The week in charts: Digital gender divide, UP discoms sale, declining smart devices
A new national survey reveals a large gender disparity in mobile phone usage and ownership. Meanwhile, companies such as Adani Group and Tata Power Ltd are eyeing majority stakes in two Uttar Pradesh electricity distribution companies, and declining sales of smartphones and smartwatches are ringing alarm bells.
Digital gender divide
A new pan-India government survey reveals a stark gender gap in India's digital revolution. While 76.3% of rural women use mobile phones, only 48.4% own one, shows the Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom 2025 report. In contrast, 89.5% of rural men use phones, with 80.7% ownership. The gap, though smaller, exists in urban India as well, where 86.8% of women use mobiles and 71.8% own one. The usage-ownership gap is highest in states such as West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, a Mint analysis showed.
Also read: How a manufacturing boom could help India close the gender gap
Power tripping
The average power demand per day in India's six major industrialised states declined in May, indicating a slowdown in factory activity, Mint reported. Data from the Grid Controller of India showed a 5.7% year-on-year drop to 59.58 billion units in May in these states. In April, demand was flat at over 75 billion units. Demand in industrialised states is seen as a proxy for overall industrial power consumption. Experts attribute the fall to slower economic activity in the manufacturing and mining sectors. A cooler summer this year also contributed to the fall.
Discoms sale
51%: That is the stake at least eight companies including Adani Group and Tata Power Ltd are eyeing in two Uttar Pradesh electricity distribution companies – Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (PUVVNL) and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (DVVNL) – Mint reported. The request for proposal (RFP), a formal document to invite bids, is likely to be floated by July.
This marks a renewed effort to privatise unprofitable and debt-laden firms that put a huge fiscal burden on state governments. The two distribution companies (discoms) have a combined annual revenue of around ₹50,000 crore.
Pharma PLI push
India plans to bolster production-linked incentives (PLI) for drug manufacturing, aiming to reduce the pharmaceutical industry's reliance on Chinese raw materials, Mint reported. The enhanced PLI scheme will encompass more molecules used in key starting materials (KSMs) and drug intermediates—raw materials used to synthesise active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that produce the final drug.
Indian pharma's reliance on China for raw materials has been rising. In 2024-25, India imported bulk drugs and advanced drug intermediates worth $4.6 billion, 74% of which came from China.
Also read: India puts big pharma concessions on table as US trade deal nears finish line
Souring sentiment
Electronics sales have been weak in 2025, with retailers reporting sluggish store footfalls and muted online demand, Mint reported. Key segments such as smartphones and smartwatches underperformed in the January-March quarter, dragging overall sales down.
Data from market researcher IDC showed a 6% year-on-year decline in overall phone sales. Counterpoint noted a 33% plunge in smartwatch shipments, marking five consecutive quarters of decline. The two categories account for 80% of India's electronics sector. The slowdown threatens to dent the broader sector's revenue and profitability going forward.
PSU banks' bad loans fall
16%: That's the decline in bad loans reported by public sector banks in FY25, according to a Mint analysis of data of 12 public sector banks and 19 private sector banks from Capitaline. In contrast, private peers saw a 2.9% rise in non-performing assets.
Also read: These five private banks in India have the lowest NPAs. Should you invest?
PSU banks' strong operating profitability allowed for higher write-offs, resulting in negative net slippages and overall NPA reduction, experts said. Conversely, rising personal unsecured loans, including microfinance, contributed to a higher fresh NPA generation rate for private sector banks.
Mixed PMI data
India's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to a three-month low in May, while the services PMI inched up marginally. Manufacturing PMI softened to 57.6 in May from 58.2 in April amid a softer increase in new orders. Services PMI, on the other hand, rose marginally to 58.8 from 58.7 in April.
The slight improvement in the services sector was driven by strong export growth and high employment, though the pace of business activity was largely unchanged. Despite the decline, manufacturing PMI is significantly above 50, the threshold that distinguishes expansion from contraction.
Also read | PMI: India's services exports bump may lose steam amid global economic gloom
Currency count
Nearly 31 million ₹2,000 banknotes remain in circulation, showed a recent currency update from the Reserve Bank of India. In May 2023 the government had announced the withdrawal of these notes, though they continued to be legal tender. ₹500 continues its dominance with 65.2 billion notes.
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