Sharleen D'Souza &Amp; Sourabh Lele

Stories by Sharleen D'Souza &Amp; Sourabh Lele

Uneven monsoon weighs on demand for FMCG firms

Uneven monsoon weighs on demand for FMCG firms

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2023

Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are expected to see muted topline growth, with uneven spread of the monsoon impacting demand. Rural demand recovery, too, remains elusive in the July-September quarter. Brokerages expect volumes to remain steady in the quarter on a sequential basis.

Rural kiranas power September sales

Rural kiranas power September sales

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2023

Sales of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) witnessed significant recovery in September after enduring a double-digit decline in August, according to data furnished by Bizom. Kirana stores in rural areas stocked up in preparation for the festival season, which began in September. This, combined with rainfall reaching 113 per cent of the long-perid average for the month, contributed to a boost in sales.

Aadhaar To Be Default e-ID

Aadhaar To Be Default e-ID

Rediff.com   7 Oct 2023

If a citizen chooses not to use Aadhaar as the default unique identity, then other unique identity proofs masked and linked to Aadhaar would be used.

Inflation a cause of worry for FMCG companies; margins could take a hit

Inflation a cause of worry for FMCG companies; margins could take a hit

Rediff.com   5 Oct 2023

Higher inflation has again become a matter of concern for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies. After prices of commodities like sugar and wheat moved higher and stabilised at those levels, the crude oil too surged, adding to FMCG firms' worries. Besides, a dry spell in August in the ongoing monsoon season impacted rural demand.

10 Districts = 80% Of Cybercrime

10 Districts = 80% Of Cybercrime

Rediff.com   4 Oct 2023

Online fraudsters are widely targeting Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions to dupe people and carry out unauthorised transactions, making it the most prevalent form of online financial fraud during 2020-2023, said a whitepaper on cybercrime trends.

Brand SRK Is Back With A Bang!

Brand SRK Is Back With A Bang!

Rediff.com   12 Sep 2023

'He doesn't need to play eye candy or a boy next door. He has found his mark.' 'Brands like him because he understands them and he emotes appropriately for them.'

Markets see 70% chance BJP forming next govt

Markets see 70% chance BJP forming next govt

Rediff.com   9 Sep 2023

The key risk factors would be anti-incumbency, small vote share swings causing large impact on outcomes and the 2004 example.

Records of 320,000 patients on AYUSH Jharkhand hacked

Records of 320,000 patients on AYUSH Jharkhand hacked

Rediff.com   5 Sep 2023

CloudSEK in its report also warned that the leaked data could enable account takeovers.

From hatchbacks to holidays, consumers ready to loosen purse strings

From hatchbacks to holidays, consumers ready to loosen purse strings

Rediff.com   1 Sep 2023

With Onam and Raksha Bandhan just around the corner, the festival season is ready to kick off in full swing. As people embrace the celebratory spirit, companies anticipate a surge in sales this year. Consumer durables firms are expecting strong growth of 40-50 per cent in the premium segment during the upcoming season. Appliance makers also foresee increased demand for cooling appliances - refrigerators and air conditioners - which were impacted by unseasonal rainfall.

Microsoft unveils blueprint for India on AI governance

Microsoft unveils blueprint for India on AI governance

Rediff.com   25 Aug 2023

Tech giant Microsoft has unveiled a blueprint for India on artificial intelligence (AI) governance, and proposed a regulatory architecture to oversee safety protocols, according to a whitepaper released on Thursday. The whitepaper titled "Governing AI: A Blueprint for India" comes amid Microsoft raising its stakes in its artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT. The proposed AI regulatory architecture includes regulations prescribing safety and security requirements, then license deployment for permitted uses in a licensed Al data centre with post-deployment safety and security monitoring and protection.

At $112 bn, Reliance Retail value may be almost double RIL's O2C business

At $112 bn, Reliance Retail value may be almost double RIL's O2C business

Rediff.com   3 Aug 2023

Reliance Industries' (RIL's) retail arm, Reliance Retail, is now valued at nearly twice the amount of its decades-old and lucrative oil-to-chemical (O2C) division. Bernstein's latest report on the conglomerate projects a valuation of $112 billion for its retail business, dwarfing the $57 billion valuation of its O2C division. In addition, the research firm valued Jio Platforms, the company's telecom arm, at $77 billion and the renewable energy business at $17 billion.

