The panel discussion on IMPRI’s 6th Annual Series of Thematic Deliberations and Analysis of Budget 2025-2026 on Cities, Local Governance, and the Union Budget 2025-26. Organized by the Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies (CHURS) at the IMPR, Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi.
The budget doles out tax breaks to the middle class, and hopes that no one would notice that nothing much is being done to boost growth.
The rupee's sharp decline to ₹86.62 against the dollar in Jan 2025 raises concerns due to higher import costs and inflation but may not boost exports due to shifting from price-sensitive to income-sensitive items, amidst global economic challenges and potential geopolitical resolutions affecting the US dollar.
Those risk-averse and unsure how to deploy lump sum received during superannuation would be better off with UPS; others should stick with NPS
Almost a decade has passed since the Indian government announced the concept of “smart cities” as the new lighthouses of urbanisation. The June 2015 announcement of 100 smart cities aimed to create models of urban development. However, these lighthouses of urbanity have now been relegated to the annals of India’s urbanisation history.
The year 2025 has begun on a bad note for Chinese tech companies with the United States (US) designating social media and gaming giant, Tencent, and battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) as military companies. Tencent's interests span the spheres of finance, cloud computing, media, messaging, video-streaming, and movie production. Under American law, a list of entities that may be aiding and furthering the Communist Party of China's military-civil fusion strategy, which aims to leverage private firms in improving technologies that have defense applications, must be maintained.
The neo-liberal approach to public policy is fraught with many flaws, further highlighting the need to explore alternative perspectives offering bottom-up solutions that respect indigenous frameworks while critiquing neo-colonial institutions