From India retaining its 4% medium-term inflation target to IPO approvals nearing expiry amid market volatility, several Indian cities topping global pollution charts, a reversal in women’s exit from farm jobs, and mixed revenue growth across media and entertainment—here’s this week’s news in numbers.
Retaining range
The government on Wednesday retained its 4% retail inflation target and the 2-6% tolerance band for another five years. The had adopted the inflation-targeting regime in 2016. While some have argued for raising the target or shifting focus from headline to core inflation, the dominant view is that the framework has broadly worked.
Data shows inflation breached the band in only three of the past 10 years—two instances (2020–21 and 2022–23) driven by the pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine war. This year, inflation is running marginally below the lower bound. However, emerging price pressures from the West Asia war could push it back towards, or above, the 4% mark.
Deadline distress
A cooling initial public offering (IPO) market amid war-led volatility is beginning to strain India’s capital formation pipeline, putting about ₹18,400 crore of planned fund-raising at risk. Thirteen mainboard companies are nearing their 12-month deadlines by June to launch issues or forfeit approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India, .
The pipeline includes the Munjal family’s ₹3,600-crore Hero FinCorp. Ltd offer, Continuum Green Energy Ltd’s ₹3,650-crore plan backed by Morgan Stanley, and Veritas Finance Ltd’s proposed ₹2,800-crore IPO backed by Norwest Venture Partners, according to Prime Database.
Under Sebi rules, companies must launch IPOs within 12 months of approval or restart the process with updated filings and disclosures.
Smog log
India, its capital, and several other cities have again topped global pollution rankings in IQAir’s latest World Air Quality report. The world’s 25 most polluted cities are all in India, Pakistan and China, with India accounting for three of the top four.
Loni in the National Capital Region ranked as the most polluted city, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 112.5 µg/m³, over 22 times the World Health Organization guideline. Byrnihat followed at 101.1 µg/m³, while Delhi ranked third at 99.6 µg/m³.
Several cities in Pakistan, including Faisalabad and Lahore, also feature on the list, with the country recording the highest average PM2.5 concentration globally at 67.3 µg/m³.
Numbers talk
$735 million: Tata Semiconductor Manufacturing Pvt. Ltd has raised this amount from five foreign banks to fund its ₹91,000-crore semiconductor fabrication facility in Gujarat, Mint reported. The lenders have stipulated that the Tatas retain a 51% stake in TSML.
₹28,840 crore: The outlay cleared by the Union cabinet for the modified , to run from FY27 to FY36, aims to expand connectivity to underserved regions by developing 100 airports from existing airstrips and supporting regional aerodrome operations.
5.9%: India’s projected GDP growth for 2026 by Goldman Sachs, cut from 6.5%, reflecting the impact of the West Asia war, including higher energy prices and disruptions to trade via the Strait of Hormuz.
$1.78 billion: The valuation at which an Aditya Birla Group-led consortium acquired a 100% stake in Royal Challengers Bengaluru, reflecting the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise’s rising commercial value and on-field success.
12%: The flat surcharge on share buybacks clarified by the government through amendments to the Finance Bill 2026, passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, resolving earlier ambiguity over the applicable rate.
Stress showing
More women are working in agriculture than six years ago, partly reversing a four-decade decline, according to the State of Working India 2026 report by Azim Premji University.
The share of women aged 20–29 in farm jobs rose to 49% in 2023 (July–June) from 41% in 2017. For older women, the increase was sharper—to 64% from 57%. The shift points to underlying labour-market stress: agriculture often serves as a fallback when better opportunities are scarce, suggesting the economy has struggled to generate adequate jobs for women, especially new entrants.
Even so, participation in farm work remains lower over the long term, particularly among younger women.
Content climb
India’s media and entertainment sector grew 9.1% year-on-year to ₹2.78 trillion in 2025, according to a Ficci-EY report. It is projected to reach ₹3.3 trillion by 2028, expanding at a 7% compounded annual growth rate.
Live events led growth, rising 43.6% year-on-year, driven by higher spending on ticketed events, weddings, government programmes and religious gatherings such as the Maha Kumbh Mela. Digital media followed with 30.4% growth and remained the largest segment at ₹1.1 trillion in revenue.
Print stayed resilient with 1% growth despite global declines. Online gaming revenues shrank the most, down 17.4%, following the late-August ban on real-money gaming.