Interpreting India

The recent war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East have provided valuable lessons when it comes to the nature of future military modernisation and defense innovation. While traditional warfare remains relevant, we are seeing a shift towards multi-domain operations that are more kinetic and are increasingly utilizing autonomous weapons. As India seeks to boost its defence exports, its domestic industry will have a role to play. Several factors have played a role in the recent spike in defence exports—regulatory initiatives, enhanced capability of the private sector, and the desire among other countries to diversify away from their traditional defence partners and look at India instead. Additionally, the INDUS-X initiative between India and the U.S. has also been noted as a welcome mechanism to encourage further defence cooperation in other emerging technologies such as quantum computing, space, cyber-security, and deep-sea technology.What are the potential opportunities that international collaborations present? Will India's domestic industry be able to meet the armed forces' requirements? In this episode of Interpreting India, Ajay Kumar and Konark Bhandari talk about the current status of defence innovation in India and the emerging trends in this space.  Episode ContributorsAjay Kumar is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie India. He served as the defense secretary of India between August 2019 and October 2022 and is the longest serving secretary in the Ministry of Defence, where he also served as secretary in the Department of Defence Production. As defense secretary, Ajay Kumar was the key architect for several major transformations, including the restructuring of higher defense management in the country and formation of the chief of defense staff in the Indian Armed Forces; the launch of the Agniveer scheme—a historic reform in recruitment, training, and retention of personnel in the Armed Forces. Konark Bhandari is a fellow with Carnegie India. He is a lawyer who has researched certain areas in the digital economy, focusing primarily on approaches to antitrust regulation of companies in the digital realm. He had earlier worked at India’s antitrust regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), where he worked closely with senior officials on a variety of matters. He is also an avid follower of the regulation of the space technology ecosystem and is keen to contribute to that discipline. Additional ReadingsINDUS-X: Charting the Way Ahead for India-U.S. Defense Industrial Cooperation, by Konark Bhandari. Can a Defense Innovation Bridge Elevate India-U.S. Defense Cooperation? by Konark Bhandari. Sameer Lalwani on India-U.S. Defense-Industrial Cooperation.U.S.-India Defense Innovation Collaboration: Building on a Promising Start by Konark Bhandari. Every two weeks, Interpreting India brings you diverse voices from India and around the world to explore the critical questions shaping the nation's future. We delve into how technology, the economy, and foreign policy intertwine to influence India's relationship with the global stage.As a Carnegie India production, hosted by Carnegie scholars, Interpreting India, a Carnegie India production, provides insightful perspectives and cutting-edge by tackling the defining questions that chart India's course through the next decade.Stay tuned for thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and a deeper understanding of India's place in the world.Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join the conversation and be part of Interpreting India's journey.

China's increasing presence in South Asia is explored, including its investments and political ties. The podcast discusses China's strategy in the region, its interactions compared to the US, and the impact of its slowing economy on investments. The episode also covers recent developments in India's neighborhood, with a focus on the Communist Party of China's influence on foreign policy.

One of the guiding norms that has shaped the internet over the last few decades is that of online free speech. This norm is protected in many countries by exempting online platforms and intermediaries from liability for the user-generated content published on these platforms. For example, in India, Section 79 of the IT Act of 2000 protects intermediaries from such liability. However, over the last few years, these exemptions have been under scrutiny. Many have called for greater regulation of the practices of platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Reddit. Some reasons for this are the problems related to disinformation, instances of incitement to violence through these platforms, and the censorship of free speech in some cases. To address such concerns, some legislation has been floated or enacted in jurisdictions such as the United States, India, and the European Union. How will these laws alter the digital economy and the norm of protecting free speech online? What are the risks associated with implementing such legislation? What should policymakers keep in mind as these developments pan out?In this episode of Interpreting India, Anupam Chander joins Anirudh Burman to discuss these pressing questions.Episode ContributorsAnupam Chander is the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law and Technology at Georgetown University Law Center. He is the author of The Electronic Silk Road and an expert on the global regulation of new technologies. He practiced law in New York and Hong Kong with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. He has been a visiting law professor at Yale, the University of Chicago, Stanford, Cornell, and Tsinghua. He previously served as the director of the California International Law Center and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law at UC Davis. Anirudh Burman is an associate research director and fellow at Carnegie India. He works on key issues relating to public institutions, public administration, the administrative and regulatory state, and state capacity. He has also worked extensively on financial regulation and regulatory governance.Readings:Facebookistan by Anupam ChanderFree Speech by Anupam Chander and Uyên P. LêGoogling Freedom by Anupam ChanderThe Electronic Silk Road by Anupam Chander Gonzalez v. Google LLC, 598 U.S. ___ (2023)The Digital Services Act Every two weeks, Interpreting India brings you diverse voices from India and around the world to explore the critical questions shaping the nation's future. We delve into how technology, the economy, and foreign policy intertwine to influence India's relationship with the global stage.As a Carnegie India production, hosted by Carnegie scholars, Interpreting India, a Carnegie India production, provides insightful perspectives and cutting-edge by tackling the defining questions that chart India's course through the next decade.Stay tuned for thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and a deeper understanding of India's place in the world.Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join the conversation and be part of Interpreting India's journey.

