The Policy Post this week brings to you

• Reimagining City Budgets Through Citizen Participation

• State Of Policy In India, 2026 Report

• Crows used to pick up litter - a cost-cutting drive

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

If you want regular access to similar updates and opportunities in your city and local policy ecosystem, you can join our City Chapters: here!

Reading time: 3 minutes. Let’s get into it!

⁉️PPI’s Policy or Parody?

💬Policy Charcha - one thing to learn this week

Municipal budgets, collectively handle between ₹1.5 and ₹1.8 lakh crore annually.

This essay discusses how municipal budgets are perhaps the most neglected documents in Indian democracy.

Read on participatory budget here!

👀What caught our eye

We can teach crows to pick up cigarette butts but we can’t teach people not to throw them on the ground.

New Caledonian crows, a member of the corvid family of birds, are as good at reasoning as a human seven-year-old. The Corvid Cleaning Company has now recruited these crows to pick up discarded cigarette butts from the streets and squares of a Swedish city as part of a cost-cutting drive.

🏙️State Of Policy In India, 2026 Report

What does it actually take to build a career in Indian policy right now? Nobody’s put that on record yet.

We’re building the first honest record of what it’s actually like to work in Indian policy, the entry points nobody warns you about, the pay nobody talks about, why you’re still here or thinking about leaving.

Your answers become ‘State of Policy in India’ 2026, STRIDE’s first flagship report.

10 minutes. Fully anonymous. Due July 25, 2026.

Everyone who responds gets a curated, exclusive list of career opportunities and resources from PPI, sent to your inbox.

Beyond that:

🟣 10 respondents get 1 on 1 chat on all things policy and careers with our Founder, Yash Agarwal

🟣 3 respondents get invited to the launch event with travel/stay covered by PPI

🟣 The most insightful respondent gets invited to join PPI for a paid, remote, fixed term fellowship role

🟣 PPI merch for some of the best respondents

And so much more!!!

Take the survey here!

⚡The Catalyst Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Unless we address how the health system is experienced, a life of well-being may remain a distant dream for the marginalised. This is the foundational understanding behind Swasti’s flagship program, Invest4Wellness (i4We), as well as, their incubation of the CPHC Alliance.

i4We is a system innovation in primary healthcare. It combines health and wealth interventions, and focuses on well-being for the poor and marginalised communities. It is intentionally designed to be affordable, quality-assured, and scalable.

It is currently delivered in four settings: urban, rural, factories, and sex workers’ collectives, and is adapted to each of these contexts.

Read more on Primary Health here!

💼Careers Corner: 50+ new listings this week

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database

⁉️Policy or Parody?

Thank you for taking the time to the read The Policy Post this week. If you find what we do at PPI to be of value, please spread the word.

You can also check out our City Chapters: here where we share career opportunities, events happening, and other policy-related information.

See you next week with more opportunities! :)

The Policy Post this week brings to you

• Musical stairs in Kochi metro

• Homicide trends in India

• Founder Hours - ask your questions to Yash

• Assisting smallholder farmers

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Reading time: 2 minutes. Let’s get into it!

⁉️PPI’s Policy or Parody?

🏙️Founder Hours

Do you have a policy question but don’t know who to ask?

Yash Agarwal, the founder of Public Policy India, is an educator, community builder, and a professional in tech-policy. With 8+ years of experience across Parliament, Twitter India and South Asia, consulting, and ICANN, Yash has extensive experience in different areas of the policy space.

And you can ask him all your policy-related questions!

We are hosting Founder Hours on the 3rd Friday of every month from 5.30pm to 7pm on YouTube live.

Follow the steps to chat with Yash:

🟣 Watch this YouTube video that answers FAQs on the policy space:

🟣Fill this form with your questions: click here

🟣Join the YouTube live on the 3rd Friday at 5.30pm

Ask your questions now!

👀What caught our eye

Musical stairs at Kochi Metro Station

How can stairs be more fun? Add music to it!

Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, in its effort to attract footfalls and promote its motto “Health with enjoyment”, did just that!

It added laser beam lights and music to the stairs to make it into a functional, large-scale keyboard.

Read more about the musical stairs here!

💬Policy Charcha - one thing to learn this week

The number of female victims of murder has remained virtually unchanged over the last 25 years, even as the number of male victims of murder fell by over 30% over the same time period.

This essay discusses trends in homicides in India.

Read the article here!

⚡The Catalyst Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Smallholder farmers often lack integrated services, have limited access to diversified income opportunities, and operate without the institutional support needed to reduce risks. 3Fold addresses these gaps by creating a sustainable ecosystem at the cluster level that provides integrated solutions, diversified livelihood options and strong market and institutional linkages.

How Vrutti Impact Catalysts Covers 42,500 Farming Families?

3Fold starts with each farmer developing a personal growth plan and a business plan for farm, allied and non-farm enterprises. Based on this plan, farmers receive advisory support, mentoring, capacity building and access to the integrated 6C Services.

Read more about Vrutti's work here!

💼Careers Corner: 30+ new openings this week!

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database

⁉️Policy or Parody?

The Policy Post this week brings to you

• A survey for you to contribute to the State of Policy in India, 2026 Report

• Sameer Shetty and Neelkanth Mishra’s discussion on Indian economy

• How communities can be developed by investing on women

• YLAC Policy Collective - Applications open now

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

🏙️PPI’s State of Policy in India, 2026 Report

What does it actually take to build a career in Indian policy right now? Nobody’s put that on record yet.

We’re building the first honest record of what it’s actually like to work in Indian policy, the entry points nobody warns you about, the pay nobody talks about, why you’re still here or thinking about leaving.

Your answers become State of Policy in India 2026, STRIDE’s first flagship report.

10 minutes. Fully anonymous. Due July 15, 2026.

Everyone who responds gets a curated list of free tools from PPI, sent to your inbox.

Beyond that:

🟣 10 respondents get 1 on 1 chat on all things policy and careers with our Founder, Yash Agarwal

🟣 3 respondents get invited to the launch event with travel/stay covered by PPI

🟣 The most insightful respondent gets invited to join PPI for a paid, remote, fixed term fellowship role

🟣 PPI merch for some of the best respondents

And so much more!!!

Take the survey here!

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for all updates

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎥 Video of the Week

India remains among the fastest-growing major economies in the world, with its growth projected at 6.6% in FY27.

In this video, Sameer Shetty speaks with Neelkanth Mishra to explore the evolving state of India’s economy and what lies ahead. Together, they examine what slowed growth in 2025 and why those headwinds are now easing.

📈What Does 25 Years of Community-Led Development Look Like?

For 25 years, Cohesion Foundation Trust has worked with a simple belief: when you invest in women, entire communities thrive.

As it marked its silver jubilee this June, the organisation reflected on stories of resilience, leadership, and locally led change - from women farmers and community leaders to stronger Anganwadi systems built in partnership with HCL Foundation.

Looking ahead, Cohesion has set an ambitious vision for 2030:

• building climate-resilient communities,

• strengthening women’s leadership,

• improving youth wellbeing,

• influencing policy, and

• reaching one million lives through community-owned development.

  

  Read more on Cohesion's work here!

🎓 YLAC Policy Collective - Apply now!

What if your campus became one of the most vibrant spaces in India for debate, dialogue, and democratic leadership?

That’s what the YLAC Policy Collective is building. And YLAC wants you to lead it.

Last year, in their pilot, YLAC had 16 chapters, across 4 cities with 400+ members, and engaged 3,500+ students.

These students reached out to Members of Parliament, ran debates and policy discussions, led research projects, and turned their campuses into real spaces for civic engagement.

