- 1 day ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be chairing a Council of Ministers meeting shortly to address the economic impact of the West Asia conflict and the Strait of Hormuz deadlock.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome. I'm Sonal Merotra Kapoor. This is 5 Live. On the program today, a lot of stuff that
00:06is happening.
00:06So let me take you through one by one. What is it that we'll be covering?
00:11Number one on the agenda, Prime Minister Modi is back. And will there be a price hike back as well
00:17with that?
00:18Why do I say that? Because there is a cabinet huddle that is likely to happen and start anytime now.
00:25And that could further tell us what the indications are. Will prices go up?
00:30Remember, fuel is already up. Milk, bread, eggs. All of these prices are already up.
00:36How will this, the never-ending sort of deadlock at the state of Hormuz going to impact your and my
00:45household budget?
00:47That story will be discussed.
00:49Story number two. And this is the one we showed you here first on 5 Live. Cockroaches are back.
00:55And this time, they are saying nobody can clip our wings anymore.
01:00Why do I say that? Because the Cockroach Janata Party, the OG Cockroach in that, the man whose interview we
01:07got for you first here on 5 Live,
01:09he says that somebody has hacked into their account and their ex-account, formerly known as Twitter, was taken down.
01:17He alleges it's because they got more followers than the BJP. Is that true? What exactly is the current number?
01:25We'll look into all of that.
01:26Also, story number three that we haven't got our eyes off. India is turning into a tandoor.
01:33There, the heat wave is just going to new heights now. Interestingly, the top 10 cities, hottest cities in the
01:42world are in India, not sub-Saharan desert in, you know, in Sahara or someplace.
01:47It is here in India. In hospitals in the national capital, we are getting stories and reports that people are
01:55getting heatstrokes and landing up there.
01:56So what is it that you need to do? We've got a story that will tell you what is the
02:02right way to keep yourself hydrated this summer.
02:05And then story number four, a lot of you wrote to me saying you want to know this story.
02:10So here we are explaining to you why summer pollution matters.
02:16Just because you can't smell it doesn't mean it's not there.
02:20Grap 1, by the way, is in force in the national capital because we are already 200 plus.
02:27All of that will be discussed on 5 Live. First up, let me take you through all the headlines on
02:32Top of the Art.
02:36Prime Minister will shortly chair a key meeting upon returning from the Five Nation to a high-level meet with
02:41Council of Ministers with focus slightly on economic impact due to the West Asia war.
02:46Also on the agenda, discussion on governance and reforms, many saying a cabinet reshuffle could also take place.
02:55Pulwama's mastermind, Hamza Burhan, not the one from the movie Dhurander.
03:02This is another, Hamza Burhan, shot dead in Pakistan. Terror accused, sustains multiple gunshot wounds.
03:08In Muzaffarabad, Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Unknown salience opened fire on Pakistan's one of the most wanted terrorists.
03:1923 mantris inducted in Vijay Cabinet, 21 TDK, two of the Congress, 33 members of Vijay Cabinet in Tamil Nadu
03:26now.
03:27High drama at Vijay Cabinet. Oath Congress MLA's chair, Kamraj, Rahul Rajiv, long live Rahul chants by TN Congress ministers.
03:36Governor sort of not very happy with it and tells them that, listen, chants can't go on the time of
03:43oath taking.
03:45Meanwhile, Bengal chief minister makes one day matram in madarsas mandatory, says all previous orders stand cancelled.
03:53National song is mandatory even in madarsas before classes.
04:02Meanwhile, Kokro Janata Party's ex-account withheld in India.
04:07The viral, the satirical outfit loses access hours after social media surged, but they are back.
04:15They launched another account and that's also getting all the support online.
04:21The founder there, Abhiji Deepke, has launched a new handle.
04:25He also explains why everything happened. You'll hear that excerpt on the program.
04:32Meanwhile, an Air India flight from Delhi to Bengaluru suffers a tail strike incident during a landing at the Bengaluru
04:39airport.
04:40Air India says that the flight A1, AI, beg your pardon, AI-2651 lands safely and all passengers and crew
04:47disembark normally.
04:49The aircraft has now been grounded for technical checks.
04:53Interim protection has been given to Abhishek Banerjee from Calcutta High Court.
04:59The Calcutta High Court has barred coercion action until 31st of July in FIR case.
05:04A TMC MP moves court seeking squashing of the FIR over Amit Shah remarks.
05:09FIR alleges criminal intimidation during West Bengal poll rally speech.
