All Things Policy

 India has an ambitious target of 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047. The historic SHANTI Act of December 2025 and the second-stage PFBR reaching criticality in April 2026 have added the necessary momentum. But recent parliamentary committee reports reveal the troubles facing the nuclear establishment, including major delays in key projects and the third-stage that uses abundant thorium. In this epi...

In this episode, Aditya Ramanathan and Ashwin Prasad Rao discuss the ongoing debate over Starlink’s entry into India and the national security questions it raises. Beyond market competition and internet access, they examine the risks of relying on a foreign-controlled satellite network, the limits of India’s regulatory powers, and lessons from Starlink’s use in Ukraine and Iran. They also discuss...

In this second episode of America Votes, the All Things Policy series on the 2026 US midterm elections, Brig. Raman speaks with Professor Ryan Williamson of the University of Wyoming about what the 3 November vote may reveal. The conversation focuses on President Trump's push to nationalise his party's campaign, the Republican tilt of the Senate map, strategic retirements and the growing w...

India’s power system is becoming more complex as renewable energy grows and electricity demand becomes harder to predict. In this episode of All Things Policy, Gopal Tomar speaks to Dinker George Mattam about how AI and machine learning could make India’s electricity markets smarter. They explore the role of forecasting, automated decision-making, storage and demand flexibility; who benefits from...

How does a young officer’s “Why not?” become a senior officer’s “Better not”? In this episode of All Things Policy, Dr Y. Nithiyanandam, Professor at the Takshashila Institution, speaks with Cmde (Dr) Arun Pratap Golaya (Retd) about The Inverse Law of Innovation: the idea that openness to new ideas in government declines with years of service. Drawing on his experience in naval innovation, Golaya...

China is often seen as a highly centralised system where policy is decided at the top and simply implemented by the bureaucracy. But is Chinese policymaking really that straightforward? In this episode, Shreya Ramakrishnan speaks with Shobhankita Reddy about how policymaking actually works in China. They explore the iterative nature of the policymaking process, the different stakeholders who shape...

In this episode of All Things Policy, Aditi Palo speaks with Abhishek Kadiyala about the impacts of an altered US Congress composition on India-US ties. In the past, the US Congress has proven to be a relatively consistent element in India-US ties and a reliable institution in times of political uncertainty. But early trends in the midterm elections indicate a shift towards a more ideologically di...

In this inaugural episode of 'America Votes', All Things Policy's series covering the US mid-terms, Brigadier Anil Raman and Abhishek Kadiyala cover the early trends in November elections. They discuss the process, the politics and its relevance for India. It frames the midterms as a contest for Congress, whose powers over war, tariffs and aid outlast any executive action. Tracing the...

Can the US and China cooperate on AI safety while competing to lead the technology’s development? Bharath Reddy and Shobhankita Reddy examine what the Trump–Xi summit revealed, why calls to slow the AI race face resistance and what areas they might possibly cooperate on going forward. All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.⁠⁠⁠...

A Chinese company engaged in semi-invasive brain-computer interface became the first firm globally to get regulatory approval for commercial use. Within 12 days, different arms of the Chinese government - both at the national and local level - worked together to assign the product a medical insurance code, add it to the government’s consumables catalogue, and list it for hospital procurement. In c...

Science fiction has a habit of describing inventions decades before they're built: the submarine, the mobile phone, even the phrase "atomic bomb." Astha Rastogi and Ashwin Prasad Rao ask whether that same imaginative power can help governments make sense of technologies that don't yet exist. All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila I...

In this episode, Sowmya Prabhakar is in conversation with Kuldeep Dantewadia about Civic Innovation: What Works, What Doesn't. The framework and tools that Kuldeep shares give enough pointers to convene people to bring about change. We also discuss how this works at the intersection of society, government, and markets. We delve into what it takes to keep the learning muscle active by gathering...

In this episode of All Things Policy, Aishwaria Sonavane joins Adya Madhavan to unpack Pakistan’s escalating military strikes in Afghanistan. They discuss the deep-rooted ideological and tribal ties binding the Afghan Taliban to the TTP, the limits of regional mediation by actors like China and Saudi Arabia, and whether Islamabad and Kabul are entering a protracted, low-intensity conflict. All Thi...