This year, YLAC is going national and are on the look out for the next generation of founders.

Eligibility: Any UG/PG student in India, with 9+ months left before graduation. No prior policy experience needed. (Applying with a founding team of 3–6 strengthens your shot, but solo applications are welcome too!)

Apply by: 2nd August 2026

Decisions by: 21st August 2026

Apply now!

Will your campus be next?

🏙️Want to become a leader in the policy ecosystem from your home city?

Public Policy India has built 40+ chapters across India’s 25 largest cities. And if you’re an individual enthusiastic about policy and impact, you have the opportunity to build the policy ecosystem in your city, emerging as a leader!

PPI is looking for City Policy Chapter Leaders. We are looking for persons who would commit a couple of hours every week to build our policy community.

Being a CPCL gives you the opportunity to build a community in your city, build your communication and leadership skills, and emerge as a leader recognised in the policy ecosystem of your region and across India.

Apply now!

Deadline: 12th July, 2026.

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of resources

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Enhanced flash flood Risks in Hindu Kush Himalaya due to erratic monsoon and high temperatures: ICIMOD

The communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region could face enhanced risks from flash floods due to bursts of extreme rainfall and cloudbursts during the southwest monsoon season along with high temperatures which could lead to accelerated glacier and snow melting, according to scientists from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

Read the full article here!

💼Careers Corner

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database

The Policy Post this week brings to you

• What Can a Glass of Milk Teach You About Policy?

• How Volkswagen made a lottery out of speeding tickets

• What plastic is doing to the ocean

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

⁉️The PPI Policy Question: Policy or Parody?

A government is developing new offices in the middle of the jungle for digital nomads who are tired of sitting back at home.

Is this a real policy or a total parody?

👉 Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

👀What caught our eye

The Speed Camera Lottery

Volkswagen conducted an experiment that saw the average speed drop from 32kmph before the experiment to 25 kmph during the experiment.

If you are someone who enjoys an innovative take on daily civic issues, this video is for you!

📝Policymaking Challenge By India House:

A glass of milk is never just a glass of milk. Behind almost everything that shapes our everyday lives lies a web of policies and systems most of us never notice. Policy thinking helps you see them.

The Start Thinking in Policy Challenge (STIP-C) by India House is a 7-day online challenge that helps you develop a policymaker’s lens: one real-world challenge at a time.

What to expect: 7 days | 60 minutes a day | Online | Certificate upon completion

As the Community Partner for this cohort, Public Policy India (PPI) members are also eligible for exclusive India House goodies, with rewards for the top-performing participants.

It started with a glass of milk. Soon, you’ll start seeing policy everywhere.

🗓️ Applications close: 12 July.

Register Here!

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of resources

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Plastic as marine litter

Plastics are the largest component of human-generated solid waste entering the seas and oceans. This essay discusses the dump of plastic, its consequences, and the lack of action taken.

Read the full article here!

💼Careers Corner

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database

⁉️Policy or Parody?

Answer: It is a real policy. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board is working to develop new offices in the middle of the jungle for digital nomads who are tired of sitting back at home.

The Policy Post this week brings to you

• How Volkswagen made trash bins fun (and effective)

• The increasing heat, its effects on India’s agriculture and Europe’s economy

• A wrap of PPI’s Policy Circles

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

⁉️The PPI Policy Question: Policy or Parody?

A. Citizens directly voted on how portions of local budgets should be spent.

B. Citizens directly voted on ministerial salaries each year.

👉 Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

👀What caught our eye

Volkswagen made using the trash bin fun!

A regular trash can wired with motion-activated depth sound effects - made dropping the litter into the trash bin feel fun, different, and exciting.

The result: Volkswagen collected 72 kilograms of trash in one day.

🏙️PPI’s Policy Circles - a wrap

PPI hosted 25 policy circles across India’s 20 largest cities!

In the past 6 months, we hosted in-person meetups for our community in back-to-back weekends. And each circle was truly a pleasure to host!

We are so grateful to everyone who took the time to attend the circle, join the conversation, and make the community more vibrant and meaningful. It was a joy to host in-person meetups across India and see policy enthusiasts come together!

If you couldn’t make it, no worries! We plan to host many more meetups in the future. 📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for all updates

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

Find your photos here!

📝Essay of the Week

Combined heat-and-drought events have already reduced average household incomes by almost 3 per cent across Europe.

This essay discusses the drying and heating up of Europe causing deepening poverty and inequality.

Read the full article here!

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of resources

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

India among countries most exposed as El Niño threatens rainfed crops, FAO says

El Niño has arrived, with forecasts warning of a growing chance of a “super” El Niño later this year. FAO says India is among the countries most exposed to agricultural drought, with rainfed crops such as rice and maize at risk during the kharif season.

Read the full article here!

💼Careers Corner

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database

⁉️Policy or Parody?

Answer: A. Citizens directly voted on how portions of local budgets should be spent.

Participatory budgeting is widely used.

The Policy Post this week brings to you

• The ban imposed by the Government of Argentina on attending the World Cup

• Climate-fuelled landslides leading to the death of 58 of world’s rarest great apes in 4 days

• PPI’s latest policy circle in Bengaluru

• Paper at Bonn Climate Conference 2026 warns that Earth’s vital signs are deteriorating at an unprecedented pace since the last UN climate assessment.

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

⁉️The PPI Policy Question: Policy or Parody?

A. A government taxed sugary beverages to reduce consumption.

B. A government capped the number of sugar-sweetened beverages an adult can purchase in a week.

👉 Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

👀Spotlight of the week/What caught our eye

Argentina’s Ban on Attending the World Cup

The Government of Argentina has provided U.S. authorities with a list of approximately 13,000 parents who have defaulted on child support payments. The aim is to prevent these individuals from attending the 2026 World Cup.

The mayor of Buenos Aires has been unequivocal: “If they don’t provide for their children, they will not be allowed into the stadium.”

This measure stems from a national government program called ‘Safe Stands’. Known locally as Tribuna Segura, ‘Safe Stands’ is a national security initiative that uses state databases to enforce bans from sporting events.

🏙️PPI’s Policy Circle in Bengaluru

PPI came to Bengaluru again - last Saturday (June 13)!

The highlight was our speaker for the session!

Ravi Sreedharan, co-founder and President of ISDM, talked to us about his transition to the social sector after a 24-year career in the corporate world, the experiences that shaped him, and how ISDM was founded to better manage the unprecedented developments happening in India.

The session was preceded by 40+ people having multiple simultaneous conversations over iced tea, and followed by people writing the policy gaps they feel passionate about in our policy nook, discussing careers, aspirations, and policy, and not wanting to leave the room (honestly, same)!

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for all updates

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

📝Essay of the Week

Global greenhouse gas emissions have reached an all-time high of 56.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, mainly from fossil fuel use.

This essay discusses how Earth’s vital signs have deteriorated at an unprecedented pace since the last UN climate assessment (as per a new paper released at Bonn Climate Conference 2026.)

Read the essay here!

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of resources

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Climate-fuelled landslides may have killed 58 of world’s rarest great apes in 4 days

Climate change intensified rainfall from Cyclone Senyar may have killed 58 Tapanuli orangutans, the world’s rarest great ape, a new study says. The suspected deaths represent about 7% of the species’ total wild population, which is estimated at fewer than 800 individuals.

Read the article here!

💼Careers Corner

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database

⁉️Policy or Parody?

Answer: A - Governments impose sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes to increase retail prices, thereby reducing consumption, curbing obesity and type 2 diabetes, and generating revenue for public health programmes. Many countries, including India with its flat 40% GST on aerated and sugar-sweetened beverages, levy heavy excise or “sin” taxes.

