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India-France Trilaterals in the Indo-Pacific: Imperatives, Interests, Initiatives
International Affairs Nov 20, 2023

India-France Trilaterals in the Indo-Pacific: Imperatives, Interests, Initiatives

By broadening the scope of bilateral cooperation from the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to encompass the entire Indo-Pacific region, the India-France Indo-Pacific Roadmap, released in July 2023, underscores the importance of moving beyond the traditional self-centred approach to foster a more outward-looking dynamic with key ...

Catalysing Progress Through Capacity-Building Initiatives: Learnings from India’s Pan-African e-Network Project in Ghana and Malawi
International Affairs Nov 14, 2023

Catalysing Progress Through Capacity-Building Initiatives: Learnings from India’s Pan-African e-Network Project in Ghana and Malawi

Capacity building is a central feature of India’s outreach to Africa. Over the last seven decades, the Indian government has provided numerous scholarships to African students through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation scheme. India has also established ...

The  Uphill Climb to Maternal and Child Nutrition in Northeast India
GENDER ISSUES | Social Inclusion Nov 07, 2023

The Uphill Climb to Maternal and Child Nutrition in Northeast India

The number of malnourished children in India has increased significantly between the time of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 (2015-16) and the fifth round (2019-2020), and the progress in the first half of the decade has been reversed. This paper tells the story of ...

Bridging the SDGs Financing Gap in Least Developed Countries: A Roadmap for the G20
International Affairs | Development | Economics and Finance | Multilateralism | Economic Diplomacy Oct 27, 2023

Bridging the SDGs Financing Gap in Least Developed Countries: A Roadmap for the G20

Financing is a critical factor in realising the targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. In the decade of action (2021-2030), the least developed countries (LDCs) will be the battleground where the SDGs could be either won or lost. This paper ...

The State of India’s Public Sector Defence Industry
Defence and Security | Indian Defence Oct 26, 2023

The State of India’s Public Sector Defence Industry

India’s large defence industrial base has historically been dominated by public sector entities, although they have failed in meeting the growing requirements of the armed forces. The public sector suffers from inefficiency in productivity, innovation and international sales, rendering New Delhi highly dependent on arms ...

Foreign Universities in India: Lessons and Learnings from Global Experiences
Education Oct 20, 2023

Foreign Universities in India: Lessons and Learnings from Global Experiences

In May 2023, India’s University Grants Commission announced draft guidelines to allow foreign universities to establish operations in the country. This paper explores the potential outcomes of the decision by assessing the experiences of foreign institutions in China, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and ...

Tracking India’s Infrastructure Development Near the Line of Actual Control
Neighbourhood Oct 17, 2023

Tracking India’s Infrastructure Development Near the Line of Actual Control

The pace of Indian infrastructure building along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) bordering China has historically been slow due to financial and doctrinal constraints, but has accelerated in the past 20 years. Construction has become more efficient owing to bureaucratic changes and the infusion ...

Ethical and Regulatory Considerations in the Collection and Use of Biometric Data
Privacy & Data Protection | Internet Governance | Cyber and Technology | Privacy and Surveillance Oct 10, 2023

Ethical and Regulatory Considerations in the Collection and Use of Biometric Data

Surveillance as a tool of governance holds more relevance today than ever before, as information technology grows by the day and collects more biometric data. Biometric data—either first-generation (static biological data) or second-generation (dynamic socio-spatial biological data)—is extracted from the biological and social aspects of ...

Open-Source Intelligence Has Arrived
International Affairs | Internet Governance | Artificial Intelligence Oct 04, 2023

Open-Source Intelligence Has Arrived

The concept of ‘intelligence’ immediately brings to mind a covert world of spies, secrets, and classified documents. That might have been true in the past, but in the current age, Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is gaining prominence. OSINT is intelligence based on information that is publicly ...

A Divided ‘Visegrad Four’ Navigates Relations with the European Union
International Affairs Oct 03, 2023

A Divided ‘Visegrad Four’ Navigates Relations with the European Union

The Visegrad Four (V4) countries—Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary—are examples of communist states that have transitioned to liberal and democratic governance systems. In recent years, their visibility in the European Union (EU) has surged due to their contrarian positions on certain critical issues ...

Contributors

Soumya Bhowmick

Soumya Bhowmick

Soumya Bhowmick is a Fellow and Lead, World Economies and Sustainability at the Centre for New Economic Diplomacy (CNED) at Observer Research Foundation (ORF). He is pursuing his PhD and holds a double master’s degree in economics from Jadavpur University, ...

Read More + Sreeparna Banerjee

Sreeparna Banerjee

Sreeparna Banerjee is an Associate Fellow in the Strategic Studies Programme. Her work focuses on the geopolitical and strategic affairs concerning two Southeast Asian countries, namely Myanmar and Thailand. Her primary focus is on the Rohingya issue within the Bay of ...

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