The Morning Brief

As the second wave of Covid-19 batters the country, the Indian government has approved the use of vaccines authorised in the US, UK, Europe and Japan to combat the dreaded disease. ET's Teena Thacker and Nidhi Sharma tell us about the challenges ahead and how soon will every citizen in India be vaccinated See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global investors have converted 10 Indian startups into unicorns – each valued at $1 billion at least – this year, with six in just a week. We discuss what’s driving the funding rush and whether such valuations are sustainable with the Founders of two unicorns – Souvik Sengupta of Infra. Market and Nithin Kamath of Zerodha – along with Archana Rai, Editor-South at ET. The clips used in the audio m...

Young Indian hip-hop artists are now more vocal than ever about political issues and what’s brushed under the carpet. We catch up with Arivu of ‘Enjoy Enjaami’ fame, who is also a lyricist and a Tamil playback singer, and Rounok Chakraborty, alias Cizzy, a Bengali rapper with viral music videos like ‘Kolkatar Rasta,’ to find out why politics is making them angry and spurring their creativity. See...

With India battling the second wave of Covid, voices asking for more vaccinations and vaccines to be allowed are growing louder. What should be India's vaccine strategy? Virologist Dr. V. Ravi, who is on the Sputnik V's advisory board, and ET's Divya Rajagopal discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government's overnight u-turn on the slashing of interest rates for small savings schemes raised eyebrows. Financial Planner Melvin Joseph and ET's Sugata Ghosh talk about the significance of such schemes and suggest that even though a cut remains imminent, the interest rate cycle may be bottoming out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The alleged data leak at Mobikwik once again highlighted shortcomings in the security infrastructure of fintech companies, which put millions of users at risk. Siddharth Vishwanath, Cybersecurity Leader at PwC, and Independent Researchers Srinivas Kodali and Rajshekhar Rajaharia explain what happens when data falls into the wrong hands and how to prevent more breaches. See omnystudio.com/listener...

As Nandigram, the most fiercely contested constituency in West Bengal, goes to the polls, ET’s Deputy Resident Editor (Mumbai) Arijit Barman and Senior Assistant Editor Vasudha Venugopal join in from Ground Zero to tell us why this election is unlike any other and what’s at stake for Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While most service sectors are struggling to recover from the pandemic, IT companies are expanding like never before. How is this pivotal sector seemingly thriving in an economy hit by Covid-19? Listen to anecdotes from IT professional Pallavi Thakur, while staffing firm Xpheno Founder Kamal Karanth and ET's Ayan Pramanik dive deeper into the jobs boom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Explosives, a dead man, a top cop, a senior politician and allegations of extortion - this baffling scandal involving the Mumbai Police will have far-reaching implications for the police, politicians and the people, say our guests D Sivanandhan, Former Police Commissioner of Mumbai, Arun Bhatia, Former IAS Officer and Writer-Editor Meenal Baghel. Sound bytes courtesy Times Now. Host - Devina Sengu...

It's been a year since we've been cooped up in fear of a fast-spreading virus. How have the job market, economy, and bourses reacted and adapted to this black swan event? ET's Deepshikha Sikawar, Saumya Bhattacharya, Nishanth Vasudevan, and Divya Rajagopal discuss. Janata curfew byte courtesy TOI Online. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will the bumper investor response to e-gaming firm Nazara Technologies' IPO turbo charge India's fast-growing gaming industry? Nazara Founder, Nitish Mittersain and ET's Disha Sharma talk about what lies ahead for esports in India. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 7 seasons of the Indian Super League, franchises are yet to break even. Beyond the pandemic, what's making the situation dire even as the game's popularity is rising? Bhaichung Bhutia, Former Indian footballer, Aditya Datta, COO of FC Goa and Balu Nayar, Former MD of IMG India discuss the makings of a successful sports leagu See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rahul Gandhi has been on the campaign trail reaching out to the youth and the marginalised ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Congress' National Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and ET's Senior Editor C.L.Manoj help us decode the party's strategies and what’s at stake for India’s grand old party. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A host of Indian startups are considering going public this year. Is this coming of age spurred by ambition or pressure from investors wanting to exit? Karthik Reddy, Co-Founder of Blume Ventures, and ET Startups' editor Samidha Sharma discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Non-fungible tokens are enabling digital artists to monetise their work in an ingenious new way using blockchain technology. Ramani Ramachandran, CEO of ZPX, Riya Ramani, a Crypto-Artist, and ET’s Anandi Chandrasekhar discuss if the art on a hard drive is just a FOMO fad or it has the potential to revolutionise how contracts are maintained. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pandemic pushed more women than men out of jobs and even made it harder for them to get back to work. Rosa Abraham, a Senior Research Fellow at Azim Premji University, Sairee Chahal, Founder of Sheroes, and ET’s Saumya Bhattacharya uncover the problems that women face in the workplace and ways to fix them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Haryana’s job reservation law is opposed by industry, which claims it goes against the ease of doing business and could set a precedent for other states. Prateek Som, a Spokesperson for Jannayak Janata Party, Dilip Chenoy, FICCI Secretary-General, and ET’s Nidhi Sharma discuss the business and politics of this act. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The frenzy of market listing via blank cheque companies has gripped companies worldwide and is now landing on Indian shores. Renew Power Chairman Sumant Sinha and Girish Vanvari, Founder of tax advisory firm Transaction Square, decode how Special Purpose Acquisition Companies work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Confusion and chaos marred the first days of vaccinations for senior citizens. As India scales up its vaccination drive to reach over a billion people, skepticism continues to be rife about the safety and efficacy of the jabs. Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Founder of Mahajan Imaging, and ET's Nidhi Sharma dispel the rumours and clarify the on-ground reality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Some provisions of the government's new rules for content on social media, digital news platforms and streaming services have raised concerns among media groups, activists and lawyers. Hitesh Jain, Managing Partner of Parinam Law Associates, Advocate Shreya Singhal and ET's Saubhik Chakrabarti discuss the wider implications of these rules. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reliance Industries is carving out its oil-to-chemicals business into a separate company as it looks to build a “New Reliance.” Joseph Chang, Global Editor at Independent Commodity Intelligence Services (ICIS), and Harshvardhan Dole, VP at IIFL, discuss what’s ahead for the conglomerate’s monetisation plans, challenges to the reorganisation and what shareholders should expect. See omnystudio.com/l...

K-pop, with its fanbase of millions of youngsters, was an attractive opportunity for scamsters on Twitter using the guise of fake crypto accounts and giveaways. But then the fan group called ARMY decided to fight back. ET's Shephali Bhatt and Ashwin Manikandan discuss their investigation of this unique scam lying at the intersection of crypto and Kpop – both hugely popular subcultures. See omnystu...

In this special episode, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath outlines the state’s road map after his government presented a Rs 5.5 lakh crore budget focused on jobs, infrastructure, farmers and containing Covid-19. A year ahead of the state elections, the CM dismissed the opposition’s allegations on law and order and said UP is fast becoming an investment hub. See omnystudio.com/listener...

NBFCs fell out of favour after the IL&FS imbroglio but a spate of recent acquisitions has brought them back into the spotlight. Krishnan Sitharaman, Senior Director at CRISIL, Sridhar Sivaram, Investment Director at Enam Holdings, and ET's Saikat Das help us decode this resurgence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India has opened up access to geospatial data for local companies to spur innovation in mapping. Lalitesh Katragadda, Founder of Google Map Maker, Rohan Verma, CEO of MapmyIndia, and ET’s Shantanu Nandan Sharma explain how Indian companies will benefit from the new policy, the hurdles in implementation and if existing players will feel the pinch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...