Category Research

Free Coaching for SCs, OBCs, and beneficiaries of the PM CARES Children Scheme

Insights, Center for Work and Welfare, Gender Impact Studies Center, In News, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being, Panel Discussion, Policy Update, Programs, Projects, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes, Social Sector, South Asia Studies Center

The Free Coaching for SCs, OBCs, and beneficiaries of the PM CARES Children Scheme is an initiative taken by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India. The scheme aims to provide high-quality coaching to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and beneficiaries of the PM CARES Children scheme, who were included from 2024-25. These groups often face systemic inequalities and exclusion that hinder their access to educational resources.

IMPRI Desk
August 11, 2025

SOAR: Skilling for AI Readiness

Insights, Center for ICT for Development, IMPRI Research, In News, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being, Panel Discussion, Policy Briefs, Policy Update, Programs, Projects, Science and Technology, South Asia Studies Center

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly increasing in the everyday life of humans. As the global demand for AI-related skills is rising, SOAR aims to create a future-ready generation equipped with technical knowledge and ethical and societal understanding required to navigate AI-driven transformation. This programme is part of a larger mission under Skill India, celebrating its 10th anniversary alongside the launch. The world is witnessing the revolution led by technological advancement, machine learning, AI, data analytics and automation. Unfortunately, Access to AI education in India has remained limited to higher education and elite institutions. The SOAR Programme breaks the barrier by introducing these subjects to classes of 6 to 12, including less resourceful schools, and by ensuring teachers are trained to deliver the subject. It aspires to build the largest AI-ready school population in the world, as declared by the Union Minister, Jayant Chaudhary.

IMPRI Desk
August 11, 2025

The New Oil: Critical and Rare Earth Minerals, their Emerging Geopolitics and India’s Strategic Crossroads

Insights, Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Policy Update, Research

Critical minerals, from lithium and cobalt to rare earth elements, have become linchpins of the modern economy. They are the new oil of the twenty-first century for electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar panels, wind turbines, and advanced batteries and are critical for not only clean energy but also medical, defence, and aerospace. Critical minerals are also crucial for developing the digital and the green economy. But what are critical minerals exactly?

IMPRI Desk
August 10, 2025

Digitizing Informality: A Policy Update on the e-Shram Portal, 2021

Insights, Center for ICT for Development, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, In News, Panel Discussion, Policy Briefs, Policy Update, Research

According to the ILO (2020), around 90 percent of India’s workforce is engaged in the unorganized sector, which absorbs most of the internal migrants.
The 2011 Census enumerated 450 million internal migrants, and this is estimated to increase to 600 million by 2021. Therefore, creating a comprehensive, accurate, and accessible database was the need of the hour. In May 2021, the Supreme Court directed the Union government to build a national database of unorganized workers.

IMPRI Desk
August 10, 2025

Fostering Inclusivity in Communication Technology: Knowledge and Resource Centre for Accessibility in ICT (KAI), 2022

Insights, Center for ICT for Development, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, IMPRI Research, Policy Update, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched the KAI project, led by C-DAC Pune, to develop national ICT accessibility standards and make digital technology more inclusive for persons with disabilities in India.

IMPRI Desk
August 9, 2025

Technology Development for Indian Languages (TDIL), 1991

Insights, IMPRI Research, Policy Briefs, Policy Update, Research

ndia is a multilingual country, with 22 official languages and 12 scripts. In India only about 5% - 10% people know English and the rest are deprived of the benefits of advances in information technology. The benefits of information technology can reach the common man only when software tools and human machine interfaces are available in people's own languages. Technology Development for Indian Languages (TDIL) Programme of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology , Government of India is an on-going Research Programme with the following Mission statement:

IMPRI Desk
August 9, 2025

Rethinking Groundwater Management in India: A Policy Update on Atal Bhujal Yojana, 2020

Insights, Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for Work and Welfare, Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Governance and Law, IMPRI Research, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being, Policy Briefs, Policy Update, Programs, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes, Social Sector

Groundwater is a significant source of freshwater and is crucial for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes. However, unchecked extraction, overexploitation, and contamination pose serious threats to its sustainability

IMPRI Desk
August 6, 2025