Author: Uday Kumar Varma

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 concluded at Bharat Mandapam with the en­dorsement of the New Delhi Declaration by 88 countries and inter­national organisations—among them the United States, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Bra­zil, Russia, the European Union, and IFAD. The moment marked more than the conclusion of a diplomatic gather­ing. It signalled a subtle recalibration in the global geography of artificial intel­ligence governance. It represented an important repositioning of India in the global conversation on artificial intel­ligence. This was the largest AI summit con­vened to date and the first of comparable scale hosted in the Global South.…

Image Courtesy: PIB SCIENCE DIPLOMACY When the world’s climate nego­tiators assembled in Belém, at the threshold of the Ama­zon rainforest in Brazil, the moment seemed laden with historical and moral significance. COP30 was heralded as the “COP of Truth”—a forum where sci­ence, urgency, and political will would finally converge. The choice of Belém was deliberate: few places embody the stakes of the climate crisis as starkly as the Amazon, a living regulator of the planet’s climate now under unprecedent­ed stress. Yet as the conference drew to a close, a sense of unease lingered. What many had hoped would be a…

As India prepares to unveil its annual India International Sci­ence Festival between Decem­ber 6 and 9 in Panchkula, Haryana, the moment is ripe to reflect on a larger phenomenon. Science and technology in India have begun to transcend their domestic role; they are quietly emerg­ing as a defining arm of diplomacy and global influence. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has travelled far, from being a technol­ogy importer to becoming an innova­tor, manufacturer, and strategic partner. The theme of the festival—“Science to Prosperity: Towards a Self-Reliant In­dia”—speaks not merely of national self-sufficiency, but of a confident…