11.10.2006

Small tailors feel stitch of time
The neighborhood tailor’s share in the total garments business in the country has significantly gone down from 80% to 60%.

Of the $13 bn western style Indian apparel market – urban as well as rural – in 1990’s ready-to-wear segment was just $2.5 bn, while tailors enjoyed a whopping 80% share worth $10.5 bn.

Automobile sales in H1 in India
Cars 5,03,249 (22.8%)
Two wheelers 38,15,489 (15.4%)
Commercial vehicles 2,06,222 (36.9%)
Three wheelers 1,97,627 (19.9%)

India’s retail industry is estimated at about $300 bn and is growing to $427 bn by 2010 and $637 bn by 2015.

Global sports goods market is at $97.95 bn and is growing annually at 7%. Half of it is accounted for by US.

Last year medical tourism brought about 2 lk people to India. The industry is expected to be worth $15 bn by 2010.

Total size of India’s financial market is $50 bn as against China’s $750 bn.

PM’s aid no help for farmers
The Rs. 3,750 cr aid package given for Vidarbha farmers is not helping them. The package includes Rs. 50 lk each to be made available for the six district collectors, a Rs. 712 cr interest waiver and Rs. 1300 cr for loan restructuring. The balance was mainly for long term planning such as irrigation and seed replacement.

The Rs. 712 cr and Rs. 1300 cr components have been more beneficial for the district cooperative banks than for farmers as it cleaned up their books of accounts.

New drug launches dip
New products contributed to just 1% of the domestic market’s total sales in 2005, compared with 2% in 2004.

The number of drug launches in the domestic market has dropeed to 1361 compared to 2037 last year.

Domestic companies cannot lauch branded generic versions of drugs with a post 1995 patent, with India’s commitment to the WTO’s intellectual property regime in place since January 2005.

Total pharma sales were at Rs. 25,711 cr and grew 17%.

Lalit Suri dead
Leading hotelier and Rajya Sabha MP died in London on 10th October of a massive hear attack.

He is the CMD of Bharat Hotel Group.