That fateful March 1977 election vindicated Indian democratic traditions and proved the triumph of freedom over bread, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor

The distribution of the COVID-19 package across countries of the South Asian region shows that India has been one of the largest beneficiaries but the per capita package is lower than the Maldives and Bhutan due to the smaller population of these countries, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

Although the COVID-19 crisis has provided an immediate context for Indian outreach, health has been for years on its foreign policy agenda and New Delhi has been quite active in promoting global health partnerships, writes Saroj Mohanty for South Asia Monitor

June 25, 2020, is the 45th anniversary of the infamous Emergency imposed on the country by Mrs. Gandhi, even while countrywide protests had erupted against her continuation in power, writes Vinod Aggarwal for South Asia Monitor 

We need to step out of the stated and irrevocable positions taken, think out of the box, accept existing ground realities, create the right atmospherics amongst the people and international community and come up with a pragmatic solution, writes Lt Gen P R Kumar (retd) for South Asia Monitor

The gloves are indeed off. Now New Delhi must ensure that the Indian Army’s mountain corps is made fully ready to foil further Chinese military moves, writes Anil Bhat for South Asia Monitor 

Potential Indian defence ministers will have to be qualified to carry out the duties and responsibilities of that office effectively. This will automatically generate a culture of strategic thinking in the political rank and file, writes Lt Gen (Dr) Yash Malhotra (retd) for South Asia Monitor

The Chinese are extremely wary and suspicious of India's growing closeness with the US and feel that the US was seeking to "draw a line" around China, writes Tarun Basu for South Asia Monitor 

China’s message to India is loud and clear that it has absolutely no intention to withdraw soon. It has also proved that the collusive support of China and Pakistan to each other against India has been translated into reality, writes Lt Gen Rameshwar Roy (retd) for South Asia Monitor 

Since Bangladesh is among the lowest testing countries, Rohingyas living in these makeshift camps are largely deprived of testing for COVID-19, writes Shanjida Shahab Uddin for South Asia Monitor

Experts feel that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about new opportunities for regional cooperation in South Asia with the setting up of an emergency fund of $10 million to fight the pandemic with India's initiative, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

 While India never had hegemonistic tendencies, China the ‘middle power’ always wanted to restore its past glory by any means, which included grabbing/occupying land and maritime zones based on its perception of past ownership, writes Lt Gen P R Kumar (retd) for South Asia Monitor

The efficiency of response has varied across India. Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and the Northeastern states responded well, with strong public health measures combined with empathetic social services, writes Prof. K. Srinath Reddy for South Asia Monitor

China has made all-out efforts to draw Nepal into its strategic sphere and has stoked anti-India feelings,  writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

In SAARC political agenda always dominated social and economic issues, whereas in successful regional organizations like ASEAN and EU, socio-economic issues prevailed over politics, writes Aneek Chatterjee for South Asia Monitor