The Morning Brief

The Indian government has slammed a World Health Organization report that claimed Covid deaths in the country were actually 10 times the official count, the highest in the world, there is a wide gap between documented fatalities and the actual figures as host Dia Rekhi finds out from Yashwant Deshmukh, Founder-Director of C-Voter and ET Prime’s Vikas Dandekar. Credits - Republic TVSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Infosys' non-compete clause created quite a stir last week. In an increasingly competitive market, will we see more instances of corporations resorting to such tactics to retain talent? Host Bhavya Dilipkumar speaks to Harpreet Singh Saluja, President of Nascent Information Technology Senate, Anshul Prakash, Partner at Khaitan and Co and a labour law expert as well as ET's Sai Ishwar to find out whether attrition is the only reason to invoke this clause while also understanding whether employee unions in India can get large corporations like Infosys to roll back or even remove such clauses. Credits: Nutshell IndiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the peak of a $12 billion buyout of Corus Steel to the trough of being forced to sell a steel unit for just £1 to being back in the record books, edging past even TCS to become the most profitable Tata company, Tata Steel has seen it all. Host Arijit Barman chats with the man behind this revival. Up, close and candid with Koushik Chatterjee, CFO, Tata Steel. Credits - CNBC TV18, Euronews, ET Now, VC Invest NewsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A trade pact between India and UK planned for this Diwali may halve import taxes on scotch. How cheap will premium whiskies get? Will this change the way India drinks? Host Anirban Chowdhury finds out from Suresh Menon, Head, International Spirits and Wines Association of India and Keshav Prakash, Founder, The Vault.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early summers in India and high industrial activity have led to a surge in demand for electricity, exposing the country's proximity to an unprecedented power crisis. What has brought India to the brink of a blackout? Host Nehal Chaliawala finds out from ET's Sarita Singh and Partha Bhattacharya, Former Chairman, Coal India Ltd.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India Inc and its investors have been quick on the uptake after the government announced the country’s ambitious sustainablity targets last year. But are the plans and funds enough to achieve net zero by 2070? Host Kiran Somvanshi dives deeper with Anirban Mukherjee, MD & Partner, Boston Consulting Group India, Pramod Kumar, Head, Investment Banking, Barclays Bank India and Kalpana Pathak, Senior Assistant Editor, ET.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Amazon-Reliance rivalry has spilled over to the Indian Premier League as they compete for broadcasting rights for the next five years. But beating incumbent Disney and the merged Sony-Zee will be no easy task. Hosts Anirban Chowdhury and Nehal Chaliawala break down the battle for IPL broadcasting rights with TOI’s K Shriniwas Rao, Vinit Karnik of GroupM and Rathindra Basu of IMG Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 17 years, the world’s largest cement maker is looking at exiting India. The sale of Ambuja Cement & ACC can change the rules of the game. But why would one leave a high growth market? Hosts Kiran Somvanshi & Arijit Barman speak to Rakesh Arora, Former Ambuja Executive and Managing Partner, Go India Advisors & Rajesh Ravi, Vice President, Institutional Equities Research, HDFC Securities to figure out who can gain or lose from the likely $10 billion deal? Host - Arijit Barman and Kiran SomvanshiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A brand founded in 1905 whose 'Give me Red' tagline took the MTV generation by storm is getting new owners -- the Burman family of Dabur. But will the magic of dry cell batteries work now? Host Ratna Bhushan takes a trip back in time to find out how the campaign got created, caught on, and became a cult with the man behind it all Roshan Joseph, Independent Director of Eveready and seasoned marketeer Lloyd Mathias who feels the brand still can pack a punch.