Living as Equals
Introduction Gender identity is deeply embedded in our being. Globally, until recently, gender was viewed through the binaries of male and female. In India, the decision of the Indian Supreme Court in April 2014...
Drugs, Drugs, Drugs
Introduction India is the third largest producer of drugs in the world in terms of volume. However, while India has emerged as a key pharmaceutical player globally over the years, it continues to grapple...
Justice of the People, by the People, for the People
Introduction What is justice? The answer to this question has evolved with time, as each great philosopher of his era propounded a different view. Each era has interpreted and delivered justice in its own...
Analysing the Unintended Consequences of Foreign Aid
Introduction and History When the government of a country has to borrow from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it is obliged to adjust its economic policies in line with those suggested by the IMF...
Revisiting Fashion and Sustainability: A Holistic Perspective
BGIF Dialogue Volume II In partnership with Centre for Research Into Sustainability and Copenhagen Business School Thursday, 22.10.20 | 4.30PM IST INTRODUCTION Can the fashion industry ever be sustainable? This unsettling question – being...
On the Other Side of COVID-19: A Green Renaissance?
BGIF Dialogue Volume I Friday, 25.09.20 | 5.30PM IST INTRODUCTION As the debate towards a suitable economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic gains momentum, one of the greatest challenges confronting Indian policymakers will be...
Towards Sustainable Agriculture
India produces about 350 million tonnes of agricultural waste annually. Interestingly, this agricultural waste can be used to produce high quality mushrooms. Indeed, studies have shown that there are approximately 2,300 species of fungi...
Weathering the Storm
  Hundreds of lives are lost due to Assam floods every year. Thousands are left homeless. Not just humans, the floods spell doom for animals in the famous Kaziranga National Park as well, destroying...
Mental Health Matters
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis that has brought the entirety of civilization to a standstill, with currently 15 million active cases worldwide. Not only does a pandemic present risk associated with...
Ignoring the Environment: A Recipe for Disaster
Amidst a global pandemic where the cry is to connect with nature, the Indian government for one seems to be moving further away. A move, that is the Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), 2020,...
Empowerment through Education
Introduction Nelson Mandela said that education is the most powerful weapon with which you can change the world. As a nation that has become a force to reckon with, India is gearing up to...
Greening India’s Growth
As the Great Lockdown slowly comes to an end, we will soon witness the damage our flawed models and technologies – including our healthcare systems – have caused to this planet, having lost nearly...
Nature and Nation
The relationship between ‘nature’ and ‘nation’ is an intricate and historical one. In this essay, ‘nation’ or ‘nation state’ is taken to mean a country represented by a sovereign government. Nation states have historically...
Artificial Intelligence in Indian Agriculture
Introduction In India, the agriculture and the allied sector contributes less than 17% to its US$ 3 trillion economy today (Sunder, 2018). Average annual farmer incomes remain abysmally low at ₹77,976 (or US$ 1,128;...
Stubble Burning in Haryana
Haryana, situated in the basin of major perennial river systems, has been a dominant agricultural economy since its inception in 1966. The incessant push toward its agricultural sector, led by the Green Revolution in...