The Morning Brief

The Indian consumer market is seeing a dynamic shift, with the resurgence of local brands as formidable challengers to industry giants like Tata, Britannia, HUL and Nestle. Data from Kantar's Brand Footprint report showcases local brands like Sargam, Vidisha and Bhagwati making remarkable leaps in consumer brand rankings, shaking up the nearly $180 billion FMCG market. Karnataka-based brand Teju Masala, for example, has grown 65% in one year. But, what are these local brands doing differently? Should the biggies be threatened? Host Ratna Bhushan explores the ambitions of these challengers with K Ramakrishnan of Kantar, Sumit Aggarwal of Vitrak ExtendReach, and Girjesh Rungta of Rungta Tea in this episode of The Morning Brief. Tune in!You can check out more episodes of The Morning Brief on: The Uncertain Fate Of Asia’s Largest Refinery, Has milk politics turned sour in Karnataka?, El Niño: Little Boy, Big Trouble, E-20 Explained: The blender’s pride or bane? And more.If you like this episode from Ratna Bhushan, check out her other interesting episodes on The Hard Battle for Soft Drinks, Corner Office Conversation With Nestle India CMD, Suresh Narayanan, The Dark Side of Green: Unmasking Greenwashing Tactics and more! You can follow Ratna Bhushan on her social media: Twitter and Linkedin.Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

900 million voters, 545 Lok Sabha seats, 4123 State Assembly seats - Can India really synchronize this dance of democracy through One Nation, One Election? An old idea with a new decibel in debate. What is the economic, logistical, and political possibility of it becoming a reality? Host Kiran Somvanshi gets the pros and cons from: Akshay Rout, Senior Fellow, NITI Aayog & Former Director General of Election Commission of India,  Jagdeep S. Chhokar, Professor & Founding Member of the Association of Democratic Reforms  Anubhuti Vishnoi, Senior Editor, Economic Times Listen to the latest episode of The Morning Brief podcast! You can follow our host Kiran Somvanshi on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin If you like this episode from Kiran Somvanshi, check out her other interesting episodes on ITC Demerger Drama: A Party-Spoiler for Investors, The A to Z of the Zee-Sony Merger Saga, The Billion Dollar Baby: The Business of IVF, Pakistan in Penury, and much more! Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India's massive diamond industry is grappling with a prolonged crisis. Western sanctions on big miner Russia, inflation in the US and a downturn in China have hit the industry which cuts and polishes nine of ten diamonds in the world. Exports from the world's top diamond exporter are down; companies are cutting output, salaries and staff. In Surat, that controls 90% of India's diamond trade, the fates of thousands of workers hang in balance. Several have died by suicide. Team TMB travels to the heart of the diamond business and talks to merchants, brokers, workers, and a union leader to understand the issues that now face this centuries-old industry. Listen to this episode of The Morning Brief with host Anirban Chowdhury!   If you like this episode from Anirban Chowdhury, check out his other interesting episodes on Acing Space: After Chandrayaan 3, India Leaps for the Sun, Tesla's India Test Drive: The Facts vs Faff, Battle of the bikes: Harley Davidson vs Royal Enfield and more! You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: Twitter and Linkedin  Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zepto - the quick climber in quick commerce! With a billion-dollar valuation, what is making this 2-year-old company zip in a race with others that are backed by big corporates? Get the scoop on how Zepto is capturing the Kirana corner in quick commerce from its investors. TMB Host Mugdha Variyar speaks to Vivek Subramanian of Goodwater Capital, a new investor in Zepto and a backer of several global quick commerce firms, as he answers what sets the company apart. Also ET Prime's Priyanka Sahay gives us the ground check on what is cooking next at the firm. Credit: ET Now If you like this episode from Mugdha Variyar, check out her other interesting episodes on Unboxing the New Laptop Import Regime, Why India’s working women are logging out, Will ONDC eat Swiggy, Zomato’s lunch? And more! You can follow Mugdha Variyar on her social media: Twitter and Linkedin Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India could soon see its largest-ever pharma deal as the 10th biggest pharma company by revenues -- Torrent -- is trying to buy the fourth largest one -- Cipla. But, is the bullet too big to bite for Torrent? Is the funding feasible? Will the compatibility not of portfolio but of philosophy, and people, be a challenge? Will Torrent’s M&A ambition extend beyond pharma and power to possibly once again finance? Host Anupriya Nair solves this complex bond along with Economic Times’ Arijit Barman, Kiran Somvanshi & Sangita Mehta in this episode of The Morning Brief podcast. Tune in! To know more about the Cipla pharmaceuticals, you can read this story by Arujit Barman: Torrent in top gear to close out Cipla buyout, in talks with PEs, banks for funds or listen to this episode of The Morning Brief podcast: Cipla Saga - Did The Doctor Prescribe A Sale? You can follow our host Anupriya Nair on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. Credits: ET Now, trendlyneSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a tell-tale journey, TMB Host Dia Rekhi takes you into the world of live-stream apps and in-app gifts for creators, exploring how the murky underbelly of 'content creation' is multiplying as explicit content exploiting the lack of a regulator. In this episode of The Morning Brief podcast, we hear from Deepak Salvi, co-founder of a live streaming app Chingari which introduced the live-streaming model as an additional feature a few months ago and is now among the top 10 grossing apps in India. But, who is liable, the creator or platform? and what is obscene? Ashish of Capstone Legal and Nirali Bhatia, Cyber Psychologist answers all this. Tune in! Disclaimer: This episode has references to and descriptions of partial nudity, pornography, sexual exploitation and verbal abuse. Listener discretion is advised.Credit: Aditya Music India and YRF If you like this episode from Dia Rekhi, check out her other interesting episodes on Phoenixes of Partition: Startup Sagas from 1947, Game of 'Threads', Ethical Hacking 101: The Bright Side of the Dark Web and more! You can follow TMB Host Dia Rekhi on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cannabis culture is catching on and hemp businesses are sprouting everywhere. The global industry of cannabis is pegged at $57 billion but Indian startups are having a hard time exploiting it due to a lack of regulatory uniformity and clarity. What do you do if its fibres can be turned into fine clothes and sturdy ropes but its resin is a prohibited narcotic drug that can land you in jail? TMB Podcast host Apoorva Mittal explores this hazy subject in the latest episode of The Morning Brief with Sumit Shah of Bombay Hemp Company, Tarun Jami of GreenJams, Prasannan Namboodiri, Advocate and Former Narcotics Officer, and Stephen Murphy of Prohibition Partners. Tune in!Credits: Shark Tank India If you like this episode from Apoorva Mittal, check out her other interesting episodes on Vile & Viral: Growing Toxic Work Culture, Finfluencer Regulation: Can SEBI really bell the cat?, Is the NFT fad dead? And more! You can follow our host Apoorva Mittal on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pilots are succumbing to fatigue. Long flying hours, night flights, apathy from employers, overdependence on AI and outdated regulations are leading to a health and safety hazard for aviators and flyers. Two Indian and a Chilean pilot died earlier this month. Five globally were incapacitated while flying. Host Anirban Chowdhury speaks to an IndiGo pilot who chose to be anonymous as he reveals the dark side of the aviation industry. Also listen to Dr. Koutilya Choudary, DGCA Class 1 Medical Examiner and Amit Singh, Former Chief of Pilot Training at IndiGo, Head of Safety at AirAsia and Founder of Safety Matters Foundation (NGO) in this episode of The Morning Brief podcast. Tune in! If you like this episode from Anirban Chowdhury, check out his other interesting episodes on Acing Space: After Chandrayaan 3, India Leaps for the Sun, Tesla's India Test Drive: The Facts vs Faff, Battle of the bikes: Harley Davidson vs Royal Enfield and more! You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: Twitter and Linkedin  Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of a diamond in the rough to dizzying valuations and a glittering exit - The Journey of CaratLane. In this podcast, ET's Samidha Sharma has a candid conversation with CaratLane founder Mithun Sacheti as he reveals the twists and turns in finding funding, almost missing Tiger Global, getting Tatas to the table, and the tough talk with guru Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. You don't want to miss it! If you like these corner office chats, check out other interesting conversations with Emaar Property's Mohamed Alabbar, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAI and more! You can follow Samidha Sharma on social media: Twitter and Linkedin You can follow our host Anupriya Nair on her social media Twitter & Linkedin Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aamchi Mumbai just got its first IIM, the much-needed B-school in the country's financial hub. The countless CAT exam aspirants are more excited, as it means more than 550 additional seats will be available for admissions. But why did a 60-year-old institute like NITIE have to seek the IIM tag? How will it leverage its new identity? And what's the significance of an IIM being in the country’s financial capital? Hosts Kiran Somvanshi and Kalpana Pathak take us through NITIE’s transformational journey of becoming IIM Mumbai in this episode of The Morning Brief podcast. Listen to: Dr Manoj Tiwari, Director of IIM Mumbai,  Shashi Kiran Shetty, Chairman of the board of governors of IIM Mumbai,  Dr Shirish Sangle, Dean of Faculty Affairs at IIM Mumbai.  Tune in! You can follow our host Kiran Somvanshi on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin You can follow our host Kalpana Pathak on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin If you like this episode from Kiran Somvanshi, check out her other interesting episodes on ITC Demerger Drama: A Party-Spoiler for Investors, The A to Z of the Zee-Sony Merger Saga, The Billion Dollar Baby: The Business of IVF, Pakistan in Penury, and much more! If you like this episode from Kalpana Pathak, check out her other interesting episodes on The New Forest Bill: What’s The Fury and Fire About?, Why is Plastic in India Ban-Resistant?, Fame: EV Subsidy Scam or Schemed Sabotage and much more! Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.