The roots of China’s space ambitions go back to 1957 when the Soviet Union successfully launched the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik-1, into space. That year, Chairman Mao Zedong declared China would also launch its own satellite. With the help of Soviet technology and scientists such as Qian Xuesen, who studied and initially worked in the United States but was deported for allegedly being a communist sympathiser, the country established its space programme. In July 1964, China took ...
Mar 15, 2024•35 min
Last week, the Union Government liberalised the foreign direct investment (FDI) norms for the space sector and introduced graded automatic route approval for different space sub-sectors. In this episode, Shrikrishna Upadhyaya quizzes Ashwin Prasad on the implications of the government’s move, a brief history of the space reforms in India, and the role the government should play in creating demand for space services in the country. Reading: How private sector can propel a new wave of space revolu...
Mar 14, 2024•24 min
What does India’s Agni-5 test really mean for its competition with China? What exactly are MIRVs and how do they affect the nuclear balance? Saurabh Todi and Aditya Ramanathan delve into the politics of atomic catastrophe.
Mar 13, 2024•28 min
A recent advisory by MeitY about the deployment of AI models which has caused a lot of angst and pushback from industry. Satya Sahoo and Bharath Reddy discuss why its hard to put guardrails on gen AI and some of the consequences from the advisory.
Mar 12, 2024•30 min
Between March 5 and 11, the 'Two Sessions', which is an annual meeting of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has been underway. The 14th NPC and CPPCC have met to discuss the economy, foreign policy, national defence, domestic politics, and more. In this episode of All Things Policy, Anushka Saxena quizzes Manoj Kewalramani on the key deliberations that took place at the 'Two Sessions', and what China's growth agenda looks like for 2024.
Mar 11, 2024•40 min
As January drew to a close, the users of X were greeted with a startling announcement by the owner, Elon Musk. His company 'Neuralink' had successfully implanted its brain chip prototype in a human being for the first time, and the patient in question could manoeuvre a computer mouse using only their thoughts. But what about the risks? What helps a quadriplegic express their thoughts today may translate into a gross violation of human rights tomorrow. Does India require comprehensive legislation...
Mar 08, 2024•30 min
The data on Monthly Per capita Consumption Expenditure was released last week. How should we read this data? How can it inform policy making at various levels? Sarthak and Suman discuss in this episode of All Things Policy.
Mar 07, 2024•24 min
In this episode of All Things Policy, Carl Jaison speaks to Sudhanshu Kaushik, author of “The Future is Ours: The Political Promise of India’s Youth”. Sudhanshu is an international youth activist and the founder of Young India Foundation (YIF). With a focus on youth empowerment, the highlights of his work at YIF included initiatives registering over 2.5 million youth voters, lobbying with over 200 sitting MPs and five state governments to decrease the age to contest elections as an MP/MLA and bu...
Mar 06, 2024•33 min
In this episode of ATP, Saurabh Todi and Shambhavi Naik discuss the state of research and development funding in India, what ails it and what can be done to improve the situation.
Mar 05, 2024•25 min
The Supreme Court of India (SC) is entertaining a public interest litigation (PIL) asking for fixed rates for medical services in all hospitals in the country and has directed the Union Government to develop rates for each medical service. Otherwise, it proposed to fix rates charged under the Central Government Health Scheme as an interim measure. In this episode, Anupam Manur and Shrikrishna Upadhyaya break down the implications of the Supreme Court’s order to impose price caps for hospital ser...
Mar 04, 2024•52 min
As contemporary Indian foreign policy evolves to navigate an increasingly complex regional and global geopolitical environment, the China factor bears heavily upon some of its choices and priorities. In this episode of 'All Things Policy', Takshashila's Anushka Saxena seeks insights from Mr. Manoj Joshi (Distinguished Fellow at ORF Delhi) on military security perspectives in India’s foreign policy, especially vis-a-vis tensions along the LAC and India’s expanding partnership with the US. In addi...
Mar 01, 2024•36 min
Get ready for an insightful journey with Dr Y Nithiyanandam and Shreya Ramakrishnan as they dive into the future of road travel with a focus on India's new Satellite-based toll collection system, set to launch in March 2024. This engaging podcast uncovers the effectiveness of this innovative system compared to the existing FASTag, addressing its technical challenges, limitations, and the necessary behavioural changes for smoother navigation. It also explores the hurdles of current toll systems, ...
Feb 29, 2024•42 min
The world's largest democracy is going to the polls this year. As much as a logistical challenge it will be given the sheer size, it will also be a test for the Indian media. Will the media be fair? Will it be able to remain neutral amidst the audio-visual assault? What about fake news and misinformation? What about ideological balance? All of these questions and more, in a discussion between Sachin Kalbag and his guest Pradyuman Maheshwari. Do check out Takshashila’s public policy courses: http...
Feb 28, 2024•37 min
In this episode. Manoj Kewalramani and Shambhavi Naik discuss the ongoing property crisis in China, the developing story of the Evergrande decline and the measures taken by the Chinese government to stem the impact of this crisis.
Feb 27, 2024•33 min
Lant Pritchett has described India as "flailing state", one where the limbs are not in sync with the head and the outcomes sought are not delivered. Sridhar Krishna talks to Bharat Reddy on how AI can be used to bridge the gap in state capacity and help Indians get the goods and services they desire from the government. Readings: Why does the Indian state both fail and succeed? By Devesh Kapur Is India a flailing state? By Lant Pritchett Breaking the Mould by Raghuraman Rajan and Rohit Lamba...
