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We have something exciting to share ― Introducing Money Playbook!

Our brand-new series where we break down real-world money-making strategies with experts. And for the first episode, we’re tackling a question we’ve all wondered at some point — how do you actually make money in real estate? Instead of guessing, we went straight to an expert to get the real answers.

The episode is live, and trust us, you don’t want to miss it. Watch it here!

With that out of the way, let’s dive into the rest of the edition.

Would you sit all day just killing mosquitos if someone paid you to do it?

We’re not sure about you, but in a village in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, people are doing exactly that. The village is encouraging them to turn in alive or dead mosquitoes at the village office in exchange for a reward of ₱1 (Philippine peso) or ₹1.5 for every 5 mosquitoes or their larvae. And while citizens are happily queuing up with mosquito filled plastic cups and bags to take home their prize, authorities use ultraviolet zappers to kill any live ones.

But why?

Well, dengue cases have been on the rise across the Philippines, with over 28,000 cases in January alone. That’s a whopping 40% more than the same month last year. Quezon, the country’s most populous city has seen over 10 dengue related deaths since the beginning of the year too. And since desperate times call for creative solutions, authorities believe that paying for mosquitoes might help.

But here’s the thing. If you’ve heard of the cobra effect, you probably know that there’s a high chance that this plan could backfire. It’s when a well-intended solution ends up making the problem worse because people find ways to exploit it. Take Airbus, for example. They made their planes quieter for a more pleasant flying experience, only to end up amplifying the sound of crying babies and flushing toilets. Now, that’s not very nice.

The cobra effect actually comes from colonial India. Back then, Delhi was suffering through a cobra infestation and the British decided to tackle the problem with a cash incentive. They told folks, “Give us dead cobra skins and we’ll give you money.” But some ingenious Indians realised that they could make a quick buck turning this scheme on its head and started breeding cobras instead. So instead of solving the problem, the incentive actually aggravated it.

And this could also end up happening in the Philippines if villagers start breeding mosquitos just for money. Sure, officials insist that they’ll end the program once dengue cases decline. But if that doesn’t work, maybe they should take a leaf out of Brazil’s playbook.

Brazil tackled its mosquito problem with an ingenious scientific approach. They infected a bunch of mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria, a kind that block their ability to spread diseases like dengue. These altered mosquitoes were then released in Brazil’s Niterói area as part of a study. And they saw a 69% drop in dengue cases and a significant reduction in chikungunya and Zika as well.

The best part? This method was low-cost, self-sustaining and safe for humans.

Maybe that’s what the Philippines should consider too. What do you think?

Here’s a soundtrack to put you in the mood 🎵

Roshni by Bharg & ‪Chaar Diwaari‬

You can thank our good old friend Gauri Vaidyanathan for this recommendation.

What caught our eye this week 👀

Can charging for traffic jams take off in India?

Imagine that you’re driving on a busy Indian street. You move at the rate of just about a kilometre an hour, honk in frustration and stare at a constellation of brake lights. Sounds familiar?

It might, because Indian cities are traffic nightmares. According to the TomTom Traffic Index, three of the world’s five slowest cities are in India. And a 2018 BCG study found that just four Indian cities ― Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, bleed ₹1.47 lakh crore every year in lost productivity and wasted fuel. That’s enough to fund entire infrastructure overhauls without even counting the sheer frustration of being stuck in endless jams!

But what if paying a fee could make this traffic disappear?

Just look at New York. Back in 2023, its traffic jams were among the worst in the world. So, starting January, driving into Manhattan’s busiest streets meant paying a congestion charge of up to $9 per entry during certain peak hours. And it seems to work.

Early results show an 8% drop in traffic, commute times are looking better and pollution takes a much-needed breather too.

Now wouldn’t our eyes light up if India could have such a thing?

Maybe we could start small by applying congestion fees only during certain hours like NYC or encourage companies to come up with staggered work timings. Small nudges, big impact. 

The problem though? Politicians won’t touch the idea with a bargepole.

Just look at how the odd-even rule in Delhi sparks heated debates every time it returns. Not just that. Charging people to use public roads could be a PR disaster waiting to happen because no one wants to be the leader who made daily commutes more expensive, especially when public transport is unreliable at best and nonexistent at worst.

And, it’s not like we haven’t tried this. Delhi first floated a similar idea in 2018, and Mumbai’s urban planners have discussed it too. But neither has dared to press the congestion pricing button.

But that’s probably changing. Delhi seems to be warming up to the idea again, shortlisting 13 key entry points for congestion pricing. And if this takes off, it could be the test case that cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata need to follow suit.

Or perhaps we take a page from Sweden’s playbook. When it first introduced congestion pricing, people hated it. But Sweden played it smart. They started with a trial period, kept communication transparent, and let the results do the talking. And once the public saw its commute times shrink and air quality improve, opinions flipped.

So maybe Indian cities need a trial run too?

Would you be okay paying extra for a smoother, saner ride? Let us know.

Infographic 📊

This Day in Financial History 📜

22nd of February 1854 ― Cowasji Nanabhai Davar laid the foundation of India’s industrialisation

On this day, Cowasji Nanabhai Davar, a visionary entrepreneur from Bombay (now Mumbai), set up India’s first textile mill. And you could say that this marked the dawn of India’s industrialisation.  

Until then, India exported raw cotton to the British mills of Manchester and Lancashire, where it was spun into cloth and exported back to India only to be sold at a premium rate. Thanks to the unjust regulations of the East India Company prevented the export of Indian cotton cloth to England.

But Indian entrepreneurs didn’t give up. They saw vast untapped markets in Africa, China and Southeast Asia. Seizing the opportunity, Cowasji Nanabhai Davar took a leap of faith. He cleverly sought aid from the Manchester firm of John Hetherington and Sons to set up India’s first-ever textile mill. 

Several other businesspeople followed suit and set up mills in Bombay, which soon became a burgeoning hub of textile mills. 

Things were moving at a snail’s pace until a stroke of luck occurred with the US Civil War. America’s cotton exports to England were interrupted for years, and that’s when Indian textiles rose and filled the gap. 

Now, the mills required a massive workforce to keep the wheels turning.  This led to a vast migration to Bombay, mainly from the Marathi populace residing in the countryside, looking for employment opportunities beyond agriculture and manual labour. That in turn boosted employment.

Initially only men migrated to work in the Bombay mills, but gradually, there was a massive exodus of women from villages to the city who aspired to work and support their families. 

As mills flourished, infrastructure grew. Indian textile mills kept the value addition within India, which meant more economic output and reduced reliance on British imports.

But like most business cycles the mills in Bombay saw their decline too.

Mill owners made fortunes, but mill workers? Not so much. Long grappling with meagre wages and poor working conditions, they halted work and held strikes against the mill owners, demanding better pay and conditions.

The tipping point though came in 1982, when the biggest strike marked the eventual downfall of the Bombay mills.

Since then, most of the mills have been acquired and redeveloped. But one thing is undeniable. Mumbai’s current hustle and bustle culture sure traces back to its once glorious textile industry.

Readers Recommend 🗒️

This week, our reader Devendra Paliwal recommends reading The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant. It’s nothing but a short history of the world, he says.

Thanks for the rec, Devendra!

That’s it from us this week. We’ll see you next Sunday!

Until then, send us your book, music, business movies, documentaries or podcast recommendations. We’ll feature them in the newsletter! Also, don’t forget to tell us what you thought of today’s edition. Just hit reply to this email (or if you’re reading this on the web, drop us a message: morning@finshots.in).

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