What can we do to Ensure Monkeypox Doesn't become the Next Covid?

In addition to the recent surge in the number of Covid cases across several regions, India reported its first case of monkeypox virus last week in Kerala. The infected person is said to have reached the state capital recently from UAE and started feeling symptoms soon after landing. In the wake of the first confirmed case in the country, GoI on Friday released fresh guidelines for international travellers to control the spread of the virus. Health agencies across the globe are still figuring out how severe and lethal the virus can be. Several countries have been failing to control the spread, despite being aware of the origin and integrities of the monkeypox virus in humans since the 1970s. While the Covid pandemic is not over, only timely and strategised measures can prevent another major outbreak.

The Operating System of Liberal Democracy needs a Big Upgrade

The basic idea is that the best form of government is one by popular consent, and since it is impractical to get everyone’s opinion on every issue, people elect a few hundred representatives who act on their behalf. An added advantage of this method is that the representatives can apply their mind to complex issues of public policy and moderate impulsive, reckless and extremist tendencies that can take hold of public opinion from time to time. They also have a natural incentive to develop professional expertise in public policy matters and also to uphold the interests of their constituents in political negotiations conducted in the legislature.

India’s Semiconductor Push should Focus on Revamping the DLI Scheme

Announcing that India needed a long-term vision for building its semiconductor ecosystem, the minister for electronics and information technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, unveiled four different schemes covering all areas of the semiconductor supply chain. One of these was the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme that aimed at cultivating and building on India’s expertise in semiconductor design. Given India’s comparative advantage in human capital, DLI is a welcome change from focusing solely on chip manufacturing. However, six months after the updated semiconductor policy created ripples in the industry, the traction for DLI scheme has been underwhelming.

Why India’s 75-Day Free Booster Drive is a Smart Move and How Can it be Made Smarter

To facilitate and enhance the ongoing mass vaccination campaign for Covid-19, the government has made booster doses free for citizens above 18 years of age for 75 days, starting July 15. This announcement has come amidst the rise of Covid-19 cases across India. The decision is not only bold, but also smart. This is because a staggering 92% Indians, who are currently eligible for a third dose, have not yet taken their shots and are now late receivers. The move is targeting many objectives together: increasing affordability, improving accessibility to more groups and strengthening the trust of the people in government authorities. However, poor awareness and implementation can hinder the ultimate objective of the decision.

India can play bigger role in global nuclear politics. Ukraine fence-sitting stands in way

In war, strategic contestation may not easily knuckle under the passing winds of tactical successes and defeats. The problem is always about judging the flow so that informed decisions can be made on how much and in what manner should force be applied. The Russians have used artillery and missile firepower to devastate Ukrainian resistance and taken control of nearly the entire Donbas region. An uneasy tactical pause is occupying the stage and the contours of a protracted conflict are discernible.

Why China's Post Pandemic Semiconductor Rise is Essential to Watch Out for

Just around a couple of weeks back, Bloomberg came out with a report focusing on the growth of China’s chipmaking prowess and its stature in the global semiconductor ecosystem. As per the data presented by Bloomberg, over 95 per cent (19 out of the top 20) of the fastest-growing semiconductor firms over the last four quarters have been from China alone. 

There are cracks in BRICS & trouble for India

Last week’s BRICS summit was bookended by some excitement over the possibility of the group expanding by accepting new members and reports that Argentina and Iran had applied for membership. What this obscures, however, is the fact that amid the evolving geopolitical situation, the BRICS mechanism appears to be undergoing an identity crisis. There is a deepening contradiction at the heart of the grouping, which is likely to result in extremely difficult choices for Indian foreign policy.

Social Harmony must Quickly be Brought to the Centre of Politics

Even as India emerges from the pandemic, we are hurtling into a maelstrom of unrest. To arrest this plunge into lawlessness, violence and unmanageable disorder, it is important for everyone (yes, everyone) to prioritize tolerance, moderation, and above all, social harmony. The call for social harmony is not a liberal progressive platitude aimed at masking real divisions and grievances. I believe social harmony is a good thing in itself, but you don’t have to agree with me on this. Beyond principle, the case for social harmony today is dictated by hard-nosed realism and an interest in our prosperity and well-being.

Focus on Innovation in Semiconductor Technology Will Boost Defence Manufacturing

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has prepared a list of around 209 military items on which import embargos would be placed after a specific amount of time. This is to provide opportunities for the local industry to manufacture these items. There is also the support of the defence sector in building long-term strategic partnerships with global equipment manufacturers for technology transfers to help Indian manufacturing infrastructure and supply chains. The increased focus on semiconductor manufacturing by the government also comes into the picture here. With the government curating policies to encourage defence manufacturing and start semiconductor manufacturing in the country, this is the time for a confluence of both in India’s national interest.

How the Defence Pension Bill became a Big Burden

The history of this burgeoning defence pension bill has valuable lessons for policy-making. Here’s how India’s defence pension bill became a financial burden. Before 1965, soldiers below officer ranks were recruited through a mechanism resembling Agnipath in the sense that they served seven years of compulsory service and didn’t receive a pension on retirement. This service period was first raised in 1965 to 10 years for bulking the armed forces after the 1962 defeat. Since a pension required a minimum service of 15 years, most soldiers still didn’t qualify.

