3 Things

First, Indian Express’ Mihir Vasavda joins host Shashank Bhargava to talk about another top cyclist, Deborah Herold, accusing India’s former cycling coach RK Sharma of abuse and harassment.

Next, with the Presidential elections scheduled for next month, Indian Express’ Manoj CG explains their significance, and whether BJP will be able to get their nominee elected this time.

And in the end, we bring you an update about the protests against the central government’s new defence recruitment reform scheme, Agnipath.

The headlines this evening from the Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Krishn Kaushik talks about the Agnipath scheme, how it is expected to change the recruitment process of defence services and decrease the money spent on defence pensions.

Next, Indian Express’ Sweety Kumari talks about the violence that has erupted in West Bengal after protests took place against the controversial statements made by Nupur Sharma.

And in the end, Indian Express’ Anonna Dutt tells us about the latest guidelines issued by ICMR regarding Type 1 diabetes.

The headlines this evening from the Indian Express.

Over the last week, a series of demolition drives took place in Uttar Pradesh, including one in Prayagraj where the house of a political activist and businessman was demolished after a half day’s notice. These demolitions happened after a series of protests took place in the state last week. And even though the government has said that there is no connection between the two, the timing of it is under question.

In this episode, host Shashank Bhargava is joined by Indian Express’ Asad Rehman and Apurva Vishwanath to discuss what led to these demolitions, what the administration has to say about it, and why these demolitions are under a shadow of illegality.

The headlines this evening from the Indian Express.

Recently, 10-min deliveries companies like Blinkit and Zepto introduced new terms that has now led to the gamification of the quick commerce industry. These terms are forcing delivery agents to work harder and ride faster, but for significantly less money. In this episode, Indian Express' Soumyarendra Barik joins host Shashank Bhargava to discuss what these new terms are forcing delivery agents to do, the conditions under which they have to work, and how the current Venture Capitalist culture is a part of this problem.

The headlines this evening from the Indian Express.

For 2 years, starting March 2020, schools were completely shut for students in primary classes due to the pandemic. During this time, learning was at its minimum and only happened through weekly worksheets and activities that teachers would share on WhatsApp. So, after they returned to school, it was clear that even though they were in classes two years senior, they were not prepared for it. And it was put to the teachers to get them to catch up. But how did they do that?

To answer that, Indian Express’ Sukrita Baruah spent 5 weeks in a fifth grade maths classroom in Delhi to observe one teacher as she tried to bridge that learning gap. In this special episode, she joins host Shashank Bhargava to talk about what she observed. From challenges that the teacher faced in dealing with children who were at different levels and the lesson plans she used, to how family environments impacted learning and what experts say should be done going forward.

The headlines this evening from the Indian Express.