230 results found
Humanity depends heavily on the various benefits that nature provides us. It's impossible to truly estimate its value. However, economists and environmental scientists have estimated in dollars what it would cost us to accomplish the services nature provides. Using multiple databases, they estimate that nature provides $33 trillion dollars worth of services every year¿that's nearly twice the annual Gross National Product (GNP) of all the countri
SAARC conjures up an image of jamborees and no results. The South Asian Association of Regional cooperation with its seven members ( India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh) remains one of the most dysfunctional trade blocs and there is hardly any freedom of movement of goods, services and people. The next (13th) SAARC summit is going to be held in Dhaka in the beginning of January 2005.
A recent report of the 2017-2018 Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence (PSCOD) has revealed that India’s defence services are facing a severe resource crunch. Given the enormous amount of money that the country is already spending on defence, the chances are slim that the government will come up with the significantly higher amounts of funds needed for modernisation. Meanwhile, the armed forces are facing obsolescence in equipment. The wa
Against the backdrop of near failure of the World Trade Organisation's Doha Round, the FTAs with Asean in goods as well as in services and investment is expected to further help the integration of the Indian economy into the global economy. The pact with Asean also presents India with an opportunity to revive its own GDP growth.
The bans placed by the US would “not stop China permanently”, they were meant to hobble China to enable the US and its allies to stay ahead
A suicide bomber believed to be from the LTTE Black Tiger suicide squad blew himself up inside a mosque killing nearly 14 people and injuring 20 others including a Postal Services minister Mahinda Wijesekera and Culture minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena during a congregation held to
Against several odds, what began as the Srinagar conversation has transformed into the Srinagar Consensus, making it arguably the most far-reaching po
Small satellites have gained considerable importance in recent years. Although small spacecraft have existed for decades, their military applications have recently gained prominence owing to technological advances in their development and integration into the armed services of the major spacefaring countries across the world. This paper analyses the significance of small satellites in the C4ISR capabilities of the three service branches of the In
A landmark judgment by the Supreme Court on Thursday is what the doctor ordered to galvanise India's moribund steel frame. Between the lines, the apex court tells a distraught citizenry, running from pillar to post even for basic delivery of services, that babus (government servants) needn't cower before the political master -- they can shape up.
As of now, there are no markets for these pumped hydro storage services but, in the future, the need for such services is likely to increase to the po
As we enter the new decade, it is critical that nations and communities be able to realise the transformative potential of emerging technologies, in a
Indigenisation is not simply about creating a defence ecosystem where indigenous development weapons can thrive, it is equally getting the end-users �
Unlike in other regions of the world, the value of intra-Africa trade has remained low over the years. Moreover, Africa accounts for just 2 percent of global trade. In 2021, African countries launched the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to create a single African market for the free movement of goods, services, labour, and capital, and increase intra-African trade. AfCFTA may be able to provide Indian firms and in
If technology and data analytics has delivered results around demonetisation and direct taxes, the GST goes one step ahead on the GST and indirect tax
India’s decision to abolish cantonments after carving out the military areas, announced in April 2023, has been met with scepticism and support. Cantonments, primarily created during the British rule to station and house the military, evolved to include civilians as residents and staff to provide support and logistic services. Over time, cantonment boards, with some civilian members, were created to manage the civil areas, but the rights of civ
The first incumbent will also need to create confidence in all three services that their legitimate and vital interests will not be compromised.
The Indian government’s “Smart Cities Mission” aims to drive economic growth and improve quality of life through “smart” solutions for the delivery of infrastructure and services. This is expected to transform living spaces, enhance quality of life, and provide employment opportunities, in turn helping reduce crime rates and promoting law and order. Among the challenges to the “Smart Cities” programme is terrorism—especially in ur
The financial products conceptualised so far are not yet catering to the needs of the poor affected by climate change, especially at the critical inte
India’s rising urbanisation in recent years has triggered unbridled construction activities to meet the needs of the growing populations in these cities. Not all of these constructions abide by existing laws, however, leading to adverse consequences on governance systems, the environment, people’s health, transportation services, and overall citizen well-being. In extreme cases, illegal constructions have resulted in loss of lives and propert
Care work, both paid and unpaid, is at the heart of most economies. The care sector comprises formal healthcare, childcare services, early childhood education, disability and long-term care, and eldercare. Two-thirds of care workers globally are women, and women and girls perform more than three-quarters of all unpaid care work. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the vulnerability of care workers and deepened the gender gap. This paper a
Silicon-based security, including cryptography, secure storage, attestation and authentication, will enable developers to leverage hardware-based functions to secure their products and services.