Feb 26, 2024•46 min
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has released regulations on studying the Party's history. It outlines the key objectives and principles embedded in the newly introduced regulations, emphasising the need for regular, long-term study of the Party’s history. Comprising six chapters and 34 articles, the document outlines general principles, leadership structures, responsibilities, content, and methods for the study of the Party's history. In this episode of All Things Pol...
Feb 23, 2024•28 min
Recently, the Karnataka government fixed uniform kilometre-based fares for all types of cabs plying in the state. In this light, Saurabh Todi speaks to Anupam Manur, Assistant Professor, Takshashila Institution, on the consequences of this policy.
Feb 22, 2024•34 min
The 2024 Munich Security Conference has recently concluded on February 18, and key discussions surrounded both traditional and non-traditional security issues such as China's military capabilities, the Russia-Ukraine war, leaps in technology, and climate change. In this episode of All Things Policy, Anushka Saxena quizzes Manoj Kewalramani on the important insights from the Conference, and what they say about Europe's vision for its own role in the contemporary global order. Manoj also discusses...
Feb 21, 2024•50 min
Music has played a complimentary role in all our lives. In this tuneful episode, Malathi Renati has a chat with Lakshmy Iyer, a music exponent in carnatic classical, veena and musical whistling. They talk about the importance of music education from primary to higher education and touch upon its resonating impact across a wide spectrum of areas from learning difficulties and therapy to neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and post trauma care.
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 1 min
In this episode of All Things Policy, Anushka Saxena interviews Kerry Brown, professor of China studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London, on the nature and drivers of Chinese Foreign Policy under Xi Jinping. Professor Brown shares keen insights on everything – from how Xi's supposed "all-powerful" authority manifests itself in policymaking, to the fundamental factors underpinning US-China and EU-China relations in the past few years. He also answers in brief the ...
Feb 19, 2024•41 min
Article 23 of India's constitution allows the union government to mandate conscription to secure the nation’s interest and public well-being. There are various social as well as political arguments on why we should or should not enforce such conscription, but what would either option mean for India's contemporary security approach? Should the military focus on officers' quantity or quality, or on technological advancements instead? Tune in with Ananya Desai as she speaks to Aditya Ramanathan abo...
Feb 16, 2024•23 min
In her interim budget speech, the finance minister announced that a high-powered committee will be constituted to consider the challenges arising from "fast population growth and demographic changes". In this episode, Suman Joshi and Sarthak Pradhan delve into India's population growth trajectory, examining future challenges and exploring potential solutions.
Feb 15, 2024•34 min
Technologies like Solar PVs have become critical to enabling shifts towards the use of more renewable energy. In this episode, Anushka Saxena quizzes Amit Kumar on the supply chains of the solar PVs, and China's role in it. Amit also highlights the key factors behind China's dominance of the supply chains.
Feb 14, 2024•33 min
The Quad's rise as a strategic grouping has received much attention in recent years. In this episode of All Things Policy, Bharat Sharma hosts Arzan Tarapore, a Research Scholar at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation, to discuss what binds the grouping today, where the Quad countries stand in relation to China, and the Quad's prospects in the Indian Ocean Region. In this vein, challenges to greater cooperation are also discussed. This episode is part of a series of podca...
Feb 13, 2024•45 min
From anti-dacoity operations to crowd control to participation in equestrian games, mounted police enjoy a distinct position in Indian law enforcement. In this episode of Police Chowki, we delve into the fascinating world of mounted police, exploring their historical and modern-day role in law enforcement, public safety, and ceremonial functions. Tune in to Shrikrishna Upadhyaya speaking to former police officers S. Ramakrishnan and Javeed Ahmad, who share their rich experience.
Feb 12, 2024•43 min
Could the average citizen become more involved in the process of developing solutions to problems that affect them? Yes! But well before that, maybe we need to do a better job of understanding the nuances of these problems and articulating them to policy decision makers. In this episode of ATP, join Kripa Koshy (Programme Manager, Takshashila) and Anirudh Dinesh (Research Fellow, Burnes Centre for Social Change and GovLab affiliated with Northeastern University) as they discuss old and new ways ...
Feb 09, 2024•42 min
In the wake of the ongoing conflict, Israel is looking to address a major labor shortage by recruiting tens of thousands of Indians at a time when Palestinians who have long played a crucial role in Israeli construction and other sectors are being barred from the country. In this episode of All Things Policy, Carl Jaison speaks to Karishma Mehrotra, South Asia correspondent for The Washington Post on the factors accentuating this development. Link to Karishma’s article in the Washington Post: ht...
Feb 08, 2024•26 min
Every country should have the ability to tell its story to the world. However, a nation's narrative should be based on facts and rise and fall on its own merits. China employs a variety of deceptive and coercive methods as it attempts to influence the global information environment. In this episode, Dr Sriparna and Rakshith discuss various instances of Chinese disinformation campaigns.
Feb 07, 2024•43 min
Deepfakes. Everyone has seen a deepfake by now, whether consciously or unconsciously. They’ve taken the digital world by storm and their rapid spread on social media is out of control. The latest victims that have fallen prey to deepfakes include A-listers like Taylor Swift, Joe Biden and Sachin Tendulkar. World leaders everywhere have been racking their brains trying to draft deepfake legislation that would curb the spread of disinformation. In the meantime, there are other pressing questions t...
Feb 06, 2024•33 min
The interim budget for 2024-25 was presented by the Finance Minister on Thursday,1 Feb 2024. What are some of the key takeaways? How will this impact us ? Sarthak and Anupam discuss in this episode.
Feb 05, 2024•39 min
