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By:

Amey Chitale

28 October 2024 at 5:29:02 am

Growth Without Fireworks

The Budget leans on tourism, technology, trade calibration and fiscal discipline to anchor growth amid global uncertainty Mumbai: The new budget positions tourism as a key driver of jobs, forex earnings, and local growth. Incentives will back indigenous seaplane manufacturing through a Seaplane VGF Scheme, while a new National Institute of Hospitality will strengthen academia-industry-government linkages. A pilot programme will upskill 10,000 guides at 20 iconic sites with IIM collaboration,...

Growth Without Fireworks

The Budget leans on tourism, technology, trade calibration and fiscal discipline to anchor growth amid global uncertainty Mumbai: The new budget positions tourism as a key driver of jobs, forex earnings, and local growth. Incentives will back indigenous seaplane manufacturing through a Seaplane VGF Scheme, while a new National Institute of Hospitality will strengthen academia-industry-government linkages. A pilot programme will upskill 10,000 guides at 20 iconic sites with IIM collaboration, and a National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid will document cultural and heritage sites. Heritage tourism will be enhanced with experiential upgrades at 15 archaeological sites, and new projects will expand the Buddhist circuit in the northeast. Seven High-Speed Rail corridors will serve as sustainable ‘growth connectors,’ boosting mobility and linking emerging hubs. Software services, IT-enabled services, KPO, and contract R&D are consolidated under ‘Information Technology Services’ with a uniform safe harbour margin of 15.5 percent. The safe harbour threshold rises from Rs. 300 crore to Rs. 2,000 crore, easing compliance for mid-sized firms. To spur investment in critical infrastructure, a tax holiday until 2047 is offered to foreign companies delivering global cloud services via Indian data centres, provided domestic customers are served through Indian resellers. This landmark measure positions modern data centres as central pillars of India’s digital economy and future growth. Key Reforms Income tax rates remain steady but introduces key compliance reforms. TCS on foreign travel and education is reduced to 2 percent, and TDS rules for manpower services have been simplified. Taxpayers can now file Form 15G/15H directly through depositories, easing coordination. Penalty provisions are de-criminalised, with many shifted to late fees. While broader capital gains rationalisation was anticipated, relief comes through treating buyback proceeds as capital gains, lowering the tax burden for recipients. Trade-friendly customs duty reforms find place instead changes rather than sweeping reforms. The duty-free import limit for seafood export inputs rises from 1 percent to 3 percent of turnover, with similar relief extended to shoe uppers. Exporters of leather, textiles, and footwear gain flexibility as the export period is extended to one year. To encourage domestic value addition in consumer electronics, specified parts for microwave oven manufacturing are now exempted. The recommendations of 16th Finance Commission have been accepted by the centre which recommended 41 percent devolution. Budget 2026 reaffirms the government’s commitment to fiscal consolidation while safeguarding social priorities. The debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to decline from 56.1 percent in 2025–26 to 55.6 percent in 2026–27, freeing resources for priority spending by lowering interest outgo. The fiscal deficit target has been met at 4.4 percent of GDP in 2025–26 and is estimated to further ease to 4.3 percent in 2026–27, in line with the path toward a 50±1 percent debt-to-GDP ratio by 2030–31. Revised estimates for 2025–26 place non-debt receipts at Rs. 34 trillion and expenditure at Rs. 49.6 trillion, including Rs. 11 trillion in capital outlay. For 2026–27, receipts are projected at Rs. 36.5 trillion and expenditure at Rs. 53.5 trillion, with net tax receipts of Rs. 28.7 trillion. The government is banking on higher RBI dividends and higher disinvestment receipts. Fiscal deficit financing will hinge on Rs. 11.7 trillion in net market borrowings, supplemented by small savings and other sources, with gross borrowings at Rs. 17 trillion. Successful execution will decide if the budget’s ambitions become reality. This year’s strategy favours actions over numbers, consolidating and reinforcing the ecosystem instead of chasing headline reforms. Amid geopolitical tensions and market volatility, it prioritises stability and durable growth over quick wins - less a Sehwag-style first-ball six, more a Rahul Dravid innings: deliberate, resilient, and built for the long haul.

AI in Sperm Sorting: An Unbiased Decision for A Better Outcome

Artificial Intelligence or AI is revolutionising fertility treatments of the future. The inclusion of AI enhances the accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity of sperm selection, hence potentially improving fertility outcomes by leaps and bounds. Traditionally, sperm sorting through manual methods is subjective to judgments. Processes like centrifugation and swim-up methods are used to separate sperm based on motility and morphology. Although they are effective, they have their limitations, leading to human errors that affect the success rates of fertility treatment. For instance, studies have shown that traditional sperm sorting techniques can have variability in success rates, with reported live birth rates ranging between 15 per cent to 25 per cent per cycle depending on the method and quality of sperm. Hence the introduction of AI helps in maintaining consistency in evaluations of sperm, using the same data set for every sample which leads to better judgments.


Automation and Standardisation- Automation of sperm selection and also introduction of AI in the process have improved the results in ART. AI-assisted sperm selection improves the accuracy in choosing high-quality sperm for fertilisation purposes, and also, pregnancy and live birth rates might be improved. Technologies like Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection along with AI ensure the chances of pregnancies increase by about 10-20 per cent compared to the standard procedures. AI and Automation will decrease time taken to analyze sperm and increase opportunities to select better sperm with DNA integrity for better development and higher success rates in embryo selection. These processes ensure that the sperm selection process follows consistent criteria, reducing variability in outcomes caused by human error.


Analysing Complex Data for Better Outcomes- AI plays a crucial in improving IVF outcomes by analysing complex data and providing tailored recommendations. AI-driven tools and models such as those on SpOvum.ai point towards an opportunity to optimise ovarian stimulation decisions by assessing patient characteristics and follicle growth patterns. A study revealed that the use of AI in IVF improved egg yield and reduced medication costs. AI enables fertility specialists to make data-driven choices, improving overall IVF success rates and streamlining treatment processes.


Reducing Human Error- AI models can continuously learn and refine their performance by being trained on newer data. This adaptability ensures the technology remains unbiased and up-to-date with the latest scientific insights into sperm quality and fertility success rates. Studies have shown that AI-driven sperm sorting can decrease human-related errors by up to 25 per cent, improving sperm selection quality in terms of morphology and motility.


Reduction of Sperm Damage- The new AI-driven sperm sorting techniques also include microfluidic systems that are known to exhibit several advantages over the most commonly used conventional method, which is centrifugation. Traditional centrifugation methods, such as density gradient centrifugation, also cause severe oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation of the sperm because of the very high mechanical forces involved. The AI-infused microfluidic sorting minimises this damage significantly by involving gentler processes that mimic the natural pathway of sperm selection. The studies show that the process of microfluidic sorting decreases DNA fragmentation in sperm, which gives improved opportunities for success for IVF. For example, DNA fragmentation is 20 percent lower in sperm sorted using microfluidic processes than in traditional processing methods.


AI is bound to play an increasingly definitive role in fertility treatments, which will improve the outcomes for couples experiencing infertility.


(The author is a Co-Founder & CEO at SpOvum® Technologies. Views personal.)

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