Sachin P Mampatta &Amp;Amp; Dev Chatterjee

Stories by Sachin P Mampatta &Amp;Amp; Dev Chatterjee

Vedanta likely to sell copper plant in Tamil Nadu for Rs 4,500 crore

Vedanta likely to sell copper plant in Tamil Nadu for Rs 4,500 crore

Rediff.com   29 Jun 2023

Vedanta Ltd, which is planning to restart its copper plant in Tamil Nadu, is weighing the option to sell the unit at a valuation of up to Rs 4,500 crore, banking sources have said. The company had sought expressions of interest (EoIs) for the plant in June last year but did not get a good response as the unit was shut for the last five years. "The process has now restarted with the bankers reaching out to potential bidders," said a banker.

Mission 2025: Adani group eyes 90% Ebitda via infrastructure business

Mission 2025: Adani group eyes 90% Ebitda via infrastructure business

Rediff.com   29 Jun 2023

The Adani group will be generating almost 90 percent of its Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) from infrastructure business by 2025 as compared to 83 per cent generated from these businesses currently, top company officials told bankers recently. Of the infrastructure business, 49 per cent of the profits are currently contributed by energy and utility, another 25 per cent by transport and rest by cement and logistics businesses. This will go up substantially as several new projects like Navi Mumbai airport and other projects get commissioned and contribute to the overall Ebitda pie, bankers were told.

Uttar Pradesh adds 126,000 new investors in April; Maharashtra loses pull

Uttar Pradesh adds 126,000 new investors in April; Maharashtra loses pull

Rediff.com   15 Jun 2023

The state with the most people has displaced the state with the largest economy in terms of investor additions. Uttar Pradesh (UP) added 126,000 new investors in April, reveals National Stock Exchange (NSE) disclosures. This is higher than Maharashtra's 118,000. Maharashtra, which is home to India's financial capital of Mumbai, has traditionally been the biggest source of investors.

Sony likely to seek forensic audit of Zee Entertainment, say lawyers

Sony likely to seek forensic audit of Zee Entertainment, say lawyers

Rediff.com   14 Jun 2023

Japan's Sony Corporation, which is merging its Indian television content company with Zee Entertainment Enterprises, is likely to seek a fresh forensic audit of the company after market regulator Sebi levelled fund diversion charges against Zee promoters, top lawyers said. The Sebi also barred Zee founder Subhash Chandra and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Puneet Goenka from holding any position as director. "As the Sebi has made fund diversion charges, which may change the nature of audited reports already filed, the acquirer (Sony) can seek a fresh forensic audit," said H P Ranina, a corporate lawyer.

In debate over NPS and EPFO returns, one retirement fund edges ahead

In debate over NPS and EPFO returns, one retirement fund edges ahead

Rediff.com   12 Jun 2023

If you work for 30 years, a two per cent difference in pension returns can reduce your final retirement nest egg by 40 per cent. The Rs 9-trillion National Pension System (NPS) seems to be delivering incrementally higher returns than the twice-as-large Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), shows a Business Standard analysis of data over the last seven years for the two retirement fund bodies. An investor who put in Rs 100 in retirement savings seven years ago would have seen her NPS nest egg grow to Rs 182 by 2023, according to the analysis based on the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority's recently released Handbook of National Pension System Statistics 2023.

Vedanta's Rs 2,632-crore brand fee helps VRL repay part of its debt

Vedanta's Rs 2,632-crore brand fee helps VRL repay part of its debt

Rediff.com   6 Jun 2023

An increased brand fee paid by India-listed Vedanta, apart from record dividend, has helped Vedanta Resources (VRL) - the London-based holding company of Vedanta Group - to repay part of its debt. Vedanta paid a brand fee of Rs 2,632 crore ($325 million) for 2022-23 (FY23), according to Nomura report. This was after the Anil Agarwal-owned holding company raised the brand fee to 2 per cent of the turnover for its Indian businesses in 2021.

Why Anil Agarwal-owned Vedanta group companies face high debt risk

Why Anil Agarwal-owned Vedanta group companies face high debt risk

Rediff.com   6 Jun 2023

Vedanta group chairman, Anil Agarwal, 69, is well known for his business journey from a scrap dealer from Bihar to a London-based globe-girdling metal and oil and gas conglomerate with revenues of $19 billion. Now his abilities to keep his group from over-leveraging itself will be put to the test. Over the years, Agarwal, now based in London, set up the conglomerate via acquiring iron ore producer Sesa Goa, Cairn's oil producing assets in India, and Electrosteel Steel.

Adani group withdraws from M&As, to focus on prepaying debt

Adani group withdraws from M&As, to focus on prepaying debt

Rediff.com   3 Jun 2023

On Thursday, Adani Enterprises announced that it will not go ahead with acquiring Macquarie group's two road companies at an enterprise valuation of Rs 3,100 crore.

LIC's Total Wealth Erosion: Over Rs 2 Trillion

LIC's Total Wealth Erosion: Over Rs 2 Trillion

Rediff.com   29 May 2023

The decline in LIC's share price makes it the biggest wealth destroyer among IPOs which hit the market after COVID-19 took hold globally in 2020.

Bernstein pegs RIL's stake in retail arm at $111 billion

Bernstein pegs RIL's stake in retail arm at $111 billion

Rediff.com   26 May 2023

Global investment management firm Bernstein has pegged the enterprise valuation of Reliance Industries (RIL)'s 85 per cent stake in Reliance Retail at $111 billion, while valuing the Mukesh Ambani-led company's 66.5 per cent stake in telecom and digital platform arm Reliance Jio at $88 billion. Reliance Industries had earlier planned to list both its subsidiaries to unlock value for its shareholders but hadn't fixed any timeline. The report said that Reliance Retail had raised $6 billion by diluting a 10.1 per cent stake, while Jio Platforms raised $20 billion from investors by selling 33 per cent in 2020.

