Amritha Pillay, Sachin P Mampatta &Amp; Advait Rao Palepu

Stories by Amritha Pillay, Sachin P Mampatta &Amp; Advait Rao Palepu

Why India Has Shortage Of Skilled Workers

Why India Has Shortage Of Skilled Workers

Rediff.com   31 Aug 2023

'The second generation of migrant labourers is not enthusiastic about continuing in this field.' 'The parents of the next generation do not wish their children to be part of this trade.'

How Many Letters Does The Post Office Still Deliver?

How Many Letters Does The Post Office Still Deliver?

Rediff.com   28 Aug 2023

Nearly two million postcards and eight million letters pass through India's post offices daily.

Why private manufacturers shun super-critical thermal plants

Why private manufacturers shun super-critical thermal plants

Rediff.com   27 Aug 2023

This includes distancing themselves from the new and emerging super-critical technology.

L&T to look at up to $4 bn investment in green hydrogen, with partners

L&T to look at up to $4 bn investment in green hydrogen, with partners

Rediff.com   17 Aug 2023

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) will aim to invest $3-4 billion in green hydrogen projects, along with its joint venture (JV) partners, said a senior executive from the company. These investments are planned over three to five years, depending on cost economics. The engineering conglomerate is also in talks to acquire the Nuclear Power Corporation of India's (NPCIL's) share in one of its forging JV companies for a consideration of Rs. 100-150 crore. "We are considering investments worth $3-$4 billion in the green hydrogen space, in collaboration with partners," said S N Subrahmanyan, chief executive officer and managing director of the company.

Share of L&T's slow-moving projects in order book at multi-year low

Share of L&T's slow-moving projects in order book at multi-year low

Rediff.com   14 Aug 2023

The share of slow-moving orders in the overall order book of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is at a multi-year low. This has led to a renewed focus on fast-moving orders. A mix of factors such as commodity price fluctuations, robust order inflow and strong sectoral demand have put capital goods order book in the fast lane, analysts and company executives said. L&T, with its large presence in the capital goods sector, is often seen as the bellwether for trends in this space.

'Private investors will wait for election results'

'Private investors will wait for election results'

Rediff.com   14 Aug 2023

'Policy-sensitive sectors will wait and watch, but policy-agnostic areas will continue based on normal consumption demand.'

Shareholder bonhomie at Naik's last AGM as an era draws to a close

Shareholder bonhomie at Naik's last AGM as an era draws to a close

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2023

At the annual general meeting (AGM) of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Wednesday, shareholders made the usual request to the top management for bonus shares. But this time, the setting was different. The man at the helm, outgoing group chairman AM Naik, 82, was heard assuring shareholders that he would join the chorus soon. There were laughs and chuckles at Naik's playful remark as he addressed the last AGM, nearly six decades after he joined L&T as a junior engineer and some 25 years at the top.

RIL pushes production timeline for battery packs by a year to 2024

RIL pushes production timeline for battery packs by a year to 2024

Rediff.com   9 Aug 2023

Reliance Industries (RIL) has reset its battery pack production timeline, shifting it from 2023 earlier to 2024, details shared in the oil-to-telecom conglomerate's latest annual report suggest. In the FY23 annual report released on Sunday, the company has listed the start of battery pack production in 2024. A year ago, at the company's annual general meeting (AGM), Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of RIL, had said, "We aim to start production of battery packs by 2023 and scale up to a fully integrated 5 GWh annual cell-to-pack manufacturing facility by 2024."

Foreign players' share in private sector capex declines

Foreign players' share in private sector capex declines

Rediff.com   9 Aug 2023

The share of foreign companies in private sector investments, directed towards building new factories and other facilities, has declined over the past six months. A mix of large domestic announcements and relatively lower growth in foreign capital expenditure (capex) plans have played a role, although foreign investments remain near record levels. The share of foreign companies in the overall private sector investments over the four quarters ended June 2023 has dipped to 14.9 per cent, as shown by a Business Standard analysis of data from the project tracker Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.

World entering a highly disruptive green energy era, says Mukesh Ambani

World entering a highly disruptive green energy era, says Mukesh Ambani

Rediff.com   7 Aug 2023

Reliance Industries (RIL's) annual report released on Sunday highlighted the company's focus on new energy solutions, with chairman and managing director (MD) Mukesh Ambani stating that the age of fossil fuels will not continue much longer. RIL has sought shareholders' approval to give Ambani another five-year term as MD till 2029 at nil salary. The recently demerged Jio Financial Services, which "will leverage the prowess of digital and retail businesses", was expected to be listed soon.

