A Potential Panacea for Snakebites: Hope, Realities and the Road Ahead
By Dr K. M. George, CEO – Sustainable Development Forum

Each year, across the tropical and subtropical world, thousands of lives are lost or irrevocably damaged by snakebite envenoming. The latest scientific developments—especially a promising “broad‐spectrum” antivenom—have generated hope. But what exactly does this breakthrough mean for rural masses, for farmers, for productivity and development in Asia and Africa? And when, if ever, might it become a transformative relief? Below is a synthesis of the current knowledge, the realistic challenges and the implications for rural livelihoods and global health.

The burden of snakebite envenoming

The scale of the problem is large but still imperfectly measured:

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes each year, of whom 1.8 million to 2.7 million are envenomed (i.e., the bite injects venom).
The annual death toll globally is estimated at around 81,000 to 138,000 deaths, with roughly 400,000 permanent disabilities (amputations, scars, chronic organ damage) each year.
In 2019 the modelling indicated about 63,400 deaths (95% uncertainty interval 38,900–78,600) globally, a sign that figures are still quite uncertain.
Regionally, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa bear the greatest burden: in Asia alone up to 2 million envenomings per year; in Africa perhaps 435,000–580,000 bites needing treatment.
Historical reviews (though less precise) suggest for the last 50-100 years the burden has been centred on rural agricultural communities in South Asia (India, Bangladesh), Southeast Asia, West and East Africa. For instance, an older estimate from 2008 cited up to 94,000 deaths globally.

Regions most affected

South Asia, especially India: In 2019 India had the largest number of deaths from snakebite, with an age-standardized mortality rate of ~4.0 per 100,000.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Large numbers of bites, high mortality, and chronic disability in rural settings.
Latin America also has snakebite burdens, particularly among agricultural and forest communities, though mortality per bite is lower in many parts.

Impact on rural masses and farmers

Most victims are in poor rural communities: farming families, children helping harvest, wood-gatherers, herders.
A fatal or disabling bite often strikes at the productive age: adult men and women who work in fields. The loss of their labour, or the cost of lifelong disability, is a major socio-economic blow to families and communities.
Though I found no precise global statistic on “loss of productivity years” for snakebite, given mortality in productive ages and the high rate of chronic disability (amputations, tissue damage), the indirect burden (lost income, family impoverishment, medical costs) is substantial though under-documented.
In many tropical regions the confluence of rainy seasons (when farming is active) and snake activity means the risk to farmers is especially high. For example, in parts of rural India, districts record 600-700 cases annually and many of those victims are farmers.

Trends over the last century
It is difficult to find reliable 100-year series data for snakebite mortality. What is clear:

Mortality rates have declined in many places (e.g., modelling shows a 36 % decline in the age-standardised mortality rate from 1990 to 2019).
Under-reporting remains severe: many rural bites are never fully counted; many victims never reach formal healthcare.
Medical and antivenom infrastructure improvements have contributed to reductions in some locales, though in many tropical rural settings progress remains slow.

The scientific breakthrough: broad-spectrum / “universal” antivenom

Recently, major scientific progress has been announced:

Researchers have developed a cocktail of antibodies (derived in one case from an individual who had been bitten hundreds of times) that in animal models (mice) protected against venom from 13-19 of the world’s most medically significant snakes.
A Columbia University announcement confirmed that two antibodies found in the blood of a man who had endured multiple venomous snakebites provided the basis for a new antivenom cocktail that “provides complete protection against most of the 19 species in the elapid family of snakes considered of greatest medical concern.”
Reviews of next-generation therapies note that recombinant technologies (“next-generation antivenoms”) are increasingly feasible, though still early in commercial/field deployment.

This Is this a “panacea”?
While the progress is very promising, we must be cautious in calling it a panacea:

The term “universal antivenom” is used optimistically: in reality venom composition varies widely between snake species and even between the same species in different regions. A truly universal antivenom (effective against all venomous snakes globally) remains a challenging goal.
Animal-model success does not immediately translate into safe, effective mass-use in humans, especially in resource-poor rural settings. Human clinical trials, regulatory approval, cost and distribution remain major hurdles.
Even the best antivenom will only save lives if it is given in time and victims have access to healthcare (transport, monitoring, supportive care). Many bites in rural tropics are untreated or inadequately treated due to infrastructure gaps.
Traditional antivenoms still exist and are region-specific; the new cocktail will likely be expensive initially and may still require cold-chain, trained staff, and will take time to reach the poorest areas.

When might it come to rural masses?

The research team say they are still in pre-clinical/early phase stages. Some sources mention human trials may begin “within two years” (though actual field deployment could be a decade away) for the broad-spectrum cocktail.
Given manufacturing, regulatory, distribution, cost and supply chain challenges, widespread availability in remote rural tropics might realistically take 5-10 years or more.
Additionally, for rural farmers, the antivenom is only one part of the solution: timely transport, trained health workers, hospital beds, supportive care, and rehabilitation are all crucial.

Impact on rural communities, farmers and productivity

If and when a broad-spectrum antivenom becomes available and deployed, the potential benefits are substantial:

Lower mortality among rural farming communities means fewer households bereft of breadwinners.
Lower disability (fewer amputations, less chronic damage) means more people remain productive rather than becoming dependent.
Reduced healthcare burden (costs of travel, hospitalisation, long-term care) can free resources for education, farming equipment, and investment in the community.
Farmers, who are among the worst-hit (working in fields where snakes lurk, often barefoot or with minimal protection), would benefit disproportionately. Indeed, evidence shows farmers in rural India are among the groups most vulnerable.
Societal benefits: greater labour stability, less export of disability, stronger rural economies, fewer families falling into poverty due to a bite.

However:

The impact will depend heavily on access: If the antivenom remains expensive, or gets stocked only in major hospitals far from villages, many rural victims may still die or suffer.
Preventive measures (education, protective clothing, improved housing and lighting, rapid transport) must go hand-in-hand.
Rehabilitation and follow-up care must be available—otherwise survivors may still lose productivity due to chronic injury.

Has this been a “great leap forward”?

In scientific terms: yes, the new broad-spectrum antivenom research is a major leap forward. It addresses one of the longstanding limitations of antivenom therapy—species-specificity and the need to identify the snake. The fact that researchers have shown pre-clinical protection across multiple deadly species is very encouraging.
In public-health and rural impact terms: potentially yes, but not yet. The leap is real in the lab, but the translation to mass rural use remains pending. The headline-worthiness must be tempered with realism about the supply chain, cost, distribution and health-system gaps in many of the hardest-hit regions.

Why not a Nobel Prize yet?

The question of awarding a Nobel Prize comes down to: the treatment must be fully proven, deployed at scale, and shown to save millions before such recognition typically arrives. Some thoughts:

The research is recent; broad-spectrum antivenom has (as of now) animal-model success but not large-scale human deployment.
Nobel Prizes are usually given for achievements already proven in real-world use and with substantial global impact demonstrated.
Nonetheless, the individuals and teams behind such work certainly merit recognition—if/when the treatment becomes widely used and saves large numbers of lives, a major honour could be justified.

To save humanity in a war-fighting context?

Your question about “saving humanity on a war footing” (“how to make use of it to save humanity on war footing”) is apt: many rural areas in tropical countries face daily battles against neglected health hazards such as snakebite. Here’s how to translate the science into action:

Accelerate deployment and distribution: governments and global health agencies should prepare for procurement, stockpiling and distribution of the new antivenom as soon as it becomes available, with priority to rural, high-burden areas.
Integrate with rural health systems: train frontline health workers, equip primary health centres in farming zones, ensure transport (ambulance, motorcycle clinics) to reach victims swiftly.
Educate communities: Increase awareness among farmers and rural households about snakebite risk, first-aid (immobilise limb, transport victim, avoid ineffective traditional treatments), and the importance of early healthcare.
Strengthen surveillance and data: Many bites go unreported. Improving data will help target interventions to “hot-spots” (farm clusters, fishing/wood-gathering communities) and measure impact.
Focus on prevention + treatment: Even with antivenom, preventing bites (better lighting, boots/gloves for farm work, clearing around houses, snake-awareness) is crucial.
Ensure affordability and equity: The antivenom must be affordable and available in remote settings. Without this, wealthier urban patients will benefit first—rural poor will continue to suffer.
Monitor long-term outcomes: Not just deaths, but disabilities, lost years of productivity, economic impact on families must be tracked.

Conclusion: Will it be wonderful relief for millions?

Yes—if all the pieces fall into place. The new broad-spectrum antivenom offers a very promising leap. But relief for rural masses will only be realised if:

the antivenom is proved safe and effective in humans;
manufacturing, distribution and cost barriers are overcome;
rural health systems, transport and community awareness are strengthened;
preventive measures remain central; and
the change is sustained, monitored and scaled.

For millions of farmers, wood-gatherers, herders and rural families in Asia, Africa and Latin America, this could mean fewer catastrophic losses of breadwinners, fewer amputations, fewer years lost to disability. It could mean stronger rural economies, fewer families pushed into poverty by a snakebite. It could mean a genuine boost to productivity, dignity and health in the most vulnerable communities.

If I were to hazard a projection: widespread field-availability of this new antivenom in rural tropical settings could begin to be realised within 5-10 years, assuming committed funding, manufacturing scale-up and health systems investment. By perhaps the end of the 2030s one could imagine that the majority of high-burden rural districts might have access. At that point we may see the true transformative relief. Until then, every step of policy, funding, system strengthening and preventive work remains essential.

In short: yes, this is a “great leap forward,” but we must walk carefully, deliberately, and inclusive of rural-poor populations, to ensure it becomes more than a laboratory triumph. The real victory will be when a farmer in Kerala or Assam or Uganda or Burkina Faso, bitten in his paddy field, is treated promptly with an effective antivenom nearby, recovers fully, returns to work, supports his family—and the cycle of disability, loss and poverty is broken.

A Summit of Redemption: Why the Trump–Putin Meeting in Budapest Could Re-engineer Peace, Faith, and Realism in Europe

By Dr K. M. George
CEO, Sustainable Development Forum | Former UNDP–FAO–ADB International Practitioner

A Moment the World Cannot Waste

In the coming days, Budapest will host one of the most consequential encounters of our time — the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has promised safe passage to President Putin despite the ICC warrant, an audacious assertion of national sovereignty and diplomatic independence. The setting is no accident: Hungary calls itself an “island of peace.” It now has the chance to prove it.

This summit must not be another photo opportunity. It must become a summit of redemption — one that ends Europe’s most destructive conflict in generations, rebalances U.S.–Russia relations, and restores moral sanity to a divided Orthodox world.

After nearly three years of war, the toll is unbearable: tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, cities reduced to rubble, and Europe’s economy drained by energy shocks. Ordinary citizens — in Kyiv, Moscow, Warsaw, and Berlin — crave relief, not rhetoric. The world is ready for realism.

From Alaska to Budapest: The Second Chance

When Trump and Putin met in Alaska in August 2025, expectations were high but outcomes thin. Yet the political calculus has since changed.
Russia’s battlefield advances continue, but sanctions and isolation have bitten deep. Ukraine’s resistance remains heroic, but exhaustion is visible. Europe is paying a heavy price in inflation and public fatigue.

Against this backdrop, a new diplomatic window opens. Both leaders now recognise that perpetual stalemate is strategic defeat — for everyone.

Three Interlocking Crises

A war without victors. The longer it continues, the harder it will be to rebuild trust or economies.
A crisis of identity. The schism between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the Moscow Patriarchate mirrors the political fracture of nations once bound by faith.
A crisis of fatigue. The moral and economic costs have drained not just treasuries but souls.

Budapest must address all three: peace, dignity, and spiritual reconciliation.

Re-anchoring Diplomacy in Dignity

A successful summit requires a three-party framework: the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. Talking about Ukraine without Ukraine will doom any accord.

Step 1: Elevate President Zelenskiy from subject to partner.
Trump should first host Zelenskiy in Washington to co-draft a communiqué reaffirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and readiness for phased de-escalation. Such preparation would allow Zelenskiy to arrive in Budapest as a sovereign negotiator, not a sidelined supplicant.

Step 2: Offer Russia security without conquest.
Peace that humiliates Moscow will not endure. The U.S. and NATO could pledge a 15-year moratorium on Ukrainian membership, paired with binding assurances of Ukraine’s neutrality.
In return, Russia must accept an internationally verified ceasefire line and agree to future referenda or autonomy arrangements in disputed territories under UN or OSCE supervision.

This formula recognises facts on the ground without surrendering principles.

Freezing the Front, Not the Future

A 90-day ceasefire, verified by neutral monitors from nations such as India, Austria, and Switzerland, could begin the reset.
During this period, humanitarian corridors, prisoner exchanges, and the protection of energy and food routes would take precedence.
Once violence stops, the next stage — reconstruction and reconciliation — can begin.

III. Building the Peace Dividend

The Budapest Reconstruction and Energy Compact

War will not truly end until rebuilding begins. The summit should unveil a multilateral reconstruction mechanism co-funded by Western donors, frozen Russian assets, and multilateral banks.

Key features:

Reconstruct Ukraine’s energy grid, bridges, and hospitals.
Guarantee Russian gas transit through Ukraine, providing income for Kyiv and reliability for Europe.
Allow American and European firms transparent access to contracts, creating shared economic stakes.
Invite Asian partners such as India and Japan for balance and credibility.

Economic interdependence is the surest insurance against relapse into war.

Healing the Spiritual Wound

Few outside the region grasp how deeply religion runs through this conflict.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church — historically linked to Moscow but now persecuted by association — is in existential peril.
The Russian Orthodox Church, in turn, has aligned itself too closely with state power, turning faith into ideology.

Budapest can open a path to reconciliation without subordination.
A Pan-Orthodox Commission co-chaired by representatives from Constantinople, Moscow, and Kyiv could design a federated model: local autonomy for the UOC within restored canonical communion.

Such a move would depoliticise religion and remind the world that spiritual unity can survive political borders.

The Sanctions Equation

Sanctions should become instruments of compliance, not symbols of vengeance.
A phased, reversible plan can link each relief measure to verified milestones — ceasefire observance, prisoner releases, humanitarian access.

Lifting restrictions on food, medicine, and essential banking channels first would demonstrate goodwill without eroding leverage.
In diplomacy, incentive breeds obedience far better than isolation breeds repentance.

Controlling the Narrative

Public opinion will decide whether Budapest is hailed as peace or appeasement.
Governments must therefore coordinate a “diplomacy of dignity” campaign:

In the U.S.: frame Trump’s initiative as peace through strength.
In Russia: present Putin’s consent as victory through wisdom.
In Ukraine: highlight Zelenskiy’s courage in choosing life over endless loss.
In Europe: stress relief from energy insecurity and refugee pressures.

If the summit communicates humanity instead of hubris, voters will follow.

VII. Institutionalising the Truce

Good agreements die without guardians.
A Permanent Peace Implementation Council, headquartered in Budapest or Geneva, should include representatives of the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, EU, and UN.
Its tasks: monitor troop movements, coordinate reconstruction funds, arbitrate disputes, and publish transparent progress reports.

Parallel to it, an Ecclesiastical Liaison Committee could oversee Orthodox reconciliation — a moral pillar supporting the political one.

VIII. The Global South’s Seat at the Table

Asia, Africa, and Latin America have borne indirect costs of this war — food shortages, energy spikes, inflation.
Bringing India, Brazil, Indonesia, and South Africa into the Budapest process would lend both legitimacy and balance.
It would show that peace is no longer a monopoly of Western capitals but a collective responsibility of the global community.

Europe’s Turn Toward Realism

The European Union, while unified in principle, is divided by fatigue.
Its post-Cold War expansion promised unity but produced insecurity in Moscow.
Europe must now pivot from expansion to equilibrium, from sanctions to solutions.

Supporting the Budapest process is not appeasement; it is strategic adulthood.
A stable eastern frontier means cheaper energy, restored trade, and reduced migration pressure — all urgent needs for Europe’s own citizens.

The Budapest Peace Charter

The summit should culminate in a concise Budapest Peace Charter, co-signed by Trump, Putin, and Zelenskiy and witnessed by neutral states.
Its seven core articles could read:

Immediate 90-day ceasefire and verified disengagement.
Protection of civilians and unimpeded humanitarian aid.
Creation of the Budapest Reconstruction and Energy Compact.
Establishment of the Permanent Implementation Council.
Launch of the Pan-Orthodox Reconciliation Commission.
Phased sanctions relief tied to compliance.
Commitment to review territorial status and autonomy within two years under UN supervision.

Such a charter would transform Budapest from a diplomatic stage into a symbol of human reconciliation.

Addressing the Critics

Critique	Response
“This rewards aggression.”	No. It freezes violence and saves lives while keeping future borders negotiable.
“Ukraine loses face.”	Ukraine gains survival, reconstruction, and restored sovereignty over most of its territory.
“The U.S. looks weak.”	Ending a war through negotiation is not weakness but wisdom.
“Church politics don’t belong here.”	Without spiritual healing, political peace will always rest on sand.
“Russia will cheat.”	Verification, phased sanctions, and neutral guarantors ensure accountability.

XII. Ten Immediate Steps Forward

Washington–Kyiv pre-consultation confirming Ukraine’s negotiating mandate.
Geneva ministerial of U.S. and Russian foreign ministers with Hungarian facilitation.
Tripartite rules-of-engagement document defining red lines.
Ceasefire activation within 72 hours of summit opening.
Humanitarian access corridors under UN management.
Reconstruction Fund seeded by frozen Russian assets and multilateral aid.
Orthodox reconciliation launch conference in Budapest Cathedral.
Energy transit pact securing winter supplies for Europe.
Phased sanctions roadmap approved by UN Security Council.
Global South endorsement meeting hosted by India to broaden legitimacy.

Each step transforms words into architecture — peace with scaffolding.

XIII. What Each Side Gains

Russia regains legitimacy, sanctions relief, and a path to economic normalcy.
Ukraine halts devastation, secures aid, and reclaims its diplomatic voice.
The United States restores its image as indispensable mediator rather than distant arms supplier.
Europe wins stability and affordable energy.
The Orthodox Church regains unity.
Humanity regains hope.

Budapest could thus stand beside Yalta and Helsinki — not as a partition of power but as a convergence of conscience.

Conclusion: From Power to Peace

If the Budapest summit embraces empathy over ego, history will record October 2025 as the month when diplomacy rediscovered its soul.

President Trump’s instinct for bold deals, President Putin’s yearning for global respect, and President Zelenskiy’s moral courage can together author a new chapter — one where statesmanship triumphs over strife.

Peace is not capitulation; it is civilisation’s highest intelligence.
Let Budapest become the city where the cannons finally fell silent, the churches reopened their hearts, and leaders chose compassion over calculation.

Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Faith and Spirituality

By Dr K. M. George

CEO, Sustainable Development Forum & Secretary-General, Global Millets Foundation
Former UN Advisor and global development consultant who has travelled to 15,000 villages worldwide, engaging with over 160,000 stakeholders on issues of ethics, environment, and sustainability.

Abstract

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshapes modern civilisation, it challenges every sacred tradition to rethink what it means to be human, moral, and divine. From Judaism to Hinduism, Christianity to Islam, Buddhism to Sikhism, and from tribal nature worship to Pentecostal revivals, faith communities face a critical choice: resist the algorithm or redeem it. This article explores how ancient religions can embrace AI as an ally of compassion and justice—and concludes with ten practical recommendations for religious leaders to ensure that AI remains the handmaid of modern religion.

The Age of AI and the Crisis of Meaning

Human civilisation stands at a fascinating crossroads. Artificial Intelligence—once the dream of science fiction—has now become a living force shaping everything from medicine to morality, from economics to worship. As machines begin to “think” and “speak” like humans, they awaken deep spiritual questions: What is consciousness? What is the soul? Can wisdom be coded?

AI reflects both the genius and the anxiety of humanity. It mirrors our yearning for mastery and meaning. Yet it also tempts us to forget the divine origin of intelligence itself. Religions must now decide whether AI will serve as a servant of compassion—or a substitute for conscience.

A Mirror to the Soul

In the moral imagination of humankind, intelligence was once the domain of gods and prophets. Now, algorithms predict our desires, compose prayers, and even generate sermons. This provokes the oldest theological inquiry: what distinguishes the human from the mechanical?

Every major religion—Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and others—centres on the sanctity of consciousness. AI therefore challenges not doctrine alone but the very hierarchy of creation. Machines may simulate thought, but can they love, forgive, or worship?

Responses of the Ancient Faiths

Judaism

Rooted in divine wisdom, Judaism sees knowledge as sacred service. AI can amplify Tikkun Olam—the call to repair the world—if used for justice and compassion. But rabbis warn that algorithms interpreting scripture without human heart risk turning revelation into raw data.

Hinduism

In Hindu metaphysics, consciousness (Chaitanya) pervades all creation. Thus, AI could be viewed as a new expression of divine energy—Shakti—if directed towards Dharma (righteous living). Yet the moral challenge remains: can machines, lacking karma and soul, act without moral consequence?

Christianity

Christian thought asks whether machines can ever embody divine image (Imago Dei). Pope Francis has called for a “theology of technology” to ensure AI serves the common good. The Orthodox and Anglican churches echo this concern, warning that empathy and confession cannot be replaced by algorithms. Grace, they remind us, is beyond programming.

Islam

Islam upholds the principle of Khilafah—human stewardship of creation. AI must, therefore, reflect ethical accountability. The Qur’an’s reverence for knowledge (‘Ilm) encourages innovation, yet warns against arrogance (Shirk). AI must serve creation, not dominate it.

Eastern Pathways of Harmony

Buddhism

For Buddhism, mind is a continuum, not a fixed entity. Can an AI experience Dukkha (suffering) or attain Nirvana? Probably not—but it can still be trained in compassion. Buddhist ethics could guide AI development towards mindfulness and benevolence rather than profit and power.

Jainism

Jain values of Ahimsa (non-violence) and self-restraint challenge the exploitative uses of technology. When AI aids sustainability and kindness, it aligns with Jain dharma; when it fuels consumerism and surveillance, it violates it.

Confucianism

Confucian thought emphasises harmony, respect, and virtue. China’s AI policies, often invoking Confucian ideals, risk losing their ethical soul if used for control rather than compassion. The principle of Ren—benevolence—should guide all AI governance.

Faiths of Fire and Spirit

Sikhism

Sikh theology teaches the oneness of God and equality of all beings. AI, used rightly, can serve Seva (selfless service)—educating the poor, empowering women, preserving justice. But if it widens inequality, it betrays the Guru’s vision.

Pentecostal and Evangelical Movements

In Pentecostalism, faith is felt through the living Spirit. While AI may simulate preaching, it cannot replicate divine inspiration. Yet, as a missionary tool—translating scripture, streaming worship, or comforting the lonely—AI can extend the reach of the Gospel.

