The Indian Ocean Region (IOR), consisting of landlocked countries as well as archipelagos, is an essential medium of international exchange. It facilitates 75% of global trade and 50% of daily oil consumption, generating 1 trillion US dollars (USD) in goods and services, with intra-Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) trade reaching USD 800 billion in 2023.
Background India introduced the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification (NAPCD) in 2001 after joining the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The plan was not just a policy decision, it was also a response to a reality that…
Despite the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act (PEMSR Act, 2013) legally banning the dehumanizing practice of manual scavenging in India, the crisis persists. Deadly accidents during sewer and septic tank cleaning tragically demonstrate the failure of implementation, showing that this decades-old scourge remains a fatal reality.
Taking this matter into consideration, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) in convergence with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme in July 2023. The scheme is to be implemented with an outlay of Rs. 349.70 crore, over the three-year period up to 2025-26, in all 4800+ Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of the country.
The Arctic region is emerging as a strategic arena for geopolitical competition among both Arctic and non-Arctic superpowers. It comprises the northernmost parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States, Canada, Greenland (Denmark’s autonomous territory), and Iceland. The once largely ice-covered Arctic ocean is melting due to the accelerating effects of climate change, thereby opening up new opportunities for energy exploration and potential transit routes which are significantly shorter than the traditional Suez canal route.
The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, was introduced by the Government of India to strengthen the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India, in order to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to food of sufficient quantity and quality to all beneficiaries. Before this Act, all households of India with a valid ration card received a fixed amount of commodities at a subsidised rate under the Targeted Public Distribution System.
Policy UpdateAtharva Salunke Background: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) is the principal body responsible for exploration and production, refining, distribution, import, and export of petroleum, natural gas, and allied products in India. Since oil and gas are…
India–Bhutan hydro-electric trade remains a high-value, mutually reinforcing partnership for energy security and development.Recent relations of bilateral trade operate through a mixed arrangement of long-term PPA (Power Purchase Agreements), and developer arrangements which is a State to State and increasing private participation - recently seen operations via electricity market access in India (Day-Ahead/Real Time markets).