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Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
There’s intense competition in entrance exams like the IIT-JEE and NEET, and those of the UPSC and SSC. We crunch the numbers to find out what’s in store for India’s youth.

Editor's note: On 17 July, India conducted the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, or NEET, for aspiring medical students. The competition was intense: Over 17.5 lakh students battled it out for a little under 90,000 seats. The selection rate would be around 5%, among the lowest in a decade. At his home in Forbesganj, Bihar, Saurav keeps away from all chatter around the exam. “It’s a chapter from my past,” he says. “I don’t want to go back to it.” Saurav had attempted NEET four times between 2016 and 2019. In 2015, the year he’d started prepping, the number of NEET candidates had hit a record 10 lakh. “My groupies would often talk about it,” he recalls. “That we’ve to work harder than ever. Din bhar padhai, raat bhar padhai (Studying day and night).” Saurav spent a year at a coaching institute in Kota, Rajasthan, then the next three back home in Bihar. The competition was only getting tougher with time. Soon, Saurav’s sleep, appetite and mental health went for a toss. But his scores stayed put between 320-350 out of 720. …
There’s intense competition in entrance exams like the IIT-JEE and NEET, and those of the UPSC and SSC. We crunch the numbers to find out what’s in store for India’s youth.

Editor's note: On 17 July, India conducted the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, or NEET, for aspiring medical students. The competition was intense: Over 17.5 lakh students battled it out for a little under 90,000 seats. The selection rate would be around 5%, among the lowest in a decade. At his home in Forbesganj, Bihar, Saurav keeps away from all chatter around the exam. “It’s a chapter from my past,” he says. “I don’t want to go back to it.” Saurav had attempted NEET four times between 2016 and 2019. In 2015, the year he’d started prepping, the number of NEET candidates had hit a record 10 lakh. “My groupies would often talk about it,” he recalls. “That we’ve to work harder than ever. Din bhar padhai, raat bhar padhai (Studying day and night).” Saurav spent a year at a coaching institute in Kota, Rajasthan, then the next three back home in Bihar. The competition was only getting tougher with time. Soon, Saurav’s sleep, appetite and mental health went for a toss. But his scores stayed put between 320-350 out of 720. …
India’s second-largest brokerage by active clients wants to handle IPOs as a merchant banker. But gaining a foothold in the highly competitive sector is easier said than done.
Influence cannot be manufactured through diaspora networks, carefully branded events or political donations. It requires honesty and credibility.
Chinese diplomats to India are saying all the right things for Indian ears, but Beijing’s policy actions are moving in the opposite direction.
India’s second-largest brokerage by active clients wants to handle IPOs as a merchant banker. But gaining a foothold in the highly competitive sector is easier said than done.
Influence cannot be manufactured through diaspora networks, carefully branded events or political donations. It requires honesty and credibility.
Chinese diplomats to India are saying all the right things for Indian ears, but Beijing’s policy actions are moving in the opposite direction.