Nirma, 3 private equity firms in race to buy Glenmark Life Sciences

Nirma, 3 private equity firms in race to buy Glenmark Life Sciences

Rediff.com   25 May 2023

Ahmedabad-based Nirma group and leading private equity firms have joined the race to acquire BSE-listed Glenmark Life Sciences. The acquisition by chemicals-to-cement major Nirma, if successful, would be a major boost for the health-care segment of the group, on the lines of its successful entry into the cement sector following its purchase of Lafarge India's assets for about Rs 9,400 crore in July 2016. It later followed up by buying Emami cement assets for Rs 5,500 crore in February 2020.

GST and states, a reality check of how indirect tax system is working

GST and states, a reality check of how indirect tax system is working

Rediff.com   15 May 2023

Taiwan in 1951 came up with an ingenious plan to improve tax compliance: citizens taking receipts for purchases could use them as lottery tickets. Customers were incentivized, and businesses found it hard to evade taxes. The plan's success prompted other countries, Slovakia and Greece among them, to launch similar initiatives. India doesn't seem to find the need yet for such schemes amid surging goods and services tax (GST) collections.

Adani to focus on prepaying loans, not to add more debt

Adani to focus on prepaying loans, not to add more debt

Rediff.com   24 Apr 2023

Adani Group is expected to report a 20 per cent rise in its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (Ebitda) at Rs 61,200 crore for the year that ended in March 2023 (2022-23, or FY23), according to a note submitted by the group to lenders recently. The group had earned Ebitda of Rs 57,299 crore in the preceding financial year that ended in March 2022 (2021-22). The group's gross debt was Rs 2.27 trillion as of March 31, 2023, and has projected to not take on additional debt until it lowers its existing one.

India Inc leans on InvITs to reduce debt, generate returns for investors

India Inc leans on InvITs to reduce debt, generate returns for investors

Rediff.com   20 Apr 2023

Reliance Industries, construction major L&T and IRB Infrastructure are some of the top companies that have used an infrastructure investment trust structure to reduce part of their debt and generate returns for their investors. Earlier this month, IRB Infrastructure InvIT was listed on the National Stock Exchange, giving its investors an option to exit by selling their units. The listing came within months of the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) guidelines for conversion of private unlisted InvITs into listed ones were issued.

India's Rigid Food Inflation Bites Harder

India's Rigid Food Inflation Bites Harder

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2023

Nearly a third of an average Indian citizen's consumption budget is spent on food.

Share of NRIs, overseas investors in mutual fund assets declining

Share of NRIs, overseas investors in mutual fund assets declining

Rediff.com   13 Apr 2023

The share of non-resident Indians (NRIs) and overseas investors in Indian mutual funds has been declining over time, despite adding half-a-trillion rupees to holdings over the last five years. Mutual fund holdings for the segment went up from Rs 0.95 trillion as of December 2018 to Rs 1.54 trillion as of December 2022, shows Business Standard analysis of data from the industry body Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi). Their share in overall mutual fund assets has fallen from 4.2 per cent to 3.9 per cent during the same period.

RCap auction postponed to April 11 even as Torrent pursues litigation

RCap auction postponed to April 11 even as Torrent pursues litigation

Rediff.com   4 Apr 2023

Lenders have postponed the second auction to sell bankrupt Reliance Capital's assets by a week to April 11, even as the Torrent group, the highest bidder in the first round, pursues litigation in the Supreme Court. Lenders are expecting the Hinduja group and Torrent to participate in the second auction and maximise the value of the assets. American financial services major, Oakteee may also join the race, said a source.

Covid Lockdown: How India Fared

Covid Lockdown: How India Fared

Rediff.com   1 Apr 2023

The March 2020 lockdown did not stop the spread of infection (as it triggered a huge reverse migration from cities), but it did help to flatten the curve and gave time to scale up health infrastructure.

Cyrus Mistry's assets may be divided among wife and sons

Cyrus Mistry's assets may be divided among wife and sons

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2023

The billionaire Mistry family's estate is likely to soon change hands. The assets in the name of Cyrus Mistry, who died in September last year, may soon be divided equally among his wife Rohiqa and sons Firoz and Zahan, according to sources. The reorganisation will also include the 9.2 per cent stake in Tata Sons, which is currently in Cyrus Mistry's name and held through his investment company Cyrus Investments.

RCap lenders in a fix as Hindujas retract revised Rs 8,950-cr offer

RCap lenders in a fix as Hindujas retract revised Rs 8,950-cr offer

Rediff.com   27 Mar 2023

The Hinduja group is learnt to have backtracked from making a minimum Rs 8,950-crore offer for Reliance Capital (RCap) - a deal that it had belatedly put forth in December, after Torrent Investments emerged as the highest bidder for the bankrupt firm in the challenge process. The Hindujas' latest move has put Indian lenders, with an exposure of Rs 24,000 crore, in a spot as it was the former's revised offer that led to a call for a second auction and litigation by Torrent, which had placed a bid of Rs 8,649 crore in the first auction. Torrent has moved the Supreme Court and plans to wait for the apex court verdict before participating in any fresh auction. A banking source said there was an informal meeting of a few lenders of Reliance Capital with the bidders - the Torrent group and the Hinduja group on Friday when the latter changed its stand. The meeting of RCap's committee of creditors (CoC) is scheduled for Monday.