CEOs bank on festive cheer; India Inc hopes for improvement in second half

Demand to pick up from festival season next month, say corporate leaders

While top India Inc leaders have raised concerns about the economy in the past week, a large number of chief executive officers (CEOs) expect growth to improve around the festival season, starting next month, due to falling interest rates, increased government spending in social schemes, and infrastructure projects. This would positively impact consumer demand, they said. 

Last week, three stalwarts of Corporate India, Housing Development Finance Corporation Chairman Deepak Parekh, Bajaj Auto Chairman Rahul Bajaj, and Larsen & Toubro Chairman A M Naik warned about the present state of the economy. 

Bajaj was critical of the state of the economy: “There is