Ruchika Chitravanshi And Sohini Das

Stories by Ruchika Chitravanshi And Sohini Das

Does India have enough vaccine reserves to combat another Covid wave?

Does India have enough vaccine reserves to combat another Covid wave?

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2023

According to CoWIN data, only 73 vaccination centres are currently active in India, of which 32 are government-run.

Are hospitals ready to handle Covid surge?

Are hospitals ready to handle Covid surge?

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

Larger hospitals are not worried about a spike in cases, as they are now accustomed to converting ICUs and general wards into negative pressure zones or isolation rooms. For smaller hospitals, the task is tedious.

India tops remittances table with $125 bn inflows: World Bank report

India tops remittances table with $125 bn inflows: World Bank report

Rediff.com   20 Dec 2023

India is expected to be the top recipient of remittances in 2023 as inflows increase 12.4 per cent to $125 billion, said a World Bank report on Tuesday. Mexico will come next by receiving $67 billion and China will follow it at $50 billion. The key drivers for remittance growth in 2023 are a tight labour market in the United States, high employment growth in Europe reflecting extensive leveraging of worker retention programs, and a dampening of inflation in high-income countries. India's growth in remittances is expected to halve to 12.4 per cent in 2023 from a historic peak of 24.4 per cent in 2022.

Medica + Manipal Will Overtake Apollo

Medica + Manipal Will Overtake Apollo

Rediff.com   12 Dec 2023

Next year Medica and Manipal will merge, making the amalgamated entity the largest corporate hospital chain in the country, overtaking Apollo Hospitals Enterprises.

Liquidation share in insolvency cases on the decline, shows IBBI data

Liquidation share in insolvency cases on the decline, shows IBBI data

Rediff.com   28 Nov 2023

From almost 60 per cent as of December 2019, the share of liquidations in the mode of closure of total Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) cases came down to 44 per cent till September 2023, data by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) shows. Experts say the decreasing trend in liquidations under the IBC in India can be largely attributed to the initial economic conditions of companies entering the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP). IBC experts also say the trend shows a certain stabilisation in IBC with the Code now rid of legacy bankruptcy issues.

PowerMin nudges states, gencos to take up insolvent assets

PowerMin nudges states, gencos to take up insolvent assets

Rediff.com   12 Nov 2023

To tackle increasing demand, the Union Ministry of Power has urged central and state public-sector power-generating companies (gencos) and state power and energy departments to pick projects that are undergoing insolvency proceedings. The power ministry is looking at a quicker turnaround of these stressed power plants and enhancing power supply. Increasing demand is pushing states to scout for more power sources. "It is requested that state-owned gencos may be encouraged to participate in the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) of stressed power assets, which are of strategic and commercial significance to the capacity addition plans of the states concerned.

Auto industry Q2 preview: Product mix, commodity tailwinds to aid margins

Auto industry Q2 preview: Product mix, commodity tailwinds to aid margins

Rediff.com   21 Oct 2023

Automobile manufacturers are likely to report strong numbers for the September quarter of Financial Year 2023-24 (Q2 FY24), riding on growth across segments and offset by a marginal drop in overall two-wheeler (2W) volumes. Higher average selling price (ASP) year-on-year (YoY), which was necessitated by price hikes taken by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and an improved product mix will also aid revenues and margins. Moreover, commodity prices are down on a YoY basis, leading to higher margins in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda).

Number of women in blue-collar jobs increasing across manufacturing sector

Number of women in blue-collar jobs increasing across manufacturing sector

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2023

"Lady candidates need not apply." So read the postscript in a job notice from Telco (now Tata Motors) on a notice board in the corridors of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (now Bengaluru), in 1974. Irked, Sudha Murty, who was then pursuing her masters in computer science at the institute, wrote a postcard to JRD Tata, expressing her surprise at this gender discrimination, especially since the Tata Group were pioneers on many fronts. Shortly, Murty became the first woman on the firm's shop floor.

Nirma's new clothes: The journey of detergent brand towards healthcare

Nirma's new clothes: The journey of detergent brand towards healthcare

Rediff.com   12 Oct 2023

Nirma's tryst with the pharmaceutical space started in 2006 when it acquired the ailing Core Healthcare in a deal reported to be worth Rs 300 crore. The Ahmedabad-based manufacturer of intravenous fluids was subsequently renamed Nirlife. Pharma industry insiders say Nirma, which broke open the detergent market in the 1990s with low prices and massive advertising, tried an encore of the low-price strategy in pharma, but with mixed results.

