Authors: Ishita Kumar & Kritvi Dutta ABSTRACT Precarity among university students represents a structurally produced condition of instability that shapes academic engagement, financial security, and psychological well-being. This quantitative study examines how financial and academic experiences influence well-being and perceived support among 209 undergraduate and postgraduate students in India. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study employed descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis to assess relationships between key variables. Results indicate that academic experiences emerged as a significant positive predictor of well-being and support (p<.001), while financial experiences did not demonstrate a statistically significant direct effect. Qualitative responses, however, reveal that financial precarity operates subtly constraining career choices, intensifying academic stress, and shaping students’ emotional experiences. The findings suggest that well-being is determined by the interplay of academic demands, structural constraints, and institutional responses, rather than isolated events. Addressing student precarity requires moving beyond individualised resilience frameworks toward structural reforms that integrate well-being into academic environments, recognise the diverse realities of student populations, and embed support systems within institutional practice rather than leaving students to navigate instability alone.

Authors: Harsh Agarwal, Lekshmy Iyer, Thakur Diksha, Sakshi Singh, Aman Sharma, Srishti Yadav ABSTRACT This paper provides a socio-legal evaluation of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) and its direct impact on the financial autonomy of rural women in India. Moving beyond standard metrics of basic financial inclusion, such as the mere opening of bank accounts, this study defines true financial autonomy through measurable indicators: subjective control over loan expenditure, influence in household financial decision-making, and the successful graduation to sustainable micro-enterprise management. Central to this evaluation is a comparative methodology analyzing two divergent state-level frameworks: Bihar’s “Mass Saturation” model, which prioritizes broad social mobilization, and Madhya Pradesh’s “Economic Intensity” model, which focuses on deeper capital investment. By evaluating empirical data on Self Help Group (SHG) outcomes, the study demonstrates that while Bihar has successfully mobilized over 1.48 crore women, its low average loan disbursement of ₹0.93 Lakh per SHG limits women’s capacity to scale their businesses. In contrast, Madhya Pradesh’s higher average loan disbursement of ₹1.62 Lakh and intensive digital tracking have yielded a higher entrepreneurial success rate, converting 37.7% of its SHG members into “Lakhpati Didis” (women earning over ₹1,00,000 annually) compared to Bihar’s 28.6%. Ultimately, this research argues that overcoming deeply entrenched socio-legal and patriarchal barriers requires transitioning policy focus from mass SHG formation to ensuring deeper credit linkage and genuine financial decision-making power for rural women.

Author: Vanshika Shukla ABSTRACT Modern tort doctrines such as negligence, strict liability, and vicarious liability provide foundational tools for addressing harms caused by artificial intelligence (AI), yet they struggle to accommodate the unique features of autonomous, opaque, and continuously evolving systems. This paper employs a combined doctrinal, comparative, and normative methodology to argue that a hybrid liability architecture is the most appropriate pathway for India. Specifically, this paper advocates for: (i) strict liability for physical, safety-critical harms caused by autonomous AI systems; (ii) a calibrated fault-based regime for informational and reputational harms; and (iii) statutory algorithmic duties supported by procedural and institutional reforms. Drawing on Indian constitutional principles, landmark domestic and international jurisprudence, and the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act), the paper identifies structural doctrinal failures in existing law, critically evaluates the applicability of European regulatory models to the Indian legal context, and proposes concrete legislative provisions tailored to India’s socio-legal environment.

Author: Anusha Garg and Glory Saikia ABSTRACT India’s Act East Policy has increasingly repositioned Northeast India from a peripheral frontier into a strategic gateway linking India to Southeast Asia. This paper argues that this transformation is best understood as a narrative shift with uneven material consequences. Rather than treating Act East as a straightforward success story of connectivity-led regional integration, the paper examines the gap between policy rhetoric and actual outcomes. It develops a causal argument linking policy narrative, infrastructure strategy and regional integration outcomes. The central claim is that the gateway narrative has legitimised infrastructure-led initiatives such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project and BIMSTEC connectivity frameworks, but these initiatives remain constrained by domestic political economy conditions, governance fragmentation, conflict legacies and regional instability. The paper therefore situates India’s Act East Policy within a hybrid model of South-South regional integration, where the language of partnership and mutual benefit coexists with India’s leadership role and uneven implementation. Northeast India emerges as both the symbolic anchor of India’s eastward strategy and the site where the limits of infrastructure-led regionalism become most visible.

