The Takshashila Podcast

Since September 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched three new initiatives, which have become the cornerstone of his foreign policy. In this episode, Anushka Saxena talks to Manoj Kewalramani about China’s new Global Development, Global Security and Global Civilisation initiatives and what they mean for the world.

Kingshuk Saha speaks to Anubhav Raj Shekhar, Assistant Professor of Law at BML Munjal University (on sabbatical at the University of Oxford where he is researching South Asian societies) on the capital punishment jurisprudence in India.

On April 1, 2023, India celebrated 50 years of Project Tiger, arguably the most important ecological conservation programme in the country, and easily the most successful large carnivore protection initiative in the world. Yet, policy challenges abound: development vs ecology, human-animal interaction, habitat loss. Dr Anish Andheria, president and CEO of Wildlife Conservation Trust speaks to Sachin Kalbag on both the success of Project Tiger and the opportunities ahead

The Bar Council of India recently allowed the entry of foreign lawyers and law firms in India to practice foreign law, diverse international issues, and international arbitration. In this episode, Saurabh Todi speaks to Shrikrishna Upadhyaya about the significance of the reform, its reception, and future prospects. They also discuss other bottlenecks in the growth of the legal sector, namely, restrictions on capital such as FDI and bar on solicitation and advertisement.

In this podcast, Anushka Saxena and Amit Kumar discuss the mandates of Private Security and Military Companies operating in situations of armed conflict, debates surrounding their proliferation in international law, and repercussions for UN peacekeepers and the state monopoly on coercive power.

Career Impact Bonds

The extent of female property ownership impacts women and their families, society, and the economy. Governments provide gender-based tax incentives to increase female property ownership. Suman Joshi and Sarthak Pradhan discuss the effectiveness of these measures as outlined in a recent World Bank working paper. Here are the papers referred to in the episode: World Bank Working Paper Which women own land in India? Between divergent data sets, measures and laws - Impact of Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers on Gender Equality in India: An Empirical Analysis

Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have recently signed the first Nordic Air Commanders' Intent to create a unified Nordic air defence alliance, pooling the resources of their air forces. In this episode, Saurabh Todi and Pranav Satyanath unpack this development and analyse its implications.

It came as no surprise that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first diplomatic visit after the commencement of his unprecedented third term was to Russia. In this episode, Manoj Kewalramani dissects Xi’s visit to Russia and its strategic importance and gets quizzed by Shrikrishna Upadhyaya on its implications for India-Russia relations.

In February 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country will suspend its participation in the New START Treaty. But does this mean the end of bilateral arms control between Russia and the United States? Not quite so. In this episode, Aditya Ramanathan and Pranav Satyanath discuss the nuances of the New START treaty's suspension and its implications for future arms control treaties.

India needs to grow its bio-economy and work with other countries to bolster its research and development capabilities and its manufacturing capacity. In this episode, Shambhavi Naik and Saurabh Todi discuss how India should work with like-minded partners across the globe, including with plurilateral groupings such as the Quad to seize this opportunity.

Does the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse herald wider troubles for banks? Anupam Manur talks to Shrikrishna Upadhyaya and Aditya Ramanathan about how a combination of macroeconomic factors, monetary tightening, and bad management have conspired to create a major crisis.

In this episode of All Things Policy, Amit Kumar and Anushka Saxena discuss key developments and sweeping institutional reforms that took place at the Two Sessions of the 14th NPC, as well as in the follow-up 'Party and State Institutional Reform Plan' released by the CPC Central Committee

In the past year we have seen AI go from powering prediction algorithms in the background to now having seemingly intelligent conversations, answering questions, or even creating art. AI is going to transform our lives in big ways. Shailesh Chitnis and Bharath Reddy talk about where India stands in AI innovation and how can we get better at it. Reading: Rebooting AI in India — The Takshashila Institution

According to a joint report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency and the ILO, India created 8,63,000 green jobs in 2020-21. But what constitutes a green job? What kind of efforts can be made by governments, establishments, and citizens to ensure sustainable growth? Tulshe Chowdhury, Founder of Zero2Positive joins Anupriya Mohta and Sudisha Mishra to answer these questions.

Kingshuk Saha and Dr. Tripti Kumari, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Gargi College, a constituent college of Delhi University. They discuss the women in STEM, challenges, and opportunities.

Productivity as a measure is often overlooked in public discourse. Why is it important to track this metric? What are the implications of improving labour productivity for the economy?  Anupam Manur and Sarthak Pradhan join Suman Joshi to discuss this.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s recent visit to India marked a new chapter in the bilateral relationship between India and Australia. Along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two leaders suggested that the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) is in the works and are hopeful it could be finalised this year. As it has been a couple of months since the India-Australia trade agreement (Ind-Aus ECTA) came into effect, Carl Jaison spoke with former Ambassador Anil Wadhwa who had authored GoI's Australia Economic Strategy (AES) during his tenure as Secretary (East) in the MEA.

The Pharmacy Council of India and All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists have opposed e-pharmacies and demanded they be banned. In this episode, Saurabh Todi and Dr. Harshit Kukreja examine the need for e-pharmacies and reasons behind their opposition.

For the fifth year in a row, India topped the world in internet shutdowns, according to an international report by Access Now and KeepItOn Coalition. Why do internet shutdowns happen in a democracy like India? What is the economic, social and academic fallout of such shutdowns?