Ishita Ayan Dutt, Sohini Das

Stories by Ishita Ayan Dutt, Sohini Das

India Inc sends mixed signals on H2FY25 capex path

India Inc sends mixed signals on H2FY25 capex path

Rediff.com   16 Nov 2024

After subdued earnings in the first half amid global headwinds, India Inc is taking a cautious approach on their capital expenditure (capex) for the second half of the financial year ending March 2025, according to management commentary. Minutes from the October monetary policy meeting show the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) optimism about private investments picking up.

Sedans Ready To Take On SUVs

Sedans Ready To Take On SUVs

Rediff.com   12 Nov 2024

Sedans and hatchbacks have both lost market share to SUVs, which now account for more than 50% share of the 4 million-odd-unit PV market in the country.

Tata Steel to file curative petition

Tata Steel to file curative petition

Rediff.com   11 Nov 2024

Tata Steel is in the process of filing a curative petition in the Supreme Court in connection with the apex court ruling which said that states have the power to levy cess on mining and mineral-use activities. The petition by the steel manufacturing firm is aimed at seeking remedy to the order, passed by a 9-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on July 25. However, Tata Steel's managing director and chief executive officer T V Narendran told Business Standard that there was no demand note on the firm.

Lower input costs may aid pharma firms' Q2 margins

Lower input costs may aid pharma firms' Q2 margins

Rediff.com   21 Oct 2024

Analysts are expecting pharmaceutical companies to post sales growth of 10-11 per cent in the second quarter this financial year while the Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) margins are anticipated to improve by about 110 basis points. Ebitda improvement will be led by lower input costs because prices of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are 5-15 per cent lower year-on-year (Y-o-Y). Axis Capital said sales growth would be around 10 per cent, of which growth in the India market would be 11 per cent or so.

Maruti, Tatas' Plans To Boost Car Sales

Maruti, Tatas' Plans To Boost Car Sales

Rediff.com   21 Oct 2024

'The customer is fast changing, and she demands newer experiences that wealth can buy.'

Trade on road to recovery but Indian firms tread cautiously

Trade on road to recovery but Indian firms tread cautiously

Rediff.com   12 Oct 2024

Truck movements across the India-Bangladesh border are on the rise, with increasing rentals signalling a trade recovery between the two South Asian nations. Yet, geopolitical tension looms large, with Bangladesh now under an interim government for nearly two months.

Adulterated Drugs On Decline Amid Crackdown

Adulterated Drugs On Decline Amid Crackdown

Rediff.com   10 Oct 2024

Rise in raids on illicit drug manufacturing units, alongside arrests for the production, sale, or distribution of spurious or adulterated drugs.

Pharma companies fight fakes with smart packaging

Pharma companies fight fakes with smart packaging

Rediff.com   10 Oct 2024

Indian pharmaceutical companies are stepping up their efforts to combat the problem of counterfeit drugs, employing a variety of strategies, from packaging innovations to engaging private investigation agencies. The stakes are high, as counterfeit medicines not only harm consumers but also tarnish the reputation of leading brands.

Hyundai Gears Up For Rs 27,856 Crore IPO

Hyundai Gears Up For Rs 27,856 Crore IPO

Rediff.com   10 Oct 2024

India's second-largest passenger vehicles firm will be valued at Rs 1.59 trillion at the top-end of the price band of Rs 1,865-Rs 1,960.

Will Anna's Death Be A Wake-Up Call For India Inc?

Will Anna's Death Be A Wake-Up Call For India Inc?

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2024

'In India, managers and the leadership almost glorify overworking.'

Emami has built itself through acquisition, but...

Emami has built itself through acquisition, but...

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2024

Two young men jostle in a rickshaw as it clatters along a narrow, bustling lane of North Kolkata, each with a leg dangling over the side of the vehicle, a bulging sack of cosmetics nestled between them. The protagonists here are the founders of Emami - Radhe Shyam Agarwal and Radhe Shyam Goenka - childhood friends who gave up cushy corporate jobs to build a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company. From a 200-square-foot rented space on Muktaram Babu Street in North Kolkata, brand Emami stepped into the competitive world of FMCG 50 years back, armed with just three products: Vanishing cream, talcum powder, and cold cream.

TaMo makes upgrade to EV easier through used car marketplace

TaMo makes upgrade to EV easier through used car marketplace

Rediff.com   1 Oct 2024

The company has the largest car park in EVs in India, estimated to be around 170,000 units. As a pilot, it has already started work with used online car marketplace Spinny.

Doctors Strike Opens Fissures In Bengal

Doctors Strike Opens Fissures In Bengal

Rediff.com   24 Sep 2024

'The Bengali middle class, who never fully embraced Mamata Banerjee's policies, are now expressing their deep-seated frustration by spilling out on to the streets.'

India 2nd country after US to make Mercedes 7-seater

India 2nd country after US to make Mercedes 7-seater

Rediff.com   20 Sep 2024

This is not the first EV that Mercedes would be making in India though. It has been making the EQS sedan here for the last 18 months, and has sold 500 units of the car.

With Veero M&M aims to expand LCV portfolio

With Veero M&M aims to expand LCV portfolio

Rediff.com   19 Sep 2024

Priced at Rs 7.99 lakh for the entry-level product, M&M has launched the diesel and CNG variants of Veero, and an electric version will come in the future.

It's Raining Discounts On Cars!

It's Raining Discounts On Cars!

Rediff.com   13 Sep 2024

'We are seeing one of the highest discounts in recent years across companies.' 'October is a crucial month with several festivals coming up.'

UK clears decks for 500 mn grant for Tata Steel's Port Talbot project

UK clears decks for 500 mn grant for Tata Steel's Port Talbot project

Rediff.com   12 Sep 2024

The Labour government in the UK has cleared the decks for a 500 million grant to Tata Steel, paving the way for decarbonisation of the company's British business and a sustainable financial future. In a statement, Tata Steel said that it has signed a 500 million Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) with the UK government, allowing it to "proceed at pace with the project to install a state-of-the-art electric arc furnace (EAF) at the Port Talbot steelworks in Wales". This is part of the 1.25 billion green steel project in Port Talbot, of which Tata Steel's investment is to the tune of 750 million.

Protests Hit Retail Ahead of Durga Puja

Protests Hit Retail Ahead of Durga Puja

Rediff.com   7 Sep 2024

West Bengal is home to 43,000 Durga Pujas, and the business around it is a major economic driver.

Maruti to drive deep into small towns via Arena Satellite showrooms

Maruti to drive deep into small towns via Arena Satellite showrooms

Rediff.com   3 Sep 2024

Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) plans to open new Arena Satellite showrooms as the country's largest carmaker aims to tap small towns and new markets, said a senior company executive, amid signs of recovery in rural demand and an approaching festival season. Senior executive officer for marketing and sales MSIL, Partho Banerjee, told Business Standard the company was aiming to penetrate deeper into markets and reach closer to its customers. "We have already had a concept of mobile showrooms in the Arena channel.

COVID-19 Kills 1,700 People Globally A Week

COVID-19 Kills 1,700 People Globally A Week

Rediff.com   28 Aug 2024

WHO has urged people at risk to keep up with their vaccinations with boosters.