Hi everyone, I’m Mridula, and welcome to the first edition of Weekly Tidbits.
We’ve been writing The Daily Brief for a while now, and one thing has become pretty clear: the tidbits at the end have their own fan base. We also spend a lot of time reading news from across industries, the economy and the country. Most of it never becomes a full Daily Brief story—or even a tidbit. So we figured: why not give all that interesting stuff a home?
That’s what this is. Once a week, we’ll take a step back and pick out some of the most interesting news we came across. Nothing fancy. Just useful stories from a wide mix of sources that we think are worth knowing.
We have previously tried to attempt this format through Just beyond the headlines. This was attempted previously by Kashish but he got busy picking up new things at the job so I decided to take over :)
The idea is to step back and see the major highlights of the week and give you a little bit of more context than just the usual tidbits. For now, we’re calling this Weekly Tidbits. We’ll also sort everything into EIC: Economy, Industry and Company.
If you have a better name, send it our way. Best suggestion gets a filter coffee on us :)
E — Economy
[1] India wants an LPG backup before the next supply shock
The government has, for the first time, fixed LPG production targets for refiners and upstream companies. Together, they can produce up to 63,810 tonnes a day. Reliance gets the biggest target at 18,000 tonnes a day.
Why does that matter? India still imports a large share of the LPG we use at home. So when conflict in West Asia disrupts shipping, the pressure can travel all the way to the kitchen.
The government now wants a backup ready before that happens again. If imports get stuck, refiners can push out more LPG at home instead of relying only on overseas cargoes.
It will not make India self-sufficient. But it does give the government more room to respond when global supply gets messy.
[2] Smaller consulting firms want a fairer shot at government work
The Finance Ministry wants ministries to ease some of the eligibility rules they use while hiring consultants.
Right now, tenders often ask firms to show high turnover. They may also require large permanent teams and years of past experience.That makes it easier for big consulting firms to qualify. Smaller firms can get screened out before anyone looks at the people who would actually do the work.
The government now wants departments to look more closely at the team actually doing the work, instead of using the size of the firm as a shortcut.
That could open up more government contracts to smaller Indian consultants. More importantly, it could make these tenders a little more about who can do the work, and a little less about who already has the biggest balance sheet.
[3] The government wants a better way to track project costs
The Finance Ministry is asking ministries to use the Producer Price Index, or PPI, instead of the Wholesale Price Index in future government contracts.
India has used WPI for years to track wholesale prices. Now the government wants PPI to eventually replace it. It has also started publishing monthly PPI data for the first time.
Why does that matter for contracts? Big projects can take years to finish. Steel, fuel and other input costs can change a lot during that time.
Contracts use an inflation index to decide how much payments should rise when those costs move.PPI measures prices closer to the producer level. The government thinks that makes it a better fit.
WPI is not disappearing tomorrow, though. India plans to publish both measures for five years before deciding whether to drop WPI altogether.
I — Industry
[4] India is shutting the door on 405 more defence Imports
The Defence Ministry has added 405 strategically important items to its latest Positive Indigenisation List. That list is basically India’s way of saying that after a certain date, the armed forces can no longer import these products. They have to buy them from domestic suppliers instead.
This round creates an estimated ₹3,070 crore opportunity for Indian manufacturers. The government is doing more than encouraging local production. It is slowly removing the foreign option altogether.
Good news for domestic suppliers, obviously. But now they have to deliver.Once imports stop, Indian companies will have to match foreign suppliers on quality, price and speed.
[5] EV makers say it’s too early to rate their scooters
The government wants to introduce energy-efficiency star ratings for electric two-wheelers. Think of the labels you already see on refrigerators and air conditioners, but for electric scooters.
The idea is simple. It is to help buyers compare which models use their batteries more efficiently. Automakers are not convinced this is the right time. They say the electric two-wheeler market is still young and depends heavily on subsidies and incentives.
Their worry is that another rating system could make buying an EV more confusing just when adoption is still growing.So the disagreement is not really about efficiency. It is about timing. The government wants buyers to compare models more closely. The industry would rather wait until the market is bigger.
[6] Highway contractors may finally be judged on the road
The government is tightening scrutiny of the consultants who prepare Detailed Project Reports, or DPRs, for highway projects.
A DPR is basically the blueprint for a project. It decides things like the route, design, costs and technical requirements before construction begins. And if that blueprint is bad, problems can show up much later.
Nitin Gadkari says faulty DPRs have contributed to delays, poor construction and even accidents. The ministry has now started rating DPR consultants on their performance. Those ratings could also decide whether they get to bid for future projects.
Until now, much of the blame landed on the contractor building the road. The government now wants to push some of that accountability back to the people who designed it in the first place.
C — Company
[7] Why does Swiggy want less Foreign ownership?
Swiggy shareholders have approved a move to become an Indian Owned and Controlled Company.
That would cap foreign ownership at 49.5%. In simple terms, Swiggy would now count as an Indian-controlled company. This gives Instamart an important advantage. It could directly own the products through an inventory led model instead of only running in a marketplace model.
Why does that help? Some businesses have tighter rules for foreign-owned companies.Swiggy is already moving beyond food delivery. Being Indian-controlled could give it more room to enter those businesses. So Swiggy now has more freedom over where it can expand next. Read more about the Swiggy business here.
[8] Diageo is changing their whisky and rum recipes to comply with FSSAI observations
Diageo India is reworking some of its whisky and rum brands after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) objected to added flavouring substances.
The company says it will make the changes within three months. That sounds easy enough. Change the recipe and move on.
But alcohol brands depend heavily on consistency. If you buy the same whisky again, you expect the same taste. That gives Diageo a narrow line to walk. It has to change the formulation without making the product feel different.
So now the regulator wants a different recipe.But customers still want the same drink. Will the company keep up with the expectations? Well, let’s see.
[9] Why India doesn’t want MTNL to leave Mauritius
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited, or MTNL, wanted to sell its Mauritius telecom business as part of its plan to cut debt. But the government has now put that plan on hold.
On paper, selling it makes sense. The business operates under the CHiLi brand and has more than 400,000 customers. It earned around ₹79 crore last year, but still made a loss.
The problem is that the government does not see this as just another loss-making subsidiary. Mauritius is strategically important for India, and MTNL gives the country a telecom presence there. So one option is to sell only 49% and keep control with an Indian owner.
That leaves MTNL with an awkward choice. Selling the business could help reduce debt. Keeping it could help India hold on to something the government thinks is worth more than the profit it makes.
See you next edition :)