3 Things

First, we talk to The Indian Express' Manraj Grewal Sharma about a major drop in Indian visa acceptances in Canada. She shares why Canada has rejected 74% of the student visa applications from India, the impact it's having on Indian students and Canadian universities.

Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Diplomatic Affairs Editor Shubhajit Roy about the recent developments in US-China relations, what they signify and how they might impact India and the rest of the world. (11:33)

Lastly, we talk about a collision between a passenger train and a goods train in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur that killed eight people. (20:10)

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

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, The Indian Express' Mihir Vasavda and Vinayakk Mohanarangan talk about the night Indian cricket had waited decades for, when Harmanpreet Kaur and her team made history, lifting the World Cup and giving Indian women’s cricket its 1983 moment.
Next, we speak to The Indian Express' Amitabh Sinha about ISRO’s launch of its heaviest communication satellite yet, a breakthrough that marks a new phase of India’s space independence. (14:20)

Lastly, we discuss India’s first ever National Household Income Survey, a massive new data exercise that could finally tell us what Indians actually earn. (20:55)


Hosted by Ichha Sharma
Produced and written by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Express Sports: https://indianexpress.com/audio/express-sports/sacrifices-trials-and-tribulations-behind-indias-cricket-world-cup-triumph/10344288/

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, we talk to The Indian Express' Aishwarya Raj about the situation of Uttarakhand's healthcare infrastructure. She shares that as the state gears for celebrating the 25th year of its formation, the status of the healthcare services and infrastructure still raises concerns.

Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Udit Misra about the value of rupee against US dollars, how the fall of the rupee impacts the general public and why they should be concerned. (11:18)

Lastly, we talk about Tamil Nadu’s CM MK Stalin convening a meeting of 44 parties that landed on a consensus to challenge the Election Commission’s  Special Intensive Revision in the Supreme Court. (16:54)

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

The headlines of the week by The Indian Express

As part of our ongoing collaboration with Central Square Foundation, we are excited to bring to you the fifth and final episode of our series where we talk about the learnings and best practices from the NIPUN Bharat Mission and its future in the country.

It has been over four years since the NIPUN Bharat Mission launched and ushered in significant strides in learning outcomes among children from pre-primary to Grade 3. This is the age when children develop the crucial skills of reading, and performing basic math, which are vital for sustaining lifelong learning and shaping their future development.

To understand what steps would be required in the coming years to ensure that all children achieve NIPUN competencies in Literacy and Numeracy, along with strategies for scaling the learning level outcomes, we'll be joined by Shaveta Sharma-Kukreja, CEO & Managing Director, Central Square Foundation who leads the foundation’s work in Foundational Literacy &  Numeracy, Early Childhood Education, EdTech & School governance.

Hosted and produced by Niharika Nanda
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar



Links to the previous episodes of our series with CSF:

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4

First, we talk to The Indian Express' Shubham Tigga about a case that has emerged in Jharkhand, where five children suffering from Thalassemia went for their regular blood transfusion and came back HIV positive. He talks about the state government's reaction, the hospital's response and the investigation that is happening. 

Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Pavneet Singh Chadha about the concerns around tourism in Goa. Since a social media controversy broke out last year about Goa's tourism infrastructure, the tourism stakeholders of the state have been concerned about the footfall during its peak tourist season. (13:40)

Lastly, we talk about Chinese President Xi Jinping meeting US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in South Korea. (26:35)

Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced by Niharika Nanda, Ichha Sharma, and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, The Indian Express’ Deeptiman Tiwary talks about Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party and how the political-analyst-turned-politician is trying to distinguish himself from others ahead of the upcoming Bihar polls.

Next, The Indian Express’ Anjali Marar explains the cloud-seeding method that the Delhi government hopes will help reduce pollution, and why experts believe it’s a flawed technique (18:54).

And finally, we bring you an update on the case involving two Australian cricketers who were sexually harassed in Indore last week (29:44).

Hosted by Shashank Bhargava
Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Additional Links:

1) CSF |  Green Shoots of Progress for Uttar Pradesh

2) CSF | Academic and Governance Inputs for NIPUN Bharat Mission

3) CSF |  The need for better Public Disclosure in schools

4) CSF | The evolving space for AI in Education