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India has proved it can scale welfare. The next challenge is ensuring that scale translates into real outcomes.

In this episode of What India Needs, Shutapa Paul speaks with Arshi Aadil, Senior Manager, Government Advisory at MSC (MicroSave Consulting), about India’s welfare delivery systems and what comes next.

The conversation explores the shift from scale to substance, last-mile delivery, digital public infrastructure, social protection, financial inclusion, data systems, and building welfare systems that are more resilient, inclusive, and outcome-focused.

Catch the full conversation on YouTube or listen on Spotify.

#WhatIndiaNeeds #Podcast #SocialProtection #FinancialInclusion #DigitalPublicInfrastructure
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00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:33 - Building welfare systems at scale
00:05:49 - Convergence and welfare delivery
00:09:10 - Adaptive social protection
00:10:46 - e-Shram, informal workers and migrants
00:12:57 - Data quality and beneficiary databases
00:15:08 - MSC's work on delayed payments and just-in-time funding
00:18:13 - Unified social registries and MSC's work in Indonesia
00:20:53 - AgriStack and Bihar Krishi
00:22:10 - Awareness and access to welfare schemes
00:24:23 - Women's financial agency and lessons from Bangladesh
00:29:24 - Welfare, equity and social protection
00:30:38 - Measuring outcomes beyond enrollments
00:32:45 - The future of India's welfare state
00:34:46 - Outro

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#PublicPolicy #WomenInclusion #IndiaDevelopment #SocialWelfare #WelfareState

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Comedy in India can make you famous, have you cancelled, or even arrested.

In this episode, Shutapa Paul sits down with comedian Arvind Sunder to explore the changing landscape of stand-up in India. From censorship and ‘cancel’ culture to social media outrage and the pressure of being politically correct, Arvind Sunder shares his honest take on what it really means to be a comedian in India.

The conversation also dives into the business of stand-up, regional humour, the role of comedians in society, and why India needs to laugh more than ever.

Catch the full conversation on YouTube or listen on Spotify.

#WhatIndiaNeeds #Podcast #standupcomedy #comedyindia #cancelculture #censorship #indiancomedy #freedomofspeech #humour #comedian

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00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:28 - India’s unique sense of humour across cultures and regions

00:05:47 - Cancel culture, backlash and surviving as a comedian in India

00:09:30 - The craft of making difficult subjects funny

00:11:37 - The dream of reaching every Indian

00:16:24 - Is stand-up comedy in India actually difficult?

00:17:48 - Social media outrage vs live comedy audiences

00:19:30 - Comedy and censorship

00:21:57 - Dark humour, offensive jokes and a comedian’s responsibility

00:26:51 - Comedy, politics and reflecting society without preaching

00:33:54 - From engineering and corporate life to stand-up comedy

00:41:16 - Women in comedy & changing gender expectations

00:45:15 - Advice for aspiring comedians

00:50:20 - The future of comedy in India & the rise of regional comedy

00:56:53 - Outro

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#standupcomedy #comedypodcast #indiancomedy #cancelculture #comedyshow #comedianlife #socialmedia #observationalcomedy #podcastindia

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India spends just 0.7% of its GDP on research and development, compared to 2.5%-5.5% in countries like the US and China.

What will it take for India to move from catching up to leading?

In this episode, Shutapa Paul speaks with Dr. Jogin Desai, CEO & Founder of Eyestem, as they explore the structural challenges in India’s innovation ecosystem, from limited private risk capital to the gap between research and real-world impact.

They also discuss how India is uniquely positioned at a moment in time where global shifts, policy support, and entrepreneurial momentum could unlock a new wave of deep tech innovation.

From reversing vision loss to building scalable and affordable therapies, this conversation looks at what it will take for India to create solutions not just for itself, but for the world.

Tune in to hear insights on biotech, capital, regulation, and the future of innovation in India.

Catch the full conversation on YouTube or listen on Spotify.

#WhatIndiaNeedsPodcast #podcast #innovation #deeptech #biotech #researchanddevelopment #india #healthcareinnovation #startupindia #futureofhealthcare

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00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:12 - Exploring India's R&D spending

00:04:31 - Opportunities in India

00:06:14 - The lack of risk capital

00:08:58 - Challenges in translating academic research to societal impact

00:11:38 - India's $300 billion bioeconomy and moving beyond generics

00:13:30 - The evolution of regulatory standards in India vs. the FDA

00:16:24 - Founding Eyestem and tackling unaffordable therapies

00:24:07 - Future pipeline: Parkinson's, Pulmonary Fibrosis, and more

00:26:09 - The importance of a lean, self-driven innovation team

00:27:24 - Myths about India's originality and lessons from China's biotech sector

00:31:14 - Leapfrogging globally in cell and gene therapy

00:32:46 - AI in biology: Opportunities, hype, and necessary guardrails

00:35:56 - Outro --------------

#innovation #deeptech #biotech #researchanddevelopment #india #healthcareinnovation #startupindia #futureofhealthcare #biotechnology #indiastartups #medtech #scienceandtechnology #globalinnovation

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