The Morning Brief

Cairn Energy of the UK has moved to seize Air India’s assets to enforce a $1.2 billion arbitration award it won against a retrospective tax demand by the Indian government. Vyapak Desai, Partner at Nishith Desai Associates, Mukesh Butani, Managing Partner at BMR Legal Advocates, and ET’s Deepshikha Sikarwar explain what this could mean for India as an investment destination. Credits: News Clips from Times Now, ET Now, Zee Media, NDTV, TV 18, Ad Music from Air India.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Health insurance during the pandemic is proving to be costlier as companies tighten restrictions in the wake of rising cases and deaths. Will this be the norm in a post-Covid world? Tarun Mathur, co-founder and CBO Policybazaar, and Mahavir Chopra, founder and CEO Beshak.org discuss this with ET's Riju Mehta and Ashwin Manikandan. The clips used in the episode belong to ICICI Prudential, Cred, LIC, NDTV and ET Now. Music is June by Bobby Richards."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Onerous restrictions on NGOs receiving foreign funds have made it hard for them to provide much-needed aid during the ongoing pandemic. Ingrid Srinath, Director, Centre for Social Impact & Philanthropy at Ashoka University, and Sachin Jain, Founder of Vikas Samvad Samiti, explain the ramifications.The news clip used in the episode belongs to Times Now. Priyanka Chopra's plea for donation for India was posted by her on her Instagram handle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With leading banks stopping payments for crypto-currency traders, will the blockchain entrepreneurs, exchanges, or investors be able to fight back? WazirX Founder and CEO Nischal Shetty discusses this with ET's Sugata Ghosh and Apoorva Mittal.Clips courtesy: Saturday Night Live, Coinswitch Kuber, India Today, TV 18. Music courtesy: Adhesive WombatSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid-19 has struck the rural heart of India badly this time. The economic fallout is manageable so far – with some caution, according to Sunil Kumar Sinha, Principal Economist at India Ratings & Research, and K Ramakrishnan, MD - South Asia, Kantar Worldpanel. But Excel sheets may not be able to capture the distress, says Neelesh Misra, Founder of Gaon Connection.The audio elements used in this episode belong to India Today, CNBC-TV18.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A waiver of intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines and drugs alone may not benefit developing countries including India in the battle against the deadly disease. Murali Neelakantan, Former Global General Counsel of Cipla and Glenmark, and Vikas Dandekar, Editor, Pharma and Healthcare, ET Prime, explain what’s at stake for the patent holders and developing nations. The clip featuring Bill Gates used in the podcast belongs to Sky News.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That’s the number to contact to help children orphaned by Covid-19, who are more vulnerable to unscrupulous traffickers, with social media Samaritans unwittingly worsening the situation. Sunil Arora of Bal Asha Trust, Sonal Kapoor from the Protsahan India Foundation and ET’s Devina Sengupta explain how children in this crisis can be helped.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year’s IPL has been indefinitely postponed midway through the tournament after some players contracted Covid-19. Joy Bhattacharjya, Former Director, Kolkata Knight Riders, K Shriniwas Rao, the Times of India’s Senior Sports Journalist, and ET’s Gaurav Laghate tell us how the virus breached IPL’s bio-bubble and the impact of the postponement. The IPL theme music used in this episode belongs to BCCI.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The triumph of regional parties in the West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu elections was a setback for the BJP, which won only Assam and Puducherry. The Congress was marginalised. ET’s political reporters KR Balasubramanyam, Bikash Singh, Vasudha Venugopal and Dia Rekhi analyse the election results.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several countries have come to the aid of India as it battles a devastating Covid-19 wave. How will this affect the global perception of Aatmanirbhar India? Ranjan Mathai, Former Foreign Secretary of India, Tanvi Madan, Director of The India Project at Brookings Institution, Washington, ET Columnist Seema Sirohi and ET’s Manu Pubby give us their insights.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India produces sufficient oxygen, but getting it to Covid-19 patients remains a challenge. How can we get out of this crisis? VR Sharma, MD, Jindal Steel, Rajeev Gupta, Founder Vinayak Oxygen and Sandeep Barasia, CBO, Delhivery tackle the logistical issues, while Pulmonologist Dr. Bornali Datta, and ET's Nabeel Khan recount their experiences in battling oxygen availability.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amid the raging second wave of the pandemic, some companies are trying to ensure the wellbeing of their employees by helping them get beds at hospitals, critical medicines and oxygen, among other things. Meeta Gangrade, COO at 1To1Help, and ET’s Rica Bhattacharyya tell us what more they can do. Also: tips on managing anxiety from psychotherapist Meghna Mukherjee.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People from all over are stepping up to help individuals in distress as Covid’s second wave ravages the country. A few bravehearts like Fashion Influencer Amrita Thakur, Mazher Ramzanali of Khaana Chahiye, Ali Shariff of NGO Mercy Mission, and Samaresh Das share their experiences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allowing all adults to get vaccinated against Covid-19 from next month brings new challenges – from supply chain issues to the ethical dilemma of equitable distribution. Gagandeep Kang, Virologist and Professor at Christian Medical College, Vellore, and ET’s Nidhi Sharma discuss the hurdles ahead.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Class 10 and class 12 students are in a quandary with their board exams cancelled or rescheduled because of Covid-19 cases. Sushil Dhankar, Spokesperson of National Independent Schools Alliance, Adarsh Khandelwal, CEO of Collegify, Disha Nawani, Dean of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and Anubha Shrivastava Sahai, President of the India Wide Parents Association, tell us how this will affect the future of the students and what the government and schools can do to ease this jolt.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not enough drugs, beds and oxygen – that’s the state of affairs in this second and larger wave of Covid-19 that’s hit India. Vikas Dandekar of ET Prime gives us the lowdown on Remdesivir, the drug that’s in high demand for treating coronavirus cases. And we have ground reports from Krishna Kumar in Mumbai, Vatsala Gaur from Lucknow and Akshatha M in Bengaluru.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 vaccinatedSee 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 montage at the beginning of the episode belong to ET Now and Akur Warikoo.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 for privacy information.

