The Morning Brief

Ramp up vaccination by buying in bulk and including the private sector, Dr. Devi Shetty, founder of Narayana Health and head of Karnataka's Covid task force, tells the government. Dr. Shetty warns that we need to prepare for a third wave, not waste time discussing its likelihood.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Centre maintains that Big Tech needs to follow India's social media guidelines but Twitter, Facebook, Google, and WhatsApp are not going down without a fight. Is a ban on the cards, and what next for the tech giants? Raman Chima, APAC Policy Director at Access Now, Nikhil Pahwa, Founder, Medianama, and ET's Surabhi Agarwal discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As brands tap social media influencers, covert ads were proliferating. The new ad guidelines now ask influencers to clearly label branded posts. Content creator Danish Sait, Manisha Kapoor, Secretary-General of Advertising Standard Council of India, and Lakshmi Balasubramanian, Co-founder of Greenroom discuss the business of social media marketing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parents are anxious and states are ramping up facilities but is there any actual evidence that a third wave might affect children disproportionately? Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, Epidemiologist and Public Health Expert, Dr. Rakshay Shetty, Head, Pediatric Intensive Care, Rainbow Children's Hospital, and ET's Teena Thacker ease your worries. Credits: Audio clips from ABP News Hindi, NDTV, The Atlantic, The Economic Times, IndiaTV, DD News.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lakshadweep’s residents have been protesting a series of changes brought about by administrator Praful Khoda Patel, who wants to make the idyllic islands a tourist hub. How will this affect the archipelago’s economics, ecology and culture? We find out from Ayshabi Kalpeni, Chief Medical Officer at Life Care Hospital in Kerala, who hails from Lakshadweep, M Rajshekhar, Independent Journalist, and Kanchi Kohli, a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Research. Credits - News clips from ANI, India Today, Mathrubhumi News. Music from Mirshad Khan's YouTube channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blockbusters are moving from the big screen to smaller ones, OTTs woo movie audiences away from theatres. Will Covid kill the silver screen and make our home the new box office? Catch filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee and Bahubali producer Shobu Yarlagadda in a candid discussion. Credits: Eros Films, Colors Cineplex, Zee Cinema, Warner Bros, Jio, T-Series, Bollywood HungamaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are political parties battling over toolkits on social media? Pratik Sinha, Co-founder of Alt News, Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia Policy Director and Senior International Counsel at Access Now, and ET’s Vasudha Venugopal help us understand what toolkits are, and how new regulations will impact social media and freedom of expression.News Clips from Vice (HBO), AajTak, Wellness Today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the throes of the pandemic, India now has another worry - the rising number of black fungus cases among Covid-19 patients. Dr. Shashank Joshi, an Endocrinologist, and Ophthalmologist Dr. Raghuraj Hegde decode the outbreak, its warning signs and why the treatment is so expensive. ET's Nidhi Sharma explains the steps taken by the government.News clips from Times Now, ANI News, CNA TV and NDTV.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cairn Energy of the UK has moved to seize Air India’s assets to enforce a $1.2 billion arbitration award it won against a retrospective tax demand by the Indian government. Vyapak Desai, Partner at Nishith Desai Associates, Mukesh Butani, Managing Partner at BMR Legal Advocates, and ET’s Deepshikha Sikarwar explain what this could mean for India as an investment destination. Credits: News Clips from Times Now, ET Now, Zee Media, NDTV, TV 18, Ad Music from Air India.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Health insurance during the pandemic is proving to be costlier as companies tighten restrictions in the wake of rising cases and deaths. Will this be the norm in a post-Covid world? Tarun Mathur, co-founder and CBO Policybazaar, and Mahavir Chopra, founder and CEO Beshak.org discuss this with ET's Riju Mehta and Ashwin Manikandan. The clips used in the episode belong to ICICI Prudential, Cred, LIC, NDTV and ET Now. Music is June by Bobby Richards."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.