Samie Modak, Shivani Shinde, Sohini Das

Stories by Samie Modak, Shivani Shinde, Sohini Das

Mystery fever in wake of falling Covid cases raises alarm

Mystery fever in wake of falling Covid cases raises alarm

Rediff.com   20 Sep 2021

The sudden spike in cases of fever in India has claimed over 100 lives in five states, including UP, MP, Bihar, Haryana, and West Bengal. In UP, Firozabad and Mathura alone have reported 72 cases.

T+1, peak margin norms in interest of investors: Sebi

T+1, peak margin norms in interest of investors: Sebi

Rediff.com   17 Sep 2021

Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) chairman Ajay Tyagi on Thursday defended the recent reforms announced by the regulator, such as peak margin norms and shortening of the trade settlement cycle, saying they were in the interest of investors. The moves were criticised by the broking community and the foreign portfolio investors (FPIs). Speaking to the media after his inaugural address at the CII Financial Markets Summit, Tyagi said: "The new peak margin norms are in everyone's interest.

Explained: What USFDA full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine means

Explained: What USFDA full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine means

Rediff.com   17 Sep 2021

Pfizer can show the FDA approval to the Indian regulator and present a case that based on whatever data submitted, the US regulator has granted a full marketing nod, says Sohini Das.

Covid Vaccine: Syringe manufacturers are ramping up

Covid Vaccine: Syringe manufacturers are ramping up

Rediff.com   15 Sep 2021

The Centre is looking to procure around 1 billion syringes between September and December to support the COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Gennova's mRNA vaccine to come in powder form, stay stable at 2-8C

Gennova's mRNA vaccine to come in powder form, stay stable at 2-8C

Rediff.com   14 Sep 2021

Gennova has also got permission for phase-2 and 3 clinical trials for its lyophilised mRNA vaccine for injection from the subject expert committee advising the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation, reports Sohini Das.

Govt developing multi-variant Covid-19 vaccine

Govt developing multi-variant Covid-19 vaccine

Rediff.com   14 Sep 2021

Government institutions and pharma industry are examining if a 'cocktail' approach to making a multi-variant Covid-19 vaccine works against multiple strains of the ever-mutating virus, reports Sohini Das.

Pandemic: Reskilling is the buzzword at Infosys

Pandemic: Reskilling is the buzzword at Infosys

Rediff.com   13 Sep 2021

For Krish Shankar, executive vice-president & group head of human resource (HR) development at Infosys, the defining moment of the pandemic on the HR department has been the importance that reskilling and learning have managed to get. For Infosys, the focus on reskilling started three to four years back as business saw a shift towards digital, and the pandemic has really brought the importance of reskilling to the fore. "In the past, certification courses or taking up an e-learning course was just a way towards promotion, and was not taken too seriously.

Balaji Telefilms' shareholders reject Ekta, Shobha Kapoor wage deal

Balaji Telefilms' shareholders reject Ekta, Shobha Kapoor wage deal

Rediff.com   7 Sep 2021

Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, managing director (MD) and joint MD of media firm Balaji Telefilms have failed to obtain requisite votes on resolutions pertaining to their remuneration. According to stock exchange disclosure made by the company, the two separate special resolutions on setting their salaries for the next years got 56.77 per cent and 55.45 per cent 'against' vote.

HOTTEST Skills At Campus Placements

HOTTEST Skills At Campus Placements

Rediff.com   7 Sep 2021

'We are anticipating that the hiring trend will continue to see double-digit growth at least for the current financial year.'

Snapdeal plans $350-400 million IPO, eyes $2.5 billion valuation

Snapdeal plans $350-400 million IPO, eyes $2.5 billion valuation

Rediff.com   4 Sep 2021

JM Financial, Axis Bank, and Bank of America have been roped in as the bankers to run the mandate, say sources.

