The School of Policy and Governance

This week we launched the Zero Prize (@zeroprizeorg) at IHC New Delhi with @deespeak! 🏆 The mission: Shift the narrative from "who to blame" for pollution to "what can I do." We are incentivizing Indian entrepreneurship to solve the pollution crisis. #ZeroPrize 🧵

We are looking for a leader to help solve India’s pollution crisis. 🌍 The @zeroprizeorg is a ₹10 Crore innovation challenge built on @xprize principles. We don’t reward intentions- we reward verified results. We’re hiring a Convenor to lead the movement. 🧵👇

To be fair, this trend accelerated with the Biden administration's sanctions and freezing of approximately Russia’s $300 billion USD. However, the second Trump administration is furthering the shift away from the USD through aggressive tariffs; driving increased non-USD trade settlements, with examples like China and Russia conducting over 50% of their bilateral trade in yuan by mid-2025. It feels reminiscent of the early post-World War II era, when the British Pound began its gradual decline as the world's leading reserve currency due to economic strains, devaluations. This time the move is towards physical gold and digital gold (BTC).

Demanding India open its farm sector ignores this domestic reality, where reforms can spark nationwide unrest and electoral risks. It's one thing to posture for negotiation, but ignoring these nuances risks alienating India. On agriculture, even Modi's government faced massive backlash when it passed three farm laws in 2020 aimed at liberalizing markets and allowing private contracts. Farmers protested for over a year, fearing these would erode the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system - a government-guaranteed floor price for key crops - and favor corporations over smallholders. The laws were repealed in 2021 amid political pressure. Agriculture remains a hyper-sensitive issue in India, employing over 40% of the workforce and tied to food security for 1.4 billion people. If the US wants deeper cooperation with India, it must build trust through consistent friendship, not erratic tariffs or sanctions. While India has made significant defense purchases from the US in recent years - the US has not always been a reliable partner, leading India to diversify its suppliers (e.g. heavy reliance on Russia). Historical examples include US sanctions after India's 1998 nuclear tests and ongoing threats under CAATSA over India's S-400 deal with Russia, despite shared democratic values and strategic alignment against China. Real friends don't bully each other on a loudspeaker. They sort out their issues one on one, privately.