All Things Policy

Using high-resolution satellite images. Dr. Nithiyanandam, Head of Geospatial Research Programme at the Takshashila Institution, analysed three operational dual-purpose airports and two airbases under construction in Central Tibet, namely, Shigatse Peace Airport, Lhasa Gonggar Airport, Nyinghchi Manling Airbase, Shigtase Tingri Airbase, and Damxung Airbase. According to him, “China's rapid constru...

What is 'Open RAN', and why have countries and groupings rushed to advocate for its deployment within the telecom industry? In this episode of All Things Policy, Bharat Sharma speaks with Bharath Reddy on what has made Open RAN attractive, how technology interacts with geopolitics, and current obstacles in Open RAN deployment.

In a significant decision this week, the Supreme Court of India held that there is no fundamental right to marriage and refused to grant legal recognition to same-sex couples. In this episode, Shrikrishna Upadhyaya speaks to Saurabh Todi about the failure of the court to recognise marriage or civil union of same-sex couples, the remedies granted by the court, and the implications of the decision f...

Growth in global trade has helped reduce abject poverty around the world very significantly. Rising protectionism since 2008 has led to a drop in global trade as a percentage of global GDP and threatens efforts in poverty alleviation. Growing tensions in Europe and the Middle East are not helping. The potential for growth in trade in services is a silver lining. Despite 63% of global GDP comprisin...

The National Statistical Office recently released India's GDP data for the first quarter of 2023-24, and this release prompted debate around the veracity of the data. In this episode, Sarthak Pradhan and Suman Joshi try to make sense of the controversy around India's GDP numbers.

In this episode of All Things Policy, Amit Kumar quizzes Anushka Saxena on her latest book review on Paul Scharre's 'Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence'. The two discuss data, talent, computing, and institutions as the key pillars of the geopolitical quest for technological supremacy in AI.

Last weekend, the Chinese Communist Party concluded a two-day National Ideological and Cultural Work Conference. The big outcome of this was the establishment of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. In this episode, Anushka Saxena and Manoj Kewalramani discuss why the canonisation of such ideas as thoughts matters in Chinese politics and what are the implications of this new thought.

With India achieving its biggest haul ever of 107 medals at the Hangzhou 2023 Asiad games that just concluded, it is important to look at some of the good policies that had been put into place many years prior to make this happen. As a nation, India has a lot of potential and its athletes were able to capitalise on some of the government initiatives. Can the Indian society, markets, and government...

In this episode of All Things Policy, Shambhavi Naik and Saurabh Todi discuss the recent announcement by the European Union to conduct a risk assessment of critical and emerging technologies and how emerging technologies are increasingly being seen through the prism of national and economic security.

On October 7, 2022, the United States Department of Commerce implemented controls related to semiconductor manufacturing in China in order “to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests”. The recent announcement of Huawei’s 7nm Kirin 9000s chip has raised concerns that the kerfuffle created by the sanctions has all been for nothing and China apparently has next to leading-edge fab...

In this episode, Sowmya Nandan from Takshashila Institution hosts author Shoba Narayan for a conversation on her latest book Namma Bangalore: The Soul of a Metropolis. They go through the layers of food, language, art, start-up ecosystem, citizen-led movements & homes in Bangalore. And of course, traffic. Buy the book here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0CG6J6V9P/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bi...

In this episode of All Things Policy, Anushka Saxena and Amit Kumar discuss the structural challenges besieging the Chinese Economy, as well policy responses by the central leadership (or lack thereof).

Over the last two years, China has been working on three global geostrategic initiatives: the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI). Takshashila's Sachin Kalbag and Manoj Kewalramani discuss what they mean for China, for India, and for the rest of the world.

In this episode of All Things Policy, Saurabh Todi and Shambhavi Naik discuss the importance of the Green Revolution and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan's role. They discuss how science and policy intersect and the steps needed to usher in the next green revolution. Recommended readings: MS Swaminathan’s farsightedness for Punjab: Discouraged free power to tackle groundwater crisis, wanted ‘evergreen revolut...

India has plans to put one of its citizens on the International Space Station in 2024. But why do governments bother to put people into space when they can use robots? And how should India approach such costly missions? Satya Sahu and Aditya Ramanathan discuss.

In this episode, Amit Kumar quizzes Anushka Saxena on the industrial and policy ecosystem surrounding drone technology in the Chinese military. Anushka describes types of Chinese drones, increasing emphasis on the modularity and autonomy of drones, and the challenges the Chinese ecosystem is currently facing.

After being in discussion for more than a decade, the Women's Reservation Bill has been passed, but could it be a non-starter? What are the implications? Are there other alternatives that could've been explored to increase women's representation? Saurabh Todi and Suman Joshi discuss. Readings: India’s first women MPs punched above their weight | The Indian Express The Women's Lottery Bill NBER Wor...

TRAI has released a consultation paper discussing the potential regulation of OTT platforms, reigniting discussions on net neutrality. The key questions raised: Should communication and entertainment platforms compensate for network usage? And should they be regulated in the same way as telecom service providers? Should selective banning of apps be allowed instead of blanket internet bans? Join Sr...

Join Satya Sahu and Saurabh Todi as they have a conversation on the geopolitics and the complicated diplomatic path ahead for India and Canada in the aftermath of Prime Minister Trudeau’s allegations of India’s ties to the killing of a Khalistani supporter on Canadian soil.

In this episode of Police Chowki, Javeed Ahmad (ex-IPS & DGP, Uttar Pradesh) and Shrikrishna Upadhyaya discuss crime prevention initiatives of the Indian police. They talk about predictive policing, using evidence-based policing techniques, and the successes and drawbacks of community policing initiatives.

Kingshuk Saha and Bharat Sharma discuss the likely Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting at the sideline of UNGA. They discuss some of the issues that might come up during the meeting and its geopolitical implications.

Should the state shape the composition of economic activity? What are some arguments in favour of and against the use of the Industrial Policy? Anupam Manur and Sarthak Pradhan analyse and discuss some recent literature and trends on Industrial Policy. This paper analyses some trends in industrial policy: The Who, What, When, and How of Industrial Policy: A Text-Based Approach This paper explores...

In this episode, we unravel the ticketing fiasco in relation to the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in India. From scheduling delays to inefficient ticket sales, the tournament organiser, the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), had quite a surprise for fans. Carl Jaison speaks to Jaideep Vaidya, who writes on sports business for The Signal, a business & tech newsletter. They cov...

Malathi Renati (head of policy school, Takshashila Institution) is in conversation with Jaydeep Daripa, Debashree Chatterjee, and Avantika Srivastava, all current students of Takshashila's 48 week Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy, where they share their insights on the state of affairs in India's Power Sector. They explore market structures & failures, government interventions via tariff c...

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act of 2015 governs children in conflict with the law and those needing care and protection. The treatment of juvenile delinquency is based on, among other things, the principle of fresh start which enables children to start with a clean slate upon competing their sentence. In this episode of Police Chowki, Shrikrishna Upadhyaya hosts experts Shyni S (IPS...