Social Issues
Education, health, poverty, gender and welfare schemes
Madhya Pradesh govt. reconstitutes Waqf Board under new law, inclusion of Hindu members draws criticism
Madhya Pradesh reconstituted its State Waqf Board under the provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, becoming the first state to do so. The newly consti...
31,789 illegal immigrants deported from Assam in 40 years: CM
The state government informed the Assam Legislative Assembly that 31,789 illegal immigrants have been deported from Assam over the past 40 years. Cases again...
Chief Minister Joseph Vijay writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing proposed amendment to Food Security Act
Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister wrote to the Prime Minister urging the withdrawal of a proposed amendment to the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, that wo...
Form used in rehearsal for second phase of Census has an ‘open column’ to record caste
The second phase of the Census 2027 rehearsal exercise used a form with an "open column" approach to record caste — meaning enumerators write down caste name...
CAA rollout to be fast-tracked, says Amit Shah in Kolkata
The implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 continues to be pursued as an ongoing policy priority, with authorities reiterating the inten...
Women-targeted unconditional cash transfer schemes beat expectations: EAC-PM paper
A working paper released under the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) evaluated two state-level unconditional cash transfer (UCT) schem...
Why isn’t one antivenom enough for India? | Explained
India has relied for decades on a single polyvalent antivenom formulated against the venoms of four snake species — Indian cobra, common krait, Russell's vip...
In a first, Hindu members included in Madhya Pradesh Wakf board after law amendment
The Madhya Pradesh government reconstituted its 10-member State Waqf Board following the enactment of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. A new chairman was appo...
Suvendu Adhikari announces Rs 313 crore Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana for West Bengal tea workers
The West Bengal government announced the Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana (PMCSPY), a Rs 313.30 crore welfare scheme targeting tea garden workers ...
LokOS: A Digital Backbone for Rural Livelihoods
LokOS (Lok = People; OS = Operating System) is a web and mobile digital platform developed under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods ...
Maharashtra government starts deliberations on Uniform Civil Code, announcement of committee on UCC likely next week
The Maharashtra government has initiated internal deliberations on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and is expected to announce the formation of a state-level ex...
Inside India’s language conundrum
India's management of its vast linguistic diversity has come under renewed scrutiny, with debates centring on the three-language formula embedded in the Nati...
Maharashtra's Uniform Civil Code: Committee to draft legislation in two weeks
The Maharashtra government announced its intention to constitute an expert committee — to be headed by a retired High Court judge — within two weeks, tasked ...
As governments and institutions search for solutions to biodiversity loss and climate change, Odisha’s Niyamgiri Hills offer an important lesson
International and domestic policy forums searching for scalable solutions to biodiversity loss and climate change are increasingly citing the Niyamgiri Hills...
From WHO to GLP‑1: The week’s biggest health debates & India’s malaria challenge
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its first global guideline on the use of GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines for the long-term treatment of obesity i...
Labour Min makes EPF contributions beyond Rs 1,800 voluntary
Effective June 29, 2026, the Ministry of Labour and Employment notified the Employees' Provident Funds (EPF) Scheme, 2026, replacing the six-decade-old EPF S...
Cabinet approves reduction in broken grain content in PDS rice to 10% from 25%
The Union Cabinet approved a reduction in the permissible broken grain content in rice distributed under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)...
West Bengal Cabinet approves panel to examine draft Uniform Civil Code Bill
The West Bengal cabinet approved the constitution of a committee to examine a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, with the panel headed by retired Supreme C...
Labour Ministry makes EPF contributions beyond ₹1,800 voluntary
The Labour and Employment Ministry notified the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 2026, which came into effect on June 29, 2026. Under the new framework, ma...
West Bengal Cabinet clears panel to examine UCC Bill
The West Bengal Cabinet approved the formation of a committee to examine a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill for the state. The panel is chaired by retired...