New York City famously attempted a “Sugary Drinks Portion Cap Rule” in 2013 that would have capped sugary drink sizes at 16 ounces, but it was repealed by the courts.

The Policy Post this week brings you

• Two Giveaways!

• Upcoming Policy Circle in Delhi (20th June)

• A DIY guide to build a community

• A study on how Climate change may expand chikungunya risk in North America, Europe and Asia

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

⁉️The PPI Policy Question: Policy or Parody?

A. A Government-certified professional queue standers.

B. A country created “Happiness Ministers” in the government.

👉 Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

🏙️PPI’s Policy Circle in Delhi

PPI, in partnership with MIT-WPU, is coming to Delhi on 20th June!

And you walk away with:

🟣 A policy careers workshop on nuances of policymaking, and many career options to pursue

🟣 A speaker session on “Why Public Policy needs Politics?”

🟣 An evening with Delhi’s policy community, open + free

Register now!

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for all updates

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎓 Nītividhāna giveaway

Public policy today must be civilizationally informed, culturally rooted, and contextually relevant.

To transform policy, we must first understand the ideas that shape governance itself.

Bṛhat is now accepting applications for an Advanced Certificate Course in Governance and Statecraft: Nītividhāna, with joint certification from ŚIKṢĀ – IITK Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, Sri Sri University, and Bṛhat.

Designed for policy enthusiasts, researchers, practitioners, civil services aspirants, and governance professionals, Nītividhāna explores how Indian Knowledge Systems can enrich contemporary policy analysis, governance thinking, and institutional design.

Why join the Cohort?

🟣Strengthen your policy analysis through civilizationally informed and contextually relevant frameworks

🟣Explore Indian perspectives on governance, leadership, administration, and statecraft

🟣 Develop the ability to think critically about policy design, implementation, and transformation

🟣 Learn from distinguished scholars, practitioners, and policy experts

🟣 Join a multidisciplinary cohort of professionals, researchers, students, and changemakers

Learn more about the course!

Apply now, mention “PPI” under “Referral Details,” and avail a minimum 50% scholarship.

Apply now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the scholarship.

👀Spotlight of the week

Janaagraha

Why do some cities thrive while others struggle with the same challenges year after year?

Everyday urban problems are rarely just about roads, water, waste, or housing. More often, they are symptoms of something deeper: weak systems, limited institutional capacity, and fragmented governance.

Which is why this week’s spotlight features Janaagraha, an organisation working to build better cities!

Read more about Janaagraha's work!

🏙️Giveaway: PPI’s City Chapter Coordinator position

PPI has built 35+ chapters across India’s 25 largest cities. If you’re an individual enthusiastic about policy and impact, you have the opportunity to participate in and build the policy ecosystem in your city, and emerge as a leader!

What you’ll get:

🟣 Open, direct access to the PPI team including the founder, Yash

🟣 Priority given for internship, fellowship and consulting projects done with PPI

🟣 Official PPI title - add a credible leadership role to your LinkedIn and CV

🟣 Co-lead events and build your profile as a policy leader in your city

🟣 Connect with think tanks, universities and government stakeholders nationwide

Participate in the Giveaway now!

🎥 Video of the Week

Research reveals that strong community and social connections can lower the odds of premature death by up to 50%. In fact, social isolation poses a mortality risk comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

This video discusses the three Rs needed to build a community: Rituals, Rhythm, Rules.

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of resources

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Climate change may expand chikungunya risk in North America, Europe and Asia, study says

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, identified north-eastern North America, central Europe and East Asia as emerging risk zones. At present, chikungunya is not endemic to Europe or North America.

Read the essay here!

💼Careers Corner

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database

⁉️Policy or Parody?

Answer: B - The United Arab Emirates established the position of Minister of State for Happiness (later titled Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing) in 2016. The role focuses on aligning government policies with citizen satisfaction and social good.

The Policy Post this week brings to you

• Upcoming Policy Circle in Bengaluru

• “State of India’s Environment: In figures” Report

• PPI Executive - a focussed community for policy professionals with 5+ years of experience

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

⁉️The PPI Policy Question: Policy or Parody?

A. A government created official “nap rooms” in workplaces to improve productivity.

B. A city banned people from walking while looking at their phones.

👉 Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

🏙️PPI’s Policy Circle in Bengaluru on 13th June

Free, in-person policy and development management careers workshop coming soon to Bengaluru!👇🏼

PPI, in partnership with ISDM, is coming to Bengaluru with a curated workshop on how to navigate policy and development management careers. If you’ve been curious about the space looking for the right community, then this is for you!

And you walk away with:

🟣 A careers workshop with Yash Agarwal on navigating paths in policy

🟣 A speaker session with Ravi Sreedharan (Founder and President, ISDM)

🟣 An evening with Bengaluru’s policy community, open + free

🗓️ Saturday, 13th June 🕕 6-8 PM 📍Dialogues Cafe, Koramangala, Bengaluru

✅ Free to attend ☕Coffee’s on us!!

Register now!!

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for all updates

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

📝 Essay of the Week

Nearly 13 per cent of Indians suffer from some kind of disease. Young girls and women are reporting more illness than men in both rural and urban areas.

This essay discusses the “State of India’s Environment: In figures” report published by DTE and CSE on 4th June, 2026.

Read the essay here!

🏙️PPI Executive for policy professionals

PPI started as a space for people early in their policy journey. Now, we’re building something for the people a few chapters ahead.

PPI Executive is a close-knit, pan-Indian community for policy professionals with 5 to 15 years of experience (Masters and full time fellowships are counted as years of experience).

Ex. A person with 2 years of masters and 3 years of work experience would be eligible to join the community.

It’s sector-agnostic, free to join, and being kept deliberately small to start.

Members get access to:

- A peer directory, searchable by sector and city

- Off-the-record conversations on what’s actually happening in the ecosystem

- Speaking opportunities at PPI events and Policy Sangam

- First consideration for consulting collaborations through PPI

- Intelligence from PPI’s 150,000+ grassroots community

(It’s not another networking group. It’s a vetted room where people actually doing this work can find each other, exchange real intelligence, and collaborate).

Join PPI Executive now!

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of resources

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

State of Environment report 2026 on Heat

India experiences about 48 extremely hot days each year. Even if countries meet their Paris agreement pledges, this could rise to 71 days under a 2.6°C warming scenario.

Read the article here!

💼Careers Corner

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database

⁉️Policy or Parody?

Answer: A - Japan has actively encouraged workplace napping culture.

“Population” has always been a dynamic and multidimensional subject of study. Population decline is an issue, but so is population explosion. Replacement migration is viewed as a solution, but also as an issue of its own.

The Policy Post this week brings to you

• The vanishing of the youth - an essay on decline of birth rates

• The upcoming Policy Circle in Pune

• A spotlight on Minerva Impact

• A note on how the Policy Circle in Delhi happened

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

⁉️The PPI Policy Question: Policy or Parody?

A. A city used bright lights to reduce crime rates.

B. A city introduced “silent buses” where talking was prohibited.

👉 Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

🏙️PPI Policy Circle in Pune

On 6th June, Public Policy India is coming to Pune for a policy workshop.

In-person development, policy and NGO sector careers workshop next Friday evening in Pune👇

PPI, in partnership with Anant National University, is coming to Pune with a curated workshop on how to navigate policy and development management careers. If you’ve been curious about the space looking for the right community, then this is for you!

