Vivekananda International Foundation | Seeking Harmony in Diversity

Protection of National Critical Information Infrastructure

India is in the next phase of digital transformation. The digital presence of economic and national security infrastructure is growing in the country at a rapid pace. All critical infrastructures are dependent and have integrated cyber technologies for management, control, and operations. Different types of software are in use. The critical systems are under various types of cyber-attacks. The complexity and numbers of attacks against critical information infrastructureare increasingand becoming sophisticated by the day.

March 21, 2022 VIF Report

India in Space Domain - Pathbreaking Developments

Maj Gen P K Mallick, VSM (Retd)

… in global politics, a new arms race in the form of military-oriented applications for space is becoming dominant .. space assets therefore are attractive targets for adversaries .. capability to use space for commercial, scientific and military purposes has become a critical factor of national power …

October 29, 2021 Issue Brief

Social Media in Violent Conflicts – Recent Examples

Maj Gen P K Mallick, VSM (Retd)

… the very technology that is cause of the problem, can be used to correct it too .. Artificial Intelligence can help social media platforms spot lies, identify doctored videos and photographs and track the dissemination of falsehoods by domestic and foreign users .. Social media companies can be persuaded, covertly or overtly, to cooperate with the national security apparatus …

August 02, 2021 Issue Brief

The Curious Case of Huawei

Anurag Sharma, Senior Research Associate, VIF

China’s journey from being an agrarian economy to one of the largest economies with a strong military and cyber capabilities is commendable. However, its military and cyber capabilities are built upon relentless efforts to steal critical military and technical information of other countries, mainly the United States (US). Leading Chinese companies, including one of the telecom giants—Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (hereafter Huawei), are taking advantage of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects to access the competitive neighbourhood nations.

February 15, 2021 Issue Brief

Rare Earth: Has US Lost the Technology Battle Against China?

Brigadier V Mahalingam (Retd)

“A Chinese company bought Magnequench,” “Not only did the jobs go to China, but so did the intellectual property and the technological know-how to make those magnets…. I’m not comfortable with the fact that we now have to buy magnets for our bombs from China,” said the exasperated Senator Hillary Clinton in a speech in Pittsburgh on April 14, 2008.

February 10, 2021 Issue Brief

Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies: Maritime and Naval Operations

Dr Vijay Sakhuja

Commercial and military operations at sea and ashore across the globe are in the throes of technological and organisational transformation led by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies. These are impacting every aspect of the maritime industry necessitating `up-skilling, reskilling and retooling`. Industry leaders recognize the importance of 4IR and are adopting innovative models for their operations.

February 07, 2021 Books/Book Review

A Lifetime of Moulding Technology and Science Policy in India: A Festschrift in Honour of Professor Ashok Parthasarathi, Editor: Sachin Chaturvedi, Academic Foundation, 2017, 128 pp, ISBN: 9789332703551, Price: Rs 795

Radhika Daga

Science and Technology (S&T) has assumed great salience in India’s development and security matrix. In last few years’ policy initiatives like Make-in-India, Start-up-India and Digital India Programme have further given an impetus to this thought process. However, to fully grasp the development of S&T in India, we must understand it from a historical perspective. This is where the foundation of these policies and structures rests.

May 15, 2020 Books/Book Review

Discussion on Report on STEM Education in collaboration with Association of Indian Universities

The Vivekananda International Foundation organized a seminar to discuss a VIF taskforce report on STEM education in India launched in 2019. The report, titled, “Towards More Effective Education: Emergence of STEM Education in India” was written under the Chairmanship of Prof KK Aggarwal, Chairman, National Board of Accreditation. This report which is available on the VIF website was discussed in a follow up session, organised jointly by the VIF and Association of Indian Universities on 05 February 2020.

March 20, 2020 Event Report

Technology, Economics and Geopolitics of 5G Cellular - A Compendium

Dr Kamlesh Bajaj

5G is an investment for the next decade. It is not just a game changer; it is likely emerge as a General Purpose Technology (GPT). 5G mobile will move from being a consumer device to an industrial productivity and efficiency tool, with billions of IoT devices connected seamlessly for transformative applications in all sectors of economies and governance models. Smart cities, hospitals, manufato cturing, agriculture, and transport will get transformed with ultra-fast data throughputs, and near zero latency, which will unleash the potential of AI and ML in all these sectors.

February 25, 2020 Monograph

India’s Space Programme: Achievements and Prospects

On 17th January 2020, Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) held its monthly ‘Vimarsha’ lecture series on the important subject of India’s Space Programme. Dr A.S Kiran Kumar, former Chairman ISRO, was invited to speak on the opportunities, challenges and perspectives on Indian Space missions. Dr Kiran Kumar is presently Vikram Sarabhai Prof at ISRO and a member at Space Commission as well as Governing Council of Indian Institute of Science.

February 19, 2020 Event Report