Just a Little Beyond the Headlines - 21/02/25
Hey—welcome to the last experiment episode of Just a Little Beyond the Headlines!
Here, we don’t just repeat the day’s biggest stories—you could get that anywhere. Instead, we take the major headlines floating around the internet and serve them up with that one extra insight you wouldn’t catch just from skimming the news. That’s what makes this show Just a Little Beyond the Headlines.
We keep it simple with the EIC format: E for Economy, I for Industry, and C for Company. So, whether it’s big-picture macro trends or the latest corporate shake-ups, you get it all in one place.
Let’s dive in.
Economy
[1] India’s 70% Female Workforce Goal by 2047
India has set a bold target: 70% female workforce participation by 2047, according to the Labour Secretary at the G20 Employment Working Group. Sounds great on paper, but the gap is massive—current participation rates are stuck around 24%.
So, how will they get there? The government is banking on measures like extended maternity leave, improved crèche facilities, and equal pay provisions. They’re also promoting jobs in high-growth sectors like IT, R&D, and engineering while leveraging schemes like the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) to push formal employment.
There’s also a push for skill development to make women more employable, and expanding social security coverage to reduce job-related vulnerabilities.
It’s a solid plan—on paper. But unless deep-rooted cultural and workplace barriers are addressed, this could end up as just another number for a future PowerPoint slide.
[2] India’s China Trade Problem
A McKinsey report highlights India’s growing dependence on Chinese imports, which have risen by 6% annually since 2017, especially for electronics, chemicals, and machinery. Meanwhile, exports to China have shrunk by 2% per year.
Here’s the kicker: ASEAN countries like Vietnam and Malaysia are also importing more from China but using those materials to produce higher-value goods, which they then export to the U.S. and Europe. Their exports have increased, turning China’s reliance into profits.
India? Not so much. Instead of boosting exports to offset rising imports, India’s trade gap with China is widening. So, while ASEAN plays smart middleman, India’s current strategy risks leaving it stuck with the import bill—and none of the trade rewards.
[3] Argentina comes to India’s rescue for Lithium
ET reported that India just signed an MoU with Argentina to explore and mine lithium—because securing EV battery power from halfway across the world apparently feels easier than mining our own.
Back home, we’ve discovered lithium reserves in Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Karnataka, but progress has been really slow. Why? Bureaucratic delays, incomplete exploration, and red tape have stalled auctions and approvals.
Meanwhile, this Argentina deal promises joint ventures and long-term supply agreements from the Lithium Triangle - which is a group of three Latin-American countries with high concentrations of lithium. If it works, great—India’s EV plans stay alive. If not, we’ll still be stuck importing lithium from China and they’ll continue to corner the battery market.
Industry
[1] SEBI launches new Unified Investor Platform
NSDL and CDSL have teamed up with SEBI to launch a Unified Investor Platform—because managing your investments across 10 apps was getting old. This shiny new app promises a consolidated view of your financial statements, shareholdings, and investments in one place.
Sounds revolutionary? Well, not really. We already have the Account Aggregator (AA) framework powering fintech apps and the Consolidated Account Statement (CAS) giving investors snapshots of their holdings across accounts.
The twist? This platform pulls real-time data directly from NSDL and CDSL, promising fewer delays and a more “seamless” experience. SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch calls it “democratizing investing”—but let’s be honest, it’s more like old wine in a slightly shinier bottle.
[2] Diamonds Are (Finally) Affordable—And Jewellers Might Not Be Complaining
According to an ET report, natural diamond prices in India have dropped by 30% since 2022, falling from ₹5 lakh per carat to ₹3.5 lakh. The reasons? A surge in lab-grown diamonds (LGDs) in the U.S. which are so much cheaper than the real ones and declining demand from China. Meanwhile, gold prices have soared over 60% during the same period.
Now, you’d think cheaper diamonds would hurt jewellers’ profits. But here’s a plausible explanation for why they might actually be benefiting: falling prices boost demand, bringing in more customers. At the same time, jewellers source diamonds at lower costs while maintaining stable retail prices, potentially improving margins. Plus, with gold prices sky-high, diamond-studded jewellery (which uses less gold) becomes an attractive alternative.
So, while prices dip, volume sales and margins might just be saving the day.
[3] Power Ministry wants Discoms to fix their finances or stay broke
The Power Ministry has told India’s power distribution companies (discoms) to get their financial act together. Basically, if these companies want future investments (a.k.a. loans or funding to improve infrastructure), they need to stop bleeding money and start charging consumers enough to cover their actual costs—what the ministry calls cost-reflective tariffs.
Some companies, like Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd, are doing well in terms of efficiency and service, which is why they topped the recent government utility ratings.
Others? Not so much. Government-run discoms are still lagging, even under schemes like the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), which was meant to help improve finances. According to the Reserve Bank of India, these state-owned discoms have racked up a staggering ₹6.5 lakh crore in losses as of 2022-23, severely impacting state finances.
Company
[1] Google Pay Introduces Convenience Fees on Card Payments
Google Pay has started charging a convenience fee for bill payments made using credit or debit cards, ranging from 0.5% to 1% plus GST. The move is aimed at covering processing costs as card-based transactions grow on the platform.
This shift isn’t unique to Google Pay—PhonePe also charges for card payments, while Paytm adds a platform fee between ₹1 and ₹40 depending on the transaction.
The good news? UPI payments via bank accounts remain free for now. But as fintech platforms look for ways to turn their large user bases into sustainable revenue, these small fees could become more common. So, while the payments stay convenient, they might not stay free forever.
[2] ONGC-NTPC’s Big Green Move: Renewable Power, But With Bureaucracy
ONGC NTPC Green—the joint venture between ONGC Green and NTPC Green—has knocked on the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) door, seeking approval to buy 100% of Ayana Renewable Power for ₹19,500 crore. The goal? Consolidate renewable energy assets and tighten their grip on India’s growing clean energy sector.
On paper, it’s a smart move—two fossil-fuel giants trying to clean up their act. But here’s the twist: ONGC NTPC Green isn’t even operational yet. It was established in November 2024.
The deal is supposedly smooth sailing with “no competition concerns,” but given India’s bureaucratic love for red tape, we can only imagine how long this will be.
[3] Mahindra & Anduril’s High-Tech Security Pact
The Mahindra Group has teamed up with U.S.-based Anduril Industries to co-develop AI-powered security systems. What’s on the agenda? Fancy-sounding stuff like autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for surveillance and counter-drone tech to zap threats out of the sky.
This isn't Mahindra's first foray into AI-driven security. Previously, Tech Mahindra, a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group, partnered with Horizon3.ai to enhance AI-based cybersecurity solutions, focusing on autonomous threat detection and penetration testing.
While other companies are exploring AI in cybersecurity, the Mahindra-Anduril collaboration stands out by targeting both maritime and aerial security domains, aiming to bolster regional defense capabilities with advanced autonomous solutions.
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Please let us know what you think of this episode 🙂
Nice comprehensive daily briefing