In Focus by The Hindu

The central government had recently barred State-owned power distribution companies from buying or selling power on the spot exchanges without paying their current dues to power producing firms. Many States have since paid up and have been able to participate in the trades. This is an opportune moment to evaluate whether the legacy problems of State discoms, that have been perennially burdened with inefficiencies and huge debt, are on a path to resolution. To help us with perspectives, we have with us Ms. Vibhuti Garg, Energy Economist, Lead India at Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The premature release of these prisoners, responsible for heinous crimes, has taken place behind closed doors. It has led to some public outrage and the matter may well go before the Supreme Court for its opinion on whether the State Government operated in a judicious manner. To discuss the issues surrounding the release, I am joined by Senior Advocate Rebecca John, who is a well-known criminal lawyer.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology withdrew the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019(PDP Bill). It didn’t give clear reasons for the move, except to cite the detailed recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report. It has also not given a definitive timeline for when a refurbished Bill will be ready. The move to withdraw the PDP Bill has evoked a range of reactions – ranging from puzzlement to disappointment. If the Bill was deeply flawed, was it then not a good move to withdraw it and redraft it again? Or would it have been better to let the draft go through the whole process of Parliamentary debate and amendments, and later, if need be, judicial challenge? Or is this a matter of the government simply buying more time? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, China said its industrial output expanded 3.8% in July compared with a year earlier, a tad slower than June’s 3.9% growth. Retail sales too rose a slower 2.7% compared with the 3.1% growth in June.Media reports quote analysts as saying that loan demand from the real economy remained weak. The country’s central bank cut rates with an aim to spur growth. Like the rest of the world, India’s northern neighbour faces challenges in terms of quickening inflation, growth challenges and the threat of flight of capital. To help us understand China’s imperatives, we have with us today,  Santosh Pai, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), New Delhi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 16, FIFA, world football’s governing body, suspended India citing “undue influence from third parties” in the functioning of the All India Football Federation. This ban, if not lifted soon, could mean that India wouldn’t be allowed to host the Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which is scheduled for October this year.FIFA’s statement also laid down two conditions for the lifting of the suspension: one, repeal of the Supreme Court’s order mandating the setting up of the Committee of Administrators, or CoA, that is currently supervising AIFF’s functioning, and two, the AIFF must regain full control of its daily affairs. The government of India immediately requested the Supreme Court for an early hearing, and on August 17, the Court passed an order directing the government to work proactively with FIFA and ensure that the AIFF suspension is lifted and the Under-17 Women’s World Cup takes place as scheduled. What sparked this suspension by FIFA? Why did the Supreme Court want a CoA to be set up to oversee reform of the AIFF? Does the current crisis represent an opportunity for India to fix football governance in the country? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a debate that refuses to go away. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi lit into the culture of government "freebies" or Revdi as he called it in Hindi, the matter has now gone to the Supreme Court.What is the difference between freebies and welfare? In a poor country like India, isn't State intervention for, say, scholarships for students not in the public interest? Who decides what is a freebie and what is welfare? Can a court of law do it or should it be in the domain of individual governments and local bodies? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the title, Violent Fraternity: Indian Political Thought in the Global Age, suggests, Shruti Kapila’s latest book deals with fraternity, violence and sovereignty. Her core argument is that violence has not been as distant from India’s politics as we have been told. In this episode, Kapila talks about the role of violence in the making of the Indian republic. Zeroing in on the ‘power of ideas’ in instituting the political foundations of modern India, Kapila also looks at the role of Buddhism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A possible berthing call by a Chinese surveillance vessel, the Yuan Wang 5, at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port, has led to Beijing protesting loudly about New Delhi’s suggestion to Colombo that the tracking ship be denied entry.Colombo has said that it had asked Beijing to defer the call by the Yuan Wang 5 at a time when the country faces a dire economic crisis. After Indian concerns, the Chinese in a harsh statement asked New Delhi not to disrupt “normal exchanges” between Colombo and Beijing. The Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka also had a meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe about the issue.Can India ensure that the Yuan Wang 5 does not come calling to Hambantota? Haven’t Chinese submarines and a warship come to Sri Lankan ports earlier? Don’t American ships come to Trincomalee?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee raised the benchmark interest rate by another 50 basis points in its ongoing efforts to rein in inflation that has persistently stayed above the central bank’s upper tolerance band of 6% for six months running. The interest rate increase takes the policy repo rate to 5.4%, and, more significantly, to a level last seen in the pre-pandemic second quarter of fiscal 2019-20. Guest: Abheek Barua, Chief Economist at HDFC Bank Host: K. Bharat KumarEdited by Reenu Cyriac Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nitish Kumar has done it again. He probably holds a record for the number of times he has ditched his allies, only to ally with them again, in India’s politics. There is, clearly, nothing ideological about his choice of partners – Nitish Kumar’s decisions seem governed by one goal alone – how to keep his seat of power warm.As he becomes chief minister for the eighth time in 22 years, Nitish Kumar has clearly dominated the politics of Bihar – with or without the BJP – and with or without the Rashtriya Janata Dal.Will the new alliance with the RJD and Congress hold? Does this new bonding hold anything for India’s politics beyond Bihar? Can Nitish Kumar become the face of the Opposition in Lok Sabha 2024?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices