A different kind of jam

The theme of the Delhi Economics Conclave that took place at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi last week was the JAM trinity of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile transfers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian spoke on the theme. When Nandan Nilekani, considered an expert on the topic, started speaking, he was caught in a different kind of jam. As he was trying to demonstrate how small entrepreneurs could conduct cashless transactions - from availing of loans to repaying them - on their phone, his own phone stopped working. Nilekani quipped, "The problem in Vigyan Bhavan is that networks are always jammed."