In Focus by The Hindu

The poll bugle has been sounded for Uttar Pradesh’s seven-phase Assembly election between February 10 and March 7. Along with Uttar Pradesh, four other states, including Punjab, are also in election mode to elect new State Assemblies. Candidates have been announced for the first few phases in Uttar Pradesh by the BJP, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress and a first round of defections has also taken place. Swami Prasad Maurya, a senior minister and OBC face of the BJP, has jumped ship to the SP. As have two other Cabinet Ministers from the Yogi Adityanath government. We discuss the stakes in this all-important election in this episode. Guest: Gilles Verniers, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Co-Director, Trivedi Centre for Political Data, Ashoka University. Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Edited by Ranjani Srinivasan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to the ‘Tek Fog’ expose by the news portal The Wire, the BJP has access to a secret app called ‘Tek Fog’ that can hijack social media, automate hate, and targets thousands of accounts with just a click. The report, when it came out, created a sensation. While A TMC MP has said Tek Fog “has serious ramifications and could jeopardise national security,” a parliamentary panel headed by a Congress leader has sought a response from the Home Ministry. So, what exactly is Tek Fog? How does automated trolling work, and is it really scalable? What does the Tek Fog expose mean in the context of investigative journalism that straddles the domains of technology, privacy, free speech and politics? We explore these questions in this episode. Guest: Samarth Bansal, an independent journalist who runs The Interval, a fortnightly newsletter Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Reenu Cyriac Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On January 17, two Indians and a Pakistani were killed in a massive explosion in Abu Dhabi. The blast is believed to have been the result of a ‘drone attack’ by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. This attack on the capital of UAE has once again drawn the spotlight to a conflict that has been going on in the region for seven years – the war in Yemen. This war, which broke out in late 2014 during a period of political instability in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab Spring protests, has become really complicated, with multiple warring factions –the Saudi-backed coalition, the Houthis, the Southern Transitional Council, or the STC, which is another separatist group, besides other countries such as France and the UK which have been helping the Saudi-backed coalition. All of this has triggered what is believed to be the worst ongoing humanitarian crisis in the world. What are the factors driving this conflict? What is at stake for the different players? And is there any chance of peace returning to the region any time soon? Guest: Stanly Johny, The Hindu’s International Affairs Editor Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Reenu Cyriac Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kazakhstan, the largest and richest of the Central Asian republics, is in turmoil. The country has been rocked by massive protests since the start of the New Year. The protests have also been marked by violence and looting. While the immediate trigger seems to be a hike in LPG prices, they protesters did not relent even after the government announced that it will roll back the price hike. As violence escalated, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev gave orders to shoot at the protesters without warning. He has also claimed that foreign elements are behind the protests. He turned to Russia for help in quelling the protests, and things seemed to have settled down somewhat, after 2,500 Russian troops landed in the country. What exactly are the factors driving these protests? Is there really some foreign involvement? What are the geo-political implications of Russian troop presence in Kazakhstan? We discuss all this and more in this episode. Guest: Stanly Johny, The Hindu’s International Affairs Editor Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Reenu Cyriac Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, or the FCRA, has been in the news once again. India’s NGO sector had an unpleasant start to the new year as it emerged that around 6,000 of them had lost their FCRA licence. NGOs and other institutions that do charitable work have to register under the FCRA to be able to receive foreign donations. Hence, cancellation or loss of an FCRA licence could mean that they may no longer be able to continue their day-to-day work, to pay salaries, and may even be forced to shut down. This has livelihood implications for people employed in the social sector. In this edition of In Focus, we get to the fundamentals of the whole FCRA phenomenon. Why do NGOs need an FCRA licence? Do other entities that receive donations, such as political parties, for example, face the same level of regulatory scrutiny? How transparent is the process of granting or cancellation of licences? Guest: Kabir Dixit, an advocate-on-record at the Supreme Court who has been handling FCRA matters Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Ranjani Srinivasan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On January 3, India began vaccinating a section of its teenagers, with Covaxin. About 7.4 crore children, between the ages of 15 and 18, are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As of Saturday, over 2 crore children had received the first dose of their vaccine. Only Covaxin was approved for use in this age group, even though, last October, India's first DNA vaccine, ZyCoV-D, had been granted emergency use authorisation for use in children above the age of 12. Some experts have argued that since COVID-19 in children is, in general, not severe, the entire adult population should have been vaccinated first -- over 90% of the eligible population has received the first dose, but second dose coverage remains less than 70%. However, others have pointed out that now that adult vaccination is well underway and progressing, the programme needed to be opened to children as well. India has also announced precautionary doses -- a third dose of the vaccine -- for healthcare and frontline workers as well as adults aged above 60 with co-morbidities. The move comes amidst a global surge in COVID-19 cases, with new variant of concern, Omicron, dominating. Unlike some other countries however, India will give beneficiaries the same dose they had for the first two -- either Covishield or Covaxin, without any mixing of the vaccines. So how did the children's vaccination programme come about, and how is it progressing? Do all adults need a booster dose or will only those at risk require it at present? How does the precautionary dose help protect vulnerable individuals? And will we see more variants in the future? Guest: Dr Srinath Reddy, President of the Public Health Foundation of India Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Reenu Cyriac Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first big event of the Badminton calendar in this year is happening in New Delhi – with the 2022 India Open set to take place from January 11 to 16. There is a great deal of anticipation around the event as it could see a potential rematch of the two finalists of the World championships last month – Kidambi Srikanth and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew. There is also a lot of excitement as India suddenly seems to have a great number of high quality male shuttlers and some excellent prospects, including the likes of Lakshya Sen. Given the abundance of talent, what are India’s prospects at the India Open and for the rest of the Badminton calendar in 2022? Can Kidambi Srikanth reverse the outcome of the World Championship final if he runs into Loh at the India Open? And how are the chances for PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal? We discuss these questions and more in this episode. Guest: Rakesh Rao, Deputy Editor (Sports) at The Hindu. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Ranjani Srinivasan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The top-ranked tennis player in the world and arguably one of the all-time greats Novak Djokovic was held for four days in a detention centre in Australia, apparently because his unvaccinated status rendered his entry visa invalid. The showdown between the Australian federal agencies and Novak Djokovic was today settled in court, with a Federal Circuit Court judge ruling in Djokovic’s favour. It quashed the cancellation of Djokovic’s visa and ordered his immediate release from detention. While details of the events at the airport leading to Djokovic’s detention are still emerging, the whole episode has raised questions about vaccination, sport, and how rules are imposed, or not imposed. We don’t know, for instance, why Australia did not inform Djokovic earlier that his ‘medical exemption’ was not valid or that it was not enough to guarantee him entry into Australia. Why wait until he was already on Australian soil? And what about the effect of all this on his preparations for the Australian Open, assuming he gets to play it? We discuss all these questions in detail in this episode. Guest: Rakesh Rao, Deputy Editor (Sports) at The Hindu. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Reenu Cyriac Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sudan, a country ravaged by repression and instability for a long time, is again in turmoil. Civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok announced his resignation in a televised address on January 2. Since 2019, Hamdok had been leading a transitional government in which power was shared between the military and the civilian leadership. But the military overthrew the government in a coup in October, and Hamdok was kept under house arrest. Following international pressure, the military made a deal with Hamdok, and on November 21, he returned as Prime Minister. And now, he is gone again, leaving the military fully in command of the levers of power. Why exactly did the military pull the plug on the joint civilian-military governance arrangement in October? Why did Hamdok make a deal with the military in November, only to quit a few weeks later in January? And what are the chances of Sudan making a successful transition to democracy? We explore all these questions with Stanly Johny, The Hindu’s International Affairs Editor. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Guest: Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by: Ranjani Srinivasan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Posts under the Ministry of Communications has released a Draft Approach Paper for creating a Digital Address Code or DAC for each and every address in the entire country. The DAC is to do for addresses for Aadhaar has done for identity – create a unique ID, using geo-spatial coordinates. The idea of a digital address code is a very ambitious one. While it can potentially transform the available national infrastructure for business, it also has implications for conduct of the Census, National Population Register and conduct of elections. Strangely, the proposal for this massive undertaking is yet to be widely debated. Why does India need a Digital Address Code? Who are likely to be its likely beneficiaries? Will it further exacerbate privacy concerns? Will it increase the possibilities of surveillance? How have other countries approached the idea of a digital access code? We look for answers to all these questions and more in this episode. Guest: Srinivas Kodali, an inter-disciplinary researcher with a special interest in data standards, cities, cyber security, and the internet. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Reenu Cyriac Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Schools began opening across the country in September this year, following the devastating second wave of COVID-19. By then, most of India's 24 crore students, had been out of schools for close to 18 months -- most children in kindergarten and first standard had never set foot in a classroom. The Annual Status of Education Report 2021, released last month, throws up some important facts about how students and teachers have fared over the pandemic years. Significantly, there was an increase in the proportion of children not enrolled in school, compared to pre-pandemic figures from 2018. Government schools saw a rise in enrolments, up from 64.3% in 2018 to 70.3% in 2021, while private schools recorded a dip -- from 32.4% in 2018 to 24.4% in 2021. Another important factor the survey highlighted was that online education, demonstrably, did not work for all -- while smartphone availability in homes almost doubled from 2018 to 2021, and 67.6% of students on average had a device at home, over a quarter of them had no access to it at all. But what needs to be done, going forward, in what is, arguably an unprecedented situation? A vast number of children may not be at the level that their grade and curriculum demand. What can schools and teachers do to deal with this? Do States need to frame policies and guidelines to help children get back on their feet, academically? Do we need to move away from a narrow, curriculum-driven approach that our school systems presently focus on? Guest: Dr. Rukmini Banerji, Chief Executive Officer of Pratham Education Foundation Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by: Ranjani Srinivasan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ghastly killing of six innocent coalminers and another nine civilians and a soldier on December 4 in the Mon district of Nagaland has sent shockwaves through the Northeast and the rest of the country. The clamour for the withdrawal of the draconian Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act has grown, with the chief ministers of Nagaland and Meghalaya, both allied to the BJP, demanding that the Act be withdrawn. The Oting village incident also raises a question mark on the