Aneesh Phadnis &Amp;Amp; Shally Seth Mohile

Stories by Aneesh Phadnis &Amp;Amp; Shally Seth Mohile

Auto industry braces for impact of bumper-to-bumper insurance on pricing

Auto industry braces for impact of bumper-to-bumper insurance on pricing

Rediff.com   8 Sep 2021

If the court order is implemented, it will lead to an increase in the insurance outgo for car owners by a minimum Rs 50,000 for car and a minimum of Rs 7,000 for two-wheeler owners.

Chip shortage may spoil the party for carmakers this festive season

Chip shortage may spoil the party for carmakers this festive season

Rediff.com   6 Sep 2021

For automakers, the festive season is about raking it in through ramped up sales and attractive consumer offers. However, despite the robust demand, what may spoil the party this year is a global shortage of semiconductors.

'Jet Airways' revival plan is discriminatory'

'Jet Airways' revival plan is discriminatory'

Rediff.com   3 Sep 2021

Challenging the "illegal" reduction in its claim by the erstwhile resolution professional (RP) in the Jet Airways revival plan, the Punjab National Bank (PNB) has moved the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) citing discrimination. The NCLAT on Thursday issued notices to RP Ashish Chhawchharia and the committee of creditors on PNB's plea to set aside the insolvency court's approval of the airline's revival plan. It has posted the matter for further hearing on September 21.

Mahindra warns of 20-25% production loss due to chip shortage

Mahindra warns of 20-25% production loss due to chip shortage

Rediff.com   3 Sep 2021

For Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), which has just started executing a comeback strategy for wresting back ground it lost to rivals, this could not have come at a worse time. The maker of the Bolero Neo and the Thar models on Thursday said it would have to halt production at its automotive plant for a week due to the worsening supply situation of semiconductors.

Does the govt really intend to revive the auto sector?

Does the govt really intend to revive the auto sector?

Rediff.com   26 Aug 2021

In a rare face off, captains of the auto industry have hit out at the government for not walking the talk. At an industry event in the capital on Wednesday, R C Bhargava, chairman of India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki, and Venu Srinivasan, chairman of TVS Motor, questioned the government's intent to support the auto sector. Revenue secretary Tarun Bajaj sat in the audience listening, before his turn came to counter them.

Why Air India is leaving passenger luggage behind at Delhi airport

Why Air India is leaving passenger luggage behind at Delhi airport

Rediff.com   23 Aug 2021

Air India is leaving behind some 50 bags at the Delhi airport as it flies to the US, reducing what it carries after the closure of Afghanistan's airspace increased flight time by at least 30 minutes. Air India flies the Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft to New York, Newark, Chicago, Washington and San Francisco.

Indian students hung out to dry

Indian students hung out to dry

Rediff.com   21 Aug 2021

With Canada, Australia extending restrictions, admission seekers are deferring their studies or looking elsewhere.

More bad news: Vodafone Idea may get notice for licence fee delay

More bad news: Vodafone Idea may get notice for licence fee delay

Rediff.com   20 Aug 2021

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is in the process of issuing a show-cause notice to Vodafone Idea (Vi) for delaying the payment of licence fee. Companies pay 8 per cent of their adjusted gross revenue as licence fee. This also includes a universal service obligation levy. The fee is collected from each of the 22 telecom circles in the country on a quarterly basis.

High commodity prices hit India Inc's profits, margins

High commodity prices hit India Inc's profits, margins

Rediff.com   17 Aug 2021

After the hit of the pandemic, India Inc is now worried about the adverse impact of inflation and higher commodity prices on their revenues and margins. The inflation scare is the strongest among manufacturers of consumer goods such as automobiles, consumer durables, and fast-moving capital goods (FMCG). Companies across sectors fear they will not be able to pass on the hike in input costs to their consumers due to weak demand, which, in turn, would lead to a hit on margins and profitability in the forthcoming quarters.

Ola S1 scooters launched, prices start at Rs 99,999

Ola S1 scooters launched, prices start at Rs 99,999

Rediff.com   16 Aug 2021

SoftBank-backed Ola Electric took the wraps off its maiden e-scooter offerings -- Ola S1 and S1 Pro -- for a commercial launch on Sunday. With prices starting from Rs 99,999 (excluding state government incentives, registration fee, and insurance cost), the Bhavesh Aggarwal-founded firm said the e-scooters are designed and engineered in India for the world and will deliver the best scooter experience to the consumer. He suggested that after 2025, sale of petrol-powered two-wheelers should not be allowed.

Vi lost 12.4 mn subscribers in Q1, most since March '20

Vi lost 12.4 mn subscribers in Q1, most since March '20

Rediff.com   16 Aug 2021

Vodafone Idea (Vi) lost 12.4 million subscribers in the first quarter of FY22, the most since the fourth quarter of FY20, as the second wave of Covid hurt its operational and financial performance. Vi had managed to trim subscriber losses in the third and fourth quarters of FY21. However, it lost 12.4 million subscribers and its customer base shrunk to 255.4 million in the first quarter of FY22. Sequential fall in 4G users was modest, indicating that most of the loss was in the low-margin 2G segment.

