Category Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation

Inclusive MSME Growth: The Role of the National SC-ST Hub (2016)

Policy Update, Center for ICT for Development, Center for Work and Welfare, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Insights, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being, Social Sector, Special Initiatives

Launched by the Prime Minister in October 2016, the National SC-ST Hub (NSSH) was established to foster an ecosystem that supports SC/ST entrepreneurs in fulfilling the mandates of the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) Order, 2012. This policy stipulates that Central Ministries, Departments, and Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) must procure a minimum of 25% of their total annual requirements from MSEs, with a specific sub-target of 4% earmarked for SC/ST-owned enterprises.

IMPRI Desk
March 25, 2026

The Paradox of AI: Enhancing, Not Replacing, Natural Intelligence

Center for ICT for Development, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Center for Work and Welfare, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Gender, Pluralism and Social Inclusion, Generation Alpha Data Centre, Governance and Law, Insights, Journal Articles

T K Arun AI will enable new human activity not imagined hitherto, to realise that potential, education must train young minds to develop critical thinking and imagination Israel has bombed the 365 sq km of Gaza into death, devastation and…

IMPRI Desk and TK Arun
March 23, 2026

Rethinking Government Support for Data Centre

Science and Technology, Center for ICT for Development, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Center for Work and Welfare, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Generation Alpha Data Centre, Governance and Law, Insights, Public Finances and Macroeconomics, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes

T.K. Arun Data-centre tax holidays represent oodles of government cash to favoured Indian businesses for little public benefit The 21-year tax holiday doled out by the Union Budget to foreign firms that do data centre business in India should be rolled back,…

IMPRI Desk and TK Arun
March 23, 2026

When the Screen Feels Safe

Insights, Center for ICT for Development, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Science and Technology

A child sitting alone with a smartphone in hand often appears protected simply because they are at home. The room is familiar, family members guard their space, and nothing outwardly suggests danger. However, in today’s digital world, risk no longer requires physical proximity. It can enter quietly through a message notification, a gaming request, a social-media follow, or an online conversation that begins innocently.

IMPRI Desk
March 17, 2026

External Partnerships vs. Internal Divisions: A Sovereignty Paradox

Public Finances and Macroeconomics, Agriculture, Food, Nutrition Security and Rural Development, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Center for ICT for Development, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Insights, International Relations and Strategic Studies, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes

TK Arun Beyond concessions, deal improves market access, strengthens strategic signalling; it could catalyse India Inc’s adaptation to era of AI and machines that embody AI. It will come as a surprise only to the politically naïve that the India-US…

IMPRI Desk and TK Arun
March 16, 2026

Platform Accountability, Not Prohibition: Rethinking Social Media Regulation

Center for Human Dignity and Development, Center for ICT for Development, Center for Work and Welfare, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Gender Impact Studies Center, Gender, Pluralism and Social Inclusion, Generation Alpha Data Centre, Governance and Law, Insights, Public Policies, Programs and Schemes, Science and Technology

Protecting young users and democratic discourse requires platform accountability, not age bans that are hard to enforce and easy to evade. T.K. Arun The plans to ban social media access for young people are misguided. There is no disputing the harm that…

IMPRI Desk and TK Arun
March 16, 2026

Beyond the Data Centre Boom:Rethinking India’s AI Strategy

Insights, Center for ICT for Development, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation

Storing foreign data in India is neither necessary nor sufficient to develop Indian AI, and is guaranteed to create power shortages and spread Delhi-like air pollution across the country

IMPRI Desk and TK Arun
March 15, 2026