The Latest
Geopolitics
Why a US Visa Probe Lands on India's Record Research Pipeline
The Labor Department's inspector general has subpoenaed nine universities over J-1 visas. India sent a record 19,156 scholars to the US in 2024/25, one in six of the total.
October 18, 2026
Business
India's Free UPI Rests on a Subsidy That Covers One Tenth of Its Cost
NPCI has pushed the UPI merchant fee past Diwali, but the gap behind it is untouched. UPI costs about ₹20,000 crore a year to run, and the FY27 subsidy is ₹2,000 crore.
October 18, 2026
Business
Airtel's Voice-Only Plan Costs a Quarter Less Than Its Average Customer Pays
TRAI's draft asked for a largely proportional price cut on voice-only plans. The final rule asks for an appropriate one. Airtel's first answer is Rs 185, 47 percent below its Rs 349 data plan and about a quarter under what its average customer pays each month.
October 18, 2026
Business
India Shut Sugar Out of Ethanol and Cut What It Pays for Maize
The oil companies' new ethanol tender sets sugar diversion at zero, yet asks for about 1,100 crore litres. Grain has to fill a gap of roughly 42 percent, at a lower maize price.
October 18, 2026
Technology
The Supreme Court Wants Children Online, and India's Data Rule Will Need Their Parents' ID
The Supreme Court declared children's internet access a fundamental right and warned that age checks on every user invite surveillance. It left the consent design to the Union. The DPDP Rules already wrote one, and it runs on the parent's identity and age.
October 17, 2026
Business
India Got Faster Growth From the Same Investment Rate
A new column says India's capital productivity has declined. MoSPI's new GDP series says each point of growth cost less capital in FY2025-26. The 8 percent goal still needs a higher investment rate.
October 17, 2026
Business & Markets
Business
India's Free UPI Rests on a Subsidy That Covers One Tenth of Its Cost
NPCI has pushed the UPI merchant fee past Diwali, but the gap behind it is untouched. UPI costs about ₹20,000 crore a year to run, and the FY27 subsidy is ₹2,000 crore.
October 18, 2026
Business
Airtel's Voice-Only Plan Costs a Quarter Less Than Its Average Customer Pays
TRAI's draft asked for a largely proportional price cut on voice-only plans. The final rule asks for an appropriate one. Airtel's first answer is Rs 185, 47 percent below its Rs 349 data plan and about a quarter under what its average customer pays each month.
October 18, 2026
Business
India Shut Sugar Out of Ethanol and Cut What It Pays for Maize
The oil companies' new ethanol tender sets sugar diversion at zero, yet asks for about 1,100 crore litres. Grain has to fill a gap of roughly 42 percent, at a lower maize price.
October 18, 2026
Technology & Science
Technology
The Supreme Court Wants Children Online, and India's Data Rule Will Need Their Parents' ID
The Supreme Court declared children's internet access a fundamental right and warned that age checks on every user invite surveillance. It left the consent design to the Union. The DPDP Rules already wrote one, and it runs on the parent's identity and age.
October 17, 2026
Technology
Starlink's Real Rival in India Is Jio's Home Broadband, Not Its Cheap Mobile Data
Mobile data costs Rs 7.51 a gigabyte, a price no dish can match. The exposure is home broadband, where wireless lines now add subscribers as fast as every wired line combined.
October 11, 2026
Technology
India Lost Its Cheapest Phones to the AI Memory Boom, and Almost Nothing Else
India's smartphone market fell 11.1% in Q2 2026. Strip out phones under US$100 and the rest of the market did not shrink at all. AI data centres are repricing one band of buyers, not everyone.
October 6, 2026
Health, Culture & Geopolitics
Health
Why a 30 Percent Margin Cap Can Cut Cancer Drug Prices by Up to 70 Percent
The regulator capped what the trade can add on top of a drug's price, yet expects shelf prices to fall by as much as 70 percent. That gap is the story.
October 18, 2026
Health
WHO Bars Obesity Drugs for Children Under 10 as Cheaper Versions Reach India
WHO's new guideline rules out obesity drugs and surgery for children aged 0 to 9, on thin evidence. In India, generic semaglutide at Rs 1,300 to Rs 4,200 a month has removed much of the price barrier, leaving guidance as the main one.
October 8, 2026
Health
Two Large Listed Hospital Chains Raised Bills Slower Than Parliament's Inflation Figure
A parliamentary panel wants foreign hospital capital curbed and prices capped, citing medical inflation of 10 to 13 percent. Two large listed chains report bill growth of 5 and 8 percent, and Apollo credits case mix.
October 5, 2026