In 2017, UP was one of the POOREST states of India

But then, a policy made UP go from the POOREST to being the 2nd LARGEST economy in just 6 yrs!

The crazy part? It’s so good that Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, & even the Centre copied it

THREAD: What made UP go from zero to hero🧵 Until few yrs ago, UP was one of the poorest & backward states of India along with Bihar & Jharkhand.

But now it has become the 2nd largest economy & holds a share of 9.2% in India’s GDP.

According to SOIC, it has outpaced Tamil Nadu (9.1%), Gujarat (8.2%) & West Bengal (7.5%).

PM Modi was sad that Indians don't get proper justice due to a clogged judiciary

So, he’s setting out to reform our judiciary the Singapore way

The CRAZY part? 50 million cases are pending in courts costing us billions each year

THREAD: How India is fixing its justice system🧵 On the TRS Podcast, Sanjeev Sanyal, member of the advisory council to the PM, gave a very fundamental perspective about how a slow judiciary acts as a bottleneck for the economy.

First, we have to understand that the basis of any business or economic transaction is a — CONTRACT.

In 2016 Dunzo invented a way to deliver everything in 24 mins

It could’ve changed delivery forever much before Zepto & Blinkit were born

But Reliance entered saying:

“That’s cute, but if I want it, I get it”

What happened next is the most painful lesson in startup history🧵👇 In 2022, we wrote a piece on Dunzo, preaching their model.

We said that one thing which separates Dunzo from all others is that they work very hard to get one city right.

Basically while scaling, they never leave the customer experience behind.

Indians have given up cooking.

They're spending more on takeouts, food delivery apps, and processed food.

The CRAZY part? The consumption of staples like rice, wheat and pulses has gone down from 24.2% to 10.5%.

Thread: Here's why Indians are spending less on food 🧵 If you want to understand someone better then look at their bills and you will find:

- What they prioritize
- What they ignore
- What they value

The same can be said when you look at a country’s bill of household expenses.

In 2021, everyone criticised Blinkit saying they'd rather need Ambulances in 10 mins than groceries

To their SHOCK, Blinkit introduced their 10 min ambulance service yesterday

But why is a grocery app now running ambulances?

THREAD: Here's the real reason behind this move🧵 As soon as they shared this news, everyone is going gaga over the move.

But a lot of others are also asking a lot of important questions like...

In 2013, Just Dial had the chance to acquire Indian startups like Ola, Zomato, Paytm etc.

It could have become the biggest Indian company ever!

But they buried it, saying:

“We’d rather build than buy”

What happened next is the most painful lesson in Indian startup history🧵👇 Long before you could google directions and contact details of any local business, there existed yellow pages

— a directory that listed businesses & services in a specific area, organised by category.

In 2010 when Dr. Manmohan Singh launched Aadhaar everyone called it useless!

14 yrs later, it has become the main catalyst for India's digital boom

The best part? In front of the whole world, IMF set up India's Aadhaar as an example

THREAD: remembering PM Singh’s finest work🧵 India has emerged as 'a bright light' at a time when the world is facing imminent prospects of a recession.

IMF has hailed it for its digital innovation and said the country is at the forefront of digitalization.

Let’s unravel the mystery of India’s strong economic outlook!

Christmas was banned in the US for 260 years!

Because churches considered it an unholy festival that goes against family values

To their utter SHOCK, American companies turned it into the most celebrated family festival on earth!!

THREAD: Here's the business of Christmas🧵 Christmas is far more than a religious event for the west.

The holiday season has been more commercialized over the years, & shopping is the heart of Christmas.

It is a time when everyone's bank account tends to take a hit due to hysteria around presents & decorations.

In 2000, Mahindra was on the verge of being wiped out of the SUV market

Everyone told them to stick to tractors as Indians would never have the know-how to build SUVs

Mahindra SHOCKED them by building the most selling SUV ever—SCORPIO

THREAD: How M&M became global SUV giant🧵 Before the 1990s, Mahindra was an automobile assembly company, manufacturing Willys Jeeps with minor modifications for the Indian market.

Rugged? Yes.

Innovative? Not quite.

Then came 1990—a turning point for India’s auto industry.

2029 will be the last election in India!

Not due to any political unrest, but because of rising costs

2019 election cost ₹60,000 Cr

2024? ₹1,35,000 Cr

At this rate, elections will soon be unaffordable

Enter: ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION

THREAD: Here’s how ONOE will fix this🧵 “One Nation, One Election” refers to synchronizing the elections for various levels of govt — mainly Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha.

Currently, there’s a lot of debate around ONOE.

But first, let us focus on understanding the positive economic impact of simultaneous elections.

