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    India needs a digital mindset to tackle tech taking over jobs

    2018-05-18T13:02:57+00:00September 20th, 2017|2018/2017, Flagship Scheme, India Investment Journal September Edition, Year|

    Re-skilling and up-skilling must go hand-in-hand with tech advances in India, writes a digital expert.

    Last month, the lead singer of 70s band Talking Heads, David Byrne, wrote in the ‘MIT Technology Review’ about how tech is eliminating humans. With AI, autonomous vehicles, robots, automated self-service check-outs, and lots more, he says the art of human interaction will die away, since there will be no humans doing the traditional jobs of serving customers. But what does that mean for India, where there are over a billion people: if tech will replace all the manual jobs that give people a daily living, what will they do?

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      Short Takes

      2020-03-12T14:46:06+00:00September 20th, 2017|2018/2017, India Investment Journal September Edition, Sector Focus: Food Retail, Year|

      Alibaba plans BigBasket investment

      alibabaChina’s Alibaba and its Indian online marketplace investment, Paytm Mall, are in talks to pick up a significant stake in online grocer BigBasket.

      The online marketplaces are seeking to invest around $200 million in one of India’s largest online grocer, BigBasket, at a valuation to be decided after due diligence is completed, according to Indian media reports. A estimate figure of around $1 billion has been doing the rounds for BigBasket.

      Part of BigBasket’s appeal is its express grocery delivery feature, which lets customers receive grocery deliveries within 60 minutes. Its main competitor is Grofers India, which is backed by SoftBank. Amazon is said to be eyeing a stake in Grofers to counter Alibaba. Grocery is one of the fastest-growing segments of India’s e-commerce industry. According to eMarketer, India’s retail e-commerce market will be worth $55.3 billion by 2018 — up from $6.1 billion in 2014.

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        Short Takes

        2020-03-12T14:44:09+00:00September 20th, 2017|2018/2017, Flagship Scheme, India Investment Journal September Edition, Year|

        Indian start-ups get FDI policy boost

        A new consolidated foreign direct investment (FDI) policy framework issued by the Indian government this week includes provisions specific to start-ups which is being seen as a major boost for the sector.

        According to the 2017 FDI policy document released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), start-ups in India can raise up to 100 per cent of funds from Foreign Venture Capital Investors (FVCIs). They can issue equity or equity-linked instruments or debt instruments to FVCIs against the receipt of foreign remittance.

        The document reads: "Startups can issue convertible notes to persons resident outside India (subject to certain conditions).

        “A start-up engaged in a sector where foreign investment requires government approval may issue convertible notes to a non-resident only with approval of the government."

        Foreign residents, except those in Pakistan and Bangladesh, will be permitted to purchase convertible notes issued by an Indian start-up.

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          Integrating two worlds: Global business with local communities

          2020-03-06T11:45:14+00:00September 20th, 2017|2018/2017, Flagship Scheme, India Investment Journal September Edition, Year|

          Corporate social responsibility (CSR) observers weigh up how CSR in India is different from the rest of the world.

          A majority of Fortune 500 companies have a base in India and according to a Bain analysis report, between 1991 and 2012, the number of MNCs in India more than quadrupled. And over 20 years, total MNC revenue grew at a compound annual rate of 18 per cent — faster than the overall economy.

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            Poised for exponential growth

            2018-08-07T13:11:49+00:00September 20th, 2017|2018/2017, India Investment Journal September Edition, Sector Focus: Food Retail, Year|

            Demographics, rising incomes and a low existing base all point towards a paradigm shift in the fortunes of India’s still fledgling food retail sector.

            It can potentially become the largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) and will definitely play a major role in realising the Prime Minister’s goal of doubling farm incomes by 2022. Food retail, the largest component of India’s more than $500-billion retail sector, is standing at the cusp of greatness. How its fortunes play out over the next five to 10 years could well decide the success of the government’s ambitious Make in India initiative as well as the direction of politics by influencing how the critical farm lobby votes in future elections.

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              Short Takes

              2018-05-18T13:02:56+00:00September 20th, 2017|2018/2017, India Investment Journal September Edition, State Focus: Karnataka, Year|

              IKEA to set up in Bengaluru

              Swedish furniture giant IKEA has finalised Bengaluru as the base for its third Indian store after Hyderabad and Mumbai.

              The company has announced plans for 25 stores in India by 2025, with the first set to open in Hyderabad early next year.

              In Bengaluru, the firm has acquired a 14-acre land parcel from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation at Nagasandra on Tumkur road. The IKEA store in Bengaluru is expected to have more than 5 million visitors per year and will be connected to the Nagasandra metro station to offer easy access for the customers.

              Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in a statement: “IKEA will bring best business practices, many employment opportunities, infrastructure development and contribute to the growth of the retail sector in the State. IKEA will work as a catalyst in our development plans.”

              IKEA India CEO Juvencio Maeztu added: “Karnataka is a highly strategic and important market for IKEA. Along with retail stores, IKEA’s purchasing team will also grow local sourcing and engage with local artisan and communities in many projects.”

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                Time for India to get garment exports spinning

                2018-05-18T13:02:56+00:00September 20th, 2017|2018/2017, Cover Feature, India Investment Journal September Edition, Year|

                A country-specific export strategy could turn the tide in India’s favour in the sector, explains an industry expert.

                The world apparel trade stood at $445 billion in 2015 down by 8 per cent from previous year. India’s apparel exports grew by 3 per cent in 2015 whereas that of Bangladesh and Vietnam grew by 8 per cent and 16 per cent respectively in the same year. After the phasing out of quotas in 2005, Bangladesh and Vietnam grabbed the opportunity and their apparel exports increased rapidly. Bangladesh surpassed India in apparel exports in 2008 and Vietnam in 2012 as can be seen from the chart below and their apparel exports have been consistently growing and have been higher than India’s exports throughout.

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                  Designing an intricate growth strategy for the future

                  2018-12-31T12:00:15+00:00September 19th, 2017|2018/2017, Cover Feature, India Investment Journal September Edition, Year|

                  The Indian textiles sector has received much-needed attention but its future continues to hang in balance unless bold initiatives begin to pay off. The Indian textile industry is the country’s oldest, going back five millennia, and its modern day avatar employs more than 45 million people, making it the country’s second largest employer after agriculture. Over the last couple of decades, however, this industry has been facing global and domestic headwinds that are threatening its continued wellbeing. But governmental and [...]

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                    France and Karnataka: A lasting partnership

                    2018-12-31T12:00:37+00:00September 19th, 2017|2018/2017, India Investment Journal September Edition, State Focus: Karnataka, Year|

                    With its tremendous untapped potential, Karnataka is an appealing locus for French companies. France and India have always been very close. The ties between our two countries have nevertheless been strengthened over the years: whether it be culture, defence, the economy, education, politics or science, our relationship has now grown into a full-scale partnership. While our bilateral trade in goods is expected to come near the $10 billion mark this year (€8.6 billion in 2016), it bears reminding that our [...]

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                      Smriti Irani: The politician weaving her own magic

                      2018-12-31T12:02:22+00:00September 19th, 2017|2018/2017, India Investment Journal September Edition, Profile, Year|

                      Feisty, determined and courageous are just some adjectives that define one of India’s most dynamic young ministers. Smriti Zubin Irani has been a model, Miss India contestant, a McDonald’s worker, a top TV actress, India’s favourite small screen daughter-in-law, a multiple award winning actor, feisty politician and the youngest Cabinet minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet. And all this before she turned 38. Along the way, she has faced and overcome many hurdles, sparked several controversies and faced two [...]

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