Parley by The Hindu

The National Pension Scheme (NPS) was launched in 2004. While the older pension scheme offered defined benefits to all government employees without any contribution on their part, the NPS requires employees to contribute a sum throughout their working years. Almost two decades after the NPS came into effect, several States are switching back to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Earlier this year, the Central government set up a committee under the leadership of the Finance Secretary to review the working of the NPS and evolve an approach that addresses the needs of government employees while maintaining fiscal prudence.Here we discuss whether States should return to the OPS.Guests: Praveen Chakravarty, a political economist and chair of the Data Analytics Group of the Congress party; Rohit Azad, an economist teaching at JNUHost: Priscilla Jebaraj

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the Union Health Ministry and the Union Ministry of Ayush have agreed to enhance cooperation in health research in the field of integrated medicine. This move will help Ayush departments at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) evolve into departments of integrated medicine.Will such an integrated system of medicine work? Here we discuss the question.

The coronation of King Charles III of the U.K. has led to critical questions on the relevance of the monarchy in the 21st century, in the context of tectonic shifts in society, politics and culture in the U.K. and across the Commonwealth realms. In a conversation moderated by Narayan Lakshman, Priyamvada Gopal and Philip Murphy discuss what these changes imply for the future of monarchies in the U.K. and across the world.

Germany has shut down the last of its nuclear power plants; France, the nuclear powerhouse of the world, is struggling to replenish its stock of ageing reactors. With solar and wind power becoming more popular globally, there are questions on whether nuclear power, with its attendant concerns on cost and safety, remains a relevant option for a future that is fossil-free, particularly in India. Here we we discuss whether nuclear energy should be phased out. Guests: R. Srikanth, Professor and Dean, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru and head of the Energy, Environment and Climate Change Programme; Rahul Tongia, Senior Fellow, Center for Social and Economic Progress, New Delhi, where he leads the Energy, Natural Resources and Sustainability GroupHost: Jacob Koshy

With the second phase of the caste survey beginning in Bihar, other political parties such as the Congress are also raising a pitch on the issue. Last month, there was a heated political war over sections of the Ramcharitmanas in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with some leaders arguing that the text “abuses” Dalits, Adivasis and backward castes. Here we discuss how these developments compare to the high noon of Mandal mobilisation in the late 1980s and 1990s.Guests: Mona G. Mehta, Associate Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences at Ahmedabad University; Amit Ahuja, fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., and Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Santa BarbaraHost: Sobhana K. Nair

The growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and their deployment has raised questions about privacy, monopolisation and job losses. Here we discuss concerns about the economic and privacy implications of AI as countries try to design regulations to prevent the possible misuse of AI by individuals and governments. Guests: Ajay Shah, Research Professor of Business at O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat; Apar Gupta, executive director of the Internet Freedom FoundationHost: Prashanth Perumal

During Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s visit to New Delhi this month, India announced a number of measures to support its neighbour’s development plans. However, the unspoken part of the visit was Bhutan’s boundary talks with China. Before the King’s visit to India, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering had said in an interview that Bhutan and China have made considerable progress on demarcating border lines. Here we take stock of the India-Bhutan relationship. Guests: Pavan K. Varma, a writer, former diplomat and MP. He served as India’s Ambassador to Bhutan from 2009 to 2012; Phunchok Stobdan, an academic and a former diplomat, is the author of The Great Game in the Buddhist HimalayasHost: Suhasini Haidar

After the Punjab police launched a coordinated crackdown against the Dubai-returned radical preacher, Amritpal Singh, and his associates on March 18, there is rising concern- about a revival of the Khalistan movement in Punjab. Here we discuss the developments. Guest: Shashi Kant, a former Director-General of Punjab Police; Manish Tewari, Congress MP from Anandpur Sahib in Punjab and former I&B Minister.Host: Vijaita Singh

In recent weeks, there have been many attacks by stray dogs on people, especially children. With an estimated 1.5-6 crore stray canines roaming around the streets in India, questions are being raised about the implementation of municipality laws and cultural attitudes of tolerance towards stray dogs. Here we discuss the scale of the public safety issue and provide a legal and administrative context.Guests: Meghna Uniyal, Director and Co-founder, Humane Foundation for People and Animals; Shailaja Chandra, former Chief Secretary of DelhiHost: Jacob Koshy

Since September 2022, India has translocated eight African cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa. This is part of a long-term conservation plan to re-introduce the wild cat into the country after it became extinct in the 1950s, primarily due to hunting. The aim is to be able to build a self-sustaining population, centred at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, which will also contribute to the global survival of the cheetah as a species. Can the cheetahs thrive in India and help India’s grasslands? Here we discuss the question.  Guests: Rajesh Gopal, a former forest officer closely involved with Project Tiger, now heads the Global Tiger Forum; Ravi Chellam, former member of an expert committee to guide the translocation of the Asiatic Lion, and CEO, Metastring FoundationHost: Jacob Koshy