Student retention beyond Class 8 requires expanding composite schools, strengthening open schooling, teacher training and infrastructure.
Student retention beyond Class 8 is necessary due to a low secondary age-specific net enrolment rate and rural-urban disparities in school provision. The document recommends expanding composite and integrated schools, upgrading schools to Class 7, and strengthening open schooling to improve retention. It also calls for improved infrastructure, enhanced teacher capacity via district and state training institutions, community involvement in governance, curriculum and assessment reforms aligned with the National Education Policy, and use of digital platforms to promote equitable learning in remote areas.

Border security pact targets smuggling of Chinese-made small-boat parts and coordinated crackdown on synthetic opioid supply chains.
The agreement targets supply chains supplying Chinese-manufactured small boat parts and engines to criminal networks by establishing intelligence sharing, direct engagement with manufacturers to prevent exploitation, and cooperative measures to scale up removals and dismantle trafficking networks producing synthetic opioids and precursor chemicals.

Space sector poised as major economic contributor as opening to private players boosts revenue and market growth.
Opening the space sector to private players is presented as a regulatory shift that increased foreign-satellite launch activity-434 launches (399 after 2014)-yielding 323 million and USD 233 million, and positioning the sector, now USD 8.4 billion, to grow to about USD 40-45 billion in ten years through expanded space manufacturing, entrepreneurship and commercial services.

India should retool industrial clusters around land, regulatory flexibility, and private-led infrastructure to boost global competitiveness.
Reimagining the industrial cluster strategy as a high-productivity, reform-enabled ecosystem rests on three pillars: anchor large, well connected brownfield regions with clear land titling and modern land pooling; establish an empowered institutional mechanism to provide regulatory certainty and flexibility; and expand private developers' roles to masterplan, build, and operate core infrastructure to achieve market responsiveness and globally competitive speed.

Obesity rising; survey urges nutrition-focused reforms, advertising limits, labelling, and marketing restrictions to curb UPF impact.
The Economic Survey attributes rising obesity to unhealthy diets and increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods and links this trend to higher NCD risk and economic costs. It urges regulatory measures including exploring a ban on UPF advertising, implementing front-of-pack nutrition labelling for HFSS foods, and restricting marketing of infant and toddler milk and beverages, alongside integrated public-health initiatives and NCD screening to prevent and reduce obesity.

India's urban development faces supply constraints in land, housing and mobility that hinder livability and city governance reform.
India's urban development is characterised by unmet potential driven by supply-side constraints in land, housing and mobility that limit affordable density and sustainable transport. Core services need to shift from expansion to reliability, circularity and efficiency, while fragmented metropolitan governance and limited fiscal autonomy hinder cities' ability to plan, finance and deliver infrastructure at scale; strengthening civic norms and institutional capacity is essential for more liveable, competitive metropolitan regions.

RTI Act reform proposed to exempt draft and confidential reports to protect candid deliberation and privacy.
The Economic Survey recommends re-examining the Right to Information Act to exempt preliminary materials and certain confidential personnel records from disclosure, suggesting targeted carve-outs for brainstorming notes, working papers, and draft comments until they form part of final decision-making, and protecting service records, transfers, and confidential staff reports from casual requests. It also proposes debating a narrowly defined ministerial veto with parliamentary oversight to prevent disclosures that could unduly constrain candid governance while preserving transparency and accountability.

UK-China relations deepen with trade, visa and anti-smuggling cooperation and security dialogue amid global geopolitical shifts.
A UK-China comprehensive strategic partnership emphasises tariff reductions (including on Scotch whisky), visa-free travel for British visitors, Chinese investment promotion, and institutionalised dialogue on climate and global stability. Leaders addressed national security and human rights concerns while agreeing operational law-enforcement cooperation to prevent Chinese-made boat engines reaching smugglers, involving joint work between UK agencies, Chinese authorities, and manufacturers.

VOC Port forms 50:50 joint venture to establish a mega shipbuilding cluster at Tuticorin to boost domestic capacity.
A 50:50 SPV joint venture between V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority and the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu will develop the National Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries Park at Tuticorin to strengthen commercial shipbuilding and repair capacity and support the national Shipbuilding Development Scheme.

Yuvraj Singh cricket camp offers brands cost-effective global sponsorship with athlete engagement and startup branding inclusion.
Bien-e tre Consulting and Yuvraj Singh Centres of Excellence offer brands structured sponsorship and activation opportunities at The Global Pitch UAE, a seven day cricket camp led by Yuvraj Singh, delivering visibility, credibility, and fan engagement through on ground presence, co branded placements, athlete interaction touchpoints, and outreach driven by Bien-e tre as the exclusive commercial organiser.

