The following is a reproduction of the Mint Primer article titled "What Telegram ruling means for digital platforms", written by Krishna Yadav and Yash Tiwari:
The Delhi High Court’s ruling upholding the Centre’s temporary ban on Telegram has put India’s digital platform regulation framework under the spotlight. Experts say the ruling raises concerns about the scope of executive powers.
Why did the Centre ban Telegram?
On 17 June, the central government blocked Telegram until 22 June following recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the department of higher education ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination on 21 June. The government alleged that organized networks were using the instant messaging platform to circulate purported examination papers and facilitate cheating. Telegram challenged the order, arguing that misuse by a small group of users could not justify blocking a digital platform used by over 150 million people in the country.
Why did the high court uphold the ban?
In a 19 June order, the Delhi HC’s justice Tejas Karia dismissed Telegram’s challenge. The court held that the Centre had sufficient material to justify the blocking order and declined to interfere with the exercise of powers under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000. A key observation was that Section 69A empowers the government to block an entire platform and not merely specific content, channels or accounts. The court held that software applications such as Telegram fall within the definition of “information” under the IT Act, enabling authorities to block access to the platform when statutory requirements are met.
What does the ruling mean for platforms?
Experts argue the order raises many questions. The Internet Freedom Foundation said the ruling sets a concerning precedent for the open internet as “blocking an entire platform affects the speech and access to information of millions of users”. However, Tushar Agarwal, founder and managing partner at C.L.A.P. Juris, a law firm, said the ruling should not be read as a blanket endorsement of internet shutdowns or platform-wide bans because every future action will still have to withstand constitutional scrutiny.
What should platforms do now?
Experts said social media and messaging platforms should see the ruling as a signal to strengthen compliance and moderation frameworks rather than as a threat. According to Agarwal, platforms should improve transparency, maintain robust grievance-redressal mechanisms and respond swiftly to unlawful content requests. Companies that act quickly against illegal activity are less likely to face coercive regulatory action. YouTube declined to comment, while Meta didn’t respond.
What is the scope of Section 69A?
It allows the Centre to block online content, apps or platforms on grounds such as national security, public order, sovereignty and integrity of India, or to prevent unlawful activities. According to information shared in Parliament in March, the government has blocked 652 mobile apps under Section 69A, citing data security and other concerns.
The following is a reproduction of the article titled "Govt preps ₹7,100 cr chip sops to fuel investments" (also headlined as "Govt plans ₹7,000 cr sops to fire up chip ecosystem" in the body) from the June 22, 2026, edition of Mint Bengaluru:
Incentives aim to attract ₹15,000 crore in fresh investment, generate 4,700 jobs
By Dhirendra Kumar NEW DELHI
India is stepping up its bid to build a semiconductor supply chain, with plans afoot to disburse ₹7,100 crore in incentives this fiscal year with new project targets spanning chip fabrication, manufacturing and design, said two government officials in the know. The government expects the move to attract about ₹15,000 crore in fresh investment and generate around 4,700 jobs.
For FY27, the department of expenditure (DoE) has tasked the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) with supporting one semiconductor fabrication unit, nine manufacturing facilities and 30 design firms under the Modified Programme for Development of Semiconductor and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem in India, said the officials.
Allocation Breakdown
- Chip Fab Unit: Will receive ₹2,000 crore in fiscal support and is expected to attract ₹4,000 crore in investments while generating 1,500 jobs.
- Manufacturing Units: Nine units under the scheme for compound semiconductors, silicon photonics, sensors, and discrete semiconductor fabs/ATMP/Osat facilities will get ₹5,000 crore. They are expected to attract around ₹11,000 crore in investments and generate 3,000 jobs.
- Design Firms: Under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, MeitY will support 30 semiconductor design companies with ₹100 crore to develop 10 semiconductor intellectual property (IP) cores and employ 200 design professionals.
