Insights, a blog published by IMPRI.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs isn’t just a bureaucracy, it’s a lifeline for India’s 300 million minorities, stitching them into the nation’s growth story. From scholarships lifting dropout kids to PMJVK building schools, it’s made strides—literacy’s up, jobs are sprouting. Yet, state delays, thin funds, and political noise hobble its pace.
In the Union Budget 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced India's Asset Monetization Plan 2025-30, a strategic approach to leverage the existing public infrastructure assets and create non-tax revenue to reinvest in new infrastructure projects. This new initiative is based on the earlier National Monetization Pipeline (NMP) 2021-25, which plans to generate ₹10 lakh crore through monetizing these functioning brownfield assets across sectors, including Highways, Railways, Power, Telecom, and Aviation. This is also consistent with the government’s broader goal of fiscal discipline and sustainable infrastructure development.
The 2025-26 Budget speech of Nirmala Sitharaman Ji included budgetary support for the execution of Western Kosi Canal ERM (extension renovation and modification) Project. Fund support from the budget will enable the Western Kosi Canal ERM (extension, renovation, and modification) Project to deliver benefits to multiple farmers cultivating more than 50000 hectares of land.
World TB Day, observed on March 24, has once again brought renewed focus to this deadly disease with the theme “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver.” India must truly commit to ending the disease by 2025, invest in overall TB treatment, and deliver on its promise of providing the fundamental right to health to its citizens.
There’s a huge potential for the expansion of the MGNREGA scheme, especially in regions that have been underserved. The involvement of panchayats and community groups is instrumental in the execution of the scheme’s projects on the ground by identifying local needs and grievances. It’s crucial to ensure that the benefits reach those who need them the most. Although MGNREGA is unlikely to succeed without sustained political commitment and public pressure, its enactment has been a remarkable achievement.
India’s healthcare system is a diverse and complex network of public and private sectors. It offers a wide range of medical services. India's medical system follows pluralistic principles, as there is the Ayush system of medicine. AYUSH is an acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and homeopathy.
The ‘National Manufacturing Mission’ introduced in the Union Budget 2025-2026 by the Finance and Ccorporate Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, is an extension to the ‘Make in India’ Project launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. Despite progressive results from “Make in India”, several structural challenges persist- such as inadequate infrastructure, complex regulations, and reliance on imports for critical components.