IMPRI INSIGHTS

Policy UpdatePrisha SachdevaBackgroundFASTag is India’s flagship electronic toll collection system, introduced in 2016 to enable seamless, contactless payment of user fees at toll plazas using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. It was launched by the National Highways Authority of...

Policy UpdatePrisha SachdevaBackgroundBharatNet is India’s flagship rural broadband infrastructure programme, implemented by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, through Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL). It was originally launched as the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) in October...

Policy UpdateManisha KumariBackground The Amma Two Wheeler Scheme was introduced to support working women who faced difficulties travelling to their workplaces or conducting livelihood-related activities. The original scheme guidelines envisaged assistance for one lakh working women annually, covering both rural...

Policy UpdateSamiksha MuskanBackgroundMalnutrition remains one of India’s most persistent public health challenges. Despite decades of welfare provisioning through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), national surveys show only modest improvements in key child nutrition indicators. NFHS-5 or National Family...

Policy UpdateDebjani ChatterjeeBackgroundWest Bengal introduced the Karma Sathi Prakalpa in September 2020 to address the problem of youth unemployment and limited access to finance for starting small businesses. Although the state had existing self employment schemes, many young people...

Policy Update Debjani ChatterjeeBackgroundThalassemia is a major public health concern in India, which accounts for approximately 25% of the global β thalassemia burden (Sharma et al., 2023). Controlling this burden requires awareness programmes, prenatal screening, genetic counselling and accessible...

Policy Update Anamika P KBACKGROUNDIndia–Japan relations have progressively diversified across several areas, including trade, investment, strategic engagement, science and technology, education, and people-to-people exchanges. The India–Japan Vision Statement, adopted on 29 October 2018, underscored the potential to leverage India’s...

Policy UpdateKaustav MajumdarBackgroundThe pervasive backlog within India’s judicial machinery has long hindered the prompt delivery of justice, most acutely in cases involving sexual violence and crimes against children. Following nationwide public outrage and landmark legislative reforms enacted in the...

Policy UpdateArjya Shree PandeBackgroundThe Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 (Act No. 47 of 2021) was enacted by the Parliament of India to regulate the practice and process of surrogacy. It received the assent of the President on 25 December...

Policy UpdateNinchen TamangBackgroundIndia’s 2022 amendment to the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Act strengthened the legal framework for preventing the financing of activities involving weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. It introduced an express prohibition on such...