Parley by The Hindu

As India faces China’s challenge over the ground situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), we discuss whether a maritime coalition in the Indo-Pacific, the Quadrilateral, comprising India, the U.S., Japan and Australia, an effective counter?Guests: Tanvi Madan, director of The India Project at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., and author of Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped U.S.-India Relations during the Cold War; Ashok Kantha, director of the Institute of Chinese Studies, and former Ambassador to China.Host: Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The HinduYou can now find The Hindu’s podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.Search for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

On Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) under which “every Indian will get a Health ID card.” He said: “Every time you visit a doctor or a pharmacy, everything will be logged in this card.” The NDMH seeks to create an ecosystem under which health records will be digitised. The government has clarified that this would be voluntary, data will be stored locally, and only anonymised data will be shared upwards. We discuss whether real-time capturing of demographic data and broad health indicators will lead to benefits that outweigh the perceived and real risks of erosion of privacy.Guests: A.R. Nanda, a demographer who served as Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India as well as Health Secretary. Venkat Srinivasan, a Boston-based technology entrepreneur, deploys AI in finance, accounting, health and education.Host: Varghese K. George, Associate Editor, The HinduYou can now find The Hindu’s podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.Search for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the government will soon take a decision on the age of marriage of women. Earlier, a task force had been formed to consider raising this from 18 years to 21.Guests: Jayna Kothari, Executive Director of the Centre for Law and Policy Research and Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court.Madhu Mehra, Executive Director of Partners for Law in Development India, and co-founder of the National Coalition for Advocating for Adolescent Concerns.Host: Jagriti Chandra, Principal Correspondent, The HinduWrite to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.inYou can now find The Hindu’s podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for Parley by The Hindu and In Focus by The Hindu

Zomato, one of India's largest food delivery firms, has announced a new paid menstrual leave policy for its employees, 35% of whom are women. While this is not the first time that a company is announcing such a policy, it has triggered a sharp debate among women themselves on whether this is a progressive move, mere tokenism, or a regressive move.GuestsBarkha Dutt, senior journalist and Editor of Mojo.Kavita Krishnan, CPI (ML) Politburo member and All India Progressive Women’s Association secretaryHostRadhika Santhanam, Assistant Editor, The HinduSearch for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

The world is still struggling to come to terms with the unprecedented impact that COVID-19 has had on every aspect of human life. The pandemic has forced cities and towns to go into lockdowns. The attendant side effects — including the rather sudden withdrawal of certain social support services — have affected large groups of people. For a good proportion of the working population, working from home is not an option and they have been summoned to their workplaces. And, the usual structures that would keep their young children safe while their parents are at work — schools, anganwadis and balwadis — are not operational. In this context, parents have made the fervent appeal to open up early child care centres. Two experts discuss key issues concerning the area of early child care.Guests: Maya Gaitonde, honorary general secretary of the Chennai-based Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust. K. Shanmugavelayutham, convenor of Tamil Nadu Forum for Creche and Child care Services and a senior consultant in the Kasturirangan Committee.Host: Ramya Kannan, Chief of Bureau, The HinduSearch for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

The new National Education Policy (NEP), approved by the Union Cabinet last week, seeks to align itself with the Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all in the next 20 years. The policy has brought into its ambit children in the age group of 3 to 18 years. There are concerns that the policy abandons the state’s commitments under the RTE Act.Additional Reading: The Hindu Explains | What has the National Education Policy 2020 proposed?Guests: Leena Chandran Wadia, senior consultant in the Kasturirangan Committee. Anita Rampal, former Dean, Faculty of Education, at Delhi University.Host: D. Suresh Kumar, Deputy Resident Editor, The Hindu Search for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

Following years of breathtaking subscriber growth, tele-density is showing signs of strain. Some telecom players are facing an existential crisis due to brutal competition and the government demanding unpaid dues. At the same time, investors of different hues are lining up to invest in the space, signalling a belief that the industry still holds prospects of juicy returns.In a conversation moderated by K. Bharat Kumar, former Chairman and Managing Director of VSNL B.K. Syngal and International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore professor V. Sridhar discuss what lies in store for the industry.Search for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

The Ministry of Human Resources Development’s insistence, based on new University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, that final year examination in all universities and institutions be held in spite of the risk posed by COVID-19, has also led to a debate on open-book examinations. Do open book examinations offer a way out of the student evaluation crisis thrown up by the pandemic?Guests: Yoginder K. Alagh, former Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityRamakrishna Ramaswamy, Visiting Professor at the Department of Chemistry, IIT - DelhiHost: G. Ananthakrishnan,Search for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

Two Congress leaders discuss the role of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and the future of the Party. These two guests have been part of the Congress Party, yet are not party insiders.Host: Varghese K GeorgeGuests: Kumar Ketkar, Rajya Sabha legislatorRajeev Gowda, who recently completed his first term as an MP in the Rajya SabhaSearch for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

A discussion on the vulnerability of Internet freedom at a time of national security risks. This comes in the backdrop of the government’s decision to block 59 Chinese apps, something that followed the escalation of tensions at the border between the two countries. Host: Sriram Srinivasan, Strategy & Digital Editor, The Hindu Guests: Arghya Sengupta, Research Director at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. Raman Chima, Asia Policy Director and Senior International Counsel at Access Now.Search for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in