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The <keyword id="22366986" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="doctor-population-ratio" source="keywords">doctor-population ratio</keyword> in the country is 1:836, which is better than the <keyword id="20522854" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WHO-standard" source="keywords">WHO standard</keyword> of 1:1000, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel told the Lok Sabha on Friday. According to the information provided by the <keyword id="20039511" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Medical-Commission" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="National Medical Commission" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="National Medical Commission">National Medical Commission</keyword> (NMC), there are 13,86,136 <keyword id="20522855" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="allopathic-doctors" source="keywords">allopathic doctors</keyword> registered with the State Medical Councils and the National Medical Commission (NMC) as on July, 2024, Patel said in a written reply. "Assuming 80% availability of registered allopathic doctors and around 5.65 lakh <keyword id="20522856" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AYUSH-doctors" source="keywords">AYUSH doctors</keyword>, the doctor-population ratio in the country is around 1:836 which is better than the WHO standard of 1:1000," Patel stated. She also said that there are 731 medical colleges in the country with an annual intake of 1,12,112 <keyword id="20585495" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="MBBS-seats" source="keywords">MBBS seats</keyword> as of now. Further, there are 72,627 <keyword id="22645227" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PG-seats" source="keywords">PG seats</keyword> as of date, she said. Measures taken by the government to augment medical education facilities and to improve medical standards include <keyword id="22366985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Centrally-Sponsored-Scheme" source="keywords">Centrally Sponsored Scheme</keyword> (CSS) for establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading district/referral hospitals, under which 157 new medical colleges have been approved and 109 are already functional. Under the CSS, medical colleges have been upgraded to increase the number of MBBS (UG) and PG seats. Support has been provided for an increase of 4,977 MBBS seats in 83 colleges with an approved cost of Rs 5,972.20 crore, 4,058 PG seats in phase-I in 72 colleges with an approved cost of Rs 1,498.43 crore and 4,000 PG seats in phase-II in 65 colleges with an approved cost of Rs 4,478.25 crore. Besides, under "upgradation of government medical colleges by construction of super specialty blocks" component of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), 75 projects have been approved, of which 66 projects are complete. Under the Central Sector Scheme for setting up of new AIIMS, 22 AIIMS have been approved and undergraduate courses have started in 19 of these. Also, DNB qualification has been recognised for appointment as teaching faculty, to take care of shortage of faculty and there has been enhancement of age limit for appointment, extension or re-employment against posts of teachers/dean/principal/ director in medical colleges up to 70 years. <h2>Claims of Indians being unfit "extrapolated" </h2>Furthermore, Union Health Minister J P Nadda told the Lok Sabha today that WHO's recent report stating that half of India's adult population is physically unfit relied on data collected only from three states and one UT, and the results were extrapolated through a modelling technique indicating inbuilt methodological issues. Responding to a question, Nadda said the WHO defines 'sufficient physical activity' as 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activities per week (brisk walk, lifting light load etc.) or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity per week (running, digging, construction work, outdoor games etc.). The activity level so quantified is based on a self-reported response to questions about physical activity lasting at least for 10 minutes. The National NCD Monitoring Survey of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) 2020 has assessed, inter alia, physical activity amongst Indian adults and found that 58.7% had conformed to the WHO recommendations, Nadda told the Lok Sabha.

