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Policy Watch No. 19

AI and the Indian Judiciary: The Need for a Rights-based Approach

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has engaged the attention of specialists across several sectors, transcending the field of engineering and technology. The judiciary is no exception, with several reasons being cited by policy makers for the need to get this pillar of the government AI-ready. In this Policy Watch, Siddharth Peter de Souza, a law and society researcher, examines the use of AI in the Indian judiciary. One of the reasons for focusing on the Indian judiciary is the excitement that has emerged both among legal technology enterprises as well as the Supreme Court. Through an examination of statements made by judges, policy documents, as well as tender documents, this Policy Watch unpacks how the court views AI. It suggests pathways to a rights-based approach to AI governance at three levels, (i) looking at the tensions between rights and managerialism, (ii) the criticality of rights in peoples’ languages, and (iii) prioritising rights over examining risk of AI.It calls upon policy makers and the Court to look at AI beyond the productivity matrix and as something that has consequences in people’s worlds and lives.HTML VersionDownload PDF (438 KB)]

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Policy Report No. 27

Farmer Producer Companies: Preliminary Studies on Efficiency and Equity from Maharashtra

In recent years, the concept of Farmer Producer Company (FPC) has gained the attention of researchers. Though relatively new in India and still in an emerging phase in Maharashtra, these FPCs are being viewed as a possible replacement for the old cooperative model and taken the form of new movement. The formation of FPCs in the districts of Maharashtra began in 2015 under the Maharashtra Agricultural Competitiveness Project (MACP). In Osmanabad and Solapur districts of Maharashtra, FPCs have been in operation for the past three years. As FPCs gained the attention and participation of the farmers it becomes pertinent to study their formation and performance.  This Policy Report attempts to look at the FPCs in Solapur and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra to ascertain the level of inclusiveness and participation of the various categories of farmers in the running of the company. The study points out that caste and family hierarchies continue to hold a grip on ownership patterns, albeit in the early days of the FPCs. However, it can be said that the FPCs have the potential to overcome the difficulties faced by the farmers in selling their produce directly in the conventional market arising out of rigid vertical coordination of the middlemen based on the experiences of the farmers with the producer company model.The Report also includes an analysis of the new policy on the FPCs and attempts to assess the differences between the old cooperative Act and new Farmer Producer Companies Act. [PDF 829 KB]

Background Note No.7

Public Policy and the Child in Tamil Nadu

The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy and UNICEF, Chennai, organised a Round Table on Public Policy and the Child in Tamil Nadu on September 02, 2017 (Saturday), at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai. The aim of the Round Table was to take stock of the extent to which the State’s policies have contributed to and shaped childhood. Covering the ages of 0 to 18 years, the discussions at the Round Table explored the relationship between the state and the child in Tamil Nadu, which is critical for the quality of life for children. Papers were invited from the participants at the Round Table on the following themes: 1. Policy and Fiscal Space in Tamil Nadu 2. Education and Health 3. The Disadvantaged Child, and 4. Social Spaces for the ChildThis Background Note contains the Concept Note and the 10 papers that were presented and discussed at the Round Table. Feedback and comments may please be sent to [email protected] Click here to download the Background Note [PDF 3.72 MB]