In Focus by The Hindu

The Hindu
  • 4.4 (39)
  • News Commentary
  • Updated Daily

A podcast from The Hindu that delves deep into current developments with subject experts, and brings in context, history, perspective and analysis.

  1. 9h ago

    Why are tribal students still dropping out of school in Kerala?

    Kerala is known for its high literacy rate and strong public education system. Yet, several tribal communities in the State continue to face barriers in accessing and completing education. According to the 2011 Census, the Cholanaickan community in Kerala had a literacy rate of just 15.3%, pointing to the wide gaps that persist within the State.In this episode, we look at which tribal communities are most affected by school dropouts, the reasons behind children leaving school, and the stages at which they are most vulnerable. The conversation also examines whether existing government schemes have made a difference and where gaps remain.We also discuss the example of Serve India Adivasi LP School in Thariode, Wayanad, which has worked to prevent dropouts by adapting teaching methods without changing the syllabus, and whether such approaches can be replicated elsewhere in Kerala. Guest: Pradeep Kumar, anthropologist and researcher in tribal studies and development Host: Priya Baburaj Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. 2d ago

    Three common medicines have been declared carcinogenic. What does this mean for patients?

    Last week, startling headlines hit the news. Three commonly prescribed medicines, hydrochlorothiazide, used to treat high blood pressure, voriconazole, an antifungal medicine and tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant were classified as carcinogenic, or cancer causing, to humans. The classification was made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer or IARC, which is the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency.According to the IARC, there is sufficient evidence that hydrochlorothiazide causes squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and cancer of the lip, as the drug makes the skin more sensitive to ultraviolet radiation. Voriconazole, also has been linked to the same cancers. In the case of Tacrolimus since it suppresses the immune system to prevent rejection of transplanted organs, the reduced immune surveillance may allow abnormal cells to proliferate and it is linked with non-Hodgkin lymphoma with limited evidence for other cancers as well.These drugs are prescribed to millions of people worldwide. So what happens now? Guest: Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan convener, research cell, Kerala State IMA and honorary senior consultant gastroenterologist, Sunrise Hospital, Kochi. Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. 3d ago

    Are Satellite Towns the way ahead to decongest our megacities?

    The Karnataka Government has been championing a project to build a nearly 10,000 acre Live-Work-Play greenfield city on its outskirts in Bidadi, which has become a political flashpoint as farmers oppose land acquisition. All our mega cities seem to be saturated, overpopulated and congested. As a country we seem to be looking at ways of decongesting them. As Bengaluru seeks to embark on a similar trajectory as other mega cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad which have experimented building satellite towns, we ask whether building such greenfield towns on the peripheries of these cities, really the way ahead. To discuss this, urban planning, policy and governance expert Champaka Rajgopal, Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi, joins us on the In Focus podcast. She brings over 25 years of experience of having worked with national, state and local governments in India and abroad on urban policy, planning and governance. She has worked on a Master Plan for Bengaluru, Structural Plan for Bengaluru Metropolitan Region, Perspective Plan for Bengaluru - Mumbai Economic Corridor and the Earlier Draft Development Plan for Greater Mumbai - 2034. Host: Aditya Bharadwaj Producer: Shiksha Jural Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. 4d ago

    In Focus-Parley | Are traditional parties unable to understand the grammar of Gen Z politics?

    Days after India’s youth-led protests forced the resignation of India’s Union Minister of Education, Members of Parliament found themselves speaking in the language of the protestors. For instance, Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde accused the opposition of being “MIA” - missing in action - and feeling the “FOMO”, or the fear of missing out, before eventually becoming “delulu”. However, the Gen Z were in the limelight far before the protests caught steam. Tamil Nadu’s freshly elected Chief Minister, C. Joseph Vijay of the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), owes his victory, in part, to the Gen Z voters of the State. The debutante party involved its young following in electoral politics, one viral Instagram reel at a time. In response to this, the then-incumbent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a decades-old party with deep footing in the State, posted reels and co-opted Gen Z slang as well, to no avail. Are traditional parties unable to understand the grammar of Gen Z politics? Here we discuss the question. Guests: N Sai Balaji, the political activist associated with CPI(ML) and the All India Students’ Association and Kunal Purohit, journalist and author of H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Popstars Host: Nitika Francis. Producer: Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. 5d ago

    How does India view the Mecca pact?

