Last week, India’s strategic partner, the United States, warned of consequences for any country, including India, which conducts local currency transactions through Russia’s central bank or constructs a payment mechanism that subverts or circumvents the U.S.’s sanctions against Russia. India’s consistent neutral position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, informed by its choices, has antagonised many countries, including the U.S. Here we discuss whether the U.S.-India relationship has come under s...
Apr 08, 2022•37 min
After a long pause, retail fuel prices have been inching up over the past week and have crossed the ₹100 per litre-mark again in several parts of the country, while LPG cylinder prices have been hiked by ₹50. India officially has a deregulated pricing regime, but in recent years, this practice has been put on hold during election campaigns. Here we discuss whether the fuel pricing policy is problematic. Guests: D.K. Srivastava, chief policy advisor at EY India, former director of the Madras Scho...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 2 min
In the recent Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party won four States (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won one (Punjab). There was a premise that this time, particularly in U.P., there was a strong resistance to the BJP’s Kamandal or religious nationalist politics from the Samajwadi Party’s social justice politics or Mandal politics. What actually won the day for the BJP and what, therefore, happens to the idea that Hindu religious politics can b...
Mar 18, 2022•39 min
In a bid to isolate Russia, the world has imposed some of the most wide-raging sanctions seen in recent times, as the war in Ukraine enters the eighth day. But why has the international world order failed to prevent the war? Here we discuss the implications of Russia’s war on its neighbouring country and the human cost of the war. Guests: Mohan Kumar , Professor and Dean, Office of International Affairs and Global Initiatives at the O.P. Jindal Global University and former diplomat; Asoke Mukerj...
Mar 05, 2022•46 min
India has added over 10 unicorns (privately held startup companies valued at over a billion dollars) so far this year, which is a rate of nearly one every five days. This comes after a record year of new unicorns (44 in 2021), which pushed India up to the third place globally, after the U.S. and China, in the Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2021. But what exactly does a unicorn valuation mean for the larger economy, and how do these technology-driven startups influence the employment scenario in the ...
Feb 25, 2022•39 min
After a weeks-long standoff, Russia announced on February 15 that it is pulling back some of its troops from areas close to Ukraine, signalling a possible de-escalation. But at the same time, it has said that its core security concerns, particularly on NATO’s expansionary open-door policy, remain unaddressed. The crisis, has brought the post-Cold War European security architecture into sharp focus, and triggered debates on whether the great power rivalry is back in the continent. Here we discuss...
Feb 18, 2022•28 min
Governor R.N. Ravi returning the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) Bill passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly and the running battle between West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee underline again the problematic role that governors play in Indian politics. Here we discuss this issue. Guests: Gopalkrishna Gandhi, distinguished professor of history and politics, Ashoka University; Shadan Farasat, advocate practising law at the Supreme Court of India Host: ...
Feb 11, 2022•31 min
With Omicron becoming the dominant COVID-19 variant in the country, and with its reputation of being a ‘milder’ form of the disease, there is a debate raging on what treatment methodologies are appropriate. Should we adopt a conservative line or an aggressive line to treat Omicron? The responses to SARS-CoV-2 have been changing constantly, whether in the form of treatment or social restrictions. Here we discuss the question and the challenges of responding to an evolving pandemic. Guests: Subram...
Jan 28, 2022•46 min
With the Union Budget 10 days away, many economic observers are now focused on what support the Centre can offer the economy, which is still struggling to recover from the pandemic. Some analysts believe that the government must keep its spending in check to prevent price rise from getting out of control. Retail inflation is hovering close to 6%, while the wholesale inflation rate is in double digits. Other analysts, however, believe that the current rise in prices is a temporary phenomenon, and...
Jan 21, 2022•31 min
Assembly elections are due in five States: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. Here we discuss the national implications of these Assembly elections. Guests: Manish Tiwari , Director, Institute for Governance, Policies and Politics, New Delhi; Yamini Aiyar , Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi Host: Varghese K. George Read the Parley article here ....