Vijay Gokhale, former Indian Foreign Secretary, explores India's early relationship with China and its struggle between a declining British Empire and a rising United States. The podcast discusses India's quick recognition of the People's Republic of China, its approach to foreign policy, and the crafting of post-independence foreign policy. It also examines missed opportunities and the decline of India's influence during the Cold War era.

The podcast explores the progress and challenges of electrical connectivity in India, including issues like irregular supply, voltage fluctuations, and distribution losses. It also discusses the impact of coal on climate goals, complexities of renewable energy storage, and the push towards solar power. The conversation highlights the importance of smart meters for optimizing energy consumption and balancing demand, as well as the disparities in power consumption among households. Future prospects in India's energy sector focus on sustainability, affordability, and policy decisions for a better future.

There are similarities between the UN’s efforts to pursue a disarmament strategy for nuclear weapons and the regulation of the military applications of AI. Given the multiple parallel initiatives on this issue, inputs would also have to be gathered from a range of stakeholders already working on the issue, such as the REAIM participants, the United States, and other countries, in order to regulate AI in the military domain. The private sector has a role here to drive governance on this topic as well, given that most of the technology emanates from their R&D efforts. Here, more regulation should not be seen as a roadblock to innovation; instead, it can accelerate it. This is because empirically-based regulations would allow the adoption of such AI systems to be faster. The lack of any such regulation could even lead to undesirable outcomes, which may hamper the growth of the industry.  In this episode of Interpreting India, Izumi Nakamitsu joins Konark Bhandari to discuss the military applications of AI.EPISODE CONTRIBUTORSIzumi Nakamitsu assumed her position as under-secretary-general and high representative for disarmament affairs on May 1, 2017. Prior to taking on this post, she served as assistant administrator of the Crisis Response Unit at the United Nations Development Programme since 2014. She has many years of experience within and outside the UN system, most recently as special adviser ad interim on follow-up to the Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants between 2016 and 2017. She was previously director of the Asia and the Middle East Division of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations between 2012 and 2014 and director of the Department’s Division of Policy, Evaluation and Training from 2008 to 2012. She holds a Master of Science degree in foreign service from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and a Bachelor of Law degree from Waseda University, Tokyo.Konark Bhandari is a fellow with Carnegie India. He is a lawyer who has researched certain areas in the digital economy, focusing primarily on approaches to antitrust regulation of companies in the digital realm. He had earlier worked at India’s antitrust regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), where he worked closely with senior officials on a variety of matters. He is also an avid follower of the regulation of the space technology ecosystem and is keen to contribute to that discipline. While at the CCI, he was a member of the Internal Coordination Committee on the Think Tank on Digital Markets. Konark was also attached to the office of the chairperson of CCI, where his duties involved providing a briefing on live cases as well as speechwriting responsibilities. Konark has published papers in the areas of antitrust, intellectual property, and corporate law.  Every two weeks, Interpreting India brings you diverse voices from India and around the world to explore the critical questions shaping the nation's future. We delve into how technology, the economy, and foreign policy intertwine to influence India's relationship with the global stage.As a Carnegie India production, hosted by Carnegie scholars, Interpreting India, a Carnegie India production, provides insightful perspectives and cutting-edge by tackling the defining questions that chart India's course through the next decade.Stay tuned for thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and a deeper understanding of India's place in the world.Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join the conversation and be part of Interpreting India's journey.

