Dhruvaksh Saha, Subhayan Chakraborty

Stories by Dhruvaksh Saha, Subhayan Chakraborty

Despite shrinking discounts, Russian crude flow to India may continue

Despite shrinking discounts, Russian crude flow to India may continue

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2024

Despite discounts on Russian crude oil - which fell to the lowest since the Ukraine war began - and the rising sanctions, import volumes from the country will remain stable for now or at least till July, said refinery officials. "There is an appetite for Russian crude, and shipments are not expected to taper off beyond this point unless something major happens. "Talks are on, and buying will continue," an official at a major refinery said.

Coming Soon! The Bullet Train!

Coming Soon! The Bullet Train!

Rediff.com   5 Mar 2024

With land acquisition completed and infrastructure work streamlined, India's bullet train dreams are slowly, but finally, inching closer to reality.

Modi Or Manmohan? Who Travelled More?

Modi Or Manmohan? Who Travelled More?

Rediff.com   27 Feb 2024

While Narendra Modi spent fewer days abroad than his predecessor -- 275 days versus Dr Singh's 306 - he has travelled more widely than any other Indian PM.

Can Voda Idea play on the front foot in a market fast resembling a duopoly?

Can Voda Idea play on the front foot in a market fast resembling a duopoly?

Rediff.com   26 Feb 2024

In August 2021, Nick Read, chief executive of Vodafone Plc at the time, did not mince his words while speaking about the India business in an earnings call. Replying to an analyst's question on Vodafone Idea, a venture with the Aditya Birla Group that had piled on huge debts and worrisome losses, Read described it as a highly stressed situation that "they (Vodafone Idea) are trying to navigate... "We, as a group, try to provide them as much practical support as we can, but I want to make it very clear, we are not putting any additional equity into India.''

'Should construct 13,000 km of national highways in FY24'

'Should construct 13,000 km of national highways in FY24'

Rediff.com   21 Feb 2024

'The vision now is not just to look at national highways as a number of kilometres, but quality as well.'

Private, state ports' growth outpaces central counterparts till Q3 FY24

Private, state ports' growth outpaces central counterparts till Q3 FY24

Rediff.com   29 Jan 2024

India's private and state government-owned ports (non-major ports) continued to grow faster than those owned by the Centre (major ports) through the first three quarters of 2023-24 (FY24), cargo handling data shows. At 604 million metric tonnes (mmt), cargo at major ports grew by 5 per cent between April and December, while non-major ports' cargo traffic growth was 11 per cent at 531 mmt. During December 2023, central government-owned ports in India handled cargo volumes of 69.9 mmt, a tepid year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth of 0.7 per cent.

Telecom industry wants govt to junk USOF, slash duties

Telecom industry wants govt to junk USOF, slash duties

Rediff.com   27 Jan 2024

Telecom services providers have urged the Ministry of Finance to suspend the universal service obligation (USOF) till the existing corpus is exhausted. In their Budget recommendations, they have also pressed for an exemption from the service tax on "assignment of right to use natural resources" and the slashing of Customs duty on telecom equipment to zero. The Cellular Operators Association of India (Coai), which represents private sector telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, called for abolishment of USOF levy.

What Deals Will Be Signed On Macron's Visit?

What Deals Will Be Signed On Macron's Visit?

Rediff.com   24 Jan 2024

Officials hint the visit could finally see a formal defence industrial road map being adopted by both nations.

'Railways plans to carry 10 billon passengers every year by 2030'

'Railways plans to carry 10 billon passengers every year by 2030'

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2024

'We carry 6.5 billion passengers every year. We have crossed seven billion this year, and are targeting 10 billion by 2030.'

'Public AI infrastructure we create would help startups'

'Public AI infrastructure we create would help startups'

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2024

'Similar to the case of the digital payment system where the government created a public platform and others joined in, we are exploring a similar structure to create a PPP platform where the compute required for AI could be accessed by the small player.'

Why DGCA Wants Airline Altimeter Upgrades

Why DGCA Wants Airline Altimeter Upgrades

Rediff.com   6 Jan 2024

'We have informed the government multiple times that the situation in the US and India are different.' 'Here, there will be a 500 MHz gap in the frequencies which will safely allow aviation without interference.'

Centre Assesses Threats As Sea Piracy Surges

Centre Assesses Threats As Sea Piracy Surges

Rediff.com   29 Dec 2023

'Due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, a faction operating in the Red Sea -- which is a typically safe area - has been firing projectiles arbitrarily.' 'Additionally, there have been two incidents involving Somali pirates, and one vessel has been hijacked.'

The Battle For Satellite Spectrum

The Battle For Satellite Spectrum

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2023

While the market for satellite broadband currently is small, the potential is large as an estimated 30 per cent of the country does not have reliable terrestrial broadband services.

Will attacks on ships in Red Sea affect India?

Will attacks on ships in Red Sea affect India?

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

'Given that the situation is quickly escalating, such attacks will affect the flow of crude in the short term from West Asia' Subhayan Chakraborty and Dhruvaksh Saha report.

Shippers Are Worried About Red Sea Attacks

Shippers Are Worried About Red Sea Attacks

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

'If attacks escalate, there is a risk the Suez Canal may be closed.'

What changes new Telecom Bill will bring

What changes new Telecom Bill will bring

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2023

Officials said the bill has provided a clear legal basis for spectrum allocation, which till now was allocated or auctioned by the government based on the interpretation of various laws and judgements.

India may buy more oil from UAE in the coming months after COP talks

India may buy more oil from UAE in the coming months after COP talks

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2023

India is expected to ramp up its purchase of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the coming months following discussions between the two countries on the sidelines of the ongoing COP28 summit in Dubai, multiple sources in the know said. The UAE has historically been India's third-largest source of crude. It has suffered the largest drop in shipments since Indian refiners began to binge on Russian crude in 2022.

Next spectrum auction likely in February

Next spectrum auction likely in February

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2023

The next spectrum auction will be held in late February 2024 and the reserve price for most bands will remain the same as the 2022 auction, department of telecommunications (DoT) officials have said. The government expects operators to go for low bands beginning in 600 megahertz (MHz), licences for many of which are lapsing soon. Back in September 2021, the government had decided that spectrum auctions should be held annually.

168,491 Lives Lost In Road Mishaps

168,491 Lives Lost In Road Mishaps

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2023

33 per cent of all road accidents and 35 per cent of fatal accidents took place on national highways and expressways.

Semiconductor, deep tech to be in focus at the India Mobile Congress

Semiconductor, deep tech to be in focus at the India Mobile Congress

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2023

The three-day India Mobile Congress (IMC) will showcase the widening convergence of telecom with new domains, such as semiconductors and deep tech, P Ramakrishna, the forum's chief executive officer, said on Tuesday. With more than 250 global and domestic exhibitors, the seventh edition is expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors this year, he said. There will also be over 5,000 CXO-level delegates and more than 350 speakers.