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1. 

   S1 · E1951 · 9 Sep 2026 · 32 min

   Reading the Himalayan Warning Signs

   The devastating floods in Nepal are a reminder of how hazards in one part of the Himalayas can cascade into disasters hundreds of kilometres downstream. In this episode, Nithiyanandam Y, Head of Takshashila’s Geospatial Programme, speaks with Shreya Ramakrishnan about what triggered the recent disaster, what geospatial intelligence can tell us before such events occur, and how better observation, preparedness and cross-border cooperation can help India manage the risks of a changing Himalayan region. As promised, read and listen to Nithiyanandam Y's analysis of these events: Nepal Floods:…

2. 

   S1 · E1950 · 8 Sep 2026 · 38 min

   Navigating the Ice Silk Road

   A Chinese shipping company – Sea Legend- announced that it will be starting container shipping services between China’s east coast and the UK through the 'Ice Silk Road'. In this episode, Bhumika Sevkani and Anushka Saxena talk about the potential of the alternative route, the China-Russia partnership in the Arctic and the leverage that the Ice Silk Road could provide going ahead. Tune in to understand the global implications of exploring this trade route as well as the interests and actions of various geopolitical actors in the Arctic. All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy…

3. 

   S1 · E1949 · 7 Sep 2026 · 31 min

   What Does The Mecca Pact Actually Change?

   What does the emerging Mecca Pact mean for regional security and, more crucially, for India? In this episode of All Things Policy, Research Analysts Aishwaria Sonavane and Adya Madhavan deliberate on the trilateral defence arrangement between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan, analysing its capabilities, strategic asymmetries, and the gap between collective-defence commitments on paper and immediate operational realities. From the perspective of a Pakistan-Saudi nuclear umbrella to questions of military interoperability and Pakistan's long-term capability development, they examine what…

4. 

   S3 · E1948 · 4 Sep 2026 · 50 min

   Semicon 2.0 Focuses on Getting India's Chip Design Game Right

   On 31 August 2026, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) notified Semicon 2.0 – Scheme for the development of Semiconductor Design and Manufacturing Ecosystem in India. To discuss the hits and misses of this new architecture, Pranay Kotasthane speaks to Sunil Acharya, Management Director of the Semiconductor Future Accelerator Lab Foundation (SFAL). Sunil breaks down the incentives for chip design firms and explains how investors and entrepreneurs might perceive these changes. Read more: https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2026/275860.pdf All Things Policy is a daily…

5. 

   S1 · E1947 · 3 Sep 2026 · 29 min

   You Can Have a Rocket and Still Lose Access to Space | Space Launch 2

   A rocket is only useful if it has somewhere reliable to launch from. Lokendra Sharma and Ashwin Prasad Rao discuss how geography, launch ranges, sea launch and access to foreign spaceports shape national launch capacity. They also examine India’s dependence on Sriharikota, the role of Kulasekarapattinam, and whether Technology Safeguards Agreements and overseas launch sites could give India more resilient access to orbit. The discussion draws on this recent newsletter edition discussing global space launch: https://orrery.ashwinprasadrao.com/p/still-on-the-umbilical For those interested in…

6. 

   S1 · E1945 · 1 Sep 2026 · 28 min

   Should India Aspire to Have 15-Minute Cities?

   A 15-minute city is an urban planning concept where all daily essential services are accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from any resident's front door. Developed by Franco-Colombian scholar Carlos Moreno and popularised in Paris, the model aims to reduce car dependency, lower carbon emissions, and boost local quality of life. But would this concept play out well in the average Indian city? To unpack this question and more, Kripa Koshy (Staff Programme Manager) is joined by Sarthak Pradhan (Assistant Professor, Economics) and Suman Joshi (Staff Programme Manager) in this latest…

7. 

   S1 · E1944 · 31 Aug 2026 · 38 min

   How Is The Iran War Impacting US Midterms?

   In this episode of All Things Policy, Vanshika Saraf and Abhishek Kadiyala examine what the war on Iran means for the November 2026 midterm elections in the U.S. The joint U.S. and Israeli strikes that began on 28 February 2026 have not become a campaign issue in their own right, with only 4 per cent of Americans naming foreign policy as their top concern by July. The conversation applies a test drawn from Iraq in 2002 and Afghanistan in 2010, which is that American wars seldom rank as voter priorities yet often worsen the issues that do. The episode works through the evidence, including…

8. 

   S1 · E1943 · 28 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 40 min

   Where Will Future Growth Come From?

   Since 1950, only a handful of countries have made the jump from poor to rich, and nearly all of them did it in a similar way. Put a lot of people in factories, sell cheap goods into open Western markets, and climb, one rung at a time, for forty years. Today, the tariff walls are going back up, the trade rulebook is fraying, and China sits on every rung of that ladder. The fashionable verdict is that India's window has closed. Has it? In this final episode of Turbulence, Anupam Manur is joined by Shruti Rajagopalan, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and…

9. 

   S1 · E1942 · 27 Aug 2026 · 33 min

   The Great Indian Tournament

   In this episode, 'The Great Indian Tournament' — Only a few "win" India's white-collar job market while millions compete for a shrinking number of prizes. Sowmya Prabhakar & Shobhankita Reddy use tournament theory to figure out why India's middle class is hitting a breaking point. It points to real openings in the semiconductor design and entrepreneurship sectors where prizes are going unclaimed for want of the right people. However, this means the old rulebook- study hard, get a degree, get a job, retire safely needs rewriting for individuals and for policy alike. All Things Policy is a…

10. 

    S1 · E1941 · 26 Aug 2026 · 34 min

    The State of Fiscal Decentralisation in Karnataka

    Karnataka has long been seen as a leader in fiscal decentralisation, giving local governments both responsibilities and resources to deliver public services. But as the state urbanises rapidly, is this changing? In this episode of All Things Policy, Sarthak Pradhan speaks with Manisha Marulasiddappa from Janaagraha, co-author of the report A Slow Reversal of Karnataka’s Fiscal Decentralisation, to unpack what is happening to fiscal decentralisation in Karnataka. Manisha discusses the role of State Finance Commissions, the growing gap between Karnataka’s urbanisation and its fiscal transfers…