Nation First Policy Research & Change Foundation

May the light of Deepavali bring prosperity, happiness and well-being to every home. As we celebrate this auspicious occasion, may the spirit of renewal and togetherness strengthen our collective resolve towards building a stronger, more prosperous and Viksit Bharat. Happy Deepavali! Warm wishes from NFPRC Foundation. 🪔

6/ Read the full NFPRC Brief below: clpgnfprcfoundation.substack…

5/ VISTAR: ₹4,371.10 crore for 2026-27 to 2030-31 to modernise official statistics. MoSPI will run 59 surveys, up from 43, and conduct the 8th Economic Census down to Panchayat and Ward level.

4/ ₹14,500 crore in viability gap funding for 92 GWh of grid-scale energy storage: 60 GWh pumped hydro, 30 GWh battery, 2 GWh other technologies. Expected investment: ₹97,600 crore. Battery projects need at least 40% domestic content.

3/ Fast Track Special Courts continue to March 2031 with ₹3,788.04 crore. Courts rise from 779 to 850, including exclusive POCSO Courts. Since 2019 they have disposed of 4,02,457 cases. The Centre’s ₹2,353.15 crore share comes from the Nirbhaya Fund.

2/ Critical mineral processing: ₹2,814 crore, 2026-27 to 2030-31. Four plants: two lithium (30 kt+ each), two nickel (50 kt+ each). A 30% capital subsidy, capped at ₹500 crore per lithium and ₹900 crore per nickel plant. Cobalt is recovered as a by-product.

On 4 November, the Union Cabinet approved: - ₹2,814 crore for lithium and nickel processing - ₹3,788.04 crore for Fast Track Special Courts - ₹14,500 crore for grid-scale energy storage - ₹4,371.10 crore to modernise official statistics Briefing note🧵

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As part of its ongoing pan-India Pre-Budget Consultations, NFPRC Foundation convened a roundtable in Guwahati in collaboration with @IITGuwahati, bringing together academics, industry representatives, government officials and practitioners to deliberate on priorities for the Union Budget 2027–28. The discussions were held across four sessions: skilling and academic innovation, financial and institutional reforms, agriculture and allied sectors, and energy and the green economy, with a focus on identifying actionable policy priorities for Assam and the Northeast. We extend our sincere thanks to all participants for their valuable insights and engagement, and to IIT Guwahati for its collaboration and support in making the roundtable a meaningful platform for dialogue. @deb_rouhin @gatri8pe @mrinmoyp @AksharForum @nsdciofficial @assamskilluniv @asyc_assam @KKHSOU1 @Lucent_IAS_APSC @TezpurUniv @mercatus @AgSpert @AromicaTea @TeaEastern @rgvnho @apartassam @AAU_Jorhat

NFPRC Foundation hosted Ms. Anandi Iyer (@anandiviyer), Director, Fraunhofer Office India (@Fraunhofer), at our office for a meeting with our Research Director, Mr. Ananth Krishna (@Ananth_KrishnaS). The conversation was wide-ranging. It focused on the importance of innovation and research for India’s long-term growth, and on how applied research can be connected more closely to the needs of industry and government. They also discussed possible areas of collaboration between NFPRC and Fraunhofer. Fraunhofer’s experience in translational research over nearly two decades in India offered useful perspective on building that connection. We thank Ms. Iyer for her time.

As our pan-India Pre-Budget Consultation series continues, we are pleased to bring the next conversation to Guwahati, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (@IITGuwahati) The consultation will bring together experts and industry professionals to exchange ideas and perspectives on key priorities for India’s growth ahead of the Union Budget 2027–28. The discussions will cover financial and institutional reforms, energy and the green economy, agriculture and allied sectors, education and skilling, and MSMEs, start-ups and entrepreneurship. We warmly invite experts and professionals working across these domains to join us and contribute to the conversation. Please reach mail your interests to [email protected] and [email protected]. We look forward to an enriching exchange of ideas and perspectives. 📅 Wednesday, 4 November 2026 📍 Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati #NFPRC #PreBudgetConsultations #Guwahati #IITGuwahati #UnionBudget #PublicPolicy #IndiaGrowth