Doctor-population ratio in India better than WHO standard, says Govt

Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday stated that <keyword id="19916120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="5G" source="keywords">5G</keyword> technology is expected to inject around $450 billion into the <keyword id="19948184" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-economy" source="keywords">Indian economy</keyword> by 2040. The minister highlighted this during his address at the Global Standards Symposium at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, one of the world's largest telecom events. He said, "In India alone, for example, 5G is anticipated to inject an astounding 450 billion dollars into the economy by 2040." The minister emphasized that 5G is not just about faster internet or low latency, but is laying the groundwork for <keyword id="20006420" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="smart-cities" source="keywords">smart cities</keyword>, advanced infrastructure, and autonomous innovations. Scindia further noted that 5G has already been rolled out across all 36 states and Union Territories, covering 98 per cent of districts and 80 per cent of the population in just 22 months. He said this achievement showcases not only India's technological prowess but also the transformative power of standardized innovation. He added "We are unlocking new Reims of possibility in health care, education and agriculture and Manufacturer" The minister stressed the importance of international collaboration in unlocking the full potential of technologies like 5G, <keyword id="19904566" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="artificial-intelligence" source="keywords">artificial intelligence</keyword> (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). He stated that the global standards are key to ensuring that these technologies work harmoniously across borders. "The import of dialogue cannot be overstated. The wonders of 5G the brilliance of artificial intelligence and the interconnected marvels of the Internet of Things. Things are transforming industries, societies and manufacturing processes and economies on a global scale," he said. Scindia also pointed out the need for robust governance in emerging technologies like AI and IoT, emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations and regulatory frameworks to address concerns around privacy, bias, and transparency. He called for a comprehensive policy framework to ensure that future innovations, such as the upcoming 6G technology, benefit everyone equitably and do not deepen existing digital divides. "We are today poised at the edge of a new technological era, the dawn of the 6th generation of mobile network 6G and this is a gateway to the future where communication will become boundless where innovation will know no limits and by humanity, interconnectedness becomes the corner stone of our shared global destiny" he said. Scindia also urged the global community to work together in setting standards and nurturing partnerships that will define the future technological landscape, ensuring technology serves as a force for good. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/hyundai-ipo-review-everything-you-need-to-know-about-indias-biggest-ipo/articleshow/114203740.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/hyundai-ipo-review-everything-you-need-to-know-about-indias-biggest-ipo/articleshow/114203740.cms" target="_blank">Hyundai IPO review – Everything you need to know about India’s biggest IPO</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/the-ola-electric-saga-are-surge-in-complaints-and-declining-market-share-a-wake-up-call-for-bhavish-aggarwal/articleshow/114120828.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/the-ola-electric-saga-are-surge-in-complaints-and-declining-market-share-a-wake-up-call-for-bhavish-aggarwal/articleshow/114120828.cms" target="_blank">The Ola Electric Saga: Are surge in complaints and declining market share a wake-up call for Bhavish Aggarwal?</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-leads-the-first-phase-of-festive-sales-with-a-20-market-share/articleshow/114070723.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-leads-the-first-phase-of-festive-sales-with-a-20-market-share/articleshow/114070723.cms" target="_blank">Samsung leads the first phase of festive sales with a 20% market share</a>

5G to inject $450 billion into Indian economy by 2040: Telecom Minister Scindia

<ul><li>Over 43% of India’s <keyword id="420602" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="working-population" source="Orion">working population</keyword> is either <keyword id="22732" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="anxious" source="Orion">anxious</keyword>, <keyword id="6423701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="depressed" source="Orion">depressed</keyword> or <keyword id="125939" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isolated" source="Orion">isolated</keyword>, says a report.</li><li>The <keyword id="6354774" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mental-health" source="Orion">mental health</keyword> of Indians is keeping over half of them from performing effectively at work.</li><li>Employees without emergency savings are 60% more likely to find it difficult to concentrate on their work.</li><li>The 20-29 age group are significantly worse off than people under 40 with a low mental health score. </li></ul>Over half of <keyword id="479445" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-employees" source="Orion">Indian employees</keyword> are logging off work feeling exhausted and over 60% of them notice their colleagues feeling stressed, says the Asian Mental Health index report by Aon and TELUS Health. Moreover, over 43% of India’s working population is either anxious, depressed or isolated, says the report which surveyed 13,000 workers living across 12 Asian countries. “The Mental Health Index score for India is 64, indicating that the mental health of employees there is strained despite being 1.6 points higher than the median,” the report said. An index over 80 is considered optional while a figure between 50 and 79 is considered ‘strained’ and anything below that is considered distressed. <div type="image" title="Untitled_Artwork (4)" msid="103664890" hostid="261"></div> The mental health of Indians is keeping over half of them – 53% – from performing effectively at work. And over 45% say that they find it more difficult concentrating on work than they did last year. India ranks among the nations where the highest proportion of employees face productivity difficulties. Mental health problems can result in low employee engagement, absenteeism and presenteeism, and increased turnover. The most prevalent mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, are estimated to cost the global economy $1 trillion per year in reduced productivity. <div type="image" title="Untitled_Artwork (3)" msid="103664918" hostid="261"></div> Emergency fund &amp; inner peace It’s not just work-related exhaustion and burnout that’s troubling to the working age population of Asian nations. Financial insecurity is also amongst the likely causes. “Other factors may include cost-of-living challenges, rising healthcare costs, climate change impacts, geopolitical instability, and the increasingly complex and ambiguous nature of today’s workplace, which has been changing rapidly since Covid-19,” the report reads. As many as 33% of Indians surveyed said that they have an emergency fund to cover over three months of essential expenses – and a similar percentage said that they can get by with their funds for two months. While 21% intend to start one in the current year, 8% believe they can get by on credit without an emergency fund. These funds are a key factor in deciding workplace productivity as employees without emergency savings are 60% more likely to find it more difficult to concentrate on their work as compared to those with emergency savings, the report says. <div type="image" title="Untitled_Artwork (2)" msid="103664935" hostid="261"></div> The young are tired Yet another key finding of the report is that older employees are fitter mentally. Employees under 40 particularly feel the strain of poor mental health. The 20-29 age group are significantly worse off with a mental health index score of 57.8. “It represents the most strain and the highest mental health risk of any age group by a significant margin,” the report says. Under 40s are 50% more likely than over 50s to feel mentally and or physically exhausted at the end of their workday – indicating that the older group of employees are handling work much better than their younger colleagues.

