The Quad leaders launched Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) at the recently held Quad summit in Tokyo. In this episode, Megha Pardhi and Manoj Kewalramani discuss various aspects of IPEF.
Opinion
Perspectives on current affairs and public policy from the sharpest minds in the business.
What role has trade policies and technology transfer agreements historically played in ensuring the growth of the global semiconductor industry? Priyal D’Almeida talks to Arjun Gargeyas on his recent paper with Pranay Kotasthane on how trade policies can be harnessed by India to improve its existing ecosystem. Click here to view the paper: Harnessing trade policy to build India’s...
On May 24, the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit and the second in-person meeting were held in Tokyo. The joint declaration issued after the meeting by the leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the US sought to renew the “steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.” Building upon the in-person summit of September 2021 and virtual meeting of March 2022, the...
The fifth round of National Family Health Survey has shown that most of the Indian states have seen a decrease in the Total Fertility Rate. This decline indicates that the country’s population might be stabilizing. Rohan Pai talks to Priyal D’almeida about the declining fertility rate and the reasons for the same.
Only half of India’s population is utilizing Government healthcare. Although this number has increased but still remains low. Should we aim to improve this? How can we improve this? Is there any other way? In this episode, Mahek Nankani and Harshit Kukreja discuss all this and much more. Suggested Readings: National Family Health Survey (NFHS – 5), 2019–21NFHS-5: Half of households don’t...
Ultra-fast food and grocery delivery companies in India are facing a significant shortage of delivery executives at a time when the unemployment rate is at an all-time high. Sridhar Krishna discusses with Anupam Manur and Sudisha Mishra the reasons why this might be happening, how the shortage inadvertently conveys what gig workers want, and what can be done to make these jobs more attractive...
Recently the 5th National Family Health Survey report was released. The report has information about population, health, family welfare, and associated domains. In this episode, Suman Joshi and Sarthak Pradhan discuss the public policy implications of some of these findings.
Obesity wasn’t considered a public health issue a decade ago. However, the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey shows that obesity is now afflicting more than 44% of our population. Priyal D’almeida talks to Harshit Kukreja about this growing problem, the risks associated and the ways India can tackle this issue.
A form of Public Distribution System (PDS) has existed since before India’s implementation. The PDS, after independence, has been revamped into the Targeted PDS in 1997 and the National Food Security Act in 2013. Yet, implementation of the PDS varies widely across states. This can be attributed to political commitment which comprises political will, bureaucratic mobilisation, and engagement of...
A year from the deadly second wave of Covid-19, the WHO has released a report estimating 47.4 lakh excess deaths in India for 2020-21. The government has objected to the estimate, standing by its narrative of 5 lakh Covid deaths. Mihir Mahajan and Suman Joshi discuss the WHO report, how deaths are measured in India, and why it is important to have up to date and accurate data on mortality...
In the United States, there is much ongoing discussion around a leaked draft opinion by the US supreme court that reveals that the landmark Roe V Wade judgment, which protected abortion rights in the country, is likely to be overturned. This discussion has gone beyond the powers of the judiciary in the US and has been centred around women’s rights and the importance of safe and legal abortions...
The largely peaceful anti-government protests in Sri Lanka became violent earlier this week after the clashes between the government’s supporters and the protestors. Nine people lost their lives in the resulting violence, including two policemen. After the angry crowd burnt Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ancestral home, he had to resign and is now living in Trincomalee naval base. His...
China has tried to define and project itself as a democracy as opposed to the general conception of China as an authoritarian political system. These attempts seem to be not just to highlight China’s democratic system, but also to highlight how different it is from the western conception of democracy. In this episode, Megha Pardhi talks to Dr. Sungmin Cho about China’s attempts to...
In the ongoing Ukraine conflict, the use of space has played a key role on both sides. With fears of the conflict extending into space, the status of private companies and their space assets being seen as legitimate targets by belligerents has entered the discourse. The latest economic sanctions and tech. export controls imposed on Russia have also derailed space cooperation between Russia and...
According to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) the unemployment rate in Goa has increased from 11.6% to 15.5% in the last 3 months, which is higher than the national average. The mining ban and loss of tourist influx over the last two years are the main reasons for these numbers. Sridhar Krishna and Sudisha Mishra discuss these reasons behind the unemployment rate, what can possibly...
Since the 2017 relaunch of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), it has been popular in the discourse on Indo-Pacific in India. In this episode, Megha Pardhi talks to Dr Brendon Cannon on various aspects of Quad in the Indo-Pacific and the future of Quad. Dr. Brendon J. Cannon earned a PhD in Political Science with an emphasis on International Relations at the University of Utah, USA (2009)...
The US Supreme Court’s decision to potentially overturn the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade verdict has sparked off discussions on how this might impact abortion rights in the US. Arjun Gargeyas talks to Megha Pardhi and Priyal D’Almeida on the history and context behind the verdict along with future implications of the court’s recent decision.
The country’s plan to implement a Health Star Rating(HSR) system for packaged food items has been a long due move. The aim is to make customers aware and capable of making informed food choices. However, will HSRs be enough still remains a question. Mahek Nankani and Dr. Harshit Kukreja discuss in detail the Front-Of Pack Labels in India.
With the latest retail inflation figures coming in at 6.95%, the focus should shift to inflation and monetary policy. The RBI is bound by an inflation targeting mechanism, where it is accountable to parliament when inflation is in excess of 6% for three consecutive quarters. Anupam Manur and Mihir Mahajan discuss the evolution of central bank mandates, the inflation targeting mechanism and why...
Till now, conversations around web3 have revolved around crypto, but they’re not changing with the influx of NFTs, DAOs, and smart contracts. We are still in the nascent stages of the revolution as it unfolds. NFTs can be a part of land contracts, elections, a new financial system, and everything that is connected to ownership. What could be the implications of accepting this and taking large...