TMS Ep105: Coal crisis, Gautam Adani, RBI's policy decision, UPI Lite

Somewhere in September last year, about 80% of our country’s coal-fired plants had a scary moment. They were left with less than a week worth of coal stock, against the recommended reserve of 15 to 30 days. It led to the Prime Minister’s intervention, and an impending crisis was averted. But, according to a Business Standard report, we are again staring at a somewhat similar situation. 

Coal not just gives us electricity, it produces billionaires too. According to some reports, coal mining tycoon Gautam Adani became Asia’s richest man for a short while, surpassing Mukesh Ambani -- the chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd. So what is behind Adani’s success, what explains his meteoric rise? 

Fortune is indeed favouring him. Shares of Adani Wilmar -- the flagship consumer goods entity in Gautam Adani’s stable -- hit another 20% upper circuit on Wednesday. Meanwhile, as economic recovery gains ground, global central banks, including the Reserve Bank of India, have their task cut-- to gradually withdraw the liquidity support. However, 10-year bond yields have been rising since the December policy meeting, picking pace after the Budget announcement. On the other hand, tightness in liquidity has led to some short-term market rates rising above the Repo Rate. This nervousness in the bond markets could make Shaktikanta Das’s task even more challenging. 

After the markets, let us see how technology is making our lives better. Very soon, you may be able to make digital payments up to a certain amount without an active internet connection. Let us find out how and more in this episode of the podcast. 

Watch video