India Last Week #67
A round-up of research & reportage on India across climate, energy, foreign policy, politics & more over the last week
Climate, Energy & Environment:
“Project Protoprint, supported by SWaCH and the European Union’s Switch-Asia Programme, was an ambitious attempt by Pune’s waste pickers to move up the value chain by establishing and operating their own plastic recycling unit. Founded in 2007, SWaCH is India’s first waste picker-owned cooperative, providing door-to-door waste collection to over 900,000 households in Pune… The project’s goal was to demonstrate that high-value recycling at a micro scale could lead to better incomes and greater formalisation for waste pickers involved in aggregation and recycling. But as the project unfolded, it also exposed the underlying realities of India’s recycling industry — its blurred boundaries between the formal and informal, its operational inefficiencies, and, most revealingly, the hidden costs of recycling that most firms manage to avoid paying. Being at the whims of the petrochemical industry, recycling is a game with razor-thin margins. Most enterprises are therefore forced to eke out profits by cutting corners wherever possible. These trimmed corners often mean not paying labour a fair wage or providing safe working conditions, avoiding Goods and Services Tax (GST), thus dodging a massive 18 per cent hit, and externalising environmental costs by not treating effluents and burning residual waste… Recycling today operates at a loss because the market price of recyclate depends on the price of virgin plastics rather than the true costs of recycling safely and fairly. EPR must therefore evolve from a token compliance mechanism into a financing framework that closes this gap.” Read more: Gandhar Joshi, Down to Earth
“India plans to close down 147 coal mines over the next fewyears as they reach the end of their productive life. In addition, around 150 mines are currently unprofitable and likely to close soon. Together, these 297 mines that might close exceed the total number of operating mines across Europe and South Africa combined. To be clear, India’s coal output may continue to rise in the short termmainly coming from smaller number of highly productive mines. Yet,these 297 mines will still shut down—either because they are depleted, uneconomic, orenvironmentally unsustainable. The pace and scale of this transition will create ripple effects across India’s coal belts—from Jharkhand to Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh to Telangana. Managing these closures strategically will determine whether India’s energy transition is just or deeply painful… Fieldwork in India’s major coal regions underscores this challenge. In the last five years, our field work incoal states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Telangana and Maharashtra has shown that coal has shaped the local economy for over a century. Informal jobs—from loading trucks to repairing equipment—far outnumber direct employment in mines… India urgently needs a national framework for economic diversification of coal regions—anchored by the central government but implemented by states and districts. This framework must go beyond mine-level repurposing and focus on creating new economic opportunities for entire regions.” Read more: Sandeep Pai and Rishi Kishore, Outlook
“India will need as much as $21 trillion to achieve its climate goals and lift its population out of poverty, according to a draft government plan seen by Bloomberg. The estimate offers a first glimpse of how the country intends to live up to its target of net zero emissions by 2070. The updated scenario implies hitting peak emissions in 2045, which is a decade earlier than the current trajectory… India is already being severely battered by the fallout of climate change, as deadly floods and heat waves become more destructive each year. But the need to mitigate the emissions that feed climate change has historically been at odds with India’s priorities of economic growth and energy security, with the latter still mostly provided through coal… Much of the planned progress in decarbonizing India’s economy relies on technologies that are still under development, and whose viability in India remains uncertain. Nuclear installations, for example, will need to reach as much as 300 gigawatts, compared with less than 9 gigawatts today… The draft plan also assumes a widespread industrial use of carbon capture technology, something that is yet to be tested in the country and has had limited success globally.” Read more: Lou Del Bello and Akshat Rathi, Bloomberg
