In Focus by The Hindu

The eighth edition of the ICC T20 World Cup has kicked off in Australia. India hasn’t won this tournament since the inaugural edition in 2007. Last year, we got knocked out in the group stage itself. But everyone is optimistic about India’s chances this time. After all, India has the best T20 record of any cricketing nation this year, with the most number of wins in a calendar year. So realistically speaking, what are India’s chances? Who are the other favourites? Who are the most in-form match-winners that are likely to make a splash this year? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three prime ministers in three months. That’s the political score for England just ahead of the T20 world cup. The old and mature democracy distinctly looks a bit Third Worldish. Just after saying she wasn’t a quitter, Liz Truss had to quit as Prime Minister on Thursday. It wasn’t really a surprise after she had to sack her Finance Minister and then lost her Home Minister as well. The new Finance Minister had to turn her economic policies on its head. So, where does Britain go from here? Should there be fresh elections so that the electorate can make the choice of a new prime minister? Or should the Conservative Party get another shot at foisting a leader on the country? And who might that somebody be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The expected has happened. Mallikarjun Kharge is the new president of the Indian National Congress. His rival, diplomat turned politician Shashi Tharoor, garnered impressive thousand-odd votes against Kharge, who was considered to be the establishment candidate. The election does show that inner-party democracy in the Congress party is possible. By holding elections in a transparent way, the Congress has also shone a light on how tightly-controlled other parties, including the BJP, are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year’s Global Hunger Index, a peer-reviewed annual report that tracks hunger at the “global, regional, and country levels," has shown South Asia, and India in particular, as a hunger hot spot. India has been ranked 107th out of the 121 countries that were the subject of the report. India, whose child-wasting rate of 19.3% was the highest of any country, was ranked below countries such as Pakistan, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Sudan. In the Global Hunger Index 2021, India had been ranked 101st out of 116 countries. The government of India, for the second year in a row, has rejected the report. It has claimed that the report’s methodology is flawed, and that it ignores the food security efforts of the central government during the pandemic. How was this report prepared? Are the criticisms of it justified? What are its implications for food security and public policy? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Finance Minister recently addressed the Indian industry, urging them to step up investments in the country with confidence. She also asked them why they were like Lord Hanuman, who had to be reminded of his own strength. Why did she make this appeal? What is the status of private investment in this country? The government has budgeted for higher public spending this fiscal year, but could this have come earlier, to help crowd in private investment? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josep Borell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has triggered a controversy by saying that Europe was a garden and “most of the rest of the world” was a jungle. He warned in a speech at the European Diplomatic Academy on the 13th of October, that the “jungle could invade the garden”. He continued, “The gardeners should take care of it, but they will not protect the garden by building walls. A nice small garden surrounded by high walls in order to prevent the jungle from coming in is not going to be a solution. Because the jungle has a strong growth capacity, and the wall will never be high enough in order to protect the garden. The gardeners have to go to the jungle. Europeans have to be much more engaged with the rest of the world. Otherwise, the rest of the world will invade us, by different ways and means.” So what does this speech mean for the rest of the world? Does it signal a formal end to globalisation and integration? Does it reflect the true state of the world? Are these rare candid remarks from a serving European bureaucrat? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The RBI issued directions earlier this week to Indian banks on the provisions they ought to make against loans, if the entities to which they have lent funds in foreign currency have not hedged against risk of changes in the exchange rate. After all, if an Indian company had borrowed one dollar a year ago, and has to close the loan now, it would have to shell out more rupees today to close one dollar’s worth of debt, than when it received the loan. Today, ratings agency CARE Edge Chief Economist Rajani Sinha joins us to share her views on what the trigger for the Reserve Bank's move is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The mid-day meal scheme is considered to be one of the government's most successful initiatives. For thousands of children across the nation, this scheme guarantees that they get at least one meal a day. While this has led to increased school attendance, data and social audits reveal that the food being served is sometimes unhygienic, cold, contaminated, or nutritionally inadequate. Consequently, issues like food poisoning, are seeing a spike. In this episode, The Hindu speaks with experts on the benefits of the mid-day meals scheme, what they've seen on the ground and how to effectively implement feedback mechanisms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chinese President and general secretary of China’s Communist Party, Xi Jinping, is all set to shred the two-term rule for the country’s top leader in the post Deng Xiaoping era. Xi will be the first leader in decades who is expected to hang for an unprecedented third term at the upcoming 20th Congress of the Communist Party. So, what does this mean for China and its internal and external policies? Will we see a harder Chinese approach towards its own people and to the rest of the world? And, how has the continuing zero COVID policy changed China? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 6, India abstained from voting on a draft decision at the United National Human Rights Council that called for a debate on the “situation of human rights in the Xinjiang Uyghur Region” in China. By a narrow majority of 19 to 17, China and its allies ensured the defeat of a Western bloc of nations that were seeking a debate on the state of the Uyghur Muslim minority in China. The very next day, the spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi hoped that the “relevant party” would address the situation in Xinjiang “objectively and properly.” So, should India have voted for the draft decision on the situation in Xinjiang, especially since China has resisted efforts to sanction terrorists responsible for anti-India operations in the 1267 sanctions committee at the U.N., rather than abstaining? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the Covid-19 pandemic turned our world upside down, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has added to the global economic gloom. We thought it apt to now take a quick snapshot of major economies undergoing stress and of places where policy action is going against the grain. We also wanted to take a peek into nations that are doing rather well, when the rest of the world is surrounded by uncertainty. We chose to review the US’s interest actions, the UK’s fiscal and currency woes, Turkey’s unbridled inflation and counterintuitive interest rate moves, the blossoming of Vietnam’s economy in a world full of economic stagnation, with Indonesia close on its heels and insistence by Japan’s central bank that it won’t raise rates given that it has the lowest inflation rate among major economies. Rohit Azad, who teaches economics at JNU, shares his views with us on these global trends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifth generation telecom technology, or 5G, has been in the news lately. Spectrum that was recently auctioned to telecom firms for providing 5G services fetched the government about Rs. 1.5 lakh crore. Airtel has already unveiled services in 8 cities. Jio promises to follow suit by Deepavali this year, even as it targets pan India availability by December 2023. Meanwhile, C-DoT or the Centre for Development of Telematics has developed India’s own 5G core. What does this mean to the local industry? Is it compatible with other global equipment providers? Will it help save on foreign exchange outgo? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India’s foreign exchange reserves are lower by about $100 bn from a year ago. The rupee has also depreciated; it has seen a decline of more than 7% since the start of the financial year in April. Though the Reserve Bank has dipped into the reserves to help stem volatility in the rupee, that is not the only reason that the observed value of reserves has declined. Changes in valuation, given the dollar strengthening brutally against other currencies too have also contributed. How does this work? And what implications do all these changes have for the Reserve Bank’s action path going forward? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On September 13, 2022, India and China disengaged from a fifth friction point in Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Both sides have now established five buffer zones since tensions began in April 2020, but the LAC crisis is far from over. In this episode, Manoj Joshi, Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Reservation Foundation and author of “Understanding the India China Border”, explains where things stand on the border, where both countries go from here as they look to rebuild shattered trust, and what may have driven China’s recent actions on the LAC that have upended decades of peace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The rupee weakened past 81 against the dollar for the first time ever last week. The RBI’s intervention in the forex market to help stem the volatility by selling dollars has meant that our forex reserves have fallen about $94 billion over the course of about 12 months to about $545 billion in mid September. How much lower can we afford to let our reserves go? Is there a ‘correct’ level for the rupee? Where does the interest rate as a policy tool figure in all of this? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nothing seems to be going easy for the Congress. Even selecting and electing a non-Gandhi family member as the Congress president has proved to be a tall order. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot claimed that he didn’t know anything about a pro-incumbent revolt in the state legislature party even as Sachin Pilot waits in the wings to become Chief Minister. After an apology to party president Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Gehlot opted out of the Congress president’s race. The contest is now between Malikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a minor storm in the chess world over alleged cheating. It all began on September 4 when a 19-year-old grandmaster named Hans Niemann defeated world champion Magnus Carlsen in an over-the-board game in a tournament in the US. Following this shocking loss to a player rated much lower, Carlsen withdrew from the tournament - something that almost never happens in a top event. He offered no explanations except to insinuate that Niemann had cheated. Niemann has said that he has cheated in online chess in the past but is clean now. But Chess.com was quick to ban him. When Carlsen and Niemann met again in an online event on September 19, Carlsen resigned after just one move, and has said he will not play against Niemann. Meanwhile, the chess world’s top anti-cheating expert Ken Regan has analysed not only Niemann’s win over Carlsen but also all his games from 2020, and found no evidence of cheating. Is Carlsen justified in making these insinuations without any evidence? Does the FIDE have adequate safeguards in place to ensure players don’t throw random allegations around? And how easy, or difficult, is it to cheat in chess today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following setbacks in his invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a partial mobilisation of ‘reservists’ to bolster the war effort. He launched his so-called special military operation with 150,000 troops, but now he plans to raise an additional 300,000 troops. Simultaneously, he also announced that referendums will be held in four Russia-held regions of Ukraine. If they vote yes, these Ukrainian territories will come under Russian sovereignty. Both these developments have serious implications, in Ukraine and in Russia. The move toward partial mobilisation has triggered fierce protests in Russia. There have been dozens of anti-mobilisation rallies, enlistment centres have been set on fire, and there have been lengthy queues of cars – some as long as 18 km – at Russia’s border crossings, with people wanting to flee. Will this partial mobilisation enable Russia to reach its military goals? Or will it backfire? What do the referendums mean in terms of the possibilities of military escalation? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zar. Zendegi. Azadi. Women. Life. Freedom. That’s the slogan given by Iranian women protesters after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being allegedly beaten in police custody for wearing her hijab improperly. The other popular slogan is “death to the dictator”. Over 40 persons have been killed in the protests in about 50 cities across Iran since Mahsa Amini’s death. The protests continue in the face of a massive crackdown by the hardline Islamic regime even as internet bans continue. WhatsApp, Instagram and Skype have been shut down by the government. One of the fundamental demands of the protesting women is that wearing a hijab should not be mandatory. In some other societies, it would be looked upon as a basic right. But not in Iran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adoption in India is known to be a rather long, tedious and painful process. Now, in an ostensible attempt to speed up the adoption process, the government has introduced some changes. It has notified the ‘Model Amendment Rules’ under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act, 2021 and so, from September 1, instead of the courts, it is the District Magistrates who would have the power to issue adoption orders. But this change, instead of being welcomed, has parents and adoption agencies worried. What are they worried about? What ails the adoption process in India, and what is the way forward to make it a rewarding process for children and parents? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On September 14, a two-judge bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli assented to several significant amendments to the BCCI Constitution. These amendments had been unanimously approved by the BCCI at its annual general body meeting in December 2019. But the BCCI needed the Supreme Court’s approval for its amendments to take effect, and now the approval has come. One of the most talked about amendments has to do with the cooling off period for office-bearers and the other is to do with disqualification of those holding public office. So, what exactly did the BCCI constitution say on these matters, what do the amendments seek to do, and how do these changes sit with the reforms initiated by the Justice R.M. Lodha committee? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Quiet Quitting has recently captured the imagination of employers and employees alike. Is it a new concept or is it a new name for something that is as old as industry itself? Quiet Quitters are described as those who continue to be employed in a company but just do their job and no more. They are not seen as going above and beyond. Some experts argue that that is all right. Others say, the level of engagement is to be seen distinctly from working only the average 40 hours a week and that Quiet Quitters could actually be contributing by working only 8-9 hours a day. Today, we are joined by Barnik Maitra, Managing Partner for India and South Asia at Arthur D. Little, which is said to be the oldest management consulting company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bilateral meetings hogged the limelight at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation – the ones that happened and even the ones that didn’t. The presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were watched closely. Especially the bits where Mr. Putin said that he understood Chinese and Indian concerns about the war in Ukraine. From India’s standpoint, a non-meeting with the Chinese