Mint Primer

Some 20 banks have opened special vostro accounts to settle foreign trade in rupees. However, the mechanism is yet to take off with exporters flagging issues. Russian buyers, meanwhile, are offering payments to Indian exporters in yuan and dirham. Ravi Dutta Mishra explains in his report.

India has scripted aviation history with the mammoth 540 aircraft order by Air India. Anu Sharma explains why Indian airlines are placing such big bets in a business which is often synonymous with paper-thin margins and volatile cost structures. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

The discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium in Jammu & Kashmir is a major boost for India’s electrification plans but mining is a high-risk, high-reward game in the ecologically sensitive Himalayas. Sumant Banerji explains in his report. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Union budget 2023-24 has proposed to continue with the 50-year interest-free loan to state governments that aid infrastructure investment. Jagadish Shettigar and Pooja Misra examine the long-term strategy behind this capital expenditure plan. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Tech and startup companies continue to lay off employees citing over-hiring, cost pressures and funding challenges. Over the next six months, about 20,000 job cuts are expected, with certain profiles more at risk. Mint's Devina Sengupta explains in this episode. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Will Microsoft Bing outplay Google’s Bard? Jolted by the phenomenal success of ChatGPT, Google launched Bard, its AI-powered chatbot. Microsoft countered two days later with its AI-powered Bing search engine and Edge browser. Will Google succumb to, or prevail over, the onslaught of OpenAI and Microsoft? Leslie D'Monte and Prasid Banerjee explains in this episode.

The Indian startup ecosystem was caught by surprise after the Finance Bill 2023 expanded the scope of ‘angel tax’ last week to include foreign investors. Ranjani Raghavan explains the new amendment, the main concerns of the industry and its implications. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Wheat prices have stayed stubbornly high in India, despite several steps by the government including an export ban last year and a recent announcement of open market sales. In a pre-poll year, the size of the winter harvest, beginning April, will be critical. Sayantan Bera takes a close look. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech was all of 13,761 words, a little over two-fifths longer than her speech in 2022. In this episode, we discuss the major points of the budget. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her fifth consecutive budget today. This being the last full budget before the general elections, her formidable task: boost growth and demand without diluting fiscal targets. Mint summarizes the expectations. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Ahead of the Union budget on 1 February, the government today presents the Economic Survey for 2022-23. Jagadish Shettigar and Pooja Misra examine its significance for the economy and what we could expect from the vital document. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

In a surprising move, Google said it is going to change some of its policies specifically for India in order to abide by the directives issued by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). Mint's Prasid Banerjee examines the changes.

Among large projects in India that are jinxed, the Sethusamudram shipping canal project, which would connect Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, takes the cake. Experts are divided on the pros and cons of the project. N Madhavan explains its economic implications. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

According to World Bank, remittances to India by non-resident Indians (NRIs) are expected to touch $100 billion in 2022. Increased remittances is a boon and may help in stabilizing the rupee. Jagadish Shettigar and Pooja Misra explain the trend and how tapping NRI resources can help the economy. This episode is being hosted by Praisd Banerjee.

The Bombay High Court has set aside a March 2020 decision by the banking regulator and the Yes Bank administrator to write off ₹8,415 crore worth of the bank’s additional tier-1 bonds as part of a bailout of the private lender. Mint's Gopika Gopakumar explains the likely impact of the decision. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

The north-eastern states have been the biggest beneficiaries of the five-year-old goods and services tax (GST) regime, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report on State Finances released earlier this week. Dilasha Seth explains how some states gained but others didn’t. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

A task force to examine production and promotion of bio-fertilizer and organic fertilizers has already been set up under the Niti Aayog. As the government is expected to come out with a new fertilizer policy, Mint's Jagdish Shettigar & Pooja Misra examines its implications. This episode is hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

The National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI) has allowed Indians abroad to use the fast payments network UPI, if their domestic bank accounts are linked to their foreign mobile numbers. Shayan Ghosh takes a look at what this means for non-resident Indians (NRIs) and for UPI. This episode is being hosted by Alisha Sachdev.

A series of changes by China signal that Beijing is abandoning a diplomatic strategy that has earned it an unpleasant reputation. Shashank Mattoo breaks down China’s so-called ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy, how it developed, and why Beijing may be looking to give it up. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Android maker Google has claimed that the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) October order directing the company to modify how Android works in India, will stall the smartphone operating system’s growth in India. Mint's Prasid Banerjee examines the claim.

In a recent ad, a top actor asks hassled mothers to give kids a pack of biscuits which, he asserts, has the power of milk and atta. The ad has hit a raw nerve, with experts seeking a stop to celebrities endorsing such food. Mint explores the regulatory landscape around junk food. Report by Sayantan Bera & Hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Gross bad loans at banks have been declining and hit a seven-year low of 5% in September, shows the RBI’s Financial Stability Report (FSR). Its stress tests showed that banks are capable of absorbing shocks even under adverse situations. Mint analyses the report. This article is being written by Jagadish Shettigar and Pooja Misra. Episde hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Improving the logistics of moving coal is critical for India, which is trying to reduce its energy dependence. The coal ministry has announced several first-mile connectivity (FMC) projects, in line with the  government’s coal logistics policy. Rituraj Baruah explains how this will help. This episode is being hosted by Mint's Prasid Banerjee.

Microsoft is reportedly planning to integrate a version of its Bing search engine with the AI-powered ChatGPT to answer search queries instead of just displaying a list of links, according to The Information. If true, will this move make search engines redundant or radically transform them? This report is being written by Leslie D'Monte and hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Global headwinds, tightening monetary policy and the lingering effects of the pandemic have combined to create a gloomy global outlook. However, supported by domestic growth, India is projected to be one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Jagadish Shettigar and Pooja Misra analyses in this episode. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.