by admin_xw3245oj | Dec 19, 2025 | In the news
India’s Parliament concluded its Winter Session on 19 December, after sitting for 15 days between 1 and 19 December. Ten government bills were introduced, of which eight were passed by both Houses across sectors including energy, insurance, rural employment and public finance.
While the overall legislative volume was limited, the session focussed on addressing policy frameworks that needed reworking of institutional structures, to achieve their higher potentials.
Two legislations — the SHANTI Bill and the VB-G RAM-G Bill — were particularly significant, not because they introduce entirely new policy areas, but because they reset the design of existing frameworks that have shaped investment and programme delivery.
SHANTI Bill: Updating India’s Civil Nuclear Framework
The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025 marked a legislative shift in India’s civil nuclear architecture since the sector was opened to international cooperation in the late 2000s.
The Bill provides a basis for private and joint-venture participation across segments such as reactor construction, operations, maintenance and supporting infrastructure. At the same time, it retains government control over regulation, safety and licensing, reflecting the strategic nature of the sector.
Importantly, the legislation recognises the importance of private sector participation to support India’s nuclear expansion ambitions. Provisions related to long-term power offtake arrangements and clearer allocation of operational responsibility are intended to improve project viability and attract non-public capital.
The Bill also aims to increase the role of state governments, particularly in areas such as land acquisition, local clearances and grid integration — reinforcing the importance of centre–state coordination in large energy projects.
VB-G RAM-G Bill: A Redesign of Rural Employment Policy
The VB-G RAM-G Bill, 2025, which replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), represents the first redesign of India’s rural employment guarantee framework since the programme’s inception. The new bill aims to modernise rural employment, whereby it will integrate job allocation with digital governance platforms, improve efficiency, transparency, and alignment with national infrastructure projects, potentially creating a digitally connected rural workforce.
However, the scheme also raises some concerns where marginalized workers without access to smartphones, Aadhaar-linked bank accounts, or digital literacy could be excluded, undermining the scheme’s inclusivity.
While the Bill raises the guaranteed employment ceiling to 125 days, its more consequential change lies in how employment is structured and delivered. States are given greater flexibility to define permissible works, enabling closer alignment with local infrastructure needs, climate adaptation priorities and asset creation goals.
The legislation also places stronger emphasis on digital attendance, work verification and outcome-based monitoring, shifting the programme toward a more execution-driven model. This increases the administrative role of state governments, while also placing greater accountability on implementation capacity at local levels.
Insurance Sector Reform: Improving Capital Availability
Parliament also approved amendments raising the FDI cap in insurance to 100 percent. While incremental, the change aims at improving capital availability, product depth and coverage expansion, particularly in under-served segments such as health and risk insurance.
In addition to the headline reforms, the Parliament also cleared a set of legislations that underpin fiscal management, taxation and regulatory housekeeping. The Appropriation (No. 4) Bill, 2025 authorised withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet ongoing government expenditure, ensuring continuity of programmes. The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025 aligned the state’s GST framework with decisions of the GST Council, focusing on classification clarity and compliance simplification. Amendments to the Central Excise law sought to rationalise duty structures and reduce interpretational disputes, with the stated objective of improving transparency and easing compliance for industry. The Parliament also passed the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025, creating a dedicated cess to support public health preparedness and national security expenditure. The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025 removed obsolete statutes and corrected inconsistencies across existing laws, continuing the process of legislative clean-up.
What the Session Did Not Address
Equally notable were the areas that remained outside the session’s legislative agenda. There were no major reforms in digital regulation, competition law or climate legislation. This selective approach reinforces the view that current policy efforts are focused on execution and restructuring, rather than introducing new laws.
Overall Assessment
The Winter Session reflects a measured policy approach, revisiting legacy frameworks which needed reworking rather than incremental changes.
For stakeholders involved in infrastructure delivery, long-term investment, programme implementation and regulatory compliance, the session provides early signals on where policy attention is likely to remain concentrated. As these laws move into the rule-making and implementation phase, outcomes will depend on centre–state coordination, administrative capacity and regulatory clarity rather than legislative intent alone.
by admin_xw3245oj | May 28, 2025 | In the news
While commuting in his school bus in Mumbai, 12-year-old Aarav pulls out his smartphone, not to play games, but to ask an AI chatbot to explain a complex math problem.
Meanwhile, in a rural school in Uttar Pradesh, Priya uses a similar tool to translate into English and practice pronunciation. Welcome to the new face of education, where Generative Artificial Intelligence of GENAI has the potential to transform India’s learning landscape. An August 2024 report by Gateway Consulting revealed that 60% of Indian children in cities over age 10 years used GENAI tools such as CHATGPT, Gem-ini and Claude at least once a week, primarily for educational purposes.
This statistic highlights a significant shift in how India’s next generation approaches learning and problem- solving.
The Promise of Generative AI
India’s education system serves over 250 million students and has long grappled with challenges related to access, quality, personal attention, and a customized approach. This is where GENAI offers a solution, significantly enhancing accessibility and personalization, enabling students to learn at their own pace and comfort.
