All Indians Matter

There’s been a series of malfunctions and close shaves involving passenger flights over the past few days, making fliers nervous and raising serious concerns about air safety in India. What’s causing these incidents? Blame them on a number of reasons, from cash-bleeding airlines cutting corners to a shortage of staff and unauthorised engineers clearing takeoff. How did we get here and what is the...

India, with more than 10 crore investors, is the world’s most significant crypto market. But regulations have been confusing, and the government seems to have been caught unawares by the boom. For instance, it imposed a tax on cryptocurrencies but said that it does not mean they have been legalised. Investors are demanding that the government take a clear stand and that cryptocurrencies be legalis...

More than 40% of India’s external debt, or $267 billion of the total $621 billion, is due for repayment in the next 9 months. This is equivalent to 44% of India’s forex reserves. The rupee has been falling consistently, recording new lows every few days, and it could face further pressure as the record external debt comes up for repayment. What does this mean for you? Please listen to the latest e...

Officially, there are 2.68 crore disabled persons in India but that’s most likely an undercount. They need employment in order to transform their status with society and their families. A shift in employer mindsets can greatly enhance job opportunities for people with disabilities. How do we ensure this happens? Meera Shenoy, founder and CEO of Youth4Jobs and a pioneer in the skilling of youth wit...

India has banned single-use plastic but environmentalists are not convinced it will work, and the industry is up in arms over job losses and the tiny transition period. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor VK Tripathi, a former plasma physicist who’s now a renowned peace activist, is well known for his walks through Delhi distributing pamphlets promoting communal harmony. He’s also become somewhat of a social media phenomenon through his videos. He was inspired to work for inter-faith amity after seeing first-hand the carnage of the 1989 Bhagalpur riots. He speaks to All Indians Matter on...

Talk of an ‘induced’ recession in the US is gaining ground. If it happens, it’s likely to be mild and shortlived but it will affect India – from slowing growth to hurting sectors like IT, ITeS, textiles, jewellery, etc. It’ll also shake up the stock market and make loans that finance infrastructure and social programmes costlier. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.   Learn m...

A couple of years ago, members of the Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, found a crumbling, damaged diary at Kasturba Ashram in Indore. It turned out to be a 135-page diary written by Kasturba, between January and September 1933. Like Kasturba, the diary lay forgotten and neglected. Tushar Gandhi, peace activist, author and great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba, took it upon himself to t...

Of all the bad news coming out of India, at this moment, soaring inflation is the worst. What can you, the average Indian, do to stay on top of inflation? Here are seven tips to reduce the stress on your finances by spending smartly, consuming efficiently and investing intelligently. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

There is a gargantuan amount of post-harvest food loss – which occurs in the crops’ journey from farm to retailer – in India due to inefficient supply chains. Nearly 40% of the food we produce is wasted even before it reaches the consumer. India has 200 million people who are food insecure and is home to the largest number of hungry people in the world. What can India, and you and I as individuals...

The LIC IPO was billed as India’s “Aramco moment”. But, with the stock down nearly 30% since listing, it has wiped out $17billion in market value and is among the biggest wealth destroyers among Asian IPOs. What does this mean for the government’s disinvestment targets? Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Naxal insurgency is much reduced from its peak but it remains one of our most significant internal threats. Naxals target security forces, government workers and symbols of the Indian state, claiming to fight for tribals’ land and human rights in the face of a sustained assault from the government-industry nexus. What is this insurgency all about? Most importantly, what are the people right at...

When BJP spokespersons insulted the Prophet and made anti-Islamic comments, the Modi government wouldn’t have anticipated the eruption of anger from the Middle East. Now it’s scrambling to rescue key economic relationships that range from crude supply to foreign direct investment and markets for Indian goods. In 2021-22, trade with 7 Gulf states stood at $189 billion and accounted for 18.3% of Ind...

If India is to maintain a growth rate of 8%-10%, agriculture must grow at 4% at least. We need to significantly grow farmers’ incomes too. For this, digitisation is critical – not just in planting and harvesting, but also in allied areas like soil assessment, supply chain management and payments. Sanjay Borkar, agriculture digitisation expert and co-founder of FarmERP, which has developed a techno...

Reserve Bank of India data tells us the amount of capital coming into the country is less than what is going out. Blame it on a variety of reasons – from lack of confidence in the economy to corruption and high government debt to disruptions in the supply chain due to the conflict in Ukraine and the hiking of interest rates. This is worrying and requires urgent corrective action. The flight of cap...

It is estimated that only 27% of Indians are financially literate. Also, India has more than 275 million households and 100 millionof them are set to become savers for the first time. However, lack of financial awareness is a hurdle to their growth. What are the solutions? Yusuf Roopawalla, chief information officer at a multinational bank, has handled large transformational projects across inclus...

 Does that packet of biscuits you just bought seem lighter than it normally does? And is your soap lasting for fewer days? That packet of noodles you like having seems to be smaller too, doesn’t it? You aren’t imagining things – with no sign of raging inflation being tamed, helpless fast moving consumer goods companies, and others, are being forced to reduce the volume or weight of their products...

India’s startups are laying off employees in significant numbers, and it is feared that another 5,000 would be let go of soon in the face of investor pressure to improve profitability, choppy financial markets, slowing growth and inflation. How many more layoffs can we expect and how long will the bloodletting continue? Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about yo...

The Pre-Legislative Consultation Policy says the government should place a draft version of any law it makes before the people for their inputs. This is important for a truly participative democracy. However, at last count, 227 of the 301 bills placed in Parliament after the policy was introduced were presented without prior consultation. The attempt to become not just a representative but a delib...

More than 60 million Indians suffer from mental disorders, 10 to 20 million of them from severe conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. India has one of the highest prevalences of mental illnesses globally. Daniel Lobo, CEO and Founder of BecauseYOU.in, a mental health social enterprise that supports individuals to thrive irrespective of their emotional distress, speaks to All Indians...

The campaign to make Hindi the national language seeks to strip away the layered reality of India to a single idea. You can’t impose a language at the expense of people’s linguistic and cultural characters. Such an imposition threatens our very cultural identity. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Indonesia’s decision to halt palm oil exports is a tremendous blow to the poor and the salaried class as edible oil prices will rise significantly at a time when inflation is soaring already. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Agriculture badly needs transformation. Innovations that stress on solutions for challenges ranging from irrigation to the supply chain are the answer. Kavita Sharma and Ruchika Singh, who are part of the World Resources Institute’s Land Accelerator programme, which aims to make a difference in agriculture, agri-tech, the circular economy, etc, speak to All Indians Matter.   Learn more about your...

The early arrival of hot weather has made electricity demand skyrocket – it’s expected to rise the fastest in 38 years. The power grid is experiencing record loads but, with coal stocks running low, electricity firms are unable to cope. With logistical issues further complicating matters, India could experience frequent and severe power cuts this summer. Please listen to the latest episode of All...

The government has lowered the interest rate on Employees Provident Fund Organisation deposits for its 6.4 crore subscribers from 8.5% to 8.1%, the lowest since 1977-78. For crores, the Employees Provident Fund, or EPF, served as a social security substitute and was the principal corpus for retirement or life events like children’s weddings or emergencies. The rate cut has a significant impact on...