India’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are moving from digital adoption to digital confidence. The fourth edition of the MSME Digital Index Report 2026, released today by PayNearby, Bharat’s leading branchless banking and digital financial services network, reveals that digital
How an Unexpected Clue Solved a Nagging Problem By S. Murugan We all know this feeling. You begin with a neat little plan…and life gently nudges you toward something completely different — often better than what you intended. Many call it luck. I call it serendipity — the art of discovering something valuable by accident, […]
Strengthening collaboration between industry and academic institutions is essential to create structured talent pipelines aligned with real sector requirements, writes Ajay Ajmera When I arrived in Surat in 1992 as a 19-year-old with no formal education beyond Class 11, my first classroom was the shop floor. I observed master weavers, dyers and tailors at work, […]
As digital transformation reshapes manufacturing, the printing industry is being urged to redefine its image to attract younger talent and build a sustainable, multigenerational workforce. Despite being driven by innovation, automation and increasingly artificial intelligence (AI), the sector continues to battle the perception that it is a traditional or declining
The fibre changed. The system did not. And the industry pays every time. Before polyester, fashion’s fibres were expensive, labour-intensive and geographically constrained. Silk came from China. Wool came from farms. Cotton needed land and water. The supply chain was slow, and the product was priced accordingly. Then polyester changed the economics of the entire […]
After navigating one of the most challenging periods in recent history, the domestic textile and apparel (T&A) industry is increasingly looking beyond recovery towards a new phase of expansion. For nearly three years, the sector faced a combination of adverse factors—weak demand across key export markets, elevated inflation, inventory corrections by global retailers,
India’s specialty chemical industry is expected to record around 6% revenue growth in FY2026-27, down from approximately 8% in each of the previous two fiscals, as weak exports and higher input costs weigh on the sector, according to Crisil Ratings. The agency’s analysis of 126 companies, representing about 40% of industry revenue, indicates that strong […]
A garment manufacturer in Ajman, UAE, supplying premium apparel to a leading American fashion brand, had built a highly efficient production system. Fabric sourcing, cutting, stitching, finishing, and quality control were all managed internally. Yet one critical process remained outside their control—appliqué embroidery. At first, outsourcing seemed logical. The embroidery
SHRM India, the India operations of the world’s largest HR professional body, has released the 2026 edition of its flagship annual study, SHRM India Skill Intelligence Report 2026: From Talent to Skills, India’s Future of Work. The report was unveiled during SHRM Tech26, the 12th edition of SHRM’s flagship conference on HR and workplace technology. […]
The VP shot me an accusatory glance. I had just stood up to leave after an important technical discussion. His disapproving look conveyed to me what he was intending to say to me. ‘Don’t you dare leave that chair misaligned.’ I understood immediately. “Sorry!” I whispered and pushed the chair back so that all four […]





















