Insights, a blog published by IMPRI.
Dolly Kaushik The next contest over strategic power may not be fought over oil alone. Increasingly, it is being shaped by lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements – the minerals behind electric vehicles, renewable energy, electronics and defence systems.…
Old-age pensions are one of the oldest tools of social protection anywhere. In India it sits at the crosshairs of elderly poverty relief and dignity. The Union government's main instrument is the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) which is run by the Ministry of Rural Development. It has operated since 1995 and today comprises five components - the largest is the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS). IGNOAPS was introduced in 2007 (NSAP, 1995). IGNOAPS offers Below Poverty Line citizens aged 60 and above a monthly pension of ₹200 and which further becomes ₹500 after the recipient turns 80 years old (NSAP, 1995).
Policy UpdatePragya Raghav Background Kerala’s welfare delivery operates in a state where geography, demography and social needs make reaching people effectively particularly important. Spread across 38,863 sq km and home to nearly 3.6 crore people, Kerala combines a densely populated…
Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh in November 2000, covers 1,35,192 sq km, the 9th largest state in India, and had a 2011 Census population of 2.55 crore, of which 30.6 percent belong to Scheduled Tribes and 76.8 percent live in rural areas (Forest Survey of India, 2019). Nearly 44 percent of the state is under forest cover, concentrated in the Naxal-affected Bastar and Surguja divisions, which makes last-mile welfare delivery in scattered, forested, low-density habitations a central governance challenge.
Accessible and affordable public transportation is an important feature of inclusive development. It allows individuals to take part in the education system as well as access essential services like job placement and health services thereby encouraging economic participation. However, the cost of daily travel often places a financial burden on low- and middle-income households , especially women who have to use public transport to travel around. This may act as a discouragement for women to gain education, seek formal employment, become entrepreneurs, and engage in public activities. Therefore, it reinforces the existing gender inequalities.
As stated in an IMPRI Policy Insights piece by TK Arun, (Arun T. K., 2026), Mountains are potential mines! This cogent statement seamlessly highlights an ideological threat that has the potential to manifest into an ecological one. As four states, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi share one of Earth’s oldest geological structures, they each uptake non-uniform definitions in defining the hills. Thus, allowing loopholes as sanctions for mining in the Aravallis.
Women constitute nearly half of the world's population, making their participation essential for achieving any meaningful development agenda. Yet women and girls continue to face barriers in education, healthcare, employment, political participation, financial inclusion and decision-making.