As polls near, how is Tamil Nadu's economy doing?

On March 20 this year, the patent for semaglutide, which is the active ingredient of blockbuster drug Ozempic, expired in India. The country was ready: nearly 40 generics are either in the market now or will be out soon. The story of Ozempic and weight-loss drugs falling under the GLP-1 category, is now a few years old, though studies continue to research how these drug impact the human body. Up until now, its costs had put it out of the reach of most Indians. That has changed now, with the costs of the generics much lower than that of the original. In a country where nearly a quarter of the population is either overweight or obese and where 1 in 10 adults live with diabetes, how is this going to impact obesity and diabetes treatment? And should these drugs be all we rely on? Listen in. Guest: Dr. V. Mohan, chairman, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Chennai Host: Zubeda Hamid Producer: Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CAR-T cell therapy, a breakthrough treatment that has transformed certain cancer outcomes, is now showing early promise in tackling autoimmune diseases. In a recent case in Germany, a patient with multiple severe autoimmune conditions entered treatment-free remission after receiving the therapy, raising fresh questions about its potential beyond cancer. In this episode, we break down how CAR-T works, why autoimmune diseases are so difficult to treat, and whether this approach could offer long-term remission or even a cure. We also look at the risks, costs and what this could mean for patients in India. Host: Reuben Joe Joseph Guest: Roshan Samuel Mathews, PhD candidate, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tamil Nadu is often seen as one of India’s strongest economic performers, recording 7.4% growth in 2025-26, with manufacturing registering real growth rate of 14.74% in 2024-25, well above the national average. Real growth stood at 11.2%, among the highest for major states. Exports have nearly doubled in just four years, and incomes remain among the highest in India. The state is now aiming for a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2030, backed by rising incomes, expanding infrastructure, and a welfare model it argues actually drives growth. While unemployment levels have fallen, even as concerns persist around job quality, workforce participation, and potential disruption from automation and AI. There is also an ongoing debate over the fiscal sustainability and economic impact of welfare spending. What is driving Tamil Nadu's growth, and where are the gaps? With Tamil Nadu heading to the polls, we take a deep dive into the state’s economy, its strengths, and the challenges that lie ahead. Guest: J. Jeyaranjan, Vice Chairman of the State Planning Commission Host: Nivedita V Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect from midnight of April 16, 2026. The truce, announced by US President Donald Trump, could offer some relief to Lebanese civilians who have been facing relentless attacks from Israeli air and ground forces since March. More than 2,100 Lebanese have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2026. The attacks – a combo of air and ground operations -- have injured over 7,000 people and displaced more than 1.2 million across Lebanon.  But even as the bombardment continued, with Hezbollah putting up enough resistance to slow Israeli troop advances, Lebanese and Israeli representatives gathered in Washington DC earlier this week for peace talks, and the ceasefire announced by Mr Trump was the outcome. Will it be respected by Israel and the Hezbollah militia, given reports of violations in the early hours of the ceasefire? How will Lebanon disarm Hezbollah – a key demand of the Israelis during the talks? And what is needed for this truce to yield long-term peace?  Guest: Iftikhar Gilani, senior Indian journalist based in Ankara, Turkey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 7, the AI firm Anthropic, which makes the popular Claude product, said that a new model it’s been working on, Mythos, is so powerful at finding cybersecurity vulnerabilities that it would not release it publicly. Instead, the company said, it would share the model with tech firms that make the foundational critical software that are widely used across the economy. The initiative, known as Project Glasswing, has led to cybersecurity concerns at most firms, who must now contend with AI-enabled attackers using so-called “zero-day” exploits which are unknown even to a given piece of software’s developers, and therefore are not patched through software updates. Mythos, Anthropic says, has already found — and enabled patches for — bugs over a decade old in software that has been intensely audited by humans and automated systems millions of times. The Hindu reported last week that the Union government and the Indian IT sector’s main cybersecurity body are both studying the implications of Mythos. Guests: Aseem Jakhar and Sharda Tickoo Host: Aroon Deep Producer: Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ashok Vardhan Shetty is one of the three members of the Justice Kurian Joseph Committee, appointed by the DMK government headed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to study Union–State relations. The committee recently submitted Part 1 of its report to the Chief Minister, who has since tabled it in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.  