Mint Chennai
CURIOSITY DESERVES A SUNDAY
Spend Sunday discovering something you didn’t know you wanted to know. From culture and lifestyle to ideas that shift perspectives, HT WKND brings together stories that surprise, inspire and stay with you long after you’ve turned the page.
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RUNNING ACROSS LADAKH
Runners take weeks off work and acclimatise before attempting Ladakh’s ultra race, one of the toughest in the world. To them, the personal challenges, endurance, and pull of the landscape remain central to the experience.
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A steeper path ahead
Amid all the flux in the global economy, the finance ministry’s economic review for September is reassuring but also sobering. Though it sees India’s economy growing 7.3% in the July-september quarter, an enviably high rate, the momentum may be...
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The catch behind lower-cost EVS powered by Baas
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles has become the latest carmaker to offer battery-as-a-service (Baas), a model that lowers the upfront cost of electric vehicles. The trend picked up after Maruti Suzuki India introduced Baas in February, with Mahindra &...
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Kerala HC order: A boost for govt on drug prices?
The Kerala high court on 28 September gave the Centre a legal route to intervene when patented life-saving medicines become unaffordable, holding that the government can invoke Section 100 of the Patents Act, 1970, to use a patented drug for public...
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How a new portal could reshape livestock cover
The department of animal husbandry and dairying (DAHD) has launched a livestock insurance portal. With India’s large livestock population exposed to disease and other risks, the platform seeks to make insurance easier to access and manage. Mint explains.
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CURIOSITY DESERVES A SUNDAY
Spend Sunday discovering something you didn’t know you wanted to know. From culture and lifestyle to ideas that shift perspectives, HT WKND brings together stories that surprise, inspire and stay with you long after you’ve turned the page.
Read Full Story (Page 2)
NO WORD FROM NEPAL
When floods hit Nepal’s hydropower belt, dozens of Indian migrant workers vanished. In a Bihar village, families waited for calls, searched across borders and now battle debt and paperwork while their men remain missing.
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Insurance: take cover
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India’s (Irdai) consultation paper issued this week is a wellintended attempt at reforming the sector. Its proposals aim to lower distribution costs and commissions, ensure greater transparency in...
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Nayara-sap order and its impact on Indian contracts
The Delhi high court on Monday directed SAP India to restore services to Nayara Energy, which had been suspended due to European Union sanctions over the oil refiner’s Russian links. explains the implication of the order for Indian companies that...
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The FM’S raised bar
Though India has been making progress on its manufacturing mission, the country must strive harder to become the world’s factory. On Tuesday, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman exhorted Indian industry to lift its ambition from “Made in India”...
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What’s driving the churn in India’s workforce?
India’s job market is undergoing a churn. Multinationals are cutting roles, particularly in IT, even as opportunities emerge in global capability centres (GCCS), niche artificial intelligence (AI) areas and semiconductors. Mint explains the changes...
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Why Apple faces CCPA probe over user-rights issue
A software update should improve a phone’s performance. But what if it causes hardware failure and leaves consumers with the repair bill? That is at the heart of the Central Consumer Protection Authority’s (CCPA’S) probe into Apple’s software warranty...
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THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
If humanity had a fixed expiry date, what would become urgent and what would suddenly seem beside the point? The Lounge team considers the choices they might make, from living off the grid to learning new skills.
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Will new online shopping rules help customers?
With e-commerce driving nearly 30% of national consumer helpline complaints in 2025 and India’s online shopper base set to grow from 300 million to over 420 million by 2030, per BCG, concerns are rising over platform influence on buyer choices. The...
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UPI levy: fret not
The imposition of a charge on payments to merchants made using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has evoked wide disappointment. As the government has emphasized, sellers must bear this fee, not buyers. Transactions of up to ₹2,000 are exempt, while...
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Why are AI pioneers urging a slowdown?
Last week, Anthropic cofounder Dario Amodei urged slowing down of AI innovations. In a rare consensus, Openai cofounder Sam Altman and xai’s Elon Musk echoed his concern over the risks from AI. The warnings come as Anthropic and Openai are reportedly...
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Petrol cars lose buyers. Why not diesel SUVS?
Petrol cars are losing ground to CNG, electric and hybrid vehicles, but diesel models have held up. Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (Fada) data shows the fall in petrol’s share of passengervehicle sales was steeper than diesel cars in...
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A GRAND TOUR MINUS CLARKSON
The Grand Tour has rebooted itself with a new generation of three enthused young men. It feels fresher, younger and features very little non-car conversation—looks like we may finally be ready for Clarksonlessness.
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Can organized student housing fix the PG crisis?
The recent collapse of a paying-guest (PG) building in Delhi’s Satya Niketan has laid bare the urgency of creating organized student housing across the country. For decades, a severe demand-supply mismatch in university hubs has forced millions of...
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Volkswagen’s yet another shot at an India partner
The Volkswagen Group (VW) has signed a non-binding agreement with the JSW Group for a potential joint venture (JV) in India. After years of searching for a local partner, the German auto giant has turned to the Sajjan Jindal-led conglomerate. Mint...
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EVERYONE HAS A THEORY OURS HAS THE NUMBERS
Everyone has an explanation for the world's biggest events. Number Theory tests those explanations against the evidence. Through rigorous analysis, data and fact-based reporting, it uncovers surprising insights, challenges conventional wisdom and...
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Can John Ternus fill Tim Cook’s shoes at Apple?
On 9 September, Apple’s new chief will take the stage to launch the latest version of the world’s single-most sold smartphone lineup. John Ternus, who led Apple’s hardware engineering as senior vicepresident, took over after Tim Cook quit on 31 August....
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The clean fuel shift
A 16% year-on-year rise in passenger vehicle sales in August helps explain cheerful faces in India’s automobile sector. But there’s a more impressive trend awheel if not afoot. Research by Equirus Securities confirms what was observed earlier too: a...
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THE TRUTH ABOUT MANGOES
India’s mango obsession is built on myth and reality. Behind the stories of unparalleled varieties and global prestige lie neglected orchards, poor farming practices, pesticide overuse and export barriers that expose deeper failures.
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BY N MADHAVAN What contributed to this growth?
The data suggests an all-round performance. The services sector posted strong 12.1% growth while manufacturing grew by 9.2%. Gross fixed capital formation, a measure of investment in the economy, rose by 11.9% against 5.8% in the year-ago period. This...
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Why jewellery giants are racing to consolidate
On Monday, GRT Jewellers India decided to acquire a 74.12% stake in listed jewellery retailer Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri, known as TBZ The Original, from its promoters for ₹1,033.71 crore. The deal reflects a shift towards a more organized, competitive...
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How ‘local’ is India’s defence manufacturing?
On 31 August, Tata Advanced Systems signed a deal to make the US’S Javelin anti-tank missiles locally, two weeks after the release of sixth Positive Indigenization List seeking to localize over 400 items worth over ₹3,000 crore. examines India’s...
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Can more FDI in e-retail lift India MSMES’ exports?
Eyeing more exports from its 90 million registered micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMES) through online retail, India has opened the inventory-based e-commerce export model to foreign capital. Can the move help India’s small businesses become...
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Who is liable for unsafe food sold by e-comm firms?
Karnataka’s food safety regulator earlier this week ordered the suspension of the food licences of major e-commerce platforms after officials found highly toxic datura fruits and seeds being listed and sold online as food products. explains the...
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CRAFT IN A NEW AGE
For Raghavendra Rathore, Indian craft does not need rescuing—it needs opportunity. He makes the case for design, partnerships and new markets that can make traditional skills relevant while keeping regional identities.
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Evolving money
India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was launched in 2016. Ten years on, UPI boasts of 240 billion annual bank-to-bank transfers, with their total value raring to rival nominal GDP. Stupendous as its success has been, the world of digital money...
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Will new H-1B rules reshape IT firms’ strategy?
The US has sharply raised costs and scrutiny for H-1B and L-1 visas, which will impact Indian IT and consulting firms. This will force companies to ramp up offshore delivery models and rethink global talent strategies. decodes What are the new H-1B...
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Don’t Just Follow Culture. Understand It
It's the ideas changing how we live. The conversations shaping what we watch, read, wear, eat, create and care about. Every Saturday, HT Brunch goes beyond what's new to explore what's next—and why it matters. Because understanding culture is always...
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Can India crack the smartphone brand game?
India’s IT ministry, which formally notified its ₹62,500-crore Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) on 21 August, has proposed to offer incentives to build a homegrown smartphone brand. Is a major homegrown phone feasible in the country today?...
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Why SC is pushing for front-of-pack junk food labels
On 13 August, the Supreme Court slammed India’s food regulator for delaying front-of-pack labels on junk food and asked the Centre to take a final call in a fortnight. explains why the order matters for tackling childhood obesity and rising rates of...
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THE PATHOS OF PARTITION
Gurvinder Singh’s feature films have been long-form dissections of the political turmoil Punjab has been subjected to. In ‘Rehmat’, he traces its turbulent past and its enduring capacity for compassion through three stories.
