The Big Story

You know how every few weeks you get a notification on your phone about linking your PAN card to your Aadhaar card? Well, you may soon start getting similar messages about linking your voter ID with your Aadhaar number now as well.

Because on 20 December, the Union Cabinet passed the Elections Law (Amendment Bill) 2021, with certain electoral reforms, one of which allows the linking of voters IDs with Aadhaar.

There are a few other reforms too, including allowing first-time voters to have the chance to register four times a year instead of once; making the electoral law gender-neutral for service officers—where words like wife were replaced by spouse.

But in today’s episode, we will talk about the reform to link voter ID to Aadhaar because it caused an uproar in Parliament given how contentious the issue is and it passed without any discussion via a voice vote in just 10 minutes.

And, of course, while linking Aadhaar with your voter ID may make life easier to an extent, on the flip-side, many experts and activists pointed serious concerns regarding privacy and voters being excluded.

This concern of exclusion is legitimate because in 2015, when this idea was first gamed out by the Election Commission, about 55 lakh names were found to be deleted from the voter database of two states—Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. And with assembly elections in important states like Uttar Pradesh just around the corner, the timing of this bill also raises eyebrows.

So in today’s episode, we will go through why this move to link Aadhaar to voter ID is contentious and its possible impacts.

Guest: Vakasha Sachdev, The Quint's Legal Editor.

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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In a space of 24 hours, Punjab was shaken by two attempted and alleged cases of sacrilege, followed by lynchings, on 18 and 19 December in Amritsar and Kapurthala districts respectively.

In the case in Amritsar, there is CCTV footage showing a man jumping the railing of sanctum sanctorum at the Golden Temple and grabbing the Siri Sahib, the sacred sword and was then a split second later, tackled by the Sevadars and was seen being dragged out.

And with these cases, sacrilege has returned to the center stage in Punjab politics, with condemnations pouring from politicians across the spectrum. From the Congress and BJP, to the SAD and AAP, all described the “heinous act to attempt sacrilege” and that it can be part of a larger conspiracy. The Punjab government has also constituted a special investigation team to investigate these two cases.

However, while the acts of sacrilege are a terrible and a serious crime, none of these politicians from any party condemned the lynchings which followed these sacrilege attempts at the hands of the public.

With assembly elections around the corner, what gives the politicians uproar over sacrilege but not on what followed it?

In today’s episode, we will look at the political reactions to these cases, the track records of the SIT probes and how this will impact the upcoming polls.

Aditya Menon, The Quint’s Political Editor

Aarish Chabbra, a senior journalist and professor at the Bennet University.

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C

Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S

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In a space of 24 hours, Punjab was shaken by two attempted and alleged cases of sacrilege, followed by lynchings, on 18 and 19 December in Amritsar and Kapurthala districts respectively.

In the case in Amritsar, there is CCTV footage showing a man jumping the railing of sanctum sanctorum at the Golden Temple and grabbing the Siri Sahib, the sacred sword and was then a split second later, tackled by the Sevadars and was seen being dragged out.

And with these cases, sacrilege has returned to the center stage in Punjab politics, with condemnations pouring from politicians across the spectrum. From the Congress and BJP, to the SAD and AAP, all described the “heinous act to attempt sacrilege” and that it can be part of a larger conspiracy. The Punjab government has also constituted a special investigation team to investigate these two cases.

However, while the acts of sacrilege are a terrible and a serious crime, none of these politicians from any party condemned the lynchings which followed these sacrilege attempts at the hands of the public.

With assembly elections around the corner, what gives the politicians uproar over sacrilege but not on what followed it?

In today’s episode, we will look at the political reactions to these cases, the track records of the SIT probes and how this will impact the upcoming polls.

Aditya Menon, The Quint’s Political Editor

Aarish Chabbra, a senior journalist and professor at the Bennet University.

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl

Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C

Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ

Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng

Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

India is still struggling to put an end to child marriages in the 21st century. But is raising the minimum legal age of marriage for women the solution?

Ever since the Centre indicated its intention, to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years of age, there has been a lot of conversation around this move.

And now a year later, on Thurdsay, 16 December, the Union Cabinet has officially cleared the proposal.

This has been done on the basis of recommendations from a special task force set up by the DCW. Although details of the panel's report isn't available in the public domain yet, the main rationale for this proposal has been to address the physiological and psychological issues that arise from child marriages in the form of early pregnancies, poor nutrition levels, high infant mortality rate, high maternal mortality rates, etc — all of which are ultimately deleterious for women's progress.

