Arnab Dutta &Amp;Amp; Surajeet Das Gupta

Stories by Arnab Dutta &Amp;Amp; Surajeet Das Gupta

Can Ola disrupt India's e-scooter market?

Can Ola disrupt India's e-scooter market?

Rediff.com   28 Mar 2021

As a tech services company, Ola has never been in hardcore manufacturing. And unlike in ride hailing, which is a two-player market (Uber is the only other competitor), in two-wheelers it faces many entrenched players. But most of all, rivals say Ola's targets are out of sync with most, even ambitious, projections.

IPL 2021: Star Sports hopes to earn Rs 32 billion

IPL 2021: Star Sports hopes to earn Rs 32 billion

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2021

Disney-Star generated advertising revenue of over Rs 27 billion for IPL 2020.

Amul to start making buffalo mozzarella cheese

Amul to start making buffalo mozzarella cheese

Rediff.com   18 Mar 2021

Italy may be the home of premium buffalo mozzarella cheese, but India could soon give the country a run for its money in this regard. India's largest dairy cooperative, Amul, has submitted a plan to the government, aiming to turn the country into a global hub for the export of mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk, which is sold at a hefty premium around the world. Mozzarella cheese is one of the products identified by the government for support under its Rs 10,900 crore production-linked incentive scheme (PLI), to give a massive push to food processing exports as well as to build Indian food brands.

Private philanthropy outstripped corporate largesse by 42% in FY20

Private philanthropy outstripped corporate largesse by 42% in FY20

Rediff.com   17 Mar 2021

Individuals flew the flag for philanthropy in FY20, escalating their contribution significantly in comparison with company and foreign fund donations, according to the Dasra/Bain & Co India Philanthropy Report of 2021. Funding by individual philanthropists went up by 42 per cent from Rs 21,000 crore in FY19 to Rs 30,000 crore in FY20.

Real estate, travel and tourism blues hit India's consumption story

Real estate, travel and tourism blues hit India's consumption story

Rediff.com   15 Mar 2021

India's Rs 4.5-trillion fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector was one of the first to bounce back from the lockdown induced blues, reporting a year-on-year (YoY) growth in the October-December quarter last year. That said, the overall consumption figures continue to remain depressed. The FMCG market, which includes daily consumables like branded atta, hand sanitizers, edible oils, shampoos, razors, and so on, recorded 7.3 per cent value growth during the period, while the smartphone market grew by 21 per cent.

Atmanirbhar and PLI: Why Modi's ambitious manufacturing targets are unachievable

Atmanirbhar and PLI: Why Modi's ambitious manufacturing targets are unachievable

Rediff.com   12 Mar 2021

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met over 40 CEOs across broad swathes of industry, ranging from makers of mobile devices, auto components, food products to telecom networking equipment and pharmaceuticals. The agenda: To discuss how to make India an integral part of the global supply chain. The focus of the discussion would be the much touted yet not so well understood production-linked incentive scheme (PLI), the centrepiece of the government's drive to massively boost the manufacturing sector. To do so, the government has created a war chest of over Rs 197,000 crore to be paid out as incentives to over 14 industries in five years. There are three objectives to the scheme, two explicitly stated, one implied.

Xiaomi expands smartphone, TV capacity in India with 3 new plants

Xiaomi expands smartphone, TV capacity in India with 3 new plants

Rediff.com   26 Feb 2021

Apart from bringing new suppliers on board, Xiaomi is also hoping to take advantage of the newly launched PLI scheme that offers incentives on incremental production of smartphones with 2020 as the base year.

Over 10 Indian start-ups may mop up at least $10 billion in IPO rush

Over 10 Indian start-ups may mop up at least $10 billion in IPO rush

Rediff.com   22 Feb 2021

Over 10 Indian start-ups with total valuations of $84 billion (some are planning fresh fund-raising) are bracing to launch initial public offerings (IPOs) in the next 36 months. While the size of their IPOs is under discussion, estimates are that they would together raise a minimum of over $8-10 billion during the initial listing.

Has India lost out in the global 5G race?

Has India lost out in the global 5G race?

Rediff.com   17 Feb 2021

Several factors have held India back. One is DoT policy somersaults and lack of clarity on whether to or not to ban Chinese gear makers.

Airtel and Jio go head to head in battle for 5G

Airtel and Jio go head to head in battle for 5G

Rediff.com   13 Feb 2021

The Big Two telecom companies have accelerated their moves towards this next-gen technology, though they have chosen very different routes to getting there.

Lava plans to turn up the heat on Chinese brands

Lava plans to turn up the heat on Chinese brands

Rediff.com   8 Feb 2021

Expansion of distribution network, venturing into new markets, supplementing production capacity, and ramping up workforce are all on the cards. Instead of trying to fight with brands having massive war chests, it will pass on the benefits to consumers by offering them phones at lower prices.

5G: Smartphone makers poised for a sharp rebound this year

5G: Smartphone makers poised for a sharp rebound this year

Rediff.com   18 Jan 2021

Even if 5G is not launched by operators this year, the handsets market will certainly witness a strong supply ecosystem for 5G ready smartphones in 2021.

How Sunil Vachani plans to take Dixon Tech global

How Sunil Vachani plans to take Dixon Tech global

Rediff.com   14 Jan 2021

Today, Vachani's public-listed company, Dixon Technologies, has gone beyond manufacturing just television sets. Armed with private equity funding from Motilal Oswal eight years ago, it has transformed itself into a Rs 4,400 crore electronic manufacturing services major, which now straddles lighting products, home appliances, feature phones, LED bulbs, amongst others. A two-part series looks at how two home-grown manufacturers are leveraging the govt's production-linked incentive scheme.

PM urged to drop 'harsh' norms on sale, promotion of tobacco products

PM urged to drop 'harsh' norms on sale, promotion of tobacco products

Rediff.com   8 Jan 2021

New proposals like booking of retailers selling loose cigarettes and 7 years of imprisonment, are unacceptable, traders argued.

Durable makers end 2020 at record low, sales down 30% amid Covid-19

Durable makers end 2020 at record low, sales down 30% amid Covid-19

Rediff.com   31 Dec 2020

The Rs 1.5-trillion-a-year industry has ended the year with a 30 per cent fall in sales because after a steady recovery in the festive season, multiple factors dashed its hopes of revival at the end of the year.

Is Reliance Jio's 5G plan realistic?

Is Reliance Jio's 5G plan realistic?

Rediff.com   23 Dec 2020

Surajeet Das Gupta explains why Mukesh Ambani's target is by no means impossible.

New rules will make Ola, Uber's life tougher

New rules will make Ola, Uber's life tougher

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2020

Just a few weeks ago, the Centre has come out with the long-awaited Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, which have drawn a dismayed response from the companies concerned.

Wistron: 'We made mistakes as we expanded'

Wistron: 'We made mistakes as we expanded'

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2020

iPhone SE 2020 is one of the popular phones like Apple 11, which is the biggest seller in the domestic market.

Sunil Mittal's $2 bn gamble on space

Sunil Mittal's $2 bn gamble on space

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2020

Bharti Global is planning to put up more satellites and has set a stiff deadline to launch commercial Internet services by October in the UK, Alaska, northern Russia and northern Europe.

Sovereign fund flow: India replaces China as most sought-after destination

Sovereign fund flow: India replaces China as most sought-after destination

Rediff.com   17 Dec 2020

In the year 2020 to date, these funds deployed capital worth a record $14.8 billion in India, which is nearly three times more than what they have put in China - $4.5 billion.