The Morning Brief

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.

Demand-supply gaps, small town challenges, false positives or negatives, record surge in demand for home testing, shortage of technicians who’re themselves getting infected, pressures on turnaround time. Are India’s Covid Labs overwhelmed? Is testing overload compromising on quality? Are home test kits the solution? Host Ratna Bhushan speaks to Dr Lal Pathlabs MD Om Manchanda, Hasmukh Rawal, MD of Mylab Discovery Solutions, and Dilip Jose, CEO of Manipal Hospitals to find out how prepared India’s Covid labs are for the third wave. Credits: The QuintSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is causing less severe disease but the virus itself is not becoming less pathogenic, a new study has found. Cambridge University’s Dr Ravindra Gupta explains the implications of this study and the future of the pandemic in an interview to host Nehal Chaliawala.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bulli Bai and Sulli Deals are just two new applications making headlines for fake auction of Muslim women. But cyber bullying is not new and most cases unreported. Host Bhavya Dilipkumar talks to Hasiba Amin, an Indian National Congress office holder and a victim, NS Nappinai, a Supreme Court advocate and ET’s Krishna Kumar to understand the modus operandi of these hate crimes and the recourse for victims.Credits: India Today, Mirror NowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the number of cases in the country surge and fear of a third wave looms large, host Devina Sengupta speaks to virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang, Dr. Alok Khullar, CEO, Gleneagles Global Health City and ET's Nidhi Sharma to assess whether India is better prepared than last year to deal with the Covid onslaught. Credits: TRT World, NDTV, CNN-News 18, WIONSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Challenges from two Covid waves and fears of a third; cost pressures and supply constraints; slow growth in the manufacturing sector and high taxes; hybrid vehicles and Totoya tie-up. Host Anirban Chowdhury in conversation with Maruti's Chairman RC. Bhargava, finds out what's ahead for the auto industry and what’s keeping the chairman occupied in 2022?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Year-ender series Theme Five: Assembly polls in 5 states in 2022 but all eyes are on Uttar Pradesh. Host Arijit Barman along with the general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS)Hannan Molla, BJP spokesperson Shalabh Mani Tripathi and veteran journalist Sharat Pradhan decode how the outcome of 2022 polls in UP will shape the national political narrative for BJP and its mascot Prime Minister Narendra Modi.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Year-ender series Theme Four: While 2021 challenged humanity, it also brought out the strongest in us: from the sheer wave of altruism during the second Covid wave, to the gritty farmers' protests, to a fresh vigour in shareholder activism, the year gave a new meaning to people power. Dia Rekhi talks to JN Gupta, founder of Stakeholder Empowerment Services, Megha Marik, research fellow at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and several Covid heroes to bring you some of the best stories of the human spirit from 2021. Credits: NDTV, Hindu Businessline, CNBC TV18, Business Standard, BBC, Mojo Story, CNN-News18, India Today, Indiatimes, DW News, NBC NewsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Year-ender Series, Theme Three: Stock markets, IPOs and funding in startups, all touched record highs in 2021. Banks had so much money to lend that it became the cheapest to borrow in a decade. But there was high inflation, job losses, slow credit growth and capital expenditure. Fears of Omicron too spooked investors. Hosts Anirban Chowdhury and Nehal Chaliawala speak to ET’s associate editor Sugata Ghosh and Mahindra Group’s chief economist Sachchidanand Shukla about how money behaved in 2021See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2021 has been the year of startups - record venture capital inflows, new unicorns, mega listings and consolidations. Will the party continue in 2022? Host Arijit Barman seeks answers from Ravishankar GV, managing director at Sequoia Capital and internet billionaire Sanjeev Bikhchandani, the founder of Info Edge.Credits: YourStory, CNBC-TV18, ET NowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2021 Year-ender Series, Theme