Anuvadini Al, an indigenously developed GENAI translation plat-form aims at enhancing communication and education across India’s diverse linguistic landscape. Anuvadiní Foundation was established by the Ministry of Education to realize the vision in the National Education Policy 2020, of leveraging technology for teaching, learning, testing and translation.
The platform was primarily designed with the objective of bridging the gap between 22 regional Indian languages and several foreign lan-guages. It addresses the significant language barriers faced by 80% of the Indian population who speak native languages while navigating educational and professional systems primarily dominated by Hindi and English. Its advanced features can accurately translate entire books and documents into various languages while preserving their original formats. It can also produce high-quality Al images and instantly translate speech. This makes it a transformative tool for students, businesses and the government (for delivering citizen services). Children and students in rural and remote areas can now access quality education and coaching which was previously out of reach, thereby contributing to social equity.
The Global Context
Globally, the integration of Al in education is gaining momentum. U.S. schools are currently navigating a complex landscape as they consider how to incorporate generative Altools like CHATGPT into their curricula. The initial reaction was largely negative, with many institutions blocking access to these tools due to concerns about cheating and academic integrity. For instance, the Los Angeles Unified School District quickly restricted access to Openai’s website following the launch of CHATGPT, fearing it would under-mine traditional assessments. Several prominent universities in the UK, such as Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge had also issued warnings to students about the use of CHATGPT for cheating.
However, as educators have begun exploring the potential benefits of Generative Al, perspectives are shifting. Many teachers now see GENAI not just as a tool for cheating but as a resource that can enhance learning by facilitating personalized lesson plans, promoting media literacy, and making lessons more interactive. Polls indicate a significant rise in usage among both students and teachers, with nearly half of K-12 students and teachers reporting weekly use of Al tools.
In October 2022, the European Com-mission published ethical guidelines for the use of Al in education, emphasizing that educators should use Al critically. The guidelines encourage active involvement of educators in continuous learning about AI’S ethical implications and recommend schools to plan, pilot and monitor Al systems with clear policies and engage with the wider community including parents and students for better trust and understanding.
While several countries initially took steps towards implementing bans or regulating Generative AI in educational institutions, India has is yet to issue any model guidelines to educational institutions.
As these global trends unfold, it is crucial to recognize that despite the promise of GENAI in education, there are significant challenges that need careful consideration.
Challenges and Concerns
Despite its potential, adoption of GENAI in education raises certain concerns, including biases, lack of transparency regarding information
sources, over-dependence on technology, exposure to inappropriate content, and the inability to foster genuine human connections. In addition, there could be inaccuracies related to socio-political and socio-cultural matters that potentially influence children’s perspectives without proper context or critical evaluation. Furthermore, ambiguity surrounding the origin and credibility of information provided by AI systems raises questions about their accuracy and reliability, which may erode trust in Ai-generated content.
Additionally, the digital divide poses a significant challenge; while urban students like Aarav have easy access to Al tools, many in rural areas like Priya struggle with basic internet connectivity, risking further educational inequalities. The reliance on GENAI may also lead children to become less inclined to engage in research, learning, and problem-solving. This dependence could diminish their ability to rationalize, factcheck, and critically evaluate information, resulting in an incomplete understanding of complex topics. Moreover, children might view i-generated information as absolute truth without questioning its accuracy or source, leading to passive consumption of biased or misleading content that could impede their intellectual growth and development.
Concerns also arise from AI’S inability to understand social and emotional perspectives during interactions, raising doubts about its efficacy in fostering meaningful human connections and empathy in children. The potential substitution of genuine human interactions with Al could deprive children of essential social skills, empathy, and interpersonal communication abilities. Additionally, inadequate measures for age verification and ensuring child safety can lead to potential exposure to inappropriate content or topics not suitable for their age groups.
The Way Forward
As India stands at this technological crossroads, a balanced approach is crucial. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 acknowledges the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming education, highlighting its potential in personalized learning, assessments, and skill development. It also proposes the integration of AI and other emerging technologies into the curriculum to prepare students for a rapidly changing workforce.
However, the NEP was issued in 2020, and since then, the field of Al has seen significant advancements, particularly with the emergence of Generative AI. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the use of Gen AI by students will be the norm rather than the exception.
In light of these developments, it is important to recognize that the NEP may need updates to stay relevant, especially in how it addresses learn-ing and student evaluation systems. While the NEP provides a robust overarching framework, there are areas where refinements are necessary, particularly the manner in which educators and students lever-age Generative Al for various pur-poses. Adapting the NEP to incorporate these innovations will be key to making it fully relevant and implementable in the current educational landscape.
The integration of Generative Al in education would require a multi-pronged strategy. This approach would include, on one hand, educating teachers and parents on using Generative Al effectively and its integration by schools into the curriculum, teaching students how to use these tools effectively and ethic-ally.