President indicated that the recent pullback in the disputed border areas between the two countries were not enough to warrant a bilateral engagement at the highest level. With Pakistan, no meeting was expected with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and none happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz, who won the US Open last week, has become the youngest male player to be ranked world number 1. There’s been plenty of buzz over the 19-year-old for some time now, and while many felt he would win a Grand Slam sooner or later, few expected him to claim both a Grand Slam title and the number 1 ranking this year itself. But former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has been coaching Alcaraz since he was 15, has said that his rapid rise may be a surprise to everyone else but not to him, because “Since the moment that I started with him, I saw some things that were different than the other guys at his age. I am still seeing it on the court.” So what are these things that set Alcaraz apart? With Roger Federer announcing his retirement, are we at a moment that marks the end of the Big Three era and the start of the ‘Alcaraz era’? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taliban authorities in Kabul have denied that wanted terrorist kingpin Masood Azhar of the Jaish-e-Muhammad was in Afghanistan. The denial came in the wake of a report in the Pakistani newspaper, The News, which claimed that Azhar was in Afghanistan. Masood Azhar, it may be recalled, was released by India following the hijacking of an Indian Airlines aircraft to Kandahar in 1999. He was designated an international terrorist by the United Nations in 2019. Azhar’s name surfaced soon after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has, once again, killed Pakistani soldiers and the ceasefire brokered between the TTP and the Pakistani State is coming apart. It also comes at a time when the Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, is supposed to let Pakistan off the grey list. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Western sanctions had initially threatened to derail the Russian economy ever since the country invaded Ukraine. However, Russia has shown a resilience that has surprised observers, and which has the potential to realign the global economic order. In a recent article for Business Line, Biswajit Dhar, Professor of Economics at the JNU, points out how observers’ projections for Russia’s GDP contraction and the rouble’s sharp fall have had to be revised as the year progressed. He points out that in its April forecast, the IMF had predicted Russia’s economy would contract by 8.5% in 2022, an improvement over what was anticipated when the sanctions were imposed. The update in July indicated that the economy would shrink by a lower 6%. The market has been more optimistic; JP Morgan predicted in July that the country’s GDP would contract only 3.5%. The rouble too, after falling from 76 to 120 versus the dollar, has now stabilised at 60. What has driven this recovery? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ukraine war has been raging for nearly seven months, and the dominant pattern so far has been Russia making slow and incremental gains in territory. But this pattern was abruptly broken over the past week as Ukraine made rapid gains in the north and north-east. Russian troops have been driven out of cities like Kupyansk and Izyum, which are critical from the perspective of military logistics and supply lines. How would the loss of these logistical hubs affect Russia’s military campaign? What enabled Ukraine to make these rapid gains, and do they signify a turning point in the war? How will these losses impact President Vladimir Putin politically back in Russia? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Union Power Ministry introduced the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in Lok Sabha on August 8. The Power Minister said at the stage of introduction that the Bill could be moved to the Energy Standing Committee of Parliament for broader consultations. But the Opposition has questioned the introduction of the Bill, saying that the Centre has broken the promise made to the farmers that this Bill will not be brought to Parliament. Opposition MPs have also said that the Bill is not only anti-farmer, but also anti-constitutional, and against the spirit of federalism. There are also concerns that the Bill may lead to the end of subsidies for farmers and poor consumers. In the second part of this two-part Deep Dive podcast, we take a closer look at why state-owned power distribution companies (DISCOMs) are forever making losses– is it purely because they are inefficient, or have they been set up for failure, thanks to an irrational regulatory framework and unrealistic expectations? What would a sustainable and fair model of privatisation that doesn’t encroach on state governments’ sovereignty look like? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Union Power Ministry introduced the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in Lok Sabha on August 8. The Power Minister said at the stage of introduction that the Bill could be moved to the Energy Standing Committee of Parliament for broader consultations. But the Opposition has questioned the introduction of the Bill, saying that the Centre has broken the promise made to the farmers that this Bill will not be brought to Parliament. Opposition MPs have also said that the Bill is not only anti-farmer, but also anti-constitutional, and against the spirit of federalism. There are also concerns that the Bill may lead to the end of subsidies for farmers and poor consumers. In the first part of this two-part Deep Dive series, we take a detailed look at the history of the Electricity Bill and power sector reforms going back to the 1990s, and decode the implications of the key provisions of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Managing a difficult relationship has brought dividends to both India and Bangladesh. By all accounts, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina have transcended many barriers and rapids to take their relationship in a direction that benefits both countries. Mr. Modi appears to have put some distance between his Home Minister Amit Shah’s use of the term “termite” when referring to Bangladeshi immigrants and the potential of bilateral ties. Sheikh Hasina’s visit shows that with due preparation even an agreement to share the river waters of the Kushiyara is possible even as an accord on the Teesta proves elusive. There’s little doubt that Hasina’s statement that “as long as Prime Minister Modi is here, Bangladesh and India will resolve” problems between them is significant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year’s U.S. Open is being viewed as a ‘farewell tour’ – more or less – of the Williams sisters as the curtains come down on what has been described as “the greatest sibling act in sports history”. With both Serena and Venus Williams exiting the U.S. Open early, the two sisters, who between them account for 30 singles Grand Slam titles, 14 doubles Grand Slams titles, and eight Olympic gold medals, are easing out of the pro tour, leaving behind a unique legacy that transcends tennis. In this episode, we take a look at their impact on the sport: how they changed women’s tennis, what their success did for the African-American community, their impact on how women’s tennis is treated by the entertainment industry, and other aspects. Guest: The Hindu’s Ziya Us Salam, a passionate tennis aficionado who has closely followed the career of the Williams sisters right from the 1990s. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Ranjani Srinivasan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liz Truss has become Britain’s third woman Prime Minister. She defeated Rishi Sunak to become leader of the Tory party – the fourth leader in six years. Truss becomes Prime Minister with fewer than half of eligible voters in the party’s electoral college voting for her. She replaces the very flamboyant Boris Johnson. Truss is faced with multiple issues, especially a looming energy crisis as gas prices hit the roof in the country. Some observers are even warning of potential blackouts this winter. So, what sort of leader will Liz Truss turn out to be? Is she up to the challenge? Guest: Andrew Whitehead, former editor of the BBC’s Word Service. Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991, died in Moscow on August 30 after a long illness. He was 91. Gorbachev not only tried to introduce reforms and change in the erstwhile Soviet Union, he presided over its demise in 1991. Loved by the West, Gorbachev made two Russian words – glasnost or openness and perestroika or restructuring – popular in the rest of the world. Multiple obituaries have been written on him – evaluating his position as a leader central to ending the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union. So, what was Gorbachev? A reformer who didn’t know how to wield power? A leader who lost control of his own party? A man who was ahead of his times? A statesman who ended up altering the balance of forces in the world to the advantage of the West? To discuss Gorbachev’s legacy, I am joined by P.S. Raghavan, who was India’s Ambassador to Russia. He is currently Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In November 2021, the Delhi government rolled out a new excise policy. The new policy effectively took the government out of the liquor retailing business and handed it over to private players. But within a few months, it came under CBI scrutiny following allegations of favouritism and corruption. The Delhi government withdrew the policy and announced that from September 1, the state would revert to the old regime for a period of six months until a fresh policy is in place. The whole saga has thrown up interesting questions concerning public policy, regulatory principles, and public finance. For instance, what exactly was the logic of Delhi’s old liquor policy? What was the new one trying to do? And what ought to be the primary outcomes of a sustainable liquor policy that is fair to all the stakeholders? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Late last month, the Adani Group acquired Vishvapradhan Commercial Pvt. Ltd. (VCPL) which held warrants convertible to 29.18% stake in NDTV. As per SEBI rules, the Adani Group – having exercised the option to convert the warrants into equity stake – made an open offer to acquire 26% shares from public shareholders, offering Rs. 294 per share. On the date of the announcement, the shares were trading on the BSE at about Rs. 370. It is unlikely any shareholder would tender their shares at a discount to the market price. So, if there is no visibility to gaining majority control over the media firm, why did the Adani Group move to acquire the 29% stake? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The words Congress and crisis go together. Since losing power in 2014, the party has lurched from one crisis to the other, sending warning signals of its imminent demise. Yet, it remains in power in a few states and, perhaps, the only non-BJP party with a national footprint. In the politically significant state of Uttar Pradesh, the party has stuck to its non-player status. The Congress has remained without a president after Rahul Gandhi quit the top post. After a long delay, the party has announced that it will elect a president on October 17, but Mr. Gandhi has so far said he will not run again. The Gandhi family is said to favour Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. There are reports that Congress leader Shashi Tharoor may also contest. To discuss all these issues, we are joined by Sandeep Phukan, who covers the Congress party for The Hindu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 26, China’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong published an article in a Sri Lankan newspaper in which he drew parallels between American leader Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, and India’s objections to Chinese tracking tracking vessel Yuan Wang-5 docking at Sri Lanka’s strategically significant Hambantota port. In the article, without naming India, he effectively accused India of bullying Sri Lanka, and interfering with its sovereignty by trying to pressurise it over its decision to allow the docking of the Chinese vessel. He concluded his piece by saying that China and Sri Lanka should join hands to protect their respective sovereignties from countries such as the US and India. India’s response was uncharacteristically sharp. In a series of tweets, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka charged the Chinese Ambassador with “violating basic diplomatic etiquette”. Is the entire episode, involving India, Sri Lanka and China an outlier, or are we likely to see more such confrontations as the geopolitical competition in the Indian Ocean heats up? What are Sri Lanka’s options in this scenario? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United Nations recently released a new report by Tomoya Obokata, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences. The report will be part of the agenda at the next session of the Human Rights Council in September. It focuses on one particular aspect of contemporary slavery -- how minorities are especially vulnerable to it, and what can be done to protect them from falling prey to slavery. To better understand the implications and recommendations of this report, and why slavery continues to persist, we speak with Dr Prabha Kotiswaran, Professor of Law and Social Justice at Kings College, London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, Cricket Australia launched a five-year strategic plan for growing and managing the sport in the country. The plan, titled ‘Where the Game Grows’ lays down a roadmap for Australian cricket for the period 2022-2027. It has many ambitious targets, including doubling the number of cricket-playing kids aged 5 to 12 years to 210,000 in five years, and quadrupling the number of girls taking up cricket to 60,000. Among other things, the plan also aims to enhance community participation, increase cultural diversity, and offer outstanding digital and live experiences for cricket fans – all with an eye on making cricket an Olympic sport by the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. India, as we all know, is a cricket-crazy country, but the fans aren’t a part of the process when the Board draws up its long-term plans, unlike Australia. So there is a lot of curiosity about Cricket Australia’s approach to managing the sport. How did Cricket Australia come up with this plan, what went into it and what are the challenges they foresee? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The central government had recently barred State-owned power distribution companies from buying or selling power on the spot exchanges without paying their current dues to power producing firms. Many States have since paid up and have been able to participate in the trades. This is an opportune moment to evaluate whether the legacy problems of State discoms, that have been perennially burdened with inefficiencies and huge debt, are on a path to resolution. To help us with perspectives, we have with us Ms. Vibhuti Garg, Energy Economist, Lead India at Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The premature release of these prisoners, responsible for heinous crimes, has taken place behind closed doors. It has led to some public outrage and the matter may well go before the Supreme Court for its opinion on whether the State Government operated in a judicious manner. To discuss the issues surrounding the release, I am joined by Senior Advocate Rebecca John, who is a well-known criminal lawyer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology withdrew the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019(PDP Bill). It didn’t give clear reasons for the move, except to cite the detailed recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report. It has also not given a definitive timeline for when a refurbished Bill will be ready. The move to withdraw the PDP Bill has evoked a range of reactions – ranging from puzzlement to disappointment. If the Bill was deeply flawed, was it then not a good move to withdraw it and redraft it again? Or would it have been better to let the draft go through the whole process of Parliamentary debate and amendments, and later, if need be, judicial challenge? Or is this a matter of the government simply buying more time? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, China said its industrial output expanded 3.8% in July compared with a year earlier, a tad slower than June’s 3.9% growth. Retail sales too rose a slower 2.7% compared with the 3.1% growth in June. Media reports quote analysts as saying that loan demand from the real economy remained weak. The country’s central bank cut rates with an aim to spur growth. Like the rest of the world, India’s northern neighbour faces challenges in terms of quickening inflation, growth challenges and the threat of flight of capital. To help us understand China’s imperatives, we have with us today, Santosh Pai, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), New Delhi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 16, FIFA, world football’s governing body, suspended India citing “undue influence from third parties” in the functioning of the All India Football Federation. This ban, if not lifted soon, could mean that India wouldn’t be allowed to host the Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which is scheduled for October this year. FIFA’s statement also laid down two conditions for the lifting of the suspension: one, repeal of the Supreme Court’s order mandating the setting up of the Committee of Administrators, or CoA, that is currently supervising AIFF’s functioning, and two, the AIFF must regain full control of its daily affairs. The government of India immediately requested the Supreme Court for an early hearing, and on August 17, the Court passed an order directing the government to work proactively with FIFA and ensure that the AIFF suspension is lifted and the Under-17 Women’s World Cup takes place as scheduled. What sparked this suspension by FIFA? Why did the Supreme Court want a CoA to be set up to oversee reform of the AIFF? Does the current crisis represent an opportunity for India to fix football governance in the country? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a debate that refuses to go away. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi lit into the culture of government "freebies" or Revdi as he called it in Hindi, the matter has now gone to the Supreme Court. What is the difference between freebies and welfare? In a poor country like India, isn't State intervention for, say, scholarships for students not in the public interest? Who decides what is a freebie and what is welfare? Can a court of law do it or should it be in the domain of individual governments and local bodies? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the title, Violent Fraternity: Indian Political Thought in the Global Age, suggests, Shruti Kapila’s latest book deals with fraternity, violence and sovereignty. Her core argument is that violence has not been as distant from India’s politics as we have been told. In this episode, Kapila talks about the role of violence in the making of the Indian republic. Zeroing in on the ‘power of ideas’ in instituting the political foundations of modern India, Kapila also looks at the role of Buddhism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A possible berthing call by a Chinese surveillance vessel, the Yuan Wang 5, at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port, has led to Beijing protesting loudly about New Delhi’s suggestion to Colombo that the tracking ship be denied entry. Colombo has said that it had asked Beijing to defer the call by the Yuan Wang 5 at a time when the country faces a dire economic crisis. After Indian concerns, the Chinese in a harsh statement asked New Delhi not to disrupt “normal exchanges” between Colombo and Beijing. The Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka also had a meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe about the issue. Can India ensure that the Yuan Wang 5 does not come calling to Hambantota? Haven’t Chinese submarines and a warship come to Sri Lankan ports earlier? Don’t American ships come to Trincomalee? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee raised the benchmark interest rate by another 50 basis points in its ongoing efforts to rein in inflation that has persistently stayed above the central bank’s upper tolerance band of 6% for six months running. The interest rate increase takes the policy repo rate to 5.4%, and, more significantly, to a level last seen in the pre-pandemic second quarter of fiscal 2019-20. Guest: Abheek Barua, Chief Economist at HDFC Bank Host: K. Bharat Kumar Edited by Reenu Cyriac Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nitish Kumar has done it again. He probably holds a record for the number of times he has ditched his allies, only to ally with them again, in India’s politics. There is, clearly, nothing ideological about his choice of partners – Nitish Kumar’s decisions seem governed by one goal alone – how to keep his seat of power warm. As he becomes chief minister for the eighth time in 22 years, Nitish Kumar has clearly dominated the politics of Bihar – with or without the BJP – and with or without the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Will the new alliance with the RJD and Congress hold? Does this new bonding hold anything for India’s politics beyond Bihar? Can Nitish Kumar become the face of the Opposition in Lok Sabha 2024? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last day of the 2022 Commonwealth Games proved to be a good one for India, as a flurry of medals pushed India’s tally to 22 golds medals and a fourth place in the medals table, behind Australia, England and Canada. The difference between Canada and India was four gold medals. In 2018, when India finished third, it had seven golds from shooting alone, and it’s clear that if shooting hadn’t been dropped this time, India would again have finished third. But that was not to be, and despite that, the Indian contingent did produce enough moments of joy and brilliance for its millions of supporters back home. In this podcast, we take a closer look at India’s performance at CWG 2022 in different disciplines and what it bodes for the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices