Dear Reader,
Some fixes sound bold, but crumble under scrutiny. This week’s video highlight digs into Delhi’s ₹1000 crore plan for 150 smog towers in Nehru Park, despite past experiments showing they barely cleaned the air. On another front, land disputes have long stalled highways and housing, but our essay highlight shows how Japan and even Gujarat cracked the code with smarter solutions.
In the Climate + Health corner, NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index delivers a stark warning: India’s growth story may hinge less on GDP and more on how we manage water. We also spotlight The India House, a new civic imagination hub in Delhi, and launch The Policy Accelerator, our 5-year giveaway where you stand a chance to win mentorships, internships, and even a Hertie School scholarship.
As always, thank you for reading and championing better policy.
With that, we bring to you: Policy Post #200!
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!
💡 Essay Highlight:
Land Disputes: The Growth Killer With a Way Out
India’s land acquisition logjam has stalled countless projects, but it doesn’t have to be this way. This essay in The Print shows how Japan and Gujarat used land pooling and consensus-based models to resolve disputes and unlock development. Could this be the blueprint we desperately need?
🌟 Organisation highlight
India House
In the heart of Delhi, The India House is rethinking civic engagement. It’s a space where young people can come together to debate, learn, and act on issues shaping India’s democracy. India House is a dynamic think-and-do tank committed to nurturing changemakers and reimagining institutions for a resilient India. From town halls to fellowships, it’s a hub for ideas and voices that often get left out of the policy conversation.
🔎 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!
▶️Video Highlight:
Smog Towers: Delhi’s ₹1000 Crore Illusion?
Delhi is about to splurge ₹1000 crore on 150 outdoor air purifiers, but science says they don’t work. In this episode of The Climate Brief, they investigate why smog towers keep returning despite evidence, what actually works to cut pollution, and how this money could’ve been spent better.
🎁 Giveaway Alert: The Policy Accelerator
As Public Policy India turns 5, we want to give back to the community that made this journey possible. That’s why we’re launching The Policy Accelerator
There’s a simple task: Pick one public policy concept (e.g. Public Goods, Market Failure, Overton Window). Explain it in under 250 words, in the simplest way possible. Stand a chance to avail exciting rewards and opportunities:-
Internships with The Quantum Hub, Prod, Minerva Impact, Chase India
50% scholarship at the Hertie School of Public Policy
1:1 mentorship with Yash Agarwal, Founder of PPI
A feature in the PPI Newsletter
Who can apply?
UG & Master’s students in India | Age 18–28
📅 Deadline: 8 Sept 2025
🌍Climate + Health Corner
In Partnership With Swasti, The Health Catalyst
👉🏽 India’s Water Crisis, By the Numbers
NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index lays it out starkly: India is running out of water. With agriculture guzzling over 80% of freshwater and states like Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu flagged for extreme stress, the report is a wake-up call. Without urgent reforms in groundwater use, rainwater harvesting, and wastewater recycling, the crisis could dwarf every other development challenge.
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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