The focus needs to be on using Al to enhance critical thinking skills, encouraging students to question and verify Ai-generated information. Developing model guidelines which are clear and ethical for AI’S use in education will be crucial to address various aspects including privacy, bias, content moderation, using authentic sources, copyright protection and the like. Finally, initiatives to ensure equitable access to Al tools across urban and rural areas are essential for bridging the digital divide.
By embracing this technology responsibly and thoughtfully, India can pioneer a new model of education that combines the best of human teaching with the power of artificial intelligence.
As young Aarav and Priya navigate their enhanced learning journeys, they represent the face of a new India one that is tech-savvy, globally competitive, yet rooted in its rich cultural heritage. The success of this educational transformation will depend on how well we guide our children to use these powerful tools, ensuring they become not just consumers of Generative Al, but creative masters of it. The challenge now is ensuring that every child, from urban metros to the remotest villages, can benefit from this resolution, creating a future where education knows no boundaries.
by admin_xw3245oj | Oct 8, 2024 | In the news
India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing consumers of biofuels globally, making significant strides in increasing ethanol blending over the years. Ethanol, a vital biofuel, plays a pivotal role in reducing India’s dependence on fossil fuels while curbing carbon emissions and air pollution. The country’s ethanol blending programme witnessed substantial growth, with the blending rate rising from a mere 1.53 percent in 2013-14 to an impressive 10.17 percent by 2022. Having achieved its 10 percent ethanol blending target, also known as E10, five months ahead of schedule in June 2022, India now sets its sights on achieving a 20 percent blend, or E20, by the end of 2025.
by admin_xw3245oj | May 17, 2024 | In the news
Insights from the U.S.-India Biofuels Summit 2024
On 23 April 2024, the U.S. Grains Council and the U.S. India Strategic Partnership Forum organized the U.S. – India Biofuels Summit 2024 in New Delhi. The Summit brought together key stakeholders to explore the production of ethanol, which has the potential to shape the future energy landscape. Attended by global and Indian industry leaders, policymakers, and experts, the summit facilitated discussions on crucial topics such as market trends, emerging ethanol use cases, and the potential for enhanced US-India collaboration on biofuels.
Giving the opening remarks, U.S. Ambassador to India Mr. Eric Garcetti emphasized that the partnership between the U.S. and India on biofuels had the potential to be historic and help achieve sustainable development goals to protect populations vulnerable to climate risks.
India’s Ethanol Blending Program (EBP) has witnessed substantial growth, with the blending rate rising from a mere 1.53 percent in 2013-14 to an impressive 10.17 percent by 2022. Having achieved its 10 percent ethanol blending target (E10) five months ahead of schedule in June 2022, India now aims to achieve a 20 percent blend (E20) by the end of 2025. To achieve E20, India will need substantial quantities of ethanol. According to a report by Arcus Policy Research, by 2026, India will need an estimated 13.5 billion liters of ethanol, with 10.16 billion liters for fuel blending alone.
Diversifying feedstocks for ethanol production emerged as an important discussion item, which is essential if India were to achieve the required ethanol demand. While the country’s ethanol production has heavily relied on sugarcane, crops such as maize emerged as an alternative feedstock due to advantages like requiring less water, making it a more resource-efficient option. Utilizing agricultural, forestry, and industrial waste for ethanol production was also discussed, given the urgent need for waste management in India. Maximizing ethanol production while minimizing the environmental footprint is crucial, and byproducts from bioprocessing can help support a circular economy model for increased sustainability.
As the world looks to new solutions for decarbonization, Sustainable Aviation Fuel or SAF has achieved global support as a non-fossil derived fuel. The alcohol-to-jet or ATJ technology relies on abundantly available and low-carbon ethanol as a raw material to generate SAF. To successfully meet local and global SAF blending targets, India needs to develop a robust supply chain and ensure consistent, year-round availability of ethanol.
The summit also focused discussions around the immense potential for a U.S.-India partnership in enhancing climate change resilience and sustainability. The United States, with its extensive experience in improving the efficiency and sustainability of its biofuel industry, can share its experience and insights with India to support the transition to cleaner fuels.
Participants at the summit applauded India’s role in the establishment of the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) and added that for India, the GBA marks a significant step towards a more sustainable energy future. However, speakers highlighted that challenges such as technology transfer and geopolitical complexities continue to pose constraints for the GBA. Addressing these concerns will be crucial to ensuring the alliance’s long-term sustainability.
The U.S. – India Biofuels Summit 2024 highlighted the immense potential for a U.S.-India partnership in promoting sustainable development goals and mitigating climate risks. By leveraging their respective strengths and collaborating on innovative solutions, the two countries can lead the way in transitioning to a more sustainable energy future, benefiting both their populations and the global community.
by admin_xw3245oj | Oct 2, 2023 | In the news
While the establishment of the Data Protection Board would be a significant milestone, we can expect some implementation challenges.
by admin_xw3245oj | Jul 23, 2023 | In the news
Having achieved its 10 percent ethanol blending target, also known as E10, five months ahead of schedule in June 2022, India now sets its sights on an even more ambitious objective: achieving a 20 percent blend, or E20, by the end of 2025.
