Category Insights

Insights, a blog published by IMPRI.

1000332096

Digitising Immigration Management for Secure and Seamless Mobility: The IVFRT Scheme (2010) at Fifteen Years

The Immigration, Visa, Foreigners' Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) programme was sanctioned by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 13 May 2010 as a Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan with budgetary provision of ₹1,011 crore and a project duration up to September 2014 (Prime Minister's Office [PMO], 2026). It aimed to establish a networked and comprehensive digitization process that connects Indian missions abroad and Immigration checkposts and Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs) and Foreigners Registration Offices (FROs) from visa application to departure (PMO, 2026).

impri pic

Quality Control Orders (QCOs) (2016): Assessing India’s Standards-Based Industrial Policy

Policy Update Divya Natarajan Background Quality Control Orders (QCOs) are mandatory technical regulations, issued by Central Government Line Ministries after consultation with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), that require specified products to comply with designated Indian Standards before they…

image1 2

Digital Development Compass 2026: Reading India’s Digital Governance 

1. Background: What Is the Digital Development Compass? 

Governments across the world routinely describe themselves as pursuing 'digital transformation,' yet few possess a comparative, evidence-based way of establishing where they actually stand. The Digital Development Compass (DDC), developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was built to close this gap. Rather than functioning as one more competitive ranking, the Compass is designed as a diagnostic: a visualisation of a country's digital indicators, drawn entirely from publicly available datasets, that allows a government to identify its own strengths and weaknesses and locate itself within a five-stage digital maturity scale.

WhatsApp Image 2026 09 13 at 8.14.40 PM

Coal Gasification Financial Incentive Scheme (CGFIS): Promoting Clean Energy and Self-Reliance

India faces a critical trilemma in its energy transition: balancing rapid decarbonization targets with soaring industrial power demand, grid reliability constraints, and a heavy economic reliance on conventional fossil fuels. While expanding renewables and reducing emissions are priorities, coal remains essential for industrial and energy needs. The key issue is how to use domestic coal resources more efficiently and strategically.

image 20

From Climate Plan to Climate Action: Assessing Kerala’s State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC 2.0) 2022

Kerala’s first State Action Plan on Climate Change came out in 2014, but by the time a decade had passed, it no longer felt like it matched the reality on the ground. The state had watched Cyclone Ockhi swirl in from the sea, endured the devastating floods of 2018 and 2019, grappled with Nipah outbreaks, and seen landslides become alarmingly routine in the Western Ghats. With monsoon patterns turning erratic and temperatures creeping up, the old plan simply could not keep up.

image 19

Diplomacy in the Making: BRICS Young Diplomats Forum, New Delhi, May 2026

In May 2026, the Ministry of External Affairs of India (MEA), through the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), hosted the BRICS Young Diplomats Forum (BYDF) in New Delhi. The forum took place between 18–23 May, bringing together sixteen mid-career diplomats from eight BRICS countries and Heads of Diplomatic Academies from nine BRICS countries (SSIFS, 2026). Convened under India's 2026 BRICS Chairship theme, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", formally unveiled by External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar on 13 January 2026 (Prasar Bharati News Services Division, 2026), the Forum combined experiential learning, simulation exercises, and institutional dialogue to prepare the next generation of BRICS diplomats ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit scheduled for New Delhi later in the year.

Talk to Us