Business Today 20 February 2022

In the first of our 30th Anniversary specials in August last year, we focussed on the theme “The Next India Opportunity”. Several of India’s biggest names wrote how the country’s time had come and how it could rightfully claim its place as the toast of the world. As we bring you this second, and final, volume of our 30th Anniversary special issues, we have chosen to take a close look at 15 of the top trends which would help power India to the global centre stage. The latest Economic Survey projects India’s GDP growth to stand at 9.2 per cent for FY22, and between 8 per cent and 8.5 per cent in FY23. The International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook pegs India’s growth at 9 per cent in FY22…

DIABETES 101 THE DISEASE Diabetes is a chronic (long lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy THE SYMPTOMS Thirst, urination, hunger THE TREATMENT Self-monitoring of blood glucose, medication, insulin, healthy diet and exercise BALLOONING MARKET Diabetes care market in India to grow over 3X by FY31 15 PER CENT India’s contribution in world’s total diabetic population 75 MILLION Diabetics India is home to and another 200 million are at high risk (prediabetic) Source: RedSeer DIABETES LIFESTYLE EXPENSES Dietary modification spends due to diabetes account for 70% share of this expense DIABETES MOST PREVALENT Diabetes is the most common chronic ailment as the population ages ANNUAL SPEND ON TYPE 2 DIABETES About 90 per cent of diabetics suffer from Type 2 diabetes. The disease is generally…

AFTER CARRYING THE growth momentum for over a year, the country’s rural market has left India’s fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) makers high and dry. From growing at around 6-8 per cent by volume since mid-2020, the market, which houses over 65 per cent of the consumers and contributes 25-40 per cent towards FMCG majors’ top line, has shrunk for the first time in years in the October-December quarter, data from market research firm Nielsen shows. While the subdued urban growth rate had been cause for worry already, steady fall in rural demand is set to cost consumer goods players dearly.…

To transform India into a $300-billion electronics manufacturing powerhouse, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has identified key focus segments—mobile phones, IT hardware, consumer electronics, industrial electronics, auto electronics, electronic components, LED Lighting, strategic electronics, PCBA, wearables and hearables, and telecom equipment. The plan is to boost electronics exports from $10.1 billion in FY21, to $105-130 billion by FY26.…

The Indian start-up ecosystem’s growth has quickened over the past one year, thanks to a combination of domestic and international factors. So, earlier projections are being reworked upwards. An annual start-up report by Nasscom and Zinnov estimates that India is set to have 180-200 unicorns by 2025, significantly upping its last year’s estimates of 95-105 for the same time frame. The report predicts that by 2025, India will have 36,000-37,000 start-ups with a cumulative valuation of $600-700 billion, up from $320-330 billion at present.…

The routine antifever medicine Dolo 650 has gained huge popularity amidst the Covid-19 pandemic—starting with the second wave and continuing well into the third wave. So much so that data from IQVIA, a healthcare data science and analytics company, shows Dolo 650 now is the second most sold antipyretic tablet in India after Calpol manufactured by GSK with a difference of just `3 crore in sales. The tablet, manufactured by Bengalurubased Micro Labs, has recorded sales of `567 crore since March 2020, with over 3.5 billion pills and 75 million strips sold so far, according to IQVIA.…