Sovereign AI

Sovereign AI: Why It Must Become a Strategic National Priority for India

For a Viksit Bharat, data, computation and intelligence will become strategic resources. Protecting them is not protectionism; it is prudent nation-building. India should remain globally connected, internationally collaborative and technologically ambitious but sovereign enough to protect its citizens, institutions and national interests.

AI: The Race Without a Finish Line

The real significance of AI, therefore, may not be about who is the first to cross some hypothetical finish line called AGI. It may be about who is able to diffuse AI most rapidly through the real economy, into factories, services, logistics, research and everyday business

AI Evolution and Consequences: Is Mankind Playing With Fire?

But a plausible scenario about fear of AI could result when a rogue human coder may put in a malicious code (out of mischief ) in this far-from-equilibrium AI system and start a chain of events which may destroy the system. 

ISRO! Don’t Privatise Yesterday’s Rockets: Build Tomorrow’s With Industry

The purpose of privatisation, therefore, should not be to find a private buyer for every government-developed rocket. It should be to create an industry capable of designing, manufacturing, operating and eventually improving India's future launch vehicles. 

More on AI, Tech and Innovation

Bangladesh achieves 100 percent electrification, announces Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh achieved the enviable target of electrifying every house in the country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced on Monday, almost 13 years after the government launched an ambitious rural electrification program

Ukraine war unlikely to impact Indian economy in a big way

Given the meager oil dependency on Russia and India’s past experience to tackle global oil price shocks, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is unlikely to cause any major impact on the economy, writes S. Majumder for South Asia Monitor

Ten million to get subsidized food in Bangladesh amid skyrocketing inflammation

Over ten million poor people in Bangladesh will receive subsidized food as the government is all set to implement an ambitious scheme aiming to provide relief to poor people being affected by skyrocketing commodities prices

Sri Lanka’s fuel crisis likely to ease as India extends $1 billion line of credit; IMF says exploring all options

Sri Lanka’s crippling energy crisis is expected to ease in the coming days as India extended a $1 billion line of credit, bringing total assistance to Colombo around $2.4 billion since January this year

India needs to expand trade with neighbours: Home Minister

India's Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the country needed to expand trade with the neighbouring countries as in the next ten years it would be among the top manufacturing countries. He, however, did not specify the countries

Sri Lanka to work with IMF, says President Gotabaya Rajapaksa; asks people to have faith in his actions amid economic hardship

Sri Lanka will seek support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced in a rare speech on Wednesday, where he acknowledged, for the first time, “sufferings” and “difficulties” faced by people as the island country faces one of its worst economic crises

'India's oil purchases from Russia won't violate US sanctions'; media reports talk of 'deep discount' in Russian sales

Accounting for under 3 per cent, Russia is not a major supplier of oil to India, which gets most of it from the Middle East, while the US is also emerging as an important source for energy products

Bangladesh brings 100% population under electricity coverage; joins Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Bhutan in South Asia

Dhaka has also been exploring trilateral cooperation in power sectors among India-Bhutan-Bangladesh and Nepal-India-Bangladesh

Bangladesh tops in women’s leadership in listed firms in South Asia

A new study conducted by the International Financial Corporation (IFC) and Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) puts Bangladesh at the top in South Asia when it comes to women’s leadership in listed firms. In 2021, women directors in listed firms were around six percent in comparison to five percent in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world.  

India’s expanding energy footprint: Sri Lanka awards two mega renewable power projects to the Adani Group

Sri Lanka last week signed a deal with India’s Adani Group, awarding the latter two mega renewable power projects in the northern part of the country, as Colombo faces its worst power crisis, primarily caused by the foreign exchange crisis, in decades

Ukraine war will have long-lasting impact on emerging economies

Amidst the Ukraine war, Indian exporters are worried about exports and have seen an early trend in declining orders for engineering goods and apparels

India will not experience oil shortage, assures minister

Despite the Russia-Ukraine war that has sent oil prices skyrocketing, there will be no shortage of crude oil in India, even though the country imports the bulk of its energy requirements, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri assured

Sri Lankan finance minister likely to visit India this month amid worsening energy crisis

Indian External Minister S Jaishankar and Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa held a telephonic conversation and the former assured that New Delhi will continue to assist the island country which has been going through perhaps its worst economic crises

India, Bangladesh to work on economic pact

In a further intent of their deepening ties and optimising bilateral connectivty, India and Bangladesh will conduct a joint study on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) at a commerce secretary-level talks on Friday, according to an official statement

Poppy cultivation on the rise in southern Afghanistan: 'There is nothing else to cultivate', say farmers

Contrary to the Taliban’s previous assurances on banning poppy cultivation, the group this year seems to be actively encouraging opium production