Unseasonal rains to impact performance of consumer durables in Q1

Unseasonal rains to impact performance of consumer durables in Q1

Rediff.com   25 Jul 2023

Unseasonal rains watered down the performance of consumer durables companies as temperatures cooled, impacting the sales of refrigerators and air conditioners (ACs) in the 2023-24 (FY24) April-June quarter. Centrum says in its report on the sector that the trade channel indicates a 25-30 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline in sales of refrigerators and ACs in April and May due to restricted buying. "While some green shoots in demand were visible in June, overall growth for the quarter is likely to remain at a negative 10-12 per cent," observes the brokerage.

Demand for IT gig workers grew 157% in H12023, says job firm Awign

Demand for IT gig workers grew 157% in H12023, says job firm Awign

Rediff.com   19 Jul 2023

At a time when the tech sector witnessed a spree of layoffs and slowdown in new hiring, IT firms have opted for temporary jobs in order to turn some their fixed costs variable. Work fulfillment platform Awign has reported a 157 per cent rise in demand for such jobs in first half of 2023. Awign says most of the demand has arisen for highly-skilled tech professionals at mid-level and senior positions with 2-7 years' experience.

Android probe: CCI 'protecting' Amazon, Google tells SC

Android probe: CCI 'protecting' Amazon, Google tells SC

Rediff.com   7 Jul 2023

Google, in its latest appeal to the Supreme Court, has said the Competition Commission of India (CCI) is protecting Amazon's interests after having complained that India's anti-competition body (CCI) had copied part of a European Commission ruling against it for allegedly abusing the market dominance of Android. The latest twist to the Google-CCI case comes as Google filed an appeal in the Supreme Court on June 26, against the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal's (NCLAT's) March 29 order. The tech giant's contention is that the NCLAT failed to apply the "effect analysis" part in the CCI order.

Despite its high internet user base, India has just 6% of global cybersecurity jobs

Despite its high internet user base, India has just 6% of global cybersecurity jobs

Rediff.com   22 Jun 2023

Even as cyber threats continue to rise in India - the second-largest global active internet user base - the country is currently facing a big skill gap in the cybersecurity domain and represents just six per cent of global cybersecurity jobs, finds a report. As of May 2023, the industry had about 40,000 open opportunities, indicating the growing demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals. However, the demand-supply gap stood at 30 per cent, projecting a major skill challenge in the industry, finds the study by tech staffing firm TeamLease.

Margins remain a pain point for organised FMCG supply-chain companies

Margins remain a pain point for organised FMCG supply-chain companies

Rediff.com   16 Jun 2023

Jiomart B2B is the latest among organised supply-chain companies to bite the bullet, shutting down its warehouses, and asking its employees to leave. Why are companies finding it difficult to sustain the supply-chain business? Experts point out that gross margins in supplying fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) are very low.

Interested in working with OpenAI? Please feel free to email Sam Altman

Interested in working with OpenAI? Please feel free to email Sam Altman

Rediff.com   9 Jun 2023

If you are interested in working with OpenAI, feel free to email Sam Altman. In a free-wheeling fireside chat with university students on Thursday in Delhi, the CEO of OpenAI and his team seemed eager to welcome bright young IT practitioners of India into the OpenAI work space. Asked about the steep degree requirements for applying to tech giants such as Microsoft and Google, Altman said that his company was open to hiring undergraduates and even college drop-outs.

TVs, Laptops, Phones May Cost More

TVs, Laptops, Phones May Cost More

Rediff.com   9 Jun 2023

The reason? Price of open cell panels has gone up 15%. One of the main components in the manufacturing of TV sets, open cells contribute to 60%-65% of the manufacturing cost.

Aditya Birla invests Rs 5,000 cr in jewellery biz, takes on Tata, Reliance

Aditya Birla invests Rs 5,000 cr in jewellery biz, takes on Tata, Reliance

Rediff.com   7 Jun 2023

Aditya Birla Group has announced its foray into the branded jewellery space with an investment of around Rs 5,000 crore and will battle it out with Titan's Tanishq and Reliance Industries- Reliance Jewel. The business will be housed in a new venture, "Novel Jewel", and will open large-format exclusive stores across the country with its in-house jewellery brands, the company said in its release. "The new venture will seek to transform customer experience by creating an aspirational national brand with unique designs and a strong regional flavour.

Hackers target YouTube channels of journalist, comedian

Hackers target YouTube channels of journalist, comedian

Rediff.com   6 Jun 2023

Possible phishing attack targets high-profile channels run by Barkha Dutt and Tanmay Bhatt.