- 7 hours ago
This special report unpacks two of India's biggest developing stories: the massive Enforcement Directorate probe into industrialist Anil Ambani's business empire and the complex caste dynamics of Bihar's EBC vote bank. 'And so clearly, the extremely backward classes, EBCs, are kingmakers in Bihar politics because of their numerical strength and fragmented identity.' The programme delves into the specifics of the alleged ₹17,000 crore loan fraud linked to Ambani's companies, including Reliance Communications, and the subsequent attachment of assets by the ED. It also examines the political significance of Bihar's Extremely Backward Classes, who constitute about 36% of the state's population and are being intensely wooed by all political alliances. Finally, we break down the primary causes of Delhi's severe winter pollution, with latest data pointing to vehicular emissions as the single largest contributor.
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00:00Hello and welcome. You're watching India Today Explains. I'm Akshita Nanda Gopala.
00:12Over the next half hour, I'll break down for you the week's biggest stories.
00:17We'll tell you all about the big Bihar battle, a term you've heard of, I'm sure, EBC.
00:23What is the EBC vote all about in Bihar?
00:26Who comprises of the extremely backward classes? I'll explain all of that for you.
00:32We've also seen an unprecedented crackdown on Anil Ambani.
00:37Why is the Enforcement Directorate investigating him?
00:40Why have assets worth 7,500 crores been attached by the Enforcement Directorate?
00:45I'll break that down for you.
00:47Also on the show, it's winter, aka smog season, in Delhi.
00:51What are the number one contributors to pollution in the national capital?
00:56Is it just double-burning or are there other factors?
01:00I'll break that down for you.
01:01In international stories, the biggest headline, of course, is that New York has a new mayor,
01:06Zoran Mamdani, who exactly is Mamdani.
01:09We break down for you his rise and why many also deem him rather controversial.
01:15And finally, Trump dropping the N-bomb on the world.
01:19Why are countries worried by Trump suggesting that America is going to start nuke testing again?
01:26I'll break that down for you.
01:27So lots lined up.
01:29Let's get started.
01:29This election season, there's been a lot of talk about the EBC vote in Bihar.
01:39Now, we've heard of BCs, OBCs in other states.
01:42But in Bihar, besides these categories, there's also EBCs, which is extremely backward classes.
01:48And so essentially, it's a subcategory under the broader OBC umbrella
01:52because these are castes judged to be more socially and educationally disadvantaged.
01:58Bihar is one of the few states with this classification.
02:01So let's tell you how this came into being first.
02:05The concept of EBC in Bihar was introduced in the 1970s by then Chief Minister Karpuri Thakur,
02:11who established the Mungeri Lal Commission in 1971.
02:14Karpuri Thakur, who was himself from an EBC community,
02:18announced a 26% reservation in government jobs for backward classes.
02:22Which included a separate, smaller quota for EBCs.
02:26EBCs were formally recognized and integrated into Bihar's reservation policies
02:30through the Commission's recommendations.
02:34So who belongs to the EBC category?
02:36There are 112 castes and subcastes in Bihar
02:40that have been identified as historically disadvantaged.
02:44It accounts for about 36% of the population in the state.
02:47That's a big number.
02:48Thailies, or oil traders, account for about 2% of EBCs.
02:53Malla, who are traditionally boatmen of fisherfolk, account for 2.6%.
02:58Julaha, a subcast of Muslims, is reportedly 3.5% of the EBCs.
03:03Currently, the quota for EBCs is at 18% after attempts to increase it was shot down.
03:10In 2023, the Bihar Reservation Amendment Bill was passed,
03:13in which quota for EBCs was raised from 18%, the existing, to 25%.
03:18But this was struck down by the Patna High Court,
03:21since overall the quota then was over the 50% limit.
03:26So what makes EBCs so important during an election?
03:30Because like I said, they make up 36% of the population.
03:34EBCs therefore are a major electoral block in Bihar.
03:37They are often considered swing voters.
03:40Unlike some castes which have strong historical allegiance to a particular party,
03:44EBC groups are more fragmented.
03:46Because the EBC category includes so many different castes,
03:50their voting behavior is also extremely diverse.
