Articles

February 12, 2020

India’s Defence Production: Decades of Lost Opportunities (Part – 1)

This part of the article, written by Cdr Jaikrishnan Nair, looks at various challenges faced by the defence manufacturing sector in India and the lost opportunities during the past few decades. Introduction Defence production in India has been sub-optimal for […]
February 11, 2020

European Parliament Resolution on Citizenship (Amendment) Act

The article looks at the events that led to the European Parliament deferring a vote on the resolution critical of India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). It also discusses how India’s political and diplomatic interventions in various European capitals managed to […]
February 10, 2020

India’s plan to develop smart cities in PPP mode needs more clarity

In the recent Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government is proposing to develop five new smart cities in collaboration with states in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. But, there is a question mark on the ‘public’ involvement […]
February 10, 2020

US–Iran Conflict: A ‘Pandora’s Box’

With the assassination of Iran’s top military general by the Americans, the possibility of escalation in Iran-US tensions looms large. The uncertainty over how things will turn around has led to apprehensions of possible involvement of Israel, Saudi Arabia and […]
February 3, 2020

Repair at the cost of India’s fiscal health?

Budget 2020, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, attempted to set an optimistic tone for reversing the economic slowdown. It offered something for everyone. However, the Budget had misaligned economic priorities where supply-side was yet again given a push. The […]
February 3, 2020

Budget 2020 ticked infra boxes, but missed some too

Neethu Nair and Aiswarya Krishnan The Union finance minister in her Budget speech reiterated the government’s commitment to Rs 103 lakh-crore of investment for the infrastructure sector, as underlined in the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP). Earlier, the Economic Survey 2019-20 […]
January 31, 2020

Govt must not lower its guard on infrastructure

Infrastructure development has been a major focus of the incumbent government. This sentiment was reflected in the Budget speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in July 2019 when she announced investment worth Rs 100 lakh-crore for the sector for five […]
January 30, 2020

A Three-Way Struggle for the Capital

Can the Congress party revive its lost fortunes in the upcoming Delhi Assembly election? Or is the fight just between the AAP and BJP ? The article sheds light on the various possibilities and strategies adopted by the political parties […]
January 29, 2020

Afghan Peace Process Conundrum PART-II

Following the US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, a window of opportunity appears to have opened for a myriad of state actors to intervene in the Afghan Peace Process in the past several months. This […]
January 29, 2020

The bad economics and bad politics in restricting imported liquor

Famous American economist Milton Friedman once commented that one of the greatest mistakes is to judge policies and programmes by their intentions rather than their results. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has come up with a proposal ahead of […]
January 27, 2020

School Vouchers for RTE Access to Poor Students

The issues relating to the RTE Act implementation are becoming predominant year after year and parents are forced to think alternative ways to get quality school education for their children, what is the way forward? Some suggestions are put forward […]
January 24, 2020

We need a consumption wave. Budget 2020 must give it a try

As the Budget session approaches, it is expected that prompt measures will be taken to mitigate various challenges faced by the economy that have strangulated its growth in recent times. However, laying out a clear and singular path to recovery […]
January 23, 2020

Xi’s Myanmar Visit: Implications for Regional Politics

Sharing diplomatic ties since 1950, the relationship between China and Myanmar has seen rapid breakthroughs during the 1980s and thereafter. Xi’s visit to Myanmar at the time of a global economic slowdown has many implications for the region and the […]
January 23, 2020

Afghan Peace Process Conundrum- Part 1

Following the preliminary election results coupled with the US decision to withdraw its troop from Afghanistan, the country remains in a political turmoil. This part of the article assesses whether the subsequent events in war-torn Afghanistan will result in a […]
January 20, 2020

Brexit: Nowhere or Now Here?

As the United Kingdom prepares itself to leave the European Union, certain hurdles await. The UK needs to maintain friendly relations with the EU and enhance its global position amidst the internal tensions. This article explores the complexities that will […]