05:16Meanwhile, a neat whistleblower claim. Silence by Sikha Top Corp.
05:22Inaction from May 3rd to May 7th. Claims deliberate bid was made to delay the probe as well.
05:30Meanwhile, the NTH chief appears before the parliamentary panel. Details coming up.
05:37The manhunt for Tusha's absconding husband is still going on.
05:43Cops increased the reward to husband to 30,000.
05:46Mother-in-law faces action. Giribala said to be axed as Consumer Forum judge.
05:55And India's diabetes drug war heats up as Dr. Reddy's launched a 99-rupee semaglutide pill,
06:04challenging Novo Nordisk and making advanced diabetes and also weight loss treatment far more affordable.
06:19All right, updates are already trickling in and this is regarding the meeting of Council of Ministers today
06:24that the Prime Minister will be chairing.
06:26We are now told that Home Minister Amit Shah has reached for the Council of Ministers meeting.
06:31Now, why is there so much of anticipation building up over this meeting?
06:36Because who all are coming in this meeting?
06:38It's not just the Cabinet Ministers, it's not just the MOS, but Chief Cabinet Secretaries as well
06:43of all the concerned departments are supposed to meet with the Prime Minister.
06:48It's also coming at a very, very critical time, just at an anniversary of sorts,
06:55two years of 3.0 being completed here.
06:59So what exactly is going to happen?
07:01A lot of anticipation building up.
07:03But now that we have Home Minister Amit Shah who's reached, Prime Minister will be reaching any time now.
07:12All right, let's cut across to Aishwarya Palemal for more on the story.
07:16Aishwarya, from what we understand, that there is no one sort of reason behind the meeting.
07:23Multiple things are to be discussed, but the focus, would I be right to say, remains on the deadlock
07:31at the Strait of Hormuz.
07:33The reason that all that oil is not being able to move out and the impending impact
07:39that Indians are finally feeling now post the elections.
07:47Well, definitely, Sonal, you know, let me tell you, I will summarize it by telling you about
07:51the three main points that we can see being discussed.
07:54First and foremost, what we will see being discussed is the kind of work that has happened
07:57over the past two years.
07:58Is it up to mark those promises that the government had made?
08:02Have those promises been fulfilled?
08:03That is something that will be looked at.
08:05The second and crucial thing that we will see being discussed is the impact of the war
08:09that can now be felt.
08:11What we are seeing at the moment is that the government will look at how Indian economy
08:15needs to be shielded from the kind of impact that we are seeing.
08:18The Strait of Hormuz, still a big stalemate.
08:20And third thing that we will see being discussed, the road ahead.
08:23What needs to be done in the next one year?
08:25If there are loopholes, how do you plug in those loopholes?
08:28Those are the things that will be discussed.
08:30And obviously, a report card of sorts will be given by the ministries.
08:33From what we understand, close to 10 presentations, Sonal, will be given.
08:37Prime Minister Modi will be keenly listening to each
08:39and every one of them.
08:40And then the promises that form made, if there are any kind of lags,
08:44any kind of loopholes, all those will be looked at.
08:47All right.
08:47If I may add a fourth one over there, since this is a report card of sorts,
08:52you know what follows a report card.
08:53It's the scoring and it is, you know, moving on to the next phase.
08:57So perhaps a cabinet reshuffle also, which might be on the cards right after.
09:01But stay on with us, Aishwarya.
09:02I'll come back to you on that point.
09:03But let's just, you know, take our viewers through what exactly is happening
09:07and why so much of hype has been created over this one meet.
09:10Now, cabinet meets on a regular basis, right?
09:12Why is this one so important?
09:14Understand that.
09:15Now, after wrapping up a high-profile five-nation diplomatic outreach,
09:18Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now back,
09:20turning his attention to a crisis that has not just India,
09:24but the entire world on the edge.
09:25The conflict in West Asia that refuses to be resolved.
09:29And with it, the growing economic fallout.
09:32Now, in a short while from now, Prime Minister will chair the crucial Council of Ministers meeting,
09:37a high-stakes huddle that is expected to go far beyond the routine governance review.
09:44The significance of the meeting is hard to miss.
09:47This is the first full Council of Ministers meeting in nearly 11 months, remember,
09:52with all Union Ministers asked to remain in Delhi for this one.
09:56Sources are telling us that the session could last up to five hours,
10:00underlining the seriousness of the agenda before the government politically too.
10:05The timing is impeccable.