And you walk away with:

🟣 A policy careers workshop on nuances of policymaking, + many career options to pursue
🟣 A careers workshop with Yash Agarwal on navigating paths in policy
🟣 Loads of chats + an evening with Pune’s policy community, open to all

📅 Saturday, 6th June
⏰ 6–8 PM
📍 Starthub Cowork space, Koregaon Park

and yess, Coffee’s on us!!

Register now!

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for all updates

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎓 Thinking About Structured Learning in Policy?

Policy Circles are a great starting point — but if you’re ready to go deeper, the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) at the Kautilya School of Public Policy is currently accepting applications.

This two-year residential programme focuses on understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped by political and institutional realities.

KSPP offers scholarships for eligible candidates, and applicants applying through PPI may be considered for fee waivers depending on the school’s evaluation, including academics, interview performance, and financial background.

Apply now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the waiver.

👀Spotlight of the week

The Policy space is filled with organisations doing impactful work, in innovative ways, forging their own paths.

Through PPI’s Spotlight feature, we try to focus on such organisations and this week we talk about the interesting intersection Minerva Impact works in.

Minerva Impact works at the intersection of business and public policy — helping discover infinite possibilities for India. Its work is rooted in strengthening the five Es: Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Economy, and Environment.

Read more on Minerva Impact!

If you’re an aspiring policy professional interested in independent research under mentorship, write to Minerva Impact at hello@minervaimpact.org.

🏙️PPI’s latest Policy Circle - Delhi

On 27th May, Public Policy India came to Delhi for a Policy Circle in collaboration with Indian School of Development Management (ISDM).

We started with an icebreaker around policy issues that were personal to the participants, and conversations of “Oh, where do you work?” and “What did you write about?” flowed over coffee.

We then sat down for a Policy Showcase - where participants spoke about the cool initiatives they are a part of, followed by a speaker session by Mona Dikshit and a workshop on navigating careers by our founder Yash Agarwal.

What followed was our favourite part of Policy Circles - people interacting after the session, forming changing shapes that were always accompanied by exciting conversations, and none of us wanting to leave the community we have quickly grown fond of!

Want to join the Policy Circle in your city?

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for all updates

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

📝Essay of the Week

In all developed countries, fertility rates are well below 2.1, the ‘replacement rate’ needed to maintain a stable population.

This essay discusses the precipitous decline of birth rates throughout the world which is considered to pose a serious threat to humanity.

Read the article here!

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of resources

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

India, the world’s largest population - for how much longer?

India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR), has fallen below the replacement level of 2.1, according to the Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2024.

Check how the TFR has transitioned over years and how it stands in different areas presently, in this article.

Read the full article here!

💼Careers Corner

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database

⁉️Policy or Parody?

Answer: A — A Philadelphia streetlight crime study, beginning in August 2023, observed that upgrading around one-third of city’s streetlights had an observable and statistical effect on crime citywide.

Policy is an emerging space in India. Nonetheless, there are 600+ think tanks in India that are looking for policy professionals. With only 2,000 policy graduates produced annually, there is plenty of policy careers open and waiting to be explored. This week’s edition focusses on empowering you with the data, tools, and information needed to crack the policy space.

The Policy Post this week brings to you

• 4 new PPI City Chapters: Goa, Patna, Coimbatore, Ludhiana+Amritsar

• Policy Navigator: a one-stop solution to navigating careers in Policy

• Upcoming Policy Circle in Dehradun (29th May, 2026)

• How is India Trying to Address Air Pollution?

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

⁉️The PPI Policy Question: Policy or Parody?

A. Cities introduced “walking lanes” based on walking speed.

B. National laws regulating how quickly people can walk in airports.

👉 Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

🏙️4 New PPI City Chapters: Goa, Patna, Ludhiana+Amritsar, Coimbatore

PPI is so thrilled to announce that we are adding 4 new chapters to our PPI community!

Goa. Patna. Coimbatore. Ludhiana + Amritsar.

With these chapters, we aim to build a community in these cities where policy is budding steadily as a career option!

Like always, these chapters will see

🟣 an online community notified of all the exciting opportunities happening in these places

🟣 Policy Circles: in-person meet-ups of PPI that hosts Policy enthusiasts in these cities to gather, learn, and make conversations

🟣 an invite to all PPI initiatives, giveaways, and workshops

If you wish to track the policy and social impact developments in these cities, or know someone who is curious about policy opportunities, join our PPI community’s new chapters!

Join the Chapters now!

🎓 Thinking About Structured Learning in Policy?

Policy Circles are a great starting point — but if you’re ready to go deeper, the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) at the Kautilya School of Public Policy is currently accepting applications.

This two-year residential programme focuses on understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped by political and institutional realities.

KSPP offers scholarships for eligible candidates, and applicants applying through PPI may be considered for fee waivers depending on the school’s evaluation, including academics, interview performance, and financial background.

Apply now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the waiver.

💼🔎Policy Career Navigator

The Policy Space is so vast and always building that you could be here 10 years and still unaware of all the roles that are open.

The good news is, we at Public Policy India, have made a Policy Career Navigator that has an expansive list of all the roles open to graduates (but also very simple to use).

The Navigator is more than just a directory. Through the Policy Career Navigator you can:

• Take a 2 minute quiz and identify your skills.

• Find roles that are the best fit for your skills.

• Find the entry points for your dream role in the policy and social impact space along with the compensation.

If you need to know anything about a career in policy in India, the Policy Career Navigator is the only thing you need.

Check out the Policy Career Navigator!

🏙️PPI Policy Circle in Dehradun

On 29th May, Public Policy India is coming to Dehradun for a policy workshop.

In-person development, policy and NGO sector careers workshop next Friday evening in Dehradun👇

PPI, in partnership with ISDM, is coming to Dehradun with a curated workshop on how to navigate policy and development management careers. If you’ve been curious about the space looking for the right community, then this is for you!

And you walk away with:

🟣 A policy careers workshop on nuances of policymaking, + many career options to pursue
🟣 A speaker session with Sanjana Kaushik (Manager, Admissions/Outreach, ISDM)
🟣 A careers workshop with Yash Agarwal on navigating paths in policy
🟣 Loads of chats + an evening with Dehradun’s policy community, open to all

📅 Friday, 29th May
⏰ 6–8 PM
📍 IKSANA Workspaces, Sahastradhara Road

and yess, Coffee’s on us!!

Register to join us at Dehradun!

🎥 Video of the Week

There are 6 million+ vacant government positions across central and state governments in India.

However, only 2,000 dedicated policy graduates are produced annually.

UPSC is not the only way to shift to public policy. This video discusses how to start a career in public policy.

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of resources

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

How is India Trying to Address Air Pollution?

This essay sets the context of how air pollution is a major health risk in India, discusses the action taken by the Government and 6 ways in which India can #buildbackbetter. It also mentions the support World Bank has provided to India in this aspect.

Read the full article here!

💼Careers Corner

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database

⁉️Policy or Parody?

Answer: A - Cities introduced “walking lanes” based on walking speed.

Liverpool, UK trialed designated fast lanes in 2015. Marked out by a major retailer outside the Liverpool One shopping center, it encouraged brisk walkers to bypass shoppers and tourists.

National Geographic conducted a social experiment in Washington, D.C., USA in 2014 by splitting a busy sidewalk into two paths: “No Cell Phones” and “Cell Phones”.

The Policy Post this week brings to you

• PPI Executive

• Giveaway for the community!

• Common Mid-Career Mistakes That Limit Advancement And Growth

• Chronic indoor heat exposure: an under-recognised climate threat

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

Read more

Policy is vast, interdisciplinary and all-encompassing. An action in a single domain can have ripple effects across several others, all of them unitedly affecting the end user - the people.