Jan 14, 2022•35 min
In the recent session of Parliament, the government introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, to raise the age of marriage for women from 18 years to 21 years. After Opposition MPs demanded greater scrutiny of the Bill, it was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. The government says the proposed law will ensure equal chance for women in higher education and access to jobs and help improve maternal mortality r...
Jan 07, 2022•34 min
It is going to be almost a year since vaccination against COVID-19 was rolled out in India for the adult population. In the midst of this massive drive, there have been numerous challenges including vaccine hesitancy and shortage in supplies. The latest issue is that some States have come up with their own strategies to ensure wider vaccination coverage — such as by making vaccination mandatory for entry into public places and workplaces — even though the Central Government has maintained that v...
Dec 31, 2021•52 min
At an event last week to mark the payment of over ₹1,300 crore to depositors in troubled cooperative banks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flaunted his government’s revamped deposit insurance scheme. The scheme, which was upgraded through the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Amendment Bill, 2021, guarantees to compensate depositors up to a limit of ₹5 lakh within a period of 90 days from when a bank fails. At the same event, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shakti...
Dec 24, 2021•27 min
The recent killing of 14 civilians in Nagaland’s Mon district by the Indian armed forces has put the spotlight back on the efficacy of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) of 1958. If its raison d’etre was to quell militancy and make way for the peaceful integration of insurgency-hit regions, has it served its purpose? Here we discuss the moral, legal and political questions pertaining to the controversial piece of legislation, and its impact. Guests: Major General (retd.) Gajinder Sing...
Dec 17, 2021•46 min
If conversations around booster shots to tackle COVID-19 were loud earlier, the emergence of the new variant, Omicron, has ensured that the clamour for booster shots has reached a fever pitch. The Health Minister stressed that India’s priority is to fully vaccinate all adults and not administer booster shots even though adequate vaccines are available. He also said that any decision on booster doses will be based solely on scientific recommendations. At a recent meeting, the National Technical A...
Dec 10, 2021•50 min
One of the defining economic trends of the year has been the rise of cryptocurrencies. After the Supreme Court’s decision last year overturning the Reserve Bank of India’s 2018 order banning financial institutions from enabling cryptocurrency transactions, there has been a huge rush of retail investors into cryptocurrencies. Yet, the risk of the government cracking down on private currencies has remained. On Wednesday, the Centre announced that it will introduce a bill in the upcoming winter ses...
Nov 27, 2021•37 min
The recent ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates once again showed us the glorious uncertainties of cricket. The sport’s twists were evident when title-favourite India got knocked out. Immediately, the knives were sharpened on social media. Worse had happened earlier following India’s loss to Pakistan. Some fans who had celebrated Pakistan’s triumph were arrested and despicable remarks were made about Indian speedster Mohammed Shami’s Muslim identity, which raised the question...
Nov 20, 2021•27 min
On November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that from midnight, ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes would no longer be considered legal tender in India. The government’s stated aim was to curb corruption and the pervasion of black money in the economy, as well as the proliferation of fake currency which was also being used in terror funding. Pronab Sen discusses with Vikas Dhoot the after-effects of the demonetisation gamble and whether the intended outcomes have been achieved. Here we discuss...
Nov 12, 2021•42 min
Earlier this month, the Tata Group emerged as the winning bidder for Air India, the debt-laden national carrier. In this year’s Budget, the government unveiled a bold new disinvestment policy that envisages a bare minimum presence of government-owned businesses even in the strategic sectors. The government is also pursuing the sale of its entire stake in public sector firms such as BPCL, Shipping Corporation of India, IDBI Bank, two other public sector banks and one general insurance company thi...
Oct 23, 2021•50 min
Last month, the Union government set up the National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL) under the Companies Act. It thus delivered on its promise to set up a ‘bad bank’ to clean up the balance sheets of commercial banks. Under the new set up, the NARCL will take over loans worth almost ₹2 lakh crore from the books of commercial banks at a mutually agreed price. The NARCL will pay 15% of the price of these loans upfront in cash to banks and then issue security receipts in lieu of the re...