Competition for market share intensifies among cement companies in Q1

Competition for market share intensifies among cement companies in Q1

Rediff.com   7 Aug 2023

Cement manufacturers' show during the June 2023-ended quarter (Q1FY24) has indicated an intensified slugfest for market share. For instance, Dalmia Bharat (Cement) said it has lost market share in eastern India owing to lack of price discipline. Industry analysts also said that the seasonal weakness in cement prices for Q1 is showing up earlier than usual.

Strong Q1 likely for capital goods firms with low costs, healthy execution

Strong Q1 likely for capital goods firms with low costs, healthy execution

Rediff.com   28 Jul 2023

Capital goods companies are likely to report double-digit growth in sales and profit for the first quarter of the 2023-24 financial year (Q1FY24), according to analysts. The performance will ride on lower raw-material costs and healthy execution of orders. Sales by capital goods companies are likely to increase 13-20 per cent year-on-year (YoY), five domestic brokerage firms said.

Adani's Dharavi dream: Producing millionaires minus slumdog prefix

Adani's Dharavi dream: Producing millionaires minus slumdog prefix

Rediff.com   20 Jul 2023

Billionaire Gautam Adani on Wednesday shared a personal note on the development of Dharavi in Mumbai, days after the Maharashtra government issued a resolution to award the Dharavi redevelopment project to his conglomerate on July 14. In the note shared with the media, Adani said his first tryst with Dharavi in Mumbai was in the late 1970s, and the slum settlement continues to amaze and inspire the billionaire to date. "When this opportunity to renew Dharavi came calling, I seized it with both hands," he said.

NSE makes fresh attempt to settle TAP regulatory investigation

NSE makes fresh attempt to settle TAP regulatory investigation

Rediff.com   20 Jul 2023

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has made a fresh attempt at settling a regulatory investigation into the misuse of Trading Access Point (TAP) software at the bourse. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) rejected a similar application in 2022. "NSE and its employees have filed a consolidated settlement application dated May 4, 2023, with Sebi.

Why Government Jobs Are In Short Supply

Why Government Jobs Are In Short Supply

Rediff.com   13 Jul 2023

Almost 25 per cent central government posts were vacant as of March 2022, compared to 9.4 per cent in March 2002.

New manufacturing projects decline in June 2023, shows CMIE data

New manufacturing projects decline in June 2023, shows CMIE data

Rediff.com   4 Jul 2023

New investment projects announced in the manufacturing sector declined in the three months ended June 2023. The value of new projects was lower than in the March quarter, as well as the year-ago period, shows data from project tracker the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The new project announcements worth around Rs 85,000 crore in the manufacturing segment in June were a 48 per cent decline from the Rs 1.6 trillion in March and a 66 per cent decline from the Rs 2.5 trillion seen in June 2022.

Uttar Pradesh adds 126,000 new investors in April; Maharashtra loses pull

Uttar Pradesh adds 126,000 new investors in April; Maharashtra loses pull

Rediff.com   15 Jun 2023

The state with the most people has displaced the state with the largest economy in terms of investor additions. Uttar Pradesh (UP) added 126,000 new investors in April, reveals National Stock Exchange (NSE) disclosures. This is higher than Maharashtra's 118,000. Maharashtra, which is home to India's financial capital of Mumbai, has traditionally been the biggest source of investors.

In debate over NPS and EPFO returns, one retirement fund edges ahead

In debate over NPS and EPFO returns, one retirement fund edges ahead

Rediff.com   12 Jun 2023

If you work for 30 years, a two per cent difference in pension returns can reduce your final retirement nest egg by 40 per cent. The Rs 9-trillion National Pension System (NPS) seems to be delivering incrementally higher returns than the twice-as-large Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), shows a Business Standard analysis of data over the last seven years for the two retirement fund bodies. An investor who put in Rs 100 in retirement savings seven years ago would have seen her NPS nest egg grow to Rs 182 by 2023, according to the analysis based on the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority's recently released Handbook of National Pension System Statistics 2023.

LIC's Total Wealth Erosion: Over Rs 2 Trillion

LIC's Total Wealth Erosion: Over Rs 2 Trillion

Rediff.com   29 May 2023

The decline in LIC's share price makes it the biggest wealth destroyer among IPOs which hit the market after COVID-19 took hold globally in 2020.

GST and states, a reality check of how indirect tax system is working

GST and states, a reality check of how indirect tax system is working

Rediff.com   15 May 2023

Taiwan in 1951 came up with an ingenious plan to improve tax compliance: citizens taking receipts for purchases could use them as lottery tickets. Customers were incentivized, and businesses found it hard to evade taxes. The plan's success prompted other countries, Slovakia and Greece among them, to launch similar initiatives. India doesn't seem to find the need yet for such schemes amid surging goods and services tax (GST) collections.