03:54The JDU under Nitish Kumar has historically done well in EBC-heavy regions,
03:58courtesy strategic social engineering and populist welfare.
04:02The RJD, led by Tejasvi Yadav now, also attempts to woo EBCs,
04:06but has a stronger base among Yadavs and Muslims.
04:09In many districts, especially those less dominated by Yadav and Muslim vote banks,
04:14it's EBCs who can determine which alliance wins.
04:18Both sides have wooed this group with specific mentions in their manifestos.
04:23The NDA manifesto pledges 10 lakh rupees assistance to members of select EBC occupational groups,
04:29the formation of a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge
04:32to study the socio-economic conditions of EBCs and overall empowerment of EBCs.
04:38The Mahagarbandan manifesto has vowed to ensure an EBC Atrocities Prevention Act,
04:43much like the SCSD Act, to address discriminational violence against the group.
04:49They were also promised to raise reservations for EBCs in panchayats and municipal bodies
04:53from 20% to 30%.
04:56And so clearly, the extremely backward classes, EBCs, are kingmakers in Bihar politics
05:03because of their numerical strength and fragmented identity.
05:06Their allegiance is not fixed.
05:08They respond to issues of welfare, of caste recognition, leadership from their own communities
05:13and who promises them more representation.
05:2117,000 crore.
05:23That's the alleged loan fraud committed by Anil Ambani and his company,
05:27which the ED is questioning and looking into.
05:30Let's but begin by telling you all about Anil Ambani.
05:33Of course, we all know he's part of the Ambani family, brother of Mukesh Ambani.
05:37But in this explainer, you'll also need to know which companies were or are under him now.
05:43Anil Ambani is associated with the Reliance group, the Reliance ADA group,
05:48which he founded after he split from Mukesh Ambani in 2005.
05:52But many of his companies have faced financial difficulties.
05:56Some have undergone insolvency proceedings,
05:58or also in some cases debt restructuring or significant downsizing.
06:03He owned Reliance Capital Limited till 2002.
06:06Reliance Infrastructure, which is still active.
06:09Then you had Reliance Power, which has high debt but is active.
06:14Then Reliance Communication, also called R-Com, which filed for bankruptcy in 2019.
06:19Reliance Home Finance, which has been taken over by lenders.
06:23And finally, Reliance Naval and Engineering, which is under insolvency.
06:28Anil Ambani claimed in 2020 in a UK court that his net worth was zero,
06:33due to mounting debts and legal obligations.
06:36Many of the companies once under his control have been taken over by lenders
06:40or are in bankruptcy proceedings.
06:42But the current probe against him is over fraud allegations between 2017 to 2019.
06:49So according to ED, a preliminary investigation revealed that 3,000 crore rupees in loans from YesBank
06:56were dispersed to Reliance Anil Dirubai Ambani Group.
07:00Similarly, another fraud, but this time for a whopping 14,000 crore rupees,
07:05was allegedly committed by Reliance Communications.
07:09The ED says the fraud is essentially a quid pro quo arrangement,
07:13where YesBank promoters allegedly received money in their companies
07:16shortly before the loans were sanctioned.
07:19So YesBank's loan approvals are under the scanner.
07:23So here are the red flags found by ED.
07:26Backdated credit approval memorandums.
07:28No due diligence or any credit analysis for that matter.
07:33Loans were dispersed even before a sanction was actually given.
07:37Funds were routed through shell companies.
07:40And that's something ED is looking into, these companies.
07:43Misrepresentation of financials and evergreening of loans,
07:46which essentially means giving a loan to pay off another.
07:49Then there's another allegation.
07:52The 14,000 crore that I referred to earlier.
07:55This is linked to Anil Ambani's flagship telecom firm Reliance Communication,
07:59ARCOM, which has defaulted on over 14,000 crore rupees
08:02and has been officially classified as fraudulent by SBI.
08:06That's not all.
08:07ARCOM also cheated Canera Bank of over 1,050 crore rupees,
08:12with the SBI preparing to file a formal complaint with the CBI over this.
08:17These classifications essentially follow RBI guidelines on fraud recognition.
08:22So it's paving the way for criminal prosecution.