“Monitoring industrial emissions in aggregate as well as at a granular level is made possible by combining India’s Annual Survey of Industry with the annually updated emission factors of each energy source, both are publicly available. Industrial emissions represent a substantial share of total emissions in India (24–28 percent)… Four hard-to-abate sectors—iron and steel, cement and ceramics, aluminum, and chemicals— represent three-quarters of industrial emissions. However, over time the composition of emissions has changed, as iron and steel was the second-most-emitting sector in 2019/20 and is now the first, its weight having evolved from 20 percent to close to 26 percent.. Given its emissions and trade profile, the export competitiveness of India’s textiles and apparel sector could be threatened by the growing environmental consciousness of buyers in export markets… Hard-to-abate sectors such as cement, iron and steel, aluminum, and chemicals represent 72 percent of emissions and are led by large firms. Large firms represent only 5 percent of India’s formal industrial firms, but they consume 91 percent of the coal consumed in industry. Depending on the technologies used, process optimization, reengineering through more energy-efficient equipment, or the use of alternative sources of energy may be needed.” Read more: Meriem Ait Ali Slimane and Rishabh Choudhary, World Bank
Economy:
“India is planning to allow direct foreign investment in state-run banks of up to 49%, more than double current limits, according to a person directly involved in the policy discussions. The finance ministry has been discussing the matter with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country’s banking sector regulator, over the past couple of months, said the person, adding that the proposal has yet to be finalised… A second source confirmed a hike from the current cap of 20% is under discussion, adding that the move is also part of an attempt to narrow the gap between regulations for government-owned and private banks. India allows foreign ownership of up to 74% for private lenders. The proposal to increase the cap for state-run banks to 49% has not been previously reported… India has 12 government-owned banks, with combined assets of 171 trillion rupees ($1.95 trillion) as of March that account for 55% of the banking sector. The government plans to retain a minimum shareholding of 51% in state-run banks, according to the first source. At present, the government has much higher ownership in all 12 banks… In general, state-run banks are viewed as weaker than their private peers. Often tasked with providing credit to less affluent sections of society and opening branches in the hinterlands, the banks have been more prone to bad loans and have had weaker returns on equity.” Read more: Nikunj Ohri, Reuters
“Rattled by nearly $17 billion in foreign outflows this year, India is doubling down on financial sector reforms in a push to beef up capital buffers and lift investment in the country amid wider worries about the economic hit from U.S. tariffs. Several measures to anchor foreign participation and boost credit have already been announced by the central bank and market regulator in recent months. These include quicker pathways for companies to list and foreign funds and overseas lenders to enter and rules that allow corporates to borrow more easily and banks to finance mergers… The dismantling of decades-old restrictions comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes for greater economic self-reliance after concerns about the hit to India’s growth from punitive U.S. tariffs unnerved foreign investors… Foreign investors have net sold nearly $17 billion in Indian equities this year, compared with $124 million in inflows in 2024 and $20 billion in 2023. The sell-off has made India the worst-hit Asian market in terms of foreign portfolio withdrawals… The regulatory changes are intended to be pro-business and revive foreign investment and boost growth, the sources said… The shift comes less than a year after leadership changes at the RBI and SEBI. Sanjay Malhotra became RBI governor in December and Tuhin Kanta Pandey started as SEBI chief in March. Both previously worked together in the finance ministry and are focused on reversing years of tight regulation that followed a debt crisis between 2016 and 2018, analysts and insiders say.” Read more: Jayshree P Upadhyay, Jaspreet Kalra, and Gopika Gopakumar, Reuters
“True welfare through public goods has embodied the far-reaching idea that a market economy’s success relies on a durable, resilient human grid. Two key community-driven capabilities have arisen from that holistic vision: human capital, especially education, and greater gender equality—or at least greater female agency. Welfare in this form empowered individuals to stand on their own feet, rather than merely meeting essential needs or pandering to voters… Post-Independence India has never had institutions to promote solidarity for collective progress. Amid acute job scarcity, workers’ unions have typically tried to preserve their privileges rather than speak for social reform and progress. Also, decentralisation of governance has remained only an abiding aspiration… That lacuna of collective institutions has led individuals to fend for themselves. And the Central and State governments have jumped in to create corrupt patron-client relationships in the guise of welfare. The bidding war on such welfarism is distressing, with parties trying to outdo each other in the promises of goodies that they make… The history is clear: collective progress demands a societal commitment to the joint provision of public goods—education, health, justice, and a clean environment—to promote dignity and opportunity. All else is flim-flammery. Even well-meaning targeted schemes form a patchwork that does not build capability.” Read more: Ashoka Mody, Frontline