Oct 08, 2021•39 min
Kannur University has decided to retain lessons on the works of V.D. Savarkar and M.S. Golwalkar — Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? by Savarkar and A Bunch of Thoughts by Golwalkar — in the post-graduate course, Governance and Politics, after a controversy erupted over an earlier decision to ban the texts from the syllabus. Here we discuss the larger implications of such bans. The Parley discussion was conducted when the Kannur University’s ban on the texts of Savarkar and Gowalkar was still in force. ...
Oct 01, 2021•30 min
With the Tamil Nadu government seeking to ‘dispense’ with the requirement for candidates to qualify in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical courses in the State, the controversy over NEET is alive again. T.N.’s position is rooted in the conclusions of the Justice A.K. Rajan Committee report, which claims that NEET has undermined diverse social representation in MBBS admissions. J. Amalorpavanathan and Sumanth C. Raman discuss whether NEET has a...
Sep 24, 2021•46 min
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has changed five Chief Ministers in four States this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home State, Gujarat, is the latest to see a change of guard. Are these changes a sign of anti-incumbency or are they a sign of concentration of power in the hands of the Central leadership? Here we discuss the issue. Guests: Sudheendra Kulkarni , political commentator; Harish Khare , senior journalist and former Editor of The Tribune Host: Sandeep Phukan Write to us with com...
Sep 17, 2021•30 min
In 2017, the Supreme Court, in Independent Thought v. Union of India, refused to delve into the question of marital rape of adult women while examining an exception to Section 375 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which allows a man to force sex on his wife. Recent rulings by High Courts have been contradictory — one backed marital rape as a valid ground for divorce, while another granted anticipatory bail to a man while concluding that forcible sex is not an “illegal thing”. Why do differen...
Sep 10, 2021•31 min
Last week, the Centre released the ‘National Monetisation Pipeline’, a document listing the various public assets that will be leased out to private companies over the next four years. The government believes that monetising underutilised public assets will bring in almost ₹6 lakh crore to the government and help build new infrastructure to boost the economy. The Opposition has accused the government of selling off valuable national assets to “crony capitalists”. Here we discuss this move. Guest...
Sep 03, 2021•34 min
India’s parliamentary democracy is going through a phase of intense confrontation between the dominant ruling party and a weakened but belligerent Opposition. Is this situation a consequence of the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, where a party with the the highest votes gets the seat even if it doesn't win a majority? Here we address this question. Guests: E. Sridharan, Academic Director and Chief Executive at the University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India, and Edito...
Aug 27, 2021•32 min
The public education system is the primary option for millions of students in India. These institutions have become more important as the pandemic takes a toll on the economy, putting fee-charging schools beyond the reach of many and forcing thousands to move to government schools. The Patna High Court recently asked for data on how many IAS and IPS officers have enrolled their wards in government schools. Here we discuss the quality of public education. Guests: Uma Mahadevan , Principal Secreta...
Aug 07, 2021•41 min
After 20 years of fighting, the U.S. is set to end its military operations in Afghanistan by August 31. Since May 1, when U.S. troops started withdrawing from Afghanistan, the Taliban have made rapid territorial gains in the country. They have taken control of dozens of northern districts and several of the country’s key border crossings, mounting pressure on the Ashraf Ghani government. Here we discuss the Afghan situation, India’s options, and the prospects for a peaceful settlement . Guests: ...
Jul 30, 2021•31 min
In June, the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry came out with a list of proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection Act of 2019. These include appointment of a Chief Compliance Officer and a Resident Grievance Officer, provisions of fall back liability, registration of e-commerce entities and seeking an end to flash sales. The Centre claims that these amendments try to rein in unfair trade practices adopted by e-commerce companies and intend to take care of the interests of consumers. But not ev...
Jul 23, 2021•41 min
Since the nationwide lockdown announced by the Prime Minister in March 2020, the Indian economy has faced its worst contraction in history. Yet, the country’s stock indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, have almost doubled in price from the low that they hit in April 2020. Many analysts and even the Reserve Bank of India now believe that stocks are in a bubble. Here we discuss the current state of Indian markets. Guests: Alok Jain , a SEBI-registered investment adviser and a momentum investor; Anan...
Jul 19, 2021•48 min
