Business Today 19 March 2023

There is no debate over the fact that as India marches towards its 100th year of independence, the country, the fastest-growing major global economy, is moving rapidly to claim its rightful place among the most important nations in the world. Together with this, a deep-rooted change is also taking place. Millennials—those born between 1981 and 1996—are well into the workforce, and GenZ—those born between 1997 and 2012—will also start claiming a large share of the working population soon. In line with the rise of young India, women are becoming an integral part of this new-age workforce. Whether it is in technology, financial services, start-ups, the gig economy or even the shop floor, women are coming forward to claim centre stage. The young, aspirational Indian woman is now a key player…

Place of Publication: New Delhi Periodicity of its Publication: Fortnightly Printer’s Name: Mr. Manoj Sharma Nationality: Indian 1806, Sylvan View-1, Eldeco Utpoia, Sector-93, Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar Noida - 201301, Uttar Pradesh Publisher’s Name: Mr. Manoj Sharma Nationality: Indian 1806, Sylvan View-1, Eldeco Utpoia, Sector-93, Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar Noida - 201301, Uttar Pradesh Editor’s Name: Mr. Sourav Majumdar Nationality: Indian Address: 502 C, Wing Blue Bird, Sherly Rajan Road, Opposite Rizvi College Bandra, West Mumbai - 400050 Names and Addresses of individuals who own the newspaper and partners or shareholders holding more than one percent of the total capital: Owner: M/s. Living Media India Limited, F26, 1st Floor, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110001 Shareholders holding more than one percent of the total capital of the owner company: 1.…

SOURCE PIB, IDEAFORGE TECHNOLOGY DRHP, BSE, MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION ₹120 CRORE The amount the government has approved for the drone PLI scheme to be implemented during FY23-FY25 $30 BILLION Likely size of India’s drone industry by 2030, compared to $2.71 billion in 2022 $22 MILLION The amount of funding—the largest-ever Series A fundraise in the sector—raised by Garuda Aerospace in early February 100,000 PILOTS The number of drone pilots India will need in 2023, according to Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur…

SHATTERING THE GLASS CEILING THE CLOUT OF WOMEN DIRECTORS IN THE BOARDROOMS OF NIFTY 500 COMPANIES HAS GROWN IN RECENT YEARS Figures indicate representation of women on company boards Source IiAS Research, NSE, PRIME Database ALL THE WORKING LADIES WITH THE GROWTH IN THE ECONOMY, THE SHARE OF FEMALE WORKERS IN THE TOTAL LABOUR FORCE HAS IMPROVED BETWEEN FY19 AND FY21 Source Economic Survey 2022-23 NET IMPERATIVE AWARENESS OF MOBILE INTERNET HAS ALSO INCREASED AMONG WOMEN Figures indicate individuals with mobile internet awareness as a percentage of total adult population Source ‘GSMA: The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2022’ TAKING CENTRE STAGE WOMEN-FOCUSSED INITIATIVES ANNOUNCED IN BUDGET 2023-24 *Maximum deposit amount has been kept at ₹2 lakh and the scheme will have a partial withdrawal facility as well 19 women founders IN…

▶ AROUND EARLY-FEBRUARY when the Adani-Hindenburg issue was at its peak, there were many in the markets—and outside—who were highlighting a data point to support their argument that there were many shortcomings related to the conglomerate. They drew attention to the fact that mutual funds (MF), which channelise huge amounts of retail money into the stock markets, have stayed away from stocks of Adani Group firms even though the conglomerate is one of the largest business houses of the country. It is not that MFs do not own shares of Adani Group companies, but given the spread and size of the Gautam Adani-led conglomerate, the exposure of mutual fund houses is minuscule, say market watchers. For instance, MFs hold just 1.19 per cent stake in Adani Enterprises—the flagship company of…

▶ AMID THE SLOWDOWN in global capital markets in 2022, India emerged as a beacon of hope. Even though ‘funding winter’ became the operative word in most circles, private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investments in India surpassed $50 billion, accounting for 60 per cent of all FDI inflows last year, per the Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association (IVCA). Private investors pumped capital into sectors like fintech, SaaS, real estate, climate tech and more. “PE/VC funds… have demonstrated outstanding fiduciary responsibility in the past year,” says Rajat Tandon, President of IVCA. The year was also defined by the rise of alternative financing options like venture debt. Nearly $1 billion worth of debt capital is being deployed in India annually, per consulting firm BCG. It could reach $6-7 billion…