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00:08Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your primetime destination news,
00:12newsmakers, talking points, our big talking point tonight, that big story that's breaking
00:17tonight. UPI payments above 2,000 to be charged to merchants. What does that mean for you and
00:24me consumers? That's the question we'll raise tonight. Also, the Guru Gram hit and run. The
00:30accused has been arrested. But the big question, why are hit and run incidents on the rise? Plenty
00:36on the show tonight. But first, as always, it's time for the nine headlines at nine.
00:44The Modi government announces new charges for UPI payments, 0.4% merchant fee on transactions
00:51above rupees 2,000. Congress claims new charges should be called Modi tax. BJP takes the Nara's
00:59fupa jibe against the Congress. Guru Gram hit and run accused. Kalyan Vaisla nabbed, brought
01:08to his knees. Police claim video clearly shows the hit was deliberate attempt to murder. Outraging
01:14modesty charges slapped against the person who knocked off the biker. The Delhi government
01:22announces plans to develop hostel facilities for 10,000 students across the capital. Move
01:27after Satya Niketan PG collapse, which killed seven people.
01:34FDA's actions on Ganesh Pandal's and workshop. More than 30 kilos of milk, over 4,100 kilos of sweets
01:44seized across Maharashtra. License of Mumbai's iconic cafe Mondegar also suspended.
01:54Battle for Nandi Gram in West Bengal heats up once again. BJP decides to feel the mother
01:59of Shuvendu's slain PA from Nandi Gram. Chandranath Rath was murdered shortly after the West Bengal
02:05assembly elections. Alarming fake cancer drug racket bust in Bengaluru. Counterfeit life-saving
02:14drugs found in 90 hospitals and clinics in Karnataka. SIT formed pharmacy owner Veeresh
02:19held. A Christian delegation meets Congress President Malik Arjun Khargay demands repealing
02:26of Karnataka anti-convergent law. Delegation seeks 1% reservation under the backward class quota.
02:35Political heat intensifies in Tamil Nadu. Three DMK netas including DMK MPA Raja booked over
02:41allegedly derogatory remarks against TNCM Vijay and Minister Nirmal Kumar.
02:47And tensions flare up in the Gulf region once again after Houthis rained missiles on Saudi's
02:52west coast. Alerts sounded in Holy City of Mecca. Reports claim Israel may help in to help the
02:58Saudis against the Houthis.
03:10But the big story that's breaking this evening, fees on UPI transactions above rupees 2000 have been
03:17announced. A 0.4% merchant fee will be charged now on transactions above rupees 2000. The charge
03:25is on high-level value transactions has been capped at rupees 300. A flat fee of rupees 5 on
03:33transactions above 2000 in categories like railways, fuel. No fee for small merchants earning rupees 1
03:41lakh a month. But the fact now is what does all of this mean? How does one break it down?
03:47Joining me now is
03:48Karishma Asudhani. Karishma, explain what this means. How is this to be seen? What does it mean for
03:57people who will go out and shop let's say tomorrow and have transactions over rupees 2000?
04:07Rajdeep, the whole idea of imposing 0.4% MDR on transactions above rupees 2000 via UPI has been to
04:16make the UPI system way more financially sustainable. But the good news is that it does not impact a common
04:24person. None of us in fact. So somebody who's going to shop tomorrow say for 3000 rupees or 4000 rupees
04:30will
04:30not pay a penny extra because this 0.4% MDR which is the merchant discount rate is payable by
04:36the
04:37merchant to the banks. Until now, in fact for the last five to six years that the UPI has boomed,
04:44government banks and third-party payment aggregators were absorbing most of these costs.
04:49This was to bring in UPI and also to make the system popular and easy going for everybody. But now
04:56if you see August itself experienced about 24 billion UPI transactions and now government thinks
05:02it's time for them to put a full stop on absorbing most of these costs to relieve banks from putting
05:08in extra money and rather let the large entities or entities who deal with multiple transactions via UPI
05:16pay this MDR so that the money gets divided. The expenditure is now tolerated and
05:23to be taken absorbed by the large merchants. So for a common man, person-to-person transaction,
05:30say I'm sending you money or if I'm also paying to a shopkeeper tomorrow in the market,
05:36irrespective of below 2000 or more than 2000, I'm not liable to pay any.
05:41But what I want to understand from you, Karishma, there is the possibility of the merchants passing
05:46the burden at some stage onto consumers. Is that a concern? How is the government intending
05:53to address that concern which a section of the opposition is voicing that this will effectively
05:57be a tax on the consumer at some stage? The concern is a very valid concern because even
06:05with the debit and credit card transactions, we have seen some merchants trying to pass on this charge
06:12to the consumers. Ideally, that should not happen and more and more awareness will have to be spread
06:18and NPCI along with the government and banks will have to raise some kind of portal where consumers
06:25can directly complain because if you look at the legal rules, there is no way that,
06:31there is nothing that lists even now if being paid via debit card or credit card that a consumer can
06:38raise this. So, in places where there is lack of information and a lot of individual consumers
06:44end up paying the extra charge. So, that is something the government will have to be careful
06:49about in order to ensure the right communication is passed on.
06:53Okay. Karishma Asudhani joining us with that piece of breaking news right at the very top.
