WHERE SHOULD YOU INVEST? Vinita Bali ex-CEO of Britannia & Smita Ram - 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮'𝘀 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬 [English]

India is not lacking in money. It’s lacking in access. In trust. In fairness. The richest 1% own more than 40% of India’s wealth. The bottom 50% hold just 3%.

Women earn only 63 paise for every rupee a man makes. 63 million Indians are pushed into poverty every year … just from healthcare costs.

So, how do we keep talking about aspirational India when half the country can’t afford to get sick?
This podcast is the exposé the nation needs…hosted by two women unafraid to ask what went wrong and who benefits. Because real empowerment doesn’t come from slogans. It comes from ownership, of money, of choices, of dignity.

Financial inclusion isn’t just about bank accounts, it’s about breaking the intergenerational cycles that keep people poor, invisible, and dependent. Social investment isn’t charity. It’s strategy. It’s how we channel capital into people, not just profits.

This isn’t just about the economy. It’s about who it’s working for, and who it’s leaving behind.
Vinita Bali, a boardroom icon who knows the inside of capitalism… and Smita Ram, the co-founder of Rang De, fighting to democratize credit from the grassroots up.

OUR GUESTS

🌟 Vinita Bali
Vinita Bali is a globally respected business leader best known for her transformative tenure as Managing Director of Britannia Industries, where she turned the company into a modern FMCG powerhouse. With senior roles at Coca-Cola and Cadbury across multiple continents, she has deep insight into how capitalism and big business operate at scale. Today, she sits on several global and Indian boards, from Syngene International to Smith & Nephew, and is a vocal advocate for women in leadership, inclusive growth, and ESG. Sharp, strategic, and fearless in her commentary, Vinita brings the boardroom perspective on wealth, power, and how India’s economic engine serves—or fails—its people.

🌱 Smita Ram
Smita Ram is the Co-Founder of Rang De, India’s pioneering peer-to-peer lending platform that democratizes credit for underserved communities—farmers, women entrepreneurs, and microbusiness owners who are often excluded from traditional banking. Since 2008, Rang De has enabled thousands of low-income households to access affordable loans, shifting the narrative from charity to empowerment. With her strong grounding in community-driven solutions, Smita is a passionate advocate for financial inclusion as a right, not privilege, breaking cycles of poverty with dignity, ownership, and opportunity. She brings the grassroots lens to the conversation on inequality—one rooted in the lived realities of everyday India.


Timestamps
00:00 Trailer
00:51 Introduction
01:45 Why 50% of the Indian population can’t even get a Rs. 10,000 loan
05:00 Income inequality in India – gender pay disparity
11:12 India’s 4th largest economy exposed?
16:24 Gender inequality in India
24:18 Does education really reduce gender gaps?
27:30 Why women get a smaller share in the workforce
32:13 Vinita and Smita predict the next 20 years of India’s future
45:33 Should a 25-year-old look forward to their future in India?
49:51 Can a beggar in India change their fate?
56:40 Social investment vs market investments
01:02:08 Why Vinita invested in Rang De
01:06:09 End

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