Overview
- NITI Aayog released a Data Centre Evaluation Framework on Wednesday that urges states to verify grid, water and land readiness before approving large data‑centre campuses and to link incentives to measurable outcomes.
- The Indian central government is preparing a national data‑centre policy, the minister of state for IT Jitin Prasada said, and the framework proposes a central audit role for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
- Polls and analyses show growing voter hostility: surveys find large majorities oppose nearby data centres and Reuters/Economist/YouGov analysis shows voters living within 2 km of a data centre have swung toward Democrats in the U.S. midterms.
- Local governments are using moratoria, zoning pauses and tougher approval terms while communities demand direct benefits, and research by Brookings notes permanent local jobs per campus are typically only about 100–200.
- Industry and utilities are formalizing multi‑gigawatt pipelines but experts warn rapid buildouts risk straining grids, diverting renewables investment and raising household power costs unless projects fund dedicated infrastructure and hourly-matched clean supply.