Category Governance and Law

Goa Budget 2026–27: A Department-Wise Review

Insights, Agriculture, Food, Nutrition Security and Rural Development, Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Center for Work and Welfare, Economy and Infrastructure, Governance and Law, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being, Policy Update, Public Finances and Macroeconomics

Goa is India's smallest state by area, spread across roughly 3,700 sq. km along the western coast and divided into North Goa and South Goa districts (with a third district, Kushavati, recently notified in South Goa). Its economy has historically leaned heavily on tourism, mining and remittances, alongside a growing services and IT base, a structure that also leaves it exposed to global shocks, from oil-price swings to shifts in outbound travel demand.

IMPRI Desk
September 27, 2026

China’s Peaking Power: Strength Amidst Slowdown

Insights, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Governance and Law

China’s economy has always been described as one of the biggest, fastest-growing, and most influential forces racing for global dominance

IMPRI Desk
September 27, 2026

Consumer Protection (Direct Selling) Rules, 2021: Regulating India’s Multi-Level Marketing Industry

Policy Update, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Center for the Study for Finance and Economics, Governance and Law, Livelihoods, Employment and Well-being

India's direct selling sector, encompassing multi-level marketing (MLM) companies selling wellness, cosmetics, and household products through networks of independent sellers rather than fixed retail outlets, operated for decades without a binding statutory framework. The only regulatory reference point before 2021 was the Model Framework for Guidelines on Direct Selling, issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs on October 26, 2016, following consultations with the Ministry of Finance, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, and select states including Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala.

IMPRI Desk
September 27, 2026

Governing AI Responsibly : The Safe & Trusted AI Pillar (2024)

Policy Update, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Center for ICT for Development, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Governance and Law

As AI systems become embedded in healthcare, finance, education, and governance, the risks they carry algorithmic bias, deepfakes, privacy violations, and opaque decision-making grow alongside their benefits. The Safe & Trusted AI pillar was designed as the IndiaAI Mission's governance and risk-management layer, ensuring that the capabilities built through the other six pillars develop within an accountable, rights-respecting framework.

IMPRI Desk
September 21, 2026

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I-MESA: Can social audits improve accountability in welfare delivery?

Policy Update, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Governance and Law

Welfare schemes are designed to address social and economic vulnerabilities, but their effectiveness depends not only on the allocation of public resources but also on whether benefits and services reach the intended beneficiaries. The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) works primarily for socially, educationally and economically marginalised groups, including Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Senior Citizens, victims of substance abuse, Transgender Persons, persons engaged in begging, De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs), manual scavengers, sewer and septic tank workers, waste pickers, Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) (Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2026).

IMPRI Desk
September 20, 2026

WhatsApp Image 2026 09 16 at 11.27.46 PM

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) Schemes: Budget Allocation and Beneficiary Coverage 2026

Policy Update, Center for Human Dignity and Development, Center for Work and Welfare, Gender, Pluralism and Social Inclusion, Governance and Law

Social justice in India extends beyond income support to addressing the educational, economic and social disadvantages faced by historically marginalised and vulnerable communities. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) implements a wide range of schemes covering Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs), senior citizens, transgender persons, sanitation workers, persons affected by substance abuse and other disadvantaged groups. The Ministry's Annual Report 2025–26 lists major interventions across education, economic empowerment, skill development, rehabilitation, social protection and enforcement of protective legislation (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2026).

IMPRI Desk
September 16, 2026

Digital Development Compass 2026: Reading India’s Digital Governance

Policy Update, Center for ICT for Development, Centres, Economy and Infrastructure, Entrepreneurship, ICT and Innovation, Generation Alpha Data Centre, Governance and Law, Insights, Thematic Areas

1. Background: What Is the Digital Development Compass?

Governments across the world routinely describe themselves as pursuing 'digital transformation,' yet few possess a comparative, evidence-based way of establishing where they actually stand. The Digital Development Compass (DDC), developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was built to close this gap. Rather than functioning as one more competitive ranking, the Compass is designed as a diagnostic: a visualisation of a country's digital indicators, drawn entirely from publicly available datasets, that allows a government to identify its own strengths and weaknesses and locate itself within a five-stage digital maturity scale.

IMPRI Desk
September 14, 2026