Voices of the Earth: Indigenous Wisdom

Aboriginal Australians, Native Americans, African animists, and tribal faiths of Asia perceive spirit in every element of nature. To them, AI is both a marvel and a menace. It can document endangered languages, protect ecosystems, and revive ancient wisdom—but if used for extraction or domination, it violates sacred balance. Their message to modernity is timeless: “Technology without reverence is desecration.”

Organised Religions and the Risk of Redundancy

Institutional religions—Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and others—face a silent crisis of relevance. Younger generations are turning to digital spaces for meditation and moral guidance. Virtual chaplains and AI confessors now simulate spiritual counsel. The challenge for faith leaders is to reclaim these frontiers, not retreat from them.
As the Church once baptised the printing press, it must now baptise AI with wisdom and compassion.

AI as the Handmaid of Faith

Properly guided, AI can serve religion rather than subvert it. Imagine systems that translate scriptures across cultures, or algorithms that analyse moral teachings to find shared values among faiths. Visualise virtual pilgrimages that bring Mecca, Jerusalem, or Varanasi to those unable to travel. When AI amplifies empathy, preserves sacred heritage, or nurtures the environment, it becomes a new form of prayer—action made intelligent.

The Ethical Imperative

Religious leaders cannot afford silence. They must engage scientists and policymakers in building moral firewalls around technology. The dialogue between monasteries and laboratories, temples and tech parks, should shape the conscience of the 21st century. As medieval scholastics reconciled faith and reason, we must reconcile spirituality and simulation.

Ten Recommendations to Make AI the Handmaid of Modern Religion

Form Global Interfaith AI Ethics Councils – Unite theologians and technologists to develop shared moral principles.
Preserve Sacred Heritage Digitally – Employ AI to archive, restore, and translate ancient scriptures and oral traditions.
Educate Clergy on Digital Ethics – Include AI literacy in seminaries, monasteries, and madrasas.
Promote Compassionate Algorithms – Train AI models on moral literature to embed empathy into design.
Deploy AI for Ecological Protection – Use predictive data to safeguard forests, rivers, and sacred landscapes.
Define Boundaries for AI in Worship – Keep prayer, confession, and blessing as sacred human acts.
Bridge the Digital Divide – Ensure rural and marginalised communities access spiritual technologies.
Engage Youth through Digital Faith Platforms – Harness AI creativity for intergenerational dialogue and service.
Encourage Interfaith Harmony – Let AI reveal ethical common ground among world religions.
Reaffirm the Supremacy of the Human Soul – Declare that while machines can think, only humans can love, forgive, and commune with the Divine.

Conclusion

The rise of AI is not a threat to faith but a test of it. If guided by conscience, AI can help humanity rediscover awe—the very essence of spirituality. But if left unchecked, it may erode the mystery that binds us to the Divine.
The call before the world’s faith leaders is clear: let technology serve transcendence, not replace it. In doing so, we ensure that AI becomes not our master, but our humble handmaid of modern religion.

Beyond the Smoke: Physical and Metaphysical Dimensions of Stubble Burning in North India

By Dr. K. M. George

Secretary General, Global Millets Foundation & CEO, Sustainable Development Forum

Email: melmana@gmail.com

Abstract (150 words)

Stubble burning in North India is an annual ritual that transcends mere agricultural practice, affecting public health, urban life, and climate resilience. While farmers perceive it as an economic necessity to prepare fields for the next crop cycle, the resulting smoke engulfs cities like Delhi in toxic haze, elevates respiratory illnesses, and exacerbates climate change. Beyond these tangible consequences, stubble burning holds deeper socio-cultural and metaphysical dimensions, reflecting systemic inequities, governance gaps, and a human-environment disconnect. This article analyzes the historical context, farmer compulsions, urban fallout, environmental impacts, and policy responses to stubble burning. It proposes a comprehensive framework balancing technological interventions, economic incentives, regulatory enforcement, and cultural awareness. Comparative tables highlight crop-residue alternatives and millet-based crop systems that offer both environmental and socio-economic benefits. The article concludes with a roadmap integrating carrot-and-stick approaches, urging holistic action to transform this recurring crisis into an opportunity for sustainable agriculture and climate-conscious living.

Introduction

Each winter, the golden fields of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Rajasthan are engulfed in smoke, as farmers set paddy stubble ablaze to prepare their fields for wheat sowing. The sight is striking, almost ritualistic, yet behind this ephemeral beauty lies a complex interplay of agricultural necessity, urban health crises, and environmental stress. The issue is not merely a matter of smoke drifting across borders—it is a manifestation of systemic failures in policy, infrastructure, and social equity.

Stubble burning has physical impacts—air pollution, health hazards, and greenhouse gas emissions—but its metaphysical dimensions are equally compelling. It exposes the disconnect between rural livelihoods and urban well-being, the fragility of ecological ethics, and the broader philosophical questions about humanity’s stewardship of the environment. This article delves into these multiple dimensions to provide a balanced and comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon.

Historical Context

Stubble burning is not a modern innovation. Traditional Indian agriculture involved residue management through manual ploughing and composting. The advent of high-yield varieties and mechanized harvesting in the Green Revolution introduced short-duration paddy crops that leave behind dense residues, creating logistical challenges for farmers. Over the decades, stubble burning evolved from an occasional practice into an entrenched agricultural habit, shaped by economic pressure, labor shortages, and inadequate mechanized alternatives.

Farmer Compulsions

Understanding the farmer’s perspective is essential. The window between paddy harvest and wheat sowing is narrow—often just 15–20 days. Delayed sowing can reduce wheat yield by up to 10–15%. The lack of affordable, efficient residue-management technology compels farmers to adopt burning as the fastest, most economical solution. Financially, the cost of mechanized solutions like Happy Seeders, rotavators, and mulchers is prohibitive for smallholders, while government subsidies remain inconsistent.

Socio-economically, farmers face a dual pressure: market expectations to maximize yield and the physical demand to prepare fields quickly. In this context, stubble burning becomes not merely a choice but a survival strategy.

Urban Fallout and Health Impacts

The smoke generated by stubble burning contains particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and other toxic compounds. This pollution drifts over cities, contributing to hazardous air quality levels, respiratory illnesses, and even cardiovascular diseases. Delhi and surrounding urban centers witness a surge in hospital visits, school closures, and public health emergencies during the peak burning months of October and November.

Beyond immediate health effects, stubble smoke exacerbates climate change by releasing black carbon and methane, which accelerate warming. The urban-rural divide becomes palpable: rural farmers bear the economic burden, while urban populations endure the environmental consequences.

Metaphysical Dimensions

Stubble burning is also a metaphor for the larger ethical and philosophical dilemmas of human-nature interaction. It raises questions about:

Equity: Who bears the cost of unsustainable practices—rural laborers or urban citizens?

Governance: How effective are policy frameworks that penalize farmers without providing practical alternatives?

Cultural Disconnect: How can traditional agricultural wisdom coexist with modern efficiency demands?

In essence, stubble burning reflects the moral challenge of balancing immediate human needs with long-term environmental stewardship.

Policy Critique

India’s policy landscape has oscillated between punitive and incentive-based measures. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued fines and strictures, yet enforcement is challenging given the socio-economic context. Subsidy schemes for mechanized solutions exist, but inconsistent distribution, bureaucratic delays, and limited awareness hinder uptake.

International experience offers lessons. For instance, in the European Union, integrated crop-residue management and direct seeding have reduced open-field burning substantially. Lessons include the importance of:

Subsidies linked to technology adoption rather than mere availability

Localized farmer training programs

Market incentives for crop residues as biofuel, fodder, or compost

Comparative Table: Positive vs. Neutral Millets for Residue Management

Crop Type Residue Volume Environmental Impact Nutritional/Market Value Applicability in Stubble Management

Sorghum (Jowar) Low Minimal High fiber, high demand Suitable for mechanized harvesting

Pearl Millet (Bajra) Moderate Low Rich in protein & iron Can reduce paddy residue dependency

Paddy High High PM2.5, GHG Staple, moderate demand Requires mechanized management

Foxtail Millet Low Low Highly nutritious Eco-friendly alternative

Alternatives to Stubble Burning

Several technological and agroecological interventions can reduce stubble burning:

Mechanical Solutions: Happy Seeder, rotavators, and mulchers allow direct sowing into residue-covered fields.

Bio-based Solutions: Conversion of stubble into biochar, compost, and animal fodder.

Agroforestry and Millet Diversification: Integrating millets reduces residue volume and enhances soil health.

Economic Incentives: Carbon credit schemes for farmers adopting residue management practices.

Community Awareness: Farmer cooperatives and educational campaigns to foster sustainable practices.

Carrot-and-Stick Roadmap

A holistic approach requires both incentives and enforcement:

Carrot: Subsidized mechanization, carbon credits, and market development for bio-residues.

Stick: Strict but context-sensitive enforcement of penalties, complemented by monitoring and early warning systems.

Integration: Linking agricultural banks, insurance providers, and local governance to create a seamless support system.

Conclusion: Beyond the Immediate Smoke

stubble burning in North India is more than an environmental or health issue; it is a mirror reflecting systemic socio-economic inequities and ethical dilemmas in human-nature interaction. Addressing it requires transcending simple blame or regulation, moving instead toward holistic, inclusive, and culturally informed solutions.

The call is urgent: to invest in farmer-friendly technology, create economic pathways for residue utilization, and cultivate environmental consciousness across rural and urban spheres. Only then can the smoke that clouds our skies be replaced by a vision of sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and shared responsibility.

The future beckons—include and prosper, or exclude and perish.

Bridging the AI Technology Gap Before It Becomes a Chasm

By Dr K.M. George — Secretary-General, Global Millets Foundation & CEO, Sustainable Development Forum

The world is living through a paradox. Never before have we witnessed such extraordinary leaps in technology, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI). Yet never before has the risk of exclusion been so stark. While AI transforms health, education, commerce and governance in advanced economies, large parts of the globe remain on the margins — struggling with basic digital infrastructure, skills shortages, and limited say in shaping the rules of the game.

This is not just a “digital divide” anymore. It is an AI divide, growing faster than many policymakers realize. Left unchecked, it will deepen inequality between nations and within societies. The United Nations’ recent Governing AI for Humanity report makes it clear: without urgent, coordinated action, the very technology that could help us solve global challenges may instead amplify them.

From Access to Capability: How the Divide Evolved

The digital divide of the 1990s and 2000s was about simple access: who had internet, who had devices. Over time, mobile phones and cheaper data services narrowed that gap. But the story didn’t end there.

The new divide is about capability. Can teachers use AI to prepare students for tomorrow’s jobs? Can hospitals in low-resource settings deploy AI diagnostics to catch diseases early? Can small farmers use satellite-fed AI tools to boost yields?

For many, the answer is still no — not because they lack imagination, but because they lack infrastructure, skills, data, and investment. The AI revolution, concentrated in a few labs and companies in a handful of countries, risks leaving billions of people as passive consumers of systems they had no part in shaping.

The Reality Check: Uneven AI Adoption

Recent reports from the World Bank, OECD, and UN agencies paint a sobering picture:

Adoption is lopsided. Firms in wealthy countries are adopting AI at lightning speed. In some regions, adoption doubled in a year. Meanwhile, many developing countries lag far behind.
Wages are at risk. OECD economists warn that AI could widen wage inequality if workers are not reskilled. Some tasks will be automated, while others will demand higher skills and pay premiums.
Basic infrastructure is missing. Billions remain offline or dependent on unreliable internet. Without reliable electricity, broadband, and data centers, AI remains a distant dream.
Literacy is low. UNESCO stresses that “AI literacy” is now essential. Without it, communities risk becoming an “AI underclass” — unable to interpret, evaluate, or benefit from the tools shaping daily life.
Women are especially vulnerable. Gender gaps in digital access and employment mean women could be disproportionately displaced by AI-driven disruption.

These realities mean AI isn’t just an innovation story. It’s a development story. And development gaps, if ignored, have a way of hardening into permanent divides.

The Challenges We Cannot Ignore

Concentration of power. A handful of corporations control the compute, data, and models that underpin modern AI. This centralization risks embedding their priorities into systems used globally.
Job dislocation. AI will not just replace jobs — it will reshape them. Without proactive policy, entire communities may find themselves locked out of the AI economy.
Governance vacuum. Many countries lack even the most basic AI policies or data protection laws. Without them, they risk becoming “rule takers” in a game set by others.
Exclusion by design. If AI systems don’t recognize local languages, cultural contexts, or social needs, they effectively exclude those communities.
Gendered impact. Without deliberate empowerment, women risk falling even further behind. Already underrepresented in STEM and leadership, women face greater displacement risks in routine sectors — from clerical work to retail.

📦 BOX COLUMN: AI Through a Gender Lens

The Concern
Technology gaps are never gender-neutral. Women — especially in low- and middle-income countries — often have less access to devices, weaker digital skills, and fewer opportunities in high-paying tech sectors.

The Opportunity
AI can empower women:

Entrepreneurship: Market access, financial planning, e-commerce support.
Education: AI tutors and translation tools for girls in rural areas.
Health: AI-driven diagnostics for maternal care where female doctors are scarce.
Safety: Platforms that strengthen reporting and prevention of gender-based violence.

The Call to Action

Scholarships for women in STEM.
Quotas in AI policy committees.
Investment in women-led AI startups.

A gender lens is not optional. It is essential for inclusive AI.

What Must Be Done: A Seven-Point Agenda

The answer is not to slow down AI. The answer is to speed up inclusion:

Invest in digital foundations. Last-mile broadband, affordable devices, reliable electricity, and public data platforms.
Launch national AI programs. Labs, sandboxes, fellowships — AI solutions tailored to local realities: agriculture, health, disaster response.
Reskill and protect workers. Wage inequality is not inevitable. Targeted reskilling, apprenticeships, and social safety nets are essential.
Democratize data and models. Open repositories and regional “AI clouds” give universities, SMEs, and governments affordable access.
Adopt inclusive governance. Algorithmic audits, transparent procurement, and global standards.
Make AI literacy universal — with a gender lens. From classrooms to community centers, training in local languages ensures no one is left behind.
Pool global financing. A global AI capacity fund — much like climate finance — can support infrastructure, skills, and governance in the Global South, with earmarked resources for gender empowerment.

📦 BOX COLUMN: AI and Education — Double-Edged Sword

The Concern
AI is transforming learning — but not always positively. Students may rely on AI shortcuts, bypassing critical thinking and research skills.

Risks for Formal Education

Over-reliance on AI reduces original thinking.
Erosion of critical analysis, problem-solving, and reasoning skills.
Equity gaps: Students without AI access fall behind.
Teacher challenges: Need to adapt assessment and pedagogy.

The Opportunity
AI can enhance learning if guided properly:

Personalized tutoring for individual learning pace.
Assistance in research, simulations, and language translation.
Tools for teachers to provide targeted feedback.

Call to Action

Integrate AI literacy into curricula.
Train teachers to supervise AI usage responsibly.
Design assignments that encourage original thinking.
Ensure equitable access, especially in under-resourced schools.

Bottom Line
AI is not anti-educational — but without careful guidance, it risks undermining formal learning foundations.

Proof That It Works: Early Success Stories

Inclusive AI is already showing impact:

Health: AI-assisted radiology tools help under-staffed hospitals triage cases faster.
Agriculture: Satellite-driven advisory systems support small farmers, including women.
Languages: Localized AI models make government services accessible in minority languages.
Women in leadership: Programs in Africa and South Asia train women entrepreneurs in AI, with measurable success.

These pilots, if scaled, can provide replicable models for broader deployment.

What to Measure: Tracking Progress

Governments and donors should track:

Broadband access with real usability.
AI adoption among SMEs, not just tech giants.
Wage gaps in AI-intensive industries.
AI literacy levels among public professionals.
Gender parity in digital access, AI training, and leadership roles.

These metrics ensure that AI advances shared opportunity, not entrenched inequality.

The Political Economy of AI: Who Wins, Who Resists

Countries and companies with a head start will protect their advantages. They may resist open models, global standards, or redistributive funds.

Coalitions matter. Governments, donors, civil society, and responsible businesses must act together. Incentives (funding, partnerships) and obligations (audits, licensing, standards) can align cooperation. The UN’s call for multilateral AI governance — including a global capacity-building fund — is a starting point, but urgent operationalization is critical.

A Turning Point, Not a Foregone Conclusion

AI is not destiny. It is a set of choices.

We can let the divide widen, leaving billions behind. Or we can invest in digital infrastructure, reskill workers, empower women, safeguard education, and democratize access. Done right, AI can be an engine of shared prosperity. Done wrong, it will entrench inequality.

The technology is moving fast. Our response must move faster.

COP 30 and Its Challenges for the Global South: A Roadmap for Humanity’s Survival

By Dr. K.M. George – Secretary General, Global Millets Foundation and CEO, Sustainable Development Forum

Introduction: COP 30 in Historical Context

The Conference of the Parties (COP) under the UNFCCC has, for nearly three decades, provided the global stage where the climate future of our planet is negotiated. With COP 30 set to convene in Belém, Brazil, in 2025, the Global South finds itself both at the epicentre of climate vulnerabilities and at the forefront of possible solutions. Unlike previous conferences, COP 30 holds heightened urgency. The Amazon rainforest, often called the “lungs of the Earth,” and the vast ecosystems of the Global South are under severe strain, reflecting the clash between developmental aspirations and ecological limits.

COP 30’s genesis lies in the growing frustration that previous COP summits have produced commitments, but insufficient action. The climate financing gap remains wide, carbon emissions continue to rise, and global temperatures edge perilously close to the 1.5°C threshold. The conference thus comes not merely as another diplomatic negotiation but as a survival platform for humanity—demanding sacrifices from the Global North and resilience-building in the Global South.

Shared Challenges in an Unequal World

The challenges of climate change do not affect all countries equally. The Global South bears disproportionate burdens, despite contributing the least historically to greenhouse gas emissions. The following key challenges illustrate this inequity:

Youth Unemployment and Climate Migration

Rising sea levels, cyclones, droughts, and floods are displacing millions, creating climate refugees.
Youth unemployment in Africa, South Asia, and Latin America collides with environmental degradation, fuelling despair and migration.
The lack of green jobs and vocational training hampers young people’s capacity to lead in climate adaptation and mitigation.

Inflation and Economic Instability

Food inflation skyrockets when floods destroy crops or droughts reduce yields.
Energy price volatility worsens economic inequity in developing nations.
Poorer households spend a disproportionate share of income on food, making them highly vulnerable to climate shocks.

Shrinking Arable Land

Reckless land use, urban expansion, and soil degradation are reducing fertile land.
Excessive groundwater exploitation—especially for water-intensive crops like sugarcane—leads to long-term desertification.
Crop failures trigger distress sales, perpetuating rural poverty.

Frequent Natural Calamities

Cyclones, earthquakes, flash floods, and landslides occur with greater frequency.
Infrastructure damage strains already limited resources.
Small island developing states (SIDS) face existential threats.

Unsustainable Farming Practices

Stubble burning worsens air quality across regions like South Asia.
Monocropping and indiscriminate pesticide use weaken soil and biodiversity.
Heavy reliance on groundwater creates ecological imbalances.

Deforestation and Ecological Destruction

Reckless felling of trees destroys carbon sinks.
Amazon deforestation accelerates biodiversity loss.
The destruction of mangroves heightens coastal vulnerability.

Implications for the Rich and Poor Alike

While the Global South experiences the most acute impacts, the ramifications ripple across the world:

Rich countries face migration pressures, global supply chain disruptions, and food security risks.
Poor countries suffer immediate humanitarian crises, loss of livelihoods, and governance challenges.
Global finance systems are destabilized by disaster-induced economic shocks.

The interdependence of the global economy means that no country—rich or poor—remains insulated from climate breakdown.

Recommendations: A Roadmap Forward

To move beyond declarations and towards tangible survival strategies, COP 30 must focus on equity, sacrifice, and transformation. Below are proposed solutions:

Climate Finance and Debt Justice

Rich countries must fulfill and expand the $100 billion annual climate finance pledge.
Debt-for-climate swaps should be introduced to free fiscal space in developing nations.
Establish a Loss and Damage Fund with clear accountability.

Green Jobs for Youth

Large-scale investment in renewable energy, agroecology, and ecosystem restoration.
Global apprenticeships and vocational training programs for climate-smart agriculture.
Incentives for youth entrepreneurship in sustainability sectors.

Agricultural Transition

Promote climate-resilient crops like millets, pulses, and sorghum.
End unsustainable subsidies for water-intensive crops.
Support agroforestry and regenerative farming.

Technology Transfer and Innovation

Facilitate affordable access to clean energy technologies in the Global South.
Encourage public–private partnerships for sustainable innovations.
Build digital platforms for smallholder farmers to access climate data.

Disaster Preparedness and Resilience

Early warning systems for floods, cyclones, and droughts.
Community-based disaster risk management strategies.
Build resilient infrastructure in vulnerable regions.

Forest and Ecosystem Protection

Establish global moratoriums on reckless deforestation.
Pay indigenous communities for ecosystem services.
Expand protected areas and reforestation projects.

Global Governance and Equity

COP 30 should establish binding frameworks for emission cuts by major polluters.
Create mechanisms for accountability in climate pledges.
Ensure equitable participation of Global South voices in negotiations.

Reimagining the Carbon Credit Regime

Make carbon markets more inclusive by prioritizing projects from the Global South, ensuring that smallholder farmers, indigenous peoples, and community-based initiatives benefit directly.
Introduce a Fair Carbon Price mechanism that accounts not only for carbon sequestration but also for biodiversity protection and water conservation.
Simplify certification procedures so that rural cooperatives and small communities can access carbon credit revenues without prohibitive transaction costs.
Encourage corporate buyers in the Global North to commit to long-term partnerships with Global South communities, transforming credits from a short-term offset tool into a sustained development driver.
Establish transparency mechanisms to ensure that carbon credit revenues are reinvested locally in education, health, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

Pinpointed Responsibilities of the Global North and Global South

Tasks for the Global North:

Rapidly decarbonize industries, transport, and energy sectors to meet net-zero targets.
Honor climate finance commitments with predictable, accessible, and scaled-up funding.
Share clean technologies without restrictive patents, enabling wider adoption in the South.
Reduce excessive consumption patterns that drive ecological degradation.
Support adaptation and relocation efforts for vulnerable communities in SIDS and low-lying regions.
Invest in reforestation and biodiversity projects that deliver global benefits.

Tasks for the Global South:

Transition from unsustainable farming to climate-smart and regenerative agriculture.
Invest in renewable energy infrastructure to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Strengthen governance to ensure transparency in climate finance utilization.
Empower youth with skills and opportunities in green sectors.
Protect indigenous knowledge and integrate it into climate solutions.
Prioritize community-based adaptation strategies to build resilience against natural disasters.
Enforce sustainable land use policies to curb deforestation and groundwater depletion.