    The Mecca Defence Pact between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan marks a significant shift in West Asia’s security landscape. What does the agreement mean for India, and could it reshape the regional balance of power? In this episode of In Focus, we look at how India views the Mecca Pact, its implications for India-Pakistan tensions, Türkiye’s role, Saudi Arabia’s strategic calculations, and the possibility of a new security architecture in West Asia. Guest: Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor at The Hindu Host: Smriti Sudesh Producer: Shiksha Jural Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. 6d ago

    MDR charges on UPI transactions: Necessity or revenue grab?

    Indians make around 24 billion UPI (Unified Payments Interface) transactions a month. The combined value of these payments is nearly Rs30 trillion. UPI is at the heart of India’s digital public infrastructure. The best thing about UPI payments: they are free. But now this could change. The government recently passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha. This Bill, among other things, amends the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, which had ensured that no charge can be levied on UPI transactions. But now, this is no longer the case. The government has claimed that this charge, known as the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR), may only be applied on transactions above a certain threshold, that too only on merchants, and not on consumers. But analysts believe the costs will be passed on to the consumers. Why is MDR needed for UPI payments? Does it have anything to do with US pressure in the context of trade deal negotiations, as alleged by Opposition leaders? Is UPI really ‘free of charge’ even as it stands today? Guest: L Srikanth from Cashless Consumer, a consumer collective Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Producer: Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Aug 10

    Girl's death in China: Does gene editing therapy need better regulation?

    The scientific world was rocked last month, when the case of a six-year-old girl who died in China, surfaced. The child was believed to have Snijders Blok-Campeau syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a mutation in the CHD3 gene. The condition affects intellectual development, but its severity varies widely. The girl’s parents sought an experimental treatment led by neuroscientist Zilong Qiu at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. What happened then was the child underwent base editing therapy, a specialised form of gene editing therapy. The therapy was directed at her brain to correct a genetic mutation in her brain cells. The parents are believed to have financed much of the therapy’s development. Within days of the therapy, the child developed a fever and kidney damage, and died a week later. The case has thrown up a number of issues: why was an experimental treatment such as this allowed to go forward even after animal testing had reportedly found dangerous side effects? How much treatment of this sort should be allowed when its effects are still not fully understood? Are there gaps in scientific regulatory mechanisms that need to be fixed? Should families of patients be financially supporting such treatments? And finally, what does this say about our treatment of persons with disabilities? Guest: Dr. Debojyoti Chakraborty, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi Host: Zubeda Hamid Producer: Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. Aug 7

    The Ken-Betwa protest: Is there really surplus water to transfer?

    The Ken-Betwa Link Project, India's first river-linking project, has once again come under the spotlight amid protests by villagers, many from tribal communities, who fear displacement and question the rehabilitation process. But beyond the immediate protests lies a larger debate over the science, hydrology and long-term viability of the project. In this episode, we unpack how the project is designed to work, what it means for the Ken and Betwa river basins, and whether the idea of a “surplus” river is scientifically sound. The conversation also explores the communities that stand to be affected, the links between environmental impacts and rehabilitation, the role of forests and river ecosystems in maintaining water security, and whether alternatives such as watershed development, rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge could offer more sustainable solutions for Bundelkhand. Finally, we examine what the Ken-Betwa project could mean for the future of India's wider river-linking programme, with 30 such projects proposed under the National Perspective Plan. Guest: Himanshu Thakkar (Coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People)Host: Devyanshi Bihani Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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About

A podcast from The Hindu that delves deep into current developments with subject experts, and brings in context, history, perspective and analysis.

Information

  • Creator
    The Hindu
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.4K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Hindu
  • Show Website
    In Focus by The Hindu

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