Editorial Analysis

India’s urban incomes have grown faster than rural incomes across all segments and emerged as a key driver of national growth as it absorbed labour, and nurtured a rising middle class. However, this growth is unevenly distributed.

India seems headed for a third consecutive year of a balance-of-payments deficit with the rest of the world.

Recent trends in India’s fertiliser subsidy, particularly of urea, has led to nutrient imbalance, fiscal stress, and environmental degradation, calling for urgent reforms in subsidy design and delivery, rather than optimal agricultural outcomes.

A major crisis in foundational learning is unfolding globally, as the World Bank estimated  nearly 70% of children in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) cannot read a simple text by age 10, reflecting schooling deficits and deeper systemic failures in early childhood development.

India–South Korea relations have evolved significantly over the past three decades, increasingly defined by strategic convergence, shared developmental pathways, and alignment in global geopolitics.

India’s rural development trajectory has undergone a structural shift from welfare-oriented schemes to community-driven institutional models.

Recently, the Union Government has introduced three crucial Bills including the ‘Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty First Amendment) Bill, 2026’ that is expected to reshape India’s parliamentary structure and federal balance.

Heatwaves affect over 57% of districts, including coastal and temperate zones, traditionally confined to northwestern and central regions. However, its impact is not uniform, giving rise to what scholars increasingly term ‘thermal injustice’.

Recently, India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has completed 10 years of its operations as it has revolutionized financial inclusion and real-time payments. However, the rapid expansion has been accompanied by rising fraud risks, necessitating regulatory intervention.

The contemporary global order is marked by multiple simultaneous crises where both adversaries and partners are distracted, creating a temporary strategic pause (interregnum) for India.