One: From extreme weather events to the loud warning signals of the UN Report, from the blame game of Cop 26 to business leaders getting on the sustainability bus, climate change dominated headlines throughout 2021. Host Bhavya Dilipkumar in conversation with JSW Group’s CSO Prabodha Acharya, Bank of America Securities head of India Research, Amish Shah, convenor of Energy and Climate change group and environment activist Soumya Dutta and ET’s Urmi Goswami tell us what’s the story so far and what lies ahead. Credits: Ted, The Economist, The Telegraph, PBS Newshour, Narendra Modi,BBC News, Associated Press, India TodaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From virtual music concerts to NFT-based merchandise, metaverse presents a whole new gamut of business opportunities. Host Devina Sengupta explains the metaverse with Arvind Neelakantan, Tech Evangelist at Epic Games, Roby John, the CEO of SuperGaming and ET’s Apoorva Mittal.Credits: Meta, Forbes, Matther Maher, CNBCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ITC Ltd had its first-ever investor meet in its 111-year history. But there was hardly anything new. What's stopping transformational changes in the conglomerate that can rejuvenate its languishing share price? Host Arijit Barman speaks to Dwijottam Bhattacharya, a former journalist turned stock market investor who has stayed invested in ITC since the 1990s and ET’s Kiran Somvanshi to decode the company's DNA and figure out if the cigarettes-to-coffee giant has what it takes to outshine peers and disruptors. Credits: Stockonomics, National Stock Exchange of India LimitedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ola has begun delivering its Electric Scooter to customers, after much hype and delays. Product glitches remain, plans are ambitious, tough competition looms and the company has seen a string of exits. Host Anirban Chowdhury speaks to the editor of several trade magazines including CarDekho, Zigwheels and Bikedekho, Kartikeya Singhee as well as ET's Manu Toms and Nehal Chaliawala to find out what lies ahead for the company. Credits: Ola ElectricSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PepsiCo India has lost the rights to a potato variety grown exclusively for its popular Lay’s chips. Host Nehal Chaliawala speaks to activist at the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture,Kavitha Kuruganti, senior advocate Gourab Banerji & ET’s Ratna Bhushan on why PepsiCo lost this battle and what does it mean for the farmers and companies investing in innovation in India? credits: Oneindia English, Times Now, CNNSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a conflict brewing in the FMCG space that's much like what’s played out in sectors like pharma and smartphones with retail trade and FMCG companies at loggerheads. Host Ratna Bhushan speaks to AICPDF President Dhairyashil Patil, Parle Products Senior Category Head Mayank Shah and ETIG’s Kiran Somvanshi to find out if FMCG companies can afford to ignore traditional distributors who make up about 90% of the overall market? Credits: JioMart, Swarajya, ET NowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IITs are witnessing a campus recruitment boom like never before. To understand what is driving the 8-figure job offers, host Devina Sengupta talks to Anishya Obhrai Madan, head of career services at IIT Delhi; Prashant Singh, managing director at Quantbox Research – who is one of the recruiters – and ET’s Sreeradha Basu.Credits: ET Now, India Today, Business TodaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Paytm, Star Health Insurance failed to shine upon listing on the bourses. This is despite the hype around the Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed company being the first standalone health insurer to go public. Host Bhavya Dilipkumar speaks to CA Pranav Goyal, Managing Partner at ValueMonks Solutions LLP as well as Kumar Saurabh, Founder, Scientific Investing and ET's Sanam Mirchandani to see if the company is in the pink of health. Credits: CNBC TV-18, India TodaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rollup ecommerce companies-firms that acquire multiple brands and help them scale up rapidly—are the latest disruptors in the ecommerce space. They are also the fastest entrants to the $1 billion unicorn club.Nitin Agarwal, CEO of Global Bees brands and Aqib Mohammed, co-founder of Powerhouse91 explain. Credits: DHL, ET Now, This Week in StartupsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new