Moneylife News Bites

Why do food adulteration and poor hygiene persist despite food safety laws? And what happens when a regulator decides to enforce those laws differently? In this Podcast, Sucheta Dalal examines the Tukaram Mundhe effect—the sweeping changes introduced by Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe to crack down on food adulteration, unsafe food and regulatory failures. Speaking at a Moneylife Found...

The Supreme Court’s verdict on Yes Bank’s AT1 bonds raises serious questions about investor protection, banking regulation and the accountability of financial regulators in India. In this Podcast, Debashis Basu examines the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Bombay High Court’s ruling against the write-off of ₹8,415 crore in Yes Bank AT1 bonds. The case goes beyond a legal dispute: it exposes...

Mumbai’s airport reshuffle has been put on hold—but will the extra time be enough to fix the city’s long-standing aviation and connectivity problems? In this analysis, Sucheta Dalal examines the controversy surrounding Adani-controlled Mumbai International Airport Ltd’s plan to shift 265 weekly international departure slots from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to Navi Mum...

How did India narrowly avoid a potentially costly encounter with Sanjeev Gupta, the steel tycoon whose business empire expanded across Britain, Australia and other markets? In this episode, Sucheta Dalal examines Gupta’s India foray in 2018, when his Liberty House group announced plans to invest $10 billion and bid for several distressed Indian companies under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (I...

When regulation is legal, compliant—and still fails the public, what has gone wrong? In this video, Debashis Basu examines how public interest can be displaced by private interests in India’s policymaking. Using IRDAI’s proposed reforms to insurance distribution, digital lending, the Licence Raj, public-sector banking, RTI and SEBI, he identifies three ways this happens: bad policy design, capture...

India’s Gen Z is being celebrated as part of an “Aspirational India” — young consumers entering the formal credit system, taking loans for education, two-wheelers, smartphones, emergencies and small businesses. But beneath the credit-growth numbers lies a more complicated story. In this audio, Sucheta Dalal examines India’s rapidly expanding consumer credit market and asks an important question: w...

India is finally learning to read food labels. But in an increasingly digital marketplace, consumers also need to learn to read the screen. In this audio, Sucheta Dalal examines the growing crackdown on food safety, misleading claims and inadequate labelling in India. From Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe’s enforcement drive to FSSAI action against major food, beverage, hotel and e-comm...

India wants manufacturing to become a bigger engine of economic growth, exports and employment. But can the country build factories at scale without building the skilled workforce those factories need? In this video, Debashis Basu examines one of the biggest constraints on India’s manufacturing ambitions: the shortage of formally trained and industry-ready workers. India has invested heavily in sk...

The Reserve Bank of India’s decision to reject Tata Sons’ request to surrender its registration as a Core Investment Company (CIC) could have far-reaching consequences for one of India’s most prominent business groups. In this analysis, Sucheta Dalal examines what lies behind the RBI’s decision—and why the issue goes far beyond a regulatory filing. The developments bring three major questions into...

What happens when court orders, de-indexing requests and corporate name changes make it increasingly difficult for investors to find a company’s past? In this important analysis, Sucheta Dalal examines the growing use of John Doe injunctions, ex parte takedown orders and the “right to be forgotten” to remove or hide online reporting about corporate and financial controversies. The issue goes beyon...

India has reported GDP growth of 7.8% for the quarter ending June. But can one headline number capture the health of an economy as complex as India’s? In this analysis, Debashis Basu examines the growing debate over India’s GDP methodology, the challenges of measuring economic activity, and the question of whether the latest growth figures fully reflect what is happening on the ground. The discuss...

Sashidhar Jagdishan’s Six Years at HDFC Bank: Did He Get a Fair Hearing? Sashidhar Jagdishan’s decision not to seek a third term as HDFC Bank’s MD & CEO has triggered intense speculation about the bank’s future. But behind the headlines lies a bigger question: Did Jagdishan pay the price for problems that began before his tenure? In this audio, Sucheta Dalal examines the six years of Jagdishan...