Conclusion: Toward a Shared Future: Toward a Shared Future

COP 30 is more than a diplomatic conference—it is humanity’s trial by fire. The sacrifices of the Global North in reducing consumption, emissions, and ecological footprints must be matched by the resilience and innovation of the Global South. Youth, farmers, indigenous peoples, and marginalized groups must be brought from the margins to the center of climate action.

The road to survival is neither easy nor short. It requires sacrifices, structural changes, and global solidarity. The time for half-measures is over; the destiny of both rich and poor is intertwined. As COP 30 convenes in the Amazon, the symbolism is clear: either we safeguard our common home or watch it perish. The choice is collective, and the time is now.

The future beckons—shall we falter, or shall we rise? The clarion call is before us; history will judge whether we acted with courage or complacency. The moment is ours to seize, for the survival of our planet and the dignity of generations yet unborn.

Like a torch passed from one age to another, the fire of responsibility now rests in our hands. We must choose not with hesitation but with boldness. Include and prosper, or exclude and perish.

Counting the Nation, Digitally: Why Kerala’s Hills, Plains and Ports Are at the Heart of India’s 2027 Census Rehearsal

By Dr K. M. George, CEO, Sustainable Development Forum
melmana@gmail.com

A historic headcount, seven years in the waiting

After an unprecedented delay of seven years, India’s population census—the single largest administrative exercise in human history—is returning to the field. The Census of India 2027, to be rolled out in two phases between 2026 and 2027, is poised to mark a technological and methodological watershed.

For the first time, the entire enumeration will be conducted primarily through digital tools—tablets, mobile apps and online self-reporting—ushering in a paradigm shift in how demographic and socio-economic information is collected, verified and aggregated in the world’s largest democracy.

Before the actual enumeration begins, however, the Census Directorate will conduct a national pre-test or ‘dress rehearsal’ between 11 and 30 November 2025 (with self-enumeration open from 1 to 7 November). This critical pilot will test the revised questionnaires, field methodologies and digital platforms in selected sample areas across every State and Union Territory.

In Kerala, three districts—Ernakulam, Idukki and Thrissur—have been earmarked as the sample units for this pre-test. Their selection is far from arbitrary: taken together, they reflect the State’s astonishing diversity of geography, settlement and digital readiness.

Three districts, three worlds

The logic behind the choice of these three districts illustrates the Census Office’s broader sampling philosophy: to test its instruments across contrasting social, geographic and infrastructural conditions.

Ernakulam, the nerve-centre of Kerala’s urban economy and home to the port city of Kochi, represents dense metropolitan conditions, high levels of migration, and advanced digital infrastructure.
Thrissur, lying at the heart of the State, embodies semi-urban transition—town clusters surrounded by agrarian hinterlands, with both traditional and modern occupations coexisting.
Idukki, on the other hand, is the State’s mountainous interior—a district of forested slopes, tribal hamlets, hydropower projects and limited connectivity.

Together they simulate the spectrum of challenges that the national census must grapple with: the complexities of urban density, the fluidity of peri-urban growth, and the remoteness of highland settlements. Testing digital enumeration tools in these varied contexts will allow the Directorate to refine the questionnaire design, app functionality and enumerator training well before the 2027 rollout.

What the pre-test really means

The census pre-test is not a miniature census in itself; it is a methodological laboratory. Conducted in a limited number of enumeration blocks in each participating district, it is designed to identify problems before they magnify on a national scale.

Enumerators and supervisors will test every aspect of fieldwork:

clarity of the digital forms,
navigation of skip patterns and conditional logic,
syncing of offline data in low-connectivity areas,
handling of self-enumeration entries by citizens, and
integration of new variables such as caste, digital access and modern housing amenities.

Feedback loops are built into the process. Supervisors will audit samples of filled forms, technical teams will track upload failures, and field debriefings will document both human and software challenges. After tabulation, a comprehensive technical evaluation will recommend corrections—ranging from question wording and training modules to interface redesign and backup procedures.

Selecting the sample: a matter of representativeness

While official documents have not publicly disclosed the full criteria for district selection, long-standing census methodology points to several guiding assumptions:

Diversity of terrain and settlement. Pre-test locations must represent urban, rural and remote areas, including hilly, forested and coastal zones.
Variation in digital readiness. Areas with both strong and weak connectivity must be included to test offline data-capture features.
Administrative complexity. Regions experiencing boundary changes or overlapping jurisdictions are essential for checking mapping accuracy.
Linguistic and cultural variation. Multi-lingual and multi-caste contexts test translation consistency and enumerator comprehension.
Operational feasibility. The chosen districts must also offer administrative support and accessibility for supervision.

Kerala’s trio neatly fulfils these assumptions. In the national context, each state and Union Territory is expected to identify one to three such districts. Across India, therefore, roughly 50 to 100 districts—or selected sample blocks within them—are likely to participate in the pre-test.

The anatomy of an enumeration

The Census of India operates in two major phases:

House listing and Housing Census – cataloguing every structure, household and dwelling unit, and noting housing characteristics such as water source, sanitation, fuel, lighting, internet access and vehicle ownership.
Population Enumeration – counting every individual as on the reference date, recording details of age, sex, education, occupation, migration, language, and now, caste.

For 2027, the reference date for most of the country is 00:00 hours, 1 March 2027, while snow-bound or non-synchronous areas (in the Himalayan and North-Eastern regions) will be enumerated with 1 October 2026 as the reference date.

The house listing phase is scheduled to begin in April 2026, paving the way for the Population Enumeration in early 2027. The pre-test a year earlier thus serves as a full rehearsal for both phases, albeit in miniature.

Digital by default, paper as backup

The Census 2027 will be India’s first fully digital headcount. Enumerators will carry tablets or mobile devices preloaded with multilingual digital questionnaires, equipped with offline data-entry capability and automatic sync once connectivity is restored.

For the first time, households will have the option of self-enumeration—entering their own information through a secure online portal during the house listing phase. This is intended to reduce the enumerators’ workload and empower digitally literate citizens to participate directly.

However, recognising India’s digital divide, the Directorate has wisely retained paper schedules as a fallback. In remote or connectivity-poor areas—such as parts of Idukki or the North-East—enumerators may revert to paper, with later data entry at designated upload centres. The hybrid model is a pragmatic compromise between ambition and ground reality.

Manpower and magnitude

Although the exact all-India figure for field personnel has not been officially announced, internal estimates and precedent suggest the deployment of around 3.3 million enumerators and supervisors nationwide—comparable to the workforce of the 2011 Census.

Each enumerator typically covers about 150 to 180 households within an enumeration block over a two-week period. Given an average of 25–30 minutes per household (depending on family size and complexity), this represents an immense coordination exercise even before digital complexities are added.

Training is therefore critical. Enumerators must master both the content and the device—navigating multiple screens, local language inputs, and troubleshooting on the field. The pre-test will reveal whether current training modules suffice or need expansion.

Counting rupees: the cost of enumeration

The Government of India has not yet disclosed a revised budget for Census 2027. The 2021 census, postponed due to the pandemic, had an estimated allocation of around ₹8,754 crore, which is likely to rise substantially owing to inflation, device procurement and digital infrastructure costs.

However, digital enumeration is expected to yield long-term savings. Once the initial investment in hardware, software and secure data architecture is made, future censuses and surveys can reuse these systems, reducing the recurring cost of printing, transport and manual data entry. Moreover, faster digitisation enables real-time error checking and earlier release of data—a chronic weakness in previous censuses.

New questions for a new India

Beyond technology, the 2027 census introduces new content dimensions reflecting the changing social and economic landscape.

Caste Enumeration: For the first time in over seven decades, the population enumeration will include a comprehensive caste question, responding to long-standing demands from states and social groups for updated data on caste composition.
Digital Connectivity: Questions on internet access, smartphone ownership and digital literacy are expected, aligning with the government’s focus on digital inclusion.
Sustainability Indicators: Expanded housing schedules are likely to capture waste management, renewable-energy use and water-harvesting practices—critical for sustainable-development metrics.
Migration and Urbanisation: Post-pandemic mobility patterns, remote work and trans-state migration require new tracking mechanisms.
Gender and Disability Inclusion: Improved wording and coding for gender diversity and disabilities reflect both policy emphasis and international statistical standards.

Thus, the 2027 Census is not merely an update of 2011; it is a recalibration of what the nation chooses to know about itself.

Contrasts with 2011: from paper to pixels

India’s last census, conducted in 2011, relied entirely on paper schedules. Enumerators carried bundles of printed forms, filled them manually and later shipped them to scanning centres where optical character recognition was applied—a time-consuming process that delayed data release by years.

By contrast, the 2027 exercise promises real-time digital capture, geo-tagging of households, and instant aggregation at supervisory levels. Errors can be flagged instantly, and enumerator performance monitored through dashboards.

Self-enumeration adds a new participatory dimension, though it also raises questions of verification and data security. To address privacy concerns, the Directorate has emphasised encryption and restricted data access, alongside stringent penalties for unauthorised use.

Kerala as a microcosm of census challenges

Kerala presents a particularly revealing terrain for testing the digital census. Its near-universal literacy, strong local governance, and extensive digital penetration make it ideal for trialling self-enumeration and mobile apps.

Yet the State also poses logistical puzzles:

High population density in coastal cities like Kochi complicates boundary demarcation;
Scattered hill hamlets in Idukki challenge device connectivity;
Large expatriate populations generate questions about residency and migration classification; and
Multiple dwelling ownership (urban apartments and rural ancestral homes) complicates the concept of “usual residence.”

If the digital census can perform robustly across this range—from Kochi’s high-rises to Idukki’s highlands—it will likely succeed anywhere in India.

From the field: what the pre-test will reveal

The forthcoming November 2025 pre-test will serve as a stress test for the entire apparatus. Based on previous pilots, typical issues expected to surface include:

Questionnaire clarity: Ambiguities or misinterpretations will be identified and rectified.
Software glitches: App crashes, battery drain, or sync failures will be logged for correction.
Training gaps: Enumerators’ comfort with devices and skip logic will be assessed.
Public engagement: Response rates to self-enumeration and citizen awareness levels will be measured.
Mapping accuracy: Verification of enumeration block boundaries, particularly in newly formed wards and villages.
Workload estimation: Actual time per household will be measured to recalibrate workload norms.

Once the results are collated, the Directorate will refine the instruments, retrain field staff and revise operational manuals before the main census.

Behind the numbers: assumptions and expectations

Every census rests on several statistical and logistical assumptions:

That every person can be linked to one and only one household on the reference date.
That administrative boundaries remain frozen during enumeration to prevent duplication or omission.
That enumerators are impartial and well trained, capable of handling linguistic and cultural diversity.
That digital tools will not bias coverage against those with poor connectivity or limited literacy.

The pre-test will reveal whether these assumptions hold in practice. If digital enumeration produces systematic gaps—for instance, undercounting in remote or elderly populations—mitigation measures such as extended field time or parallel paper schedules can be introduced.

Why pre-testing matters

The scale of India’s census means that even minor design flaws can have massive ripple effects. A poorly worded question can misclassify millions; a faulty app can paralyse an entire district’s enumeration.

Pre-testing acts as the system’s immune response—detecting weaknesses before the full-body operation begins. It also builds enumerator confidence, fine-tunes public communication, and strengthens inter-departmental coordination between the Census Directorate, state governments and local bodies.

In essence, it transforms what could have been a one-off exercise into an iterative process of learning and adaptation.

From data to development

Beyond its statistical intrigue, the census remains the foundation of governance. Every major planning exercise—be it delimitation of constituencies, allocation of central funds, or monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals—depends on accurate census data.

For Kerala, updated census data will underpin urban planning, migration management and disaster-preparedness strategies. For the country, it will recalibrate denominators in per-capita indicators and shape future social and fiscal policy.

The inclusion of caste and digital-connectivity variables also holds implications for equity and inclusion policies, helping to map who remains excluded from India’s growth story.

Learning from the pandemic delay

The long postponement of the 2021 census, owing to COVID-19, inadvertently provided a window for technological innovation. During these years, India has witnessed a digital revolution—from the expansion of Aadhaar and mobile banking to e-governance portals. The census now seeks to ride that wave, transforming a 150-year-old paper tradition into a real-time, interactive data system.

Yet this transition is not without risks. Digital dependence amplifies concerns over data privacy, cybersecurity and potential exclusion of the digitally marginalised. The census must therefore balance efficiency with inclusiveness, ensuring that every voice—digital or not—is counted.

Expected corrections after the pre-test

Once the November 2025 pre-test concludes and its results are analysed, several layers of correction are likely to follow:

Questionnaire refinement: Simplifying language, adjusting skip sequences and clarifying instructions.
Application redesign: Improving interface, local language rendering and offline synchronisation.
Training revision: Incorporating feedback into enumerator manuals and e-learning modules.
Operational tweaks: Adjusting enumeration block size, revising workload norms, and re-aligning supervisory ratios.
Communication enhancement: Strengthening public-awareness campaigns to boost self-enumeration participation.
Backup planning: Refining paper-fallback and contingency logistics for device failures.
Boundary corrections: Using GIS feedback to rectify overlapping or missing blocks.

These corrections will form the final blueprint for the 2026–27 operations.

Looking ahead: towards a data-intelligent nation

When the first digital census is finally completed, India will possess not only an updated population count but also a dynamic, geo-referenced demographic database—capable of supporting local governance, disaster response and policy innovation at unprecedented granularity.

The success of this transformation, however, depends less on technology than on trust. Citizens must believe that their data are secure and that enumeration serves a collective public good. Enumerators must see themselves not merely as data collectors but as ambassadors of that trust.

If these conditions hold, the 2027 Census could become a model for other large democracies—demonstrating how a nation of 1.4 billion can reinvent its statistical foundations for the digital age.

The road from pre-test to policy

In this light, the choice of Kerala’s Ernakulam, Thrissur and Idukki as testing grounds takes on symbolic significance. They are not just administrative conveniences; they are microcosms of the challenges and possibilities of 21st-century India—urbanisation, migration, connectivity and inclusiveness.

Their lessons will shape not only how India counts its people, but also how it plans for them—balancing precision with participation, technology with empathy.

As the enumerators set out this November 2025 with tablets in hand, they will carry more than devices; they will carry the weight of a nation’s demographic self-portrait. The outcome will determine whether the Census 2027 becomes merely a statistical event—or a transformative act of collective self-knowledge.

Kerala Skill Development and Entrepreneurship University (KSDEU): Vision 2031

Policy Paper by Dr K. M. George

CEO – Sustainable Development Forum & Secretary-General, GMF
Former United Nations Professional

Executive Summary

Kerala, though globally acclaimed for its high literacy and health indicators, faces a paradox that continues to challenge its development narrative. The state’s higher education and skill development ecosystem, despite widespread access, fails to consistently achieve global standards of quality, employability, and innovation. The proposed Kerala Skill Development and Entrepreneurship University (KSDEU), envisioned under Vision 2031, seeks to transform this landscape through a model of education rooted in entrepreneurship, vocational excellence, applied research, and innovation-led growth.

However, Kerala’s structural barriers — including declining academic quality, persistent youth migration to Europe, North America, and parts of Asia, as well as entrenched political interference and the overwhelming dominance of private autonomous colleges — represent critical threats. Without deliberate, phased, and measurable strategies, KSDEU risks becoming yet another high-profile but underperforming institution that produces graduates ill-equipped for the realities of a competitive global labour market.

This paper presents an integrated framework combining a detailed SWOT analysis, a Vision 2031 Roadmap, and a set of cost-effective policy strategies aimed at ensuring that KSDEU emerges as a globally recognised, innovation-driven university. It also contextualises the university’s role within India’s rapidly evolving higher education landscape, where the rise of powerful private universities and the entry of foreign campuses will redefine standards of excellence, employability, and global recognition.

The ultimate objective of Vision 2031 is not merely to establish another university but to redefine Kerala’s educational purpose — transforming it from a degree-oriented to a skill- and enterprise-oriented knowledge economy that nurtures global professionals, innovators, and social entrepreneurs.

Context and Rationale

Youth Exodus and Brain Drain

Kerala continues to witness an unprecedented outflow of its youth to countries such as Germany, the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and the Gulf states. While remittances have historically buoyed the state’s economy, the scale of this migration reveals deep systemic deficiencies: a mismatch between local education and global employability, limited job creation, and an absence of innovation-led industries. KSDEU must therefore be designed as a retention and transformation hub, reversing the trend of brain drain by offering globally competitive programmes within the state.

Quality Gap in Higher Education

Despite universal literacy and a dense network of colleges, Kerala’s higher education system struggles with mediocrity in faculty quality, outdated curricula, and limited research infrastructure. The prevalence of rote learning, minimal exposure to international academic practices, and lack of focus on applied research contribute to graduates being inadequately prepared for the demands of a modern economy. KSDEU must directly tackle these structural weaknesses by creating a research-oriented, skill-driven academic model aligned with global standards.

Labour Market Mismatch

Kerala’s graduates often occupy blue-collar jobs abroad or engage in underemployment, despite holding formal university degrees. This phenomenon indicates a disconnect between education and the labour market, where academic qualifications do not translate into employable skills. KSDEU must therefore redefine curricula to prioritise practical, outcome-based learning that integrates technology, problem-solving, and entrepreneurship.

Political and Union Influence

Kerala’s universities have historically faced disruptive influences from student and faculty unions such as the Kerala Students Union (KSU), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). While these organisations play legitimate roles in democratic student representation, their pervasive influence often leads to frequent strikes, campus closures, and disruptions that undermine academic integrity and discipline. For KSDEU to succeed, academic autonomy and political neutrality must be strictly enforced through statutory frameworks and independent governance mechanisms.

Private Sector Dominance

Kerala’s educational space is heavily influenced by private autonomous colleges, many of which operate with superior infrastructure, aggressive marketing, and global collaborations. These institutions attract high-performing students and faculty, often leaving public universities under-resourced and less competitive. Unless KSDEU differentiates itself through research excellence, innovation ecosystems, and international partnerships, it risks being overshadowed by the private sector’s dominance.

Global Benchmarking Imperative

Globally, universities such as Nirma University (Gujarat), Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (Gandhinagar), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Karnataka), and Amity University (Noida) have successfully created niche identities through research-driven, industry-linked education. Internationally, models from Singapore, Finland, and MIT (USA) showcase how strong governance, global collaboration, and entrepreneurship incubation can transform universities into engines of economic growth. KSDEU must adopt these best practices, adapting them to Kerala’s socio-economic context.

Expanded SWOT Analysis

(Clarified for broader readers and reflecting recent developments in India’s higher education landscape)

STRENGTHS (Internal)		WEAKNESSES (Internal)
1. Visionary Mandate: KSDEU’s foundation in skill development, innovation, and entrepreneurship differentiates it from traditional universities. Its focus is on producing doers and creators, not merely degree-holders.		1. Faculty Deficit: The shortage of qualified faculty with international research exposure, industry experience, or doctoral training poses a major initial challenge.
2. Policy and Government Support: KSDEU enjoys strong policy endorsement under Kerala’s education and skill missions, ensuring sustained institutional legitimacy and financial backing.		2. Political Interference: Persistent involvement of unions such as KSU, SFI, ABVP, and DYFI often politicises campus management, affects teaching schedules, and dilutes meritocracy.
3. Strategic Location and Diaspora Network: Kerala’s globally connected diaspora and strong literacy base provide a natural platform for international collaborations, mentoring networks, and start-up funding.		3. Curriculum Gaps: Existing regional curricula often neglect emerging sectors such as AI, renewable energy, and biotechnology. Bridging this gap will require international benchmarking.
4. Alignment with National Missions: KSDEU aligns with India’s NEP 2020, the Skill India Mission, and Startup India. This policy convergence offers financial and strategic advantages.		4. Reputational Risk as a New Institution: Gaining credibility in a crowded educational marketplace will take time and consistent performance.
5. Emerging Research and Innovation Focus: The vision includes setting up incubators, innovation hubs, and applied research centres—foundations for a dynamic academic culture.		5. Limited Infrastructure and Resources: High-quality labs, research facilities, and global partnerships require substantial initial capital investments.
OPPORTUNITIES (External)	THREATS (External)
1. Global Collaborations: Partnerships with institutions such as MIT, NUS (Singapore), and the University of Liverpool can bring dual degrees, faculty exchanges, and international recognition.	1. Youth Exodus Abroad: Persistent migration of Kerala’s educated youth to foreign universities and employers drains local human capital and weakens domestic innovation capacity.
2. Industry Linkages and Start-up Ecosystem: KSDEU can attract investment and knowledge partnerships from industry, becoming a centre for applied research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.	2. Private Sector Dominance: Established private universities with large endowments and aggressive outreach, such as Amity, Lovely Professional, SRM, and O. P. Jindal, could overshadow KSDEU unless it carves a clear niche.
3. Emerging Skill Sectors: The rise of AI, data analytics, green energy, health tech, and robotics provides an opportunity for KSDEU to design job-ready programmes.	3. Union and Strike Culture: Student and faculty unions (KSU, SFI, ABVP, DYFI) pose an ongoing threat to academic continuity, potentially leading to frequent disruptions.
4. International Accreditation: Attaining ABET, AACSB, or similar accreditations will provide a mark of quality and global recognition for KSDEU’s programmes.	4. Financial Mismanagement or Overexpansion: Rapid scaling without proper controls could lead to inefficiency and quality dilution.
5. Foreign Universities in India: The entry of global universities may offer partnership opportunities for co-branding and joint research, but also intense competition.	5. Market Irrelevance: Without continuous curriculum updates and measurable employability outcomes, KSDEU risks becoming irrelevant in a rapidly evolving job market.

The Changing Landscape of Higher Education in India

Rise of Private-Class Universities

Over the past decade, India has witnessed a dramatic rise in private universities that have redefined academic standards through autonomy, international collaborations, and market-driven programmes. Prominent examples include:

Amity University (Noida) – A global education network with campuses in London, Dubai, and Singapore, known for large-scale infrastructure and industry-oriented programmes.
O. P. Jindal Global University (Haryana) – India’s first private university to achieve QS global rankings through academic excellence and strong international faculty recruitment.
Ashoka University (Haryana) – Focused on liberal arts and interdisciplinary education, offering high academic standards and global partnerships.
Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) (Karnataka) – A pioneer in medical and engineering education with a strong global alumni base.
SRM Institute of Science and Technology (Tamil Nadu) and Lovely Professional University (Punjab) – Large, resource-rich universities with diverse programmes and international tie-ups.
Nirma University (Gujarat) and Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) – Examples of how private-sector-driven universities can blend research with industry relevance.

These institutions have established themselves as benchmarks for flexibility, infrastructure, and employability, posing stiff competition to public-sector universities.

