Nature-based Solutions involve using ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, mangroves, grasslands, rivers, and urban green spaces to address climate change, biodiversity loss, disasters, and livelihood challenges. They are increasingly recognised as central to India’s climate and development strategy because they provide carbon storage, flood control, water security, food security, and job creation while being cost-effective. However, challenges such as inadequate finance, policy gaps, land conflicts, weak monitoring, and risks of greenwashing remain. Global initiatives such as ENACT aim to accelerate and scale up Nature-based Solutions worldwide, helping countries integrate them into climate policies, mobilise funds, and promote community participation for a resilient and sustainable future.
Click to View MoreMicrometeoroids and orbital debris together form a major hazard for spacecraft and astronauts in Earth orbit. Micrometeoroids are naturally occurring tiny particles from asteroids and comets, while orbital debris consists of human-made junk such as defunct satellites and rocket fragments. Concentrated mainly in Low Earth Orbit, these high-velocity particles can damage spacecraft and trigger collision cascades known as the Kessler Syndrome. To address this growing risk, global bodies such as UNCOPUOS and IADC have framed debris-mitigation guidelines, while India has strengthened tracking and collision-avoidance systems through initiatives like Project NETRA and IS4OM. Effective debris management is essential to protect satellites, ensure astronaut safety, and maintain the long-term sustainability of outer space.
Click to View MoreFreshwater sponges, particularly those found in the Sundarban delta, have been shown to effectively accumulate and indicate the presence of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Their high filtration capacity and close association with specialized microbes enable them to both monitor and help remediate metal pollution in aquatic ecosystems. These sponge-associated microbes possess adaptations for metal resistance and detoxification, making the sponge–microbe system a promising nature-based solution for assessing and mitigating heavy-metal contamination in freshwater environments.
Click to View MoreTunnel safety in India has become a critical priority as tunnel construction expands rapidly in fragile Himalayan and urban regions. Recent incidents, especially the Silkyara tunnel collapse that trapped 41 workers, exposed gaps in investigation, design and emergency preparedness. In response, the government has introduced comprehensive guidelines focusing on detailed geological studies, geotechnical baseline reporting, risk registers, site-specific design, real-time monitoring, classification of collapse-risk zones and clear emergency response plans. The overall emphasis is on shifting from speed-driven construction to a safety-first, risk-managed approach that protects lives, reduces economic losses and builds public confidence in expanding tunnel infrastructure.
Click to View MoreThe manufacturing sector plays a crucial role in India’s economic development by generating large-scale employment, boosting GDP growth, and driving structural transformation from agriculture to industry. However, its performance has remained below potential, with the sector contributing only about 15–17% of GDP and around 11–12% of total employment. Constraints such as high logistics costs, infrastructure gaps, low R&D spending, skill mismatches, regulatory complexity, and dominance of informal enterprises have slowed progress. Government initiatives including Make in India, Production Linked Incentive schemes, PM Gati Shakti, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and Skill India aim to raise competitiveness, enhance domestic value addition, and integrate India more deeply into global value chains. Overall, manufacturing remains central to India’s growth strategy, but sustained reforms and investment are needed to fully realise its potential.
Click to View MoreThe Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission is a NASA Mars orbiter that studies how the Red Planet lost much of its atmosphere due to solar wind and radiation, helping explain Mars’s climatic transformation and providing key insights into planetary atmosphere evolution and habitability.
Click to View MoreA superkilonova is a proposed and extremely powerful cosmic explosion that appears brighter and longer-lasting than a normal kilonova due to an additional energy source, such as fallback heating or a preceding supernova, and it offers new insights into neutron star mergers, heavy-element formation, and extreme astrophysical processes.
Click to View MoreIndustrial parks are planned industrial ecosystems that provide serviced land, shared infrastructure, and simplified governance to accelerate manufacturing growth in India. Backed by initiatives such as plug-and-play parks, the India Industrial Land Bank, industrial corridors, and the Industrial Park Rating System, they play a crucial role in attracting investment, generating employment, promoting sustainability, and strengthening India’s integration into global value chains, while also requiring continuous upgrades to address infrastructure gaps, regional imbalances, and environmental challenges.
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India’s student migration has expanded rapidly, shifting from an elite, scholarship-based phenomenon to a mass, self-financed mobility strategy driven by middle-class aspirations and limited domestic opportunities. While studying abroad promises global exposure and social mobility, many students face high debt, deskilling, precarious work and uncertain post-study outcomes, leading to reverse remittances and brain waste rather than skill gains. The trend highlights structural gaps in India’s education–employment ecosystem and the need for stronger domestic institutions, better regulation of migration intermediaries and policies that align education with meaningful employment at home.
Click to View MoreGreen industrialisation is an emerging development strategy that integrates climate action with industrial growth by promoting low-carbon, resource-efficient manufacturing. It recognises that achieving decarbonisation requires building domestic clean-technology capabilities, creating green jobs, and restructuring supply chains. For countries like India, green industrialisation offers a pathway to balance climate commitments with economic development, competitiveness, and inclusive growth, provided it is supported by coherent policies, adequate finance, and global cooperation.
Click to View MoreIndia is debating the introduction of data exclusivity in pharmaceuticals, a regulatory protection that can delay the entry of generic drugs even after patent expiry. While the move is projected as a way to attract investment and support innovation, it raises serious concerns for India’s generics-driven pharmaceutical industry and access to affordable medicines. In the absence of any international obligation under WTO-TRIPS, the policy choice involves balancing innovation incentives with public health priorities and preserving India’s role as the pharmacy of the developing world.
Click to View MoreElephant–train collisions in India are a major anthropogenic cause of wildlife mortality, primarily driven by railway lines cutting across elephant corridors, high-speed night-time operations, and habitat fragmentation. Recognising this risk, Indian Railways has implemented measures such as speed restrictions in vulnerable stretches, AI-based elephant detection systems, coordinated patrolling with forest departments, and the creation of elephant-friendly crossings. While challenges remain in scaling these interventions nationwide, a combination of technology, ecological planning, and institutional coordination offers a viable pathway to significantly reduce such incidents and balance development with conservation.
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