10:08June 9th marks two years of Modi 3.0 government
10:11and 12 years of the Modi era at the centre as well.
10:15Ministries have been asked to present detailed report cards
10:18on reforms carried out over the past two years
10:21and also outline future action plans.
10:25The Prime Minister is also expected to provide a broad guideline
10:28or a guidance of sort on the government's next phase of governance and reforms
10:33and inevitably, the meeting is also fueling speculation over a possible cabinet reshuffle
10:39with the performance reviews expected to be a major focus area.
10:44But remember, overshadowing everything else is the crisis that's unfolding in West Asia.
10:50The war has already triggered economic tremors across the globe.
10:54India too is feeling the pinch now.
10:57Remember, petrol and diesel prices have gone up by nearly 4 rupees in just five days.
11:02CNG prices have been hiked twice in the recent weeks.
11:05Milk prices are rising.
11:07Kitchen essentials are becoming more expensive.
11:09Gold and silver prices have surged sharply.
11:11And with the conflict showing no signs of easing out,
11:17there are growing fears that the economic pain could deepen further in the days ahead.
11:24So having understood that, let me go back to Aishwarya.
11:28So Aishwarya, there is a political significance, there is a global and economic significance,
11:34there is also one of within the government, the report card significance, let's call it that, right?
11:41Let's see who gets what.
11:43But if you were to highlight perhaps one of the key things that you think will draw attention at the
11:50moment,
11:51it would be price rise, right?
11:52Because look at the retail inflation at the moment.
11:55It took us a while, understandably, the elections that sort of gave us a buffer of sorts to not let
12:03it percolate down.
12:04But it is percolating down.
12:05And many experts on this very program go on to say that the 4 rupee price hike that you've seen
12:11is just the tip of the iceberg.
12:13It could just be going up.
12:15And by the end of the year, we could be looking at petrol and diesel prices at least 20 rupees
12:20up on the whole.
12:25Well, that is the rumor, Sonal, you know, that's what we have been hearing,
12:28that what we are seeing is a stagnated increase, 3 rupees first, then 1.5,
12:33and now we could also see the price rise happening gradually.
12:36The government obviously, you know, will be very keenly looking at it
12:39because this is exactly what they used to speak way back in 2014 when the UPA was in power.
12:44Inflation became the rallying point.
12:46And the Bharti Janta Party and its allies, the ones who were in the opposition then,
12:50used to point fingers and say that it is inflation which is killing the common man.
12:54So this is something that the government has been very keenly looking at.
12:58And over the past 12 years, they have managed to make sure that the retail inflation remains below what it
13:04was way back in 2014.
13:05But yes, when you see the fuel prices increase, it has a domino impact
13:09because A, your transportation becomes cheaper, expensive.
13:12When it becomes expensive, the other things also by default become expensive.
13:16The first things to become expensive are the fruits and the vegetables
13:19because they are the ones that are transported almost on a daily basis.
13:22So those are the things that the government will now be very keenly looking at
13:25and which are the ministries which can actually be at the forefront,
13:29be at the forefront and protect the Indian economy,
13:31protect the common man from that rising inflation.
13:34That is something that will be very keenly looked at.
13:36The government obviously has the larger goal also.
13:40We have often heard the top ministers of the BJP, Sonal, speak about the grand plan of making India a
13:45developed nation by 2047.
13:47All these things have now become huge roadblocks.
13:50How will these be looked at?
13:51This is something that will be discussed.
13:53And definitely a roadmap will come out from this meeting.
13:56What the government will do, the kind of policies they will come out with,
13:59the kind of schemes that they will come out with for the next one year is also something that will
14:03be discussed.
14:03The other thing, Sonal, that will be looked at,
14:05the kind of subsidies that the government has been giving out.
14:08Will they be impacted?
14:10If yes, then what needs to be done?
14:11And if not, then what needs to be done?
14:13Sonal.
14:14Right.
14:15So, fair to say then, Aishwarya, there is now a sort of plan of action
14:20that the Prime Minister wants to discuss with his cabinet and say,
14:24okay, moving forward, this is where we want to be.
14:27He's sort of going to roll out his vision and then it becomes the cabinet's job to sort of bring
14:32it to action, right?
14:33I also want to understand this from you.
14:35So, apart from just the price hike, a major issue at the moment in the country is of the need
14:43re-examination.
14:44There is a lot of emphasis and a lot of attention at the moment.
14:49The spotlight on Dharmendra Pradhan, somebody under whom two paper leaks now have happened.
