- 6 minutes ago
A Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration survey reveals markups of up to 2,854 per cent on medical and hospital consumables, prompting Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe to submit recommendations to the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority and the Department of Pharmaceuticals for trade margin rationalisation and stricter price monitoring. Experts and consumer rights advocates call for regulatory price caps on surgical items such as IV infusion sets, syringes, and catheters. The news report also features the Union Finance Ministry's clarification rejecting opposition claims of foreign pressure regarding a proposed 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate on UPI transactions above 2,000 rupees, reaffirming the independence of India's digital payments framework. Additionally, the broadcast addresses discussions surrounding online trolling and body shaming targeting actor Katrina Kaif following a public appearance during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.
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00:00Peers, today our top debate and our guest today pertains to one topic that is possibly close to any middle
00:07-class Indian's heart.
00:08A hospital bill that can wipe out an entire financial savings of a family.
00:15Now, Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Thukaramunde has flagged a massive gap between what hospitals pay for,
00:23where hospital medical consumables and the MRP patients are charged.
00:29And he has actually flagged that some of the markups by hospitals are over 2,800%.
00:38So something that costs in the market at a certain price is marked up 2,800% in certain private
00:47hospitals.
00:48From syringes to IV sets to catheters, the price gap can run into hundreds and thousands.
00:55And the problem goes beyond one device.
00:58The latest government data shows just how sharply hospitalization costs vary across India and between public and private hospitals.
01:13One admission, one emergency, one surgery.
01:20And suddenly, the savings you built over years can start disappearing, line by line on a hospital bill.
01:31Now, Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Thukaramunde has put one part of that bill under the scanner.
01:36The price patients pay for hospital consumables.
01:42Munde has flagged a massive gap between the trade price of medical devices and the MRP patients can end up
01:51paying.
02:02An IV infusion set procured at 11.05 rupees carried an MRP of 325 rupees, a 2,854.5%
02:15markup.
02:16A syringe bought for 6.75 rupees carried an MRP of 57.20 rupees, a 747.4% markup.
02:27A catheter costing 29.41 rupees had an MRP of 310 rupees, a 954% markup.
02:37And nebulizers and oxygen masks bought at around 40 rupees to 45 rupees carried MRPs of 650 rupees to 715
02:47rupees.
02:49Munde says, the larger problem is the information gap.
02:53Patients paying the bill often have no way of knowing what a medical consumable actually costs before it reaches the
03:00hospital.
03:01That's why he has written to the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority or NPPA.
03:09His recommendations include capping trade margins, bringing essential medical devices under structured price monitoring,
03:18setting guidelines for the permissible gap between procurement prices and MRPs,
03:23rationalizing margins across the supply chain, and an interagency review.
03:29The NPPA is now examining whether manufacturers and intermediaries are adding substantial margins before these products reach patients.
03:39But how expensive is healthcare in India, even beyond medical devices?
03:46The latest national sample survey for January to December 2025 puts average out-of-pocket expenditure for a hospitalization at
03:55about 34,064 rupees.
03:58For outpatient care, the average is around 861 rupees per treatment episode.
04:05And the public-private gap is even sharper.
04:09Average hospitalization expenditure is Rs. 6,631 in a government hospital, while it is Rs. 50,508 in a private
04:19hospital.
04:20That's roughly an eight-fold difference.
04:23For childbirth, the gap is even wider.
04:27Childbirth at government hospital is Rs. 2,299, and in private hospital, it is Rs. 37,630, nearly 16 times
04:37more.
04:39For millions, it's a choice between waiting in an outstretched public system or paying for more private care.
04:46And once inside, every line on the bill matters.
04:51Munde has now put the medical device price gap under scrutiny.
04:55The question is whether that can mean greater transparency, tighter regulation, and bills patients can actually understand and afford.
05:05Bureau Report, India Today.
05:16All right, joining me now is Maharashtra FDA Commissioner, Mr. Tukaram Munde.
05:20Mr. Munde, thank you for taking the time out and joining us.
05:24Mr. Munde, when you exposed the mark-ups, which are as high as nearly 3,000% on hospital consumables,
05:32you haven't really even touched a raw nerve.
05:35You've spoken up for the armed army of this country who has to face this day in and day out.
05:41What made you speak on this issue, sir?
05:49See, the issue is not about speaking for just consumers, but it is as a regulator.
05:55It's my job, it's my role to look at the issues.
05:59And the issue here is above mark-up prices of the consumables, which are consumed in the hospital, particularly in
06:05IPD.
06:06Whether it's IV sets or whether it's nebulizers or other consumables, which are used daily basis for IPD purposes.
06:13Now, we conducted based on some inputs and complaints that there are a lot of discrepancies in the MRP price
06:22and actually the hospital price plus billing.