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The Hyderabad leg of our pan-India series of pre-budget stakeholder consultations took place at ISB Hyderabad on 2 November 2026. Across five sessions, researchers, founders, clinicians, industry leaders and policy practitioners discussed healthcare and pharmaceuticals, strategic industries, agriculture, financial and institutional reforms, and MSMEs, start-ups and entrepreneurship. With its depth in life sciences, a growing deep-tech and agritech start-up base, and strong academic institutions, Hyderabad offered a useful vantage point on how research, enterprise and public policy can work together. These inputs will feed into our recommendations for the Union Budget 2027–28. We thank all our participants for a full day of engaged discussion, and @ISBedu for hosting us. The series continues to other cities in the coming week. @sohamsankaran @RamjeePallela @vnands @venkinesis @SubbaRajuP @TantriPrasanna @DrShashwatAlok @vinsuman @PopVaxIndia @LVPEI @kimshospitalhyd @indimmune_ @IKP_SciencePark @AIC_CCMB @Marutdrones1 @KheytiFarmers @tm2space @IITHyderabad @Uoheco

As our pan-India Pre-Budget Consultation series continues, we now head to Hyderabad for the next leg of the conversation. In collaboration with the Indian School of Business (ISB) (@ISBedu), Hyderabad, NFPRC Foundation brings together experts and industry professionals to exchange perspectives on key sectors shaping India’s growth and contribute to the policy conversation ahead of the Union Budget 2027–28. We warmly invite experts and industry professionals to join us for an engaging discussion. 📅 Monday, 2 November 2026 ⏲️ 10 AM onwards 📍 Board Room AC 1, Level 2, Dean’s Floor, ISB, Hyderabad #NFPRC #PreBudgetConsultations #Hyderabad #UnionBudget #PublicPolicy #IndiaGrowth

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NFPRC Foundation was delighted to collaborate with the Festival of Ideas Delhi on its 2026 curtain raiser at the Prime Ministers’ Museum & Library @NMML, marking the launch of @shivkunalverma’s three-volume series on Arunachal Pradesh. Ananth Krishna (@Ananth_KrishnaS), Research Director, NFPRC Foundation, was part of the panel for the launch, held in the presence of General N.S. Raja Subramani, Chief of Defence Staff @HQ_IDS_India. Ananth also presented him a copy of the New Delhi Review of Books (@newdelhireview)'s inaugural edition magazine. We thank the Festival of Ideas Foundation, @SRCCOfficial and @UnivofDelhi, along with the Prime Ministers’ Museum & Library, for a warm start to the festival, and look forward to the conversations ahead at SRCC through 1 November. We were also glad to be joined by Maj. Gen. (Retd) K. Narayanan, Programme Director, @NITIAayog; Prof. Simrit Kaur, Principal, SRCC; and Dr Priyanka Mishra, CEO, Prime Ministers’ Museum & Library. #FestivalOfIdeas #FOIDelhi2026 #SRCC #ArunachalPradesh #NFPRC

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Continuing our pan-India series of pre-budget stakeholder consultations, NFPRC Foundation held its Bhubaneswar roundtable on 30 October 2026. Participants from academia, industry, finance and public administration shared their perspectives on strategic industries, mining and critical minerals, MSMEs and ease of doing business, and agriculture and the rural economy. As one of India’s leading mineral-producing states with a large agrarian base, Odisha offered a useful setting to examine how industrial growth, enterprise development and rural livelihoods connect. Their inputs, grounded in Odisha’s economic context, will inform our recommendations for the Union Budget 2027–28. We are grateful to everyone who joined us and contributed to a productive day of discussion. The series moves next to Guwahati, Hyderabad and other cities. @akshay_parija @SarbaNarayan @ncs7676 @suvangi_rath @Swaroopmaha @AlokPattanayak4 @IITBhubaneswar @utkaluniv_ofcl @xim_university @OUAT_BBSR @KIITSPP @Achshankar1