Category Policy Update

MSME Development (Amendment) Act, 2026: Strengthening India’s MSME Ecosystem and Tackling Delayed Payments.

Policy Update, Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Economy and Infrastructure

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are a central component of India's productive economy, contributing significantly to output, manufacturing, exports and employment. They span a diverse range of enterprises across rural, semi-urban and urban areas and play an important role in generating livelihoods and integrating smaller firms into formal supply chains. According to the Economic Survey 2025–26, MSMEs account for 31.1% of GDP, 35.4% of manufacturing output and 48.58% of exports. As of August 2026, 9.16 crore enterprises were registered on the Udyam platform, employing more than 40 crore people across rural, semi-urban and urban India.

IMPRI Desk
October 3, 2026

Girl Child Promotion & Welfare Schemes: A State wise Analysis

Insights, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Gender Impact Studies Center, Gender, Pluralism and Social Inclusion, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being, Policy Update, Social Sector

India has introduced a wide range of schemes to support the education, safety, health and economic development of girls across different states and union territories. Despite significant progress in female education and social development, girls in India continue to face structural barriers linked to poverty, early marriage, school dropout, inadequate healthcare and limited economic opportunities. These challenges are not uniform across the country and often vary by state, region, caste, income and rural or urban location. Government schemes for girls have therefore evolved as targeted policy responses to address different dimensions of disadvantage, from educational access and financial support to health, protection and skill development. A state wise comparison is therefore important to assess whether differences in programme design, coverage and delivery are reflected in measurable outcomes such as school retention, delayed marriage, financial autonomy and gender related indicators.

IMPRI Desk
October 2, 2026

Ease of Living Index (2018): Assessing Urban Governance and Quality of Life in Indian Cities

Policy Update, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Center for ICT for Development, Economy and Infrastructure, Insights

The Ease of Living Index (EoLI) is a Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) assessment tool designed to help Indian cities evaluate themselves against global and national benchmarks and to encourage a shift toward outcome-based urban planning and management. MoHUA launched the first edition on August 13, 2018, describing it at the time as more than just a ranking exercise, an open and participatory assessment combining self-reported data with physical audits of urban metrics, intended to create a baseline for evidence-based urban policy debate (PIB, 2018).

IMPRI Desk
October 1, 2026

Sewa Mitra: Assessing the Uttar Pradesh’s Digital Response to Migrant Employment

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

The COVID-19 lockdown exposed a fundamental weakness in India's labour-market architecture: millions of workers possessed valuable skills and extensive work experience but remained largely invisible to formal systems of employment matching. Uttar Pradesh experienced this challenge at an exceptional scale.

IMPRI Desk
October 1, 2026

BRICS Tourism Cooperation under India’s 2026 Chairship: Priorities and the Jaipur Declaration, August 2026

Insights, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Economy and Infrastructure, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, International Relations and Strategic Studies, Policy Update

The BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting under India’s 2026 Chairship concluded on 21 August 2026 with the adoption of the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Communiqué 2026, known as the Jaipur Declaration, following Tourism Working Group meetings in May and August. Nine BRICS member states participated in the ministerial meeting, with four represented at the ministerial level and four by the Heads of Delegation, alongside India. The Declaration’s 15 clauses combine more specific areas of cooperation on travel facilitation, connectivity and digital technologies with broader commitments on artificial intelligence, sustainability, skilling, qualifications recognition and tourism exchanges (BRICS Tourism Ministers, 2026). The central challenge is implementation. Tourism is delivered largely through businesses, local communities and workers, while the Declaration relies substantially on voluntary cooperation, national priorities and available resources. The key task for India is therefore to convert the more concrete commitments into working arrangements while giving its broader priorities enough institutional structure to survive the transition to China's chairship in 2027.

IMPRI Desk
October 1, 2026

India–France Innovation Roadmap 2030 (2026): A Technology and Innovation Partnership

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

Diplomatic relations between India and France date to 1947, and the bilateral Strategic Partnership, India's first with a Western power, was established in 1998, anchored on non-interference in internal affairs, strategic autonomy, and independence from each other's military alliances. Recognising 25 years of that partnership in 2023, both countries adopted the Horizon 2047 Roadmap to guide bilateral cooperation

IMPRI Desk
October 1, 2026

India–New Zealand Strategic Partnership Roadmap 2030 (July 2026)

Policy Update, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Insights, International Relations and Strategic Studies, Policy Briefs

India and New Zealand's relationship has historically been steady but modest in scale, anchored in Commonwealth ties, a shared democratic outlook, and a small but growing Indian diaspora in New Zealand. Momentum began building visibly from 2024, when Foreign Ministers met on the sidelines of "Raisina Down Under" in Canberra to discuss Indo-Pacific priorities, followed by a bilateral Defence Cooperation MoU signed in early 2025 (High Commission of India, Wellington, 2026).

IMPRI Desk
October 1, 2026