The controversy surrounding comedian Pranit More’s viral stand-up clip has taken another turn, with his Instagram account now appearing to be deactivated. Users searching for his profile are seeing an account with zero followers and zero following, suggesting it has been temporarily disabled amid the ongoing backlash.

While Pranit More’s main Instagram account (@rj_pranit) appears to have been deactivated, his secondary account, @maharashtrianbhau, remains active with over 1 million followers.

How The Controversy Started?

The issue stemmed from a now-deleted video from Pranit More’s stand-up show that went viral.

In the video, audience member Himanshu Jangra, a 22-year-old from Gurugram, spoke about a date where he spent around Rs 370 on chicken biryani and implied that he expected something in return because he paid for the meal.

His remark, “Maine kaha ki Rs 370 lage hain to use to wasool to karunga hi,” quickly drew criticism, with many social media users calling it offensive and reflective of a problematic attitude towards women and consent.

Why Pranit More Faced Backlash?

As the clip spread online, attention also turned to More’s reaction. Many users felt he failed to challenge the comment and instead laughed along during the interaction. Critics also questioned the decision to share the clip publicly.

Several influencers weighed in on the controversy, including Sakshi Shivdasani, who described the comments made during the show as “gross and disgusting.”

Apologies And Consequences

As criticism mounted, More removed the video and issued a public apology.

“I’ve seen the criticism regarding a recent crowdwork clip. The comments made by the audience member do not reflect my views. Looking back, I should have challenged the remark instead of laughing and moving on. That was a lapse in judgement on my part,” he wrote.

ALSO READ: Pranit More Show Row: Audience Member Loses Job Over Viral ‘Rs 370 Biryani’ Comment

Jangra also apologised, saying his comments were insensitive and never intended to offend anyone.

The controversy later reached Jangra’s employer, Gurugram-based Starvik Design. After reviewing the matter, the company terminated his employment, stating that the growing backlash was affecting the workplace.

Debate Continues Online

While both More and Jangra have apologised, the incident continues to fuel discussions online about consent, accountability in comedy and the responsibility of creators when sharing audience interactions.

With More’s Instagram account now deactivated, the controversy remains one of the most talked-about social media debates of the week.

ALSO READ: ‘News Is True’: Aamir Khan Confirms Wedding With Gauri Spratt; Couple To Tie The Knot On July 5

Essential Business Intelligence,
Continuous LIVE TV,
Sharp Market Insights,
Practical Personal Finance Advice and
Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.

More than half of Americans are worried that the development of AI will cause them or someone in their household to lose their job, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey. The study also revealed a broad anxiety over the technology’s rapid adoption.

The survey showed 53% of Americans expressed concern, according to the six-day study that finished on Monday. This concern was distributed pretty evenly among respondents by age, gender, and educational attainment.

A total of 10% of respondents were either unsure or chose not to respond to the question, while 37% of respondents claimed they were not concerned about this at all.

The software company Intuit announced last month that it would lay off 17% of its global workforce in order to streamline operations and sharpen focus on its main bets, including its AI efforts. The Reuters/Ipsos survey came after a wave of AI-related job layoffs by large corporations.

ALSO READ | Gemini Down: Outage Complaints Spike As Users Find Google AI Platform Inaccessible

When Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, talked about the implications of artificial intelligence at a graduation ceremony last month, University of Arizona students jeered him.

Elected officials and even Pope Leo XIV have issued concerns due to its potential use in entertainment, political propaganda, and even warfare.

It’s unclear whether the U.S. job market, as a whole, will be negatively impacted by the numerous job losses that have been reported at IT companies. Recent months have seen significant job growth in the U.S. economy.

Republicans, who have drawn more working-class voters since President Donald Trump’s ascent, are less sceptical of AI than Democrats, whose party draws more college graduates. Compared to 47% of Republicans, 61% of Democrats expressed concern about AI replacing jobs in their home.

The results of the Reuters/Ipsos survey, which polled 4,531 American adults countrywide, had a two percentage point margin of error in either direction.

Jennifer Schalhoub, a 62-year-old freelance writer from Little Ferry, New Jersey, stated that she just lost her employment sending letters to government authorities to support particular legislation. She believes the development of AI played a part in her loss.

“People are becoming less concerned with the calibre of the job that is generated, which is why AI is taking over,” according to Schalhoub.

ALSO READ | Taiwan Eyes Curbs on AI Chip Sales to China to Align With US

In 2022, artificial intelligence gained national attention when OpenAI, a prominent AI company, introduced ChatGPT, a consumer-facing product that could respond to user inquiries like that of a human and provided a new method of internet search that immediately threatened Alphabet, the parent company of Google.

Another AI behemoth, Anthropic, has rapidly gained popularity among business clients, particularly through the sale of computer coding assistance, Claude Code. Anthropic and OpenAI’s intentions to offer their companies’ shares to the general public have created a lot of excitement on Wall Street.

According to the Reuters/Ipsos survey, 50% of college graduates said they often use AI, compared to 34% of non-graduates and 40% of the general population.

Essential Business Intelligence,
Continuous LIVE TV,
Sharp Market Insights,
Practical Personal Finance Advice and
Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.

The government has extended the validity of the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Microfinance Institutions-2.0 (CGSMFI-2.0) until August 31, 2026, or until guarantees worth Rs 20,000 crore are issued, whichever comes first. 

It has also approved an increase in the maximum loan limit for large sized NBFC-MFIs and MFIs from Rs 300 crore to Rs 1,000 crore under the overall ceiling of 20% of assets under management, according to an official release.

The scheme aims to strengthen credit flow to the microfinance sector by providing guarantee cover through the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Co. against expected losses on lending by banks and financial institutions to NBFC-MFIs for onward lending to small borrowers.

As of now, loans totalling Rs 770 crore have been sanctioned under the scheme, reflecting early traction since its launch on March 20, 2026.

ALSO READ: India Counters US Section 301 Probe, Rejects Charge Of Forced Labour In Steel, Textile Sectors 

The extension and enhancement in loan limits are expected to improve utilisation of the scheme and support higher credit flow to the NBFC-MFI ecosystem, thereby expanding access to affordable credit for small borrowers across the country.

The government has also retained key risk sharing provisions under the scheme, including guarantee coverage of 80 percent of default amount for small MFIs, 75 percent for medium entities and 70 percent for large NBFC-MFIs, along with a guarantee fee of 0.50 percent per annum on sanctioned amounts in the first year and on outstanding thereafter.

Interest rates under the scheme remain capped at EBLR or MCLR plus 2 percent per annum, while on-lending norms ensure lower borrowing costs for end microfinance customers.

ALSO READ: India Infrastructure Lender Seeks Dollar Loan After RBI Move

Essential Business Intelligence,
Continuous LIVE TV,
Sharp Market Insights,
Practical Personal Finance Advice and
Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.