NewsBytes

Resilient India to see 6.5% in fiscal 2026 despite challenges: Crisil

India's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth would be steady at 6.5 per cent in fiscal 2026, despite uncertainties stemming from geopolitical turns and trade-related issues led by US tariff actions, a Crisil report said. The forecast is based on two assumptions. These include another spell of normal monsoon and commodity prices continuing to remain soft. Cooling food inflation, the tax benefits announced in the Union Budget 2025-2026, and lower borrowing costs are expected to drive discretionary consumption, the report mentioned. Growth is now returning to pre-pandemic rates as fiscal impulse normalises and the high-base effect wears off.

Tractor sales in India record double-digit rise

With the agriculture sector recording a surge in growth during the current financial year, Mahindra & Mahindra has recorded a double-digit rise in tractor sales for the third month in a row in February.  After having recorded a 19 per cent increase in sales during February, the company expects the robust growth to continue into the final quarter of 2024-25 (FY25), M&M’s Farm Equipment Sector President Hemant Sikka said. He said that there has been a lot of buoyancy in the farm sector as the kharif crop was very strong this year on the back of a good monsoon. This has also raised the level of water in the country's reservoirs to a 10-year which will help the rabi crop that was sown in winter.

75% of consumers, 97% of doctors in India trust AI for healthcare

About 75 per cent of consumers and 97 per cent of primary care providers (PCPs) in India are ready to embrace artificial intelligence (AI)-powered healthcare solutions for tasks such as disease prediction, risk assessment and diagnosis, a new report said. The report by ZS, a leading management consulting and technology solutions firm, showed how India is on the brink of a healthcare transformation, driven by unprecedented levels of trust in AI. It highlights that over 60 per cent of Indians are open to adopting virtual care models for services ranging from routine consultations to chronic disease management -- marking a pivotal shift toward digital-first healthcare.

QR code-focused initiatives to spur revenue growth

Nearly 62 per cent of businesses surveyed expect higher sales in 2025 due to QR-code focused initiatives, underlining the value of the dynamic codes in revenue generation, customer engagement and first-party data collection, according to a report by Uniqode.  The 'State of QR Codes Report' by the QR code platform features insights from over 600 business leaders. It emphasises that QR codes have expanded beyond convenience and increasingly become a business necessity.  QR codes are quick response codes are essentially machine-readable arrays of black and white codes that reveal stored information when scanned with a reader. They are fundamental to customer-initiated interactions, as they turn physical points in the customer journey into two-way communication channels that promote engagement and provide valuable insights into consumer behaviour.