All Things Policy

In this episode, Anushka Saxena is joined by Dr. Nithiyanandam and Amit Kumar to discuss the use of remote sensing technologies in detecting traits of Chinese military radars along the Indian border, with a focus on Tibet and Aksai Chin. Reading: #3 Shifting Shadows: Military Radar Dynamics in Tibet

Six new members were added to the grouping in the recently concluded BRICS Summit in South Africa. The new BRICS will take shape in January 2024. In this episode, Sachin Kalbag and Anushka Saxena of Takshashila discuss what exactly this new grouping means. Given the latter's military and economic heft, how will India counter the China question in BRICS?

In this episode, Anushka Saxena and Amit Kumar discuss a proposal for the G20 to develop a transparent and collaborative data-sharing mechanism to reduce vulnerabilities induced by supply chain disruptions. The ideas discussed here are part of a Policy Brief submitted to the G20's working group, Think20, and can be perused here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/618a55c4cb03246776b68559/t/645f7f66f46ae72ee221a24d/1683980136318/T20_PolicyBrief_TF1_Data-Asymmetry-SupplyChain.pdf.

The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 is set to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 as the country’s primary criminal procedural law. In this episode of Police Chowki, Javeed Ahmad (ex IPS & ex DGP of Uttar Pradesh) and Shrikrishna Upadhyaya break down the various significant changes proposed in the Sanhita and discuss its ramifications on the right to fair and speedy trial, individual liberties and police powers.

The India-Australia bilateral relationship has achieved great heights. Both countries have worked extensively across various areas, but two particular areas of interest have been defence and critical technology. In this episode of All Things Policy, Bharat Sharma and Josiah Neil speak about India and Australia's growing defence engagement in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific regions, and what leads to an increasing convergence of security interests between them. They also discuss how critical and emerging technologies are playing a part in the bilateral relationship.

While growth in disposable incomes has led to better access to clothing, the problems that fast fashion has brought on the environment are non-trivial. Shambhavi Naik and Suman Joshi discuss the dilemmas around fashion and sustainability in this episode Readings: Synthesis Report on United Nations System-wide Initiatives related to Fashion  7 Reasons I Wear The Same Thing Every Day

AI Governance is a topic of great interest today. Within the context of AI governance, often data is discussed from a perspective of data privacy, data security and so on. Sridhar, Bharath and Satya are looking at the fact that the few companies that have access to large amounts of data and discussing how this may impact AI development. They raise a lot of questions around the law, data ownership and access to promote competition, innovation and human progress. Reading List: Computing Machinery and Intelligence, A.M.Turing This is the key to designing sustainable data cooperatives | World Economic Forum The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data Why data governance is essential for enterprise AI - IBM Blog Trust region Policy Optimization, Schulman and others

The Ministerial declaration of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group endorsed India-led digital public infrastructure (DPI). In this episode, hear from Keyzom Ngodup, Head of Digital Programming, UNDP Chief Digital Office, and Ritul Gaur, IIC Fellow, Ministry of Electronics and IT, on their experience from close quarters on how the groundbreaking consensus on DPI was achieved. Shrikrishna Upadhyaya hosts them for a conversation on the framework for DPI adoption, challenges and opportunities for low & middle-income countries, privacy risks from DPI and what’s next for DPI. Readings: DIGITAL ECONOMY MINISTERS MEETING Outcome Document & Chair’s Summary Bengaluru, Karnataka August 19, 2023 Accelerating The SDGs Through Digital Public Infrastructure: A Compendium of The Potential of Digital Public Infrastructure | United Nations Development Programme The DPI Approach: A Playbook | United Nations Development Programme

The Government of India plans to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, and the Evidence Act, 1872 with the new  Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Sanhita, 2023 respectively. In this episode, Javeed Ahmad (former IPS officer & DGP, Uttar Pradesh) and Shrikrishna Upadhyaya unpack the Nyaya Sanhita and dissect the extent of decolonisation of Indian penal laws. They discuss sedition, false promise to marry, criminalisation of satyagraha, the introduction of non-incarceration penalties like community service, and more.

Kingshuk Saha and Dr Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy, an Associate Professor at Nalanda University, discuss the reemergence of the Bay of Bengal as a geopolitical hotspot.