Krishna Kant, Shine Jacob &Amp; Sachin P Mampatta

Stories by Krishna Kant, Shine Jacob &Amp; Sachin P Mampatta

Govt to offload entire BPCL stake valued at Rs 46,300 cr

Govt to offload entire BPCL stake valued at Rs 46,300 cr

Rediff.com   8 Mar 2020

The sale is key to meeting the government's disinvestment target of Rs 2.1 trillion in the financial year 2020-21. So far, the disinvestment exercise has fetched the government Rs 34,845 crore during the current financial year.

ONGC seeks new petroleum exploration licence

ONGC seeks new petroleum exploration licence

Rediff.com   4 Mar 2020

RIL and Shell ceased production from the fields in 2016, and ONGC has already been using Tapti infrastructure for its other fields for better optimisation.

New technology adds zing to Indian Railways

New technology adds zing to Indian Railways

Rediff.com   4 Mar 2020

Globally, London's Tube and French railway networks are already using this technology in their corrosion-prone areas.

Google to wind down free WiFi services globally

Google to wind down free WiFi services globally

Rediff.com   25 Feb 2020

Google had started the Station as a five-year partnership with the Indian Railways and RailTel in 2015 to provide fast, free WiFi in over 400 stations by mid-2020.

With SC's strict order, is it all over for Voda-Idea?

With SC's strict order, is it all over for Voda-Idea?

Rediff.com   15 Feb 2020

Vodafone Idea's net worth (or shareholders' equity) was down 73 per cent year-on-year to around Rs 17,600 crore at the end of the December 2019 quarter after the company reported a net loss of around Rs 6,400 crore during the quarter. Cumulatively, the company has lost nearly Rs 45,000 crore in the last four quarters, eroding its net worth to its lowest level in three-year. Analysts said a such a low level of net worth, coupled with continuing losses in operations, ruled out the possibility of the company getting fresh loans from lenders to fund its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues of Rs 54,000 crore.

New tax norms to hit dividends received from foreign arms

New tax norms to hit dividends received from foreign arms

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2020

Dividend distribution tax in FY20 would only be applicable after deducting Rs 70 received from the foreign subsidiary, meaning 20.56 per cent DDT would be paid only on Rs 30.

Post Budget, companies likely to change dividend tax policy

Post Budget, companies likely to change dividend tax policy

Rediff.com   10 Feb 2020

An analysis of S&P BSE 500 companies suggests that promoters of Indian private-sector companies in particular could end up paying at least 20 per cent more as additional tax on the same dividend income.

Sebi probe reports cast shadow on Jhunjhunwala's holdings

Sebi probe reports cast shadow on Jhunjhunwala's holdings

Rediff.com   29 Jan 2020

Reports suggested that stock market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), is looking into the allegations of insider trading in the shares of Aptech, a computer training company in which Jhunjhunwala is a promoter. An email sent to Jhunjhunwala on the allegations did not immediately receive a response.

Falling sales add a new worry to corporates: Rising inventory

Falling sales add a new worry to corporates: Rising inventory

Rediff.com   26 Jan 2020

Net sales growth for the quarter ended December (Q3FY20) was 4.5 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis for companies that have declared their results so far, compared to an 8.4 per cent rise in the first half of the financial year. This indicates that there could be a further rise in days' sales of inventory.

Rupee one of the worst performers among its Asian peers

Rupee one of the worst performers among its Asian peers

Rediff.com   23 Jan 2020

The Indian rupee is down nearly 2 per cent against the US dollar since the beginning of January 2019. Experts attribute the Indian rupee's relatively poor performance to a sharper-than-expected fall in economic growth in India.

FMCG stocks lose sheen, valuation declines to 11-year low

FMCG stocks lose sheen, valuation declines to 11-year low

Rediff.com   16 Jan 2020

The country's top FMCG stocks, such as Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Nestl, Britannia, Godrej Consumer Products, and Dabur, among others, are currently trading at around 41x their trailing 12-month earnings, down from their peak P/E multiple of around 48x at the end of December 2018.

Spike in oil prices a temporary phase

Spike in oil prices a temporary phase

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2020

Oil prices jumped nearly $3 a barrel and gold and safe-haven bonds rallied on Friday after the killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike by the US in Baghdad.

Airtel launches $2-bn share sale to pay AGR dues

Airtel launches $2-bn share sale to pay AGR dues

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2020

This is the biggest equity-raising exercise by an Indian corporate within a financial year. The fundraising - led by Citibank, Goldman, Kotak and Axis Capital as bankers - will see participation by foreign and domestic institutional investors.

Will the West Coast refinery take off?

Will the West Coast refinery take off?

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2020

BPCL's impending privatisation and RIL's stake sale to Saudi Aramco raise questions about the future of the West Coast Refinery, once touted as the world's largest.

Will Indian Railways be privatised?

Will Indian Railways be privatised?

Rediff.com   31 Dec 2019

Railways to hive off all production units and workshops into new govt-owned company; may invite bids from private players to run passenger trains in next 15 days, with ownership vesting with the government.

Rich list shrinks, but top 10 add $40 billion to wealth

Rich list shrinks, but top 10 add $40 billion to wealth

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2019

Richest 10 account for 41% of promoter wealth, up from 33% in December 2018, says Krishna Kant.

Govt to break 150-yr tradition, gives nod to Railway board restructuring

Govt to break 150-yr tradition, gives nod to Railway board restructuring

Rediff.com   25 Dec 2019

The new board will have a leaner structure on functional lines headed by the chairman and four members - covering infrastructure, operations and business development, rolling stock, and finance.

As benchmark indices scale fresh peak, Sensex valuation nears 20-year high

As benchmark indices scale fresh peak, Sensex valuation nears 20-year high

Rediff.com   24 Dec 2019

The Sensex is on course to ending calendar year (CY) 2019 at a price-earnings (P/E) multiple of 29x, the highest in 25 years. Current valuations are, however, lower than those seen in the early 1990s. The Sensex has risen close to 14 per cent in the last 12 months, while the index underlying EPS dropped 6.7 per cent during the period.

Railways in talks with Reliance Jio on tower use

Railways in talks with Reliance Jio on tower use

Rediff.com   23 Dec 2019

Indian Railways is in talks with Reliance Jio Infocomm to allow the Mukesh Ambani-led telecom major's use of its towers. The aim is seamless mobile and internet connectivity for passengers along the 67,368-km of tracks. The Railway Board has entrusted its RailTel Corporation arm to work on the modalities with Jio. The Jio tie-up is expected to bring down its telecom bill by at least 35 per cent from this financial year.

Companies with worst corporate governance scores

Companies with worst corporate governance scores

Rediff.com   19 Dec 2019

Recently listed companies scored 54, compared to 58 for the BSE100 firms and 61 for entities in the Sensex pack. The report noted that issues remain in IPO companies in which there seems to be a need to institutionalise governance practices.