cooperative movement has supported grassroots economic life, from village credit societies and sugar mills to national dairy giants. While there are more than 8 lakh functional cooperative institutions involving around 30 crore people across the country, the sector was long functioning without an apex national university exclusively for cooperative management, research and governance. For decades, education and training in the sector remained fragmented in state-level cooperative institutes, regional training centers and general business schools whose curricula seldom corresponded to the distinct ethical, legal and operational realities of user-owned enterprises.
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.