Sachin P Mampatta &Amp; Neha Alawadhi

Stories by Sachin P Mampatta &Amp; Neha Alawadhi

A big challenge to EPFO returns

A big challenge to EPFO returns

Rediff.com   18 Mar 2022

There is widening gap between what the government's premier retirement fund makes on its investments and what it offers to employees. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) makes the bulk of its investments in government-related securities. In other words, it lends to central and state governments and related entities. The interest it gets from these instruments is largely what it uses to pay interest to its subscribers.

Indians Invested $673.8 Million Abroad In 2021

Indians Invested $673.8 Million Abroad In 2021

Rediff.com   15 Mar 2022

Indians spent more on foreign investments during the past 12 months than they have since at least 2012.

Over Rs 20,000 crore lying unclaimed with LIC

Over Rs 20,000 crore lying unclaimed with LIC

Rediff.com   15 Feb 2022

The amount of money lying unclaimed with the Life Insurance Corporation of India dwarfs the budgets of many ministries. There was Rs 21,539.5 crore which lay unclaimed with India's largest insurance company, according to details in the initial public offer (IPO) document it filed over the weekend. The regulatory documentation is ahead of LIC selling shares to the public through the stock exchange for the first time this financial year. This will be India's largest ever public listing.

Last year's share buybacks were lowest since 2015

Last year's share buybacks were lowest since 2015

Rediff.com   17 Jan 2022

Companies spent less money buying back their shares from the public last year than at any time since 2015. They announced buybacks of up to Rs 14,341 crore, show numbers from primary market tracker Prime Database. The total amount spent was Rs 13,597 crore. Both the amounts are lower than what was offered (Rs 39,564 crore) and spent (Rs 36,517 crore) in 2020.

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.

'Be greedy when others are fearful'

'Be greedy when others are fearful'

Rediff.com   6 Jan 2022

Outperforming peers following a crisis in the debt markets is an act that ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company fund manager Manish Banthia has pulled off more than once.

Rs 200,00,00,00,000 unclaimed in stocks

Rs 200,00,00,00,000 unclaimed in stocks

Rediff.com   4 Jan 2022

The value of unclaimed securities and other assets was nearly Rs 20,000 crore in March 2020.

New projects drop for 2nd straight quarter

New projects drop for 2nd straight quarter

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2022

New projects fell 6.3 per cent in the December quarter compared with the September quarter. The value of new projects in the just-concluded quarter was Rs 2.1 trillion, according to the data from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), which was lower than the Rs 2.2 trillion seen in the September quarter. It is, however, higher than Rs 1.5 trillion recorded for the quarter ended December 2020, the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. This data ties in with the November data for core sector growth, an index of eight core industries, which grew at its slowest pace since early 2021.

Rise and rise of the Rs 10,000 shares

Rise and rise of the Rs 10,000 shares

Rediff.com   15 Dec 2021

There are more of them now and the total value of such companies--out of reach for small retail players--may surprise you. Shares topping the five-figure price mark were rare ten years ago. A look at March-end figures across the listed universe in 2011 shows only one such share. There were two by 2013.

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/'

Wilful defaults are Rs 62,000 crore higher than pre-Covid levels

Wilful defaults are Rs 62,000 crore higher than pre-Covid levels

Rediff.com   2 Dec 2021

The Indian banking system's latest record on wilful defaulters shows Rs 62,970 crore, or around 10 per cent increase, in the additional amount outstanding since the pandemic began. The total outstanding amount increased to Rs 6.85 trillion in June from Rs 6.22 trillion in December 2019, shows a Business Standard analysis of numbers from the TransUnion CIBIL database. India recorded its first case of Covid-19 in January 2020.The amount outstanding to wilful defaulters had touched a post-pandemic peak of Rs.7.6 trillion in December 2020 (or Rs 1.4 trillion more than pre-pandemic levels).

'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.'

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.

Big Tech invests $1.82 bn in Indian startups so far this year

Big Tech invests $1.82 bn in Indian startups so far this year

Rediff.com   8 Nov 2021

Their startup investments number 13 so far, compared to 17 deals in 2020.

LIC's stake in listed companies at 10-year low

LIC's stake in listed companies at 10-year low

Rediff.com   8 Nov 2021

LIC owns 3.69 per cent of the total listed universe based on available disclosures, the lowest since at least June 2009.

How Bhavit Sheth and Harsh Jain Changed Cricket

How Bhavit Sheth and Harsh Jain Changed Cricket

Rediff.com   3 Nov 2021

Mumbai-based Dream11, which is run by Sporta Technologies Private Limited, reported a profit of Rs 181 crore (Rs 1.81 billion) in FY2020, making it one of the few Indian consumer-tech unicorns to have turned profitable.

CAs scramble to fathom new whistleblowing law

CAs scramble to fathom new whistleblowing law

Rediff.com   2 Nov 2021

Chartered accountants are readying themselves for a higher onus on individuals to report violations that they come across as part of their work. There has been a scramble to understand the implications as the non-compliance with laws and regulations (NOCLAR) comes into effect in less than six months. It is applicable from April 1, 2022 after being deferred earlier because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Urban Company tries to soothe frayed nerves of women partners

Urban Company tries to soothe frayed nerves of women partners

Rediff.com   15 Oct 2021

Urban Company, the home services firm, announced a 12-point programme on Thursday to improve partner earnings and livelihood for all partners on its platform in India. The announcement comes after most women partners on the platform staged a protest last Friday, demanding better layouts and safer working conditions. Among the provisions in the 12-point programme are reduction of highest commissions in the beauty category, in which most of Urban Company's female partners work.