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Mint.For the early growth-stage corporate venture fund, there is a distinction between what venture capital like to call Bharat and rural India. While the term is all-encompassing, it doesn’t account for the fundamental issues facing rural India.

This week the focus is on the widening war in West Asia, which matters to us as there are 9-10 million Indian expatriates in the region.It’s now day 7 of Operation Epic Fury, launched jointly by the US and Israel on 28 February. It’s what we were all warned about for years, perhaps even decades – a conflagration in West Asia. As it stood, Iran was at its weakest in decades and Israel perhaps saw it as too good an opportunity to pass up.

From stranded shipping vessels near Strait of Hormuz amid the West Asia conflict, to the change in sectoral share due to revision in GDP base year, manufacturing and services activity moving in different directions in February, collections in goods and services tax (GST) signalling a post-cut recovery, and the government’s renewed push to faster adoption of electric vehicles, here’s a compilation of this week’s news in numbers.The US-Israel-Iran conflict is threatening to put the global order in chaos, particularly for the flow of gas and oil. At its core is the Strait of Hormuz—a narrow chokepoint through which over a quarter of global oil trade passes—where Iran holds strategic control.According to Kpler's analysis of 223 container vessels between 28 February and 4 March, at least 37 were unable to exit the Gulf, meaning they cannot resume rotations until transit reopens.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign on 28 February by including it in India’s Universal Immunization Programme to vaccinate 12 million girls annually. With 120,000 new cases and 80,000 deaths annually, India accounts for a quarter of global cervical cancer deaths.Infection by certain HPV strains can cause precancerous cell changes, which may eventually lead to cancer.Mint explains the rationale behind the plan to help stop cervical cancer – the second most common cancer among women in India – by leveraging the country's digital infrastructure and primary health centre network.The aim is to prevent cervical cancer in girls before they are exposed to the virus.

The Iran conflict has raised panic among retail direct investors who prefer investing in small and midcap stocks (Smids) and trading directly on the markets, unlike their mutual fund counterparts.This is borne out by activity data released by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) for Monday, the first day after markets reacted to the outbreak of war in the Middle East.It shows that retail investors sold shares worth ₹3,508.51 crore, more than foreign institutional investors' (FIIs) outflows of ₹3,070.55 crore, per NSE data. NSE had almost 93% share in the equity cash market as of January end, with the BSE accounting for the rest.Data on investor activity for Wednesday and Thursday will be available with a lag.

₹290 crore in a Series B funding round led by Bertelsmann India Investments, as the company looks to deepen its presence and expand its rural storefront network, Ankur Dahiya, co-founder and chief executive told Mint.“We started in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and we feel its the right time to expand our footprint in the same Ganges belt,” said Dahiya. “Secondly, we want to increase our penetration in the areas we're present.”The fundraise comes as Rozana scales its hybrid rural commerce model—combining neighbourhood storefronts and centralized warehouses with a network of women-led last-mile partners—at a time when relatively few startups are focused exclusively on India’s rural e-commerce opportunity.The fundraise was led by German conglomerate Bertelsmann's local venture capital arm, Bertelsmann India Investments (BII) with participation from Fireside Ventures, US-based Spark Growth Ventures, FE Securities and a few family offices.The deal was majorly a primary investment with a small component of secondaries to give early angel investors an exit.

The volatile market scenario continues to keep everyone guessing. With the war showing no signs of receding, one needs to tread these waters carefully.Buy above ₹318, stop ₹303, target ₹348 (Multiday)Buy above ₹5590, stop ₹5390 target, ₹5995 (Multiday)Buy above ₹2555, stop ₹2450, target ₹2775 (Multiday)Why it’s recommended: The Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX), is India's leading commodity derivatives exchange with over 60% market share. It provides a national-level, regulated electronic platform for trading futures and options in commodities such as gold, silver, crude oil, and natural gas.

e-Rupee, with total transactions of 120 million valued at ₹28,000 crore since its 2022 launch, central bank data till December showed. While retail CBDC can be used to pay other users, as well as merchants for goods and services, wholesale use cases include interbank settlements and large-value transactions.

NEW DELHI: India’s gadget buyers are shunning inexpensive smartwatches, a category that saw a massive surge in demand until two years ago. A lack of customer enthusiasm for barebone alternatives to the benchmark Apple Watch as well as existing buyers finding them unworthy of a second-time purchase, have caused smartwatch sales in the country to drop to its lowest in sales volumes and revenue in four calendar years.Data sourced by Mint from market researcher International Data Corporation (IDC) India showed that 28.9 million smartwatches were sold in 2025, generating net revenue of $780 million.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has lowered the repo rate by 125 basis points (bps) in this rate cut cycle and governor Sanjay Malhotra reiterated that rates will remain lower for longer. While banks have lowered both lending and deposit rates, these were not entirely in tandem.Amid all this, credit growth in the banking system continues to outpace deposit growth.

