Bangladesh’s holistic development is viewed positively by New Delhi, with new opportunities arising along India’s northeastern region
ISRO Needs a Rejig - Before Success Becomes its Biggest Constraint
India now has companies capable of manufacturing rockets, satellites, electronics, structures and other space hardware. New private space companies are developing technologies at a speed that would have been difficult to imagine a decade ago.
India’s First Private Orbital Satellite Launch: Need to Transform 'Private' Milestone Into Enduring Instrument of National Power
Beijing had regional dominance (e.g., the Shanghai Xingshu LEO projects). India has built a counter-weight. It now offers competitive, on-demand orbital routing through NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, and IN-SPACe, its regulator.
Closing South Asia’s Mental Health Gap With AI: It can Improve Access, Reduce Delay and Connect More People
For people with mild to moderate distress, an AI-assisted system could provide brief, structured support based on evidence-based psychological techniques. For high-risk cases such as suicidal thoughts, psychotic symptoms, or acute trauma, the system should immediately refer the person to a human professional or a trained community health worker.
AI for Every Nepali: Jobs, Prosperity and Nepal’s Next Development Leap
Nepal does not need to become Silicon Valley. It does not need to copy India, China, Singapore or Canada. Nepal needs an AI strategy rooted in its own realities: young talent, hydropower potential, local problems, growing IT services, tourism, agriculture, small businesses and a global diaspora.
More on AI, Tech and Innovation
Maiden voyage of Tata Steel shipment from eastern to northeastern India - via Bangaldesh; logistic chain for feedstock movement also established
In a move to demonstrate the effectiveness of multi-modal cargo movement in eastern South Asia, the maiden voyage of a steel cargo-laden barge from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Bengal's Haldia to Pandu Port in Guwahati was flagged off by India's Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal through what is being called in official jargon the Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR)
Bangladesh seeks India’s assistance in developing its railway and power infrastructure
India has agreed to supply locomotives, passenger carriages, and technology for railway signaling systems to Bangladesh as Dhaka sought New Delhi’s assistance in developing and modernizing its railway infrastructure
Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basit Rajapaksa to visit India to sign deal on economic assistance
Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa will visit India soon for the signing of important deals on economic assistance to the crisis-hit country, Foreign Minister G L Peiris confirmed
Sri Lanka to tap destination wedding segment to revive its tourism sector
Sri Lankan authorities are planning to promote the picturesque Indian Ocean island country as an option for global couples looking for a destination wedding on a reasonable budget
Doing business in India: Hyundai, KFC, Pizza Hut learn it doesn't pay to cause offence
Following a social media outcry in India, and calls for a boycott of Hyundai, which has a major presence in India's large consumer market, the South Korean government on Tuesday was forced to firefight and said it "regretted the offence caused to the people of India" after a Pakistan dealer of Seoul-headquartered automobile manufacturer Hyundai posted a social media message - now deleted - indicating support for separatists in Kashmir
Nepal may lose a $500 US grant under the MCC compact
Nepal may lose the 500 million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an independent US foreign-policy aid agency, if it fails to ratify the MCC-Nepal Compact in the Nepali Parliament by 28 February, the MCC Headquarters has warned in a letter to the Nepali government, which has been delaying the process now for over four years
ADB disbursed loans worth $4.6 bn to India in 2021; a third of it for pandemic response
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) disbursed loans worth a record $4.6 billion to India in 2021, including $1.8 billion towards coronavirus response
India’s budget envisions a technology-enabled economy for 25 years
The Indian Finance Minister announced the introduction of ‘digital rupee’, using blockchain and other technologies in 2022-23 to give a big boost to the digital economy
India's budget is reflective of a distorted political economy
The budget shows that the government’s commitment to the bottom 30-40 percent of the Indian population seems to be very limited
Sri Lanka seeks IMF support amid worsening economic crisis; signs agreement with India for $500 million line of credit
Amid the worsening economic crisis, Sri Lanka has written to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) seeking “technical support” in tackling the ongoing crisis, confirmed Finance Minister Basit Rajapaksa, after the government kept avoiding the IMF option for months amid domestic pressure
IMF approves $1 billion for Pakistan, revives $6 billion package
In what comes as a big relief to Pakistan’s struggling economy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved $1 billion for Pakistan after the latter implemented reform measures suggested by the former, thus reviving the $6 billion package, which was stalled since June last year
India reduces development assistance to neighbors in budget 2022
Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, see cuts in their allocations in the financial year 2022-23, while Bangladesh, Maldives, and Myanmar receive higher funds in comparison to the last year.
Amid fuel shortage, Sri Lanka to purchase diesel from Indian Oil Corporation
Amid the growing fuel crisis exacerbated by a foreign exchange crisis, the Sri Lankan government has decided to purchase diesel from India’s state-owned Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), and a proposal for the purchase has been cleared by the Cabinet on Tuesday
Sri Lanka seeks market access for its goods in crisis-hit Turkey
Sri Lanka has sought market access in Turkey for its goods when Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited Sri Lanka for the promotion of the bilateral trade between the two countries
