OPINION, P10 WELL BEING It’s possible to become dehydrated even in these cold & dark days, and it can be just as dangerous as in summer Page 9 NRN,SNS and other provocative people FE LINES How to protect yourself from cybercrimes Page 6 Don’t be under digital arrest HOW TO AVOID WINTER DEHYDRATION ACROSS THE AISLE, P CHIDAMBARAM VOL XXIV NO. 12 WORDS WORTH Follow us on Twitter & Facebook. App available on App Store & Play Store WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM AMITAV GHOSH INTERVIEW FINANCIAL EXPRESS ON SUNDAY NEW DELHI SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 2025 20 Pages, `12 (Patna `12, Raipur `12, Srinagar `15) P U B L I S H E D F R O M : A H M E D A B A D , B E N G A L U R U , C H A N D I G A R H , ● Indian pharma set for shake-up with entry of these drugs GARIMA SADHWANI New Delhi, January 18 HAVING MADE WAVES the world over, revolutionary anti-obesity drugs Wegovyand Ozempic (manufacturedbyDanishdrugmakerNovo Nordisk),andEliLilly’stirzepatideare set to enter the Indian market this year. “We anticipate a positive responsefromtheIndianmarket,”Eli Lilly (India) told FE, as the company ■ SPOTLIGHT, P5 Relishing Rajasthan How documentaries in India are riding on a fresh wave of popularity, piggybacking on compelling issues, honest content & untold stories saw its client base rise by 20.6% to 8.1 million.Angel One's active customer base jumped 45.2% to 7.8 million, securing the third position. The share of top five brokerages in the total client base rose to 68.4% in December 2024, up from 65.8% in December 2023. reached 49.5 million in December 2024, marking a 36.7% rise from 36.2 million in December 2023. In contrast, client numbers grew marginally by 2.5% in 2023. Groww, leading the listwith 13.2 million active clients, recorded a 73.1% increase in 2024. Zerodha, ranked second, Compiled by Kishor Kadam Top brokerages by active clients 36.7 22.9 Sec 0.8 1.0 HDFC Sec 0.8 1.0 NA Moneylicious 0.9 1.0 1.4 Kotak Sec Source: NSE, Motilal Oswal Fin Services TIKTOK SAYS IT will “go dark” on Sunday unless the outgoing Biden government intervenes ‘immediately’ over the looming ban in the US. ■ PAGE 16 up with generic, affordable version of Wegovy; eyeing deal with Eli Lilly to market drug in India ■ Sun Pharma working on anti-obesity drug utreglutide gets ready to bring its anti-obesity drug tirzepatide, or Mounjaro, to Indiathisyear.Thecompanyalsosaid itwillpriceitsdrugcompetitivelyfor the Indian market. M U M B A I , ■ Dr Reddy’s Laboratories also coming up with generic version of Wegovy ■ Biocon working on GLP-1 therapies, gets approval for liraglutide CompetitorNovoNordiskhadinitially planned to bring its Wegovy to India in 2026, but reports say they will likely pre-pone their arrival to coincidewithEliLilly,notwantingto Vikram Pawah, president & CEO, BMW Group India, at the launch of the new BMW X3 at the Auto Expo. The car is priced starting `75.8 lakh IN TOP GEAR ■ Tata Motors showcases Avinya X, the first model under its new range of premium EVs ■ Hyundai Creta Electric gets a host of high-end features from luxury cars ■ Maruti Suzuki’s eVitara to get features earlier found only in luxury cars Indian buyer, another Tata executive told FE. Similarly,HyundaiCretaElectric Kotak Mahindra Bank net up 10% SACHIN KUMAR Mumbai, January 18 SBIcap Sec 1.1 1.5 28.8 Motilal Oswal Fin Serv 1.9 1.9 42.0 ICICIDirect 36.8 TikTok to ‘go dark’ as it faces US ban beyond the reach of the average Indian consumer. At the ongoing Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 in New Delhi, even mass-market carmakers such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Kia and Tata Motors have focused on making their cars as luxurious as possible. Tata Motors,forexample,showcased the Avinya X—the first model underTata’s newrange of premium EVs,due from 2026 onward.Martin Uhlarik, the global design head of Tata Motors,told FE that theAvinya brand will have multiple models and the focus will be on making these distinct not just from massmarketTatacars,buteveryothercar in the world. “Avinya will be the finest automotive art pieces in the world, and not just metal on wheels,”he said. While models under the Avinya brandwill be costlierthanTata cars, thesewon’t be prohibitivelyexpensive, out of reach of the average KOTAK MAHINDRA BANK 4.2 Upstox 2.3 2.9 Angel One 5.3 7.8 Zerodha 6.7 8.1 Industry 36.2 49.5 Groww 7.6 13.2 (active clients in million) A KOLKATA COURT on Saturday convicted prime accused Sanjay Roy of raping and murdering an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The court will announce the sentencing on Monday, bringing closure to a case that had shaken the nation. ■ PAGE 2 ■ Cipla coming LUXURY CARS ARE no longer NSE'S ACTIVE CLIENT base L U C K N O W , WEIGHT AND WATCH VIKRAM CHAUDHARY New Delhi, January 18 NSE's active client base rises 37% to 50 million Sanjay Roy found guilty of RG Kar doc’s rape, murder K O L K A T A , ● Display cars with premium features, affordable prices New narratives 25.8 K O C H I , Mass car makers also movingintoluxurylane ■ LEISURE, P7 45.2 H Y D E R A B A D , EXPO SHOWCASES FUTURE OF MOBILITY Rajasthan’s lure is going beyond havelis and sand dunes to include its vibrant culinary landscape. Apart from the traditional outlets and popular hotspots dishing out iconic dishes, the state is also experimenting with ingredients once restricted by climate and availability 20.6 READ TO LEAD N E W D E L H I , P U N E Namaste Wegovy, Ozempic and tirzepatide WHAT'S INSIDE 73.1 C H E N N A I , ‘We cannot absolve govts of climate responsibilities; they hold the power’ Page 4 on Saturday reported a 10 %year-on-yearrise in net profit to `3,305 crore in the third quarter of the current financialyear,supported bystrong loan growth. The lender’s bottom line was slightly below expectations, as Bloomberg analysts expected the bank to post `3,338 crore net profit in the quarter. Net interest income,the difference between interest earned and paid, rose 10% to `7,196 crore in the December quarter from `6,554 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal. The management expects stress in microfinance loans to ease in the coming months. Continued on Page 2 getsmostfeaturesfromluxurycars, including eight-waypowered seats, a huge central touchscreen, touchbased climate control, big panoramic glass roof, and ADAS semiautonomous driving tech.