27947 results found
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) appears to be gaining momentum in formulating collective strategies to combat non-traditional security threats in the subregion. This brief describes how BIMSTEC had focused on bilateralism or trilateralism from its inception in 1997 until 2015, thereby failing to pursue a more comprehensive and long-term approach to addressing the common threats to their
This paper highlights the increasing importance of Community Driven Development (CDD) in the delivery of public services to the poorest sections and enhancing access, voice and accountability in developing countries. Community participation in the delivery of ‘public services’ to the poorest sections of the population in developing countries has often been regarded as an effective mechanism to enhance access, voice and accountability.
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
This paper revisits India’s contribution to institution building efforts in BRICS to suggest India’s keen interest in leveraging BRICS for fulfilling its national objectives on domestic economic growth and global governance. However, this paper notes, multiple competing imperatives of global governance and national interests within BRICS have led to asymmetric gains among members. BRICS suffers from weak cooperation in global trade, technolog
The last few decades have witnessed a rise in the use and accumulation of data, often called ‘the oil of the 21st century’. Meanwhile, existing laws and regulations are inadequate in dealing with these changing data consumption patterns; this is true for India. Wrongdoings by tech companies can often go unpunished, including predatory pricing, abuse of dominance, and exclusionary conduct. This brief discusses India’s antitrust laws and regu
The foreign minister said the boundary issue between the two countries has not prevented mutually beneficial and functional cooperation in a number of areas
India’s rapid urbanisation is resulting in massive mobility challenges, including congestion, inadequate public transport, and poor infrastructure for non-motorised transport. To address these issues, the Government of India introduced the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) as a strategic framework that emphasises the movement of people and goods, unlike traditional transport planning focused on vehicular flow. Under the Jawaharlal Nehru Nationa
THE United Nations Security Council (UNSC) achieved the almost impossible recently by adopting a unanimous resolution on providing access to humanitarian aid to Syria, breaking a deadlock that pitted Russia and China against the Western powers.
In recent times, the centre of gravity for global trade and economic activities has shifted to the Indo-Pacific and, consequently, there is heightened competition between global powers that have stakes in the region. The importance of connectivity has therefore come to the forefront, covering domains like digitisation with interoperable regimes comprising data protection and cyber security, along with cross-border infrastructures that need attent
India’s organ transplant shortfall is often attributed to a lack of public willingness; yet the constraints lie within the system itself. To begin with, conflicting definitions of ‘death’ across legislations create uncertainty for certifying brainstem death. The pathways that could widen the donor pool—donation after circulatory death and expanded-criteria donors—remain unused due to the absence of national clinical guidance. Reporting
What is a matter of grave concern has been the lopsided priorities of the government towards the military vis-a-vis the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) that have come to the fore.
Senior leader of the CPN-UML, K P Sharma Oli, feels that the Constituent Assembly of Nepal is unlikely to complete its task by the August 31 deadline and another extension is unavoidable.
Catalonia and ‘Kurdistan’ demands have only fuelled fresh flames in the likes of TGTE in converting their ‘virtual government in a virtual world’ into a ‘real state in a real world.’
In the backdrop of the ever-evolving global situations and demands of sustainable development, there is now an increasing need to widen the scope of the discourse on the Centre-State relations, expanding to include new areas of concerns and the various arms of the State.
Ms Menaka Guruswamy, Supreme Court lawyer, who has been associated with Constitution making in Nepal, outlined four major areas of divergence in Nepalese Constitution. Federalism is one such area which is highly contested.
A constitutional crisis that was threatening to undo all the achievements of the popular struggle against the Nepalese monarchy and establishment of a republic was averted on Sunday.
This paper trains the spotlight on India’s relations with Africa by studying the country’s relations with two east African countries – Tanzania and Kenya, and two south African countries – Mozambique and South Africa. The paper opens with a description of the trade, investment, and development cooperation links between India and these countries. An assessment follows of three key areas in these bilateral relationships: energy, food securi
The present paper analyses the existing security relations and strategic perceptions of India and Nepal and attempts to identify the common and divergent perceptions existing, if any. It tries to understand the reasons for the erosion of mutuality and its impact on Indo- Nepal relationship.
The engagement by India and China in the West Asia region is a good example of their metamorphosing approaches
Bangladesh’s Indo-Pacific Outlook, released in April 2023, is a projection of its interests in the region, and a testament to its political nonalignment and commitment to economic development. Its focus on upholding the rule of law and maintaining regional stability makes it a conducive partner for neighbouring countries and major powers in the Indo-Pacific. Bangladesh enjoys close ties with China, Japan, and the US, and a special relationship
India’s aim in engaging with BRICS may be an effort to demonstrate that it retains strategic autonomy and that it engages with all major powers irrespective of incongruences.
Japan wants to assist India to improve the investment climate to attract more FDI so that New Delhi can be linked more closely with Japan–ASEAN-based supply chains.
For Russia and even Central Asian countries, China can act as a catalyst to market their hydrocarbon resources to South Asia and beyond, opening an opportunity for gas exports too. Russia's $400 billion gas deal with China is a case in point.
On a proposal by Vietnam recently, ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), the overseas investment arm of ONGC, has decided to stay invested in Block 128. The decision was taken after Hanoi offered to provide additional data to make future exploration economically feasible and discovering hydrocarbons commercially viable.
The Straits of Malacca is rife with several security threats, such as piracy, maritime terrorism, drug smuggling, gun running and illegal immigration. These challenges have the potential to disrupt, if not destroy, the maritime shipping in the Straits. Although regional countries have made considerable efforts to address these problems with some encouraging results, the challenges and threats are too formidable and complex for the combat capabili
At a workshop on responsible corporate governance at Observer Research Foundation, it was noted that corporate governance and business responsibility are no longer add-ons to markets; they are integral to them.
Illusion of strength partly explains Xi Jinping's cautious approach to regional disputes.
If massive retaliation is retained in the nuclear doctrine, it will be not because of its efficacy as a strategy of deterrence.
Drone or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) technology has become more accessible and affordable in recent years, and their increasing long-range capability, endurance, and applications, have made them integral for both civilian and military uses. At the same time, malicious elements such as criminal networks, drug smuggling syndicates and terrorist organisations, have exploited the technology to aid their activities. For India, the increase
Given India’s position in the region and its history of supporting democratic traditions, Delhi is likely to exert pressure for the restoration of democracy.
This discussion drew heavily from Shashi Tharoor and Samir Saran’s new book — ‘The New World Disorder and the Indian Imperative.’
Across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on food and nutrition security. Efforts to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 on Zero Hunger have been stalled, and it is estimated that an additional 137 million people faced acute food insecurity as 2020 ended. The reasons are many: interrupted food supply chains, high levels of unemployment, loss of incomes, and rising food cost. Climate change and the resultant extreme we
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
This brief explores the post-COVID-19 geopolitical order and the challenges facing BIMSTEC in meeting the most pressing needs of its member countries. It argues that strengthening regional organisations such as BIMSTEC will add weight to the counterbalancing of China that is underway. The brief calls on BIMSTEC to shift its priority to sectors like Connectivity, Counterterrorism and Transnational Crimes, as well as upgrading Human Resource, for b
