The promise that was Amaravati

Top of the Morning

Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint, your weekday newscast that brings you five major stories from the world of business. It's Monday, July 1, 2024. My name is Nelson John. Let's get started:

Three days ago, Reliance Jio hiked its tariff rates across all its plans. Its closest competitors Airtel and Vodafone Idea soon followed suit. This is the third such hike in the last five years. Average rates for all plans were increased by 10 to 25 percent. Gulveen Aulakh reports that another hike could come in the next financial year. However, increased prices are good news for investors, as this will lead to better revenues across the board. India will continue to have some of the cheapest data tariffs anywhere in the world. Telecom companies feel that these hikes can be easily absorbed by the end users at the moment.

Over 2.3 million aspirants had pinned their hopes on the results of the UGC NEET exam. However, the entire debacle has dashed the hopes of many hoping to pursue medicine as a career option. Rajrishi Singhal opines that this fiasco was a failure of the government's education policy. NEET was conceptualised in an era where the contrast between the applicants and the number of medical seats was far too high, while most states conducted their own entrance exams. This supply-demand problem led to huge financial exploitation of aspirants. The NEET exam was intended to level the playing field. That problem still exists: the 2.3 million students are vying for just over a hundred thousand seats. Rajrishi argues that fixing this would involve long-term solutions, not immediate band-aid fixes that have proven to be a bane for India's education system.

If you've been planning to buy a new phone, you'd most likely rather wait till the upcoming festive season to capitalise on all the discounts. However, at smartphone showrooms, these discounts are rolling in already. And no, these aren't bank-specific offers that are now run-of-the-mill at any online retailer. For example, you can now take EMIs without any down payment. You can even immediately exchange your existing smartphone for a new one. Shouvik Das writes that mobile phone makers might soon extend further discounts to boost weakening consumer sentiment. The prices for flagship phones are only increasing, putting off potential buyers. These offers are intended to lure such buyers, notes Shouvik. So before you add to cart, make sure to visit your nearest store — you might just find a better deal.

Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh was supposed to be the next big megapolis. It was supposed to have lush green manicured lawns and a city plan that accounted for trees all over the city. In 2014, Amaravati was declared as AP's new capital, to be inaugurated in a decade. Well, it's that time, and Amaravati is... a ghost town? But with K. Chandrababu Naidu and the Telugu Desam Party roaring back to power, Amaravati is poised to return to its planned glory. Amaravati is centrally located for most parts of AP, and is connected to the river Krishna. Read N. Madhavan's excellent on-ground report of the promise that was Amaravati, what exists today, and what the new government has planned to turn it into posthaste.

It's July, which means it's also Wimbledon season! Arguably the most prestigious grand slam to exist in the world of tennis, winning just a single match at the tournament is considered a huge achievement for many. Last year's result in the men's division was a shocker for most: 20-year old phenom Carlos Alcaraz won the coveted title. He was the first new name to win Wimbledon since 2003. With Nadal, Federer, and Murray retired, and Novak Djokovic nursing injuries, this year too could spring up a new surprise winner. Deepti Patwardhan writes an excellent primer on this year's tournament, and how for the first time in decades, it feels like it could be anyone's year.

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Show notes:

Phone tariff hikes: Is this the end of cheap data?

There are no neat solutions to the country’s Neet fiasco

Festive season comes early to smartphone showrooms

Capital gains: How zombie town Amaravati could rise again with TDP in Andhra

Wimbledon 2024: A tournament that is brimming with possibilities