Deccan Herald | Free bus travel is not a silver bullet

As temperatures cool down and the monsoon sets in, on the governance front it is raining schemes. The Karnataka government, as part of its five promises programme has announced free bus travel to all women in the state. Expectedly, this announcement has received reactions ranging from criticism that it encourages ‘freebie culture’ to being hailed as ‘revolutionary’. The truth lies somewhere in between. Free bus travel is a welcome step, and will move the needle on women’s mobility. But for this to have a meaningful impact in the long term, the government needs to bring back the focus on economic growth with employment opportunities for women. Read the full article here.

Mint | NCERT’s curriculum for science needs to be ‘rationalized’ again

India, unlike Western and Middle Eastern societies, does not have a doctrinal problem with science. There is no holy book, word of god or scripture whose literality must be defended against new discoveries. I can understand why religious conservatives in the United States challenge modern biology and the evolutionary science it is based on, for it directly contradicts their article of faith. Darwin does not pose such a fundamental threat to religious conservatives of Indic faiths—the story of the origin of the earth and of humans is not a major concern. In fact, there are many different versions of the origin story, none of which are central to the practice of one’s faith, none of which matter to the conduct of daily life, and none of which get in the way of one’s pursuit of knowledge. Read the full article here.

News18 | China-Taiwan Saga: Recent Developments and the Use of Force

The China-Taiwan relationship continues to develop in a dynamic fashion, with the action-reaction cycle caused by recent events highlighting the threat to global stability. Active militarisation of the Taiwan Strait has contributed to the deteriorating security situation in the region. Over the past few months, the US has approved large-scale arms sales to Taiwan, with its most recent consignment from March 2023 comprising various anti-aircraft missiles worth $619 million. Before this, in September 2022, Taiwan purchased from the US radar systems for anti-air missiles in a consignment worth US$1.1 billion. Read the full article here.

Hindustan Times | First signs of thaw in US-China ties, but road to normalcy is uphill

The freeze in Sino-United States (US) engagement, following the balloon incident, appears to be finally thawing. The signs were evident in early May in a conversation between Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang and US ambassador Nicholas Burns in Beijing. This was followed by a meeting between China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Vienna. A few weeks after that, in his remarks to the press in Hiroshima, US President Joe Biden, indicated that dialogue was expected to resume. Read the full article here.

The Hindu | China’s military diplomacy in Southeast Asia

The story so far: Due to its intensifying geopolitical competition with the U.S. and its own security interests in the region, China is expanding its military outreach to Southeast Asian countries. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA)’s global activities and influence campaigns are part of its broader reform process initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015, and form a fundamental element of China’s overall foreign policy. In this light, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has become a priority target for the People’s Liberation Army’s military diplomacy. Read the full story here.

ThePrint | Rajnath Singh wants Indian military to boost R&D. But defence finance is complex territory

Last week, on two separate platforms, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pointed out the dire need for India to metamorphose from being an ‘imitator’ in Research & Development to a ‘leader’ in developing futuristic technologies that could deal with pressing global security concerns. One of the platforms was the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)’s Academia Conclave in Delhi, where Singh highlighted the need for deepened collaboration between DRDO and academia. If realised, the cross-movement of scientists between DRDO and other institutes could produce results greater than the sum of its parts. Read the full article here.

ThePrint | India’s defence sector is not Aatmanirbhar. Govt is exaggerating progress

India has made varied attempts since Independence to achieve self-reliance in defence-related requirements but its achievements have been limited.

The quest for self-reliance has to keep abreast of scientific discoveries and harness them for military purposes. Contemporarily, self-reliance has been rechristened as Atmanirbharta, and cast within a larger national agenda that engages R&D Institutes, academia, industries, start-ups, individual innovators and users. In political and strategic terms, this ecosystem approach aims to protect and preserve India’s ability to take independent policy decisions in an increasingly volatile and anarchic global environment.

Read the full article here.

Mint | It is important to find pathways to make India a casteless nation

I am of the opinion" Ambedkar told the Constituent Assembly, “that in believing that we are a nation, we are cherishing a great delusion. How can people divided into several thousands of castes be a nation? The sooner we realize that we are not as yet a nation in the social and psychological sense of the word, the better for us. For then only we shall realize the necessity of becoming a nation and seriously think of way[s] and means of realizing the goal. The castes are anti-national in the first place because they bring about separation in social life. They are anti-national also because they generate jealousy and antipathy between caste and caste."

Read the full article here.

The Hindu | India as a Quad-led biomanufacturing hub

In March 2021, the Quad (Australia, India, Japan, and the United States) set up a Critical and Emerging Technology Working Group to facilitate cooperation, monitor trends, and scout for opportunities related to developments in critical and emerging technologies, that included biotechnology. However, the potential for Quad cooperation in biotechnology remains insufficiently tapped. The establishment of a Quad-led biomanufacturing hub in India will give the necessary fillip to enhance this cooperation.

This article can be read here.