More than half of Indian employees are logging off from work exhausted

Washington, DC [US], August 1 (ANI): Indian-origin Republican leader <keyword id="19927400" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vivek-Ramaswamy" source="keywords">Vivek Ramaswamy</keyword> has said that many <keyword id="20113176" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Americans" source="keywords">Indian Americans</keyword> in the US have been offended as <keyword id="20564937" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-Vice-President" source="keywords">US Vice President</keyword> <keyword id="20307089" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kamala-Harris" source="keywords">Kamala Harris</keyword> has "cast aside" her Indian identity. Ramaswamy recalled that <keyword id="20307089" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kamala-Harris" source="keywords">Kamala Harris</keyword> leaned onto her Indian American identity when she ran for office in California and added that she wears a different identity when it is politically convenient on a national stage. Speaking to Fox News, <keyword id="19927400" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vivek-Ramaswamy" source="keywords">Vivek Ramaswamy</keyword> said, "On a very personal level, my parents were immigrants to this country, legal immigrants from southern India, the very same part of India that her mother also immigrated from. I think it's a hard fact, it's just a fact whether you like it or not, that many <keyword id="20113176" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Americans" source="keywords">Indian Americans</keyword> in the United States are indeed somewhat offended by the way Kamala has suddenly cast aside the Indian American side of her identity." "She leaned into it when she ran for office in California, big Asian American and Indian American population. So, she wore that when it was convenient. She's wearing a different identity now when it's politically convenient on a national stage," he added. Speaking to Fox News, Ramaswamy said that Kamala Harris' leaning into <keyword id="21129061" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="identity-politics" source="keywords">identity politics</keyword> opens the door to criticism. He stated that Harris' candidature lacks vision for the US. He said, "I don't think we should be relying on these ethnic identities at all. We're American. And the problem is when you're Kamala Harris and you actually do lean into your <keyword id="21129061" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="identity-politics" source="keywords">identity politics</keyword>, then you open the door to that type of criticism." "But if you ask me, that shouldn't be how this election is decided one way or another. It should be decided on our own identity as Americans and what our vision is for the future of the country. And the number one thing missing in Kamala Harris's candidacy is that she lacks that vision for the country. That's what we've got to focus on," he added. Kamala Harris's <keyword id="22625049" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ethnic-identity" source="keywords">ethnic identity</keyword> is becoming a key issue in the US <keyword id="20099318" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="presidential-election" source="keywords">presidential election</keyword> campaign. It came under further scrutiny after former US President <keyword id="19918985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Donald-Trump" source="keywords">Donald Trump</keyword> launched a strong personal attack on Vice President and rival in the upcoming presidential polls, Kamala Harris, by claiming that she, after being of "Indian heritage" for years, "turned black" a few years ago, CNN reported. He further claimed that Harris "all of a sudden, made a turn" in her identity and wants to be known as black. Trump made the comments at a gathering of journalists in Chicago when an interviewer asked him why black voters should consider backing a candidate with his history of racist attacks on political rivals. He responded by questioning Harris' heritage. "She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn black, and now she wants to be known as black. So I don't know, is she Indian or is she black?" CNN quoted him as saying. "I respect either one, but she obviously doesn't, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went - she became a Black person," he said. "I think somebody should look into that too," he added. Kamala Harris is of <keyword id="19990665" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-origin" source="keywords">Indian origin</keyword>. Her mother is Indian and her father is Jamaican; both immigrated to the United States. She is the first woman of colour and the first Asian American vice president. If Harris wins the upcoming polls, she will become the first woman president of the country. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris has hit back at <keyword id="19918985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Donald-Trump" source="keywords">Donald Trump</keyword> over the latter's remarks against her racial identity and said the American people "deserve better." She asserted that today the country faces a choice between two different visions, and alleged that Trump and his campaign aim to take the country "backward." Harris was speaking at a Houston fundraiser on Wednesday (local time), hours after Trump claimed that Harris, after being of "Indian heritage" for years, "turned black" a few years ago. "In this moment, we face a choice, between two very different visions for our nation. One focused on the future, the other focused on the past. And we in this room, are fighting for the future," she told the donors. "As we work to move our nation forward...there are those who are trying to take us backward. You might have seen their agenda, they call it Project 2025 and it is a 900-page agenda of extremism," Harris added.