Regulatory framework for large unlisted firms by MCA in the works

Regulatory framework for large unlisted firms by MCA in the works

Rediff.com   4 Oct 2023

The ministry is of the opinion that there is a need for a rigorous regime for large unlisted companies, in contrast with the current "light-touch" regulation. "There is a defined regime for listed companies, by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). "There is a view in the ministry that it needs to look at a framework for large unlisted companies," the senior official said.

Indian pharma exports to Iran decline thanks to its lower rupee reserves

Indian pharma exports to Iran decline thanks to its lower rupee reserves

Rediff.com   3 Oct 2023

India's pharmaceutical exports to Iran have been hit owing to depleting rupee reserves in the West Asian country because of India stopping the import of crude oil from it in 2019 following US sanctions. Pharmaceutical exports dropped 71.25 per cent in April-August this year over the same period last year. The data from the Pharmaceutical Exports Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) showed exports to Iran had declined 31.29 per cent in 2022-23 as against the previous financial year.

Cipla deploys drones to fly in critical drugs

Cipla deploys drones to fly in critical drugs

Rediff.com   27 Sep 2023

Drug major Cipla on Tuesday said it has launched drone-powered deliveries of critical medicines - cardiac, respiratory and other essential chronic therapies - to hospitals and pharmacies across Himachal Pradesh in partnership with Skype Air Mobility, a Gurugram-based drone delivery company. Cipla is the first among large Indian pharmaceutical companies to adopt drone-based deliveries to facilitate expedited supply to stockists in remote areas, it claimed. The Mumbai-based firm said the use of drones will support the on-time delivery of its medicines to chemists and clinics in remote areas, and minimise risks of affecting cold chain products due to temperature excursions.

'Need to make Auto Exports a national mission'

'Need to make Auto Exports a national mission'

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2023

'There is a need for a national task force with a singular objective to increase automotive exports.'

Jeep To Drive Petrol Options For India

Jeep To Drive Petrol Options For India

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2023

The iconic brand is considering petrol powertrains for its entire Indian portfolio, which includes the Jeep Compass, Meridian, Grand Cherokee and Wrangler.

Household savings report: There is no distress, says finance ministry

Household savings report: There is no distress, says finance ministry

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2023

The finance ministry on Thursday sought to clarify that there was no distress in household savings and the data indicated that changing consumer preference for different financial products was the real reason for the change in the pattern of household savings. The clarification comes in the backdrop of Reserve Bank of India data showing that household net financial savings rate is at its lowest in decades, at 5.1 per cent of GDP in FY23 compared to 7.2 per cent of GDP in FY22. The divergence in the data for household gross financial assets and liabilities is not a cause for concern for the government, as the loans have largely been taken to buy real assets or automobiles, the finance ministry said.

'India's done magical work'

'India's done magical work'

Rediff.com   21 Sep 2023

'To get a 100 per cent consensus document without any reservation, any bracket, any chair summary is unprecedented in the history of multilateral forums.'

Govt in talks with SII for Nipah antibody, may put imports on hold

Govt in talks with SII for Nipah antibody, may put imports on hold

Rediff.com   21 Sep 2023

Given the recurring outbreaks in the last five years, the government is considering domestic manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies for treating Nipah virus infections and is in talks with Serum Institute of India, report Shine Jacob and Sohini Das.

Why Auditors Quitting Big Clients Is Complicated

Why Auditors Quitting Big Clients Is Complicated

Rediff.com   18 Sep 2023

Auditors seem to have developed a heightened sense of risk and are not content to tick the boxes and sign the papers.

'We are not going back to licence raj'

'We are not going back to licence raj'

Rediff.com   18 Sep 2023

'I'm pitching India for the strengths we offer, including the English language, engineers, doctors, nurses, professionals, innovative talent of startups.'

Cipla, Torrent may need to divest 15 brands in buyout deal: Bernstein

Cipla, Torrent may need to divest 15 brands in buyout deal: Bernstein

Rediff.com   14 Sep 2023

As the market buzzes with news of Cipla promoters exiting the business through a stake sale and Ahmedabad-based Mehta family-led Torrent Pharmaceuticals racing to acquire its rival, Cipla, an analysis reveals that if the deal were to go through, both companies might need to divest as many as 15 brands to comply with Competition Commission of India (CCI) norms. A recent analysis by Bernstein shows that Cipla and Torrent share a presence in 332 products (based on product and molecule data from market research firm IQVIA). Bernstein analysts Nithya Balasubramanian and Parth Shah noted that, while this may appear as a high number, a significant portion of these products lack significance.