With the onset of winter, severe levels of air pollution have reemerged as a concern in North India. Various factors have been put forth to explain this malaise: stubble burning in farms, vehicular pollution, and pollution due to the construction sector. But even outside of the winter months, the National Capital Region maintains poor air quality, with an AQI of over 200. Can clean transportation help?To speak of clean transportation, which is key to addressing the issue of vehicular pollution, we must first speak of electric passenger and commercial vehicles, low-emission zones, and so on. Each option comes with its own set of challenges. Electric vehicle uptake is low in India and hovers at around 2 percent owing to relatively higher prices, range anxiety, lengthy charging times, a lack of standardized charging points, and a lack of charging infrastructure. However, there are concerted efforts to promote electric vehicles and alternative forms of cleaner transportation in India. The auto PLI scheme and Delhi’s electric vehicle (EV) policy provide incentives that can potentially spur the uptake of electric vehicles. Delhi’s EV policy also addresses the issue of scarce charging infrastructure. This appears to have had results since Delhi’s electric vehicle sales rose to 9 percent in the September–November quarter of 2021 from around 1 percent in 2019–2020. Nor is price as much of a deterrent as it may initially appear, since initial high costs may be offset by long-term gains from heavy usage, such as low fuel and running and maintenance costs.In this episode of Interpreting India, Amit Bhatt joins Sayoudh Roy to discuss these key questions around clean transportation.Episode ContributorsAmit Bhatt is the India managing director at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). He is based in New Delhi and has over twenty years of experience in transportation, urban development, and management. Before joining ICCT, Amit was executive director for integrated transport at WRI India for twelve years. Prior to this, he worked with the Urban Mass Transit Company, India’s leading urban transport consultancy, and with infrastructure leasing and financial services. Sayoudh Roy is a senior research analyst with the Political Economy Program at Carnegie India. His work focuses on the macroeconomic implications of frictions in labor and financial markets and how interactions between them can affect macroeconomic aggregates.Additional ReadingsIndia's Path to Clean Transport is Electric, Strong Central Policies on Zero-Emission Vehicles by Amit Bhatt and Harsimran KaurWhere Are India's Electric Trucks? by Amit Bhatt and Aviral YadavBattery Swapping for Electric Two-Wheelers in India: Strategy Hinterlands, by Pramoda Gode, Sumati Kohli, and Jennifer Callahan How Delhi Is Becoming a Lighthouse City for Electric Mobility in India by Amit BhattImproving Air Quality in Cities Through Transport-Focused Low- and Zero-Emission Zones: Legal Pathways and Opportunities for India by Anuj Dhole, Sandra Wappelhorst, and Amit Bhatt Every two weeks, Interpreting India brings you diverse voices from India and around the world to explore the critical questions shaping the nation's future. We delve into how technology, the economy, and foreign policy intertwine to influence India's relationship with the global stage.As a Carnegie India production, hosted by Carnegie scholars, Interpreting India, a Carnegie India production, provides insightful perspectives and cutting-edge by tackling the defining questions that chart India's course through the next decade.Stay tuned for thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and a deeper understanding of India's place in the world.Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join the conversation and be part of Interpreting India's journey.

D. Shyam Babu, a caste census expert, joins Suyash Rai to discuss the complexities of capturing caste in India, the politics of social justice, and the impact of economic reforms on the caste system. They also explore the challenges of creating citizens in a diverse democracy and the potential of India's social justice project.