06:57Appreciate you joining me here on the news today. Okay, let's turn from there to the big story that
07:03we've been tracking over the last couple of days. Remember, a viral hit-and-run video over the weekend
07:09has now led to an arrest in Gurugram. Police have arrested the alleged driver, Kalyan Baisla from
07:15Rajasthan and booked him for attempted murders, stalking and insulting a woman's modesty. The video had
07:22shown how the driver had knocked over a biker, Shivani Chauhan, who claims she survived a deliberate attempt
07:29on her life. Arvind Oja now reports on that case, which has become a major test once again
07:36for hit-and-run cases. Take a look.
07:42Two days after the hit-and-run video posted by biker Shivani Chauhan went viral. Gurugram police
07:48finally swung into action and on Tuesday arrested the car driver.
07:55Kalyan Baisla was picked up from Dorsa in Rajasthan and brought to Gurugram.
08:02The police have booked Baisla for attempt to murder, stalking and outraging the modesty of a woman.
08:34Shewani Chauhan, who also goes by the name Sia, broke a silence.
08:41Shivani says she survived a bid on her life, but will take some time to overcome the trauma.
08:56She rejected attempts by Baisla to shift the blame for the hit-and-run and recounted
09:02the horror she faced.
09:04I have seen the feeling of this.
09:08I have seen that those people were probably drinking.
09:12Two people behind me have seen this can't show exactly what they would take.
09:19I was asking for a little, I think I'll go for a bit,
09:21because I was afraid of getting the car running by speed.
09:25Your car also is driving us around.
09:28I was afraid of cutting me and hitting me and allowing the damage to me.
09:39Baisla, who claims to be a former Kabaddi player, had tried to defend himself earlier.
10:01Without the sight, you are a professional driver. You don't know what to do. Without the sight, you are being
10:07killed.
10:07You can see that side of the road, you are being killed.
10:11You are not controlled by me, but you have to save me a lot.
10:15Road accidents killed more than 1.8 lakh people in India last year. Roughly 500 a day.
10:27The Gurugram hit-and-run is a grim reminder of the risk motorists, riders of two-wheelers face on the
10:36roads.
10:39With Arvind Ojha, Anshul Singh, Neeraj Vashisht and Himanshu Mishra, Bureau Report, India Today.
11:07The Gurugram hit-and-run cases on the rise.
11:08Okay, let's raise some big questions tonight. Why are these hit-and-run cases on the rise?
11:12How does one ensure road discipline? Is stricter laws the way forward or better policing needed?
11:17These are just some of the questions we'll raise tonight.
11:19I'm joined by Dr. Kiran Bedi, former IPS officer, someone who's looked at traffic for years.
11:26Also been joined by Pratiksha Das. She's a mechanical engineer and a biker herself.
11:32I also hope to be joined by Piyuj Tiwari, founder and CEO, SafeLife Foundation.
11:37But first, to Dr. Bedi. On first glance, when you see an incident like this,
11:41where there are competing claims over what happened, but either way, the video clearly shows that the driver,
11:47after hitting the girl, didn't stop, but just drove away.
11:52And we're seeing more and more cases like this, where whenever an accident takes place,
11:58the car just tries to run. Finally, this person was arrested today.
12:03But what's your sense? What explains these rising hit-and-run cases?
12:08The fear of not getting caught. They feel that they will get away.
12:14They are not certainty about punishment or they can get away.
12:20I think the fear of law is missing. Fear of punishment is missing. The need for better intrusive. Intrusive.
12:27I'm looking at the word. Close technology is the answer.
12:31Now with these highways, we need the cameras interconnected on the poles.
12:36Cameras interconnected to detect. I was told, I heard the story.
12:40There were all black holes. The black holes need to detect.
12:45So if our video is well connected, it should detect and interceptors need to be around.
12:52So cameras at the top and interceptors below, motorcycles particularly,
12:57who can quickly swing in when there's a message that there's a particular vehicle with a particular number
13:03driving faster or violating the rules and regulations. I think we must use more.
13:08So that means more intensive cameras, intrusive motorcycle interceptors.
13:14And then, like when you drive overseas in America, you see the motorcycle coming in from somewhere in the bushes
13:23and catches you, the camera and the interceptor. And then you get caught.
13:27And third, the moment they get this culprit, they handcuff him. They handcuff him and seize the vehicle.
13:34Okay, so you're saying you need to put in place a structure wherein you can intercept.
13:41You can first identify, intercept and then immediately arrest.
13:45So the person really has a fear of the law that if he tries to even run away, the law
13:49will catch up with him.
13:50You're giving us the example of the United States.
13:52I just want you to press the pause button, ma'am. Because at this moment, I'm joined by Shivani Chauhan
13:57or Sia.
13:58And Roshan Chauhan, the father of Sia.
14:01Thank you very much for coming.
14:03First, Sia, I would like to ask you, how is your nature?
14:07After such a big accident, are you okay?
14:11Any injuries?
14:15Yes, I mean, I have an injury in my knees.
14:20And my whole body is pain in my back and legs.
14:28So, I mean, physically I am still recovering.
14:32But you're okay otherwise?
14:35Yes.
14:36You're okay otherwise?
