Economic Times Unilever global chief executive Alan Jope said high inflation impacted demand from low income consumers in Indian villages even as growth remains stronger in cities. "The market growth in India remains stronger in urban areas than in rural areas and that reflects the high impact of high food inflation on low income consumers. We are seeing rural markets broadly flat in value terms with lower volumes," Jope said during its...

Reuters Indian household's inflation expectations for the current period moderated by 20 basis points to 9.6%, while consumer confidence improved further, the results of the Reserve Bank of India's latest round of internal surveys conducted in January showed. As per the survey, respondents expect higher price pressures for household durables and cost of housing over the next three months as compared to the previous survey round, the release showed. Among consumption categories,...

Rajya Sabha 10,655 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) closed in 2022-23. That is a 6,088% increase over the number in 2021-22, with 175 closures. The data was revealed by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India as part of the response to a Parliamentary Question asked in the Rajya Sabha. The data was compiled from the Udyam registration portal, the Ministry's online portal for registrations and...

Economic Times With investors tightening their purse strings because of the volatility in the global economy, many unicorns and startups such as Byju’s, Swiggy and Ola have slowed down hiring or even resorted to firing employees. Startups in India fired about 6,000 employees in October-December 2022 and another 4,000 or so in January 2023, the Economic Times reported, citing a report by CIEL Human Resources services.  Many unicorns and startups like Byju's, Swiggy...

Mint India’s rural borrowers and small businesses owners may have easier access to credit with public sector banks (PSBs) planning to increase financing to these segments, after the Union finance ministry urged lenders to improve their credit-deposit ratio. The C-D ration indicates how much of a banks' deposit base is being utilized for extending loans. The development may help expedite the revival of the rural economy, which is struggling to reach pre-covid...