From celebrating the 2024 class of 30 under 30 to the PayTM saga, here are our top stories of the week

Bold Care's bold and viral ad starring Ranveer Singh and Johnny Sins, Ole Gunnar Solskjær's thoughts on football of today, and a lot more. Here are the stories that piqued the interest of our readers this week

By Forbes India

Published: Feb 17, 2024 09:00:36 AM IST

Updated: Feb 16, 2024 05:43:12 PM IST

Image: Shutterstock

1) Forbes India 30 Under 30: Writing success stories

The Forbes India 30 Under 30 alumni have disrupted their domain industries and carved their names as trailblazers of India's dynamic economy. The Class of 2024 also follows in those footsteps. Celebrating a decade, Forbes India 30 Under 30 has once again found an impressive collection of entrepreneurs, professionals, designers, influencers, and sportspersons who have overcome odds to follow their passion and epitomise their success. Check out who made the cut.

2) Power and promises

For more than a decade, the government has been trying to boost the rooftop solar (RTS) power sector. After the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram temple on January 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana (PMSY)—it aims to provide RTS power systems to 1 crore households, which will help poor and middle-income houses lower their electricity bills. On February 1, Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman also said in her interim Budget speech that the one crore households can get up to 300 units of free solar electricity every month and save up to Rs18,000 annually while selling the surplus to power distribution companies. Adopting renewable energy options is not a priority for many in India; people will adopt RTS if they see actual monetary benefits. But, the solar scheme holds promise if correctly implemented, writes Naandika Tripathi.

3) In a soup

One97 Communications Ltd., which operates the Paytm wallet and payments network, has formed a committee headed by Meleveetil Damodaran, a former chief of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the country's capital markets regulator, to help it meet the Reserve Bank of India's recent diktat over regulatory violations. Here is a discussion on how this three-member committee might assist Paytm, which is facing all but shutting of its payments bank unit by the end of this month in Forbes India's podcast, To The Point. Tune in.

Discover

1) Bold setting

Getting a superstar and a porn star together in a commercial must be a coup. Right? Rajat Jadhav, the co-founder of a D2c men's sexual health care brand, Bold Care, was clear–to get men talking about their sexual problems and tackle them. So, he brought together American adult actor Johnny Sins and Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh in a disruptive and cheeky advertising campaign that suddenly caught the attention of the online world. Here's the story behind the ad trying to spotlight stigmatised subjects that men don't want to talk about—erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation—and how the concept behind the commercial occurred to Jadhav and his team.

2) Solving problems

In the next edition of Pathbreakers, Forbes India's Neha Bothra speaks to Anil Singhvi, chairman of ICAN Investment Advisors and former MD and CEO of Ambuja Cements. In his career, he's built a world-class cement company from the ground up, and as a corporate advisor, he has a vantage view of how India Inc. has changed. In this wide-ranging conversation, Singhvi talks about how independent directors must be held accountable for corporate failures and key risks retail investors must be wary of in the current market scenario. He also touches upon the boardroom drama at Religare, the Sony-Zee saga, the role of independent directors and auditors and other factors leading to corporate failures. Watch it now.

3) Right from the wrong

Amy C Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. She is also the author of Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive and The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. In an interview with Forbes India, she argues that the most successful cultures are those in which you can fail openly without the fear of your mistakes being held against you. She also talks about the importance of discussing different types of failures and what goes into making a healthy failure culture. Read on to know more.

4) Calling the shots

Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the football icon, on his maiden India tour, speaks to Forbes India about what he could have done differently as manager of Manchester United, the best advice he got from Sir Alex Ferguson, and what India needs to do to have stronger football leagues. He was hosted in the country by Ace of Pubs founder Tilak Gaurang Shah. Solskjær throws light on how the sport has evolved and his distinctive style of play as a manager. He also talks about what he thinks of Manchester United's performance since he left. This, and a lot more, from the man himself. Watch here to find out.