14:38Yes, yes, I'm fine.
14:40Yes, I'm fine.
14:40But when you hear Sia, when you heard today that the person who hit you in that car has been
14:47arrested.
14:48What was your first feeling?
14:50Because he had been, he had virtually run away from the law.
14:54He saw he was finally arrested today.
14:56What was your first feeling when you heard that he has been arrested?
15:03Yes, I know from the media sources that he was arrested.
15:09And see, there was no shocking reaction.
15:16If someone had hit someone intentionally and hit someone so fast,
15:23that someone could be dead on the spot.
15:27So, if a person would run after that incident,
15:31and the police would arrest him,
15:34then obviously, that person had no crime.
15:37That's why he was arrested.
15:40And arresting him is not a safe action.
15:43This is the first step, I think.
15:46So, that's what happened.
15:47And then,
15:49when there is no reward for them,
15:54and the three of them,
15:56I won't believe that there is no strict action.
16:01But,
16:03I'll then come to your father.
16:05Today,
16:06when his lawyer says,
16:08I know it was Sia who was driving rashly.
16:12She came in the way.
16:13I had nothing to do with it.
16:15I actually tried to avoid hitting her.
16:17What will you say?
16:24Sia?
16:25Sia, you want to respond?
16:27You want to ask me?
16:29I'm asking you,
16:30then I'll come to your father.
16:32when I ask him to his lawyer,
16:35okay,
16:35you can ask him to me,
16:37when I'm listening to his lawyer,
16:40then I'm very angry and angry.
17:13Thank you very much.
17:15I mean, today, people are supporting me, giving me blessings, asking me about Tabbid, and in the other place, how
17:24can they save their clients?
17:26So, I feel very bad that how can they give the justification in all the media?
17:32And was he following you right through? Was this person following you when you were driving the bike? You were
17:39part of a group of bikers.
17:40Yes. This incident happened on Sunday. You were part of a group. What were you following throughout?
17:48So, basically, what happened?
17:51It was Sunday, and usually, the bikers on Sunday go to the ride because there was no traffic.
17:59And at 7 o'clock in the morning, my friends were only going with me.
18:07And I noticed that on the golf course road, when they came with me, they were talking to me, talking
18:16to me.
18:17And the people who were driving, they were also driving, and both of them were acting on the side of
18:25the seat.
18:25And I was scared.
18:26And that's why I told them, you should be on the side, but you should make a gap between your
18:33car and my bike.
18:34So, I felt like they didn't listen to me, so I grew up a little further.
18:40And I saw them in the mirror.
18:42And they were continuously chasing me and following me.
18:49And they were constantly chasing me and following me.
18:51And I didn't know what they were in their mind.
18:54They were constantly chasing me.
18:55And I was thinking about it.
18:56And they were constantly chasing me and trying to get around.
19:00And it was just a point.
19:03And I was trying to get around me.
19:06I was trying to get around me and trying to get around me and trying to get around me.
19:06And I was trying to get around me and trying to get around me and trying to get around me.
19:13So, it was intentional.
19:15Roshan Jauhan, you are listening to your story about your daughter's story.
19:19How do you think that she gets around me?
19:21Because she has been telling them,
19:24I would like to say that when you listen to the CIA, the lawyer and the accused,
19:32what do you say?
19:34How do you say that?
19:37No.
19:39No.
19:40No.
19:41No.
19:42In this regard, the lawyer didn't feel guilty, I wanted to acknowledge the media, and in this regard, the camera
19:56was placed in the car and the
19:57camera was placed in the car, and it went on the social media and the media. If there is no
20:07camera there, and it hits the car, then I definitely say that if it doesn't get caught today,
20:15it doesn't get caught in the car, and I was sitting with my four friends, and I said to my
20:23friends that today, I hit a bike and a racer, and I'm sitting here.
20:30So, this is not the case, it's not the case, and in this regard, I saw a reel, and I
20:37didn't know that it's a girl or a girl,
20:39but the guy didn't see the man, he told his friend's car, and I was riding on the car two
20:47days, and however I was riding with the car,
20:50turning on the car, and in this regard, the girl had hit it, and said that when he was the
20:56U-turn,
20:57then I cut the same for the U-turn, because it's the point that you slow your car, or you
21:04will race.
21:06you can call this criminal, but you have arrested.
21:16BNS, rash driving, attempt to murder, and you understand that this was deliberate and intentional.
21:25You want to call it attempt to murder. Is it true?
21:32Yes, absolutely, it is not a attempt to murder.
21:33I don't know.
21:34Sir, if you hit a car in a race and hit someone, it's more than a goal.
21:41The goal is still small.
21:43If you hit a car so fast, you're going to stop.
21:48You're not going to stop.
21:50They're going to be running.
21:53At that time, you'll see them.
21:55Their hair is growing, their hair is growing,
21:57like I'm feeling it for three days.
21:58I'm feeling it for a while.
22:00I'm feeling it for the next day,
22:01making the same thing,
22:02making the same thing,
22:04making the same thing.
22:07I didn't know that I was wrong.
22:11I didn't know that I was wrong.
22:11So that's a small issue.
22:12My wife had facilities,
22:15and my camera was sitting there.
22:17I'm in India.
22:18A lot of women are in the same place,
22:21who are going to run away from the hit.
22:23There won't be no story,
22:25and there won't be any time to stay there.
22:26in the city of Gurdwagama, as in the I-TAC city,
22:32if people are not afraid of such people,
22:35they are not afraid of such people,
22:37so the mayor of Surakshay has a great place,
22:42and it's a day.
22:44You are right.
22:46You are right, Guru Gram,
22:49Guru Gram, you call you Millennium City,
22:53And in the Millennium City, something like this happened, not the first time, but Sia, have you thought that I
23:00will not do biking?
23:02I mean, you are part of a biker gang or a biker group, I will not do a gang word,
23:07biker group, you are biking every weekend.
23:09Now, are you thinking twice? I don't want to go biking, because tomorrow, somebody else may be out there who
23:15will drive like this and knock me over.
23:16Are you biking now?
23:21No, Sia, look, the incident that happened, I am a little traumatized, there is a fear in my mind.
23:31Because, look, today, tomorrow, we will not take any strict action on this incident, we will not set any example,
23:39so I don't think that people will be afraid in their minds.
23:45And even if we don't want to give them a reward,
23:48there are so many people who are walking in Delhi, who are chasing the female riders,
23:54who are chasing them, who are chasing them, who are chasing them, who are chasing them, who are chasing them,
23:59who are chasing them, who are following them,
24:00and who are chasing them, so I think that when we don't take any action,
24:05then perhaps I will be scared again on the road from Delhi and Gurdjieh.
24:11And perhaps I will be thinking about the time to see that,
24:15that there is a fear in my mind that I am in Delhi, Gurdjieh and other states with their roads,
24:24I want to ask you this. You said male ego. Do you feel because you're a woman?
24:29That's why the person thought he could get away. You're a female. That's why I can hit her and get
24:34away.
24:38Yes, obviously. And I think I'm not the only female rider who has faced this thing in my life.
24:45There are many men who have fights. There are many inter-city rights, people who have run long rights,
24:56people who have run the whole country's bikes. They have many harassment, many people who have chased.
25:04And chased by the name of them, they will bring their car and they will get your comments.
25:17And I think that if there is any incident with someone, and today I had a camera, and I had
25:29a chance to bring this incident to everyone in front of me.
25:33So I have a message to all the female riders, and in fact, I will say to all the male
25:41riders,
25:42that if there is any incident with you, then please independently and strongly bring this thing to the world.
25:52And tell us how many people are, who have so many rash driving,
25:56and how many other people have taken care of others.
26:02Well, Sia, all I can say, it takes courage to put all of this out in the public domain.
26:07So you have seen that great.
26:09You and Roshan Chawanji, you both have come to this show.
26:13You have told yourself.
26:42I want to listen to your story so that what happened with Sia is, that it doesn't happen with anyone.
26:44You have heard from Dr. Kiran Bedi, a short while.
26:46I want to go to two bikers, both women.
26:48Pratiksha Das.
26:49Pratiksha, you heard Sia speak just now.
26:53Your first reactions.
26:54Do you believe she was particularly vulnerable because she is a woman?
26:59So, sir, a similar incident has happened with me as well in the past,
27:03where I was chased by a few moped riders.
27:06Firstly, they get attracted towards the bike.
27:09And when they see the bike, they see a woman riding, they get more attracted towards us.
27:14And then they start showing off their skills.
27:16In my case, three moped riders started chasing me.
27:20And then they started pulling off wheelies.
27:23And after that, one of the guys, he suddenly hit me and I met with an accident.
27:29And I broke my ankle and I was hospitalized and I was on bed rest for three months.
27:35So this is not new for us.
27:37I've been riding for more than 14 years.
27:39When did this happen?
27:41When did this happen with you?
27:43In 2018.
27:44And was the person responsible for it caught, arrested?
27:49No, unfortunately, camera was not mounted on my bike.
27:53After that, I made sure that I do mount the camera.
27:57So he hit you and ran away again?
27:59It was hit and run again?
28:00Yes, yes.
28:01He was pulling a wheelie right in front of me.
28:03He was showing off his skills to me.
28:05And that's how he ended up hitting me and then he fled off.
28:09You know, I'm joined also by Piyush Tiwari, founder and CEO of Safe Life Foundation.
28:13Does a lot of very good work when it comes to trying to minimize road accidents.
28:18Piyush, your first reaction when you see these cases?
28:21And as we have found, one more case just mentioned by one of our other guests.
28:26How do you respond?
28:27Do you believe that these hit and run cases are getting worse?
28:30Kiran Bedi mentioning there is no fear of the law.
28:33Is it no fear of the law or is it just lax enforcement of the law?
28:39Firstly, Rajiv, I'm very glad that Sia is doing okay and that she had a camera mounted on a bike
28:45that captured the entire incident.
28:48But we have to understand that this is, you know, more than just a mere law and order problem.
28:55I think this is the road safety failure problem in our country.
28:59A car being used as a weapon is the extreme end of a spectrum that starts with behavior like tailgating,
29:09you know, punishment breaking, aggressive overtaking, things that are regularly tolerated on our roads.
29:15And then it reaches this kind of a situation where there is, you know, barely any impunity, you know, where
29:23action is taken with impunity.
