Category Policy Update

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Reimagining Retirement Security: The Evolution of India’s National Pension Scheme Since 2004

Center for Work and Welfare, Governance and Law, Policy Update, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes

The National Pension System (NPS) was notified by the Ministry of Finance on 22 December 2003 and became effective from 1 January 2004. Originally introduced as the New Pension Scheme, it was designed as a new defined contribution system to replace the traditional defined benefit Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for new government recruits and represents a major shift in India’s approach to old-age income security.

IMPRI Desk
September 1, 2026

National Cyber Coordination Centre India and proactive cyber defence

National Cyber Coordination Centre: Evaluating India’s Approach to Proactive Cyber Defence

Science and Technology, Center for ICT for Development, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Policy Update

The modern international security context demands a reconsideration of the ideas and institutions that have traditionally governed statecraft and national security. Traditional security thinking focused primarily on state security, identifiable adversary states, military means, territorial defence, and deterrence.

IMPRI Desk
September 1, 2026

Himachal Pradesh Departments Schemes Update 2026

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

Himachal Pradesh attained full statehood on 25 January 1971. Its administrative system has evolved over time to encompass a wide range of functions, from long-established welfare, revenue and development responsibilities to newer areas such as digital governance, environmental management and climate change.

IMPRI Desk
August 31, 2026

RBI’s Gold Loan Directions (2025): Balancing Prudence and Rural Access

Policy Update, Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Public Finances and Macroeconomics

The gold loan segment has historically been one of India's fastest-growing forms of secured retail credit, valued for its speed of disbursal, minimal documentation, and accessibility to borrowers who lack formal credit histories, particularly in rural and semi-urban India. Until 2025, however, gold loan regulation was fragmented, banks, cooperative banks, and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) operated under separate, inconsistent guidelines, creating scope for regulatory arbitrage.

IMPRI Desk
August 31, 2026

E-Waste (Management) Rules (2022): Assessing India’s Extended Producer Responsibility Framework

Policy Update, Center for ICT for Development, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Science and Technology

India's approach to e-waste has shifted over time, from simply regulating disposal to making producers themselves responsible for what happens to their products after use. The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), built this Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, requiring producers to ensure collection and environmentally sound management of e-waste from their products. It covered 21 categories of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE).

IMPRI Desk
August 31, 2026

Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), 2024 : A Sustainable Urban Governance Model

Policy Update, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for Work and Welfare, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Social Sector

Historically, Hyderabad was known as “City of lakes”, it was built with a cascade of interconnected lakes (Golusu Katuu), and storm-water drains (nalas) around the Musi river to store and redistribute monsoon runoff across the Deccan plateau. Following the Musi river floods of 1908, prompted engineer M. Visvesvaraya designed an integrated flood-defense system featuring Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs, supported by thousands of catchment tanks (swarajya, 2016)

IMPRI Desk
August 31, 2026

PM-AJAY Digitalisation- can technology make welfare delivery more inclusive?

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

The Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) was introduced in 2021–22 by merging three Centrally Sponsored Schemes: the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY), Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCA to SCSP), and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana (BJRCY). The merger was intended to improve convergence and the utilisation of resources for the socio-economic development of Scheduled Caste communities.

IMPRI Desk
August 31, 2026