variant of the novel coronavirus has got the world on the edge as experts fear it could be more infectious and vaccine evasive. Host Dia Rekhi talks to Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at John Hopkins Center for Health Security and ET's Teena Thacker and Anirban Chowdhary to take stock of the situation.Credits: NDTV, CNBC-TV18, CaponeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As All India Trinamool Congress expands beyond Bengal, party chief Mamata Banerjee's national aspirations become more apparent. Is she already prepping for the 2024 national elections? Host Arijit Barman talks to parliamentarians Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Sushmita Dev and ToI’s Mohua Chatterjee to better understand Didi’s politics.Credits: India Today, CNN-News18, ANI News, Hindustan Times, The Print, Republic World, Tanmoy Abhinaba Banerjee and All India Trinamool CongressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paytm's IPO has left a bitter aftertaste for investors and upcoming IPOs, especially in the fintech space, may pay the price. Host Nehal Chaliawala talks to ET's Nishanth Vasudevan and Arijit Barman about how IPOs today are not very different from gambling and what led to Paytm's lacklustre listing. Credits: CNBC TV18See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The news on the ban of private cryptocurrencies by the centre has jolted the investors, crypto companies and analysts. Host Devina Sengupta talks to Rameesh Kailasam, CEO of India Tech, Nischal Shetty, CEO of WazirX and ET’s Sugata Ghosh about the inherent issues of Crypto as currency and as an asset in India and whether the ban is the right way ahead for India’s nascent crypto economy. Credits: Euro News and WionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PM Modi announced the repeal of the three controversial farm laws which triggered the biggest farmer protests in India. Host Anirban Chowdhury along with Avik Saha,Secretary of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, Ashok Gulati, Agricultural Economist and ET’s Kumar Anshuman takes us through the controversies, what led to the repeal and find out whether this is a successful election strategy or a failed agricultural reform. Credits:Sahilonline TV News, NDTV, ABP News, The QuintSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India’s COP-26 coal stand of ‘phase down’ over ‘phase out’ has stirred a debate. Host Arijit Barman in conversation with Deepayan Basu Ray, Climate Initiative lead at Climate Outreach, Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Managing Director, Apraava Energy and ET’s Urmi Goswami discuss the reason behind defending coal and whether the promised targets are attainable? Credits: Breathe by Pink Floyd from Dark Side Of The Moon, Fragile By Sting, DW News, Guardian News, AFP News agency, ITV News, WIONSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Costs are spiralling for consumers, thanks to a high rate of inflation in the Indian economy. Anirban Chowdhury gets the final word on why wallets are getting lighter from Sonal Varma, managing director and chief economist at Nomura; Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at CARE Ratings and ET's Chaitali Chakravarty. Credits: Peepli Live (Raghubir Yadav, Bhadwai Village Mandali, T-Series), BJPSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After making a stellar stock market debut, what will it take for Nykaa to sustain its sky-high premium? VS Kannan Sitaram, Venture Partner at Fireside Ventures and Neeraj Shrimali, Executive Director at Avendus Capital discuss what’s next for Nykaa with host Ratna Bhushan.Credits: ET Now, Nykaa, Mridul Walia, Shivangi SharmaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new start-up called Plaeto is out to disrupt the Indian sneaker market for kids that is dominated by Bata, Campus and Nike.Listen to host Arijit Barman chat with Ravi Kallayil, one of Plaeto's founders and Mathew Cyriac, CEO of Florintree Advisors and one of the angel investors in the company to figure out how science & design is being used to make kids more active through sports. But it is no child's play. Credits: Anabolic Beatz, Nike, Reebok, Netflix, Adidas, EspressoCredits - Editor - Anjali Venugopalan; Producer - Varun Kapahi; Sound editor - Soundarya Jayachandran;See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is India’s Narcotics, Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985 in need of a