9148 results found
India has recorded notable progress in maternal and child health in the recent years. The state of Madhya Pradesh (MP), however, has performed sub-optimally compared to most states and union territories (UTs) of India. MP’s annual reduction in maternal mortality rate (MMR), for example, is at 5.8 percent, compared to the national average of 7.5 percent; the yearly drop in neonatal mortality rate (NMR) is at 0.6 percent, far below the national a
This brief examines India’s foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) landscape in the context of SDG 4 and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. It focuses on the findings of the 2024 report of the national assessment regulatory body, PARAKH, released in July 2025. The results highlight three conclusions: (a) despite some post-pandemic recovery, FLN levels have not improved beyond the 2017 scores; (b) PARAKH records share intra- and interst
The achievement of global sustainable development goals (SDGs) depends largely on India’s progress, given the country’s massive size and its moderate historical success in key health and nutrition outcomes over the last several years. This further increases the relevance and need for effective monitoring of India’s performance, through timely and disaggregated data, which ensures systematic assessments and course-correction. As India will b
Indian and Pakistani governments have realised the necessity of better connecting provinces on both sides of the border as a possible means of improving broader relations between the two nations.
Speaking on India-China relations Dr Yiwei Wang gave a Chinese perception of this relationship. The basic theme was that there was need to look at three T's (Trade, Tibet and Territory) to improve the bilateral relations.
With both India and the US having differing domestic and national priorities, these countries are bound to compete and conflict on trade issues. But these must not be allowed to overshadow the larger gains that bilateral trade has brought to each country.
India?s improved relations with Bangladesh have brought new opportunities for economic development in the North East region. To maximise the benefits, there is need for identifying the factors and the issues that might hinder the growth of economic ties.
The Saudi monarchy is facing challenges on many fronts but will brazen it out, fully confident of the unstinted support of its powerful patrons in Washington. Some changes, however, may occur in the Saudi government as a sop to the growing clamour for accountability.
For starters, trade talks between the two countries resumed after a hiatus of nearly three years. The talks were suspended following the Mumbai attacks. But the thaw emanating from the latest bout of 'cricket diplomacy' has paved the way for cooperation in the sphere of trade.
By using the markets, developed countries still have a lot to offer the international community, particularly the developing world. However, this would involve a fundamental recast of traditional aid into a wider framework.
TRAI has its work cut out in framing additional regulations — the regulator will have to enumerate on what constitutes reasonable traffic management practices and lay out supplementary disclosure requirements for service providers.
Covid is merely the latest in a narrative emerging from the US, which feels ‘cheated’
Three main issues were discussed in the 40th Munich Conference on Security Policy held on 6-8 February 2004: prospects of transatlantic relations, future of NATO, and future developments in the Middle East. As usual, several Defence and Foreign Ministers, representatives of think tanks, academia, media and the defence industry attended the conference.
The 2014 general elections are all about the economy, jobs, good governance and rising aspirations. Survey after survey conclusively agree that for most voters what matters is stable employment, steady income, corruption free governance and a decisive leadership.
Information security has to move beyond its traditional concepts if it needs to cater to the special demands of governance. Knowledge is for cutting. For long, it has been in the hands of the bureaucrats. It?s time that we snatch it.
The run-up to the upcoming presidential polls in the Maldives will determine the shape of things to come in the future, with far-reaching implications for India, for bilateral relations between the two countries and the Indian Ocean region. This became evident at the end of a candid discussion that a high-level team of the Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had with a section of Indian intellectuals at Observer Research Foundation (ORF),
Discussing Dr. C Raja Mohan's book 'Modi's World: Expanding India's Sphere of Influence' in Kolkata, former Foreign Secretary K. Srinivasan said foreign policy has to be a combination of aspirations and capabilities. He said translating aspirations into policy would be a key challenge for the government.
A free and fair election is critical for Pakistan to face the mounting challenges the country is grappling with, according to Mr Saad S Khan, a bureaucrat and scholar from Pakistan.
The size of the Indian Diaspora is a force to reckon with. Though 'brain-drain' is the main problem flowing from migration, the migrant talent has been very successful in promoting the nation's image in the host countries.
