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In today's @IndianExpress, I write about the much-debated Sanchar Saathi app and the associated government mandate for pre-loading and non-deletion of the app on smartphones. Read here: indianexpress.com/article/opinio…

Thinking about applying for the Graduate Certificate in Public Policy (GCPP)? Join our online interactive webinar with the Takshashila team to understand the programme and get your questions answered live. GCPP Application Deadline: 26 April 2026 Programme Begins: 9 May 2026 @Anwxsha

India's fertiliser supply has been compromised due to the war at Iran. In this paper, we map the supply chain, the shipping routes and the chokepoints to determine the extent of vulnerability. In response, we offer policy solutions. Link to paper in next tweet. @prof_nithiya

To follow the developments in the West Asian War from an Indian perspective, check out the @TakshashilaInst Live Dossier. There is a daily bulletin you can subscribe to, plus four live dashboards for situational awareness.

The Union Budget 2026-27 makes one of the most far-reaching moves we have seen so far to attract global cloud players to build and run their infrastructure from India. At the centre of this push is a 21-year tax holiday, available until 2047, for foreign companies that provide global cloud services using data centre infrastructure located in the country. But is that enough to make India a global cloud hub? In this episode of All Things Policy, Anisree Suresh (@AnisreeSuresh) and Anwesha Sen (@Anwxsha) discuss the implications of the tax holiday and crucial next steps for the data centre market in India from a policy perspective.

AI is rapidly changing economies, job markets, and global power structures. As countries compete to lead in AI, the rules and systems for managing it have become more complicated and divided. This annual report by Arindam Goswami (@AriGos), Bharath Reddy (@bharath_red), Sridhar Krishna (@sridhar_kri), Anwesha Sen (@Anwxsha), and Shobhankita Reddy (@shobhankita) maps the global AI governance landscape, tracking what is working, what is shifting, and what policymakers should watch next. Read more: shorturl.at/Wg9jY

In this episode of All Things Policy, Adya Madhavan (@adyamadhavan) speaks with Bharath Reddy (@bharath_red) and Anwesha Sen (@Anwxsha) about the AI Impact Summit and their insights on some of the ideas that were discussed. They analyse the strategic, economic, and physical realities of India's growing AI ecosystem. YouTube: tinyurl.com/ypjkpzuc Spotify: tinyurl.com/mpwp7euw Apple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/5n82bsm7

Valentine's Day lecture marathon with talented folks @TakshashilaInst

The Union Budget 2026-27 makes one of the most far-reaching moves we have seen so far to attract global cloud players to build and run their infrastructure from India. At the centre of this push is a 21-year tax holiday, available until 2047, for foreign companies that provide global cloud services using data centre infrastructure located in the country. But is that enough to make India a global cloud hub?  In this episode of All Things Policy, Anisree Suresh (@AnisreeSuresh) and Anwesha Sen (@Anwxsha) discuss the implications of the tax holiday and crucial next steps for the data centre market in India from a policy perspective. YouTube: tinyurl.com/4knf6du8 Spotify: tinyurl.com/48ct3fkv Apple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/52tum2b4

Anwesha Sen (@Anwxsha) writes for @IndianExpress on why India’s data centre push needs more than tax breaks. Budget 2026–27 introduced a 21-year tax holiday to encourage global cloud firms to use data centre infrastructure in India. But data centres are energy-intensive facilities that now require complementary reforms for modernised transmission and distribution networks, improved grid stability, and dedicated power corridors. Read more: shorturl.at/n5lkV

Following the roundtable on Understanding Trust & Safety in AI:From Code to Creativity,here is the draft release of the dataset license for public consultations addressing gaps in open-source licensing around data use,attribution&openness in the AI era. 🔗 discuss.sflc.in/d/SBNXHa9k/vis…

India has had a chaotic two-week telecom cybersecurity sprint with DoT's now-retracted Sanchar Saathi app mandate, SIM binding rules forcing platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram to verify active SIMs, and telcos pushing for always-on phone geolocation tracking. In this episode of All Things Policy, Anwesha Sen and Anushka Saxena (@SaxenaAnushka_) discuss regulatory overreach of such moves, privacy implications, and broader impacts on the market. But most importantly, they delve into whether such regulations would be able to solve cyber fraud, or are there better solutions to be considered. Spotify: shorturl.at/PFQcY Apple Podcasts: shorturl.at/VM3hU YouTube: shorturl.at/8seyu

In this episode of #AttentionSpan, Anwesha Sen (@Anwxsha) breaks down why the Sanchar Saathi mandate collapsed. The DoT wanted the app pre-installed, undeletable, and granted broad access. Public pushback forced a reversal because the move clashed with consent and proportionality norms. And it still would not have stopped real cyber fraud. Better tools are specialised forensic labs, trained police, and coordinated interstate cyber units. What approach do you think India should prioritise? Let us know in the comments below.

Sowmya Prabhakar (@sowmyanandan), Bharath Reddy (@bharath_red), and Anwesha Sen (@Anwxsha) will be at the Quest2Learn Summit this afternoon discussing how the world and India is thinking about AI development! This panel will unpack how AI is really being built and governed today, and what that means for power, prosperity, and people’s rights in India. We will explore competing narratives around AI, examine who gains and who loses from AI-driven socio-economic change, and dig into concrete risks such as bias and surveillance. Join us today at the Quest Learning Observatory, Bangalore, as we engage with changemakers, educators, policymakers, CSOs, technologists, and young people. See you there! #Quest2Learn2025 #FuturesThinking #FuturesLiteracy #BeyondAIHype #AIFutures #AI

#NLCharcha में इस हफ्ते संचार साथी एप और रूपये में गिरावट को लेकर विस्तार से बात हुई. @BeechBazar के संचालन में हुई इस बातचीत में @SharmaKadambini, अन्वेषा सेन, @anshuman1tiwari और @Shardool_ शामिल हुए. सुनिए पूरा पॉडकास्ट जहां हम हफ्ते भर के सवालों और बवालों पर चर्चा करते हैं : hindi.newslaundry.com/2025/12/06/nl-…

Anupam Manur (@anupammanur) writes for @timesofindia on why a pre-installed government OS and the Sanchar Saathi app open a door that may be hard to close. The minister says users can delete it, but the original order still demands an active, non-disableable app. And here’s the real worry: once the tool exists, its future use is impossible to contain. Updates could quietly expand its permissions, letting the state tap call logs, contacts, location trails, or even private messages with no real oversight. Read more: shorturl.at/HpBDY

Note: The Telecom Minister’s recent claim that the app is optional contradicts the government's own directive mandating it must not be disabled or restricted (Direction 7b).

Alternatives such as better enforcement of existing laws to combat cyber crimes and increasing state capacity for the same would yield better results without impacting individual privacy.

In today's @IndianExpress, I write about the much-debated Sanchar Saathi app and the associated government mandate for pre-loading and non-deletion of the app on smartphones. Read here: indianexpress.com/article/opinio…

If it shapes society, we have got a take. Welcome to All Things Policy. Streaming daily. Tune in now. YouTube: shorturl.at/nuxYy Spotify: shorturl.at/oyE7I Apple Podcasts: shorturl.at/cJfIn @adyamadhavan @Anwxsha @rijesh @bharath_red @MathiFryy @PSarthak19 @shoumitro_c @AnisreeSuresh