Money Control | Rs 2,000 Note Withdrawal: No demonetisation redux but RBI could have done it better

Like a nightmare resulting from a traumatic experience for a person suffering from PTSD, demonetisation came back to haunt the collective consciousness of this country when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to recall the 2000 rupee note. Sure, there is an element of exaggeration in the previous statement, but the 2016 demonetisation weighs so heavily on the shared experience of the population that a move by the central bank to recall notes inevitably triggers memories of that episode.

Read more here.

Nikkei Asia | The Quad should have its own biomanufacturing hub in India

Biomanufacturing, which uses microorganisms and cell cultures to produce molecules and materials on a large scale, is rapidly rising in importance for Indo-Pacific nations. The world's response to COVID-19 depended on the rapid production of new vaccines through biomanufacturing. Countries with preexisting manufacturing capabilities became the gatekeepers of vaccine supply. Scaling up biomanufacturing in India will be fraught with challenges, however, but these can be overcome with external support. The Quad group in particular is ideally placed to collaborate and boost India's efforts.

Read more here

Moneycontrol | The missing piece in the National Logistics Policy is supply chain financing

India’s logistics industry is poised for a brighter future, thanks to the National Logistics Policy launched in September last year. The policy promises to upgrade the physical and digital infrastructure of the logistics sector and improve service efficiency. However, there is a missing piece in the puzzle that could make all the difference for businesses: the financial infrastructure.

Read the full article here.

ThePrint | India should declare that AI will not be used to autonomously launch nuclear weapons

Twenty-five years have elapsed since India carried out six nuclear tests and announced its ambitions to be a nuclear power. Pakistan reacted with seven tests. Worldwide condemnation followed. The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council enforced sanctions. A year later, the Kargil conflict, which was limited in terms of geography and quantum of force, was fought under the nuclear shadow, even though at that time both nations hardly had any operational nuclear weapons capability. Yet it played a role, and to some unknown extent contained the conflict.

Read more here.

Interstellar | US-China Chip War: What Might The Future Hold?

The US-China geopolitical fault lines in high technology have become sharper than ever, and nowhere has it been more significant than semiconductors. Semiconductors are critical to advanced computing and artificial intelligence (AI) that will form the core of the next-generation industrial revolution. They also have significant implications for advanced and precision weaponry and consumer tech.

Read more here.

StratNews Global | U.S. Seeks To Deny China Access To Key Semiconductor Technologies

The U.S.-China geopolitical fault lines in high technology have become sharper than ever and nowhere has it been more significant than in the domain of semiconductors. Semiconductors are critical to advanced computing and artificial intelligence (AI) that will form the core of the next-generation industrial revolution. They also have significant implications for advanced and precision weaponry in addition to consumer tech. The deepening of U.S.-China geopolitical rivalry has rendered the widely distributed global semiconductor value chain susceptible to disruption and choking. Consequently, their value as a critical tech has led to an increased securitisation of the domain.

Read more here.

News18 | Globalising India's DPI for a Common Digital Future

As the current chair of the G20, India has an opportunity to showcase and advocate for the global adoption of its world-class digital public infrastructure (DPI), which could lead to global standards, best practices, and innovation trickling back to India

Read the full article here

ASPI Strategist | The Quad should commit to a biomanufacturing hub in India

A biological revolution is underway in global manufacturing. Products produced from genetic engineering and biomanufacturing techniques are replacing many chemical, industrial and farm-based products. These include biological therapies, alternative proteins, plant-based oils, bioplastics and super strong threads, and more products such as bioconcrete are in development. The upcoming leaders’ summit in Sydney is an opportunity for the members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to take leadership in manufacturing this critical technology.

Read more here

Deccan Herald | ONDC should exercise its gatekeeping privileges to a minimum

The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) claims to be an inclusive ecosystem for e-commerce, attempting to break down the moats created by the dominant platforms. However, recent comments by the CEO of the ONDC and the commerce minister's hint at the ONDC playing an assertive gatekeeping role in evaluating the performance of network participants and removing companies that don’t onboard their leading platforms to the network. Such actions would be counterproductive. Transparency and accountability must be built into the structure and operating procedures of the ONDC to ensure that it lives up to its potential of an inclusive networked marketplace.

Read the full article here.

ThePrint | Converting cantonments like Yol can reap benefits – only if govt is transparent in its dealings

The government’s plan to disband military cantonments was set in motion on 27 April, when, following a notification from the Ministry of Defence, Himachal Pradesh’s Yol cantonment ceased to exist as one. The decision meant that the identified civil areas of these former cantonments would merge with adjoining civilian municipalities/local bodies while the armed forces would exclusively administer the remaining portions as military stations. The order was projected as a reform meant to do away with an ‘archaic colonial practice’. According to media reports, Nasirabad cantonment in Rajasthan is next in line. It will likely be followed, wherever possible, by the bisection of the existing 62 cantonments across India.

Read more here.

Money Control | Labour Law Reforms: Tamil Nadu reversing flexible work shifts is lost opportunity for business, workers, jobseekers

Undertaking reforms in India is hard. We have often seen this story play out – a desperately required structural reform is introduced, a powerful minority of interest groups vehemently protest the reform, and the government buckles under pressure and rolls back on the reform. This is how the farm laws saga panned out, for instance, and is now repeating with labour law reforms in Tamil Nadu.

Read more here.