Neha Alawadhi &Amp; Shine Jacob

Stories by Neha Alawadhi &Amp; Shine Jacob

Iconic TVS group families start restructuring businesses

Iconic TVS group families start restructuring businesses

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2022

As part of the exercise, each family will get complete ownership of the businesses it manages while scrapping the holding company.

'ISRO's goal is to develop a rocket company'

'ISRO's goal is to develop a rocket company'

Rediff.com   27 Jan 2022

'We have all the technologies available, but it should be converted to something that can be commercially viable.'

Indian firms, banks cautious as Sri Lanka battles financial crisis

Indian firms, banks cautious as Sri Lanka battles financial crisis

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2022

Banks and companies in India are taking a cautious approach towards Sri Lanka, which, reeling from a financial crisis, has sought a $1-billion loan from the country to import essential commodities. A senior State Bank of India (SBI) executive said the bank was committed (to Sri Lanka) for the long term. "As far as exposures (are concerned), the bank will be cautious on its dollar exposure to Sri Lankan entities till the situation improves," he said.

Social media startup Pepul to launch on R-Day

Social media startup Pepul to launch on R-Day

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2022

After raising Rs 10 crore in seed funding last week from investors like Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Freshworks founder Girish Mathrabootham and Silicon Valley based venture capitalist firm Hourglass Venture, Chennai-based social media startup Pepul told Business Standard that it is looking to raise around Rs 200 crore by June this year for expansion. The social media platform, focused on online ethical practices, will be launched by 1,000 entrepreneurs across the country on January 26. Pepul, founded by G Suresh Kumar, will be using an Aadhaar-based user verification system to get rid of fake accounts on its platform. "We are planning to raise around Rs 200 crore by June this year.

Sterlite Copper COO hints at foreign hand behind protests in Thoothukudi

Sterlite Copper COO hints at foreign hand behind protests in Thoothukudi

Rediff.com   8 Jan 2022

'We were exporting copper at that time. Now India is importing copper to the tune of around $1.2 billion. Moreover, there was a larger impact on the dependent MSMEs.'

IT firm Atos plans to hire 15K people in India by mid-2023

IT firm Atos plans to hire 15K people in India by mid-2023

Rediff.com   7 Jan 2022

French IT firm Atos is planning to hire 15,000 people in the next 12-18 months in India, including climate experts, as it moves towards decarbonisation by 2028, chief operating officer (COO) Nourdine Bihmane said. "India is a strategic market for Atos. "We have been present here for the last 30 years, and we have grown organically since. "People and innovation are our two key drivers to build momentum. "India represents one-third of our total workforce," Bihmane said. Atos has around 40,000 employees in India.

Labour unrest in Kerala lands children's garments producer Kitex in a spot

Labour unrest in Kerala lands children's garments producer Kitex in a spot

Rediff.com   4 Jan 2022

Kerala-based Kitex Garments, the world's second-largest children's garments producer, has landed in trouble after sporadic violence at its workers' camp led to an attack on the local police, injuring at least five officers. The local police told Business Standard that at least 156 migrant workers were detained after the incident and around 50 have been arrested so far. A decision on any possible action against the company will be taken after the investigation.

At 50, AIADMK faces senior moment with no saviour in sight

At 50, AIADMK faces senior moment with no saviour in sight

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2022

Factionalism between OP Panneerselvam and Edappadi Palaniswami, the dominance of the BJP, the ruling DMK having a strong face in the form of CM Stalin, 'community and region-based politics', corruption charges against former ministers, and lack of a proper ideology are the major challenges the party is facing in the state.

India's textile and apparel exports outshine pre-Covid numbers

India's textile and apparel exports outshine pre-Covid numbers

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2021

Backed by the China-plus-one policy, India's textile and apparel exports have seen a 53 per cent growth during the April-November period of the current fiscal year at around $26 billion. This compares to the figure of $17 billion during the same period in FY21. According to Wazir Textile Index, all major companies including Welspun, Vardhman, Trident, KPR Mills, Indo Count, RSWM, Filatex, Nahar Spg and Indorama have posted higher sales during the first half of the current fiscal year compared to the pre-pandemic year.

