Kalpana Pathak And Raghavendra Kamath

Stories by Kalpana Pathak And Raghavendra Kamath

Society of Jesus applies for central univ status

Society of Jesus applies for central univ status

Rediff.com   18 Nov 2008

Consolidating on its 500-year-old legacy of providing quality education, The Society of Jesus (SJ) (popularly known as Jesuits) has applied for a Central University status with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

Banks may not ease lending to real estate

Banks may not ease lending to real estate

Rediff.com   18 Nov 2008

Even though the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reduced the risk weightage on loans to commercial developers and cut general provisioning for commercial real estate, commercial banks may not start lending to the sector immediately.

Crisis time? Companies turn spiritual

Crisis time? Companies turn spiritual

Rediff.com   10 Nov 2008

Many companies and their executives are seeking solace from new-age motivational gurus.

Retail players leverage falling rentals

Retail players leverage falling rentals

Rediff.com   7 Nov 2008

With store rentals dropping as much as 35 per cent in the last one year, retailers say opening stores in certain locations has become profitable. As a result, some retailers plan to roll out their bigger format stores and others are booking retail spaces that will come up in two years at a much lower cost.

Falling Re raises cost of studying in US

Falling Re raises cost of studying in US

Rediff.com   5 Nov 2008

UK, Australia numbers could pick up instead.

Travel industry pins hopes on new formats

Travel industry pins hopes on new formats

Rediff.com   3 Nov 2008

Travelport has decided to make holidaying an over-the-counter experience, where the customer can plan his travel. It will launch about 150-200 travel solution shops by tying up with malls, multiplexes and retail chains. Online travel company Cleartrip.com tied up with the Indian Railway and Catering and Tourism Corporation in September. SOTC plans to hold a six-day long Great Holiday Bazaar across all its outlets from November 3-8, with discounts between 4 and 20 per cent.

BPCL may sell 'purest' water

BPCL may sell 'purest' water

Rediff.com   29 Oct 2008

A refiner embarking on an alternative fuel strategy may end up selling bottled water to quench the thirst of millions.

B-schools woo companies for next summer

B-schools woo companies for next summer

Rediff.com   29 Oct 2008

Wary of the times ahead in the job market, business schools are working on a risk-minimisation strategy and looking at doubling the pool of companies on the campus for the summer placements scheduled in November this year.

Buy a flat and get another flat, BMW, Merc free

Buy a flat and get another flat, BMW, Merc free

Rediff.com   27 Oct 2008

Within months of charging the moon, Indian real estate firms are now offering buy-back of properties, free cars and even free apartments to tide over the current slump which has seen sales halve from the beginning of the year.

Despite slump, Biyani opens 150 stores in 3 months

Despite slump, Biyani opens 150 stores in 3 months

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2008

At a time when most retail firms have either gone slow in opening new stores or closed down some to beat the ongoing slump, the Future Group has opened nearly 150 stores across all its formats over the past three months. This month alone, Biyani is opening 15 stores, mainly selling electronic and lifestyle goods.

Reliance Brands calls off JV plan with Sixty Group

Reliance Brands calls off JV plan with Sixty Group

Rediff.com   14 Oct 2008

The JV was expected to open 56 exclusive high-end stores for the four focus brands, Miss Sixty, Energie, Killah & Murphy&Nye, in the top 10 cities in the first three years. As per the original plans, Darshan Mehta president and chief executive of Reliance Brands, was to spearhead the JV with separate business heads for each of the four brands.

5,000-Mw capacity lying idle due to gas shortage

5,000-Mw capacity lying idle due to gas shortage

Rediff.com   13 Oct 2008

State power boards incur fixed cost of Rs 3,500 crore (Rs 35 billion). About 5,000 Mw of gas-based electricity generation capacity, built at a cost of about Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion), is lying idle due to the shortage of gas in the country.

Tatas hire Aditya Birla Retail's marketing head

Tatas hire Aditya Birla Retail's marketing head

Rediff.com   13 Oct 2008

Last year, Trent had entered into a tie-up with The Xander Group wherein Xander was to invest in malls along with local developers and Trent was to be the anchor tenant. Currently, three-to-four such malls are being developed in cities such as Surat and Ahmedabad.

Railways sweeten Mumbai land offer

Railways sweeten Mumbai land offer

Rediff.com   7 Oct 2008

The land development arm of the railways has cut the reserve price for a 45,371 square metre plot at Bandra, a Mumbai suburb, by nearly 14.5 per cent, to Rs 39.60 billion and reduced the minimum networth requirement for bidders by a similar margin. It has also reduced the bid security amount by 20 per cent. This apart, the authority has more than doubled the payment period to five years.

Realtors blink, cut home prices up to 25%

Realtors blink, cut home prices up to 25%

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2008

Most realtors are already advertising cash discounts of 5-10 per cent on upfront payment and buyers can get up to 25 per cent discount if they book properties and are willing to wait for two to three years until possession. According to consultants, developers may even give 15-20 per cent discount on the price as they are eager to clear inventories.

Slowdown plays spoilsport at B-school fests

Slowdown plays spoilsport at B-school fests

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2008

It's time for the famous B-school fests. But the zing is somewhat missing this time.

Navratri effect: Realtors launch new projects

Navratri effect: Realtors launch new projects

Rediff.com   1 Oct 2008

Despite a slowdown in property sales, realty developers across the country are launching new residential apartments during the ongoing Navratri festival in the hope that they will get higher sales from prospective home buyers, who have deferred their buys so far.

Fashion is Rs 18 bn biz for S Kumars' Brandhouse

Fashion is Rs 18 bn biz for S Kumars' Brandhouse

Rediff.com   29 Sep 2008

Brandhouse manages exclusive stores of four SKNL brands -- Reid & Taylor, Stephens Brothers, Belmonte, and Carmichael House -- and two foreign brands Dunhill and Escada. It has more than 600 stores now. The company plans to set up its first private label store early next year and the average size of the store will range from 8,000 to 10,000 sq ft, said Tarun Joshi, managing director of Brandhouse Retails, the retail unit of S Kumars Nationwide.

Diwali unlikely to light up real estate market

Diwali unlikely to light up real estate market

Rediff.com   29 Sep 2008

Analysts say prices may stagnate or decline in the next three months. Almost 70 per cent of the brokers who participated in the poll believe prices will be flat or negative in the period and even Diwali is unlikely to lift the mood in the property market.

Ambani dispute: RIL may make submission over MoU

Ambani dispute: RIL may make submission over MoU

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2008

"The MoU between the (Ambani) brothers is in the private domain and has never been produced in the court. Agreements between the brothers were entered into on the basis of negotiation and decision on the case cannot be taken on this basis," Milind Sathe, senior counsel for Mukesh Ambani's RIL had told a division bench in July this year.