14:55Constantly Gen Z out on the streets, every day there is a protest, people asking for a sacking.
15:00Now, if we know, if we know the, you know, the workings of the Modi government,
15:05we know that ministers are not sacked.
15:07But every time a cabinet reshuffle happens, they sort of find their way into some other ministry.
15:12Are you hearing similar murmurs?
15:20Well, you don't need just something, Sonal, that we understand.
15:22We'll be very keenly looked at what exactly happened.
15:25That is something that will definitely be discussed.
15:28The next challenge in front of the government is the 21st of June.
15:31That is the D-day.
15:33That's the day when the re-examination of need will happen.
15:35They need to make sure that nothing untoward happens this time around.
15:39So, all the focus will be on the 21st of June and two days before that and three days after
15:45the examination has happened.
15:46So, we will see all these things being very keenly looked at.
15:49Dharmendra Pradhan and his ministry, they will give a detailed response to what exactly happened.
15:54Who are the ones who were responsible for this examination leak?
15:58That is also something that we will see being a focus in this meeting and what needs to be done
16:02next.
16:02Not just for the 21st of June.
16:04That definitely is something that the government is keenly looking at.
16:07But for this to never ever happen again, not just for NEAT, but for other examinations also.
16:12That is also something that will be explained when the presentation will be given by the Education Ministry.
16:16One more thing comes to mind, Ashwarya, that I want to get your word on.
16:20The Prime Minister, right before he left for the tour, did make a speech in which he asked India to
16:27spend wise.
16:28A lot has been said about it.
16:30But if you see impact on ground, apart from the political photo ops, we don't see actual adoption of those
16:37policies by the common man.
16:38We looked at metro data, ridership has not gone up.
16:41We look at pollution levels.
16:42It's not like there are less cars on the road, so pollution has eased out.
16:46This adoption hasn't really taken place.
16:48I don't see any company who has gone work from home, you know, apart from governments, if they have already.
16:54Is there a likelihood that the Prime Minister could just be reviewing his policy at this point to see if
17:00at all it has worked?
17:05Well, you know, one of the things that the government will actually do is to make sure that they come
17:09out with ways in which the shielding of the Indian economy can be done.
17:13So I'll just take 30 seconds to explain the need for the Prime Minister to come out and to say
17:17those things, because he was understanding what exactly was happening.
17:20See, if you just look at the data, yes, we have seen price rise happening in our country with regards
17:25to petrol and diesel.
17:26But if you look at the world over, there also, developed countries also have increased the rate, because this is
17:32a situation which is beyond the control of anyone.
17:34The stalemate still continues.
17:36Globally, the countries were hoping that we could see this war ending.
17:39We could see some kind of dialogue taking place between the U.S. and Iran, but unfortunately, that is not
17:44happening.
17:45The Strait of Hormuz, the conditions still prevail.
17:48There is still a big stalemate.
17:49So the world does not know how to react to it.
17:51So what the Prime Minister said was that he himself came at the forefront and requested the people that you
17:57need to be cautious.
17:58The word austerity is not something that the government made.
18:01What the government said is that you just need to look at what exactly you are doing, because our companies
18:06on a daily basis are incurring a loss of 1,000 crore rupees.
18:09So if in any way the people can contribute in minimizing that loss, what's the kind of appeal that was
18:14made by Prime Minister Modi Sonand?
18:16All right, Ashwarya, we leave it there for the moment.
18:18We are made to understand that the meeting will go on for about five hours or so.
18:21So good luck tracking all those updates.
18:23We will touch base again once you have some inside details on what exactly happened.
18:33All right, moving on now.
18:36Cockroaches, they are back.
18:38Yes, that is a message now which is flooding social media right now.
18:41Just hours ago, in fact, right before we started the program, the ex-handle of India's most-talked-about new
18:48-age party, the Cockroach Janata Party, was withheld.
18:53But just like cockroaches never give up, they too haven't.
18:57In the space of a couple of hours, a new page was born saying cockroaches are back.
19:02And it has garnered over 20,000 followers already in a matter of a few hours.
19:10And how did this revolution really begin in the first place?
19:13Well, if you've been living under a rock, let me sort of jog your memory a little bit.
19:16Now, six days ago, a 30-year-old student sitting in Boston opened a Google form and typed four words
19:23on it.
19:25Unemployed, lazy, chronically online.
19:30He defined the youth like this and called for a new party, the Cockroach Janata Party.
19:37What happened next?
19:38Nobody really planned.
