The large metropolitan areas of the country are continuing to grow. But why, and is this the same thing as sprawl? A recent position paper from the IDFC Institute delves into the data, and discusses the challenges thrown up by India's urban expansion.

The Aravali hills were used to nature's erosion, but the assault on them by those eyeing its rich resources was something else. Will the Supreme Court's recent intervention halt this? Ramesh Menon reports.

A research paper published by Brookings India argues that while rising investment from China helps correct a lopsided trade relationship, the Indian government should also proactively safeguard security and privacy interests.

Start-ups and technology wizards put together the largest ever tele-medicine effort to fight Covid-19. India must use this start to create a National Health Digital Core, says Ramesh Menon.

The future survival of wild tigers depends not only on increasing their population size, but also on ensuring that fragmented populations are genetically 'connected' with each other, writes Abheeshta Rao.

Victims of domestic violence find themselves trapped at home with their abusers, and the government is pre-occupied with its response to the pandemic. Social workers continue to assist victims, but their jobs are harder too in the present circumstances.

The framework for assessing the environmental impact of new projects has in the past served to merely facilitate projects getting started. It was hoped that revisions proposed recently would change that, but there is little evidence of a new course, writes Shripad Dharmadhikary.

The Working Peoples' Charter on Coronavirus Crisis in India lists a number of steps necessary to ensure that the likely disruption to the lives and livelihoods of millions of vulnerable people is thoughtfully addressed.

In a squeeze between dwindling freight revenues and large subsidies to its passengers, Indian Railways has very little room for wriggle. But the fare hike on 1 January 2020 is only a small step, and will not by itself set things right.

The government proposes to replace a number of laws protecting the social security of workers with a single Code. But could its vast scope itself make it vulnerable to the details in fine print?

Is India likely to hit the ambitious targets set for the growth of renewable power generation? A compilation of data from different sources by the Prayas Energy Group shows what's working well and where greater efforts are needed.

Given the changing landscape of energy production and consumption in the country, splitting Coal India into smaller entities can only be successful if a number of other steps are also taken, according to a recent Brookings Institution report.

Observations from a recent study of the Bengaluru Rural Courts point to a sad reality - that many of the most basic and foundational things needed for efficient delivery of justice are missing. The authors of the research report identify specific and urgent measures to address this.

Success in one initiative to strengthen public schooling can help reach some goals of other initiatives too. The Bal Sansad program in Uttar Pradesh shows how focusing on hygiene is improving attendance too.

Girish Karnad's clear-eyed, unsentimental and even self-deprecatory view of the city seems rare in the Indian narrative imagination, which continues to nurse the notion of ‘the village innocent’ vs ‘the city corrupt’.

A vocal community demanding its health rights through greater participation in local governance is the key to long term change, and this may be finally starting to happen in a few places, writes Puja Awasthi.

Left to fend for themselves while their men are away looking for work elsewhere, poor women find themselves trapped between the quackery of the limited medical attention they can access and the social binds of their families. Puja Awasthi reports.

More and more people are considering cycling as an option for their daily commutes to work. Women's participation in this change, however, is still low, and a lot of barriers need to be overcome, writes Sathya Sankaran.

The energy sector is undergoing a massive transformation, with large customers option for direct access from producers and those in the middle looking for decentralised storage and consumption. Between these forces, the old distribution business faces serious risk, says a report from the Prayas Energy Group.

Efforts to rein in massive emissions of pollutants, and to reduce volumes of water consumed by coal-based thermal power plants have been thwarted by endless delays in implementing the regulations that were to take effect last year. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

The second attempt of the NDA government to create a market for farmers' produce may not fare much better than the first one, for the same reason - it fails to address the asymmetry of power between the farmers and buyers, writes Kannan Kasturi.

Land pooling has helped steer development in Ahmedabad more equitably than in many other Indian cities, but with some limitations and challenges still to be overcome. A World Resources Institute report provides insight.

The monthly log of Goods and Services Tax collections by the government, since the introduction of the tax in mid-2017. This page will be updated each month, as new data is published.

It is only by looking back at its own history of audit findings that the constitutional auditor can draw attention to policy decisions that were flawed at the very beginning, says Himanshu Upadhyaya.

As the share of renewable energy rises, it brings with it new challenges. Going forward, the management of surplus power will be critical, says a new report from the Brookings Institute.

The Centre gears up to take national control of the Kosi and Gandak and turn them into commercial waterways. Shripad Dharmadhikary and the Manthan team report on findings from a recent visit to the region.

In a changing landscape for power production and transmission, Indian Railways and the Government will need to make new choices, says a new report from Brookings India.

The rule of law guides our legislative, executive and judiciary and all other institutions yet our country is in chaos. Harish Narasappa analyses the role of reason in making the rule of law stronger and effective to bring order in the country.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament began today and will continue till August 10, 2018. It is scheduled to have 18 sittings during this period. PRS Legislative Research outlines what is in store in the upcoming session.

The recently released CAG audit report on Maharashtra has heavily criticized the time and cost overruns in Gosikhurd irrigation project in Vidarbha. Himanshu Upadhyaya analyses the report to list the shortcomings of the project.

Issues that affect underprivileged women have not got enough attention in the mainstream feminist movements in India. Yet the women from rural areas and from lower classes and castes have been leading struggles for their rights, says Navya P. K.

Recent research by the Prayas Energy Group shows that notwithstanding a big spike in demand for LEDs in recent years, more steps are needed to phase out incandescent bulbs.