“Net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India fell 159% in August 2025, with more money leaving the country than entering it that month, according to official data. This is the second time this financial year that outflows have exceeded inflows. However, the picture is reversed when looked at over a longer time period, with net FDI in April-August 2025 more than 121% higher than in the same five-month period of the previous year… Gross investments into India stood at $6,049 million in August 2025, 30.6% lower than their level in August last year and 45.5% lower than in July this year. This was the lowest level of gross inflows in this financial year so far. The amount repatriated and disinvested by foreign companies operating in India stood at $4,928 million in August 2025, down 5.4% over the amount in August 2024 but nearly 30% higher than the amount in July 2025… Net FDI in the April-August 2025 period was $10,128 million, more than 121% higher than in the same period of last year. This was driven by a 18.2% increase in gross inflows ($43,760 million) entering the country and a 6.1% contraction in repatriation and disinvestment ($21,205 million) leaving India during this period.” Read more: T. C. A. Sharad Raghavan, The Hindu
Foreign Policy & Security:
“India needs to be “ready for a war-like situation”, with military preparedness being based on indigenous foundations, defense minister Rajnath Singh said Monday, asking the industry to further accelerating self-reliance in defense production… The effective use of Made-in-India equipment like Akash and BrahMos missiles as well as AkashTeer air defense control system during Operation Sindoor bolstered India’s reputation both regionally and internationally. The domestic industry, especially private sector, should step-up the focus on innovation and R&D, technology-based manufacturing, production of individual subsystems & components, and dominating the supply and maintenance chains, he added.” Read more: Times of India
“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stayed away from a regional leaders summit in Malaysia this week to avoid meeting US President Donald Trump and having a possible discussion about Pakistan, people familiar with the matter said… The prime minister’s team didn’t see any clear outcomes from a possible bilateral meeting with Trump in Malaysia, the people said. A call between the two leaders last week hadn’t met New Delhi’s expectations, one of the people said… Modi is campaigning for his party in a crucial state election that kicks off next week, and he didn’t want to risk a meeting with Trump that could end up being embarrassing for the prime minister, the people said. Modi is the main face of his party’s campaign in Bihar state and any comments by Trump, especially regarding Pakistan, could be used by the prime minister’s rivals against him and damage his party’s chances at the polls, they said… Modi’s absence from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur was unusual. Since taking power in 2014, the prime minister has attended all the leaders’ meetings, except in 2022. In 2020 and 2021, the Asean summits were held virtually because of the Covid pandemic.” Read more: Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bloomberg
“The recent visit of Afghanistan’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, to India has triggered a debate on whether India should formally recognise Kabul’s Taliban government, once considered synonymous with international terrorism, that came to power in 2021 through a horrific takeover. India has had minimal diplomatic exchanges with the Taliban government so far and hasn’t recognised the Taliban regime. (Since Muttaqi’s visit, India has reopened its embassy in Kabul)… Unlike State recognition, which involves recognising an entity as a State and has clear benchmarks, the issue of government recognition is complex in international law. Once an entity is recognised as a State under international law, the question of government recognition is generally considered immaterial if the new government has been formed through legitimate means, that is, political power has changed hands peacefully. But what if a new government in an existing State comes into existence through a coup or the use of extra-constitutional means? In that case, the issue of its recognition under international law may assume salience due to the high stakes involved… Taliban’s brute capture of power in 2021 and the manner in which it has run its affairs is anything but democratic. Moreover, the Taliban’s appalling practice of gender discrimination, which many scholars call gender persecution or gender apartheid, is a strong reason for not conferring de jure recognition to the Taliban regime… One fully understands that India needs to deal with the Taliban regime due to strategic reasons. However, India should do business with the Taliban because it is Afghanistan’s government, not because it is a government that enjoys democratic legitimacy or de jure recognition. In fact, India should ask the Taliban to honour its international law obligations, including human rights, as it aspires to receive New Delhi’s de jure recognition.” Read more: Prabhash Ranjan, Hindustan Times