Speaking at an interaction on 'Trends in Indian Foreign Policy', organized by Observer Research Foundation (ORF), ORF Mumbai Chapter, Prof. S D Muni of Jawaharlal Nehru University, ... more
It¿s not the first time, nor will it be the last time. The Press and Television coverage of the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswati¿s arrest in the ¿Sankararaman murder case¿, has revived the eternal debate on trial by the Indian media. If on occasions in the past, the media may have substituted fact with fiction or thereabouts, this time again, it cannot escape the opprobrium of partisan sensationalism in the name of extensive news
Given Kenya's recent diplomatic, financial and trade advancements in the international community, observers anxiously await the verdict in the trials of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto at The Hague and the reactions of Kenyans to it.
Two months back an observer had noted that "without India wanting to make it so, an impression is gaining ground that our American commitments seem to insist on intruding on India-Iran relations."
The revival of the trilateral mechanism between China, Japan and South Korea only forms the first important step in the long journey to reconciliation in Northeast Asia which calls for mutual understanding and accommodation of each other's interests, and statesmanship of the highest order on the part of the leaders at the helm.
Most Indian Ocean economies such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar have maintained a balanced diplomatic stance while dealing with China, on the one hand and with the US and India on the other. The key potential of the Maritime Silk Route, as touted by Beijing, would be to harness the economic strengths of littoral countries and create a thriving maritime economics.
After the arrest of Vice President Ahmed Adheeb following the bomb blast in the official speed boat of President Abdulla Yameen, the police have clamped down on Male gangs that were supposedly connected to him. It will do Maldives a lot of good if the Yameen leadership gives the police a free hand in the matter so they crack down on the gangs. It would also give democracy a boost, and with that a possible reduction in drugs availability as well.
Since the Telangana Rashtra Samiti is likely to win most of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the Telangana region on its own, its unwillingness to share the seats with the Congress party is understandable. In such a scenario, the Congress party's prospects in the general elections in the whole of Andhra Pradesh, including Telangana, are indeed bleak.
Defence cooperation has acquired a stable momentum, but there are still major challenges that Washington and New Delhi need to address
The new US National Security Strategy outlines a focused approach, highlighting the Western Hemisphere and Indo-Pacific as vital interests. India is recognized as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific, with renewed emphasis on the Quad grouping. The strategy signals US commitment to countering China's influence in Asia.
Track record of Trump 1.0 suggest defence ties will not be purely transactional. Yet, getting the US to show more commitment to technology transfer will be challenging. But Trump’s desire to cement a legacy is an opportunity that needs to be seized.
Internally, Trump has already indicated his administration will differ markedly from his prior one. Many key figures from his first term, such as John Kelly and John Bolton, have either distanced themselves from him or openly opposed his leadership, suggesting a fresh team with potentially distinct policy goals. This shift could result in notable changes across domestic and foreign policy fronts. The entry of people like Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswam
Trump’s election will push US policy inward and have significant implications for the world order
United States (US) President Donald Trump’s two high-profile meetings with Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir in the White House in a short span of three months have attracted worldwide attention and raised many questions about the real motives behind this growing bonhomie. Indeed, the love-hate relationship between the US and Pakistan has been a characteristic feature of South Asian geopolitics. Although Washington’s latest engagement wit
Indian IT firms have long sustained their businesses by getting Indian techies to do what American citizens would charge a lot more for.
President Trump's efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine and Hamas-Israel wars have faced significant obstacles, revealing the complexities of peacemaking. Despite his campaign pledge to resolve both conflicts quickly, negotiations have stalled.
President Donald Trump is not having a smooth ride.
Phone calls are making waves with Nawaz Sharif and Tsai Ingwen - showing there is no indicator on which way US will go under new presidency
Once-promising bilateral relations have taken a cynical turn.
It is not clear what External Affairs Minister's visit to Pakistan in mid-July can realistically achieve in bridging the trust deficit between India and Pakistan. This distrust spans sixty three years.
Bangladesh isn’t a less economically developed country; its per capita income has recorded significant growth. — Hossain Toufique Imam
The US's plan of reducing troop strengths abroad would be counter balanced by the new kinds of deployments. The trend now is towards intelligence weapons systems with precise missions that are network centric, capable of swift decision and superior performance in all echelons with fewer casualties.
India and Pakistan held secretary level talks in Islamabad on the Tulbul Navigation Project/Wullar Barrage, after a hiatus of nearly three years, on May 12-13. The talks on the Wullar barrage-Tulbul navigation project are part of the bilateral dialogue process that was revived only recently, after a gap of over two years.