PayU buys BillDesk for $4.7 bn in one of largest Indian fintech deals

PayU buys BillDesk for $4.7 bn in one of largest Indian fintech deals

Rediff.com   1 Sep 2021

Prosus-backed fintech firm PayU is set to acquire India's earliest payment gateway BillDesk in an all-cash transaction of $4.7 billion. This will be the largest acquisition in India's digital payments space. The deal will also give exit to investors General Atlantic, TA Associates, Temasek, Clearstone Ventures, and Visa. The proposed acquisition will help PayU, the payments and fintech business of Prosus which operates in more than 20 markets, become one of the leading online payment providers globally by total payment volume (TPV).

Focus on hospitals as India braces for Covid third wave

Focus on hospitals as India braces for Covid third wave

Rediff.com   1 Sep 2021

The health system is trying to ensure that it isn't caught by surprise -- the way it was last time. So, hectic preparations are on.

Starting salary for these engineers? Rs 25-75 lakhs!

Starting salary for these engineers? Rs 25-75 lakhs!

Rediff.com   31 Aug 2021

This year's share of dream and super-dream job offers has spiked. As a result, the overall annual average salary packages have nearly doubled at some of these college campuses.

Pharma majors shift focus to inhalants, nasal spray for Covid

Pharma majors shift focus to inhalants, nasal spray for Covid

Rediff.com   30 Aug 2021

While Lupin is working on a Remdesivir powder for inhalation, Glenmark has tied up with a Canadian Biotech firm for nitric oxide nasal spray that reduces Sars-CoV-2 viral load and thus transmission.

Gennova's mRNA Covid vaccine gets nod for Phase 2-3 trials

Gennova's mRNA Covid vaccine gets nod for Phase 2-3 trials

Rediff.com   25 Aug 2021

If things go according to plan, the vaccine would be available in the market by the end of this year.

IT services major Capgemini is focused on driving more value from India

IT services major Capgemini is focused on driving more value from India

Rediff.com   23 Aug 2021

For Paris-headquartered IT services major Capgemini, India has always been the backbone of its services delivery for its global clients, but the company is focused on driving more value from India as it gears up its engineering research and development (R&D) presence worldwide with its acquisition of Altran Technologies. The company, which has about 149,000 employees in India, is looking to hire 60,000 associates this year. Of them, 30,000 will be recruits from campuses and the rest lateral entrants. For Ashwin Yardi, chief executive officer India, Capgemini, the focus is to make sure that the India unit is aligned with the global plans of repositioning the company as a hub of engineering R&D, operational technology, and IT.

Novovax Covid vaccine likely to get nod in India ahead of US

Novovax Covid vaccine likely to get nod in India ahead of US

Rediff.com   18 Aug 2021

Adar Poonawalla said he was hopeful that Covovax, the Novavax vaccine made by SII, will be launched around October this year for adults and for children by the first quarter of next year, depending on DCGI approvals.

It's raining IPOs: New filings could cross 100 in 2021

It's raining IPOs: New filings could cross 100 in 2021

Rediff.com   18 Aug 2021

It's raining IPOs, with eight issues hitting the market in a span of six days. However, the pace of new filings points to a deluge during the latter part of the year. So far this year, 58 companies have filed their draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the market regulator for initial public offerings (IPOs), exceeding the combined tally of 50 in the last two years. Industry participants said the filing count could cross 100 this year, setting a new benchmark in terms of amount mobilised in a calendar year.

Why investors can look to buy Wipro

Why investors can look to buy Wipro

Rediff.com   13 Aug 2021

Technology firm Wipro has a "high probability" of getting included in the benchmark Sensex, while two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto is the "most likely" deletion candidate, according to an analysis done by Brian Freitas, an analyst at independent research provider Smartkarma. The changes to the index will be announced mid-November, and will become effective from December 17. The December review uses the 6-month average market capitalisation and trading turnover data between May 1 and October 31 to determine changes.

BigBasket co-founder Abhinay Choudhari plans to build new business

BigBasket co-founder Abhinay Choudhari plans to build new business

Rediff.com   12 Aug 2021

BigBasket co-founder Abhinay Choudhari has exited the company, and in his next entrepreneurial journey, he is looking to "solve another equally painful chore for many Indian households" after grocery shopping. The Tata group acquired a majority stake in the online grocery store in May. And when the deal happened, Choudhari decided he won't continue to be part of the management team.