06:25So, we conducted a survey across MMR regions and other hospitals, where we found that there have been differences in
06:33MRP and actually the price at which the hospital gets that product.
06:40So, we have found anywhere in the range of 150% to almost 2,800% difference between MRP and
06:48the trade price at which the hospital procures.
06:50But the benefit is not passed on to the consumer.
06:53It is either with the hospital or with the pharmacy industry or the manufacturer or dealer, whoever the case may
07:01be.
07:01So, that is not fair practice in a real sense.
07:05It is not a transparency.
07:06So, as per the prevailing rules, we have taken up the issue with the appropriate authority that is NPPA in
07:14this context.
07:15So, we have sent a layer of proposal to the NPPA enumerating the discrepancies which we have found, the gaps
07:22which we have found, the market price, MRP and actual practices.
07:25And we have submitted certain recommendations to look it up into the issue, including interagency review, including fair trade prices,
07:38including fair trade margins and, of course, transparency to be brought up in.
07:43So, we are aware within the right as a regulator.
07:48I have to look at the issues, whatever the issues come up with me.
07:51And we have taken up the issue with the appropriate authority who is a competent authority in this sector.
07:57Sir, it is well within your rights to take it up, but rarely has any authority ever spoken about this,
08:04though there have been consumer forums across many years who have constantly brought this issue up.
08:10When you say, sir, and you know, Mr. Munde, you tweeted this out, you've basically used a social media platform
08:17to put this out.
08:18And you write, a review of these findings and clear guidelines on the permissible gap between trade procurement price and
08:25declared MRP has been recommended to the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the NPPA.
08:31A step towards closing not just the pricing gap, but the information gap patients are left to bear alone.
08:38How are you going to follow up, you know, with what you have written to the NPPA and the Department
08:45of Pharmaceuticals?
08:46Because there has always been a lot of resistance and there is a massive pharma lobby, especially where even, you
08:52know, private hospitals are concerned.
08:58I believe that we have to look at it in the holistic issue.
09:01It's not a lobby or say the consumer lobby versus pharma lobby or hospital lobby versus the regulator.
09:06Something is not like that.
09:07We have to look at it in a 360 degree context.
09:10Pharmacy product producers are there, manufacturers are there.
09:13They have their IP rights.
09:15They produce it.
09:16But the trade margin has to be reasonable.
09:19As per NPPA, we have what you call Essential Commodities Act and there is a DPCO order which is revised
09:27from time to time.
09:28The current DPCO order is 2013.
09:31And in that order, essential medicines are defined.
09:35Their MRP is also looked into.
09:38Beyond that, there are certain items which every year pharma companies or manufacturers are allowed to increase by a particular
09:45percentage point of view.
09:46While fixing a pricing or MRP, there is a process defined in it.
09:51But when we look at this type of margins which is to the tune of 2800, I think that is
09:56not acceptable to anybody.
09:57Whether as a regulator or as a consumer or a citizen, concerned citizen, it's not allowed.
10:03Now, why does a particular product which is sold to a particular hospital at a particular, say, 11 rupees rate,
10:11whose MRP is 325 odd rupees?
10:14It is really inexplicable to me.
10:18It is very, very revealing to me that why this gap exists.
10:22If they can sell at 11 rupees, then why can't it be a MRP of a particular around that rupees?
10:26Maybe 10%, 20%, 25% of margin.
10:29Why it takes to be 2800% odd to cap that MRP?
10:35And I think this is the exactly issue we have raised up after our findings.
10:39And that's why we have taken it to the appropriate forum and authority.
10:42Mr. Munde, are you proposing a cap or a fixed price for these hospital consumables?
10:48What is permissible limit?
10:49Like you yourself say, certain hospitals, they have markups up to 2800 and even over is what we've also figured
10:56out.
10:57So, are you proposing a cap?
11:01So, I'm not proposing any cap, say, because the caps will be decided, MRP will be decided from product to
11:07product basis.
11:08Now, how much the margin should be there?
11:11While deciding MRP, it has to be rational, it has to be open, it has to be transparent.
11:16There cannot be this much gap.
11:18This is inexplicable.
11:19That's where we have suggested certain things, whether that should be brought under DPCO or that should be trade margins
11:27have to be decided or whether it has to be inter-agency coordination has to be there.
11:31And the pricing monitoring mechanism has to be strengthened.
11:34There are certain four or five recommendations we have given.
11:37But it is for the authority to look into.
11:39They will go consult all the stakeholders in the sector, whether it's a pharmacy industry, whether it's a hospital, whether
11:46it's a regulators, whether it's a consumers.
11:48And after deliberation, consultations, NPPA will come up with appropriate interventions.
