Understanding the Challenges faced by India’s Trade Sector

April 11, 2023

India currently has a significant trade deficit with a few countries, including China. While the NFTP aims to address these trade imbalances by increasing India’s exports (by promoting value-added exports and diversifying the Indian export basket), achieving these goals is likely to be a tough challenge for the Indian government....

Understanding the NFTP 2023

April 11, 2023

The GoI officially launched the NFTP on 31st March, 2023 and the policy comes at a critical time, especially as the global economy is facing a slowdown and India’s exports have been struggling. It aims to not only alleviate the problems faced by exporters but also create a roadmap for...

End of Five-year Foreign Trade Policy (2015-2020)

April 11, 2023

In 2015, the Government of India (GoI) published a five-year Foreign Trade Policy (2015-2020), which focused on increasing exports and promoting the “Make in India” initiative. The policy aimed at increasing the country’s share of world exports to 3.5 percent from 2 per cent. The policy included measures to achieve...

New Foreign Trade Policy for a New India

April 11, 2023

On 31 March, the Indian government unveiled its New Foreign Trade Policy (NFTP) with the key goal of increasing the country’s exports to $2 trillion by 2030. The NFTP, which will replace India’s last FTP (2015-20) is the first policy without an end date or period to enable the government...

What are the issues surrounding the elections?

April 5, 2023

One of the major issues on voters’ minds and being played into by parties to fight the 2023 state elections is corruption. The term of the current BJP government in the state has been marred by a slew of large-scale corruption allegations. In July 2021, the president of the Karnataka...

What is the current on-ground sentiment?

April 5, 2023

The months leading up to the state Assembly elections have seen several high-profile defections, including BJP leader from Chikkamagluru H.D. Thammaiah and four-time MLC Puttanna, both of whom left the BJP to join the Congress. Although the elections are only a month away, the parties are yet to announce their...

Countdown Karnataka Assembly elections

April 5, 2023

The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced last week that elections to the 224-member Karnataka state Assembly will be held on 10th May in a single phase and the results will be announced on 13th May. The coalition government of Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) and the Indian National Congress (INC)...

Which Indian islands are under threat of disappearance?

March 29, 2023

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are perhaps the most famous islands in India, is a group of 836 islands perched at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Out of the hundreds of islands around 31 are inhabited. However, the islands have experienced a major...

Climate change and rising sea levels

March 29, 2023

It is estimated that more than 7,500 square kilometres of Indian coastline are at high risk for the impact of climate change-related events fueled by rising sea levels. Sea levels alongside the Indian coast have been estimated to have risen by 8.5 centimetres in the past fifty years. Scientific predictions...

The Threat of India’s Sinking Islands

March 28, 2023

The coastal regions of India are home to around 170 million people. However, the effects of climate change, rising sea levels, erosion, and the increase in extreme weather events such as tropical storms and cyclones are threatening the lives of people living in India’s coastal regions, in particular, those living...