19:40But to understand why this hit so hard, you need to go back to where the name actually came from.
19:47All right, on the 15th of May, Chief Justice of India, Surikanth, was presiding over a hearing on, you know,
19:54senior advocate designations.
19:56In the middle of the proceeding, he reached out for a word to describe unemployed youth, young Indians who use
20:02RTI applications in social media to challenge institutions.
20:05The word was cockroach.
20:08He also called them parasites of society.
20:11The remark was recorded.
20:12The clip went viral.
20:15CGI, of course, clarified the next day that he was referring only to people who enter professions through fake degrees.
20:21Most Indian youths had already heard enough.
20:25And within 24 hours, Abhijir Dipke had turned the insult into a party registration form.
20:32The idea, he said, was simple.
20:34If they are going to call us cockroaches, we become the cockroaches.
20:39He cannot squash a movement.
20:42You cannot get rid of a cockroach, he said.
20:45And within four days, look what the cockroaches in India have done.
20:49The Cockroach Janata Party has crossed 14 million followers on Instagram.
20:55Look at that number.
20:57More than BJP, more than Congress.
21:01Now, to put this in perspective, look at those numbers.
21:03BJP Instagram account built over years with full machinery of India's ruling party has about 8.8 million followers.
21:12And Cockroach Janata Party has 14.1.
21:15Last we checked, the number is growing very, very fast.
21:18Surprised to see Congress at 13.3 when we were.
21:21Nobody made that BJP Congress comparison before this.
21:25But it's an interesting anecdote.
21:27Now, what happened this morning?
21:29Let's go to that.
21:30On X, the OG Cockroach, Abhijir, you heard him on the program yesterday as well.
21:38We'll play out an excerpt for you now.
21:39Abhijir said that the Cockroach Janata Party Twitter account, formerly, you know, the X account now, has been withheld.
21:47He said this is in response to a legal demand.
21:50Dipke confirmed it himself, posting the screenshot.
21:53It's on your screen right now, writing a simple words, as expected.
21:59Now, on Instagram, the account was reportedly suspended twice overnight, but each time it came back, and each time it
22:05came back, the followers kept climbing up.
22:08Now, the Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP, says it represents what happens when the generation that has been dismissed over
22:16NEET scams,
22:17dismissed over unemployment numbers, and now openly insulted from the bench of country's highest court, decides to stop asking for
22:25a seat at the table, and starts building its own.
22:31The Cockroaches, it turns out, the Cockroaches, it turns out, are not going anywhere.
22:35And if you had a doubt, take a look.
22:55India's newest political party, banned in less than a week.
23:02Why?
23:03After all, it had already crossed both the BJP and Congress in follow account.
23:10And then, X did what it often does best, pull the plug.
23:17In a country where unemployed youth are often mocked as lazy, chronically online, or even parasites,
23:24a new political outfit has decided to turn satire into a political weapon.
23:31It all began with a remark.
23:33The Chief Justice of India making a Cockroach analogy linked to unemployed youngsters.
23:39Triggered outrage online.
23:45A remark which he later said had been misquoted, adding that he was pained by the interpretation.
23:54And within hours, the internet responded with what may be India's strangest and sharpest political experiment yet.
24:01The Cockroach Janata Party.
24:05A meme-powered rebellion now turning outrage into political theatre.
24:12Launched on May 16th by Abhijit Deepke, a former Aamadmi Party social media volunteer and a public relations student at
24:20Boston University.
24:22The Cockroach Janata Party proudly calls itself secular, socialist, democratic, lazy.
24:32It's mission, to build a platform for young Indians constantly dismissed as jobless, frustrated and chronically online.
24:40But behind the humour lies a deeper political frustration.
24:44Being name called.
24:50In just three days, the party claims over 1 lakh members, lakhs of Instagram followers and a rapidly growing online
24:58army powered by sarcasm, anger and Gen Z rebellion.
25:09Even Srinamol MPs, Moa Moitro and Kirti Azhar have been welcomed into the party.
25:14And then comes the manifesto.
25:17Parts attire, parts systemic attack.
25:20No post-retirement Rajya Sabha seats for chief justices.
25:2450% reservation for women in parliament and the cabinet.
25:2720-year ban on defecting MLAs and MPs.
25:31Action against alleged vote deletion.
25:39The party has also tapped into growing youth anger over exam scams, unemployment and political distrust.
25:47Positioning itself as the self-declared voice of the unemployed.
26:02Will the Cockroach Janata Party become a real political force or fade away as India's loudest meme?
