Policy & Governance

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 31 may 2026

Erratic climate conditions and shifting agricultural dynamics are affecting many in all the regions of the world. Those with less are facing more challenges such as small and marginal farmers as their survival is dependent on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, forests, and water resources. Experts recommend agroforestry as a valuable solution to face the environmental challenge. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Agroforestry is a nature-based solution that can diversify and sustain production for increased social, economic, and environmental benefits. Agroforestry is particularly crucial to smallholder farmers and other rural people because it can diversify their yield and income, enhance food security as well as increase farm resilience to climate change. Integrating trees such as those that provide fruit, fodder, or nitrogen-fixation can also offer a range of direct and indirect benefits to farmers. According to CIFOR-ICRAF, agroforestry systems help build soil organic carbon, regulate local microclimates, conserve biodiversity, and improve resilience against climatic shocks. India has traditionally adopted agroforestry in its rural and agricultural system through centuries. India has been one of the first countries to adopt a National Agroforestry Policy in 2014. The main goal of the policy is - increase tree cover outside forests, improve farmers' incomes, strengthen ecological security, and promote climate-resilient agriculture. The policy becomes very relevant in the Indian context as 60% of India's agriculture is rain dependent and directly affected by climate conditions. Many regions in India are drought-prone and rain-fed regions. Vidarbha region has faced multiple challenges over the years due to recurring droughts, declining groundwater levels, monocropping of cotton, rising cultivation costs, and unstable market conditions. Similar situation is faced by many districts in Western Odisha. Agroforestry mixed with other strategic inputs can bring substantial change in this regard - Water conservation and groundwater recharge; Biodiversity conservation through tree-based farming; Livelihood diversification and rural security; Women's participation and nutritional security; Climate-resilient farming models for a sustainable future. Government programmes like MGNREGA, the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, watershed development schemes, and Forest Rights Act-based community management can significantly support agroforestry expansion. Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), NGOs, cooperatives, research institutions and Panchayati Raj Institutions can also play a vital role in awareness generation, training, market linkages, and institutional support. Read on...

Down To Earth: Agroforestry offers a sustainable pathway for small and marginal farmers in India's rain-fed regions
Author: Chitta Ranjan Pani

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Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 jan 2026

India's agriculturally rich and intensive state of Punjab is planning to undergo strategic technological shift as the government is designing policies to encourage and enhance 'agri-entrepreneurship'. To pursue this course the government officials are brainstorming and discussing options with the academia. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has already initiated the concept of building Agro-Processing Complexes (APC) at various places in state that will be processing hubs for the region with advanced post-harvest machines. Mr. Arshdeep Singh Thind, Punjab's administrative secretary for agriculture and farmers' welfare, says, 'In view of high tariffs imposed by foreign nations, the rural community must be given a reliable and stable option like agro-processing for a steady flow of income.' Mr. Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor of PAU, says, 'The shift from self-help groups to individual entrepreneurs is already yielding results.' Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research at PAU, says, 'Value addition for staples like wheat, rice, and oilseeds offers the most realistic path to doubling rural incomes.' He further emphasized the utilization of 'vocal for local' initiatives and expert-entrepreneur collaboration by the university to ensure long-term livelihood sustainability. Read on...

The Times of India: Punjab signals shift to 'agri-entrepreneurship'
Author: NA

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Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 30 nov 2025

Designer's work requires protection as it is part of intellectual property (IP) and for this they have to register and obtain patent. But this vary depending upon jurisdiction. According to the World Intellectual Propery Organization (WIPO) website (wipo.int), the objective of the Riyadh Design Law Treaty (RDLT) is to streamline the procedures for design protection. By making the procedures less complex and more predictable, the RDLT helps designers to protect their work both in home markets and abroad. The treaty was adopted on 22 November 2024. The Riyadh Design Law Treaty consists of 34 articles (the Treaty) and 18 rules (the Regulations). The Treaty creates an Assembly of the Contracting Parties, which may amend the Regulations, establishing a dynamic framework for the development of design law. Legal consultants, Dhruv Mathur and Shivam Malvi of S.S. Rana & Co., explain the provisions of the treaty and how India's design and IP ecosystem will be effected by signing RDLT's Final Act. Key provisions of the treaty include - Alignment of procedures; Consolidated design submissions (Article 9); Reinstatement of lost rights and extension of missed deadlines (Article 14); Extended periods of publications (Article 10); Grace period for filing in case of disclosure (Article 7); Restoration of rights (Article 16); Protection of partial design; Correction of a mistake (Article 23); Traditional knowledge (Article 4). Explaining the impact of design registration in India, authors say, 'The signing of the Riyadh Law Treaty represents a crucial advancement for India in strengthening its intellectual property framework, fostering innovation, and assisting designers in safeguarding their creations more effectively. The treaty is anticipated to encourage international collaboration and offer Indian designers increased opportunities to exhibit their work on a global stage. By aligning with global standards, India seeks to draw foreign investments and improve its standing in the international design market. This initiative is also expected to stimulate local innovation and creativity, thereby contributing to the country's economic development as the treaty is implemented.' Read on...

