<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[SAYDF]]></title><description><![CDATA[SAYDF]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:48:04 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.saydf.org/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Think Piece 6: Afghanistan and the Cost of Erasing Half a Nation by Samaira Jaggi]]></title><description><![CDATA[When discussions about Afghanistan emerge in international newspapers, they are often framed as debates about women's rights. Statistics are cited. Restrictions are listed. Statements are condemned. The conversation usually ends there. Yet there is something deeply misleading about treating the exclusion of Afghan women solely as a women's issue. It is an Afghan issue. A country's future is determined by the skills, knowledge, labour, and creativity of its people. Every nation, whether rich...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/think-piece-5-afghanistan-and-the-cost-of-erasing-half-a-nation-by-samaira-jaggi</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a86a51fe087e30b37e634a9</guid><category><![CDATA[Think Pieces]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 07:17:03 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Session with Debate Network Nepal]]></title><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/session-with-debate-network-nepal</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab3b999cb2c5cb708d38472</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/343b1b_5ca19c3630a049ae90f0657d5eecc12f~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_652,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Session 7: Universal Basic Income? A Mathematical Approach? Skill Training? What's the best way to alleviate poverty?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Poverty alleviation has been a major point of discussion over the past few months. This is as Artificial Intelligence (AI)  is expected to raise unemployment causing more people to plunge into poverty. Furthermore, various proponents of Universal Basic Income (UBI) have also changed their views on it after seeing the rise in AI.  With regard to this, SAYDF organized a discussion on various ways to reduce poverty. This is relevant given that global poverty reduction has now slowed to a...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/session-7-universal-basic-income-a-mathematical-approach-skill-training-what-s-the-best-way-to-a</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a1d613ad87dcf57d5469c07</guid><category><![CDATA[Quarterly Updates]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2026 18:30:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Think Piece 5: From Girlboss to Tradwife: But Do Women Actually Have a Choice? by Miraya Singh]]></title><description><![CDATA[For decades, feminism was linked to the “girlboss” image. This represented women who built careers, chased ambition, and showcased that women could succeed in male-dominated spaces. It challenged the notion that women were defined solely by marriage, motherhood, or household duties.  However, in recent years, a backlash has emerged. Social media has popularised the tradwife (traditional wife) ,women who embrace homemaking, marriage, motherhood, and traditional roles. Supporters view this as...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/think-piece-6-from-girlboss-to-tradwife-but-do-women-actually-have-a-choice-by-miraya-singh</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a86a9956c395e7dcc3ae83f</guid><category><![CDATA[Think Pieces]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:17:03 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Session 6: AI Models are not perfectionists. What's the right framework to decide who should be responsible for their mistakes? Is it the Banality of Evil?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The past quarter has seen lots of changes to the global world order. The United States has formally exited the World Health Organization, AI models have drastically increased in complexity since the start of the year and adoption of AI has also increased. The hype around AI has raised the question regarding who is to blame if AI Models make mistakes. With regards to this SAYDF organized a discussion on the idea if Arendt’s Banality of Evil concept is relevant to the field of Artificial...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/session-6-ai-models-are-not-perfectionists-what-s-the-right-framework-to-decide-who-should-be-resp</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a1c3aee7ab417a19fbdb90d</guid><category><![CDATA[Quarterly Updates]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 18:30:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Session with Royal Academy Bhutan]]></title><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/session-with-royal-academy-bhutan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab3b91e494a443cf625519b</guid><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/343b1b_3683229006504a37993376c7e7fc65fb~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_907,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Think Piece 4: Token Empowerment: Why Government Schemes for Girls Often Fail the Girls Who Need Them Most by Prishita Gupta]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first time I noticed a Beti Bachao Beti Padhao banner, it was on a crumbling wall beside a government school I passed every day. The words promised empowerment, safety, and education for every girl. But a few steps away, that same school had no functioning girls’ toilet, and most girls I saw there disappeared from its classrooms by the time they turned thirteen. It made me wonder: is a banner really enough to save us? In recent years, India has launched several welfare schemes designed to...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/think-piece-1-token-empowerment-why-government-schemes-for-girls-often-fail-the-girls-who-need-the</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a292538b34d9652f55343fe</guid><category><![CDATA[Think Pieces]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:45:08 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Session 5: Universal Healthcare or Low Cost Private Health Insurance? How to ensure equity in healthcare without burdening the Government?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Insurance is essential to protect against various types of financial risks. Some of these risks are healthcare crises, damages to objects such as cars and homes, and sometimes even life. Given the recent long wait times to get an appointment at hospitals run by the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, as well as expected increases in the premium for government provided health insurance (Medicaid) in the United States of America, there has recently been support for less costly...