India is at a crossroads. It has the largest young workforce anywhere in the world, and is the fastest growing economy today. At the same time, the economy is not creating enough jobs, and therefore not fully harnessing its “demographic dividend” in preparation for the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”. To create more and better jobs, certain fundamental realities need to be recognised – the untapped opportunities in the services sector, t
The ‘Compact with Africa’ (CWA) is the main pillar of a renewed G20 partnership with the continent. Its objective is to attract more private investment to Africa, especially for infrastructure. African countries face the challenge of diversifying their economies and promoting industries and services that can absorb a rapidly growing labour force. Lack of investment and Africa’s massive infrastructure gap are major obstacles to this economic
Social media platforms were ostensibly conceived to democratise ideas, not stifle them. What is at stake is if the US’s friends continue to trust th
The National Rural Livelihoods Mission was launched in June 2011 to create institutional platforms for the rural poor, enabling them to increase household incomes through livelihood support and access to financial services. This brief evaluates the achievements of the programme in its first 10 years. It finds that the Mission has met with some successes in improving the lives of rural women, who are the backbone of the programme, and consequently
Both the spread and speed of the internet in India will have a direct impact on India's economy. India's e-government schemes will find faster delivery of services. Sectors like e-commerce will be able to grow. And India's IT and ITES sectors will also remain in the race to be a sure avenue for employment and income generation.
Africa remains the least-industrialised continent, so the idea that it can somehow parachute itself and compete in the post-industrial global marketpl
The Srinagar conversations need to ensure that the pass-through nature of GST is frictionless.
Maternal nutrition impacts not only the woman’s health during pregnancy but also that of her newborn; the child’s health in their first 1,000 days of life, in turn, will influence outcomes during childhood. Indeed, maternal undernutrition is estimated to account for 20 percent of childhood stunting in India. It is therefore important to ensure that women enter pregnancy in good health, as measured for example in adequate height and we
Developing clear strategies can improve gender equality, human rights, and women-centred care in The Gambia.
The World Bank Group’s manipulation of Doing Business rankings to promote China is part of a larger and continuing malaise that needs to end now
Amidst economic and geopolitical uncertainties, the lack of movement on reviving and reforming the World Trade Organisation will only exacerbate divis
Grasslands that provide a variety of ecosystem services for humans—including carbon storage, which is important to mitigating climate change—are among the world’s most threatened habitats. In India, grassy ecosystems are not accorded any legal protection. Vast acres of these grasslands are converted for revenue-generating use, altering their ecological dynamics and threatening the livelihoods and cultures of pastoral and agrarian communitie
The flailing multilateral system has led global corporations to rethink just how connected they ought to be
Tripura needs to put considerable efforts to improve its public health infrastructure and services on which a majority of its people depend — the co
The recognition of Community Conserved Areas will enable a process-oriented approach towards achieving the targets under the Global Biodiversity Frame
On 1 July 2020, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) of India celebrated #5YearsOfDigitalIndia. Given the recent call by the prime minister for Atmanirbhar Bharat (‘self-reliant India’) the IT minister found the occasion apt for trumpeting a crowning jewel of Digital India—the Unified Payment Interface that was launched almost four years ago. This indigenous innovation has prepared India for both the restrictions o
Enabling UPI services in the Gulf can simplify and streamline the process of sending money to India
There is little doubt that fragile states often need external assistance to survive. In the past decade Pakistan has become one such case. A struggling economy, chronic poverty, poor provisions of public services, internal violence
China may soon find it difficult to source semiconductors specific to the development of artificial intelligence, expanding on US export control measures announced in October 2022. The US is preparing to constrain access of Chinese companies to US cloud-computing services.
Moscow's Healthcare Department is closely working with the Information Technology Department since 2011 to achieve the goal of providing high quality
Given the fiscal constraints confronting government agencies — the DIB opens up an alternative, valuable window of opportunity.
Creating a new system to stimulate investment in enough future capacity without interfering with the ancillary market's valuation and procurement of r
The demand for basic infrastructure and services in Indian cities has increased phenomenally due to rapidly growing populations. Such unmet demands often adversely affect the quality of urban life, the economic productivity, as well as the process of sustainable development. The main purpose of this brief is to highlight the problems involved in improving access to water supply in Indian cities faced with a severe water shortage crisis. A case st
This paper highlights the importance of water valuation and pricing for sustainable and efficient water allocation and management in India. An efficient water-pricing mechanism could be a tool to address the impending crisis of water scarcity, which necessitates a robust, objective, and holistic valuation technique. Every unit of water consumed for economic purposes has an ecological footprint, and this opportunity cost or externality factor need
PM Narendra Modi and SL President Wickremesinghe inaugurates UPI services:
Data is the next big chasm for regulators to cross, with its growing importance in the financial system and the challenges in its management
Indian Railways remains one of the largest owners of land in the country along with the defence services and the port trusts. And yet, India has been unable to either free up the unutilised land for most part, nor has it been able to monetise it adequately.
