45: Will govt's demand stimulus schemes help consumer companies?

Indian government announced fresh measures to spur demand and revive growth. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday announced a set of measures worth Rs 9,675 crore to boost consumer demand by front-loading some expenditure. The measures include LTC cash voucher scheme for central government employees and a special festival advance scheme. Amidst this, in September quarter earnings there is an expectation for sequential improvement by consumer companies driven by rural markets while urban recovery appears to be slow. Meanwhile, intermittent closure in top 100 towns, rise in job losses and wage reduction across section has further weakened consumer sentiments, resulting in higher demand for value-for-money products. To understand the consumer demand trends, Mint's Nasrin Sultana is in conversation with Shirish Pardeshi, analysts, Centrum Broking.