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India is in a very Fortunate Place Today: Surjit Singh Bhalla, IMF India
Mumbai: The ‘Ideas of India’ summit promises an invigorating line-up of speakers with figures from the world of business, politics, artists from the Hindi film industry, authors and other eminent sectors. The two-day event primarily addresses India’s stand as a burgeoning economy and global leader in shaping the future.
“India will benefit from the changed globalization as the interest rates will come down,” said Surjit Singh Bhalla, former executive director, IMF, at ABP Network’s second edition of ‘Ideas of India’ summit. Speaking at the summit, he highlighted that the Monetary Tightening Policy has been India’s response to inflation for the past 30-40 years.
Elaborating on the topic, ‘Crisis in the Global Economy – India’s Survival Guide’, Bhalla said, “Monetary Policy has precious little to do with supply shocks and I would say now the monetary policy has precious little to do with inflation”.
Speaking on the rise of India as a strong, emerging economy, he said, “China, which was a threat to the global economy, is now diminishing. However, the decline of China comes at a time with the rise of India.” He also pointed out that the quality of education and how fast India deregulates its economy will determine how fast we rise.
The panel was further enlightened by the presence of Dharmakirti Joshi, chief economist, CRISIL. Commenting on the topic, he said, “The slowing down of Global economies will spill over to us. Our forecast is that the growth will come down from seven per cent in 2022-23 to around six per cent next year.”
The CRISIL chief economist also said that the quality of labour was a constraint for India which needs to be addressed. He said, “50 per cent of India’s labour force is below Secondary School and they don’t have any skills, so I think you can’t fire the economy with such low skills.”
He emphasized on climate change as one of the biggest risks to the Indian Economy, especially in the last two to three years. “From an agriculture perspective, India is probably one of the most vulnerable countries to this risk. We need to ensure that proper measures are in place to avert any supply shocks that may come our way due to climate change.”
India has been taking extensive measures towards the growth of the infrastructure and manufacturing industry. “As both these sectors are carbon intensive, the challenge for the Indian economy is to leave less carbon footprint while industrializing,” he added.
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Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