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How RBI’S draft loan rules could impact fintechs
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently floated two draft rules that could change how fintech firms offer small loans. One sets a common loan-pricing framework, while the other would restrict lending of nonbanking financial companies (NBFCS) to term...
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Sebi’s settlement revamp: what is likely to change?
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has proposed a revamp of its settlement framework to make the process simpler for entities. It has suggested changes to how settlement amounts are calculated and interest on disgorgement is charged....
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Air India’s flight takes a plunge: what happened?
The Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi on 4 August suddenly lost altitude, injuring 20 passengers and four crew members. What caused the incident is unclear—pilot error or a mechanical failure, or both. Mint looks at the issue closely based on the...
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Can India sustain its consumption revival in Q2?
Retail consumer sector had a mixed growth in April-june. While the period saw unprecedented raw material price hikes amid West Asia war, GST cuts managed to boost consumption. Mint explains how retailers fared in the quarter and what the next quarter...
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US crime puzzle
What factors influence crime rates? US statistics for 2025 show a sharp drop from 2024 in murders and other violent crimes, the sharpest on record since 1936. President Donald Trump’s supporters have held up tough policing as the prime cause. Yet,...
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BEHIND TYEB MEHTA’S GENIUS
Tyeb Mehta drew from the world around him to make sense of violence, loss and labour. A new book brings together essays and images that trace the ideas, influences and experiences behind his work.
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Commit to memory
In 2021, India officially designated 14 August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. As the name indicates, it marks a solemn event in Indian history, even if its nine-syllable length doesn’t lend itself to easy recall. As the generation afflicted by...
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Why the Centre is against states taxing minerals
On Monday, the Union government introduced a Bill in Parliament that seeks to bar states from taxing minerals. If passed, the law will provide a welcome relief to the mining sector. Mint explains how minerals have been historically taxed and the...
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Will price hikes reduce festive season cheer?
Global chip shortages, costlier imports due to a weaker rupee and a shift in demand towards artificial intelligence (AI) chips are making consumer electronics, including laptops and smartphones, more expensive. The situation is unlikely to improve soon...
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How will new RBI measures change loan recovery?
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 6 August announced its final loan recovery guidelines. The measures, aimed at preventing harassment in the pursuit of defaulters, will take effect from January 2027, three months later than the original deadline....
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Zee’s copyright cases raise red flags for brands
Zee Entertainment has sued Blinkit and Nykaa, alleging the brands used copyrighted content in social media campaigns without permission. The cases may force marketers to review the line between cultural references and copyrights. explains why it...
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THE QUIET RADICAL
As Reba Hore enters her centennial year, her artistic vision is receiving wider recognition. Rooted in everyday life, her works reveal a deep humanity, shaped by politics, love, solitude, and a lifelong commitment to art.
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Why food labels are under the FSSAI scanner
Recent FSSAI bans on Dabur’s misleading claims and select United Spirits products have triggered court challenges and sent Dabur’s shares tumbling. The food safety regulator’s intensifying crackdown is increasingly pulling major FMCG brands into legal...
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Inside India’s ₹84,000-crore offshore oil bet
The Union cabinet last week approved the ₹84,000-crore Samudra Manthan scheme for five-year offshore deepwater exploration. Aimed at reviving domestic output and cutting India’s nearly 90% crude import dependency, unpacks the initiative. Why is India...
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Tariffs in the dock
President Donald Trump’s Section 301 tariffs face internal resistance, with 25 Democratled states challenging them in the US Court of International Trade. The coalition has argued that these re-impose the same sweeping tariffs that earlier failed...
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Why the IBC ruling is a win for homebuyers
Promoters of insolvent real estate firms can no longer use the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) to fend off homebuyers’ legal action. The Supreme Court has ruled that the IBC moratorium protects only the company, not promoters or directors. Mint...
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Can India catch up in sodium-ion battery race?
China’s battery makers are commercializing economical sodium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVS) and battery energy storage systems (BESS). India backs it too, but commercial progress has been limited. What does China’s leap mean for India’s EV...
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PORTRAITS OF INDIA
Emily Eden’s portraits and lithographs, on view in Delhi, offer a female perspective on 19th-century India. The exhibition examines royal courts and everyday communities, serving as a visual record shaped by her travel.
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Smarter steels for people and planet
For two decades, we’ve grown by pushing steel further – safer, smarter, more sustainable. Grounded in quality. Driven by innovation and our people. Building the infrastructure, industries and icons of modern life.
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India’s monsoon challenges are far from over
The monsoon has made up ground in July. However, intense rain has also led to massive loss of life and property. Besides, a strengthening El Niño in the Pacific Ocean, forecast to be the strongest in history, means India’s weather troubles are not over...
