What Can (Realistically) Help the Indian Economy Now?
Earlier this month, the Union finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, stated that India’s domestic economic situation remains positive and resilient even today.
Category Thematic Areas
Who really needs to make the sacrifices?
Speaking to members of the Indian diaspora at The Hague in mid-May, Prime Minister Modi said the war in West Asia can overturn the gains of the Indian economy in the past decade.
Modi Rule vs Nehru’s Era: Comparing the Incomparable
Mr. Modi entered tenth year of his rule over India as PM on May 26. Nehru passed away 59 years back as PM on May 27.
International Day of Cooperatives 2026: Cooperatives as Engines of Economic Democracy
As economies become increasingly characterised by widening wealth disparities, market concentration, and the growing dominance of large corporations, the search for more equitable and participatory models of development has acquired renewed urgency.
The Nightmare of 2014: ISIS’s Self-Proclaimed Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria
Policy Update Vinita Sharma Background The aim of this paper is to discuss the declaration in June 2014 of the establishment of an “Islamic Caliphate” by the Islamic State (ISIS) in parts of Iraq and Syria during the Syrian…
The Geopolitics of Rare Earths: Strengthening India-U.S.A. Cooperation
China’s growing dominance in the rare earth sector has heightened tensions in the global supply chain security of the world. The constant dependency on China for rare earths is raising critical vulnerabilities regarding market monopolization. To break this constant cycle of dependency, the U.S.A. has brought the Pax Silica initiative, which would dismantle this dependency while, at the same time, it will also achieve the U.S.A.’s core goals of AI and supply chain security, along with advancing new economic security through agreements between the allies and trusted partners. Till now, 14 countries have been signatories of this Pax Silica initiative, and India has become one of them after signing it on 20 Feb 2026 during the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. The Pax Silica is strengthening the engagement of India and the U.S.A. in the fields of critical technologies and supply chain resilience. However, securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths is also necessary for producing critical technologies and building technologies necessary for the AI era.
Annapurna Yojana in West Bengal: Income Support and the Changing Nature of Welfare
West Bengal has a long tradition of state-sponsored welfare programmes aimed at alleviating poverty and reducing socio-economic inequality. In 2021, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee introduced the Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme, a monthly cash transfer programme targeting women from economically weaker households. The scheme quickly became a flagship welfare initiative, enrolling approximately 2.21 crore (22.1 million) women across West Bengal before being replaced by the Annapurna Bhandar scheme in mid-2026. (West Bengal Government)