29:25So this is most certainly an enforcement challenge.
29:30It is also a challenge of certain gaps in the law.
29:34You know, we know that there are jurisdictions across the world that have passed laws with regard to predatory driving,
29:42menacing driving and, you know, calling them out as specific offenses in the law.
29:47We also know that multiple jurisdictions, in fact, our parliament is considering a demerit point system in licenses that would
29:55lead to suspension, mandatory training and so on and so forth.
29:58But all of this starts when you start catching the basic offenses first.
30:03That's what creates an impression that you cannot behave with impunity on the roads.
30:07Because as we saw in this case, a vehicle was clearly used as a weapon to attempt to harm someone.
30:14So that's one very, very crucial point I wanted to convey that this is an entire spectrum which is ending
30:21with this criminal activity that we saw in this video.
30:26I'm also joined by Suparna Sarkar, Chief Instructor Founder, School of Training for Aspiring Riders.
30:31Suparna, there will be those who will say, look, bikers become soft targets.
30:34There will be others who say, particularly on a Sunday morning, you will have, if you drive your bike too
30:39fast, that can become, you can make you vulnerable.
30:43How do you respond? Where do you stand on this?
30:46So I am not just a biker, but I train people how to ride bikes.
30:50Mine is a gender inclusive facility. I train both men and women.
30:52So I see the mindset when someone is very new to motorcycling, they have their fears and it takes time
30:58to build reflexes.
31:00And incidents like these set a certain fear in the mind of people who are yet to start riding or
31:05driving.
31:06So here, I'd say that, you know, the road is no one's. It is everyone's.
31:11Why should there be very strict guidelines between who can ride and who can use the roads and who cannot?
31:17Be it in a car or a motorcycle, a truck or say any bus.
31:21Anyone who is on the roads carries not the need to know how to ride or drive, but also the
31:27responsibility for their conduct.
31:30How should their behavior be on the roads?
31:32Because in case someone just misses out on following the rules, the consequences are extreme.
31:39In this case, I'm fortunate. I'm glad that the rider did not have serious injuries.
31:44But what if there was another vehicle coming from behind and that would have led to the rider being run?
31:50Right.
31:50So I feel that a lot of awareness needs to be created in scenes like this.
31:55It is a conjunction, what I see is, of a woman's safety issue where a woman was riding a motorcycle,
32:01someone spotted, chased and then tried to harass them.
32:04And it is also a road safety issue where someone just misuse their power of being on a four-wheeler,
32:11coming too close, hitting a two-wheeler, which ought to leave the balance and then make her have an ultimate
32:18fall.
32:18So usually when we ride, not everyone carries a camera all the time. And it is not technically possible to
32:25be always in surveillance.
32:28What do we do when we have no proof of such incidents happening? Something similar happened with me three years
32:33ago.
32:33I filed an F.A.R. to visit today. I don't know where that case is.
32:36So being a victim myself, I know how much trauma it causes to again, you know, go back to riding
32:41and driving.
32:42And it is not possible to have someone guide us all the time.
32:46I take your point. You know, I just wanted, in conclusion, Kiran Bedi, the cops themselves, the police has to
32:53be sensitized.
32:54You see, what has happened in many of these streets, particularly, there aren't enough police officers.
32:59There's no fear of the law. As you said, you need interceptors. You need an entire technology.
33:05Here is Gurugram, Millennium City, high net worth individuals, but they don't have the basic traffic system in place.
33:12And the cops surely need to put that in place, particularly on these highways where people are speeding.
33:18But do we have roads for speeding bikers as well? Do we have? I think that's another point to ask.
33:26No, no, no. So are you saying that the bikers should, no, no. Are you saying that the bikers should,
33:30cannot go on a highway?
33:32I mean, it's one thing to speed or if they were crossing a certain limit.
33:36But where are the, I mean, the cops surely need to be there. Whether, whoever is speeding, whether it's the
33:41biker or the car, where are the cops?
33:43In his entire sequence, no policemen anywhere.
33:46No, Rajdeep, I don't think I'm for biking. But do we have roads for bikers? The point is, do we
33:55have our roads for biking?
33:56Because look at the kind of jamming we have already on highways. And are our highways capable? Number two, are
34:03our highways connected by cameras?
34:04Do we have interceptors? Do we have interceptors along the highways? I do not know. And I've seen when I'm
34:11also being driven, the way the bikers, bikers here, I see mostly men, the way they zigzag around, it's dangerous.
34:19I think we've all victims of bikers zigzagging through our roads. It's dangerous.
34:25How much do you expect the police to enforce? But we must need more technology. We must have interceptors.
34:32No, she had a camera. She had a camera. Ma'am, you know, the police have to put in surely
34:36more cameras right across all our roads.
34:39In this case, because she had a camera, the person could be identified. It won't happen otherwise.
34:43So there are things that need to be done. As far as bikers are concerned, I'll give Prateek Shah a
34:48final word.
34:48Here is someone say, Kiran Bedi saying, you know, are our roads fit for bikers? You guys, in a way,
34:55have to also be careful. What will you say? Very quickly.
34:57So, like Ma'am said, are there any roads in India to speed up? So, yes, we do have racetracks
35:04in India.
35:05And we bikers, we are very particular about it, like the core community. So, if we want to, you know,
35:11speed up, we hit the racetrack. That's what we do.
35:14And we don't road rage on the roads. That's what we do.
35:20Okay, I'm going to leave it there. You know, in a way, this is a wake-up call, particularly for
35:25the cops.
35:26Once again, hit and run accidents are getting worse in this country. And they cannot get away.
35:31We're going to have to have an entire ecosystem, as Piyush Tiwari put it, to ensure that there is both
35:36fear of the law,
35:36but there are systems in place and the traffic and police in particular are part of that.
35:41I appreciate my guests joining us. See, our story is a story that could happen to any one of us
35:46or any of our children tomorrow,
35:48which is why we thought it was important to look at those numbers, just the number of road deaths that
35:53are on the rise in this country.
35:55Something is wrong and we need to ensure better road discipline, for God's sake.
36:00I appreciate my guests joining us. I want to turn to a big story that's once again breaking in Mumbai.
36:05And once again, it is the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, that's making the headline.
36:10Now there is a crackdown in this Ganesh Chaturthi week on Ganesh workshop and mandals across Mumbai.
36:16A total of 30 litres milk, over 4,100 kg sweets have been seized.
36:21And Mumbai's iconic Cafe Mondegaard in Kulaba Causeway and three other outlets have had their licenses suspended over safety breaches.
36:31Officials have found improper thawing of food, inadequate rapid cooling of cooked food, sanitation and structural deficiencies at the restaurant,
36:39which is one of Mumbai's most popular restaurants.
36:42Mustafa Sheikh joins us. Mustafa Tukaram Munde at it again.
36:45Not just Ganesh Pandals, but also one of Mumbai's leading restaurants, license suspended.
36:51It appears that the FDA is not relenting even in this Ganesh Chaturthi season in particular.
36:57Well, that's true and there are two parts to it.
36:59One, the raid at Cafe Mondegaard, we have all seen, we have all visited.
37:03Since last two decades, we have not seen any major works happening there.
37:06But yes, the temperature for maintaining hot food, which is 60 degrees in temperature for maintaining cold food,
37:12which is around 6 degrees, was not being maintained, is what the FDA said.
37:15And they have revoked their license.
37:19The other part is that the FDA is trying to create awareness as much as possible.
37:23During festivities in mandars, especially with the making of modars,
37:28that they are hiding the food which is distributed.
37:30Even at Pandals, it has to be hygienic.
37:32And they are also carrying out a workshop now with the BMC.
37:35The FDA is carrying out a workshop to create awareness among the mandars.
37:38So yes, the festivities might have begun.
37:40But the FDA is very much observing what is happening.
37:43And they are saying even if you are distributing food for free as Prasad,
37:46you have to give good quality and hygienic food back to you.
37:50Okay, Mustafa Sheikh joining us on that story.
37:54Tukaram Munde, FDA Commissioner, making the headlines.
37:57I want to return to our top story, which is creating quite a bit of a stir.
38:01However, the Modi government's Gazette notification that legally guarantees now
38:05that all UPI and Rupe debit card transactions up to Rs. 2000 will remain completely free of any direct or
38:12indirect taxes.
38:13However, those above Rs. 2000, the new rules suggest a 0.4% tax effective payment will have to be
38:22made by merchants.
38:24And that this merchant discount rate on large business transactions has led the opposition, including Rahul Gandhi,
38:31to claim the government is quietly preparing to tax the digital economy.
38:38They point out that while these high value payments make up only 5% of UPI's volume,
38:44they account for 65% of its total monetary value.
38:47The opposition argues that even if the government claims consumers won't be charged directly,
38:52shopkeepers will raise the prices of goods passing the final bill on to the public.
38:58The government says, or the BJP says, this is an example of the opposition behaving like naras, foofas.
39:04But forget what the government and opposition players say.
39:07What do experts say? Rajneesh Kumar, Chairman of Mastercard India,
39:10former Chairman State Bank of India joining me.
39:13Bishwajit Bhattacharya is former ASG and Senior Advocate Supreme Court.
39:16Rajneesh Kumar, to you first.
39:19How do you see this transaction, 0.4%?
39:22Is this something that was inevitable, something the industry wanted?
39:26Or are we going to eventually tax the digital economy now?
39:30No, it is not a tax.
39:32That's not the right word to use.
39:35This is a fee which is payable by the merchant for the convenience.
39:39You see, there are two options.
39:41Either you use digital or you use cash.
39:44Even for cash handling, there is a cost.
39:46And for the digital system, the system has to incur huge cost by investment in technology,
39:54in cybersecurity, in data, in fraud prevention.
39:58So, huge amount of money gets spent on the system.
40:02And for long, it cannot be cross-subsidized.
40:06So, it's a fair ask.
40:08Another thing is, the world uses not exceeding 0.40%.
40:13That's important.
40:14So, the rate, although it is a cap which has been fixed by NPCI, but this would be determined by
40:22the market.
40:23And there is enough competition in the market, wheat on the supply side, the bankers, the payment indicators.
40:33The fear is that this could be passed on to consumers.
40:36That merchants will now pass this additional transaction 0.4% on to consumers.
40:44And that's why prices will rise.
