Category South Asia Studies Center

India-Fiji Relations

India-Fiji Relations: The Indian Diaspora in Fiji–Strengthening Cultural Diplomacy and Strategic Partnerships

India-Fiji relations are deeply rooted in a shared historical journey, tracing back to the ancestral legacy of indentured laborers who first migrated to Fiji under Bristish colonial rule.
Today, Indo-Fijians comprise nearly 37% of Fiji’s population, though their share has declined due to emigration to Australia, New Zealand, and other Pacific nations such as Papua New Guinea. Despite this, the community continues to preserve its traditions—language, cuisine, religion, and vibrant festivals—while adapting to local realities. This resilience underscores the enduring strength of diaspora communities. This migration not only created a resilient Indo-Fijian community but also laid the foundation for enduring cultural, social and diplomatic ties between both nations and the broader pacific.

Free coaching

Free Coaching for SCs, OBCs, and beneficiaries of the PM CARES Children Scheme

The Free Coaching for SCs, OBCs, and beneficiaries of the PM CARES Children Scheme is an initiative taken by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India. The scheme aims to provide high-quality coaching to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and beneficiaries of the PM CARES Children scheme, who were included from 2024-25. These groups often face systemic inequalities and exclusion that hinder their access to educational resources.

SOAR

SOAR: Skilling for AI Readiness

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly increasing in the everyday life of humans. As the global demand for AI-related skills is rising, SOAR aims to create a future-ready generation equipped with technical knowledge and ethical and societal understanding required to navigate AI-driven transformation. This programme is part of a larger mission under Skill India, celebrating its 10th anniversary alongside the launch. The world is witnessing the revolution led by technological advancement, machine learning, AI, data analytics and automation. Unfortunately, Access to AI education in India has remained limited to higher education and elite institutions. The SOAR Programme breaks the barrier by introducing these subjects to classes of  6 to 12, including less resourceful schools, and by ensuring teachers are trained to deliver the subject. It aspires to build the largest AI-ready school population in the world, as declared by the Union Minister, Jayant Chaudhary.

EPA 2024

India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) 2024: Strengthening Economic and Strategic Partnership

The EPA signed in 2024 emerged from the context not merely as a recovery mechanism for Sri Lanka, but as a test case for India’s evolving regional economic diplomacy. As someone seeking to understand how bilateral cooperation is shaped by mutual dependency, geopolitical calculations and economic leverage. This agreement offers a timely lens in  which to explore the political economy of regional integration. Hence, this article attempts to examine the EPA not just as a policy document, but as a strategic narrative. Critics question  whether it reflects a shift toward mutualism or masks deeper asymmetries beneath an ambitious framework.

Strengthening Regional Resilience: The role of the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate

The BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate (BCWC) is a joint effort as part of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
It is established by seven member countries of BIMSTEC, namely- Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indian, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Remembering Ambedkar: His enduring vision and India’s constitutional journey

The ideas and ideals of Babasaheb, whose birth anniversary is today, on April 14, still guide and motivate us. But there’s another special date to remember — January 26, the day we adopted the Constitution in 1950. This year, our Constitution turned 75. Whenever we find ourselves at the crossroads of a constitutional dilemma, we find ourselves turning to the Constituent Assembly debates and the words of Babasaheb, hoping that they will guide us in resolving not only our constitutional quandary but also our moral and social ones.

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