Kamala Harris casting aside her Indian identity has offended Indian-Americans, says Vivek Ramaswamy

<div type="image" title="Data from RBI suggests that the outstanding amount on gold loans has swelled from Rs 85,009 crore in September 2022 to Rs 1,47,081 crore in September 2024." msid="115250619" hostid="261" sizebytes="118350" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Data from RBI suggests that the outstanding amount on gold loans has swelled from Rs 85,009 crore in September 2022 to Rs 1,47,081 crore in September 2024.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “Ye le beta, humare khaandani sone ke gehne. Ise girvi rakhva de, shayad kuch paise aa jaye ghar main.” How many times have we seen similar dialogues repeat itself in Bollywood films of the 70s and 80s—abject poverty and a frail-looking old mother pleading to her son to pawn the family’s heirloom <keyword id="18712" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gold" source="Orion">gold</keyword> ornaments to a jeweller, all to get a few bucks? Well, if you’d ask that son in 2024, he’d rather hit the loan button on his <keyword id="19977340" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="demat" source="keywords">Demat</keyword> account than pawn his mother’s gold jewellery. Given how Indians are rapidly resorting to taking loans against their investments in shares and mutual funds, these might as well be a cherished family heirloom in today’s time. Fair warning though; it's not as if gold and loans against it are going down in India’s lending scene. It's very much the opposite, shining brighter than ever! The secured loan category is having its time in the spotlight, and people are certainly looking beyond land and property to get their hands on some extra monies! But what is funding the steep rise behind these loans? And are they as failsafe and secure as they’re made out to be? We decode for you in this week’s Simply Put. <h2>The great Indian pawning party</h2>Pawning one’s gold has been, by far, the OG Indian financial move to get a loan. That continues well into 2024, and apparently, more so when India decides to wed and celebrate! Data from <keyword id="19899808" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rbi" source="keywords">RBI</keyword> suggests that the outstanding amount on gold loans has swelled from Rs 85,009 crore in September 2022 to Rs 1,47,081 crore in September 2024. It looks like Gold took the motto of rise and shine too seriously! Table 1: Growth in gold loans <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Year </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Amount (In Rs crore) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">85,009 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">March 2023 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">89,370 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 2023 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">97,426 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">March 2024 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,02,562 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 2024 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,47,081 </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Source: RBI data While the world continues to be riled up in multiple geopolitical crises in 2024, gold has been making merry of these tough times. Thus far this year, domestic gold prices have grown by 23%, outperforming benchmark indices like Nifty and Sensex by a mile, which have gone up by 9.85% and 8.86%, respectively. The growth in gold loan disbursal rates month on month this year could also put Nifty and Sensex’s growth to shame. In just September 2024, gold loans grew an astounding 51%, up from 40.9% in August, 30.5% in June, and just 14.8% in March. <h2>Hey, wait up for me, says <keyword id="23953567" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="las" source="keywords">LAS</keyword></h2>In lockstep with the elder, gold loan sibling, advances against shares and bonds have also been inching up since 2022. Data from RBI (Reserve Bank of India) notes that as of September 2022, the outstanding quantum of loans that were taken against shares (LAS) and bonds stood at Rs 7,397.94 crores. This inched up to Rs 7,764 crore in September 2023. Come 2024, and it looked like this was LAS’ time to shine. Loans swiftly skyrocketed, with outstanding loans in this category going up from Rs 8,492 crore in March 2022 to a staggering Rs 9,546 crore at the end of September 2024. Naturally, the smoke of LAS has its fire in the record inflows that Indians are pouring into the stock market and mutual funds month on month. Per AMFI (<keyword id="20090034" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="association-of-mutual-funds" source="keywords">Association of Mutual Funds</keyword> in India), the net AUM (assets under management) of India’s mutual fund industry grew to Rs 67,25,614.61 crores in October 2024, up from Rs 67,09,259.24 crores in September 2024. Even the number of retail mutual fund folios, which include equity, hybrid, and solution-oriented mutual funds, burgeoned to 17,23,52,296 in October, as compared to 16,81,61,366 in September. The same goes for stock investments in India, where the number of new demat accounts that are added every month just simply refuses to climb down. As of last month, total demat accounts in the country stood at 17.9 crore, which is more than the entire population of full-fledged nations like Japan (12.45 crore), Russia (14.38 crore), and Bangladesh (17.3 crore). In fact, since February this year, the monthly growth of LAS has been hitting double digits. From 11.3% in March to 21.6% in May to 26.8% in August, growth in LAS has been exceptional, hitting 22.9% in September this year. For context, monthly growth in the LAS segment was at a mere 5% in September 2023. <h2>What's driving the growth?