11:54That's what we have requested.
11:55There has to be intervention.
11:56There seems to be a gap along with a regulatory gap, policy gap and interventions are required.
12:02And we have taken up the issue, we have brushed up the issue.
12:05And I believe that with due deliberation in transparent manner, that this issue will be addressed.
12:12Have you given a time limit for this issue to be addressed, sir?
12:16Because a lot of these recommendations and reviews go into a cold box.
12:21I am not an author to give a time limit to the author.
12:24I am not an author to give a time limit to NPPA.
12:28NPPA is the one who will decide it.
12:29But, of course, there have been discussion, there have been interaction.
12:33And I think these interactions and discussions are on positive note.
12:37Sir, you know, most private hospitals say that what you suggest is far off from the economic realities of running
12:46a private hospital.
12:47Like when you walk into a hotel, there are certain services that you pay for.
12:52For these hospitals, they suggest to keep a sanitized atmosphere, to have round-the-clock nursing and other exigency costs
13:00that are related to the hospital.
13:03These markups help them to offset, you know, the costs of the rest.
13:13See, when this is to be done, that will be done in consultation and discussion with the pharma industry itself.
13:19It is not going to be done by me.
13:21It is going to be done by national authority.
13:23And while arriving at a decision or if there is going to be intervention, that definitely will be discussed with
13:30hospitals as well and the pharmacy industry as well.
13:32It is not going to be unilateral decision, it is not going to be arbitrary decision and that decision does
13:38not lie with me.
13:39And I will not be able to comment to what price, how much, what intervention will be done because that
13:43is for policy.
13:45That is a policy level matter and policy level decision will be taken.
13:49But just to say that because we are running a hospital, we are aware you are running a hospital.
13:54But there has to be explanation for each and everything.
13:58If a particular product is MRP 320 odd rupees, is being sold to hospital 11 rupees, the same product which
14:07is outside will get at the same price.
14:09But where is this margin going?
14:11That is the valid question to be asked by either the consumer or a regulator for that matter.
14:16As this matter of Rostock to me, we looked into it, we studied it, we surveyed it and we found
14:21there is some rationale in it.
14:23And this needs to be addressed, this needs to be, we need answers on this.
14:28And that is why we have taken it up with the appropriate authority.
14:32And I believe that with due deliberations, whatever is the right approach will have to be followed.
14:39Because pharmacy industry or manufacturer will not work in white, hospitals will not work in white.
14:44At the same time, consumer will also not be working in white.
14:48They will not also be taken for right.
14:50So, as per Drug and Control Act and rules thereunder, this is a major legislation along with the Essential Commodity
14:57Act.
14:57Other legislations also need to be taken into account, including consumer interest.
15:02We cannot just take that we are running the hospital, that is what we are entitled for this.
15:08What we need is a transparency, what we need is ethical practices, both from manufacturers, hospitals, as well as the
15:15consumers, along with legal practices.
15:18So, that is where our role as a regulator comes in.
15:21That is where we have taken up the issue.
15:24And while taking a decision, interest of all stakeholders will have to be taken into consideration.
15:29Mr. Munde, you know, consumer interest has always been last in the pecking order.
15:33And I am sure as a regulator, you have seen that happen.
15:37The arbitrariness of markups in hospitals, you have rightly pointed out.
15:42But you do understand, it's not the first time.
15:46A lot of consumer interest bodies have constantly brought this up and they have hit a wall against very, very
15:52strong lobbies.
15:53You do understand, by bringing this up, once again, you could be in the crosshairs of certain very influential, powerful
15:59bodies.
16:04No, I am not at crossroads with anybody.
16:08I am basically performing a role which I am expected to perform.
16:11Being a regulator, being a public servant, that's my role.
16:15Being MD Commissioner of Maharashtra, Drug Administration in Maharashtra.
16:19Whatever the issues are in drug sector, whether from drug industry side, pharmacy industry side, hospital side or consumer side.
16:26We have to look into the issues.
16:28This is one of the issues.
16:29There are other issues which we have taken up about other sectors also.
16:34So, it has nothing to do against a particular lobby.
16:36We are here as a public servant.
16:38I am just trying to perform my role as a public servant.
16:40That's it.
16:41So, nobody has to take it in a negative context.
16:44We have to take it in a holistic context.
16:45The interest of all the stakeholders, including hospitals, including pharmacy industry, manufacturer, including consumers.
16:52And, of course, the government has to be taken into consideration while arriving at a decision.
16:57Last question, sir.
16:58You are a regulatory body.
17:01And as per you, what do you think would be a fair percentage markup?
17:06Because what you yourself said, right now you are looking at anything over 2,800.
17:11That will be very difficult for me to comment upon.
