TMS Ep171: Gig worker shortage, EV policy, markets, sedition law

Is it the summer heat, steep fuel prices, food inflation or something else? The fledgling online delivery platforms are suddenly facing, what they said, an acute shortage of riders. It forced Swiggy to temporarily suspend its pick-up and drop-off service Genie in three major cities. While most other gig firms are not able to deliver products on time. And all of this is happening when the country witnessed a surge in the labour force last month. So why are gig workers in such a short supply? And how it may affect the food delivery and quick commerce firms? 

After the gig platforms, let us move on to another fledgling but fast growing industry. US carmaker Ford on Thursday scrapped its plan to manufacture electronic vehicles in India. Elon Musk-owned Tesla is also exploring options in Indonesia after a prolonged haggling with India over duties and tariffs. So is India’s EV policy enough to turn it into a global EV and battery-manufacturing hub like China?

A little policy rejig by the government can indeed woo many more global EV makers to India. Meanwhile, after two consecutive bad summers, the consumer durable sector is finally seeing signs of recovery this year. Rising temperature and an improved consumer confidence are likely to drive demand for the white goods segment. However, soaring inflation, analysts believe, can cap the overall demand. Find out whether you should bet on cool consumer durable stocks as the mercury soars.

After the economy and markets, let us turn our focus to the corridors of the Supreme Court where a debate to scrap British-era sedition law is raging. The apex court has now directed the Centre and state governments to keep all the trials and appeals filed under IPC’s section 124 (A) in abeyance. So what exactly is this sedition law? And why do most experts believe that it has been misused since inception? This episode of the podcast offers some insight and more.   

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