Government Policies & Interventions

On March 27, 2026, the government released the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data for the full calendar year 2025. The numbers show that women saw higher year-on-year wage growth than men in all three major job types — salaried, self-employed and casual labour — even though women continue to earn less overall. This is the first time such a clear trend has appeared across every category, and it comes at a time when the government is focusing on improving women’s participation in the workforce.

The Indian government is set to reduce the funding for its key rural tap water program, the Jal Jeevan Mission, by almost 60% in the revised estimates for the 2025-26 financial year. This decision comes as the Ministry of Jal Shakti waits for Cabinet approval to extend the scheme until 2028, and amid reports of slow spending and past irregularities in how the program was carried out. The news highlights challenges in executing large-scale public schemes and raises questions about achieving full rural water coverage.

The Ministry of Culture is finalizing the empanelment of over 20 private conservation architects through a Request for Proposal (RFP) that closes on January 12, 2026, allowing corporate donors to directly hire them for core conservation work at protected monuments. This marks the end of the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) sole responsibility for such tasks, aiming to speed up projects and build more capacity in heritage preservation amid growing needs for India's vast cultural sites.

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, presented the National Energy Conservation Awards 2025 and prizes for the National Painting Competition on Energy Conservation during the celebrations of National Energy Conservation Day in New Delhi. This event underscores the government's focus on promoting energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and aligning with sustainable development goals, which are crucial for India's environmental commitments under global frameworks like the Paris Agreement.

The Indian government is preparing a new initiative to attract established Indian-origin scientists and researchers from abroad, particularly from the US, to return and contribute to domestic institutions. This comes amid the Trump administration's stringent policies on higher education, including caps on international student intake and freezes on federal grants for universities, which have raised concerns about academic freedom and prompted global competition for talent.

The National Health Authority released its annual report for 2024-25, revealing that over half of the hospitalisations under the Ayushman Bharat scheme occur in private hospitals, which also account for two-thirds of the total treatment costs. Haemodialysis stands out as the most accessed treatment, highlighting how the scheme is helping people manage chronic conditions like kidney failure without financial ruin, especially as private care dominates utilisation patterns. This development is significant now because it shows the scheme's growing impact on making expensive treatments affordable, while also pointing to the need for better public hospital involvement.

China has recently tightened export controls on rare earth technologies and materials, adding more elements to its restricted list amid rising tensions with the US over tariffs. This move has disrupted global supply chains for key technologies like electric vehicles and wind turbines, prompting India to plan a national stockpile of rare earth elements to protect its growing needs in clean energy and manufacturing sectors.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has released a draft notification proposing that all electric cars, buses, and trucks must be equipped with an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) to generate artificial sounds at low speeds. This move comes in response to growing concerns over road accidents caused by the silent operation of electric vehicles (EVs), which can surprise pedestrians and cyclists, especially in busy urban areas. The proposal aims to make EVs safer for everyone on the road while supporting India's push towards cleaner transport options to reduce emissions.