“The DoE has allocated ₹7,100 crore for incentive disbursal in FY27 under the programme, with the clear objective of strengthening domestic semiconductor manufacturing and design capabilities,” said one of the officials. The targeted incentive disbursal in the previous fiscal year was approximately ₹4,000 crore.
The India Semiconductor Mission
India launched a ₹76,000-crore semiconductor mission in December 2021 to develop a domestic ecosystem and reduce import dependence. Approved projects so far include:
- Tata Electronics' fab unit in Dholera, Gujarat (in partnership with Taiwan's PSMC).
- Micron Technology's ATMP facility in Sanand, Gujarat.
- CG Semi's Osat unit in Sanand.
- Tata Electronics' assembly and test unit in Jagiroad, Assam.
- Two additional projects approved in May: an integrated compound semiconductor fab/ATMP facility by Crystal Matrix and an Osat facility by Suchi Semicon Pvt. Ltd..
Expert Perspectives
Ajai Chowdhry, founder of HCL, noted that the direction is promising, highlighting that "India's strength lies in chip design" due to a large pool of VLSI talent. R.K. Bhatnagar, a former advisor to the department of telecommunications, stated the objective is to "develop indigenous capabilities" and strengthen India's position in the global value chain.
Saurabh Agarwal, tax partner at EY India, added that combining robust fiscal incentives with ecosystem development helps India "effectively mitigate geopolitical risks" and positions the country as a stable partner in the global supply chain.
The following is a reproduction of the article titled "Russian crude makes up half of India’s oil imports in June", written by Rituraj Baruah, from the June 22, 2026, edition of Mint Bengaluru:
Rising crude imports from Russia reinforce Moscow’s position as India’s largest oil supplier
By Rituraj Baruah NEW DELHI
India’s imports of Russian crude are averaging 2.66 million barrels per day (mbpd) in June, up nearly 40% from May, lifting Moscow’s share of the country’s oil purchases to about 50% as refiners continued to favour discounted barrels amid disruptions in West Asia.
Russian crude arrivals averaged 1.91 mbpd in May and more than doubled from 1.04 mbpd in February, when shipments were disrupted by US sanctions, according to data from trade intelligence firm Kpler. The increase has cemented Russia’s position as India’s largest crude supplier, even as concerns over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have pushed buyers to diversify sources and routes.
“India’s imports remained strong through June, supported by continued discounts and steady refinery demand. Russian barrels remain competitive against global benchmarks,” said Sumit Ritolia, senior manager for modelling at Kpler. “Regardless of whether the US waiver is extended, we expect India's imports of Russian crude to remain robust, even if not at record-high levels”.
Market Dynamics and Sanctions
Russian crude is currently sold at a $4-5 per barrel discount compared to Brent. Amid a supply crunch during the Iran war, the US waived sanctions on Russian oil to help vulnerable economies cope with the energy crisis; however, this waiver ended on 17 June, adding uncertainty to near-term trade flows.
West Asia typically accounts for 60-70% of India's crude oil imports. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been India's second-largest supplier so far in June, exporting about 636,000 barrels per day, with most shipments moving through ADNOC's Habshan-Fujairah pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia ranks third at 384,000 bpd.
Future Outlook
Ritolia noted that Gulf producers are likely to maintain maximum flexibility in their export systems using bypass routes due to lingering security concerns. Market participants are also monitoring high-level US-Iran talks scheduled to begin Sunday, as any breakthrough could influence shipping routes and trade flows.
Prashant Vashisht, senior vice-president at Icra Ltd, stated that Russian crude is likely to remain an important part of India's import basket. “As the global demand is much higher than the supplies currently, Russian supplies would continue to flow and India will continue to buy from Russia,” Vashisht said. He added that while a realignment of supplies could occur if sanctions on Iran are waived and fresh sanctions are imposed on Russia, such a scenario depends heavily on the outcome of peace talks.
Moscow became India’s top oil supplier after the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 triggered Western sanctions on Russian energy.
