In this episode of All Things Policy, Takshashila Research Analyst Anushka Saxena is in conversation with independent research scholar Suyash Desai. The two discuss the recent reform announced in the Chinese military vis-a-vis disbanding of its Strategic Support Force (SSF), and the institution of a new Information Support Force (ISF). Suyash places this development in the larger context of reforms in the PLA, and its preparedness to fight "informatised" wars.
Apr 30, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1292
Born out of war more than 50 years ago, Bangladesh has hauled itself out of poverty to become one of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia Pacific region. But the nation still faces many challenges—climate change threatens to overwhelm its low-lying lands, corruption is endemic, and many critics complain that democracy and freedom of speech are under pressure. In this episode of All Things Policy, Rakshith Shetty quizzes Dr Sreeradha Datta on the current developments in Bangladesh. Do check ...
Apr 29, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 1291
An allegedly unscrupulous one person company has been handling data and infrastructure for DigiYatra, the biometric boarding system used at airports. Anupam Manur and Bharath Reddy discuss the implications.
Apr 26, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1290
Join Ashwin Prasad, Shreya Ramakrishnan, and Tanay Ravichandran, three policy enthusiasts sharing their latest discoveries in the world of public policy! A new course on Unpacking Urban Governance on OpenTakshashila is now accepting applications. Click here for more information.
Apr 25, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 1289
Is it possible for AI to be racist? When Google's AI chatbot 'Gemini' launched a new text-to-image feature on February 1st, it received a barrage of accusations on social media for possessing an inherent reluctance towards generating images of light-skinned, Caucasian people. These accusations came after instances where the Founding Fathers were shown to be Native American and East Asian men, while the Pope was represented by an Indian woman. The Senior Vice President of Google responded soon af...
Apr 24, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 1284
In this episode of All Things Policy, Kripa Koshy and Saurabh Todi discuss the recent controversy around the high sugar content in Nestle baby food in certain countries. They discuss the need for informed regulation and better compliance in India. A new course on Unpacking Urban Governance on OpenTakshashila is now accepting applications. Click here for more information.
Apr 23, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 1283
In this episode, Ashwin Prasad quizzes Saurabh Todi on the recent Trilateral Technology Dialogue in Seoul. With a focus on strengthening supply chain resilience and fostering trade partnerships, Saurabh provides insights into the significance of this event. Join them as they unravel the discussions, explore key outcomes, and analyze the implications for technology geopolitics.
Apr 22, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 1282
The Parliament recently passed legislation called the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, aimed at curbing cheating and upholding the integrity of public examinations. How does the new law safeguard the public recruitment system against malpractices, such as paper leaks, and help to address the problem of state capacity shortfall? In this episode of All Things Policy, Carl Jaison speaks to Pranav Gupta about the context, causes, and consequences of the new law and the wid...
Apr 19, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 1281
Two weeks after a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria, Tehran launched a massive drone and missile attack on Israel last Saturday. What does this mean for an already explosive situation in West Asia? Will the exchange of fire between the two countries lead to a larger regional conflagration? Sachin Kalbag and Yusuf Unjhawala discuss in the latest episode of All Things Policy. Check out Takshashila's public policy courses at https://school.takshashila.org.in/...
Apr 18, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1280
In early April, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha travelled to China for his first foreign visit since taking office. While no major deals or breakthroughs were reported, this signalled a new proximity between the two countries. In this episode, Manoj Kewalramani talks to author and journalist Amish Raj Mulmi about the recent developments in China-Nepal ties. Check out Takshashila's public policy courses at https://school.takshashila.org.in/
Apr 17, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 1279
Join Dr Nithyanandam, a Professor from Takshashila Institution and Mr Varun Sridharan, Co-founder and CEO of Greenvironment Innovation & Marketing India (P) Ltd, in a captivating podcast episode where they delve into the critical need for wastewater management in the Indian context. Amid the water scarcity crisis affecting southern cities, they explore sustainable solutions and technological advancements for treating water at household levels. The discussion also covers the economic aspects,...
Apr 16, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 1278
In this episode, 'Willingness to make a Will,' Sowmya Prabhakar is in conversation with Niranjan Vemulkar & Nikhil Varghese to navigate through the why, what, how, and when of having a will in place. We draw insights from the Succession Act, data on unclaimed assets such as Demat accounts & the nomination process. It's important to understand the opportunity cost and the information asymmetry that exists in this landscape of emotions and the need to have a will. Tech solutions hold promi...
Apr 15, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 1277
In this episode of All Things Policy, Anushka Saxena of Takshashila quizzes Neha Mishra, Executive Officer at CII and a fellow with the pioneer cohort of Takshashila's Network for Advanced Study of China (NASC) Fellowship, on China's dominance in critical minerals supply chains. Neha discusses the findings from her Fellowship paper vis-a-vis China's policy architecture on critical minerals, the changing global sentiment towards dependence on China for the same, and the way forward for China's do...
Apr 12, 2024•40 min
In this episode of All Things Policy hosted by Amit Kumar, Dr Michael Pettis, Professor of Finance at Peking University and Senior Fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), answers several critical questions about China's economy. Dr. Pettis weighs on what China's domestic consumption situation looks like; the underlying contradiction between domestic consumption and export policy, and the feasibility of new drivers of the economy and new productive forces. See omnystudio.com/...
Apr 11, 2024•37 min
In this episode of All Things Policy, Professor C Raja Mohan, Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, and Wini Fred Gurung, Communications Manager at the Takshashila Institution, discuss the complexities of India's foreign policy, exploring its perspectives on the global landscape, significant shifts in approach over the past decade, and the challenges and opportunities it faces in an ever-changing world.
