This week on Hafta, Newslaundry\u2019s Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan are joined by journalist Nikhil Inamdar and Sudipto Mondal, executive editor of The News Minute.<\/p>\n
The panel opens with a deep dive into the Economic Survey ahead of the Union Budget. Guest Nikhil Inamdar raises critical questions over the headline figures: \u201cAt a surface level, India\u2019s 7.4% growth is world-beating. But the Survey also flags deeper structural concerns \u2013 capital flight, a weakening rupee, and private investment that has failed to keep pace.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Budget expectations, Inamdar cautions against viewing the exercise as a panacea. \u201cThe Budget is often treated as a moral document, but really it only sets the direction,\u201d he says, noting that with limited fiscal headroom for stimulus or direct tax cuts, the focus will likely remain on expanding production-linked incentives and providing targeted support to exporters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The conversation then shifts to the UGC\u2019s new equity regulations, which the Supreme Court recently stayed. Sudipto Mondal offers a sharply critical reading, arguing the framework dilutes the specificity of caste discrimination. \u201cThis is one rare moment where the dragon is biting its own tail. The right wing is suddenly confused by its own creation,\u201d Mondal remarks.<\/p>\n
He warns that the regulations flatten hierarchy by merging deeply unequal experiences into a generic category of \u2018discrimination\u2019. \u201cThey place extreme caste violence on par with far less violent forms of discrimination \u2013 and that invisibilises reality,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
This and a lot more. Tune in!<\/p>\n