Ajinkya Kawale, Ashutosh Mishra, Peerzada Abrar &Amp; Ritwik Sharma

Stories by Ajinkya Kawale, Ashutosh Mishra, Peerzada Abrar &Amp; Ritwik Sharma

Who Will Taste Grapes Of Wrath In Nashik?

Who Will Taste Grapes Of Wrath In Nashik?

Rediff.com   19 May 2024

'During times of adversity, a brick becomes better than a stone. That is how I look at the election season.'

India's internet economy likely to reach $1 trillion by 2030: Experts

India's internet economy likely to reach $1 trillion by 2030: Experts

Rediff.com   17 May 2024

India's internet economy is estimated to reach $1 trillion by 2030, primarily due to e-commerce, which is expected to be worth $325 billion and rank third globally, according to industry experts. Last year marked a crucial turning point for India's e-commerce sector, with notable changes in consumer trends, technology, and regulations. InGovern Research Services, a leading corporate governance advisory firm, hosted a virtual roundtable to deliberate on the notable developments in India's e-commerce sector in 2023, with a particular focus on the essential role of customer trust in fueling its ongoing expansion.

Amazon infuses Rs 1,600 crore into India entity

Amazon infuses Rs 1,600 crore into India entity

Rediff.com   15 May 2024

Ecommerce firm Amazon has infused ~1,600 crore into its India entity Amazon Seller Services, according to its regulatory filings. The funding comes at a time when the company is seeing opportunities in emerging geographies, including India. The regulatory filings are dated April 15. This is the second time in five months that Amazon invested in its India arm Amazon Seller Services. Before this, Amazon had infused over ~1,000 crore into its Indian entity this year.

'We'll Have 50K People Trained On GenAI'

'We'll Have 50K People Trained On GenAI'

Rediff.com   15 May 2024

'We're putting a lot of focus on GenAI developers and people who can really do all the architecture and programming.'

Byju's unveils new sales model for growth, managers to act as mentors

Byju's unveils new sales model for growth, managers to act as mentors

Rediff.com   9 May 2024

In a bid to democratise education, cash-strapped edtech firm Byju's has significantly reduced the prices of its products. The annual subscription fee for the Byju's Learning App now stands at Rs 12,000 (inclusive of taxes) per year, while Byju's Classes and Byju's Tuition Centres (BTC) are priced at Rs 24,000 and Rs 36,000 respectively for a full year of classes, according to the sources.

Nilekani-backed people+ai rolls out AI strategy...

Nilekani-backed people+ai rolls out AI strategy...

Rediff.com   8 May 2024

An initiative of Nandan Nilekani's EkStep Foundation, people+ai on Tuesday unveiled its vision for the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in India, dubbed 'Adbhut India' (Amazing India). It aims to harness AI as a powerful tool to enhance the lives of all Indians. The event marked the rollout of several initiatives by people+ai that are focused on discovering, demonstrating, and disseminating population-scale AI use cases for India.

UPI credit line: NPCI may go easy on interchange fee

UPI credit line: NPCI may go easy on interchange fee

Rediff.com   8 May 2024

To increase the adoption of credit on United Payments Interface (UPI), National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is looking at an interchange fee for transactions lower than that for a credit-card transaction. Sources in the know said these charges could be 1-1.2 per cent. Fintech participants concur with the view that the interchange fee is expected to be lower than that for a credit-card transaction.

Top 3 Indian IT companies train over 775,000 in generative AI skills

Top 3 Indian IT companies train over 775,000 in generative AI skills

Rediff.com   7 May 2024

The top three Indian IT firms -- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys and Wipro -- collectively trained over 775,000 employees in generative AI (GenAI) capability by the end of 2023-24, according to an analysis of GenAI-trained workforce of leading companies in India in this sector. This number is significantly higher that the projection made by the IT industry body Nasscom in its Strategic Review of 2023, released in February this year. It said in 2023-2024, over 650,000 employees across the IT industry received training in Gen AI skills.

Byju's may pay April salary to employees this week

Byju's may pay April salary to employees this week

Rediff.com   3 May 2024

Cash-strapped edtech firm Byju's is likely to pay its employees the April salaries this week, according to sources. The company is grappling with the issue of delays in paying salaries to employees. "There has been a delay in salary. It is expected to be now paid sometime this week," said a person.

Fintechs Push For Easier KYC

Fintechs Push For Easier KYC

Rediff.com   3 May 2024

'For smaller merchants, there should be a process that is digital and a minimum KYC journey should be allowed.'

Licious eyes IPO in 24 months, 500 stores in five years

Licious eyes IPO in 24 months, 500 stores in five years

Rediff.com   2 May 2024

The fresh meat and seafood delivery startup Licious plans to set up 500 stores nationwide within the next five years as part of an omnichannel strategy. The aim is to attract new users in the offline channel and encourage them to transact online as well. The move would also help the company in its efforts to achieve profitability and go for an initial public offering (IPO) in the next 24 months, according to the sources.

Law To Govern AI Coming Soon!

Law To Govern AI Coming Soon!

Rediff.com   29 Apr 2024

'The focus of the legislation will be to minimise user harm and increase the accountability of platforms, while also promoting innovation.'

Why Election 2024 Is So Subdued...

Why Election 2024 Is So Subdued...

Rediff.com   22 Apr 2024

'It's dull because this time the election is spread over such a long period.'

Byju: 'We'd like you to be part of our turnaround story'

Byju: 'We'd like you to be part of our turnaround story'

Rediff.com   6 Apr 2024

'Despite the animosity shown by some of the investors in pursuing uncalled for legal actions, we continue to show good faith towards all our shareholders.'

Airfares, hotel rates shoot up ahead of Holi, Good Friday

Airfares, hotel rates shoot up ahead of Holi, Good Friday

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2024

As March draws to a close, two consecutive long weekend opportunities - Holi and Good Friday - are driving up hotel occupancy and airfares across major routes. According to travel platform Cleartrip, hotel bookings have seen a 3.5 times spike for the Holi weekend, while a 3.7 times spike has been visible in the Good Friday weekend.

CCI refuses to pass interim order restricting Google

CCI refuses to pass interim order restricting Google

Rediff.com   21 Mar 2024

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Wednesday declined an interim relief order that would restrain Google from levying service fees on app developers until a final decision is made by the regulator. The CCI also said the Director General (DG) would continue its investigation as ordered by the commission in its March 15 order. "The Commission is of the considered opinion that no case whatsoever has been made out by the informants which warrant the grant of interim relief. Resultantly, the applications stand dismissed," said the CCI while rejecting the plea by app developers in its order.

'When He Spoke, The Whole Nation Listened'

'When He Spoke, The Whole Nation Listened'

Rediff.com   13 Mar 2024

'Ameen Sayani was copied by generations. Now everyone is trying to become smaller Ameen Sayanis in their own way.'

Use of Indian languages key for increasing internet access in India: Report

Use of Indian languages key for increasing internet access in India: Report

Rediff.com   13 Mar 2024

Nearly 665 million Indians or 45 per cent of the rural population did not have access to the internet as of 2023. Difficulty in understanding internet procedures, insufficient awareness of its benefits, and a lack of interest have emerged as the top reasons for a gap in internet penetration in rural India, according to a joint report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar. "The proficiency of English in rural India is very low. While we have content in Hindi, the internet is English-heavy.

Startups call for swift measures to ensure robust safety

Startups call for swift measures to ensure robust safety

Rediff.com   4 Mar 2024

The blast at The Rameshwaram Caf has caused distress and concern among the startup and information technology (IT) community, raising questions related to safety and security. Approximately 10 people were reportedly injured in a low-intensity bomb blast at The Rameshwaram Caf, a popular restaurant in Bengaluru's Brookfield. The surrounding area is a major hub for the Indian technology (tech) industry, housing many startups and top IT companies such as IBM, SAP, Accenture, International Tech Park Bangalore, and Prestige Technostar.

Demand For AI Powered PCs Is On Rise

Demand For AI Powered PCs Is On Rise

Rediff.com   29 Feb 2024

A computer with NPU can handle a wide range of tasks directly on personal devices without relying on a Cloud service.