fate of the still-to-be-made-public 2015 “framework agreement” signed between Naga insurgent groups and the Centre in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Also in the spotlight is the state of the 1997 ceasefire between the Centre and the NSCN-IM, the principal Naga insurgent group. Much will depend on how the Modi government acts to prosecute the soldiers responsible for the Oting killings. A change of tack on security policies that undermine the elected government and state police will also be under the scanner. We discuss these and more in this episode. Guest: Rahul Karmakar, Guwahati-based Special Correspondent of The Hindu Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tensions have been rising at the Ukraine-Russia border. There has been a massive troop build-up on the Russian side, within 300 km of the Donbas region in Ukraine. This is a live conflict zone where the Ukrainian government has been battling Russia-backed separatists. While the West has accused Russia of trying to intimidate Ukraine, the Kremlin has, in turn, accused the West of manufacturing ‘anti-Russia hysteria’, holding that troop mobilization within Russian borders is no one else’s business. Another dimension of the rising tensions is that last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that there had been a coup plot against his regime by a group of Russians and Ukrainians. Russia, however, has denied any role in the alleged coup attempt. So, what exactly are the points of conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and what does Putin hope to achieve through this troop build-up? We explore these questions and more in this episode. Guest: Stanly Johny, The Hindu’s International Affairs Editor. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is much that is still unknown about Omicron, the newest Sars-CoV-2 variant, that has been designated as a 'variant of concern' by the World Health Organisation. The variant was first reported in South Africa on November 24, and has since, spread to over 15 countries or regions, as of now. In response, several countries have begun imposing travel restrictions and closing borders, similar to what we saw happening last year, during the initial waves of the pandemic. Omicron is a heavily mutated strain, with over 32 mutations in the spike protein of the virus, some in part of the protein required for binding to human receptor proteins for entry into cells. This has raised concerns that the variant may be more transmissable and also that it may hamper the efficacy of our current treatments for the disease. Another concern has been that the variant may have vaccine escape properties. However, scientists will require possibly several more weeks before they can determine whether any of these concerns are valid. What do we now know about the variant? Are travel restrictions and bans really effective, given that the new variant is already spreading? With India having vaccinated nearly 80% of the eligible population with the first dose and about 38% with both doses, what more needs to be done to take measures against the new variant? Guest: Dr. Shahid Jameel, Virologist and Fellow at OCIS and Green Templeton College, University of Oxford Host: Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last decade, India has seen the emergence, or re-emergence, of a number of infectious diseases. Not only have seen an alarming surge in the number of dengue and chikungunya cases, we've had Zika and Nipah virus cases, and even an Ebola scare. This is in addition to existing diseases that we are still battling -- such as tuberculosis, malaria, Kala Azar and others, and all while India battled the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years. Some estimates indicate that about 60 per cent of infectious diseases and 70 per cent of emerging infections of humans are zoonotic in origin, with two-thirds originating in wildlife. India, a tropical country, that is still, in many parts, grappling with inadequate sanitation, overcrowding, and lack of adequate access to healthcare, has also, of late, been subject to extreme climate events -- all of these, and other factors such as human encroachment into wildlife terrain may also be playing a role in the emergence of infections or surge in cases. What do we know about why these infections come in spurts? Are there any vaccines for them and if not, why not? Is India particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases? And what can the government do to prepare and strengthen our already over-burdened healthcare systems? We speak about this and more in the podcast. Guest: Dr Priscilla Rupali, Professor Department of Infectious Diseases Christian Medical College, Vellore Host: Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sudden televised withdrawal of the three contentious farm laws by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19 was as dramatic as pushing through the three Bills by voice vote in the Rajya Sabha in September last year. Gripped by a still-to-be explained urgency, these three laws were issued as Presidential Ordinances in June 2020. There is little doubt that Mr. Modi’s hand was forced by the relentless agitation launched by the farmers of Punjab, Western U.P. and Haryana, who have been sitting on Delhi’s borders since November last year, demanding the complete withdrawal of the three laws. The writing on the electoral wall, as many analysts have pointed out, has also been clearly read by the Prime Minister as the states of U.P. and Punjab slip into election mode. Farmer leaders, meanwhile, are firm that minimum support price, or MSP, should be given statutory shape by the Centre even as they have deferred a decision on whether or not to withdraw their agitation to the end of November. We discuss the future of agricultural reforms in this episode. Guest: Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman, Bharat Krishak Samaj Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The welfare of convicts who have been sentenced to death is probably the last, if at all it figures, in anyone’s list of welfare priorities. Since their entire identity gets reduced to one act -- the crime they are accused of – they are generally dehumanised, and people find it difficult to understand why we should care about the mental health of someone convicted of, say, gang-rape or a brutal murder – the ‘rarest of rare’ cases where the death penalty is invoked. But there are problems in the way the criminal justice system deals with the mental health of under-trials and prisoners, and perhaps nobody is more victimised by systemic issues than prisoners on death row. A new report, titled, ‘Deathworthy: A Mental Health Perspective of the Death Penalty’ has come up with empirical data on mental illness and intellectual disability among death row prisoners in India. The study, which is the first of its kind, has found that an alarming 62% had a mental illness and 11% had intellectual disability. Given that most of these convicts are from marginalized communities with poor socio-economic and