Research and Analysis

We bring informative research content on hot topics of local, national and global interest

Analysis of The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023

The Constitution defines Scheduled Tribes under Article 366 (25) as tribes or tribal communities deemed to be Scheduled Tribes under Article 342. Article 342 empowers the President, after consultation with the Governor, to specify tribes or tribal communities as Scheduled Tribes through public notification for a particular State or Union territory. Parliament, through law, can include or exclude tribes from this list.1 The initial list of Scheduled Tribes was notified in 1950 and has been modified over time.

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Analysis of The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023

Scheduled Castes are defined in Article 366(24) of the Constitution as those castes, races, tribes, or groups deemed under Article 341 to be Scheduled Castes (SC). Article 341 empowers the President, in consultation with the Governor, to specify through public notification the castes, races, tribes, or groups considered Scheduled Castes for a particular State or Union territory. Additionally, Parliament has the authority to include or exclude any caste, race, tribe, or group from the Scheduled Castes list through legislation, but once specified in a notification, it cannot be altered by subsequent notifications.1

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Background Note on The Boilers Bill ,2023

Boiler is an essential tool for a number of industries including power plants, textile, feed, auto rice mills, government factories, sugar and the pharmaceutical industry. The Indian Boilers Act 1923 is scheduled to be re-enacted in the ongoing Winter Session 2023 as The Boilers Bill 2023. The former served as one of the crucial legislations in India focusing on the safety aspects of steam boilers used in various industrial settings. It was enacted in 1923 with a primary objective to ensure the safety of personnel working with steam boilers and to prevent accidents that may result from using boilers.

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Background Note on The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023

The population of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi has been growing phenomenally over the years, including through migration. According to the 2011 Census, Delhi’s population stood at 11 million, while that of the NCT stood at 16.8 million; as per the Delhi Government’s Economic Survey (2022-2023), the population of Delhi now stands at 20.7 million (2021)2 . Further, migration added 2.83 Lakh people to Delhi’s population in 2021, which is more than double the number of residents contributed by births (with deaths accounted for)3.

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The Central University (Amendment) Bill, 2023

The Government has proposed an amendment to the Central Universities Act of 2009. This new Bill titled, The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023, proposes the establishment of the Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University in Mulugu District, Telangana. This initiative is also in alignment with the provisions outlined in the Thirteenth Schedule of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014.1

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Planning for Net Zero: Business Diversification Strategies for Fossil Fuel Companies

Executive Summary – Riddhi Kankaria and Sandeep Pai Nearly 1,000 companies including major fossil fuel producers around the world have pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Achieving these targets would require companies to diversify their businesses rapidly. Historically, many companies have diversified by venturing into related sectors or expanding into completely new sectors. In […]

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Need for a Global Consortium on Just Transitions

To keep global warming well below 2°C the world needs to decrease the production and use of coal rapidly. The technical barrier to moving to renewables has never been so small because of the falling costs of wind and solar power. But for the world’s top coal countries, significant challenges remain. From West Virginia, United States, to Chhattisgarh, India, coal production provides millions of jobs, anchors local economies, pays worker pensions, and contributes to society through taxes or directly paying social services. Even though coal production and consumption can have harmful air and water impacts, the benefits felt in coal communities are critical. For coal-dependent regions, a global energy transition will have outsized costs.

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The National Cooperative University Bill, 2023

A cooperative university is an educational institution that operates under the principles of cooperation and collective ownership. The efforts are being made for the establishment of a Cooperative University to firmly deepen the foundations of the cooperative movement in the country.The Union Ministry of Cooperation is planning to set up the world’s largest university for the cooperative sector that will award 9,600 degrees, 16,000 diplomas and 800,000 certificates annually by 2026-27. The plan is to award degrees for managerial positions, diplomas for supervisory jobs and certificates for operational-level positions. The proposal involves setting up sector-specific schools for dairy, fishery, rural credit and cooperative credit among others at an investment of around ₹750 crore over a three-year period.

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The Drugs, Medical Devices, and Cosmetics Bill, 2023

India's pharmaceutical industry, valued at $41 billion, stands as one of the largest in the world. Over the years, it has played a crucial role in offering cost-effective alternatives to Western products, particularly benefiting impoverished and developing countries.1 The recent deaths of at least 66 children in the Gambia, attributed to cough syrups produced by Haryana-based Pharmaceuticals, have brought attention to the deficiencies in India's drug regulatory system.

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The Mediation Bill, 2021

Mediation is a process whereby a third party facilitates the settlement of a dispute between two parties or groups and helps them come to an agreement. With reforms in the Judicial system of India, mediation has come to play an active role in addressing the long delays in the resolution of disputes. It has long been seen as an effective alternative dispute resolution mechanism due to the consensual nature of the process. Subsequently, Mediation Centers were established in court complexes across India to provide an option to the parties to amicably settle their disputes, wherever possible.

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The Dental Commission Bill, 2023

The National Dental Commission Bill of 2023 aims to update the Dentists Act of 1948, taking into account the advancements made in dental education since that time. The aim of the new legislation is to improve and revitalise the field of dentistry by repealing the Dentists Act of 1948 and dissolving the Dental Council of India. The Act of 1948 was an overarching legislative framework governing dental education, profession, and ethical conduct in the country. Its primary points included allowing the government authorities to approve the creation of dental colleges, broadening the scope of higher education in this field, and increasing the number of students who could enrol.

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The Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023

With a 7,517-kilometer coastline and a special marine position, India has enormous resources that can be exploited, including crust, heavy minerals, lime mud, polymetallic nodules, and natural gas and crude oil along its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that covers more than two million square kilometers. In order to develop and regulate mineral resources on specific marine territories, Parliament passed the "Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulations) Bill'' in 2002 (OAMDR).

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The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022

In the context of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recognizing the need for decriminalization of minor, technical, and procedural defaults, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022, was introduced as a result of a draft cabinet note by the department. This Bill aims to amend 183 provisions across 42 Acts administered by 19 Ministries/Departments.

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The National Research Foundation Bill, 2023

India has come a long way from being a purchaser and importer of science and technology to investing in devising its own. The country has a pool of skilled manpower with scientific vigor and caliber. However, the higher educational institutions (HEIs) in India lack orientation for research. The Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council reports that only less than 1% of higher education institutions (HEIs) indulge in research. Even among those 1 % of HEIs that are responsible for the majority of scientific innovation, various factors hinder the conduct of high-quality research. 1

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The Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023

The exploration and mining of minerals in India have long been hindered by a complex process requiring multiple permits and licenses. To address this issue and promote ease of doing business in the mining sector, the Indian government has proposed amendments in 2015, 2016, 2020, and 2021 to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act. However, more reforms are needed to increase exploration and mining of critical minerals essential for India's economic development and national security.

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The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023

The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, of 1969 was enacted to regulate the registration of births and deaths. Under the RBD Act, it is the responsibility of the states to set up facilities for registering births and deaths and maintain records of the same. A Chief Registrar shall be appointed in every state as the executive authority for the implementation of the Act and the Registrar General of India appointed under this Act shall be responsible for coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the RBD Act1 .

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The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023

The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC) Bill, 2023 was first proposed by the Government of India in November 2020 and is getting introduced by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in the Parliament during this Monsoon Session. The Bill proposes to remove the currently governing Indian Nursing Council (INC) Act, 1947, and replace it with a National Nursing and Midwifery Commission. The INC Act currently is responsible for ensuring the educational standards, minimum entrance requirements, and prescribing curriculum for nursing courses.

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The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill, 2023

The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act) aims at the protection and preservation of archaeological and historical monuments and sites. It also provides for the regulation of archaeological excavations and for protection of sculptures, carvings and other such objects.1 The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) functions under the provisions of this Act.

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The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), an estimated 137 out of 194 countries have established legislation to secure the protection of data and privacy of its citizens. The current statistics show that 61% of African countries (33 countries out of 54) and 57% of Asian countries (34 countries out of 60) have data protection laws, while only 48% of Least Developed Countries (22 out of 46) have data protection and privacy laws.1

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The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023

The Central Government notified the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 in May to implement provisions for exercising its administrative powers in the UT of NCT of Delhi. This Ordinance will now be introduced, and considered during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, as the ‘Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023’.

