All Indians Matter

There is an effort to simplify the KYC process to make it more ‘risk-based’, instead of one-size-fits-all, and amenable to digital needs. KYC has faced challenges over the years, but it’s needed to safeguard financial institutions and their customers. Ganesh Ram, MD and CEO of MF Utilities, tells All Indians Matter how India can deal with the challenges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

The government claims that the replacement of the Indian Penal Code, the Indian Evidence Act and the Criminal Procedure Code with new laws is the transformation the criminal justice system needs. But there is a sense of disquiet with what is being proposed. Experts and activists have issued warnings about several aspects, from provisions in the new bills being vague to the government granting itse...

Like lithium, uranium is seen as the key to India’s green energy push. However, it’s mining is not hazard-free and can impact the health of local communities; pollute land, water and the air; and ultimately harm the very environment green energy is supposed to protect. India’s uranium push must be accompanied by sufficient social and environmental safeguards. Please listen to the latest episode of...

UPI payments accounted for 52% of the 8,840 crore digital transactions with a value of Rs 126 lakh crore in FY2021-22. In FY2018-19, UPI accounted for only 17% of India’s 3,100 crore digital transactions. Rohit Taneja, founder of Decentro, an API platform for banking integrations, talks to All Indians Matter about how UPI has changed financial transactions and, by extension, the larger economy. Le...

India is throwing open lithium mining to the private sector. While lithium is critical for the green energy and net-zero push, the new policy must factor in the very real and serious pollution and socioeconomic concerns about the mining process. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 gram panchayats in Kaagal taluka of Kolhapur district have passed a unanimous resolution demanding a merger with Karnataka. This brings into focus yet again the boundary dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka. Both states have refused to budge and the matter has been in the Supreme Court since 2004. Meanwhile, how is this playing out on the ground? Please listen to the latest episode of All...

A chance conversation with an academician at a leading public university got me thinking. He mentioned that political pressure on the institution and interference in its working have affected it deeply, impacting everything – from who gets to speak there to what students can research and speak openly about. This is a sentiment echoed across India’s institutions of higher learning. In effect, the g...

The HDFC Bank-HDFC Ltd merger has created a financial services behemoth, among the largest in the world, with an estimated market capitalisation of Rs 14.37 lakh crore. While the benefits are evident for the merged entities, from a wider offering and distribution reach to lower cost of funds, for customers it would mean a greater choice of financial products and services at more competitive rates....

The July 11, 2006, train bombs remain etched in Mumbai’s memory. The blasts were followed by a massive police operation in which roughly 350 people were detained. In the end, in September 2015, 12 persons were convicted with five of them sentenced to death. But there was one man, Abdul Wahid Shaikh, who was declared innocent. The ordeal however destroyed his life. He recalls the trauma, torture an...

When Ajit Pawar switched loyalties, many suggested that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had influenced the decision. The ED was set up in 1956 to focus on foreign exchange-related offences but in recent times has focused on money laundering, often training its guns on the Opposition. What makes it such a potent political weapon in the hands of the government? Please listen to the latest episode o...

ESG is becoming quite the buzzword in India. It’s widely accepted now that, if companies are to be considered corporate citizens, then environmental, social and governance considerations are the key. However, the evolution of ESG regulations in India is at a nascent stage. What lies next for it? Yashika Singh – a veteran of public policy, corporate affairs, economic analysis and corporate strategy...

The multi-train crash in Balasore that claimed 288 lives should awaken us to the need to focus on rail safety, not just speed and comfort. The government argues that it is focusing on elevating the rail experience to a world-class standard. Perhaps safety should be considered a critical part of that experience. Especially when, in 2021, more than 16,000 people were killed in nearly 18,000 rail acc...

It is estimated that India spends Rs 9 lakh crore on welfare delivered through thousands of schemes. These schemes are difficult to implement, have leakages and often don’t even reach the intended beneficiaries. They are costly and, despite all our efforts, we still have more impoverished Indians than the entire population of the US. Could a universal basic income be a better way of ensuring socia...

The Indian girl child is born to tremendous disadvantages. For instance, India is the only large country where more baby girls die than baby boys. The gender differential in child survival, according to UNICEF, is 11%. Girls log fewer hospital admissions, an indicator that parents give less attention to them. It’s a society ridden with structural inequalities for the girl child. Destitute girls li...

While India rightly celebrates entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurs face massive challenges – from financing problems to societal and family pressures. Studies show that their business drive matches the global average and the businesses they helm deliver great results despite having fewer resources. While there are several government programmes that they can benefit from, lack of awareness and im...

India continues its free fall on the World Press Freedom Index. The latest edition has India at 161 out of 180 countries, a drop of 11 ranks. Even Afghanistan fares better! If the press is not free but beholden to that power, as we’re seeing today, it becomes an extension of that power. Those who refuse to become that extension are threatened and prosecuted. If the media is in peril, then so is ou...

 A spate of deaths has given fresh life to the criticism levelled against the way cheetahs were introduced into Kuno in Madhya Pradesh. Not only has the Supreme Court expressed grave concerns at the implementation of the project, even several leading global experts say it is being handled badly. Concerns range from inadequate space to the focus being on publicity rather than conservation. What can...

Vinayak Deokar was abandoned when he was three months old. He was adopted, but lost his aging foster parents early. He struggled through life and, just as things got better, he was diagnosed with cardiac disease. During the course of his treatment, he met a four-year-old suffering from the same ailment. That turned out to be an inflection point. He has since then devoted his life to helping others...

An Oxfam report says almost two-thirds of the GST collection comes from the bottom 50% of the population. How does this happen and what are the solutions? Part of the answer lies in tweaking direct taxes – increase annual taxes on the richest 1%. These could span capital gains, inheritance, property and land taxes. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.   Learn more about your...

In the run-up to the Karnataka election, the BJP raised the spectre of a Uniform Civil Code again. No serious observer believes that it has the good of minorities or minority women on its mind. The code is, instead, a ploy to polarise voters and further suppress minorities. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The media industry across the world, and particularly in India, is dominated by men and this naturally impacts how women’s issues are covered. This culture of exclusion has also affected women’s news consumption. In this context, a report that was published recently throws light not just on the lack of women in news leadership roles but also how greater engagement with women could revitalise the n...

The ethnic fire in Manipur may be cooling for the moment but discontent continues to simmer underneath. The dominant (largely Hindu) Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribes status means fewer government jobs and seats in educational institutions for the (largely Christian) Kuki tribals. The tug and pull over land rights only intensifies the volatility in the north-eastern state. Please list...

Brij Bhushan Singh is somewhat of a star in the BJP – a bahubali who was part of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and six-time MP with clout within the Rajput community. The party calculated that he was too important and that the wrestlers’ protest would have no electoral fallout, and so it chose to brazen it out. What message does this send to our elite athletes and to women across the country? Pleas...

81 lakh investor accounts were added in 2020-21 in India, an indicator of people’s willingness to invest. A key trend is microinvesting – putting very small amounts into financial instruments so that users don’t have to alter their lifestyles much. It’s catching on fast among the young. How does microinvesting work? And how can you make the most of it? Satyajeet Kunjeer, founder of microinvesting...

The India Justice Report 2022 points out serious shortfalls in recruitment of women and members of SC, ST and OBCs in the police and judiciary. This is of concern because, without proper representation, these institutions will seem inaccessible to disadvantaged groups and lack credibility. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...