08:25In another leg of the probe, you have Reliance Home Finance,
08:28which is under the scanner for a dramatic increase in corporate lending.
08:32From 3,742 crore rupees in 2018 to 8,670 crore in 2019.
08:41So over 5,000 crores in a year.
08:45The red flag here is alleged expedited and irregular loan approvals
08:49besides common directors and addresses for many of the borrowers.
08:53Questions have been asked of how loans were given to companies with such weak financials.
08:58SEBI has submitted a report on this too to the Enforcement Directorate.
09:03Besides all of these companies being under the scanner,
09:06the ED is also probing undisclosed forum bank accounts
09:09and offshore assets linked to Anil Ambani and his group entities.
09:13Now these assets are believed to be layered and concealed
09:17using complex financial structures and nominee ownership patterns.
09:22So the probe is also going to be clearly a long winding one
09:25to get down to the root of the ownership.
09:28So far, about 18 of Anil Ambani's top executives are under the scanner.
09:33But one big arrest that's been linked to this case
09:36is that of Partha Sarthi Biswal,
09:38the managing director of an Odisha firm
09:40in connection with a money laundering case against businessman Anil Ambani.
09:45Biswal allegedly ran a fake bank guarantee issuance racket for business groups.
09:50So his company is suspected of providing one such assurance
09:53worth 68 crores for a Reliance Group company.
09:57So with multiple FIRs, seizures, arrests and an inter-agency probe,
10:03the investigation into Anil Ambani's empire is widening each week.
10:07As the probe intensifies, the once high-flying business tycoon
10:11now faces a rapidly unraveling legal as well as financial crisis.
10:16One that could redefine India's corporate fraud enforcement landscape.
10:20Each winter, Delhi slips beneath a toxic haze.
10:29A crisis so predictable, it's become part of the city's calendar.
10:33Skies turn grey, the air burns the throat
10:36and the world's most polluted capital
10:38braces for another season of suffocation.
10:41Now this has become a grim ritual of smog season in Delhi.
10:47And this year is no exception.
10:49In early November 2025, Delhi's air quality index surged beyond 500,
10:54categorised as severe.
10:56That's more than 10 times the World Health Organisation's safe limit.
10:59But what are the biggest contributors?
11:03According to the 2024 Centre for Science and Environment,
11:06vehicles remain the single biggest culprit behind Delhi's winter smog.
11:10The latest 2024 data shows that transport alone contributes
11:1451.5% of the city's pollution load.
11:18That's a staggering figure despite years of tighter emission norms
11:21and cleaner fuel transitions.
11:24Residential emissions make up the second largest chunk,
11:2713.2%, driven by household fuel use,
11:30biomass burning and small-scale energy consumption
11:33that often escapes regulation.
11:36Beyond the city's borders, another factor ignites, literally.
11:41Each October and November, farmers in Punjab and Haryana
11:44clear fields by setting crop stubble ablaze.
11:47Though it's not the top source,
11:48stubble burning still contributes 8.2% of the capital's winter pollution
11:53as per the same CSE study.
11:55And then there's the construction boom,
11:58adding its own dust top.
12:00Construction activity now accounts for 6.9% of Delhi's particulate matter,
12:06coating neighbourhoods in a fine layer of debris
12:08that mixes seamlessly into the city's air.
12:11These are the city's invisible polluters,
12:14steady, silent and largely unchecked.
12:17Now, the health consequences of pollution are staggering.
12:21A 2024 study in the Lancet Planetary Health estimated that air pollution causes around 12,000 premature deaths
12:28every year in Delhi.
12:30A 2023 report by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimated that 15% of all deaths in Delhi
12:37were linked to air pollution.
12:39Doctors report spikes in asthma, bronchitis and heart attacks every winter.
12:44Children and the elderly are the hardest hit.
12:48For many residents, air purifiers and masks have become as routine as umbrellas in the monsoon.
12:54Imagine that.
12:56Authorities have responded each year with emergency measures.
12:59So, construction is halted, vehicle use is restricted
13:03and temporarily schools are shut down as are power plants.
13:07That's when you see the maximum restriction coming into effect.
13:10Yet, all of these actions treat symptoms, not causes.
