Celebrating World Genome Month • Pragati Express

Yes, Global Genome Month is real. We did not make it up.

Shambhavi Naik and Hamsini Hariharan discuss why it is important to think of gene editing and how India can leverage it.

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Ep. 713: Omicron: The Harbinger of the third wave?
COVID 19’s latest variant: Omicron, may become the cause of the third wave in India. This could lead to a similar or even greater loss of life than before. In this episode, Harshit Kukreja and Mahek Nankani discuss Omicron, how different it is from Delta, its severity and what can be the possible initial steps … Read more "Ep. 713: Omicron: The Harbinger of the third wave?"
Ep. 712: Are Cities Still Relevant in the Metaverse Era?
Cities are where jobs are created and have been important to human progress. Can cities redesign themselves to remain relevant in the era of internet-based 3-D virtual environments, like metaverse? In this episode, Mihir Mahajan speaks to Aarushi Kataria and Sridhar Krishna to discuss the rise and decline of cities, and how cities were reinvented … Read more "Ep. 712: Are Cities Still Relevant in the Metaverse Era?"
Ep. 711: Dissent on The Personal Data Protection Bill
The Data Protection Bill is supposed to be up for discussion in the winter session of Parliament. Jairam Ramesh, an MP and a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee has made public a dissent note to the committee chairperson. Rohan Seth talks to Sapni G K and Prateek Waghre to discuss. Sign up for Takshashila’s … Read more "Ep. 711: Dissent on The Personal Data Protection Bill"
Ep. 710: What’s Climate Change Got To Do With Your Dinner?
Climate change is likely to result in increased frequency and intensity of extreme events and alter weather patterns in the long run. This, in turn, will impact agriculture and food security. In this episode, Arjun Gargeyas talks to Atish Padhy and Aarthi Ratnam on the potential effects of climate change on food production, diversification of … Read more "Ep. 710: What’s Climate Change Got To Do With Your Dinner?"
Ep. 709: India’s COVID-19 Risk Communication Plan
Public health incidents around the world have demonstrated that a well-timed and well-executed risk communication plan can help manage circumstances on the ground in a much better way. However, in unusual circumstances like the existing COVID-19 pandemic, implementing effective communication methods is difficult. In this episode, Mahek Nankani and Apurva Kumar talk about the communication … Read more "Ep. 709: India’s COVID-19 Risk Communication Plan"
Ep. 708: Talks with the TTP: Peace in sight for Pakistan?
Recently, the government of Pakistan reached a month-long ceasefire agreement with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The deal, mediated by the Afghan Taliban, has revived the hopes of ending the long-running Islamist insurgency in Pakistan. Priyal Lyncia D’almeida talks to Shrey Khanna to get insights on the nature of the talks and the prospects of peace in … Read more "Ep. 708: Talks with the TTP: Peace in sight for Pakistan?"
Ep. 707: India’s Jobless Growth
India’s economy has grown at 7% on average over the last thirty years, but employment elasticity has been constantly declining from 0.4 to 0.087. This number is significantly lower than the US (0.64) and Northern Europe (0.51). How can India increase employment elasticity? In this episode, Aarushi Kataria and Sridhar Krishna draw on ideas from … Read more "Ep. 707: India’s Jobless Growth"
Ep. 706: Mental Health and India’s Police
Indian police personnel are overworked, under-trained, and under-equipped. Yet they are at the forefront of jobs from traffic duty to pandemic management. This has lead to mental health problems in the force. Ruturaj Gowaikar and Aarthi Ratnam discuss the lack of systemic, institutional psychological support for India’s police personnel. They also dwell on the role … Read more "Ep. 706: Mental Health and India’s Police"
Ep: 705: Social Networks and Indian Women
Access to social networks could potentially benefit Indian women, but women in India tend to be isolated. In this episode, Suman Joshi, Apurva Kumar and Sarthak Pradhan discuss the barriers women face in creating and accessing social networks. They also reflect on the possible implications of the same. Here are the papers referred to, in … Read more "Ep: 705: Social Networks and Indian Women"
Ep. 704: Creating Safety Nets for Gig Workers
Gigs are not new. Hollywood made the transition to gigs from the studio system 70 years ago and the result is not all bad. While the movie industry today does not offer wage stability unlike the studios of the past, it does offer employment today to millions more and the quality of movies made is … Read more "Ep. 704: Creating Safety Nets for Gig Workers"