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While the state of defence cooperation between India and Russia could be described as "healthy and robust", there are some underwater reefs the two sides should carefully steer past.

The COVID-19 outbreak poses immense challenges to Africa’s resilience. The pandemic’s economic fallout, caused by disruptions in global and regional value chains and a slump in commodity prices, can derail the progress which the continent has recorded in recent years. Despite the bleak forecasts, however, African countries have managed to mount a concerted response to the pandemic. This paper examines the extent of the economic and health imp

Delhi, a Union Territory that is home to India’s capital, New Delhi, is among the world’s urban agglomerations with the most toxic air. The magnitude of air pollution is massive. It causes devastating impacts on people’s health, the city’s environment, and economic well-being. Despite overwhelming evidence of the severity of air pollution and its consequences, however, India’s policy measures remain weak. This paper identifies the most

Left-wing activism amongst young people in the United States is on the rise, in no small part aided by the internet and social media. The generation which demographic researchers refer to as ‘Gen-Z’—or those born between the mid- to late 1990s to the early 2010s—is becoming more politically engaged. This brief offers an intellectual history of modern-day leftist politics in the US, and argues that it is primarily driven by the pur

One year after the first deaths due to COVID-19 were announced, the world is still grappling with the twinned health and economic crises resulting from the pandemic. At the start of 2021, it is evident that an uneven economic recovery has taken shape across the globe, with some countries — such as Taiwan and Vietnam — having experienced remarkably few cases, whilst others — namely, the US, India, Brazil, and parts of Europe — are still co

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has led to a fundamental shift in the human-machine interface, with massive implications for the future. AI today has known applications across multiple domains—including agriculture, defence, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and nuclear energy—and the potential appears limitless. Justifiably then, the discourse surrounding AI is becoming increasingly more vibrant. Yet, the inner workings of AI are often shroud

BRICS has made strides in developing a digital agenda that promotes the use of digital technologies for development while trying to counter digital harms. The grouping has prioritised areas such as agritech and digital agriculture, technology for education, digital health, technology for climate action, and the use of data to further the development agenda. Additionally, bridging the digital divide, promoting cybersecurity, and furthering the rig

India has become the largest and fastest-growing producer of audio-visual (AV) content in the world, with the highest number of hours of content every day. This brief discusses issues of intellectual property (IP) and competition in the AV content sector. Under India’s Copyright Act 1957, the owner of AV content is accorded exclusive copyright over their work, which includes the right to monetise. Effective copyright protection incentiv

Bangladesh's journey of democracy did not have a healthy start and it is still struggling with establishing a fully functioning democracy as is seen by the presence of confrontational politics and the dysfunctional parliament, according to former Bangladesh Major General Muniruzzaman.

Bangladesh, like many countries, is struggling with the challenge of the Chinese-origin Covid-19 as well as corruption charges against health officials.

Financial health of Indian banks deserves scrutiny. The RBI should strike a careful balance in its policy objectives. Tighter lending norms are unlikely to be a panacea. It must resist the temptation to resort to such short-term fixes.

In 2023, a decade after inaugurating the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese President Xi Jinping convened the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (third BRF) in Beijing. In his Chair’s Statement, he pledged reforms and institutionalisation to address the connectivity initiative’s myriad problems and international criticisms. The third BRF focused on practical cooperation, multimodal connectivity, globalisation of trad

In healthcare, one of the main rudimentary elements is health education which is lacking in India. Hygiene and cleanliness are very important as is emphasised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and if basic habits like washing hands before eating are inculcated in the people, a lot of diseases could be prevented.

Bangladesh has not only become the second-fastest growing economy in South Asia, it has also made significant headway in reducing malnutrition. This success owes, in part, to nutrition-sensitive interventions, including provision of diversified foods, improved sanitation, and women’s empowerment. The country’s strategy of a multi-sector approach that scales up health and nutrition programmes for women, in particular, has shown consistent resu

वैश्विक आबादी में 40 फ़ीसदी तथा विश्व के वन क्षेत्र में पर्याप्त हिस्सेदारी के साथ BRICS+ ब्लॉक जलवायु-संबंधित स्वास्थ्य चुनौतियों का जवाबर तैयार करने में अहम भूमिका अदा कर सकत�

India has achieved better Covid-19 vaccine coverage than most other countries in its income class, aided mainly by domestic production capacity and the government’s decision to offer the vaccines to the adult population for free. There are stark sub-national differences, however, in the pace and coverage of the vaccine rollout. This special report tells the story of the district of Raigarh in Chhattisgarh—one of the low-income, Empowered Acti

India’s medical devices sector is poised to grow from a US$11-billion industry to US$50 billion by 2030. This expansion, however, hinges on regulatory reform, investment in innovation, and improved accessibility. Historically governed by drugs-centric laws, India’s medical devices sector now falls under the purview of dedicated frameworks such as the Medical Devices Rules (2017). Yet it continues to face policy uncertainty, and there are pers

Climate change, conflicts, and various crises have exposed the vulnerabilities of global food systems. Acute food insecurity and undernourishment have become more prevalent in recent times, and the imperative is to build more robust and sustainable food systems that do not adversely impact the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has only underlined the importance of food security in times of crises. This brief explores the promise of clima

The essence of any democratic system is the healthy functioning of political parties and consequently free and fair elections. Free and fair elections imply not only a legal institutional framework for the conduct of elections and a transparent electoral process.

Peaceful international partnerships in crucial sectors, like healthcare, continue to inspire India’s global vision.