In this episode of All Things Policy, Aishwaria Sonavane speaks to Raja Karthikeya about the origins of the Saudi-Houthi conflict, the evolution of the Houthis' military capabilities, and why Saudi Arabia’s considerable military and financial resources have not translated into an easy victory. They examine the strategic significance of the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, Washington’s reluctance to...

Mining in India is subject to a remarkably high number of levies, from royalty and auction premiums to DMF, NMET, cess and state-level charges. A new amendment has raised even more questions. In this episode, Suman Joshi, along with Sarthak Pradhan and Shobhankita Reddy, unpacks the recent legal and policy changes, what they mean for miners, state finances and communities living around mines. Here...

Satellite imagery is no longer just about having better satellites or sharper images. In this episode of All Things Policy, Gopal Tomar speaks to Dr Y. Nithiyanandam about how commercial satellite access, AI, and private companies are changing who can see and interpret the Earth. They look at what “sovereign Earth intelligence” means for India, whether strategic autonomy requires self-reliance, ho...

Kerala's 60-plus population has grown from 12.6% in 2011 to 18.7% today. The state's own projections put it near 30% by 2051. India as a whole won't reach that share for decades. In the first episode of a series on active ageing, Malathi Renati speaks with Dr Praveen Pai, gerontologist and the WHO Global Network's Focal Point for age-friendly Kochi, about what it actually takes to...

Over the last decade, India's power sector has done few things correctly. Almost every household is connected, and we're adding solar and wind faster than most countries. But if you talk to someone who runs a distribution company, a solar park or a factory, you hear a different story. DISCOMs struggle to pay their bills. Solar gets switched off in the afternoon while another state scramble...

State governments love lobbying for premier institutes, hoping they'll magically turn into the next Silicon Valley. But without the right ecosystem, top talent just takes the first flight out. In this episode of All Things Policy, host Kavya and guest Arindam unpack the real blueprint for building a tech hub. From state-backed venture capital and regulatory sandboxes to the live-test of India&...

Rockets need things to launch. Increasingly, that demand comes from large satellite constellations whose spectrum and orbital filings are mediated by states. Lokendra Sharma and Ashwin Prasad Rao discuss how Starlink and China’s megaconstellations are reshaping launch demand, why orbital rights matter to launch capacity, and whether India can use its own emerging constellation plans to strengthen...

China’s mega-dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo has raised concerns about downstream risks for India. Beyond the prospect of sudden floods, how could gradual changes in river flows and sediment reshape the Brahmaputra and the lives that depend on it? In this episode of All Things Policy, Kavya Rai speaks with Dr Y. Nithiyanandam about Himalayan hazards, climate change and the implications of upstream deve...

Failure is an unavoidable part of developing launch vehicles, but not every launch company survives it. Lokendra Sharma and Ashwin Prasad Rao discuss why states sometimes continue supporting launch firms after expensive failures and sometimes allow them to disappear. Drawing on cases from the United States, China and elsewhere, they ask what India’s first serious private-launch failure will reveal...

In this episode of All Things Policy, Anisree Suresh sits with Manoj Kewalramani and Anushka Saxena to unpack the 26th SCO Summit. They analyse the key takeaways from the Summit and its Bishkek Declaration, the utility of the Organisation itself from an Indian perspective, and its wider impact on regional security and cooperation. All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to yo...

India’s participation in BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation often appears contradictory. New Delhi shares the table with China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan even as it deepens ties with the United States, Europe and other Indo-Pacific partners. In this episode, Vanshika Saraf and Bhumika Sevkani examine what India actually gains from being on the table, where these groupings fall short,...

In this episode of 'All Things Policy', Aditi Palo quizzes Anushka Saxena on her takeaways from the recently concluded session of the 14th Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress. They discuss the revisions to China's National Defence Mobilisation Law, removals of key members from the Central Military Commission, and the budget report introduced at the NPC sess...