revamp? Host Devina Sengupta in conversation with Dr Rajesh Kumar, executive director at Society for Promotion of Youth & Masses, Bharat Chugh, advocate and former judge, Neeraj Kumar, former Delhi police commissioner and ET’s Anubhuti Vishnoi delves deeper into the Drug Act and finds out what can make the law more humane towards those who are users of narcotic substances and not traders. Credits: India Today, HW News English, NDTVSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much rides on the COP26 conference as the effects of climate change become more real around the world. From Glasgow, Sumant Sinha of ReNew Power and ET’s Urmi Goswami give a ground report about the tussle between the developing and the developed nations, India’s sustainability goals and how successful the conference has been.Credits: United Nations, UN Climate Change, CNBC Television, Times Now, BBC, Narendra Modi, Guardian NewsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your mother's favourite Kanjeevaram and Banarasi saris are now back in vogue. Join us in this special Diwali episode, where we explain the economics behind the handloom sari's revival. We bring to you special ground reports from the weavers in Varanasi and Kanchipuram, and inputs from designer Gaurang Shah, textile scholars Rta Kapur Chisti and Sabita Radhakrishna and Sujata Biswas, co-founder of Suta on why sustainability and slow fashion are contributing to handloom's popularity, but challenges still lie ahead for the weaver ecosystem. Music Credits: Relaxing Vibz, Zakir Hussain & Rakesh Chaurasia, Sony Music India, Vishal-Shekhar, Vijay Antony, Nabeel Khan/Denis Kucherov, RajVideoVision/Deva. Voice-over by Anirban Chowdhury.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The online beauty and personal care products industry in India is growing fast but challenges posed by the draft e-commerce rules and high customer acquisition costs remain. With market leader Nykaa going public, is the sector coming of age? Manish Taneja, the CEO of Purplle, Darpan Sanghvi, Co-founder at MyGlamm and Aditya Kondawar, the COO at JST Investments explain. Credits: Chetali Chadha, Shivani Taneja, Made By Monda, Shruti Arjun Anand, BloombergQuint, CNBC TV-18See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two new teams in the Indian Premier League were sold earlier this week for astronomical sums of money. Is the valuation justified, and how long will it take for the teams to break even? Can the IPL have the long lifespan of international sporting leagues? Mohit Burman, owner of IPL team Punjab Kings and vice-chairman of Dabur India, as well as K Shriniwas Rao, sports journalist at The Times of India break down the numbers. Credits: CNBC-TV18, Star Sports, VR's Info, Tommy Official, Y.i Cricket TV, Munbai Indians, India TodaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Bitcoin back in the news for touching a new high and NFTs making a splash too, is it a good time for investors to take the plunge into the crypto world? Or is another bubble building? We decrypt the hype and hoopla surrounding everything crypto with Sathvik Vishwanath, CEO at Unocoin and ET's Associate Editor Sugata Ghosh. Credits: Arirang News, CNBC Television, Rajshri, CoinDCX, Zee Music Company, Shemaroo, India Today, Saregama Music, The Script Room, Hetal Puniwala, Indian Advertising Co. Ltd.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Popular Indian brands are under attack on social media for allegedly hurting the sentiments of a group of people through their TV commercials. Communications strategy consultant Kartik Srinivasan, Advertising Standards Council of India’s secretary general Manisha Kapoor, and corporate strategy advisor Sandip Ghose tell us what’s behind the hostility and what are some realistic solutions to overcome this. Credits: NDTV, Newz Tape, Satyen K. Bordoloi, Learning Mirror, CNBC TV18, India Ahead NewsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Afghanistan to Bangladesh and Kashmir in the middle, a spate of violence has unleashed fear across different minority communities. ET's Pranab Dhal Samanta, Rahul Tripathi, Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury and a special ground report from ET's Hakeem Irfan Rashid from Srinagar tell us whether the Taliban triumph in Afghanistan is firing up extremists across South Asia.Credits: Wion ,India Today Aaj Tak HD PIB India Times Now Oneindia News DW News,CNN, RSVP MoviesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.