17:18Because that role is of NPPA and the industry.
17:22So, they will deliberate upon it and they will decide upon it.
17:25I am no way authorized, nor am I expertise in that.
17:30But definitely, as a regulator, if there are issues that I have to take up, we are taking up the
17:35issues along with many, many other issues.
17:37Well, thank you so much, Mr. Munde, for taking it up.
17:39Like I said, you have echoed what has been, you know, the grouse of lakhs of common men in this
17:46country,
17:47where you go into hospitals and you are handed inflated bills without any explanation at all.
17:53And you have to pay for that.
17:55So, thank you for bringing it up.
17:56And you are right.
17:57You said you have little control, but you have flagged it.
17:59Let's hope that, you know, whatever your submissions are, are taken seriously and some tangible change is made.
18:05I just want to ask you one quick question, sir, before I let you go.
18:08And that, for Mumbaikas, could be, you know, as sensitive for some of them who followed Mondagar Cafe through the
18:16many years and decades.
18:17And you have shut it.
18:18Now, what led you, Mr. Munde, to shut down Cafe Mondagar, which is iconic to Mumbai and South Mumbai?
18:32It's not about, I say, a bio for me, whether it's a big or small.
18:36I have said many times on your channel as well.
18:38So, there are violations, schedule four violations.
18:41There are non-compliances.
18:43And after non-compliance are found, we have suspended the license.
18:46We have not canceled it yet.
18:47If they comply with that, we'll register their license.
18:51If they don't comply, we'll go for cancellation of it.
18:54So, it's basically about the public health issue.
18:56It is about standards and regulations not being followed.
18:59And detailed press note I have issued yesterday.
19:02So, the reasons are also mentioned therein.
19:04I need not repeat it.
19:05Only issue is that whoever is a food business operator, either a licensee or registered one,
19:11please follow these regulations because we are dealing with the health of the people.
19:14Mr. Munde, I know you do want to repeat, you know, what the issues were with Cafe Mondagar,
19:20but what was the biggest glaring issue that you said that there has to be a suspension letter, not a
19:26warning?
19:29It's not, yeah, it's not, as I can say, schedule four violation is the non-negotiable thing.
19:34And there are violations about schedule four as per regulations of registration and licensing regulation 2011.
19:41So, schedule four has a lot many components and they have been pointed out to them.
19:44It's not something which is opaque, it's absolutely transparent.
19:47In the suspension notice itself, those have been pointed out which are compliances, which are non-compliances,
19:52which are partial compliances, it is intimated to them.
19:54They have to come with compliances and further process will take place.
19:57Mr. Munde, thank you so much for joining us.
20:00You know, Cafe Mondagar might be just one cafe there, but what you have raised in terms of hospital
20:05is something that is going to resonate way beyond Maharashtra.
20:10Lacks of, you know, common middle class families face the brunt of this.
20:15Thank you, sir, for joining us.
20:20All right, let's take the conversation further now.
20:22Joining me is Dr. Rajiv Jaiwardhan, Honorary Senior Consultant, Gastroenterologist, Sunrise Hospital,
20:29Cochin, Chairman Scientific Committee, IMA Cochin, Past President, Indian Medical Association,
20:36Cochin Branch.
20:37I also have with me Abhijit Bose, Chief Operating Officer, Consumer Voice.
20:41I'd like to, you know, cut across first to the doctor who's joining us, Dr. Jayadevan.
20:49Dr. Jayadevan, you know, you just heard Mr. Munde there.
20:53And it's quite astounding that the markups that, in his review, that, you know, have come
21:00to light is anywhere from a thousand percent to two thousand eight hundred and fifty percent
21:07on hospital consumable goods, which pretty much echo where what most has been the grouse
21:14of middle class families across the country, where they are handed this one fat bill by
21:19hospitals and there is just no explanation behind them.
21:23This is a good question.
21:25And for our viewers, let me clarify something up front.
21:28MRP or Maximum Retail Price is the maximum price a seller can charge a consumer for a package
21:37product.
21:37So which means if it is whether it's a syringe or an implant or an IV set, the consumer should
21:45not be charged even one rupee above the MRP, which is printed on the package.
21:52The issue here is the MRP being far greater than what the hospital paid to purchase this
22:02product from the manufacturer.
22:04It's not that the hospitals are selling above the MRP.
22:09I just want to get that clear.
22:11The issue here is whether there should be a limit on how much the manufacturer can mark
22:21up the MRP.
22:23For example, if a product costs 10 rupees to manufacture, can they put a price of 20 rupees
22:30or 200 rupees on the packet?
22:33Right now, under Indian law, there is no cap on how much they can mark up such a product.
22:43In contrast to certain essential medicines, we know that there is something called the
22:48essential medicine list.