educational indicators, the report raises some hard questions about equity, justice and the responsibility of the courts, the prison system, the State and society at large towards protecting the dignity of those deemed ‘deathworthy’. We speak with the project head and lead author of this study in this episode. Guest: Dr Maitreyi Misra, Founder of Project 39A at National Law University, New Delhi Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year in November and December, the residents of Delhi and the National Capital Region, find it hard to breathe. Toxic air chokes the lungs, doctors advise people to avoid outdoor walks and runs, hospital outpatient services overflow with people facing respiratory problems, and there is a call for emergency measures to bring the air quality index down from severe to satisfactory. Meteorological conditions such as cold air and a drop in wind speeds combine with the year-long emanation of pollutants into the air from industries, vehicles, construction as well as stubble smoke, along with festive firecrackers -- and together they contribute to the noxious air that prevails across the Indo-Gangetic plain at this time of the year. What happens to your lungs and body when you breathe in polluted air on a daily basis? How does this impact our health long term? Where does India stand in its pollution levels compared to the rest of the world? And what urgent action can governments take to protect, and help provide cleaner air for future generations? We speak on this and more in this episode. Guest: Vivek Chattopadhyaya, Sr Program Manager, Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility of the Centre for Science and Environment Host: Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

These days, if you turn on the TV, there is no escaping the flood of advertisements urging you to invest in cryptocurrencies. Everyone seems to be busy getting rich from bitcoin and other cryptos. A host of crypto-exchanges have attracted funding from global investors and are promising the moon to retail investors. But these crypto-exchanges themselves are not comparable to a conventional stock exchange such as the BSE or the NSE, which bear some of the risks of a trade, whereas the crypto-exchanges don’t. However, the government has allowed this sector to mushroom in a regulatory vacuum. How real are the risks for investors putting their money into an unregulated ‘asset class’? When is a regulatory regime likely to kick in? And how likely is it that we can transition to a regulated ecosystem without some pain to retail investors? We seek to answer these questions and more in this episode. Guest: Vivek Kaul, business journalist and author who has written extensively on the recent crypto-currency boom in India Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On November 2, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai shared a post on micro-blogging site Weibo accusing a senior Communist party leader, Zhang Gaoli, of sexual assault. The post was immediately censored, and there has been no news about Peng Shuai since then. Peng, who was ranked world number 1 in doubles in 2014, is a big star in China. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and several tennis stalwarts, from Chris Evert to Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka, have expressed concerns about Peng’s whereabouts and safety. They have also called on Chinese authorities to investigate her allegations. But in a strange twist, on Wednesday, Chinese state media shared an email purportedly written by Peng Shuai to WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon, in which she says that the allegations of attributed to her are not true and that she was just “resting at home and everything is fine.” Simon, in response, has questioned the authenticity of this email, and said that “Peng Shuai must be allowed to speak freely, without coercion or intimidation from any source.” It is not often that senior Party members face public accusations of sexual wrongdoing. So, who is likely to face repercussions over these allegations – is it going to be Peng herself, for going public about a Party official, or will it be Zhang Gaoli, for causing embarrassment to the Party? And where does the Chinese Communist Party stand with regard to feminist politics and the #MeToo movement? We look for answers to these questions in this episode. Guest: Ananth Krishnan, The Hindu’s China correspondent. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The issue of prohibition has always been a contentious one in India. Five years ago, the state of Bihar imposed total prohibition – a policy that reportedly got Chief Minister Nitish Kumar votes from women electors. Reports of illicit liquor deaths have been coming in regularly from Bihar since the prohibition policy was imposed. Around Diwali, as many as 40 persons died from drinking illicit liquor in the districts of Samastipur, Gopalganj and West Champaran. Should there be a total ban on liquor? Do bans help or turn people to drinking more dangerous forms of liquor? When the world is moving towards legalizing drugs like marijuana, why are Indian states banning the sale of liquor? Guest: Nikhil Dey, founder member of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The rise of China is a global reality that has upset many international calculations. To understand the growing Chinese footprint, it’s important to understand the internal dynamics of the Chinese Communist Party. The Hindu’s China Correspondent Ananth Krishnan has been reporting on the passage of what has been called “Resolution on the Major Achievements of the Party over the Past Century” by the sixth plenum, or closed-door meeting, of the Party’s Central Committee. The resolution elevates the country’s current president and general secretary Xi Jinping to the status of Mao Zedong and reformer Deng Xiaoping. The writing on the wall also suggests that Mr. Xi will have a third term as President and party leader unlike his immediate predecessors Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin. We talk about what these changes mean for the functioning of the party and the country in this episode. Guest: Ananth Krishnan, China Correspondent, The Hindu Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the Taliban took over Afghanistan by force earlier this year, India, like many other countries, was forced to deal with the new realities in the country. The change was emphasized by India hosting as many as seven regional national security officials from around Afghanistan on November 10. Pakistan and China were conspicuous by their absence. India’s influence in Afghanistan has clearly waned after the Taliban took over. Is the regional route the best route to keep itself relevant in Afghan affairs for India? Are there any other options besides engaging the Taliban? How does this sit with the deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan? We discuss these issues in this episode. Guest: T C A Raghavan, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan and Joint Secretary who dealt with Afghanistan. Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ethiopia is in the middle of a civil war. In November 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, ordered what seemed like a limited military operation in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. It was expected to be a quick, low-key war. But the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), an ethno-nationalist paramilitary group-cum-political party, managed to turn the tables on federal forces. It has now taken two key cities on the highway to the national capital, and is threatening to capture the national capital, Addis Ababa. Prime Minister Ahmed has called upon all civilians to sign up for military training and join the fight against the Tigrayan rebels. In the meantime, hundreds of civilians have died, thousands injured, and there is a food and communications blockade against the Tigray region, including its capital Mekelle, which is home to half a million people. There have also been reports of massacres and rapes by security forces. What exactly triggered this conflict? How did a Nobel Peace prize-winning Prime Minister end up leading his country into war? With neither side keen on talks just yet, what is the likely roadmap to a lasting peace? We look for answers in this episode. Guest: Stanly Johny, The Hindu’s International Affairs Editor Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even as India is recovering from its battering by COVID-19, there has been a significant rise in cases of another viral disease: dengue. States across the country are seeing a spurt in cases of the disease, transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito, and several are witnessing multiple deaths, even as hospitals fill up rapidly. As per government statistics, there have been 60,112 cases of dengue recorded in the country as of September this year, an increase from the 44,585 recorded for all of last year. Director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr Balram Bharagava, said last month that a majority of the deaths in parts of Uttar Pradesh were due to the D2 strain of dengue, which can cause haemorrhaging that can be fatal. On Monday, November 1, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a review meeting to take stock of the dengue situation across the country, and said expert teams were being sent to States that had seen an increase in cases. Why has India had such bad dengue season this year? Is it linked to the delayed withdrawal of the southwest monsoon and the floods that many parts of the country experienced? Are the dengue statistics accurate or is there under-reporting and how do you tell if your symptoms are of dengue or COVID-19? We discuss these and more in this episode. Guest: Dr Subramanian Swaminathan, Director, Infectious Diseases, Gleneagles Global Hospital, Chennai Host: Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook has had its share of problems over the years, from privacy issues to data leaks to fake news. Now, internal documents made public by former Facebook employee Francis Haugen show that these problems may have been more systematic. They suggest that Facebook may have been aware of the problems that it was causing while doing little about it. Reporting on these internal documents, the New York Times said that in India, Facebook was facing an amplified version of its problems with misinformation and hate speech but allocated very little resources to deal with it. So what are the wider issues that these papers raise? What is the answer to the problems that Facebook causes, considering the outsize influence it has? We discuss these and more in this episode. Guest: Mishi Choudhary, founder and Legal director of the Software Freedom Law Centre Host: P.J. George Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Punjab just a few months away from assembly polls, former Congressman Captain Amarinder Singh has announced that is launching launching a new party. When the Captain was unceremoniously replaced as Punjab CM by Charanjit Singh Channi in September, people expected that he would make the Congress pay. This week, he made his intentions clear with two statements: that a large number of Punjab Congressmen are set to join his party, and that he will work out a seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP. What kind of challenge would Amarinder’s party pose to the Congress, and to the other contenders – the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Akali Dal? And has the Captain’s exit resolved the internal strife within Punjab Congress? We explore these questions in this episode. Guest: Amandeep Sandhu, author of Panjab: Journeys Through Fault Lines (2019) Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 26th Conference of parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or CoP 26 as it is popularly called was held a few days ago in Glasgow, Scotland. At the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will aim to attain net zero emissions by 2070. He also announced that India will draw 50% of its consumed energy from renewable sources by 2030, and cut its carbon emissions by a billion tonnes by the same year. This announcement of a net zero date by India is considered a surprise move by many. What exactly is net zero and why is it important? What has been India's stance on it so far, and what does the new announcement by PM Modi mean? We discuss these in this episode. Guest: Jacob Koshy, The Hindu's Deputy Science Editor Host: P.J. George Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After presenting a picture of being on the same page for a considerable length of time, the appointment of a new chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, Directorate, created a very public void between Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. It appears that the appointment of a new chief was as important as the shunting out of the old one, Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, after his very public statements to the press in Kabul days after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Though Imran Khan finally approved the appointment of Lt. Gen. Anjum on October 27, many Pakistani analysts believe that there could be more to come in the ongoing saga of civil-military relations in Pakistan. We discuss this issue in this episode. Guest: Rana Banerji, former IAS officer and retired Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Reserve Bank of India’s new norms and guidelines for recurring payments came into effect this month. One of them, for instance, lays down that banks should send a pre-debit notification to credit card holders 24 hours before an actual debit is done. There are other requirements as well with regard to the nature and duration of an e-mandate for recurring payments. What all this means is that, from October 1st, standing instructions with one’s payments provider may not work without some additional steps. This has already affected certain subscription services, including media and OTT subscriptions, and unless all