India Economy

Formal lending is growing, but not fast enough to meet the surging credit appetite of India's MSMEs, and the cost of this gap is more than just lost opportunity.

Retail investors led the IPO with a 1.78 times subscription, with Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) at a 1.70 times subscription. Only 66 per cent of the allotted portion was subscribed by Non-Institutional Buyers (NIBs). The IPO overall was subscribed by 1.43 times.

With a growing population and a shifting economic structure, India must boost spending on education and healthcare.

The Indian startup ecosystem is expected to grow steadily in 2025 with more favourable conditions, regulatory support and an ever-increasing appetite for digital adoption.

The report suggests that ongoing efforts to enhance digital and physical infrastructure will yield efficiency gains, reducing ICOR across all scenarios, though the decline is most pronounced in the high-reform scenario

As per the report, continued fiscal discipline will be crucial in rebuilding financial buffers, easing debt service, and ensuring macroeconomic stability.

India's digital payment ecosystem has seen unprecedented growth, with UPI transactions surpassing 16 billion in December 2024. Maha Kumbh reflected this trend as pilgrims increasingly adopted cashless payment methods.

While manufacturing output also improved, the PMI report dipped slightly from 57.7 in January to 57.1 in February due to competitive pressures. However, the manufacturing index remained well above its long-run average of 54.1, indicating continued expansion.

Foreign currency assets (FCA), which constitute the largest share of the reserves, recorded a sharp fall of $4.515 billion, bringing the total down to $539.591 billion

The Uttar Pradesh Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Promotion Policy 2022 offers significant incentives to encourage MSME growth, particularly in backward regions. Capital subsidies range from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, capped at INR four crore per unit, with additional benefits for SC/ST and women entrepreneurs.

The global pharmaceutical industry is valued at approximately $1.6 trillion, while India's market stands at $55 billion, projected to grow to $120-130 billion by 2030.

From approximately INR 10 lakh crore in FY21, investment commitments have steadily climbed, exceeding INR 37 lakh crore in FY23 and FY24 combined.

With the convergence of AI, cloud ecosystems, enhanced connectivity, and ethical data practices, 2025 represents a pivotal year for MSMEs in the digital sector. To remain competitive, MSMEs must embrace these technologies while fostering innovation and strategically aligning their operations with emerging trends.

Real GVA for FY 2024-25 is estimated to be INR 168.91 lakh crore, compared to INR 158.74 lakh crore in FY 2023-24, which implies a growth rate of 6.4 per cent. This is especially lower than the 7.2 percent real GVA growth achieved in the previous financial year.

Growth was led by the two-wheeler (2W) segment up by 10.7 per cent, three-wheeler (3W) segment by 10.4 per cent, passenger vehicles (PV) increasing by 5.1 per cent, and tractors by 2.5 per cent

The poverty line is now set at INR 1,632 for rural areas and INR 1,944 for urban areas, significantly higher than the INR 816 (rural) and INR 1,000 (urban) benchmarks established in 2011-12.

In a move to bolster India's start-up ecosystem, the government is simplifying procedures for startups relocating their headquarters back to India.

Navigating the uncertainties of 2025 will require strategic fiscal interventions, enhanced supply chain resilience, and investments in technology and infrastructure

While very dense forests increased by 3,465.12 sq km, moderately dense and open forests declined by 1,043.23 sq km and 2,480.11 sq km, respectively. Mangrove cover, vital for coastal ecosystems, experienced a slight decrease of 7.43 sq km.

ICRA estimates the GVA growth to improve to 6.6 per cent in Q3 FY2025 from 5.6 per cent seen in Q2 FY2025; the pace of GDP growth in the quarter will be contingent on the Government's subsidy pay-out and indirect tax inflows. Overall, we expect the GVA and GDP growth to print at 6.5 per cent each in FY2025

A deeper look into the composition of the reserves reveals that foreign currency assets (FCA)—a major component—fell by $3.047 billion during the week, standing at $562.576 billion.