Underwater Domain Awareness in Indian Coastal Regions: Strengthening Security, Sustainability, and Strategic Collaboration
SPEAKERS: Vice Admiral M P Muralidharan, AVSM & Bar, NM (Retd), Former Director General, Indian Coast Guard Dr (Cdr) Arnab Das, Founder & Director, Maritime Research Centre (MRC) MODERATOR: Aleena T Sabu, Research Associate (International Relations), CPPR, Kochi, Kerala, India
Analysing India’s Defence Allocation in Budget 2026-27: Modernisation in the Shadow of Operation Sindoor
Introduction The Union Budget 2026-27 has allocated a historic Rs 7.85 lakh crore (approximately $93.5 billion) to the Ministry of Defence, marking a significant 15.19% increase over the previous year’s estimates (BE) of Rs 6.81 lakh crore. This allocation must be viewed through the lens of the Modi government’s long-term trajectory; since taking office in…
Event Report — The 18th BRICS Summit: India’s Priorities and the Future of the Global South | CPPR
ABOUT THE TOPIC Ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, the Centre for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA), Kochi, in collaboration with Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), Kottayam, organised a roundtable on “The 18th BRICS Summit: India’s Priorities and the Future of the Global South” on 8 September 2026. The discussion examined BRICS’s evolving role, India’s priorities during…
Xi’s visit and the path toward normalcy in India-China relations
While the bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Xi marked a step towards normalcy, differing official readouts on the border issue and other sensitive topics highlight persistent challenges The BRICS 2026 Summit concluded successfully in New Delhi, culminating in the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration. Beijing will host the next BRICS Summit….
The Missing Middle: Unmeasured Diaspora Investment in India–GCC Relations
India’s Ministry of External Affairs describes the roughly 10 million Indians in the GCC (Ministry of External Affairs 2026) as a “living bridge” between India and the Gulf (Ministry of External Affairs 2025). This article argues that the diaspora is a stratified network whose tiers are unequally visible in official data and that a middle…
Do Rules and Regulations Help? A Theory to Test the Effect of Increasing Rules and Regulations in Society
An Analogy Consider an examination hall. If the teacher cannot see one student, the likelihood of his cheating is 1. If two students are in the blind spot, the likelihood of their cheating is 4. For instance, if the students are A and B, A can cheat by himself, B can cheat by himself, A…
Rethinking Kerala’s Pollution Control Fees for Flats and Apartments
High-rise apartments are becoming increasingly important to Kerala’s urban housing landscape as urbanisation expands and the distinction between urban and rural areas continues to diminish. With limited developable land, a long coastline and extensive ecologically sensitive areas, the scope for horizontal expansion is constrained. Infopark (Kochi) and Technopark (Thiruvananthapuram, near Kazhakootam) created concentrated white-collar job…
Reforming Fire Safety in India: An Urgent Policy Imperative
A total of 9 people died in a recent fire incident at a residential building in southwest Delhi’s Palam area. The National Crime Record Bureau data shows a decline in the number of fire accidents in India, a decrease from 27,976 fire accidents in 1999 to only 7,566 accidents in 2022. However, this decline in…
ALTERNATE AGENDA FOR THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON TOBACCO CONTROL (FCTC)CONFERENCE OF PARTIES-10 (COP 10)
The history of tobacco in India is long and intricate, deeply entwined in its culture and economics. India has been a significant producer and consumer of tobacco for centuries but its widespread use, particularly in the form of smoking beedi and chewing, has raised significant concerns for public health. India is home to one of…