India Needs A Comprehensive Space Strategy

It will not only bolster inter-organisation coordination in India’s space sector, but also help in building investor confidence and projecting the country as a responsible space power

India’s growth and prosperity in the present era is due to its ability to secure its use of outer space. With the advent of the second space age, private NewSpace companies such as SpaceX are leading the charge, and not governmental civilian space agencies or militaries. However, as outlined in the Outer Space Treaty (OST), the existing international laws hold nation-states responsible for the actions and consequences of their private space companies, citizens, and functionaries.

Why China is Talking about a 1952 Pact and ‘Equal Negotiations’ with Sri Lanka

On January 9, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded his five-nation Indian Ocean trip with his departure from Sri Lanka. During a 24-hour visit to Colombo, Wang launched the celebrations for the 65th anniversary of China-Sri Lanka relations by inaugurating the promenade of the Colombo Port City, a flagship Belt and Road project. Wang’s talks with the Sri Lankan leaders took place in the backdrop of possibly the worst foreign exchange crisis in the Island’s history. Thus, Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris commenced the talks by reminding the visitor that the proverb “a friend in need is a friend indeed, is the eternal theme of bilateral relations”. Similarly, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa thanked China for “always lending a helping hand” during Sri Lanka’s time of urgent need.

India’s Solar And Renewable Energy Push Signals Challenge To Chinese Dominance

As finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman read out her Budget speech in Parliament on 1 February, the stock prices of domestic solar manufacturers such as Adani Solar, Tata Power and Suzlon rose sharply in response to government’s big push to green energy. With India setting specific goals for the reduction of carbon emissions as seen from the signalling at the COP-26 summit, the competition for dominating the global renewable energy markets is something to watch out for.

An analysis of measures to create jobs and boost industries : Union Budget 2022-23

This is a draft version of the article published in Prajavani, which is accessible here.

India's employment rate stands between 38% - 43%, against the global employment rate of 55%. According to CMIE data, India had 53 million unemployed people in December 2021. In the last few weeks, India witnessed violent protests by job seekers. As the Indian economy recovers from the pandemic, it must create enough jobs to avert an unemployment crisis. The Union Budget has some solutions to address the same, but it might not be enough.

Read the full draft here.

The Roadmap To India’s $300 Billion Electronics Manufacturing Dream

On January 24, the Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw released the vision document on the opportunities and growth of domestic electronics manufacturing. The report was a collaboration with the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) for developing a roadmap to increase and improve the share of India’s electronics exports in the next five years. While the first volume, titled “Increasing India’s Electronics Exports and Share in GVCs”, was released in November 2021, the second volume of the vision document came out this month.

Has Russia Wrecked American ‘G-2’ Plans?

On January 10, the U.S. and Russia held an “extraordinary” session of the bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in Geneva. Unlike the previous two meetings, held in July and September last year, the recent meeting occurred against the backdrop of increasing tensions between the West and Russia. With the growing threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine on the table, the recent talks included both the issue of strategic stability and a Russian demand for security guarantees from the United States. While much focus has been given to NATO’s eastward expansion as a prime driver of Russian insecurity, it may instead be the Kremlin’s fear of an emergent China-U.S. “G-2” being manifested in Russian strategic behavior.

Russia, The West, And The Info War

Fears of war breaking out between Russia and Ukraine have dominated headlines in the international press. Information warfare is an undeniable reality of modern conflicts, and its impact is often strategic in demoralizing the adversary’s forces and populace.

In many of its doctrinal and strategic publications, Russia acknowledges that the information domain is an active battleground, regardless of the contending sides being in a state of war or peace. Despite spirited official denials, it is fair to say that Russia gives as good as it gets in the information domain.

In the latest round of public jousting around hybrid and information warfare, both sides have led with accusations and official public statements.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has alleged that American mercenaries are present and looking to orchestrate a chemical attack in the Donbas region of Ukraine. Meanwhile the US State Department has released a fact sheet detailing the alleged Russian “destabilization campaign in Ukraine.” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has made a statement accusing Russia of planning “to install pro-Russian leadership in Ukraine.”

Russia’s approach to building up forces on Ukraine’s border is best characterized as Clausewitzian, meaning it’s aimed toward achieving political goals through other means.

Why India-Australia Technology Cooperation is a Welcome Development

Collaboration on critical and emerging technologies has been high on the agenda for the Australian and Indian governments in recent months. On 17 November 2021, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison gave a virtual inaugural address at the Bengaluru Technology Summit. Morrison’s speech was accompanied by an announcement expressing Australia’s commitment to establish a Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy in India. The very next day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a keynote address at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Sydney Dialogue, in which he emphasised the importance of technology to the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership, which was established in 2020.

Omicron: Is India testing enough?

With the onslaught of the third wave, low testing rates have become a point of concern. With positivity rates touching 30 per cent in some cities as against the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s recommended five per cent, we do not see a proportional rise in the number of cases. This low number contributes to the narrative about the meekness of the Omicron variant hindering our implementation of the 3T strategy of testing, tracking and treatment.