One of the most visible signs of India’s economic development in the past seventy-five years has been the growth of its cities. Some of them are now among the largest on the planet, both in terms of area and population. However, Indian cities are far from perfect. They’re often not well planned, coping with problems of rapid growth and inefficient use of land and other resources. Indian cities are also plagued by a lack of basic amenities, such as clean drinking water, sanitation, and solid waste management systems, as well as safety-related problems.What is the scale of the challenges facing India’s cities? What are some of the ideas and themes that are unique to India’s experience of urbanization? What is the global significance of the trends underway in Indian cities?Devashish Dhar discusses many of these questions in his recent book, India’s Blind Spot: Understanding and Managing Our Cities. In this episode, he joins Anirudh Burman to unpack them further.Episode ContributorsDevashish Dhar is a former public policy specialist at NITI Aayog. He is a Mason Fellow from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Li-Ka Shing Scholar from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.Anirudh Burman is an associate research director and fellow at Carnegie India. He works on key issues relating to public institutions, public administration, the administrative and regulatory state, and state capacity. He has also worked extensively on financial regulation and regulatory governance.Additional ReadingsIndia’s Blind Spot: Understanding and Managing Our Cities by Devashish DharUnderstanding Indian Cities by Anirudh BurmanKey Moments00:00); Introduction(02:25); Chapter 1: What Prompted Devashish to Study Indian Cities?(04:55); Chapter 2: Why is Urbanization a Binding Constraint?(07:17); Chapter 3: Transforming Cities: Economic Growth and Socio-Economic Factors (11:50); Chapter 4: Unique Features of India’s Urbanization and Cities (21:49); Chapter 5: Infrastructure, Housing, and Utility Issues in India (29:10); Chapter 6: Are There Any Solutions to High Rents? (36:18); Chapter 7: Causes of Failure to Redevelop Land Property (42:45); Chapter 8: Urban Governance(51:23); Chapter 9: Urban Reforms in Small Cities(54:54); Chapter 9: Children as Figures of Urban Research(01:01:45); Closing Comments (01:02:55); Outro   Every two weeks, Interpreting India brings you diverse voices from India and around the world to explore the critical questions shaping the nation's future. We delve into how technology, the economy, and foreign policy intertwine to influence India's relationship with the global stage.As a Carnegie India production, hosted by Carnegie scholars, Interpreting India, a Carnegie India production, provides insightful perspectives and cutting-edge by tackling the defining questions that chart India's course through the next decade.Stay tuned for thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and a deeper understanding of India's place in the world.Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join the conversation and be part of Interpreting India's journey.

The U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) was launched during the Quad Summit in Tokyo in May 2022. The purpose of the iCET was to expand partnerships in critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors. As part of the iCET, the Semiconductor Industry Association and India Electronics and Semiconductor Association agreed to undertake a “readiness assessment” to identify near-term industry opportunities and facilitate the longer-term strategic development of their complementary semiconductor ecosystems. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a Washington, DC-based science and technology policy think tank, was commissioned to undertake authorship of this assessment.In this episode, Stephen Ezell, vice president for global innovation policy at ITIF, joins Konark Bhandari to discuss the opportunities and obstacles involved in cultivating robust semiconductor supply chains.Episode ContributorsStephen Ezell is vice president for global innovation policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and director of ITIF’s Center for Life Sciences Innovation. He also leads the Global Trade and Innovation Policy Alliance. His areas of expertise include science and technology policy, international competitiveness, trade, and manufacturing. Ezell is also the co-author of Innovating in a Service-Driven Economy: Insights, Application, and Practice and Innovation Economics: The Race for Global Advantage.Konark Bhandari is a fellow at Carnegie India. He is a lawyer who has researched certain areas in the digital economy, focusing primarily on approaches to antitrust regulation of companies in the digital realm. He had earlier worked at India’s antitrust regulator, the Competition Commission of India, where he worked closely with senior officials on a variety of matters. He is also an avid follower of the regulation of the space technology ecosystem and is keen to contribute to that discipline. Additional ReadingsIs India “Ready” for Semiconductor Manufacturing? by Konark BhandariThe Geopolitics of the Semiconductor Industry and India’s Place in It by Konark BhandariKey Moments(00:00); Introduction(02:23); Chapter 1: Offshoring Operations Outside China(05:52); Chapter 2: Utilization of ITSI Funds(09:19); Chapter 3: Friendshoring Initiatives(13:35); Chapter 4: Survival of Supplier Companies (19:06); Chapter 5: Semiconductor Fabrication Ecosystem in India(21:44); Chapter 6: Financial Investments(25:28); Chapter 7: Why Hasn’t India Leveraged the Chip-Designing Ecosystem?(27:48); Chapter 8: Role of Trade Policy in Company Investment(32:26); Chapter 9: Red Tape to Red Carpet: Readiness in India on Investment(35:36); Closing Comments(36:32); Outro  Every two weeks, Interpreting India brings you diverse voices from India and around the world to explore the critical questions shaping the nation's future. We delve into how technology, the economy, and foreign policy intertwine to influence India's relationship with the global stage.As a Carnegie India production, hosted by Carnegie scholars, Interpreting India, a Carnegie India production, provides insightful perspectives and cutting-edge by tackling the defining questions that chart India's course through the next decade.Stay tuned for thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and a deeper understanding of India's place in the world.Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join the conversation and be part of Interpreting India's journey.