Can India Take Cues From Kenya's GMO Ban Lift to Meet Climate Change Challenge?

In early October 2022, Kenya lifted a decade-long ban on importing Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs as a source of food and feed. This follows Kenya's approval to GM cotton in response to the ongoing drought conditions.

Parts of Africa are experiencing unprecendented drought and nearly four million people in Kenya are facing hunger issues. Kenya’s move to adopt GMOs to improve food security comes on the recommendation of a task force which was set up to examine the safety and viability of using GMOs.  

While this move may mitigate some of Kenya’s food concerns, the shift to GMOs in the middle of an ongoing disaster will take time and effort. With this backdrop, it is time for India to also revisit its de facto ban on GMOs and invest in this technology now.

Modi govt’s self-reliance goals for Army forcing India to attempt an impossible task

Gujarat’s Gandhinagar was the venue for DefExpo 2022, the 12th edition of the defence exhibition organised by the Ministry of Defence from 18 to 22 October. In keeping with the Atmanirbharta spirit, for the first time, only ‘Indian’ participants were permitted — defined as Indian companies, subsidiaries of foreign original equipment manufacturers, divisions of companies registered in India, and exhibitors having joint ventures with Indian companies. ‘Path to Pride’ was the adopted theme.

India must dominate the game of chips - through its Human Resources

Washington’s wide-ranging sanctions on China’s semiconductor industry will go far in containing the US’s geopolitical rival. Not only will they set China’s chip makers back by years, but also restrict the country’s progress in several areas, from personal computers to data centres, from artificial intelligence (AI) systems to hypersonic missiles. This may well be America’s most consequential move in the ongoing contest among global powers.

The future as foretold by Xi: Chinese citizens have to brace themselves for tough times, Indians for a more aggressive PLA

In many ways, the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China has been a somewhat anticlimactic event. Prior to the quinquennial meeting, there was a general sense among scholars and watchers of China that the congress would largely signal political and policy continuity. It has indeed largely reaffirmed the direction in which China was already heading. That said, the past week has shed greater light on what we can expect going ahead.

Launch of missile from Arihant a milestone. But India’s nuclear triad isn’t complete yet

Operating covertly from the depths of the ocean and striking with nuclear weapons is the leitmotif of Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear or SSBN submarines. Such capability was demonstrated by India on 14 October this year in the firing of the nuclear-capable missile, Sagarika/K-15, from its first SSBN, the INS Arihant. The submarine was launched in July 2009, with sea trials commencing in December 2014, and was commissioned into the Indian Navy in August 2016. It undertook its first deterrence patrol in 2018, soon after the K-15 missile was first test-fired from the submarine.

As Ukraine-Russia heats up, India can call parties to pledge No First Use on nuclear weapons

Threat and persuasion are two sides of the same coin and form the staple of influence in all human relationships. The ability to so influence contentious matters determines the exchange rate of the currency of power, which is a relational variable enmeshed in specific contexts. The extent to which Russian nuclear weapons are likely to influence outcomes in the ongoing Ukraine war remains debatable. It would certainly provide enough information for future historians and political scientists to answer the question – what role did nuclear weapons play in the Ukraine war? Unless, of course there is no one left to ask that question. It is an extreme possibility, that some believe has provided the oxygen for the nuclear taboo to survive.

Forewarned & Forearmed: Through G20 Presidency, India is at Right Position to Prevent Climate Disaster

The impacts of climate change are no longer just visible in the developing world. In 2022 itself, the effects were seen across the globe from heatwaves in India, to high temperatures in the UK to forest fires across several European nations. Most of these impacts are induced by anthropogenic activities. G20 which is a group of 19 countries and the European Union is responsible for most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The countries make up about 2/3rd of the world population and 80% of Global GDP. The constituents of this group hold considerable sway over the world’s action towards climate change.

Malnutrition: Is Public Nutrition the Best Approach?

In India, with the initiation of schemes like POSHAN 2.0, nutrition is gradually gaining importance as an important aspect of health. With an increase in our understanding of health and nutrition, we are now able to test and prescribe individualised nutritional recommendations. Now, instead of population level recommended dietary allowance (RDA), it is possible to get personalised nutrition guidance based on comorbidities, genetic makeup and family history. As we just observed POSHAN maah (month) in September, let us talk about malnutrition.

Wastewater surveillance programmes for India: A call for action

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency on September 9 2022, to ramp up efforts to vaccinate residents against polio after the virus was detected in wastewater samples in four counties. While wastewater surveillance is an effective tool for monitoring community health, there has been no concerted governmental effort in India to include it in the broader public health strategy.Such a programme could better predict the emergence of diseases, help prepare mitigation measures and improve public health outcomes

An ‘everything’ app is a nightmare for our freedoms

Monopoly, the board game, is often held up as a demonstration of capitalism, teaching us how business works. Actually, it does more than that. While it is true that a budding capitalist’s goal is to grab as large a market share as possible, the game shows that allowing a player to do so is bad for society as a whole. Now there is nothing wrong in a business person seeking a monopoly. It is for society—through its political institutions—to protect its broader interests and check monopolistic tendencies through public policy.