40:47No, it will not rise.
40:49No, it will not rise.
40:49One is that already Visa and MasterCard, the two large networks, they were exempted and they were not part of
40:58this regime.
40:58It is all applicable only to UPI and rupee debit card.
41:03So, when people were paying for the use of MasterCard and Visa card,
41:11nobody raised the price or passed it on to the consumer.
41:15There is enough competition in the market for everybody that merchants also would not like to use.
41:22And on the whole, they still save money, I'm telling you.
41:26The cash handling cost is much higher.
41:29It is much more inconvenient.
41:31MDR was earlier also there.
41:33But government wanted to promote UPI in a big way, have successfully done it.
41:38We are very proud of it as a banker or as someone who is associated with the payment system.
41:46But for long, the industry overall cannot continue to lose 10,000 to 12,000 crore rupees.
41:53It stifles innovation and it stifles fresh investment.
42:00We need to invest in technology continuously.
42:03And I think this is not a very big deal, although it has been made out to be a big
42:08deal.
42:08Now, everything gets so much social media attention and everything that even a small thing becomes big.
42:15But in my view, this is very fair.
42:19And competition and market dynamics will ensure that nobody, at least consumer, doesn't suffer.
42:26And for merchants, I don't think that they have a complaint to make.
42:31They are already accustomed to paying MDR on credit card transactions.
42:35And as I said on the MasterCard…
42:37But now, of course, what was on credit card now comes with UPI,
42:41which is used by many more people in a way, by the common public.
42:46Bishwajit Bhattacharya, appreciate Rajneesh Ji you joining.
42:49Bishwajit Bhattacharya, you heard Rajneesh Ji saying it's not a big deal.
42:52He said it's not a big deal. You've been a critic of it. Why are you criticizing it?
42:56You see, I… Thank you for inviting me.
43:03This is a big deal because this UPI system payment has been one of the landmarks introduced by this government.
43:15And I fully support it. Instead of subsidizing it to, you know, whatever name you say, fees or tax,
43:26ultimately it will degenerate into a destination-based consumption tax.
43:31Because these middle-level merchants, they are not going to bear the cost. They will quietly raise the price.
43:41And the ultimate hit will be the consumers.
43:46But it happens across the world. I think the point that Rajneesh Ji is making, it happens across the world.
43:51It's not as big deal as unusual in this regard. Rajneesh Ji…
43:54Rajneesh Ji… Rajneesh Ji…
43:54Now the UPI system has been stabilized. Now you need to, in a way, create some kind of a level
43:59playing field
44:00between credit card holders, UPI payments.
44:02You see, it is a massive, massive structure, number one.
44:09Compliance issues, there is a question of paying GST also.
44:15And overridingly, may I say, if there is a competition, UPI today has definitely marched ahead of other systems of
44:29payment
44:30like Visa card or MasterCard or Amex card. It is much better and user-friendly.
44:37Slightly off the record, slightly off the mark, may I just say, why is the government fighting shy to subsidize
44:47it?
44:47In the recently $127 billion of FCNRB deposit, annual cost of swap will be $4 billion provided to non-resident
44:59Indians.
45:00So why such a small amount of subsidy cannot be given, cannot be given to those who are using this
45:10user-friendly instrument?
45:12In fact, I know today majority of the people are shifting from credit card, MasterCard, Visa card, American Express card
45:21to UPI.
45:22So this government, I think it is a policy decision, but before taking such a massive policy decision,
45:30I think government should think it is spending 53 trillion rupees per year.
45:38And even a fraction of a trillion rupees, can't it subsidize?
45:44You made that point. You are saying they should have subsidized. I take your point. Let Rajneesh Kumar have a
45:49quick final word.
45:49Mr. Kumar, there are those who are doubters that at a time when UPI is, as Vishwajit Bhattacharya says,
45:57India's big success, digital payments, why at all? Why do you need it? Why do you need it? Why at
46:02all? What's the need?
46:03We always had it. Rajdeep, we always had it. It was only five or six years ago when the government
46:10amended the income tax.
46:12Because there was a specific objective that we are launching UPI. We want to make it a success. We want
46:20to promote digital. That's fine.
46:22But MDR was always there. It's not that it was not there. It was only six years ago or seven
46:28years ago.
46:28He's saying subsidize it. He's saying continue with it. Continue the subsidy. Why should the MasterCard and the Visa card…
46:35No, no. You can subsidize everything in this country. So, everybody wants a subsidy on everything. So, that's a different
46:44argument. I'm not going into that.
46:46My limited point is that there's a huge cost of maintaining the system. There's compliance requirement. There's a cyber security
46:52threat. There are frauds happening.
46:55So, there's a cost and somebody has to bear the cost and the merchants are paying for the convenience.
47:01Okay. It's not that in return they're not getting anything. And I don't agree at all with this argument that
47:08there will be any burden passed on to the consumer.
47:11It was never the case earlier and it won't be the case. I'm very clear about it.
47:15Okay. Rajneesh Kumar, Vishwajit Bhattacharya, two views on that UPI controversy. Appreciate both of you joining me here on the
47:23news today.
