The headlines of the week by The Indian Express

As part of our ongoing collaboration with Central Square Foundation, we are here with the third episode of our five part series where we talk about public disclosure of school learning quality data.

Usually, when parents assess schools for their children, they focus on non-academic factors like infrastructure and school facilities. But they do not have access to information regarding the most important factor that is student learning quality. The National Education Policy 2020 places a strong emphasis on public disclosure of school performance. To understand how is this reform is being implemented, we'll be joined by two guests who have been working hard towards bringing this change, Kapil Khurana, Associate Director for School Governance at CSF and A.K. Modh Patel, Additional Director, GCERT, Gujarat who is leading Gujarat’s effort to disclose school learning quality data through the School Quality Assessment and Assurance Framework (SQAAF).


Hosted and produced by Niharika Nanda
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar


Link to the first and second episode of our series with CSF:

Episode 1
Episode 2

First, The Indian Express’ Saurabh Parashar tells us about the case of a 12-year-old Dalit boy who died by suicide last month after allegedly being beaten and humiliated for entering the house of a Rajput family in Himachal Pradesh.

Next, The Indian Express’ Divya A talks about why the government is, for the first time, opening up the conservation of protected monuments to private players. (9:19)

And finally, we highlight the key points from the speech delivered yesterday by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on the organization’s centenary. (22:17)

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Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika Nanda

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, The Indian Express' National Sports Editor Sandeep Dwivedi talks about how the Indian cricket team’s decision to not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts has deepened the rivalry between the two sides in an unprecedented way.
Next, The Indian Express' Maushree Seth discusses the partial demolition of hockey legend Mohammed Shahid’s ancestral home that has sparked political reactions. (13:34)

Lastly, we talk about a scaffolding collapse at a major power project site in Chennai that has left nine migrant workers dead. (20:13)

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Produced and written by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, we talk to The Indian Express' Jay Mazoomdaar about an investigation carried out by The Indian Express on the Central Board of Film Certification. Here we discuss how the CBFC has worked over the years and what has made it a one-man show. 

Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Anjali Marar about India signing a contract with the International Seabed Authority for the allocation of the Carlsberg Ridge in the Indian Ocean for Polymetallic Sulphides exploration and the strategic significance this holds.  (16:05)
Lastly, we talk about Bihar's Special Intensive Revision and the final list of electors that was put out by the Election Commission yesterday. (24:29)

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Produced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, The Indian Express' Deeptiman Tiwary talks about Ladakh, where protests demanding statehood turned violent last week, leaving four people dead and activist Sonam Wangchuk detained.

Next, The Indian Express' Aiswarya Raj discusses Uttarakhand, where a recruitment exam scandal has triggered fierce protests after allegations of paper leaks. (15:09)

In the end, we also discuss Prime Minister Narendra Modi writing the foreword to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s autobiography. (24:23)

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Produced and written by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the week by The Indian Express

First, The Indian Express' Ravi Dutta Misra talks about the new tariffs that the US administration under President Donald Trump announced last week, and what they could mean for India.

Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Shubham Tigga about Jharkhand, where the promise of work led 13 young men into captivity. (09:37)

Lastly, we take a look at Tamil Nadu where one of the deadliest political tragedies in years claimed 39 lives. (20:47)

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Produced and written by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the week by The Indian Express.

First, we talk to The Indian Express' Damini Nath about the new feature that has been introduced by the Election Commission of India on their app and site as a way to eliminate gaps in their system, so that voters cannot be deleted off the voting lists without them getting informed. 

Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Raakhi Jagga about the current situation in Punjab which is reeling from the aftermath of the massive floods that devastated the state last month. She talks about the rehabilitation efforts and how the state is coping. (7:21)
Lastly, we talk about the protests happening in Ladakh, with people demanding statehood and protection under the sixth schedule. (16;38)

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Produced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express.

First, The Indian Express Maulsree Seth talks about Uttar Pradesh, where the state government has moved to restrict the overt display of caste identification in official and public spaces.

Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Vidheesha Kuntamalla about India’s classrooms, where students and teachers scramble to rethink what learning should look like in an AI driven world. (09:40)

Lastly, we talk about multiple women students accusing the manager of an Ashram run institute of sexual harassment. (19:24)

Hosted by Ichha Sharma
Produced and written by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, we talk to The Indian Express' Sweety Kumari about the flood situation in Kolkata. She shares how heavy rains overnight brought the city to a standstill. How Durga Puja pandals got inundated, metro and transportation got suspended and the entire city got flooded. 

Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Anonna Dutt about the World Health Organisation's list of essential medicines that comes out every two years and this year had obesity, diabetes and cancer medications added to it. (9:29)
Lastly, we talk about a 13-year-old boy who reached Delhi all the way from Kunduz in Afghanistan while stowed away in the landing gear of an aircraft.  (19:05)

Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced and written by Niharika Nanda, Ichha Sharma and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

First, The Indian Express’ Siddharth Upasani breaks down the government’s overhaul of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and how the move is aimed at simplifying the tax structure and putting more money in the hands of consumers.

Next, Contributing Editor for The Indian Express Neerja Chowdhury explains the political and institutional implications of the controversy surrounding the Election Commission after Rahul Gandhi alleged voter roll manipulation in Karnataka’s Aland constituency. (17:11)

And in the end, we look at the Supreme Court’s response to a plea seeking an independent investigation into the June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed 260 lives. The petition, filed by an aviation safety NGO, raises concerns about the handling of the probe by India’s official crash investigation agency, the AAIB. (26:28)

Hosted by Ichha Sharma
Written and produced by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express