13:15Experts argue that meaningful progress requires cleaner public transport,
13:19stricter industrial enforcement, regional cooperation to curb stubble burning
13:23and investment in renewable energy.
13:26Political divisions and economic pressures often, however, stall these long-term reforms.
13:30And Delhi's air crisis is not isolated.
13:34Look at the bigger picture here.
13:35Across North India, cities face the same suffocating pattern.
13:39Proof that the problem is regional, not just urban.
13:43Delhi, however, is the symbol because this is the capital, a mega city,
13:47where modern growth is colliding with environmental neglect.
13:51The haze lifts each spring.
13:53You have blue skies returning.
13:54For a few months, the city breathes again.
13:56But come autumn, come fall, the cycle restarts.
14:00A reminder that progress, like clean air, remains just out of reach.
14:08Zoran Mamdani has emerged as a landmark figure in American politics.
14:13Mamdani's recent victory in the New York City mayoral election
14:16signals much more than a single electoral win.
14:19As demographics shift and progressive voices push for change,
14:24Mamdani represents both a symbolic and substantive break from the past challenging the stereotypes.
14:31But let's tell you all about Zoran Mamdani, particularly his Indian connection.
14:36Mamdani was born to Indian origin parents, Meera Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, in Kampala of Uganda.
14:43He moved to New York with his family at the age of seven and was mostly raised in America.
14:48But his Indian heritage has figured in media coverage and his personal narrative too.
14:54Mamdani, for example, quoted India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his victory speech
14:59and also celebrated with Bollywood music.
15:02Standing before you, I think of the words of Jawaharlal Nehru.
15:09A moment comes but rarely in history,
15:13when we step out from the old to the new,
15:16when an age ends and when the soul of the nation long suppressed finds utterance.
15:21But why is his win so historic?
15:39Before contesting for the mayoral election in New York City,
15:42the 34-year-old used to actually compose and produce rap music.
15:48So he's grown from that to become New York City mayor.
15:51He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020,
16:15when he identifies himself as a democratic socialist
16:18and campaigned on several factors of affordability, housing, transit and social justice issues.
16:24It resonated with the people of New York.
16:27So why does this win matter so much?
16:31Well, Zoran Mamdani is the first Muslim, first person of South Asian and Indian origin.
16:35Also, he's the youngest mayor of New York City in its history.
16:40His win also points to a generational and ideological shift
16:44in which working class voters, immigrant communities and younger demographics have played decisive roles.
16:51And then there's the M factor.
16:54Practicing Muslim in US politics is a factor that makes this win special.
16:59Mamdani's victory comes amid rising Islamophobia in America
17:03and it shows how a candidate with Muslim identity combined with a strong grassroots platform
17:09can actually overcome entrenched bias and high-profile opposition.
17:13The M factor here doesn't just mean being Muslim.
17:16It means leveraging community identity, authenticity and progressive values developing in the United States.
17:23As far as India goes, Mamdani, as I said, has celebrated his heritage.
17:27But politically, he's also been openly critical of Prime Minister Modi and the BJP,
17:32accusing them of promoting intolerance and eroding India's pluralism.
17:37He even made a comment about Gujarat, saying that Gujarat has been wiped out of a certain community.
17:44And then, politically, he's also fighting it out with Trump.
17:47It sparked several controversies in America.
17:51Mamdani's campaign and win did not come without backlash.
17:54President Donald Trump supported Andrew Cuomo against Zoran Mamdani in a post on his Truth Social account.
18:00He publicly criticised Mamdani, warning that his leadership would be disastrous, as he put it, for New York City.
18:07Trump earlier also made a comment in an interview that he would cut federal funding to New York City
18:12if Mamdani wins the election.
18:15And in response, here's what Mamdani had said in his victory speech to Trump.
18:18If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him.
18:31And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.
18:40This is not only how we stop Trump, it's how we stop the next one.
18:52So Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you.
19:00But besides Trump, Mamdani was also the target of significant Islamophobic and nativist sentiment online and in public discourse.
19:13Zoran Mamdani's triumph is more than a single electoral milestone.
19:17It's a statement about representation, about shifting political dynamics and the possibilities for new leadership in diverse societies.
