Bhopal Policy Circle, Urban Biodiversity and India's Economic Outlook amidst Uncertainty
Policy Post #231
Dear Reader,
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!!
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.
📌 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.
🔎 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!
🌟 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.
🌍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?
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!
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