11637 results found
On Rare Disease Day, an analysis of India’s policy for those suffering from these ailments
Of all cases of rare diseases across the globe, around one-third occur in India. Yet, these diseases—‘rare’ because they affect a relatively small number of people—are hardly given attention in the country. With its resource constraints, India continues to lag in awareness, diagnosis, and drug development relating to such diseases, and there is inadequate medical and scientific research, too. India formulated a National Policy on Rare Dis
The financial condition of the Indian Railways (IR) is weakening by the day because of mounting losses in the passenger business. This, at a time when it is making efforts to improve its services through new capital intensive initiatives. IR’s freight revenue has traditionally subsidised its passenger revenue, resulting in one of the lowest passenger fares but one of the highest freight rates in the world. Since freight trains and passenger tra
This report is a thought leadership push for policymakers, businesses, and civil society to work together to address India's environmental challenges
India should actively pursue implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to consolidate its Act East Policy, which would serve to buttress its strategic eminence in its backyard.
PM Modi's decision not to join RCEP is an admission that even the prospect of joining a massive regional trade agreement isn't incentive enough for New Delhi to launch deep economic reforms.
India has to weigh carefully the gains to be had from signing the treaty, which may mean making itself vulnerable to having its markets inundated with Chinese goods.
This paper follows the proceedings of a workshop organised by ORF in August 2014 to re-examine India's nuclear doctrine. The workshop explored the challenges posed to India by Pakistan's introduction of battlefield nuclear weapons or Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNWs), New Delhi's interest in acquiring a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, and the growing threat perception from China.
Reopening of schools in India must not follow a one-size-fits-all model but should be based on context
Inflation targeting has become a bone of contention in India. While some economists say a certain level of inflation is a necessary evil, others argue RBI's target is very low and would require monetary tightening. What is required is a balance between fiscal and monetary policy.
There is an urgent need for breaking the vicious cycle to improve the quality of life in Indian cities.
Despite Hamas’s elevation in the scale of global terrorism, India’s reasons for banning this group are much more complex
The July 15 talks in Islamabad between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan ended badly for many reasons. India has been putting itself at a disadvantage diplomatically by showing too much eagerness to restart the dialogue with Pakistan.
Technology solutions exist today, it depends on us how we use it effectively to handle the man-made environmental challenges.
The Modi government can do a lot to improve the investment climate at home so that both FDI and FIIs are attracted to India in a big way. If domestic manufacturing growth gets slow, foreign investors will get wary.
Attempts to arrive at a non-Western understanding of International Relations have often been made to counter the “hegemonising” influence of realism in the Indian milieu. This brief examines realist scholarship in India in recent years to understand what variants of realism have been given prominence. It also notes the absence of scholarship of the neoclassical realist variant and how this gap leads critics to arrive at an incomplete understa
Participants at a conference on "Reassessing India's Juvenile Justice System" emphasised on the need to fully implement the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 and the need for the State to provide enough manpower and infrastructure to take care of the aftercare programmes.
Recent amendments to the Forest Conservation Act seem to be contentious, casting a shadow over India’s just transition journey
The ongoing conflict on the Sino-Indian border has highlighted the need for structural reforms in the Indian Army. This paper examines the impact of the Joint Doctrine of Indian Armed Forces, 2017 (JDIAF) and the Indian Army’s Land Warfare Doctrine, 2018 (LWD) on the development of the Indian Army’s tactical concepts, organisational structures, and the weapons and equipment profile. It discusses the importance of formulating a formal National
Carter's commitment to deepening defence cooperation with India and Parrikar's determination to recast India's defence structures set the stage for a rebooting of the India-US strategic partnership.
The ground situation in Iraq and Syria, while still ripe for an ISIS return, has also created ripples in traditional security structures of countries
The renewed hopes on India-China relations comes in the midst of a possible new thaw in New Delhi’s bilateral ties with Pakistan.
It has been said that any foreign observer who spends a month in China is apt to write a book on the country; if he spends a year in China, he is content to write an article; and if he lives in China for five years, he deems it wise to refrain from making any prediction! I spent three and a half years in China ¿ too long a period for a book but perhaps but perhaps not for a short talk on India-China relations.
Defence cooperation is the dominant component of the India-US bilateral relationship. India seeks to leverage this aspect in the Indo-Pacific to diversify the scope of nascent plurilaterals, integrate with US frameworks to expand cooperation with regional nations, and consolidate its position as the preeminent partner for extra-regional players. This brief recommends that India take advantage of ongoing development initiatives with the US and ide
The Observer Research Foundation's programme on Defence Procurement Reforms, following a seminar organised in May, 2012, has now moved to the second stage of identifying initiatives that can be taken in the executive and legislative branches. This Paper presents practical recommendations to improve capacities and decision-making methodologies in India's arms procurement system.
To reverse the adverse effects of industrialisation and rapid urbanisation on water bodies, India must implement sufficient and sustainable measures t
The demand for cash that all political parties have to contest elections has been the fountainhead that has created a bureaucratic, military and defence decision-making structure which ensures that we keep running at the same place when it comes to creating a vibrant military industry complex in the country.
he return of the Taliban had been in the making for a decade. Convinced that they have come to power through military means, the Taliban do not feel the need to form an inclusive government. Unlike other neighbouring countries, India had been hesitant in exploring engagement with the Taliban and ended up withdrawing from the country. However, it has legitimate interest in the stability of Afghanistan and enjoys goodwill among all communities.
The first round of boundary talks with China under the Narendra Modi government, taking place this week, is an opportunity for New Delhi to explore the territorial compromises necessary to resolve the longstanding dispute. With strong leaders at the helm in Delhi and Beijing, there are rising expectations that the two special representatives - Ajit Doval and Yang Jiechi - will be able to find an early breakthrough on the boundary dispute.
India and Latin America have never been more economically relevant to each other than they are today, with trade reaching an all-time high of US$50 billion in 2022. Key to improved economic ties in the recent few years is the heightened political will on both sides. Today there is a sense of optimism that India and the countries of Latin America can continue on this upward trajectory in the coming years of the 21st century. While the private sect
Debates have arisen on the account of the new proposal for a three-year Tour of Duty (ToD). Would the ToD prove to be the first step in reforming the
It is more pertinent to begin by questioning whether we are stuck in a time machine that does not move beyond the Medieval Ages.
The silo-driven, ad hoc approach has meant that issues like threat perception and force structure are not managed via a centralized and authoritative overview
More than a year ago, the Vice President of India, Mr. M. Hamid Ansari, pointed out in a speech the lack of good governance that plagued intelligence agencies in India, and a subsequent need for a parliamentary oversight committee to provide democratic accountability to these agencies.
