India's AI Policy: A Strategic Push-Pull Approach to Technology Governance
India's artificial intelligence policy is currently a work in progress, characterized by a distinctive push-pull strategy that aligns with the nation's traditional "light touch" regulatory philosophy. This balanced approach aims to harness a technology with the profound potential to reshape both the economy and society at large.
Regulatory Tightening and Startup Support
The push-pull dynamic manifests clearly in two significant policy developments. First, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has officially notified amended Information Technology Rules for 2026. These revisions significantly strengthen compliance requirements for social media platforms, specifically targeting the proliferation of deepfakes and other harmful online content.
Concurrently, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has overhauled startup recognition guidelines. A key innovation is the introduction of a dedicated "deeptech" category, formally acknowledging the sector's unique characteristics—notably longer product development cycles and substantial capital requirements.
Aligning with the Viksit Bharat Vision
These coordinated moves dovetail precisely with the perspective on AI presented in the Union Budget 2026. The budget framework transitions from viewing AI as a "standalone experiment" to embedding it as a foundational layer for achieving the ambitious Viksit Bharat (Developed India) vision. This strategic integration begins with two parallel tracks: addressing the challenges of social media integrity and systematically building a robust startup ecosystem capable of driving innovation.
The Orange Economy Gains Policy Momentum
Beyond AI, India's "orange economy"—encompassing creativity, culture, and intellectual property—has received substantial policy recognition. Both the Economic Survey 2025-26 and the Union Budget 2026-27 firmly position this sector on the national growth map, identifying it as a significant economic driver.
With a vast young population, an exceptionally rich cultural heritage, and rapidly growing demand for immersive experiences, India possesses a timely and powerful opportunity to convert creativity into sustained economic expansion. A concrete allocation of ₹250 crore dedicated to nurturing talent in animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics (AVGC) signals this strategic shift. The orange economy derives value not merely from tangible products but increasingly from experiences, including online gaming, live entertainment, and experiential tourism.
Fast-growing segments like online gaming and live events already generate substantial spillover effects into adjacent industries such as travel, hospitality, and employment creation.
Record PC Sales Driven by Laptop Demand
India's personal computer market achieved a historic milestone in 2025, with total sales reaching 15.9 million devices. This figure includes an impressive 11.4 million laptops, surpassing even the peak levels seen during the pandemic. The sales surge reflects a combination of replacement demand for machines hastily purchased during the COVID-19 era and fresh acquisitions by diverse segments including students, gamers, digital creators, small businesses, enterprises, and various government programs.
Laptops now constitute approximately three-fourths of all PC sales, with market leadership held by HP, Lenovo, and Dell. This robust revival in the PC market presents a stark contrast to the relatively sluggish demand observed in the smartphone sector, which has yet to return to its 2021 highs. Industry analysts note that consumers are increasingly upgrading to more capable and higher-priced laptops, though potential headwinds from rising component costs could moderate growth momentum in 2026.
Digital Trade: A Sensitive Issue in India-US Talks
A key point of contention has emerged in the latest round of trade discussions between India and the United States, centering on digital trade. A White House factsheet outlining an interim framework indicates that India has committed to removing its digital services tax and to negotiating rules aimed at addressing "discriminatory or burdensome" barriers to digital commerce.
These negotiations are expected to include a longstanding US demand to prohibit customs duties on electronic transmissions, covering software downloads, applications, and cloud services. However, the Indian government maintains that the jointly issued statement from the talks remains the primary and authoritative reference document. This issue carries significant weight because such digital trade rules could potentially constrain India's future policy space for taxation and regulation, even as broader discussions on tariff relief continue.
Hyderabad's 500075: India's Premier Real Estate Pincode
What was once barren, rocky terrain on the outskirts of Hyderabad has transformed into one of India's most dynamic real estate zones. Neopolis, a sprawling 530-acre mixed-use development in west Hyderabad's Kokapet area, is being positioned as the city's answer to Mumbai's Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), with unlimited Floor Space Index (FSI) provisions enabling significant vertical growth.
The area is witnessing rapid development of premium residential properties, commercial offices, hotels, and even a planned World Trade Centre, attracting major developers like MyHome Group and Godrej Properties. This remarkable surge propelled pincode 500075—encompassing Neopolis, Kokapet, and Narasingi—to record the highest residential sales value in India for 2025, exceeding ₹24,000 crore, driven by exceptionally strong demand for both housing and office space.
News in Numbers: Key Data Points
- $20 billion: The amount raised by Google-parent Alphabet in its largest-ever US dollar bond sale, reportedly to fund its ambitious artificial intelligence initiatives.
- 19%: The reduced US tariff rate secured by Bangladesh under a new trade agreement, which also grants zero-tariff access for select textile and garment exports manufactured using US materials.
- ₹1,072.27 crore: The consolidated profit reported by Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd. for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, marking a 9% increase from ₹984.35 crore in the same period the previous year.
- 24.8%: The share of Nifty50 holdings owned by domestic institutional investors as of December 2025, surpassing foreign investors' 24.3% stake and indicating a structural shift in India's equity market ownership.
- 450 million: The number of page views garnered by Jmail, a web-based tool that mimics Gmail and allows users to browse millions of recently released documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
- ₹454.95 crore: The value of an order received by RailTel Corporation of India from West Central Railway, scheduled for completion by September 2028.
- ₹24,040 crore: The inflows into gold Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) in January, nearly double the ₹11,647 crore recorded in December, reflecting a significant surge in investor demand for precious metals, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI).
Demographic Spotlight: Jammu & Kashmir
Over 70% of Jammu & Kashmir's population falls within the working-age bracket of 15 to 59 years, representing the highest share among all major states and union territories in India. In contrast, Bihar, despite having a relatively low share of elderly citizens, ranks at the bottom of this metric due to a disproportionately high share of children in its population structure.
