This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan are joined by journalist Nikhil Inamdar and Sudipto Mondal, executive editor of The News Minute.

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: “At a surface level, India’s 7.4% growth is world-beating. But the Survey also flags deeper structural concerns – capital flight, a weakening rupee, and private investment that has failed to keep pace.”

On Budget expectations, Inamdar cautions against viewing the exercise as a panacea. “The Budget is often treated as a moral document, but really it only sets the direction,” 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. 

The conversation then shifts to the UGC’s 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. “This is one rare moment where the dragon is biting its own tail. The right wing is suddenly confused by its own creation,” Mondal remarks.

He warns that the regulations flatten hierarchy by merging deeply unequal experiences into a generic category of ‘discrimination’. “They place extreme caste violence on par with far less violent forms of discrimination – and that invisibilises reality,” he says.

This and a lot more. Tune in!

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