NIC-logo (final) Courtesy: National Informatics Centre
14 May 2020

Digitally combating COVID19

Compared to many countries India’s digital initiatives to monitor and control the impact of COVID19 have been surprisingly successful and swift. Creating and implementing the deep IT infrastructure necessary for this success is the National Informatics Centre (NIC) - the government’s pan-India, digital backbone.

shutterstock_1164513586 Courtesy: Shutterstock
12 May 2020

Artemis Accords propel India’s space ambitions

Under the ‘Artemis Accords’ the U.S. is planning an international coalition to extract natural resources from the Moon. China is concurrently planning an Earth-Moon Special Economic Zone. India’s antiquated endorsement of the 1979 Moon Agreement is shackling its true potential for economics-driven space exploration. India must immediately do away with Cold-War era, vintage whims of global commons.

A postcard by Clifton & Co., c. 1903, showing a ward with patients and two medical personnel taken in a Plague Hospital in Bombay. Courtesy: Burrough's Wellcome archive
7 May 2020

Lessons from the Bombay Plague

To tackle Covid19 the Indian government has invoked the colonial-era Epidemics Act of 1897, originally enacted to tackle the Bombay Plague of 1896. The plague wreaked havoc across Bombay and presented some of the same challenges the government faces today, including a migrant labour exodus. History teaches by examples - here is a glance in to the past

SanctionsCoverV2-04 Courtesy: Gateway House
30 April 2020

Can sanctions solve the Pakistan problem?

The shifting geopolitics of the COVID19 crisis might be an opportune time for India to consider new strategies for managing and curtailing Pakistan’s military aggression in the future. One policy tool used effectively by other countries is the imposition of economic sanctions. India needs to devise a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach.

shutterstock_794528251 Courtesy: Shutterstock
29 April 2020

Satellite tech for India’s agriculture

The COVID19-caused migration of India’s large workforce to their rural roots holds immense promise for the country’s agriculture productivity and farmer incomes. Precision agritech and satellite-as-a-service (SAAS) can reduce the urban-rural skill, remuneration, and digital divide. Time to privatize space technology for agricultural benefit.

shutterstock_353371844 Courtesy: Shutterstock
16 April 2020

Oil in the post-COVID-19 world

The OPEC’s proposed cut in oil production earlier this week may not enable the energy market to recover. Recovery is likely only after COVID-19 is brought under control, but there are ways India can capitalise on the current low oil prices for its own energy security