This week’s edition brings to you an in-person Policy Careers workshop in Guwahati curated by PPI, in partnership with ISDM. It also investigates how Ahm…

Read more

Across cities and sectors, policy conversations are increasingly being shaped by lived experiences, how people engage with systems, access opportunities, and navigate constraints in real time.

This week’s edition reflects that ground-up perspective. From Policy Circles in Bhopal and Chandigarh and upcoming ones in Kochi and Bhubaneswar to research on digital financial inclusion among women street vendors in Pune, the focus is on how policy plays out in everyday contexts.

We also spotlight Aditi Chugh, a practitioner whose work sits at the intersection of food systems, research, and policy implementation, alongside a piece on Bhutan’s climate burden raising broader questions around responsibility, capacity, and regional coordination.

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

Policy Charcha 💬

The best of Podcasts, Videos, Essays, Fellowships and other Career resources from the world of Policy and Governance from the week gone by!

🏙️ PPI Policy Circle: Bhopal and Chandigarh

Last week, Policy Circles were hosted in Bhopal (24th April) and Chandigarh (25th April), bringing together individuals exploring careers in public policy for an evening of conversations, peer exchange, and shared learning.

Designed as an in-person policy workshop, these circles focused on building community, creating room for participants to engage with each other, reflect on their journeys, and navigate questions around policy careers in a grounded way.

The conversations continue this week, with Policy Circles coming to Kochi (1st May) and Bhubaneswar (2nd May).

We’re bringing Policy Circles to more cities, with more conversations ahead!

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for all updates

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎓 Thinking About Structured Learning in Policy?

Policy Circles are a great starting point — but if you’re ready to go deeper, the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) at the Kautilya School of Public Policy is currently accepting applications.

This two-year residential programme focuses on understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped by political and institutional realities.

KSPP offers scholarships for eligible candidates, and applicants applying through PPI may be considered for fee waivers depending on the school’s evaluation, including academics, interview performance, and financial background.

Apply Now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the waiver.

Spotlight of the Week

Bridging research and real-world impact is often at the heart of effective policymaking. In this week’s Spotlight of the Week, we feature Aditi Chugh, an agriculture policy practitioner and researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Her work focuses on the practical implementation of food policies across global contexts, with particular attention to input subsidies, food fortification, and agricultural commercialization. Having previously worked with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare on MSP systems and data frameworks, she brings a unique perspective that connects policy design with on-ground realities.

Her journey reflects the value of interdisciplinary thinking combining economics, politics, and data to better understand how institutions and incentives shape outcomes, and to build more effective, sustainable policy solutions.

Read the full spotlight on LinkedIn!

📝 Essay of the Week

Empowering Women Street Vendors: UPI and Financial Inclusion

Financial inclusion, a critical component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has emerged as a cornerstone of economic development. This study examines the potential of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as a cost-effective and scalable FinTech solution to enhance financial inclusion among women street vendors in Pune, one of the most financially excluded segments of the informal economy.

Using a mixed-methods approach combining surveys, interviews, and triangulation, the research finds that while UPI adoption contributes to social empowerment, seamless access remains a privilege. Statistically significant links between education, income, and adoption indicate that lower literacy and income reduce the likelihood of usage. The study identifies social exclusion as a major barrier to financial inclusion, underscoring the need for governments and regulators to make UPI more inclusive and ensure a more equitable distribution of its benefits.

Read the full paper here

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of Resources!

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Bhutan’s Climate Debt: A Regional Challenge

Bhutan, a carbon-negative country, is facing severe climate impacts—from drying water sources to glacial risks despite contributing little to global emissions.

The piece highlights a key tension: the costs of adaptation are high and underfunded, making Bhutan’s “climate debt” not just a national issue, but a shared regional concern for South Asia especially given its interconnected river systems and economic linkages.

Read the article here!

Careers Corner 💼

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database!

You won’t believe it, but it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee to support our work ☕

We're a community-driven platform dedicated to delivering fresh policy insights, creating career opportunities, and helping thousands thrive in India's policy space. To keep all our work free and accessible, we need your support. A small contribution of just Rs. 80 can help sustain and grow our mission. Please consider buying us a coffee and powering our work. Thank you!

Buy us a coffee

Policy today is increasingly being shaped at the intersection of governance, public finance, and institutional capacity.

This week’s newsletter explores these themes through the lens of systems and scale, from a Policy Careers Workshop in Mumbai centered on exploring pathways into the policy space to reflections on India’s urban governance and the need for stronger local institutions.

Also in this edition: a closer look at direct cash transfers and their role in welfare delivery, alongside a piece examining whether tools like debt-for-nature swaps can address broader questions of inequality and development finance.

As always, we wrap up with a curated list of opportunities.

Let’s get into it!

Policy Charcha 💬

The best of Podcasts, Videos, Essays, Fellowships and other Career resources from the world of Policy and Governance from the week gone by!

🏙️ PPI Policy Circle: Mumbai

We hosted an engaging in-person Policy Careers Workshop and Community Meetup in Mumbai on 17th April, in collaboration with Kautilya School of Public Policy, bringing together a vibrant group of aspiring policy professionals and practitioners.

From meaningful conversations to actionable insights, the meetup created a space for learning, exchange, and community building.

We’re bringing Policy Circles to more cities, with more conversations ahead.

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for all updates

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎓 Thinking About Structured Learning in Policy?

Policy Circles are a great starting point — but if you’re ready to go deeper, the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) at the Kautilya School of Public Policy is currently accepting applications.

This two-year residential programme focuses on understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped by political and institutional realities.

KSPP offers scholarships for eligible candidates, and applicants applying through PPI may be considered for fee waivers depending on the school’s evaluation, including academics, interview performance, and financial background.

Apply Now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the waiver.

🎥 Video of the Week

India’s Urban Governance – Past and Future

Featuring insights from Vijay Kelkar in a fireside chat hosted by Indian Institute for Human Settlements, the discussion reflects on the evolution of India’s urban governance framework and the challenges shaping its future. The conversation offers a sharp policy perspective on the need for empowered local governments, stronger financial autonomy, and institutional innovation to make Indian cities more resilient, accountable, and growth-oriented.

📝 Essay of the Week

Direct Cash Transfers: Evidence & Caveats

Published by The Nudge Institute, this report examines the growing role of direct cash transfers as a tool for poverty alleviation in India. Drawing on global and Indian evidence, it highlights how cash transfers can improve income stability, asset creation, and human development outcomes such as education, nutrition, and well-being. At the same time, the report cautions against viewing them as a silver bullet.

The piece makes a nuanced case for treating cash transfers as a complement not a substitute for public services and infrastructure, arguing that their effectiveness ultimately depends on context, institutional capacity, and careful policy design.

Read the Report Here

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of Resources!

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Debt-for-Nature Swaps

Debt-for-nature swaps aim to ease sovereign debt while funding environmental protection, but their impact remains small and uneven.

The piece raises a key question: can such instruments scale to address global inequality and climate finance needs, or are they ultimately a limited, niche solution?

Read the Full Article Here!

Careers Corner 💼

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database!

You won’t believe it, but it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee to support our work ☕

We're a community-driven platform dedicated to delivering fresh policy insights, creating career opportunities, and helping thousands thrive in India's policy space. To keep all our work free and accessible, we need your support. A small contribution of just Rs. 80 can help sustain and grow our mission. Please consider buying us a coffee and powering our work. Thank you!