Industrial Policies Alone Cannot Give Desired Results in Tech Sector

The India Cellular and Electronics Industry (ICEA) recently released a report detailing the effects of import tariffs on the domestic electronics industry. Currently, India’s import tariff rate for electronic and technology goods is much more than those of competing countries like China and Vietnam. This has been on the back of the recently announced 76,000 crore package to build the Indian semiconductor industry. But high import tariffs, trade restrictions, and taxation meant as protectionist measures decline the competitiveness of Indian goods in the global market. More importantly, it completely negates the effect of industrial policy measures which are meant to be supportive and business-friendly like the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme.

Defence ministry’s Preferential Market Access policy Is Protectionism. Indian-Made Arms Need Export Market

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a clarion call for Atmanirbhar Bharat on 12 May 2020. He said that self-reliance was the only path to fulfil the dream of building a 21st century India in the post-Covid world. Modi made a distinction between self-reliance and being self-centred in a globalised world, observing how “local manufacturing, market and supply chains” had helped India mitigate its Covid-19 crisis. He emphasised that we had to be more “vocal about local products and help them become global.”

China’s Bare-Chested Turn To Sri-Lankan Tamils Is India’s New Headache

The arrest of more than 60 Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy last month created a political stir in Tamil Nadu. The state’s fishermen are continuing their indefinite strike from 19 December, with a plan to stage a ‘massive rail roko’ agitation if all the arrested fishermen are not released. Writing to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, the state’s chief minister M.K. Stalin has also asked the Narendra Modi government to ensure “fishermen’s safety and the right to livelihood” from the intimidatory tactics of the Sri Lankan Navy.

Countering Hate In The Digital World

Ongoing police investigations to identify the culprits behind the condemnable “Bulli Bai” and “Sulli Deals” apps, which “auctioned” several prominent and vocal Muslim women, implicate individuals born close to the turn of the century. At first glance, this indicates that digital natives are not resilient against problems such as disinformation, hate speech and the potential for radicalisation that plague our informational spaces. But placed within the broader context of decreasing levels of social cohesion in Indian society, that such apps were even created requires us to frame our understanding in a way that can point us towards the right set of long-term interventions.

What’s Behind China’s New National Standardization Outline Document?

China’s “Standards 2035” project gained headlines in April 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. October 2021 saw the release of the National Standardization Development (NSD) outline document as the first official document detailing China’s ambitions in the coming decade in the realm of technical standardization processes. The NSD visualizes a standardized system that promotes high-tech innovation and “opening up” of the technology sector, while also leading to high-quality development. The core points covered in the document provide a glimpse into the Chinese state’s strategic approach toward technical standards.

A Four-Point Action Plan for Quantum Technologies

In the 2020 Budget speech, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the National Mission for Quantum Technologies and Applications (NM-QTA) with a total outlay of ₹8000 crore over five years for strengthening the quantum industry in the country. A Lok Sabha question posed in July 2021 enquired about the status and progress of the mission. The reply that was provided by the minister of state for science and technology, Jitendra Singh, mentioned that the mission had not even received approval yet. Singh also announced that no funds were allocated, disbursed or utilised under NM-QTA during the financial year 2020-21.

Are Government’s New Schemes For Semiconductors Enough To Make India Atmanirbhar?

the Union Cabinet recently approved a ‘comprehensive programme for the development of a sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem’. This programme emphasised that India intends to play a more prominent role in the hyper-globalised semiconductor supply chain. Following up on that announcement, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) on December 21 notified four specific schemes to reduce India’s dependency on imports and build an ecosystem for the production of semiconductors. On December 30, MeitY released the guidelines for these schemes.

Omicron: Clinically milder but potentially deadlier

There has been a sudden surge in Covid cases across the country in the past few days. This increase can be attributed to the newest Covid-19 variant: Omicron. Ignorance, misconception, and a delay in response could result in India's even more fatal third wave. With India still reeling from the effects of earlier waves and the economic crisis, a new variant, while less fatal, could turn out to be deadlier.

Russian energy industry makes new social media connection

Russia’s energy industry currently brings in a major chunk of state revenue and is tied to common prosperity and employment in the Russian economy. Although a willingness eventually to phase out hydrocarbons now exists, the idea is to switch to exporting greener sources of energy such as hydrogen instead of just watching business decline.

Read the full article on Asia Times

Behind Beijng’s proposal to regulate military applications of AI

China recently submitted a position paper on regulating the military applications of artificial intelligence to the sixth review conference of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW).The takeaway from this position paper is that countries should debate, discuss, and perhaps eschew the weaponization of AI. By initiating a discussion on regulating military applications of AI, Beijing wants to project itself as a responsible international player.

Has China achieved its leap to ‘Quantum Supremacy’?

The quantum race is heating up. Last month, the US and Australia signed an official agreement on quantum technology and information science, emphasising the exchange of skills and development in the field for the protection of intellectual property as well as building safe and secure research environments.