Mint Primer

India Inc is busy plotting the performance of its workforce across different metrics. The appraisal season this year also coincides with some stringent cost-cutting, particularly if you work in an export-oriented industry. Mint's Devina Sengupta explains what to expect in that letter. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

NITI Aayog’s governing council summit will see the Prime Minister and chief ministers discuss a plan for India to become a developed nation by 2047, the 100th year of Independence. What opportunities and challenges should this blueprint factor in? Mint's Tauseef Shahidi explains. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Increased imports of cheap palm oil have helped cool consumer prices. But farmers have run into losses with home-grown mustard selling at below the minimum support price. It’s a tightrope walk for the government, as Sayantan Bera explains. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Artificial sweeteners have emerged as the go-to substitute for Indians who want to indulge their sweet tooth in a ‘healthy’ way. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) last week cautioned against freely replacing sugar with non-sugar substitutes. Mint's Nandita Venkatesan explains This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

The government has brought credit cards under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) from 1 July. Even a dollar of foreign spending will attract a 20% tax — a departure from the current 5% tax on spending of over ₹7 lakh (credit cards excluded). Mint's Neil Borate explains in this episode. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

With temperatures soaring, demand for electricity is set to peak in the next few weeks. Things should be under control as India has added significant capacity to its power production. But outages are common in many parts of the country. Where is the disconnect? Mint's Sumant Banerji explains in this episode. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

India’s goods exports fell 12.7% to $34.66 billion in April, the steepest slide in three years. This persistent decline has major implications for India’s growth story and, by extension, for job creation. Mint's Ravi Dutta Mishra and Gireesh Chandra Prasad explain how businesses could deal with this problem going ahead.

Once an innovative instant messaging service, WhatsApp today offers businesses one of the most effective ways to reach users. But, like text messages and calls, expansion has come with spam and scams. What’s happening to Whatsapp? How can we stay safe? Mint's Prasid Banerjee explains in this episode.

On 1 May, treasury secretary Janet Yellen sent a letter to the US Congress saying that on 1 June the government is likely to run out of money. With the government currently breaching its debt ceiling, the situation has become parlous. Mint explains what’s happening. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

With government purchase of wheat falling short of target, consumers may continue to bear the brunt of high cereal prices in the coming months. A looming El Nino can further pinch pockets if monsoon rains turn out to be lower than normal. Mint explores. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel wants his body cryogenically frozen after death and revived in the future—one of thousands who have pledged their bodies. How advanced is our technology, and what are the implications of bringing the dead back to life? Leslie D'Monte explains This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

The Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell has set the price of domestic natural gas for May at $8.27 per metric million British thermal units. It was $7.92 in April. The revision follows the new domestic gas pricing formula introduced last month. Rituraj Baruah explains its likely impact. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

They say no password is a good password. With Microsoft and Apple taking the step in the last few years, Google announced its plan to kill passwords online last week, with something called Passkeys. Firms call these a step towards a password-less future. Mint's Prasid Banerjee explains in this episode.

One of the oldest private airlines in India has decided to file for bankruptcy citing persistent issues with Pratt & Whitney engines that power its fleet of 54 Airbus A320 aircraft. Mint's Anu Sharma explains what lies at the core of Go First’s troubled flight path. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Goods and services tax (GST) collections hit a record ₹1.87 trillion in April. Ever since its introduction, GST data has become a barometer of how well the economy is performing. But is the April data really so straightforward? Pragya Srivastava explains This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

A pandemic-induced global shortage of semiconductor chips drove down global auto volumes by a quarter in 2021. The pandemic is over now, and India recorded its best passenger vehicle sales in FY23. So why do shortages continue to niggle? Mint's Alisha Sachdev explains. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Employee costs in leading IT services companies have shot up over the last four fiscals, according to a Mint analysis. In uncertain times, companies are likely to cut costs, which has implications on both hiring and salary hikes. Mint's Manjul Paul and Devina Sengupta explain in this episode. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism calls for tariffs on goods from countries that are not part of the Emission Trading System, which allows companies to trade carbon credits or allowances. This episode is hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

After almost a year of a downturn, the crypto markets seem to be rising once again. Analysts are predicting sky-high prices too and Bitcoin is once again the poster boy for the resurgence.

The success of the ISRO has spawned a number of private players, making the recently announced Indian Space Policy 2023 critical. This episode is hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

On Wednesday, the union cabinet gave its nod to a ₹6,000 crore National Quantum Mission to develop quantum computers and scale up research and development in quantum technologies. This episode is hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

RBI’s Consumer Confidence Survey, a measure of consumers’ perception of the prevailing economic situation, was conducted in the first half of March 2023 across 19 cities. This episode is hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

If there is one state that has an inflation that is consistently the highest among its peers, it is Telangana. At 7.63%, it is almost 200 basis points more than the national average. This episode is hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Demand for refined petroleum products hit a record in FY23, led by transportation fuel. The Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC) said consumption reached 222.30 million tonnes in the last fiscal. This episode is hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Tamil Nadu has banned online gambling, rekindling a campaign against gaming firms in India that has raged for over a year-and-a-half. This episode is hosted bu Prasid Banerjee.