Stock market recap: It was a bloodbath on Dalal Street on Wednesday, as the Indian stock market suffered sharp losses on March 4 amid investor dumping of risk assets amid the ongoing US-Iran war, which shows no signs of easing.The conflict in West Asia has pushed crude oil prices significantly higher, stoking fresh inflation concerns and dealing a strong blow to expectations of near-term rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve and the Reserve Bank of India.Sensex crashed 1,123 points, or 1.40%, to end at 79,116.19, while the Nifty 50 plunged 385 points, or 1.55%, to close at 24,480.50. The BSE 150 MidCap Index crashed 2.26%, while the BSE 250 SmallCap Index suffered a loss of 2.24%.India VIX jumped over 23% to hover above the 21 mark, indicating heightened nervousness in the market.Buy: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd(current price: ₹1,750)Buy: Solar Industries India Ltd (current price: ₹14,523)Indian equities ended sharply lower on March 4, with Nifty 50 declining 385 points, or 1.55%, to close at 24,480.50, after slipping to an intraday low of 24,305.40.

₹815 crore on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s overseas visits since he took office in 2014, covering 78 countries across 99 trips, according to data shared in Parliament last month.The disclosures offer a detailed snapshot of how frequently he travels, which countries dominate his itinerary and what that outreach has cost the exchequer. Overseas travel has been a central plank of Modi’s diplomatic strategy, with the prime minister frequently engaging global leaders in person.A Mint analysis of the data shows that, adjusted for inflation, the total outlay amounts to just over ₹1,000 crore in current prices. In all, Modi has spent 352 days abroad across his three terms.

₹12,195 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme was introduced in February 2021 to encourage the local manufacture of equipment such as network switches, transmission gear and set-top boxes.Out of the scheme's 42 applicants, 19 including Samsung have not claimed or received any incentive, data showed. Only 15% of the scheme's outlay was actually disbursed, even as its five-year run ends this month.Companies which have chosen FY23 as base year will have one year left (FY27) to claim incentives on incremental sales, whereas investments under the scheme were only allowed till FY26 for all the scheme participants.Samsung India Electronics, which applied for the scheme in 2022, chose to withdraw because it found local manufacturing unviable given limited customer demand for its telecom gear, an industry expert said.

Companies Act requires every listed company to appoint independent directors constituting at least one-third of its board. The report shows that the highest number of independent directors on a single board in the last four years (FY22-FY25) was eight in FY22, a level seen in three listed companies. The number is down to five, seen in a single company.Gender diversity on boards also remained skewed.

India’s energy regulator is moving to plug a widening hole in the country’s gas supply chain as the conflict in West Asia threatens supplies of natural gas that is vital to power, fertiliser and city gas distribution networks.According to two people aware of developments, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is preparing to propose overground storage facilities for natural gas near the country’s existing LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminals—India currently has eight such terminals. The storage would be used for both commercial purposes and for strategic requirements during exigencies, they said.“PNGRB may propose the government to set up storage reserves for LNG, preferably near existing terminals to support India’s growing demand at times of exigencies and ensure energy security,” one of the two people said on the condition of anonymity, adding that the regulator would approach the ministry of petroleum and natural gas to frame rules under the PNGRB Act.The urgency follows a halt in tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries more than half of India’s LNG imports, and a spike in prices of LNG after an attack on QatarEnergy’s Ras Laffan complex on Monday.The move assumes significance considering India imports 55% of its gas requirement and holds barely 20 days of inventory—including supplies in transit.

Nifty bounced from a low of 24,598.6 to close at 24,956.5 two days later. On 30 September 2025, it hit an intraday low of 24,587.7 before recovering to close at 24,611.10.

The 16th Finance Commission (FC) report, covering 2026-31, arrives at a consequential moment for India’s fiscal federalism. It is wide-ranging, analytically rich and notable for making underlying data publicly available.

₹345.47 trillion ($3.93 trillion)—3.26% lower than the ₹357.14 trillion estimate published in January under the 2011-12 series.The downward revision stems from those earlier overestimations. In an interaction with Mint, the statistics ministry confirmed that proxy indicators used in the older series had led to overestimations, validating concerns raised by economists, policymakers and researchers for nearly a decade.But the shrinkage is only part of the story.

India’s manufacturing sector is doing better than we thought, as the Union statistics ministry’s revised GDP estimates showed last week. The purchasing managers index (PMI) could have a told-you-so moment, given how it has been showing robust readings now for an extended period. The HSBC India Manufacturing PMI, compiled by S&P Global, rose to a four-month high of 56.9 in February.

Stock market recap: Indian equities witnessed a significant sell-off on Monday, 2 March, as escalating geopolitical tensions in West Asia triggered a global "risk-off" sentiment. The Nifty 50 plummeted 312.95 points (1.24%) to settle at 24,865.70, while Sensex shed 1,048.34 points (1.29%) to close at 80,238.85 in a volatile session. India VIX, or the fear gauge, surged more than 20% to cross the 17 level.

streaming business is unsold inventory and falling acquisition prices, as studios are sitting on hundreds of crores of ready‑to‑release films and 40‑45 web series that no buyer wants.OTT revenues in India are estimated to be around ₹37,000 crore, in a mix of advertising and subscriptions.Meanwhile, the overall content spend has been halved and per‑episode costs are now benchmarked against TV rates, forcing producers to do more with less. Plus, the number of Indian originals has gone down, with many creators switching back to feature films, because a premium series can take over a year to develop.The rapid commissioning spree also created a shortage of experienced writers, directors and crew, hurting quality and making it difficult to scale new projects.Still, 2025 has witnessed intense licensing wars for theatrical releases.