While a lot of people have welcomed the move, the opinion is divided with some also cautioning that this decision could backfire.

But what are the concerns here exactly? In what way can raising the minimum legal age of marriage backfire? In this episode, we'll take a full-rounded look at this proposal, the reasons behind it and also the criticisms against it.

Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha

Guests:

Madhu Mehra, lawyer and founding member of Partners for Law in Development (PLD)

Amita Pitre, Lead Specialist, Gender Justice at Oxfam India.

Editor: Shelly Walia

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl

Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C

Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ

Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng

Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

India is still struggling to put an end to child marriages in the 21st century. But is raising the minimum legal age of marriage for women the solution?

Ever since the Centre indicated its intention, to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years of age, there has been a lot of conversation around this move.

And now a year later, on Thurdsay, 16 December, the Union Cabinet has officially cleared the proposal.

This has been done on the basis of recommendations from a special task force set up by the DCW. Although details of the panel's report isn't available in the public domain yet, the main rationale for this proposal has been to address the physiological and psychological issues that arise from child marriages in the form of early pregnancies, poor nutrition levels, high infant mortality rate, high maternal mortality rates, etc — all of which are ultimately deleterious for women's progress.

While a lot of people have welcomed the move, the opinion is divided with some also cautioning that this decision could backfire.

But what are the concerns here exactly? In what way can raising the minimum legal age of marriage backfire? In this episode, we'll take a full-rounded look at this proposal, the reasons behind it and also the criticisms against it.

Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha

Guests:

Madhu Mehra, lawyer and founding member of Partners for Law in Development (PLD)

Amita Pitre, Lead Specialist, Gender Justice at Oxfam India.

Editor: Shelly Walia

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl

Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C

Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ

Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng

Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

All is not well with the Indian cricket as the men's team begin a difficult South Africa tour with a Test and ODI series on the heels of an explosive press conference by Virat Kohli just 24 hours ago.

Ahead of the tour, on 15 December, Kohli made spoke at length about the process that was followed in his dismissal as the ODI captain and openly contradicted BCCI head Sourav Ganguly’s version of the T20 captaincy change, stating that no one had asked him stay back in charge once he had made up his mind.

And adding fuel to fire, Kohli further clarified that he was informed about his dismissal as ODI captain by the selection committee only 90 minutes prior to the selection meeting for the Test squad on 8 December. 

And that contrary to rumours and media reports, he was and still is available for the ODI leg of the tour and never communicated with the BCCI asking for a rest. At the end of the press conference, it was his word against the BCCI president and Kohli was clearly unhappy and ready to take a stand.

While Kohli said that he accepts the BCCI’s decision, the practice of unceremoniously dismissing Indian cricket captains is not alien, with many like Ganguly and Tendulkar being at the receiving end.

So what does the poor handling of dismissing captains speak of the BCCI? And will this off-field drama right before a crucial Test series affect the mood in the dressing room?

Chandresh Narayanan, cricket commentator and analyst

Abhishek Mukherjee, the Chief Editor for Cricket News.

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl

Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C

Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ

Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng

Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

All is not well with the Indian cricket as the men's team begin a difficult South Africa tour with a Test and ODI series on the heels of an explosive press conference by Virat Kohli just 24 hours ago.

Ahead of the tour, on 15 December, Kohli made spoke at length about the process that was followed in his dismissal as the ODI captain and openly contradicted BCCI head Sourav Ganguly’s version of the T20 captaincy change, stating that no one had asked him stay back in charge once he had made up his mind.

And adding fuel to fire, Kohli further clarified that he was informed about his dismissal as ODI captain by the selection committee only 90 minutes prior to the selection meeting for the Test squad on 8 December. 

And that contrary to rumours and media reports, he was and still is available for the ODI leg of the tour and never communicated with the BCCI asking for a rest. At the end of the press conference, it was his word against the BCCI president and Kohli was clearly unhappy and ready to take a stand.

While Kohli said that he accepts the BCCI’s decision, the practice of unceremoniously dismissing Indian cricket captains is not alien, with many like Ganguly and Tendulkar being at the receiving end.

So what does the poor handling of dismissing captains speak of the BCCI? And will this off-field drama right before a crucial Test series affect the mood in the dressing room?

Chandresh Narayanan, cricket commentator and analyst

Abhishek Mukherjee, the Chief Editor for Cricket News.