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Why Sebi wants to revamp online dispute redressal
The markets regulator wants to speed up investor grievance redressal by shifting the administration of conciliation and arbitration from private online dispute resolution (ODR) institutions to exchanges, depositories and other market infrastructure...
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Can technology fix India’s paper leak problem?
Even as the Centre steps up efforts to stop paper leaks—from a Nandan Nilekani-led reform panel to stricter laws and heftier fines—attention has turned to technology. Can encrypted digital delivery, biometric authentication or AI surveillance secure...
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Can drugmakers weather Trump’s generics tariff?
Trump’s proposed phased tariffs on generic drugs aim to reshore manufacturing, but the plan faces scepticism over its viability. If implemented, Indian drugmakers face huge losses. unpacks the stakes, the market’s importance, and mitigation...
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MYTHS ABOUT MASCULINITY
As powerful men obsess over testosterone levels or what “real” masculinity entails, women and fandoms celebrate male beauty in all its varied forms—with joy, admiration and no desire to police anyone.
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Can India mop up $50 bn via NRI deposit scheme?
Banks have raised over $17 billion since the RBI’S 5 June special drive for foreign currency non-resident (bank) [FCNR (B)] deposits, fuelling hopes of eclipsing 2013’s ‘taper tantrum’ haul. With the window open until 30 September, can India reach $50...
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India’s private space race takes off. What’s next?
On Saturday, India’s first space unicorn Skyroot Aerospace completed its maiden orbital space mission. India now joins the US and EU as the only countries with an operating private rocket. But how far is India from building a scaled-up private space...
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What the new CAFE norms may mean for India
The government unveiled the latest draft of the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) 3 norms on 16 July, setting off a debate over the stringent emission standards for auto firms. As carmakers scramble to meet the norms, Mint unpacks the details...
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Why IT giants are betting big on data centres
IT services majors are tapping the asset-heavy data centre business, betting on artificial intelligence-driven demand and data localization rules. Tata Consultancy Services and HCLTECH see it as the new frontier, aiming to be full-stack players in...
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STIRRING UP THE HOT CHOCOLATE
Unlike coffee, which is largely for grown-ups, everyone loves hot chocolate. New cacao cafés have turned bean-to-bar chocolate into a craft beverage, adding new flavours and even spices to tap into nostalgia while creating something new.
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How Semicon 2.0 helps fulfil India’s chip ambitions
With a ₹1.27 trillion outlay for Semicon 2.0, the Centre is shifting focus from attracting chip factories to building a complete semiconductor ecosystem—from design and research to equipment, materials and gases central to the chip industry. Will that...
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Why the generic weight-loss drug surge is fading
After an initial surge, sales of semaglutide generics have begun to plateau, showed monthly sales data. Experts expect growth to moderate through the rest of the year, tempering several drugmakers’ expansion plans. explains what’s behind the...
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Why is the ethanol fuel push sparking consumer fury?
The Centre has defended its ethanol blending programme just as discussions gain momentum to push the blend beyond 20%. The defence comes as consumers express renewed anxieties over potential damages and costs of higher ethanol mixing. Mint examines the...
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HOW INDIA FAILS FOOTBALL
Sunil Chhetri’s extraordinary career mirrors the paradox of Indian football: a nation overflowing with passion for the game, yet held back by weak grassroots sports, poor governance, and decades of administrative neglect.
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Why the fuss over India’s high power Wi-fi plan
Behind our Wi-fi are invisible radio waves carrying internet signals. India has opened the 6GHZ spectrum for licence-free Wi-fi. Should it now allow high-power Wi-fi in the band? Telcos see a broadband boost from it in the remote areas. So, what’s at...
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Why delivering fashion instantly hasn’t worked
While the promise of delivering trendy fashion in under an hour has attracted investors, turning that into a sustainable business has proved to be far more difficult. Is quick fashion facing structural challenges, or is the category simply too early in...
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Why India is doubling down on regional air
Jodhpur’s new Rajputana-style airport terminal went viral after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it on Saturday. But the event also saw the formal launch of UDAN’S next phase—the ₹28,840-crore Viksit UDAN. Why expand a scheme with a mixed...
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Tractor dumping puts India-china trade ties to test
The Indian government has launched an investigation into the alleged dumping of electric tractors from China. Mint explains why the probe matters—and why it could become a broader test of India-china business ties, with implications beyond electric...
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How no-egg meal shortchanges India’s children
Children in Kolkata’s government schools won’t get eggs in mid-day meals as the new West Bengal government has entrusted meal preparation to a religious organization that shuns non-vegetarian foods. explores whether India’s children can afford the...
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