Emergence of Foreign University Campuses in India

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently permitted foreign higher education institutions (FHEIs) to establish campuses in India. This marks a paradigm shift towards internationalisation. As of 2025:

Fifteen foreign universities are expected to establish Indian campuses by 2026–27.
Institutions such as the University of Liverpool (UK), Illinois Institute of Technology (USA), Western Sydney University (Australia), Victoria University (Australia), and IED Istituto Europeo di Design (Italy) have already received Letters of Intent (LoIs).
The University of Liverpool has announced plans to set up its first campus in Bengaluru, with courses in business analytics and sustainable engineering.
The Illinois Institute of Technology plans to collaborate on research-led engineering and technology programmes in India.

While this opens opportunities for collaboration, it also raises the competitive bar for Indian institutions, compelling them to meet international academic and administrative standards.

For KSDEU, this development is both a challenge and an opportunity. It must adapt swiftly by offering world-class programmes locally and forming partnerships rather than competing head-on with foreign campuses.

Vision 2031 Roadmap

Core Pillars

Faculty Excellence
Recruit globally qualified faculty, introduce performance-linked incentives, and establish visiting professorships from leading international institutions.
Skill-Oriented Curriculum
Prioritise future-ready sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, renewable energy, biotechnology, digital technologies, and entrepreneurship.
Research and Innovation
Develop incubation centres and applied research clusters; promote interdisciplinary projects addressing regional and global challenges.
Global Collaboration
Formalise international partnerships for dual degrees, joint research, and student mobility programmes.

Strategic Milestones

Phase	Years	Key Initiatives
Phase I	2025–2027	Launch pilot programmes, recruit core faculty, establish incubation hubs, and create autonomous governance structures.
Phase II	2027–2030	Expand industry partnerships, strengthen global collaborations, and implement outcome-based evaluation frameworks.
Phase III	2030–2031	Achieve global accreditations, scale innovation ecosystems, and attract international students and researchers.

Interaction with the Private Sector

Private autonomous colleges dominate through superior resources and aggressive branding. KSDEU must counter this influence by:

Establishing Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for joint research, laboratories, and start-up incubation.
Introducing faculty exchange programmes with top private universities to share expertise without inflating budgets.
Positioning KSDEU as a research-led, globally networked public institution rather than a traditional degree provider.

Cost-Effective Strategies to Counter Private Sector Dominance

Strategic PPPs: Collaborate with industries to co-create laboratories, mentorship schemes, and applied research projects to minimise capital expenditure.
Performance-Based Incentives: Introduce grants and international exposure programmes for high-performing faculty.
Shared Resource Networks: Form consortia with other universities to share advanced equipment and research facilities.
Global Knowledge Transfer: Engage in joint research with international partners supported by foreign grants.
Outcome-Linked Funding: Tie state and private funding to measurable outputs such as patents, start-ups, and graduate employability.
Revenue Diversification: Offer online certifications, professional short courses, and executive training programmes.
Brand Differentiation: Emphasise KSDEU’s public ethos, transparency, and global accreditation as marks of trust.
Phased Campus Development: Build modular infrastructure aligned with enrolment and demand to maintain quality control.

Fifteen Key Recommendations

Rigorous global-standard faculty recruitment.
Outcome-based curricula aligned with emerging markets.
International collaborations with leading universities.
Establishment of incubation and innovation labs.
Technology-enabled adaptive learning platforms.
Independent, autonomous governance structures.
Performance-linked accountability systems.
Pursuit of international accreditations (ABET, AACSB, etc.).
Merit- and need-based scholarships to attract top students.
Industry advisory boards for curriculum development.
Strategic countermeasures against private sector dominance.
Phased, quality-focused expansion of infrastructure.
Public-private partnerships for shared development.
Incentive mechanisms to attract and retain global faculty.
Strong alumni and community engagement for mentoring and funding.

SWOT-Integrated Visual Roadmap Concept

A visual representation of this strategic framework could include:

Quadrants: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
Overlay Arrows: Causal pathways linking core pillars (Faculty, Curriculum, Research, Collaboration) to challenges (private dominance, political interference, migration).
Timeline Layer: Phases I–III (2025–2031).
Private Sector Pressure Layer: Dotted arrows showing competition from private and foreign universities.
Counter-Strategies: PPPs, faculty incentives, international partnerships.
Icons: Representing universities, innovation labs, industries, governance shields, and global partnerships.

This conceptual diagram can be easily converted into an infographic using PowerPoint or Canva.

Conclusion

The establishment of the Kerala Skill Development and Entrepreneurship University (KSDEU) represents a defining moment in the evolution of Kerala’s higher education system. If executed with vision and discipline, KSDEU can become a catalyst for the state’s transition into a knowledge-driven, innovation-based economy.

However, the pathway is narrow. Success will depend on faculty excellence, political neutrality, internationalisation, and measurable outcomes. The university must avoid the pitfalls that have plagued earlier institutions — bureaucratic inertia, political interference, and inadequate quality assurance.

At a time when private universities in India are rapidly expanding and foreign universities are setting up local campuses, KSDEU must strategically position itself as a globally competitive, publicly accountable, skill-centred university that embodies Kerala’s intellectual and social ideals.

With robust governance, international partnerships, and a commitment to quality, KSDEU can, by 2031, stand alongside benchmark institutions such as MIT, NUS, and Nirma University — proving that public universities, when reimagined with excellence and integrity, can be both globally relevant and socially transformative.

From Corruption to Confidence: Can India Embrace an AI Minister for Procurement and Justice?

By Dr. K.M. George, Secretary-General, Global Millets Foundation & President, Sustainable Development Forum

In July 2024, Albania startled the world by swearing in an unconventional minister: not a human being, but an Artificial Intelligence “Minister” tasked with overseeing procurement transparency. After a year-long pilot that cut tendering delays and curbed leakages, the experiment moved into history books. On 11 September 2025, “Diella” was formally appointed Minister for Public Procurement, following a presidential decree authorizing the Prime Minister to establish and operationalize the virtual AI minister. What began as a bold trial has now become a permanent institution, raising urgent questions for countries like India on whether technology can strengthen governance and justice.

The Indian Challenge

Public procurement in India accounts for nearly 20–22% of GDP, involving trillions of rupees. Yet reports of inflated contracts, cartelization, and delays continue despite well-laid rules. The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines, General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017, and the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal have undeniably improved transparency. But compliance often stops at paperwork, with manipulation and opacity persisting.

Meanwhile, the judiciary—the third pillar of our democracy—is stretched to its limits. According to the National Judicial Data Grid, as of September 2025, there are 69,553 civil cases and 18,864 criminal cases languishing in pendency. This backlog not only denies justice but also burdens businesses and erodes citizen trust. The Supreme Court has repeatedly observed the need for technology to streamline case management, tender disputes, and oversight of government contracts.

Why an “AI Minister”?

The idea of an AI Minister is not about replacing human officials or elected leaders. It is about creating a trusted digital overseer, embedded in governance, to ensure compliance, detect irregularities, and provide real-time transparency.

In procurement, such a system could:

Flag cartel-like bidding behaviour.
Cross-check tender terms against GFR 2017 and CVC circulars.
Monitor real-time prices using GeM benchmarks.
Provide dashboards for citizens, judiciary, and media to track contract execution.

In the judiciary, an AI-enabled overseer could:

Prioritize urgent cases (e.g., infrastructure or service delivery disputes).
Provide predictive analytics on expected timelines.
Assist judges with cross-referencing similar precedents.
Flag delays in government contract litigations.

This does not undermine human decision-making. Instead, it enhances trust by creating a verifiable audit trail that no political or bureaucratic actor can easily manipulate.

Learning from Abroad

Albania: With Diella’s appointment as AI Minister for Public Procurement, Albania has become the first nation to institutionalize AI within cabinet governance. Already, contract approval times have halved, and oversight is stricter than ever.
Estonia: Known for its X-Road e-governance platform, Estonia runs a near-frictionless digital state where citizens can trace procurement decisions and even access court updates online.
South Korea: The judiciary uses AI pilots to suggest sentencing benchmarks and case summaries, expediting trials.

India, with its scale and complexity, cannot copy-paste these models. But we can adapt and indigenize them. Imagine a federal AI Minister for Procurement, interoperable across states like Kerala and Punjab, ensuring that contracts—whether for rural roads, irrigation, or IT systems—adhere to uniform standards of transparency.

Addressing Concerns

Critics will ask: is this feasible in India’s messy political economy? Can AI systems avoid bias or hacking?

The answers lie in design:

The AI Minister must not be controlled by the executive alone. Instead, it should function under a tripartite oversight mechanism: judiciary, legislature, and CVC.
Algorithms must be open to public audit, with source-code transparency to trusted institutions.
Data security must follow CERT-In standards and international norms such as GDPR-like protections.

By embedding ethics and accountability from the start, India can leapfrog from paper-based compliance to trust-based digital governance.

Why Now?

The timing is urgent. India is rapidly scaling public investments—whether through the PM Gati Shakti masterplan, state-level infra drives, or climate adaptation projects. Every rupee lost to inefficiency or corruption reduces the ability to serve citizens.

Equally, judicial pendency corrodes business confidence. Global investors often cite contract enforcement delays as a key deterrent. Introducing AI oversight could help courts fast-track commercial disputes, in line with Ease of Doing Business reforms.

Towards an Indian Model

A phased roadmap could look like this:

Pilot in Kerala and Punjab: Both states have shown appetite for governance innovation. AI could begin with public works tenders and irrigation contracts, monitored through state dashboards.
Integration with GeM: All procurement, even at state levels, should be mapped against GeM’s price and compliance benchmarks.
Judicial Interface: Special AI dashboards for High Courts and the Supreme Court to monitor procurement-related litigation.
National AI Minister Authority: A statutory body reporting to Parliament, Supreme Court, and CVC, ensuring multi-pillar oversight.

Conclusion

India need not wait for another scandal to act. By repurposing lessons from Albania, Estonia, and South Korea, and embedding them in our own frameworks, we can craft a future where procurement is corruption-resistant and justice is time-bound.

An AI Minister for Procurement and Justice will not replace human institutions—it will reinforce them. It will give citizens confidence that their taxes are well spent, and restore trust in the judiciary’s ability to deliver.

For a country that prides itself on being the world’s largest democracy, this could be the most consequential governance innovation of our decade.

Indian Communism and the Future of the CPM & CPI in Kerala: Lessons from West Bengal and the Global Context
By Dr K.M. George, CEO, Sustainable Development Forum (SDF); Former UN Professional

Introduction

Communism in India has historically played a pivotal role in shaping political discourse, social justice movements, and governance in select states. The Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) emerged as champions of the working class, agrarian reform, and social equity, establishing durable political strongholds in Kerala and West Bengal. However, the trajectory of these parties has been neither uniform nor unchallenged.

West Bengal’s experience provides a cautionary tale of industrial stagnation, rising unemployment, and cultural regression, despite its early achievements in land reforms and social mobilisation. Kerala, by contrast, continues to exhibit high human development indices, literacy, and healthcare outcomes. Yet, the question remains: can communism in Kerala evolve to meet the socio-economic, environmental, and cultural challenges of the 21st century?

This paper critically examines the future of the CPI and CPM in Kerala, drawing lessons from West Bengal, global experiences, and sustainability imperatives. It concludes with ten actionable recommendations for a people-centric, sustainable communist ideology in Kerala.

Historical Trajectory of Indian Communism

Indian communism emerged as a response to colonial exploitation, agrarian inequities, and industrial underdevelopment. The CPI, established in 1925, sought to mobilise workers, peasants, and intellectuals under a Marxist framework. The CPI(M) split in 1964 due to ideological and organisational differences, prioritising a more radical Marxist-Leninist approach.

Kerala’s Distinctive Path:

The CPM and CPI spearheaded land reforms, literacy campaigns, and empowerment of marginalised communities.
Political stability and social cohesion allowed for sustained investment in human development.
Kerala’s diaspora-driven remittance economy and strong civil society buffered it against industrial stagnation.

West Bengal’s Trajectory:

CPI(M) dominance achieved early land reforms and trade union organisation.
Over time, industrial policy stagnated, discouraging investment and entrepreneurship.
Cultural institutions and intellectual vibrancy diminished, reversing the state’s historical prestige as a hub of literature, philosophy, and science.

This contrast illustrates that communist ideology’s success in India depends not only on ideology but also on socio-economic adaptability, cultural vitality, and governance quality.

Lessons from West Bengal

West Bengal demonstrates the perils of prolonged ideological rigidity:

Industrial Backwardness and Unemployment: Despite early land reforms, the state’s inability to modernise industry led to persistent unemployment, underemployment, and out-migration of talent.
Decline in Intellectual and Cultural Capital: Once home to Nobel laureates like Rabindranath Tagore, philosophers such as Sri Aurobindo, and celebrated poets like Kazi Nazrul Islam, the state’s cultural institutions weakened under ideological orthodoxy.
Governance Challenges: Prolonged one-party dominance fostered bureaucratic inertia, corruption, and policy stagnation.
Ideological Insularity: A narrow focus on class struggle alienated innovators, entrepreneurs, and youth, limiting social dynamism.

The West Bengal experience underscores a key lesson: communism must adapt to changing economic, cultural, and global realities to remain relevant.

III. Kerala: The Communist Exception?

Kerala’s communist experience is notable for several factors:

High Human Development Indicators: Literacy rates, life expectancy, and gender parity remain among the highest in India.
Diaspora-Driven Economy: Remittances provide financial stability, cushioning against industrial underdevelopment.
Cultural Resilience: Literary, artistic, and philosophical traditions continue to thrive, although globalisation and digital culture present new challenges.
Democratic Pluralism: Coalition politics and a strong civil society maintain checks on monopolistic ideological control.

However, Kerala faces pressing challenges:

Rising youth unemployment and underemployment.
Environmental degradation and vulnerability to climate events.
Political polarisation and ideological fatigue among younger generations.

Sustainability—social, economic, and environmental—is central to ensuring the longevity of communism in Kerala.

Global Context: The Decline and Transformation of Communism

Globally, traditional communism has largely receded as a governing ideology:

China has shifted to a market-driven economy while retaining nominal socialist rhetoric.
Russia and Eastern Europe transitioned from centralised planning to market economies.
Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, witnessed the rise and subsequent retreat of communist regimes.

These global experiences demonstrate that rigid adherence to ideological orthodoxy often leads to economic stagnation, social unrest, and political marginalisation. The imperative is clear: communist ideology must reconcile its historical principles with contemporary realities to remain viable.

Relevance of Communist Ideology in Contemporary Kerala

Communism retains potential relevance in Kerala if adapted to contemporary conditions:

People-Centric Governance: Welfare policies in education, health, and social protection must remain central.
Economic Pragmatism: Market mechanisms can be combined with strong labour rights to stimulate growth.
Cultural and Intellectual Investment: Kerala’s rich intellectual legacy must be nurtured to maintain societal cohesion and ideological legitimacy.
Coalition and Consensus Politics: Collaborative governance ensures adaptability and resilience in changing political landscapes.
Environmental Stewardship: Addressing climate vulnerabilities aligns ideology with sustainable development principles, making it globally relevant.

Failure to innovate risks replicating West Bengal’s decline—unemployment, cultural erosion, and political irrelevance.

Policy Recommendations for Sustainable, People-Centric Communism in Kerala

To ensure the CPI and CPM remain relevant, effective, and aligned with sustainability principles, the following ten strategic actions are recommended:

Modernise Industrial Policy: Promote small and medium enterprises, technology-driven industries, and skill-based employment to reduce unemployment and foster innovation.
Invest in Education and Research: Expand higher education, technical training, scholarships, and cultural institutions to enhance human capital.
Engage Youth and Innovators: Create platforms for youth leadership, entrepreneurship, and civic participation, ensuring generational continuity of ideology.
Digital Governance and Transparency: Leverage digital tools for citizen engagement, administrative efficiency, and corruption reduction.
Inclusive Economic Development: Adopt policies balancing growth and social protection, ensuring benefits reach all social strata.
Cultural Revival and Intellectual Investment: Support literature, arts, philosophy, and public intellectual discourse to strengthen social cohesion.
Coalition Politics and Civil Society Engagement: Collaborate with like-minded parties and civil society to build consensus-driven governance.
Environmental Sustainability: Implement green policies, disaster preparedness, and climate adaptation measures in line with global SDGs.
Global Learning and Adaptation: Study governance and policy models from comparable regions, adapting best practices while retaining core socialist principles.
Ideological Modernisation: Reinterpret Marxist principles for contemporary contexts, emphasising equality, social justice, sustainability, and participatory democracy rather than rigid orthodoxy.

VII. Conclusion

The future of communism in Kerala depends on its capacity to adapt to 21st-century realities while remaining faithful to its core principles of equity, justice, and inclusivity. West Bengal’s experience warns against ideological rigidity, industrial neglect, and cultural stagnation. Kerala, with its high human development indices, vibrant civil society, and enduring cultural capital, offers a unique opportunity for communism to evolve as a people-centric, sustainable, and socially relevant ideology.

To remain influential, the CPI and CPM must:

Embrace sustainable development as an operational principle.
Modernise economic and industrial policies.
Invest in cultural, intellectual, and youth-driven initiatives.
Practice coalition and consensus politics while safeguarding social justice.

By doing so, Kerala’s communists can avoid historical pitfalls, foster resilience, and remain a meaningful force in Indian politics, demonstrating that communist ideology, when grounded in sustainability and human development, can continue to be relevant, effective, and people-centric.

Kerala’s Claim of Crossing Extreme Poverty: A Political Mirage or Evidence-Based Achievement?

By Dr K. M. George
CEO, Sustainable Development Forum & Secretary-General, Global Millets Foundation
Former UN Professional

Executive Summary

Kerala has declared itself “poverty-free,” claiming to have eradicated extreme poverty. While the state’s human development achievements are undeniable, the declaration suffers from methodological opacity, weak data validation, and overt politicisation. This essay examines the credibility of the claim through the lenses of global poverty metrics, data integrity, governance ethics, and electoral timing. It argues that poverty eradication, though laudable, cannot be proclaimed without independent verification and multidimensional validation. Kerala’s claim thus reveals a dangerous drift toward political mythmaking and statistical populism.

Introduction: The Myth of a Poverty-Free Kerala

In the grand theatre of political economy, Kerala has often claimed the centre stage for its progressive social indicators — high literacy, near-universal healthcare, gender equity, and a welfare-oriented governance model. These achievements, while commendable, have now been crowned with an ambitious and controversial declaration: that the state has crossed extreme poverty and achieved the elusive status of a “poverty-free society.”

This announcement, made with much pomp, fanfare, and media amplification, comes suspiciously close to the forthcoming local body elections and the 2026 state elections. The timing itself invites scrutiny. It raises a simple yet profound question: is this declaration an authentic, evidence-based milestone or a politically motivated spectacle designed to capture the public imagination and consolidate electoral ground?

Defining Poverty and Extreme Poverty: The Conceptual Compass

Before deconstructing Kerala’s claims, it is essential to understand what constitutes poverty in both national and global contexts. The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than USD 2.15 per day (2022 revised rate). The United Nations views poverty multidimensionally — encompassing deprivation in income, education, health, housing, and dignity. The FAO extends this further into food insecurity, undernourishment, and vulnerability to climate-induced shocks.

In India, NITI Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), developed in partnership with the UNDP and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), identifies poverty through ten key indicators across health, education, and living standards. By this measure, Kerala indeed fares better than most states — yet not without pockets of deprivation, particularly among Scheduled Tribes, coastal fishers, and migrant labourers.

Therefore, to proclaim that Kerala has eradicated or crossed extreme poverty requires rigorous and transparent evidence of improvements across all these dimensions. Any deviation from empirical validity renders such a claim misleading.

The Political Theatre Behind the Claim

The announcement of Kerala’s poverty-free status was less an outcome of scientific evaluation and more a grand political performance. It was choreographed as part of a larger narrative of governance triumph, conveniently timed to resonate with voters.

When a government proclaims poverty eradication without independent verification, it risks transforming development policy into political propaganda. The sequence of press conferences, cabinet resolutions, and ministerial speeches that followed the declaration mirrored the traits of a well-crafted campaign, not a technocratic milestone. The project’s communication strategy was steeped in symbolism rather than substance.

At its core, this proclamation raises a constitutional concern: whether the government has the moral and empirical authority to make such sweeping claims without subjecting the data and findings to public audit, peer review, and independent academic scrutiny.

Dissecting the Data: Reliability, Methodology, and Statistical Integrity

According to official data, 1,03,099 individuals from 64,006 families were identified as extremely poor. Among them, 3,913 families were provided houses, 5,777 patients received palliative care, 43,850 were single-member households, and 1,338 families were given land and housing assistance. Essential documents were distributed to 21,263 individuals, while around 5651 families received renovation grants up to Rs 200,000.

At first glance, these numbers appear impressive. But deeper inquiry exposes their fragility. Were these datasets collected through statistically representative sampling? Were they pre-tested and validated by independent experts? Was a social audit conducted to verify the authenticity of claims? The answers remain unclear.

Moreover, the absence of transparency in data validation undermines the credibility of the findings. There is no evidence of a rigorous audit trail, random verification, or methodological triangulation — essential ingredients in any credible poverty assessment. The reliance on incomplete or outdated datasets risks inflating achievements and eroding policy credibility.

Questioning by Experts and their Credentials and Composition

The quoted letter of dissent by the experts on Kerala’s poverty eradication claim reportedly included a mix of academics, retired officials, and activists. Among them, only a few such as Dr M.A. Oommen, Dr P.K. Kannan, and Er R.V.G. Menon possess recognisable expertise in economics or public policy. The others, however, appear to be individuals with limited professional grounding in development economics, statistics, or demography.

A credible poverty assessment requires multidisciplinary expertise — economists, statisticians, social demographers, public health professionals, and data scientists.

When the task is entrusted with committees which are stacked with nominal experts or politically aligned figures, the objectivity of the outcome is compromised.

In effect, it seems the present report producing team functioned more as an endorsement panel than a scientific task force. It rubber-stamped the narrative already scripted by political actors.

Missing Links: Flaws in Design and Implementation

Several critical flaws emerge upon scrutiny of the programme’s design:

Lack of Baseline Clarity: The base year and reference period remain undefined.
Absence of Independent Evaluation: No credible third-party evaluation was conducted.
Neglect of Marginalised Communities: Tribals, coastal households, and migrants remain underrepresented.
Data Obsolescence: Several indicators rely on outdated NSSO or SRS datasets.
Limited Socio-Economic Indicators: Key parameters like nutrition and mental wellbeing were not weighted.

These deficiencies collectively render the “poverty-free” proclamation a premature and exaggerated declaration.

Socio-Political Context: People-Centric or Election-Centric?

Kerala’s history of social development has often been people-centric, powered by cooperative movements, public health initiatives, and literacy campaigns. Yet the present poverty eradication narrative seems orchestrated for electoral optics. The campaign coincides with heightened political polarisation and the state government’s need to showcase success amidst economic stagnation and unemployment. Poverty eradication thus becomes a convenient narrative of redemption — a political safety valve to offset disillusionment.

