This Week in Explainers: Will your food orders via Zomato, Swiggy cost more?

India is set to roll out Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms later this month. While the new rates have made the middle class happy, food delivery through online aggregators – which has become ubiquitous – could get costlier as GST 2.0 becomes effective.

India has got its new Vice-President. CP Radhakrishnan, the candidate proposed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has won the elections and taken the oath.

New Delhi is making efforts to extradite the fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who was detained in Belgium in April. If he returns, what will his life look like in an Indian prison?

Here’s all this and more in our weekly wrap from India.

1. Most of us place orders through Zomato or Swiggy on a frequent basis. Now, food delivery via these giants could cost more. This comes as the GST Council has said that e-commerce and quick commerce platforms will have to pay 18 per cent GST on behalf of delivery workers as the new GST rates come into effect on September 22.

More from Explainers

US Supreme Court to hear Trump tariff case in November Wind farms ugly, solar grabs land, and nuclear energy 'more American': How Trump views clean energy

If Swiggy or Zomato decides to pass on this levy to the consumers, the rates of food delivery will see a spike. The GST reforms, however, would make restaurants and food outlets which have their own delivery network more attractive. We explain how.

2. CP Radhakrishnan has been sworn in as India’s Vice-President. While he bagged 452 votes in the Vice-Presidential election, the INDIA bloc candidate, B Sudershan Reddy, got 300 votes.

With all your blessings and wishes , I am blessed and honoured to be sworn in as the 15th Vice President of India.

Jai Hind ! 🇮🇳🙏 pic.twitter.com/14ACsjTV4t

— CP Radhakrishnan (@CPR_VP) September 12, 2025

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

Ghaziabad woman dead, pilgrims attacked in bus… How Nepal’s Gen-Z protests turned into a living hell for Indian tourists

Were bodyguards involved in Charlie Kirk’s shooting? The many conspiracies surrounding the killing

The new VP is a two-time former Coimbatore MP and ex-president of Tamil Nadu BJP. He was serving as the Maharashtra Governor when his name was announced by BJP president JP Nadda after a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board. Meet India’s new VP in this story.

3. India has been trying to extradite Mehul Choksi since 2018. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has now sent a letter to Belgian authorities underlining the treatment he will receive in India. The ministry has assured that he will be treated fairly and humanely and will not be kept in solitary confinement.

This comes after Choksi’s lawyers argued that he suffers from serious health issues and should not be kept in custody. Belgian authorities had arrested the businessman, who is wanted in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case, at the request of Indian agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), earlier this year. We take a look at how Choksi’s treatment in Indian jails could look.

4. After slapping 50 per cent tariffs on India, United States President Donald Trump has said that New Delhi and Washington will resume talks on a free trade deal. The thaw between India and the US came last week when Trump described the ties between the two nations as “a very special relationship”. He added that he would “always be friends” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

There are reports that Modi and Trump could speak over the phone soon, possibly in relation to the upcoming Quad meeting, which will be held in India in November. Are the ties between the two countries, which developed cracks, returning on track? We take a look.

5. Nepal witnessed a deadly protest this week, which plunged India’s neighbour into a political crisis. While calm is slowly returning, signs of unease remain. The unrest in the Himalayan nation is having an impact on India.

Indian companies such as Hindustan Unilever, Britannia, Dabur, Marico, and Bikaji have reported various levels of disruption due to the protests led by Gen Z over corruption and nepotism, which were sparked by a ban on social media. The Indian states bordering Nepal are on high alert amid the chaos. Here’s our report on how the Nepal crisis has affected India.

6. Sushila Karki, former chief justice of Nepal, is likely to become the country’s interim leader after anti-government protests led by Gen Z prompted PM KP Sharma Oli to resign. Karki’s candidature has also brought her personal life into the picture.

Nepal’s first woman chief justice has a connection to India. She studied at Banaras Hindu University and found her life partner here. We take a look.

7. Physiotherapists in India have lost the right to use the title “Dr” before their names. This was made clear in a letter by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

The regulatory body observed that physios cannot be considered medical doctors and should refrain from presenting themselves as such. But what happens if they use the prefix Dr now? Read our story to know more.

This is all we have for you this week. If you like how we explain the news, you can bookmark this page.