Buy us a coffee

Climate Change is redefining the way policies are shaped from housing and infrastructure to health and labour.

This week’s newsletter explores cities as interconnected systems, linking planning, environment, and everyday life. From a Policy Circle in Bhopal, designed to offer direction and help navigate pathways in the policy space, to questions around urban biodiversity and whether our cities are truly equipped to handle these challenges.

Also in here: a video that breaks down how global economic shifts are shaping India’s outlook, from currency pressures to broader macroeconomic uncertainty, and a piece on how cities may heat up faster than their rural surroundings, raising urgent questions for urban planning and climate adaptation. As always, there’s a curated list of opportunities at the end.

Let’s get into it!

Policy Charcha 💬

The best of Podcasts, Videos, Essays, Fellowships and other Career resources from the world of Policy and Governance from the week gone by!

🏙️ PPI Policy Circle: Bhopal

PPI, in collaboration with the Anant Fellowship in Sustainability and Built Environment, is hosting a free, in-person policy careers workshop in Bhopal for those exploring careers in public policy.

The evening will feature a careers workshop led by Yash Agarwal, along with a speaker session featuring Sourabh Popli, an Associate Professor at the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal, whose work engages with landscape phenomenology, ecological resilience, and the relationship between people and environments, and Hardika DayalanI, Director of the Anant Fellowship in Sustainability and Built Environment.

Beyond the sessions, the event is also designed to foster meaningful, grounded conversations among peers navigating similar questions around policy careers.

📅 Friday, 24th April

⏰ 6–8 PM

📍 Oneworx Co-working Space

The session is free to attend and coffee’s on us!!

Register Here!

We’re bringing Policy Circles to more cities, with more conversations ahead.

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for all updates

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎓 Thinking About Structured Learning in Policy?

Policy Circles are a great starting point — but if you’re ready to go deeper, the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) at the Kautilya School of Public Policy is currently accepting applications.

This two-year residential programme focuses on understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped by political and institutional realities.

KSPP offers scholarships for eligible candidates, and applicants applying through PPI may be considered for fee waivers depending on the school’s evaluation, including academics, interview performance, and financial background.

Apply Now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the waiver.

🎥 Video of the Week

How is India’s Economy Positioned in 2026

Featuring insights from V. Anantha Nageswaran, the Chief Economic Advisor of India, the video unpacks how global economic turbulence is influencing India’s macroeconomic stability. From currency pressures to external vulnerabilities. It offers a concise policy perspective on navigating uncertainty while sustaining growth.

📝 Essay of the Week

Urban Biodiversity: Leveraging Natural Capital and Social Innovation

Urbanisation is putting increasing pressure on biodiversity, often isolating and degrading natural ecosystems within cities. Using Delhi as a case, the piece argues that integrating “natural capital” (like green spaces, water bodies, and urban forests) into city planning is essential for improving quality of life and ensuring long-term sustainability.

This piece makes a strong case for positioning urban biodiversity not as an afterthought, but as central to resilient and livable cities.

Read full essay here

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of Resources!

🌟 Avenues for Upskilling

Public Policy Puzzle

Public Policy Puzzle (PPP) is a platform on a mission to make public policy accessible, engaging, and useful for students, young professionals, and curious citizens. Through courses, resources, and interactive formats.

Check out their website!

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Uneven Heat Burden

Indian cities may heat up far more than expected, even under a 2°C global warming scenario. New research shows that urban areas could experience up to 45% higher temperature increases than surrounding rural regions, meaning the actual heat people feel in cities could be significantly underestimated.

The finding raises a key policy question: are urban climate plans accounting for the true scale of heat risk, or relying on projections that miss how cities actually warm?

Read the full article here!

Careers Corner 💼

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database!

You won’t believe it, but it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee to support our work ☕

We're a community-driven platform dedicated to delivering fresh policy insights, creating career opportunities, and helping thousands thrive in India's policy space. To keep all our work free and accessible, we need your support. A small contribution of just Rs. 80 can help sustain and grow our mission. Please consider buying us a coffee and powering our work. Thank you!

Buy us a coffee

There’s a difference between knowing about policy and actually sitting with the questions it raises.

This week’s newsletter sits right at that intersection — from a Policy Circle in Kolkata that looks at cities through arts and culture, to a closer look at India’s demographic window and what it really demands from policy today.

Also in here: a video that unpacks how policy thinking plays out beyond textbooks, and a climate transition story that’s as much about equity and health as it is about energy. And as always you will find a list of opportunities at the end.

Let’s get into it.

Policy Charcha 💬

The best of Podcasts, Videos, Essays, Fellowships and other Career resources from the world of Policy and Governance from the week gone by!

🏙️ PPI Policy Circle: Kolkata

In collaboration with Anant National University, this is a free, in-person careers workshop + panel discussion on a slightly different way of thinking about cities.

We have with us Dr. Jenia Mukherjee — urban water researcher at IIT Kharagpur and Coordinator at the Global Centre of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability, TU Berlin — someone who approaches cities in ways that stay with you long after the conversation ends.

Come for the workshop, stay for the conversation, leave with people you actually want to stay in touch with ☕

🟣 Free entry + careers workshop
🟣 Networking ice breaker
🟣 Panel: Arts, Crafts and Cities — why the humanities matter in urban policy

📅 Saturday, 18th April
⏰ 6:00 – 8:00 PM
📍 Collab Deck, Russel Street, Park Street area, Kolkata

Register Here!

More cities, more conversations, and more Policy Circles coming up soon.
📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group.

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎓 Thinking About Structured Learning in Policy?

Policy Circles are a great starting point — but if you’re ready to go deeper, the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) at the Kautilya School of Public Policy is currently accepting applications.

This two-year residential programme focuses on understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped by political and institutional realities.

KSPP offers scholarships for eligible candidates, and applicants applying through PPI may be considered for fee waivers depending on the school’s evaluation, including academics, interview performance, and financial background.

Apply Now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the waiver.

🎥 Video of the Week

How policy thinking actually plays out

A useful watch if you’ve ever wondered how policy decisions move from theory to practice — and what gets lost (or negotiated) along the way.

📝 Essay of the Week

India’s demographic dividend — opportunity or ticking clock?

India’s much-discussed demographic dividend isn’t automatic — it depends on whether jobs, skills, and policy can keep pace with a rapidly shifting population.

This piece breaks down what’s at stake, and why the window may be narrower than we think.

Read the full essay here!

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of Resources!

🌟 Avenues for Upskilling

Public Policy Puzzle

Public Policy Puzzle (PPP) is a platform on a mission to make public policy accessible, engaging, and useful for students, young professionals, and curious citizens. Through courses, resources, and interactive formats.

Check out their website!

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

India’s green transition — fast, but uneven

India is electrifying faster than many expected, driven by cheaper renewable technologies and policy push. But transitions like these are never just about speed — they’re about who benefits, who gets left out, and how systems adapt.

What’s interesting here is not just the scale of change, but the trade-offs: grid stability, affordability, and access — all of which directly shape health outcomes, especially for vulnerable communities.

A useful read if you’re thinking about climate not just as environment, but as infrastructure, equity, and public health.

Read the full article here!

Careers Corner 💼

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database!

You won’t believe it, but it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee to support our work ☕

We're a community-driven platform dedicated to delivering fresh policy insights, creating career opportunities, and helping thousands thrive in India's policy space. To keep all our work free and accessible, we need your support. A small contribution of just Rs. 80 can help sustain and grow our mission. Please consider buying us a coffee and powering our work. Thank you!

Buy us a coffee

Policy can feel abstract, until you’re in a room where people are actually trying to figure it out.

