South Asia Chat

Episode 233: Decoding the Indian Political Landscape Ahead of 2024 General Elections

In this episode of South Asia Chat, Mr Raghaw Khattri, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Ronojoy Sen, Senior Research Fellow, and Research Lead of the Politics, Society and Governance cluster at ISAS, to discuss the political landscape in India ahead of the general elections. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion of the BJP winning 370 seats, the discussion probes the party's anticipated gains in specific regions and its challenges in South India. Analysis extends to the Congress' seat-sharing alliances in North India, exploring the potential impact of collaborations with the Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party, and others. The discussion also analyses the trend of opposition leaders joining the BJP and the risk of complacency in BJP’s bid for a third term.

Episode 232: Bhutan's LDC Graduation

Bhutan graduated from the United Nation’s List of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in December 2023, making it only the seventh country in the world to be able to do so. In this episode, Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS is in conversation with Dr Dil Bahadur Rahut, Vice-Chair of Research and Senior Research Fellow at the Asian Development Bank Institute. They discuss various aspects related to Bhutan’s developmental journey and given its recent LDC graduation, the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Episode 231: The Elections in Pakistan 2024

Pakistan recently held its long awaited parliamentary elections which saw 44 political parties compete for 266 seats in the National Assembly. Over the course of the days following the elections, result have been flowing in and revealing a complicated political landscape in the country. To discuss the elections, its emerging results and the evolving political landscape, Dr Imran Ahmed, Research Fellow, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Zahid Shahab Ahmed, Honorary Fellow, Deakin University and Non-resident Fellow, ISAS.

Episode 230: India Budget Analysis 2024

On 1 February 2024, India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her sixth union budget. This interim budget, preceding India’s upcoming general elections, has continued focus on fiscal consolidation while lowering capital expenditure growth and drawing focus on women and youth-centric issues. To unpack the budget and understand its continuities and discontinuities, Mr Saeeduddin Faridi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Mr Subhomoy Bhattacharjee, Coordinator, Centre for Maritime Economy and Connectivity. They discuss how this budget stands different from past interim budgets, the significance of the fiscal deficit number and what the post-election budget may look like among other things.

Episode 229: Transformations of South Asian cities and Politics of Space in Sri Lanka

In 2024, South Asian countries faced elections and numerous economic stressors. In this context, cities, which have been subject to rapid transformations over decades of development and political projects are an important site of observation in how these developments play out. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Professor Nihal Perera, Emeritus Professor of Urban Planning at Ball State University, US, speaks to Dr Rajni Gamage, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, on the transformation of cities in South Asia and the politics of space in Sri Lanka.

Episode 228: Strategic Outlook for South Asia in 2024 - Strategic Technologies

The year 2024 brings with it more developments in strategic technologies, a key issue for countries across South Asia. From artificial intelligence to 5G data networks, states in the subcontinent, especially India, are strategising through multilateral and bilateral cooperation on initiatives like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, to increase their imprint in the geopolitical technology arena. In this episode, Ms Tanujja Dadlani, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Karthik Nachiappan, Research Fellow, ISAS. They discuss India’s developments in Digital Public Infrastructure, its Digital Personal Data Protection Act, and how it is adapting to and countering the rise of other key players in the region such as China.

Episode 227: Strategic Outlook for South Asia in 2024 - Trade and Economics

South Asia is expected to grow between 5.2 and 5.6 per cent in 2024. In this episode, Ms Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS discusses the trade and economic outlook for South Asia this year with Dr Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics), ISAS. They cover a range of economic issues, including the drivers of growth, size and type of investments, trade and connectivity, remittance flows and ways in which countries in the region can ensure their economic security going ahead.

Episode 226: Strategic Outlook for South Asia in 2024 - Politics and Governance Edition

The year 2024 is a major election year in South Asia with countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India going to polls. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Mr Raghaw Khattri, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Ronojoy Sen, Senior Research Fellow, and Research Lead of the Politics, Society and Governance cluster at ISAS, to discuss South Asia’s strategic outlook for 2024. Dr Sen discusses the upcoming elections in South Asia and focuses on various domestic nuances in India, such as the impact of Ram Mandir on the election campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party in India, the Modi factor, and the challenges of the INDIA alliance.

Episode 225: Strategic Outlook For South Asia in 2024 - Foreign Policy Edition

The year 2023 brought about significant geopolitical developments such as the onset of the Israel-Palestine conflict, continuation of Russia-Ukraine war and intensification of the Sino-US rivalry, all of which have had a significant impact on the international order and on South Asia. These geopolitical developments are likely to continue to drive foreign policies. Simultaneously, domestic developments such as India’s landing on the moon, hosting of the G20 and elections in Bhutan, Bangladesh and India will influence South Asia’s foreign policy outlook. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ms. Devyani Chaturvedi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Yogesh Joshi, Research Fellow, ISAS, to discuss South Asia’s strategic outlook for 2024.

Episode 224: Food Security - Opportunities, Challenges and Way Ahead for South Asia and Beyond

Food insecurity has remained amongst the gravest concerns in the world wherein post-pandemic the global food insecurity rose to 11.9%, with instances of undernutrition, malnutrition remaining higher in certain parts of the world like Africa, South Asia etc.  Although 2023 has witnessed certain incremental improvement and steps taken by the United Nations creating a roadmap for countries to ensure food security. However, recent COP 28 negotiations depict that there is a long way to go. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ms. Devyani Chaturvedi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Puspa Sharma, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, ISAS, to discuss the state of food security in South Asia and the challenges and opportunities emerging from policy-actions around it.