All that the government has to do is to focus on providing basic goods -- high quality primary education and healthcare, toilets and housing for all. When there is so much money in India in private and public hands, why is it taking so long for the government to do something to change the lives of millions of people?

Cash transfers are popular globally as an instrument for combating poverty and achieving broader development goals. Both conditional and unconditional cash transfers that target women in low- and middle-income countries can enhance household well-being, food security, education of children, family health, and women’s empowerment. In India, the provision of unconditional cash transfers to women is being driven by the expanding influence of femal

Wasting is easily reversible once the impact of infectious disease recedes and health status improve. Severe wasting, however, requires concerted medical attention along with appropriate nutritional intake.

Three months since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a pandemic, the health crisis has wreaked havoc on people’s lives and livelihoods across the globe. Can state responsibility be apportioned for the pandemic, under the current international legal system? What would the elements of such responsibility be? This brief explores the concept of “state responsibility” under public international law and exam

Climate change has added to the enormity of India’s food security challenges. While the relationship between climate change and food security is complex, most studies focus on one dimension of food security, i.e., food availability. This paper provides an overview of the impact of climate change on India’s food security, keeping in mind three dimensions — availability, access, and absorption. It finds that ensuring food security in the face

India’s critical water infrastructure must be built to withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from climate disruptions

Open defecation (OD), an age-old practice in India, impacts the health of individuals as well as their communities. To tackle the problem, the Government of India launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in 2014, aimed at making the country open-defecation free (ODF) by October 2019 by giving more attention to community-based approaches. However, while such approaches have helped solve the sanitation riddle in many countries, curbing OD in India

The Covid-19 vaccination rollout has been slow in many parts of the world, and it might not be inaccurate to say that the newer, more transmissible variants have done a better job at immunising populations than the vaccine. More than 16 months since the global vaccination drive was started, wealthier countries have inoculated vastly higher proportions of their populations compared to the poorer ones. For example, as of late April 2022, the United

साथीच्या रोगाच्या मानसिक प्रभावाने लोकांची असुरक्षितता आणि जगभरातील अतिरिक्त मानसिक आरोग्य समर्थनाची गरज अधोरेखित केली आहे.

The gig economy is part of a crucial transformation occurring in India’s work landscape, and ride-hailing companies are examples of platforms on which “gigs” can be found. The Indian ride-hailing market was projected to grow by 15.5 percent until 2023; the COVID-19 pandemic, however, has disrupted the trajectory. The drivers of these companies—numbering approximately four million—are considered as “independent contractors” and thus

Pakistan has been one of the countries worst affected by COVID-19, with the economic disruption caused by the pandemic exacerbating an already existing crisis. This paper discusses how the public health crisis has affected some of the most critical sectors of the Pakistani economy. While the government has implemented some mitigation measures, they are inadequate to counter the impact of the pandemic. The paper analyses the likely fallout of a ne

The race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine is gaining ground in many parts of the world. This brief examines the challenges that India must hurdle to successfully manufacture and distribute a vaccine. It argues for a fair and equitable distribution of vaccine with an aim to save the maximum number of lives. It suggests a multi-parameter model based on age, co-morbidity, income and profession to justify one’s claim for vaccine. The imperative is to

This paper offers a comparative study of India and China in higher-education reforms for the development of talent in artificial intelligence (AI), and in AI research. It analyses the AI development plans and strategies of the two countries, their automation readiness index, talent retention, and research output. The analysis is based on both primary and secondary sources including interviews, government and industry reports, and recognised ranki

Population can be an asset or a liability, depending on how India deals with it

In September this year, the Government of India banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of 328 Fixed-Dose Combination drugs (FDCs) after a protracted legal battle with manufacturers. The ban followed a report by a Supreme Court-mandated experts’ panel that not only was there no therapeutic justification for the ingredients in these drugs, but they can in fact pose health risks. This paper argues that the move against “irrational” and

The political health of the US is important not just for the country itself, but the world, given its outsize influence as the foremost economic and military power.

India is ranked third only to Bangladesh and Pakistan for worst air quality. PM 2.5 concentration in India is 5.2 times above the WHO annual air quality guideline.

Access to, and development of indigenous digital platforms and cutting-edge technologies is imperative for robust socio-economic development and national security. In turn, such process needs to be democratised, and undertaken in a sustainable manner. India is a first mover in this novel idea of democratising technology and developing Digital Public Goods. Operationalised in the digital infrastructure called India Stack, India’s strategy aims t

Though the Planning Commission went by the Tendulkar formula, Rs 32 and Rs 24 look extremely low at today's prices and high inflation, and especially if we take into account that these amounts include other items of daily life like education and health.

This Paper looks at the three most important domestic issues-the state of the economy, healthcare and social issues-that American voters are grappling with in the run-up to the presidential elections later this year.

A comprehensive strategy that includes a mix of crisis response and impact mitigation, while also taking into account urban and rural planning, livelihood issues and health perspective, is needed to mitigate the Northeastern State’s agony.

In recent years, more governments have been giving greater attention to developing their countries’ electric vehicles (EV) sector as a strategy for minimising the harm that mass transportation can cause to human health and the environment. This paper tells the story of India’s EV initiative. It offers an overview of the national mission to push the manufacture and adoption of EVs; appraises the policies introduced by governments of select sta

Maharashtra imposed alcohol prohibition in the Chandrapur district in April 2015. However, in 2021, the state government annulled the liquor ban as evidence indicated that the district administration had failed to comprehensively implement it, with several social and economic consequences that compromised the wellbeing of Chandrapur. Experiments in prohibition in India and the US show that it is nearly impossible for such widespread socia