Samreen Ahmad &Amp;Amp; Neha Alawadhi

Stories by Samreen Ahmad &Amp;Amp; Neha Alawadhi

Who needs TikTok? Bharat has its very own alternatives

Who needs TikTok? Bharat has its very own alternatives

Rediff.com   27 Jul 2020

Chingari, Roposo, Khabri and Trell are seeing huge traction as people are looking at options to earn incentives from home. Music streaming app Gaana, which is strongly placed in the market with 150 million users, recently opened up its short video platform for subscribers.

Medlife, PharmEasy eye $200 million merger deal

Medlife, PharmEasy eye $200 million merger deal

Rediff.com   21 Jul 2020

There are several discussions going around in the e-health sector for consolidation with key players being PharmEasy, 1mg, Medlife and Netmeds. According to reports, Reliance Jio is in talks with Netmeds to acquire the latter.

Ban on Chinese apps: Will Indian players' dream run continue?

Ban on Chinese apps: Will Indian players' dream run continue?

Rediff.com   2 Jul 2020

The idea behind starting Chingari is not to build a TikTok clone but to position itself as a super app for India like WeChat.

For India's start-ups space is the next frontier

For India's start-ups space is the next frontier

Rediff.com   28 Jun 2020

While participation of start-ups in the space sector has largely been minimal so far, their involvement will be key towards building India's very own aerospace companies such as Maxar, Elon Musk's SpaceX and Rocket Labs, according to experts.

How IITs, NITs are grading students

How IITs, NITs are grading students

Rediff.com   25 Jun 2020

To stay on course with their academic calendars, several steps for graduating batches and fresh incoming batches are being taken.

Now e-commerce firms are roped in to create Aatmanirbhar Bharat

Now e-commerce firms are roped in to create Aatmanirbhar Bharat

Rediff.com   24 Jun 2020

Govt's e-commerce portal asks sellers to specify country origin of products. Now, the commerce & industry ministry has mandated that the Government e-Marketplace, which has seen Rs 55,048 crore worth of transactions till now, adopt this approach in the interest of creating an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.

Mall developers rework rent for retailers

Mall developers rework rent for retailers

Rediff.com   22 Jun 2020

Among the options being weighed are discounts on existing rentals, short-term deferrals, and 50 per cent waivers.

Campaign to boycott China-linked apps picks up speed

Campaign to boycott China-linked apps picks up speed

Rediff.com   19 Jun 2020

According to industry insiders, India has 400 million smartphones and is the world's fastest-growing app market. So the addition or deletion of apps impacts the global valuations of these platforms. "Based on calls given by various local organisations to delete Chinese Apps, there will be an impact," said Blaise Fernandes, director at foreign policy think tank Gateway House. "All of them eventually will go the IPO (initial public offering) route so there would be economic impact also."

As lockdown eases, hotels ready with new 5-star drill

As lockdown eases, hotels ready with new 5-star drill

Rediff.com   15 Jun 2020

As several premium hotels such as ITC, Taj and Oberoi reopen after the lockdown in cities such as Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad, many changes have been made for the safety of guests and staff including temporary closure of spas, bars, gyms, and swimming pools.

Will data protection Bill finally see daylight?

Will data protection Bill finally see daylight?

Rediff.com   15 Jun 2020

After the first draft of the Bill was submitted under a committee chaired by Justice B N Srikrishna in 2018, there were objections raised by businesses, especially on the broad restrictions on cross-border data flow.

India saw 2nd highest phishing hosting attacks in Q1 2019

India saw 2nd highest phishing hosting attacks in Q1 2019

Rediff.com   15 Jun 2020

Phishing attacks could either be in the form of an email from a trusted source asking for personal information such as passwords, bank details and personal details, or it could mimic an existing website or webpage and trick a user into entering confidential information on the page.

Yatra ends merger pact, sues Ebix in US for breach of terms

Yatra ends merger pact, sues Ebix in US for breach of terms

Rediff.com   7 Jun 2020

Ebix had signed the agreement last year to acquire Gurugram-based Yatra Online for an enterprise value of $338 million (about Rs 2,327 crore) in an all-stock deal. The deal was supposed to conclude in the October-December quarter after regulatory approvals but went through several extensions, according to regulatory filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Why Google took down TikTok clone Mitron

Why Google took down TikTok clone Mitron

Rediff.com   3 Jun 2020

Mitron probably would have continued with the free run for quite some time, had it not come to light that the source code of the app was actually developed by a Pakistani developer, reports Neha Alawadhi.

COVID-19 opening new doors to fintech companies

COVID-19 opening new doors to fintech companies

Rediff.com   27 May 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has changed how businesses look at payments. Earlier, fintech companies said when they were talking to merchants, they were not interested in digitisation.

Nasscom chief warns of job cuts in IT sector if...

Nasscom chief warns of job cuts in IT sector if...

Rediff.com   23 May 2020

'If the business doesn't recover in next 6-10 months, there might be situation where there would be some lay-offs...That may be required for survival and to ensure livelihood to millions of people.'

Swiggy lays off 1,100 as coronavirus hits business

Swiggy lays off 1,100 as coronavirus hits business

Rediff.com   19 May 2020

Backed by China's Tencent and Prosus NV, Swiggy has around 8,000 employees.

Hospitality sector unhappy with govt stimulus package

Hospitality sector unhappy with govt stimulus package

Rediff.com   18 May 2020

The hospitality and tourism sector is among the worst hit because of the pandemic, and is unlikely to recover any time soon as people continue to be cautious of going out in a crowded places.

Wait for new home may get longer by 3 months

Wait for new home may get longer by 3 months

Rediff.com   13 May 2020

Developers are cautious about the timing of launches in the near term, given the relative uncertainty in demand pick-up and logistical challenges during the lockdown. However, affordable housing projects slated for the first quarter (Q1) of 2020-21 (FY21) may get launched this quarter itself.

No freeze on hiring at India's top IT firms

No freeze on hiring at India's top IT firms

Rediff.com   11 May 2020

Top Indian IT services companies - TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Tech - have said that they would continue to hire freshers through campus interviews, though lateral hiring will be mostly on exception basis.

COVID-19 deals a deadly blow to small realty players

COVID-19 deals a deadly blow to small realty players

Rediff.com   6 May 2020

Experts say that the lockdown and its aftermath will further quicken the consolidation in the real estate sector, which has been taking place since 2012, with more small players going out of the business and bigger, branded players dominating the market.