The Takshashila Podcast

As India’s semiconductor ecosystem sees an influx of rapid-fire investment and partnerships, Satya Sahu engages in a conversation with Prof. Navakanta Bhat, previous chair of the Center for Nanosciences and Engineering at IISc Bangalore, to gain insights into what goes into creating a semiconductor chip in India.

Prof Nithiyanandam engages in an intriguing conversation with Mr. Sanjay Sinha, a distinguished senior Consultant with the Department of Real Time Governance (also called RTGS) with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, regarding the captivating significance of Geospatial technology in India's public health planning. They delve into the present scenario and explore the enthralling impact that Geospatial technology can have on enhancing the effectiveness of public health services.

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) of India provide internal security and guard our international borders with our neighbouring countries. Earlier called the paramilitary forces, the CAPFs today play a critical role in maintaining the peace and security of the nation and operate under challenging conditions to fulfill these responsibilities. In the seventh episode of Police Chowki, Javeed Ahmad and Shrikrihna Upadhyaya discuss the origin and role of CAPFs, policy issues around over-reliance on CAPFs by state police, and attempts to rationalise the functions of these forces.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a packed three-day State visit to the US recently. In this episode of All Things Policy, Takshashila's Sachin Kalbag and Yusuf Unjhawala break down the strategic and tactical import of one of the "most consequential friendships" of the 21st century.

According to a report by United Nations, India had the largest diaspora population in the world with 18 million people from the country living outside their homeland in 2020. Several of these people left for potential job opportunities in different countries. Emigration can be one of the solutions to address our unemployment crisis. Sudisha Mishra and Sridhar Krishna invite Avinash KS from Karnataka Skill Development Corporation to understand what the government is doing to promote and facilitate emigration.

Can information truly serve as a natural and universal source of empowerment? How do caste, class, and gender shape the definition, production, and leveraging of information? What unintended consequences might arise if we place excessive trust in the power of information? Sarthak Pradhan talks with Janaki Srinivasan, the author of the recently launched book "The Political Lives of Information." The book referred to in the podcast can be found here.

In this episode of All Things Policy, Saurabh Todi, Pranay Kotasthane, Bharat Reddy, and Aditya Ramanathan discuss the announcements in the India-US joint statement in the field of Semiconductors, Advanced Telecommunications, and Space.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigation agency of the Government of India. The CBI is unique in as much as it sits at the confluence of law enforcement, politics, and the rule of law in India. In this episode of Police Chowki, Javeed Ahmad (ex-IPS & Joint Director, CBI) speaks to Shrikrishna Upadhyaya about the role and function of the CBI, the contentious issues around the misuse of CBI to target political opponents, the conflict of CBI with the federal structure of India, its constitutionality or the lack of it, why the public servants in India are scared of the 3Cs: CBI, CVC and CAG and more.

Ever since US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Beijing was postponed in February this year, analysts and policymakers intensely speculated when the visit would take place. Now, as the much-awaited visit has recently concluded, deliberations surrounding what it achieved are all the news. In this episode, Amit Kumar and Anushka Saxena chime in into these deliberations, to discuss the context of the visit, what respective sides had to say about it, and how this was not the breakthrough in US-China relations many hoped it would be.

In this episode of All Things Policy, Saurabh Todi and Shambhavi Naik discuss the potential of the Bio-economy to drive national economic growth. They discuss avenues for collaboration between India and the US in the field of biotechnology and bio-manufacturing in light of the upcoming state visit of PM Modi.

The costs of training and running a large language model (LLM) were prohibitively expensive, and only a few big tech companies could afford to do it. That understanding has been turned upside down since the time Meta open-sourced their LLM named LLaMA. Satya S Sahu and Bharath Reddy talk about the promises and pitfalls of this move.

China’s security and economic cooperation with Central Asian countries has been deepening over the decades. In May this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a new blueprint for ties with the five Central Asian countries. In this episode, Manoj Kewalramani speaks to Temur Umarov from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center to understand the shifting sands of geopolitics in Central Asia.

Women officers make up only 10-11% of police forces on average across states in India. In the fifth episode of Police Chowki - limited series on All Things Policy, Shrikrishna Upadhyaya hosts Javeed Ahmad & Sutapa Sanyal (ex-IPS officers) to discuss the interface between women and police on the one hand and the lives of women serving in the police forces on the other. They discuss the representation of women in police forces, the effectiveness of gender-based reservation policies, and challenge prejudicial notions surrounding women in police workplaces. They also discuss institutional support for women officers and the impact of masculine-heavy police culture on the functioning of women in police.

Malathi Renati gives Sowmya Nandan an overview of how the Indian Sports Policy has evolved since independence and touches upon the barriers and enablers in the current Indian sports ecosystem.

India and China have almost completed expelling each other’s journalists. Why is this happening and what impact will it have on how Indians and Chinese perceive each other? Manoj Kewalramani talks to Aditya Ramanathan about how the lack of on-the-ground reporters could hamper the aims of both governments and increase the spread of misinformation.

As India's PLI schemes for electronics and its ongoing disputes at the WTO come into stark focus, Pranay Kothasthane, Satya Sahu, and Miheer Karandikar discuss the reasons why India's divergence from the Information Technology Agreement in its trade policy may be more important in that debate than we think. Their discussion presents many of the insights gained from Takshashila's recent discussion document on India's Stance on the Information Technology Agreement. Reading: Takshashila Discussion Document - Analysing India’s Position on the Information Technology Agreement

The historical legacy of the Liberation War has played a significant role in shaping the political landscape of Bangladesh. With the challenges faced by the ruling Awami League government and the leadership crises within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the lead-up to the parliamentary elections raises stakes for the political future of the country. In this episode, Carl Jaison is joined by Prof. Dr. Sreeradha Datta who teaches at the Jindal School of International Affairs, O.P Jindal Global University. Dr. Sreeradha, who is one of the foremost experts on Bangladesh’s political history and foreign policy, delves into the impasse between the two main political parties, the state of media in the country, and the regional implications of Bangladesh’s political future with India, and China watching closely.

The rule of law requires the police to ensure that criminals are properly investigated, prosecuted, and punished to ensure justice for the victims. In this episode of Police Chowki, Javeed Ahmad takes Shrikrishna Upadhyaya through the nitty gritty of criminal investigations by police in India, from the crime site to criminal investigation, and till the sessions court pronounces its verdict. He answers questions on the rights of the accused, opposition to bail by the police, media trials, plea bargaining, and more. Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media. We are @‌IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts/ You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured Follow the show across platforms: Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon Music Do share the word with your folks!

The month of May witnessed a gradual resumption of high-level dialogue between the US and China. This had largely been frozen since the February spy balloon incident. How did this nascent thaw between the two sides come to be, and what are the prospects for the future of the relationship? Anushka Saxena and Manoj Kewalramani discuss.

Because of its large population, India, in absolute terms, is expected to lose the equivalent of 34 million full-time jobs in 2030 due to heat stress. Heat is linked with the deterioration of working conditions, reduction in productivity, and a compromise in workers' security and well-being. Anupriya Mohta and Sudisha Mishra contextualise the heat stress problem in India, how it's linked with job losses, and what policy measures can be taken.