Nitin Kumar,Subhayan Chakraborty

Stories by Nitin Kumar,Subhayan Chakraborty

Mining majors give a miss to country's maiden critical minerals auction

Mining majors give a miss to country's maiden critical minerals auction

Rediff.com   25 Jun 2024

The maiden, critical mineral auction in India has failed to enthuse the mining industry, with the first tranche achieving less than a 50 per cent success rate and the auction of several mines was cancelled owing to low response. The results, announced by the Ministry of Mines on Monday, showed that six lesser-known companies emerged as preferred bidders. Among these were Agrasen Sponge, Kundan Gold Mines, Dalmia Bharat Refractories, Sagar Stone Industries, and Maiki South Mining.

DoT Sets 100 Days Agenda For New Telecom Rules

DoT Sets 100 Days Agenda For New Telecom Rules

Rediff.com   25 Jun 2024

'The idea is to frame the ToR quickly, so that Trai can begin its consultations with industry stakeholders.'

Paris Olympics Will Be HOT!

Paris Olympics Will Be HOT!

Rediff.com   19 Jun 2024

Athletes and climate experts have expressed concerns that extreme heat could lead to severe health issues, including the risk of sportspeople collapsing or, in the worst-case scenarios, dying during the events.

India AI mission to be key priority for telecom ministry

India AI mission to be key priority for telecom ministry

Rediff.com   18 Jun 2024

Many who track the ministry and the technology sector closely believe that the space won't see much impact on the policymaking side, but the gestation time for regulations might get long, as now there could be a wider consensus-building exercise on policy matters under a coalition government.

Balancing green concerns with soaring energy demand

Balancing green concerns with soaring energy demand

Rediff.com   18 Jun 2024

Rising energy demand could tilt India's energy basket towards fossil fuels from coal to oil, natural gas.

How Trai Plans To Scuttle Scams

How Trai Plans To Scuttle Scams

Rediff.com   15 Jun 2024

Numbers could be classified further into (140) marketing and (160 or 161) for service calls to easily identify the purpose of the call in the future.

China Remains Jaishankar's Main Problem

China Remains Jaishankar's Main Problem

Rediff.com   15 Jun 2024

'China is India's primary strategic challenge, which will not go away.

Tata ev's Punch, Nexon Scores 5 In Crash Test

Tata ev's Punch, Nexon Scores 5 In Crash Test

Rediff.com   14 Jun 2024

The Punch.ev achieved the highest score point ever recorded by any vehicle to date, scoring 31.46 out of 32 for adult occupant protection and 45 out of 49 for child occupant protection.

Telcos reiterate demands over FSC, 6 GHz spectrum

Telcos reiterate demands over FSC, 6 GHz spectrum

Rediff.com   13 Jun 2024

Telecom service providers have doubled down on their demands for a proposed fair-share charge (FSC) to be levied on major over-the-top (OTT) service providers, opening up the 6 GHz spectrum band and increasing the number of testing labs for telecommunication products. Telecom industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Wednesday said these were the topmost demands for Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. The industry body wants this additional capital expenditure to be borne by these Large Traffic Generator (LTGs) OTTs as a proposed fair-share charge.

BPCL divestment completely off the table, says Hardeep Singh Puri

BPCL divestment completely off the table, says Hardeep Singh Puri

Rediff.com   12 Jun 2024

BPCL is a high revenue-earning public-sector undertaking (PSU) and plans to privatise it are completely off the table, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday after assuming charge of the ministry for the second time. "Why would we divest ourselves of highly successful Maharatnas like BPCL," Puri said, arguing the Centre was not in favour of divesting its stake in oil PSUs.

Green Mobility To Get Bigger Boost Under Modi 3.0

Green Mobility To Get Bigger Boost Under Modi 3.0

Rediff.com   10 Jun 2024

As Modi's government embarks on its third term, apart from ensuring these schemes boost India's green mobility, addressing bottlenecks like battery swapping and meeting PLI deadlines are likely to be the government's major tasks.

India eyes multiple mineral pacts with about a dozen countries in Africa

India eyes multiple mineral pacts with about a dozen countries in Africa

Rediff.com   8 Jun 2024

India is planning to soon sign new and updated mineral pacts with about a dozen countries in Africa. The Ministry of Mines is in discussions with Cte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Business Standard has learnt. Negotiations are ongoing with around a dozen countries, and more will be added to the list soon.

Spectrum auctions: Airtel likely to edge past Jio

Spectrum auctions: Airtel likely to edge past Jio

Rediff.com   29 May 2024

Bharti Airtel may end up cumulatively bidding for more spectrum than market leader Reliance Jio in the upcoming auctions. This is owing to its need for spectrum renewal, and a requirement for 900 MHz in a few circles, analysts have said. Despite the muted bidding expected in the upcoming auctions, Airtel may end up making more bids than Jio, they added.

Hero Electric, Benling barred from all EV incentive schemes

Hero Electric, Benling barred from all EV incentive schemes

Rediff.com   29 May 2024

The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has debarred Hero Electric and Benling India, two defaulters under its flagship Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase-II (FAME-II) scheme, from participating in any of its incentive programmes in future. This action follows the ministry's findings that the phased manufacturing programme (PMP) guidelines were violated by these two companies, senior officials told

It's Going To Get Hotter In India

It's Going To Get Hotter In India

Rediff.com   22 May 2024

More than 80 per cent of Indians live in districts vulnerable to climate risks. Among these, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Bihar are the most vulnerable states to extreme climate events.

How DoT Plans To Check Rising Spam

How DoT Plans To Check Rising Spam

Rediff.com   15 May 2024

Launched in March, it triggers re-verification of suspected fraudulent numbers. Failing re-verification, the number will be disconnected.

Analysts wary of Vodafone Idea's falling subscribers, broadband users

Analysts wary of Vodafone Idea's falling subscribers, broadband users

Rediff.com   14 May 2024

Vodafone Idea's (Vi's) subscriber loss reduced to a seven-month low in March, and alongside the company added 1.1 million broadband users after two months of net loss -- two things analysts have noted as key trends that need to be monitored. While Vi has been losing customers for more than two and a half years now, the churn reduced to below a million after five straight months in March, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) data has shown. "Jio's softer than usual subscriber growth in March, and VIL's slowing subscriber market share loss are key trends to keep an eye on going forward," global investment banking and financial services major UBS said in an analyst note.

Is India's Marble Industry Facing A Bleak Future?

Is India's Marble Industry Facing A Bleak Future?

Rediff.com   9 May 2024

'Every year, the marble industry is shrinking due to tiles. It has already decreased by 20-25 per cent in recent years.'

'Now China Is Afraid'

'Now China Is Afraid'

Rediff.com   4 May 2024

'Ladakh will be dealt with in Modi's third term.'

Tesla begins formal talks with govt

Tesla begins formal talks with govt

Rediff.com   19 Apr 2024

In its first official engagement with the Indian government, Elon Musk-led Tesla and other global automotive (auto) manufacturers sought clarification on the new electric vehicle (EV) policy, specifically regarding investment guidelines and the timeline for the domestic value addition (DVA) requirement. Officials who attended the meeting told Business Standard that the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tried to understand whether the complete investment would be made within three or five years and the duration they would have to achieve the 50 per cent DVA. "The consultation meeting was convened to address queries from auto OEMs.