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23. South Central 23 | Piyush Goyal Criticises Startups, SC Slams Governors | Dhanya Rajendran
01:28:08||Season 1, Ep. 23In Episode 23 of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna discuss Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s dig at Indian startups and the Supreme Court verdict on Tamil Nadu Governor that revived the debate on federalism. Joining them are chairman of Aarin Capital Mohandas Pai, political and policy consultant Tara Krishnaswamy, and TNM’s senior news editor Shabbir Ahmed. On the startup debate, Pai says, “Delivery-based startups should not be demeaned, they are also a part of the innovation cycle. India has spent just USD 160 billion on startups since 2014. Compare that to China’s USD 845 billion. The problem isn’t delivery apps, it’s the lack of domestic capital and investment in research and development.”Tara adds, “Amazon started as a delivery platform. To build a deep-tech ecosystem, we need to invest in education, research, and infrastructure. India doesn't lack talent, it lacks systems that support it.”Pooja points out how only 8% of Indian startups make it beyond 10 years. “We talk about being a 1.4 billion market—but only a small fraction can actually afford these services,” she says.As the conversation shifts to the State-Governor tussle, Shabbir says, “The recent Supreme Court verdict is a win for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and other opposition-ruled states. Governor RN Ravi sitting on bills was a clear abuse of power.”Tara highlights, ““Only 25% of governors have completed their terms. Most are either political appointees or retired judges. This is not sustainable.”Dhanya points out, “In Kerala, the last governor sat on a bill for 23 months. The Constitution makers did not probably think that we are going to have governors who will sit on bills for months and not act on them.”On whether the post of Governor serves a purpose, the panel agrees that reforms are overdue. Tara proposes, “Let’s have governors elected through an electoral college, like the President. Another option would be to abolish the post entirely.”All this and more—tune in.Once a month, we will invite one TNM subscriber to the show. Write to us on what you would like to speak about to southcentral@thenewsminute.com Send your thoughts, suggestions and criticism as well.Audio Timecodes 00:00:00 - Intro00:01:24 - Announcements00:02:19 - Headlines 00:20:24 -Startups00:49:41- Governors 01:21:58 - RecommendationsCheck out the recommendations and references from this episode.Become a subscriber- Click here.Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here. To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click hereProduced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali
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22. South Central 22 | US Deportations, Waqf Amendment Act
01:18:14||Season 1, Ep. 22In Episode 22 of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath discuss the US crackdown on Indian students through self-deportation notices and detentions and the implications of the Waqf Amendment Act 2025 with Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor at The Hindu, and Senior Counsel Zafarullah Khan.On the scale of the US crackdown, Suhasini says, “What we have seen in the last two months is... governments making it very clear they don't care if due process is followed or not. The idea that the US government now is essentially saying we don't care what's right and wrong… that's never happened before.”Dhanya says, “There definitely is panic amongst the student community… especially that anything they post on social media, anything they do on their campuses, can come back to bite them.”On the Indian government’s muted response, Pooja says, “Isn’t there such a mismatch between what we see — the kind of personality we see of Mr Modi in speeches in Parliament, this bravado — but the minute it comes to implementation of that foreign policy… Rest of it has been extremely meek, hasn’t it?”As the conversation shifts to the Waqf Amendment Act 2025, Zafarullah says, “The present amendments do not address the shortcomings in the administration of the Waqf and its properties. The focus is on how to deprive the Waqf of their landed properties. On the BJP’s claim of protecting the Muslim community’s interests, Dhanya says, “This is a party which did not give a