Riding on innovation, Old Monk eyes record 10 million sales next year

Riding on innovation, Old Monk eyes record 10 million sales next year

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2021

With innovations such as the introduction of new variants and the launch of tetra packs, Mohan Meakin (MML) aims to achieve a record high sales of around 10 million units of Old Monk in 2022. From almost 3 million units a few years ago, sales volume has rebounded substantially. "Today, we are over 8 million units and are targeting record sales of 10 million next year," said Vinay Mohan, the director of Mohan Meakin (MML). Mohan said the company had started giving franchisees in states where tetra packs have good sales.

COVID: Kerala model still a success

COVID: Kerala model still a success

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2021

'Kerala is on a par with global standards.'

The Omicron Threat To India's Movie Biz

The Omicron Threat To India's Movie Biz

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2021

The cinema industry is staring at a loss of at least Rs 5,000 crore at the box office over the next six months if Omicron proves to be a spoiler.

Spread of Omicron puts spanner in back-to-office work

Spread of Omicron puts spanner in back-to-office work

Rediff.com   14 Dec 2021

The spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has made Indian companies persist with their policy of banning overseas trips and allowing only essential travel within India. The IT services firms, which had planned to ask their employees to return to the workplace, are also waiting and watching the Covid-19 situation before fully opening up their offices. Large conglomerates like the Tatas, Birla, JSW and Reliance are continuing with the mandatory social distancing and masking policies within their office premises.

What the top Twittter trends and RTs say about India 2021

What the top Twittter trends and RTs say about India 2021

Rediff.com   10 Dec 2021

The top hashtag in India was #COVID19, as the country grappled with the deadly second wave of the pandemic.

'Skills are the new currency across biz'

'Skills are the new currency across biz'

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2021

'As the demand for transferable skills that can be remotely applied increases, the need for tech-based courses is on the rise/'

'It is hard to decipher precisely why Paytm share price would go down'

'It is hard to decipher precisely why Paytm share price would go down'

Rediff.com   30 Nov 2021

'I can tell shareholders we're going to be very responsible with our capital, we're going to be absolutely execution focused.'

'We've reduced hate speech by half'

'We've reduced hate speech by half'

Rediff.com   26 Nov 2021

'Our proactive detection rate for hate speech in India is close to 97 per cent -- which means that of the hate speech content we remove, we detect 97 per cent of it proactively, even before anyone reports it.'

Akshay, Rajinikanth Pump Life Back into the Movies

Akshay, Rajinikanth Pump Life Back into the Movies

Rediff.com   24 Nov 2021

Sooryavanshi and Annaatthe have already collected 6 percent of the film industry's 2020 revenue.

After rain havoc 'Smart City' Chennai reels under politics

After rain havoc 'Smart City' Chennai reels under politics

Rediff.com   23 Nov 2021

Chennai is one of the cities where works have been completed for almost 62 per cent of the money lined up -- Rs 599 crore of the Rs 959 crore has been utilised so far. Despite this, there was no respite for the people in the city this time either, with North Chennai being the worst affected.

It's clear, regulatory woes can't kill online gaming in India

It's clear, regulatory woes can't kill online gaming in India

Rediff.com   14 Nov 2021

Even as the gaming industry battles multiple regulations in different Indian states, it has received more than double the amount of investment this year compared to 2020. Industry watchers attribute this to the growing popularity of gaming, spurred by the pandemic, and the innovative business models gaming firms have built. According to data from industry tracker Venture Intelligence, investment in India's gaming sector in 2021 has more than doubled to $794 million, as against a total investment of $339 million last year. In 2019, this number was $176 million. Marquee investors such as Tiger Global (Dream11), Sequoia Capital India (Mobile Premier League), WinZO (Griffin Capital Partners), Tencent (Dream11) and Matrix Partners (Zupee) have pumped money into the sector.