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PODCAST

In Focus by The Hindu

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

news news commentary

All Episodes

48:35

Is there an H1-B ‘scam’ that affects both Indian and...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/22

Through a new executive order, President Donald Trump has added 100,000 US dollars to the annual fee for H1B visa applicants. H1B is a visa programme for skilled foreign workers. So far, the biggest beneficiaries of this visa have been Indian-origin IT workers, employed by American and Indian companies in the US. President Trump has justified this move by citing abuse of the H1B visa programme to the detriment of American workers. He has also said that through this humongous fee, he wants to raise

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30:02

Is GST becoming the “good and simple tax” it was...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/21

When the Goods and Services Tax — or GST — was rolled out in 2017, it was billed as one of India’s biggest tax reforms. It replaced a maze of indirect taxes like excise duty, VAT, and service tax, with the promise of creating a single, unified market. It was meant to create a simpler, fairer, and more transparent system. GST is what’s known as a destination-based tax, levied on every stage of value addition — a system designed to be simpler, fairer, and more transparent.Nearly eight years later, the

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20:30

What do India's declining fertility rates mean for...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/20

The Sample Registration Survey’s Statistical Report, released last week had some significant numbers. One, India’s total fertility rate has dipped – it has gone down from 2.0 and now stands at 1.9, as of 2023. The second significant number was that for the first time, the total fertility rate in rural India has reached replacement levels. Replacement level is the average number of children each woman needs to give birth to for one generation to replace the other. There are, of course, wide regional

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38:38

Decoding the Supreme Court’s interim order on Waqf...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/19

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of India stayed certain provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.Among the provisions stayed are the one requiring a person intending to create a Waqf, to prove that he had been practising Islam for five years. It also paused the provision granting District Collectors the power to determine the status of a disputed waqf property, and capped the non-Muslim representation in Waqf boards. At the same time, it has upheld the deletion of waqf-by-users,

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38:47

In Focus-Parley | Should India overlook boundary...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/18

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his much-anticipated visit to China. Mr. Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and also held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit. The two leaders decided to restart bilateral trade and air connectivity, and underlined the importance of peace and tranquility along the border. These decisions were significant as they were made five years after the deadly border clashes between the

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33:21

Can India’s Factories Survive America’s Tariff War?

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/17

Washington’s latest tariff hike isn’t just a line in a policy paper. In India, it shows up in half-finished orders, idle machines, and nervous exporters. The U.S. says the penalties are for Russian oil, for blocking American goods, for standing firm with BRICS. While medicines and electronics may be spared, engineering firms — makers of auto parts, steel castings, heavy machinery — are already feeling the strain. In this episode, we discuss what the tariff war means for factories and the people

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32:43

Tariff Watch: US Tariffs Leave Indian Shrimp at Sea

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/16

A few weeks ago, containers of frozen shrimp left Indian ports bound for the United States. By the time they were halfway across the ocean, U.S. tariffs had spiked, prompting buyers to cancel orders. The result: millions of rupees worth of seafood stranded at sea. The impact goes far beyond trade figures. Fishermen in Andhra Pradesh must decide whether it’s worth taking their boats out, while women in Mumbai’s Sassoon Dock who peel prawns by hand worry if there will be work tomorrow. In this

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50:57

20 Years of Forest Rights Act: Can it work without a...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/15

The Forest Rights Act (FRA) came into being in 2006. As we touch 20 years of its existence as a tool for tribal empowerment, the United Nations Development Programme, or the UNDP, has come out with a comprehensive new report, titled ‘Securing rights, Enabling Futures: Policy Lessons from Forest Rights Act and Future Pathways’.We know that the Forest Rights Act seeks to remedy a historical injustice against forest-dwelling communities, who have paid the heaviest price for ‘development’ through

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32:17

In Focus-Weekend | Sinner vs Alcaraz: A new era of...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/14

Men’s tennis has always been defined by legendary rivalries. For nearly two decades, the Big Three – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic – treated us to unforgettable clashes on the sport’s biggest stages. That era has finally passed, and a new duopoly is taking centre stage.In this weekender episode, we delve into the exciting rivalry between World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and World No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who most recently clashed in the U.S. Open final. They became the first men in history

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26:02

Israel's attack on Qatar: Is diplomacy now a target?