seat to a Muslim. It stood and watched when Muslims’ homes were demolished; when there were hate speeches made against Muslims. And you want the community to suddenly believe that you want to protect their lands, you want transparency in the system, and that is why you have brought the Waqf Act? That is hypocritical. Nobody’s going to buy that argument.”Zafarullah adds, “It is an economic deprivation of the community. That is the agenda. To deprive the community of its resources and thereby make them dependent and second-class citizens.”All this and more—tune in!Write to us on what you would like to speak about to southcentral@thenewsminute.comAudio Timecodes 00:00:00 - Intro00:01:23 - Announcements00:03:03 - Headlines 00:13:39 - US Deportations00:44:51 - Waqf Amendment Act01:09:13 - Letters01:14:23 - RecommendationsCheck out the recommendations and references from this episode.Become a subscriber- Click here.Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here. To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click hereProduced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali
21. South Central 21 | Empuraan Row, Bulldozers at Hyderabad Central University
01:15:22||Season 1, Ep. 21In Episode 21 of South Central, hosts Pooja Prasanna and Leena Reghunath discuss the Empuraan controversy and the Telangana government’s use of bulldozers and police force to clear ecologically rich land near Hyderabad Central University, alongside TNM’s Nandini Chandrashekar, lawyer Nikhil Narendran, and environmental journalist Bahar Dutt.On the outrage over Empuraan, Nikhil says, “What is the problem? If you make a movie using the name of a known convict – Babu Bajrangi – why should the Hindu sentiment be hurt?”On Mohanlal expressing regret over the film’s contents , Pooja remarks, “If anybody could withstand pressure, it's a star like Mohanlal. There was no call for ban, not even from the BJP. So what was the need to buckle?”Leena adds, “People like that – soft Hindutva insiders – you don’t need to threaten them with violence. Even a letter saying his honorary position as Lt Colonel will be removed is enough to shake them.”As the conversation moves to the Hyderabad University land row and the student protests against it, Bahar Dutt says, “We are the land of Chipko. Here we have students who have decided they want to save the forest and the biodiversity in their backyard. Yet we are not celebrating it. Instead, we are lathi-charging and arresting them.”Nandini, who is also an alumna of HCU, observes, “There is no reason [for the government to take this land.] It is not befitting the Chief Minister to call students cunning jackals.” All this and more—tune in.Listen & follow on AppleListen & follow on SpotifyOnce a month, we will invite one TNM subscriber to the show. Write to us on what you would like to speak about to southcentral@thenewsminute.com Send your thoughts, suggestions and criticism as well.Audio Timecodes 00:00:00 - Intro00:01:49 - Announcements00:03:03 - Headlines 00:12:29 - Empuraan 00:41:34 - HCU Land Row01:09:10 - RecommendationsCheck out the recommendations and references from this episode.Become a subscriber- Click here.Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here. To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click hereProduced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali
20. South Central 20 | Kunal Kamra Row, Justice Varma Issue, Kiran Bedi Tapes
01:11:42||Season 1, Ep. 20In Episode 20 of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath discuss the absurdity of targeting Kunal Kamra, why the contempt of court law needs to go, and what the Kiran Bedi tapes reveal, alongside Alok Prasanna Kumar, Co-Founder and Lead, Vidhi Karnataka, and independent journalist Nikita Saxena.All this and more—tune in!Write to us on what you would like to speak about to southcentral@thenewsminute.comTell us what you think about our podcast and give us your feedback by filling this form.Audio Timecodes 00:00:00 - Intro00:39:00 - Kiran Bedi Tapes 00:02:11 - Headlines 00:13:05 - Kunal Kamra Row 00:33:38 - Judicial Accountability 00:54:25 - Kiran Bedi Tapes01:12:57 - Recommendations Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.Become a subscriber- Click here.Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here. To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click hereProduced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali
19. South Central 19 | Telangana Arrests Journalists | India’s ASHA Workers Ignored?
01:17:52||Season 1, Ep. 19Are the arrests of journalists in Telangana a sign that the Revanth Reddy government is misusing power? Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, Leena Reghunath, and Sudipto Mondal speak with Amar Devulapalli, Editor of Mana Telangana, about what these arrests signal for press freedom in the state.They also speak with independent public health researcher Malu Mohan about why ASHA workers—hailed as heroes during the pandemic—are still denied basic labour rights. From lack of pay to being treated as volunteers despite full-time work, the discussion exposes the deep structural neglect of women in India's public health system.All this and more—tune in!Write to us on what you would like to speak about to southcentral@thenewsminute.comAudio Timecodes00:00:00 - Intro00:34:00 - Support TNM 00:02:34 - Headlines 00:06:28 - Telangana Arrests Journalists 00:37:08 - Plight of ASHA workers 01:07:15 - Letters 01:12:57 - Recommendations Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.Become a subscriber- Click here.Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here. To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click hereProduced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali
18. South Central 18 | Electoral Integrity & Bengaluru's Governance Dilemma
01:11:44||Season 1, Ep. 18The 18th episode of South Central, a weekly podcast hosted by TNM’s editor-in-chief Dhanya Rajendran and editorial head for reporting Pooja Prasanna, discussed concerns of electoral roll manipulation and Bengaluru’s governance challenges. Joining them were senior editor Nandini Chandrashekar, Nitin Sethi, the founding editor of Reporters' Collective, and activist Tara Krishnaswamy.Nitin Sethi highlighted serious concerns regarding electoral rolls. He said, "Voter list manipulation has been part of the game for a fairly long while. If you look at election records, you’ll ghost voters up to two, three lakhs in a population of twenty lakhs. Now, technology allows rigorous manipulation at a greater scale. If any party, with a considerably large number of workers try to do this, they can affect it at scale. At this moment, we do not have adequate safeguards to ensure the credibility of the electoral process."Nandini Chandrashekar raised concerns about voter disenfranchisement, pointing out systemic issues within the electoral process. She highlighted, "Faulty voter rolls and procedural errors deny citizens their right to vote effectively. These errors severely hinder democratic participation."Tara Krishnaswamy focused on Bengaluru's governance issues, particularly criticising the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill. She argued, "This Bill centralises administrative control instead of empowering local bodies, undermining local governance and accountability. It moves us further away from decentralisation."The episode delves into both the electoral concerns of the country in general, and Bengaluru’s governance conundrum. All this and more—tune in!Write to us on what you would like to speak about to southcentral@thenewsminute.comAudio Timecodes 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:17 - Reporter's Collective 00:01:40- Announcements 00:10:20 - Headlines 00:13:09 - Flaws in Electoral Process00:44:59 - Greater Bengaluru Bill 01:07:15- Recommendations Check out the recommendations and references from this episode.Become a subscriber- Click here.Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here. To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click hereProduced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali
17. South Central 17 | Indian Cricket, BCCI’s Power & Cinema’s Role in Kerala’s Crime
01:13:52||Season 1, Ep. 17This week’s episode of South Central, hosted by journalist Dhanya Rajendran and co-hosted by Pooja Prasanna and Leena Reghunath, explored two pressing topics—youth violence in Kerala and the growing influence of hyper-nationalism in Indian cricket. The episode featured filmmaker Don Palathara, senior sports journalist Sharda Ugra, and social media influencer Aysha Mahmood.With Kerala witnessing violent crimes, the state is debating whether movies, drugs, or the internet were fueling these incidents. Don Palathara argued against blaming any single medium, including cinema. He emphasized that cinema does not dictate behavior but is a reflection of the larger society.Aysha Mahmood, however, highlighted the impact of technology on behavior, particularly among children. “Our brain has been rewired to have instant justice, instant dopamine hits, instant gratification,” she said.The conversation then shifted to Indian cricket, examining the power of the BCCI and the rising wave of hyper-nationalism. Sharda Ugra pointed out how nationalism in cricket is being deliberately amplified. “This kind of jingoism has been amplified by the government at the centre, and by the broadcasters,” she said. She likened BCCI’s dominance in cricket to the U.S.’s global influence, saying, “BCCI is like the United States of cricket.”All this and more—tune in!Write to us on what you would like to speak about to southcentral@thenewsminute.comAudio Timecodes 00:00:00 – Introduction00:02:05 – Subscribe & Support TNM 00:02:52 – Headlines00:06:44 - TNM turns 1100:08:03– Cinema & Violence00:42:23 - Indian Cricket and Hyper-nationalism01:05:51 - Letters01:08:41 – RecommendationsCheck out the recommendations and references from this episode.Become a subscriber- Click here.Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here. To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click hereProduced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali