In Focus by The Hindu

The podcast discusses Controlled Human Infection Studies (CHIS) and India's recent consideration of implementing them. It explores the ethical concerns surrounding CHIS, the process of conducting these trials, and the potential benefits of CHIS in identifying effective drugs and vaccines. It also emphasizes the need for research methods to study infectious diseases in India and raises concerns about drug accessibility and affordability. The chapter delves into the ethical considerations of paying volunteers in CHIS and explores the ethical implications of conducting CHIS in India, including issues related to informed consent and trust in regulatory systems.

The Union government has set up a committee headed by President Ramnath Kovind to look at various aspects of implementing the ‘one nation, one election’ plan. The broad idea is to synchronise the timing of Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections across all States.The proposal for simultaneous elections has raised many concerns. Foremost among them is the impact it will have on federalism. Then there is the question of feasibility – what happens if a state government falls, for instance? Then there are the legal aspects – what are the various constitutional amendments that would be needed, and would the states have to ratify it as well? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Xi Jinping will not be attending the G-20 summit in Delhi. Instead, Premier Li Qiang with lead the Chinese delegation. This is the first time that Xi will be missing the G-20 summit, and China has offered no explanation for why he won’t be attending.So, what is the significance of Xi skipping such a high profile international event that will also see the likes of US President Joe Biden attending? Is China trying to send a message to India? By staying away from G-20, isn’t Xi missing an opportunity to be front and centre of an important diplomatic forum? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pandemic wasn’t kind to school children. Two years of lockdown has meant a huge setback in terms of learning outcomes. While children from privileged backgrounds could do online classes, poorer children could not. It has been reported that, post-pandemic, children from marginalised communities have even forgotten what they had learned two years earlier.Now a new research study titled ‘Where are the Kids? The Curious Case of Government Schools in Bihar’ documents the state of schooling and school children in North Bihar. The report was conducted by Jan Jagriti Shati Sangathan and is based on a survey of 81 schools in two districts. It offers revealing glimpses into the state of education in rural India.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this podcast, the concerns raised by environmentalists regarding the Forest Conservation Amendment Act 2023 are discussed. The debate on the definition of a forest and its impact on private landowners is explored. The prioritization of economic growth over environmental security in India is examined. The classification of zoos, safari parks, and ecotourism as forestry activities is debated. The implications of the Forest Conservation Amendment Act on community-owned forests and the effectiveness of compensatory afforestation measures are questioned.

Over the past few years, we’ve heard the names of a lot of new diseases – we had the Zika virus, the Nipah virus and even an Ebola scare, while the coronavirus pandemic rocked the country. Scientists estimate that about 60% of all known infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they spread from animals to people. India has a huge population, with large numbers of livestock reared and the additional issue of climate change events such as heatwaves and floods affecting the country, make us particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases. Which is why, the concept of ‘One Health’ is now being talked about: this is an approach that recognises that the health of humans, animals, plants and their environment is interconnected, and needs a unified approach, across multiple sectors to tackle public health challenges. India’s National One Health Mission, being led by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, is part of its G20 health priorities. But while a holistic approach of this sort does seem to make sense, some concerns have been raised: when developing countries share material with developed countries, will they legally be able to benefit from these collaborations? How exactly will the One Health framework work out in these contexts? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18-year-old chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa has finished as runner-up in the FIDE Chess World Cup held at Baku, Azerbaijan. He held world No 1 Magnus Carlsen to two consecutive draws in classical chess. The match then went to a tie-break, where Carlsen won 1.5-0.5.This is the first time since V Anand that an Indian has reached the final of the Chess World Cup, and Praggnanandhaa is the third youngest player to achieve this feat. What does this achievement mean for India? How do we rate his performance in this tournament? What is it that separates Carlsen from the rest of the field? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India is staring at a strange problem: malnutrition among children has not gone away, but at the same time, there is an increasing burden of childhood obesity. Simply put, obesity happens when children eat and drink more calories than they burn off. The latest National Family Health Survey reported that 33 States and Union Territories in the country registered a spike in the number of overweight children. Changing lifestyles including diets, easy access to unhealthy food, a decrease in physical activity and perhaps and increase in screentime, may all be contributing factors to this. The problem is, doctors have said, that obesity in childhood can have long-term consequences on physical and mental health.What is obesity challenge in India? What are the health problems it can cause long-term? How much does our diet play a role? And what can parents and communities do to reverse this trend? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill was passed in Parliament earlier this month. The government says the law will help improve ‘ease of doing business’. It will amend 183 provisions in 42 different laws. These amendments aim to eliminate imprisonment or excessive fines for minor offences. While this sounds good, the Bill has drawn criticism for the amendments it makes to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.One of the amendments is to Section 27 (d) of the Act. This change will allow for compounding of an offence by a drug manufacturer -- they can pay a fine instead of undergoing criminal proceedings. Critics say this would allow manufacturers of substandard drugs to get away lightly. They claim that this is dangerous as a drug that is not of standard quality (NSQ) could prove to be potentially lethal or lead to antibiotic resistance.Is this criticism valid? Or is this amendment a reasonable move that will aid ease of doing business in the pharma sector? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had granted a bailout of $3 billion to Sri Lanka in March this year. The IMF had imposed nine conditions for agreeing to the bailout. Next month, the global lender will conduct its first review -- before the next tranche of funds under the bailout are released.What are the conditions that Sri Lanka has to fulfil? What has been the public response to the austerity measures that the government has had to initiate? And what success has Sri Lanka had in restructuring its bilateral debt, especially with lenders such as China? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices