Parley by The Hindu

The U.K.’s The Guardian newspaper announced earlier this month that it will no longer be posting on X, claiming that it is “a toxic media platform” and that its owner, Elon Musk, “has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.”

Is social media a useful tool or is it becoming a threat to democratic societies? Here we discuss the question

Guests: Alan Rusbridger, Editor of Prospect Magazine, former editor-in-chief of The Guardian and a member of Meta’s Oversight Board, which makes content and policy recommendations for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads; Pratik Sinha, co-founder and editor of AltNews, a fact-checking website

Host: Priscilla Jebaraj

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recently expressed concern about Andhra Pradesh’s ageing population and urged the people of his State to have more children. Days later, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin attended a mass wedding event in Chennai. He said that the Census and delimitation process may encourage couples to give up thoughts of having a small family.

Are pro-natalist policies the best way of addressing the ageing population problem? Here we discuss the issue.

Guests: Gita Sen, Honorary Senior Advisor and Distinguished Professor, Public Health Foundation of India; Udaya Shankar Mishra, Honorary Professor, International Institute for Migration Development, Thiruvananthapuram

Host: Jagriti Chandra

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

India won a historic double gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, by clinching the top spot in both the open event and women’s team competitions. These victories will forever remain among India’s greatest achievements in sport. Chess enjoys huge popularity across the world. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) considers chess as a sport and recognises the International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation (FIDE) as an official federation. Yet, chess is not yet an Olympic sport.

Should chess be an Olympic sport? Here we discuss the issue.

Guests: Viswanathan Anand, five-time world champion and deputy president, FIDE; Pravin Thipsay, Grandmaster and coach

Host: P.K. Ajith Kumar

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

The Congress’ social justice platform, centred around the call for equal representation at the caste-level and a nationwide caste census, has been hailed after the Lok Sabha elections this year. But within four months of the general election results, the results of the Haryana Assembly polls have raised questions about how well this messaging has percolated to the lower rungs of the party organisation.

Has the Congress internalised its message of social justice? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: Sudha Pai, Retired Professor, Centre for Political Studies, JNU; Aditi Narayani Paswan, Assistant Professor Lakshmibai College, University of Delhi

Host: Abhinay Lakshman

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

India’s multi-party democracy thrives on diversity but often sees political parties driven by individual charisma rather than internal democracy. Despite their role in upholding the nation’s democratic framework, many parties struggle to maintain democratic structures. Can the Election Commission (EC) ensure these organisations practice internal democracy?

Guests: O. P. Rawat, Former Chief Election Commissioner; M.R. Madhavan, PRS Legislative Research President

Host: Sreeparna Chakrabarty

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India’s impressive economic growth since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic has surprised many, including those who were critical of the Centre’s economic policies. The Indian growth story is today widely praised across the world. In 2023-24, the country grew at 8.2%, the fastest among major economies. However, most of the economic gains in the last few years have mostly come from big businesses.

Is India’s growth story benefiting only big capital? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: Himanshu, Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University; Ritesh Kumar Singh, Business economist and founder of Indonomics Consulting

Host: Prashanth Perumal

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The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently announced a plan to set a minimum age to use social media platforms.

Should children be barred from social media? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: Amanda Third, Professorial Research Fellow in Digital Social and Cultural Research in the Institute for Culture and Society and Co-Director of the Young and Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University; Aparajita Bharti, Founding Partner of TQH, a Delhi-based public policy research firm, and co-founder of Young Leaders for Active Citizenship

Host: Mandira Moddie

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Due to the phenomenon of jobless growth, i.e., the rise in output and labour productivity without the commensurate growth in employment generation, several countries have mooted the idea of a universal basic income (UBI). This idea has gained traction, especially since the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s most recent World Employment and Social Outlook links the decrease in jobs growth and the increase in inequality to a surge in automation and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Among the several suggestions on the ways to address this is a UBI.

Is it time for India to introduce a UBI? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: Arun Kumar, Retired professor of economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He was Malcolm Adiseshiah Chair Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences; N.R. Bhanumurthy, Director, Madras School of Economics, Chennai. Views are personal

Host: Kunal Shankar

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Russia-born tech tycoon Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, was arrested in Paris on August 24. French authorities announced that Mr. Durov is under investigation for a litany of serious crimes, including enabling the distribution of child sexual abuse material on the app, facilitating drug trafficking, and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement.

Should digital platform owners be held liable for user-generated content? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: Pranesh Prakash, Co-founder and former policy director at the Centre for Internet and Society; Rohit Kumar, Founding partner of the Quantum Hub

Host: Aaratrika Bhaumik

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

Following the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, the issue of violence against healthcare workers has come to the forefront, with medical professionals across India demanding the enactment of a Central law to protect healthcare workers. In 2019, a Bill on this issue was drafted by the Central government, but it never saw the light of day.

Can a Central law ensure security for healthcare professionals at work? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: Ashok Vardhan Shetty, retired IAS officer from Tamil Nadu cadre and former vice-chancellor of the Indian Maritime University; Harsh Shrivastava, a former CEO of the Microfinance Institutions Network, deputy speechwriter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and a consultant in the Planning Commission

Host: Priscilla Jebaraj

Edited by Jude Francis Weston