Category Insights

Insights, a blog published by IMPRI.

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Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme: Can Fiscal Autonomy Strengthen Grassroots Democracy?

Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Agriculture, Food, Nutrition Security and Rural Development, Center for Work and Welfare, Policy Update, Public Finances and Macroeconomics

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment gave Panchayati Raj Institutions constitutional status and strengthened the framework for decentralised governance. However, effective local self-government also requires financial capacity. Article 243H of the Constitution enables State legislatures to authorise Panchayats to levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees, and to provide for the assignment of revenues and grants to them. Thus, the constitutional framework recognises fiscal capacity as an important component of effective local self-government. Continued dependence on government grants, however, can limit the ability of Panchayats to respond independently to local priorities.

IMPRI Desk
August 21, 2026

Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (2025): Strengthening India’s Startup Financing Ecosystem

Policy Update, Center for ICT for Development, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation

Startups in India face a range of finance related challenges which have an effect on their growth and sustainability. Financial constraints are one of the most important challenges in the growth path of startups. Getting enough funding is still a huge challenge, especially for early stage startups that do not have deep track records and collateral. Moreover, the financial stress on startups is combined with high operational costs, regulatory complexities, and macroeconomic uncertainties, which hinder their ability to expand and grow in a competitive environment.

IMPRI Desk
August 21, 2026

Navigating European Union Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (EU CBAM): Evaluating India’s Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme

Policy Update, Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

The global pharmaceutical sector for decades has been operating with a hyper-specialized and cost-driven business model. Under this approach, western pharmaceutical giants have used their capital to invest in high-margin research and development, patent acquisition and initial clinical design. Simultaneously, capital intensive, environmentally demanding, and low margin segments of manufacturing. Especially the synthesis of key starting materials (KSMs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), were successively exported to developing Asian economies with lower overhead costs and more flexible regulatory frameworks.

IMPRI Desk
August 21, 2026

India’s COP26 “Panchamrit” Climate Pledges (2021) – Progress Scorecard

Policy Update, Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

At COP26 in Glasgow on 1 November 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled five ambitious climate commitments for India, collectively known as Panchamrit, which translates to “five nectars” in Sanskrit. These pledges include: (i) 500GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030; (ii) meeting 50% of energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030; (iii) cutting projected cumulative carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes between then 2030; (iv) reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030; and (v) achieving net zero emissions by 2070.

IMPRI Desk
August 21, 2026

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Building a Healthier Rajasthan: The Economics of Health Assurance

Insights, Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Public Finances and Macroeconomics, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes

Manorama BakshiArjun Kumar India cannot claim first-world economic productivity while its citizens remain exposed to third-world, catastrophic medical bills. Healthcare shocks routinely force households to sell assets, take on debt and cut essential spending, trapping families in a cycle of…

IMPRI Desk and Arjun Kumar
August 21, 2026

Beyond the Health Card: Strengthening Health Assurance in Goa

Insights, Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Public Finances and Macroeconomics, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes

Manorama BakshiArjun Kumar Goa’s Health Assurance Question India’s health protection landscape has gradually moved from fragmented, state-specific insurance arrangements towards broader public assurance systems. Within this shift, Goa offers a distinctive model. The Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY) is…

IMPRI Desk and Arjun Kumar
August 21, 2026

IndiaAI Foundation Models and India's sovereign AI development

From Proposals to Products -Assessing the IndiaAI Foundation Models Pillar’s Sovereign LLM Progress (2024)

Policy Update, Science and Technology

The IndiaAI Mission is developing foundation models — large-scale AI systems trained on vast datasets that can be adapted to a wide range of downstream tasks. These include Large Language Models (LLMs) and other model types that are central to building AI capabilities tailored to India's languages, culture, and industries.

IMPRI Desk
August 20, 2026