ET Podcast on aawaz

Green Reliance

Devina Sengupta June 29, 2021

By undertaking his most challenging mission — a $10 billion investment in clean power and fuel — Mukesh Ambani is pivoting India’s largest conglomerate yet again. What are his motivations, and is he spreading himself too fast, too thin? Tim Buckley, Director of Energy Finance Studies, Australia/South Asia at the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and ET’s Arijit Barman discuss. Credits: Jio, Bloomberg, NBC, Global News, DD News, The Beatles

PMC’s Lifelines

Indulekha Aravind June 25, 2021

PMC finally has a buyer. RBI has given Centrum and BharatPe the initial approval to rescue the scam-hit co-operative bank. What does this mean for anxious PMC depositors, the new buyers, and the sector? ET’s Sugata Ghosh and Ashwin Manikandan discuss. Credits: TV18, Times Now, ET Now, BloombergQuint.

Home Improvement

Rachita Prasad June 24, 2021

The recently approved Model Tenancy Act has proposed big changes in India’s rental market. But while this act may make dispute resolution between tenants and landlords easier, every state needs to adopt it and the process may be beset with bureaucratic and political challenges. Cherag Balsara, a senior lawyer specialising in property disputes and ET’s Kailash Babar give us the lowdown.

Cost of Curing Covid

Bhavya Dilipkumar June 22, 2021

High hospital bills and black marketing of drugs and oxygen make the treatment of Covid-19 prohibitively expensive. Dr SP Kalantri, Medical Superintendent at Kasturba Hospital, Malini Aisola, co-convenor of the All India Drug Action Network and ET’s Kiran Somvanshi discuss the flaws in the existing setup and the steps to fix the financial burden of Covid-19. Audio clips from NDTV, India Today, ET Now, Times Now and Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY.

No Country for Big Birds

Nehal Chaliawala June 18, 2021

The rise of renewable energy projects has resulted in the encroachment of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard’s habitat. Abi Vanak, Senior Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, M D Madhusudan, Independent Ecologist and Conservation Scientist, Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, CEO, National Solar Energy Federation of India, and ET’s Shashwat Mohanty discuss the complex issues around economic development and wildlife conservation.
Credits: Real Wild, Pierandrea Brichetti.

Crypto Crisis

Devina Sengupta June 17, 2021

India’s crypto community was rattled after the Enforcement Directorate said it issued a show-cause notice to the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchange WazirX in a money-laundering probe. We speak to CoinSwitch founder and CEO Ashish Singhal, and ET’s Sugata Ghosh and Apoorva Mittal to understand what’s ahead for investors and exchanges.
Credits – Gadget 360, Al Jazeera English. Music – Fil Far

Goodbye, WFH?

Indulekha Aravind June 15, 2021

With the second wave dipping and corporate vaccination drives picking up, companies are now talking about getting employees back to work. We have Pankaj Bansal, Co-founder of People Strong Technologies. Anshul Prakash, Partner at Khaitan & Co and ET’s Saumya Bhattacharya tell us the ground reality of getting back to offices, and how companies are already tracking employee vaccination status, which will play a key role in returning to the workplace. Credits: Audio clips from NDTV. Music from The Office Title Song, Youtube Channel – Micheal Gary Scott

Paytm: From Ant to IPO Rush

Arijit Barman June 11, 2021

Regulatory roadblocks, Chinese influence and ecosystem aspirations – Gautam Chhugani, Director – India Financials and Fintech, Bernstein and ET’s Digbijay Mishra dissect the triggers behind Paytm’s tearing rush towards a $3 billion initial public offering by Diwali this year.
Credits: Audio clips from Bloomberg Quint, ET Now, CNBC-TV18, Paytm, PhonePe and Google Pay. Music from Pink Floyd.

Mission Vax: A Chat with Dr. Devi Shetty

Rachita Prasad June 10, 2021

Ramp up vaccination by buying in bulk and including the private sector, Dr. Devi Shetty, founder of Narayana Health and head of Karnataka’s Covid task force, tells the government. Dr. Shetty warns that we need to prepare for a third wave, not waste time discussing its likelihood.

Big Tech Strikes Back

Devina Sengupta June 8, 2021

Centre maintains that Big Tech needs to follow India’s social media guidelines but Twitter, Facebook, Google, and WhatsApp are not going down without a fight. Is a ban on the cards, and what next for the tech giants? Raman Chima, APAC Policy Director at Access Now, Nikhil Pahwa, Founder, Medianama, and ET’s Surabhi Agarwal discuss.

Full Disclosure

Rachita Prasad June 4, 2021

As brands tap social media influencers, covert ads were proliferating. The new ad guidelines now ask influencers to clearly label branded posts. Content creator Danish Sait, Manisha Kapoor, Secretary-General of Advertising Standard Council of India, and Lakshmi Balasubramanian, Co-founder of Greenroom discuss the business of social media marketing.

The Kids Are All Right

Indulekha Aravind June 3, 2021

Parents are anxious and states are ramping up facilities but is there any actual evidence that a third wave might affect children disproportionately? Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, Epidemiologist and Public Health Expert, Dr. Rakshay Shetty, Head, Pediatric Intensive Care, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, and ET’s Teena Thacker ease your worries. Credits: Audio clips from ABP News Hindi, NDTV, The Atlantic, The Economic Times, IndiaTV, DD News.