1.25 crore. That’s the number of applications received for little over 35,000 vacancies in the highly competitive Railway Recruitment Board’s Non-Technical Popular Category (NTPC) recruitment exam.





However, a recent notification by the RRB of conducting a second qualifying exam to confirm the selection of candidates led to thousands of aspirants taking the street across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for three consecutive days, blocking the movement of around 25 trains. The protest also turned violent on 26 January, with railways tracks set ablaze in UP’s Prayagraj and a train coach set on fire in Bihar’s Gaya.



Aspirants state that this second stage for final selection amounted to “cheating” those who appeared for the first stage of the exam, results for which were released on 14 January. They say that the 2019 notification only mentioned one exam and accused the recruitment board of “playing with the future of students”.





So are the claims of these students correct? What is the controversy exactly, and what action has the railway ministry taken so far? Tune in!









Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha







Music: Big Bang Fuzz



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Why Are Railway Job Aspirants in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh Protesting?

The Big Story is back with a second season!
The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now. With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform!   
 
Millions of listeners seek out Bingepods (Ideabrew Studios Network content) every day. Get in touch with us to advertise, join the network or click listen to  enjoy content by some of India's top audio creators.
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Cyclones are a characteristic feature of the Indian coastline and every year we see a few cyclones create severe damage to the east as well as the west coast. As we deal with the havoc left by Cyclone Biparjoy, on this episode of The Big Story, we want to understand what happens to the communities, people, and their livelihoods once they are rehabilitated. What does that process look like? What kind of mental health problems can come up? Are the long-term effects of cyclones properly understood and worked on? 
We also delve into the patterns of cyclones in India and their relation to climate change.
We are joined by two guests on the chat - Ruhie Kumar and Surabhi Gajbhiye. Ruhie Kumar is an independent climate strategist, who has worked on breaking down the technical jargon and simplifying climate change for various audiences. Surabhi Gajbhiye currently works as Program Director - consultant at SAAD (a Nagpur-based NGO). She has been working in the humanitarian sector for the past decade on thematic areas of rural development, DRR, child safety, mental health climate change, and sustainable development.

What Happens Years After a Cyclone Hits? (ft. Ruhie Kumar & Surabhi Gajbhaye)

Are AI apps the future of mental health support? Can these applications truly understand and address the complexities of our emotional well-being? What can a user expect when they get on such an application? And perhaps the most provocative question of all—can AI truly replace human therapists?
Join us as we unravel the captivating potential of AI apps in mental health, guided by the expertise of Dr. Samir Parikh, a renowned psychiatrist at Fortis Hospital, and Dr. Megha Gupta, the head of AI at Wysa, a pioneering mental healthcare app.  
We discuss the technology, potential, ethical and privacy concerns, and offer a peek in the future of AI in mental health support.

Can AI Revolutionise Mental Healthcare? Experts Answer (ft. Dr. Samir Parikh and Dr. Megha Gupta)

Heatwaves. Literally and metaphorically the “hottest” topic in climate change research. While heatwaves are becoming more and more common in India, are they still dismissed without proper knowledge? More than what we can as individuals do to save ourselves, what is being done at national and international levels? Have we understood it enough and are our plans actionable?
On this episode of The Big Story, our hosts Prateek and Anoushka are joined by Aditya Pillai, fellow with the Initiative for Climate, Energy, and Environment (ICEE) at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) to answer these questions. 
Aditya Pillai reviewed 37 Heat Action Plans across the country and shares his findings through this chat. He sheds light on what we mean by heatwaves, their detrimental effects, and addresses Heat Action Plans around India while also giving a global perspective, taking into account HAPs all over the world. 
Tune in for an engaging conversation!  
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Chapters:
0:00- Intro
4:14- Alarming Heat Effects and What We Can Do about Them
6:15- Slow Desensitisation to Rising Temperature
13:21- Aditya Talks about his Amazing Smartwatch
17:03- Heatwaves: Undeniable yet Ignored
19:28- Rural Infrastructure Trends and Urban Heat Island Effects
25:52- Contextual Approach to Understanding Heatwaves
27:46- What are Heat Action Plans?
29:10- Encouraging Climate Adaptive Lifestyle Changes
30:15- Oiling the Public Machinery: Is Academic Research Leading to Institutional Impact?
35:20- On-Ground Heat Management
37:43- Behavioural Change to Tackle Heat 
39:40- Which State has India’s Best Heat Action Plan?
42:50- The Funding and the Legal Foundation of Climate Policy 
46:40- Drawing Inspiration from the Global Scenario
49:12- Why does Delhi NOT have a Heat Action plan?
53:33- Can Climate Change Swing Elections?
1:03:59-  The 3 Influential People who should Listen to this Podcast.
1:09:31- Learnings from COVID-19
1:13:03- Why Heat Action Plans need to be Hyper Local?
1:15:01- Suggesting Heat Action Plans for every School and Office

The Truth About HEATWAVES & Climate Change in India (ft. Aditya Pillai)

What will be the consequence of Congress’ victory in the Karnataka elections? What are the prominent factors that lead to BJP’s setback in the south? What issues mattered to the voters?
We are joined by Fatima Khan, principal correspondent with The Quint who was on the ground in the run-up to the elections, and Aditya Menon, our political editor to discuss what actually happened that lead to this result.
In this podcast, we closely examine what issues mattered in this election, what strategies worked, and what this election means for future polls.

Karnataka Results Analysis: Hindutva, Corruption & Local Leaders

In this episode of The Big Story, our hosts Anjali and Prateek talk about money. Now, we don't have a lot of money, but we do have a lot of questions about money. About UPI, precisely. Are we spending more money because of UPI? How does UPI make money? And is UPI just another startup that'll eventually flop? Because it used to give us so many freebies at one point, but now there's a conversation about charging for payments.

To answer these questions, we have Ateesh Tankha, founder and CEO of ALSOWISE Content Solutions, India’s first comprehensive English proficiency and communications training app. He has extensive experience in payments and banking, and was, till 2016, the Head of Citi Merchant Services, North America.
 
0:00 - Intro
10:19 - What is UPI? How does it even work? 
15:50 - Creation myths around UPI
17:37 - Costs attached to UPI payments
21:55 - Why are Indian banks not interested in UPI?
24:35 - The massive growth of UPI in India
26:09 - How did UPI grow so much, but PayTM couldn't
29:52 - The business model of Google Pay, PhonePe, etc. 
32:00 - How does NPCI make money?
34:45 - Are we spending more money because of UPI?
41:55 - Who should be paying for UPI transactions?
48:24 - How involved is the government in regulating UPI? 
52:00 - CBDC and how UPI can be used to reduce our dollar dependence
54:45 - E-Rupee and how money works
55:54 - UPI and its privacy concerns
1:04:50 - Is UPI just a failing startup?
1:15:26 - Outro

Why Are Railway Job Aspirants in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh Protesting?

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