Debarghya Sanyal &Amp; Aryaman Gupta

Stories by Debarghya Sanyal &Amp; Aryaman Gupta

The Ban Baaja Baraat

The Ban Baaja Baraat

Rediff.com   29 May 2023

The Kerala Story is among a long list of films that invited bans and censorship.

Can You Send Email With An Attachment?

Can You Send Email With An Attachment?

Rediff.com   22 May 2023

More than 70 per cent of Indian youth aged between 15 and 29 can't!

Smartphones: Apple Ahead Of Samsung

Smartphones: Apple Ahead Of Samsung

Rediff.com   17 May 2023

Whoever can make acquiring smartphones more affordable will win the sales game.

Why Prompt Engineers Are In Demand

Why Prompt Engineers Are In Demand

Rediff.com   15 May 2023

The job of a prompt engineer does not necessarily require candidates to be trained in "hardcore" computer engineering skills. 'This is one of those rare jobs that opens the sector to the layman.'

Govt close to finalising e-commerce policy: DPIIT secy Rajesh Kumar Singh

Govt close to finalising e-commerce policy: DPIIT secy Rajesh Kumar Singh

Rediff.com   12 May 2023

The government is at a "fairly advanced stage" of finalising a well-coordinated e-commerce policy and consumer protection rules, which will incorporate provisions of Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Thursday. "E-commerce rules and e-commerce policy will be congruent with each other... That exercise is at a fairly advanced stage," Singh told reporters. The remarks come on a day the number of daily transactions on the platform has gone up 500 times since the beginning of this year with the number of retail merchants added to its roster growing 40-fold.

Tiger Global-backed Koo lays off 30% of its workforce in a year

Tiger Global-backed Koo lays off 30% of its workforce in a year

Rediff.com   21 Apr 2023

Tiger Global-backed Koo, an Indian alternative to Twitter, has laid off 30 per cent of its workforce of 260 employees in the last year as the budding firm, like many other start-ups in the country, battles global headwinds. "It's important for businesses of all sizes to adopt efficient and conservative approaches to see this period through. "In line with this, we have acted on some role redundancies by letting go of 30 per cent of our workforce over the course of the year," said a Koo spokesperson.

Blinkit permanently shuts some dark stores amid worker strike

Blinkit permanently shuts some dark stores amid worker strike

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2023

Zomato-owned quick commerce firm Blinkit has permanently shut down some of its dark stores in Gurugram amid ongoing strikes by many of its delivery workers in the region. Blinkit informed its workers of the development through a notification - seen by Business Standard - on their delivery partner app which said that the stores are being closed because the partners have not been working at them for the past 3-4 days.

Vivo to export 1 mn 'Made in India' smartphones, invest Rs 3,500 cr in 2023

Vivo to export 1 mn 'Made in India' smartphones, invest Rs 3,500 cr in 2023

Rediff.com   14 Apr 2023

China's Vivo said on Thursday it will export more than one million 'Made in India' smartphones in 2023 to achieve a target announced last year when it sent out its first indigenous shipment to Thailand and Saudi Arabia. Vivo India, known for its economical phones, has proposed investing Rs 7,500 crore in the country and it is set to spend Rs 3,500 crore of that amount by end of this year. According to the firm's India Impact Report 2022, it will start production at a new 'state of the art' manufacturing facility by early 2024 after regulatory clearance.

Demand for white-collar gig roles rises 11% YoY in March 2023: Foundit.in

Demand for white-collar gig roles rises 11% YoY in March 2023: Foundit.in

Rediff.com   12 Apr 2023

The demand for white-collar gig roles saw an 11 per cent uptick year-on-year in March, amid muted hiring across industries due to global headwinds and job cuts, according to a recent report. The month saw white-collar hiring in India rise 2 per cent in terms of job posting activity compared to the same period the previous year, according to the report by staffing portal foundit.in (formerly Monster APAC and ME). Sectors such as retail, telecom, and Travel and Tourism saw the biggest growth in demand on an annual basis.

Disney Hotstar's Succession Problem

Disney Hotstar's Succession Problem

Rediff.com   12 Apr 2023

If you were one of those waiting for the entire fourth season of Succession to drop so that you could binge-watch it over a weekend, you have missed the train.

