What India Needs with Shutapa Paul

Send us Fan Mail India has brought drinking water to millions of homes. But is the water actually safe to drink? In this episode of What India Needs, Shutapa Paul speaks with Dr. Durga Das, Founder & CEO of Aeronero, about why India's next water challenge is no longer access, but quality. From contaminated groundwater and ageing pipeline networks to climate-induced water stress and decentralised water systems, this conversation explores what it will take to ensure safe drinking water fo...

Send us Fan Mail India is data-rich. But are we data-smart? What will it take for India to turn vast amounts of data into better governance and smarter decision-making? In this episode, Shutapa Paul speaks with Syed Nazakat, Founder & CEO of DataLEADS, as they explore India's digital public infrastructure, the importance of data quality, misinformation in the age of AI, and the role of information integrity in governance. They also discuss why collecting data is only the first step, how r...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 r...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send a text India is projected to become a $110 billion semiconductor market by 2030. But can the country move beyond being the world’s back office and build a true deeptech and hardware innovation economy? In this episode, Shutapa Paul sits down with tech industry veteran, BV Naidu, Chairman of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), to discuss India’s transition from a software services powerhouse to a deep tech and hardware innovation economy. Tune in to hear BV Naidu’s insights fr...