Category Insights

Insights, a blog published by IMPRI.

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Rethinking Compensatory Afforestation in India.

As we move towards realizing the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, there is an increasing demand for land to accommodate industries for manufacturing, mining rare earth minerals and producing hydroelectric power, etc. At the same time, India, like most other global participants in the climate action, has some crucial commitments towards sustainable development, wherein it needs to fulfill its Panchamrit goals of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2070, reducing carbon emission intensity, increasing its renewable energy capacity, etc. (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change [MoEFCC], 2022). Further, under the Bonn Challenge, launched by the German government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), India has committed to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030 (Tambe et al., 2022; Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, 2026b).

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Women’s Financial Inclusion in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands: A Policy Review of the Self-Help Group Empowerment Scheme (2024) 

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Rural Livelihood Mission (ANIRLM), operating under the Directorate of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of the Union Territory Administration, has been implementing rural financial inclusion programmes since the 2015–16 fiscal year (Directorate of Rural Development, PRIs & ULBs, 2024). While early iterations focused strictly on the core institutional guidelines of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), the geographical fragmentation of the archipelago demanded a customized regional intervention (Ministry of Rural Development, 2025). Therefore the Andaman and Nicobar Women SHG Empowerment Scheme (Directorate of Rural Development, PRIs & ULBs, 2024).

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Kalibai Bheel Medhavi Chhatra Scooty Yojana (2020): Improving Girls’ Access to Higher Education in Rajasthan

Girls in Rajasthan have historically faced barriers to higher education due to household financial constraints, limited transport facilities and the distance between villages and colleges. These challenges can make daily commuting difficult and discourage girls from continuing their studies after school, particularly those from economically weaker families.

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Mukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana (2020) : Expanding Women’s Access to Credit and Self Employment in Gujarat

Women in Gujarat, particularly those from low income households, have often faced difficulties in accessing affordable bank loans to start small businesses or expand existing livelihood activities. Limited access to credit and delays in loan approvals restricted their opportunities for self employment and financial independence. Women’s self help groups offered a way to improve access to finance through collective savings and support, but affordable credit remained an important challenge. To address this issue, the Gujarat government launched the Mukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana on 17 September 2020. The scheme provides interest free loans of ₹1 lakh to eligible groups of ten women for income generating activities. Its main objective is to promote entrepreneurship, strengthen women’s financial independence and encourage economic participation in both rural and urban areas

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National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO), 2018: Building a Digital Intelligence Infrastructure for Sexual-Offence Prevention

Sexual offences present significant challenges for law-enforcement agencies, particularly when investigations involve repeat offenders, movement across State boundaries or the verification of criminal antecedents. Fragmented information across police jurisdictions can make it difficult for investigating officers to identify known offenders and access relevant records promptly. These challenges highlight the importance of reliable, secure and interoperable criminal-information systems that support investigations while preserving due process and confidentiality.

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Chhattisgarh Yuva Darshan Yojana, 2026: Promoting Educational and Cultural Exposure among Government School Students in Chhattisgarh

Education plays an important role in developing students’ knowledge, confidence and understanding of society. However, learning confined to textbooks and classrooms may not always provide students with direct exposure to history, culture, science and public institutions. Educational visits and experiential learning activities can complement classroom teaching by helping students connect theoretical knowledge with real-life experiences.

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High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) (2024), MEA: Strengthening India’s Community-Centered Development Partnerships

India’s neighborhood diplomacy and South–South development cooperation have undergone a major strategic transformation over the past two decades. Central to this evolution is the paradigm of High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs)—formerly known as Small Development Projects (SDPs)—which operationalize India’s commitment to demand-driven, community-centric grant assistance. Unlike mega-infrastructure projects that often carry extended gestation periods and complex financing terms, HICDPs are designed to directly target grass-roots socio-economic needs in rural, semi-urban, and border regions. Grounded in India's foundational diplomatic ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam ("the world is one family"), these initiatives prioritize local human capital, essential public utilities, and basic social infrastructure across South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region.

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