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl

Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C

Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ

Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng

Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

How does a tourism infrastructure project suddenly become a concern of the Ministry of Defence in India?

This is the question which every environment activist in the country is asking about the controversial Char Dham Highway Development Project, which has been riddled with ecological violations ever since its construction began in 2016.

The Rs 12,000 crore highway expansion project aims to widen nearly 900 kms of hills in Uttarakhand to provide all weather connectivity to the state’s four major shrines—Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri—all in the upper Himalayas and all in very ecological sensitive zones.

Now, the project from its start had a clear motive to provide easier access to the shrines. But over the years, with each ecological concern raised by activist in the Supremo Court, specifically targeting the petition to widen the roads beyond the Ministry of Roads and Transport 2018 mandate of 5.5 meters, the project has also moved into the ambit of national security.

The Ministry of Defense in an affidavit in 2020 claimed that the roads need to be 7 meter wide to ferry essential arms and ammunition to sensitive border areas, given the rising China threat. And while the Supreme Court noted the environment concerns regarding the project, it agreed to the requirements of “national security,” and essentially, set aside its 2020 judgement where it denied the Ministry of Road and Transport the same thing.

And activists and NGO’s petitioning the widening of the highway project have been baffled by the Supreme Court judgement given that it does provide any credence to what they have been saying for the past few years or the hundreds of landslides which have occurred in the region due to the project.

Guest: Mallika Bhanot, a member of Ganga Ahvaan, a citizen forum working towards conserving the Ganga and the Himalayas

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl

Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C

Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ

Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng

Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

How does a tourism infrastructure project suddenly become a concern of the Ministry of Defence in India?

This is the question which every environment activist in the country is asking about the controversial Char Dham Highway Development Project, which has been riddled with ecological violations ever since its construction began in 2016.

The Rs 12,000 crore highway expansion project aims to widen nearly 900 kms of hills in Uttarakhand to provide all weather connectivity to the state’s four major shrines—Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri—all in the upper Himalayas and all in very ecological sensitive zones.

Now, the project from its start had a clear motive to provide easier access to the shrines. But over the years, with each ecological concern raised by activist in the Supremo Court, specifically targeting the petition to widen the roads beyond the Ministry of Roads and Transport 2018 mandate of 5.5 meters, the project has also moved into the ambit of national security.

The Ministry of Defense in an affidavit in 2020 claimed that the roads need to be 7 meter wide to ferry essential arms and ammunition to sensitive border areas, given the rising China threat. And while the Supreme Court noted the environment concerns regarding the project, it agreed to the requirements of “national security,” and essentially, set aside its 2020 judgement where it denied the Ministry of Road and Transport the same thing.

And activists and NGO’s petitioning the widening of the highway project have been baffled by the Supreme Court judgement given that it does provide any credence to what they have been saying for the past few years or the hundreds of landslides which have occurred in the region due to the project.

Guest: Mallika Bhanot, a member of Ganga Ahvaan, a citizen forum working towards conserving the Ganga and the Himalayas

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl

Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C

Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ

Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng

Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

To boost or not to boost?

The debate on COVID-19 booster shots has existed ever since inoculations have begun, with the scientific community racing to figure out how long the protection will last.

However, the debate was supercharged recently with the emergence of the highly mutated Omicron variant, which according to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is causing a tidal wave of infections across the British isle.

The concerns regarding the new variant were muted initially with early reports indicating that it causes only mild symptoms. However, with the report of the first death due to Omicron in the UK and its rapid spread across the country, representing over 44 percent of total cases in London, the need of booster doses has become increasing clear.

Omicron has announced its presence in India as well, with the national tally climbing to 49 on 14 December. However, India is yet to take a decision on booster doses. But there are very critical questions on booster doses which are not yet answered:

How effective are the current available vaccines towards Omicron? What are the reservations regarding booster doses? And if India does authorise booster doses, which vaccine is our best bet?

Dr Rakesh Mishra, former director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Dr Shahid Jameel, one of India's top virologist.

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Vaishali Sood

Everything you need to know on Omicron and COVID vaccines here and here.

Amid a Shortage, Where Do Indian Experts Stand on Mixing Vaccines

Will Zydus Cadila’s COVID Jab for Kids Pave the Way for Reopening Schools?

Omicron | Is it More Transmissible? Do We Need Boosters? Dr Shahid Jameel Decodes

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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