Business Today 18 February 2024

If one were to look at the past three decades, the last 10 years have seen some of the most fundamental changes to India’s economy. Whichever side of the political divide you may be on, it can be argued that the last decade has been instrumental in putting India firmly on the growth path—it is no accident that today, India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world. While the country took six decades to become a $1-trillion economy in 2007, current projections show that it will cross the $5-trillion mark by FY28, becoming the world’s third-largest economy. The aspiration is to hit $7 trillion by 2030. This momentum has been brought about by a few key factors—a big push on infrastructure spending by the government, a massive focus on…

Vehicles parked at the Maruti Suzuki’s manufacturing plant in Manesar, Haryana SOURCE SIAM, JEFFERIES 4 MILLION+ Number of passenger vehicles sold in 2023 in the domestic market, up 8.15% year-on-year 17 MILLION+ Number of two-wheelers sold in 2023 in the domestic market, up 9.12% year-on-year 5% Growth in commercial vehicle sales at 0.98 million units in 2023, from 0.93 million units in 2022 15% Expected CAGR for two-wheelers in the next two years, while PVs and trucks are estimated to grow at 7-8% CAGR…

REVENUE GENERATORS COMPARED TO THE CORPORATION TAX OF A DECADE AGO, GST BRINGS IN MORE MONEY TO THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT’S COFFERS NOTE: FIGURES INDICATE CATEGORIES-WISE CONTRIBUTION TO TOTAL TAX MOP-UP; *BUDGET ESTIMATE (BE) SOURCE CMIE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOCUS ON INVESTMENTS THE GOVERNMENT’S FOCUS ON CAPITAL EXPENDITURE HAS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PAST 10 YEARS *BUDGET ESTIMATE SOURCE CMIE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK LOW ON SUBSIDIES WHILE CAPITAL EXPENDITURE HIT A RECORD HIGH OF ₹10 LAKH CRORE AFTER THE COVID-19 SHOCK, SUBSIDIES BEGAN TO DECLINE AGAIN #REVISED ESTIMATE, *BUDGET ESTIMATE SOURCE CMIE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK TOP PRIORITIES DEFENCE, PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT HOLD KEY IMPORTANCE FOR THE MODI GOVERNMENT MINISTRY-WISE GOVERNMENT SPENDING IN THE PAST 10 YEARS; INCLUDES FY24 BUDGET ESTIMATE SOURCE CMIE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK QUITE A RIDE FROM FY15 TO FY24, INDIA’S…

Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, a deemed to be University, has completed 35 years since its inception in 1988. Could you highlight some defining milestones of this institution? Our institution attaining NAAC A++ grade, ABET recognition, Category I grade recognition from UGC, Consistent Placement record over the years, number of student startups we could able to produce due to consistent efforts in encouraging and developing innovation ecosystem through "SEED MONEY GRANTS" to the innovative ideas of our students. Receiving 5 crores grant to our Technology Incubation Centre, our institution becoming Mentor to other institutions in guiding innovation, startup journey are other remarkable achievements. Could you share some interesting anecdotes with the Founder Chancellor of Sathyabama, Dr.Jeppiaar, that have proven to be useful when you became chancellor of the institution?…

AFTER HUFFING AND PUFFING, the much-touted merger between Culver Max Entertainment (Sony India) and Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zee) was finally called off just a little over two years since it was announced amid fanfare. Had the deal gone through, it would have created a broadcasting major with 75 channels and two OTT platforms, with a strong presence in entertainment, sports and regional channels. Besides, there was limited overlap, making it a clear strategic fit. But the merger came up against many challenges along the way. The most prominent among them was an interim order by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) last June that barred Essel Group Chairman Subhash Chandra and his son Punit Goenka from holding key managerial positions in Zee. Sebi accused them of having diverted…

INDIA HAS REMAINED largely insulated from the two ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle-east. But recent disruptions in the Red Sea, sparked by attacks by the Yemen-based Houthis, have begun to impact India’s shipments. This has set alarm bells ringing in the government. The recurrent attacks that started on November 19, when the Houthis hijacked a commercial ship in the Red Sea, are becoming a cause for concern because of the looming threat of a rise in freight costs that could hurt Indian exports, and a potential spike in crude oil prices, apart from the safety of Indian ships and seafarers. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar took this issue up with Iran, which has backed the Houthis, during a visit to the country in mid-January, while the commerce ministry…