Nov 03: Air India Hits Turbulence, Women's Cricket Shines Bright

BJP MP from Chandni Chowk, Praveen Khandelwal, has written to Union Minister Amit Shah urging him to rename Delhi as Indraprastha to reconnect the city with its ancient roots. As you can imagine this was enough to fill 15hrs of high-pitched screaming debates on prime-time television. While we have no interest in commenting on the actual story, in-dra-pras-tha is too many syllables to roll off the tongue. There should be an official rule of max 2-syllable city names when people come up with options. Dil-li. Bom-bay. Pu-ne. Chen-nai. Ban-ga-lore and Kol-ka-ta are already stretching it.

Now, let’s get into the Dispatch! 🚀

Today’s reading time is 6 mins.

A Recurring Problem Takes Flight: Air India has once again hit regulatory turbulence after two of its pilots were found operating commercial flights without valid credentials—one flying with an expired English Language Proficiency (ELP) licence, and another taking off despite failing a mandatory proficiency test. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a probe into the incidents, calling them serious violations of safety and compliance protocols.

The Incidents That Sparked The Probe: According to DGCA sources, one Airbus A320 co-pilot failed his Pilot Proficiency Check (PPC) and Instrument Rating (IR) test but went ahead and flew scheduled flights without completing the required remedial training. In a separate instance, a senior commander operated as pilot-in-command despite his ELP licence having expired—a mandatory requirement for international operations. Both pilots, along with the scheduling officer responsible for rostering, have been grounded pending investigation, as Air India faces questions over internal checks and monitoring lapses.

Warnings Ignored? This isn’t the first time Air India has come under the regulator’s radar. Earlier this year, the DGCA flagged multiple irregularities in crew scheduling, rest periods, and training documentation after a safety audit linked to the Ahmedabad crash in June. The regulator had issued stern warnings, urging the airline to tighten its internal controls.

Airline’s Response And The Road Ahead: In its defence, Air India said that as soon as the violations were detected, the concerned pilots and scheduler were immediately off-rostered and disciplinary action was initiated. The Tata-owned airline maintains that it has “zero tolerance” for safety breaches and is fully cooperating with the DGCA’s inquiry. However, the latest controversy has once again cast a shadow over Air India’s image as it strives to rebuild global credibility under the Tata Group’s ownership. For an airline working hard to modernise its fleet and service standards, repeated compliance failures could prove to be its most persistent headwind yet.

A New Chapter In Global Power Play: The recent thaw between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping has set the geopolitical stage abuzz. For years, India’s foreign policy positioning relied, at least partly, on the deepening rift between Washington and Beijing. But with both leaders signaling renewed dialogue and cooperation, the question arises: where does that leave India in this reconfigured world order?

The US-China Reset And Its Ripple Effect: A recalibration in US-China relations could alter strategic equations across Asia. Trump, driven by a transactional worldview, may prefer striking deals with Beijing on trade, technology, and security if it suits American interests. Xi, eager to stabilize China’s economy amid slowing growth, is equally keen to cool tensions. For India, that means the geopolitical cushion created by US-China hostility could shrink. If Washington softens its stance on Beijing, New Delhi may find itself with fewer diplomatic levers to balance China’s assertiveness along its borders and in the Indo-Pacific.

Rethinking Strategy For A Fluid World: India’s long-held stance of “multi-alignment” may now be tested like never before. With Washington and Beijing potentially de-escalating, India must focus on expanding its technological, defense, and economic self-reliance rather than waiting for a balancing coalition to form.

Zepto Drops Extra Fees After Funding Boost: Quick-commerce player Zepto has scrapped all handling and surge fees from customer orders, a move that comes just weeks after securing $450 million in fresh funding. The company aims to drive loyalty and volume growth by keeping pricing transparent amid fierce competition from Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart.

GST Revenues Set To Beat FY26 Targets: GST collections in FY26 are projected to surpass budget estimates, per SBI Research, buoyed by higher consumption and improved compliance. Strong manufacturing and services activity, alongside tighter digital tracking, support the momentum. With GST already averaging ₹1.8 lakh crore monthly, the outlook signals continued fiscal resilience into next year.

Over 1 Lakh Tech Jobs Lost in 2025: The global tech sector is enduring another brutal year, with over 100,000 layoffs across Amazon, Meta, Google, and Intel. The cuts span engineering, AI, and operations as firms focus on profitability and automation.

UPI Hits 20.7 Billion Transactions In October: India’s digital payments ecosystem hit a new milestone with UPI processing 20.7 billion transactions worth over ₹38 lakh crore in October, according to NPCI data. The jump underscores UPI’s deepening reach across metros and small towns alike.

Exports Diversify Beyond The US: Exports of textiles, gems & jewellery, and marine products are witnessing strong traction in non-US markets, helping offset global demand headwinds. Markets in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America are driving this growth, according to official data.

Russia Tops Sunflower Oil Supply to India: In a notable shift, Russia has overtaken Ukraine to become India’s largest supplier of sunflower oil, data shows. The change follows disruptions in Black Sea trade routes and improved pricing from Russian exporters. As one of the world’s biggest edible-oil consumers, India is diversifying sources to stabilize domestic prices.

India To Triple Rare-Earth Magnets Plan: India is scaling up its rare earth magnets production plan from $262 million to $788 million to cut import dependence and strengthen clean energy supply chains, aligning with ambitions in critical minerals and EV manufacturing.

Coffee Exports Surge: India’s coffee exports jumped 40% year-on-year to $1.8 billion in FY25, marking a fourth consecutive year of strong growth. Higher global demand, better prices, and more specialty shipments are lifting volumes, with European and Middle Eastern markets increasingly favouring Indian coffee.