Indian Armed Forces can’t turn a blind eye to religious politics anymore

National security planners have an unenviable task as they deal with an imagined and unknown future visualised as threats and opportunities. The challenge is compounded by the shortage of resources and the unplumbed possibilities of progress in science and technology. External threats are often better known and acknowledged. Internal threats that have manifested as insurgencies are troublesome but are usually within the power of the State to keep under control. But what could be unacknowledged and neglected and is generally allowed to simmer for long till it explodes like a powder keg is communal disharmony. For India, it holds the hazards of a live fault line.

Securing India’s Cyberspace from Quantum Techniques

Last month, there were reports that the Indian Army is developing cryptographic techniques to make its networks resistant to attacks by systems with quantum capabilities. The Army has collaborated with industry and academia to build secure communications and cryptography applications. This step builds on last year’s initiative to establish a quantum computing laboratory at the military engineering institute in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. With traditional encryption models at risk and increasing military applications of quantum technology, the deployment of “quantum-resistant” systems has become the need of the hour.

भारतीयों के विदेशों में बसने के फ़ायदे कम नहीं

राजस्थान पत्रिका, Sept 30, 2022. We need two look at two categories of Indians in this regard - one, emigrants that have already left and two, Indians who are yet to leave. For those ones that have left, it will be tough to surrender a foreign passport and return back to India. A probable solution would be to actively consider dual citizenship policy, allow ease of investment to NRI/PIO’s and maintain healthy relationships through Indian diplomacy. For the ones who have not yet taken up foreign citizenship, India needs to invest in building social harmony, abundant economic opportunities, and a steady improvement in the quality of life for people from diverse backgrounds. Our critical focus should be for the people from the second category. This includes medical students who are forced to leave due to the government restrictions leading to smaller intakes in medical courses, and high net worth individuals who choose to migrate because of poor business, tax, and policy environments. Unless we address these fundamental challenges, movies such as Swades might bring tears to our eyes, but will not stop in converting pardesi to swadeshi.

Who should control Assam Rifles—MoD or MHA? Resolving that will truly end Army’s role in Northeast

The oldest Insurgencies in India originated in the mid-1950s in the Northeastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. It later spread to Assam, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya. Among the central forces, the Army and the Assam Rifles have borne the burden of counterinsurgency that has varied in intensity and geographic spread over nearly seven decades. So, it is heartening to note that improvement in the political and operational environment due to the waning of insurgency in the Northeast has facilitated a noteworthy reduction in the counterinsurgency role of the Army. Its previous role is being carried out mostly by the Assam Rifles now, freeing the Army to concentrate on the growing threat from China.

Britain shouldn’t lose sleep over getting rid of monarchy

I am happy and content to be a citizen of an India where a Radhakrishnan, a Zail Singh, an Abdul Kalam and a Draupadi Murmu can rise to become the President of the Republic. Ceremonial and symbolic as the office may be in practice, it is the kind of symbolism that matters. But the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II made me wonder what I would think of constitutional monarchy if I were British.

India’s Russia problem will grow: Locked out of semiconductor supply, Moscow will be hard-pressed to fulfil New Delhi’s military needs

Times of India, Sept 29, 2022. There are significant implications of high-tech sanctions on Russia's defence companies for India.

How the TTC Agreement with the EU can help India shape Global Tech Ecosystems

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the European Union President Ursula von der Leyen and announced the setting up of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC). The joint statement released by the two leaders on the launch of the council described the TTC as a body that was responsible for the “strategic coordination mechanism [that] will allow both partners to tackle challenges at the nexus of trade, trusted technology and security, and thus deepen cooperation in these fields between the EU and India”. Since the official press release of the TTC, there have been no more follow-up announcements or movement on the front. This has raised questions about how the Council should function and its role in determining the technology trade agreements between the two entities. What would be the methods of cooperation and the focus areas for India and the EU? These still remain to be answered and delved into.

Modi-Xi ‘cold war’ at SCO proves member relationships strained. India must stand on its own

The cold of Ladakh apparently froze the erstwhile bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping as they ignored one another even as they stood next to each other and posed for a group photograph during the meeting of the Heads of States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Samarkand. The mutual and intentional display of ignoring one another on a forum that is specifically meant to promote cooperative spirit in diverse fields is naturally not reflected in the Samarkand Declaration, which embodies common perceptions of international affairs and identifies vast areas of cooperation to strengthen security and development. By December, India will take over the presidency of the SCO and host the next meeting of the Heads of States in 2023. Xi has promised full support for India’s presidency.

India needs a Holistic and Effective ‘Techplomacy’ Strategy

Technological advancements in the 21st Century have heightened the role of technology in the diplomacy arena. Technically adept nation-states are developing their own strategies to integrate technology with their foreign policy and diplomatic initiatives. But how can technology be used as a credible diplomatic plank by the Indian State to further its national and geopolitical interests? The Indian state needs to address the ability to utilise technology as a credible foreign policy and diplomacy tool.

China lowered the gun for Modi-Xi Uzbekistan meet. India can’t take its eyes off the barrel yet

Breaking the military deadlock at Gogra-Hot Springs in Ladakh has been touted as paving the way for the Narendra Modi-Xi Jinping meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit scheduled in Uzbekistan on 15-16 September. The military commanders had probably arrived at a consensus when they met for the 16th round of negotiations on 17 July. But political approval by both sides seems to have taken nearly two months. The delay conceals more than it reveals about the contemporary dynamics of China-India relations and the role of the military confrontation on India’s northern border in the context of power shifts leading to geopolitical competition at the global level.