26:09Too early to say.
26:11But one thing is certain.
26:12In the age of viral politics, even satire is now fighting for a seat at the table.
26:29With Sriya Kundu, Bureau Report, India Today.
26:38And I'm sure you're wondering who's the OG Cockroach behind this entire Cockroach Janata Party.
26:44Well, the man's name is Abhijit Dipke and we spoke with him earlier.
26:50In the past one year, a lot of Gen Z movements have happened in and around India's neighbourhood.
26:55We've had Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal.
26:57And a lot of memes were then floated around saying,
27:01India ka Gen Z kahan hai?
27:02Are you trying to say India ka Gen Z yahan hai?
27:07I think India ka Gen Z hamesha yahan hai tha.
27:11Because the kind of support you see that we have got in just three days sooner.
27:15Today we have like three lakh registered members.
27:19The figure has gone to three lakh in just three, four days.
27:23On Instagram, we got 3.3 million people.
27:26That is 30 lakh people are following us.
27:28Do you really think that this is possible through any orchestrated campaign?
27:33No, it is not.
27:34You know, Abhijit, the narrative on Gen Z in India is what?
27:38That Gen Z outrages but only online.
27:40If they come out on the streets, it's only to make reels.
27:43This doesn't really translate into something.
27:46Which is why I was saying that many would say this is just a,
27:49you know, like a splash in the pan sort of a moment.
27:54No, I don't.
27:55Actually, I don't.
27:56Because for past few months, I have been observing that there is this growing trend
28:00that earlier people were frustrated but they wouldn't like to express their dissatisfaction.
28:05But if you ever go on Instagram, now these people are speaking up.
28:10And this is just the first stage.
28:12Now they are trying to speak up.
28:14Earlier they were not even speaking up.
28:16Now they have got to a point where they are being vocal about their frustration.
28:21And tomorrow they might even get on the streets.
28:24But let me remind you again.
28:25If they get on the streets, don't think it will be like Nepal or Bangladesh.
28:31Indian Gen Z won't do that.
28:32Like these people are really smart.
28:34I have been speaking to hundreds of them.
28:36And they are explaining to me how they need to, you know, protest in a very democratic and peaceful manner.
28:42They understand how important it is to raise their voice but within the constitutional rights.
28:49So I wouldn't compare the Indian Gen Z with the Gen Z of other nations and would try to, you
28:54know, defame them.
28:55Because these people are more smarter than the entire cabinet ministry that is sitting there today.
29:00The kind of politicians we have, the kind of ministers we have, what educational qualifications do they have?
29:09The world's hottest cities right now are not in Sahara, not in Middle East.
29:13They are in India.
29:15For days now, small towns in North India have been sort of competing in a terrifying global race on who
29:21can survive the highest temperature on earth.
29:25Banda in Uttar Pradesh touched a blistering 48.2 degrees Celsius.
29:28Itawa isn't far behind.
29:30Delhi is gasping.
29:32And across North India, roads are melting, transformers are exploding, hospitals are now filling up and people are timing their
29:40lives around the sun.
29:42This is no longer summer.
29:44This is a survival weather.
29:46Step outside in parts of North India this afternoon and it feels less like air and more like a hair
29:53dryer blasting directly into your face.
29:56In Delhi, the ridge area became the hottest spot in the capital at 46.5 degrees Celsius.
30:03Several neighbourhoods also crossed the 45 degree mark.
30:06The IMD has now issued a heatwave alert warning that temperatures between 44 to 46 are likely to continue.
30:13And the most chilling part?
30:15These temperatures are becoming normal.
30:18Cities like Bandai and Itawa are now repeatedly appearing on the global temperature tracker.
30:23Not once, not accidentally, but consistently ranking amongst the hottest cities and places on the planet.
30:31Think about it.
30:32Tiny districts in Uttar Pradesh are now hotter than deserts famous for extreme heat.
30:38And this isn't just a weather story anymore.
30:40It's a warning.
30:42Because extreme heat kills quietly, not dramatically like floods, not dramatically like earthquake or COVID.
30:49Heat creeps in slowly through dehydration, exhaustion, heat stroke, collapsing power grids, power shortages, water shortages as well.
30:57And also, remember, failing crops.
31:00The poorest suffer first.
31:02Delhi wage workers still sort of step out because missing work means missing food.
31:07Delivery workers continue riding under the, you know, punishing sun.
31:10Street vendors stand beside burning, you know, for hours.
