.BERRYBEAT.

India banned surrogacy payments — but the womb is still for rent.

India spent ₹1.64 lakh crore building smart cities that still flood every monsoon.

India became the first country to make corporate social responsibility (CSR) mandatory when Section 135 of the Companies Act came into force in 2014. Since then, CSR spending has grown significantly. In the fiscal year 2023-24, over 27,000 companies spent nearly ₹35,000 crore on more than 59,000 projects. The government praises this as a model for the world.

The Geographical Indication (GI) tag is meant to protect traditional crafts by legally recognizing their regional identity. Yet, the story of the Madhubani GI tag failure India reveals a complex reality where the protection of a name does not always translate into benefits for the artisans themselves.

India’s rich heritage of handicrafts has long captured the imagination of the world. From Warli paintings in Maharashtra to Madhubani art in Bihar and Pattachitra scrolls in Odisha, these crafts have found their way into international design exhibitions and galleries. Yet, the artisans behind these masterpieces earn a fraction of what their creations command globally.

In 1983, Vinod Kumar Bansal started teaching eight children at his dining table in Kota. Today, that small classroom has grown into a ₹58,000 crore industry enrolling over 7.1 crore students across India. This coaching economy India unregulated has expanded rapidly, projected to cross ₹1.5 lakh crore by 2030.

India made dowry illegal in 1961 with the Dowry Prohibition Act, aiming to protect women from the deadly consequences of this practice. Yet, six decades later, the law remains largely ineffective. The latest NCRB dowry statistics reveal a grim reality: in 2024, India recorded 5,737 dowry deaths, meaning a woman lost her life every 80 minutes

India’s creative institutions tell a story that many accept without question: the struggling artist, a visionary working in noble poverty, whose genius cannot be measured by wages. This narrative shapes the experience of thousands of students in art schools and design colleges across the country. Institutions like NIFT and NID charge steep fees—NIFT students pay over ₹14 lakh for a four-year B.Des degree—yet the creative work produced during these years often goes uncompensat

The story of Indian Muslims is often told as a single narrative, but the reality is far more complex. Pasmanda Muslims India, who form the statistical majority—estimates range from 70 to 85 percent—are largely invisible in the institutions that claim to represent them.

India holds a vast legacy of Waqf properties, lands and buildings donated by Muslim philanthropists over generations to support the poor, orphans, and widows. Yet, this legacy is marred by neglect, mismanagement, and internal failures that have left millions of these assets underutilized or lost to illegal occupation.

Twenty families, one industry, and a meritocracy myth nobody in Bollywood wants tested.

Nine hundred news channels. One press freedom rank below conflict zones. The math finally explained.

A 2024 study counted the caste of every Indian cricketer. The numbers are damning.

Every year, nearly 1.9 million students compete in the JEE Mains exam, aiming for a coveted seat in one of India’s Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Yet, fewer than 18,000 students make it to an IIT classroom, reflecting an acceptance rate barely above one percent. This extraordinary selectivity has shaped the IIT brand into a symbol of academic prestige, not because of what is taught inside the campuses, but because of who gets admitted. But does this intense filtering

Every January, India celebrates Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, a day dedicated to honouring its vast diaspora. The theme "Diaspora's Contribution to a Viksit Bharat" highlights the impressive achievements of Indians abroad. Last year, remittances from the diaspora hit a record $135.46 billion, and the community of over 35 million people was applauded on grand stages. Yet, beneath this warm recognition lies a difficult question rarely asked: why did so many leave in the first place?

India allocates only 0.29 percent of its GDP to public health in 2025-26, falling far short of the National Health Policy's target of 2.5 percent. This gap has allowed a massive private hospital industry, valued at $638 billion, to dominate healthcare delivery. Yet, this growth has not translated into better care. Instead, it has fueled widespread medical overdiagnosis India, unnecessary surgeries, and rampant overbilling.

India has lost more than 394,000 people from its farm sector to suicide since 1995. This staggering figure represents nearly four lakh lives over three decades, a grim testament to the deep-rooted agrarian crisis India faces.

When a fast fashion app delivers a ₹99 top to your doorstep, it feels like a bargain. But that price tag hides a deeper story — one of unfair wages, environmental damage, and social costs that are pushed onto others. The low price is not a sign of efficiency or good business. It is a transfer of cost and harm onto garment workers, rivers, and communities far removed from the checkout counter.

Every November, Delhi braces itself for a familiar yet devastating ritual. The sky turns a murky brown, the Supreme Court convenes to address the worsening air quality, ministers point fingers at neighbouring states, and the city invokes GRAP Stage 4 Delhi measures. Schools close, citizens rush to buy masks, and headlines scream warnings. Then, as January arrives, the smog seems to lift, and life returns to normal — until the cycle repeats and worsens the following winter.

In May 2025, Indian authorities forcibly pushed Rohingya refugees into international waters near Myanmar. These refugees, some carrying UNHCR-issued documents, were blindfolded, bound, and forced to swim ashore. When the Supreme Court of India was petitioned for relief, it declined to intervene, with one judge dismissing the case as a "beautifully crafted story."