India’s temporal inequality: Why the poorer you are, longer the queue

We all know that India is one of the most unequal societies on the planet. But most debates around inequality are focussed on wealth and income inequality. But there is another form of inequality that isn’t talked about much – temporal inequality. How much time a person spends waiting – determines how much time she has for other life-critical activities. In India, it is the poor who spend more time waiting in queues – waiting for essential services like healthcare, rations, and in government offices. Digitisation was supposed to fix this by cutting waiting time. But has it done so? Or has ‘Digital India’ benefited the already time-rich, while further depleting the resources of the poor? Is this lopsided digital governance by accident, or by design? Guest: Ankush Pal, a sociologist trained at the London School of Economics, who works on urban spatiality, caste epistemology, and social movements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent allegations of sexual harassment by eight female employees in Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) office in Nashik has brought renewed attention to workplace safety and grievance redressals of sexual harassment complaints. In this episode, Advocate Geeta Rameshashan joins us to discuss how the PoSH Act works, the limitations of internal committees, and what prevents women from reporting sexual harassment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By the time farmers in Haryana were ready to head to the anaj mandis (grain markets) to sell their Rabi harvest, the rules of entry had been revised. The Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board's March 28 directive introduced a new set of conditions for crop procurement — mandatory registration on the 'Meri Fasal Mera Byora' portal, Aadhaar-based biometric verification, and vehicle number registration via the e-Kharid app. The State government says the measures are aimed at curbing fraud and improving transparency. Farmers see it as a bureaucratic maze that, whether by intent or effect, slows the procurement process to a point where the Minimum Support Price (MSP) becomes harder, and sometimes impossible, to claim.On April 11, farmers staged demonstrations across the State, calling for the compliance burden to be re-evaluated. Can digital governance work if it places the weight of reform on the farmer? When the State modernises to fix systemic fraud, who pays the price? Host: Vibha B. Madhava Guest: G.S. Mann, member of the India chapter of the Global Farmer Network and a former journalist. Producer: Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekender episode, Adrian Wolfson talks us about his new book titled On the Future of Species. Artificial intelligence, he says, one day, could surpass Darwin’s evolutionary narrative on natural selection, and in this new world, he predicts AI not just editing, but authoring entirely new species using what he calls artificial biological intelligence. While we have managed to piece together the genomes of simple organisms like viruses, we will eventually write out the genome of our own species to help eradicate disease and lengthen our lifespan. Along the way, he says, we could even resurrect the extinct woolly mammoth and the dodo. The book is both dystopian and full of hope. Tune in to know how AI can reshape the future of species. Host: Divya Gandhi Producer: Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Workers in the industrial belts of the NCR region and beyond have been agitating for better wages since February 2026 On April 13, a protest in Noida over salary disparities descended into violence. Around 50 vehicles were burn. Police resorted to lathi-charge. Over 300 workers were arrested. Many are still in jail, and serious charges have been framed against them. Trade union activists have claimed that the workers were demonstrating peacefully and had no incentive to resort to violence. State governments are mandated to revise the minimum wage rate every five years. But the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments hadn’t done so for over 10 years. But now, following the workers’ protests, they have announced modest hikes. What really went down on April 13 in the Noida strike? What has been the on-ground impact of the four new Labour Codes notified by the government? How challenging it is for workers in India to agitate peacefully for their rights? Guest: Shreya Ghosh from the Centre for Struggling Trade Unions (CSTU) Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited and produced by: Shiksha Jural Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since March, the country has witnessed a number of agitations by workers, particularly by those in manufacturing sector. In the background of these protests for minimum wages, for expansion of social security ambit and against contractualisation of jobs, the role of trade unions have come up for discussion. There have been concerns about the impact of deunionisation on the workers. In this episode of In Focus-Parley, we discuss the issue of deunionisation and woes of workers Guests: Kingshuk Sarkar, Professor and Area Chair for general management and economics, Goa Institute of Management; Fredy K Thazhath, National President, Trade Union Centre of India. Host: Jigeesh AM Producer: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India now operates the third-largest metro network in the world by length. But can scale alone make a transit system transformative? This episode explores whether the metros across 26 cities are being built to serve the larger needs of urban mobility. We discuss what must align for metro networks to evolve from landmark infrastructure into the preferred, everyday choice for how most people move through their cities — from last-mile connectivity and station area design, to fare policy and unified transport authorities. Further, if all of this can bridge the gap between metro ambition and impact. Guest:  Shalini Sinha, Professor of Faculty Planning at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, and Centre Head of the Centre of Excellence in Urban Transport (CoE-UT) Host: Vibha B. Madhava Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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