Policy Room

A demographer by training, Dr. Srinivas Goli (presently a New Generation Network Scholar at the University of Western Australia) joins us in the Policy Room to contemplate the relevance of the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation and Welfare) Bill.

Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country announced this contentious bill as an instrument to control and stabilise the population growth in the state. The bill proposes a two-child norm, failing to adhere to which would deny people government jobs, subsidies, and promotions. It also offers incentives for people with two children or less. Moreover, the experts have deemed the bill counterproductive and “coercive” since it advances the rates of sex-selective abortions given the son meta preference. The proposed bill has sparked debates and triggered reactions from various groups. 

The frontlines in India sometimes get mischaracterized according to social standing and privilege. Who is missing from the list of people standing at the front of the queue for vaccines? Today's episode of Policy Room was recorded in April 2021, during the thick of India's second wave but Dr VR Raman's words are still as pertinent as they were a short while ago.

How do borders come to exist? And why does conflict seem to never end around the legitimacy of these demarcations? Historian and writer, Dr Kyle Gardner, joins us on this episode of Policy Room with illuminating stories about the geopolitical nature of borders in the context of China, India, and Tibet. Learn how the Britishers truly 'mastered' map-making, and how every rock matters when it comes to making borders. 

Interesting reads referred to during this episode:

We sit down with Tech Policy professional Yash Agarwal to discuss the growing influence of social media on the civic lives of Indians, the nuances of being an individual in the very nascent online ecosystem, and the urgent need to empower many more via digital connectivity. 

Recommended Readings by the guest - 

1. You and the Algorithm: It Takes Two to Tango - Nick Clegg

2. Why Software Is Eating the World - Andreessen Horowitz

3. The Facebook Oversight Board’s First Decisions: Ambitious, and Perhaps Impractical - Evelyn Douek 

4. Traceability is Antithetical to Liberty - Rahul Matthan

Please note that Yash's views are strictly personal.

Dr. Heidi Riley, Adjunct Research Fellow at University College Dublin and Kings College London, and Riya Singh Rathore discuss the nuanced role that women play in armed conflicts by diving into the context of Maoist insurgencies in India and Nepal. The conversation explores the several assumptions made about women that participate in armed groups and the need for gender-specific solutions to resolving armed conflict.

Today's episode covers the new Farm Laws that have caused much divide in opinions across the nation and throughout the world. We sit down with Dr. Manish Kumar, Assistant Professor at the Delhi School of Economics, to unpack this important issue and explore the policy context behind India's agricultural sector.

The NHFS' findings on India's health and nutritional outlook are alarming. Childhood stunting, wasting and instances of anaemia have worsened in most states. We are joined by Dr. Dipa Sinha of Ambedkar University Delhi, to discuss India's post-pandemic health and nutrition prospects especially in light of Budget '21.

Nikhil Mathew, and Dr. Satyaki Roy of the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), continue their discussion on the privatisation of the Indian Railways and its effects on efficiency and labour. 

Nikhil Mathew, Research Associate at SPRF and Dr. Satyaki Roy, Associate Professor at the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), discuss the conditions that led to the privatisation of the Indian Railways and where the future of this massive institution is headed.  

SPRF invites Dr. Pronab Sen, Programme Director for the IGC India Programme and the former first Chief Statistician of India, to discuss his expectations and recommendations for the upcoming Union Budget to propel India's economy into a strong recovery phase.