India celebrates growth, rankings and grand infrastructure—but what is the real price of human life in a so-called Viksit Bharat?

In this hard-hitting piece, journalist Sucheta Dalal examines how civic negligence, infrastructure failures and regulatory apathy repeatedly lead to avoidable deaths—from contaminated water in Indore to bridge collapses, train accidents and industrial disasters. While probes are announced and officials suspended, accountability rarely follows. Instead, lives are reduced to ex-gratia payouts that vary wildly based on political optics.

From the Bhopal gas tragedy to Morbi, Gambhira, Balasore and beyond, this audio asks uncomfortable questions:

- Why is negligence cheap in India?

- Why do victims wait decades for justice—or never get it at all?

- And can recent court rulings and insurance reforms finally force accountability?

A truly developed nation is not measured by GDP alone, but by how it values and protects human life. Until negligence becomes catastrophically expensive, disasters will continue—and families will be left clutching compensation cheques instead of justice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

India’s markets are stuck in an unusual bind. Even as the Reserve Bank of India cuts rates and injects massive liquidity, bond yields remain stubbornly high and equity markets refuse to rally. What’s going wrong?

In this audio, Debashis Basu explains how a surge in state government borrowing is undermining the RBI’s easy-money policy. While the central bank is pumping liquidity through bond purchases and swaps, states are flooding the debt market with their own bond issuances—absorbing that liquidity and pushing yields higher. Weak state revenues, rigid spending commitments, and rising competitive populism through “freebie” schemes have worsened the fiscal strain.

The video breaks down why strong headline GDP growth is failing to translate into healthier public finances, how rising state debt poses hidden risks to bond and equity markets, and why investors are becoming cautious despite supportive monetary policy. A clear-eyed look at the growing fiscal tug of war between the Centre, the states, and the RBI—and why it matters for markets.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As 2025 comes to a close, India stands at a crossroads between ambition and execution. Infrastructure expansion, aviation growth, labour reform, environmental protection, digital transformation and legal reform all promised progress—but delivery often faltered, and in many cases, was rolled back.

In this audio, Sucheta Dalal examines how grand policy announcements collided with weak institutions, regulatory capture, political risk and poor implementation. From collapsing bridges and aviation disruptions to environmental reversals, labour unrest, power sector pushback, bankruptcy failures and rising digital fraud, the year exposed a recurring pattern: reforms announced at the Centre struggle when they meet ground reality.

The judiciary, often seen as the final arbiter, also saw an unusual number of reversals, raising concerns about legal certainty and finality. As India moves into 2026, the central question remains—can the country build the institutional capacity and political will needed to convert aspiration into durable outcomes?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SEBI’s new chairman has signalled a major shift: making corporate disclosures simpler, clearer, and easier for ordinary investors to understand. The goal is ambitious—countering the growing influence of unregulated finfluencers who now shape the investment decisions of a majority of retail participants.

In this audio, Sucheta Dalal examines whether Securities and Exchange Board of India can reclaim investor trust through transparency, concise disclosures, and possibly AI-driven information tools—at a time when social media hype often carries more weight than official filings.

The audio explores why timing matters, how India’s fragmented filing system compares with the US EDGAR model, and whether SEBI can truly deliver investor-friendly transparency without political pressure, regulatory capture, or dilution of sensitive disclosures.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government is quietly moving to give SEBI sweeping new powers through the proposed Securities Markets Code—but crucial details remain hidden from the public. There is no draft Bill, no white paper, and no clarity on how expanded authority will be balanced with accountability.

In this audio, Sucheta Dalal examines why consolidating India’s securities laws may be necessary—but dangerous—if governance failures remain unaddressed. From decades-old regulatory fragmentation and the unchecked expansion of depositories like NSDL, to unresolved conflicts of interest and weak oversight within SEBI itself, the risks are systemic.

The core question is simple but uncomfortable: can concentrated regulatory power work without equally strong checks and transparency? As Parliament prepares to consider the new Code, investors and citizens must ask—who will watch the watchdog?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

India’s stock market is at record highs—but why do so many investors feel poorer? In this sharp, data-driven analysis, Debashis Basu dismantles three deeply held beliefs about Indian equities: that Nifty returns reflect investor portfolios, that economic growth automatically translates into corporate earnings, and that earnings growth guarantees strong market returns.

