Is it time for a Civil Law Makeover? + Inlaks Fellowship!
Policy Post #162
Dear reader, Trust you're well! This week, we focus on India's evolving legal landscape, highlighting reforms aimed at speeding up criminal cases and addressing the growing backlog in civil litigation through mediation. In the Policy Charcha section, we feature key insights from PRS’s State of State Finances report and a deep dive into the global tax burden trends. We also spotlight exciting career opportunities like the Inlaks Fellowship for Social Engagement.
Our Climate + Health Corner brings attention to UN Women's push for gender-responsive climate action at COP29 and explores how Femtech can help reduce gender health inequalities in India. Don't miss this week’s video, where Shekhar Gupta discusses the pitfalls of ‘currency nationalism’ and its implications on the Indian economy.
As always, explore our curated resources and career opportunities, and thank you for being part of our community!
Do consider supporting PPI by buying us a coffee ☕ (or two!) if you’ve found our work to be valuable :)
With that, we bring to you: Policy Post #162!
This Week’s Policy Focus 🔎
India's legal reforms, including updates to the IPC and CrPC, aim to expedite criminal cases with time-bound procedures. However, civil litigation remains slow, with over 5.6 million cases pending. To tackle this, the 2023 Mediation Act and a dedicated Mediation Council formalise mediation as a quicker, cost-effective alternative. States like Karnataka have shown mediation can halve resolution times, easing court backlogs and improving access to justice.
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!
💡 Publication Highlight:
PRS has published its annual publication titled State of State Finances! The report analyses the finances of all Indian states and UTs for the financial year 2024-25. The initial section discusses major themes for the year followed by trends in State Finances.
👀 Something that caught our eyes:
Tax burdens are at or near record highs in almost all countries. This graph illustrates the contrast from 1965 to 2025.
🎓 Fellowship Highlight:
Applications for the Inlaks Fellowship for Social Engagement are now open! The Fellowship empowers young people to develop a broad worldview, build lasting connections to public issues, challenge the status quo, and confidently explore independent life choices.
🔎 Databases and Guides:
Discover your ultimate career resource sheets for everything related to public policy! Our comprehensive mega-lists include over 150 organisations that are always on the lookout for talent, 200+ scholarships for Indian students, and 150+ public policy courses. Dive in and unlock incredible opportunities!
Climate + Health Corner
In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst
👉🏽 UN Women at COP29: Calling for a push on gender equality in climate action
At COP29 in Baku, UN Women is advocating for gender-responsive climate action. They’re calling on parties to uphold women’s rights, amplify their leadership, address climate-induced gender violence with targeted funding, and ensure just transitions with decent jobs in sustainable economies.
👉🏽 How Femtech can help reduce gender health inequality
Gender health inequality in India is driven by cultural norms, biases, and limited access to healthcare. Femtech, with tools like menstrual trackers and health apps, helps women access better care and health information privately. By using smartphones, Femtech can improve outcomes in areas like maternal health, chronic diseases, and mental well-being, helping close the health gap for women.
▶️Video Highlight:
👉🏽 As the Indian exchange rates flatten, in this episode of CutTheClutter, Editor-in-Chief of The Print, Shekhar Gupta looks at some top economists pointing to the pitfalls of ‘currency nationalism.’ Is a strong rupee necessarily good for India?
👥 Community Updates:
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The aim is to organise regular in-person meet-ups, workshops, and career activities throughout the year to support your growth and learning. Most knowledge in public policy and social impact resides with individuals, not institutions, and knowledge transfer happens most effectively when we meet and exchange ideas. Join us and help spread the word so we can grow this space together in your city and across India. :)
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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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