May 31, 2026

Kautilya

Diplomacy

India Finalising Oil And Gas Supply Pact With Mauritius As Energy Security Moves Up The Agenda

Jaishankar said the proposed pact would help reinforce Mauritius’ energy security and argued that the ongoing West Asia crisis has underlined the value of strategic partnerships, especially in the energy sector. The backdrop is important: Reuters has reported that recent regional tensions disrupted shipping and gas supplies linked to the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that normally carries a major share of India’s crude inflows, pushing New Delhi to diversify and secure energy supplies more aggressively.

By Kautilya / April 11, 2026
Economy

India Plans Push For Domestic Lithium And Nickel Processing

The proposed approach goes beyond simple extraction. It includes expanding exploration for lithium resources within India, securing overseas supply arrangements, and building up refining capacity through both public- and private-sector participation. In effect, the government is trying to move India higher up the value chain instead of remaining dependent on imported processed materials.

By Kautilya / April 11, 2026
Health

Quitting Tobacco May Unlock Economic Gains For Millions Of Indian Households

The analysis used data from India’s National Sample Survey 2022–23 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, covering 261,746 nationally representative households, around 59% of them in rural areas. Researchers examined household spending on tobacco products such as bidis, cigarettes, gutka, zarda, snuff, and other forms, and compared that spending with overall monthly consumption patterns.

By Kautilya / April 11, 2026
Economy Infrastructure

Vande Bharat Surge Powers New Phase Of Modern Rail Travel In India

Since its launch, the Vande Bharat network has carried more than 9.1 crore passengers through about 1 lakh trips, showing how quickly the service has moved from flagship experiment to a widely accepted part of India’s railway system. First introduced on the New Delhi–Varanasi route in February 2019, the train has since become a major symbol of indigenous rail modernisation under the Make in India push.

By Kautilya / April 11, 2026
Heritage Temples and Places

Kottukal Cave Temple: The Twin Sanctums Carved from Living Rock

The temple is believed to date back to around the 6th to 8th centuries CE, placing it within the early medieval phase of South Indian temple evolution. This period witnessed the spread of rock-cut architecture across peninsular India, influenced by earlier traditions seen in sites like Mahabalipuram and Badami. In Kerala, where climatic conditions favored laterite and wood, such rock-cut monuments remain rare, making Kottukal an important outlier in the region’s architectural history.

By Kautilya / April 11, 2026
Defense Diplomacy

India, US Push Defence Cooperation Forward as Vikram Misri Meets Michael P. Duffey

The discussions focused on co-production, sustainment, and shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific region, indicating that the partnership is moving beyond routine engagement toward more practical and industrial forms of cooperation. That matters because co-production and sustainment are central to long-term defence readiness, supply resilience, and closer alignment between the two countries’ military-industrial ecosystems.

By Kautilya / April 10, 2026