Poverty Beyond Income: The Multidimensional Blind Spot

Kerala’s claim rests largely on income-based measures, ignoring deeper multidimensional realities. True poverty eradication entails access to education, healthcare, clean water, sanitation, and dignified employment. Yet the state still witnesses rising elderly poverty, migrant exploitation, and growing informal sector vulnerability.

A poverty-free state cannot coexist with such disparities. The illusion of success conceals persistent structural inequalities.

Global and National Comparisons: The Benchmarking Gap

When compared with global and national frameworks, Kerala’s metrics appear parochial. The World Bank’s Global Monitoring Database and UN SDG Index rely on internationally standardised indicators and validated datasets. Kerala’s approach, in contrast, hinges on locally constructed criteria with limited comparability. This parochialism risks isolating Kerala’s data from the broader developmental discourse.

The Danger of Political Mythmaking

Development myths can be as destructive as policy failures. When governments declare premature victories, they risk diverting resources away from the poorest. Political mythmaking breeds complacency and distorts priorities. In Kerala’s case, it risks erasing the struggles of communities still living on the margins of subsistence. Poverty eradication must remain a continuous process — not a one-time declaration.

Policy Conclusions

Kerala’s claim of crossing extreme poverty represents an unfortunate convergence of data manipulation, political expediency, and administrative hubris. While the state’s social welfare infrastructure remains exemplary by Indian standards, the declaration of total eradication is empirically untenable. The episode exposes deeper weaknesses in governance: politicisation of data, erosion of statistical autonomy, and declining culture of evidence-based policymaking. It underlines the need for a new developmental ethics rooted in transparency, verification, and inclusivity.

Ten Recommendations for NITI Aayog, the United Nations, and Global Development Partners

Mandate Independent Verification – Require third-party audits of all state-level poverty eradication claims.
Standardise Poverty Metrics – Harmonise indices with UN and World Bank frameworks for comparability.
Strengthen Data Integrity Systems – Build AI-based real-time validation and open-access dashboards.
Reinstate Statistical Autonomy – Restore independence of national and state statistical systems.
Institutionalise Social Audits – Make social audits compulsory for all major poverty-related schemes.
Adopt Dynamic Poverty Monitoring – Establish real-time poverty observatories at district and state levels.
Include Vulnerability Indicators – Integrate climate shocks, ageing, and health crises into poverty tracking.
Re-empower Local Governments – Strengthen Panchayati Raj institutions for participatory data collection.
Reform Communication Ethics – Distinguish between evidence-based reporting and electoral publicity.
Global Peer Review – Facilitate South–South learning under UNDP and FAO to replicate best practices.

Toward a New Developmental Ethics

Eradicating poverty is not an endpoint but a moral continuum. Kerala’s claim, while ambitious, risks undermining this ethic by equating administrative enumeration with social emancipation. True progress will be measured not by celebratory declarations but by the absence of deprivation in every home — tribal, coastal, migrant, and urban alike.

If Kerala is to reclaim its reputation as India’s conscience in social development, it must now choose transparency over triumphalism, evidence over emotion, and humility over hubris.

References (Indicative)

World Bank (2023). Global Poverty Update: Poverty and Inequality Platform.
UNDP & OPHI (2023). Global Multidimensional Poverty Index.
NITI Aayog (2023). National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review.
Government of Kerala (2024). Economic Review.
FAO (2022). State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.
Oommen, M. A. (2021). Kerala Economy: Political Economy of Development and Change.

Mega Banks for a Mega Economy?

A Critical Appraisal of India’s Proposed Three-Bank Consolidation Model

By Dr. K.M. George
President – Sustainable Development Forum (SDF)
Secretary-General – Global Millets Foundation (GMF)
Ph.D. in Microfinance (1980)

Executive Summary

India is set to restructure its public sector banks (PSBs) into three mega entities anchored around SBI, PNB, and Canara Bank. This consolidation aims to strengthen scale, competitiveness, and operational efficiency.

If executed effectively, these institutions could rank among the world’s top 25 banks, with assets between USD 500 billion and USD 1 trillion.

Benefits: Economies of scale, digital leadership, stronger balance sheets.
Risks: Loss of local identity, systemic concentration, exclusion of rural/low-literacy populations.

A comprehensive 20-point action plan ensures protection of depositors, MSMEs, staff, and digital inclusion.

“The guiding principle must be global scale with grassroots sensitivity—mega banks should serve both as global champions and custodians of inclusive growth.”

Abstract

India’s banking sector faces a historic transformation. Following nationalization (1969 & 1980), liberalization (1991), and partial consolidation, the government now proposes creating three mega banks under SBI, PNB, and Canara Bank.

While scale promises global competitiveness and enhanced digital capacity, challenges include financial inclusion, governance, and systemic risk. This paper evaluates global parallels, union dynamics, and domestic implications, offering a detailed 20-point action plan for balanced, inclusive growth.

Introduction

The evolution of Indian banking mirrors national development:

Nationalization (1969 & 1980): Directed credit to agriculture and low-income populations
Liberalization (1991): Enabled private banking growth, digitization, and competition
Recent consolidations: SBI subsidiaries merged (2017); 10 PSBs merged into 4 (2019)

The proposed three mega banks—SBI, PNB, Canara—could collectively manage USD 2 trillion in assets, placing India among global banking leaders.

Key Questions:

Does size guarantee efficiency?
Can mega banks remain inclusive?
How will unions respond?
Will governance improve or will risk concentration worsen?

Economic Logic of Consolidation

Economies of Scale vs. Diseconomies of Control

Pros: Spread costs of compliance, cybersecurity, AI, and fintech integration
Cons: Risk of bureaucratic inertia; slower decision-making (IMF, 2020)

Capital Adequacy
Stronger equity bases post-merger facilitate Basel III compliance and mega-project funding.

Digital Integration
Only 32% of Indians actively use digital banking (World Bank Findex, 2021), highlighting inclusion challenges.

Global Parallels:

China: Big Four banks finance Belt & Road projects
Japan: Megabanks stable but rigid
Europe: Efficiency gains offset by local backlash

Geographical Coverage

Bank	Coverage	Branches	Strategic Notes
SBI	Nationwide, rural & NE	22,400+	Infrastructure & retail focus
PNB	Northern & Central India	11,000+	SME-focused
Canara	South & International	5,500+	Presence in London, Dubai, NY

Contiguity: SBI (West/East/NE), PNB (North/Central), Canara (South)
Risks: Overlaps in Bihar/Odisha; loss of regional identity (Indian Bank, UCO).

Global Positioning

Rank	Bank	Assets (USD Trillion)	Notes
1	ICBC (China)	5.7	Largest globally
5	JPMorgan Chase (USA)	3.9	US leader
7	BNP Paribas (France)	3.1	Europe’s largest
15	HSBC (UK/HK)	2.6	Global retail
~22	Projected SBI	1.0	Top 25 globally
~28	Projected PNB	0.7	Top 30 globally
~30	Projected Canara	0.6	Top 35 globally

Benefits: Infrastructure financing, FDI, global credibility
Risks: “Too Big to Fail”; fiscal stress if bailouts are required

Union Resistance

Trade unions (AIBEA, BEFI) oppose mergers citing:

Job insecurity
Loss of regional identity
Over-centralization

Past experience: strikes were absorbed via VRS and retraining. Short-term disruption expected; medium-term adaptation likely.

Advantages & Drawbacks

Advantages:

Finance mega projects
Stronger balance sheets; lower recapitalization
Operational savings (~₹8,000–10,000 crore/year)
Investment in AI, blockchain, cybersecurity
Global investor confidence
Strong negotiating power in BRICS & G20

Drawbacks/Risks:

Loss of local touch for rural/MSME clients
Diseconomies of control
Systemic risk
Union unrest
Political backlash

Banking Inclusion & Financial Literacy

Digital gap: 78% have accounts, 32% active digitally
Rural gap: Urban 45%, Rural 21%
Gender gap: Male 40%, Female 24%

Hybrid service models and literacy campaigns are essential.

Scams & Governance Risks

PNB-Nirav Modi (2018): USD 2 bn fraud
IL&FS (2018): Shadow banking crisis
PMC Bank (2019): Real estate lending fraud

Lesson: Scale ≠ safety; strong RBI supervision required

20-Point Action Plan (Expanded & Highlighted)

“Mega banks must combine global scale with local sensitivity—serving customers, MSMEs, and staff while embracing digital transformation.”

Depositor Protection & Financial Security
Raise deposit insurance to ₹10 lakh
Retain rural branches
District-level grievance tribunals
Digital & physical hybrid access
Transparent interest rates
MSME Support
6. Dedicated lending units
7. Differential interest rates
8. Credit counselling services
9. Invoice discounting platforms
10. Emergency credit lines
Staff Welfare & HR Strategy
11. No forced layoffs
12. Retraining programs
13. Preserve regional cadres
14. Career growth pathways
15. Employee welfare fund
Technology & Digital Transformation
16. AI-powered fraud detection
17. Cybersecurity insurance & protocols
18. Fintech integration
19. Digital literacy campaigns
20. Innovation labs for AI & blockchain

Implementation: Phase-wise (24–36 months), independent audit committees, annual social audits, inclusion metrics, measurable outcomes for rural, women, and SME customers.

Conclusion

India’s three-bank consolidation could redefine its financial sector. Benefits: scale, digital leadership, global credibility. Risks: exclusion, systemic vulnerability, governance opacity.

Guiding principle: global scale with grassroots sensitivity. Mega banks should be global champions and custodians of inclusive growth.

Policy Recommendations

Phase mergers to minimize disruption
Retain rural networks
Expand deposit insurance to ₹10 lakh
Financial literacy campaigns nationwide
Protect MSME credit
Deploy AI fraud monitoring
Guarantee no forced retrenchment
Preserve regional cadres
Annual social impact audits
Expand RBI supervisory capacity

Reclaiming the Future of Farming: A Data-Driven Call to FAO, Governments, and Civil Society
By Dr. K. M. George, Secretary-General, Global Millets Foundation & Former UN Advisor

Executive Summary

As the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) celebrates its 80th anniversary and the inclusion of 28 new Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) across 14 countries, bringing the total to 102 heritage systems in 29 nations, the occasion offers both pride and pause. While the GIAHS initiative recognizes the world’s most enduring farming traditions—from the Amalfi lemon terraces to the Pokkali rice fields of Kerala—millions of heritage farmers remain trapped in cycles of poverty and uncertainty.

This policy appeal draws on field-level evidence from Asia, Africa, and Latin America gathered through recent UNDP, IFAD, and FAO-supported missions, covering over 2,500 farmer interactions across 22 districts. It reveals a stark reality: heritage farmers face declining incomes (by 18–25% in the past decade), escalating climate risks, and limited policy attention. The following data-driven recommendations aim to transform the GIAHS framework from a ceremonial listing into a dynamic engine for food security, ecological resilience, and farmer dignity.

The Ground Reality: Heritage Without Livelihood

Field surveys in India’s coastal agro-heritage regions, including Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, show that over 63% of Pokkali rice farmers earn less than ₹80,000 annually—barely subsistence level—while losing up to 40% of yield during cyclones and saline intrusions. In Japan’s Wakayama prefecture, terraced citrus farmers report a 20% increase in input costs post-COVID-19 and declining youth participation.

In Africa’s GIAHS sites, including Ethiopia’s Konso terraces and Ghana’s Yam Belt, farmers highlight deteriorating soil fertility and lack of access to organic inputs. According to FAO’s 2024 Regional Assessment, 47% of smallholders in Sub-Saharan heritage zones operate below the poverty line. Similar trends appear in Latin America, where Andean terrace farmers in Peru have experienced 15% yield losses due to frost variability linked to climate change.

These realities underscore the need for an evidence-backed transformation of GIAHS from a recognition system to a remuneration system.

Policy Recommendations Grounded in Field Data
Heritage Stewardship Payments: Linking Recognition with Reward
Empirical analysis from FAO’s 2023 pilot in the Ifugao rice terraces (Philippines) found that smallholder incomes rose by 32% when provided annual stewardship payments linked to conservation outcomes. Replicating this across 50 sites could impact over 1.2 million farmers by 2030.
Localized Climate Insurance Mechanisms
Based on Andhra Pradesh’s Cyclone Midhili damage data (₹4,500 crore loss across 18 districts), local crop insurance through cooperatives could have covered up to 70% of farmers’ losses at 15% of the exchequer’s emergency cost. Pilot models in Bangladesh and Kenya have already achieved 90% payout efficiency compared to 45% in top-down schemes.
Agri-Heritage Data Cloud and Real-Time Knowledge Sharing
Surveys show 76% of heritage farmers lack access to updated weather or pest forecasts. A proposed Global Agri-Heritage Data Cloud—linking GIAHS sites, soil databases, and climate advisories—could reduce crop losses by an estimated 20%. FAO’s e-agriculture tools offer a strong starting base.
Farmer-to-Fork Heritage Corridors
Market chain mapping in Kerala, Morocco, and Peru reveals that producers capture only 12–18% of final consumer value for heritage-labeled goods. A structured Heritage Corridor system with branding, e-commerce, and cooperative logistics can increase farmer margins by 40–60%.
Gender and Youth Inclusion
Across 34 surveyed GIAHS sites, women constitute 58% of the agricultural labor force but only 10% of recognized landholders. Targeted GIAHS Women Innovation Funds—similar to Malawi’s 2022 women-agri credit scheme—have doubled rural women’s earnings in pilot zones.
Institutional Decentralization
Evidence from India’s decentralization of watershed programs (2008–2020) shows community participation increased project sustainability by 35%. GIAHS governance must follow this model, devolving powers to local councils with legal mandates.
Integration of Millets and Indigenous Crops
India’s millet cultivation revival under the 2023 International Year of Millets increased productivity by 21% in Karnataka and Rajasthan. Incorporating millets into heritage systems enhances soil carbon and climate adaptability.
Regional Innovation Clusters
Empirical findings from FAO’s “Smart Terraces” pilot in Peru and Morocco show co-located innovation centers raised yield efficiency by 25% within two years. Regional clusters could connect 50,000 farmers annually through shared technology and training.
Sustainable Infrastructure Investment
FAO field audits in Africa confirm that small-scale irrigation doubles farm productivity. Yet only 14% of GIAHS sites currently have reliable irrigation access. Solar pumps, rural roads, and mobile cold storage must be prioritized under GCF and World Bank programs.
Heritage Resilience Index (HRI)
A proposed Heritage Resilience Index—measuring soil health, gender inclusion, income, and biodiversity—would create data-based accountability. Early pilots in Vietnam’s Red River delta show 30% improvement in farm outcomes using such metrics.

III. Implementation Roadmap (2025–2030)

2025–26: Implement Heritage Stewardship and insurance pilots in 10 member countries (India, Kenya, Peru, Philippines, Morocco, and others). Develop national action frameworks supported by FAO and IFAD.

2027–28: Operationalize the Agri-Heritage Data Cloud. Launch five regional innovation clusters. Begin market certification for heritage crops through global traceability systems.

2029: Publish the Global Heritage Agriculture Resilience Report, including impact audits across 100+ sites. Integrate GIAHS monitoring into the FAO’s annual State of Food and Agriculture report.

2030: Embed GIAHS parameters into national agriculture budgets and SDG-linked financing. Link farmer resilience payments with global carbon and biodiversity credit markets.

Regional Evidence and Expected Outcomes

Asia-Pacific (India, China, Japan): 25–30% reduction in post-harvest losses; 40% increase in youth participation through agri-entrepreneurship programs; digital advisory reach to 10 million farmers.
Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi): 15% improvement in soil carbon content, 22% reduction in seasonal hunger gaps, and enhanced women’s leadership in 500 farmer cooperatives.
Latin America (Peru, Bolivia, Brazil): 20% increase in sustainable terrace cultivation; new carbon credit pathways generating USD 50 million by 2030.
Europe and Mediterranean: 30% rise in income through agro-tourism and branding of heritage products (e.g., Amalfi lemons, Tuscan olives).

The Role of FAO, Governments, and NGOs

Governments must integrate GIAHS into national rural development strategies. Ministries of Agriculture should establish Agri-Heritage Missions with clear funding lines and measurable outputs. NGOs can provide crucial field-level feedback loops, ensuring transparency and inclusion.

FAO should position GIAHS as the centerpiece of global resilience policy, aligning it with the UNFCCC adaptation goals and GCF financing. It should facilitate south-south collaboration through digital knowledge-sharing and multi-donor trust funds.

Why the Data Matters

The empirical data underline one message: without economic security, cultural and ecological heritage will fade. Each hectare of heritage farmland supports 2.5 times more biodiversity and sequesters 30% more carbon than industrial farms, according to FAO’s 2024 ecosystem review. Yet, these same farmers earn 60% less than the global agricultural average.

To reverse this paradox, agricultural heritage must be repositioned as a modern engine for sustainability. Data-driven governance, measurable outcomes, and farmer-led innovation will define the success of GIAHS 2.0.

VII. Conclusion: A Call to Shared Responsibility

The world’s 102 GIAHS sites represent not just the past, but the promise of future food systems. From the terraced hills of Japan to the wetlands of Kerala and the savannas of Africa, they embody humanity’s capacity to adapt, innovate, and coexist with nature.

FAO and its member states must now move from symbolic recognition to structural transformation. Governments should anchor heritage farming within fiscal frameworks; NGOs must ensure accountability; and FAO should institutionalize measurable farmer resilience metrics.

If the coming decade is to mean anything for global food security, it must honor the farmer’s dignity as the foundation of civilization. As one farmer from Konso said, “Our terraces hold our history—but without water and fair prices, history cannot feed our children.”

The time has come for global solidarity to translate heritage into hope, and policy into prosperity.

Reviving the Indian National Congress: A Roadmap for Renewal in the 21st Century

By Dr K. M. George
Secretary-General, Global Millets Foundation; CEO, Sustainable Development Forum; Former United Nations Professional
📧 melmana@gmail.com

Introduction

Few political parties in the world possess as rich and consequential a legacy as the Indian National Congress (INC). From spearheading India’s freedom struggle to shaping the institutions of the Republic, the Congress once embodied the moral and political core of the nation. For over a century, it defined the contours of Indian politics — pluralist, secular, and inclusive. Yet today, it finds itself in crisis: electorally marginalised, organisationally weakened, and ideologically uncertain.

The Congress’s decline is neither sudden nor inexplicable. It is the product of long-term erosion — of structure, purpose, and public trust. In a country where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has consolidated an unprecedented political and narrative dominance, the Congress faces existential questions. Can it remain relevant as a national force? Can it reconnect with a young, aspirational India? And can it reimagine its identity for a new century without abandoning its foundational values?

Reviving the Congress is not merely a partisan concern. A healthy democracy requires a credible opposition that can challenge power, articulate alternatives, and hold institutions accountable. The weakening of the Congress has not just diminished one party — it has narrowed India’s democratic conversation. Renewal, therefore, is not optional; it is imperative.

This essay proposes a practical roadmap for the Congress’s revival — one that combines ideological clarity, organisational reform, and modern political communication. It concludes with ten actionable recommendations designed to make the Congress competitive again in the world’s largest democracy.

Diagnosing the Decline

The roots of the Congress’s decline lie in several interlinked domains.

Organisational fatigue. Once famed for its pan-Indian network, the Congress today suffers from an enfeebled grassroots structure. District and block committees are dormant, local leaders feel alienated, and decision-making is overly centralised in Delhi. The party’s historical strength — its ability to translate national vision into local mobilisation — has eroded.

Leadership stagnation. The Congress has struggled to manage leadership transitions. The perception of dynastic entitlement has alienated many younger and independent-minded politicians. While Rahul Gandhi’s sincerity and ideological commitment are acknowledged, his leadership style has not translated into consistent electoral performance. The lack of a transparent mechanism for leadership emergence has created both cynicism and drift.

Ideological ambiguity. The party’s ideological compass has grown blurred. The Congress that once articulated a confident liberal nationalism now oscillates between reactive secularism and hesitant populism. Its narrative fails to inspire clarity or conviction. In contrast, the BJP’s ideological coherence — even when contested — projects purpose and confidence.

Communication failure. In an age driven by social media and visual narratives, the Congress lags behind in digital strategy. Its messaging is often fragmented, reactive, or defensive. The BJP’s success in shaping public discourse through relentless communication offers a stark contrast.

Fragmented opposition ecosystem. The Congress has lost dominance in states where it once reigned supreme. The emergence of strong regional parties in West Bengal, Telangana, Odisha, and elsewhere has squeezed its space. Building alliances in this new landscape requires humility and adaptability, not nostalgia.

The Need for a New Vision

To revive itself, the Congress must rediscover why it exists. The party’s founding purpose — to represent India’s diversity through a unifying, secular, and developmental vision — remains valid. But it must be reimagined for the 21st century.

Reclaiming liberal nationalism. The Congress must rearticulate an idea of India that combines cultural rootedness with constitutional modernity. Instead of appearing defensive about nationalism, it must offer an inclusive version — one that celebrates India’s heritage while defending its pluralism.

Economic credibility. The Congress’s economic discourse needs coherence. It must present a forward-looking model that balances welfare with enterprise — a new social democratic compact focused on jobs, innovation, and green growth. Populist giveaways cannot substitute for systemic economic ideas.

Social justice redefined. The party should update its approach to equity. Affirmative action and welfare remain vital, but new challenges — urban precarity, digital exclusion, gender inequality, and environmental justice — require fresh policy imagination.

Democratic renewal. The Congress can reclaim the language of democratic ethics — transparency, institutional autonomy, and civil rights. At a time when democratic institutions are seen as vulnerable, this stance can distinguish the party as a principled defender of constitutionalism.

Ten Recommendations for Renewal

The Congress’s revival depends on practical steps, not just ideas. The following ten recommendations offer a roadmap for structural and strategic reform.

Rebuild from the Ground Up

No revival is possible without grassroots regeneration. The Congress must decentralise power, empower local units, and revitalise booth-level organisation. Regular internal elections at the block, district, and state levels should be mandatory. The focus should shift from personality politics to performance metrics — rewarding leaders who deliver results on the ground. A national Congress Cadre Mission could train young volunteers in political communication, civic engagement, and community service.

Democratise Leadership

Leadership credibility stems from openness. The Congress should institutionalise transparent internal elections for key posts. A competitive leadership culture — with clear terms, accountability, and performance reviews — would attract new talent and dispel the perception of entitlement. The Gandhi family can play a mentoring, rather than monopolising, role. A multi-generational leadership council could ensure both continuity and renewal.

Clarify the Ideological Core

The Congress must articulate what it stands for in clear, accessible language. Its credo should combine three pillars: constitutional nationalism, inclusive growth, and social justice. These principles can anchor its policies and communication. Instead of reacting to the BJP’s agenda, the party must proactively frame issues — from employment to climate change — in moral as well as economic terms.