merchants and banks are fully equipped to meet the new requirements, the disruptions would continue. So, what exactly are these new requirements for recurring transactions? What prompted the RBI to come up with them? How will they change the subscription economy going forward? And are there any privacy implications of these new norms? We explore these questions and more in this episode. Guest: Srikanth Lakshmanan of CashlessConsumer, a consumer collective that works on digital payments Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has started a new model of retail in India – what it calls ‘Retail of the Future (ROTF), under which it is now selling its cars directly to customers. Traditionally, a car-maker would sell cars to a dealer, and the dealer would then sell the car to the customer. Customers had the option of visiting different dealerships, comparing prices, and pitting one dealer against the dealer in a bid to get the best discount. But now, in this new model, they would have to purchase the cars directly from Mercedes-Benz. What is the business logic behind this new model of retail? How does it change things for the customer? How does it change the business for dealers? And most critically, is this something that will remain restricted to the luxury segment or, are we likely to see even mass market car-makers make the shift to selling the cars directly to customers? We explore all these questions in this episode. Guest: Puneet Gupta, Director of Automotive Sales Forecasting at IHS Markit Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new anti-viral drug brought out by Merck Pharmaceuticals, Molnupiravir, seems to be a promising development in the global fight against COVID-19. Early results from the phase-3 trial of the drug report that it halves the chances of hospitalisation in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. It is also an oral medication -- it can be taken in pill form, unlike other anti-viral drugs that have to administered intravenously, usually in a hospital setting. Merck has now applied for emergency use authorisation for its drug in the United States. It has also, meanwhile, tied up with eight Indian drugmakers for the manufacture of molunupiravir. How does this drug work? Will it become a significant tool to combat COVID-19, which continues to kill people both in India and abroad? Will it accessible and easily available to those who need it? Guest: Dr. Satyajit Rath, adjunct professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune Host: Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court N.V. Ramana recently spoke of the need to ‘Indianise’ the justice system. He said that there were a lot of practices that have been carried over from the colonial period – including language practices, and lengthy, often technical judgments – that alienate the common man from the judiciary. He stressed that the justice system needs to minimise procedural barriers so that accessing justice becomes simpler. Coming from the highest justice officer of the country, his remarks naturally made the headlines. There is no doubt that India’s justice delivery systems need improvement, and any debate on what needs to change is most welcome. However, ‘Indianisation’ is an odd way of framing the reforms needed to make justice delivery more efficient. What exactly did the CJI mean by ‘Indianisation’? How useful is it as a conceptual frame for identifying reforms? And if we were to interpret ‘Indianisation’ as a synonym for ‘people-friendly’, what kind of changes should we aim for? We explore these questions and more in this episode. Guest: Arti Raghavan, an advocate who practices at the Bombay High Court. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world's first malaria vaccine is here. The World Health Organisation, earlier this month, endorsed RTS,S/AS01 or Mosquirix, developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline in partnership with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. The vaccine, which acts against P. falciparum, believed to be most deadly malaria parasite globally, took nearly 30 years to make. Malaria is an ancient disease -- it has been around for centuries, affecting populations around the world. Though many countries have been successful in eliminating the disease, which is caused by a parasite and transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, it still continues to affect some countries in Africa and Asia. In 2019, there were an estimated 229 million cases of malaria, with 94% of the burden in the African region. About 67% of the deaths were of children under the age of 5. India, according to the WHO, recorded a significant decrease in its malaria burden, with cases declining from 20 million in the year 2000 to about 5.6 million in 2019. Deaths too, have decreased. But India still accounts for over 80 percent of all malaria cases in the SE Asia region. It also bears the largest burden of Plasmodium vivax in the world at 3.5 million cases a year -- a parasite for which a vaccine has not yet been found. How will the vaccine help combat malaria globally? How effective is it? Will other malaria control measures continue to be needed? Guest: Dr Daniel Chandramohan, professor of public health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Host: Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021, published last week by Concern Worldwide, an Irish aid agency, and Welt Hunger Hilfe, a German non-profit, has ranked India at 101 out of 116 countries, in its assessment of how successful countries have been in combating hunger. Only 15 countries – many of them marked by violent strife – have performed worse than India. The government of India has been quick to dismiss this report as “devoid of ground reality and facts”. It has also questioned the methodology used by the GHI to assess the prevalence of hunger. The GHI researchers have defended their methodology, stating that it follows international norms. What exactly does the GHI report say about India? Are we in the midst of a major hunger crisis? How have the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change impacted hunger and nutrition levels in India? We explore these questions in detail in this episode. Guest: Reetika Khera, Associate Professor of Economics at IIT, Delhi. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 8, the Centre announced that the struggling State airline, Air India, was being sold to the Tata group for Rs. 2,700 crore in cash and Rs. 15,300 crore in debt. Some analysts believe that the sale of Air India provides a major fillip to India’s privatisation programme. Will the Tatas be able to turn around Air India, especially when they have invested heavily in Vistara and Air Asia India? Are the terms of the sale such where employee interests will also be protected? We try to answer these questions in this episode. Guest: Probir Chandra Sen, former Chairman Air India and former Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Airlines. Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s assertion that she is a full-time, hands-on chief executive at the party’s working committee meeting should silence the critics of the Gandhi family for the moment. She also asked dissidents to speak to her directly and not through the media. Will these unusually assertive comments after months of silence from Sonia Gandhi galvanise the party ahead of crucial elections, including to the all-critical Uttar Pradesh state assembly? Will the party be able to present a united front or will it remain a divided house? We discuss these developments within the Congress party in this episode. Guest: Sandeep Phukan, Deputy Editor, The Hindu Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this week, on Thursday, Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dissolved the lower house of Parliament, paving the way for general elections, which are scheduled for October 31. Japanese politics has been dominated by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) for much of its post-war history. Under Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest serving Prime Minister who stepped down in September 2020, the LDP has moved further to the right. Abe’s successor, Yoshihide Suga, lasted just a year. His growing unpopularity meant that the party did not want to go to elections under his leadership. So he stepped down last month, making way for former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida to take over. Under Kishida, the LDP has built a sizeable lead in approval ratings, and the party is expected to win. But Kishida has some tough challenges facing him – while COVID-19 has still not gone away, the economy has been battered by the pandemic, and the rich-poor divide has grown sharper. Is it going to be an easy win for Kishida? And even if the LDP wins, will he enjoy a stable tenure? How will the new regime navigate the growing hostility between the US and China, given that China is one of Japan’s largest trading partners and a powerful neighbour as well? As the world’s third largest economy heads to the polling booth, we explore these questions in this episode. Guest: Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor at The Hindu. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With about 29% of India’s population fully vaccinated, the government’s Subject Expert Committee (SEC) has now recommended Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for children aged 2-18 years. This is the second vaccine in India to be cleared for children. Earlier, Zydus Cadilla’s vaccine got authorization for kids above 12. While the timeline for the supply of Covaxin for children is still unclear, its availability as an option has raised some critical questions: Is it really necessary to expose children to a vaccine authorised for emergency use, when it is evident that they only contract a mild infection and don’t face the threat of mortality? Secondly, is WHO clearance for Covaxin a mere formality or should it be a matter of concern that a vaccine that is yet to get WHO clearance for adults has already got approval for children in India? We explore these issues in this episode. Guest: Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor at The Hindu Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virat Kohli has announced that he will step down from T20 captaincy of the Indian team after the T20 World Cup in November. He is also stepping down as captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after IPL 2021. Both the nature and the timing of these decisions have raised a lot of questions. For instance, wouldn’t it have been better to make these announcements after the T20 World Cup, or after the 2021 IPL was over? Were these decisions Kohli’s own or was he under pressure? Is this the beginning of the end of the fairly successful Kohli-Ravi Shastri partnership? What is the ‘road map’ for the future that the BCCI has been talking about in the context of Kohli’s decision? We look for answers to these and other questions in this episode. Guest: Rakesh Rao, Deputy Editor (Sports) at The Hindu Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Kashmiri Pandit chemist Mohan Lal Bindroo, a Sikh school principal Supinder Kaur and her Hindu colleague from Jammu have been killed in targeted attacks in Srinagar recently. A large number of Muslims too have been killed in such attacks, laid at the door of The Resistance Front, widely believed to be a front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Many Hindus who stayed back after the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s are scared and have been advised by the authorities to stay inside their houses. An estimated 300 Pandits have left. This is possibly the most serious crisis in the Valley after the BJP Government at the Centre abrogated Article 370 and sliced the state of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories in 2019. In this podcast, we explore the current situation and the possible reasons behind it. Guest: Mohammed Sayeed Malik, veteran journalist Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As early as this month, India may see the rollout of ZyCoV-D, the world's first DNA vaccine against COVID-19. Pharmaceutical company Zydus Cadila has received Emergency Use Authorisation for this vaccine, which is also the first in the country to be approved for children above the age of 12. How do DNA vaccines work, and how are they different from the vaccines we have now -- Covishield and Covaxin? What sort of immunity will the DNA vaccine provide? Will the three-dose regimen pose a problem, logistically, in administering ZyCoV-D? Sero-surveys across the country have shown us that in the most populated of regions 70% of the population may have COVID-19 antibodies already -- what does this mean for children, and do they need to be necessarily vaccinated at this stage? Guest: Dr Gagandeep Kang, Professor of Microbiology at Christian Medical College, Vellore. Host: Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With four farmers being run over by SUVs that were part of a convoy of vehicles involving Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra on October 3 in Lakhimpur Kheri, and four others dying in the violence that followed, western Uttar Pradesh is waiting and watching to see what’s happening next. The matter has reached the Supreme Court. Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait brokered a deal that allowed for the cremation of the bodies and compensation to be paid. After detaining Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, the Adityanath government finally allowed her and brother Rahul Gandhi to visit the families of the dead. In this podcast, we did into what exactly happened in Lakhimpur Kheri on that fateful day. Guests: Omar Rashid, The Hindu’s correspondent in Lucknow; Priscilla Jebaraj covers agriculture or The Hindu and has extensively reported on the farmers’ agitation from Delhi. Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On September 15th, the Union Cabinet approved a series of reforms and relief measures for the telecom sector. The most significant of these is a four-year moratorium on payments stemming from the Supreme Court’s September 2020 judgement on Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR). Another one is the decision to remove all non-telecom revenue from AGR. The telecom sector is also now allowed to receive 100% FDI through the automatic route – up from the 49% that was permitted earlier. Taken together, these policy changes are expected to help the telecom majors overcome short-term liquidity issues, and raise capital, enabling them to keep their debts under control and invest in capacity-building. However, questions remain. What is the actual quantum of relief on offer? Will it be adequate for those players who are under a mountain of debt? And can the reforms package sustain a three-player market? We explore these questions in this episode. Guest: Ankit Jain, Assistant Vice President and Sector Head, Corporate Ratings, at ICRA Limited Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In February this year, over 200 persons were killed and the 13.2 MW Rishiganga project was washed away. The 512 MW Tapovan-Vishnugadh hydro project was damaged. Even as Uttarakhand deals with the impact of climate change, the Environment Ministry has permitted the construction of seven hyro projects in Uttarakhand. What does this mean for the vulnerable Himalayan State? We answer these and other questions on the sustainability of hydro projects in this episode. Guest: Ravi Chopra, founder Director of the People’s Science Institute in Dehradun. A well-known environmentalist, Ravi is a graduate of IIT Bombay. Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan set the cat among the pigeons on September 25 when he said people living along the tribal belt in his country had affinity with the Taliban not because of their religious identity but because of Pashtun nationalism. He claimed that Pakistani Pashtuns had affinities and sympathy with the Afghan Taliban. Mohsin Dawar, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly from North Waziristan, responded in a tweet. Quote: “Just shocked at how the PM of Pakistan can describe Taliban as Pashtun nationalists. The Taliban is a project of Pakistan’s generals for decimating Pashtun nationalism”. Unquote. So what’s the reality? How true are Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claims made in his recent at the United Nations General Assembly? Guest: Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, Research Associate at the SOAS South Asia Institute in London. A former member of Pakistan’s civil service, she is the author of “Military Inc. Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy. Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Indian women’s cricket team will be playing a pink-ball Test match starting Thursday against Australia in Queensland. This is a special occasion for the Indian women’s team as it will be their first ever Test under lights, and this is also only the second pink-ball Test in the history of women’s cricket. However, India’s women players have rarely gotten opportunities to play the long format of the game, unlike the men, who are in demand everywhere. This isn’t peculiar to India alone. Majority of cricket playing countries rarely or never organize women’s Tests. In this podcast, we explore why this is so. Guest: Karunya Keshav, independent journalist and co-author of "The Fire Burns Blue", a comprehensive history of women’s cricket in India Host: Kanishkaa Balachandiran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we go deep into the crisis at Chinese real estate giant Evergrande and examine the reasons and fall-out. The property developer's debt woes have made headlines around the world, and sparked broader fears about the state of China's real estate market, which is a key driver of growth in the world's second largest economy. Will Chinese authorities be able to contain the Evergrande crisis? Are there likely wider ramifications for China's economy, as well as for countries, including India, which counts on China as its largest trading partner with a trading relationship predicated on continued Chinese appetite for commodities? What do the Evergrande crisis, as well as the moves to address the debt problem, tell us about Xi Jinping's broader goals for China's economy? We also discuss other significant recent regulatory moves by Chinese authorities taking aim at the private sector, from the investigations into the Alibaba group and Tencent, to the crackdown on the private education sector, to ask how Xi is remaking China's economy. Guest: Dexter Roberts, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Asia Security Initiative, author of "The Myth of Chinese Capitalism" Host: Ananth Krishnan, China correspondent, The Hindu Episode Notes The Hindu Profiles, Evergrande | The 'grey rhino' of China's property boom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What can schools, colleges and policy-makers do to tackle this?Even as schools and colleges begin reopening across the country, teachers and educationists are faced not just with the academic challenges of educational institutions having remained shut for over a year, but mental health challenges as well. The lack of access to friend groups, the complete digital mode of learning and the various lockdowns have affected the mental health of our young people. Competitive exams have added to pressure and anxiety -- recently, Tamil Nadu saw a number of young students who died by suicide following the medical admission exam, NEET.India has the highest rate of suicide in SouthEast Asia, and in 2019 alone, over 8,000 children between the ages of 14 and 18 died of suicide as per National Crime Records Bureau data. Guest: Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder, Sneha, a suicide prevention organisation based in Chennai Host: Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Quad has met in person for the first time in Washington and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi has had his first bilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden too. A detailed joint statement was issued after the Quad meeting that detailed cooperation on a range of issues, including tackling terrorism, Afghanistan and Myanmar, while talking of increasing cooperation with ASEAN. The “C” word – or China – was missing from the 17-para statement issued by the United States, India, Japan and China – but make no mistake it’s all about dealing with China. China has described the nascent Quad grouping as a “clique” and also hit out on the eve of the meeting at India for triggering the deadly June 2020 Galwan Valley clash. What is the direction that the Quad is taking and what is its relevance in the context of the new alliance in the Indo-Pacific that the U.S. has announced? Has the Quad cooperation been enhanced after the first in-person meetings of the national leaders? We answer these questions in this podcast. Guest: Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor and National Editor, The Hindu Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices