Fighting digital financial fraud: India needs new laws to reach global standards
Despite recent efforts, challenges in dispute resolution and recovery processes underscore the urgency for legislative action to meet global safety standards
Farmer protests: Deja vu?
Over the weekend, Haryana shut internet services and put up roadblocks on its border with Punjab to block off farm groups from reaching Delhi. The sector needs reforms but talks must lead.
White paper: Politics gets the better of economic fidelity
Even as political tools, such documents perform better by aiming for broad credibility. Its archival value would’ve been notable had it taken a more even-handed look at the UPA decade.
Science fiction must escape its dystopic trap and foster hope
Books are increasingly filled with dread of the future at a time we need literature investing in hope.
The strategy behind the budget is embedded in its fine details
India’s deficit targets have won praise but the deft re-ordering of spending needed to achieve that has escaped public scrutiny.
Doom spending is not the same as caring for yourself
‘Doom spending’ is expenditure motivated by a need to cope with stress and it is a nihilistic coping mechanism that can strip us of our savings.
The true meaning of ‘misanthrope’ can be found in a comedy series
Misanthropy, as a general frustration with society, is more common than it appears at first glance.
Zomato lands in a sweet spot after remarkable recovery
The company’s stellar third-quarter results confirm anecdotal evidence about a consumption rebound in certain segments of the economy.
India’s AI boom could exceed Satya Nadella’s expectations
The Microsoft CEO said recently that AI could contribute at least 10% of India’s GDP by the time it hits $5 trillion, but the country has several advantages that, if harnessed correctly, could leave this projection in the dust.
Investors start to shun small and midcaps, but then fall for another poor idea
The amount of money pouring into equity funds (all equity funds), is growing rapidly. It’s up 2.5x between June 2023 and January 2024.
The little helicopter that could
Despite setbacks, Ingenuity, the tiny helicopter sent to Mars by Nasa, has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of powered flight on Mars and has paved the way for future flying machines on the planet.
RBI review: A policy pivot is not on the central bank’s cards
strapline: Inflation uncertainty means an extended wait for a shift in RBI’s stance that could lead to a rate cut. Luckily, policymakers are placed well to keep their focus firmly on price stability.
Inflight pitch: Brevity is the soul of a win
An entrepreneur made a napkin pitch to a minister on a flight and got a hearing for a business proposal. Can it join the napkin hall of fame?
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das does an encore after the budget
An interim budget devoid of fireworks was followed by a no-nonsense status-quo monetary policy. RBI stuck to its core aim of curbing inflation.
RBI maintains status quo: A year without rate changes
RBI now expects growth at 7% for FY25. Inflation has softened and is broadly expected to remain close to 4.5% next year
Data in the Age of AI: From abundance to sudden scarcity
As large language AI models are voracious consumers of data and also ease software creation, we now find that computation is abundant and data is the relatively scarce resource.
India could look to China as it works on an energy transition
The Niti Aayog’s carbon capture plans seem over-ambitious. Carbon capture can’t achieve much while emission reduction can.
A services-led export strategy holds appeal but only up to a certain point
Indian policy can’t afford to focus on service exports at the cost of our current employment-oriented manufacturing thrust. Recent arguments for focusing on high-value services seem far-fetched in their expectation that...