Rajiv Gandhi Institute For Contemporary Studies
May 30, 2025
India's ties with Bangladesh soured after Sheikh Hasina's ouster, rising Islamist influence, and trade tensions. With Pakistan, India adopted a tougher stance post-terror attacks, suspending the Indus Water Treaty. China’s growing regional influence complicates matters. Surrounded by instability, India faces a fragile peace and shifting dynamics across its neighbourhood from Myanmar to Afghanistan.
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January 31, 2025
Indian courts have played a critical role in reinforcing constitutional values. Recent landmark judgments addressed issues like remission for convicts, electoral transparency, bail rights, and protection against illegal demolitions. Historic cases like Kesavananda Bharati established the Basic Structure Doctrine, ensuring that constitutional amendments cannot violate fundamental principles. Courts have also broadened Article 21 to include rights like privacy, dignity, and personal liberty.
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December 31, 2024
The article explores India's relationships with Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Nepal, focusing on strategic concerns, economic ties, border issues, and China's growing influence in the region. To strengthen these relations, a “Panchmukhi” strategy is suggested, emphasizing diplomacy, cooperation, and steering clear of populist politics that could harm bilateral ties.
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November 30, 2024
India’s relations with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Maldives, and Bangladesh are shaped by regional security, China's influence, economic cooperation, and political dynamics. Issues include Pakistan-backed terrorism, China’s strategic presence, political shifts in Maldives, and growing anti-India sentiments in Bangladesh
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May 30, 2024
India-China relations have deteriorated over the past five years, shifting from cordial diplomacy to border skirmishes and strategic rivalry. Despite tensions, India's trade dependency on China remains high, with China becoming India's top trade partner. The article emphasizes India's struggle to address the growing trade deficit
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May 7, 2024
The report “Meeting India’s Ever Growing Energy Demand – Implications for Domestic and Foreign Policy” by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies (RGICS) provides a comprehensive analysis of India’s escalating energy requirements and the multifaceted strategies needed to address them. India’s energy consumption has surged, with electricity demand projected to double by 2030, making […]
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November 30, 2023
The G20, formed in 1999 amid global financial turmoil, has become a key forum for international economic cooperation. While it unites major economies to address crises and development issues, its effectiveness is often hindered by internal divisions, non-binding commitments, and geopolitical tensions. India’s 2023 presidency highlighted Global South concerns, yet challenges in implementation and consensus continue to persist.
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November 30, 2023
This article critically examines realpolitik through the lens of the Israel-Palestine conflict, highlighting how power-centric diplomacy, moral myopia, and historical injustice have perpetuated displacement, identity erasure, and humanitarian crises. It explores global hypocrisy, India's diplomatic shift, and the tragic cost of national interest trumping ethics, ultimately revealing the devastating consequences of unchecked geopolitical ambition and ideological extremism.
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July 31, 2021
India–China relations remain tense due to border disputes, mistrust, and power asymmetry. The G7 seeks to counter China’s influence, while Biden emphasizes alliances and democratic values. Experts note India’s strategic tilt toward the U.S. amid China’s assertiveness. Despite talks and disengagement efforts, unresolved tensions raise doubts about restoring trust or achieving a stable balance.
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July 31, 2021
India’s relations with neighbours rest on trade, security and infrastructure but are shaped by politics, nationalism and China’s influence. Ties with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives, Mauritius and Myanmar reveal progress in connectivity, defence, and development, yet disputes over borders, water, migrants and domestic politics persist. Managing perceptions and soft power remains India’s biggest diplomatic challenge.
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July 31, 2021
India–U.S. relations under the Biden administration show promise and strain. Cooperation spans defense, economy, and pandemic aid, but challenges include India’s Russia ties, trade frictions, and divergent climate policies. Human rights concerns, especially on minorities and expression, complicate engagement. Balancing strategic partnership with democratic values will determine whether this vital relationship strengthens or faces setbacks in the coming years.
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July 31, 2021
Afghanistan’s evolving crisis after U.S. withdrawal and Taliban’s rise deeply impacts India’s strategic choices. Historically invested through aid, infrastructure, and soft power, India now faces Pakistan’s proxy influence and China’s growing presence. Security threats, especially spillover into Kashmir, complicate matters. To safeguard interests, India must adapt—balancing non-engagement with pragmatic outreach to the Taliban while sustaining development partnerships.
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June 30, 2021
India’s labour laws on migrant, construction, and unorganised workers, though enacted decades ago, remain poorly implemented, leaving millions vulnerable. The 2020 labour codes subsume these laws but risk diluting protections like welfare funds and registration. Weak enforcement, diversion of funds, and bureaucratic inefficiency deepen hardships, as seen during COVID-19, exposing migrant workers’ precarity and the urgent need for effective safeguards.
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June 30, 2021
India’s labour laws, marked by complexity and weak enforcement, hinder both worker protection and firm growth. With over 140 central and state laws, inconsistent definitions, and rigid rules, businesses remain small while workers face insecurity, low wages, and poor welfare. Recent reforms aim to consolidate laws into four codes, seeking simplification, transparency, and balance between rights and economic growth.
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December 31, 2020
Cultural populism, built on exclusivity and majoritarianism, erodes democratic values by demonizing minorities and glorifying dominant identities. Unlike economic populism, it draws strength from deep-rooted cultural and historical divisions, making it more enduring and divisive. Manifesting through rhetoric, policies, and social polarization, it fosters fear, exclusion, and authoritarian tendencies, threatening pluralism and the fabric of democracy.
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December 30, 2020
Healthcare in Uttar Pradesh (UP) is in crisis. Hospitals and health centers are understaffed, underfunded, and overwhelmed. The state has some of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in India, and diseases like Japanese Encephalitis continue to claim lives. Many hospitals lack doctors, specialists, and even basic medical equipment, forcing people to travel long […]
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November 30, 2020
A webinar on India-Nepal relations highlighted growing mistrust, nationalism, and boundary disputes straining ties. Ambassadors Thapa and Rae stressed the need for dialogue, symbolic gestures like military exchanges, and substantive projects such as Pancheshwar hydropower. While Chinese influence is rising, both agreed media sensationalism worsens tensions. Strengthening people-to-people contacts and reviving political engagement remain crucial for restoring trust.
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April 19, 2020
The story of Dhulagori Adarsha Vidyalaya (DAV) is one of perseverance, leadership, and the power of education to change lives. When Debasish Mandal took charge as headmaster in 2014, he walked into a school in disrepair—both physically and academically. The classrooms were empty, teachers were often absent, and corruption ran deep, especially in the mid-day […]
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RGICS is the division of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation engaged in the study of contemporary issues. The views represented in the various papers/articles/videos on the RGICS website are those of the respective authors /speakers and do not represent the views of the Trustees of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
