In Focus by The Hindu

With events moving so fast in Afghanistan, officials and analysts have all been caught napping. The Taliban took their first provincial capital on August 6 and by August 15 they had taken over Kabul. Why did the Afghan Army, which the Americans had spent billions of dollars on, disappear without a resistance in this period? The UN has said that the Taliban will have to shed its terror links. But will the Taliban do that? What is Pakistan's role now? And what should India's strategy be now? Guest: Jayant Prasad, former Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan and Nepal, and Director of the Manohar Parikkar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses. Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Write to us at [email protected]

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The fall of Kabul and the Taliban's rapid takeover has plunged Afghanistan into uncertainty. In this episode, we look at the return of the Taliban and what it means for the country, for India, and for the region. How did Kabul fall so rapidly? Is Afghanistan set to return to the dark days of the late 1990s? What will the Taliban's links to jihadist groups mean for the region's security? What does the dramatically changed landscape mean for India's relations with Afghanistan and for its broader neighbourhood?

Guests: Suhasini Haidar, National Editor and Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu;

Stanly Johny, Foreign Editor, The Hindu

Write to us at [email protected]: Ananth Krishnan, China correspondent, The Hindu

Episode Notes

Analysis | How Kabul fell by Stanly Johny

Taliban takeover: 5 issues facing the Modi government by Suhasini Haidar

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As of August 16, 8.8 % of India's population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 30.9% has received at least one dose. Earlier this month, the country saw a huge achievement in coverage -- the 50-crore mark in vaccine doses administered was reached. But as India continues to report over 30,000 new cases a day, and concerns mount about the Delta variant in other parts of the world, how much faster does our vaccination campaign need to be? Can we meet the government's estimated deadline of covering all beneficiaries over the age of 18 by December 2021, and do we have enough supply to meet this target? Can our two main vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin be mixed for better results? And what is the latest on that tricky subject, herd immunity?

Guest: Dr. K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India

Host: Zubeda Hamid

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The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2021 amends the Constitution to allow states and union territories to prepare their own list of socially and educationally backward classes. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 9, 2021 and passed unanimously by the Lower House of Parliament on August 10. It was passed with cross-party support in the Rajya Sabha on August 11.

The 127th Amendment Bill restores the system prior to the Supreme Court judgment of May 2021. The "state list" will be completely taken out of the ambit of the President and will be notified by the State Assembly as per the proposed Bill. The passage of the Bill meets the demands of regional parties that have sought autonomy in determining their own list of socially and economically backward classes.

In this podcast, we discuss what this means for the OBC communities across the country, and how it will affect social justice as well as caste politics.

Guest: Prof Badri Narayan, Director and Professor, Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad.

Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu

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On August 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked India’s stint as a rotating president of the UN Security Council for the month of August by presiding over an open debate on enhancing maritime security. In this episode, we look at the significance and main takeaways, and India's message on maritime security. We also examine India's broader

agenda at the UNSC under its Presidency, from terrorism to peacekeeping, and ask what the status of the long pending reform to expand the UNSC's permanent members is.

Episode notes:

PM Modi outlines five-point framework for maritime security debate at UNSC

Biden administration non-committal on support for permanent UNSC seat for India

Guest: Sriram Lakshman, U.S. correspondent, The Hindu

Host: Ananth Krishnan, China Correspondent, The Hindu

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The Tokyo Olympics is finally done and dusted. The Indian contingent has come back with its best ever Olympic haul – of one gold, two silver and four bronze medals. This edition of the Games has been historic for India not only for its highest ever medals tally but also for its first ever track and field gold.

While these are great positives, there have also been near-misses, and some disappointments. We take a step back from the celebrations to take a dispassionate look at two aspects: Did our athletes perform to their potential? And does the performance at the Tokyo Olympics herald something new for Indian sport?

Guest: Rakesh Rao, Deputy Editor, Sports at The Hindu.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu

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The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2021 was passed in the Lok Sabha on August 3. Once it comes becomes law, it will replace the Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Ordinance, 2021.

The Bill, among other things, seeks to abolish several appellate tribunals, ranging from the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal and the Airports Appellate Tribunal to the Authority for Advanced Rulings, Intellectual Property Appellate Board, and the Plant Varieties Appellate Tribunal. The Bill also introduces changes in the terms of service of the officials serving in tribunals.

There was hardly any discussion in Parliament before the Bill was passed. But some key questions merit a proper debate: What was the need for this Bill? Will the abolition of tribunals increase the workload of the judiciary? How will the Bill impact our tribunals’ independence from executive influence?

Guest: Prachee Mishra, Head of Research at PRS Legislative Research, a New Delhi-based independent research non-profit.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu

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Host: Zubeda HamidSince March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic first struck India, a majority of our health resources have been allocated towards battling the virus. The country went through a first wave last year with an intense lockdown in place and faced a brutal second wave this year. But while we needed all available healthcare systems to fight COVID-19, what has happened to patients with other diseases who were in need of frequent care? Some studies from last year indicated a decrease in the number of surgeries and patient consultations at hospitals, affecting patients with cancer, those with kidney disease who require dialysis as well as those with a host of other conditions. Lack of transport options during the various lockdowns in States, fear of contracting the virus and the loss of incomes may all have contributed to fewer patients seeking care. Some children missed out on important, routine vaccinations though the government has made efforts to ensure that missed children get their doses. Since it looks as if COVID-19 may be with us for some time more, what can governments do, moving forward, in order to ensure healthcare services do not suffer? Do we need better primary health systems in our country, and what are the steps that can be taken to achieve this?

Guest: Dr. Rajib Dasgupta, Professor at the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Host: Zubeda Hamid

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Flood devastation is mostly associated with developing countries in tropical zones. But over the past fortnight, some of the world’s richest and technologically most advanced countries with sophisticated flood alert systems were devastated by flash floods. Nearly 200 people have died in floods in Germany and Belgium. There have been similar reports of flood devastation from Henan province in China, from London, and Maharashtra, where it’s almost an annual feature.

Do these geographically disparate natural disasters have something in common? Are they all linked to climate change? And if they are, what are the most feasible mitigation measures?

Guest: G Ananthakrishnan, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu

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Guest: Anurag Behar, CEO, Azim Premji Foundation

Earlier this month, the Indian Council of Medical Research's director general, Dr Balram Bhargava, said that once the country begins to consider re-opening schools, it would be wise to open primary schools before secondary schools, provided all school teachers and staff were vaccinated.

A vast majority of schools in India have been shut for over 15 months now, since March 2020, affecting 24 crore students. Various states have opened temporarily for senior classes, sometimes only to shut again when COVID-19 cases rose. Online classes have been around as a substitute, but with less than 25 percent of Indian households having access to the internet as per the National Sample Survey 2017-18, how far can digital learning go? Have our students lost a year of learning and are they potentially going to forget what they learnt before the pandemic struck? Does India need a roadmap for the reopening of schools and how can it do so safely?

Guest: Anurag Behar, CEO, Azim Premji Foundation

Host: Zubeda Hamid

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