Cover Story
- This year's winners successfully steered their companies through one of the most challenging periods in recent times.
Drowning in debt
Debt and pledged shares numbers show India Inc. is not in the best of shapes. The behemoth LIC is now the new promoter for this bank whose NPAs are among the highest in the country. Over 93 lakh houses are lying unsold in India's top eight cities, and another 23 lakh are behind schedule. The new controlled regimen has meant that e-commerce companies could lose nearly 35-40% of e-retail sales. Presently, the MSCI counts shares in Depository Receipts (DRs) and domestic free-float shares when calculating the weight of a company on its indices. DG Shah, Secretary General of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, sees problems on three fronts: pricing, regulatory and exports. New norms mandate that every car is fitted with a driver side airbag, speed warning system, seatbelt reminder, rear parking sensors and better structural stability to withstand crash test norms. Rural India could be a hotbed of cybercrimes due to lack of education and low digital literacy. This Jaipur-based edtech company helps students become logical thinkers and problem-solvers. Cable TV networks discarded pay channels in Tier II & III markets. The total loan staring at a default comes to Rs 91,000 crore and there's no resolution in sight even four months after the government took control. Documents from the Interim Budget show that the government earmarked just Rs 1 lakh for Air India's 10-year Turn Around Plan (TAP) approved in 2012 by UPA-II. The RBI surprised the market with a cut in repo rate and may well follow up its inflation bet with another rate cut.
Late, But Impressive
The Galaxy M20 features a bright, 6.3-inch bezel-less display with 2,439x1,080p resolution. Shome's handling of tax reforms is legendary and his autobiography mostly chronicles that; But you will also find glimpses of life's rich hues. A look at innovative workhorses which will keep you ahead of the pack. Virtual reality has been mostly good for games and entertainment, but Ford is now using it to design cars. The real reason behind Alzheimer's is not known yet, but there are ways to delay the onset of this progressively debilitating disease.
India's Best CEOs
Mukesh Ambani was chosen as the champion of champions by the jury from the four winners of the size categories. From human hair to shrimp feed to related opportunities - Alluri Indra Kumar can find the link, and make it work. Azim Premji is not only one of India's biggest entrepreneurs, he is also the face of corporate philanthropy. From selling mechanical watch movements in Tata Press way back in 1983, to building The Titan Company into a Rs 15,656 crore-lifestyle brand, Bhaskar Bhat has taken lifestyle to the masses. Alliances with right partners will be key in building a sustainable and smart business ecosystem. CP Gurnani's formula is to break down complex issues and tackle the parts one by one. IS Jha's focus on speed of execution of projects has done wonders for PowerGrid. Kenichi Ayukawa led Maruti to a position of historic strength in 2017/18 and is prepping the company for future challenges. Mukesh Ambani is betting on consumer businesses to take RIL's story forward. Sajjan Jindal, Chairman of JSW Steel, buys when everyone sells. Shree Cement believes in being different. So, it expanded during a downturn, and even bought a Gulf-based company. The bold bets are set to pay off. The shortlisting process accounts for both quantitative as well as qualitative aspects. Rajeev Jain has the unique ability to think like a customer and come up with marketable products. Despite no big product launches in the US last year, Natco Pharma gained from its strategy of focussing on a few big products. It now hopes to build on this. Britannia Industries' MD Varun Berry is set to turn the company into a total foods company. Vinod Dasari's focussed leadership helped debt-ridden Ashok Leyland avoid a crash and turn around.
'States Free to Top Up Income Support Scheme'
The country's interim Finance Minister, Piyush Goyal, speaks to Business Today's Prosenjit Datta, Rajeev Dubey and Anilesh S. Mahajan about the Budgets fiscal math, the role of states in the new income support scheme for farmers and the government's plans to fulfil its promises in an election year. Edited excerpts: As India goes to polls, the Modi government's flagship health Insurance scheme can be a game changer in some key states. Will it be able to deliver? Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra, two home-grown auto firms, find themselves yet again in a pitched battle for the third position in domestic passenger vehicles. But the fight this time promises to be longer and more intense.
Leaderspeak
When Vats took over the reins in 2012, Viacom was a six-channel network. Today, it has grown into 46 channels with a huge regional presence.
