Abhijit Lele And Arindam Majumder

Stories by Abhijit Lele And Arindam Majumder

PSU banks put Rs 14,000-cr bad loans on the block

PSU banks put Rs 14,000-cr bad loans on the block

Rediff.com   15 Jun 2015

Punjab National Bank has the largest share.

ITC pushes Yippee noodles to replace Maggi

ITC pushes Yippee noodles to replace Maggi

Rediff.com   13 Jun 2015

ITC has provided retailers with leaflets to assure customers of Yippee noodle's quality and safety standards

'No govt has a magic wand to bring radical changes'

'No govt has a magic wand to bring radical changes'

Rediff.com   22 May 2015

'The government has done extremely well.'

Lalgarh: Once a Naxal hotbed, today riding towards development

Lalgarh: Once a Naxal hotbed, today riding towards development

Rediff.com   27 Apr 2015

Lalgarh, once a nerve centre of Naxal insurgency in West Bengal, now represents a different place.

Week after RBI prodding most PSBs yet to cut base rates

Week after RBI prodding most PSBs yet to cut base rates

Rediff.com   15 Apr 2015

Banks have issues with their balance sheet profiles, say PSB executives.

KKR's brand equity works hard

KKR's brand equity works hard

Rediff.com   14 Apr 2015

Ten out of the 16 sponsors will appear on team's apparel.

Why recent rate cut will not impact banks financials

Why recent rate cut will not impact banks financials

Rediff.com   14 Apr 2015

Recent rates cuts by most banks may not have a significant impact on margins, say analysts.

Rate cut will reduce the stress on customers: SBI

Rate cut will reduce the stress on customers: SBI

Rediff.com   8 Apr 2015

'The rate cut will reduce the stress on customers and help the bank reduce its provisioning bill.'

RBI likely to hold rates tomorrow

RBI likely to hold rates tomorrow

Rediff.com   6 Apr 2015

Most say a rate cut could come in RBI's June policy.

Insurers see a change agent in new FDI rules

Insurers see a change agent in new FDI rules

Rediff.com   20 Mar 2015

Inflow of more funds is likely to widen the reach of insurance and drive M&A activities in the sector where growth has stalled.

Insurers set the ball rolling on foreign stake hike

Insurers set the ball rolling on foreign stake hike

Rediff.com   13 Mar 2015

Bharti will move FIPB soon for increasing Axa's stake to 49%

Interest rate cuts only after March

Interest rate cuts only after March

Rediff.com   10 Mar 2015

Banks have not cut rates yet as March is typically a busy season.

Jaitley should have tightened the fiscal belt: Arvind Virmani

Jaitley should have tightened the fiscal belt: Arvind Virmani

Rediff.com   7 Mar 2015

Budget has several small steps which will boost growth

'If Mother was alive Sunday mass would be for Mohan Bhagwat'

'If Mother was alive Sunday mass would be for Mohan Bhagwat'

Rediff.com   26 Feb 2015

The Missionaries of Charity are unaffected by the recent comments of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat questioning Mother Teresa's motives

Ambani brothers seek faster approval for stalled projects

Ambani brothers seek faster approval for stalled projects

Rediff.com   7 Feb 2015

The Ambani brothers, Mukesh and Anil, came together on Thursday to raise the issue of stalled projects plaguing India Inc and implored the Maharashtra government and the Centre to make Mumbai, India's financial capital, an easier place for business and investments. "Several projects are stuck for many years in Mumbai and we would like to know how the government intends to improve the financing and execution of projects, including those relating to infrastructure and education which have been in limbo for long and are affecting the growth of the city," Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani told Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Seated on the same table was his brother, apart from Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry and State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya. Jaitley was addressing the Mumbai Next MMR Transformation conclave, organised by the Maharashtra government and Mumbai First here, through video conference. In his reply, Jaitley said the government was exploring several options of infrastructure financing in India and that a number of international bodies were ready to fund infrastructure development projects. He added the government was keenly considering these funding sources. While praising Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for honesty, Jaitley also had a word of advice. Apart from being honest, the government had to be decisive, he said. On his part, Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani told the chief minister about his experience of decisions being delayed due to an indecisive bureaucracy and the need to protect officials who wanted to take quick decisions. "Through the past many years, we have faced a number of obstacles in decision-making," he said, adding he was speaking as someone who had lived and invested in Mumbai. Fadnavis responded by saying he would bring about a transparent process to ring-fence officials. Both the Ambani brothers have announced a number of infrastructure projects in and around Mumbai, including a world-class convention centre in Bandra Kurla Complex by RIL, but very few have actually fructified. RIL's special economic zone project failed to take off due to land acquisition problems in Raigarh, while a second SEZ near Mumbai is stuck due to lack of clarity in SEZ norms. The first phase of the Mumbai Metro, set up by Anil Ambani's Reliance Infrastructure, was marred by cost overruns and run-ins with the government over fares. Subsequently, the company withdrew from the second and larger phase, citing inordinate delay. Anil Ambani also withdrew from Mumbai's sea link project on the same grounds. The brothers had also bid for a trans-harbour sea link between Navi Mumbai and Mumbai under the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government, but their bid was rejected. Reliance Infrastructure is also the power supplier to more than half of this city. Participating in the conclave, some of India Inc's leading bankers said making Mumbai a financial hub would take at least a decade. SBI's Bhattacharya said the Indian currency should be made fully convertible and facilities should be created for it. "However, for this, the economy needs to look up and that will happen only in the next 7-10 years, not immediately," she added. Sunil Kaushal, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered, India, pitched for strong infrastructure to support development. "We will take a long time to develop into a global financial centre. We need to solve transport bottlenecks in Mumbai and have lifestyle facilities for people working in and around these areas," he said.

ZEE's Subhash Chandra bets on white-label ATMs

ZEE's Subhash Chandra bets on white-label ATMs

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2015

It is likely he will rope in an international ATM manufacturer as a strategic partner with equity stake.

Banks set for lending rate action this week

Banks set for lending rate action this week

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2015

A host of lenders, including State Bank of India, IDBI Bank, Indian Bank and Andhra Bank, have lined up meetings of their asset-liability committees this week, to review their lending and deposit rates.

Haldia Petrochem set to reopen, lenders to infuse funds

Haldia Petrochem set to reopen, lenders to infuse funds

Rediff.com   5 Jan 2015

According to a source, banks have decided to infuse funds after Purnendu Chatterjee, chairman of The Chatterjee Group, agreed to invest Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) as margin amount into the ailing plant.

Tour operators eye a happy year ahead

Tour operators eye a happy year ahead

Rediff.com   5 Jan 2015

With 2015 having multiple weekend breaks, travel agents and online travel portals expect a holiday rush this year.

Branding missteps dog Uber

Branding missteps dog Uber

Rediff.com   10 Dec 2014

Reports suggest that the police were unable to find any contact of the company's office and had to take a Uber cab to reach the company's training centre in Gurgaon, giving credence to the perception that Uber has grown too much too soon.