The Takshashila Podcast

Lant Pritchett has described India as "flailing state", one where the limbs are not in sync with the head and the outcomes sought are not delivered. Sridhar Krishna talks to Bharat Reddy on how AI can be used to bridge the gap in state capacity and help Indians get the goods and services they desire from the government. Readings: Why does the Indian state both fail and succeed? By Devesh Kapur Is India a flailing state? By Lant Pritchett Breaking the Mould by Raghuraman Rajan and Rohit Lamba

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has released regulations on studying the Party's history. It outlines the key objectives and principles embedded in the newly introduced regulations, emphasising the need for regular, long-term study of the Party’s history. Comprising six chapters and 34 articles, the document outlines general principles, leadership structures, responsibilities, content, and methods for the study of the Party's history. In this episode of All Things Policy, Rakshith Shetty quizzes Manoj Kewalramaani on the History Learning Regulations by the Party. Manoj also talks about the key objectives of the regulation and, on a broader scale, explains why history and historical narratives matter to the Party.

Recently, the Karnataka government fixed uniform kilometre-based fares for all types of cabs plying in the state. In this light, Saurabh Todi speaks to Anupam Manur, Assistant Professor, Takshashila Institution, on the consequences of this policy.

The 2024 Munich Security Conference has recently concluded on February 18, and key discussions surrounded both traditional and non-traditional security issues such as China's military capabilities, the Russia-Ukraine war, leaps in technology, and climate change. In this episode of All Things Policy, Anushka Saxena quizzes Manoj Kewalramani on the important insights from the Conference, and what they say about Europe's vision for its own role in the contemporary global order. Manoj also discusses China's role at the Conference, highlighting key aspects of Wang Yi's statements, especially during his bilateral meetings with representatives from the US, UK and Ukraine.

Music has played a complimentary role in all our lives. In this tuneful episode, Malathi Renati has a chat with Lakshmy Iyer, a music exponent in carnatic classical, veena and musical whistling. They talk about the importance of music education from primary to higher education and touch upon its resonating impact across a wide spectrum of areas from learning difficulties and therapy to neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and post trauma care.

In this episode of All Things Policy, Anushka Saxena interviews Kerry Brown, professor of China studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London, on the nature and drivers of Chinese Foreign Policy under Xi Jinping. Professor Brown shares keen insights on everything – from how Xi's supposed "all-powerful" authority manifests itself in policymaking, to the fundamental factors underpinning US-China and EU-China relations in the past few years. He also answers in brief the million-dollar question – "Why does the Taiwan issue matter?" Tune in for a deep dive into the making of Chinese foreign policy in the contemporary world order, and do keep an eye out for Prof. Brown's upcoming book, "Why Taiwan Matters: A Short History of a Small Island that will Dictate our Future".

Article 23 of India's constitution allows the union government to mandate conscription to secure the nation’s interest and public well-being. There are various social as well as political arguments on why we should or should not enforce such conscription, but what would either option mean for India's contemporary security approach? Should the military focus on officers' quantity or quality, or on technological advancements instead? Tune in with Ananya Desai as she speaks to Aditya Ramanathan about the possibility of mandatory conscription in India's present context.

In her interim budget speech, the finance minister announced that a high-powered committee will be constituted to consider the challenges arising from "fast population growth and demographic changes". In this episode, Suman Joshi and Sarthak Pradhan delve into India's population growth trajectory, examining future challenges and exploring potential solutions.

Technologies like Solar PVs have become critical to enabling shifts towards the use of more renewable energy. In this episode, Anushka Saxena quizzes Amit Kumar on the supply chains of the solar PVs, and China's role in it. Amit also highlights the key factors behind China's dominance of the supply chains.

The Quad's rise as a strategic grouping has received much attention in recent years. In this episode of All Things Policy, Bharat Sharma hosts Arzan Tarapore, a Research Scholar at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation, to discuss what binds the grouping today, where the Quad countries stand in relation to China, and the Quad's prospects in the Indian Ocean Region. In this vein, challenges to greater cooperation are also discussed. This episode is part of a series of podcasts on understanding the Quad’s role in the Indo-Pacific, where we host experts, analysts and scholars working on the Quad. Stay tuned for more!

