All Things Policy

In this episode of All Things Policy, Vanshika Saraf speaks with Aishwaria Sonavane, Research Analyst for Pakistan Studies, about her paper “Limits of China-Pakistan Military Interoperability.” This conversation examines what interoperability actually means, unpacks the depth of military cooperation, and studies lessons from the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict. This episode also explores why both...

With MNREGA set to be replaced by VB‑GRAM‑G, the implications for rural livelihoods are profound. In this conversation, Ameya Naik and Suman Joshi speak with Liby Johnson of Gram Vikas about what the transition means for employment guarantees and positive rights, the expanding role of technology in welfare governance, and the risks and opportunities ahead. They also discuss practical pathways to r...

India’s current multialignment strategy is buckling under the pressure of a volatile, transactional US and a structurally aggressive China. In this episode of All Things Policy, Arindam Goswami and Ashwin Prasad discuss their latest paper, where they recommend that India should architect sectoral plurilateral blocs to hedge against geopolitical risks. All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public...

The Union Budget 2026-27 makes one of the most far-reaching moves we have seen so far to attract global cloud players to build and run their infrastructure from India. At the centre of this push is a 21-year tax holiday, available until 2047, for foreign companies that provide global cloud services using data centre infrastructure located in the country. But is that enough to make India a global c...

Elections often seem messy and chaotic, shaped by multiple interactions among various agents. Different countries vary widely with respect to the rules governing the electoral process. The candidates come from diverse backgrounds and raise a range of issues. Yet, despite these microscopic details, do elections exhibit universal macroscopic patterns? In this episode, Sarthak Pradhan talks to Dr Aan...

In this episode of All Things Policy, Malathi Renati chats with veteran sports journalist Sharda Ugra on reshaping the sports landscape through the 3 pillars: Samaaj (grassroots health risks & urban-rural divides), Bazaar (rescheduled calendars & green stadiums), and Sarkaar (Khelo India gaps, AQI protocol, UN Sports for Climate Action pledges). All Things Policy is a daily podcast on publ...

In this episode of All Things Policy, Anisree Suresh and Vanshika Saraf examine the strategic, institutional, and economic rationale for advancing rupee regionalisation in the Indian subcontinent. They argue that by promoting the Indian rupee as a regional settlement and invoicing currency, India can help enhance transactional efficiency and assert greater regional monetary leadership given the un...

Electric vehicles have become a frontline issue in global trade politics. In this episode of All Things Policy, host Kavya Rai speaks with Bhumika Sevkani about the escalating trade tensions between China and the European Union over EVs. The discussion unpacks why EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles have delivered limited results, how Chinese manufacturers have adapted through product shifts a...

Yusuf Unjhawala sits down with Dr. Y. Nithiyanandam to unpack his latest piece in the Takshashila Geospatial Bulletin, a deep dive into the rapid expansion of renewable energy in the Tibet Autonomous Region. From hydropower and solar to wind and other emerging sources, the conversation tracks how Tibet’s output has grown, what has improved in terms of efficiency and infrastructure, and how these d...

Is the proposed copyright framework to protect content creators actually going to stifle the AI revolution? Shobhankita Reddy and Bharath Reddy dive into the DPIIT’s 'One-Nation, One-License, One Payment' proposal and explore some of the impact that it might have on India's AI journey. Based on the opinion piece: AI and copyright: One licence, many problems . All Things Policy is a dai...

In this episode, Professor Eri Ikeda, a leading scholar of Japan’s political economy joins Vanshika Saraf to explore how India-Japan economic and technology cooperation is being reshaped by deeper structural changes in the global economy. With shifting supply chains and evolving innovation ecosystems, they examine emerging areas such as standards-setting and technology governance, along with the c...

Companies like SpaceX are launching satellites rapidly to lock up resources in the global commons of outer space. In this episode of All Things Policy, Aditya Ramanathan and Ashwin Prasad discuss the origins and effects of this orbital entrenchment.  Read Ashwin's recent work to learn more about this issue: takshashila.org.in/content/publications/20251219-Orbital-Entrenchment.html All Things P...

