Policy & Government

Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha challenged the government's move to amend the women's reservation law before notifying the principal Act. The procedural dispute matters because an amendment to an unnotified law lacks legal effect, as a government official had previously acknowledged. Resolution requires the government

Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay has filed a Supreme Court petition seeking a declaration that forced or deceitful religious conversion qualifies as a terrorist act under Indian law. The plea, tied to the TCS Nashik case, argues such conversions threaten sovereignty, secularism, and national integration. The court's

The Election Commission of India has begun EVM-VVPAT commissioning for Tamil Nadu and West Bengal phase-1 assembly elections ahead of 2026 polls. The process, conducted before candidates and General Observers, is the formal machinery verification step that precedes actual ballot deployment. West Bengal and Tamil Nadu

Sebi has directed top brokers to share client-level derivatives P&L data for Q4, covering the January, March period. The data will let the regulator measure the full-year effect of its index-options tightening measures on retail traders. Findings could inform whether additional restrictions or the current framework

The Trump administration's State Department has restricted or revoked visas for 26 individuals across the Western Hemisphere for allegedly undermining US interests or supporting adversaries. The move, announced by Secretary Rubio, uses executive visa authority as a rapid foreign policy enforcement lever requiring no

The US House voted to extend Temporary Protected Status for nearly 350,000 Haitians in the United States, with ten Republicans joining Democrats to pass the measure. The vote directly challenges the Trump administration's immigration enforcement posture and preserves deportation protections and work authorization for

Cash transfer schemes targeting women voters have emerged as a dominant electoral strategy across multiple Indian states, with parties competing to offer monthly direct payments to female constituents. The trend pressures state budgets and signals a structural shift in how parties build electoral coalitions. Fiscal

President Trump nominated Erica Schwartz as CDC director as the agency faces persistent leadership turnover under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The pick carries significant weight for vaccine policy, pharmaceutical sector confidence, and federal public health program continuity. Schwartz's Senate confirmation

Indian automakers have endorsed CAFE III fuel efficiency norms, which will cap passenger vehicle CO2 emissions starting April 1, 2027. SIAM called the framework balanced, with annual fleet improvement targets extending through 2031-32. The government is preparing to issue the final regulatory notification.

Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin warned that the Delimitation Bill would reduce Tamils to second-class citizens and eliminate any path for a southern Prime Minister. The Bill's population-based seat reallocation would shift parliamentary representation northward, penalizing states with lower birth rates. Stalin also rebutted

Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal, speaking in Lok Sabha, called for an all-party meeting on the Women's Reservation Bill and accused the government of using the legislation to advance delimitation. He noted that Prime Minister Modi did not address the word "delimitation" during his debate speech despite it

Janardhan Reddy publicly lauded Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, calling his leadership visionary. The endorsement carries political weight given Reddy's profile and signals possible alignment within the state's competitive political landscape.

The Reserve Bank of India reversed its April 1 circular, restoring banks' ability to offer non-deliverable forward contracts to clients and rebook cancelled foreign exchange derivative contracts. The move reduces hedging constraints for corporates and financial institutions managing rupee currency risk.

Kevin Warsh, nominated as Federal Reserve chair, faces a Senate confirmation hearing focused on central bank independence and his stance on monetary policy under political pressure. Markets are sensitive to any signal that Fed rate decisions could become subordinated to executive branch preferences, which would affect

Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum confirmed COP31 will be held in November under Turkey's presidency, with climate financing as the top priority. The summit will focus on implementing existing commitments rather than generating new pledges, a test of whether prior COP decisions translate into real capital flows.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant flagged the prevalence of digital arrest scams, expressing concern that educated citizens remain vulnerable to such fraud. A recent case involving an elderly woman stripped of her entire retirement benefits was cited as an example. The remarks indicate possible judicial scrutiny of

The Supreme Court of India said it would seek a same-day report from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court over the Special Intensive Revision process in West Bengal. The CJI's expressed displeasure over near-daily mentions signals the apex court is moving toward direct oversight of the electoral roll revision

MediaNama's April 23 Delhi event will examine MeitY's draft amendments to IT Rules, 2021, which expand executive compliance conditions for safe harbour, extend oversight to user-generated news, and compress synthetic-content takedowns to three hours. The changes affect intermediary liability for every major platform

The European Commission has proposed adding around 180 downstream steel- and aluminium-intensive products to CBAM's scope. The move targets value-chain emissions shifting, where processing occurs outside the EU to avoid the carbon levy before re-importing finished goods. Affected importers and non-EU exporters face an

India is fast-tracking flex-fuel vehicle adoption to reduce reliance on imported crude oil as global energy markets face geopolitical disruption. The move could cut foreign exchange outflows and reshape fuel retail and automotive manufacturing standards. Specific blend mandates and regulatory timelines have yet to be