Bank of Baroda has written off a staggering ₹35,715 crore in loans over the past five years, while recovering less than 28% of that amount. At the same time, the bank has agreed to pay US$600 million—around ₹5,700 crore—to settle claims linked to the collapse of NMC Health. In this audio, Sucheta Dalal examines the questions that these numbers raise about banking governance, accountability and tax...

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have been pulling money out of Indian equities. India has even slipped to the bottom of Bank of America’s Asia fund-manager preferences. Should this really worry us? In this audio, Debashis Basu explains why the FPI pessimism may be less alarming than it appears. While foreign investors remain heavily concentrated in large-cap stocks, Indian mutual funds and dome...

What will Noel Tata’s leadership mean for the future of the Tata Group? As N Chandrasekaran’s tenure at Tata Sons comes to an end, the spotlight turns to Noel Tata and the powerful questions surrounding control, capital and succession at India’s most closely watched business group. In this audio, based on Sucheta Dalal’s analysis, we examine how the Tata Group’s power structure evolved under Ratan...

What really drives a country from poverty to prosperity? Economic theories often point to capital, technology, markets, institutions and sound policies. But Debashis Basu argues that there is a crucial missing ingredient: leadership. In this audio, we explore why good policies alone cannot create prosperity. Drawing on the experiences of Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and China—and research on the...

What’s really inside the food packet you buy—and how much of that information is actually visible to you? In this video, Sucheta Dalal examines the ongoing battle over front-of-pack warning labels for foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fats, and asks a fundamental question: Do consumers have a right to know what they are buying before they buy it? The issue is now before the Supreme Court, af...

Can one honest officer change an entire system? In this episode, veteran journalist Sucheta Dalal examines the remarkable impact of Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe's crackdown on food safety violations. From elite clubs and iconic restaurants to adulterated milk suppliers and government canteens, the message has been unmistakable: the law applies to everyone. Why has this enforcement d...

A ₹6 crore railway station that hasn't seen a single train in nearly three years. Empty airports. Phantom schools. Idle hospitals. Ghost employees. Is India building infrastructure for citizens—or for headlines? In this audio, senior journalist Sucheta Dalal examines the growing phenomenon of "ghost infrastructure"—public assets that are inaugurated with great fanfare but remain unused, abandoned...

India's highways, airports and digital infrastructure showcase rapid progress. But is physical infrastructure alone enough to achieve the dream of Viksit Bharat? In this thought-provoking talk, Debashis Basu argues that India's biggest challenge is not the lack of capital or technology, but a persistent human capital deficit. Drawing on economic research by Gregory Mankiw, David Romer, David Weil,...

India has witnessed an unprecedented infrastructure boom over the past decade, with new expressways, bridges, tunnels, airports and mega projects transforming the country's landscape. But alongside the impressive inaugurations and glossy visuals is a troubling pattern: collapsing bridges, cracked highways, design blunders, rushed construction and a striking lack of accountability. In this audio, v...

For 16 years, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) fought to avoid being brought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The Delhi High Court has now reaffirmed that the NSE is a public authority under the RTI Act—a landmark judgment with far-reaching implications for transparency, regulatory accountability, and investor protection. In this audio, veteran financial journalist Sucheta Dalal explains...

Has India's stock market really become independent of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs)? Or is the popular narrative missing a crucial piece of the puzzle? In this insightful analysis, Debashis Basu examines whether Domestic Mutual Funds (DMFs), powered by massive SIP inflows, have truly replaced foreign investors—or whether they are simply investing in different parts of the market. This audio e...

Retired Bombay High Court judge Justice Gautam Patel has revealed a disturbing campaign of threats, intimidation and violence allegedly aimed at forcing him to recant his landmark judgment in the Dawoodi Bohra succession dispute. What began as legal litigation has now raised far bigger questions: Can judges decide sensitive cases without fear? What happens when a judge's family becomes the target?...

Can Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) help clean up India's banking system—or have some become part of the problem? In this audio, veteran financial journalist Sucheta Dalal examines the Supreme Court's sharp observations in a PIL alleging that a ₹1,537 crore bank debt was settled for just ₹73.5 crore through ARC transactions. The Court has questioned whether there is a deeper nexus involving...