Amit Raj Author, Learner and Trader

 

The Stoic Nerve Center: Architecting the Future of the CFO Office In the eighteen months since I moved on from Tech Mahindra, I have been immersed in a singular pursuit: decoding the "operational drag" that prevents top-tier executives from reaching their full strategic potential. Through this period of deep research and reflection, it became clear that the Office of the CFO is currently at a breaking point. The modern CFO is no longer just the primary accountant of the firm; they are the Value Architect. They are expected to navigate the volatile waters of market capitalization, manage delicate investor relations, and serve as a strategic counselor to the Board and MD. Yet, most CFOs remain anchored by "operational noise"—the relentless tide of cross-functional fires, data reconciliation, and functional coordination. The solution I am proposing is the CFO Strategic Operations (CSO) hub—a Stoic Nerve Center designed to act as a force multiplier for the C-suite...

From MGNREGA to G RAM G: How India Is Redesigning Rural Employment. The landscape of rural India is undergoing its most significant structural shift in two decades. In December 2025, the Indian Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act , widely known as VB – G RAM G . Effectively replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), this new mission is not just a rebranding; it is a fundamental pivot from "poverty alleviation" to "productivity-led growth." As we enter the 2026-27 fiscal year, G RAM G stands as the centrepiece of India's rural economic policy. Below is a deep-dive analysis of the mission’s architecture, its controversies, and its long-term vision.   1. The Core Statutory Guarantee: 125 Days The most visible change is the expansion of the legal guarantee. Under the old MGNREGA framework, households were entitled to "not less than 100 days" of work. In pr...

  The Sensex is often reduced to a number flashing on screens—green on good days, red on bad ones. But beneath those digits lies a far deeper story. The Sensex is not just a stock market index; it is a mirror of India’s aspirations, anxieties, reforms, crises, and resilience . This is the story of how India grew up—told through the rise, fall, and rebirth of the Sensex. 1979–1989: A Quiet Beginning in a Closed Economy In 1979, the Sensex was born with a base value of 100 , anchored to the financial year 1978–79. India at the time was inward-looking, heavily regulated, and cautious. Markets existed, but optimism was restrained. Investing was not a mass idea; it was a niche activity. By the mid-1980s, the Sensex hovered around 250–400 . The Rajiv Gandhi era brought early whispers of reform—technology imports, PSU listings, and a gentle broadening of the market. These were not dramatic years, but they planted seeds. The economy was warming up, even if it didn’t yet know how ...

  The journey of the Nifty from 26,373 to 25,065 was not a mere correction on a chart—it was a loud signal from a world drifting into coordinated uncertainty. Beneath the surface of candles and moving averages, global capital was already on the move, recalibrating risk in response to wars, tariff threats, tightening financial conditions, and widening policy divergence among central banks. What appeared to be a domestic market adjustment was, in reality, a manifestation of a far larger system—one where liquidity, geopolitics, and institutional positioning collide, often violently, long before the retail eye can register the shift. Markets no longer move in isolation. A fall in one geography today often whispers a warning to another tomorrow. The Nifty’s sharp rise to 26,373 and its subsequent retreat to 25,065 must therefore be read not as a standalone Indian market event, but as a node within a tightly wound global financial web—where wars distort energy prices, tariffs redra...