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The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023

India is a nation known for its diverse ecosystems and abundant forest areas. The need for strong legislation to address the challenges of forest conservation while ensuring sustainable management and protection of its forests has long been in demand. The newly introduced Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill of 2023 in Parliament promotes the integration of forest conservation and development and safeguards the land from encroachment by various factors. It was initially presented in the Lok Sabha on March 29, 2023, and subsequently referred to a Joint Committee of the Houses. The committee was instructed to submit its report by the end of the first week of the Monsoon Session of 2023. The Bill will be considered for passing in the Lok Sabha after the Joint Committee's report is presented during the Monsoon Session 2023

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The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022

Article 245 of the Indian Constitution grants the Parliament the authority to enact laws and, at the same time, provides the legislative body with the power to revoke or abolish those laws.1 A Repealing and Amending Bill is a type of law that aims to remove outdated laws and make changes to specific parts of existing laws. This bill is designed to modernize the legal system, get rid of old rules, and adjust current regulations to meet the needs of society and changing times. The contents and terms of each Repealing and Amending Bill can differ based on the area and time period being considered.

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The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022

The Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, of 2002, which governs cooperatives that serve the interests of members in more than one state, is being amended by this bill. This comprises the 21 national cooperative societies mentioned in the Bill, as well as federal cooperative societies whose membership is restricted to cooperative societies or multi-state cooperative societies.

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The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2022

The 1992 Rio Summit (or United Nations Conference on Environment and Development), to which India is a signatory, made it obligatory to ensure legal compliance with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that aims at conservation, sustainable use, and equitable sharing of biological resources. Subsequently, India enacted the Biological Diversity Act in 2002 to establish necessary statutory and administrative mechanisms at the national level to realize the above objectives. The primary objectives of the 2002 Act comprise safeguarding biological diversity along with traditional knowledge, promoting sustainable use of biodiversity, and ensuring equal distribution of benefits deriving from biological diversity.

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Uttar Pradesh Part II: government schemes & socioeconomic status

This is the second and final entry in Swaniti’s examination of the current socio-economic and government service delivery context in Uttar Pradesh. The previous paper developed an understanding of the state’s recent economic trajectory, including employment, as well as other key social development indicators and disparities between districts and for marginalized communities.

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Union Budget 2023-24

The budget for 2023-24 is the last full-fledged budget of the current government. Presenting its overall fifth and first Amrit Kal budget, the Hon’ble Finance Minister forecasted 7 percent growth citing India as a bright spot in today’s world amidst all the global challenges thrown on us by the pandemic and the war.

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Uttar Pradesh Part I : government schemes and socio-economic status of the state

This is the first entry in Swaniti’s two-part series on the socio-economic landscape of Uttar Pradesh, the government schemes being implemented to address key issues across the state, where gaps in service delivery exist and how they may be filled going forward. In this paper, we seek to develop an understanding of the socio-economic situation in the state, providing the foundation for a further examination of government schemes and service delivery gaps.

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Green Jobs and Sustainability Paper – III

This is the final installment of Swaniti’s series on green jobs in South Asia. Previously, we have sought to define green jobs, examine the potential and risks they bring to workers and economies at large, and understand how government policies can affect the creation of decent green jobs. This installment provides a bring overview of the current situations around green jobs in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. In India, one case study looking at new rules implemented for the collection and recycling of e-waste provides an example of how initiatives can promote environmental protection, jobs, and growth in a circular economy by regulating processes designed to curb a growing issue. At the same time, it also provides an example of the need for government rules and policies to ensure marginalize peoples and informal workers at risk of losing their livelihoods are explicitly included in these transitions.

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Indian Telecommunications Bill, 2022

A draft of the Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022 was released for public comment by the Ministry of Communications late last month. The new bill seeks to replace the existing regulatory framework – the Telegraph Act, 1885, the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950 – and provide a framework for regulating all aspects of the telecom industry, including service provision, networks, infrastructure, and spectrum, which is defined in the bill as as the range of frequencies of radio waves. In short, this is a broad overhaul and modernisation of India’s telecom regulations to include new technology and communication platforms.

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The Emerging Carbon Market in India

Climate change can be seen as a market failure for a number of reasons, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a critical part not only of slowing and mitigating climate change but of correcting its market failures. The use of carbon financing – a funding tool to further climate change objectives by trading in carbon credits to make it a marketable good – and establishment of carbon markets has the potential for significant financial and environmental impact in industries ranging from agriculture to electric vehicles. To ensure these markets operate in an effective and ethical manner, however, the state must intervene and ensure the usage of standardised methodologies and regulations. The private sector, apart from its current involvement in development of renewable energy, must also expand in the space of financial adaptations. In India, the recent passage of the Energy Conservation Amendment Bill, which includes provisions on establishing carbon markets, marks an important step forward in formalising and regulating carbon offset trading and ultimately in reducing and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in order to meet Nationally Determined Contributions.

