Samreen Wani, Sachin P Mampatta

Stories by Samreen Wani, Sachin P Mampatta

Why Government Jobs Are In Short Supply

Why Government Jobs Are In Short Supply

Rediff.com   13 Jul 2023

Almost 25 per cent central government posts were vacant as of March 2022, compared to 9.4 per cent in March 2002.

New manufacturing projects decline in June 2023, shows CMIE data

New manufacturing projects decline in June 2023, shows CMIE data

Rediff.com   4 Jul 2023

New investment projects announced in the manufacturing sector declined in the three months ended June 2023. The value of new projects was lower than in the March quarter, as well as the year-ago period, shows data from project tracker the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The new project announcements worth around Rs 85,000 crore in the manufacturing segment in June were a 48 per cent decline from the Rs 1.6 trillion in March and a 66 per cent decline from the Rs 2.5 trillion seen in June 2022.

India's inflation is higher than other key developing economies

India's inflation is higher than other key developing economies

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2023

India's prices are rising faster than many of its emerging market peers. The country's inflation print for May at 4.25 per cent is a marked reduction from the levels seen in May 2022 (7.04 per cent). However, even though the inflation rate remains within the Reserve Bank of India's medium-term target of 4 per cent, with a 2 per cent margin on either side, it continues to be higher than China, Russia, and Brazil.

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.

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.

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.

Natural Disasters Displaced 2.5 Million Indians in 2022

Natural Disasters Displaced 2.5 Million Indians in 2022

Rediff.com   25 May 2023

Extreme weather events and disasters have been on the rise in the region.

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.

Will It Be Normal Monsoon This Year?

Will It Be Normal Monsoon This Year?

Rediff.com   27 Apr 2023

The IMD defines a normal monsoon as one which delivers between 96 and 104 per cent of the 50-year average rainfall for the season.

Know The Economic Cost Of Heat Waves?

Know The Economic Cost Of Heat Waves?

Rediff.com   26 Apr 2023

India stands to lose more working hours to extreme heat than the rest of the world, in addition to the humanitarian cost of extreme heat events.

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.

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.

Will a fresh wave of Covid-19 hit India?

Will a fresh wave of Covid-19 hit India?

Rediff.com   31 Mar 2023

According to Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman, national Indian Medical Association Covid Task Force, the current scenario qualifies as a wave.

Covid: Employment Shows Lingering Effects

Covid: Employment Shows Lingering Effects

Rediff.com   13 Mar 2023

The unemployment rate is higher among urban women as was the case before the pandemic.

Why Are Indians Obsessed With Overworking?

Why Are Indians Obsessed With Overworking?

Rediff.com   1 Mar 2023

Never mind work-life balance: this generation spends more time on the job than ever before.

Indian investments in foreign stocks, property at record high in Dec

Indian investments in foreign stocks, property at record high in Dec

Rediff.com   1 Mar 2023

The amount of money Indians invested in foreign securities, property, and deposits in 2022 was likely the highest on record. At $2.1 billion, it was the largest spend for any 12-month period according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) data going back over a decade. The amount spent for each individual segment was also the highest.

SHOCKING! 4 Tiger Deaths A Week In 2023

SHOCKING! 4 Tiger Deaths A Week In 2023

Rediff.com   24 Feb 2023

26 tigers have already died this year.

India Plans 20 Nuclear Power Plants By 2031

India Plans 20 Nuclear Power Plants By 2031

Rediff.com   6 Feb 2023

Though it still has only a single-digit share in total electricity production, India has been looking to tap nuclear power faster.

More than two dozen companies do the vanishing act

More than two dozen companies do the vanishing act

Rediff.com   2 Feb 2023

The companies on the list are from sectors including trading, finance, packaging, textile, realty, and others. Trading and finance companies account for half-a-dozen companies each.