“India-US relations are unlikely to return to the upward trajectory of the past quarter-century even if a trade deal is achieved, former foreign secretary Shyam Saran said on Saturday. He endorsed as prudent Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decisions to skip this weekend’s Asean summit and the Gaza peace summit earlier this month, thereby avoiding possible meetings with US President Donald Trump. “I cannot see our relations with the US – even if we manage to get a trade deal in the aftermath of our reduced purchases of Russian oil – just go back to where they were before the sanctions were put on India, and also the kind of outreach which has been made to Pakistan by President Trump at a time when India-Pakistan relations themselves are under so much tension...” Saran said in an interview anchored by Karan Thapar for The Wire… “There is no need for the Indian Prime Minister to be a kind of a prop in a spectacle choreographed by President Trump. That is what he (Trump) keeps doing all the time. Why should we be a prop in that?.... The kind of prudence on the part of the Prime Minister of India is fully understandable.” Saran suggested that the delay in reaching an India-US trade deal indicated a larger geopolitical challenge. “This is not about trade. This is about changed geopolitics. The Indo-Pacific strategy — which was a central kind of a node of US global strategy — has now diminished in importance for the United States,” he said.” Read more: The Telegraph
“In the battle to shape the global order, the BRICS—a ten-country group, which is named for its first five members (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa)—has become increasingly important. The bloc represents roughly a third of global GDP and nearly half the world’s population. It exists to give countries that belong to the so-called global South more sway on the world stage. That might make the BRICS seem like an inherently anti-Western group. It was, after all, founded in part by Beijing and Moscow. But for most of its 16-year history, the BRICS has not positioned itself in opposition to the United States and its allies. Several BRICS members have even been close U.S. partners… Democrats and Republicans had, until this year, agreed that a better U.S.-Indian relationship was worth building. The benefits were obvious to policymakers regardless of their party affiliation. India, they realized, could help balance Chinese power in the Indo-Pacific. With the fastest-growing major economy, India also offered substantial economic dividends to American investors… And then, at the drop of a hat, Trump upended the relationship… China and Russia are actively competing with the United States for influence among them, so Brazil, India, and South Africa are caught between a relatively liberal bloc, led by the United States, and a revisionist axis made up of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.” Read more: Richard Fontaine and Gibbs Mckinley, Foreign Affairs
People & Politics:
“When elected representatives of the world’s largest democracy resort to communal slurs in public discourse, it’s not just an individual who is maligned–the very idea of India is bruised. Recently, I was referred to by an honourable Member of Parliament not by my name or office, but as a “Muslim Commissioner”. The term was not used innocently. It was intended to diminish my professional legacy, to communalise my constitutional role, and to stoke a dangerous us-versus-them narrative in a country whose soul rests on pluralism. Let me state it plainly: I was not the Muslim Chief Election Commissioner of India. I was the Chief Election Commissioner of India, who happened to be a Muslim. The distinction is fundamental. By reducing a public servant to their religious identity, the honourable MP did not merely insult me – he insulted the very idea of a neutral and independent Election Commission. He sought to tarnish a constitutional role with the grime of religious profiling, thereby suggesting that religious minorities, no matter how diligently they serve the Republic, can never be trusted as neutral custodians of public institutions… This kind of labelling is not just about me. It is part of a broader pattern where Muslim identity is increasingly framed as a political provocation rather than a fact of life in India’s composite culture. When an MP uses the floor of Parliament or the megaphone of social media to prefix someone’s religion before their designation, he is not merely targeting one individual. He is signalling to a wider audience that Muslims are to be viewed with suspicion even when they serve in the highest constitutional offices.” Read more: S. Y. Quraishi, The Wire
