Indian cities with their contribution of around two-thirds of the GDP are expected to play an instrumental role as the country’s ‘engines of economic growth'. The union budget 2023-24 has tried give a push to cities by way of capital expenditure.
Indian foreign policy has been geared toward setting up strong partnerships in recent years. From a nation that was diffident about getting together with like minded partners, New Delhi today is demonstrating its commitment in forging ties with those nations with whom it feels politically in sync. Trust based partnerships are re-defining the global landscape today and India is moving ahead with a degree of seriousness not seen in recent history as it configures its global posture as a leading power in the international system. This is particularly true of the Indo-Pacific where old partnerships have been resurrected and new ones have been crafted at a time of significant flux in the regional order. It is India’s engagement with Australia that stands out for the speed with which the two nations have been able to transform their bilateral engagement.
By directing the Election Commission to be appointed by a non-partisan panel, the Supreme Court strengthens democracy. But more needs to be done for institutional independence. EC, as well as all other regulatory bodies made autonomous of the executive, should be made answerable to designated committees of Parliament. This is essential to ensure the democratic accountability of all institutions to the ultimate sovereign, the people.
ow does the world prepare for a pandemic that might cause mass destruction or not materialise at all? Bodies such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) exist. The CEPI’s mission is to find a vaccine for a new pandemic threat within 100 days. It works on the basis of fund commitments from various countries.
Splintering urbanism is a reality that has roots in the neo-liberal paradigm of urbanisation, which started nearly three decades back in India. Cities have suffered from the fragmentation of access, control, and pricing of network infrastructure, including water supply. The fragmentation is due to political-economic processes-neoliberalism-that have changed the ways cities are governed and services provided.
On March 2, Italian Prime Minister (PM) Giorgia Meloni inaugurated the Raisina Dialogue 2023, co-organized by the ministry of external affairs and the Observer Research Foundation. Earlier in the day, during her first official visit to Delhi, she held a bilateral meeting with PM Narendra Modi, and signed a series of bilateral agreements, elevating India-Italy relations to a strategic partnership.