31:15And for those without air conditioners, every night feels like they're trapped inside a furnace that never cools down because
31:23night temperatures this time are also going very high, which is really odd.
31:29Even homes are no refuge anymore.
31:31Fans blow hot air, coolers fail, electricity demand surges, and also hospitals begin reporting rising cases of dizziness, fainting, heat
31:40-related illness.
31:41Now, scientists have repeatedly warned that climate change is making heatwaves longer, harsher, more frequent.
31:51What used to be extreme is now becoming routine.
31:53And the scariest part of this heatwave is not just today's temperature.
31:57It's the possibility that this may soon become the new normal.
32:00For now, doctors are urging people to avoid direct sunlight, stay hydrated, wear loose cotton clothing, and avoid stepping out
32:08during peak afternoon hours, unless absolutely necessary.
32:13But the bigger question remains.
32:15How do cities build for the past survive?
32:20You know, you know, how do they build for a future?
32:24Because India isn't just battling a heatwave anymore, it is leaving just no stone unturned to destroy its economic setup.
32:35It is living through a front line of climate change.
32:42But as the heatwave goes up, a very peculiar phenomenon is on our minds.
32:47Now, most of us think that pollution is a winter problem.
32:51October comes, air turns grey, you start seeing through, you know, those AQI alerts and everyone panics.
32:57Then summer arrives and we think, hey, now we're all safe.
33:00We are not safe.
33:01The reason we do not notice summer pollution, the way we notice winter pollution is partly visual.
33:08Winter smog is visible.
33:09You can see it, smell it, taste it.
33:12Summer haze is less dramatic.
33:14But the particles are still there, still entering your airways, still triggering sinus infections, allergic, you know, enteritis as well.
33:23Sort of persistent coughs, eye irritation.
33:25How many of you do you know around you who are coughing now?
33:28Just think about it.
33:30Pollution did not go on a holiday break, remember, because the temperatures crossed 40 degrees.
33:35The calendar changed and the pollutant changed.
33:38I'll tell you about that.
33:39The damage is still being done.
33:41Right now, in May of 2026, Delhi NCR is sitting at 46 degrees heat and the air is still in
33:49the poor category.
33:51You'll be shocked by these numbers.
33:52Greater Noida AQI, 312.
33:57Ghaziabad, 247 AQI.
33:59Noida, 233 AQI.
34:02The Commission of Air Quality Management has already triggered stage 1 GRAP measures in the middle of the heat wave.
34:08We don't know if it's being enforced or not, but that's the deal.
34:12GRAP 1 is in place.
34:14But let's understand what changed.
34:18What is the phenomenon of summer pollution?
34:22Remember, pollution has not gone.
34:24Just the pollutant has changed.
34:26So listen carefully.
34:28Now, in winter, the willin is PM 2.5, released from stubble burning, vehicle exhaust, wood fires.
34:35They go deep into your lungs.
34:37They get trapped close to the ground because the temperature inversion.
34:40Remember, we told you that.
34:41Then the phenomena where cold air sits on the surface and warm air below acts like a lid,
34:48sealing everything in.
34:50What happens in the summer?
34:52Completely different story.
34:54Here, the dominant pollutant now is PM 10.
34:57And the source is mostly dust.
35:00This is how it works.
35:02Now, the Thar Desert sits on the west, northwest of the northern plains.
35:05You understand that.
35:06In the summer, the land heats up so intensely that it creates what is called a heat low.
35:11A thermal low pressure system that stretches all the way to Iran.
35:16This pulls in a strong westernly wind.
35:18Remember, your science lessons.
35:21When there is a low pressure area, something will come and take its place.
35:24So the western winds come and take its place.
35:27It is what we call blue.
35:29Blowing at 40 to 60 kilometers per hour.
35:32Those winds do not travel empty.
35:34They carry dust from West Asia, Thar, all the way across North India.
35:40And then the geography finishes the job.
35:42The Indo-Gangetic plains are boxed in, remember, like that.
35:46Himalayas to the north and the Peninsular Plateau to the south.
35:50The dust has nowhere to go.
35:52It is trapped here.
35:53It sits there, circulating, building up, raising PM 10 levels and, you know, day after day.
35:59And until the monsoon finally washes it out, it stays there.
36:03Then there is a local problem on top of that.
36:05Understand that.
36:06Broken roads, uncovered construction sites, dry, cracked soil on every barren patch of land.
36:12Heat sort of desiccates the soil aggressively.