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 1,700 people have lost their jobs in the latest round of layoffs announced by startups like Unacademy, Meesho, Furlenco, Lido Learning and Trell. Why are well-funded startups trying to save money? Host Bhavya Dilipkumar speaks to employees who've been laid off, Director and CEO, CIEL HR Services, Aditya Narayan Mishra, and ET's Digbijay Mishra on whether there is a crisis brewing in the startup space and if downsizing is the only way for restructuring and cost cutting in addition to exploring themes of how different these layoffs are from those that happened in 2010-2011 at Flipkart or Snapdeal. Credits: ET NowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bunder mining project in Madhya Pradesh may be one of Asia's largest diamond mines but the development versus displacement debate continues to singe Aditya Birla Group after Rio Tinto. Host Arijit Barman connects the dots with Bhavna Menon, programme manager of Last Wilderness Foundation, Hari Krishna Dwivedi, founding chairman of Pehel Foundation and ET's Anubhuti Vishnoi in this 15-year-long saga that's still simmering Credits: ANI News, NDTV, Madhya Pradesh TourismSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Coinbase’s UPI fiasco, other crypto exchanges in India too are facing challenges in accepting deposits, hurting trade volumes. Are high taxes, regulatory ambiguity and an averse central bank choking cryptocurrency to a slow death in India? Host Anirban Chowdhury finds out with Vishwas Patel, chairman, Payments Council of India, ET’s Sugata Ghosh and Apoorva Mittal and Nitin Sharma, co-founder of Antler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recent incidents of EVs from brands such a Ola, Okinawa and Pure EV abruptly catching fire raises serious questions about everything from the safety of these vehicles to whether adequate standards are in place to ensure that the EVs that hit the road are ready to ride. What’s going wrong with EV manufacturing in India? Will these incidents derail the EV movement in India? Host Dia Rekhi speaks to Pankaj Sharma, Managing Director and Cofounder of Log 9 Materials and Sumant Banerji, consulting editor at ET Auto to find out what's at stake. Credits: WION, Business Today, ET Now, CNBC TV-18See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a landmark decision, the CCI (Competition Commission of India) has slammed three large private hospitals for overcharging patients unfairly by sending them notices. Will this lead to finally reigning in inflated medical bills at hospitals? Is the overcharging legal? What can the government do to regulate medical costs? Host Ratna Bhushan finds out from Sujatha Rao, Former Bureaucrat with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Teena Thacker, Senior Assistant Editor at the Economic Times, and Sonam Chandwani, Managing Partner at KS Legal & Associates. Credits: India Today, Mirror Now, Times of IndiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With market regulator Sebi's changes to the related party transactions (RPT) norms coming into effect from April 1, host Kiran Somvanshi speaks to Hitesh Gajaria, senior partner, KPMG India, Sharad Abhyankar, partner, Khaitan & Co and J N Gupta, who is a former executive director of Sebi and is managing director of Stakeholders Empowerment Services to decode what such transactions entail, their underlying problems, how the regulator wants them to be governed now and what all of this means for corporate India and more importantly, investors. Credits: Bloomberg Quint, HW News EnglishSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several retail investors withdrew from Baba Ramdev-backed Ruchi Soya Industries' follow on public offer (FPO), after Sebi pulled up the company for the circulation of unsolicited SMSes promising mega returns. Host Bhavya Dilipkumar speaks to leading influencers Rachana Ranade, Aditya Kondawar and lawyer Moin Ladha, Partner at Khaitan & Co, about the growing trend of misinformation on social media, stock manipulation by unscrupulous operators and the safeguards, if any.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Shopee shuts shop in India within six months, several questions arise from ease of doing business for MNCs to geopolitics, even as the future of employees hangs in the balance. Host Anirban Chowdhury talks to ET’s Digbijay Mishra, industry experts and a Shopee employee to understand the reasons behind its exit despite having a stellar run.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The mega-merger of the two major multiplex operators is expected to create compelling synergies but will it pass the smell test of the competition watchdog? Host Arijit Barman speaks with key stakeholders from the movie trade - Akshaye Rathi, Director at Aashirwad Theatre and Kapil Agarwal, Joint MD, UFO Moviez to understand how the tickets, nee cards, are stacked up. Credits - Mirror Now, NDTV, Moneycontrol, myfootage.