In this audio Debashis Basu explains how government-led capex fuelled a small- and mid-cap boom that lifted retail portfolios while leaving Nifty heavyweights largely untouched—and why the slowdown in capex has reversed that trend. It also examines the long-term gap between India’s GDP growth and Nifty earnings, drawing comparisons with China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea to show why fast-growing economies don’t always deliver stock market wealth.

Finally, it tackles the most dangerous myth of all: ignoring valuations. Using historical examples from India and global markets, he shows how high valuations can destroy returns even when growth looks strong. A must-watch for investors willing to question popular narratives and update their beliefs about India’s equity markets.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

India’s aviation sector is facing one of its most alarming crises yet — and this time, the turbulence comes not from the skies, but from a single airline’s power over the system.

In this hard-hitting analysis, Sucheta Dalal exposes how IndiGo, which controls nearly two-thirds of India’s domestic market, triggered unprecedented nationwide chaos by refusing to comply with long-pending pilot fatigue safety rules. As thousands of flights were cancelled, the DGCA and the Union government quietly bent safety regulations — for IndiGo alone.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

India’s insolvency system seems to operate with two rulebooks — one for honest small borrowers who lose their livelihoods, and another for powerful defaulters who walk away with massive “one-time settlements”.

In this audio, we break down Sucheta Dalal’s exposé on the shocking contrast between the treatment of a Mumbai doctor couple—driven to ruin by an ARC—and the extraordinary leniency shown to the Sandesara brothers, declared fugitive economic offenders in a ₹14,000–16,000 crore fraud.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mumbai’s land belongs to its people — not to politicians, builders, or bureaucrats. Yet, across Maharashtra, public land is being quietly ‘monetised’ and handed over to private developers under the guise of redevelopment and modernisation. From the Parth Pawar land deal in Pune to the proposed monetisation of BEST depots, this video exposes how public assets are being stripped, leased, and sold for short-term fiscal gains.

Sucheta Dalal explains how this unchecked land grab is turning Mumbai into a city of gated luxury towers and disappearing public spaces. It’s time citizens drew a red line and demanded transparency, accountability, and a Public Land Protection Act.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An explosive investigation by Sucheta Dalal uncovers how over Rs1.5 lakh crore belonging to government schemes, welfare programmes, charities, and even military funds has quietly landed in the Reserve Bank of India’s Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF) — forgotten, unclaimed, and unaccounted for.

From ESIC and EPFO accounts to Gram Panchayat Yojanas, Chief Minister’s Relief Funds, and charitable trusts, Moneylife’s research reveals a massive systemic failure — where money meant for public welfare now sits locked away.

This audio exposes how RBI’s UDGAM portal, meant to help recover unclaimed deposits, is riddled with flaws, making discovery nearly impossible. The question remains: Who is accountable for this vanished public wealth?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Crosshairs, Sucheta Dalal traces the arc of India’s most powerful financial institution — the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) — from the 1957 Haridas Mundhra scandal to the present-day Adani controversy.

Drawing parallels between Justice M.C. Chagla’s fearless public inquiry and today’s opaque decision-making, she exposes how decades of political interference and bureaucratic secrecy have eroded LIC’s accountability.

This is the story of how India’s once-transparent institutions turned into fortresses of silence — and why it matters to every policyholder.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What really drives long-term economic growth? In this video, Debashis Basu talks about the idea of “useful knowledge”—a concept developed by economist Joel Mokyr—to explain why some societies continue to progress while others stagnate. He explores how countries such as China and those in the West have built strong networks connecting science, research, and industry, and why India still struggles to bridge its vast pool of talent with innovation on the ground.

Debashis Basu argues that India’s path to becoming a Viksit Bharat doesn’t lie in grand policy blueprints, but in building institutions, research ecosystems, and a culture that values practical, applicable knowledge. Can India finally turn its intellectual potential into sustained prosperity? Let’s explore.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Tata Group — India’s most respected business empire — is once again in the midst of a quiet storm. A power struggle between Noel Tata, the Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) Group, and Mehli Mistry has brought internal tensions to the surface, raising serious questions about the future of governance and leadership at Tata Sons.

In this episode of Crosshairs, Sucheta Dalal examines the fault lines within the group, the opaque role of Tata Trusts, the sidelining of the SP Group, and the surprising move to seek government intervention in what should have been an internal matter.

Will the Tata legacy of integrity and independence survive this inflection point — or will the empire built by Jamsetji, JRD, and Ratan Tata fracture under its own weight?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.