Sep 29: India Inc. Backs Caregivers, Dirty Soda Trend Explodes

Good morning! Bengaluru Cox Town residents have unlocked a new level of DIY: if the city repeatedly fails to fix your potholes, first perform a puja to the pothole bhagwaan and then just patch it up yourself. We’re just amazed by Indian jugaad combining with the daily irony of Indian life—no faith in the authorities, but an unwavering faith that the gods will keep you safe on your morning commute.

Now, let’s get into the Dispatch! 🚀

Today’s reading time is 6 mins.

Beyond The 9-To-5: For millions of professionals, balancing work with caring for aging parents or young children is a daily struggle. Often called the “sandwich generation,” these employees face challenges that affect both their personal and professional lives. Sensing this growing concern, companies are rolling out innovative policies and programs to ease the caregiver burden, reduce stress, and create a more inclusive work culture—recognizing that real support boosts well-being and retention.

India Inc.’s Response To Caregiving Challenges: In India, nearly 79% of employees juggle professional duties and caregiving, far above the global average of 54%.  Companies are increasingly acknowledging the strain. Diageo India, for example, now offers up to five paid carers’ leave days annually. Google India has implemented a comprehensive Elder Care Program addressing emotional, physical, and safety needs for employees with aging parents. Remote work and compressed schedules too are becoming common to accommodate caregiving.

Global Perspective: Internationally, organizations are following suit. AT&T in the U.S., for example, allows management employees up to 15 days of paid caregiver leave each year, with average usage at 4.1 days per employee. These efforts show that supporting caregivers is a global trend, as companies everywhere recognize that empathetic policies drive engagement, reduce burnout, and improve productivity.

From Kolhapur To Clouds: Star Air began as a regional airline based in Kolhapur, aiming to fill gaps in India’s underserved routes. With a modest fleet of 10 aircraft, it built a loyal customer base by focusing on punctuality, safety, and personalized service. While most attention in Indian aviation is on metro-to-metro flights, Star Air carved out a niche by connecting smaller cities—a strategy that helped it survive where others faltered.

Ghodawat’s Vision, Expansion & IPO Dreams: Led by entrepreneur Sanjay Ghodawat, Star Air is now looking beyond regional routes. Plans for fleet upgrades, entry into major metros, and improved passenger services reflect its bold ambitions. An upcoming IPO aims to raise capital and boost the airline’s national profile.

Learning From Past Failures: The collapse of Kingfisher Airlines and GoAir underscores the risks of overexpansion and financial mismanagement in Indian aviation. For Star Air, the lesson is clear: sustainable growth, operational discipline, and regulatory savvy are critical to long-term survival.

Small but Smart: Star Air’s regional focus isn’t just a starting point—it’s a strategic edge. By serving underserved routes, the airline avoids direct competition with giants like IndiGo and SpiceJet. Lean operations and a customer-first approach drive efficiency and loyalty, positioning Star Air well as it scales up.

Anthropic’s AI Push In India: AI company Anthropic is expanding its global footprint by hiring a country lead for India, now its second-largest market. This move follows rival OpenAI’s plan to open a New Delhi office by year-end and launch ChatGPT Go at ₹399 per month. India already accounts for 7.2% of Claude's global usage, second only to the US at 21.6%. Anthropic’s expansion is part of a broader global push, including new hubs in Europe and its first Asian office in Tokyo. Meanwhile, India is also backing domestic AI model builders via the India AI Mission. 

CMF India Hub: Å joint venture between UK tech company Nothing and Indian electronics manufacturer Optiemus Infracom will create over 1,800 jobs and establish India as the global HQ for Nothing's budget brand, CMF. A new plant in Noida will have an initial capacity of 500,000 phones per month, serving both Nothing/CMF and other brands. This move builds on Nothing's existing $200 million investment in India and comes as its shipments more than doubled year-over-year in Q2. 

FDI Eased In India: India is considering a draft proposal to relax foreign investment rules, which would allow e-commerce giants like Amazon to buy directly from Indian sellers for export. This is a significant change from the current marketplace-only model. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade suggests a third-party export entity to handle compliance, noting that less than 10% of small online sellers currently export due to complex paperwork. The move, supported by India-US trade talks and Amazon’s export drive, faces opposition from local retailer groups concerned about competition.

UK Backs JLR: The UK government will provide a loan guarantee of up to £1.5 billion to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) after a cyberattack halted its production. The five-year loan facility, backed by the Department for Business and Trade and UK Export Finance, aims to shore up JLR’s cash reserves and protect its supply chain, which employs over 120,000 people. JLR, with 34,000 UK employees, has started restoring systems and clearing supplier payments, and plans to restart operations next month.

GE Bengaluru Lab Powers Aviation AI: GE Aerospace is leveraging AI for engine design and "Analytics-Based Maintenance" to predict overhaul intervals. The 25-year-old John F Welch Technology Centre (JFWTC) in Bengaluru, one of the company's largest R&D centres outside the US, has secured over 1,000 aviation technology patents and contributed to the design and certification of every GE engine since its inception. The Indian team is also a key contributor to the CFM's RISE program, which targets a 20% improvement in fuel efficiency, as well as to the development of hybrid-electric systems and alternative fuels. India currently hosts over 1,000 GE and CFM engines, highlighting the region's importance to the company.

WeWork India IPO: WeWork India is set to launch a nearly ₹3,000 crore IPO from October 3-7, with a likely listing on October 10. The offer is a pure Offer for Sale (OFS) of up to 4.63 crore shares by existing investors, including promoter Embassy Buildcon (76.21%) and WeWork Global (23.45%). The company itself will not receive any proceeds. WeWork India operates in eight Tier-1 cities, with 70 lakh sq ft of space and 1.03 lakh desks.

Dubai Freezes New Business at HDFC: The Dubai Financial Services Authority has barred HDFC Bank’s Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) branch from onboarding new clients or business, effective September 26 due to lapses in client onboarding. The branch, with 1,489 customers as of September 23, is not material to HDFC’s overall financials. The bank says it is working with the DFSA to resolve the issues.