Archis Mohan, Abhijit Lele

Stories by Archis Mohan, Abhijit Lele

BSP Beyond Behenji

BSP Beyond Behenji

Rediff.com   15 Jan 2024

'It is an existential crisis. We cannot recover lost ground through social media. We need to forge alliances and reshape our ideological contours.'

Why UAE's 'Hello Modi' Will Be Unusual

Why UAE's 'Hello Modi' Will Be Unusual

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2024

The effort is to make the PM's interaction with the diaspora at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Sports city stadium on February 13 the largest he has addressed.

RBI gives clarity to 'politically exposed persons' term to meet FATF norms

RBI gives clarity to 'politically exposed persons' term to meet FATF norms

Rediff.com   8 Jan 2024

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has updated Know Your Customer (KYC) norms for politically exposed persons (PEPs) who transact with regulated entities (REs), seeking to comply with the recommendations of intergovernmental organisation Financial Action Task Force (FATF). PEPs are individuals entrusted with prominent public functions by a foreign country, including the heads of states/governments, senior politicians, senior government or judicial or military officers, senior executives of state-owned corporations and important political party officials, said the RBI. This change is expected to provide more clarity to undertake Customer Due Diligence (CDD), said the RBI in a communication to REs.

Congress Backs Nitish As INDIA Convenor

Congress Backs Nitish As INDIA Convenor

Rediff.com   5 Jan 2024

Sources within the INDIA bloc said appointing Nitish Kumar as convenor would lend credibility to the INDIA bloc's demand for conducting a nationwide caste census.

BJP May Replace Half Its Lok Sabha MPs

BJP May Replace Half Its Lok Sabha MPs

Rediff.com   4 Jan 2024

Amit Shah wants to increase the party's nationwide vote share by at least 10 per cent from the 37.7 per cent it secured five years ago and ensure above 50 per cent vote share in the states where it came close to that benchmark, but couldn't cross it.

15,940 Indians Tried To Enter US Illegally In Oct-Nov

15,940 Indians Tried To Enter US Illegally In Oct-Nov

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2024

'Our missions do not have any reliable data on the number of Indians staying or working illegally in foreign countries,' the MEA says.

Is Rahul Looking Beyond May 2024?

Is Rahul Looking Beyond May 2024?

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2023

Rahul Gandhi's focus will be on his Nyay Yatra, rather than the INDIA bloc's election campaign, leading to speculation among allies that the Congress leader is already looking at the Opposition's fight beyond May 2024.

Hindutva outfit demands stringent OTT laws 'as in UAE'

Hindutva outfit demands stringent OTT laws 'as in UAE'

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2023

The outfit suggested that the government amend the Information Technology Act to classify all such content as pornography, which people should only be able to access by punching in their Aadhaar details or their fingerprints. Archis Mohan reports

How Women Change The Political Game

How Women Change The Political Game

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2023

More than ever before, women voters can make or mar a political party's electoral fortunes.

Cong Crowdfunding Sees 20,400 Bot Attacks, 1,340 Data Theft Attempts

Cong Crowdfunding Sees 20,400 Bot Attacks, 1,340 Data Theft Attempts

Rediff.com   21 Dec 2023

'Most of the bot attacks have originated from outside India.' 'Our firewalls are resilient and withstood the attacks.'

Can Jeetega Bharat Campaign Win 2024?

Can Jeetega Bharat Campaign Win 2024?

Rediff.com   4 Dec 2023

Jeetega Bharat has selected 125 Lok Sabha seats across the country where it will assist the Opposition alliance.

Mallikarjun Kharge's Real Test: 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

Mallikarjun Kharge's Real Test: 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

Rediff.com   3 Dec 2023

The Congress president during his year at the helm of the party has repaired the citadel for far more challenging years ahead, and played a crucial role in shaping the Opposition alliance.

Will Assembly Polls Give BJP Simple Majority In Rajya Sabha?

Will Assembly Polls Give BJP Simple Majority In Rajya Sabha?

Rediff.com   2 Dec 2023

The BJP holds 28 of the 59 Rajya Sabha seats that will soon face election.

The Secrecy Surrounding Electoral Bonds

The Secrecy Surrounding Electoral Bonds

Rediff.com   30 Oct 2023

The BJP and Congress are the top two beneficiaries of the electoral bonds, followed by the Trinamool Congress.

EC Crackdown Hits Pay Dirt In Poll States

EC Crackdown Hits Pay Dirt In Poll States

Rediff.com   26 Oct 2023

Seizures in poll-bound states see sharp rise since implementation of Model Code of Conduct.

Why V K Pandian Is So Valuable To Naveen Patnaik

Why V K Pandian Is So Valuable To Naveen Patnaik

Rediff.com   25 Oct 2023

Naveen Patnaik is known as an "absentee landlord" who needs bureaucrats like Pandian to run his government.

Former Barclays banker Ashok Vaswani to head Kotak Mahindra Bank

Former Barclays banker Ashok Vaswani to head Kotak Mahindra Bank

Rediff.com   23 Oct 2023

Ashok Vaswani, a banker with more than three-and-half decades experience in building and scaling up businesses across consumer and corporate banking and payments, will be the next managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Kotak Mahindra Bank. Last week, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had given its approval to Vaswani's appointment. Vaswani is currently President of Pagaya Technologies, a US-Israeli artificial intelligence (AI) fintech firm, which he joined in June 2022.

Net FDI in India down to $3 billion in April-August

Net FDI in India down to $3 billion in April-August

Rediff.com   23 Oct 2023

Net foreign direct investment (FDI) in India, inflows minus outflows, declined sharply in April-August this year to $2.99 billion from $18.03 billion in the same period last year on moderation in global activities and a rise in repatriation. The Reserve Bank of India's data (October 2023 bulletin) said FDI in India was $7.28 billion and FDI by India, that is money invested abroad from the country, was $4.28 billion in April-August 2023. As for 2022, FDI in India was $22.79 billion and FDI by India was $4.76 billion in April-August.

Rs 2,000 crore loans to Go First are now NPA: Central Bank of India

Rs 2,000 crore loans to Go First are now NPA: Central Bank of India

Rediff.com   23 Oct 2023

Central Bank of India classified its loans to Go First as non-performing assets (NPAs) in the July-September quarter (second quarter, or Q2) of 2023-24 (FY24). The no-frills carrier has been under insolvency proceedings since May 2023 and ceased operating flights on May 3 this year. The public sector lender's exposure, including government-guaranteed emergency credit to the ailing airline, amounts to about Rs 2,000 crore.

Lenders unlikely to clear Anil Agarwal's Vedanta spinoff in hurry

Lenders unlikely to clear Anil Agarwal's Vedanta spinoff in hurry

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

Indian lenders are unlikely to clear the vertical split of BSE-listed Vedanta Ltd in a hurry, considering that the demerger would reduce the fungibility of cash flows across businesses and increase their volatility, according to analysts. The demerger plan, which would result in six separate listed entities, would require approval from shareholders, lenders and other statutory bodies. "We believe that a separate listing of different businesses would reduce the fungibility of cash flows across businesses and increase the volatility of cash flows.