Rishi Kumar Sonwal

BRICS 2026 concludes with a bigger question for India’s HealthTech journey: Can the capabilities India has demonstrated at population scale become solutions and partnerships for the wider world? India entered this summit with more than a large healthcare market. It brought one of the world’s largest and most diverse healthcare ecosystems — one where digital health, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, MedTech and AI-enabled solutions are being tested across complex, high-volume and highly varied healthcare settings. The BRICS agenda has now created several pathways to take that experience further. The BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for Mass Infectious Diseases, cooperation on AI and digital tools for health, the BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre, the Compendium on Digital Health Architecture for Continuum of Care, and the BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence on Mental Health, coordinated by NIMHANS, are examples of institutional mechanisms emerging from this cooperation.  India’s own ...

As the festive season approaches, raw material volatility is a central discussion across India's industrial hubs. For integrated healthcare manufacturers navigating both allopathic and traditional medicines production, the sudden spike in domestic sugar prices presents a unique operational challenge. Rather than reacting to market speculation, it is critical to look at the structural realities behind this trend, as highlighted by The Indian Express and official Press Information Bureau (PIB) data: The Output Reality: Gross domestic sugar production for the current season fell sharply to 306 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT), down 11% from initial state estimates of 343 LMT due to climate shocks. Declining Ethanol Diversion: Data confirms the share of sugar diverted to ethanol dropped from 12% in 2022-23 to 9% in 2025-26. Today, nearly three-fourths of India's ethanol is derived from grains like maize, keeping it largely decoupled from sugarcane supply. Global Headwinds: International su...