OPINION, P10 WELL BEING FE LINES ACROSS THE AISLE, P CHIDAMBARAM From saffron-tinted biryanis to crimson jalebis, the very colours we associate with taste and tradition are raising new concerns—about health, transparency & regulation Page 7 Bots are now turning teachers, but at a cost Page 8 Bull(y) in India’s shop DARK SECRETS OF FOOD COLOURS AI tutors reshaping how students learn LEISURE Follow us on Twitter & Facebook. App available on App Store & Play Store WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM VOL XX NO. 10 MORE THAN JUST DRINKS AHMEDABAD 16 Pages, `12 FINANCIAL EXPRESS ON SUNDAY SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2025 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 , ● From piecemeal perks to systemic wellness strategies VAISHALI DAR New Delhi, August 9 FROM HAPPINESS SURVEYS, movie nights to power naps and digital detoxes, a new era of employee care is emerging in the corporate world. Facing the silent crisis of burnout at the workplace, more compa- ■ SPOTLIGHT, P5 Whether it’s on the terrace, in the garden or inside the living room, artistes are finding an audience—and art & culture lovers a community—through intimate gigs and performances at private residences ■ WORDS WORTH, P4 A call to action for India to design its own road ahead in the global sagar manthan ■ Compass Group India: Mental health helplines, structured rest breaks, multilingual upskilling via in-house app FPIs sell IT shares, buy telecom stocks in 2025 automobile stocks during this period. Conversely, they were major buyers in telecom sector, purchasing shares worth $3.3 billion so far. Overall, FPIs net sold shares worth $11 billion between January and July. Compiled by Kishor Kadam Top FPI selling ($mn) FMCG 1,776 Power 1,677 Consumer durables 1,676 Automobile Top FPI buying ($mn) Telecom 3,272 1,257 Services 1,000 Financial services 812 Chemicals 93 Source: NSDL L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , 30-50% Rise in mental healthrelated OPD claims access to licensed counsellors, psychiatrists through app ■ NoBroker: Spiritual well-being, nutrition advice, financial wellness workshops, movies, fun Fridays ■ Mondelez India: Maternity, elder care, finance awareness, child care 71% Employees facing lifestyle-related health risks in India A recent joint report by MediBuddyand the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) reveals that 71% of employees in India face lifestyle-related health risks, with limited access to preventive and personalised care. Trump, Putin to meet on Aug 15 for Ukraine talks US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine,Trump said on Friday. Trump made the highly anticipated announcement on social media after he said that the parties, including Ukraine PresidentVolodymyrZelensky, were close to a ceasefire deal that could resolve the threeand-a-half-year conflict, one that could require Ukraine to surrendersignificantterritory. Meanwhile,the Ministry of External Affairs,endorsing the move, said India stands ready to support the efforts as it CALL FOR PEACE ■ Putin claims five Ukrainian regions, partly under Russian control so far ■ US threatens to impose new sanctions unless Putin agrees to end conflict (Between January-July 2025) ■ Poland pushes for European role in peace efforts ■ Ukrainians will not gift their land to occupiers, says Zelensky ■ Any decisions without Ukraine to be against peace, adds Zelensky recalledPrimeMinisterNarendra Modi's consistent position that“this is not an era of war”. Addressing reporters at the White House on Friday,Trump suggested an agreement would involve some exchange of land. “There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” the Republican president said. Defenceproductionat all-timehigh:Rajnath PRESS TRUST OF INDIA New Delhi, August 9 IT 1,913 K O L K A T A , ■ MediBuddy: Round-the-clock nies are paying attention to emotional and systemic wellness strategies for employee welfare. AGENCIES Washington, August 9 5,837 K O C H I , INITIATIVES & INTERVENTIONS ● India endorses move, says ready to support efforts Business as usual won’t do offloaded IT sector shares worth $5.8 billion during January–July 2025, including $2.3 billion in July alone, as per NSDL data. They were also significant sellers in FMCG, power, consumer durables, and H Y D E R A B A D , MEETING IN ALASKA PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL EFFORTS Music on the house FOREIGN PORTFOLIO INVESTORS (FPIs) READ TO LEAD INDIA'S ANNUAL DEFENCE production has reached an alltime high of `1,50,590 crore in 2024-25,defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Satur day. This marks a growth of around 18% over the previous fiscal’s total of `1.27 lakh crore. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s defence production has hit a record high, the defence minister added. “These numbers indicate a robust 18% growth overthe previous fiscal’s output of `1.27 lakh crore, and a staggering 90% increase since 2019-20,when the figurewas `79,071 crore,” he said in a social media post. Singh commended the “collective efforts” of the Department of Defence Production and all stakeholders, including the defence public sector units and the private industry, in achieving what he called a“landmark”. "This upward trajectory is a clear indicator of India's strengthening defence industrial base," Singh added. The Kremlin confirmed the summit in an online statement. The two leaders will “focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis,” Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said. However,Ukraine president Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukraine could not violate its constitution on the territorial issues,adding that“Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupiers”.In avideo address to the nation posted on his TelegramchannelonSaturday, Zelensky said that any decisions without Ukraine would be decisions against peace. Continued on Page 2 86% Workers struggling with mental health issues due to workplace stress Even more alarming,mental health-related OPD claims have risen by 30-50%, and 86% of workers report strug- AN IMPENDING DEMOGRAPHIC shift in the country istakingplace,accompaniedby a potential