22:49For instance, paracetamol, basic antibiotics like ampicillin, they all have a price cap with
22:57certain caveats in the sense certain dosages and certain routes of administration, certain
23:03preparations.
23:03They come with certain price caps.
23:05So, nobody can charge a patient more than the price cap.
23:10But this price cap does not apply to consumables, which can range from something as small as
23:17a glove set to a gown, to an IV set, to a stent, to an implant.
23:22So, the issue here that's being raised is how much can you mark it up?
23:27So, that is the issue.
23:29But Dr. Jai Devan, one direct question, which has been raised by Mr. Munde, which is constantly
23:38raised in multiple private hospitals across the country, and there is no real answer to
23:43it.
23:43Where, with what you say, where hospital consumables are concerned, and we'll give the list out
23:48in terms of the markups, the IV set that you speak of, the MRP is 17 rupees, but it's
23:54retailed in hospital.
23:55The price that they charge is over 60 rupees.
23:57How does this add up?
23:59Yeah, it should not add up.
24:01And there must be what is called a trade margin rationalization.
24:06That is, say, not all IV sets are manufactured with the same quality or up to the same standard.
24:13It's just like all mobile phones are not the same.
24:15But there must be a limit to which the initial price can be increased.
24:22But Dr. Jai Devan, that's what I'm saying.
24:23You know, we're giving, it's actually not 50, 11 rupees an IV set.
24:26It's in hospitals.
24:27It's charged over 300 rupees.
24:30A catheter, 29 rupees is the MRP.
24:33And it's been charged in hospitals.
24:35The markup is a 94 percent at 310.
24:37Why is it?
24:38And it's a question that every person who visits or is forced to visit a hospital and
24:44is admitted asks.
24:46Why is this massive markup, which goes not just beyond 100 percent, but sometimes, like
24:53Mr. Munde pointed out, 2,800 percent markup?
24:57Yes, the hospital should not, by law, be selling any product to the patient above the maximum
25:05retail price.
25:06The hospital should not do that.
25:08If they're doing that, that's against the law.
25:10But they're doing it across all hospitals.
25:12I just want to bring in Avijit Bose, Chief Operating Officer, Consumer Voice in this.
25:16You know, Mr. Bose, what Mr. Munde has practically done is voiced the frustration of lacks of Indians
25:24who face this on a daily level where any hospital admission practically means wiping out the
25:32savings of an entire family.
25:33And most of it comes in terms of hospital consumables, sometimes marked up to 2,800 percent with no
25:40answers or explanation given.
25:44I would say the issue is not whether a hospital should make money.
25:49The issue is whether a captive consumer should pay a price that has no transparent relationship
25:53with the procurement price.
25:56I would slightly disagree with the doctor that hospitals are not aware.
26:04It is being, you know, portrayed as hospital is not aware.
26:08Now the consumer is also aware.
26:10In fact, the consumer has lost trust in hospitals.
26:14That's a very sad story.
26:16So, and the patients, the patients who are not very literate are also exposed to AI and
26:23internet now.
26:24So, hey guys, change.
26:26Now is the time we should not, you know, keep anyone into doubt.
26:31So the difference between trade price and MRP is huge.
26:36So I was seeing on your screen, it is still playing 600 percent, 700 percent, 900 percent,
26:432,800 percent, as Mr. Munday said.
26:45And I must appreciate Mr. Munday's step, except for one thing, Mundagar Coffee, which was my
26:51favorite.
26:52Anyhow, that's not the point of discussion here.
26:54So the thing is, we must, you know, inculcate trust in our consumers if we do these kind
27:02of things, which is 900 to 2,800 percent markup.
27:06And secondly, the markup should be regulated by the regulators, especially when the patient
27:12is absolutely captive in such situations.
27:15And markup percentage also, markup percentage also should be managed if the cost of the consumable
27:21is very high.
27:22So if the cost is very high, the markup percentage should be less.
27:28So that is what I would say is the right way.
27:31And NPPA has already experienced in the case of stents.
27:35But Mr. Boss, this is not the first time.
27:37And the question I want to ask you is, this is not the first time that it has been flagged.
27:41This time, of course, it's come from Mr. Munday, but a lot of consumer bodies have flagged
27:46it time and time again and always hit a wall.
27:50We have been, you know, fighting a lot about this thing.
27:53I mean, constantly we are chasing this issue.
27:58All right.
27:59You know, I thank both of you for joining us because I really hope Mr. Munday has raised
28:04this issue and he says he's asked for a review.
28:08Now, will that review happen?
28:09Because for a lot of us out there and, you know, there's, I don't think any family who
28:14doesn't agree or resonate with what Mr. Munday has said, that every time you walk into a hospital,
28:21you do not know what is the bill that you will be handed over at the end of your unfortunate
28:26hospital stay.
