News Broadcasting
CNBC-TV18 addresses gender divide in finance with ‘Financial Quotient’
Mumbai: English business news channel CNBC-TV18 is launching a special series “Financial Quotient” that caters to women in their journey towards financial freedom. The first season of the show goes live on 3 September at 2 p.m and will air every Friday.
The channel has roped in Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund and Zebpay as sponsors for the show.
The show will be hosted by CNBC-TV18, deputy editor, Sumaira Abidi and each episode will focus on contemporary and relevant topics such as investing for the first time, insurance, estate planning, risk profiling, assessment, inheritance management, reviewing and consolidation of investments, etc.
It will also shed light on aspects such as retirement planning, maternity planning and career breaks, thus keeping women at the centre of the conversation. Additionally, the show will focus on providing wealth solutions for the entire family, making it relevant to men as well.
“The growing share of women opting for credit, opening trading accounts, investing in mutual funds and equity markets and checking CIBIL scores clearly points to the emergence of a healthy appetite for investment-related guidance among the female audience,” said the channel in a statement.
“Fund your dreams, fund your freedom, it’s your time. This is the central theme behind ‘Financial Quotient’. We could not have been prouder to bring such a unique and powerful content offering to our women audience in this form,” said Network18, chief executive officer, business news, Smriti Mehra. “As a nation, we have faced some very tough challenges in the last 1.5 years, and our endeavour as a brand has always been to be the best possible ally to our audience in their journey towards wealth creation and financial planning. Our women and money series is simply the natural progression to carry this philosophy forward.”
“We have held several impactful and large-scale initiatives over the years that have propagated investment awareness,” said Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC, managing director and chief executive officer, A Balasubramanian. “While our efforts have been recognised, our pursuit to spread financial education is relentless and we have now embarked on an ambitious journey with For HER – one of the largest financial literacy initiatives aimed at women in India in collaboration with The Women’s Collection, and we aim to reach over 10 million women across the country in next three years.”
“ZebPay’s Women’s DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) is an all-women-led decision-making project that uses blockchain technology. The goal of this initiative is to promote more women in ZebPay’s leadership roles by providing a supportive environment and also create new programs for higher engagement with women customers,” said ZebPay, co-chief executive officer, Avinash Shekhar.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
