Insights, a blog published by IMPRI.
Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched Mission Samriddh Gaon at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, on Tuesday, 25 August 2026 (Press Trust of India, 2026). The Mission aims to develop poverty-free, employment-rich villages with assured basic amenities, so that no family has to migrate out of compulsion (Chouhan, 2026; Drishti IAS, 2026a).
The empowerment of persons with disabilities (PwDs) is viewed as a central concern of India's welfare policies, but it gained sharper focus after the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The Convention was adopted on 13 December 2006 and entered into force on 3 May 2008. India signed it on 30 March 2007 and ratified it on 1 October 2007, committing to inclusive development and the protection of disability rights. This global framework influenced the enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, which expanded the recognised categories of disability from 7 to 21, thereby broadening the scope of state responsibility. The Act provides the domestic legal framework for implementing India's commitments under the UNCRPD. Within this framework, the National Trust launched the SAMARTH Scheme in 2015–16 under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to address the need for residential and respite care.
On 11 November every year, India observes National Education Day to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888–1958). He was a scholar, journalist, freedom fighter and independent India's first Union Minister of Education.
The day is a reminder that free India's education system did not grow by chance. Much of it was planned by one man in the first eleven years after independence. With about 65% of Indians now under 35 years of age (Press Information Bureau [PIB], 2026), his central idea, that education is a birthright and the base of citizenship, is still the test for every education policy, including NEP 2020.
Justice is often understood in terms of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the remedies provided under the law. However, the formal recognition of legal rights does not necessarily ensure that individuals can effectively exercise them. For someone either unfamiliar with the legal procedure or unable to afford a lawyer or geographically distant from a court; the mere availability of justice doesn't fully translate to accessibility. This gap between possessing rights and being able to enforce them makes access to justice a fundamental concern of democratic governance.
The Union Budget 2024-25 committed the government to develop a taxonomy for climate finance “for enhancing the availability of capital for climate adaptation and mitigation” (Department of Economic Affairs [DEA], 2025, para. 1.4). A taxonomy is a classification list. It says which activities, projects and measures count as climate-aligned, so that lenders, investors and regulators work from one definition instead of their own.
Digital public infrastructure is referred to a collection of common digital systems that must be secure and compatible, and can be developed on open standards and specifications to provide and ensure fair access to public or private services on a societal level and are managed by proper legal structures to promote growth, inclusivity, creativity, while honouring human rights and liberties.
The healthcare ecosystem in India has long been characterized by a dual reliance on modern allopathic medicine and traditional Indian systems of medicine, collectively known as AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy). While mainstream healthcare rapidly digitized using global electronic health standards, the AYUSH sector remained highly fragmented, relying on paper-based records, isolated institutional repositories, and uncoordinated supply chains.