Ruchika Chitravanshi, Dev Chatterjee

Stories by Ruchika Chitravanshi, Dev Chatterjee

Biocon chief: Sebi's insider trading laws need an overhaul

Biocon chief: Sebi's insider trading laws need an overhaul

Rediff.com   26 Jul 2021

When Biocon chairperson Kiran Majumdar-Shaw - well known for raising issues ranging from lack of civic services in Bengaluru to climate change - decided to take on the Indian stock market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), she forced the Indian corporate world and legal community to take notice. In an interview to Business Standard, Majumdar-Shaw called a Sebi order to impose a fine on insider trading charges against a Biocon employee and an external consultant an "Agatha Christie" fiction, which destroyed the reputation of "innocent people". "The order is pure harassment and has caused huge reputational damage to us and goes against the principles of good governance promised by this government," Mazumdar-Shaw said. "We will certainly appeal this," she added.

Bird flu: The Rs 90,000 cr poultry industry is in a fix

Bird flu: The Rs 90,000 cr poultry industry is in a fix

Rediff.com   22 Jul 2021

The death of a 11-year-old boy due to 'bird-flu', even before the devastating effects of the second Covid wave have waned, has alarmed the medical fraternity though they assert that human-to-human transmission of H5N1 virus is extremely rare. The event has also put the Rs 90,000 crore domestic poultry industry which was seeing some uptick in demand after months of low sales last year into a spot of bother, as any curb on sale or production of eggs or chicken could have a devastating impact on its revenues. It is estimated that around 60 million people are directly impacted by the poultry sector in India. H5N1 virus, also commonly known as bird flu, is known to spread from chickens but other birds such as ducks and crow are also carriers of the virus.

Tata, Reliance ready for mother of all battles

Tata, Reliance ready for mother of all battles

Rediff.com   20 Jul 2021

'The competition between the two is definitely going to be of great interest to the Indian market.'

Kirloskars latest business family to feud over settlement

Kirloskars latest business family to feud over settlement

Rediff.com   17 Jul 2021

Sanjay Kirloskar, promoter of Kirloskar Brothers, moves Supreme Court to enforce a family settlement signed in 2009.

Why is NCDC not in the centre of managing the Covid-19 crisis?

Why is NCDC not in the centre of managing the Covid-19 crisis?

Rediff.com   12 Jul 2021

'We have the technical expertise, and international collaborations. We also have robust real-time data. We are a university of pandemic management. If the ministry neglects the role of NCDC, it is the loss of the country'

Will Sudhir Valia, Suraksha's 'deal maker' manage to bag Jaypee Infra?

Will Sudhir Valia, Suraksha's 'deal maker' manage to bag Jaypee Infra?

Rediff.com   7 Jul 2021

With the Jaypee acquisition, the Suraksha group, which made lenders an offer of Rs 7,736 crore, will be able to expand its footprint in north India after making inroads in Mumbai's real estate market over the past year. Sudhir Valia, the promoter, was a co-founder and executive director of India's biggest pharmaceutical firm, Sun Pharmaceuticals, and is a close relative of Dilip Shanghvi.

Fear and myths injecting Covid vaccine hesitancy

Fear and myths injecting Covid vaccine hesitancy

Rediff.com   6 Jul 2021

A June 11 survey by cLocalCircles across 299 districts puts overall vaccine hesitancy levels at 18 per cent, with 11 per cent of the respondents saying they were not convinced if the currently available vaccines would protect them against the new strains; and 5 per cent said they do not plan to take the vaccine at all.

Tata vs JioMart: The next big corporate battle to watch

Tata vs JioMart: The next big corporate battle to watch

Rediff.com   29 Jun 2021

Mukesh Ambani-owned RIL's JioMart is set to launch a slew of new products including financial services, electronics to airline tickets to take on the competition from upcoming rivals like the Tata Super app and other established players including PayTM, Amazon and Flipkart. This comes at a time when RIL's e-commerce revenues are set to grow by 35 per cent to $15 billion within four years and its core retail revenue is expected to grow at the same pace to $44 billion, as per a forecast by Goldman Sachs. "The Tata vs JioMart war will be the next big corporate battle to watch. "While Tata has an upper hand like in-house products and brands, RIL has the backing of global biggies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft," said head of a rating firm asking not to be quoted.

