That Tumbling Feeling for FMCG Companies
India’s FMCG giants are struggling with sluggish growth. Declining sales and tough competition from local brands have dampened the sentiments around many popular legacy brands. Can the marquee names rev up a new growth engine?
Ayaan Kartik - February 29, 2024
Digitisation Pushing Growth in Lending Segment: Naveen Kukreja
Over the past five to seven years, the digital-payments sector has grown stupendously, transcending economic and geographical barriers. Naveen Kukreja, co-founder and chief executive officer of Paisabazaar, a digital-lending platform, talks about five drivers of growth in the lending segment in the country
March 01, 2024
Illusions of Growth
Powered by easy credit, a section of Indians is splurging on premium products; at the same time, agricultural wages have stagnated and the share of the self-employed has steadily gone up. Post-pandemic, the Indian economy is going through a lop-sided recovery
Ayaan Kartik - February 29, 2024
A Nation Stuck Between Missing Jobs and Growth Ambitions
India grapples with a job crisis fuelled by factors including high youth unemployment, educational and skill imbalance and low female participation, among others. In their book, The Elephant Moves: India’s New Place in the World, Amitabh Kant and Amit Kapoor explore India’s economic evolution through the lens of competitiveness, stressing the need for, and challenges to, policy changes in its run to becoming a developed economy by 2047
March 01, 2024
GenAI Will Make Creativity More Precious: B.K. Kalra
Change is difficult, but it also brings agility, says B.K. Kalra, president and CEO of global IT services company Genpact, referring to the disruption in businesses brought about by generative artificial intelligence. In an exclusive interview, he gives details of Genpact’s focus on becoming an AI-first company, its AI-assisted learning platform Genome, its strategy for growth in coming years and more. Edited excerpts:
Nishant - March 01, 2024
Aviation on a Net-Zero Flight
The aviation industry’s rapid growth is triggering concerns over carbon emissions. Investing in sustainable aviation fuel, modern infrastructure and technology, besides giving the obvious returns of reduced emissions, will help amplify India’s pitch as a responsible partner in the global climate action story
Naina Gautam - February 01, 2024
CBAM Knots in India’s Textile Story
Months after the European Union launched the transitional phase of its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the textile sector, though not yet included in the target sectors, in India finds itself highly unprepared for the impact. From challenges posed by environmental compliance demands to rivals’ growth and slow governance support, the industry faces a complex fabric of issues
Ankita Mookherjee - February 01, 2024
Rathin Roy: Tax Sops, Investments Won’t Erase Growth Fault Lines
Social factors play a big role in preventing development of states, says Rathin Roy, economist and former member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. Critical of the penchant to manufacture for the rich, he calls for a political conversation around the need to address unmet demands for affordable access to basic necessities like healthcare, education, housing and textiles. Edited excerpts:
Parth Singh - February 02, 2024
Rage of the Fast and Furious
Southern states are angry despite being beneficiaries, along with western states, of the country’s unequal industrial development. In their rush to gather new forms of industrial opulence, they continue to benefit from the cheap labour of central and eastern regions. Will the former share their riches for a more equitable growth of the union of states?
Abdul Haleem Sherif - February 02, 2024
In the Market, Old Is Gold
There was a lot of hype around the growth potential of new age brands like Zomato, Paytm and Nykaa at the time of launch of their initial public offerings two to three years ago, but the poor show of these IPOs at the bourses reflected the sentiments of increasingly cautious investors who prefer to bet on the strong fundamentals of legacy companies
Devanshu Singla - December 29, 2023