AUTHOR: DYKSHA VERMA INTRODUCTION This paper answers the following research question: can Alternative Dispute Resolution function as the primary legal mechanism for solving disputes In the outer space, and if so what enforcement architecture is constitutionally, institutionally and technically required to make is work legally This paper proceeds on the assumption that outer space requires not merely dispute resolution, but a legally enforceable system of adjudication capable of operating in the absence of territorial sovereignty. Humanity stands at the threshold of an era in which the human beings will not just visit outer space but also live in it on orbital stations, lunar outposts, and eventually Martian colonies. With habitation there comes human conflict which calls for a need of laws. Laws require enforcement. This simple and basic argument contradicts with the reality of outer space: a frontier that has no police force, no prison system and no government authority capable of compelling compliance with any legal decision.

Author: PAVAN CHAITANYA ABSTRACT Microfinance has emerged as a critical instrument for poverty alleviation and financial inclusion in rural India, where traditional banking systems have historically failed to serve low-income households due to lack of collateral, irregular incomes, and geographical remoteness. This study examines the impact of microfinance on poverty alleviation in rural areas through a qualitative secondary research methodology, drawing on peer-reviewed literature, institutional reports, and a longitudinal dataset of loan disbursements from 2012 to 2024. The analysis reveals that India’s microfinance sector grew by approximately 2,270 percent over this period, expanding from ₹17,264 crore to ₹4.09 lakh crore in gross loan portfolio, with over 64 million active borrowers. Evidence suggests that microfinance has contributed positively to household income generation, self-employment, women’s empowerment, and financial inclusion — particularly through the SHG-Bank Linkage Programme. However, the study also identifies significant limitations, including high interest rates, over indebtedness, regional disparities, and the risk of debt traps among the most vulnerable households. The findings highlight that microfinance alone is insufficient for sustained poverty reduction and must be complemented by financial literacy, market linkages, regulatory oversight, and targeted government support. The study concludes with policy recommendations aimed at strengthening the microfinance ecosystem to better serve the rural poor in India.

Authors: Rushali Bardhan, Monishka Khandelwal, Diksha Sharma, Aparna Maharana ABSTRACT India’s geographical location at the epicentre of Indian Ocean gives it a strategic edge. A bulk amount of India’s trade, nearly 90% passes via sea routes which directly proportionate maritime security to national development. This paper presents analytical study of how India as an emerging Maritime power could dynamically and efficiently wield the strategic location of Indian Ocean to become a sustainable maritime power? It further analyses the global trend of maritime order, focusing on Sustainable Ocean Governance, development in the arena of Blue Economy as well as Sea Lines of Communication. The study examines India’s unique maritime strategy within a broader focus of Indo-Pacific framework, where the external growing influence of China and its motive to captivate the vital chokepoints has been a prop of regional disruptions. Again, the paper highlights India’s initiatives such as SAGARMALA Programme, efforts to modernize the naval capabilities, Blue Economy developments and paving an inclusive path for holistic development under the SAGAR vision. Moreover, aligning the SDGs have also been critically assessed. The research points out a gap between India’s strategic intent and enduring enforcement, specifically balancing the environmental sustainability along with portrayal of hard power diplomacy. Hence, it shows that India’s establishment as a sustained maritime power needs regional cooperation, innovative technological support, good governance and most importantly a balanced competition in the region. Here the paper focuses to bridge the existing gaps by highlighting a structure connoting maritime sea power with a sustainable development of the ocean that keeps intact the stability and affluency of the region.

Authors: Aruna Iyappan, Gnanasree Nagavelly, Rachel Michael, Sarmin Rahman, Pratishtha Sharma, Muskan Rastogi ABSTRACT India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision places strong emphasis on women’s empowerment and self-reliance as key pillars of national development. However, it gives limited attention to the everyday mobility conditions that enable women to participate in education, employment, and public life. According to Census 2011, nearly 84 percent of women’s workrelated travel in India depends on public transport such as buses. Despite this high dependence, public transport systems are not traditionally designed to accommodate women’s distinct mobility patterns and safety needs. These conditions raise critical questions about how women’s mobility shapes their ability to become economically and socially self-sustaining. This study examines women’s everyday mobility experiences across six Indian states using a qualitative research design. In-depth interviews were conducted with 34 women from diverse socio-economic and occupational backgrounds, including students, salaried employees, and informal and daily wage workers. The study explores perceptions of safety, use of public transport, and daily travel decisions. The findings show that women’s mobility is shaped by constant negotiation rather than free choice. Fear functions as a persistent condition that influences travel timing, route selection, and mode of transport, even when no direct incident has occurred. These constraints are particularly severe for women in informal employment who have limited flexibility and fewer alternatives. Public transport and public spaces often operate as gendered environments where responsibility for safety is placed on individual women rather than institutions. The study suggests that women’s safe mobility must be recognised as a foundational requirement for self-sustaining and inclusive development within the Viksit Bharat 2047 framework.