Untangling the GST mess

Now, in the 5th year of GST, it is the opportune time to look at reforming and refining the system to achieve the original outcomes of a good and simple tax. The first important reform is to broaden the base by minimising the number of exemptions and including petroleum products and electricity in the GST bracket. It can help in reducing petrol prices for end-consumers. Second, there is a need to reduce the number of tax slabs to one or two and gradually eliminate compensation cesses. This will help in reducing problems related to classification of products, disputes, and lobbying. A single rate at 15% with an aim to reduce it to 12% in 10 years should be the aim. Third, ease GST compliance costs for businesses by rationalizing the compliance requirements and having a single identification number.

Why India, EU Should Prioritise Removing Existing Bottlenecks in Trade and Technology Pact

As technology remains a critical factor in advancing countries’ economies, there is also a quest for improving the accessibility of these critical technologies. The recently announced Europe-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Agreement is an attempt to have easier access of key technologies to both actors. The agreement seeks to improve the cross-border flow of technology goods and services between the two entities. An area of focus would be the existing and potential trade barriers that might impact the agreement. These barriers need to be addressed if the agreement can yield tangible results for the growth of the technology sector in India and Europe.

How India Can Take a Leaf Out of China’s Playbook on Battery Swapping to Form a Robust EV Ecosystem

The first draft of the NITI Aayog’s ‘Battery Swapping Policy’ displays the Indian government’s commitment to building a conducive environment for the mass adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in India. The policy discerns some of the prevalent issues affecting consumers currently dabbling in the EV market and aims to tackle these through technologically-intensive solutions. However, there is a significant lack of clarity about the potential business models that may arise if the battery swapping policy were to be implemented. As a result, India must look outwards to understand how potential stakeholders can be engaged to form a robust EV ecosystem in India.

Agnipath is directed correctly. But Modi govt needs Amit Shah to budge

Seldom does a scheme with a fanciful name live up to its name and that too with such devastating fidelity as Agnipath. It has delivered on its name almost instantaneously by lighting fires across India. The inflamed passions of the unemployed found expression and targeted the Narendra Modi government’s defence reform that was officially touted to provide an opportunity to the youth to serve the nation.

Rough Calculations on Agnipath’s Pension-Saving Potential show why the Change is Crucial

GoI’s official arguments for Agnipath don’t emphasise public finance implications of the policy. Although the media has discussed the unsustainability of the military pension status quo, the official press release said that the only motivation for the scheme is “attracting young talent from the society who are more in tune with contemporary technological trends and plough back skilled, disciplined and motivated manpower into the society”. But skirting fiscal reasons may have created an impression, at the popular level, that GoI needlessly foisted another disruptive scheme on unsuspecting masses. The reality is quite different.

Agnipath, a chance to transform India’s defense management

Now that India’s government has chosen the four-year tour of duty model as the way to respond to its budget constraint, the policy challenge is to ensure that it achieves the desired objectives, mitigates the downsides and pre-empts unintended consequences. Essentially, it is about understanding who might join the armed forces given these employment conditions, and how this new demographic will change the defence services and Indian society at large.

How China’s National Computing Network will be a Game Changer

Recently, the Cyberspace Administration of China unveiled an ambitious ‘National Computing Network’ initiative to address regional technological imbalances and develop a connected computing grid infrastructure across the country. Based on the concept of “Eastern Data and Western Computing”, the project proposes setting up clusters of computing resources in China’s less technologically developed western region, to form an integrated network with data centres in the more technology-oriented eastern cities.

For Delhi, new Xiopolitics

Two years ago, the Galwan valley clash came amid a period of intense Chinese People’s Liberation Army activity across different theatres. In March 2020, as WHO declared Covid a global pandemic, Chinese jets intensified drills along the Taiwan Strait. The Liaoning carrier conducted take-off and landing exercises in the Bohai Strait and would later sail past Taiwan. The PLA Daily hailed the drills, boasting about war preparedness amid the pandemic.

Choice pool for CDS shouldn’t have been expanded. Unless it’s about finding a loyal follower

Earlier this month, the Narendra Modi government amended the Army, Navy and Air Force Service Regulations to change the framework for eligibility to the post of Chief of Defence Staff. The earlier amendment of 28 December 2019 had restricted the eligibility to serving Chiefs of the three Services.  With the recent amendment, the catchment area of eligibility has been technically widened from three to at least around 180. Now, all serving three-star and retired three-star officers who would not reach 62 years of age on the date of appointment are eligible for the post of CDS. While the initial amendment sufficed to appoint General Bipin Rawat as the first CDS, it appears that there has been a reconsideration and acceptance that a widened base would serve the selection process better.

In an Era of Cyber Wars, India needs a Fortified Computing Ecosystem

Advanced mechanisms have taken over the field of computing, with nation-States, along with private companies, embroiled in a high-stakes race to increase indigenous computing power for economic and strategic purposes. With India’s data generation at an all time high, there is a need to improve computational capabilities by using advanced computing technologies. Recent progress by the State has showcased the government’s intent. But a holistic strategy is in need to facilitate its further advancement.