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Green Job & Sustainability Paper – Part II

The first installment of this three-part series provided an examination of the defining criteria of green jobs, including the importance of ensuring that green jobs are decent jobs that provide fair wages, benefits, and worker protections. Climate-smart investments can create tens of millions of green jobs while mitigating climate change and its effects. This will […]

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Green Jobs & Sustainability Paper Series

The Impact of climate-smart investment and the creation of decent green jobs Executive Summary The range of sustainable initiatives providing benefits to the environment, national economies, and individual livelihoods is vast, covering solar-powered cold storage for small-holder farmers’ produce, the expansion of city-wide recycling programs, large-scale wind and hydro power infrastructure projects, and numerous other […]

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UN IPCC Report 2022: Scope & Recommendations for India

Introduction The brutal heatwave stretching across much of South Asia continues to persist into its third month. After suffering through the hottest March across India in 122 years, the northwest and central regions of the country saw the same record fall again in April. Then on 1 May, Nawabshah, Pakistan set the highest recorded temperature […]

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Sports Landscape and Policy in India

Introduction With the second largest population in the world, India should have no shortage of world-class athletes. In fact, it could logically be argued that India likely does have more world-class athletes than any other country – if only they had the means and opportunity, as well as the national infrastructure, to train in a […]

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Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation in India

Introduction Diversity — in biology, ecology, and geography, to say nothing of the countless forms of human diversity — is undeniably one of India’s greatest assets. One of seventeen megadiverse countries, India is home to roughly ten percent of the world’s known plant and animal species. This biodiversity is due in large part to the […]

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G-20: Origin, History and Evolution

Context  Why was G-20 conceptualized? Twenty-four years after the major economies (G-7) of the world formed a group to discuss and exchange ideas, the need to bridge a dialogue between developing and developed nations was realized. In 1999, Paul Martin (then Prime Minister of Canada) and Larry Summers (US deputy treasury secretary) realized the need […]

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Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in India

Introduction Diversity — in biology, ecology, and geography, to say nothing of the countless forms of human diversity — is undeniably one of India’s greatest assets. One of seventeen megadiverse countries, India is home to roughly ten percent of the world’s known plant and animal species. This biodiversity is due in large part to the […]

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Aspirational Districts Programme

An Overview of the programme, progress thus far, best practices, and next steps Executive Summary The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched by the Government of India in 2018, has been a highly successful initiative thus far. By prioritising outcomes over outputs, expanding the developmental focus beyond the economic indicators, and encouraging a sense of collaborative […]

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Air Pollution, Health, and the Economy

In 2019, air pollution contributed to 12% of deaths worldwide, roughly 7 million people. In India, nearly 18% of all deaths — around 1.7 million people — were caused by air pollution, no surprise given the country has the highest levels of PM2.5 in the world. How does the air get polluted? Taken as a […]

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India’s Coal Transition

India’s pledge at the COP 26 to phase ‘down’ and not phase ‘out’ coal was met with mixed reviews. While many nations criticised the country’s stand as being detrimental to combating climate change, climate experts have come out in support of India’s stand.

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Leveraging Decentralized Renewable Energy In India

Leveraging Decentralised Renewable Energy in India for Job Creation Promoting rural livelihood activities through DRE solutions       Source: Topsun Energy/Uma Gupta   The Government of India has sent strong signals through the direction and pace of India’s energy transition to meet India’s renewable energy generation capacity target of 175 GW by 2022. As […]

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The Three Farm Bills

The Three Farm Bills: Indian Agriculture Watershed Moment?   Illiberal Agriculture Policies: Stagnating Incomes, Declining Growth   For long in India, the laws governing agriculture markets remains anarchic. The State has found reasons to overregulate the agriculture sector- regulating prices, banning exports, restricting private trade, regulating markets etc. Excessive regulations and lack of freedoms hampered […]

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Roadmap to revive Andhra Economy

