Dear Reader,
Food safety has come under intense scrutiny in recent times.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has now proposed a ban on adding sucrose and fructose to food products for infants up to the age of six months. The measure aims to reduce infants’ exposure to added sugars and tackle health risks linked to childhood obesity.
In other related news, Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration has named officials of Reliance Group entities and Eternal’s Blinkit and Hyperpure units, including Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa, in a probe over expired food products. The products have allegedly re-entered the food supply chain, according to case documents reviewed by Reuters.
Meanwhile, amid rising concerns of AI safety, Anthropic has pitched its own safety bill to Capitol Hill lawmakers.
According to the proposal, the government could block release or deter deployment of an AI model if it poses an imminent risk of causing more than $1 billion in damages or killing or seriously injuring more than 50 people, Politico reported, citing three people.
Moving on, French carmaker Renault is betting big on hybrid and CNG technology in India.
Renault India CEO Stephane Deblaise believes both technologies could account for almost half of the automaker’s powertrain sales mix over the next 2-3 years. On Saturday, the automaker launched its first strong hybrid offering on the Duster SUV; it plans to launch factory-fitted CNG models in the future.
In today’s newsletter, we will talk about
- Cancellation: A creator’s biggest turning point
- Scaling India’s research multiplier
Here’s your trivia for today: In which country was the world’s first ATM installed? (Scroll down for the answer)
Content creation
Cancellation: A creator’s biggest turning point
At TechSparks 2026, Varun Mayya, Founder and CEO of AEOS, a content and media-tech company, spoke about how online backlash can free creators to speak their minds, why founders need to get comfortable with reinvention, and why there is no secret formula for going viral.
Finding an audience takes more than posting regularly on social media. It requires years of experimentation, a willingness to stand apart, and the ability to adapt as technology and audience expectations change, according to the content creator and entrepreneur.
Key takeaways:
- For Mayya, brand building comes down to two things. The first is simply having the courage to put yourself out there. The second is differentiation. When young founders stand out, they can even raise funding at a time when they have few other markers of success.
- Speaking on cancellation and criticism, Mayya said, “Once you've been cancelled, then you can say whatever you want. And I think that has been really valuable. As long as you understand that not everyone’s going to be on your side, then you’re okay.”
- When it comes to viral content, Mayya doesn’t believe there’s a secret formula to crack. He argued that recommendation algorithms largely reflect what people want to watch. Creators need to understand and mirror what their audience cares about.
R&D
Scaling India’s research multiplier
India cannot afford to replicate the 75-year evolutionary timelines of Western institutions like the US National Science Foundation or DARPA, according to Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, Chief Executive Officer of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation.
To boost India’s R&D spend toward 3% of GDP, Kalyanaraman reveals a patient-capital architecture combining private investment, open IP licensing, and national mission programmes.
Key takeaways
- Speaking at TechSparks 2026, YourStory’s annual summit, Kalyanaraman outlined how the nation is altering its approach to scientific research and technology commercialisation.
- Formalised by Parliament in 2023 following recommendations in the National Education Policy 2020, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation operates as an autonomous statutory body presided over by the Prime Minister of India. The organisation, he said, must bypass traditional bureaucratic friction and drive scientific discovery into the real economy at unprecedented speed.
- At the centre of transformation is the Research, Development, and Innovation fund, a government-backed pool of Rs 1 lakh crore. Designed as a patient capital instrument, the fund provides long-term financial support tailored to research-intensive and deeptech enterprises that require extended gestation periods without demanding immediate short-term returns.
News & updates
- ICICI Bank: ICICI Bank has reported a higher-than-expected profit for its second quarter, driven by stronger loan demand and lower provisions for bad loans. The country’s second-largest private lender by market capitalisation posted a standalone net profit of Rs 148.43 billion for the three months ended September, compared with Rs 123.59 billion a year earlier.
- HDFC Bank: HDFC Bank reported a second-quarter profit that narrowly missed analyst expectations, as weaker treasury income and higher provisions for bad loans offset strong lending growth. The lender also said in a regulatory filing that its deputy managing director Kaizad Bharucha will step down at the end of December.
- ixigo Q2: Travel and ticket booking platform ixigo has reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 63.42 crore for the September quarter, aided by the partial sale of stake in Freshbus, an intercity electric bus operator and smart mobility startup, and strong growth in the hotel bookings segment. Hotels emerged as ixigo’s fastest-growing business line by gross transaction value.
In which country was the world’s first ATM installed?
Answer: The United Kingdom
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