Nitin Kumar &Amp; Peerzada Abrar

Stories by Nitin Kumar &Amp; Peerzada Abrar

Vedantu lays off 424 employees as it expects a scarcity of capital

Vedantu lays off 424 employees as it expects a scarcity of capital

Rediff.com   20 May 2022

Edtech unicorn Vedantu has laid off 424 employees, about 7 per cent of its workforce, according to a blog post shared by the Bengaluru-based firm. This comes as the focus in the edtech space has shifted to profitability, according to experts. The lay-off comes days after the company fired 200 contractual and full-time employees, at a time when offline schools and colleges are opening up and learning is evolving into a more nuanced blended delivery model with a mix of online and offline.

Buzzing Manesar hub goes silent in powerless summer

Buzzing Manesar hub goes silent in powerless summer

Rediff.com   16 May 2022

The intensity of power crisis this season has hit a new high with average coal stock dipping to less than eight days. The first of a pan-Indian series, based on a ground report, shows how the Manesar industrial hub is coping with the challenge. As the scorching heat wave and the lengthy power cuts intensify in Haryana, the usually bustling labour chowk of the Industrial Model Township (IMT) of Manesar wears a deserted look.

Uber to hire 500 engineers for its India tech centres

Uber to hire 500 engineers for its India tech centres

Rediff.com   13 May 2022

Uber Technologies said it is doing a fresh round of recruitment for its India tech centres and is planning to hire 500 more tech employees by December. The app-based mobility and delivery company has a 1,000-member tech team across its centres in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The firm said the hiring plan is a testament to Uber's commitment to India, and its recognition of the engineering talent in the country. Uber hired 250 engineers to its India teams in 2021.

45% growth in active internet users in rural India since 2019

45% growth in active internet users in rural India since 2019

Rediff.com   6 May 2022

There has been a 45 per cent growth in 'active internet users' in rural India since 2019, according a study by Nielsen, a global company for audience measurement, data and analytics. The Bharat 2.0 Internet report said that female active internet users grew by 61 per cent since 2019. The report said that India has 646 million active Internet users aged 2 years and above as of December 2021. Rural India has 352 million internet users--almost 20 per cent higher than urban.

Strong rebound in India's job market post pandemic

Strong rebound in India's job market post pandemic

Rediff.com   20 Apr 2022

The job market saw an uptrend in the March quarter (Q1), with job interviews increasing 13.71 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) to over 30 million, according to Apna.co, India's largest jobs and professional networking platform. It recorded a 42 per cent QoQ growth in its employer base. As a result of the second wave of Covid-19 last year, sectors such as healthcare, delivery, and e-commerce were booming while others had fairly low employment.

India will have over 250 unicorns by 2025

India will have over 250 unicorns by 2025

Rediff.com   19 Apr 2022

Since then, 129 startups have joined this star status, of which 100 were added from January 2019, generating a total value of $535 billion. Entrepreneurs are building bigger enterprises at a faster rate -- 50 per cent of the 130 companies reached unicorn status in the first five years after their initial institutional fundraising.

How AAP aims to recreate Punjab magic in Haryana

How AAP aims to recreate Punjab magic in Haryana

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2022

AAP is working on its new strategy to build a strong organisational set-up with leaders from all sections of society, reports Nitin Kumar.

Not big players, but small brands catering to the needs of India: CAIT

Not big players, but small brands catering to the needs of India: CAIT

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2022

Thousands of small brands are ruling the consumer market despite the predatory pricing and deep discounting by foreign e-commerce companies and efforts of certain FMCG companies to sideline the distributor network, said the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which represents about 70 million traders in the country. "If the government gives support policies to non-corporate sector and tighten the e-commerce companies to obey the policy and the law both in letter and spirit, the retail trade of the country is bound to blossom in pursuance of the vision of PM Narendra Modi for Make in India and Atmnirbhar Bharat," said CAIT national president BC Bhartia and secretary general Praveen Khandelwal.

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal to focus more on long-term strategy

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal to focus more on long-term strategy

Rediff.com   13 Apr 2022

Ola founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Bhavish Aggarwal will step back from day-to-day operations to focus more on engineering functions, team building, and products, apart from focusing on long-term strategic projects, such as two-wheelers, cars, and innovations in quick commerce and international expansion. "I'll be spending more time with all engineering functions, team building, and on products," said Aggarwal in an internal note, adding, "I'll also be increasing my focus on our longer-term strategic projects, including new two-wheeler products, our car project, innovations in quick commerce, electrifying ride-hailing, our cell research and development (R&D), international expansion, building our Pune technology (tech) centre, and Futurefoundry UK." To drive scale, speed, and quality, Aggarwal said he is expanding Ola Group's chief financial officer (CFO) G R Arun Kumar's role to help him steer 'day-to-day operations' across the group.