The following is a reproduction of the article titled "Three Indian tankers re-emerge, pointing to Hormuz traffic uptick", as found in the June 22, 2026, edition of Mint Bengaluru:
The supertankers carry between them nearly 6 million barrels of Iraqi and Kuwaiti oil.
By Bloomberg
Three fully laden India-linked supertankers have re-emerged in the Gulf of Oman, adding to increased observed bi-directional traffic across the northern and southern routes of the Strait of Hormuz even as conflicting narratives over the status of transits persist.
The Desh Vibhor, Desh Vaibhav and Sanmar Herald were observed in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea on Sunday, after having been last seen signaling their attempt to cross the Strait of Hormuz late Friday, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg News show. The supertankers, each signaling Indian ownership or India-bound cargo, carry between them nearly 6 million barrels of Iraqi and Kuwaiti oil. It could not be immediately determined the routes these tankers took, but their attempts to sail toward Qeshm island suggest they may have taken a Tehran-approved one.
Shipping Corporation of India, the owner and manager of Desh Vibhor and Desh Vaibhav, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did Sanmar Shipping Ltd, the operator of Sanmar Herald.
Conflicting Narratives
The journeys are part of a growing tally of tankers embarking on crossings through the energy chokepoint amid competing narratives from Iran and the US as the two sides prepare for peace negotiations. Iran proclaimed the Hormuz shut on Saturday, citing ceasefire violations in Lebanon; however, the US Central Command pushed back, stating that traffic had actually increased, with 55 merchant ships delivering nearly 17 million barrels of oil crossing the strait on Saturday.
Observed Traffic
- Approaching Hormuz: Three fully laden crude supertankers were seen entering the strait on the Omani side late Saturday before they stopped signaling. One is delivering 2 million barrels of Saudi crude to Japan, while another is lifting 2 million barrels of Qatari crude.
- Reverse Direction: Three empty tankers signaled their locations while sailing into the Persian Gulf along the Omani coast. This included a very large gas carrier and two crude supertankers that recently delivered Emirati crude.
Some Gulf producers are known to dispatch tankers “dark” (with transponders off) through Hormuz to allow cargoes to be transferred to fresh vessels in those waters without drawing attention to the shipments.
The following is a reproduction of the Bengaluru Long Story article titled "India’s biggest bank deserves a better valuation: SBI chief", which includes an interview with Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, from the June 22, 2026, edition of Mint Bengaluru:
India’s biggest bank deserves a better valuation: SBI chief
SBI chairman C.S. Setty says the state-owned lender is better positioned from a regulatory and growth-capital perspective
By Shayan Ghosh & Satish John MUMBAI
With a loan book of nearly ₹50 trillion, State Bank of India (SBI) is by far India’s largest bank. It has also spawned a clutch of businesses that stand on their own, and some of the bank’s bets, such as in the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE), are set to bring in multiples of its initial investment.
In an interview with Mint, Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, SBI’s 27th chairman, said the 71-year-old bank is seeing a greater share of young customers and its customer satisfaction scores improving. The state-owned bank’s stock has also performed better than that of its private-sector peers, rising 28% since Setty took charge on 28 August 2024, while ICICI Bank Ltd’s shares were up 10% and HDFC Bank Ltd’s down 5% over the same period.
Setty, asserting that the bank’s state ownership never came in the way of it adopting new technology and digitalisation, insisted SBI deserves a better valuation. As on 19 June, SBI had a market capitalization of about ₹9.56 trillion, compared to ICICI Bank at ₹9.67 trillion and HDFC Bank at ₹12 trillion.
Setty also highlighted the bank’s three-pronged artificial intelligence (AI) strategy and said the banking industry’s credit growth could increasingly be funded through bonds and market instruments, not just deposits.
Edited Excerpts:
It has been nearly two years since you took charge as SBI’s chairman. What were your immediate priorities? When I took over in August 2024, there was no defining problem like asset quality or consolidation to solve. I felt I should focus on a few things: launching a state-of-the-art, built-from-scratch Yono 2.0, which we launched last year; and strengthening the bank’s capital. We had a successful QIP in July 2025, raising ₹25,000 crore, which strengthened our capital ratios. We also embarked upon Project Saral for Operation Process Reengineering.