28:27And a lot of that bill is contingent also on hospital consumables, which, you know,
28:34in certain parts have been marked up to 2,800% of the MRP.
28:41Let's really hope something comes out of this, something tangible and there is a fixed price
28:46or at least a cap on this.
28:48I thank both our guests for joining us.
28:49I want to quickly dip into the latest news break that is coming in from the Finance Ministry.
28:54The Finance Ministry viewers has rejected the opposition's charge of a foreign influence behind
28:59decision to impose 0.4% merchant discount rate on UPI transactions above rupees 2,000.
29:06Now, this clarification follows accusations by certain opposition parties, including the
29:11Congress, that the government succumbed to U.S. pressure in taking the decision to impose
29:16MDR.
29:17In a statement on the Platform X, Finance Ministry has insisted that India's UPI policy decisions
29:24are made independently with the clear goal of building a self-sustaining, inclusive and
29:29affordable digital payment ecosystem.
29:34All right, all of this explanation coming in from the Finance Ministry at the back of
29:39many opposition parties that have alleged a foreign hand in possible what they call a tax
29:46now that will be put on UPI dealings, which is of course, you know, which is P2N, person
29:53to merchant, not person to person, and a 0.4% of that tax on any transaction over 2,000
30:02rupees
30:02you had.
30:03The Congress, especially Rahul Gandhi, also a short while ago posted a video on X charging
30:09the government of manipulation at the behest of foreign hand.
30:14And joining me now is my colleague Aishwarya, who's getting us up to speed with the latest.
30:18Aishwarya, you've had the Finance Ministry trying very hard to counter the narrative built
30:25by the opposition at the back of the 0.4% surcharge.
30:31Well, definitely, you know, we are seeing, Preeti, how the government, in fact, is in an
30:34overdrive to give clarification because what's happening at the moment, and this is something
30:39which a lot of people are also asking questions about, you know, people like you and I, we really
30:42need to know, will we be paying extra when we will be using UPI, the amount more than
30:482,000 rupees?
30:49See, at the moment, the government is saying that they want the merchants to bear the cost,
30:53but will that be a reality?
30:55That is something that, you know, in the form of a clarification has now come from the Finance
31:00Ministry.
31:00Finance Ministry sources very, very clearly saying that India's UPI policy is working independently.
31:06This also, let me tell you, is answer to what Rahul Gandhi has been often speaking about
31:10just a couple of hours ago, he made a video and he is saying that there is foreign conspiracy
31:15pointing fingers at the USA.
31:18The government, very, very clear, our policy is independent of any kind of influence from
31:23any country in the world.
31:24So this is a clarification coming in from the Finance Ministry, from the government, and
31:28they are saying that nothing of this sort, you know, the kind of 2 plus 2 that most of
31:34the opposition parties have been doing, specifically the Congruist Party clarifications coming in
31:38from that.
31:39But yes, after the 15th of October, everyone will keep a hawk's eye on how much he or she
31:44will pay when they will use the UPI, because that is something which is still in the grey
31:48area at the moment.
31:50All right, Aishwarya, thank you there for joining us with that quick update.
31:53We're going to keep coming back to you for more.
31:55Meanwhile, Diyos, let's quickly now shift focus from one story that we've been tracking
31:59very, very closely to the trolling, especially on social media, where actor Katrina Keff is
32:06concerned. A woman gains weight and suddenly the internet thinks it has the right to weigh
32:11in with an opinion.
32:13Katrina Keff is the latest actor who is in the public eye to face a barrage of comments
32:19over her appearance after she was spotted at Tanesh Chaturthi celebrations with her husband,
32:25Vicky Kaushal.
32:26Well, right from Aishwarya Rai to Sonakshi Sinha to Huma Qureshi, women in the public eye have
32:33repeatedly been judged for their weight, age, changing bodies. So why does a woman's body
32:38still remain a public talking point? Here's more.
32:47Katrina Keff went to a Ganesh Chaturthi celebration and the internet went after her body.
32:53Her crime? Apparently she did not look the way they wanted her to.
32:59Katrina's rare public appearance with Vicky Kaushal at the Ambani Ganesh Chaturthi celebration
33:04quickly became fodder for trolls.
33:09Comments dissected her face, her weight, her body, even her clothes. Some compared her latest
33:16pictures with older images, putting her body under a microscope and picking apart every visible
33:23change. All because a woman who has gone through pregnancy and motherhood does not look exactly
33:31as she did before. And thankfully fans weren't having it. They hit back at the trolls. She's 14,
33:41she's a new mother and her body does not need to meet your beauty standards. But here is the bigger
33:48problem. Katrina is not an exception. Aishwarya Rai has faced relentless scrutiny over her weight
33:57and ageing. Sonam Kapoor has spoken about trolls calling her too fat and questioning who would marry
34:05her. Sonakshi Sinha lost 30 kilos and still face comments about her body.
