3 Things

In this episode, Indian Express’ Anand Mohan joins us to tell the story of Sukesh Chandrashekhar, how he managed to con Bollywood actors like Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi, and allegedly pulled off a Rs 217 crore scam.Hosted, written and produced by Shashank BhargavaResearch assistance by Anwiti SinghEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar(This episode was originally published on 27th January, 2023).

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 13th of February and here are the headlines.Prime Minister Narendra Modi today embarked on a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, highlighting the robust ties India shares with these nations. In his departure statement, PM Modi said that his visit will deepen India’s bilateral ties with both the nations. PM Modi will address world leaders at the World Government Summit in Dubai and also inaugurate the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.Chaos emerged at Punjab-Haryana border today as protesting farmers began to remove the barricades, following which the Haryana police fired rounds of tear gas to disperse the mob. A number of farmers were detained and their vehicles seized by Haryana police soon after farmers’ unions began the ‘Dilli Chalo’ march amid heavy security. Farmer leaders decided to continue their march after a second round of crucial meeting between the farmer union leaders and Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Munda last evening ended in a stalemate, with no common ground in sight.Just a day after exiting the Congress, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan joined the BJP today. Speaking about his decision to join the BJP, he said, quote, "After 38 years of political career in Congress, I took the decision to join BJP. I look forward to new innings with a positive outlook keeping the development agenda in mind." Unquote.The Supreme Court today quashed the criminal defamation complaint against Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav in connection with remarks where he allegedly referred to Gujaratis as "thugs". The court quashed the complaint, taking note that Yadav had tendered an apology and withdrawn his statement. The order came on Yadav’s plea seeking a transfer of the criminal defamation complaint pending against him in an Ahmedabad court to a place outside the state, preferably Delhi.Goa police today told a Children’s Court that a mental health assessment of Suchana Seth, the Bengaluru-based CEO accused of murdering her four-year-old son at a Goa hotel last month, did not find any case of psychopathology, and that she gave "clear and rational answers" during the medical examination. The police cited a report of the medical examination conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour in Bambolim, stating that "serial mental status examinations did not reveal any case of psychopathology".This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Avaneesh Mishra joins us to talk about the violence that erupted in Haldwani last week, the reasons behind it and how it unfolded.Second, we talk to Indian Express' Raakhi Jagga about the Punjab Farmers, who made a Dilli Chalo call and are marching towards the capital. (10:43)Lastly, we talk about Madhya Pradesh High Court’s recent observation on demolitions. (21:23)Hosted by Niharika NandaWritten and Produced by Niharika Nanda and Shashank BhargavaEdited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar

his is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 12th of February and here are the headlines.Stating that previous governments used to take a long time to conduct recruitments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the BJP government has provided almost 1.5 times more government jobs in its 10 years than the previous government during its decade-long rule. Addressing a Rozgar Mela via videoconferencing, PM Modi said that more than 1 lakh youths have been given appointment letters for government jobs. He added that the government has allocated Rs 11 lakh crore as capital expenditure in the Interim Budget 2024-25 to increase the pace of development.The Bihar Assembly session began today with Nitish Kumar’s government in Bihar facing a trust vote. This followed two weeks after he jumped allegiance from the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) — a JD(U), RJD and Congress alliance — to the NDA bloc. Ahead of the vote, a no-confidence motion against Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary was taken up and passed by the Assembly, with 125 members voting in favour of the ouster.As more than 200 farmers’ unions gear up for the ‘Dilli Chalo’ march from Punjab, the Delhi Police imposed Section 144 across the national capital for a month, beginning today. An order issued by the Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora stated that there is “an absolute prohibition” on the organization, convening, or participation in any processions, demonstrations, rallies, or march on foot, whether for political, social, or any other purpose, within the geographical limits of Delhi/New Delhi.Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan resigned from the Indian National Congress today. Chavan will be joining the ruling Shinde-led Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance in the state. Sources have alleged that Chavan is likely to get a ticket from the BJP for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Reacting to the developments, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Congress leaders are suffocated within the party and the BJP anticipates more INC leaders to be joining them in the coming days.The Ministry of External Affairs said today that three months after they were sentenced to death, seven out of the eight former Indian Navy personnel were released from Qatar’s custody and brought back to India. While seven sailors returned to India early today, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, whose death sentence was commuted but still received the harshest punishment of a 25-year life term, hasn’t returned yet. He, too, is expected to be back in India soon.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, The Indian Express’ Harikishan Sharma joins us to talk about the new Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 passed by the Lok Sabha.Second, we talk to Indian Express' Divya A about the draft guidelines given by the government for making movie theatres more inclusive for people with disabilities.Lastly, we talk about Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Karnataka.Hosted by Niharika NandaWritten and Produced by Niharika Nanda and Shashank BhargavaEdited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 9th of February and and here are the top stories of this week.The Union Government of India tabled a white paper on the Indian economy in Parliament on Thursday. The 59-page ‘White Paper on the Indian Economy’ said when the Modi government assumed office in 2014, the economy was in a “fragile state”. It stated strained public finances, corruption, double-digit inflation, ailing banking sector following excessive lending during the boom phase and policy uncertainty marred India’s business climate and dented its image under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government during FY04-FY14.The Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Uttarakhand, Bill 2024, which seeks to “govern and regulate the laws related to marriage and divorce, successions, live-in relationships, and matters related thereto” was passed in the Assembly on Wednesday following a two-day discussion. The Bill will now be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent after which it will become a law. Uttarakhand is now poised to become the first state to get a common law on marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance for all citizens, irrespective of their religion.A day after it recognised the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Election Commission on Wednesday allotted the group led by NCP founder Sharad Pawar the name of “Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar” for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra. The NCP split in the party came to light on 2nd of July 2023, when Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar’s nephew, joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra along with eight MLAsIn other news, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit out at the Centre Thursday, saying that it “feels like the Union government has declared war on the opposition party-ruled governments.” The CM was speaking at a protest at Jantar Mantar called by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan against the Centre’s alleged discrimination against states. The Kerala government has alleged that the fiscal policies of the BJP -led government are financially stifling the state, a day after the Karnataka government staged a 'Chalo Delhi' protest at the same venue.Hamas has proposed a ceasefire plan that would quiet the guns in Gaza for four-and-a-half months leading to an end to the war, in response to a proposal sent last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators and backed by the United States and Israel. According to the Hamas counterproposal, all Israeli women hostages, males under 19, the elderly and sick would be released during the first 45-day phase in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, The Indian Express’ Vikas Pathak joins us to talk about LK Advani being conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award.Second, we talk to Indian Express' Diplomatic Affairs Editor Shubhajit Roy about Pakistan general elections and how they are being held amid political instability and a near-crippling economic crisis. (16:34)Lastly, we talk about India's rejection of Canada’s allegations of Indian interference in the country’s elections. (26:50)Hosted by Rahel PhiliposeWritten and Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Rahel PhiliposeEdited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 8th of February and here are the headlines.Hours ahead of the NDA government’s tabling of a white paper in Parliament on the “mismanagement” of the economy in the UPA era, the Congress today released a “black paper” on the Narendra Modi government’s tenure. Titled '10 Saal Anyay Kaal 2014-2024 (10 years of injustice)’, the black paper says the country’s economy has been “devastated”, unemployment “aggravated” and agriculture sector “destroyed” during the Modi regime, and that it has “abetted” crimes against women and “committed grave injustices” against minorities.In a sarcastic jibe at the Congress, PM Modi thanked Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge for coming out with a "black paper" against his government and referred to it as "kaala teeka" (to ward off the evil eye) in the midst of good work being done by his government. He gave his best wishes to all retiring members and expressed the hope that new generations will benefit from their experience.The Reserve Bank of India’s clampdown on Paytm Payments Bank’s business was a result of persistent non-compliance of the regulator’s norms. Following the central bank’s monetary policy review, RBI deputy governor Swaminathan J said at a press conference that the regulatory actions were taken after giving the firm sufficient time to comply. The RBI last week ordered Paytm Payments Bank to stop accepting new deposits in its accounts or popular digital wallets beginning March.Days after announcing that a fence would be constructed along the entire 1,643-km-long Myanmar border to facilitate better surveillance, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said that that the Centre has decided the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar will be scrapped to ensure the internal security of the country and to maintain the demographic structure of India’s northeastern states bordering Myanmar. Under the FMR, every member of the hill tribes, who is either a citizen of India or Myanmar and who is a resident of any area within 16 km on either side of the border can cross over on production of a border pass with one-year validity and can stay up to two weeks.Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led a protest against the Modi government over distribution of central funds to states at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar today. He said the blow to India’s federal structure is coming from the Union eating into the states’ financial resources. He also added that the rights of states are being trampled upon and that the ‘Centre is eating into our financial resources.’ Chief Ministers of Delhi and Punjab, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Maan respectively also joined him at the protest.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

Discussion on Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and its proposal to create common laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, and live-in relationships. Comparison of succession laws for Hindus and Muslims. Exploration of concerns regarding privacy and implications for intercaste and interreligious couples. Examination of the implementation process and the BJP's framing of the issue.

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 7th of February and here are the headlines.Prime Minister Narendra Modi while replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in Rajya Sabha today alleged that the opposition had not come with the intent of listening to the parliament and they could not suppress his voice. He accused the Congress of creating narratives to divide the country, and says the party is now trying to create a north-south divide.After Uttarakhand, another BJP-ruled state is now planning to introduce the Uniform Civil Code with Rajasthan’s ministers indicating that the UCC Bill will be tabled in the next Assembly session after the Lok Sabha polls. Talking to journalists on Tuesday, School Education Minister Madan Dilawar said, quote, "If not today, then tomorrow, but we will bring it. When we will bring it, I cannot say. There should be a uniform law for everyone. Different laws for people damage the people and the unity is not visible. The entire country should be united." Unquote.An Indian-origin student who was pursuing a doctoral degree at Purdue University in Indiana, United States, has been found dead, reported local media on Wednesday. 23-year-old Sameer Kamath was found dead at a nature preserve on Monday evening. He is the fifth Indian-origin student to be killed in the US since January 2024. Last week, Neel Acharya, an Indian computer science and data science student at the same university, was found dead on the campus.Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and several other Congress ministers, MLAs and MPs from Karnataka protested at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday against the “injustice” done to the state in the devolution of taxes and grants-in-aid over the past few years. The protesters demanded that the Centre set right the losses to the tune of Rs 1.87 lakh crore allegedly incurred by Karnataka under the 15th Finance Commission. Siddaramaiah said the protest was not against the BJP but the discrimination against Karnataka.Hamas has proposed a ceasefire plan that would quiet the guns in Gaza for four-and-a-half months leading to an end to the war. As per reports, the Hamas counter proposal envisions three phases lasting 45 days each. The proposal would see militants exchange remaining Israeli hostages they captured on 7th of Oct for Palestinian prisoners. The reconstruction of Gaza would begin, Israeli forces would withdraw completely, and bodies and remains would be exchanged.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.