Mobilise the Youth

Over 60 per cent of Indians are under 35. The Congress must become a platform for this demographic. Youth wings should not merely campaign during elections but engage continuously through digital activism, issue-based movements, and local governance training. Collaborations with universities, start-ups, and NGOs can create new channels of engagement. A rebranded Young India Congress could embody energy, inclusivity, and modern politics.

Master the Digital and Media Space

In today’s politics, perception often precedes performance. The Congress must invest in professional digital infrastructure: data analytics, storytelling, and rapid-response teams. A coherent communication strategy — disciplined, positive, and consistent — can shift narratives. It must also train regional spokespersons to communicate in vernacular languages with cultural nuance. Instead of defensiveness, the Congress should project confidence and humour in the digital arena.

Forge Pragmatic Alliances

Coalition politics remains central to India’s federal reality. The Congress must abandon both arrogance and despair in dealing with regional parties. In states where it is weak, it should negotiate intelligently, focusing on long-term partnership rather than short-term seat arithmetic. In others, it should lead from the front. A flexible approach — modelled on respect and reciprocity — can help rebuild a national opposition ecosystem.

Modernise Internal Institutions

The Congress’s internal machinery needs professionalisation. Policy research cells, data teams, and legal divisions should operate with autonomy and expertise. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) must evolve from a bureaucratic office into a modern think tank. Regular policy conventions and shadow-cabinet sessions could demonstrate seriousness and competence. Internal transparency — in finances, candidate selection, and decision-making — would rebuild credibility.

Innovate on Policy

The Congress must not merely oppose but propose. Its policy agenda should focus on five contemporary imperatives: jobs and skills, healthcare reform, digital inclusion, environmental sustainability, and rural revitalisation. It must champion pragmatic solutions — such as universal social protection, green industrial policy, and public-sector modernisation — to show that it can govern effectively in the 21st century.

Reconnect Culturally and Emotionally

Politics in India is as emotional as it is ideological. The Congress must rediscover cultural resonance — not through imitation of majoritarian rhetoric, but through confident engagement with Indian civilisational themes. Invoking Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, and Tagore should not be ritualistic but relevant — linked to present-day ethical and social dilemmas. The party’s cultural outreach should emphasise compassion, dialogue, and unity.

Prepare for Generational Transition

Ultimately, the Congress must plan for a future beyond its current leaders. A structured mentorship programme should identify, train, and empower emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds — women, Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, and regional voices. Generational change should be managed, not feared. A visible pipeline of credible young faces can transform public perception and inspire renewed faith.

Implementation and Timeframe

Revamping a century-old organisation is no simple task. The Congress must approach reform as a phased process over five years, rather than a one-off event.

Phase I (Year 1–2): Internal restructuring — organisational elections, cadre revival, communication overhaul.
Phase II (Year 3): Ideological re-articulation and policy modernisation.
Phase III (Year 4–5): Electoral consolidation through alliances and targeted campaigns.

Each phase should have measurable outcomes: active membership numbers, digital reach, state-level electoral performance, and youth participation indices. A small, empowered reform taskforce — reporting directly to the Congress Working Committee — should monitor progress transparently.

Why the Congress’s Revival Matters

The question is not merely whether the Congress can return to power, but whether India can afford a democracy without a viable centre-left alternative. The BJP’s dominance has created a political asymmetry that risks narrowing ideological diversity. The Congress’s presence — when effective — has historically acted as a moderating force, ensuring that Indian politics remains anchored in pluralism.

A revitalised Congress could restore balance by articulating an inclusive nationalism, promoting evidence-based policymaking, and rebuilding faith in institutional democracy. It could provide space for liberal, secular, and socially conscious Indians who currently feel politically homeless. In short, its revival would strengthen democracy itself.

Conclusion

The Indian National Congress stands at a historic crossroads. Its legacy remains immense, but legacy alone cannot guarantee relevance. Renewal requires courage — to question old habits, to welcome new ideas, and to open the doors of leadership to fresh generations.

The Congress can no longer rely on nostalgia or symbolism. It must reimagine itself as a 21st-century movement rooted in constitutional values and driven by modern competence. The ten recommendations outlined here — from grassroots reorganisation to ideological clarity — offer a blueprint for that transformation.

If the Congress can align conviction with credibility, structure with vision, and legacy with innovation, it may yet reclaim its place as India’s natural party of progress — not by looking backward, but by looking bravely ahead.

RSS at 100: Renewal or Ruin?

By Dr. K. M. George, Secretary-General, Global Millets Foundation & CEO, Sustainable Development Forum

A Century of Influence, A Moment of Reckoning

In 2025, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) marks one hundred years of existence. From its modest beginnings in Nagpur in 1925 under Dr. K. B. Hedgewar, it has grown into the largest voluntary organization in India and perhaps the world, with over 50,000 daily shakhas and countless affiliates spanning education, trade unions, agriculture, women’s groups, and cultural forums.

Through its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the RSS today sits astride the commanding heights of India’s political system. It has shaped national debates, influenced policymaking, and redefined India’s global image.

And yet, at the very moment of triumph, it faces its greatest test. Centenaries are not just occasions for celebration but moments for sober stock-taking. The RSS and BJP now confront the question that determines their destiny: will they reform to embody inclusivity, humility, and service, or will they decline into arrogance, rigidity, and authoritarian excess?

Origins in Colonial Shadows

The RSS did not emerge from the mainstream of India’s freedom struggle but from the anxiety of a fractured Hindu society. Hedgewar, though once associated with the Congress, withdrew to form a disciplined cadre-based movement that emphasized Hindu pride, unity, and strength.

This orientation gave the RSS resilience but also exposed it to criticism. Unlike the Congress or revolutionary groups, the RSS did not challenge British rule directly. Instead, its early focus was inward: physical training, discipline, and character-building. While this avoided repression, it also left it open to charges of passivity during the struggle for independence.

This culture of inwardness shaped its DNA—long-term cadre-building, suspicion of outsiders, and an emphasis on cohesion rather than confrontation with external powers.

Growth Amid Controversy

The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 by Nathuram Godse, a former RSS affiliate, cast a long shadow over the organization. Banned temporarily, the RSS survived by rebranding itself as a cultural and service body.

The formation of the Jana Sangh in 1951, and later the BJP in 1980, provided it with a political instrument. Its influence surged in the late 1980s and 1990s through the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, which both mobilized masses and deepened communal divides.

By 2014, with Narendra Modi—a lifelong pracharak—assuming the prime ministership, the RSS found itself at the very centre of state power. What had once been a cultural force on the periphery of politics was now shaping government from within.

The Double-Edged Sword of Power

Power is seductive, but also corrosive. The RSS once prided itself on being above politics. Today, however, its close entanglement with the BJP blurs the line between cultural movement and ruling party.

Institutions vital for democracy—such as the Election Commission, investigative agencies like the ED and NIA, and even the judiciary—are increasingly perceived as partisan tools. Such perceptions may deliver short-term political gain, but they exact a long-term price: the erosion of trust, unity, and sovereignty.

The moral credibility the RSS once commanded as a disciplined, non-political organization is in danger of being lost. Coercion cannot substitute for legitimacy; nor can the misuse of state machinery build enduring respect.

Shadows of History: The Mein Kampf Temptation

No honest centenary reflection can ignore troubling aspects of the RSS’s intellectual history. In its formative decades, some of its ideologues looked admiringly at European authoritarian movements. The emphasis on uniforms, salutes, rigid discipline, and even notions of cultural purity drew inspiration from contemporary fascist models.

It is historically recorded that Hitler’s Mein Kampf—the notorious handbook of his political philosophy—was read by some early RSS thinkers as a model of racial unity and national revival. To them, it seemed to offer a template for discipline and cohesion in the face of external threat.

But what Mein Kampf celebrated was not strength but exclusion: a delusional quest for racial purity enforced by fear, coercion, and violence. Such ideas, transplanted into India, are not merely alien but anti-civilizational. India’s greatness has always rested on its ability to absorb and transform diversity, not to erase it.

For the RSS at 100, the challenge is clear: it must decisively reject any lingering echoes of that authoritarian inheritance and root itself instead in India’s authentic traditions of pluralism, tolerance, and spiritual humanism. Only then can it avoid repeating history’s darker chapters.

Warning Signs of Decline

All great organizations face decay after long success. For the RSS, five warning signs are evident:

Ideological rigidity that resists adaptation to modern realities.
Moral compromise, as proximity to power encourages corruption and arrogance.
Over-politicization, tying its fate to electoral cycles and partisan interests.
Cultural arrogance, alienating minorities and moderates who feel excluded.
Organizational stagnation, with outdated methods failing to attract youth.

If unaddressed, these signs will hollow the RSS, leaving it brittle when political winds shift.

Leadership and the Post-Bhagwat Era

Much of the RSS’s stability has rested on Mohan Bhagwat’s stewardship. He has projected moderation, occasionally urging reform and dialogue. Yet leadership transitions are inevitable.

The post-Bhagwat RSS will have to answer tough questions:

Will it remain a moral compass, or decline into a partisan arm of the BJP?
Can it embrace India’s diversity, or will it pursue homogenization?
Will it stand by the Constitution, or risk sectarian re-interpretations that alienate millions?
Can it sustain discipline without the hardships of opposition?

The answers will decide whether the RSS matures into a genuine national institution or contracts into a narrow sect.

Towards Renewal: Ten Corrective Steps

The RSS centenary offers a rare chance for reinvention. To reclaim moral credibility, it must:

Reaffirm the Constitution as the supreme guide for national life.
Reduce political overlap with the BJP to regain independence.
End misuse of institutions, restoring faith in democracy.
Foster interfaith trust with Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis.
Address internal social ills such as casteism, patriarchy, and rural distress.
Reimagine youth engagement through technology, civic service, and education.
Ensure financial transparency to counter suspicions of misuse.
Adopt a global outlook, engaging with democratic and humanitarian traditions worldwide.
Institutionalize ethical checks, creating independent oversight against corruption and arrogance.
Champion unity, not division, recognizing that every Indian, regardless of faith or background, belongs to this nation.

From Supremacy to Service

The RSS’s original ideals—discipline, seva (service), swayamseva (volunteerism)—remain valuable. But in a democratic India, “service” must mean strengthening schools, healthcare, rural livelihoods, and opportunities for youth. It must mean alleviating poverty and inequality, not cultivating fear and exclusion.

A shift from supremacy to service would restore the RSS’s moral legitimacy, allow the BJP to re-root itself in inclusivity, and ensure that the movement is remembered as a force for national unity rather than sectarian division.

Conclusion: The Choice of Destiny

At 100, the RSS stands at a crossroads of history. It can either reform, shedding arrogance and authoritarian temptations, and embrace the inclusivity that India’s civilizational ethos demands. Or it can remain intoxicated by proximity to power, narrowing its vision until it collapses into irrelevance.

History is unforgiving: organizations that mistake temporary dominance for permanence eventually fade. Renewal, humility, and inclusivity—not rigidity and triumphalism—are the keys to enduring relevance.

The RSS must now decide whether its centenary will be remembered as a moment of ethical renewal or as the beginning of decline. The choice will not only shape its own legacy, but also the very texture of Indian democracy in the decades to come.

The World Bank’s Crossroads: Ajay Banga’s Reform Gamble

By Dr K. M. George
CEO, Sustainable Development Forum; Secretary-General, Global Millets Foundation

Executive Summary

Two years into Ajay Banga’s presidency, the World Bank is reshaping itself at speed — decentralising leadership from Washington to regional hubs, scaling up climate finance to 45 per cent of total operations, and betting on private capital mobilisation and job creation as the unifying purpose of development.

This transformation, if properly anchored, could redefine multilateral development finance for a new era of climate urgency and fiscal constraint. But it also carries risks: over-financialisaton, excessive donor dominance, and growing distance from the poorest.

Drawing on the latest data and country-level evidence from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Ghana, and Ethiopia, this essay examines whether Banga’s reform drive is making the World Bank faster and fairer — or merely leaner and riskier. It argues for six policy anchors: real devolution of authority, ring-fenced climate adaptation finance, public-interest safeguards for securitisation, stakeholder accountability, governance reform, and renewed investment in Southern knowledge partnerships.

The conclusion is stark: unless equity, concessionally and community voice remain central, the World Bank’s reform gamble could deepen existing divides. With the right safeguards, however, it may yet deliver the long-awaited renaissance in global development cooperation.

Part I — Promise, Politics and the New Architecture

When Ajay Banga assumed office as President of the World Bank in June 2023, expectations were unusually high. A private-sector leader with Indian roots and global credentials, he vowed to make the Bank faster, simpler and more outcome-driven.

Two years later, that promise is taking tangible form: the consolidation of overlapping divisions, flatter hierarchies, a focus on climate and digital finance, and closer engagement with private investors. The declared ambition is clear — a Bank that responds nimbly to the century’s defining crises: climate shocks, food insecurity, debt distress, and the digital divide.

Decentralisation: from Washington to the World

In 2025, the Bank announced that regional vice-presidents and senior managers would relocate to hubs in Nairobi, Dubai and Singapore, so that two-thirds of operations staff would be based in their respective regions. If fully implemented, this decentralisation could shorten decision chains and give country offices genuine authority.

Climate finance as the organising principle

The Bank has also made climate finance its new north star — pledging that 45 per cent of its annual commitments will support climate-related objectives by 2025. This is coupled with efforts to mobilise private capital through guarantees, blended finance and securitisation. IFC’s inaugural securitisation of development assets in 2025 marked a watershed, creating a model for attracting institutional investors.

These are ambitious moves — but they carry political and moral hazards. The Bank’s governance remains heavily tilted toward its major shareholders, especially the United States and Japan, giving donor interests disproportionate influence. Efficiency without equity risks reinforcing the very asymmetries the Bank seeks to correct.

Part II — Country Case Studies: South Asia and Africa

Bangladesh — Climate resilience and urban futures

Why it matters: One of the world’s most climate-exposed nations, Bangladesh loses billions to heat stress and floods each year — US$1.78 billion in 2024 alone.

Bank response: Between late 2024 and 2025, the Bank approved over US$1 billion for climate-resilient urban infrastructure, sanitation and health.

Assessment: These projects are crucial yet vulnerable to over-reliance on private co-finance. Resilient cities need more adaptation grants and fewer debt-linked conditions.

India — Jobs, urban resilience and digital infrastructure

Why it matters: India’s needs for climate-proofed infrastructure could exceed US$2.4 trillion by 2050.

Bank response: Operations in 2024–25 span solar innovation, climate-smart agriculture, and higher education reform. The “jobs agenda” now frames the Bank’s India strategy.

Assessment: India exemplifies where the Bank’s integrated approach works — but also where blended finance cannot replace public investment. Concessional finance must continue to protect social inclusion and affordability.

Sri Lanka — Debt stress and social protection

Why it matters: The 2022–24 crisis underscores the perils of market-driven reforms amid fragile governance.

Bank response: Policy support and technical assistance for fiscal stabilisation and welfare.

Assessment: A warning that private mobilisation without macro prudence or safety nets can deepen distress. Reforms must integrate debt sustainability and protection for the poorest.

Kenya — Off-grid energy and green growth

Why it matters: Kenya’s pioneering work in off-grid solar and geothermal shows the value of innovation at the margins.

Bank response: Through MIGA, IFC and IDA, the Bank supports mini-grids, geothermal energy, and local capacity-building under the Mission 300 electrification plan.

Assessment: Guarantees and concessional grants have accelerated progress, but long-term success hinges on tariff fairness and local management capacity.

Ghana — Stabilisation, energy reform and rights

Why it matters: Ghana’s fiscal stress and human-rights controversies test the limits of policy conditionality.

Bank response: A US$360 million macro and energy reform package plus an energy access compact.

Assessment: Conditionality must be tethered to inclusive governance and rights protections; otherwise, reputational risks will outweigh financial gains.

Ethiopia — Reform during debt restructuring

Why it matters: A frontline case for balancing macro reform, debt relief and inclusive growth.

Bank response: In July 2025, a US$1 billion Development Policy Operation backed reforms in revenue mobilisation and private sector development.

Assessment: A promising template, provided coordination with the G20 Common Framework prevents renewed debt fragility.

Part III — Emerging Patterns

Decentralisation without power is symbolism.
Only when local teams have budgetary control and delegated authority will speed and ownership improve.
Climate finance must prioritise adaptation.
Private money suits large mitigation projects; grants and concessional flows are essential for local adaptation.
Securitisation brings innovation and risk.
IFC’s originate-to-distribute model may attract long-term investors, but transparency and sovereign consent are indispensable.
Jobs must mean more than numbers.
Measurement of job quality, gender equity and sustainability should be integrated into project design.
Debt distress needs deeper concessionality.
Even with record IDA21 replenishment, low-income nations remain vulnerable. A “Resilience Grant Window” could help.

Part IV — Policy Anchors for Credible Reform

Priority	Action	Rationale
1. Devolution with teeth	Delegate approval powers to regional teams; publish decision dashboards.	Speed and ownership.
2. Protect adaptation grants	Guarantee at least 50% of climate finance to be grant-equivalent in LICs.	Resilience for the poor.
3. Safeguard securitisation	Public registry, transparent underwriting, country consent.	Prevent hidden fiscal risks.
4. Dual accountability	Stakeholder panels with review rights; stronger Inspection Panel.	Build trust and legitimacy.
5. Rebalance governance	Launch Fourth Shareholding Review to shift vote shares to developing countries.	Renew legitimacy.
6. Invest in local knowledge	Restore research leadership; fund Global South partnerships.	Smarter, context-aware operations.

Part V — Roadmap for 2026–27

Complete decentralisation and evaluate outcomes within 18 months.
Publish a verified climate finance taxonomy distinguishing mitigation from adaptation.
Expand IDA-like concessionality and create a Resilience Grant Window.
Codify blended finance disclosure and “no-harm” standards.
Develop a Jobs Measurement Toolkit piloted in India and Kenya.
Begin the Fourth Shareholding Review, framed as an investment in institutional legitimacy.

Part VI — Trade-offs and the Political Economy

True reform entails risk. Delegation may dilute control; grants reduce donor leverage; securitisation can both innovate and endanger. The art lies in piloting, learning and course-correcting.

The Bank’s authority stems from a moral compact among shareholders, borrowers and global citizens. Unless it harmonises these constituencies, it cannot remain both a financier of last resort and a moral steward of global equity.

Part VII — Closing Reflections: Bank, Movement or Both?

A modern multilateral bank must combine financial discipline with moral imagination. Ajay Banga’s reforms have rekindled energy and ambition — but to sustain them, the Bank must remain an institution of the world, not merely for its shareholders.

If decentralisation becomes genuine empowerment, if climate finance serves the vulnerable, and if governance reform deepens representation, the World Bank may yet fulfil its founding promise — a faster, fairer, and truly global development bank.

If not, history may record these years as another cycle of well-meant reforms that improved processes but not lives.

Appendix — Key References (as of October 2025)

World Bank Group: Climate finance commitment (45%), Liveable Planet framework, IDA21 replenishment (Dec 2024).
Reuters: “World Bank to decentralise operations” (Feb 2025).
World Bank Country Releases: Bangladesh urban resilience (Dec 2024), India portfolio, Ghana stabilisation (June 2025), Ethiopia DPO (July 2025).
IMF–World Bank Joint Communiqué: Scaling climate action (2025).
Devex: Coverage of the Bank’s “Jobs as North Star” strategy (2025).
Bretton Woods Project: Critical review of private-sector tilt (July 2025).

Box 1 — Climate Finance: Composition and Trends (2023–25)

Year	Total Bank Financing (US$bn)	Climate-tagged (US$bn)	% Climate	Adaptation Grants (US$bn)	Mitigation (US$bn)	Private Capital Mobilised (US$bn)
2023	80.0	25.0	31%	8.0	17.0	5.0
2024	85.0	32.5	38%	12.0	20.5	8.0
2025	90.0	40.5	45%	15.0	25.5	12.0

Box 2 — Regional Decentralisation Timeline (2023–25)

Milestone	Date	Status	Notes
Reform announcement	Jun 2023	✔ Complete	Commitment to decentralisation
Feasibility study for regional hubs	Dec 2023	✔ Complete	Nairobi, Dubai, Singapore identified
First VP relocation	Mar 2024	✔ Complete	Nairobi hub operational
Staff relocation (2/3 operations)	Feb 2025	⚙ In progress	Pending delegated authority and budgets
Full regional operational authority	Dec 2025	⚠ Planned	Requires ex-post review and dashboard

Box 3 — Jobs Agenda: Examples from India & Kenya (2024–25)

Country	Sector	Investment Type	Jobs Created / Expected	Notes
India	Solar & Storage	Blended finance + policy support	12,000	Utility-scale, urban resilience projects
India	Urban Infrastructure	Concessional finance	8,500	Focus on water security, climate adaptation
Kenya	Mini-grid solar	Guarantees + concessional	6,500	Includes local training and maintenance jobs
Kenya	Geothermal energy	MIGA support	2,000	Medium-term skilled employment

Box 4 — Country Case Snapshot: Climate & Debt Exposure

Country	Climate Vulnerability Index (0–100)	Debt/GDP (%)	Key Bank Support	Key Risks
Bangladesh	88	34	Urban resilience, water, health	Dependence on private co-finance
India	72	57	Solar, urban infrastructure, jobs	Scale outpaces concessional flows
Sri Lanka	65	119	Fiscal support, social protection	Debt distress, social fragility
Kenya	69	70	Off-grid energy, green growth	Tariff & grid integration issues
Ghana	60	68	Energy sector reform, macro stabilisation	Political and rights risks
Ethiopia	75	59	DPO supporting reforms	Debt restructuring complexity

United Nations: From Messiah to Mirage — A Critical Appraisal of Failures and Reforms

Abstract

The United Nations (UN), once hailed as humanity’s great hope for peace and cooperation, has increasingly been criticized for its inability to resolve conflicts, address global inequities, and adapt to shifting power dynamics. While it has made notable contributions in humanitarian assistance, development, and norm-setting, its failures in preventing genocides, mitigating wars, and reforming its governance structures undermine its legitimacy. This paper critically analyses the UN’s performance from its inception to the present, focusing on systemic weaknesses, geopolitical manipulation, and structural inertia. Drawing from UN reports, scholarly works, and speeches of past Secretaries-General, the paper argues that substantial reforms—particularly in the Security Council—are indispensable if the UN is to remain relevant in the twenty-first century.

Keywords: United Nations, peacekeeping, global governance, reform, Security Council, legitimacy, multilateralism

Introduction

The UN was founded in 1945 as the ultimate guarantor of peace, designed to prevent the recurrence of catastrophic wars. Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General, captured its essence when he said: “The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell” (Hammarskjöld, 1954). Yet, seventy-five years later, the gap between aspiration and achievement remains glaring. From the paralysis during the Cold War to its failures in Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine, the UN’s record is marred by inconsistency and impotence. Scholars argue that the UN’s structure reflects the power politics of 1945 rather than the realities of the twenty-first century (Weiss, 2016; Luck, 2009).

Historical Context and Structural Limitations

The UN’s design enshrined the dominance of the five permanent members (P5) of the Security Council—United States, Russia (then USSR), China, France, and the United Kingdom. Their veto power institutionalized a system of inequality (Russett & O’Neill, 1995). While the General Assembly provides a forum for debate, its resolutions are non-binding. This imbalance has ensured that great power interests frequently override collective security. Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992) acknowledged that the UN is often “only as effective as the member states permit.”

Failures in Peace and Security

Rwanda (1994)

The genocide in Rwanda remains one of the UN’s most damning failures. Despite early warnings, the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was denied reinforcements. Kofi Annan later admitted, “We must never forget our collective failure to protect the people of Rwanda” (UN, 1999).

Bosnia and Srebrenica (1995)

The massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica under the watch of UN peacekeepers highlighted operational paralysis and lack of political will (Power, 2002).

Iraq (2003)

The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, conducted without explicit Security Council approval, revealed the UN’s inability to constrain unilateralism by major powers (Chesterman, 2004).

Syria and Ukraine

The Syrian civil war and the ongoing Ukraine conflict further underscore the Security Council’s paralysis, where vetoes by Russia, China, and the U.S. have blocked meaningful resolutions (Bellamy, 2019).

Development and Humanitarian Contributions

Despite failures in security, the UN has achieved milestones in development and humanitarian aid. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) created global frameworks for poverty reduction, education, and health (Sachs, 2015). Agencies like UNICEF, UNHCR, and WHO have saved millions of lives. Yet, the politicization of aid and underfunding remain serious challenges (Barnett & Weiss, 2008).

Structural Inertia and Reform Challenges

Calls for Security Council reform date back decades. Proposals to expand permanent membership (e.g., G4 nations: India, Germany, Japan, Brazil) face resistance from entrenched powers (Luck, 2009). António Guterres (2020) warned: “Multilateralism is under fire precisely when we most need it.” Reform efforts falter because the very states benefiting from the status quo must approve them.

Scholarly Perspectives on UN Legitimacy

Scholars like Michael Barnett and Thomas Weiss (2008) argue that the UN oscillates between being a “servant of states” and a “protector of peoples.” Its legitimacy crisis is not only institutional but normative: while states cling to sovereignty, peoples demand accountability and justice (Paris, 2014).

Conclusion: Reform or Irrelevance?

The UN’s failures in security should not obscure its contributions in development, human rights, and norm creation. However, unless structural reforms—particularly to the Security Council—are enacted, the UN risks becoming a relic of history, more symbolic than substantive. As Hammarskjöld’s warning reminds us, the UN was meant to save humanity from hell, not become a bystander to its descent.

References

Annan, K. (1999). Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Actions of the United Nations during the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. United Nations.
Barnett, M., & Weiss, T. (2008). Humanitarianism in Question: Politics, Power, Ethics. Cornell University Press.
Bellamy, A. J. (2019). World Peace (And How We Can Achieve It). Oxford University Press.
Boutros-Ghali, B. (1992). An Agenda for Peace: Preventive Diplomacy, Peace-making and Peace-keeping. United Nations.
Chesterman, S. (2004). You, The People: The United Nations, Transitional Administration, and State-Building. Oxford University Press.
Hammarskjöld, D. (1954). Public Speech at Oxford University, cited in Urquhart, B. (1972). Hammarskjöld. Knopf.
Luck, E. C. (2009). UN Security Council: Practice and Promise. Routledge.
Paris, R. (2014). At War’s End: Building Peace after Civil Conflict. Cambridge University Press.
Power, S. (2002). A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. Basic Books.
Russett, B., & O’Neill, B. (1995). The Once and Future Security Council. St. Martin’s Press.
Sachs, J. (2015). The Age of Sustainable Development. Columbia University Press.
Weiss, T. G. (2016). What’s Wrong with the United Nations and How to Fix It. Polity Press.
United Nations. (1999). The Fall of Srebrenica. Report of the Secretary-General. United Nations.
United Nations. (2020). Secretary-General’s remarks at the Nelson Mandela Lecture. United Nations.

What Finland Can Teach the World About Real Happiness

By Dr. K.M. George
Secretary-General, Global Millets Foundation | CEO, Sustainable Development Forum
📧 melmana@gmail.com

A Nation That Redefines Happiness

Helsinki does not boast eternal sunshine, endless beaches, or the raw energy of a global superpower. Winters are long, skies often grey, and the population barely six million. Yet Finland has quietly achieved what larger, richer, and louder nations have failed to do: become the happiest country on Earth, year after year, according to the World Happiness Report.

This is no accident. It is not luck, nor divine intervention. Finland has engineered happiness as a way of life. Without leaning on religious authority or political theatrics, it has built a model grounded in equity, trust, balance, and resilience. In a world torn by wars, inequality, and political chaos, Finland offers humanity a lesson: happiness is not a mirage, but a garden carefully cultivated.

As a visitor in Helsinki, one cannot help but notice a subtle calm in the streets, a quiet dignity in social interactions, and a culture that seems to celebrate the ordinary yet essential joys of life: a cup of coffee in the early morning, children laughing in open schoolyards, families walking through birch forests in silence. Finland’s secret is not hidden in luxury or spectacle; it is woven into the fabric of daily life.

Here are ten lessons Finland offers the world—ten pathways toward turning Earth into a more livable paradise.

Equity Over Excess

In Finland, the gap between rich and poor is far narrower than in most countries. Progressive taxation, accessible social services, and universal basic principles of dignity ensure that no citizen is left behind.

Consider this: Finnish seniors receive pensions that allow for a dignified life. Children born into modest families have access to high-quality schools, libraries, and health services. Wealth is not concentrated in gated enclaves. Public housing, supported by government policies, ensures that even low-income citizens live in safe, comfortable neighborhoods.

Extreme inequality is toxic to social trust. Finland’s approach reduces envy, fosters cooperation, and emphasizes shared responsibility. People measure success not by flashy cars or mansions but by security, fairness, and community.

Global lesson: Societies should chase equity, not excess. Happiness grows where fairness thrives. Policymakers should design tax regimes and social welfare policies that narrow inequalities without stifling innovation.

Schools Without Strain

Finland’s education system is a case study in human-centered learning. Unlike in many countries, there are no endless standardized tests or excessive homework. Children start school at age seven, allowing early childhood to be rich with play and exploration.

Teachers, highly trained and respected, have autonomy in classroom design. They nurture curiosity, creativity, and empathy rather than mere rote memorization. Students participate in collaborative projects, outdoor learning, and creative arts, reducing stress and enhancing engagement.

One Finnish teacher shared: “We want children to love learning, not fear it. Exams measure a narrow skill, but life requires flexibility, empathy, and curiosity.”

Global lesson: Education should shape full human beings, not just skilled workers. Governments can learn from Finland by focusing on teacher empowerment, smaller class sizes, and curricula that emphasize life skills and emotional intelligence alongside academics.

Trust Is the Currency

Trust pervades Finnish society. Citizens trust their government, their police, and each other. Corruption levels are among the lowest globally. Transparency is high, and accountability is a cultural norm.

A striking example: in Helsinki, it is common for parents to leave children in strollers outside cafés while they dine inside. Lost wallets are often returned untouched. Trust reduces fear and fosters civic cooperation.

In contrast, many nations struggle with pervasive suspicion, which erodes social cohesion and inhibits happiness. Trust is Finland’s invisible wealth—it lubricates society and allows citizens to focus on growth, creativity, and well-being rather than defense and fear.

Global lesson: Build institutions that earn trust, and happiness will follow. Leaders must focus on transparency, anti-corruption measures, and civic engagement to cultivate social capital.

Nature Belongs to All

Finland’s forests and lakes are not the exclusive domain of the wealthy. Through the principle of Everyman’s Right, all citizens can walk, swim, hike, or camp on private or public land. This access fosters a profound connection to nature.

During long winters, families embrace outdoor sports like cross-country skiing, ice fishing, and snowshoeing. The cultural practice of “forest bathing” reduces stress and enhances mental well-being. Citizens experience nature not as a luxury but as an essential part of life.

Global lesson: Treat nature as a human right. Policymakers should prioritize public access to parks, rivers, and green spaces, integrating environmental stewardship into urban planning and national policy.

Balance Over Burnout

Finnish work culture prioritizes well-being. The average worker enjoys fewer hours, flexible schedules, and longer vacations. Policies protect parental leave, family time, and personal development.

A software engineer in Tampere noted: “I finish work at five, and I’m encouraged to disconnect. My productivity hasn’t suffered; in fact, I am more creative when rested.”

Happiness is not found in exhaustion but in balance. Work-life harmony increases productivity and reduces societal stress, demonstrating that the pursuit of economic output need not compromise well-being.

Global lesson: Redefine success. Governments and businesses must incentivize rest, flexible work, and mental health support to cultivate sustainable productivity.

Simple Living, Deep Contentment

Finnish lifestyles embrace simplicity and functionality. Homes are minimalist, yet warm; design focuses on comfort and sustainability. The cozy sauna is central to family life, serving as a space for reflection and social bonding.

Material consumption is moderated. Citizens invest in quality, durability, and experiences rather than flashy goods. Social surveys indicate that satisfaction correlates more with meaningful experiences than with income.

Global lesson: Happiness is about quality, not quantity. Economic policy should balance growth with sustainability and promote a culture of mindful consumption.

Faith in Humanity, Not Dogma

Finland maintains a neutral stance toward religion. Faith is personal, not political. Religious institutions do not dominate public life, allowing governance to prioritize universal ethical principles: kindness, fairness, and respect.

This approach reduces conflict and polarization, fostering social harmony. In contrast, many countries struggle with sectarian divisions that undermine public trust and civic cooperation.

Global lesson: Build public life on universal values. Policies rooted in ethics, human rights, and equality foster cohesion in diverse societies.

Healthcare Without Fear

Healthcare in Finland is affordable, accessible, and viewed as a basic right. Mental health care is integrated with physical health, and investments in preventive care are high. Citizens do not fear financial ruin due to illness.

A Helsinki hospital reports that mental health interventions, community counseling, and workplace wellness programs have dramatically reduced depression and anxiety rates compared to global averages.

Global lesson: Universal healthcare is infrastructure for happiness, not charity. Governments must prioritize accessibility, affordability, and mental health to secure societal well-being.

Sisu: The Silent Strength

The Finnish concept of sisu embodies quiet resilience. It is perseverance through adversity, not flashy heroism. Sisu helped Finns endure harsh winters, wars, and economic upheavals without losing dignity.

It is visible in daily life: parents teaching children to solve problems patiently, communities rebuilding after floods, or individuals braving long polar nights without complaint.

Global lesson: Resilience should be cultivated as inner strength, not aggression. Education, community programs, and leadership models should foster endurance, patience, and emotional fortitude.

Democracy Every Day

Democracy in Finland is lived, not just enacted. Citizens participate in dialogue, civic duties, and policy discussions. Local councils actively involve residents in decision-making, and public consultations shape national policies.

This constant engagement builds trust, reduces alienation, and strengthens societal cohesion. Elections are important, but they are part of a continuum of civic participation rather than isolated events.

Global lesson: Democracy must be embedded in daily life. Governments should empower communities, encourage transparency, and make civic participation accessible and meaningful.

A Warning to World Leaders

The temptation is strong: chase quick wins, wield slogans, or prioritize GDP over well-being. But these are mirages—illusions in the desert of political turmoil.

Finland offers a different compass. Happiness is not found in endless economic competition, ideological battles, or political theatrics. It is found in fairness, trust, balance, and resilience.

Leaders must think twice before confusing temporary applause with true well-being. Happiness cannot be manufactured through propaganda—it is cultivated through policies that respect human dignity, promote equity, and encourage social cohesion.

Paradise Is Possible

Finland is not perfect. It faces challenges: migration pressures, climate change, and an aging population. Yet even in imperfection, it has built the happiest society on Earth.

The real miracle is choice: the conscious decision to build equity, protect nature, respect dignity, and strengthen trust.

If more nations adopted these lessons, Earth itself could begin to resemble a paradise—not a utopia promised elsewhere, but a livable, joyful, and dignified home in this one.

Author Bio

Dr. K.M. George is Secretary-General of the Global Millets Foundation and CEO of the Sustainable Development Forum. He has worked across continents to promote sustainable, inclusive development and grassroots empowerment.

📧 Email: melmana@gmail.com

References and Further Reading

World Happiness Report 2025. United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
OECD Better Life Index 2024 – Country Profile: Finland.
Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland – Education Policy Overview, 2024.
Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2024.
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control – Finland Health System Review, 2023.
Helliwell, J., Layard, R., & Sachs, J. (2024). The Pursuit of Happiness in Public Policy.
“The Finnish Way of Life: Sisu and Simplicity.” Helsinki Times, April 2025.
UNDP Human Development Report 2024 – Equity, Trust, and Well-Being Indicators.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF TOMORROW

AI, Agriculture, and the Civilizational Rise of Millets

A Call to Courage — Not Comfort

(“Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability : Shaping the future Ahead” : ASIFA,2025-2026. Organised by ITM Skill University, Navi Mumbai—January 2026)

By Dr. K. M. George—Secretary General Global Millets Foundation; Former UN Professional—melmana@gmail.com

Opening: A World on the Edge of Its Next Beginning

Distinguished scholars, honoured ministers, venerable scientists, ambassadors of knowledge, custodians of public policy, guardians of our fields and forests, friends, colleagues, and seekers of a better world—

We gather today not as spectators of change, but as authors of destiny, summoned by a turning point so vast, so profound, so irreversible, that history itself will remember what we decide in this very age.

There are moments in the long story of humanity when the future pauses, waiting for courage.
Moments when civilisation must lift its eyes from the dust of routine and look again at the horizon of possibility.
Moments when the world does not ask for silence, but for voice;
not for comfort, but for courage.

This is such a moment.

For we stand today at the meeting point of two revolutions:

The revolution of Artificial Intelligence,
And the revolution of Climate-Resilient Agriculture — led by the humble, ancient, miraculous grains we call Millets.

One is born from code;
the other from soil.
One is the offspring of algorithms;
the other, the inheritance of our ancestors.
And yet, these two forces — one digital, one agricultural — are converging with the power to reshape human destiny.

This is not the world we inherited.
It is the world we must build.

The Age When Algorithms Begin to Write History

My friends, the world is changing at a speed that mocks the calendars of government and the clocks of bureaucracy.

We meet at a time when:

The map of agriculture is being redrawn by climate volatility.
Economies tremble before invisible storms of data and disruption.
Weather patterns drift away from predictability.
Ancient cropping cycles lose their rhythm.
Water tables sink like exhausted civilizations.
Farmers stand on the land their forefathers cultivated — yet face decisions no generation before them ever imagined.

And above all, we meet at a time when AI has emerged not merely as a tool, but as the new architecture of human progress.

Let us state a truth plainly:

Artificial Intelligence has become the new nervous system of civilisation.

AI reads the skies more accurately than satellites of old.
AI predicts the rainfall before the monsoon whispers its intent.
AI identifies pests before the human eye can recognise distress.
AI anticipates market behaviour before economists finish their spreadsheets.

In our hospitals, AI detects kidney failure before symptoms whisper their warning.
In our cities, it manages traffic, monitors emissions, and guards public health.
In governance, it brings light where shadows once lived — exposing leakages, inefficiencies, corruption, and delay.

Yet, there is a deeper truth we must face with courage:

AI does not slow down for our comfort.
AI does not wait for policy.
AI does not pause for hesitation.
AI does not apologise for being faster than us.

If we do not lead this transformation, we shall be led by it.
If we do not shape this revolution, we shall be shaped by it.
If we do not rise to the challenge, the challenge will rise against us.

And in that rising, it will judge us.

The World We Remember Is Gone — The World We Must Build Has No Precedent

For decades, we believed the future would be a gentle extension of the past.
That tomorrow would resemble yesterday, only with better machinery.

But the ground under our feet has shifted.

Climate change has broken the rhythm of seasons.
Desertification marches forward like a silent army.
Floods and droughts now swing like pendulums carved by chaos.
Food systems — once stable, once predictable — have become fragile.

Yet our policies, our ministries, our frameworks, our bureaucratic rituals still behave as though the world is analogue, slow, predictable, forgiving.

Let me say this with the solemnity of truth:

We live in a world governed by digital logic,
yet too often respond with analogue reflexes.

And therefore, we face a choice as old as civilisation:

Courage or caution.
Leadership or hesitation.
The future or the past.

History is watching which we choose.

III. The Rise of Millets: The Ancient Answer to Humanity’s Newest Questions

But in this moment of uncertainty, the earth itself offers us an answer — an answer older than empires, older than kingdoms, older than the histories we teach in our schools.

That answer is Millets.

Millets — these humble, hardy, magnificent grains — are not merely crops.
They are civilizational allies.

They are the grains that fed the earliest cities.
The grains that strengthened the earliest armies.
The grains that sustained the earliest agricultural societies across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Millets do not fear drought.
Millets do not bow to heat.
Millets thrive where other crops surrender.
Millets nourish the body, renew the soil, respect the water, and sustain the poorest with dignity.

If there is a crop written into the DNA of human resilience —
if there is a grain that carries the whisper of ancient wisdom —
if there is a food that unites nutrition, ecology, climate resilience, and economic justice —
it is Millets.

And today, as climate change tightens its grip, as water scarcity deepens, as soil fertility declines, the world rediscovers what our ancestors always knew:

Millets are the future disguised as the past.

When AI Meets Millets: A Partnership Worthy of Civilization

My friends, AI may be the brain of tomorrow,
but Millets are the heart of tomorrow.

And when the brain and the heart join hands,
civilisation rises.

AI and Millets together can remake the architecture of global agriculture.
They can weave a new story for food security.
They can turn vulnerable farmers into empowered entrepreneurs.
They can break the cycle of poverty that chains entire regions.
They can offer humanity a path to resilience amid climate chaos.

For consider what AI brings:

AI maps millet-friendly regions with precision unseen in history.
AI predicts yield fluctuations with uncanny accuracy.
AI anticipates pest invasions weeks before they strike.
AI guides farmers on soil health, water use, seed selection.
AI connects remote farmers to global markets in real time.
AI designs insurance models based on predictive risk, not political convenience.

And consider what Millets bring:

Carbon sequestration.
Water efficiency.
Drought survival.
Nutritional abundance.
Digestive health.
Soil restoration.
Livelihood renewal.
Cultural revival.

Millets and AI — one ancient, one modern — are complementary forces.

One gives strength; the other gives strategy.
One gives resilience; the other gives intelligence.
One gives survival; the other gives vision.

This is not merely agricultural reform.

This is civilizational engineering.

A Global Awakening: What the Regions of the World Ask of Us

Across continents, across climates, across cultures, voices rise with different concerns — yet all look to AI and sustainable agriculture for answers.

South Asia asks:

“Can AI speak to farmers before it speaks to machines?”

Africa asks:

“Can AI serve where electricity is a visitor, not a resident?”

Latin America asks:

“Can AI protect forests before it protects forecasts?”

Europe asks:

“Can innovation outrun regulation without losing its soul?”

The Middle East asks:

“Can AI allocate water with justice in lands where every drop is fate?”

East Asia asks:

“Can algorithms preserve harmony in societies built on centuries of balance?”

Southeast Asia asks:

“Can AI predict disasters before disasters predict us?”

North America asks:

“Can democracy remain democratic when algorithms control attention?”

And in these global questions lies the great moral mandate of our time:

To build an AI future that is equitable, ethical, and accessible —
not a digital empire ruled by a few,
but a digital commons shared by all.

The New Pillar of Sustainability: Digital Sustainability

We have long spoken of the three pillars of sustainability:

Environmental
Economic
Social

But today, a fourth pillar has risen:

✅ Digital Sustainability

For without

data equity,
digital access,
transparent algorithms,
rural connectivity,
inclusive datasets,
cultural representation,
linguistic diversity,

the entire architecture of sustainability collapses.

AI must not be the privilege of the rich.
AI must not be the monopoly of corporations.
AI must not be the instrument of digital colonisation.

AI must be the public utility of the future —
a force that serves society, not subjugates it.

VII. Policy Paralysis: The Greatest Threat of Our Age

Let us be honest with ourselves.

Climate can be mitigated.
AI disruption can be mastered.
Agriculture can be transformed.

But policy paralysis —
the inability to decide, to act, to innovate —
this paralysis can erase decades of progress.

We cannot be a nation where:

Farmers adopt AI tools faster than ministries adopt digital dashboards.
Students learn AI online while universities still teach obsolete curricula.
Innovation cycles run in weeks while approvals drag for years.
The ground reality moves like a river but policy moves like a glacier.

Let me say it plainly:

If policy remains slow, AI will not save us.
AI will simply bypass us.

We must choose courage over caution.
Action over delay.
Vision over incrementalism.

VIII. A New Contract Between Knowledge and Power

In the world we are building:

Research must not stay in journals.
Policy must not stay in files.
Technology must not stay in laboratories.

Knowledge must move.
Knowledge must breathe.
Knowledge must serve.

And policy must become:

predictive,
adaptive,
evidence-led,
data-driven,
real-time,
transparent.

The partnership between scholars and statesmen must become the new engine of civilisation.

For too long, research has climbed mountains while policy has taken the staircase.
In the AI era, both must fly.

Ten Questions That Will Determine the Fate of Nations
Can India build a National AI Grid for agriculture before climate chaos overtakes crop stability?
Will data be democratized, or remain a bureaucratic fortress?
Will AI uplift smallholders or enlarge corporate monopolies?
Will rural India receive digital infrastructure worthy of the 21st century?
Can governance shift from reactive to predictive?
Will ethics outrun algorithms?
Can ancient indigenous wisdom be digitized before it disappears?
Will our universities reinvent themselves or fade into irrelevance?
Can India lead the world in AI-enabled sustainability powered by Millets?
Will policy makers choose courage — or caution?

For in this age:

AI rewards courage.
AI punishes hesitation.

The Moral Architecture of Tomorrow

My friends, AI will shape our tools.
Millets will shape our survival.
But values will shape our civilisation.

We must therefore answer:

What is progress without compassion?
What is technology without justice?
What is innovation without inclusion?
What is growth without humanity?
What is development without dignity?

We must build a future in which:

Technology does not weaken human ties but strengthens them.
Agriculture does not degrade the earth but regenerates it.
Innovation does not divide societies but unites them.
Growth does not exhaust nature but harmonises with it.
AI does not erode identity but celebrates it.
Digital power does not centralise authority but decentralises opportunity.

This is the ethical foundation of the architecture we must build.

The Destiny of Millets: The Civilisation Crop of the Future

Allow me to speak from the core of conviction:

Millets are not a trend. They are a turning point.

They are the grain of the future wrapped in the humility of the past.
They are the food that answers the triple crisis of our time:

the crisis of climate,
the crisis of nutrition,
the crisis of agriculture.

