In an era of fast technological change, startups now play an important role in the growth of the Indian economy and job creation, innovation, and digital inclusion. The Indian startup ecosystem, however, has traditionally been marred by the lack of geographical inclusivity in terms of access to VC funding, mentorship, incubation spaces, technological resources, and network of businesses in big cities.
Maternal health remains an important indicator of a country’s healthcare accessibility, quality of medical services, and broader socioeconomic development
FASTag is India’s flagship electronic toll collection system, introduced in 2016 to enable seamless, contactless payment of user fees at toll plazas using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. It was launched by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, with the objective of reducing congestion, improving transparency in toll collection, and enabling smoother highway mobility.
BharatNet is India’s flagship rural broadband infrastructure programme, implemented by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, through Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL). It was originally launched as the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) in October 2011 and later renamed BharatNet. Its core objective is to provide affordable, non-discriminatory broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country, thereby strengthening last-mile digital connectivity for rural citizens, government services, and local businesses.
The Amma Two Wheeler Scheme was introduced to support working women who faced difficulties travelling to their workplaces or conducting livelihood-related activities. The original scheme guidelines envisaged assistance for one lakh working women annually, covering both rural and urban areas of Tamil Nadu (Government of Tamil Nadu, 2018). The initiative recognised that women’s economic participation depends not only on the availability of employment but also on their ability to reach workplaces safely, conveniently and affordably.
Malnutrition remains one of India’s most persistent public health challenges. Despite decades of welfare provisioning through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), national surveys show only modest improvements in key child nutrition indicators. NFHS-5 or National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–21) recorded stunting at 35.5%, wasting at 19.3%, and underweight at 32.1% among children under five, with many states showing stagnation or even deterioration compared to NFHS-4 (2015–16).
West Bengal introduced the Karma Sathi Prakalpa in September 2020 to address the problem of youth unemployment and limited access to finance for starting small businesses. Although the state had existing self employment schemes, many young people continued to face difficulties in obtaining affordable bank loans and turning their skills and ideas into sustainable livelihoods. Recognising this gap, the government introduced the scheme to support unemployed youth in both rural and urban areas. It aimed to provide soft loans and subsidies of up to ₹2 lakh for new business ventures in manufacturing, services and trading. The main objective was to encourage entrepreneurship, promote self reliance and create further employment opportunities