Category Centres

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BharatNet (2011): Connecting Rural India Through Digital Public Infrastructure

BharatNet is India’s flagship rural broadband infrastructure programme, implemented by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, through Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL). It was originally launched as the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) in October 2011 and later renamed BharatNet. Its core objective is to provide affordable, non-discriminatory broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country, thereby strengthening last-mile digital connectivity for rural citizens, government services, and local businesses.

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Amma Two Wheeler Scheme, 2018: Promoting Women’s Mobility and Economic Empowerment in Tamil Nadu

The Amma Two Wheeler Scheme was introduced to support working women who faced difficulties travelling to their workplaces or conducting livelihood-related activities. The original scheme guidelines envisaged assistance for one lakh working women annually, covering both rural and urban areas of Tamil Nadu (Government of Tamil Nadu, 2018). The initiative recognised that women’s economic participation depends not only on the availability of employment but also on their ability to reach workplaces safely, conveniently and affordably.

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Poshan Tracker (Poshan Abhiyaan 2.0, 2021): Real-Time Data Infrastructure vs. Nutritional Outcome Stagnation

Malnutrition remains one of India’s most persistent public health challenges. Despite decades of welfare provisioning through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), national surveys show only modest improvements in key child nutrition indicators. NFHS-5 or National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–21) recorded stunting at 35.5%, wasting at 19.3%, and underweight at 32.1% among children under five, with many states showing stagnation or even deterioration compared to NFHS-4 (2015–16).

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Karma Sathi Prakalpa (2020): From Youth Loans to Sustainable Self Employment in West Bengal

West Bengal introduced the Karma Sathi Prakalpa in September 2020 to address the problem of youth unemployment and limited access to finance for starting small businesses. Although the state had existing self employment schemes, many young people continued to face difficulties in obtaining affordable bank loans and turning their skills and ideas into sustainable livelihoods. Recognising this gap, the government introduced the scheme to support unemployed youth in both rural and urban areas. It aimed to provide soft loans and subsidies of up to ₹2 lakh for new business ventures in manufacturing, services and trading. The main objective was to encourage entrepreneurship, promote self reliance and create further employment opportunities

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Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (2017) : Assessing Public Support for Children with Genetic Blood Disorders.

Thalassemia is a major public health concern in India, which accounts for approximately 25% of the global β thalassemia burden (Sharma et al., 2023). Controlling this burden requires awareness programmes, prenatal screening, genetic counselling and accessible diagnostic facilities, particularly in rural areas (Sharma et al., 2023). In India, the Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana was launched in 2017 by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in association with Coal India Limited. Supported through corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, the scheme provides financial assistance of up to ₹10 lakh to eligible patients for bone marrow transplantation (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2020). The scheme demonstrates how public institutions and corporate support can help make specialised treatment more accessible to children from economically disadvantaged families.

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India–Japan Human Resource Cooperation (2025):  Skills, Mobility and Institutional Coordination.

India–Japan relations have progressively diversified across several areas, including trade, investment, strategic engagement, science and technology, education, and people-to-people exchanges. The India–Japan Vision Statement, adopted on 29 October 2018, underscored the potential to leverage India's demographic strengths alongside Japan's capital, technological capabilities and industrial expertise, while identifying human resource development and exchanges as key pillars of bilateral cooperation. The complementary demographic and economic profiles of the two countries offer considerable opportunities for strengthening educational collaboration and workforce mobility. Building on this shared vision, both countries have pursued initiatives such as Japan-India Institutes for Manufacturing (JIMs), Japanese Endowed Courses (JECs), and expanded Japanese-language education to develop an industry-oriented talent pool and facilitate greater human resource exchanges.

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Expediting Justice: Evaluating the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) Framework.

The pervasive backlog within India’s judicial machinery has long hindered the prompt delivery of justice, most acutely in cases involving sexual violence and crimes against children. Following nationwide public outrage and landmark legislative reforms enacted in the wake of the 2012 Delhi incident, legal frameworks were tightened—notably through the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. These statutes introduced stringent punitive measures, shifted evidentiary burdens, and instituted strict statutory timelines for investigation and trial completion.

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