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While India’s malnutrition rates have improved over the recent years, the country is still home to the largest number of stunted and wasted children in the world. To combat the dismal state of nutrition in the country, the government launched the Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN) Abhiyaan (‘movement’) in 2017, a flagship mission that aims at a convergence mechanism for the country’s response to malnut

Experts at the event opined that it is a win-win situation for India and Bangladesh to have a functional river, rail and road network.

Integrating their economies will help Bangladesh and India rise up global and regional value chains

The presence of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan has been counter-productive and has only led to increase in terrorism, according to Dr. Saeed Jalili, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.

Advances in technology, the shifting sands of the global nuclear energy market, and the extant standards and practices surrounding the monitoring of radioactive materials raise important questions about the future of nuclear security. Technological advancements have enabled the retrieval of radioactive materials from unconventional sources and made fuel fabrication easier. The emergence of new players in the nuclear energy market also flags conce

On 1 January 2020, the Ministry of External Affairs announced the establishment under its wing of the New, Emerging and Strategic Technologies (NEST) division. This marked a welcome addition to the government’s organisational capacities in an era increasingly being characterised by the interplay of technology, trade, security and geopolitics. This brief outlines the global and domestic context that will surround the operations of the NEST divis

Given Donald Trump’s personality, maintaining good relations with him plays a crucial role. Addressing PM Modi as a friend, Trump also described him as a “tough negotiator”

Although the trajectory of India's relations with the Middle East remains a grey area, in the future, it can become a defining relationship to global security.

A study done in 2010 by Observer Research Foundation for the Integrated Defence Staff, Government of India, Navigating Near: Non Traditional Security Threats to In dia, 2022', highlighted the huge deficiency that India faces and also recommendations to address some of the gaps

While Moscow's core demands remain unchanged, its secondary demands have evolved. Among other things, it no longer objects to Ukraine joining the EU.

The striking capability and influence of the People¿s War Group (PWG) Naxalites¿ has steadily been declining in their flagship North Telengana Special Zone (NTSZ) area since the past few years. The death of some experienced, capable and important leaders of the NTSZ, especially in the past couple of years, in security force operations has weakened the Naxalites there.

The Quad nations convened a summit, reaffirming their dedication to a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region. Discussions encompassed maritime security, economic prosperity, and emerging technologies. The group voiced concerns regarding China's actions in the East and South China Seas. They addressed North Korea's missile launches and the Myanmar crisis. The Quad also condemned violent extremism, highlighting the Pahalgam attack.

The latest Quad meeting underscored continued growth, but when will the four countries seriously confront the matter of direct security cooperation?

Biden hosted the Quad Leaders’ Summit, emphasizing Indo-Pacific security and cooperation, but faced criticism for vague military strategies and unclear outcomes.

Quantum communication will fundamentally alter the landscape of digital communication once it becomes a practical reality. While hardware development may take time to materialise, software implementation is already underway, and holds particular importance in light of the impending threat posed by quantum computers to classical encryption. The United States (US) and China are investing heavily in quantum communication and have made progress. Like

The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear that global health crises are geopolitical events with far-reaching and long-lasting effects across the globe. It creates prodigious disruptions across economic, security, and social sectors, with spillover effects through trade, financial linkages, and tourism, to name the least. This essay argues that as the American-led order in Asia arguably falters, instead of China rushing to fill the post COVID-19 vacuu

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

After a decade, officials from India, Japan, Australia and the United States convened in Manila in November 2017 to renew their quadrilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. While the agenda of the quad is still unknown, this paper presents a political-military strategy for the grouping directed at shaping Chinese behaviour in the region. Viewing strategy through the ends-means-ways lens, the paper describes key objectives of dissuasion, deterre

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.

The US must balance its economic ambitions with environmental responsibility. With advancements in car­bon capture and renewable ener­gy, the scope of a balanced approach exists

Abstract On the battlefield, the enemy’s intent, will, capabilities, and plans are taken into consideration to achieve end goals. In peacetime simulations, wargaming centred on adversaries serves the same purpose. Red-teaming is used in the planning and decision-making of a military organisation to assess one’s plans by simulating adversaries’ cognitive and operational behaviour. The Indian military is undergoing organisational and capabil

Unstable political systems, ineffectual international organisations, and unprecedented technological advancements have created a global environment that can enable the development and deployment of bioweapons. New-age bioweapons could be used for more than just as weapons of mass destruction. This necessitates a new approach to mitigate risks by staying apace with technological development. India must take a leadership position at the Biological

The threat to regional security is mainly from pan-Islamic jihadi terrorist organisations and not from ideological or ethnic terrorist groups.

The strategic compact between India and the European Union (EU) is coming up for renewal in 2025. While the Roadmap to 2025, launched in 2020, was an important step in the relationship, the strategic partnership remains largely underwhelming. The unfulfilled potential becomes a matter of even more urgent concern today, amidst the geopolitical turbulence and geoeconomic challenges confronting the world. As negotiators from both India and the EU co

The new Indian approach to Nepal, and to the South Asian region, form a core of the Modi government's foreign and security policy. The goal is to bind them closer to India through a web of economic relationships. To implement this vision, Modi also needs to untangle political issues that have bedevilled relations between India and them.

Pessimism towards a foreseeable settlement of the India-China border dispute is not unfounded. At the political level, there is a "trust deficit" which impedes cooperation. Despite the existence of multi-tiered mechanisms to facilitate resolution, there has hardly been any progress on the issue in recent years. This paper identifies the obstacles and explores how a peaceful settlement of the India-China border dispute could be arrived at in the f

The concept of food security comprises access, affordability, food safety, food preferences and dietary patterns. Recently, there has been a demand-driven shift in food consumption patterns in India towards nutrition-rich and economically high-value horticulture (fruits and vegetables), livestock and dairy products. Providing for such consumption needs will require diversification of agricultural production beyond the staples, especially wheat an

Before the Government plunges into the physical modernisation of the armed forces, it needs to put in place the much needed modernisation of the way we think about, plan and manage our national security system. Buying or making shiny new hardware for the sake of looking modern neither enhances our security, nor helps our economy.

An examination of the prospects for al-Qaeda following the US drawdown in Afghanistan and the likely threats which the region, and India in particular, might face in the future. A supplementary scrutiny of ISIS, and the group's possible expansion in the region, is also proffered.

The legitimacy of its institutions, including the unity government and the security forces, must be enhanced

European bloc politics could well extend to the Indo-Pacific this time, with China in view

The full-fledged effort to resettle began last September which got stuck mainly because of the suspicions raised by the security forces regarding the presence of the LTTE sympathisers among the IDPs

The early years, particularly the first 1,000 days, are a critical period in a child’s development, with lifelong impacts. Evidence shows that one of the most effective strategies for economic growth is investing in the developmental growth of at-risk young children. However, early childhood development (ECD) programmes are severely challenged by the sheer scale of need in the face of early childhood care and education losses due to COVID-19 me

India will have to diligently craft its strategy when engaging with the U.S. on ICT matters. Any such strategy will have to be in sync with its economic interests (the outsourcing sector as well as the other domestic sectors) and national security interests.

The rise of new powers in Asia and the changing power distribution in the region is equally challenging for both the United States and its allies in the Asia Pacific region, according to Mr. Abraham M. Denmark, Vice President for Political and Security Affairs at The National Bureau of Asian Research.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Mani Shankar Aiyar underlined the need to make the Iran-India pipeline through Pakistan a reality as early as possible to enhance India¿s energy security. He was speaking at the release function of an Observer Research Foundation book ¿India¿s Energy Security Prospects--which deals with the issue of India¿s energy security and the prospects for cooperation with its extended neighbourhood

Moscow’s relevance to Delhi’s strategic calculus irks Washington

Russia and North Korea signed the Treaty on Comprehensive Partnership in June 2024, signalling the re-establishment of their strategic ties. Following the treaty, a number of tactical developments have occurred, including the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia and Moscow’s support for North Korea’s nuclear and military modernisation. While their cooperation has been typically viewed through tactical and operational lenses, little att

Africa has become essential to Russia’s geostrategic posture as Moscow seeks to overcome the backlash to its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, in the face of isolation and a contracting economy, Russia has realised that cultivating an entry point in Africa through conventional means such as foreign direct investment (FDI), trade, development assistance, or cultural and educational exchanges may not be its best option. Instead, Mosc

Safeguarding people’s health has been the global priority amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In Bhutan, emerging lessons show how nutrition and other aspects of health are intricately related to the management of food security during the current crisis, and beyond. The country’s leaders have used moral suasion alongside policy measures to demonstrate that good nutrition need not be a luxury.

India’s growing security co-operation with Mauritius will contribute towards a ‘free and open’ western Indian region.