Arup Roychoudhury, Shine Jacob &Amp;Amp; Subhayan Chakraborty

Stories by Arup Roychoudhury, Shine Jacob &Amp;Amp; Subhayan Chakraborty

Russia's Gazprom turns off tap, Gail's hunt for LNG may continue for a year

Russia's Gazprom turns off tap, Gail's hunt for LNG may continue for a year

Rediff.com   30 Dec 2022

So far, GMTS has defaulted on the supply of more than 20 cargoes or shiploads, 13 of which were set to be received in the second quarter (July-September), officials said.

Toy makers face a 'glocal' challenge

Toy makers face a 'glocal' challenge

Rediff.com   30 Dec 2022

The Chinese dependence is far from over, industry players are also citing a shortage of electronic toys in the country.

India to face export shocks from global recession

India to face export shocks from global recession

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2022

India has been relatively insulated from the severe headwinds in the West. However, with a third of the global economy expected to slip into recession in calendar year 2023, the impact will strongly be felt on India's exports and trade economy, leading economists said in a panel discussion at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit in Mumbai on Wednesday. The panel comprised former Reserve Bank of India executive director and former Monetary Policy Committee member Mridul Saggar, State Bank of India Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Citibank India Chief Economist Samiran Chakraborty, ICRA Chief Economist Aditi Nayar, and IndusInd Bank Chief Economist Gaurav Kapoor. The topic of the panel discussion was No recession in sight: Is India decoupled from developed economies?

Grim global situation casts shadow on Budget 2023

Grim global situation casts shadow on Budget 2023

Rediff.com   21 Dec 2022

Ahead of the Union Budget for 2023-24, Budget makers have welcomed the global consensus view that India will remain one of the bright spots in calendar year 2023. But there is some alarm over the grim global situation and how that might impact the Centre's projections and assessments for next financial year. The big global headwinds include a deep and sustained recession in the West, including India's biggest trading partners in North America and Europe, continuing volatility in commodity markets, and renewed Covid-19 fears, as lifting of strict curbs by China could potentially lead to a massive spread again.

Mobile user base dips for 2nd straight month, shrinks by 1.82 million

Mobile user base dips for 2nd straight month, shrinks by 1.82 million

Rediff.com   20 Dec 2022

The fall represented the second straight month of decline in subscribers. Users in the segment had reduced by 3.66 million in September, shrinking for the first time in seven months.

India may become a supply hub for Apple iPhone

India may become a supply hub for Apple iPhone

Rediff.com   20 Dec 2022

If reports that Apple Inc plans to triple its iPhone production in India come true, it is likely to help the country become a supply hub for the American company. There are some 190 Apple suppliers globally, but only 12 have manufacturing facilities in India now. Apple's strategy is to focus on India and a clutch of other countries as it diversifies its supply chain out of China.

Only Adani Permitted To Set Up Private 5G Network

Only Adani Permitted To Set Up Private 5G Network

Rediff.com   15 Dec 2022

Adani Data Networks said it plans to create a private 5G network for its operations. However, it acquired the spectrum in the last 5G auction alongside three telecom companies. Subsequently, it was granted a unified licence for access services, which enables it to provide telecom services in the country.

Vi's fundraising put on hold as govt delays equity call

Vi's fundraising put on hold as govt delays equity call

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2022

Vodafone Idea's (Vi's) search for a lifeline has turned longer and tougher even as it continues to lose customers and delay vendor payments. Vi's much-needed Rs 1,600-crore fundraising plan got stuck due to the government's silence on picking up a proposed 33 per cent equity in the financially stressed telco. The development spells further trouble for the company, which has an overall debt pile of Rs 2.2 trillion, including hefty dues to the government.

India's deep discounts on Russian crude will stay

India's deep discounts on Russian crude will stay

Rediff.com   6 Dec 2022

Even as the Group of Seven (G7) price cap on Russian crude oil enters into force as of December 5, India has been assured it will continue to receive the existing deep discounts on Russian oil, for the time being, informed officials. "We have been assured by our Russian partners of uninterrupted crude supplies at the existing rates for the time being. "There were a lot of reports of changes in (India's) buying patterns after the global price cap took hold.

Funding for space start-ups zooms

Funding for space start-ups zooms

Rediff.com   30 Nov 2022

The race for space has got real, and it is attracting funding like never before. In 2022 so far, funding to private players in the space sector has jumped a whopping 61.5 per cent - soaring to $108.52 million compared to $67.2 million in 2021. Propelling it is the government's decision to open up the space sector to private players and the work done by companies like Skyroot Aerospace, the Hyderabad-based start-up behind the launch of India's first privately developed rocket on November 18.

Budget 2023-24: Stay on fiscal glide path, economists advise FM Sitharaman

Budget 2023-24: Stay on fiscal glide path, economists advise FM Sitharaman

Rediff.com   29 Nov 2022

The Union government could target a fiscal deficit of 5.8-6 per cent of nominal GDP for 2023-24, and it should continue its capital expenditure push and look to simplify the personal income tax regime, economists recommended Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her team during their pre-Budget interaction on Monday. Starting last week, Sitharaman had eight pre-Budget consultations this time. More than 110 invitees representing seven stakeholder groups participated in these meetings, the finance ministry said in a statement. The stakeholder groups included representatives and experts from agriculture and agro-processing industry; industry, infrastructure & climate change; financial sector and capital markets; services and trade; social sector; trade unions and labour organisations; and economists.

Retail inflation likely to ease in coming months: Finance ministry

Retail inflation likely to ease in coming months: Finance ministry

Rediff.com   25 Nov 2022

India's consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation could ease in the coming months thanks to the arrival of kharif crops, lower international commodity prices, and a pass through of lower input costs to consumers, the finance ministry said in its Monthly Economic Review (MER) for October, which was released on Thursday. The MER, however, warned that the global macroeconomic situation remained precarious and a recession in many advanced economies would impact India's exports. "Easing international commodity prices and new Kharif arrival are set to dampen inflationary pressures in the coming months.

1st in 7 months: Number of mobile subscribers falls

1st in 7 months: Number of mobile subscribers falls

Rediff.com   23 Nov 2022

The number of mobile phone subscribers in India decreased by 3.66 million in September to 1.17 billion, representing the first fall in seven months, according to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The number of subscribers had last fallen by 3.7 million back in February. In recent months, it rose by 1.08 million in August, 0.64 million in July, and 1.89 million in June.

Vikram-S private rocket launch could be India's SpaceX moment

Vikram-S private rocket launch could be India's SpaceX moment

Rediff.com   17 Nov 2022

'The current launch is a sounding rocket, this cannot be called a milestone. The importance is this is for the first time a private player is doing it.'

Pre-Budget Consultations To Begin Soon

Pre-Budget Consultations To Begin Soon

Rediff.com   16 Nov 2022

Seven of the meetings will be held in late November or early December at the finance ministry, as is the norm.

Sitharaman lists climate finance, crypto regulation as key G20 agenda

Sitharaman lists climate finance, crypto regulation as key G20 agenda

Rediff.com   2 Nov 2022

Climate and sustainable development financing, multilateral institution reforms, regulation of digital assets, the spillover effect on developing economies from actions of western central banks, energy and food security in the backdrop of war in Europe, and sanctions on Russia and their impact on the global economy are some of the agenda items that India will take up as President of G-20, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. India will take over as President of the powerful international grouping on December 1 for a year. There will be around 200 meetings throughout the country, with the summit Heads of State meeting expected to be held in New Delhi next September.

Run-up to Budget: Economic Survey may peg FY24 GDP growth at 6-7%

Run-up to Budget: Economic Survey may peg FY24 GDP growth at 6-7%

Rediff.com   31 Oct 2022

The Economic Survey 2022-23 (FY23), to be presented a day before Union Budget 2023-24 (FY24), is likely to project India's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth between 6 per cent and 7 per cent for FY24, Business Standard has learnt. The broader theme of the Survey could be on how India has dealt with two years of a global pandemic and the ongoing geopolitical disturbance, the strengths and weaknesses that emerged, and what lessons may be learnt. The much-awaited Survey will be the first one by Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran and his team in the finance ministry's economic division.

How Mamallapuram Came To Be Top Tourist Site

How Mamallapuram Came To Be Top Tourist Site

Rediff.com   25 Oct 2022

Mamallapuram's Group of Monuments -- a collection of 7th- and 8th-century religious structures -- attracted 46 per cent of the total foreign tourists who visited India compared to 12 per cent by the Taj.

Isro launches 36 OneWeb satellites in first commercial launch for LMV-3

Isro launches 36 OneWeb satellites in first commercial launch for LMV-3

Rediff.com   24 Oct 2022

On Sunday, at 12.07 am in Sriharikota, off the coast of the Bay of Bengal, it was almost like an early Diwali, with the sky lit up by the launch of 36 OneWeb satellites. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) did the launch on a 43.5-metre-tall Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III) rocket. After the countdown, which started 24 hours in advance, once the mega screen marked the launch, a select group of invitees at the gallery cheered by applauding the feat.

Spectrum auction to hurt India's satellite play, says Sunil Mittal

Spectrum auction to hurt India's satellite play, says Sunil Mittal

Rediff.com   24 Oct 2022

Spectrum allocation for satellite services came up as a dominant theme at the launch of 36 communication satellites by OneWeb, a Bharti group venture, here on Sunday. Following the launch, Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal, in a conversation with a group of reporters, reiterated that spectrum auction did not make sense in the case of satellite services. "This (satellite services) is not competing with mobile services where you can justify the auction.