Live Law: India Signs Final Act Of Riyadh Design Law Treaty: A Milestone For Industrial Design Protection
Authors: Dhruv Mathur, Shivam Malvi

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Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 29 aug 2025

DD News website (ddnews.gov.in) mentioned on 17 feb 2025 the launch of 'AI for Entrepreneurship' program that aims to empower 1 lakh youth by 2025 by equipping them with essential skills to thrive in a technology-driven economy. The micro-learning module is developed by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and Intel India. The program is open to both urban and rural learners. Now another initiative by the government as part of IndiaAI Mission led by Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) in collaboration with CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd framework with rural-focused artificial intelligence (AI) push is aimed towards providing knowledge and skills to entrepreneurs in rural India related to emerging technologies and empower them for future success. The initiative aims to provide free training to 5.5 lakh Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), data nalytics, cybersecurity, cloud computing, internet of things (IoT) etc. The program will enable hyperlocal problem-solving through creation of tech solutions for local communities. Moreover, the CSC network with over 5 lakh active centres across India will become local innovation hubs. The broader aim of IndiaAI Mission is to skill 10 lakh Indian citizens in next two years in emerging technologies. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, said during the launch, 'This is not just a skilling initiative. It's a mission to empower our rural entrepreneurs with tools to participate in India's digital economy with dignity and autonomy. AI should not be a metro-city privilege. We are ensuring it becomes a village strength.' Read on...

Elets eGov Magazine: IndiaAI Mission Offers Free AI Training to 5.5 Lakh Village Entrepreneurs
Author: NA

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Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 29 jul 2025

Agricultural sector is one of the largest employer in the world with 1/4th of the global population, out of which 37% are women. According to FAO (2020), agriculture contributes 4% to the world's GDP. Agriculture is an essential component of economic development, ensuring food security, inclusive growth and, fostering socio-economic development. Agricultural sector is mired in various challenges particularly related to rural-to-urban migration and feminization of agriculture that are result of unprofitability in farming, changing land-use pattern, rural unemployment, climate change etc. The research study, 'Agriculture driven rural-to-urban migration trends among farmers impacting urban policy development in Northern India' [Authors: Sushmita Saini (ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India and Indian Council of Agriculture Research, New Delhi, India) , Rajarshi Roy Burman (ICAR), Rabindra Nath Padaria (ICAR-IARI), Girijesh Singh Mahra (ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute), Sitaram Bishnoi (ICAR-IARI), Smruti Ranjan Padhan (ICAR-IARI and KVK-East Sikkim, ICAR-Research Complex, Meghalaya, India), Sonali Mallick (ICAR-IARI and ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, West Bengal, India), Sweety Mukherjee (ICAR-IARI)], found that in Northern India migrant farmers demonstrate inter-state migration behavior. The study utilized the traditional constructs of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), developed by Icek Ajzen in the late 1980s offers a comprehensive outline for analyzing and predicting human behavior by considering three primary constructs viz., attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Authors extended the TPB framework with two additional constructs: household decision-making and engagement of women in agriculture. The comparison of migration behavior highlights that cities must adopt differentiated policies to address the diverse needs of seasonal (focus on housing, labor rights, and access to social services - short-term policies), forced (targeted interventions for skill-building, and resilience planning to address sudden urban population surges needed - crisis management policies), and voluntary (focus on inclusive urban development, infrastructure expansion, and economic integration to support sustainable urbanization - long-term policies) migrant farmers. The findings of the study can play an important role in fostering more resilient and equitable society through sustainable rural development for human settlements. Read on...

ScienceDirect: Agriculture driven rural-to-urban migration trends among farmers impacting urban policy development in Northern India
Authors: Sushmita Saini, Rajarshi Roy Burman, Rabindra Nath Padaria, Girijesh Singh Mahra, Sitaram Bishnoi, Smruti Ranjan Padhan, Sonali Mallick, Sweety Mukherjee

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Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 30 jun 2025

According to experts, the new Income Tax Bill 2025 uses 'registered nonprofit organizations (NPO)' instead of multiple terms such as trust, institution etc, streamlines and simplifies tax provisions, and consolidates all provisions related to NPOs in Part B of Chapter XVII. The new bill removes superfluous provisions such as reinvestment of capital gains in a capital asset, tabulates the registration process to enhance readability, and neatly places commercial activities, compliances and violations under separate heads. Gouri Puri, Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., says, 'This should be beneficial since many charities that are small scale cannot afford good tax counsel. Saddling them with a complex exemption regime impacted their operations significantly.' Raghav Kumar Bajaj, Counsel at Khaitan & Co, says, In the past few years, the law relating to charitable entities’ exemption has undergone substantial changes. From taxpayers’ perspective, this led to a challenge in keeping a track of annual changes in this space.' Read on...

