2020 was the year of social distancing and lockdowns to weather a deadly virus. But that came with a heavy cost for millions in our country with job losses and wealth destruction occurring at historically unprecedented rates. As we approach the budget and the new financial year, all eyes will be on the steps taken to revive our economy.  

Our guest for this episode, Mr. Dilip Chenoy, is the Secretary General of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the voice of India’s business and industry. Mr. Chenoy has a long history of advocating for and advising businesses across the country and was also the Chairman of the National Skill Development Corporation. The conversation covers three structural changes we can expect in the Indian economy, wish lists for the budget, and discussions on ways in which young Indian students can prepare for the coming disruptions.

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In the first of two episodes on dissent, Abhinav Sekhri, a prominent criminal lawyer joins the podcast to talk about the the state of free speech in India and the various provisions available to the government to restrict speech. The wide-ranging conversation covers the recently amended UAPA, the Supreme Court's role in preserving fundamental rights and the need for comprehensive criminal justice reform in the country.  

Abhinav practices criminal law in Delhi and has done his LLB from the National Law School, Bangalore and a subsequent LLM from Harvard Law School. He writes for prominent publications such as the Caravan and Article 14 on criminal law and procedure.

Listen to the full, unedited episode on our audio platforms: https://linktr.ee/PodcastYIFFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastYIFConnect with YIF – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youngindiafdn/Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Website: https://youngindia.foundation/

In-person and postal voting have been a focus of discussion in the aftermath of the recent US Presidential Elections. But what if we could all vote online using our smartphones? What if all our interactions with government could be conducted online without any time-consuming visits to bureaucrats?  

This week, we were joined by Florian Marcus, a Digital Transformation Advisor, to learn about Estonia-the world's most advanced digital society. This conversation features a discussion on online voting, privacy and security, and the benefits of e-governance. We also ask Florian to share lessons emerging economies such as India can learn from this technological advancement.  

Learn more about Estonia at: https://e-estonia.com/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IE0UOC5f1o

We just witnessed the conclusion of two key elections – the United States Presidential race and Bihar State Assembly Elections closer to home. The results in both elections will have huge repercussions for India. The incoming US President has wide discretion in setting the tone of foreign policy and signals a dramatic shift from the past 4 years, the victor, whereas the NDA's victory in Bihar would come as a relief to PM Modi as he approaches the midway point of his second term.  

Join Abhishek and Rishika as they talk to Milan Vaishnav, Senior Fellow and Director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, host of the Grand Tamasha podcast, political economy expert, and columnist at the Hindustan Times, as they discuss what a potential Biden presidency means for India, populism in Bihar and Washington, Indian American voter attitudes and whether Trump-ism is here to stay!

Find Milan Vaishnav's work on his website, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

Check out the YIF Election Tracker here: https://youngindia.foundation/election-calendar

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/t0USnqdEucA

Show Notes –

Festive season is here, and we're not just talking about Diwali. Join Arya, Abhishek and Rishika as they discuss India's biggest festival – electoral democracy – spanning the Bihar elections, the first major polls to be conducted during COVID-19, the launch of India's first Election Calendar, whether elections should be held during a pandemic, the importance of local democracy, and more! 

Check out the YIF Election Tracker here: https://youngindia.foundation/election-calendar

Fill the Bihar voter pre-survey: https://forms.gle/N5grEGtAi8ghb2GG8

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pY3296Vh5g

Dhruva Jaishankar leads the US Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation, an Indian think-tank. In our conversation, we dive into India's current foreign policy challenges and opportunities as well as ways in which we can build our diplomatic state capacity to become a superpower. Our talk ranges across contemporary India-US ties, India-China ties in the post-Galwan Valley era, and the future of digital trade wars between superpowers. He also shares his views on the importance of civil service reforms in India's quest to become a Vishwaguru.

Watch the interview on our official YouTube channel here!

In this episode, we had the chance to talk to our youngest guest so far - Maithili Appalwar, CEO of Avana - about India's foreboding water crisis, the plight of our farmers, the privilege gap between urban and rural issues, and how social entrepreneurship helps solve some of our most unprecedented problems. Listen to us talk about her company, Avana, which develops affordable technologies to help Indian farmers break out of the vicious cycle of poverty, her journey from engineering school to local activism, and the importance of youth action in India's rural crises.

Connect with Maithili on Instagram at @maithiliappalwar or on her Linkedin. 

Follow Avana's work on Instagram @AvanaAgriculture or on their Linkedin. 

In this special segment of our interview series, Young India Talks, we were extremely lucky to have the chance to interact with India's Chief Economic Advisor, Dr. KV Subramanian! In this extensive conversation, we dive into what goes into policymaking, the intricacies of working with the government, the intersection of politics, economics, and the youth, and the future of India's economy.