Authors: Rebecca Dcunha and Ankita Das ABSTRACT Personality traits play an important role in shaping interpersonal relationships which include Dark Triad traits which are often associated with maladaptive relational outcomes. The present study delved the relationship between Dark Triad personality traits- videlicet egocentrism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy- and romantic relationship satisfaction, with attachment style proposed as an interceding variable. Given the growing body of literature pressing the interpersonal consequences of socially aversive personality traits, this study aimed to explore the underpinning mechanisms through which similar traits impact romantic relationship issues among youthful grown-ups in India. A quantitative cross-sectional correlational exploration design was employed, and data were collected through an online survey administered through Google Forms. The sample comprised youth between 18-30 years among the Indian population using convenience sampling. Participants completed a set of standardized tone- report measures assessing Dark Triad personality traits, attachment styles, and relationship satisfaction. Contrary to theoretical prospects, the results revealed that Dark Triad personality traits weren’t significantly associated with either attachment styles or relationship satisfaction. Likewise, attachment style did not significantly intervene the relationship between Dark Triad traits and relationship satisfaction. These null findings suggest that the associations between socially aversive personality traits and romantic relationship issues may be more nuanced and environment-dependent than being theoretical frameworks proposed. The findings of the study contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of the underlying mechanismsthrough which socially aversive personality traits influence romantic relationship outcomes among young adults.

Authors: Mercy Alexander, Tamanna Singh, Soumili Rakshit, Minakshi Chakraborty ABSTRACT Clean energy subsidies occupy a central position in contemporary climate policy, widely embraced as tools for accelerating decarbonization, fostering technological innovation, and supporting sustainable economic development. Governments increasingly justify these subsidies as necessary interventions to correct market failures associated with fossil fuel dependence. However, beyond their surface appeal lies a critical and under examined question of distribution: whether clean energy subsidies genuinely drive transformative industrial change or primarily operate as mechanisms that concentrate economic benefits among large corporate actors while displacing environmental costs across sectors, communities, and borders. This research interrogates the economic and environmental impacts of clean energy subsidies through a critical legal and policy lens. It seeks to determine whether subsidy regimes meaningfully restructure industrial systems or merely reinforce existing power asymmetries by favoring corporations with the financial capacity, technological sophistication, and regulatory access needed to capture state incentives. The study examines how subsidy design, eligibility criteria, and regulatory frameworks shape market participation, often marginalizing small-scale producers and local enterprises, thereby limiting inclusive growth and competitive innovation. Beyond economic allocation, it exposes hidden environmental externalities within subsidized clean energy systems. While subsidies often reduce emissions at the point of generation, they obscure significant upstream and downstream environmental costs, including intensive mineral extraction, land degradation, water pollution, waste management challenges, and cross-border ecological harm linked to supply chains. These burdens are disproportionately borne by environmentally vulnerable regions, resource-rich developing states, and marginalised communities, raising concerns of environmental injustice and regulatory displacement rather than genuine sustainability. The research assesses the extent to which existing legal instruments adequately internalise environmental costs, prevent regulatory capture, and ensure accountability across the clean energy value chain. Particular attention is given to environmental impact assessments, corporate disclosure obligations, and transnational regulatory gaps. The study adopts a doctrinal research methodology. The research analyses statutes and regulatory frameworks as primary sources, alongside journal articles, newspapers, and other secondary materials. Methodologically, it adopts a doctrinal and comparative legal approach to evaluate subsidy frameworks across selected jurisdictions. Ultimately, the study challenges the assumption that clean energy subsidies are inherently equitable and environmentally benign. It argues for recalibrated subsidy regimes that promote structural transformation, distributive fairness, and environmental integrity. By aligning economic incentives with robust accountability mechanisms, the study seeks to advance subsidy policies that deliver genuine clean energy transitions without exporting environmental harm or entrenching corporate dominance.