</h2>It's a win-win for both the bank and the customer. Customers love them because LAS is available at a lower interest rate compared to unsecured personal loans. You can get a loan at an interest rate of anywhere between 9 and 12% by pledging your gold, MF units, or shares. Compare this to over 10-28% rates, which is the range where unsecured personal loans charge interest. Banks love <keyword id="827883" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="secured-loans" source="Orion">secured loans</keyword> since they are well-secured. In case you default on paying back, the bank can sell off your gold, shares, or mutual fund units to recover the amount. This takes a lot of stress off the banks, which are already dealing with secured loans’ riskier sibling-unsecured lending. High NPAs (non-performing assets) and non-payments in the unsecured borrowing space have already put RBI on red alert, which is why the apex bank is tightening the screws on unsecured lending, which was well on its way to becoming a ticking time bomb. As a result, credit growth has moderated to 12.8% YoY in October, as against the 19.3% rise recorded in the year-ago period. Yet it's not like the banks won't feel the heat. Analysts at Nomura note that personal loan delinquencies in India that have been overdue by over 90 days rose to 5.1% in the last financial year, as opposed to just 3.9% in the year prior. <h2>How does it work?</h2>Both these loans work on a similar principle: Your loan amount is equal to a certain percentage of the actual market value of your asset. This is known as the <keyword id="20051485" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ltv" source="keywords">LTV</keyword> (loan-to-value ratio). In the case of gold and debt mutual funds, RBI mandates that this LTV be about 75-80%. So, for every Rs 100 of gold or debt mutual fund unit you pledge, your maximum loan amount cannot exceed Rs 80. If you pledge gold, which has a market value of Rs 10 lakh, you can take a loan of up to Rs 8,00,000. In the case of shares and mutual fund units, this limit is set at 50%. So, your shares worth Rs 5,00,000 can only get you a loan worth Rs 2,50,000. But the bright side? You can continue earning returns on your investments and pay interest only on the amount you use, since this loan works as an overdraft facility. <h2>Super safe, you say?</h2>Interest rates on both of these loans are very much dependent on the market value of the asset, which wildly fluctuates on a day-to-day basis. So, in case the value of your asset falls, you’ll have to keep a margin or more of the same asset in order to continue with the loan and maintain the LTV balance. Failure to do so could mean the bank can even sell off your asset. Says financial planner Nema Chaya Buch. “Yes, LAS offers easy availability of funds since these loans come with a lower interest rate as compared to personal loans. Also, you continue to earn average returns of 10–13% on your equity investments. But the downside is, in case of emergency, those pledged securities cannot be sold. Also, if the equity market goes down, then the bank may ask for additional collateral. Raghvendra Nath, MD, Ladderup Wealth Management notes that taking a LAS is best when the value of your securities has appreciated significantly. “This allows you to maximize the loan amount based on your collateral while also addressing financial needs without having to liquidate your investment portfolio. However, there are notable disadvantages to consider. The market risk is significant; a substantial decline in market value could lead to margin calls, which may incur fees and charges if there are delays or prepayments, ultimately increasing the effective cost of borrowing. Furthermore, failure to make timely payments could result in the loss of your assets.”. Umesh Mohanan, ED &amp; CEO, of Indel Money, cautions that one should have a sufficient quantity of gold to get the loan amount one wants. "According to the current RBI rules, the loan applicant/borrower can draw up to 75% of the total market value of the collateral/gold jewellery. So, always carry a sufficient quantity of gold based on one’s loan requirement. “The most important thing is that the valuation of the gold depends on the purity of the gold. If the borrower pledges gold with higher purity, such as 24 carats or 22 carats, he will get the maximum loan amount," he adds.

You Searched For "Indian population" and got 5 results

Doctor-population ratio in India better than WHO standard, says Govt

Ira Alok Puranik

5G to inject $450 billion into Indian economy by 2040: Telecom Minister Scindia

ANI

More than half of Indian employees are logging off from work exhausted

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