India’s health landscape is marked by a “meta-crisis” of severe air pollution, escalating chronic diseases, and profound women’s health inequities, with over 1.6 million pollution-related deaths annually. Women face the steepest toll, with a 68% rise in chronic disease mortality since 1990, driven by biological vulnerabilities and limited healthcare access.
US President Donald Trump has announced a 100% tariff on branded and patented pharmaceutical imports starting October 1, 2025, unless companies build manufacturing plants in the US. This move aims to boost domestic manufacturing, reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and promote national security. The tariff could impact Indian pharma exports, worth $8.7 billion in FY24, and lead to higher drug prices in the US.
The proposed wage-based H-1B visa lottery may benefit senior Indian talent but disadvantage entry-level workers, potentially disrupting India’s “demographic dividend” and creating a “talent bottleneck.” This could lead to fewer Indian hires in IT services and impact India-US tech collaboration. Indian professionals may face reduced opportunities.
Infosys’ potential $45 billion loss stems from a 2015 disagreement between co-founder NR Narayana Murthy and former CEO Vishal Sikka over investing in OpenAI. Sikka envisioned Infosys as an “AI-first” company, but Murthy’s caution led to the investment’s withdrawal. This missed opportunity may have hindered India’s AI progress, with Infosys now playing catch-up in the AI race .
