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A Roadmap for Securing India's Undersea Cables
Cyber and Technology | Connectivity Jun 27, 2025

A Roadmap for Securing India's Undersea Cables

This report examines India’s dependence on undersea fibre optic cables for its financial well-being. It explains the complexities involved in the laying and maintenance of these cables, lists the vulnerabilities of the existing network, and makes a series of recommendations to progressively address them. These ...

BRICS Cooperation: A Programme for Trade and Investment
International Affairs Jun 19, 2025

BRICS Cooperation: A Programme for Trade and Investment

The expansion of BRICS in 2023 has infused a new energy into the grouping. Despite certain rivalries, BRICS members still largely tend towards cooperation on issues of development and economic growth. The grouping now accounts for 40 percent of global trade. This report explores areas ...

Nagpur Metro: Addressing Challenges and Exploring Funding Alternatives
Developing and Emerging Economies | Urbanisation | Transportation Jun 18, 2025

Nagpur Metro: Addressing Challenges and Exploring Funding Alternatives

This report examines the financial challenges of the Nagpur Metro in the state of Maharashtra, focusing on the gap between projected and actual ridership figures and its implications for revenue generation. It identifies gaps in the revenue streams, evaluates alternative funding mechanisms, and recommends a ...

General-Purpose Technology and the Dominance of Nations
Cyber and Technology | Artificial Intelligence May 19, 2025

General-Purpose Technology and the Dominance of Nations

This article explores the role played by General-Purpose Technologies (GPTs) on the ebbs and flows of countries’ heft throughout history. From the printing press to artificial intelligence (AI), countries that embraced and innovated on these technologies have gained economic, military, and geopolitical advantage in various ...

Global AI’s ‘DeepSeek Moment’: Impact and Implications
Artificial Intelligence May 09, 2025

Global AI’s ‘DeepSeek Moment’: Impact and Implications

The United States (US) is the current world leader in the race to develop the most powerful advances and applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI), but China has steadily caught up in recent years. The launch in January 2025 of DeepSeek-R1, a powerful AI (reasoning) model ...

Promoting Menstrual Health and Reducing Environmental Harm: The Case of Rajasthan
Healthcare Apr 29, 2025

Promoting Menstrual Health and Reducing Environmental Harm: The Case of Rajasthan

A key element of India’s strategy for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) is menstrual health. However, the focus is on the provision of single-use pads which, being non-biodegradable, contribute massively to environmental waste. Integrating reusable menstrual products into existing supply chains ...

Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025: Recommendations to MeitY
Privacy & Data Protection | Cyber and Technology Apr 22, 2025

Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025: Recommendations to MeitY

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, released the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 (DPDP Rules) in early January this year and invited feedback by 5 March 2025. On 18 February 2025, MeitY organised a consultative session on the ...

Contributors

Nikhila Natarajan

Nikhila Natarajan

Nikhila Natarajan is Senior Programme Manager for Media and Digital Content with ORF America. Her work focuses on the future of jobs current research in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence digital innovation and strategy. Nikhila also tracks ...

Read More + Premesha Saha

Premesha Saha

Premesha Saha was a Fellow with ORF’s Strategic Studies Programme. Her research focuses on Southeast Asia, East Asia, Oceania and the emerging dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region. Premesha’s other research interests include: Indonesia’s maritime strategy, India and Southeast Asia, India’s ...

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