Mint Primer

Earlier this week, Zomato launched a pure vegetarian fleet, which would deliver orders from vegetarian restaurants. But many people have expressed concerns. Among other things, they fear, this could foster discrimination among workers.

In a surprise move, the government brought in a new EV policy on Friday slashing import duties on electric cars to 15% just before the Model Code of Conduct came into force.

The results have come in from Sebi-mandated stress tests for mid and small-cap funds. Days to liquidation range from 12 days for Franklin Smaller Companies Fund to liquidate 50% of the portfolio to 60 days for SBI Small Cap Fund.

The Draft Digital Competition Bill looks to check Big Tech from creating market monopolies. But lawyers and policymakers fear it may scare away global investors, and stifle innovation by breaking up apps that work with each other. Here’s how the bill may work.

India’s deal with the four-nation EFTA or European Free Trade Association may not see a huge jump in trade. But it’s important for another reason.

There is regulatory confusion over the ministry of electronics and information technology’s advisory for firms to get “explicit permission” from the Centre if applications based on “unreliable” AI models are opened for public access.

By Chinese standards, the 5% economic growth projected for 2024 seems rather modest. But such is the state of its economy that most analysts do not expect it to meet even this target. Mint looks at China’s economic woes and what it portends for the global economy.

Google dashed off notices to some startups and suspended their apps from Play Store, sending these firms into a tizzy. As they look to the Supreme Court and the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for a possible resolution, Mint asks: Could this row have a wider impact?

The Indian economy grew at a surprising 8.4% in the third quarter of FY24. Will this pace of economic expansion continue in the fourth quarter? What is the outlook for 2024-25? Mint looks deeper into the third quarter performance and the prospects for the next few quarters.

SpiceJet boss Ajay Singh and Busy Bee Aviation have submitted a rescue plan for bankrupt airline Go First. Previously, efforts to revive Jet Airways have met with limited success. Mint explains the flight path of recovery and the challenges associated with it.

India makes up two-thirds of users of Truecaller, the Swedish caller identification app. Now the Centre’s telecoms department may soon introduce such a service as a default telco offering. Mint decodes how such a move may affect telcos, and Truecaller.

Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, in reprisal for Israeli bombing of Gaza, continue unabated and the disruption they are causing is beginning to pinch. As the crisis enters its fourth month,

Stocks of public sector undertakings (PSU) have had a sterling rally this year. The 56-stock BSE PSU Index’s doubling outshines the Sensex’ modest 24% return this fiscal amid a valuation re-rating backed by earnings. But this rally isn’t a mere bubble.

The Centre’s move to allow partial denotification of special economic zones (SEZs) into non-SEZs in IT and IT-enabled services parks has prompted developers and real estate investment trusts (REITs) to de-notify SEZ spaces. Will this impact vacancy levels?

The Reserve Bank of India has asked a card network to pause payments under a system that allowed companies to make card payments to certain other businesses. RBI did not name the network but Visa says it’s got a missive. Mint explains the reasons

Bike-taxis could be an answer to our urban mobility woes but often face regulatory hurdles. While the Centre has recently clarified their legality, state-level concerns about licensing and regulation persist. What needs to be done to make them more viable?

The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), first proposed in 2016, was meant to be India’s challenge to the dominance of the US in space launch services. But in the past two years, it has only seen two demonstrator launches. Mint finds out why things are going slow.

Net direct tax collection has surged 20%, led by a sharp increase in personal income tax payments. This has helped the government reduce borrowings and speed up fiscal consolidation. Mint looks at what catalysed the mop-up, its benefits and the outlook for next year

Farmers have laid siege to European cities with tractors protesting subsidy cuts, cheap imports, high energy prices and imposition of green policies. In India, farmers are preparing for another showdown. What’s going on? Is there a common thread?

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a housing scheme for the middle class as part of a ‘housing for all’ policy. This has sparked off a hunt for counting the middle class.

Rents went through the roof in 2023—the rise was the highest in a decade—as demand outstripped housing supply in many cities. Will the trend change this year? If so, to what extent?

Top officials of the $120 billion domestic automotive industry met in New Delhi last week to brainstorm over what could be in store next year. They expect a slowdown in the growth of passenger vehicles.

For the fifth year in a row, the government is set to miss its divestment target. It has now adopted a new strategy and has decided against fixing a divestment target. Why did the targeted approach fail and why do we need divestments?

The interim union budget for FY25 announced the setting-up of a ₹1 trillion-corpus to fund deep-tech ventures. This gives India’s nascent deep-tech sectors a shot in the arm. However, there will be challenges. Mint explains why the corpus is significant.

Elon Musk-owned Neuralink has implanted a brain chip in a patient who is “recovering well”. Neuralink’s brain-computer interface (BCI) can help patients use their limbs through thought. But some are wary about the lack of details provided by Musk.