Public Policy

PhonePe ropes in Meta's Shivnath Thukral as V-P for public policy

PhonePe has appointed ex-Meta India policy head Shivnath Thukral as vice-president for public policy, as the fintech firm gears up for its IPO

Govt to audit DISHA legal aid scheme ahead of 2026 completion deadline

The government plans to hold an independent audit to assess the effectiveness of its key legal aid schemes, which come to an end in 2026. The audit will also determine the scalability and sustainability of the programmes post 2026. The DISHA (Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India) scheme, a Central Sector Scheme of the Department of Justice in the Union Law Ministry, is aimed at improving access to justice. It comprises of three key programmes : Tele-Law, Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) and Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness, all working towards providing accessible and affordable legal services to citizens, especially those in remote areas. The scheme has a financial outlay of Rs 250 crore for a period of five years (2021-2026). For assessing effectiveness of the programme, identifying course correction or improvement and determining scalability and sustainability post 2026, the Department of Justice now intends to get an independent evalua

LIC sets Guinness World Record for most life insurance policies in 24 hours

Life Insurance Corporation of India on Saturday said it has earned a Guinness World Record title for most life insurance policies sold in 24 hours. This historic achievement, verified by Guinness World Records, recognises the extraordinary performance of the corporation's dedicated agency network on January 20, 2025, LIC said in a statement. On January 20, a total of 4,52,839 agents of LIC successfully completed and issued an astounding 5,88,107 life insurance policies across India, it noted. This monumental effort established a new global benchmark for agent productivity in the life insurance industry within 24 hours, it said. "It is a powerful validation of the relentless dedication, skill, and tireless work ethics of our agents. This achievement reflects our deep commitment towards our mission to provide vital financial protection to our customers and their families," the statement said. The record attempt was the culmination of an initiative by LIC MD and CEO Siddhartha Mohant

Govt seeks inter-ministerial clarity on Chinese bidders' registration

DPIIT asks ministries to submit inputs within 30 days of application

Empowering startups through policy support, infrastructure development

We in CII are committed to championing initiatives that align with the vision of Startup India - driving innovation, creating jobs, and fostering economic growth

UGC proposes major overhaul in recruitment of Assistant Professors, V-Cs

Industry experts as well as senior professionals from public administration, public policy and public sector undertakings might soon be eligible for appointment as Vice Chancellors, according to draft norms by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The new guidelines will also amend the norms for hiring faculty members in universities allowing people having a postgraduate degrees in Master of Engineering (M.E) and Masters of Technology (MTech), with at least 55 pc marks, to directly get recruited to the Assistant Professor level without qualifying for the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (NET). The draft norms will also permit candidates to teach based on their highest academic specialisation. For example, a candidate with a PhD in chemistry, a bachelor's in mathematics and a master's in physics, would now qualify to teach chemistry. Similarly, individuals who clear the National Eligibility Test in a subject different from their earlier academic focus can tea

Before announcing a big programme, govt should test it: Iqbal Dhaliwal

Dhaliwal spoke about evidence-based policymaking in India, and universal basic income, among other things

Uttarakhand CM inaugurates projects in Champawat, interacts with locals

He also met with a large number of local residents, listened to their concerns, and instructed officials to take prompt action for the quick resolution of their issues

Public procurement norms: Govt may hike local content requirement

Former industry secretary Ajay Dua said that over time, the minimum threshold had to be increased to promote local industries and increase the contribution of manufacturing to GDP

Public money and public policy

A policy recalibration is needed to reduce the need for continuous expansion of infrastructure in existing cities

India's deprived do not want freebies, but ask for 5 things from govts

Good politics can be good economics if evidence-based feedback become the basis of public policy

Rural outreach turns youthful as Assembly polls near in Rajasthan

Those who fall in the age group 18-40 and have passed the senior secondary exam can apply for this programme. A total of 2,500 candidates are expected to be selected in the first phase

Three quit Samsung India's public policy team in a week, says Report

Binu George, who looked at corporate affairs and strategy, Surabhi Pant who worked on policy and public affairs, and Nikhil Kaura from the same team quit last week, two sources said

Elon Musk-led Twitter lays off more employees from public policy team

Twitter has laid off more employees from its remaining public policy team, after laying off an unknown number of engineers in its infrastructure vertical last week

WhatsApp India head, Meta Public Policy director step down

Director Public Policy Meta India Rajiv Aggarwal too resigned from his position

Resolving social media grievances a tough job for GACs, warn policy experts

Resolving social media grievances a tough job for GACs, warn policy experts

Convergent growth

Making lower-growth states part of a national value chain is an imperative, but difficult because of political rivalry

LIC taking steps to transform corporate governance: DIPAM Secretary

Some of these steps include improving LIC's 13th month and 25th persistency ratio, which is less than its peers

No proof that commodity derivatives trade causes price spikes, finds study

Suspension of their futures does not bring down price volatility either, finds study conducted on behalf of NCDEX Investor Protection Fund

India at 75: Prudent public finance policy still remains a challenge

Among other things, making the direct tax regime less confusing and bringing in expenditure reform are crucial challenges for the central government