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Mint Primer

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In this podcast adaptation of the renowned Mint Primer, host Rohan delivers concise, digestible Q&A sessions on headline stories. Every morning, gain valuable insights into major, intricate narratives for a comprehensive understanding. Dive deeper into Primer's breaking news, opinions, special reports, and more. This is a Mint production, brought to you by HT Smartcast.
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Episodes

Landslides: Why they are more frequent & lethal

The landslide in Wayanad in Kerala that has killed over 200 people is one of the biggest natural disasters to have struck the country in recent times. Mint looks at the spate of landslides in recent times, why they are on the rise and how, if at all, they can be mitigated.

Aug 02, 20246 minEp. 404

Mining minerals: Could cement & steel get dearer?

In a landmark judgment last week, the Supreme Court upheld states’ right to tax land-bearing minerals. This decision will impact industry but bolster states’ ability to raise resources. Mint looks at the judgment, its significance and how it will affect consumers

Jul 31, 20246 minEp. 403

The search for an engine: Should Google worry ?

Google became one of the world’s largest companies by building the world’s most popular internet search engine. But the advent of AI has spawned an army of rivals ready to upstage its monopoly. Now, with OpenAI showcasing SearchGPT, should Google be scared?

Jul 30, 20246 minEp. 402

Can new govts in India, UK give FTA talks a push?

This summer saw the inauguration of new governments in New Delhi and London. With the business of national polls completed, the two countries are expected to resume talks on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). lets looks at the prospects for a speedy conclusion to the talks.

Jul 29, 20246 minEp. 401

Hints on budget proposals from the eco survey

The economic survey, the government’s most comprehensive annual analysis of the economy, is critical to shaping policy. Looking through the survey’s prism, Mint pieces together what the Union budget 2024-25 may have in store from a focus on jobs to pushing green growth.

Jul 23, 20246 minEp. 399

Byju’s bankrupt: Is the edtech crisis deepening?

Once-feted, edtech firm Byju’s is now facing legal showdowns. Earlier this week, the company was admitted to insolvency by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). What does this mean for the edtech sector, employees and investors?

Jul 19, 20246 minEp. 396

Karnataka: One step too far with local-only quota

The Karnataka government has pressed the brakes on a bill aimed at quotas for “locals” in the private sector. The pause comes when the state is facing labour shortages. Besides, the bill would have deterred firms, delayed projects and impacted investments.

Jul 18, 20246 minEp. 397

Hidden in plain sight: New food inflation data

Food prices rose sharply in June after a searing heat wave. The hope now rests on ample monsoon rains to soften the blow. But excess rains can play a spoilsport. Weather shocks become the new normal, and predicting food prices is a fool’s errand.

Jul 17, 20246 minEp. 395

Trump’s murder attempt: What it means for us

Donald Trump, the former US President and presumptive Republican candidate for the November 2024 presidential polls, was injured in an assassination attempt over the weekend. What are the implications for US politics and the world?

Jul 15, 20246 minEp. 394

To Russia With Love: Takeaways from Modi’s visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi closed a two-day visit to Russia on 9 July. Mint looks at the key outcomes from the visit that came amid the Ukraine war and a growing divide between Western countries on the one hand, and China and Russia on the other.

Jul 11, 20245 minEp. 393

How the budget can accelerate EV sales in India

The EV industry in India is in need of a push, with growth beginning to taper. At least part of it is due to a cut in subsidies earlier this year. As a result, hopes are now pinned on the third instalment of FAME scheme expected to be announced in the budget on 23 July.

Jul 10, 20246 minEp. 392

NEET-UG: How to avoid trouble, going ahead

On 8 July, a Supreme Court bench will hear petitions challenging alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG). With the future of 2.4 million medical students at stake, lets takes a look at how things could be improved.

Jul 08, 20246 minEp. 391

SCO Summit: What’s in it for New Delhi?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has skipped the 2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit meet in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Is India’s interest in this grouping fading? Mint examines this question and more.

Jul 05, 20246 minEp. 390

Home sales: Why small towns are boomtowns now

Property markets in tier-II cities, where sales and price growth have long been subdued, saw a turnaround in both home sales and prices last year. While the sales volume is much lower than in tier-I markets, the pace of growth is faster. What’s the future of small-town homes?

Jul 04, 20246 minEp. 389

Will you get your internet directly from satellites?

The idea of getting internet connectivity beamed from satellites is gaining popularity. But, as the technology matures, satellite communications (satcom)-based internet service has moved away from being a user-centric technology. Is it viable for users in India?

Jul 03, 20246 minEp. 388

AI can make you immortal. What’s the problem?

AI now allows us to build and communicate with digital avatars of the dead. These so-called ‘deadbots’, ‘ghostbots’, ‘postmortem avatars’ or ‘griefbots’ may provide comfort to some (including those doing legacy planning), but they raise difficult ethical questions

Jul 02, 20246 minEp. 387

Phone tariff hikes: Is this the end of cheap data era?

Last week, India’s leading telecom companies Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea raised tariffs across voice and data plans. This is the third hike since 2019 and was not entirely unexpected.

Jul 01, 20246 minEp. 386

Why India needs a new method to count its poor

While India may be lifting a lot of people out of poverty, the way it goes about counting those living below the poverty line is imprecise. After calls for an overhaul last week, Mint looks at issues surrounding poverty measurement and the need for having a more modern model.

Jun 27, 20246 minEp. 384

How China beat the US to No.1 in trade with India

In FY24, China overtook the US to become India’s largest trading partner after a gap of two years. Tune in to know how trade between the two Asian giants has evolved and why it is proving to be so difficult for India to decouple itself from its neighbour.

Jun 25, 20246 minEp. 382

Will XR glasses, Neuralinks kill smartphones?

India accounts for 10% of the 7 billion people using smartphones globally. These, however, may be gradually replaced by extended reality (XR) glasses, gesture-based screens and even brain-computer interface (BCI) devices like Neuralinks in the next 10-15 years.

Jun 24, 20246 minEp. 381

Is India Inc’s call for more public capex justified?

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) president Sanjiv Puri wants a substantial hike in the already-high government capital expenditure. However, experts suggest it’s time India Inc did some heavy lifting and invested to support economic growth.

Jun 19, 20246 minEp. 379

Terror in J&K: What explains the sharp uptick?

Centrally administered Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has seen a sharp rise in terrorist attacks with four incidents last week. The strikes have prompted New Delhi to take a second look at its security strategy. Mint looks at the possible reasons for the spike in terrorist activity

Jun 18, 20246 minEp. 380

Unreal faces and AI brains: An uncanny valley?

An Indian avatar is in the world’s first AI beauty pageant shortlist, where two of the four judges are also AI-powered. Mint explores the pros and cons of AI’s growing influence, from AI CEOs and assistants to realistic AI deepfakes and voice clones.

Jun 17, 20246 minEp. 377

Why Naidu faces a daunting task in Andhra Pradesh

N. Chandrababu Naidu’s fourth term as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh could be his most difficult yet as he inherits a financially broke and industrially ignored state. Mint delves into the challenges the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader faces this time around

Jun 13, 20246 minEp. 375

Why developers are shopping for offline retail

We all love shopping online. The fallout? Many malls, beyond the top graded ones, have closed. However, developers continue to be bullish on retail spaces, numbers released this month by JLL India, a property advisory, show.

Jun 12, 20244 minEp. 374

Intelligent bet: Can Nvidia keep up its swift rise?

Last week, Nvidia briefly overtook Apple to become the second most valuable company in the world at $3.01 trillion. Even as Nvidia shareholders and its chief executive rejoiced, analysts and watchers of the company claimed the future may not be so easy.

Jun 11, 20246 minEp. 373

Alliance dharma: What reforms will work, what won’t

After two terms of absolute majority, the Indian electorate has given a fractured mandate to the Narendra Modi-led BJP. The era of coalition politics is back with a bang. Does that also mean an end to the promise of big-ticket reforms?

Jun 07, 20246 minEp. 372

Why the market doesn’t like the election results

The BJP-led NDA scored a victory in the Lok Sabha polls, but the saffron party was unable to secure a simple majority on its own. The age of coalition politics is back and this queers the pitch for the market in the short term. Mint explains why.

Jun 06, 20246 minEp. 371

The verdict in three minutes

The 2024 elections have thrown up a major surprise. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was supposed to have swept the polls. Instead, it has fallen short of a majority. It now needs to form a government with its partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In short, the era of coalition politics is back in India. Here are some of the main takeaways

Jun 05, 20248 minEp. 370

Will decoding AI ‘black boxes’ make them safe?

Artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) are advancing at an incredible pace, but we are unable to understand how they make decisions, so they are called ‘black boxes’. Researchers say they are now able to peek under the AI hood. Will this make AI models safer?

Jun 03, 20243 minEp. 369
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