In today’s globalised world where we are connected through technology and where information travels very fast, addressing topics such as sex education has become increasingly crucial. Conservative beliefs on sex are becoming obsolete day by day, especially in India, where the teenage population is expanding and attitudes about sex are changing due to the impact of media. In today’s episode...
All Things Policy – A Pragati Initiative
After recognising the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics in the breakaway part of Ukraine, Russia has now launched a special military operation. With the fog of war and the lively use of the information domain, asymmetric and hybrid tactics the much weaker Ukrainian military is holding its own against the much superior Russian force. Aditya Pareek and Pranav R. Satyanath...
As India tries to figure out how to govern Digital Communication Networks (DCNs), there are already laws applicable to harms which may occur on the internet. In this episode, Rohan Seth, Prateek Waghre and Sapni G K discuss Sapni’s document which maps the current legal landscape on online harms in India. This is the 3rd document in our series on the Governance of DCNs. Links mentioned in...
Over 30 crore people in the world suffer from more than 7000 rare diseases. On Rare Diseases Day, one year after the release of the National Policy for Rare Diseases, Mahek Nankani and Harshit Kukreja discuss India’s response to rare diseases. Suggested Readings: Rare diseases: Small numbers, huge burden by Mahek Nankani, Harshit Kukreja It Will Consume Your Life’: 4 Families Take On Rare...
In 2031, the International Space Station is due to deorbit and crash into the Pacific Ocean. It will be replaced by the state-operated space stations of Russia and China and as well as commercial space stations operated by US-based companies. India also hopes to have an experimental space station in orbit by 2030. But even if it meets this goal, it will remain far behind other spacefarers. Aditya...
All actions have consequences, especially war. But does the success of the desired outcome outweigh these consequences? In today’s episode, Aarthi Ratnam and Megha Pardhi analyze the Just War Theory and how it’s used as an ethical justification throughout historical wars. Suggested Readings: 1. Just War Theory – Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2...
The Biden Administration has come up with the US’ first Indo-Pacific Strategy document which aims to secure a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific. How does the strategy view China? What is the role of India in this US strategy? What are the action plan in the document and the likely challenges towards its implementation? Megha Pardhi talks to Shrey Khanna to...
Last week, reports suggested that the Union Government had issued orders to block an additional 54 apps from China, making it the fifth time such action was taken since June 2020. Prateek Waghre and Sapni GK join Rohan Seth to unpack the app bans, related developments surrounding the use of emergency powers under the 2021 IT Rules, and the need for a higher burden of proof on the Union Government...
What is AI-generated content and why is China worried about it? In today’s episode, Megha Pardhi, Suyash Desai, and Varad Vishwarupe discuss synthetic content generation using AI and the Chinese government’s recent draft to regulate such content. Varad Vishwarupe is currently working as a Data Scientist(AWS) at Amazon’s Research division. He has over 22 international research papers and 4...
The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill were passed during the winter session of the Parliament. These two bills bring in new set of rules to regulate two distinct but related medical procedures. Ruturaj Gowaikar and Priyal D’ Almeida discuss these bills.
Not only is the Union Budget a statement of the government’s estimated receipts and expenditure for a particular year, but it is also an account of the government’s performance in the previous years. In this episode, Apurva Kumar, Pranay Kotasthane, Suman Joshi and Sarthak Pradhan, discuss the Union Budget 2022-23. They look at some interesting trends and also some not so promising projections.
India needs 20 million jobs a year but budget speeches have had very low mention of jobs. The state elections are afoot in some big states but jobs are a big focus among the voters. The finance minister mentioned creating 60 lakh jobs over 5 years in this year’s budget and has also increased investment in some sectors that could help create jobs. While this is a start, it is woefully inadequate...
Tensions between Russia and the West are making headlines, with a lot of hysteria around the ongoing negotiations and developments in the European security sphere. With considerable intrigue in the global information ecosystem, current events may have a lasting impact on cyberspace, outer space and public diplomacy. Sapni G K and Aditya Pareek speak to Dr. Elena Chernenko about Russia’s foreign...
Last month, The Lancet Commission on Value of Death released their report, advocating for a return to death as a socio-cultural event. Is death now “over medicalised”? What are the policy implications of this? Should we legalise assisted dying and euthanasia? Listen to this episode with Shrey Khanna and Harshit Kukreja to find out. Suggested Reading: Report of the Lancet Commission on...
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week resulted in a detailed joint statement, proposing a vision for a new world order. What are the commonalities and differences between the two sides? How do they view the future of the world? And what does all this mean for India? Listen to this conversation between Aditya Pareek and Manoj...
Is there a case for humanitarian intervention? In this episode, Aarthi Ratnam and Priyal Lyncia D’Almeida discuss the criteria for intervention and the scope of responsibility. To identify what these cases are, they propose the “conditions of exceptionalism”, by looking at historical examples of mass violence. They also highlight the importance of post...
Recently, the story broke out that the government of Maldives is drafting a bill prohibiting all actions that could affect its relationship with foreign countries. This development has occurred in the backdrop of the country’s growing “India Out” campaign. Especially after the release of former President Abdulla Yameen, the movement has seen considerable growth. What is China’s role in it...
The New York Times recently came out with a detailed investigation on Pegasus, the surveillance tool sold by Israel’s NSO Group to countries around the world. The investigation has chilling details about how the tool was deployed by nation-states. Rohan Seth discusses the findings with Sapni G Krishna and Mr Javeed Ahmed.
Link to the New York Times report:
How is warfare changing in the 21st century with the advent of digital technologies? Are modern wars drifting away from a traditional understanding of violence? In this episode of All Things Policy, Lt Gen Prakash Menon and Megha Pardhi discuss evolving notions of warfare.
Link to our China Tech newsletter: China Tech Dispatch.
China and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) recently came out with their latest strategic publications on space, outlining expectations and the broad policy direction in the domain. India has to date not published a comprehensive space strategy document, leaving a huge gap in its policy communiqués. Aditya Pareek joins Dr. Shrey Khanna to discuss the major features of the latest NATO...