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

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

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.

Jio overtakes BSNL, is India's largest landline service provider

Jio overtakes BSNL, is India's largest landline service provider

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2022

The development marks a watershed moment in India's telecom history since fixed-line or landline connections formed the final segment where a State-owned operator was in the top spot.

LNG Tankers Shortage Affects India's Fuel Supply

LNG Tankers Shortage Affects India's Fuel Supply

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2022

Tightening Russian gas supplies to Europe has led to scramble for tankers before winter sets in.

iPhone 14 production cut may not impact Apple's India plans: Experts

iPhone 14 production cut may not impact Apple's India plans: Experts

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2022

The Apple iPhone comprises 44 per cent of the global smartphone market's revenues and it is the second most-such device to be shipped after Samsung. More than half of smartphones used in the US are iPhones. More than 7 million iPhones are expected to be sold in India in 2022, extending the user base to 20 million, according to market research and analyst firm Techarc. Hence, the news about Apple scaling down its production target for iPhone 14 in India has made news.

Majority of Mercedes-Benz models in India to be EVs by 2030: CEO Schwenk

Majority of Mercedes-Benz models in India to be EVs by 2030: CEO Schwenk

Rediff.com   7 Oct 2022

Driven by a rise in sales during the current year, German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz said on Thursday that the company is expecting a growth in sales of around 8-10 per cent in the next few years. This comes at a time when the company is ready to surpass the previous highest sales of 15,538 vehicles (2018) in 2022. During the first half, the company sold 7,600 units. It already has an order bank of around 7,000 vehicles. In 2021, the company sold 11,242 vehicles.

'Global Slowdown Would Be Positive For India'

'Global Slowdown Would Be Positive For India'

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2022

'If you look at the order books of capital equipment companies or money deployed on the ground, there is forward movement in terms of actual investment by the private sector.'

30% of two-wheelers will be electric by 2030: Study

30% of two-wheelers will be electric by 2030: Study

Rediff.com   4 Oct 2022

India will have 30 per cent of its two-wheeler industry turning electric by 2030 as new manufacturers lead the shift, said a report on Monday. Passenger vehicles will be 15 per cent electric and the three-wheeler segment 75 per cent electric by 2030, said the report by BNP Paribas called 'India Autos-Electric vehicles: Minutes to midnight'. "We see FY22 as the year of inflection for the two-wheeler EV industry, with an accelerated EV adoption helped by incentives, wider availability, model launches, rise in crude prices and improved general awareness. We see 30 per cent of the 2W industry turning electric by 2030; the pace of incentive withdrawal presents an upside/downside risk," the report (India Autos - Electric vehicles: Minutes to midnight) said.

Sharp Spike In Fever Cases

Sharp Spike In Fever Cases

Rediff.com   1 Oct 2022

'This year there is a sharp spike in fever cases, and it seems to be more than the pre-COVID-19 levels.'

Centre in 'mission mode' to fill job vacancies in govt depts and ministries

Centre in 'mission mode' to fill job vacancies in govt depts and ministries

Rediff.com   29 Sep 2022

The Centre is in "mission mode" to fill vacancies in government departments and ministries. The Department of Expenditure is currently following up with other wings of the government to expedite pending appointments. Regular follow-ups are being made to fill the vacant positions, so that the stated target of eliminating 1 million vacancies is met by December 2023, ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections. Even as the nodal ministry for filling vacant positions in the government is the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Department of Expenditure's Establishment Coordination (Personnel) division is providing support for the recruitment drive.

Over 100 mn consumers want to upgrade to 5G in India: Ericcson report

Over 100 mn consumers want to upgrade to 5G in India: Ericcson report

Rediff.com   29 Sep 2022

More than 100 million users with 5G-ready smartphones wish to upgrade to a 5G subscription in 2023 while a majority of them are open to adopting a higher data-tiered plan in the next 12 months, a report by Ericsson Consumer Lab has shown. Titled "Promise of 5G in India", the study carried out in the second quarter this year reflects the views of 300 million urban smartphone users. According to the study, consumer 5G readiness remains one of the highest in the world.

Tatas to invest $90 bn in India in 5 years

Tatas to invest $90 bn in India in 5 years

Rediff.com   23 Sep 2022

The Tata group is planning to invest $90 billion in new industries such as mobile components plant, semiconductor, electric vehicles, batteries, renewables energy and e-commerce by 2027. The Tata group's investment in India is far higher than the $75-billion investments planned by Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries and $55-billion investment planned by the Adani group in the next five years in the country, the Economist reported recently. The investment by the Tata group is a shift in its strategy to focus more in the home markets instead of international markets where the group lost money.

Amazon readies plan for 100% dependence on renewable energy by 2025

Amazon readies plan for 100% dependence on renewable energy by 2025

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2022

As part of its road map to achieve 100 per cent dependence on renewable energy by 2025, Amazon on Wednesday announced its first utility-scale renewable energy projects in India - three solar farms located in Rajasthan. These include a 210-megawatt (Mw) project to be developed by India-based developer ReNew Power, a 100 Mw project to be developed by local developer Amp Energy India, and a 110 Mw project to be developed by Brookfield Renewable Partners. By the end of 2021, the company had reached 85 per cent renewable energy across its business.

Reduce sugar production, focus on ethanol: Gadkari tells sugar mills

Reduce sugar production, focus on ethanol: Gadkari tells sugar mills

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2022

Increasing sugar production shall create problems for the industry, whereas boosting ethanol output can bring rich returns, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari told sugar mills on Wednesday. Speaking at a conference on sugar and ethanol, organised by the Indian Sugar Mills Association, Gadkari surprised the audience comprising senior executives of sugar mills by stating that the future will become bleak for the industry if it continues to churn out high quantities of sugar. "We need more ethanol than sugar. Also, bio-ethanol is the way to go as it can be stored for a longer duration as compared to conventional ethanol. "If you increase sugar production, it will create more problems for you.