In 2022, while Byju’s and Unacademy reported huge losses, Physics Wallah was extremely profitable

Everyone thought it’d be the most successful EdTech in India

But to their SHOCK, PW also reported a loss of ₹1131 Cr this year

THREAD: Reasons why EdTechs keep failing in India🧵 Before we dive deeper into the edtech crisis it’s imp to address the root cause — a deeply flawed educational system.

Because what we’re seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg.

The problems are deeply ingrained in the system that runs it all:

Nitin Gadkari is shifting India from Petrol to Hydrogen instead of Electric

But Elon Musk believes that India is making a grave mistake!

He called hydrogen-powered cars “mind-bogglingly stupid”

THREAD: why Elon might be right🧵 India is on the cusp of making its biggest transition.

The “fuel” decision is extremely crucial because it’s the bases on which the whole economy runs.

And if India makes the wrong call, it will affect everyone!

Let’s understand what is exactly going on here…

In 2010 Big Bazaar was creating a retail monopoly in India

Until DMart stopped them in their tracks

The funny part? While Big Bazaar had 250 stores, DMart did it with just 10

Here’s the EPIC story: Big Bazaar and DMart were founded around the same time in the early 2000s.

Truth be told, Big Bazaar popularized the supermarket culture in India.

It is said that during its peak, more than 300 million customers visited the stores in a year.

PM Modi is making India a manufacturing power to go toe to toe with China

But Economist Raghuram Rajan, who was also RBI’s former governor,

believes India is making a grave mistake!

THREAD: Here's why he might be right🧵 Dr. Rajan questioned the logic behind pouring massive subsidies into industries like chip manufacturing, which requires high initial investments & gives long-term payoffs.

This has brought the long-standing debate between prioritizing manufacturing or services to forefront.

In 2020, PM Modi was sad that Indian markets are flooded with Chinese toys

So, he set out to destroy China's monopoly in toy manufacturing

The crazy part? India's toy exports have gone from 300 crore to 4200 crore in just 4 yrs

THREAD: how he's making India a toy superpower🧵 The process of making toys is as old as human civilization, and India has a rich legacy in toy-making and storytelling through toys.

But the industry has been largely neglected in the past, which led to its failure in India.

Test cricket is doing better than T20s!

But when T20 is so short & thrilling and Test is long & boring, then how is it still thriving?

The Crazy Part? 2023’s India-Australia BGT Tests had 5M avg. minute viewers, while T20s had only 1-2M!

THREAD: here’s why this is happening 🧵 A lot of people around us talk about how “Test Cricket is dying.”

And yet, all we see around is the hype around a 5-match series with 5 days each against Australia in Australia.

Supreme Court just slammed the Punjab govt which is responsible for Delhi’s pollution

Everyone is blaming the farmers

But in reality, farmers are being made to burn their stubble out of compulsion

THREAD: Why Delhi will continue to choke until Punjab stops stubble burning🧵 After paddy is harvested in mid and late Oct, the fields are left with a stubble of stalks that cannot be used as fodder.

And the sowing of wheat begins in late Oct (because the earlier you plant wheat, the better the yield), farmers have very little time for field preparation.

Zomato & Swiggy created a duopoly after eating UberEats & FoodPanda

But a tiny startup Eatsure is on its way to destroy them

The Crazy Part? Apart from its own app it's using competitors to serve customers

THREAD: How it's building a food empire w Faasos, OvenStory & Behrouz🧵 It all began in 2011 when co-founder Jaydeep Barman, craving the Kolkata-style kathi rolls he loved, launched Faasos as a restaurant chain that also offered online ordering.

However, when they looked closely, they discovered that 80% of Faasos' sales came from online orders.

In 2005, while US & Russia were fighting oil wars in the Middle East,

China was busy investing in Kazakhstan in Central Asia

The Crazy Part? Central Asia is now becoming the next Middle East — rich in Uranium, Lithium & Oil!

THREAD: How China’s taking over Earth’s resources🧵 Kazakhstan is a land of hidden treasures and a pivotal player in the global mineral market.

It is the world's largest producer of uranium—one of the most crucial elements in generating nuclear energy—making it a key supplier for nations pursuing cleaner power sources.

On Monday, Vistara took its last flight & is now completely shut

But isn’t it a silly move by Tata to name the new combined airline “Air India”,

rather than “Vistara” which is the most beloved Airline in India right now?

THREAD: Why Tata is preferring Air India over Vistara🧵 A lot of people believe that the entire joint entity should be named Vistara instead of Air India.

In fact, they should get rid of the Air India name altogether because all it's known for now is its poor service.

Indians are dying to live in the UK,

but the British are running away from their own country!

The Crazy Part? London is facing a homelessness crisis, with 1 in 50 people homeless, compared to just 1 in 110 in Delhi

THREAD: How the British dream turned into a nightmare🧵 There’s a deep-seated “grass is greener on the other-side” mindset among a lot of Indians who are delusional enough to believe that all their problems will be solved when they leave the country.