Companies, markets, strategy and the economy — explained with sources and context.
A dark store looks like a small supermarket with the shutters down. It exists only to fill online orders fast. Here is how it differs from a shop or a warehouse, what one costs and earns, and the rules it has to follow.
Chander Prakash ·
Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto deliver groceries in minutes from small warehouses close to your home. Here is how the model works, what the companies' own filings say about its economics, and why distributors, regulators and gig workers are pushing back.
Chander Prakash ·
The merchant discount rate is the small cut a shop gives up every time you pay by card, and from October 2026 on some UPI payments too. Here is how it is set, who gets a share, and why some shops add a card surcharge.
Chander Prakash ·
Every UPI payment passes through an app, two or three banks and NPCI's switch in a few seconds. Here is how that chain works, who has paid for it since merchant fees were scrapped in 2020, and what changes with the new fee on large merchant payments.
Chander Prakash ·
India's two main inflation gauges told very different stories in August 2026, with retail inflation at 4.82% and wholesale inflation at 9.92%. Here is what each index measures, why they diverge, and which one the RBI targets.
Chander Prakash ·
India's GDP release is a dense statistical document, and the headline number is only the start. Here is what GDP measures, how the new 2022-23 series works, and how to read a MoSPI press note without falling for the common misreadings.
Chander Prakash ·
When a small business has to register for GST, which rates apply after the 2025 overhaul, what the composition scheme offers, and which returns, invoices and e-way bills it has to deal with.
Chander Prakash ·
Input tax credit is how GST avoids taxing the same value twice. This explainer covers how the credit works, the four conditions in section 16, the purchases that never qualify, and the deadlines that can cost you the credit.
Chander Prakash ·
The repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends overnight to banks. This explainer covers how the Monetary Policy Committee sets it, the rates around it, and how a change reaches your home-loan EMI and your fixed deposit.
Chander Prakash ·
An ESOP is a promise that you may buy company shares later at a fixed price. Here is how grants, vesting, exercise and buybacks work in Indian startups, and when tax is due under the Income-tax Act, 2025.
Chander Prakash ·