That’s what Policy Circles have been about. And this week, we’re bringing that room to Ahmedabad.

Alongside that: a free masterclass on breaking into the policy job market, and a sharp look at how India is positioning itself globally. And as always you will find a list of opportunities at the end.

Let’s get into it.

Policy Charcha 💬

The best of Podcasts, Videos, Essays, Fellowships and other Career resources from the world of Policy and Governance from the week gone by!

🏙️ PPI Policy Circle: Ahmedabad

In collaboration with Anant National University, this is a free, in-person careers workshop + panel discussion on urban policy — designed for anyone trying to figure out where they fit in this space.

Come for the workshop, stay for the conversation, leave with people you actually want to stay in touch with ☕

🟣 Free entry + careers workshop
🟣 Networking ice breaker
🟣 A room of people who are genuinely curious, not just credentialing

📅 Saturday, 11th April
⏰ 6:00 – 8:00 PM
📍 Uncubate Co-working Space, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad

Register Here!

More cities, more conversations, and more Policy Circles coming up soon.

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for more such meet-ups

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎓 Thinking About Structured Learning in Policy?

Policy Circles are a great starting point — but if you’re ready to go deeper, the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) at the Kautilya School of Public Policy is currently accepting applications.

This two-year residential programme focuses on understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped by political and institutional realities.

KSPP offers scholarships for eligible candidates, and applicants applying through PPI may be considered for fee waivers depending on the school’s evaluation, including academics, interview performance, and financial background.

Apply Now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the waiver.

Community Highlight

Thousands of you write to us every month with the same struggle- great profiles, but applications that don’t convert. So we decided to do something about it. PPI has collaborated with TSL Careers, a one stop Public Policy careers platform, to bring you a completely FREE masterclass designed to fix exactly that.

Speaker: Akshat Agarwal (Public Policy Veteran | 15+ years across PwC, Pratham, EIU, Accenture & HSBC)

Topic: From Application to Offer- Cracking the Public Policy Job Market
Date: Saturday, 11th April
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Platform: Zoom

Register Here!

(Only 100 seats. First come, first served.) If cracking a top public policy role is on your list, this is the session you shouldn’t miss.

🎥 Video of the Week

India’s Foreign Policy: Playing All Sides?

India today is balancing relationships with the US, Russia, and China — while trying to hold on to strategic autonomy.

In this conversation, Samir Saran and Leslie Vinjamuri unpack what that actually looks like in practice — and what it signals about India’s long-term positioning.

It’s less about diplomacy optics, more about how power is negotiated in real time.

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of Resources!

🌟 Avenues for Upskilling

Public Policy Puzzle

Public Policy Puzzle (PPP) is a platform on a mission to make public policy accessible, engaging, and useful for students, young professionals, and curious citizens. Through courses, resources, and interactive formats.

Check out their website!

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Climate, Law & Accountability

For a long time, climate action has largely depended on political will — negotiations, commitments, and voluntary targets that often fall short of urgency. But a new push led by Vanuatu, supported by an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, is beginning to shift that conversation.

This is worth your time if you’re interested in where climate governance is headed — especially how international law might start shaping real accountability, particularly for countries in the Global South already facing the worst impacts.

Read Here!

Careers Corner 💼

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database!

You won’t believe it, but it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee to support our work ☕

We're a community-driven platform dedicated to delivering fresh policy insights, creating career opportunities, and helping thousands thrive in India's policy space. To keep all our work free and accessible, we need your support. A small contribution of just Rs. 80 can help sustain and grow our mission. Please consider buying us a coffee and powering our work. Thank you!

Buy us a coffee

This week reflects that idea in different ways: through our Chennai Policy Circle, a closer look at where India is placing its long-term economic bets, and a spotlight on Rumit Walia, whose journey shows how consistent action can grow into long-term impact. And as always you will find full database of resources, opportunities and so much more at the end.

Let’s get into it.

Policy Charcha 💬

The best of Podcasts, Videos, Essays, Fellowships and other Career resources from the world of Policy and Governance from the week gone by!

🏙️ Community Highlight: PPI in Chennai

On March 22nd, we brought the PPI community to Chennai for a Policy Circle in partnership with ISDM and the room showed up.

What stood out wasn’t just attendance, but the kind of conversations that followed. From careers in policy to questions around implementation and impact, the discussion moved quickly beyond surface-level interest into how governance actually works in practice.

These spaces remind us that public policy becomes far more accessible when it is discussed, questioned, and unpacked collectively.

More cities, more conversations, and more Policy Circles coming up soon.

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for more such meet-ups

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎓 Thinking About Structured Learning in Policy?

Policy Circles are a great starting point — but if you’re ready to go deeper, the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) at the Kautilya School of Public Policy is currently accepting applications.

This two-year residential programme focuses on understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped by political and institutional realities.

KSPP offers scholarships for eligible candidates, and applicants applying through PPI may be considered for fee waivers depending on the school’s evaluation, including academics, interview performance, and financial background.

Apply Now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the waiver.

🎥 Video of the Week

Where Is India Placing Its Long-Term Bets?

This breakdown looks at where government capital is being directed — and what that signals for India’s economic trajectory.

From semiconductor manufacturing and rare earth corridors to defence capex, PLI 3.0, and data centre incentives, the discussion maps how policy is shaping opportunities across sectors.

This isn’t political commentary — it’s a business and economic lens on policy decisions, and what they could mean over the next 10–20 years.

Spotlight of the Week

What starts as a small habit can sometimes grow into a lifelong commitment to change. In this week’s Spotlight of the Week, we feature Rumit Walia, Founder of Tears of the Earth, a youth-led initiative focused on environmental action and sustainability.

Working at the intersection of climate, peace, and technology, Rumit’s work brings together youth participation, creative engagement, and program design to address complex global challenges. His journey reflects a simple but powerful idea: meaningful change is built through consistent action over time.

Read the full spotlight on LinkedIn!

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of Resources!

🌟 Avenues for Upskilling

Public Policy Puzzle

Public Policy Puzzle (PPP) is a platform on a mission to make public policy accessible, engaging, and useful for students, young professionals, and curious citizens. Through courses, resources, and interactive formats.

Check out their website!

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Municipal Bonds & Urban Reform

As Indian cities grow, financing urban infrastructure is becoming a critical challenge.

Municipal bonds offer a pathway for cities to raise capital while improving financial discipline and governance standards — but their success depends on stronger institutional capacity and investor confidence.

The larger question: can municipal finance evolve fast enough to support India’s urban transition?

Read More!

Careers Corner 💼

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database!

You won’t believe it, but it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee to support our work ☕

We're a community-driven platform dedicated to delivering fresh policy insights, creating career opportunities, and helping thousands thrive in India's policy space. To keep all our work free and accessible, we need your support. A small contribution of just Rs. 80 can help sustain and grow our mission. Please consider buying us a coffee and powering our work. Thank you!

Buy us a coffee

We often think of policy in terms of design and intent. But its real test lies in implementation — in whether systems are accessible, responsive, and equitable for the people they are meant to serve.

This week’s edition brings together an upcoming Policy Circle in Jaipur, a research brief examining gaps in road crash compensation in India, and a recent PPI campus conversation in Coimbatore. Together, they reflect how policy is shaped not just through institutions, but through people, practice, and lived realities.

As always, you will also find resources and opportunities at the end of the newsletter.

Let’s get into it.

Policy Charcha 💬

The best of Podcasts, Videos, Essays, Fellowships and other Career resources from the world of Policy and Governance from the week gone by!