The Financial Express: Rules for taxation of non-profit entities combined
Author: Priyansh Verma

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Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 21 may 2025

Indian healthcare continues to adopt technologies for equity, access and efficiency. In recent times, Artificial intelligence (AI) is in focus in areas such as drug discovery, digital patient records, improving diagnostic accuracy etc. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), AI has transformed the pharmaceutical research industry, driving 30% of new drug discoveries by 2025. While Global Outlook and Forecast 2025-2030 points out that AI in the drug discovery market was valued at $1.72 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $8.53 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.59%. Dr. Rajan Kashyap, assistant professor at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), says, 'Government initiatives such as increasing the number of seats in medical and paramedical courses, implementing mandatory rural health services, and developing Indigenous low-cost MRI machines are contributing significantly to hardware development in the AI innovation cycle.' But, technological advancements also bring challenges and issues such as privacy and data protection. According to Netskope Threat Labs, doctors have been consistently uploading sensitive patient information to unauthorised websites and cloud services. Dr. Kashyap says, 'Patient confidentiality is often overlooked in the healthcare industry. During my professional experience at AI labs abroad, I observed that organisations enforced strict data protection regulations and mandatory training programs…The use of public AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini was strictly prohibited, with no exceptions or shortcuts allowed.' AI systems are vulnerable to data breaches, hacking, and the potential for re-identification even with anonymised data. Dr. Kashyap suggests, 'I strongly advocate for strict adherence to protected data-sharing protocols when handling clinical information...government must prioritise developing interdisciplinary med-tech programs, particularly those integrating AI with medical education,,,Misinformation and fake news pose a significant threat to progress...It's crucial that legal mechanisms are in place to counteract such disruptions, ensuring that innovation is not undermined by false narratives.' Read on...

Analytics India Magazine: AI is Changing Healthcare, But Can India Protect Patient Privacy?
Author: Smruthi Nadig

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Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 22 apr 2025

The report, 'Urban Greenprints: A Nature-based Solutions Feasibility Framework for Urban Coastal Regions' (Authors: Srilakshmi Menon; Merlyn Maria Antony; Tanushree Garg; Pradeep M. S.; Anushiya J.), by Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) based in Bangalore (India), proposes a nature-based solutions (NbS) feasibility framework to help Indian cities, particularly urban coastal regions, systematically assess and implement climate resilience strategies. Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Mangaluru (Karnataka) were selected as case studies because of their exposure to flooding, sea level rise (SLR), and extreme weather events. The report says, 'There is urgent need to embrace NbS such as wetland restoration, rooftop greening and permeable pavements - as part of a more sustainable and resilient urban strategy.' Srilakshmi Menon, senior analyst in the adaptation and risk analysis group at CSTEP, says, 'As climate risks intensify, integrating nature-based solutions into urban planning is not just desirable - it is essential for building resilient, adaptive and sustainable cities.' The report highlights the long-term benefits of the approach and urges policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders to prioritise NbS to maximise their ecological and socio-economic benefits, ensuring climate-adaptive urban growth. Read on...

National Herald: Nature-based solutions key to climate resilience in India's coastal cities: Report
Author: NA

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Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 feb 2025

Prof. Kumud Shukla and research scholar Senamiso L. Ndlovu, both from Galgotias University (UP, India), advocate Zimbabwe's agricultural sector to utilize India's success with technology led agricultural and financial solutions. As smallholder farmer's constitute 80% of the farming population, agricultural sector is crucial to Zimbabwe's economy. But it struggles in many fronts and particularly in financial services with inefficiencies, limited access and high operational costs. Prof. Shukla and Ms. Ndlovu suggest, 'By leveraging digital innovations such as mobile banking, cloud computing, data analytics, and blockchain technology, Zimbabwe can streamline microfinance processes, reduce transaction costs, improve risk assessments, and enhance transparency.' They point out challenges that hinder Zimbabwe's agri-fintech growth - weak digital infrastructure, scarce financial resources, lack of knowledge and information and inconsistent government policies. Smallholder farmers suffer with lack of agri