36:15Loose particles sit on every surface, waiting for the dust, you know, to, and the gust of wind to pick
36:21them up.
36:22The loo obviously obliges.
36:23So it's all just, you know, blowing in the wind with it.
36:26There is another summer pollutant that barely gets talked about.
36:30And this is ground-level ozone.
36:33Not the good ozone, remember, up, you know, in the stratosphere that shields us from the UV radiation.
36:39There is an ozone forming right at the surface as a by-product of the chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides
36:46and sort of volatile organic compounds.
36:48It's not very technical.
36:49Just bear with me.
36:50What happens here is that the heat and sunlight drive these reactions.
36:55And as a result, in peak summer, you have something called a ground-level ozone that builds up.
37:03And that is what inflames and damages lung tissues as well.
37:08So because of a whole host of factors, at 45 degrees, AQI is 300.
37:17Which is why here on the program, and repeatedly I've been saying, that air pollution is a year-long problem.
37:24Air pollution is a pan-India problem.
37:27And we need a solution now.
37:32All right.
37:33That's for our health sort of environment experts to sort of think about.
37:38And we'll keep taking those questions to our ministers as well.
37:40But for the moment, on this program, we don't just raise questions.
37:44We also provide solutions.
37:45So here is what you need to be doing to keeping, to, you know, to actually keep yourself safe this
37:51summer.
37:52You don't want to land up in the hospital.
37:53So drink wisely.
37:56Also, drink intelligently.
37:58Watch this report to understand what electrolytes do and why they are important for you this summer.
38:08How much water should we drink in the day?
38:112-3 litres.
38:18So you're drinking water, eating fruits, doing everything right this summer, but you're still getting tired, getting headaches almost, and
38:28you're camping up.
38:29Well, it's not a hydration problem. It is an electrolyte problem.
38:36For this video, we spoke with Dr. Shivaranjani Santosh.
38:39Also, we spoke with Dr. Ritika.
38:40So let's understand what happens when we sweat in the summer.
38:43Remember, you are not only losing water.
38:46You're losing sodium, potassium, also chloride.
38:48And these are the basic three minerals that are actually controlling how hydrated your body really feels.
38:54And without them, you'll have things like muscle cram, also energy crash.
38:58And losing your mind.
39:00Yeah, brain fog bhi hota hai. She's right.
39:02Also, plain water cannot replace these.
39:05Remember, that's what electrolytes are really for.
39:07People who sweat heavily, spend a lot of time outdoors, exercise regularly, or also recovering from maybe diarrhea or vomiting,
39:14they genuinely need electrolytes.
39:17But, if you're not sure if you actually need it, here's a quick cheat sheet for you.
39:21Firstly, check the colour of your urine.
39:23If it's dark yellow, then it's clearly a red flag.
39:25If you have dry lips, if you have headaches, if you have muscle cramps, also if you're generally just feeling
39:31very tired in the middle of the day.
39:32All of these are signs that your body is asking for more.
39:37But, if you're mostly indoors, you're eating a balanced meal, your food is already covering it.
39:42You don't really need anything fancy.
39:44For example, a banana is great.
39:46Meembu pani is of course great for hydration.
39:48Add a pinch of salt, some sugar if you like.
39:50Nareal pani, chhach, all of them are great ways to keep yourself hydrated.
39:55If you have kidney issues, check with your doctor before loading up on any of the electrolytes.
40:00Now, what about people who are outdoors in extreme heat?
40:03If you're doing 60 to 70 minutes of intense workout, or even if you're going for a long walk in
40:09the heat,
40:10then adding an electrolyte powder is absolutely fine.
40:13Also, what you have to be careful about is some of the sports drinks that are there in the market.
40:18They have a lot of sugar in it.
40:20So, what you have to do is actually read the label and see what exactly is inside these powders and
40:26these drinks.
40:27You have to look for things like sodium, potassium listed.
40:30And if it's not clearly mentioned, it's probably just flavored sugar water.
40:34Also, if someone is actually sick,
40:36I mean, you have diarrhea or vomiting type of water,
40:38then WHO says that ORS is actually the gold standard for any kind of rehydration.
40:44But ORS is one catch.
40:46You have to follow the exact ratio on the packet.
40:50Like this packet is written in 1L water.
40:54One last thing, don't overdo on your electrolytes either.
40:59You know, it can cause irregular heartbeats as well.
41:01So, what are you doing to stay hydrated this summer?
41:22We'll be back up on the program today.
41:23Stay tuned to India Today, lots more coming up.
Comments