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 information.

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 SenguptaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 leaguSee 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 information.

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/listener for privacy information.

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 for privacy information.

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.

China and India seem to be moving towards military disengagement at the LAC after a standoff lasting months. Nirupama Rao, Former Indian Foreign Secretary, and ET's Pranab Dhal Samanta tell us what led to this development, whether India can trust China and the impact on bilateral trade relations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Koo, the locally developed microblogging site that allows users to share their thoughts in Indian languages, is gaining ground as Twitter-government standoff continues. But do alt social networks work? Aprameya Radhakrishna, Founder & CEO of Koo, and ET's Surabhi Agarwal and Venkat Anath discuss its strategy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A suspected glacial collapse led to a destructive flash flood in Uttarakhand. What is the impact of global warming and large-scale development projects on ecologically fragile regions, and how can they be mitigated? Farooq Azam, Glaciologist, Anjal Prakash, lead author of a UN report on the issue, and ET's Urmi Goswami discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Social media platforms Twitter and Facebook are at a crossroads over whether to uphold freedom of expression or follow the government’s orders to take down several accounts in the wake of the farmer protests. Apar Gupta, Executive Director of Internet Freedom Foundation and ET’s Anumeha Chaturvedi explain what's happening.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bunch of Redditors in the US shook Wall Street by banding together to buy up shares of ailing video game seller GameStop, taking short-sellers by surprise. Nithin Kamath, Co-Founder of Zerodha, and Pravin Palande of ET Prime decode the saga and tell us if a similar frenzy can take place in India.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Sensex closed at a record high on Wednesday as the stock markets continued to cheer measures proposed in the budget. Aditya Sood, Fund Manager at InCred Finance, and Nishanth Vasudevan, ET's Markets Editor, discuss the options and precautions for investors riding this bull run.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A year after the Covid-19 outbreak, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented a budget aimed at spending and job creation in a bid to spur economic growth. ET's Chief Editor (news) Sugata Ghosh and Consulting Editor Mythili Bhusnurmath tell us why this budget has brought industry and markets cheer, although questions remain on the execution of plans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It remains an obvious source of funds for the government and the Modi government had even kickstarted big bang privatisation of PSUs. But like always intent has not yet translated into reality. Former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg and ET's Gulveen Aulakh examine why.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tata Group’s plan to buy BigBasket & 1 mg is considered a stepping stone to creating a one-stop digital service, a super app. ET’s Senior Editor Kala Vijayraghavan and Mumbai Deputy Resident Editor, Arijit Barman tell us why these acquisitions are important for the Tatas and the chances of their super app succeeding in the highly competitive consumer internet space.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.