India’s Digital Payments Push: The New BHIM-UPI Incentive Scheme and Its Implications
The Indian government has consistently championed digital payments as a key pillar of financial inclusion and economic formalisation. The latest Cabinet-approved BHIM-UPI Incentive Scheme for FY 2024-25, with an outlay of ₹1,500 crore, is another step in this direction. The scheme is designed to encourage the adoption of low-value person-to-merchant (P2M) UPI transactions, particularly among […]
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How Policy Strategy Drives Brand Influence in India
There’s something I often say to clients behind closed doors: Your brand isn’t just what you say. It’s how you respond when policy speaks first. In India — with its intricate bureaucracy, layered regulatory thinking, and high-stakes industry shifts — policy is never just a backdrop. It’s the stage. And yet, too often, brands treat […]
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From Tribunal Courtrooms to Boardroom Readiness: A Journey Through Governance
It wasn’t the judgments that stayed with me—it was the silences between them. The first time I stepped into the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), sometime around 2017–18, I didn’t quite know what to expect. These weren’t traditional courtrooms. They felt more like compact tribunal rooms—white-walled, business-like, with no microphones and an atmosphere heavy with […]
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Strengthening India’s Digital Governance – Key Takeaways from NeSDA 2025
Introduction India’s digital governance landscape has witnessed significant transformation over the past decade, driven by the government’s commitment to paperless, cashless, and faceless service delivery. The National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) 2025, published by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), provides an in-depth evaluation of India’s progress in digital service delivery, […]
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From Reporting to Advocacy: My Journey Through Aadhaar KYC Policy Shifts
In 2018, as a journalist with Mint and Hindustan Times, I witnessed firsthand the tremors that shook India’s fintech industry after the Supreme Court’s verdict on Aadhaar usage. I reported on how the court’s decision to restrict Aadhaar-based KYC (know your customer) for private companies sent companies scrambling for alternatives. I still remember speaking to […]
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From Advocacy to Impact: Unlocking Digital Onboarding with Video KYC Policy
During my time leading the fintech policy efforts at NASSCOM, I had the privilege of advocating for a transformative policy change that would significantly impact India’s digital finance landscape — the introduction of Video-based Know Your Customer (KYC). This was not merely a regulatory shift; it was a pivotal moment for the fintech industry, addressing […]
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From Research to Regulation: How Our Fintech Lending Study Paved the Way
During my time leading the fintech policy efforts at NASSCOM, I had the privilege of advocating for a transformative policy change that would significantly impact India’s digital finance landscape — the introduction of Video-based Know Your Customer (KYC). This was not merely a regulatory shift; it was a pivotal moment for the fintech industry, addressing […]
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