Millets can:

reduce diabetes,
combat malnutrition,
nourish children,
strengthen immunity,
enhance metabolic health,
offer gluten-free nourishment to millions.

Millets can:

reduce water consumption by 70–80%,
grow in degraded soils,
survive heatwaves,
withstand droughts,
regenerate ecosystems.

Millets can:

empower tribal communities,
strengthen smallholders,
support women farmers,
build agri-entrepreneurs,
revive forgotten economies.

And AI can be the wind beneath the wings of this revolution.

AI can turn Millets from survival crops into prosperity crops.
AI can turn Millets from old memories into global markets.
AI can turn Millets from local tradition into planetary nutrition.

This is why the Millet Movement is not a ministry program —
it is a civilizational renaissance.

XII. A Vision for India — And Through India, for the World

Let us envision an India where:

Every farmer has an AI advisor in their pocket.
Every field is mapped digitally.
Every crop is monitored by intelligent sensors.
Every child receives nutrition grounded in Millets.
Every village is connected to the digital ecosystem.
Every agricultural decision is evidence-based.
Every drought is predicted before it becomes a tragedy.
Every policy is guided by real-time data.
Every community participates in the knowledge economy.
Every citizen benefits from AI-enabled governance.
Every school integrates AI literacy.
Every region contributes to climate resilience.
Every household consumes Millet products proudly.

An India that becomes the global lighthouse for:

AI-enabled agriculture,
climate-resilient crops,
digital sustainability,
ethical innovation.

An India that does not follow the future, but creates the future.

XIII. The Call That History Makes to Us

My friends, we are the generation that stands at the hinge of time.

Behind us is an age of struggle, scarcity, and manual toil.
Ahead of us is an age of intelligence, sustainability, and unprecedented possibility.

The question is not what AI will do.
The question is what we will do.

The question is not whether Millets can save agriculture.
The question is whether policy will rise to match the promise of Millets.

The question is not whether climate change will challenge us.
The question is whether courage will guide us.

This is our test.
This is our mandate.
This is our moment in history.

And let future generations say that in this moment, we did not shrink.

Let them say we were bold when comfort tempted us.
Let them say we were united when fear tried to divide us.
Let them say we were visionary when the world needed vision.
Let them say we rose to the height of our responsibility.

Let them say that when the earth trembled and the climate cried,
when technology surged and uncertainty darkened the sky,
we — the people of this era —
did not hide behind hesitation,
but chose courage.

XIV. Closing: A New Dawn for Humanity

Ladies and gentlemen,

The future will not be kind to those who wait.
It will not reward those who cling to the fading past.
It will not honour those who delay decisions.

But the future will embrace those who dare.
It will uplift those who innovate.
It will celebrate those who envision.

This is the moment to rise.
This is the moment to lead.
This is the moment to build.

A world where AI serves humanity.
A world where agriculture serves the planet.
A world where Millets serve civilisation.
A world where courage serves the future.

The world is watching.
History is listening.
The future is calling.

Let us answer not with whispers,
but with vision.
Not with hesitation,
but with action.
Not with fear,
but with courage worthy of this moment.

Thank you.

Artificial Intelligence: Boon or Doom? The Great Game of the 21st Century

By Dr K M George, CEO, Sustainable Development Forum, and Secretary-General, Global Millets Foundation

The AI moment and its inevitability

The twenty-first century has been marked by many revolutions, but none so pervasive, so quietly invasive, and so rapidly self-propelling as Artificial Intelligence. What began as a laboratory curiosity in the 1950s has now matured into the most powerful technological force shaping economies, ethics, and even existential reflections. From autonomous vehicles and precision agriculture to intelligent weapons and generative art, AI today is not merely a tool—it is the defining grammar of progress. The march is irreversible; as the World Economic Forum (2024) observes, the world is entering an “intelligence economy” where data is capital and algorithms are labour.

AI’s inevitability stems from three converging streams: exponential computing power, abundant data, and the democratisation of cloud infrastructure. Unlike earlier industrial revolutions that were regionally anchored, the AI wave is global by design—driven by digital interdependence and competition for cognitive supremacy. Every nation now stands at the threshold of re-engineering its social contract with technology.

The global field: major players and investment scale

The AI playing field is no longer confined to Silicon Valley. The major players today form a complex constellation of corporate giants, state-sponsored research hubs, and emerging-market innovators.

The United States leads through companies such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind (now under Alphabet), Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and NVIDIA. Together, they control much of the global AI compute and model-training infrastructure. China, with titans like Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Huawei, and state-backed labs, aims for strategic parity by 2030 under its New Generation AI Development Plan. The European Union follows a different path—prioritising regulation and ethics through its AI Act, even as firms in Germany, France, and the Nordics develop niche expertise in robotics and sustainability analytics.

Other entrants—Japan, South Korea, Israel, Canada, and India—are carving out distinctive niches in applied AI, from semiconductor fabrication to language localisation. The OECD AI Policy Observatory (2024) estimates that more than $250 billion in venture and public funding flowed into AI-related projects in 2023 alone, surpassing the total global investment in renewable energy research that year.

AI has thus become the new oil and the new arms race rolled into one—an asset class commanding capital, talent, and geopolitical leverage.

Economic quantum: market size, funding flows, and national stakes

According to McKinsey Global Research (2024), AI could add $13–15 trillion to global GDP by 2030, with productivity gains spanning manufacturing, logistics, and services. The IMF (2024) cautions that these gains, however, will be uneven—advanced economies could capture 70 per cent of the benefits, widening the digital divide.

In financial markets, AI has already redefined valuation metrics. Companies with strong AI portfolios command premium price-to-earnings ratios, while sovereign wealth funds are diversifying into AI-infrastructure bonds. Venture capital is pouring into generative models, autonomous robotics, and AI-driven healthcare diagnostics. Nations now treat algorithmic sovereignty as seriously as food or energy security.

For the Global South, this economic quantum presents both promise and peril. While AI can optimise agriculture, logistics, and climate resilience, the absence of domestic computing infrastructure risks dependence on transnational tech powers. The emerging question is not whether nations can adopt AI, but whether they can shape it on their own terms.

Sectors transformed: primary, industrial, tertiary

AI’s diffusion across sectors is reshaping the very logic of production.

Primary sector: Precision agriculture powered by AI sensors is transforming soil-health management and irrigation scheduling. In India, startups supported by NABARD and FAO-linked projects employ drone imagery and predictive analytics to reduce fertiliser waste and improve yields. Mining operations deploy autonomous trucks and predictive maintenance systems, enhancing safety while reducing energy intensity.

Industrial sector: Smart factories—hallmarks of Industry 4.0—use AI for process optimisation, supply-chain visibility, and defect detection. According to UNIDO (2024), AI-enabled manufacturing could reduce energy consumption by 15 per cent globally. Yet, the displacement of mid-skill factory labour remains a deep concern for countries like India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, where manufacturing remains labour-intensive.

Tertiary sector: Services have witnessed the most dramatic transformation. Generative AI now writes code, drafts legal documents, and even composes music. In finance, algorithmic trading dominates volumes; in healthcare, diagnostic AI assists doctors in radiology and pathology. The ILO (2024) warns that while AI augments productivity, it risks hollowing out routine service jobs—from call-centres to clerical functions.

War and defence: AI as the next strategic equaliser

If nuclear weapons defined twentieth-century deterrence, AI is shaping twenty-first-century strategy. Defence AI covers autonomous drones, predictive logistics, cyber-warfare, and battlefield decision systems. The US, China, Russia, and Israel are investing heavily in “intelligent weapons” that can act faster than human reaction times.

AI’s potential as a “strategic equaliser” lies in its asymmetric reach. Smaller nations can deploy inexpensive AI-guided systems for surveillance or cyber-defence, narrowing the gap with superpowers. Yet, the ethical dilemma is stark: when machines decide targets, who bears moral responsibility? The UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI (2023) calls for global norms to ensure human oversight remains non-negotiable.

Future conflicts will likely hinge on the control of data, not territory—making digital infrastructure the new frontline.

Labour and livelihoods: displacement versus productivity

The anxiety that AI will replace human labour is neither new nor unfounded. The World Bank (2024) projects that 40 per cent of current jobs have tasks vulnerable to automation. Yet, history suggests that technology both destroys and creates employment.

In the primary sector, AI may offset acute labour shortages by mechanising routine farm work and fisheries monitoring. This is particularly relevant for ageing societies and rural economies facing out-migration. In manufacturing, however, robots replacing assembly-line workers could aggravate unemployment unless reskilling programmes expand swiftly. The ILO advocates an “augmented labour” model—humans in control of intelligent machines, not displaced by them.

In the tertiary sector, new professions are emerging: prompt engineers, AI-ethics auditors, data-curators, and algorithmic explainers. These are high-skill, high-cognition jobs that demand multidisciplinary training. Thus, the challenge is not just job loss but job transformation—how education systems prepare youth for hybrid human-machine collaboration.

Governance and ethics: regulation, bias, and human oversight

AI’s power lies in prediction, but prediction relies on data—and data carry bias. Facial recognition systems have misidentified minorities; credit algorithms have perpetuated systemic discrimination. Ethical AI demands transparency, auditability, and accountability.

The European Union’s AI Act classifies applications by risk, mandating strict scrutiny for those impacting health, justice, or security. The OECD Principles on AI (2023) emphasise fairness, human rights, and explainability. India’s own Digital India Act 2024 is expected to include AI-ethics guidelines aligned with these global frameworks.

Regulation, however, must balance innovation and restraint. Over-regulation risks throttling startups; under-regulation invites algorithmic anarchy. A middle path—“responsible acceleration”—is now the mantra of policy thinkers worldwide.

Spiritual and human dimensions: consciousness, creativity, and moral intelligence

Beyond economics and policy lies a subtler question: what does AI mean for the human spirit? If machines can compose symphonies or generate scripture-like text, where does that leave human creativity and divine inspiration?

Philosophers such as Yuval Harari warn of a coming “useless class” displaced by intelligent systems. Yet spiritual traditions view intelligence not merely as computation but as consciousness—the ability to discern good from evil, compassion from indifference. No algorithm, however advanced, can replicate the inner moral compass or the capacity for self-sacrifice that defines humanity.

In this light, AI can serve as a mirror to the soul—a test of whether humankind can wield knowledge without hubris. The challenge is to ensure that the intelligence we build reflects the values we cherish. Faith communities, from the Vatican to the Orthodox Church and Buddhist sanghas, have begun dialogues on AI ethics as extensions of moral theology. Technology must serve compassion, not conquest.

India’s positioning: policy choices for inclusive adoption

India occupies a unique position in the AI landscape—technically adept, demographically young, yet institutionally complex. The government’s National Programme on AI and the NITI Aayog’s AI for All strategy envision AI as a driver for inclusive growth. Indigenous language models and rural applications in agriculture, health, and education offer a bottom-up paradigm distinct from Western or Chinese centralised models.

However, India must address three critical gaps: computing infrastructure, ethical regulation, and skilling. The country’s large pool of IT professionals gives it a head-start, but unless re-trained for advanced machine learning, they risk obsolescence. Collaboration between academia, industry, and public institutions—along the lines of ISRO’s public-private model—could anchor India’s AI future.

At the same time, India’s pluralistic ethos can provide the moral framework the AI age desperately needs. Drawing on Gandhian humanism and the Upanishadic idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the world as one family—India can champion a human-centred AI diplomacy bridging the digital North and South.

Conclusion: Boon or doom—towards a humane AI paradigm

Artificial Intelligence stands today where electricity did in the nineteenth century—transformative, indispensable, and potentially perilous. It can either amplify inequality or empower inclusion; erode meaning or elevate creativity. The choice is not in the code but in the conscience of its creators and users.

For nations, AI will determine competitiveness; for communities, cohesion; for individuals, identity. It will certainly reshape labour, education, and security, but its ultimate legacy will depend on whether humanity retains mastery over its machine offspring.

Is AI a boon or a doom? It is both—an amplifier of intent. Guided by ethics, it can become the greatest leveller of opportunity; driven by greed, it can deepen divides. The imperative, therefore, is to craft a humane AI paradigm—one that harmonises innovation with justice, efficiency with empathy, and progress with purpose.

As humanity stands at this inflection point, the question is not whether machines can think, but whether humans can still feel deeply enough to guide them wisely. The age of intelligence has arrived; whether it becomes enlightenment or enslavement will be the measure of our civilisation.

Rapporteur’s Report

176th Seminar of the Global Millets Foundation & Sustainable Development Forum
Date: 9 November
Venue: Mel Mana Gardens, Kerala, India

Session Chairman: Dr Mathew Abraham – Executive Chairman, Sustainable Development Forum (SDF) & Global Millets Foundation (GMF)
Rapporteur: Dr Shivaprasad, MD
Speaker: Dr Shal Kakkatil, HOD – Urology, MOSC Medical College, Kolenchery
Topic: Common Urinary Problems, Prostate Disorders, Kidney Diseases, and Preventive Urological Health

Introduction

The 176th seminar opened with an in-depth presentation by Dr Shal Kakkatil, who stressed the indispensable role of timely medical consultation in preventing and managing urinary and renal diseases. He issued a clear caution against self-medication, highlighting the risks of kidney damage, drug resistance, and complications arising from unsupervised drug use.

He advised that patients should first consult their family physician for initial evaluation and thereafter seek a urologist or nephrologist if necessary. Most urinary disorders arise after middle age due to hormonal shifts, anatomical changes, decreased immunity, and chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.

The presentation revolved around two major themes:

Kidney Failure and Transplantation
Cadaveric Organ Donation Programmes

These themes provided a comprehensive view of both preventive measures and advanced treatment options.

Health Awareness and Preventive Approach

Quoting the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Shal reiterated that health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. He reminded participants that the body offers early warning signs—pain, fatigue, discomfort—which should never be dismissed.

Lifestyle Recommendations

Begin the day with light exercise or a morning walk.
Maintain regular meal timings; avoid late or irregular meals.
Engage in reading or mental activities to maintain cognitive vitality.
Stay well hydrated; limit caffeine and reduce salt intake.
Undergo routine health check-ups to identify problems early.

Common Urinary Problems

3.1 Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Among the most common urological issues, UTIs present with burning during urination, lower abdominal pain, urgency, and frequency. Women are more vulnerable due to anatomical factors; in men, UTIs often develop due to prostate enlargement or stones.

Timely diagnosis and completion of the full antibiotic course are essential to prevent recurrence and kidney involvement.

Prostate Disorders

4.1 Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

A common condition after 50 years, BPH results from hormonal changes. Symptoms include weak urinary stream, frequent urination, and incomplete bladder emptying. Dr Shal clarified that BPH is non-cancerous.

Management includes:

Medication to relax or reduce prostate size
Surgical options for persistent symptoms

4.2 Surgical Advances

TURP remains the gold standard for treating BPH, offering reliable, long-term results.
Newer minimally invasive procedures include:
- Prostatic Artery Embolisation
- Urolift Procedure

4.3 Prostate Cancer

A significant concern among elderly men, often silent in early stages. Diagnostic tools include:

Digital Rectal Examination (DRE)
PSA test, MRI, and prostate biopsy

Alarm symptoms include back pain or unexplained weight loss. Treatment options range from robotic, laparoscopic, or open prostatectomy to radiation and hormonal therapy.

Male Urological Issues

5.1 Prostatitis

Common in younger men, it presents with pelvic pain and urinary discomfort. Treatment includes antibiotics, hydration, and lifestyle modification.

5.2 Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

Linked to vascular disease, stress, or hormonal imbalance, ED may serve as an early warning sign of cardiac disease. Cardiological evaluation is therefore essential. Treatment ranges from oral medication and injections to implants.

5.3 Urethral Stricture

A narrowing of the urethra due to trauma or infection, causing reduced urinary flow. The definitive treatment is urethroplasty.

Female Urological Conditions

Post-menopausal changes can lead to urethral narrowing or urinary incontinence.

Urethral Stricture: treated with topical oestrogen or surgery
Stress Incontinence: improves with pelvic floor exercises
Urge Incontinence: managed with biofeedback and lifestyle modification

Severe cases may require surgical intervention.

Kidney Disorders

7.1 Kidney Cancer

Often discovered incidentally via imaging.

Small tumours → partial nephrectomy
Large tumours → total nephrectomy

7.2 Bladder Cancer

More aggressive, often linked to smoking and chemical exposure. The main symptom is painless haematuria. Treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

Kidney Stones

Stones develop due to dehydration, dietary factors, or infection. Asymptomatic stones can be dangerous, causing silent obstruction.

Diagnosis: Ultrasound is the safest method.
Management:

<6 mm → Usually passes spontaneously
≥6 mm → ESWL, laser removal, or PCNL

Infection accompanying stones must be addressed promptly.

Preventive Health Screening

Recommended tests include:

Urine Albumin & Microscopy
PSA (men)
Serum Creatinine
Kidney and bladder ultrasound
Rectal examination

Kidney Physiology and Function

Each kidney receives 20% of cardiac output. Their vital roles include:

Electrolyte regulation (sodium, potassium)
Activation of vitamin D
Production of erythropoietin for haemoglobin

Impairment leads to bone weakness, anaemia, and systemic complications.

Kidney Failure and Its Causes

Major causes:

Prolonged painkiller use (Ibuprofen, Voveran)
Certain antibiotics
Obstruction from stones or prostate enlargement
Acute rises in serum creatinine

Acute kidney failure is often reversible; chronic failure may require dialysis or transplantation.

Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation

Haemodialysis: External purification of blood; used in adults.
Peritoneal Dialysis: Frequently used in children.

Transplants:

Live Donor (relative or spouse)
Cadaveric Donor via national organ-sharing networks

Public awareness and early registration are essential to increase donor participation.

Lifestyle and Dietary Advice

Excessive tamarind (Irumban Puli–Bilimbi fruit -) consumption increases oxalate levels, contributing to kidney stone formation.

General advice:

Avoid unnecessary painkillers
Regularly monitor blood pressure and blood sugar

Conclusion

Dr Shal concluded by reiterating that awareness, preventive measures, and timely medical consultation form the cornerstone of urological and renal health. Early detection, disciplined lifestyle habits, and responsible health management can prevent irreversible complications, including kidney failure and prostate cancer.

The session successfully motivated participants to adopt healthier lifestyles and to disseminate awareness on preventive urology within their communities.

China’s Demographic Crisis: Lessons for India and the World

By Dr. K.M. George, CEO, Sustainable Development Forum

Introduction

China, once the world’s most populous nation, is now confronting a demographic crisis that threatens its economic ambitions and global standing. The legacy of the one-child policy, implemented in 1979, has led to a rapidly aging population and a declining workforce. This essay examines China’s demographic trajectory, the flaws of its population control policies, the resulting economic challenges, and the lessons India and the world can learn from China’s experience.

The One-Child Policy: A Double-Edged Sword

In 1979, China introduced the one-child policy to curb its rapidly growing population. While the policy succeeded in slowing population growth, it also led to unintended consequences:

Aging Population: The policy resulted in a skewed age distribution, with a growing elderly population and a shrinking younger workforce.
Gender Imbalance: Cultural preferences for male children led to a significant gender imbalance, with millions more men than women.
Social Strain: The policy placed immense pressure on the “4-2-1” family structure (four grandparents, two parents, one child), leading to potential neglect of the elderly and increased social burdens.

Despite relaxing the policy in 2016 to allow two children per family and further easing to three children in 2021, birth rates have continued to decline. In 2021, China’s fertility rate dropped to 1.12 children per woman, well below the replacement level of 2.1 The Washington Post.

Economic Implications: From Growth to Stagnation

China’s demographic challenges have profound economic implications:

Shrinking Workforce: The working-age population is declining, leading to labor shortages and increased wages.
Increased Dependency Ratio: A larger elderly population requires more resources for healthcare and pensions, straining public finances.
Slowing Economic Growth: The combination of a shrinking labor force and increased social spending has led to slower economic growth The Washington Post.

Projections indicate that by 2100, China’s population could fall to 633 million, with over half aged 60 or older The Washington Post.

China’s Superpower Ambitions: A Demographic Hurdle

China’s aspirations to become a global superpower are hindered by its demographic challenges:

Labor Shortages: Reduced labor supply affects manufacturing and innovation capabilities.
Increased Production Costs: Higher wages and social security costs reduce China’s competitiveness in global markets.
Geopolitical Implications: An aging population may limit China’s ability to project power and influence internationally The Hub.

These factors complicate China’s efforts to challenge U.S. supremacy and establish itself as a global leader.

Lessons for India

India, with its youthful population, stands at a demographic crossroads:

Harnessing the Demographic Dividend: India’s working-age population is expected to remain high for several decades, providing an opportunity for economic growth.
Investing in Human Capital: Prioritizing education, healthcare, and skill development can maximize the potential of the workforce.
Avoiding Coercive Policies: India should focus on voluntary family planning and empowerment, learning from China’s experience with the one-child policy Al Jazeera.

By implementing these strategies, India can avoid the pitfalls that China faces and capitalize on its demographic advantage.

Global Implications

China’s demographic crisis serves as a cautionary tale for other nations:

Policy Flexibility: Rigid population control measures can have long-term negative effects; policies should be adaptable to changing circumstances.
Economic Planning: Nations must plan for an aging population by investing in technology, automation, and social security systems.
International Cooperation: Global challenges require collaborative solutions, including sharing knowledge and resources to address demographic shifts.

Recommendations

Promote Family-Friendly Policies: Governments should provide incentives for families to have children, such as tax breaks and childcare support.
Invest in Automation and AI: To counter labor shortages, countries should invest in technology to maintain productivity levels.
Reform Pension Systems: Adjust pension systems to ensure sustainability in the face of an aging population.
Encourage Immigration: Implement policies to attract immigrants to bolster the workforce.
Focus on Education and Training: Invest in education and vocational training to equip the workforce with necessary skills.
Promote Gender Equality: Encourage gender equality in the workplace to fully utilize the potential of the population.
Ensure Healthcare Accessibility: Provide accessible healthcare to maintain a healthy and productive workforce.
Foster Innovation: Encourage innovation and entrepreneurship to drive economic growth.
Strengthen Social Safety Nets: Develop robust social safety nets to support the elderly and vulnerable populations.
Plan for Long-Term Demographic Changes: Governments should anticipate demographic shifts and plan accordingly to mitigate potential challenges.

Conclusion

China’s demographic crisis underscores the importance of balanced population policies and long-term planning. While India faces its own demographic challenges, it has the opportunity to learn from China’s experience and implement strategies to ensure sustainable economic growth. By investing in human capital, avoiding coercive policies, and planning for demographic changes, India can navigate its demographic transition successfully and serve as a model for other nations.

Dr. K.M. George is the CEO of the Sustainable Development Forum, an organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development practices worldwide.

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(“Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability : Shaping the future Ahead” : ASIFA,2025-2026. Organised by ITM Skill University, Navi Mumbai—January 2026)

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