Minimum one-way Delhi-London airfare zooms over Rs 1 lakh

Minimum one-way Delhi-London airfare zooms over Rs 1 lakh

Rediff.com   9 Aug 2021

Minimum one-way air fares between Delhi and London are priced upwards of Rs one lakh in August due to limited number of seats, data collected by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows. The United Kingdom has included India in the amber list and the change came into effect from Sunday. With this, passengers from India needn't undergo institutional quarantine and can self-isolate at home for 10 days.

Ola likely to price its e-scooter in the range of Rs 85,000-1.1 lakh

Ola likely to price its e-scooter in the range of Rs 85,000-1.1 lakh

Rediff.com   28 Jul 2021

The entry of SoftBank-backed Ola into the electric scooter (e-scooter) segment is set to power up the overall market and perhaps fast-track the adoption of battery-operated vehicles. But for manufacturers of internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered two-wheelers, such as Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, and TVS Motor, it will be a double whammy. Not only will they have to contend with the aggressive pricing of Ola's scooter and incur a loss at each unit of the e-scooter sold, the volumes of their regular (ICE) models, too, could feel the squeeze, observed analysts. Ola is expected to price its e-scooter in the range of Rs 85,000-1.1 lakh.

How India can 'keep' Vodafone Idea

How India can 'keep' Vodafone Idea

Rediff.com   27 Jul 2021

The government should convert Vodafone Idea's (Vi) debt into equity to avoid a duopoly in the telecom sector, Deutsche Bank Research said in its report on Monday. This, the bank suggested, would be the only viable solution in the backdrop of the Supreme Court dismissing the telecom company's application for recomputation of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.

Tata Sons sets the ball rolling for buying Air India

Tata Sons sets the ball rolling for buying Air India

Rediff.com   21 Jul 2021

Tata Sons has started the process of due diligence of state-owned Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express. Sources said the group has appointed Bain and Company and Seabury Group for this purpose. Once complete, a financial bid will be submitted and a deal to take over the airline is likely to fructify by end of this year or even earlier, people involved in the process said. Simultaneously, the group has brought in veterans in the aviation business from Delta and United Airlines to prepare a plan for post-merger integration of Air India with its existing airline ventures. Tata Sons operates Vistara - a 51:49 percent joint venture with Singapore Airlines and Air Asia India, in which Tatas hold 83.67 per cent stakes.

20-25% of Hotels may Close Down Forever

20-25% of Hotels may Close Down Forever

Rediff.com   16 Jul 2021

'On an average we have been getting four to five such proposals a month, but we aren't pursuing them as they don't tick the boxes.'

Over 200 Indians stuck in Serbia due to surprise quarantine rule

Over 200 Indians stuck in Serbia due to surprise quarantine rule

Rediff.com   13 Jul 2021

Serbia has become one of the transit points for Indians heading to Canada and the US. Canada requires passengers from India to take an RT-PCR test from a third country, while the US wants them to spend 14 days outside of India. As a result, many students are taking the Serbia route to Canada, and the US.

Will Jet Airways manage to get enough airport slots?

Will Jet Airways manage to get enough airport slots?

Rediff.com   8 Jul 2021

As and when Jet Airways applies for slots, these would be allocated among all airlines according to guidelines, without any claim of historicity in favour of any airline. Slots would be given to Jet only from the available remaining pool.

Chip shortage throws a spanner in JLR's plans

Chip shortage throws a spanner in JLR's plans

Rediff.com   7 Jul 2021

Tata Motors has halved the volume outlook for its UK subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover Automotive (JLR) and warned of lower earnings as it sees the semiconductor shortage deepening in the September quarter of the current financial year, according to a notification issued by the company to the stock exchanges on Tuesday. The announcement caught investors unawares. They were hoping for a quicker recovery. Tata Motors' stock tanked 13 per cent (on July 6) from the day's high of Rs 358.10 and hit the lower circuit (Rs 311.45) in intra-day trades.

95% Jet staff must consent to Kalrock-Jalan proposal or lose benefits

95% Jet staff must consent to Kalrock-Jalan proposal or lose benefits

Rediff.com   6 Jul 2021

At least 95 per cent of Jet Airways employees will have to give their consent to the Kalrock-Jalan consortium's proposal or lose benefits offered to them under the revival plan. Voting on the consortium's offer for employees and workmen began on Monday and will go on till August 4. The National Company Law Tribunal cleared the consortium proposal to revive the airline on June 22. While Jet Airways had admitted claims of around Rs 15,000 crore, the consortium has offered to settle claims of Rs 475 crore of financial and non financial creditors.