Employment generation: 2.22 crore jobs provided through 18,000 job fairs and National Career Service linkage.
Government reports that around 2.22 crore people were placed through over 18,000 job fairs and that the National Career Service portal, linked to state platforms and skill portals, provides one-stop job search, matching, career counselling and training information; the portal has over six crore registrants and 55 lakh employers, and final hiring notification on NCS is not mandatory.

Online platforms should enforce age verification and promote simpler devices to curb digital addiction among youth.
Online platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification and age-appropriate defaults for high-risk services, combined with parental education on screen-time limits and parental control tools. Promote simpler education-only devices for children with enforced usage limits and content filters, and implement network-layer safeguards such as ISP-level family data plans with differentiated quotas and default blocking of high-risk categories with guardian opt-in overrides.

Labour codes aim to boost formal employment and extend social security and portability to women and gig workers through coordination and skilling.
Effective implementation of the Labour Codes is central to expanding formal employment and integrating gig and platform workers into social security frameworks; this requires private sector coordination and investment to update systems, workforce models and digital readiness, while targeted skilling, vocational pathways, gender responsive standards and measures such as e Shram Universal Account Numbers support portability of benefits and bridge informal and formal employment.

Ultra-processed food advertising should be banned from 6am-11pm and marketing to children restricted.
Proposes prohibiting advertisements of ultra-processed foods between 0600 and 2300 hours across all media, including digital platforms, and restricting marketing to infants, toddlers and children; mandates front-of-pack nutrition labelling with warnings for HFSS products and the adoption of measurable nutrient thresholds to close regulatory gaps that allow vague health claims.

India's civil aviation sector on sustained growth; policy reforms and infrastructure expansion support capacity and cargo efficiency.
India's civil aviation sector is sustained by a conducive policy environment, rising demand and expanding airport and air navigation infrastructure. The Survey projects significant passenger throughput growth, emphasises policy reforms to improve cargo movement and develop ancillary ecosystems including MRO and leasing, and recommends enhancing transit experiences to position airports as international hubs while noting sensitivity to global cycles and short-term disruptions.

Swisslog Healthcare expands in India to deploy pharmacy and transport automation improving medication safety and operational efficiency.
Swisslog Healthcare is expanding into India to provide integrated pharmacy and transport automation - including TranspoNet pneumatic tubes, BoxPicker EvoTec PillPick Octave, UniPick , and Tenuto cold chain solutions - to improve medication accuracy, traceability, safety and operational efficiency for inpatient and outpatient care, supporting digital integration and workflow optimization aligned with national healthcare infrastructure priorities.

Foreign direct investment requires a multi pronged strategy: targeted GVC engagement, an empowered centre, reliable incentives, and proactive diplomacy.
The Survey advocates proactive reforms to attract higher quality foreign direct investment by identifying priority sectors and GVC anchors, creating a single empowered centre of accountability and a task force for direct engagement with global companies, ensuring reliable multi year implementation of incentives, and integrating centre state coordination with trade and investment policy to position the country as a credible alternative production hub.

Real estate growth is shifting to infrastructure corridors; strategy targets infrastructure-aligned assets with disciplined land acquisition and clean titles.
The roadmap prioritises development of diversified, infrastructure-aligned assets in corridors where ports, airports, technology and renewable energy intersect. Project types include a solar-plus-agri-voltaic plant, a large logistics park near a deep-sea port, and mixed-use housing and office developments adjacent to aviation and technology corridors. Strategy elements stress disciplined land acquisition, asset diversification, rigorous due diligence and clean-title documentation to ensure long-term economic relevance and stability across market cycles.

Haier's Bangkok event spotlights localized premium appliances, IoT features, expanded local manufacturing, and community engagement.
Haier's Bangkok event showcases localized premium appliances emphasizing tropical-tailored refrigerators, integrated IoT features, energy-efficient air conditioners, and multifunction washing solutions, supported by local R&D, manufacturing capacity expansion, and coordinated retail and digital activations to strengthen market position and community engagement.

India's Micro VC ecosystem adopting institutional practices; programme aids first-time fund managers build governance and compliance.
The IVCA's #VC101 programme targets first-time fund managers and Micro VCs to build scalable fund platforms by focusing on regulatory compliance, governance, portfolio discipline, and limited partner engagement, providing practitioner-led guidance on fund formation, tax and regulatory nuances, investor requirements, and commercial operational practices to support institutional readiness and repeatable fund-raising.