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Smart Grid technology solutions can not only help India reduce its transmission and distribution losses, but can also help leap to the future by bundling major public utilities over one single grid.

India has enhanced arms purchases with other countries over the last two decades. But it will be several years before its dependence on Russia ceases if its domestic industry truly flourishes

This paper explores the various opportunities and challenges of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation or BIMSTEC, a unique inter-regional grouping composed of aspiring member countries from South Asia and Southeast Asia. While the grouping has massive potential to contribute to regional cooperation, this paper explores the capabilities of the organisation in terms of meeting the expectations of renewed

A no-deal Brexit would be economically disastrous for the UK and might even lead to shortage of medicines and food in the short- to medium-term. However that is not Boris Johnson’s concern at the moment.

Critique of BRICS is logical and natural but can be unfair without careful examination of its evolution and contribution

China has twice broached the matter of expanding the membership of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa): first, at the 2017 Xiamen Summit, and again, more recently, at the 14th BRICS Leaders’ Meeting in June 2022 convened virtually under the chairmanship of Beijing. With China and India locked in a stalemate along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Chinese proposal has raised concerns in New Delhi. This brief examine

The nature of the world order that eventually emerges will determine the future of BRICS and not the other way round.

At this unique geopolitical moment, when India faces a multitude of challenges seeking its attention both towards the region and the global stage, BRICS provides a flexible platform to respond to both.

The major achievement of the recent BRICS Summit was the decision to create the long-awaited (BRICS) New Development Bank. The bank can be seen as a growing influence of the BRICS which together represents 18% of the World trade and accounts for 40% of the global population with a combined GDP of $ 24 trillion.

Urban governance in BRICS countries will require different policy solutions because of differing circumstances.

The BRICS leaders have accepted the report titled "Towards a Long Term Strategy for BRICS", the recommendations made by the BRICS Think Tanks Council (BTTC). Observer Research Foundation is the Indian representative at the BTTC.

Perhaps, the most critical issue for the five BRICS leaders, who will meet at the sunny shores of Fortaleza, will be practical goal-setting. This will be an exercise in planning and coordination to maintain continuity as well as honing in on objectives for the long term. If there is an opportunity to be seized in cross-leveraging political and economic ties, it will be in the coming years.

The Fortaleza summit will represent the reboot of BRICS. Prime Minister Modi has the biggest political mandate among his BRICS counterparts, and also the weight of the largest expectations.

The recent G-20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, featured a pivotal change in the geopolitics of international finance. Emerging economies contributed billions to an emergency IMF (International Monetary Fund) fund designed to provide additional support to the Eurozone nations in case the debt crisis worsens.

The challenge is to enable Islamabad to make a soft-landing rather than a crash that can have unpredictable consequences.

The unity and purpose of BRICS has been the target of speculation and scepticism from various quarters. With the Delhi Declaration, BRICS members have been able to assuage such doubts as they have begun to create a credible hedge against traditional global narratives of security and development.

China as the leader of the pack will use BRICS for control and dominance. The West will see this as a threat to existing arrangements and try to pull it down before it takes off. Indian presence will remain weak so long as our economic reforms and progress remain slow and our internal political and policy frameworks remain uncertain.

BRICS mandate is under siege at a time of slowing economies and growing intra-BRICS political divergences. Above-all, it has been struggling to retain its relevance

The world of BRICS is expanding. Despite setbacks, this association of Brazil,Russia, India, China and South Africaall of them important, emerging-marketeconomiesremains relevant as it continues to comprise a big share of the world's population,its resources, and global trade. This paper describes the rise of BRICS and their growing mutualinterest in cementing their economic and political ties. It argues that while problems remain inpromoting coh

Driving all of the visions is the fact that the world’s infrastructure needs far exceed what any single country can provide. And those needs are onl

The digital divide is a manifestation of exclusion, poverty and inequality and continues to be exacerbated due to the effects of unemployment, poorly functioning digital skilling programmes and socio-cultural norms in some economies, depriving women equal access to digital services. Digital skills provide the poor a catalyst to break out of the cycle of poverty and empower themselves. A three-pronged digital skills strategy is required for develo

This report is part of the Observer Research Foundation’s “Financing Green Transitions” series which aims to find potential linkages between private capital, in all its forms, and climate action projects. The series will primarily examine domestic and international barriers to private capital entry for mitigation oriented climate projects, while also examining potential avenues for private capital flow entry towards adaptation and resilienc