Economists sceptical about Sitharaman's Covid stimulus

Economists sceptical about Sitharaman's Covid stimulus

Rediff.com   29 Jun 2021

Direct economic stimulus measures such as tax cuts for individuals and industry would have helped to prop up the Indian economy which was hit hard by the lockdowns across several states in India, say economists and corporate leaders. While the measures announced on Monday are focussed more on the supply side, these steps would take a lot of time to move the needle for the economy.

At current rate, all Indians will be vaccinated by Sept 2022

At current rate, all Indians will be vaccinated by Sept 2022

Rediff.com   28 Jun 2021

865 million Indian adults require vaccination.

Adani group strikes first coal from its Carmichael mine in Australia

Adani group strikes first coal from its Carmichael mine in Australia

Rediff.com   25 Jun 2021

The Adani group struck first coal from its Carmichael, Australia project on Thursday and will start shipping to its customers according to schedule. With this, the project will not only lift the economic prospects of the hitherto barren Australian outback, but also help Indian power plants to source cheap coal. The project had faced protests from a section of population with several banks even refusing to fund it. The group, however, went ahead with the project which included construction of a brand new railway line connecting an Australian port to the mine -- situated 300 kilometers away in Queensland.

Dilution norms for large IPOs tweaked

Dilution norms for large IPOs tweaked

Rediff.com   21 Jun 2021

Easier dilution norms for mega initial public offerings (IPOs) have come into effect. Companies with post-listing market capitalisation (m-cap) of more than Rs 1 trillion will not be required to dilute a minimum of 10 per cent. The move to relax dilution norms is seen as a precursor to Life Insurance Corporation's IPO. The central government has said companies with an m-cap exceeding Rs 1 trillion will have to dilute Rs 5,000 crore and at least 5 per cent of their m-cap. Experts said the earlier framework discouraged large companies from listing since they were forced to offload a large volume of shares during the time of their IPO.

Covid impact: Million dollar M&A deals sealed on phone, Zoom calls

Covid impact: Million dollar M&A deals sealed on phone, Zoom calls

Rediff.com   17 Jun 2021

Some buyers are insisting on a clause in the agreement that the whole deal hinges on physical verification at a later date with some part of payment kept in escrow.

These 50 listed companies raised money from investors and 'vanished'!

These 50 listed companies raised money from investors and 'vanished'!

Rediff.com   14 Jun 2021

A number of listed companies are not to be found on their registered address. The stock exchange has also been unable to contact them through other means. These 50 companies had been suspended for violations for more than six months. The BSE had reached out to them with show cause notices in December 2020.

FAQ: Is it safe to take antibody cocktail for Covid-19?

FAQ: Is it safe to take antibody cocktail for Covid-19?

Rediff.com   10 Jun 2021

According to medical practitioners, the treatment is especially useful in controlling disease among those who have not received the vaccine or got only one shot and also the high-risk contacts of a patient.

Covishield produced more antibodies than Covaxin: Study

Covishield produced more antibodies than Covaxin: Study

Rediff.com   7 Jun 2021

The study by a group of doctors showed that after two shots of the vaccines, 98 per cent recipients of Covishield showed antibody response, while the same was 80 per cent among Covaxin recipients. Sohini Das and Ruchika Chitravanshi report.

Centre recommends 3-pronged strategy for states to unlock

Centre recommends 3-pronged strategy for states to unlock

Rediff.com   2 Jun 2021

States should ensure a weekly positivity rate of less than 5 per cent, vaccination coverage of at least 70 per cent among the vulnerable section, and community ownership of Covid-appropriate behaviour, reports Ruchika Chitravanshi.

Despite multiple Covid deaths, UP villages in denial

Despite multiple Covid deaths, UP villages in denial

Rediff.com   1 Jun 2021

Hardly anyone wears a mask and most brush off concerns over a pandemic. It is not just scepticism over the existence of the pandemic. A common refrain across villages is the fear of vaccines, reports Ruchika Chitravanshi.

'India must do 7 million vaccinations a day'

'India must do 7 million vaccinations a day'

Rediff.com   22 May 2021

'If you approached it with that level of aggression in 100 days, you would have vaccinated more than half of your country.' 'On a mass scale you will be able to eliminate that wave.'

Sputnik V vaccine to be available in India from next week: Govt

Sputnik V vaccine to be available in India from next week: Govt

Rediff.com   14 May 2021

India is expecting 156 million doses of the vaccine from August to September, reports Ruchika Chitravanshi.