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/session-5-universal-healthcare-or-low-cost-private-health-insurance-how-to-ensure-equity-in-health</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a1c0b59345540299756c59d</guid><category><![CDATA[Quarterly Updates]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 20 Dec 2025 18:30:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Think Piece 3: Are Political Dynasties harmful to the essence of Democracy? by Suguna Kukreja]]></title><description><![CDATA[Democracy is built on the premise that anyone can lead. Yet some of the world's most powerful political offices seem to circulate within the same families. This trend can be seen from the Gandhi’s in India to the Kennedy’s in the USA. In each case, a family name has remained politically relevant for decades. Critics see this as a failure of democracy, but supporters see it as democracy working exactly as intended. If voters repeatedly choose members of the same family, why should that choice...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/think-piece-4-are-political-dynasties-harmful-to-the-essence-of-democracy-by-suguna-kukreja</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2f94720b2dd1ef87ae8294</guid><category><![CDATA[Think Pieces]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 09:45:08 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Session 4: Is sport being used as a sign of soft power? Is it right for private firms to be interested in ownership of sports teams?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The past quarter has been a big one for sports. India and Sri Lanka are hosting the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup next month, Philippines recently hosted the Mens Volleyball World Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States of America. There has been big debate behind the choice of these venues for these events with some believing these events are shown more as a sign of soft power instead of its purpose which is to celebrate the sport. At the same time, there has also been an...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/session-4-is-sport-being-used-as-a-sign-of-soft-power-is-it-right-for-private-firms-to-be-interest</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696e06d52f976ed6f59c0b5c</guid><category><![CDATA[Quarterly Updates]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 20 Sep 2025 18:30:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Think Piece 2: Aadhaar Verification: What is the solution to its problems by Jai Arya]]></title><description><![CDATA[In March 2017, the government of India under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) passed official orders making it mandatory to link Aadhaar with important welfare schemes including the Public Distribution System (PDS) for subsidized rations, MGNREGA for employment wages, pensions to locals, and paying scholarships of students. It was integrated under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, which made Aadhaar the only way to be used as identifying beneficiaries for receiving government facilities and...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/think-piece-3-aadhaar-verification-what-is-the-solution-to-its-problems-by-jai-arya</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2926a98ae4d2c74dcf1c9d</guid><category><![CDATA[Think Pieces]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2025 09:45:08 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Think Piece 1: The IMF’s Bitter Medicine: Cure for a Failing Economy or Catalyst for Collapse? by Bilal Yousaf]]></title><description><![CDATA[When a nation’s economy teeters on the brink of default, the International Monetary Fund or imf often emerges as the lender of last resort. Armed with a $930 billion war chest, the institution provides vital lifelines to countries experiencing acute balance of payments crises. However, this financial rescue rarely comes without strings attached. The debate over IMF conditionalities, specifically Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) remains one of the most contentious issues in global...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/think-piece-2-the-imf-s-bitter-medicine-cure-for-a-failing-economy-or-catalyst-for-collapse-by-bi</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2c2bd2b665e088ac28b55f</guid><category><![CDATA[Think Pieces]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 22 Jun 2025 09:45:08 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Session 3: Rehabilitation or Retribution? What should be prioritised?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Criminal justice has been a major point of discussion in South Asia over the past few months. Various nations across the region have recently toughened the stance on criminal activities such as illegal immigration. Moreover, there has also been a rise in the crackdown on trafficking and organized drug crime. With regard to this SAYDF organized a session where participants discussed and debated the concept of retribution vs rehabilitation, given the rise in retribution in the South Asia...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/session-3-rehabilitation-or-retribution-what-should-be-prioritised</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696dfbd4322ac077fefa7599</guid><category><![CDATA[Quarterly Updates]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2025 18:30:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Session 2: How much should nations be trading internationally? Is the movement towards self sufficiency good for economic growth? ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Trade has been a major point of discussion in the news in the past quarter. This has primarily been due to expectations that the United States of America will place high tariffs on various countries with which it had trade deficits. This announcement of tariffs is expected on 2nd April, 2025. As a result of this in addition to the trend towards self sufficiency in the South Asia region (India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India scheme, Bangladesh diversifying its exports away from only...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/session-2-how-much-should-nations-be-trading-internationally-is-the-movement-towards-self-sufficie</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696cce541dda038b1d8e2802</guid><category><![CDATA[Quarterly Updates]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 14 Mar 2025 18:30:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Session 1: Is Artificial Intelligence the way forward? Are restrictions on AI necessary to maximize its benefits?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence (AI) has developed vastly in past few months, and is expected to change the world over the next decade. This potential of AI has already been recognized with the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics being given for research on neural networks, an integral part of AI. Moreover in the past year the rise of chatbots such as ChatGPT, has also changed the way education is approached with various students utilising these chatbots to overcome barriers to learning. Despite worries that...]]></description><link>https://www.saydf.org/post/session-1-is-artificial-intelligence-the-way-forward-are-restrictions-on-ai-necessary-to-maximize</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696ca4c8482610fa28964244</guid><category><![CDATA[Quarterly Updates]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 22 Dec 2024 18:30:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>veda kalra</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>