47:23Let's turn to our Get Real India story and it's coming from Bengaluru today where a suspected counterfeit medicine racket
47:30has been busted with investigators suspecting fake drugs having reached more than 90 hospitals and clinics.
47:37A pharmacy owner has been arrested after a major seizure of alleged counterfeit medicines.
47:43Investigators now say the trail could stretch across multiple states and this could only be the tip of the iceberg
47:49when it comes to fake drugs. Take a look.
48:01A suspected counterfeit medicine racket is uncovered in Bengaluru.
48:05Investigators suspect fake or repackaged medicines were supplied to more than 90 hospitals and clinics across the city.
48:14A joint investigation by the Bengaluru Police Special Investigation Team and the Drugs Control Department has led to the arrest
48:21of a pharmacy owner, Viresh Kumar Jain.
48:26The probe gained momentum after officials raided Krupa Healthcare near Minerva Circle where a large quantity of alleged counterfeit medicines
48:34were recovered.
48:36Investigators suspect the network was supplying fake medicines allegedly at discounts of nearly 50%.
48:46Right now this particular healthcare has been shut down and seized.
48:50According to police, this particular Krupa Healthcare used to rebrand low-cost cancer medicine.
48:58Not only rebranding, they used to relabel expired medicines and used to supply to all the hospitals, medical shops and
49:08clinics.
49:10The investigation is linked to an earlier raid conducted on August 18th at a farmhouse in the Bidadi and Dodderi
49:17area of Bengaluru South District.
49:19Authorities seized alleged counterfeit medicines worth around 5 crore rupees in the raid.
49:24Fake invoices, injection filling equipment and counterfeit labels were also seized.
49:31The seizure led investigators to expand the probe.
49:35Coordinated searches were conducted at locations in Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
49:44Investigators subsequently traced the suspected supply chain to Krupa Healthcare and Viresh Kumar.
49:50The SIT and drugs control department are trying to identify the hospitals that may have received the fake medicines.
49:58We have cracked the mafia of the mislabeling and fake drugs.
50:05And we have formed an SIT.
50:07Karnataka is the first one to crack such a big scam.
50:10During this time, I don't want to say anything.
50:12I like to tell the people, don't get confused.
50:14In social media, there are various reports that are coming, 90 hospitals, 60 hospitals, 50 hospitals.
50:20No one knows this, no one has revealed anything.
50:22Let the SIT report come.
50:25And then there will be zero tolerance.
50:28No one will be spared in our states.
50:33According to investigators, the racket allegedly procured low-cost medicines and rebranded them under different names.
50:43Authorities also suspect that expired medicines were repackaged in fresh containers and fitted with counterfeit labels.
50:52Vitsa Geraj, Bureau Report, India Today.
51:01Okay, let me turn from there to our only in India segment.
51:06A billionaire MLA in Mumbai disguised himself as a beggar and spent a few hours in his constituency.
51:13BJP legislator Parag Shah says he did it in an attempt to connect with the armed army.
51:20It's a story that you could argue only happens in India.
51:24Take a look.
51:27This beggar walking the streets of Ghadkopar is a billionaire worth more than 3,000 crore rupees.
51:34He is Parag Shah, the local BJP MLA and one of Maharashtra's wealthiest legislators.
51:40The video is from the day Shah gave up his security detail and luxury cars to step out with a
51:48begging bowl.
51:52The MLA was advised by his spiritual mentor, Namramuni Gurudev, to experience the life of a beggar ahead of Chaturmas,
52:01a four-month period considered sacred in Jainism.
52:05This was a process of listening to the process.
52:12And this was the process for our Guru Dev, Srin Amramuni Maharashtra.
52:35During Shah's brief avatar as a beggar, some people offered him food.
52:45After spending a few hours on the road, Shah removed his makeup and returned to the same spots he visited.
52:52We had to study the process that I went to the same place where I was a beggar.
52:58After a while, I went to the same place.
53:02After a while, I went to the same place.
53:03After 2 hours, the response was changed.
53:07The response was changed in 2 hours.
53:07And when I realized that 2 hours before, I came to the same place.
53:11The response was an overwhelming.
53:14The response was changed in the same place.
53:22Later, at an event, the MLA honored those who helped him.
53:29of the deal.
53:31This statute called Mandacata feeding it from his family.
53:32$100 a year.
53:32Then they gave you fiveprit and Олег.
53:37Then in an event I didn't miss anything.
53:40A one from me.
53:41A one from me mi.
53:43An activity, siya was brought out from blind scribes.
53:48No doubt in such secrets.
53:48The client alluded to such things on expectedamy.
53:49The client said about the Chen возмож.
53:52The clinician友've got the conversation on the other side,
54:09Parag Shah claims the one-day experiment was an attempt to connect with a segment of society
54:15that gets overlooked often.
54:18With Dipesh Tripathi, Bureau Report, India Today.
54:25Interesting story of the billionaire beggar.
54:28The big question, of course, is next time when he meets a real person outside his window begging,
54:33how will he respond?
54:35That's the challenge for Parag Shah and maybe many of our electorate representatives
54:39to see how the other side of India really lives.
54:43I hope you've had a good show.
54:45Thanks for watching.
54:46Stay well, stay safe.
54:47Good night.
54:48Shubhra Tri Jai Hind.
54:49Namaskar.
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