“Manusmriti has once again entered the political battlefield, this time through the Centre’s draft Labour Policy 2025, which claims that the ancient text “embeds the moral basis of labour governance within India’s civilisational fabric, centuries before the rise of modern labour law.” Released for public comments earlier this month, the Shram Shakti Niti 2025, has ignited backlash from the Opposition that sees the reference as an attempt to reframe modern governance in ideological terms. The policy, drawing from ancient treatises such as the Yajnavalkyasmriti, Naradasmriti, Sukraniti and Arthashastra asserts that India’s understanding of labour (srama) extends far beyond economics, portraying work as a sacred and moral duty that sustains dharma, social harmony and collective prosperity. “Every worker — whether an artisan, farmer, teacher or industrial labourer — is an essential participant in the cycle of social creation,” the draft notes, positioning labour as a moral cornerstone of India’s civilisational ethos.” Read more: Shekhar Singh, The Tribune
“The Government of India Act, 1858, which transferred power from the East India Company to the British Crown, introduced the concept of ‘Charge Handover Notes’ to the Indian bureaucracy. Under this system, retiring officials or those being transferred prepared a document — ‘handover notes’ — for the incoming officials to ensure continuity and accountability in governance… Today, this system is barely followed, with central and state governments not issuing any rules or instructions during the transfer or retirement of officials. Although some departments have issued instructions, these are more often breached than followed… The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expects and insists that its officers leave a ‘Charge Handover Note’ or a brief for their successors, though there are no formal instructions on how to write them. In 2002, the Railway Board notified that “in addition, all Officers while relinquishing the charge of the post, should also submit a brief note bringing out a summary of the present case(s)/work.”… There is a need for formal instructions to be issued in India in this regard. It ensures continuity and monitoring of crucial projects as well as public welfare schemes without disruption and delay. The incoming official becomes conscious of challenges, critical issues, and priorities of his assignment… Some conscientious officers in the states and the central government in India follow this practice at their own level without a formal requirement. Most officers do not have stable tenures, which disincentivises them to follow this custom in the absence of any such instructions.” Read more: S. K. Sandhu, ThePrint
“Laxmi Narayan Singh alias Pappu Singh (54), journalist by profession and nephew of former HC bar association chief Ashok Singh, was hacked to death near a hotel in Prayagraj, UP, reports Rajeev Mani. The victim sustained over two dozen deep wounds to his neck, abdomen, and hands. He was rushed to the Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital where doctors declared him dead. Preliminary police investigation suggests the accused and the deceased had a dispute a few days back, but its exact cause is being probed, said additional commissioner of police Ajay Pal Sharma, adding, “Accused Vishal was arrested and we are looking for two others”.” Read more: Times of India
“Debt was piling up quickly this spring for Gautam Adani — owner of a vast empire of Indian coal mines, airports, seaports and green energy ventures — and the bills were coming due. India’s second richest man, whose net worth hovers around $90 billion, had been charged with bribery and fraud last year by U.S. authorities, and several major American and European banks he had looked to for loans were hesitant to help. But the Indian government was crafting its own aid plan. Internal documents obtained exclusively by The Washington Post detail how Indian officials drafted and pushed through a proposal in May to steer roughly $3.9 billion in investments to Adani’s businesses from the Life Insurance Corporation of India, or LIC — a state-owned entity primarily responsible for providing life insurance to poor and rural families. The plan came to fruition the same month that Adani’s ports subsidiary needed to raise roughly $585 million in a bond issue to refinance existing debt… The documents and interviews show it was just one piece of a larger plan by Indian authorities to direct taxpayer money to a conglomerate owned by one of the country’s most prominent and politically well-connected billionaires. It is a vivid illustration of Adani’s clout within the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his longtime ally, and of how officials in New Delhi have come to see his business empire as central to the country’s economic fortunes… This investigation is based on documents from LIC and the Indian Department of Financial Services (DFS), a branch of the country’s Finance Ministry, interviews with current and former officials at those agencies, as well as three Indian bankers familiar with Adani Group finances. All spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional retribution.” Read more: Pranshu Verma and Ravi Nair, The Washington Post
