Parley by The Hindu TheHindu

India’s road transport sector contributes about 12% to the country’s CO2 emissions, according to the International Energy Agency, making it the third most greenhouse gas emitting sector after energy and agriculture. The Union government has been attempting to fast track decarbonising transport for almost a decade with the introduction of the Faster Adoption and Manufacture of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, or FAME in 2015. The third iteration of this policy is likely to be announced in this year’s Union Budget. FAME attempts to generate demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids by subsidising retail sales, encouraging the manufacture of components and creating and nurturing an EV ecosystem nationwide. But the policy has changed from when it was introduced, with a steady removal of subsidies for hybrids. Some have welcomed this move, while others point to the lack of charging infrastructure, import dependence on advanced battery components and technology, and a grid still dominated by coal-based power, leading to an increase in EVs overall carbon footprint from mining rare earth elements to charging.
Here we discuss the the question.
Guests: Avinash Kumar Agarwal, Director, IIT Jodhpur and the lead author of a study comparing greenhouse gas emissions of battery, hybrid and ICE vehicles; Sharvari Patki, Program Head, Electric Mobility at the World Resources Institute, India
Host: Kunal Shankar
Recorded and edited by Jude Francis Weston

Until the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 282 seats and Prime Minister Narendra Modi rode to power, India had had coalition governments for 21 years. Ten years later, the BJP has 240 seats in the Lok Sabha and India once again has a coalition government in power. Fitch had stated that coalition politics and a weakened mandate for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) could make it challenging to pass legislation on the more ambitious parts of the reform agenda.
Do coalition governments slow down the economic reforms agenda? Here we discuss the question.
Guests: K.K. Kailash, Department of Political Science of the Hyderabad University; Sanjay Ruparelia, Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and Public administration at Toronto Metropolitan University and also the Author of Divided We Govern: Coalition Politics in Modern India
Host: Sobhana K. Nair

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On May 22, the Election Commission of India (ECI) asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress to desist from raising divisive issues in the campaign. In recent years, and particularly during the campaign to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, critics of the ECI have accused the body of being late or ineffective or partial in responding to alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
Does the MCC need legal teeth for better implementation? Here we discuss the question.
Guests: T.S. Krishnamurthy, former Chief Election Commissioner; P.D.T. Achary, former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha
Host: Sreeparna Chakrabarty

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Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that advocates cannot be held liable under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, for deficiency in service. The Court also indicated that its 1995 decision that held medical professionals accountable under the Act may need to be revisited. It suggested that the definition of the term ‘services’ under the Act, which includes the medical sector, be re-examined. The issue will be placed before a larger Bench.
Should doctors, like lawyers, be kept out of the Consumer Protection Act? Here we discuss the question.
Guests: Rajeshwari Sekar, a medico-legal expert in Chennai with over 18 years of experience handling consumer court cases and medical cases; Saroja Sundaram, executive director of the Chennai-based Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group
Host: Aroon Deep

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During his election campaign, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has often used the slogan ‘Jitni abadi, utna haq’ (the rights of a group are proportionate to the group’s share in the total population). The Prime Minister has lashed out at him for the slogan and others have argued that it is against the spirit of the Constitution.
Should reservation in jobs only be in proportion to the population? Here we discuss the issue.
Guests: Sukhadeo Thorat, the former chairman of the University Grants Commission and Professor Emeritus at JNU; Sudheendra Kulkarni served as an aide to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the Prime Minister’s Office
Host: Abhinay Lakshman

In 2022, a Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS)-Lokniti survey in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung showed that TV channels dominate as the news source in India, despite poor trust levels in them. In 2023, a Global Fact 10 research report showed that more and more Indians are now placing their trust in YouTube and WhatsApp for news.
Are independent journalists on YouTube slowly replacing TV journalists in India? Here we discuss the issue.

Edited by Jude Francis Weston