Railways Need 600 Crore, Pharma Wants a Billion, and Indians cleaning Russian Streets

This week: Indian Railways announces its second fare hike of the year, adding 10 to 28 rupees on long-distance trips. India's capital formation slumps to a decade low as households pour money into gold instead of productive investments. IndiaRF looks to exit Synthimed Labs at a billion-dollar valuation. Defence and aerospace startups like Skyroot are now competing with Big Tech for IIT engineers. And in St. Petersburg, 17 Indians including a former software developer are cleaning streets, earning 1.1 lakh rupees a month in a country desperate for labour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The rupee's slide past 90 is hitting travellers beyond just US-bound trips. IndiGo's flight chaos reveals a pattern of reactive governance. TRAI proposes slashing backhaul spectrum charges. The $70 billion data centre rush runs into resource constraints. And record-low inflation might not be the good news it appears. What connects them? Systems under stress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI stocks now make up 30% of the S&P 500 is a bubble brewing? India's burnout crisis hits Parliament with the Right to Disconnect Bill. RBI slams the door on stablecoins and bets on the Digital Rupee. Netflix makes an $83 billion play for Warner Bros that could reshape India's streaming wars. Plus, Acko preps for a blockbuster IPO. Five stories shaping money, markets, and policy all in one episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Top Of The Morning. I'm Nelson John. In this episode, we explore how India's UPI has become the world's largest real-time payment system, processing more daily transactions than Visa globally. We break down Mexico's new 50% tariffs threatening nearly $2 billion in Indian auto exports. We follow the story of how Prada turned a cultural appropriation controversy into an $800 collaboration with Indian artisans. We examine Amazon's massive $75 billion commitment to India across e-commerce, cloud, and quick commerce. And we unpack Disney's surprising $1 billion investment in OpenAI that brings Mickey Mouse to AI video generation. From street-level payments to billion-dollar boardroom deals, this episode connects the dots on how money, trade, and technology are reshaping business across the globe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good Morning, I'm Nelson John.. In this episode, we unpack five major developments reshaping India's economic and trade landscape. We start with the government's exploration of higher ethanol blends beyond E20, including E23 and E27, and why the auto industry is pushing for flex-fuel vehicles instead. Then we examine the US-India trade negotiations happening under the shadow of a Supreme Court case that could invalidate Trump's tariffs entirely. We break down TCS's $700 million acquisition of Coastal Cloud and what it signals about the future of India's largest IT services company. Next, we look at the Trump Gold Card visa programme that's now accepting applications, offering US residency for $1 million. Finally, we analyse how India's export diversification strategy is paying off despite steep US tariffs, with China, Spain, and Russia emerging as growing markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Top of the Morning, I'm Nelson John. Peak XV's Meesho IPO success. AI's enterprise determinism problem. Adani's 15,000 crore bankruptcy play. RCB's $2 billion sale question. China's eight-month manufacturing slump. Five stories that show how money, technology, and power are being repositioned globally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good Morning, I'm Nelson John.. This week on Top of the Morning: SEBI delivers its biggest finfluencer crackdown, ordering Avadhut Sathe and his trading academy to return ₹546 crore in "unlawful gains." IndiGo's pilot shortage cancels 3,600+ flights and exposes years of staffing decisions. Putin visits Delhi amid US tariffs and sanctions, signing 16 agreements as India maintains its strategic balancing act. Wakefit opens its ₹1,289 crore IPO, asking public markets to validate a premium valuation. And Indian VCs bet big on consumer AI startups from Kuku FM to Dashverse. Five stories, one theme: accountability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Top Of The Morning, Im Nelson John Today, India’s workplaces, industries, and digital systems are all shifting at once. Gen Alpha is rewriting the rules of work before they’ve even entered the workforce — expecting hybrid setups, AI partners, VR meetings, and shorter weeks. In the market, BYD’s rapid rise in EV sales shows how fast global players are reshaping India’s electric future. At the same time, India’s new data protection law is tightening consent and compliance, forcing companies to rethink how they collect and move data. Streaming platforms are also adapting, moving from subscriber counts to watch-time and engagement as budgets tighten and ad-supported models grow. And in the corporate world, Tata Communications’ move to acquire 51% of AI platform Commotion highlights how Indian firms are racing to build smarter, automated customer experiences. Together, these shifts tell the same story — technology, regulation, and consumer behaviour are rewriting how India works, watches, moves, and interacts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A JetBlue flight suddenly drops altitude. Investigation reveals: solar radiation corrupted flight control data. The result? The largest mass recall in Airbus history, with 6,000 jets grounded worldwide. Meanwhile, British Airways announces major India expansion, adding a third daily Delhi-London flight. India's DoT mandates that WhatsApp and Telegram must link to active SIM cards. And PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat celebrates 8.2% GDP growth and record 357 million tonnes of food grain production. Systems everywhere are being recalibrated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Top of The Morning, I'm Nelson John. Today, Canada's immigration dream turns into a 10 year wait. China's pharma grip tightens. Mahindra bets big on electric SUVs. Indian unions strike. The tax net widens. Five stories about systems under pressure and what happens when the rules change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices