Mint Delhi Decoded

Covid-19 and the uncertainty with it has made us all re-think our models of savings and further investing. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Prashant Maurya, Partner, Citrine Financial Advisors, a Delhi-based financial planner on what investors need to keep in mind, what should your contingency fund hold and what steps you can take for future planning.

The new farm laws passed by the union government has seen an iconic protest since the past few weeks. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna talks to Ashutosh Kumar, Professor of Science, Panjab University about the three farm bills and the farmers protest.

Disaster for a school going children can be many including road safety, fire hazards and even mental health. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Anshu Sharma, co-founder of SEEDS, a not-for-profit organisation which works to provide community solutions. Sharma talks about the Safe Schools program which empowers children to become change agents for building resilience in their communities.

In November, Delhi Police announced an out of turn promotion for Seema Dhaka who became a head constable after re-uniting 76 children with their families. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Dhaka on her feat.

The Bihar assembly elections were a keenly watched contest not just for the people of the state but also for the rest of the country including Delhi. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Sanjay Kumar, professor at the New Delhi-based think tank - The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies-Lokniti on what the result means and implications for future elections.

On a normal year, the run-up to Diwali meant going to Diwali Melas held across the city to prepare the festival. This year is different with organizations like the Blind Relief Association unable to organize such events which also helped them financially. This episode Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Radhika Bharatram, who is on the board of the association on how they are dealing with the crisis.

The impact of covid-19 has impacted the social sector and local ecosystems. With attempts being made to revive the economy, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Viral Thakker, partner at Deloitte India on their report on the Social response to covid-19 and the roadmap to recovery for the social sector. Tune in to know more.

The need for efficient disaster management and mitigation is more important than ever now. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Abinash Mohanty, Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water on how prepared Delhi is to handle such a crisis and what are the policy changes needed for efficient mitigation.

Just as winter sets in, the air quality becomes more and more unhealthy. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to researcher and author Siddharth Singh on the problem of air pollution, health impacts, role of stubble burning and the way ahead in all this.

Rejuvenation of the Yamuna River has been a long-standing promise. However, as Delhi stayed indoors during the lockdown, the river seemed to look cleaner. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Dr. Suresh Kumar Rohilla who is the Programme Director for Water Programme at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on the untreated waste that goes into the river and the rejuvenation process.

With limited or no savings, workers in the informal sector have worn the worst impact of the pandemic. Now COVID-19 has changed the nature of work. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Paromita Sen, research manager at SEWA Bharat on the state of livelihoods in the informal sector in the country.

Doesn't it sound like a dream to be working in an office surrounded by ice cream machines churning out your favorite gelato? In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to the founders of Minus 30, a gelato ice cream brand in Delhi on the business side of ice creams.

The central government came up with a mission to create 100 smart cities. But what really makes a city smart? Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Anindya Mallick, Partner, Deloitte India on the smart cities mission, the selection process, and will they meet deadlines. Listen in.

Covid-19 has changed the concept of eating out for many. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Radhika Khandelwal, executive chef, and owner at Radish Hospitality on what is has been like operating her restaurant Fig & Maple through a pandemic.

Metro services in Delhi and across the country are set to resume after a gap of over five months bringing much relief to commuters and those working around. But for a while now a journey in the metro won’t be the same with social distancing norms in place. Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Shreya Nandi on the challenges of resuming services.

Electric vehicles have been here for a while but haven’t found many takers. At time when pollution levels hold the key, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Jasmine Shah, vice-chairperson of Delhi’s Dialogue & Development Commission on how Delhi’s new electric vehicle policy aims to make Delhi the countries EV capital, boost infrastructure and incentivize people to make the switch.

The importance of affordable rental housing for urban migrants and poor increases manifolds during a pandemic. The union government has cleared the way for affordable rental housing complexes to be set up. Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Ashoo Gupta, partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Co, who is an affordable housing expert on the scheme and its ramifications.

The Delhi government aims to make Delhi one of the top five global destinations for start-ups. With over 7000 start-ups, Delhi has the highest number of active start-ups in the country. This week Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Tarun Bhalla, founder, and CEO of Avishkaar on what it would take to make Delhi more start-up friendly.

The streets of Shaheen Bagh in 110025 saw a one of a kind protest in 2019 which went on for over 100 days. In this episode, Mint journalist @pretikakhanna speaks to Stuti Govil, a Ph.D. student whose research focuses on gender and public spaces on what the location of the protest and what it means for women-led protests.