3 Things Express Audio

The headlines of this week from the Indian Express.

First, Indian Express' Maulshree Seth talks to us about the Ram Temple and the water leak and water logging that it is facing. She shares the reasons behind the leak and the details of what the chief priest and the temple authorities had to say about it. 

Next, Indian Express’ Amitabh Sinha speaks to us about the need to develop disaster resilient infrastructure. He shares how with the rising temperatures and instances of landslides, heavy rain, cyclones and other natural disasters are making the critical infrastructure vulnerable and how that needs to change. (9:12)

And in the end, we give you an update on the arrests that have been made by the CBI in the NEET UG paper leak case. (19:57)

Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 27th of June and here are today's headlines.

Addressing a joint sitting of both Houses today, President Droupadi Murmu said, quote “Opposing policies and disrupting proceedings of Parliament are two different things. When Parliament is run smoothly, there’s healthy debate, then people have faith in the administration.” unquote. She also spoke about the ‘paper leak’ cases, saying that a high-level probe has been initiated into the allegations.

Meanwhile, Congress MP K C Venugopal, General Secretary in charge of the Organisation, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today, saying that his reference to the Emergency in his acceptance speech yesterday was “deeply shocking” and “unprecedented”. Released by the Congress, the letter said, quote “Making of such a political reference from the Chair is unprecedented in the annals of the history of Parliament.” unquote.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested two persons in connection with the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam today, days after registering a criminal case. On Sunday, the National Testing Agency (NTA) sent show-cause notices threatening debarment to 17 candidates in Patna, based on the report sent to the Centre by the Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit. Those arrested have been identified as Manish Kumar and Ashutosh Kumar.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment yesterday sought a detailed report from the Tamil Nadu labour department on the issue of married women not being allowed to work at the Foxconn India Apple iPhone Plant. Foxconn has informed the government that 25 per cent of its new hires are married women and its safety protocol, which requires all employees to avoid wearing metal irrespective of gender or religion, is not discriminatory, sources said.

As many as 24 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in three separate airstrikes on Gaza city on Tuesday, and one among those killed included a sister of Ismail Haniyeh, the chief of militant Islamist group Hamas, Gaza health officials and medics told Reuters. Israeli tanks ventured further deep into western areas of Rafah, firing up homes and two schools, killing 14 and another strike on a house in Shati camp left 10 others dead.

This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Anonna Dutt discusses the Centre's rebranding of its flagship Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centers as "Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs," and how two North-Eastern states have opposed this idea.

Next, Indian Express’ Apurva Vishwanath explains the significance of the role of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and how the Speaker's impartiality has been questioned over the years (09:50).

And in the end, we provide a quick update on Sam Pitroda's reappointment as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress (19:42).

Hosted, written and produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 26th of June and here are today's headlines.

Lok Sabha MP Om Birla was elected as Lok Sabha Speaker today by a voice vote for the second time in a row. The Opposition did not press for a division of votes and pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab declared Birla as elected, saying the “ayes have it”. With Birla’s election, Mahtab said, the other motions to propose and second the candidature of K Suresh became infructuous. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who the Congress has named Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, congratulated Birla as he took charge.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed the Court asserting that CBI sources fabricated information in the media. He clarified, quote “I have not made any statement holding Sisodia responsible. Yesterday, I made it clear that neither AAP nor Sisodia can be blamed.” Unquote. These developments follow arguments in court regarding the CBI’s arrest of the AAP leader. The Supreme Court today, allowed him to withdraw his plea against the High Court’s interim stay on the trial court’s bail order in the ED case.

A day after Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said that his party’s doors would remain open to MLAs who had sided with Ajit Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) hit back today, saying that it showed the desperation of a party struggling to find leaders to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra. NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil told The Indian Express today, quote, “Sharad Pawar saheb’s party is saddled with a handful of MLAs and he is now looking for leaders who will contest on its ticket,” Unquote.

According to new data published in the Lancet Global Health, half the adult Indian population does not meet the World Health Organisation’s guidelines on sufficient physical activity. More women (57 per cent) than men (42 per cent men) are physically inactive. Most alarmingly, the prevalence of insufficient physical activity among Indian adults has risen sharply from 22.3 per cent in 2000 to 49.4 per cent in 2022. This means unchecked, 60 per cent of our population would be unfit by 2030 and at risk of disease from not doing enough physical activity.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his homeland Australia aboard a charter jet today, hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing US military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that concludes a drawn-out legal saga. The criminal case of international intrigue, which had played out for years, came to a surprise end in a most unusual setting with Assange, entering his plea in a US district court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. The American commonwealth in the Pacific is relatively close to Assange's native Australia and accommodated his desire to avoid entering the continental United States.

This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express' Abhinaya Harigovind talks to us about the Delhi water crisis and the reasons behind it. She shares the sources through which Delhi gets its water and the Supreme Court's order according to which Delhi should receive water from Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. 

Next, Indian Express’ Nikhil Ghanekar speaks to us about the government's plan to develop Great Nicobar through the Great Nicobar Project. This is a Rs 72,000 crore worth infrastructure upgrade project that is facing opposition by conservationists and researchers. (8:38)

And in the end, we talk about BJP leaders launching a series of posts on social media site X about the imposition of Emergency in 1975 on its 49th anniversary. (17:53)

Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar