Category Insights

Insights, a blog published by IMPRI.

UP’s Construction Worker Welfare System: Assessing Whether Labour Cess Reaches the Workers It Is Meant to Protect

Policy Update, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being

Uttar Pradesh’s construction sector is supported by a large workforce engaged in building homes, highways and public infrastructure. For workers employed on a daily wage, or through contractors, however, employment does not necessarily provide access to pensions, health insurance or reliable compensation following injury. The building and other construction workers (BOCW) framework was designed to address precisely this gap by financing worker welfare through a levy on construction activity.

IMPRI Desk
October 31, 2026

“31 October” — Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day): Marks the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Policy Update, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Economy and Infrastructure, Insights, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being, Society, Literature, Arts, Sports and Culture

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, also known as National Unity Day, is observed annually on October 31 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallahabhai Patel, a pivotal figure in India's struggle for independence, the Iron Man of India, and the architect of a united India, and to honour his pivotal role in fostering national and political integration and unity in India. The day underscores in maintaining the sovereignty, peace and integrity of the nation, encouraging citizens to pledge in unity in diversity.

IMPRI Desk
October 31, 2026

Manufacturing of Ammunition for the Indian Army by Indian Industry (2017): Advancing Defence Self Reliance

Policy Update, Insights

For most of independent India's history, ammunition manufacturing for the Army sat almost entirely with the Ordnance Factory Board. Private companies could make individual components, shells, fuzes, propellant, but the explosive filling process itself, the step that turns components into finished ammunition, was never licensed to a private player.

IMPRI Desk
October 30, 2026

Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Amendment Rules, 2025: Senior Level Accountability for Takedowns

Policy Update, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Center for ICT for Development, Center for Work and Welfare, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Governance and Law, Insights

The safe harbour framework for intermediaries in India flows from Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, operationalized by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Under Rule 3(1)(d), intermediaries had to disable access to unlawful content upon receiving actual knowledge through a court order or government notification. The phrase "Appropriate Government or its agency" was, however, not hierarchically defined, which in practice permitted officers as low as Inspector rank to issue takedown directions, leading to risks of arbitrary action, lack of transparency, and chilling effect on Article 19(1)(a), as cautioned in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India.

IMPRI Desk
October 30, 2026

DPDP (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2026: Clarifying Guardian Consent and Data Audit Obligations.

Policy Update, Center for ICT for Development, Public Finances and Macroeconomics

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 marked a paradigm shift in India's data governance regime, yet its implementation encountered procedural ambiguities, particularly concerning vulnerable data principals. The DPDP (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2026, issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under Section 60 of the Act, seeks to address these operational gaps.

IMPRI Desk
October 29, 2026

SEED Scheme (2022): Economic Empowerment and Social Inclusion of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities in India

Policy Update, Center for Work and Welfare, Centres, Gender, Pluralism and Social Inclusion, Insights, Thematic Areas

Denotified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic (DNT) communities in India have faced long standing social discrimination, poverty and exclusion from development opportunities. During British rule, the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 labelled several communities as criminal. Although the Act was repealed in 1952, many communities continued to face difficulties in accessing education, healthcare, housing and stable livelihoods. A major policy gap was the lack of targeted and coordinated support to address their specific needs. Existing welfare programmes did not always reach these communities effectively, particularly those who lacked secure housing, formal employment and access to essential services. To address these gaps, the Government of India launched the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) on 16 February 2022, with a budget of ₹200 crore for five years. The scheme provides support for free coaching, health insurance, livelihood activities and housing, with the aim of improving access to essential services, economic opportunities and social inclusion.

IMPRI Desk
October 29, 2026

Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS): 2023-2026

Policy Update, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Centres, Governance and Law, Insights, Thematic Areas

Article 39A of the Constitution directs the State to provide free legal aid, and the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 makes persons in custody eligible for it (Section 12). Articles 14 and 22(1) also make it obligatory for the State to ensure equality before law and a legal system which promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity to all. But for decades, criminal legal aid ran on the panel lawyer (assigned counsel) model. The older system relied on part-time panel lawyers paid per case (honoraria), District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) empanelled private advocates who took legal aid cases alongside their own practice.

IMPRI Desk
October 29, 2026