Cover Story
- The government has brought in a new board to rescue crisis-ridden IL&FS. What can it do quickly to prevent further damage?
My Cup of Tea
Chai cafes are multiplying, becoming as aspirational as coffee chains and attracting investment. Acko's varun Dua is out to redefine the way insurance is sold. Puneet Gupta's start-up Clensta International lets you have a bath and wash hair without using a drop of water. Ayushi Gudwani's FableStreet designs custom-fit work-wear with just three body measurements. Through its SaaS platform, FarEye is making product Delivery an efficient process. The founders of GROWW want to make it the Amazon of the financial services space. New consumer product companies get cracking. Locus is optimising capacity management in logistics by focusing on people and vehicles. Rahul Garg's Moglix is solving supply chain challenges for businesses. Avneesh Agrawal and David Julian's Netradyne is bundling hardware and services to make driving safer. This mobile-first job test-prep provider thrives on 3Cs - convenience, cost and credibility. Qure.ai has developed artificial intelligence assisted tailored algorithms to help diagnose diseases and recommend personalised treatment. Indian language social media platform ShareChat is making waves. With its augmented reality puzzles, virtual reality-enabled lenses and robotics-based coding games, Smartivity is bringing innovation to children's games and activities. An eminent jury identified the start-Ups that are making a difference. Swajal Water has a sustainable business model for its water ATMs which can be scaled up rapidly. wakefit innovations sells its mattresses only online and directly to customers. This allows it to control costs.
The Revenue Conundrum
Tepid revenue collections may ruin the party notwithstanding adhering to the 3.3 per cent fiscal deficit target. Uttar Pradesh will take a Rs 20,000 crore-hit in VAT collection to facilitate a Rs 2.50 reduction in per litre rates of petrol and diesel. The government is again exploring the feasibility of non-dollar trade with friendly nations. Flood hit Onam festivities in Kerala, and the relentless surge in oil prices have hurt demand. The RBI's refusal to use its interest rate tool for protecting the currency seems to have ended up creating more trouble for the rupee. A litany of factors, from rising crude oil prices to the record-low rupee, the liquidity crunch post IL&FS loan default, and the Sino-US trade war led to a battering on Dalal Street. The Supreme Court recently asked two lead bidders, Numetal consortium and ArcelorMittal to pay off their dues to qualify for Essar bidding. Defining trends of the Indian start-up ecosystem in 2017 The growth of the capital goods sector is critical to achieve the vision of "Make in India". The decision is an indirect acknowledgement that the government has been unable to run Air India efficiently. But autonomy per se is not synonymous with the airline's revival.Towards A Better Arbitration Regime
Recent cases indicate that Indian courts are taking an increasingly pro-arbitration stance by refusing to interfere in arbitral awards on merits. India is working on an umbrella Data Protection Framework law. The road ahead appears quite foggy.
A Book to Experience
Amazon's Kindle app has been available for VR headsets for a year or so. Rapid growth is essential in a fast-and-fierce digital environment, but there could be effective hacks to achieve that instead of huge cash burning. From ethnic couture to sporty casual wear, stellar gadgets to heritage hotel stay, here is a bouquet of must-haves to light up the festive season. Forget file transfer; here are some cool Android apps to mirror the phone screen on your Windows PC for work and play. Researchers are developing machine learning algorithms that can predict a patient's chance of recovery from a coma. Job pressure, strained relationship or other issues can trigger anxiety disorders, which may lead to depression. Google's Pixel 3 XL is a software marvel, and the hardware does not take a backseat either.
The Meltdown
Business confidence takes a beating as top executives expect high crude oil prices and depreciating rupee to affect economic fundamentals, finds the latest Business Today-C fore Business Confidence Survey. Operating without a margin of safety could lead to dire consequences. Default on payments has put NBFCs under scrutiny and exposed the fault lines in the commercial papers they have issued
Leaderspeak
"There has to be a method to the madness. So, make sure that you understand the job assigned to you. You must have a clear view of the big picture..."