34:14Huma Qureshi has spoken about being told her arms were too big to look good opposite a hero.
34:25Different women, same obsession. Too fat, too old, too curvy, too much. And apparently never just enough.
34:36Why do we behave as if a woman's body is public property? Why must she remain frozen at 20? Why
34:45is
34:45pregnancy expected to leave no mark? Why is ageing acceptable on a man but treated like a crime on a
34:52woman? This isn't concern or criticism. It is body policing. And maybe the most shocking part isn't
35:01that women are being judged. It's how comfortable people have become doing it. Bureau Report, India
35:08Today.
35:12All right, viewers, I just want to bring in to this conversation because all of us have seen the
35:18conversation around Katrina Kaif. And to say there are two parts to it, and let's break it down.
35:23They're the bad guys and the good guys. The bad guys are the ones who are constantly ridiculing her,
35:28humiliating her, making memes of her, comparing her to other actresses. Then there are what they think
35:35are the good guys, who have immediately come in thinking they are defending her with explanations
35:39like, oh, this is postpartum. She's grown a human. Hormones shift during pregnancy. She's 40. She's taking a
35:48break. Why can't she be allowed to do so? Most of them don't understand. And I'm talking about the good
35:53guys there who think they're defending her, are doing not just her, but women who are in the public
35:58eye the biggest disservice. They're not breaking any stereotypes. They're actually defending the
36:03stereotypes in this and reinforcing that stereotype. Offering a medical explanation.
36:10The reason why, oh, she's put on weight. Pregnancy. Pregnancy, no pregnancy. Postpartum,
36:17no postpartum. Why should a woman be subject to ridicule or humiliation or being judged on her weight,
36:26on her appearance? I want to bring in very quickly into this conversation Tara Deshpande, author, actor,
36:32Sanjana Galrani, South Indian philanthropist. Both of them joined me live. Tara, I want to bring you in on
36:38this because, you know, I'll tell you personally what I think is problematic and I think a lot of Indians
36:44should find it problematic is to give explanations that the weight gain of Katrina Kaif deserves a
36:51medical explanation because somewhere down the line, it's a failure that she's put on weight. But
36:57there is a medical explanation because she was pregnant. Yeah, I don't think that any explanation
37:04should be offered because it's really nobody's business.
37:13I'm sorry. Yeah, you're with us. I don't think any explanation of any kind should be offered.
37:19It's nobody's business. And I don't believe that these actresses who have worked in the industry for
37:23a very long time and who have developed a thick skin really give a toss about what anybody who's really
37:28mean-spirited and was unhappy with themselves. I mean, these kinds of comments are a classic example
37:33of self-loathing. You're unhappy with yourself or unhappy with your life, so you pick on other people.
37:38I don't think any explanation in the future is warranted. I think people like this should
37:42just be blocked or ignored. And the moment you ignore them and they get no response, they're just
37:46going to disappear automatically. But the one thing that I do want to say at this point is, you know,
37:52this was started around the 90s by the press. You know, the traditional press used to use terms
37:59like thunder thighs and jelly belly and unrecognizable and all kinds of negative terms. I'm sure you
38:06remember those newspaper articles where women's body parts were circled with arrows drawn to show,
38:11oh, look at her belly, oh, look at her arms, oh, look at her hips. You know, so this trend
38:16is not
38:16something new. It's existed for a really long time and it's an Indian problem. When you go abroad,
38:22you don't see this as much. This happens not only to women who are in the media, but it happens
38:26to
38:26women who are not in the media as well. Though there is a very special meanness that is reserved
38:31for people who are associated with Bollywood. But Tara, it's really not an Indian problem because
38:37you've had the likes of Kate Winslet who've talked about in detail about being body shamed. It's a
38:41it's a problem worldwide in India because it's okay. It's a problem in the media worldwide.
38:48No, I agree. It's a problem with any woman who's in the public eye and she's, you know, free for
38:55anyone to comment where her weight and her appearance is concerned. I just want to bring in Sanjana
39:01Galrani into this conversation as well. Miss Galrani, the fact is, you know, pregnancy is not a crisis and
39:08it doesn't need a medical explanation to somewhere down the line say, oh, it's okay. She's put on this
39:15weight because she was pregnant. Why give these explanations? It's nobody's business, but Katrina
39:22Kev's business. It's nobody's business, but Aishwarya Rai's business. So a lot of women out there who
39:27think they're really doing good or a lot of men out there who think they're coming in to defend Katrina
39:32Kev by saying, oh, she's 40, you know, pregnancy hormones are shifting. That's why the weight is
39:38there. Give her a break. All of this only reinforces the same old stereotype that you're trying to offer
39:43an excuse for a body that has changed. I am someone who really appreciates
39:52compliments. I'm also in the limelight for the last 20 years. I'm a film actor. I'm a mother of two.
