Rail transport has traditionally been a more cost-efficient mode of freight transportation than road. But in India, it has remained a problem due to the coexistence of freight and passenger services on the same rail routes, and this has constrained the efficiency and capacity of freight movement.
The Smart City Mission (SCM) was initiated by the Government of India in 2015 as a transformative urban renewal programme to develop 100 cities across the country into inclusive, sustainable, and technologically advanced hubs. The mission’s core objective is to provide citizens with high-quality core infrastructure, a clean environment, and "smart" solutions that optimize urban functions, such as data-driven resource management and enhanced service delivery.
Recently the Supreme Court of India has recognized the Right to Walk on Footpaths as a Fundamental Right under Part III Article (19)(1)(d) along with Article 21 of the Constitution. The decision was delivered by a division bench composed of Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice A.S. Chandurkar. The apex court has urged the government to introduce a new law that declares this right. This ruling is considered a landmark judgement in India's existing urban policy space as it placed the pedestrian rights above the motorised vehicular traffic.
India's urban population is expected to reach nearly 600 million by 2030, accounting for about 40% of the country's total population (Observer Research Foundation [ORF], 2025; OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation [OECD-OPSI], 2024). This rapid growth is putting pressure on the municipal governance system originally designed for much smaller cities. Most of India's 4,800+ statutory towns and cities continue to depend on paper records or fragmented digital systems, with meaningful e-governance progress confined to a small number of well-funded cities (OECD-OPSI, 2024).
India’s traditional industries have often been viewed not only as a form of economic activity but also as a symbol of craftsmanship and cultural heritage, providing millions of artisans with livelihoods and financial support across rural and urban areas. However, the rapid rise of modern industrialization, evolving consumer preferences, and scattered production systems have diluted the competitive value of these sectors. To address structural issues, the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) introduced the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) as a cluster development program, which aims to strengthen traditional industries and create livelihood opportunities for artisans and people working in the informal sector.
The YUVA Tourism CLUBS initiative was started by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in 2022 as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Access to higher education in India has long been constrained less by aspiration than by affordability. West Bengal, despite a relatively strong base in school-level enrolment, has historically trailed the national average in higher education participation. It was against this backdrop that the state government launched the West Bengal Student Credit Card (WBSCC) Scheme on 30 June 2021, under a Gazette Notification issued by the Higher Education Department, positioning it as a flagship intervention to remove the financial barrier standing between capable students and tertiary education.