Were there any surprises when you took over? Despite being on the board for four years as managing director, I realized that nothing prepares you to be chairman of this complex institution. The position entails greater responsibility and a dramatically altered stakeholder landscape.
How do you see the outcome of SBI’s investments in subsidiaries and the NSE? We have almost 18 non-banking subsidiaries. Our initial investment was around ₹6,000 crore; today, the value of our shares in these is around ₹3 trillion. As for NSE, we were initial shareholders and will definitely take a call on participating in its proposed IPO.
Do you think you have been able to make a change in customer service? Quality as measured by customer satisfaction (CSAT) and net promoter scores (NPS) has seen a marked improvement. Our account attrition rate is coming down, and over 33% of our customer base is now below 30 years. Customers expect more from SBI because they feel a sense of ownership—"this is my own bank".
Which sectors have high potential for credit expansion? I see the power sector coming back in a big way globally and in India. MSME is also growing well; at SBI, MSME loan approvals are now processed within 15 to 20 minutes.
raising deposits is becoming a challenge. What is your view? The landscape of household savings is changing through the financialization of savings. Diversification into pensions (NPS) and insurance is underway. Banks will need to fund credit growth differently; the liability side will no longer be purely funded by deposits, with bonds and other market instruments coming into play.
What is your assessment of India’s economic outlook? I am a die-hard optimist. India has always been a growth story. We believe SBI is a proxy to the Indian economy and encourage investors to be long-term.
What kind of AI use-cases are you seeing? Our approach is based on three pillars: responsible AI, helping stakeholders (employees and customers), and improving governance and risk management. We are deploying GenAI and agentic AI for fraud management and regulatory reporting, as well as hyper-personalisation.
With Indian companies going abroad, would SBI be the banker of choice? Our international presence is geared towards servicing Indian relationships; almost two-thirds of our book is India-related. We are also one of the largest remittance-handling banks for the Indian diaspora and are looking at providing M&A solutions now that the RBI has allowed them through local balance sheets.
What flows are you looking at from the RBI’s FCNR(B) window? We have activated our foreign offices and NRI branches for FCNR(B) deposit mobilisation. We are also looking at whether corporates seek ECBs and may raise money on our own balance sheet through bonds or loans to use at our overseas offices.
Key Numbers for SBI:
- 65,000: New customers added every day.
- 33%: Share of customers under the age of 30.
- ₹3 trillion: Value created from subsidiaries from an initial ₹6,000 crore investment.
- 28.1%: SBI's market share in home loans as of March 2026.
The following is a reproduction of the article titled "Will Zee’s Fifa bet shake up the entertainment market?", written by Lata Jha, from the June 22, 2026, edition of Mint Bengaluru:
Will Zee’s Fifa bet shake up the entertainment market?
Broadcasters & streaming platforms could see strengthened competition for viewer eyeballs
By Lata Jha NEW DELHI
Marquee sports rights are set to reshape India’s television and streaming market. With Zee Entertainment Enterprises partnering the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) to bring Fifa World Cup 2026 and other Fifa properties to India, broadcasters and streaming platforms in the entertainment market could see strengthened competition for viewer eyeballs, advertising and subscriptions that will go well beyond the arena of sports.
According to industry experts, Fifa can strengthen Zee’s linear TV and OTT proposition and improve ad sales across its entertainment and sports network during tournament periods, even as rival JioStar dominates the country’s sports ecosystem. While Zee has not disclosed the size of the deal, industry executives peg it at around $30-40 million for the entire package.
Audience Engagement and Loyalty
Viewers benefit from greater competition in sports broadcasting, which can improve viewing quality, innovation and promotional offers. However, fragmentation remains a pain point as consumers increasingly need multiple subscriptions across platforms to access different sports properties.
“The larger shift we are seeing across the industry is that audiences increasingly expect integrated and high-engagement content ecosystems, rather than siloed entertainment experiences,” said Bavesh Janavlekar, chief business officer, Unite8 Sports at Zee Entertainment Enterprises. He added that premium live sports properties like Fifa drive appointment viewing, repeat engagement, and stronger audience loyalty.
Targeting New Demographics
Zee Group’s Fifa deal signifies reaching out to new audiences through a premium, global youth-skewed property that can be cross-promoted across various general entertainment channels (GECs) and platforms. Ramkishen Y., professor of marketing at K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management, noted that while cricket remains the biggest monetization sporting ecosystem in India, the Zee move creates a ripple effect as a challenger brand in the football ecosystem.
Currently, JioStar carries the deepest sports stack (IPL to EPL), while Sony remains a major football broadcaster with the UEFA Championship on SonyLIV. Netflix’s sports strategy focuses on live events like WWE, and Prime Video has a sports section that is not yet dominant in India.
Strategic Advantages
Rajat Agrawal, COO at Ultra Media & Entertainment Group, highlighted that football's popularity among younger, urban audiences aligns with Zee's target demographic, enabling effective marketing strategies. Unlike movies and web series, which often target female or family audiences, sports events draw male viewers across all ages and regions, including tier-2 and tier-3 towns.
Vishal Agrahari, vice-president at BC Web Wise, suggested that these sports rights strengthen Zee’s bargaining power in OTT bundling discussions. Telcos may see value in bundling ZEE5 with data plans during Fifa windows to drive ARPU (average revenue per user) and engagement. Meanwhile, Sony may need to reinforce its portfolio to avoid losing its "share of voice" in premium sports broadcasting.
Grand Deal Highlights:
- Strengthening Proposition: Experts believe Fifa will bolster Zee’s linear TV and OTT (ZEE5) offerings.
- Estimated Value: The deal is pegged at approximately $30-40 million.
- Viewer Benefit: Increased competition is expected to improve viewing quality.
- Demographic Shift: Unlike scripted series, sports draw a wide range of male viewers across various regions.
The following is the content of the Mint Money feature titled "How different assets are taxed?", which outlines capital gains tax treatment across various assets following Budget 2024:
How different assets are taxed?
This table shows the post Budget 2024 capital gains tax treatment across different assets. As a uniform rule, LTCG on all assets except debt funds is now 12.5%, and STCG on assets where STT is paid is 20%, while assets without STT continue to be taxed at slab rates.
| Asset | Holding period for LTCG | STCG tax rate | LTCG tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity MFs, ETFs and stocks | >12 months | 20% | 12.5%* |
| Gold ETFs | >12 months | Slab rate | 12.5% |
| Reits/InVITs | >12 months | 20% | 12.5% |
| Debt MFs (Bought before 1 April 2023)** | >24 months | Slab rate | 12.5% |
| Debt MFs (Bought 1 April 2023 onwards)** | NA | Slab rate | Slab rate |
| Listed bonds | >12 months | Slab rate | 12.5% |
| Gold MFs, physical gold, overseas MFs, FOFs | >24 months | Slab rate | 12.5% |
| Foreign equity, international ETFs | >24 months | Slab rate | 12.5% |
| Real estate | >24 months | Slab rate | Bought after 23 July 2024: 12.5%Bought before 23 July 2024: lower of 12.5% without indexation and 20% with indexation |
Footnotes:
- *On gains above ₹1.25 lakh.
- **Includes funds that have invested over 65% of proceeds in debt and money market instruments.
The following is a reproduction of the article titled "Pressure building on UK’s Starmer to quit", found in the News Wrap section on page 9 of the June 22, 2026, edition of Mint Bengaluru:
Pressure building on UK’s Starmer to quit
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing a career-defining decision: step down or fight a challenge from Labour Party rival Andy Burnham. Starmer has publicly vowed to stay in post, but pressure is building as more and more Labour Party colleagues conclude his time is up.