Quick deliveries have become part of urban life in India. Against the backdrop of recent moves to drop the “10-minute delivery” messaging, Sridhar Krishna and Shreya Ramakrishnan look beyond the hype around speed to examine traffic norms, labour realities, and the economic incentives that shape sectors like quick commerce, and why job creation, improved public infrastructure, and labour reform mat...

Despite being the fifth largest country by GDP, India has a very low per capita income and has a long way to go before we can become an affluent nation. Sridhar Krishna from The Takshashila Institution speaks to Arvind Vasu, an entrepreneur and an expert in robotics, on the history of robotics and how robotics offers another chance to the manufacturing sector in India. We missed the bus once and l...

Join Yusuf Unjhawala and Arindam Goswami in this episode of All Things Policy, where we discuss the recent unrest in Iran and its ramifications. Recent unrest in Iran, including protests and potential regime instability, disrupts India's strategic interests like Chabahar port access and energy routes, while reshaping alliances in the Middle East and beyond. Emerging groupings - such as a weake...

Every year, the annual gathering of political and business leaders from across the world makes headlines. But this year's gathering is unusual. Canada's prime minister has spoken about a rupture in world order, Trump has rambled about everything from Greenland to windmills, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described the trade deal being negotiated with India as th...

India’s new Shanti Act promises to modernise nuclear power, open the sector, and accelerate decarbonisation. But it also rewrites rules on liability and accountability. Does the law strike the right balance between growth, safety, and responsibility—or does it shift risk away from the state and industry? All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Instit...

The US National Defence Authorisation Act for FY 2026 aims to create partnerships based on mutual defence investment, a diversified military-industrial supply chain, and endurance of transatlantic and Indo-Pacific security. In this episode of All Things Policy, Abhishek Kadiyala, in conversation with Anushka Saxena, reads between the NDAA's lines and breaks down the US's approach to geopol...

Shobhankita Reddy sits down with Kanwal Rekhi to discuss key milestones from his autobiographical memoir, The Groundbreaker . Kanwal was part of the first wave of Indian expats called the $8 men, a moniker stemming from India's effort to stem the loss of brainpower from the country by allowing those who were leaving to take only $8 of currency. He was the first Indian-American founder to take...

China’s new K-Visa policy, introduced in October 2025, intends to attract global STEM talent by allowing young graduates and researchers to enter China without prior employer sponsorship. This development comes amid intensifying international competition for skilled workers, and has sparked divisive debate within China, particularly due to its economic, social, and cultural implications. Kripa Kos...

In this episode of 'All Things Policy', Anushka Saxena and Vanshika Saraf discuss the nitty-gritty of East Asia's evolving geopolitical and security dynamics. Vanshika sheds light on Japan and South Korea's approach to China and each other, while Anushka explains China's evolving aggression vis-à-vis Taiwan and Japan. All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brough...

Have Southeast Asian economies truly gained from the China+1 strategy, or are they merely navigating the spillovers of great-power rivalry? In this episode, Vanshika Saraf and Bhumika Sevkani, Research Analysts at the Takshashila Institution, unpack how ASEAN countries have responded to shifting global supply chains. The conversation examines which economies and sectors have benefited most, how el...

We generate geospatial data every day, often without noticing it. From navigation apps to environmental monitoring, location data quietly shapes how we move, plan, and govern. But while India produces vast amounts of geospatial data, it remains fragmented across multiple portals and institutions. In this episode, Sowmya Prabhakar and Dr Y Nithiyanandam explore why India needs a more unified and us...

China’s economic and technological success continues to stoke a sense of awe and envy among observers and watchers. China’s successes so far in the existing industries of strategic nature have inflated concerns around its similar triumphs in upcoming industries. And the anxiety to counter China, amidst its growing belligerence, has led countries to wonder what works for China. In this episode of A...

Arindam Goswami, Sridhar Krishna and Ashwin Prasad discuss why prioritising "job counts" over productivity might be a mistake in an AI-driven world. Join them as they debate whether India can shift from low-wage labour to high-value innovation, the risks of leaving the workforce behind, and why simply working more isn't the answer to economic growth. All Things Policy is a daily podc...