In Focus by The Hindu

The El Nino phenomenon is back this year, which means, a deficient monsoon in India. This, in turn, means a challenging time for Indian farmers.

Less rainfall is bad news for India on multiple fronts -- it dampens agricultural output, dents rural demand, worsens heat stress, and affects hydropower generation, among other things, all of which together could have cascading effects on the economy.

But which crops, and which regions in India, will be affected the most? More broadly, how is climate change affecting agriculture, and what can India do to manage the risks better?

Guest: Professor Pramod Kumar Aggarwal from The Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

Host: G Sampath

Producer: Jude Francis Weston

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Since October 7, West Asia has witnessed a cascade of crises, from the war in Gaza, attacks on Red Sea shipping, to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and direct military confrontation between Israel and Iran. Together, these events have reshaped the region’s geopolitical landscape.

For India, the stakes are particularly high. New Delhi has spent years cultivating close ties with Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states while pursuing a policy of strategic autonomy and multi-alignment.

But as rivalries sharpen and instability becomes more persistent, can India continue to balance relationships with competing powers? Or does this new regional reality demand a rethink of its long-term strategy?

Guest: Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu 

Host: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian 

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Allegations of abuse and mistreatment of children at a daycare facility run on the campus of a tech company in Bangalore have sent shockwaves across the country. Videos of children allegedly being forced into washing machines and locked in bathrooms have emerged sparking widespread outrage and concerns.

The larger question here, is how safe are the hundreds of creches and daycare facilities being run by private operators across the country? What laws, regulations and standards are followed here? Why is India’s investment into early childhood care so abysmal? And importantly, why is childcare still seen as a family issue rather than a public concern?

Guest: Chirashree Ghosh, Executive Director, Policy and Partnership, Mobile Creches, an organisation working in the field of early childhood development.

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Producer: Jude Weston

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In recent years, democracy research institutes have been categorising India as a ‘partly free’ democracy, with the V-Dem Institute of the University of Gothenburg classifying India as an “electoral autocracy” from as far back as 2019.

For India’s Opposition parties, will the business-as-usual electoral politics suffice in an ‘electoral autocracy’, especially when they can go longer count on a level playing field?

Political scientist, psephologist, activist, politician and columnist Yogendra Yadav has been arguing that the transition of Indian democracy from “competitive authoritarianism” to “electoral autocracy” requires the Opposition to reimagine politics, and to switch from a politics of electoral contestation to a “politics of resistance”. But what does this mean in practical terms, and are India’s Opposition parties ready for it?

Host: G Sampath

Producer and editor: Jude Weston

Recorded by : Jude Weston and Saif Ali Ekram

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India and Pakistan have not been in a dialogue since 2016 when talks broke after the terror attacks at Pathankot and subsequently at Uri. The previous twelve years have witnessed major attacks at Pahalgam (2025) and Pulwama (2019) and that apart there were several smaller terror attacks.

Earlier this month, a group of eminent citizens led by Gandhian O.P. Shah drafted a joint appeal to the leaders of India and Pakistan urging them to restart dialogue. This has restarted a public debate on whether it is the right time for both India and Pakistan to sit down for talks.

Guest: Former MP Mani Shankar Aiyar, who is a signatory to the letter and Tara Kartha, former Director at the National Security Council Secretariat. Excerpts from the conversation.

Host: Kallol Bhattacherjee

Producer: Jude Weston

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President Donald Trump has declared the Iran ceasefire 'over', casting new doubt on the future of the June 17 agreement. With nuclear negotiations stalled, tensions rising across West Asia, and questions over sanctions, NATO divisions and the risk of renewed military action, what comes next? We examine the future of U.S.-Iran relations, Tehran's strategy, the prospects for diplomacy, and whether the region is heading toward another major conflict.

Guest: Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu

Host: Smriti Sudesh

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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The Indian state has been digitalising land records across the country for many years now, and more aggressively since 2016 as part of the Digital India Initiative. There is growing evidence, however, that rather than empowering vulnerable communities, digital governance has often had the effect of dispossessing them of their rights – seen most clearly in  the context of Aadhaar and KYC-related withholding of welfare benefits and MGNREGA wages - and it seems to be happening again with land records digitalisation. Ground reports from Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand by Sushmita, an independent journalist, indicate that digitalisation of land records has aided the dispossession of Dalit and Adivasi farmers by local elites operating in cahoots with corrupt officials. 

We speak with Sushmita on the impact of land digitisation on vulnerable communities.

Guest: Sushmita, Independent journalist

Host: G. Sampath

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

Camera: Jude Weston

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A recent case of assisted reproduction hit the headlines a couple of weeks ago, after a couple from Gurugram alleged publicly that their twin babies, born through IVF, were not genetically theirs. The case has created shockwaves, and subsequently, a Delhi court to file a case and probe the allegation. The case has once again put the spotlight on the assisted reproduction sector in India, a sector that has grown dramatically over the past couple of decades. After several years of no regulations, the Central government, in 2021, passed two legislations, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, both of lay down legislation for this sector. But how well are these acts being implemented on the ground? Why and how are cases of alleged embryo mix-ups occurring? Why are surrogacy scams continuing to occur in parts of the country? How does the law deal with parentage in such cases?

Guest: Radhika Thapar Bahl, founder and advocate, Fertility Law Care 

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is a high stakes, high pressure exam that can make or mar the careers and fortunes of entire families. At least 14-NEET-linked suicides were reported this year, and the Tamil Nadu government’s official position is that NEET should be scrapped.

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The United States and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to halt fighting, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ease the naval blockade, and reduce tensions in the Gulf. But within weeks, the agreement is facing conflicting interpretations, new security incidents, and growing uncertainty.

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