Why India's gig workforce is still outside purview of basic benefits

Why India's gig workforce is still outside purview of basic benefits

Rediff.com   7 Apr 2023

If you have seen Zwigato, Param Kumar's story will sound familiar. Laid off from his job as a repairman at a Gurugram-based water purifier provider, he now delivers groceries and food for a mobile-based delivery app, in Delhi. Kumar, who started making deliveries last August, told Business Standard that he is working longer hours than his older salaried job as an RO repairman, and has no paid leaves or health insurance. Kumar is part of India's estimated 7.7 million-strong force of gig workers.

OYO may cut IPO size by 2/3rds

OYO may cut IPO size by 2/3rds

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2023

SoftBank-backed hospitality major OYO is planning to reduce the number of shares it aims to sell through public listing because of reduced capital requirements and technology headwinds. This comes at a time when valuations of start-ups, including that of OYO, have taken a hit. "OYO earlier filed papers for its IPO (initial public offering) based on its funding requirements at the time.

No thaw seen in start-up funding winter despite 231 deals this year

No thaw seen in start-up funding winter despite 231 deals this year

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2023

For a segment that thrives on promise more than performance, the country's start-up ecosystem is refusing to get carried away by the funding this calendar year. This has created the highest level of uninvested venture capital in seven years as investors wait for corrections in the working and - more importantly - valuation of start-ups while looking for cockroaches instead of unicorns. "Investors are now keen to invest in companies that have good top and bottom lines.

Why Mumbaikars Are Wheezing And Coughing

Why Mumbaikars Are Wheezing And Coughing

Rediff.com   29 Mar 2023

La Nina, construction worsen air quality; spike in respiratory ailments.

Few Takers For Sub-Rs 10k Smartphones

Few Takers For Sub-Rs 10k Smartphones

Rediff.com   23 Mar 2023

As many as 37 per cent of smartphones sold in India in 2022 cost Rs 15,000 or more.

SVB crisis: Start-ups seek govt's help to bring money to India

SVB crisis: Start-ups seek govt's help to bring money to India

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2023

Indian start-ups raised issues, such as blockages in international wire transfers, disruptions due to threshold limits on withdrawals, lack of communication from US agencies, and the need for preferential access to credit, in a meeting with the government over the fallout of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, minister of state for electronics and information technology, held a virtual meeting with over 450 members from start-ups, venture capitalists, and investors who have been directly affected by the closure of SVB. He assured them that the IT ministry would put together a list of suggestions and give it to the finance minister on behalf of start-ups.

SVB fallout: Indian start-ups staring at uncertain future

SVB fallout: Indian start-ups staring at uncertain future

Rediff.com   21 Mar 2023

Indian start-ups breathed a sigh of relief after the UK government facilitated the acquisition of the now-defunct Silicon Valley Bank's (SVB's) British arm by HSBC. In a bid to allay fears, the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FIDC) announced recently that it had transferred all deposits of start-up-focused SVB to a newly created bridge bank and all depositors would have access to their money. President Joe Biden also sought to reassure jittery depositors that they can have confidence that the US banking system is "safe".

SVB fallout: Fintech, venture capital companies come to the rescue

SVB fallout: Fintech, venture capital companies come to the rescue

Rediff.com   20 Mar 2023

Fintech and venture capital firms such as Recur Club, Razorpay and Trifecta Capital have come to the aid of homegrown start-ups caught in the crossfire of the Silicon Valley Bank fiasco. Alternative funding platform Recur Club said it was allocating $15 million to all Indian founders affected by the crisis. It will not charge any platform fee for the same.

Foreign Medical Graduates On Tenterhooks

Foreign Medical Graduates On Tenterhooks

Rediff.com   9 Mar 2023

There is confusion around the registration guidelines and the cut-off dates for acquiring the degrees.

OYO asks govt to probe FHRAI's 'illegally-run' executive committee

OYO asks govt to probe FHRAI's 'illegally-run' executive committee

Rediff.com   27 Feb 2023

IPO-bound hospitality major OYO has written to the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) requesting it to intervene and investigate the running of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) and order eviction of erring executive committee members. The hotel aggregator urged the MoT to take necessary action against FHRAI's "illegally run" Executive Committee and its members who are working for self-interest instead of that of small hotel owners. The representation by OYO alleged that FHRAI's actions are detrimental to small hotel owners.