Electoral Black Money in India   Elections are the foundation of representative democracy, but their credibility depends not merely on the right to vote but also on the freedom with which that right is exercised. The growing influence of unaccounted money in elections poses a serious challenge to this principle. Cash distribution, inducements, undisclosed political contributions and exc...

India’s Energy Transition   India’s power sector is undergoing a major structural transformation, with total installed power capacity reaching approximately 552 GW. The transition is driven by rapidly rising domestic energy demand as well as the need to reduce carbon intensity, strengthen energy security, and build a sustainable low-carbon economy. India is therefore pursuin...

From Access to Empowerment: The Evolution of Financial Inclusion in India   For decades, financial exclusion remained one of the major structural barriers to equitable economic development in India. Millions of low-income households, small farmers, informal workers, and rural communities remained outside the formal financial system. They depended heavily on cash-based savings, local mon...

  The Stakes in India’s Delimitation Debate Introduction: Delimitation as a Test of Indian Federalism India’s upcoming post-2026 delimitation exercise is likely to become one of the most consequential constitutional and political exercises in the country’s recent history. Delimitation refers to the process of fixing or redrawing the territorial boundaries of Lok...

India's R&D Ecosystem: Private Sector Surpasses Government in GERD (R&D Statistics 2025-26) Why in News? The Department of Science and Technology (DST) released the Research & Development Statistics 2025-26, showing that India's Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) reached ₹2.45 lakh crore (0.84% of GDP) during 2023-24. For the first time, private secto...

Core argument: A large foreign-exchange reserve is a shield, not a scorecard. The right question is not merely “How much does India have?” but “Why has India accumulated it, what liabilities stand behind it, how liquid is it, and how much external stress can it absorb?” India’s foreign-exchange reserves crossed the $700-billion mark in August 2026, reaching a...

India’s Care Economy   Introduction: The Imperative of a Structured Care Economy India stands at a critical juncture in its socio-economic evolution. As the nation targets the ambitious vision of becoming a developed country by 2047 (Viksit Bharat@2047), building a robust, regulated, and formal care ecosystem has emerged as a central strategic necessity. For decades, caregiving...

India Achieves Near-Universal Banking Coverage: A Milestone in India's Financial Inclusion Journey Introduction India has reached a historic milestone in its journey toward inclusive economic development by achieving near-universal banking coverage across the country. According to data available on the Jan Dhan Darshak (JDD) portal, 99.92% of India's inhabited villages (6,00,868 out...

Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 Introduction A robust civil registration system forms the backbone of an effective governance framework. Birth and death certificates are among the most important legal documents issued by the State, serving as the foundation for identity, citizenship, inheritance, social security, education, healthcare, and numerous other public s...

Facial Recognition Technology (FRT): Balancing Public Surveillance and Fundamental Rights Introduction Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) has emerged as one of the most transformative innovations in the fields of governance, policing, and public administration. Powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and computer vision, FRT enables authorities to identify or ver...