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/13

On september 9, 2025, Israeli forces launched an attack in Qatar in what is being seen as an unprecedented escalation beyond the Gaza conflict. The strike rattled Qatar, which has hosted Hamas’s political office for years and positioned itself as a key mediator in ceasefire and hostage negotiations. While Israel claims the strike was aimed at Hamas’s leadership, it has triggered wider concerns — about violations of sovereignty, the safety of negotiators, and the future of diplomacy in West

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37:36

Tariff Watch Part 2: How US tariffs could impact...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/12

Washington’s new tariff regime, an extra duty on India-origin imports and the end of the $800 de minimis exemption, is already rippling through India’s textiles and apparel supply chain. Export margins are being squeezed, small businesses have maxed out working capital loans and inventories have piled up as orders have stalled, and mills are facing a major shortage of cotton. In the next part of a series on In Focus, looking at the impact of the United States’ 50% tariffs on goods imported from

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30:57

Nepal on the Brink - Part 2: Beyond the Gen Z's rage

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/11

Nepal is the most politically unstable democracy in the world since 1990 with 30 government tenures in 35 years. In this episode, we’re going beyond the breaking news regarding the recent upheaval in the country using numbers: What do they tell us about inequality, youth anger, and the failures of Nepal’s political class? And what reforms might actually make a difference? Click here to listen to Part 1 Guest: Srinivasan Ramani, Deputy National Editor, The Hindu Host: Nitika Francis Recorded by

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37:09

Nepal on the Brink: Will the old guard step aside?

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/10

On 8 September 2025, the quaint Himalayan town Kathmandu saw violent scenes. A ban on 26 social media platforms sparked protests that turned anti-corruption rallies deadly—19 people including school children were shot. The next day, offices of political parties, ministers’ homes and parliament itself were attacked. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli resigned.How did it come to this? Why are young Nepalis losing patience? What does this mean for the country’s future? Guest: Roman Gautam, Editor,

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27:10

Why most students in Bengal and Odisha take private...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/09

Private coaching in India has grown into a parallel education system. It is no longer just extra help after school, but the backbone of learning for millions of students.In the last seven years, tuition has surged across all levels - from primary to higher secondary. Among rural girls in higher secondary, the rise is especially sharp, while States in the east like West Bengal, and Odisha are seeing some of the highest numbers, with coaching starting as early as Kindergarten. In some cases,

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30:20

Is your hair transplant being performed by a...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/08

Dr. Rajetha Damisetty explains how the entry of unqualified practitioners and a lack of regulatory oversight is impacting patient safety when it comes to skin and hair procedures being performed in India. The wellness sector is booming in India. Aesthetic, skin and hair clinics are everywhere, social media feeds are filled with advertisements and procedures such as hair transplants, skin lightening, botox and others are becoming increasingly common. In a few cases that have been reported in the

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29:46

In Focus-Weekend | Dinosaur fossils: Can India...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/07

India’s rocks hold an extraordinary record of life: the earliest traces of plants, dinosaur bones, and even fossils of ancient horses, whales, and humans. This wealth comes from the subcontinent’s geological journey after it broke away from the supercontinent Gondwanaland and later its collision with Asia that formed the Himalayas. Yet today, fossils face mounting threats: theft, commercial trade, and the absence of strong legal safeguards. In this weekender episode, we explore how India became

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35:35

Why is Kerala seeing a spike in brain-eating amoeba...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/06

On Saturday morning, a 45-year-old man died in Kerala of amoebic meningocephalitis. This is the fourth death reported in Kerala in less than a month of this rare but deadly infection, colloquially known as brain-eating amoeba. This year alone, over 40 cases have been reported in the State, with 11 people undergoing treatment in hospitals at present. The Health Department has invoked the Kerala Public Health Act to launch preventive and control measures, as it emerges that perhaps all waterbodies —

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28:20

Tariff watch Part 1: Will Trump’s duty-free cut hurt...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/05

For years, the United States let low-value parcels enter duty-free under a rule called the de minimis exemption—literally “too small to matter.” By 2016, the limit had risen to $800, among the highest in the world, opening doors for Indian exporters to sell cheaply to American buyers. Now that rule is gone. The U.S. says it was abused, hurting local businesses and even enabling shipments to make synthetic drugs. With India’s government-run postal system halting most parcels, what was once too small

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36:02

In Focus-Parley | Should commercial speech on digital...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/04

On August 25, 2025, the Supreme Court urged the Union government to frame guidelines for regulating social media, noting that influencers often commercialise free speech in ways that may offend the sentiments of vulnerable groups. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi directed that these regulations be drafted in consultation with the National Broadcasters and Digital Association. The order stemmed from an intervention application filed by a non-profit representing persons with Spinal

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30:57

Can India’s real money gaming ban withstand...

In Focus by The Hindu ·

2025/09/03

Parliament last month enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, establishing a comprehensive legal framework for India’s rapidly expanding online gaming sector. The legislation, which received the President’s assent on August 22, seeks to regulate segments such as e-sports and social gaming, while simultaneously imposing a blanket prohibition on all money-based online games.The stated rationale for this prohibition is the “serious social, financial, psychological and public

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1,116 results

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