Abhijit Lele And Arindam Majumder

Stories by Abhijit Lele And Arindam Majumder

How Banks will Pester Customers to Pay

How Banks will Pester Customers to Pay

Rediff.com   23 Apr 2021

Although such alerts are not compulsory for the banks, this may become the norm now if payments are missed even for a day.

Hero MotoCorp halts production as precautionary measure

Hero MotoCorp halts production as precautionary measure

Rediff.com   21 Apr 2021

The company will utilise this time to carry out maintenance work at its manufacturing plants.

Summer of discontent back to haunt India's airlines

Summer of discontent back to haunt India's airlines

Rediff.com   8 Apr 2021

Within two weeks of many airlines deciding to roll back salary cuts encouraged by a steady increase in traffic flow, a second wave of coronavirus along with rules of compulsory RT-PCR test has hit forward bookings. The fears of last summer, when the pandemic had overturned all the wisdom of airline boardrooms, have returned to haunt the aviation industry. According to an official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, flight occupancy is down to 60 per cent from 70 per cent in the first week of March. Airline lobby group IATA estimates that low cost airlines need to fly at 80 per cent occupancy to be profitable.

How govt can boost infra funding in India

How govt can boost infra funding in India

Rediff.com   4 Apr 2021

For development finance institution to succeed now, the government must stand like a rock behind it and be patient.

RuPay takes on Visa and Mastercard with a little govt help

RuPay takes on Visa and Mastercard with a little govt help

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2021

RuPay is working on how to increase offers to customers. It is also focused on technology innovation in the card payment system.

Whistleblower accuses Edelweiss ARC of fund diversion, other irregularities

Whistleblower accuses Edelweiss ARC of fund diversion, other irregularities

Rediff.com   20 Mar 2021

The ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) has launched a probe into the books of Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company (EARC) following allegations by a whistleblower of fund diversion and irregularities. The whistleblower, Paras Kuhad, a former additional solicitor general of India, had written to the Prime Minister's Office and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Kuhad has alleged that Edelweiss Group and Caisse de depot et placement du Qubec (CDPQ), a Canadian institutional investor, which hold stakes in the ARC, diverted funds and did not adhere to norms while making investments in EARC's instruments. Sources have indicated that a probe has been initiated, but the MCA did not comment on the issue.

How Gautam Adani plans to 'develop' Mumbai, Ahmedabad airports

How Gautam Adani plans to 'develop' Mumbai, Ahmedabad airports

Rediff.com   18 Mar 2021

Adani Airports is planning to centre its airport business around Mumbai and Ahmedabad by developing them as gateway airports, feeding them with traffic from other airports in the company's portfolio. The Ahmedabad-based conglomerate - with investments in logistics, transportation, utilities and energy - intends to spend Rs 35,000 crore in the airport business in the next five years. This forms the bulk of the conglomerate's total capex of Rs 50,000 crore. According to a presentation given by the company in an investor call with Bank of America, gateway airports of Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be connected with the feeder airports of Lucknow, Guwahati, Trivandrum, Jaipur and Mangalore.

India Inc goes slow on rupee bonds, eyes international market

India Inc goes slow on rupee bonds, eyes international market

Rediff.com   15 Mar 2021

Indian corporate are fast tapping the international bonds market to raise funds for their operational expenses even as they reduce their presence in the rupee bond market. As bonds are costlier for companies and investors are more sceptical than the banks, chief financial officers say they are looking at other avenues for raising funds in the coming months as dollar bond rates are lower in the range of 100 to 250 basis points. "For corporate with reasonable credit quality, the Indian bond market has become less of an option from a cost point of view. "In addition, conditions imposed in the Indian bond market by investors post Franklin episode have also become very onerous," said Prabal Banerjee, president-finance of Bajaj group. "Hence very few corporate are looking at the local bond market for resource mobilisation, since both, bank loans and the overseas bond markets are much more attractive," he said.

Out of PCA, IDBI Bank can now expand business

Out of PCA, IDBI Bank can now expand business

Rediff.com   11 Mar 2021

The bank will now be in a position to resume normal lending activity, including corporate lending, with tightened risk management framework.

IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta gets ESOP worth Rs 14 crore

IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta gets ESOP worth Rs 14 crore

Rediff.com   11 Mar 2021

IndiGo has proposed to issue 185,000 shares worth to Chief Executive and Whole-time Director Ronojoy Dutta under the company's Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP). The shares that can be exercised at a price of Rs 765 apiece is worth Rs 14,15,25,000. Dutta can exercise 25 per cent of that at the end of first year, 35 per cent at the end of second year, and the remaining in December 2023 when his current tenure ends.

'We will continue the Jet Airways brand and legacy'

'We will continue the Jet Airways brand and legacy'

Rediff.com   9 Mar 2021

'The government has assured us support.' 'The civil aviation ministry have told us that whatever we need, we will get prime airport slots and bilateral rights.'

Flying with just a cabin bag will be 10-15% cheaper

Flying with just a cabin bag will be 10-15% cheaper

Rediff.com   4 Mar 2021

On a busy corporate route like Delhi-Mumbai, hand luggage fare can be cheaper by at least Rs 500-Rs 800.

Green policy flip-flops spook foreign investment firms

Green policy flip-flops spook foreign investment firms

Rediff.com   26 Feb 2021

Foreign investment firms, especially private equity, are jittery about the Indian market as uncertainty continues to shroud the energy sector.

Pawan Ruia throws hat into the ring to buy out Air India

Pawan Ruia throws hat into the ring to buy out Air India

Rediff.com   17 Feb 2021

Ruia, a chartered accountant whose business ranged from sugar to textiles and heavy engineering to tyres, refused to comment on queries about his interest in Air India.

Singapore-based DBS Bank plans to trim India branches in 2-3 years

Singapore-based DBS Bank plans to trim India branches in 2-3 years

Rediff.com   15 Feb 2021

The combined deposits of its Indian operations stood at SGD 9 billion and net advances were at SGD 5.6 billion at the end of December 2020.

Cash was king in 2020 even as digital transactions increased

Cash was king in 2020 even as digital transactions increased

Rediff.com   20 Jan 2021

The hoarding of cash accentuated from the very start of 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic started taking hold the world over, and fear of the pandemic prodded people to remain liquid for emergency use.

Drone maker ideaForge bags biggest order from armed forces

Drone maker ideaForge bags biggest order from armed forces

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2021

The Army signed a $20-million deal with the Infosys-backed drone maker recently.

Govt extends cap on domestic airfares till March 31

Govt extends cap on domestic airfares till March 31

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2021

However, airlines will need to sell 20 per cent seats below midpoint of the fare band on each flight instead of 40 per cent as mandated earlier.

'Economy well placed to capitalise on recovery in 2021'

'Economy well placed to capitalise on recovery in 2021'

Rediff.com   6 Jan 2021

'The financial sector's performance in the first two quarters was a revelation.' 'It clearly showed the clean-up had been done in the past one-and-a-half years and that capital brought in was significantly stronger.'

Auto sales in December saw double-digit rise

Auto sales in December saw double-digit rise

Rediff.com   5 Jan 2021

The growth momentum that started during the festival season is likely to sustain in the new year, reports Arindam Majumder.