🏙️ Community Highlight: PPI in Jaipur

Free, in-person workshop on building careers in the policy space in Jaipur :)))

If you’ve ever wondered how intentions turn into real impact in the policy world — this one’s for you.

We’re bringing PPI Policy Circle to Jaipur, supported by the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM), for an evening where we unpack what careers in public policy actually look like — the work, the decisions, the challenges + the opportunities.

Think of it as a space where curiosity meets conversation.

📅 Saturday, 28th March 2026
⏰ 6:00 – 8:00 PM
📍 Creware Coworks, Mansarovar

Free entry + coffee’s on us ☕

Register Here!

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for more such meet-ups

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎓 Thinking About Structured Learning in Policy?

Policy Circles are a great starting point — but if you’re ready to go deeper, the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) at the Kautilya School of Public Policy is currently accepting applications.

This two-year residential programme focuses on understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped by political and institutional realities.

KSPP offers scholarships for eligible candidates, and applicants applying through PPI may be considered for fee waivers depending on the school’s evaluation, including academics, interview performance, and financial background.

Apply Now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the waiver.

⚖️ Research Spotlight: Justice Unserved

A new research brief by Crashfree India highlights a critical gap:

👉 Most road crash victims in India never receive compensation.

Titled “Justice Unserved,” the brief maps where the system breaks — from low awareness and delays to complex legal processes and unequal access.

Drawing on insights from practitioners across law, police, insurance, and policy, the report shows that the issue isn’t just road safety — it’s post-crash justice.

The team has also begun documenting 120+ victim experiences and is piloting solutions like hospital helpdesks and AI-based support tools, alongside working with Gurugram Police to improve claim access.

Read the Full Brief!

🎤 PPI Talks! — Coimbatore

PPI recently engaged with students at Hindustan College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore, exploring what careers in public policy and development can look like in practice.

From navigating career pathways to understanding how policy intersects with real-world challenges, conversations like these aim to make the field more accessible to young people across contexts.

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of Resources!

🌟 Avenues for Upskilling

Public Policy Puzzle

Public Policy Puzzle (PPP) is a platform on a mission to make public policy accessible, engaging, and useful for students, young professionals, and curious citizens. Through courses, resources, and interactive formats.

Check out their website!

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Peatlands are among the world’s most effective natural carbon sinks, capable of storing large amounts of carbon dioxide over long periods. However, they are increasingly being drained for energy production and agriculture, leading to significant emissions and ecosystem loss.

Across regions — from Finland to the United States — researchers and communities are working to restore these landscapes. The challenge lies in balancing conservation with livelihoods, especially for farmers and local economies dependent on these lands.

Careers Corner 💼

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database!

You won’t believe it, but it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee to support our work ☕

We're a community-driven platform dedicated to delivering fresh policy insights, creating career opportunities, and helping thousands thrive in India's policy space. To keep all our work free and accessible, we need your support. A small contribution of just Rs. 80 can help sustain and grow our mission. Please consider buying us a coffee and powering our work. Thank you!

Buy us a coffee

Public policy is not only about decisions made in government — it is about how societies organize themselves to solve problems.

Most people encounter policy indirectly — through news headlines, reports, or the occasional public debate. But the most meaningful conversations about governance often happen in smaller rooms: community meetups, workshops, classrooms, and everyday discussions between curious people trying to understand how systems work.

This week’s edition brings together one such upcoming Policy Circle in Chennai, a leadership opportunity for those looking to deepen their engagement with policy, and a new episode from our Policy Panchayat podcast exploring the work of sexual health educators in India.

As always, you will also find a set of resources and opportunities at the end of the newsletter.

Let’s get into it.

Policy Charcha 💬

The best of Podcasts, Videos, Essays, Fellowships and other Career resources from the world of Policy and Governance from the week gone by!

🏙️ Community Highlight: PPI in Chennai

Free, in-person workshop on building careers in the development and policy space in Chennai :)))

If you’ve ever wondered how intentions turn into real impact in the development sector — this one’s for you.

We’re bringing PPI Policy Circle to Chennai for an evening where we unpack what careers in development management actually look like — the work, the decisions, the challenges + the opportunities.

Think of it as a space where curiosity meets conversation.

📅 Sunday, 22nd March 2026
⏰ 5:00 – 7:00 PM
📍 Backyard, Gandhi Nagar, Chennai

Free entry + coffee’s on us ☕

Register Here!

📍 Keep an eye on your chapter’s WhatsApp group for more such meet-ups

Not in a chapter yet? Find and join your city chapter here →

🎓 Thinking About Structured Learning in Policy?

Policy Circles are a great starting point — but if you’re ready to go deeper, the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP) at the Kautilya School of Public Policy is currently accepting applications.

This two-year residential programme focuses on understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped by political and institutional realities.

KSPP offers scholarships for eligible candidates, and applicants applying through PPI may be considered for fee waivers depending on the school’s evaluation, including academics, interview performance, and financial background.

Apply Now!

📌 If you apply via PPI, be sure to mention us as your reference to be considered for the waiver.

🌏 Policy Pioneers Program — Call for Applications

The Policy Pioneers Program is a 16-week hybrid leadership program in public policy designed for students and early- to mid-career professionals interested in engaging with governance and public systems.

The program focuses on practical exposure, including:

• Networking with senior practitioners
• Live policy projects
• Specialisations in Trade, Technology, and Public Systems & Governance

The program is run in collaboration with:

• Public Systems Lab (IIT Delhi)
• The Pranava Institute
• Pahle India Foundation

Selections are on a rolling basis.

Already 1000+ people have signed up.

Apply Here!

🎙️ Podcast of the Week

In this episode of #PolicyPanchayat, Yash Agarwal from PPI speaks with Ms. Niyati Sharma, the founder of Pratisandhi Foundation and a leading sexuality education advocate.

Ms. Sharma shares her journey of building Pratisandhi into a platform for sexual and reproductive health education and discusses the challenges of expanding conversations around sexuality, consent, and health in India.

The conversation also explores how civil society organisations navigate policy spaces while working on sensitive but essential public health issues.

🔎 Databases and Guides:

Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include 150+ hiring organisations, 200+ scholarships, and 150+ courses, podcasts and a lot more. Dive in and unlock your next big opportunity!

100s of Resources!

🌟 Avenues for Upskilling

Public Policy Puzzle

Public Policy Puzzle (PPP) is a platform on a mission to make public policy accessible, engaging, and useful for students, young professionals, and curious citizens. Through courses, resources, and interactive formats.

Check out their website!

🌍Climate + Health Corner

In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst

Hydropower’s Role in the Clean Energy Transition

As countries expand solar and wind energy, hydropower is gaining attention as a key stabilizer for renewable-heavy grids. Technologies like pumped-storage hydropower can store energy and release it during peak demand.

But expanding hydropower also raises important policy questions around environmental impact, water governance, and displacement.

Read More!

Careers Corner 💼

A curated list of some of the best jobs and internship opportunities this week from the world of public policy, the development sector, impact consulting and communications at large.

📩 Best bit - if you know of a job/internship opening that’s not listed here, kindly just add that as a comment on the sheet: giving 20,000+ people immediate access to it!

Jobs/Internships Master Database!

You won’t believe it, but it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee to support our work ☕

We're a community-driven platform dedicated to delivering fresh policy insights, creating career opportunities, and helping thousands thrive in India's policy space. To keep all our work free and accessible, we need your support. A small contribution of just Rs. 80 can help sustain and grow our mission. Please consider buying us a coffee and powering our work. Thank you!

Buy us a coffee