39:57I was blessed with a son four and a half years ago and my daughter is just 16 months old
40:02and my weight
40:03also terribly fluctuated and I went through everything that Katrina Kev is going on right
40:08now in the southern part of India. And what happens to us that as actresses, they see us
40:16having, you know, very perfect bodies, the way we look to everything. So somewhere people have an
40:22expectation that she will always look this perfect. Even I had put on like I was 85 kilos. I've come
40:28back to 68 or 69 right now. But I think I really look down at trollers. I condemn trollers. And
40:38I dare
40:39to not I dare tell them that please stay away from any woman, not just a film actor for body
40:46shaming
40:47her or for looking down at her because she has put on weight because it's none of your personal
40:52business. As a fan, if you say that ma'am, I would have I would have loved it if you
40:55have lost a little
40:57bit of weight sooner than later. It's still accepted, you know, it's a compliment or it's a request from
41:02a fan. But there's a line that each troller needs to draw. You have to respect each and every human
41:09space.
41:09If a film actor is in the actor domain, that does not mean or the public domain, that does not
41:15mean
41:15that she's wrong. But Sanjana, it's really not about trollers as well, because you can and I'll bring
41:21in Tara back into this conversation because Tara trolls will be trolls, right? Right from eons. We've
41:27always had a certain set that has, you know, especially where women who have been in the public eye
41:33constantly put them under the spotlight, put them on a metric where they are gauged on the basis of
41:39how they look, their weight, their skin, their hair, how they dress. This has happened forever.
41:44The conversation we need to start having, Tara, which we're not really having,
41:48is those who think that they are defending the likes of Katrina Kaif by offering an explanation,
41:54a biological explanation of pregnancy, of hormones for her weight. It's nobody's business. There should
41:59only be one explanation for this. Yes. You know, women are judged so harshly in India. If your skin
42:07colour is too dark, it's a problem, no one's going to marry you. If your hair is curly, it's a
42:12problem,
42:12no one's going to marry you. If your eyes are not a certain shape, oh, you know, you need to
42:16do
42:16something about it. There's always something physical to criticise in women. And you know,
42:22earlier I'd said that it's an Indian problem. What I meant was, yes, media, it's a global problem.
42:27But in India, we have all these strange stereotypes about how women should look in the marriage market,
42:32how they should look before they get married and after they get married and after they have
42:36children. We've set women up to constantly be at the butt end of other people's opinions. So you're
42:42moving basically from one opinion to another. I mean, how many times have you heard, even before
42:48someone asks you, oh, how are you doing? It's so lovely to see you. You know, how's life? What have
42:53you
42:53been up to? Oh, oh, hi, you've gained weight. Oh, your hair has like thinned. It's become a,
42:59it's a very typical conversation that you have in Indian drawing rooms or in Indian, you know,
43:07social settings. But it seems to, I don't know, people think they're being very clever when they
43:11come up to you and especially men do this, when they come up to you and they make comments of
43:15this
43:15nature. And sometimes I think it's so laughable because I want to turn around and say,
43:20dude, have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You know, but one is more polite and one is
43:25more sensitive and one has been brought up to be kind and sensitive to people. So one doesn't,
43:30you know, react in that sort of way. But I think we've come to a point now where we really
43:35need to
43:35understand that this sort of behavior is, it's not just insensitive, it's unacceptable.
43:40Fair point. And it needs to stop. You know, I've walked into boardrooms, I've walked into
43:45boardrooms for business. I've walked into banks to open accounts. And I've heard people commenting on
43:50my looks, sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. And I don't want either of those comments because
43:55I'm not here to put up a show for you. I'm here to do business. I'm here to give you
43:59the benefit of
44:00my opinion or my intelligence or my money. Why does everything about women in India have to become
44:06one? That's all the time I have for, but you know, I thank you, Tara. Thank you, Ms. Galrani,
44:09for joining us. That's all the time we have. It's a quick close on this bulletin. But viewers,
44:13please do think about it. Because for those of you who think that you are defending the likes of
44:17Katrina Kaif by coming out and saying, oh, didn't you know that she was pregnant? She actually grew a
44:22human that hormones were shifting in her body. Give her a break. Well, you're reinforcing the same
44:28stereotype that has been there where women and them being objectified at every stage of their life,
44:34especially women who've been in the public eye. So think a little more on that.
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