economic crisis, because of an ageing population and declining total fertility rate. The replacement rate of population in the country is currently 1.9, below the ideal replacement rate for a stable population at 2.1, because of which the countryis looking at asignificantdemographicshift by the year 2050 towards a more older population. Experts estimate that this shift will result in an increased pressureonthehealthcaresystems,family structures,as well D E L H I , P U N E as social security and employment opportunities. “By 2050, the elderly will make up over 20% of our population, compared to about 10% today. The working-age populationwill plateau.We are nowatthetailendofourdemographic dividend, and must make smart investments in health, skills, education, and livelihoods,”saidPoonamMuttreja,executivedirectorofPopulation Foundation of India, quoting data from a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report. Speaking of the fallout of a reduction in the working population as a consequence of decliningfertility,AnishGupta, population expert at Delhi 20% to 10% today of population, compared ■ India's working age population to dip from 67% in 2024 to 65% by 2050 ■ India’s silver economy worth `73,082 cr, to grow multifold in coming years PRESS TRUST OF INDIA New Delhi, August 9 AIR CHIEF MARSHAL Amar Preet Singh on Saturday said the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot downfivePakistanifighterjets and a large aircraft during Operation Sindoor,describing it as the largest-ever recorded surface-to-airkillbyIndia. The remarksweremadeatthe16th Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture. “Wehaveanindicationofat least one AWC in that AWC hangar,and a fewF-16s,which are under maintenance there. We have at least five fighters confirmed killed and one large aircraft which could be either an aircraft or an AWC, which was taken at a distance of about 300 kilometres. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill thatwe can talk about,”he said. RefutingSingh’sclaims,Pak- AIR CHIEF MARSHAL This is actually the largest ever recorded surfaceto-air kill by India istan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said that no aircraft of the military was hit or destroyed by Indian armed forces. “For three months, no such claimswerevoiced—while Pakistan, in the immediate aftermath, presented detailed technical briefings to the international media...,” he added. ICICI Bank hikes minimum savings balance to `50k The national capital came to a standstill on Saturday as heavy rains caused traffic jams and waterlogging in several areas. Over 300 flights were delayed, while seven people were killed when a wall collapsed in Jaitpur PTI ■ India can leverage growing elderly population for economic gain ■ Formulation of effective population policies holds key there will likely be greater demand for age-related servicessuchaselderlycare,home healthcare, assisted living facilities, and other support AMAR PREET SINGH ICICI Bank has raised the minimum balance requirement for its new savings bank accounts opened on or after August 1 by five times to `50,000. The minimum monthly average balance for savings accounts till July 31 was `10,000. ■ PAGE 3 Source: UNFPA; Asia Power Index; NITI Aayog SchoolofEconomics,said,“One major consequence could be a shift in the structure of economic activity.As the proportionofelderlyindividualsrises, Continued on Page 2 Five Pakistani jets,one aircraft shot down: IAF ● DELUGE IN DELHI DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT ■ By 2050, elderly to make up gling with mental health issues due to workplace stress,a trend contributing to a 15% spike in mental health cases across the country. Simultaneously, dissatisfaction is driving attrition. The foundit Appraisal Trends Report 2025 found that 86% of professionals plan to switch jobs in the coming months, despite salary hikes. Ironically, those who received the highest increments over 20%arethemosteagertoleave. ON OP SINDOOR SUCCESS Time for India to reap its silver dividend: Experts SREYA DEB New Delhi, August 9 N E W Corporates go all out to fight staff burnout fires WHAT'S INSIDE Textiles C H E N N A I , With design, decor & menus, themed bars are elevating the experience of patrons Page 6 services, accompanied by a decline in demand for childrelated services.” China and India currently have and are also projected to have the highest working age populations (between 16 and 59 years of age) in the world, but both will see a projected decline by 2050, with India potentially surpassing China’s at the same time.According to the latest Asia Power Index, as of 2024, China and India lead by a wide margin with approximately70%(990million)and 67%(983million)workingage population, respectively. The indexalsoreportsthatby2050, the working age population of India will drop to around 65% and China’s will see a harsher diptoaround58%oftheirprojected population of the time. As perthe Sample RegistrationSurvey(SRS)conductedby the office of the RegistrarGen- eral of India, the total fertility rate (TFR) of India was 2.3 in 2015, 2.1 in 2019, and 1.9 in 2025 (1.6 in urban India and 2.1 in rural India as per National Family Health Survey), which is lower than the 2.1 required for a stable population. The ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) released a report in 2020, bearing population projections from 2011 tilltheyear2036.Inthereport, a gradual increase in the population aged 45-49 years and 50-54 years and upwards is evident,and simultaneously,a comparative decrease in the lower age groups. Continued on Page 2 Uttarkashi tragedy: Over1,000 rescued; search ops on FOUR helicopters were pressed into service to airlift people stranded in Uttarkashi after flash floods and landslides claimed multiple lives. According to official data, over 1,000 have been evacuated so far. ■ PAGE 3 RG Kar incident: Violence mars anniversary march VIOLENT agitation dominated the streets of Kolkata and Howrah on Saturday, as policeprotesters face-off took place at multiple points during the ‘Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan', a march to the state secretariat demanding justice for the RG Kar Hospital incident victim. Ahmedabad