Expectation is growing that he will announce a timetable for his resignation as soon as Monday. That’s the day Burnham will be sworn in as a lawmaker in the House of Commons after winning a special election last week.
Business secretary Peter Kyle on Sunday said Starmer is “making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in”.
“I know he is a prime minister who always puts his country first,” Kyle told the BBC, though he said reports that Starmer will resign are “speculation”.
The following is a reproduction of the "Our View" article titled "Warsh’s Fed leadership: can we breathe easier?", from page 12 of the June 22, 2026, edition of Mint Bengaluru:
Warsh’s Fed leadership: can we breathe easier?
The US Fed’s decision to hold rates steady under its new chair Warsh reaffirms that politics has no place in rate decisions. It matters. Fed actions affect global markets, India’s included.
Last Wednesday, the US Fed’s newly minted chair Kevin Warsh showed an eagerly waiting and watching world that he is his own man, not his master’s voice. In a move that was widely anticipated, but nonetheless hugely reassuring for other central banks apprehensive of any hint of political influence, the US Federal Reserve held its policy (fed funds) rate unchanged at 3.5-3.75% for the fourth successive time. No doubt, rising inflation in America had a great deal to do with the Fed’s 12-member FOMC’s unanimous decision. At 4.2% in May, inflation is already the highest since April 2023 and is likely to go higher before it begins to fall, even assuming West Asia’s fragile peace deal holds. US President Donald Trump may “love” inflation, as he recently said, but the public does not, and the Fed is alive to that. Given its dual mandate to keep inflation at its long-term target of 2% while ensuring maximum employment, Warsh did not really have much choice. Unlike in India, where the RBI governor has an outsized say in rate decisions, Warsh has only one of 12 FOMC votes. So even if he wants a rate cut, he has to convince at least six other policymakers to join him—a difficult task given that America’s inflation outlook for the end of 2026 has been marked up to 3.6% from 2.7% earlier.
The Fed’s policy statement left no one in doubt about how it sees its priorities, stating, “The Committee will deliver price stability”. Warsh reaffirmed this at his post-policy press conference, noting that they intend to fix an inflation target that has been missed for five years. Warsh the Fed chair, it appears, is not the same as Warsh the candidate who often called for lower rates, echoing Trump’s calls for cheaper credit. Though he did not submit any forecast of his own for the Fed’s ‘dot plot,’ the plot’s latest update reveals a sharp change in views; in contrast to earlier positions, rate-setting panellists are now veering towards either no rate cuts or small hikes for the rest of 2026.
The Fed’s short hawkish statement was followed by a sharp selloff on stock markets amid a rise in short-term bond yields. At the press conference, attention shifted to two of Warsh’s pet themes: a review of how the Fed takes decisions and how it addresses the public. Warsh has been critical of the central bank’s bloated balance sheet, with its $6.7 trillion portfolio of government debt and mortgage-backed securities, and its lengthy statements that he claims limit the space for Fed action. A shrunk balance sheet would imply monetary tightening, while terse statements may leave markets in the dark. We will have to wait and watch how the Fed’s new chief goes about tackling these, as what the Fed does today affects global markets, India’s included, with or without a lag.
The following is a reproduction of the "From the Vault" article titled "Arora exits SoftBank as Son sticks on", originally published on 22 June 2016 and featured on page 12 of the 22 June 2026 edition of Mint Bengaluru:
Arora exits SoftBank as Son sticks on
Arora will still play an advisory role at SoftBank; India-born executive also sells the shares he bought at the time of joining the company
By Sundeep Khanna
Nikesh Arora, heir apparent to the chief executive officer’s role at SoftBank Group Corp., is leaving the Japanese company after founder, chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son, who had been expected to step down after turning 60 next year, said he will remain at the helm.
India-born Arora, 48, who joined SoftBank in September 2014 with a bulge-bracket annual salary of $135 million, and Son announced the departure a day after a panel comprising independent members of the company’s board cleared the former of conflict-of-interest charges.
