Global Scans · India · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: India's ambitions, particularly in technology and economic growth targets promise much from this populous country determined to be a world leader.

• [New] India's Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to launch the crewed Gaganyaan mission on the LVM3 rocket to a circular 400 km orbit for a three-day human spaceflight demonstration. Grokipedia
• [New] India's Gaganyaan G1 was originally planned as the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) first crewed spaceflight, but has been delayed to NET 2027, sending three astronauts to a 400 km low Earth orbit for a three-day mission to demonstrate human spaceflight capabilities. Grokipedia
• [New] India's Gaganyaan program includes an uncrewed test flight in late 2025 or early 2026 using the LVM-3 rocket, with the crewed three-astronaut orbital demonstration delayed to no earlier than 2027. Grokipedia
• [New] Electric bus penetration in India stood at only 5% in FY25, projected to reach 10-12% of new bus sales by FY27, per India Ratings and Research, signaling enormous headroom for growth. Persistence Market Research
• [New] India is emerging as a critical global consumption engine, with GDP growth projected to be nearly double that of leading economies. Bain & Company
• [New] India's GDP per capita is expected to surpass $4,000 by 2030, which has been a key inflection point for discretionary spending in other markets. Bain & Company
• [New] By the end of the decade, more than one in ten retail dollars and one in four non-grocery retail dollars are expected to be spent online. / India Bain & Company
• [New] The World Bank highlighted that India's FTAs with the EU and the United Kingdom could boost consumption and real incomes across all income groups. Economic Times
• [New] The World Bank on Wednesday raised India's FY27 growth outlook to 6.6% from 6.3% projected last October, citing robust domestic demand and strong export performance. Economic Times
• [New] Moody's has revised India's growth forecast for 2026-27 to 6%, attributing it to disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia. IndiaNewsNetwork
• [New] India's space economy is projected to reach $40 billion by 2030, driven by policy reforms, private startups, and growing demand for satellite-based services. ETV Bharat
• [New] India could manufacture nearly one-third of the world's earth observation satellites by the end of the decade. ETV Bharat
• [New] The broader SIGHT program, with an outlay of Rs17,490 crore, aims to boost domestic manufacturing of electrolyzers and green hydrogen production, targeting 5 million metric tonnes per annum of green hydrogen by 2030. / India Whalesbook
• [New] The Reserve Bank of India has unveiled its 'Payments Vision 2028', titled 'Shaping India's Payment Frontier', aimed at strengthening and expanding India's rapidly growing digital payments ecosystem. Guidely
• Massive volume spikes during Big Billion Days and the dominance of PhonePe in payments highlight a $100 billion opportunity. / India Forbes
• India's Leadership Role: As India develops its national space legislation, it has a unique opportunity to embed orbital responsibility as a mandatory legal requirement for its expanding commercial sector. INSIGHTS IAS - Simplifying UPSC IAS Exam Preparation
• India aims to achieve 60% of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2035. Outlook Business
• India's updated NDC targets for 2031-2035 reinforce commitments to emissions reduction, non-fossil fuel capacity expansion, and carbon sink creation. Outlook Business
• India and Africa are the only world regions expected to experience an upward trend in oil demand in the EnerBlue scenario, by an average growth rate of 1.4% / year and 3.4% / year, respectively. Enerdata

Last updated: 12 April 2026