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Price hikes, food shortages, and power outages, have become a reality for Sri Lankans who battle the country's biggest economic collapse since its independence. With some already fleeing the island nation to seek refuge on Indian shores, could we be staring at a refugee crisis? We examine what has caused this upheaval and how India can act to regain its influence in the Sri Lanka. Our Host Dia Rekhi finds out from Dr. M. Ganeshamoorthy, Economist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Colombo and Akhil Bery, Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute. Credits - NDTVSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India’s largest automaker Maruti Suzuki has jumped on the Electric Vehicle (EV) bandwagon after playing wait and watch for years. Host Nehal Chaliawala along with ET’s Ketan Thakkar and ET Auto’s consulting editor Sumant Banerji explores Maruti’s stance on EVs and what could be its game plan. Credits: ET AutoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India went into its first nationwide Covid lockdown exactly two years ago today. As we finally limp back to normalcy with the third wave ebbing, we find out what the future holds. Host Kiran Somvanshi, speaks to Dr. Aseem Malhotra, NHS-trained Consultant Cardiologist, and Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, Epidemiologist & Preventive Medicine Specialist on the likelihood of a fourth wave, the usefulness of masks and lockdowns, booster dosages, building immunity, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zomato is looking to merge with Blinkit, formerly known as Grofers, as it looks to up its game in the very rapidly growing quick commerce sector. Who will this deal benefit? What does this mean for the investors, quick commerce, and food tech? Ratna Bhushan decodes the deal and sector dynamics with Jaspal Sabharwal, Co-founder, TagTaste Foods, Samir Kuckreja, Founder & CEO, Tasanaya Hospitality, and Tarush Bhalla, Senior Assistant Editor, ET. Credits - CNBC-TV18See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the 1st time since PM Modi took charge in 2014, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has raised an economic concern: Growing unemployment and it's deeper sociological impact. Host Arijit Barman talks to ET's Vasudha Venugopal about the resolution and its timing, as well as Mahesh Vyas, MD and CEO of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) on how grave is the actual crisis. Credits - Vishva Samvad Kendra Gujarat, NDTV, Oneindia Hindi, India TodaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Young investors have taken to the stock markets in record numbers and remain unfazed by the recent volatility. Host Bhavya Dilipkumar talks to investors as well as Harsh Jain, the COO of Groww, and Vivek Bajaj, co-founder of StockEdge to better understand how millennials got attracted to the markets and what’s keeping them excited. Credits: CNBC-TV18"Credits - CNBC-TV18See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reliance has outsmarted Amazon in the battle for Future Retail, by occupying most of the latter’s shops. Will Amazon fight back? What's the future of Kishore Biyani? Host Anirban Chowdhury unravels the knotty battle for India’s $850 billion retail market with Chaitali Chakravarty and Rasul Bailay of ET and Lawyer Rahul Kamerkar. Credits - CNBC-TV18See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exorbitant fees forced many of our medical students to travel to Ukraine for higher studies. They got caught in the crossfires but now back home most face uncertain futures. They share stories of their career choices with host Dia Rekhi who also finds out from Dr. Alexander Thomas, National President of Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI), about their prospects and what their plight tells us about Indian medical education infrastructure. Credits - Indian Express Online, Hindustan TimesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we await the election results of the most populous and politically significant state of Uttar Pradesh, we chat with political data analyst Amitabh Tiwari and ET's Kumar Anshuman to decode the maths and the muddas of Chunav 2022.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has an unlikely casualty – the average Indian’s monthly budget. Host Kiran Somvanshi discovers in conversation with economists Sachchidanand Shukla and Abheek Barua how the war is driving up inflation at an alarming rate - which could make everything from groceries to cars more expensive - and how best to cope with it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Biocon’s recent acquisition of its partner Viatris Inc.'s biosimilar business has shocked the investors as the company’s shares fell nearly 12% on the bourses. Host Dia Rekhi along with Biocon Biologics’ Deputy CEO Shreehas Tambe, ET’s Kiran Somvanshi, and ET Prime’s Vikas Dandekar break down the deal means for the company and the investors and whether the $3.3-billion bet is worth the risk? Credits: ET NowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the IPOs of companies like Paytm, Zomato, and LIC to ESG investing and the Russian invasion of Ukraine - Aswath Damodaran answers some of the most burning questions of Indian investors. The well-known professor of corporate finance and valuation from the Stern School of Business minces no words when sharing his views with host Anirban Chowdhury.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

the war between Russia and Ukraine takes centre stage, Indian students stranded in Ukraine share their terrifying first-hand accounts of the attacks. Host Bhavya Dilipkumar discusses the impact on India's geopolitical ties, trade, and financial fallouts with Michael Kugelman, the Deputy Director of the Asia Program and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center, Pranab Dhal Samanta, ET’s political bureau head and Shankar Sharma, Founder of GQuants.com. Credits - NDTV, RTSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The boardroom battle between IndiGo airline’s co founders-turned foes Rakesh Gangwal and Rahul Bhatia took a serious turn with Gangwal resigning from the board. Host Ratna Bhushan speaks to Sanjay Asher, aviation lawyer and senior partner at Crawford Bayley & Co, and Tarun Shukla, aviation & defence editor at ET Prime to delve deeper on what lies ahead for India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo. Credits: ET Now, CNBC-TV18See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A probe on illegal access to traders at India’s biggest stock exchange revealing a murkier story of its CEO being remote controlled by a faceless spiritual guru: Chitra Ramkrishna’s scam at the NSE has all the makings of a Netflix potboiler. But what are its legal ramifications? Tune in as we chat with Zulfiquar Memon, Managing Partner of MZM Legal, a law firm for white collar crimes and Sugata Ghosh, Associate Editor of The Economic Times to fathom what's next for all the entities involved. Credits - CNBC TV18, Business Today, Money control, Mojo storySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the government banning 54 more Chinese apps in India, host Dia Rekhi speaks to Dhiraj Gupta, Co-founder and CTO of mFilterit, and Faisal Kawoosa, Founder of TechArc to look beyond geopolitics to understand why these Chinese apps are being singled out, what the security concerns are and what's at stake for users. Credits - France 24 English, editorjiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"The tunes of the 'Ladki hu Ladh Sakti Hu' campaign song may be touching a sensitive chord in the Uttar Pradesh election, but will the campaign prove to be a game-changer for the Congress party? As the national party fields 40% women candidates in the UP state elections, host Kiran Somvanshi, discusses the implications of the move in the battleground with Tara Krishnaswamy, Co-founder of Political Shakti, and ET's Vasudha Venugopal. Credits - India TV, India Today, CNN News 18See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As LIC prepares to go public, it will now divert a chunk of its profits as dividends for shareholders at the expense of policyholders. Concerns also remain over its reliance on agents and manual processes in a digital world. Should you subscribe to the IPO? Host Anirban Chowdhury finds out with Nilesh Shah, MD of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co., and veteran management consultant Ashvin Parekh. Credits: NDTVSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As N Chandrasekaran gears up for the second term as Tata Sons chairman, host Nehal Chaliawala along with ET's Kala Vijayaraghavan and Arijit Barman prepare a rate card for his performance over the last five years and analyse what to expect from him going forward keeping in mind his leadership style and how it compares to Ratan Tata. Credits: CNBC TV-18, Money Control, NDTV.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten companies and counting. The Good Glamm Group's buying spree helps the unicorn to strengthen its direct to consumer play. Host Dia Rekhi speaks to Nowshad Rizwanullah, CEO, MissMalini Entertainment and Co-Founder of the Good Creator Co and ET's Sneha Shah to find out more about the company's content-to-commerce play and whether the company will change their strategy after ScoopWhoop finds itself in the news for the wrong reasons. Credits: Maybelline New York, Lakme India, Loreal Paris, CNBC TV-18, Chetali Chadha, One IndiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The psychotropic qualities of Cannabis have always been admired, used and also abused both around the world and in India. Medical cannabis however has evolved into a multi billion dollar space with Big Pharma. Will Dr Reddy's recent acquisition of German medical cannabis firm Nimbus help mainstream the therapeutic plant? Kiran Somvanshi delves deeper in conversation with Erez Israeli, CEO of DR. Reddy's Laboratories, Anay Shukla, Founding Partner of Arogya Legal, healthcare law firm and Avnish Pandya, co-founder of the Bombay Hemp Co. Credits - CNBC, fool.com, Cannabis Broadcast Station, BloombergSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allegations of fraud, mud-slinging and more – lines are clearly drawn at BharatPe with Grover on one side and the board and investors on the other. Host Arijit Barman talks with ET’s Digbijay Mishra and Tarush Bhalla to figure out the man, the company and how things went so wrong at BharatPe. Credits: SET India, Business Today, MoneyControl, CNBC-TV18, NDTVSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister in her Budget speech spoke about a battery swapping policy. But will this push re-energise the battery manufacturers and hasten EV adoption? And why will it take off in India when even Tesla has had to face challenges? Host Arijit Barman speaks to Ajay Goel, Co-founder, Sun Mobility and Dev Ashish Aneja, Automobile Sector Lead, Invest India to find out whether we are being too ambitious especially when even Tesla has had to redraw its swapping strategy. Credits: ET Now, BBC News, CNBC, CNBC TV-18, AtherSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budget 2022 chose fiscal growth over freebies. The government said it will spend more and has kept most taxes untouched. Meanwhile, fiscal deficit and inflation continue to pinch. Hosts Anirban Chowdhury and Devina Sengupta talk to ET’s Swaminathan Aiyar and Vinay Pandey to make sense of how the government has planned its finances. Credit: ET NowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India’s $375-million BrahMos deal with the Philippines is the outcome of a change in policy and politics to favour defence exports. The country has set a target of exporting defence equipment worth $5 billion by 2025. Host Nehal Chaliawala speaks to Additional Secretary, Department of Defence Production, Sanjay Jaju, President of the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers, SP Shukla and Senior Editor at ET, Manu Pubby on what more needs to be done to achieve this. Credits: BJP, Wion, ANC 24/7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plummeting share price, disappointing forecast, the streaming giant is under heavy scrutiny of investors. Rivals Disney Hotstar and Amazon Prime are racing ahead in India. With co-Founder Reed Hastings admitting last week that its lack of success in India was 'frustrating,' host Arijit Barman speaks to Laura Martin, LA based senior entertainment and internet analyst at Needham & Co and ET's Senior Assistant Editor Gaurav Laghate to figure out if its bad pricing or sloppy content that is holding them back. Credits: Netflix, Netflix Investor Relations, CNBCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the absence of a concrete data protection law in India, instances of consumer data breach are turning a lot more frequent. Host Ratna Bhushan explores how this is a case of lack of policy, traceability and accountability, in conversation with leading cyber law expert Pavan Duggal, Rajshekhar Rajaharia, a popular internet security researcher and Rajat Wahi, Partner at Deloitte India. Credits: WION, NDTV, editorjiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Tax us now”, said no Indian billionaire ever! But with growing wealth inequality in the pandemic, and hundreds of the world’s super rich asking to be taxed more, should wealth tax make a comeback in India? Kiran Somvanshi discusses with Morris Pearl, chair of Patriotic Millionaires, Amitabh Behra, CEO of Oxfam India and Hitesh Gajaria, partner at KPMG. Credits: NBC News,ABC News, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, The Economic Times, Lok Sabha Tv, Mirror Now, India Today, ET NowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Google has faced four probes from the competition watchdog in India in recent years amidst growing allegations of abuse of market dominance by big tech companies. This negatively impacts the local tech ecosystem and consumers will pay the cost ultimately, host Anirban Chowdhury finds out in conversation with Amber Sinha, Executive Director at Centre for Internet and Society, Sijo George, Executive Director at ADIF, and ET's Megha Mandavia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple supplier Foxconn has landed in the soup again with its workers complaining of poor working conditions. Host Dia Rekhi in conversation with Sana Hashmi, Visiting Fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, Sasikumar Gendham, Salcomp India’s managing director and Justice K Chandru, former judge of the Madras High Court find out what led to this issue and how will this impact the growing electronics manufacturing ecosystem in India.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The consumption of painkillers shot up by 23% in India last year with Dolo 650 becoming a household name. Have we turned into excessive pill-poppers during the pandemic? Host Devina Sengupta talks with Dr SP Kalantri, Medical Superintendent at Kasturba Hospital, ET Prime’s Vikas Dandekar and ET's Kiran Somvanshi to find out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vodafone Idea insists that despite the government becoming its largest shareholder, it will not become a public-sector company. Host Arijit Barman explores the quirks of this transaction and what’s next for the troubled telecom operator with Peter Milliken, Head of Company Research – APAC at Deutsche Bank and ET's Anandita Singh Mankotia.Credits: Mirror Now, NDTV, CNBC-TV18See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.