Arora will step down as representative director, president and chief operating officer of SoftBank and will assume an advisory role effective 1 July. Simultaneously, he will also step down from the chairmanship at Yahoo Japan, a company in which SoftBank has a 36.4% stake, as well as director of Sprint, the ill-fated acquisition Son made in 2013.
In addition, he has also sold the 60 billion yen (around $483 million at the time) of SoftBank shares he bought at the time of joining the company, incurring what he termed “a small loss” in the process.
“Nikesh is a unique leader with unparalleled skills around strategy and execution. He should be CEO of a global business, and I had hoped to hand over the reins of SoftBank to him on my 60th birthday—but I feel my work is not done,” Son said in a statement. “I want to cement SoftBank 2.0, develop Sprint to its true potential and work on a few more crazy ideas. This will require me to be CEO for at least another five to 10 years—this is not a time frame for me to keep Nikesh waiting for the top job,” added Son.
Arora, who joined SoftBank from Google Inc., where he was the chief business officer, said: “Helping Masa begin the transformation of SoftBank and sowing the early seeds has been a great experience. I have enjoyed working with Masa and the SoftBank team and I look forward to my next challenge. In the meantime I will continue to support SoftBank and our investee companies”.
The unexpected parting will come with a hefty severance package for Arora, who generated over $20 billion in cash in one month, a first in SoftBank’s history. The company stated they would compensate him in accordance with global standards. Recently, SoftBank sold a small part of its shareholding in Alibaba Group for $7.9 billion and agreed to sell its stake in game developer Supercell for a total return of $7.3 billion.
One fund manager, Amir Anvarzadeh, noted that the departure of Arora demonstrated “disunity,” stating, “You can’t really sprinkle any sugar on this one”.
The following is a reproduction of the Monday Motivation article titled "The golden rule of productivity", featuring Siddharth Jain, from page 14 of the June 22, 2026, edition of Mint Bengaluru:
The golden rule of productivity
Kearney India’s Siddharth Jain on the secret to getting more done
By Shail Desai
Like most kids of his generation, Siddharth Jain was an ardent fan of Sachin Tendulkar. His prowess on the field apart, what really struck a chord was the legendary cricketer’s ability to carry pressure with grace and show up match after match, regardless of the noise around him. Jain knows a thing or two about it, having spent 18 long years in consultancy with Kearney India.
“In my field, no two years look the same. The sectors have evolved, the clients have grown more sophisticated and the problems are more complex. There is always something new to figure out,” says Mumbai-based Jain, 42, Managing Partner & Country Head, Kearney India.
His biggest learning over the years has come through conversations with clients, peers and leaders across industries, and by keeping abreast with developments and comprehending data. According to Jain, the key to building a successful career in consultancy is by cultivating the ability to walk into unfamiliar situations, orienting efficiently and arriving at an opinion.
Jain talks to Mint about making the most of mornings and why mentorship is about asking the right questions.
Who do you consider your mentor?
Two early bosses shaped me in specific ways. Vikas Kaushal taught me to be bold and passionate about winning, and to combine that hunger with real attention to detail. Kaushika Madhavan taught me empathy and the importance of always doing the right thing, even when the easier path exists. But the single greatest influence on me, professionally and personally, has been my elder brother, Rahul Jain. He has shown me what it looks like to bring genuine passion to work and to strive for excellence always.
One major insight you worked on with your mentor’s guidance?
That conviction and humility are not opposites—they are complements. Vikas pushed me to back my views and go after outcomes with full commitment. Kaushika reminded me that how you get there matters as much as whether you get there. My brother tied it all together.
What are some of the productivity principles you follow?
The first is 80:20—knowing which 20% of the work will deliver 80% of the value and having the discipline to focus there is the single biggest productivity lever. It sounds obvious, but few practice it. The second is speed over accuracy—not recklessness, but a bias for momentum. A good answer today almost always beats a perfect answer next week. In consulting and in business generally, the cost of delay is consistently underestimated.
Monday Motivation is a series in which business leaders discuss their mentors and their work ethics.