Apr 10, 2024•27 min
human-animal conflict, wildlife conservation, India, Malathi Renati, Humane Society International, Vinod Krishnan, Shubhra Sotie, government, markets, society, wildlife experts, conservation efforts, environmental protection, biodiversity, conservation challenges, conservation successes, wildlife management, wildlife protection
Apr 09, 2024•45 min
What services do urban local bodies in India provide? Where do they get their revenues from? To what extent are these bodies self-reliant? What factors contribute to their financial vulnerability? In this episode of All Things Policy, Sarthak Pradhan and Suman Joshi give an overview of the state of municipal finances in India.
Apr 08, 2024•34 min
In the past, people had many more children than they do today. There has been a global decline in the fertility rate since 1950. India's fertility rate has been going down steadily from 5.9 in the year 1960 to 2 in 2021. In this episode of All Things Policy, Anushka Saxena, Shreya Ramakrishnan, and Sridhar Krishna discuss this and also the changing social norms and aspirations of women.
Apr 05, 2024•33 min
The past few weeks saw two key forums being held China, the China Development Forum and the Boao Forum for Asia Conference. These shed light into China’s economic and foreign policy priorities. In this episode, Amit Kumar and Manoj Kewalramani decode the messages that Beijing is sending to the world.
Apr 04, 2024•31 min
China has issued guidelines for governmental procurement of laptops, PCs, and servers that will gradually replace Intel and AMD processors with homegrown CPUs. Join Rijesh and Satya in this episode of Siliconpolitik as they attempt to decipher China's chipmaking capabilities in the broader context of US sanctions against its semiconductor sector. Recommended reading: https://hightechir.substack.com/p/79-deciphering-chinas-move-against https://www.linkedin.com/in/satyashoovasahu/ https://twitter....
Apr 03, 2024•25 min
Synthetic or artificially generated data is often an important input for training AI systems. As such systems make important decisions that affect our lives, Bharath Reddy and Shobhankita Reddy explore what it is and how it could impact us.
Apr 02, 2024•21 min
In the final episode of the special limited series Police Chowki, Javeed Ahmad (former IPS officer & DGP of Uttar Pradesh) and Shrikrishna Upadhyaya take stock of policing in India. They discuss the trajectory of the show and reflect on key takeaways from the conversations had so far, such as, policing as a public good, state capacity in police, social and economic cost of bad policing, and building trust between police and citizens. Find all the previous episodes of Police Chowki here: http...
Apr 01, 2024•40 min
Is India ready to assume a greater role in global semiconductor value chains? In this edition of SiliconPolitik, Satya Sahu quizzes Stephen Ezell, VP of Global Innovation Policy, ITIF, on their recent report assessing the challenges and opportunities for India in this critical sector.
Mar 28, 2024•40 min
Pune is one of India's fastest growing cities, but also one that is crying for its transport infrastructure to be transformed, even overhauled. What are the areas of concern, and how can policymakers work with civil society and the government to make this happen? Sachin Kalbag of Takshashila and Pune's leading subject matter expert Sanskriti Menon, Senior Programme Director at the Centre for Environment Education, discuss this vital topic.
Mar 27, 2024•40 min
It is now clear that the 2024 US presidential election will once again feature a contest between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Beijing, of course, will be keenly watching the campaign unfold over the next few months. But as things stand today, who would the mandarins in Zhongnanhai prefer as the next occupant of the White House? Listen in as Takshashila’s China watchers debate China’s choice.
Mar 26, 2024•43 min
India urgently requires substantial investment in climate adaptation efforts to sustain progress on development. Recognizing the criticality of the impact of climate change for development and growth, India has anchored its adaptation approach within the country’s wider development goals. While the government has endeavoured to finance adaptation initiatives, adaptation investment needs at the national level are large and will increase in the future. In this episode of All Things Policy, Rakshit...
Mar 22, 2024•45 min
In this podcast episode, Ms.Shreya Ramakrishnan and Dr.Nithiyanandam discuss recent developments along the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh, focusing on two specific settlements. Dr. Nithiyananda's recent article in the Takshashila Geospatial Bulletin provides significant insights highlighted in the discussion. The podcast covers geopolitical intricacies, emphasizes the importance of satellite imagery analysis, and discusses the historical progress in the two zones mentioned in the report...
Mar 21, 2024•24 min
In this episode of ATP, Shambhavi Naik and Saurabh Todi discuss the recent completion of the 10,000 Genome Project and the importance of collecting such data for medical research.
Mar 20, 2024•25 min
Unified Healthcare Interface (UHI) is India’s next digital public infrastructure (DPI), following earlier DPIs in payments (UPI), commerce (ONDC) and credit (OCEN). In this episode, Shrikrishna Upadhyaya speaks to Rhea Singh (Project Lead, ABDM, NHA) and Akhil Siddharth (Project Associate, NHA) from the International Innovation Corps on the potential of UHI, challenges and opportunities. They discuss how UHI will transform the healthcare experience of patients, enable innovation by private playe...
Mar 19, 2024•41 min
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), steered by India’s National Health Authority (NHA), is building the digital public infrastructure for healthcare in India. It aims to leverage technology to improve healthcare services and delivery in the country by enabling healthcare players to build on the digital foundation. In this episode, Shrikrishna Upadhyaya hosts Surbhi Arul (Associate Director, International Innovation Corps) and Rhea Singh (Project Lead, ABDM, NHA) for a conversation on the bui...
Mar 18, 2024•53 min
