By Mayaz Alam — Global economic growth “is fueled no longer by gasoline, but more and more by digital data,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan declared during his keynote speech at the World Economic Forum at Davos in January.…
By Kim Mai Tran — The movement by all Southeast Asian economies to embrace the “digital revolution” presents a tremendous opportunity to empower women, especially financially. Intentional and unintentional biases against women in the region have, for too long, excluded…
By Aman Thakker & Vikram Albrecht — Status: In Progress – The 2013 Land Acquisition Act requires the consent of 70 to 80 percent of land owners before any land can be acquired, and mandates higher-than-market rates for land acquisitions for rural and…
Karnataka’s government on life support after defections from Congress-led coalition; infrastructure gets a boost in Tripura and Tamil Nadu; Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland and Haryana launch new programs on agriculture; Andhra Pradesh revaluates renewable energy PPAs from previous regime; Kerala-based manufacturer…
By Adrien Chorn — The recent warrants issued by the Yangon regional government for the arrest of Ashin Wirathu, a Buddhist monastic figurehead of Myanmar’s ultranationalist anti-Muslim movement, may produce complications for Myanmar’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party…
By Amy Hariani — Status: Incomplete – Prime Minister Modi had reportedly requested the Ministry of Law and Justice to prepare a draft regulation that would open India’s legal market to foreign lawyers. However, no steps have been taken since. Difficulty: High – Moving forward on…
The Ministry of Power orders discoms to maintain assured payment guarantees with banks to address the financial health of the power sector at large; Andhra Pradesh cancels permissions for bauxite mining; Madhya Pradesh passes new reservation policy for economically weaker…
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan join Modi’s PM Kisan Nidhi farmers’ welfare scheme after long-standing opposition; Goa and Maharashtra pass new reservation policies for certain social groups; Madhya Pradesh announces new subsidies for farmers in the event of crop loss; Haryana…
By Monica Michiko Sato — Since assuming office in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte has been under the scrutiny of the international community not only for his unconventional politicking style, but also for his unpredictable policies. Given the often-contradicting statements from…
Karnataka waives crop loans in commercial banks that have become non-performing assets; the National Thermal Power Corporation facilitates new solar power operations in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Telangana; Tamil Nadu establishes guidelines to help maintain grid discipline and security for solar…
Gujarat launches pilot program to limit air pollution under the Gujarat Pollution Control Board; Andhra Pradesh and Kerala announce new measures to support farmers; Karnataka introduces new policy to regulate the mass increase of telecommunication towers; The Maharashtra State Electricity…
The center issues a third tender to create solar projects in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand to address more efficient use of empty land; Karnataka increases electricity bills following a request from electricity supply companies; Tamil Nadu accepts proposal to…
By Anit Mukherjee — Status: In Progress – The Modi government has created a new portal to track its efforts to transition to a direct benefit transfer model in India Difficulty: High – With the size of India’s population, and the difficultly in targeting remote and…