Tech:
“A suspicious entity created a fake law firm, using the identity of a noted lawyer, in an attempt to gag journalists and media outlets critical of Vantara wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, which is backed by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation. In another attempt, a fake google executive id was used to intimidate publishers. The murky operation, which is slowly coming to light, was carried out several months before the centre got relief from the Supreme Court. Accepting the submissions of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the apex court had on September 15 given a clean chit to the animal rescue and rehabilitation centre. Spread over 3,000 acres within Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery complex, Vantara has been projected as one of the largest private animal care facilities in the world… However, multiple journalists and newsrooms from Africa, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, and India have alleged that much before the court gave such a relief to Vantara, they were targeted with fake emails, spoofed legal notices, and copyright claims aimed at suppressing their reporting that was critical of Vantara. Though it is unclear who was behind the effort to take down the stories, they went so far as to create a fake law business called ‘Aspire Law Firm’ online. The ‘About Us’ section of the firm’s website comprised the plagiarised biography of advocate Puneet Bhasin, an Indian cyber law expert.” Read more: Azeefa Fathima, The News Minute
“In a deep dive on the advertising policies and practices of the most popular American Big Tech platforms in India, we were astonished to note that not a single one of them warns advertisers not to submit for publication, advertisements which are in violation of the DMRA. Thus, it is no surprise that all Big Tech platforms routinely publish a wide variety of misleading advertisements, especially for ayurvedic and homeopathic products. For example, a simple search for “ayurveda” + “blood pressure tablets” or “homeopathy” + “diabetes” on the most popular search engine and online market place in India will throw up a variety of advertisements on these platforms under the “sponsored” tag, indicating that they have been paid for by advertisers… Similarly, a search of the online ad-libraries of these Big Tech platforms reveals a long list of offending advertisements, including those for cow-urine based products to treat cancers; these advertisements were supported by a charitable programme run by the Big Tech platform. All these advertisements are in violation of the DMRA. None of these Big Tech platforms runs similar advertisements in the United States for ayurvedic and homeopathic products… So, what explains Big Tech’s brazen disregard of Indian laws such as the DMRA? The first reason could be the traditional contempt that American corporations, dating back to Union Carbide, have shown for the lives of Indians… The second is that Big Tech has escaped serious punishment earlier for violation of another law called The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 (PNDT)… The third reason is that Big Tech is aware that the U.S. government would never extradite top managerial personnel from America to face criminal prosecution in India for violating the DMRA.” Read more: Dinesh S. Thakur & Prashant Reddy T., The Hindu
Bonus:
“To boost audience stickiness and engagement, over-the-top (OTT) services are now experimenting with bringing audiences to their platforms on a daily basis with long-running shows by adopting the television-style daily soap operas. The move comes as the OTT platforms release all the episodes of their original series at once and the audience consumes it in a single sitting. To increase audience engagement, some of the platforms have now started weekly release of select episodes of a series… This comes at a time when the streaming platforms are focusing on profitability and increasingly expanding through the advertising video on demand (AVOD) model to enable advertisements as another revenue stream. Major platforms like Prime Video India and JioHotstar are already operating in hybrid models, while Netflix India remains a pure-play subscription video on demand (SVOD) platform.” Read more: Roshni Shekhar, Business Standard
Watch/listen:
Couldn't agree more. It's wild how "circularity" often gets buzzwords thrown around, when the reality is this messy. This piece really highlights the hidden costs businesses manange to avoid. You're always spot on exposing the systemic flaws. The waste pickers deserve so much better from this system.