SoftBank-backed Meesho lays off 150 employees from grocery vertical

SoftBank-backed Meesho lays off 150 employees from grocery vertical

Rediff.com   12 Apr 2022

SoftBank-backed internet commerce firm Meesho has downsized its grocery vertical Meesho SuperStore (formerly Farmiso) in an attempt to drive efficiency. The Bengaluru-based firm did not reveal the number of laid-off employees. However, the company officials said that about 150 employees have been laid off.

Zomato, Swiggy hit by hour-long technical glitch on April 6

Zomato, Swiggy hit by hour-long technical glitch on April 6

Rediff.com   7 Apr 2022

Food delivery apps Zomato and Swiggy reported a nationwide outage on Wednesday. Both the platforms witnessed technical glitches and were unresponsive for almost an hour. Downdetector, a platform that collects status reports from a series of sources, recorded about 3,619 reports of outage against Zomato at 2:05 PM and about 771 reports of outage against Swiggy at around 2:21 PM. According to the sources, the outage was caused by Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud-services platform, which runs both platforms. Though Swiggy and Zomato are working now, some customers reported that the issue has not been solved completely and they are not able to place orders and there are payment related issues.

How IBM's Bengaluru unit is priming companies for cyberattacks

How IBM's Bengaluru unit is priming companies for cyberattacks

Rediff.com   27 Mar 2022

Located in a small township in the eastern part of Bengaluru is IBM's new Security Command Centre, which is surrounded by offices of multinational tech companies. This unit is the centrepiece of IBM's multi-million dollar investment to help businesses prepare for the growing threat of cyberattacks across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. This facility is the first of its kind in the region. It helps train in cybersecurity response techniques through highly realistic and simulated cyberattacks.

Why UP's Youth Are Unhappy With BJP

Why UP's Youth Are Unhappy With BJP

Rediff.com   4 Mar 2022

'I have been trying for the past five years to get a government job.'

'They robbed us of thousands of acres'

'They robbed us of thousands of acres'

Rediff.com   2 Mar 2022

'The government is just laying foundation stones everywhere.' 'It has hardly inaugurated anything.'

After Ayodhya and Kashi, BJP eyes Mathura for electoral gain

After Ayodhya and Kashi, BJP eyes Mathura for electoral gain

Rediff.com   27 Feb 2022

A magnificent Krishna Janambhoomi temple in Mathura was a recurrent theme for the ruling BJP in the run-up to the assembly polls, reports Nitin Kumar.

'Their manifesto has mandir and roads, not jobs'

'Their manifesto has mandir and roads, not jobs'

Rediff.com   25 Feb 2022

'The BJP talks about prosperity, but it doesn't want anybody to prosper.'

'Akhilesh and I are giving the people a new paradigm and leadership'

'Akhilesh and I are giving the people a new paradigm and leadership'

Rediff.com   23 Feb 2022

'They are trying to stoke emotions to build fear.' 'They have done nothing and that is why they are trying to divert attention.'

'Does the UP chief minister even know what thermodynamics is?'

'Does the UP chief minister even know what thermodynamics is?'

Rediff.com   22 Feb 2022

'By calling names and using unparliamentary language, they are trying to divert people's attention from the issues of electricity, water, and income.'

Edtech: What Parents Need To Know

Edtech: What Parents Need To Know

Rediff.com   15 Jan 2022

'Why is the government asking parents to be careful rather than coming up with strict rules and regulations for the companies?'

Amazon challenges CCI over suspension of 2019 Future deal

Amazon challenges CCI over suspension of 2019 Future deal

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2022

Amazon has filed a legal challenge at the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) suspension of the US e-commerce giant's 2019 deal with Future Retail (FRL). Amazon has challenged the CCI order on at least five grounds, and the matter is likely to be listed this week, according to the sources. Parallelly, Amazon's Indian unit has approached the Supreme Court against a halt on an arbitration case against Future Retail's (FRL) asset sale to Reliance Industries (RIL).