Ashish Kumar Agarwal

I started Zomato with a spirit of service. Blinkit Ambulance is what that spirit of service looks like today. In the last 2 years, we have served ~20,000 emergency cases (~42,000 cases in total). We haven't charged a single rupee for any of them. And we want to keep it that way. With everything free, a growing share of bookings are for routine checkups, hospital visits and hospital-to-home transfers, trips that an Uber or private transport could have handled just as easily. Every such booking keeps a fully equipped emergency ambulance with paramedics off the road when someone's life may depend on it. So we are making a change from now onwards: Emergency transfers – free, as always. Non-emergency transfers – ₹2,500, charged after the trip. Broadly in line with what private ambulances charge. This money goes to Eternal Foundation, which runs these ambulances and will help us scale them even further. We hope that this charge will dramatically drop the usage of our Ambulances for non-emergency cases. 10-minute ambulances have saved and can save thousands of lives, and we need to keep them available for emergencies that need them the most. One more thing. Scaling high quality ambulances is hard. The biggest bottleneck is trained, empathic paramedics. Our training academy is scaling as fast as we can without compromising on quality, and @albinder and team are committed to bringing Blinkit Ambulance to all major cities in India in the next 2-4 years. Stay well, and I pray you don't need us. @sparsh_sehgal – I wish your grandma a speedy recovery, and I am so glad we were able to be there on time.

In all news articles etc. Tata Sons is referred at as worth US$ 125 billion, US$ 150 billion or in that range. Worth noting that listed holding companies on transparent (when all underlying companies are listed) NAV trade in the range of 70% discount.

India should get more FX reserves so that they are at 1 Trillion etc but the real purpose of a FCNR redemption reserve is not to replace or change any other effort by the govt or RBI. It is purely for expectations management and to be able to say - that this is not something new and we already know that- when critics say that there will be a big outflow when these FCNR deposits mature (they will not say it now but when there is one yr left). By putting aside money aside every month to match the maturity schedule, RBI/GOI will be stating its FX reserves net of this FCNR reserve (although it will be transparent that the amount is still with them and earning whatever the rest of the reserves are earning etc) so there is no practical difference but a reporting difference and according to me that makes a big difference.

Which CEO of a bank in his right sense will get involved into a directorship of shell companies allegedly linked to online gaming platforms cc @TVMohandasPai

India can never have NewYork like AQI, and that’s not because we’re “doomed,” it’s because our geography works very differently. New York gets rain throughout the year, has no massive deserts nearby and has nothing like the Himalayas trapping air. India, on the other hand, has a long dry season, loose alluvial soil, frequent dust uplift, and a literal mountain wall acting like a lid on the entire northern plains. Expecting Manhattan-blue skies every day is just unrealistic. And this isn’t just about the north. Even in coastal Mumbai, despite sea winds and heavy monsoons the city experiences high AQI outside the rainy months because construction dust, traffic emissions, and stagnant winter air build up faster than the system can flush them out. There have even been episodes where dust from the Arabian Peninsula travelled across the Arabian Sea and blanketed Mumbai, raising AQI sharply and cutting visibility despite being thousands of kms away from the source. If Mumbai struggles despite ocean ventilation, you can imagine the challenge inland cities face. But none of this means we’re destined to live with 400–900 AQI. Most of what makes our air truly “toxic” is man-made; vehicle emissions, construction dust, open waste burning, industries and stubble burning. These can absolutely be controlled. Beijing and Singapore were once extremely polluted; with strict policies both now spend most days in the 30–80 AQI range. That’s the benchmark India should aim for. Not New York, but clean, breathable Singapore/Beijing-level air. We may always be a bit dustier, but we don’t have to be hazardous.

Last week, on a business trip, I ran out of shaving foam. I called the hotel concierge to request a standard ₹100 can of shaving foam. They hummed and hawed, made multiple calls, said they’d have to send someone to the market in the hotel car and bill me for it. I told them not to bother. Ordered it on a quick commerce app - and it arrived in 6 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬. Hotels seem to be falling behind in keeping up with consumers and the shifting, higher standards they have become accustomed to in their daily lives. - Need shaving foam? Quick commerce delivers it faster than the concierge. - Hungry? Why pay a premium for average-tasting room service when food delivery apps offer better food at better prices. - Coffee? The corner café serves a real cup at a third the price of that automatic machine brew. - Head massage? Urban Company > spa appointment. Hotels are slowly becoming just a roof over your head. Almost every other experience is better - and cheaper - outside the hotel than inside. Time for the hotel industry to reinvent itself. To become not just a place to sleep, but a contemporary, delightful part of the travel experience again.

That’s right. Political economy may make them choose a specific tax/expenditure frontier. But they are not weak- incapable of collecting taxes, to disinvest/privatising, or making spending cuts - when they wish to. But Government of India is weak - Itni aukat nahi hai!

They have, many times. Post from reddit.

India has 6 cr cars more than 15 years old. In Delhi ~40% cars are over 15 years old. The decision by Delhi govt to disallow 15 yrs old vehicles at petrol pumps is a welcome move. This will reduce pollution ,improve safety & boost demand for new cars. Other states may follow.

Agreed. But they can come with a local partner if that is the only issue