Tamil Nadu has historically been very vocal about issues such as decentralisation, state autonomy and federalism. As early as 1969, the late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi appointed the Justice Rajamannar Committee to examine the relationship between the Centre and the States.  Against this backdrop, we speak to Mr. Shetty understand the recommendations and ideas presented in the report.  Guest: Ashok Vardhan Shetty, Fomer IAS, Member of Justice Kurian Joseph High-Level Committe on Union-State Relations  Host: Bhagavathi Sampath K J  Edited and produced by Shiksha Jural Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Islamabad peace talks between the US and Iran failed to yield a peace deal after 21 hours of negotiations. Both the sides have blamed each other for the failure. What exactly were the sticking points? What does the deadlock mean for the ceasefire? And how will the US attempt to blockade Iranian ports take shape? Guest: Suhasini Haider, The Hindu’s Diplomatic Affairs Editor Host: G Sampath Producer and editor: Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Traditionally, higher inflation leads to interest rate hikes to slow demand. This approach was used after the pandemic, when prices surged across major economies. But this time, the situation is more complex. The conflict in West Asia has pushed up energy prices and while that is driving inflation higher, it is also straining household budgets. As people spend more on essentials like fuel and electricity, they tend to cut back elsewhere.This creates a difficult balancing act. Could raising interest rates now risk pushing economies into a slowdown or even a recession? Or does holding back risk letting inflation persist? And how much of this hesitation is driven by uncertainty around the evolving conflict and energy markets? In this episode, we unpack these questions and examine why central banks are holding back and how this phase of inflation is different. We also look at what it could mean for growth and policy choices going forward. Guest: Professor Rohit Azad, who teaches Economics at the Jawaharlal Nehru University Host: Devyanshi Bihani Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tamil Nadu is heading into a crucial election, with the DMK government led by M. K. Stalin completing its first full term in office. While the party continues to foreground its welfare-driven “Dravidian model,” questions are being raised about governance, fiscal sustainability, and whether there is any perceptible anti-incumbency on the ground. The AIADMK is attempting to consolidate the opposition space even as leadership challenges persist. At the same time, the BJP has been trying to expand its footprint in a State where it has historically struggled, raising the question of whether Tamil Nadu remains a bipolar contest or is slowly becoming more competitive. Adding a new dimension to this election is the political entry of actor Vijay through his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which could potentially reshape voter dynamics, particularly among the youth.  So, how strong is the anti-incumbency sentiment against the DMK, if at all?  Can the AIADMK mount a credible challenge? How will leadership changes affect BJP's prospects?  And is Tamil Nadu still firmly bipolar, or are we witnessing the beginnings of a more fragmented political landscape?   Guest: R Kannan, former UN officer, and author of MGR: A Life, Anna: The Life and Times of C.N. Annadurai and The DMK Years: Ascent, Descent, Survival  Host: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian  Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cuba is facing its worst crisis since the Soviet collapse. The Trump administration has imposed a de facto naval blockade, cutting off oil supplies for three months, triggering repeated electricity grid collapses, and leaving over 1,00,000 patients waiting for surgery. President Trump has spoken of "taking Cuba," while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called for regime change. In this conversation with Srinivasan Ramani of The Hindu, Cuba's Ambassador to India, Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera, speaks about the devastating impact of the blockade on ordinary Cubans, the loss of Venezuela as Cuba's closest ally after the U.S. capture of President Maduro, the six-decade embargo's stranglehold on Cuba's economy, the ongoing negotiations with Washington, and Cuba's red lines. He also makes a direct pitch for Indian partnership in Cuba's energy transition and economic reform. Producer and editor: Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices