Digital Exclusives News
Warped priorities: What Mumbai’s suburban railway commuter deaths say about India's development dreams
A recent train accident near Thane, which killed four people and injured eight, highlights the dangers of Mumbai's ageing suburban railway system. Despite known safety solutions, improvements are neglected, revealing a troubling apathy towards the safety of the city's working class.
4 min read14 Jun 2025Mint Explainer | Strait of Hormuz: Will Iran shut the vital oil artery of the world?
As tensions escalate following Israeli strikes on Iran, fears rise that Tehran could choke the Strait of Hormuz, which is significant for its strategic location. What does this imply for countries like India and for the broader geopolitical landscape?
5 min read14 Jun 2025GDP's dirty little secret: Why we should be tracking GVA instead
India's widely reported gross domestic product growth figures are misleading as they can be artificially inflated by government decisions to cut subsidies or raise taxes. A more accurate measure of economic well-being and income generation is gross value added. Here’s why.
4 min read14 Jun 2025Mint Explainer: What are RBI's final norms for loans against gold and silver?
Based on feedback from the industry and the government, the final norms are easier than the previously proposed draft norms. They include a higher loan-to-value ratio for small-ticket loans and don't require credit appraisal for such loans.
6 min read9 Jun 2025Mint Explainer: What the World Bank's new poverty line means for India
In its latest update, the World Bank has revised India's poverty rate downwards. But it has also flagged issues with India's survey data, and by one measure, counts a quarter of Indians as poor. The numbers are complex, so let's unpack them.
6 min read9 Jun 2025Mint Explainer: Will Karnataka's new ‘welfare’ mandate mess up the gig economy?
A new ordinance mandates that digital platforms contribute 1-5% of each transaction to a state-run welfare fund, which will be used to improve protections for gig workers across the board. But will it do more harm than good?
3 min read8 Jun 2025Mint Explainer: Why India’s plywood industry faces an environmental crackdown
On 27 May the National Green Tribunal directed the environment ministry to draft comprehensive guidelines for the industry following complaints of pollution from plywood units in Haryana’s Yamuna Nagar district.
4 min read4 Jun 2025Mint Explainer: As banks brace for quantum attacks, is India moving too slowly?
Financial institutions worldwide are rapidly adopting quantum-resistant cryptography to protect against future quantum computer attacks that could break current encryption and expose sensitive financial data. But how are Indian institutions faring on this front?
7 min read29 May 2025‘Advance tipping’ on ride-hailing apps is merely a symptom of lax law enforcement
It is not that we don’t have laws to prevent price-gouging. It’s that they are simply not enforced, or enforced so weakly that there is flagrant disregard for them.
4 min read24 May 2025It’s time telcos walked the talk on fighting fraud and spam–will they?
Airtel is rallying competitors to join forces against telecom-related cyber fraud. Will the telecom sector unite to tackle this growing menace, or will competition prevail?
3 min read21 May 2025Popular Topics
Budget
The Union Budget contains details about the estimated receipts and the expenditure of the government for a particular fiscal year. The Budget is allotted for the upcoming fiscal year, which runs from 1st April to 31st March of the next year. Here is a quick guide on how the Union Budget is prepared
Primer
Primer is Mint's signature mode of explaining a complex issue by breaking into five simple questions and answers. We bring you our roster of expert writers across subjects, resulting in explanatory journalism at its very best, published every weekday.