19:25While he now faces a very real challenge of governance, his victory sends across a clear message of progressive vision
19:32and grassroots support to reshape political landscapes.
19:40The United States has reignited one of history's most dangerous debates.
19:45President Donald Trump directed the US military to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in 33 years,
19:51moments before meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
19:55The order instantly raised questions.
19:57Why restart testing now?
19:59Why was it halted in the first place and what could it really mean for the world?
20:02Let's go back in time.
20:04The nuclear era began in July 1945,
20:07when the United States detonated the world's first atomic bomb in Alamogordo of New Mexico.
20:14Just weeks later, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were devastated,
20:17ending World War II but ushering in a perilous new age.
20:21The Soviet Union joined the race in August 1949, shattering America's monopoly and setting off a global arms contest.
20:30Between 1945 and the signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the CTBT, in 1996,
20:37the world witnessed over 2,000 nuclear tests, a grim record of technological one-upmanship.
20:44United States conducted 1,032 tests during that period.
20:49The Soviet Union, 715 tests.
20:52France conducted 210 tests.
20:55The UK and China both conducted 45 tests.
20:59After the CTBT, the treaty was introduced, only 10 more tests have been recorded.
21:04India, of course, is in that list.
21:06India and Pakistan each conducted two in 1998.
21:09North Korea carried out six between 2006 and 2017.
21:14The US, last tested way back in 1992.
21:19The Soviet Union, in 1990.
21:21France and China halted theirs in 1996.
21:24Russia, inheriting the Soviet arsenal, has not resumed testing,
21:29though it has experimented with nuclear-powered weapons and conducted military drills as well.
21:33Now, the global halt stemmed from fears of environmental destruction, of radiation exposure and above all human suffering.
21:41Above ground and underwater detonations left entire regions scarred.
21:45Kazakhstan, the Kazan steps and Arctic tundra, the islands of the Pacific, they were all affected.
21:51Communities near test sites faced generational health crises,
21:55while radioactive fallout polluted ecosystems for decades.
21:58The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the CTBT, as I referred to it earlier,
22:04was adopted in 1996 and it sought to close that chapter by prohibiting all nuclear explosions.
22:11America signed this treaty but never ratified it.
22:15Russia signed and ratified the treaty,
22:17though in 2023, President Vladimir Putin withdrew Moscow's ratification,
22:22aligning its stance with Washington's.
22:24Proponents believe the treaty reduced Cold War tensions by freezing the cycle of nuclear escalation.
22:31Resuming tests could serve two purposes,
22:33technical validation or geopolitical signaling, which is what we see a whole lot of today.
22:39Testing helps confirm whether new warhead designs function properly,
22:43or whether older stockpiles remain reliable.
22:45But a test can also very much be a statement of power,
22:49a message to rivals, in the case of America, to rivals like Russia and China,
22:54that the United States intends to reassert dominance.
22:57Now, reports in 2020 suggested the Trump administration had already debated this move.
23:02Analysts say any live detonation now could provoke an immediate response.
23:06Putin has warned that Russia would follow suit,
23:09risking a return to Cold War-style brinkmanship.
23:12Though far fewer than during the Cold War peak of 70,000 warheads,
23:17that was in 1986.
23:19Now, right now, there's still around 12,000 nuclear weapons,
23:22mostly held by the United States and Russia,
23:25which is what makes current developments extremely dangerous.
23:29Approximate current stockpiles for Russia is at 5,500.
23:34For America, it's at 5,200.
23:36China has 600.
23:38France at 290.
23:40UK at 225.
23:42India is right after that at 180.
23:44Pakistan at 170.
23:47Then you have Israel and North Korea.
23:48Israel is at 90.
23:50And North Korea at 50.
23:51Despite reductions, the three biggest powers,
23:54US, Russia and China, are now modernizing their arsenal,
23:58developing faster, more precise, more survivable nuclear weapons.
24:02Trump's order now marks a historic reversal of nuclear restraint,
24:06raising fears of a new arms race.
24:08The test ban that once symbolized collective caution may be fading.
24:13The world could once again find itself watching out for the next mushroom cloud.
24:18Let's hope not.
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