Beats in Brief

BRIEF: Ginger prices have jumped nearly 74% in a year. Onion is up 48%. Behind those numbers sits a drought now covering 53.2% of India, a shrinking reservoir buffer and a rabi season that may inherit the damage kharif has already suffered. The post Drought Grips More Than Half of India as Kharif Losses Threaten a Costlier Winter appeared first on Beats in Brief.

BRIEF: Nine out of ten UPI transactions will remain free forever. But October 15 changes everything for the other one in ten, the ₹75,000 jewellery payment, the ₹50,000 electronics purchase: as India puts a price on its own payments miracle for the first time in six years. The post Deciphering the Zero-MDR Debate: Why UPI Is Putting a Price on Big Transactions appeared first on Beats in Brief.

BRIEF: From October 15, merchants will pay 0.4% MDR on UPI transactions above ₹2,000, while all person-to-person payments and transactions up to ₹2,000 stay free. Small vendors are also exempt under the new NPCI framework. The post Big UPI Change from October 15: 0.4% MDR on Select Payments Above ₹2,000 appeared first on Beats in Brief.

BRIEF: India's 2026 festive season is set for its strongest demand in five years, with passenger vehicles on track to cross 5 million units and consumer durables projecting 20-30% growth. Strong GST collections, credit expansion and record auto retail figures back the optimism, though inflation adds a note of caution. The post India’s Festive Boom Takes Shape as Auto Retail Crosses 2.42 Million Units appeared first on Beats in Brief.

BRIEF: Tata Sons paid off every rupee of debt it owed, hoping that would be enough to escape mandatory public listing. The RBI said no anyway, then quietly filed a legal caveat before Tata Sons could even challenge the decision. A genuinely tense corporate chess match now heads to court. The post RBI Blocks Tata Sons From Escaping Public Listing, Even After It Cleared All Its Debt appeared first on Beats in Brief.