“It’s not just a car,it’s an experience that brings the future of technology, safety and performance to the roads,” Tarun Garg, whole-time director & COO, Hyundai Motor India, told FE. “It has even gone beyond traditional luxury,byintroducing the car as a payment platform in India,”he added. Continued on Page 2 ■ Natco Pharma developing generic version of Ozempic missoutonthehugeopportunitythe Indian market brings.The company declinedtocommentwhenaskedby FE on a possible launch date in India. These drugs have made bank in THE DEVASTATION WROUGHT by the deadly wildfires that ravaged sections of Los Angeles has left an indelible imprint on the region’s landscape and psyche. The run-up to the city hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, in addition to World Cup matches in 2026 and a Super Bowl in’27,will coincide with massive rebuilding of housing and infrastructure. That seems cruelly ironic after Los Angeles organisers sold the Games as a no-build event. None of the Olympic venues have been damaged by the stillburning fires that tore through TESTING TIMES PRIYANSH VERMA New Delhi, January 18 IN A BID to ease the burden of subscribers, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has simplified the process of correcting any member’s personal details on the EPF portal, and eased the way through which PF accounts are transferred during change of job. Sources said EPF members with fullycompliant e-KYC accounts can file theironline transferclaims now with Aadhaar-OTP directly with EPFO without any need for intervention from the employer. Earlier, any online request for transferof PFaccount in case of any change of job had to be verified by the employer before submitting to EPFO. The verification by the employer took about two weeks, which delayed the process. During the past nine months, almost 2 million claims remained pending with employers for more than15days,saidthesources.“Ifthe number of claims filed (13 million) during FY25 is considered, more than94%claimswillinstantlyreach EPFO,”an official said. The turnaround time of transfer claim processing will be considerably reduced since it does not require approval by the employer. Moreover, if any member has already filed his transfer claim revamped facilities, improvements to city infra ■ Organisers were praised for bid to use existing venues rather than new ones Pacific Palisades on the city’s westside andAltadena,an unincorporated community above Pasadena in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. ■ Region's ability to recover to be tested as it prepares to also host World Cup, Super Bowl, Paralympics in span of 3 years The Palisades fire came close to Riviera Country Club, which will host Olympic golf and was inside the evacuation zone. UCLA, which will house athletes,was just outside ■ EPF members can file online transfer claims with Aadhaar OTP directly with EPFO ■ Earlier, employer verified request for transfer of PF account ■ Verification by employer takes about two weeks presently, delaying the process which is pending with the employer, the member can delete the already filed request and submit a fresh claim directly with EPFO, said sources. The internal processes of EPFO are also being simplified for transfer claim processing within this month, which will further smoothen this process, they said. Continued on Page 2 BSF personnel take part in a beating retreat rehearsal at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi, on Saturday $6.9 billion for upgraded transportation, awarded 2028 Olympics for third time in 2017 EASING THE BURDEN ● ACAMELID SALUTE ■ Games still expected to cost ■ Los Angeles was Continued on Page 2 Corrections in EPFO portal,account transfers simplified LA fires cast shadow on ‘no-build’ 2028 Olympics ASSOCIATED PRESS Los Angeles, January 18 the West so far,which is what makes their entry exciting here as well. In 2023, Novo Nordisk’s share price increased by over four times from whatithadbeenjustfiveyearsago— anditnotonlybecameEurope’smost valuable company but also had a marketcapitalisationthatwashigher than its native country Denmark’s GDP. In 2022, over 65% of all drug prescriptions in the US were for Ozempic alone. In fact, in the second quarter of this financial year, Eli Lilly’s Zepbound made $1.24 billion and Mounjaro made $3.09 billion, far exceedingexpectations. the zone.“While our focus remains on healing and rebuilding, there is no reason to believe that the fires will adversely impact or delay preparations for the 2028 Olympic ANI Israel-Hamas ceasefire at 0630 GMT and Paralympic Games, which are alreadywell underway,”Paul Kerkorian,executive director of the city’s new Office of Major Events, said in a statement. The NFL, NBA and college basketball relocated or postponed games in the days after the fires began on January 7. Neither of the two major fires has been contained and thousands remain evacuated. “Weareinfullsolidaritywiththe citizens of Los Angeles and full of admiration for the tireless work of the firefighters and the security forces,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement. the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 0630 GMT on Sunday, reports AP. The ceasefire will pause the fighting after 15 months of war and see the releaseofdozensofhostagesheldby militantsintheGazaStripandhundredsofPalestiniansimprisonedby Israel. Israel’s cabinet approved the deal early on Saturday. Brokered by mediators—United States, Qatar and Egypt—in months of indirect talks between thewarring sides,the ceasefire is the second truce achievedinthedevastatingconflict. Continued on Page 2 Full report on Page 16 New Delhi QATAR’S FOREIGN MINISTRY said