Executive Summary   The socio-economic crisis precipitated by the fallout of COVID19 pandemic and the intermittent lockdown undertaken to contain the spread of the virus has adversely impacted millions of households, especially the vulnerable and deprived households. It has pushed multiple such poor income households to further shocks of loss of income and livelihood. This […]

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Food Security and PDS in Andhra Pradesh

Food Security and PDS in Andhra Pradesh   –Kisslay Anand & Roshni Sekhar                            I.        Context   Covid-19 pandemic poses multiple challenges to countries across the globe; with cases as high as 44,43,793 over 188 countries/regions1, more than half of the world population is undergoing some form of social distancing. The clamping down of […]

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Macro Policy impediments for women care in India

MACRO POLICY IMPEDIMENTS FOR WOMEN CARE IN INDIA   By Devanshi Singh and Roshni Sekhar   Contents About the Report………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 Critical Policy Gaps Governing Women Health in India…………………………………………. 5 Accreditation system………………………………………………………………………………… 5 Gender-Insensitive mental health services………………………………………………….. 5 Management of maternal health services……………………………………………………. 5 Convergence between schemes………………………………………………………………… 6 Lack of reliable estimates of […]

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The State of Indian Economy

The State of Indian Economy: Progress made from 2014 to 2018   I.        Indian Economy There has been a rapid growth in the economy for the last 4 years. This change has been due to the initiatives and determination of the current government. The current government has taken numerous steps and the results are […]

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A Century of Smart Cities

According to the Census 2011, the urban population in India grew by 31.8% as compared to 2001. About 31.2% of Indians now live in over 7,935 statutory/census towns, with the percentage of urban population being higher than the

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Indian Railways

The Indian Railways (IR), a 162-year-old national asset has the distinction of being the second largest railway system in Asia and the fourth largest railway system in the world, operating more than 19,000 trains and 7,112 stations.

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Developing Rural Tourism

This brief sheds light upon the various aspects related to rural tourism and the great potential that India keeps for emerging as a rural tourism icon. After discussing the key factors responsible for the potential growth of rural tourism.

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Urban Transport in India

India’s urban population is expected to increase to 600 million by 2031 from 285 million in 20011. There is a growing need for cities to be adequately equipped to meet the mobility requirements of the current population as well as of those yet to join the population.

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Food safety in India

Food safety is an important social and health priority for any country. The recent controversy around non-adherence to food safety standards by one of the world’s largest dairy and food products companies has brought food safety issues in India into much sharper focus.

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Flood Management

I was not aware that services offered at the AWC would include supplements also, it aided me during my pregnancy as I definitely felt better as compared to my last pregnancy when I didn’t take any supplements.

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Start-up India

Start-up India An analysis of the Indian entrepreneurial landscape   The ‘Start up India, Stand-up India’ campaign was announced by the honourable Prime Minister on 15th August, 2015 seeking to provide an impetus to the entrepreneurial landscape of India. In India’s developmental discourse, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have been considered the engine of […]

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The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016

India has emerged as a surrogacy hub for couples from different countries for past few years. For the same reason India has earned the epitaph of the world capital of surrogacy and particularly the village of Anand in Gujarat, is popularly known as the ‘cradle of the world’1.

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The Dentists (Amendment) Ordinance 2016

The Dentists (Amendment) Ordinance 2016   On 21st December 2010, the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Dental Council of India (DCI) had issued notifications, wherein the existing statutory regulations had been amended to provide for a single National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS/BDS course. This step was taken with the objective […]

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National Civil Aviation Policy 2016

National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 In June 2016, the Union Cabinet approved the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 as a comprehensive guidance for creating an ecosystem which is conducive and encouraging for the Civil Aviation sector in India. The policy covers multiple aspects of the civil aviation industry which is currently valued at $16 Billion, […]

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Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation Amendment Act, 2015

Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation (MMDR) Amendment Act, 2015 The Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2015 was passed by the Parliament during the just concluded Budget Session. This Act amends certain provisions of the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act, 1957 and seeks to address emergent policy and regulatory […]

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Consumer Protection Bill, 2015

Consumer Protection Bill, 2015   India is predicted to be amongst the fastest growing markets. By 2020, India is projected to be the world’s third largest middle class consumer market behind China and USA. As per a market research report, by 2030 India is likely to surpass both countries with an aggregated consumer spend of […]

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