In Focus by The Hindu

By The HinduNews News Commentary

In Focus by The Hindu episodes

June 11 In Focus-Parley | Should India incentivise bigger families?
For decades, Indian policymakers have encouraged population control, with the familiar slogan of ‘Hum Do, Humare Do’ (We two, our two). However, the recent drop in India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) — the average number of children a woman would have in her lifetime — has now dropped to 1.9, below the replacement rate of 2.1, with southern States seeing their TFR drop to 1.3. Last month, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced cash incentives of ₹30,000 and ₹40,000 to women having their third and fourth child respectively, in a bid to reverse that trend.
Several other southern States have indicated that they also see the benefits of boosting population growth, though not through a cash payout. Should India incentivise bigger families?
Guest: Aparajita Chattopadhyay and Neelanjan Sarkar
Host: Priscilla Jebaraj
Producer: Sharmada Venkatasubramian

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37 min
June 10 Foreign Portfolio exodus: What does it mean for domestic investors?
Foreign portfolio investors have taken out more than ₹2.6 lakh crore from Indian equities since January 2026. Aggregate foreign ownership in Indian stocks has fallen to 14.7% -- which is a 14-year low.
But domestic investors have pumped in around ₹4.5 lakh crore in the same period – the main reason why the markets haven’t collapsed due to the FPI withdrawals.
What is driving the record foreign portfolio outflows? What does it mean for domestic investors – should they be worried? What should a domestic investor do in the light of this trend?
Guest: Ashish Gupta, investment analyst, formerly Chief Investment Officer at Axis Mutual Fund.
Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu
Producer and editor: Jude Francis Weston

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27 min
June 09 Falling fertility rate: Is India in danger of missing its demographic dividend?
India is going through a demographic transition. The proportion of its working age population is increasing, which means India has a great window of opportunity to boost economic growth – which is also known as the demographic dividend.
But without good governance and the right policies, India could miss this narrowing window.
In this episode, we unpack one question that could well determine India’s economic future: Can we make our demographic dividend count, or will we, as a nation, grow old before we grow rich?
Joining us today is well-known demographer Dr Apoorva Jadhav, who is a Non-resident Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Senior Fellow at the Population Reference Bureau, Washington, DC.
Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu
Producer: Shiksha Jural

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45 min
June 08 Making history at Norway Chess: When Pragg beat Carlsen twice in his own backyard
R. Praggnanandhaa scripted one of the finest victories of his young career by becoming the first Indian to win Norway Chess, one of the world’s most prestigious classical tournaments. The 20-year-old fought back from near the bottom of the standings midway through the event, won four games in a row, and beat Magnus Carlsen twice on his way to the title in the Norwegian great’s own backyard.
What makes Norway Chess different from other elite tournaments? How significant is this triumph for Praggnanandhaa? And how should we view Carlsen’s poor showing in light of his recent performances?
In this episode of In Focus, we also discuss the unique Armageddon format, the tournament’s famous confessional booth, and the atmosphere surrounding one of the most innovative events on the global chess calendar.
Guest: C. Shyam Sundar, Senior Assistant Editor, Sports
Host: Reuben Joe Joseph
Producer: Jude Francis Weston

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22 min
June 06 Malviya Nagar hotel fire tragedy: Behind Delhi’s endemic failure to enforce safety norms
On Wednesday, 21 people were killed in a massive fire at a south Delhi hotel. And the next day, five people perished in another fire in the ICU of a hospital in Bihar. Such incidents are becoming too frequent in India.
The Delhi fire, in particular, has exposed huge gaps in the enforcement of basic fire safety and building norms. The Delhi government has now ordered all such commercial establishments in the area to be sealed, and it is reworking the law that governs Bed and Breakfast establishments. But is this too little too late? Is it enough to prevent such tragedies in the future?
This accident raises many troubling questions, and joining us today are two reporters who were on the ground covering this tragedy for The Hindu, Shrimansi Kaushik and Suruchi Kumari.
Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu
Producer: Shiksha Jural
Recorded by: Jude Francis Weston

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41 min
June 05 India-Africa Summit and the lost decade: Can New Delhi catch up?
In this episode of In Focus, we speak with former diplomat Gurjit Singh about the evolution of India–Africa relations, China’s expanding footprint across the continent, India’s development partnership model, the role of the Indian diaspora in East Africa, and whether New Delhi has done enough to keep pace with Africa’s growing geopolitical and economic importance. A wide-ranging conversation on diplomacy, strategy, and the future of the Global South.
Why was the 4th India–Africa Forum Summit postponed, and what does the decade-long gap since the last summit reveal about India’s engagement with Africa?
Guest: Gurjit Singh,
Former Ambassador of India to Germany, Indonesia, Ethiopia & the African Union
Host: Aniket Singh Chauhan
Producer: Jude Francis Weston

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45 min
June 04 What you need to know about the Ebola outbreak
If it’s not one infectious disease, then it’s another. This month, the world was rocked with reports of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. On May 16, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ (PHEIC). So far, there have been 344 confirmed Ebola cases including 60 deaths in DRC, and 15 confirmed cases including one death in neighbouring Uganda. This time around, the outbreak has been caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
What is Ebola and why is there a high degree of concern about it? Do we have vaccines to treat Ebola? How concerned should India be, and what do we need to know as individuals?
Guest: Dr. George M. Varghese, professor, infectious diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore
Host: Zubeda Hamid
Producer: Jude Weston

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22 min
June 03 Making sense of TVK's victory: What does Vijay's win mean for Tamil Nadu's politics? | Part 2
In part two of this two-part interview, Pon Vasanth B.A., senior assistant editor with The Hindu, discusses with V. Geetha, feminist historian, translator and publisher, the campaign strategies used by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, the dominance of social media and campaign planners and the tendency to ridicule the supporters of Vijay as illiterates.
She also talks about the implications of TVK's victory for the future of Tamil Nadu's politics, the "Dravidian consensus" and the unaddressed concerns of the Dalits in Tamil Nadu.
Host: Pon Vasanth B.A., senior assistant editor, The Hindu
Guest: V. Geetha, feminist historian, translator and publisher
Producer: Shiksha Jural

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1 hr 7 min
June 02 Making sense of TVK's victory: Why and how did Vijay win? | Part 1
In part one of this two-part interview, Pon Vasanth B.A., senior assistant editor with The Hindu, asks V. Geetha, feminist historian, translator and publisher, about her reading of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's victory in the 2026 Assembly election that stunned many.

She shares her thoughts on how Vijay's win represents a "contingent moment", the shortcomings of the DMK and the AIADMK, the shrewdness of the TVK's campaign and other factors that played a role in this electoral outcome.

Host: Pon Vasanth B.A., senior assistant editor, The Hindu

Guest: V. Geetha, feminist historian, translator and publisher

Producer: Shiksha Jural

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1 hr
May 31 IPL 2026 review: What defined a season of records, runs and repeat champions?
The 2026 Indian Premier League season ended with Royal Challengers Bengaluru becoming only the third team in tournament history to successfully defend their title, with a dominant victory over Gujarat Titans in the final.But beyond RCB's emergence as the league's newest powerhouse, the season also sparked debates about the balance between bat and ball, the diminishing impact of spin on increasingly flat pitches, and the growing challenge of keeping contests competitive in a high-scoring era. At the same time, teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi emerged as the breakout star of the tournament, while veterans Virat Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar showed their enduring value on the biggest stage.
In this episode of In Focus, we discuss the biggest talking points of the 2026 IPL season.

Guest: Amol Karhadkar, deputy editor, sports
Host: Reuben Joe Joseph
Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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31 min