Due to unprecedented global crises, progress in bridging the gender divide has stagnated

An era of Taliban rule, followed by the 18-year-long war between the United States and the Taliban, has left Afghanistan in massive disorder: the country’s infrastructure is dilapidated, the quality of life is poor, and basic amenities such as healthcare are absent. While the post-Taliban Government of Afghanistan has tried to rebuild the healthcare system, it remains largely dependent on foreign aid. Over the years, India has tried to help reb

This brief discusses one of the most crucial challenges to effective global governance for development: bridging the financing gap for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It considers the role of the G20 in addressing this gap, and outlines a 10-point action plan for the grouping. The aim is to bolster the financing required to achieve the SDGs in the next six and a half years—serving as an update to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of 2015 in l

In this article, the situation of water supply and disposal in Delhi is described. The analysis reveals that Delhi government is lagging behind in ser

The Delhi government is facing numerous challenges in managing water demand and supply in the capital, primary of which are water shortages and declining groundwater levels. One of the strategies that are being employed to address these issues is the promotion of rainwater harvesting (RWH). This report provides an account of the growth and development of Delhi’s RWH sector. The analysis shows that while the programme has met with some success,

The Delhi government is facing numerous challenges in managing water demand and supply in the capital, primary of which are water shortages and declining groundwater levels. One of the strategies that are being employed to address these issues is the promotion of rainwater harvesting (RWH). This report provides an account of the growth and development of Delhi’s RWH sector. The analysis shows that while the programme has met with some success,

This brief underlines the immense potential for increased cross-border trade, tourism, and people-to-people interactions between India and its Southeast Asian neighbours. In particular, it evaluates the importance of India–Thailand relations, emphasising the present state of the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMT-TH). Although India and Thailand share a maritime boundary along India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Th

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

Boris Johnson has succeeded in breaking the logjam in British Parliament on the deal by presenting a solution which has now much greater traction than ever before. However, that’s just not enough in overseeing Brexit.

British PM Theresa May arrived in India on her first bilateral visit outside Europe to reinvigorate India-United Kingdom strategic partnership post BREXIT

The NBSA process needs to keep pace with the fists of fury that politicians are unleashing on each other. Particularly so as the level of unsubtantiated allegations is getting worse as we're getting closer to the General Elections 2014.

With over 415,000 Kashmiri civilians meeting the diagnostic criteria for a major depressive disorder, interventions aimed at improving mental health i

Spillovers from unconventional monetary policy in the AEs pose a systemic risk for emerging market economies (EMEs). Unconventional monetary policies to ensure cheap liquidity and easy credit conditions have been used not only in the US but in Europe as well as Japan.

India has no reason to be fazed by the growing ties between Pakistan and Russia as showcased by Imran Khan’s recent visit to Moscow.

Budget 2004, despite the change of regime in New Delhi, maintains the much required continuity for critical power sector reforms to achieve the country¿'s "Power for All" objective by 2012 and double installed capacity to over 200,000 MW .The salient features in the budget vis-a-vis the power sector are:

The focus on delivery of various schemes is missing in this budget. Each year, public money is being poured into them, but things remain the same unless there are dynamic state ministers monitoring everything. Some provision for effective monitoring should have made in budget 2013-14.

Key proposals unveiled in this budget are primarily aimed at rural communities and the urban middle classes.

The current unemployment and high educational inequity levels continue to weigh heavy on the country’s youth

The National Budget is rooted in the assumption that the economy has recovered from the dent inflicted by the pandemic, however, the statistics beg to

The underlying philosophy behind this budget is to help India transition from entitlements to empowerment

The Union Budget provides a boost to the energy transition but fails to address the critical need to synergise climate adaptation with India’s devel

With G20 ruling 2023, New Delhi is bound to utilise its development cooperation allocations for forging new alliances and establishing sustainable par

Sri Lanka’s Budget 2024 has ambitious proposals that could push the country forward, however, it continues to stare at a long road to economic recov

This year’s Union budget brings an opportunity to formulate a climate-responsive budget that integrates both economic and climate targets

The increase in funds allocated for improving the quality of life in urban areas by 12 percent, as pledged in the Interim Budget, is positively receiv