K.P. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Chairman, National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), Government of India, discusses the formidable task of upgrading India’s skills deficit swiftly and inclusively
Canadian Minister for National Defence, Hon'ble Harjit S Sajjan, discusses contemporary security issues, international peacekeeping, bilateral defence ties, and geopolitical arenas, relevant to India, Canada, and the world. More specifically, he converses about prospects of peace in Afghanistan, the geopolitics of and Canadian sovereignty over the Arctic, UN peacekeeping programs initiated by Canada, focus areas for India and Canada defence relations, and the Quad initiative.
In this special episode, Professor M.D. Nalapat joins us to discuss the current border stand-off between India and China, sharing a unique glimpse into the policy psyche of India, China and the United States.
Gateway House, in collaboration with the British Deputy High Commission, hosted a roundtable discussion with Sir Michael Fallon, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom. After the discussion, Gateway House interviewed the Minister about the potential for India-UK defence cooperation in dealing with traditional and cyber threats, and hybrid warfare.
In his interview, Rear Admiral (Retd.) Ophir Shoham discusses Israel’s liberal cybersecurity policies and the high levels of export in the cybersecurity sector. According to him, transfer of technology is imperative for Digital India, as for a country to become digital, Infrastructure is most important which is protected by cybersecurity. In the defence space, he mentions the close relationship India and Israel share despite it being a sensitive area. He prescribes a collaboration between the two countries to build weapon systems that they can use to customize defense equipment for the Indian defense system and the Israeli defense system.
In Monica Bhatia's interview, she discusses the changes in the global financial sector in the wake of the Panama papers and the HSBC files, mainly the increase in transparency between banks and governments. She highlights her belief in the Automatic Global Tax Information Sharing Network in countering tax evasion and the success of the methods that governments have already undertaken to enable voluntary disclosures. Lastly, she illustrates the measures under the BEPS system on tax compliance.
In Alexis Dalem's interview he discusses areas on which Thales and India have collaborated in the past and can collaborate in the future, in the defense, security and aerospace spheres, and under the Make in India policy. He laid emphasis on Thales's policy of willingness for technology transfer and production in India and their ambition to co-develop products and export from India, since they have a strong belief in India's industrial competitiveness and skilled workforce. He further applauds Modi's recent FDI changes in India as it allows for this technology transfer, enables Thales to retain a certain level of control in their subsidiaries in India and creates an investment positive business environment.
In Amar Bhattacharya's interview he discusses the desperate need for additional finance to succeed in implementing measures for climate change mitigation. He stresses on the special need for countries like India to access capital, make this transition, and serve as an example for other emerging markets. He highlights the importance of the private sector in entering the green financing sphere as well as the need for the government to establish the blueprint and safety nets necessary to enable these private financiers to invest in green infrastructure.
In this interview Anastasia Likhacheva discusses the impact and a few of the positive externalities of the oil price drop, sanctions and counter sanctions on the Russian economy. Despite Trump’s obvious warmth towards Russia, she doesn’t foresee any major agreements signed between the two countries due to the roadblocks that can be placed by the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate. She further describes the role she sees Russia undertaking in Asian financial institutions like the NDB and the AIIB in the future.
Clas Neumann in his interview envisions the new type of globalisation that the digital economy has created. The increase in distribution of work and revolution of global supply chains. He discusses the winners and losers of the changes in the H1B visa systems, specifically the brain drain reversal, and the alterations the Indian business model needs to make to adjust to these changes. He further emphasises on the idea that for technology companies to foster and develop, their closeness to "innovation clusters" is most important. And describes the role of governments in enabling the cultivating of digital spaces and digital cities.