From anti-dacoity operations to crowd control to participation in equestrian games, mounted police enjoy a distinct position in Indian law enforcement. In this episode of Police Chowki, we delve into the fascinating world of mounted police, exploring their historical and modern-day role in law enforcement, public safety, and ceremonial functions. Tune in to Shrikrishna Upadhyaya speaking to former police officers S. Ramakrishnan and Javeed Ahmad, who share their rich experience.

Could the average citizen become more involved in the process of developing solutions to problems that affect them? Yes! But well before that, maybe we need to do a better job of understanding the nuances of these problems and articulating them to policy decision makers. In this episode of ATP, join Kripa Koshy (Programme Manager, Takshashila) and Anirudh Dinesh (Research Fellow, Burnes Centre for Social Change and GovLab affiliated with Northeastern University) as they discuss old and new ways of citizen-engagement for more effective governance and policy making.

In the wake of the ongoing conflict, Israel is looking to address a major labor shortage by recruiting tens of thousands of Indians at a time when Palestinians who have long played a crucial role in Israeli construction and other sectors are being barred from the country. In this episode of All Things Policy, Carl Jaison speaks to Karishma Mehrotra, South Asia correspondent for The Washington Post on the factors accentuating this development. Link to Karishma’s article in the Washington Post: http://tinyurl.com/3xtshp35 Follow Karishma here: https://twitter.com/karishma__m__ Link to Karishma’s article on rural Indian women engaged in data annotation work: https://fiftytwo.in/story/human-touch/

Every country should have the ability to tell its story to the world. However, a nation's narrative should be based on facts and rise and fall on its own merits. China employs a variety of deceptive and coercive methods as it attempts to influence the global information environment. In this episode, Dr Sriparna and Rakshith discuss various instances of Chinese disinformation campaigns.

Deepfakes. Everyone has seen a deepfake by now, whether consciously or unconsciously. They’ve taken the digital world by storm and their rapid spread on social media is out of control. The latest victims that have fallen prey to deepfakes include A-listers like Taylor Swift, Joe Biden and Sachin Tendulkar. World leaders everywhere have been racking their brains trying to draft deepfake legislation that would curb the spread of disinformation. In the meantime, there are other pressing questions that warrant a discussion. Does the prohibition of deepfakes mean a clampdown on free expression? Also, will stricter legislation of deepfakes discourage innovation in the space of AI? For more on this, tune in with Rohan Pai and Bharath Reddy as they dive into the exciting, yet alarming, world of deepfakes and analyse the various legislative approaches designed to combat them on this episode of All Things Policy

The interim budget for 2024-25 was presented by the Finance Minister on Thursday,1 Feb 2024. What are some of the key takeaways? How will this impact us ? Sarthak and Anupam discuss in this episode.

China's comprehensive research and survey vessel, the Xiang Yang Hong 03, is expected to make a port call in Malé, Maldives, sometime soon. The vessel's dual-use capabilities, and the potential of the research collected to be used for military purposes by China, have sparked concerns in India and other littoral states in the IOR. In this episode, Amit Kumar and Anushka Saxena discuss details of the Xiang Yang Hong's military potential, with the larger geopolitical context of the India-China-Maldives relations in mind.

The union government has recently announced plans for a sovereign AI computing mission to provide computing resources as a service to Indian startups, particularly in the sectors of agriculture, healthcare, and education. Bharath Reddy and Rijesh Panicker unpack this initiative, looking at what's good, what's not and what could be different.

Tomorrow, the Union Finance Minister is set to present the Budget. In this episode, Sarthak talks to Suman, highlighting key aspects to pay attention to when reviewing the Union Budget. Link to the Union Budget -https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/

In this episode of ATP, Saurabh Todi and Shambhavi Naik discuss the recent developments related to GM Mustard and controversy around GMOs