Sharmistha Mukherjee, Surajeet Das Gupta &Amp; Aneesh Phadnis

Stories by Sharmistha Mukherjee, Surajeet Das Gupta &Amp; Aneesh Phadnis

'Our aim is to encourage global companies to shift to India from China'

'Our aim is to encourage global companies to shift to India from China'

Rediff.com   29 May 2023

'I was in the US, where I met top executives of HP and Dell, and they are very keen to come to India.' 'Acer and ASUS have also evinced interest.'

PC shipments fell by 30% in Q1, notebooks fared the worst

PC shipments fell by 30% in Q1, notebooks fared the worst

Rediff.com   24 May 2023

The India personal computer (PC) market shipment, inclusive of desktops, notebooks, and workstations, dropped by an overall 30.1 per cent in the first quarter of CY2023 over the previous year, to only 2.99 million units, according to the latest data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker released on Tuesday. In Q1CY23, while the demand for desktops was positive, the notebook category witnessed another weak quarter as it declined by 40.8 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y). The consumer segment declined by 36.1 per cent y-o-y primarily due to slowing demand and weak market sentiment.

Lesson for Go First from Jet Airways' insolvency: Restart quickly

Lesson for Go First from Jet Airways' insolvency: Restart quickly

Rediff.com   24 May 2023

Both Jet Airways and Go First have met with a similar fate of landing up in insolvency, albeit for different reasons. Whether Go First will be able to avoid the sharp erosion in value like in the case of Jet, experts say, will depend on how quickly it is able to restart operations and retain its slots at airports. Go First, owned by the Wadia group, filed for voluntary corporate insolvency resolution on May 2 due to inadequate capacity utilisation that led to a cash crunch.

Tesla may be revving up interest in India, again

Tesla may be revving up interest in India, again

Rediff.com   17 May 2023

Senior Tesla executives including those from its supply chain are planning to come to India on Wednesday and Thursday for meetings with government officials, including those in the Prime Minister's Office, according to sources. Prashant R Menon, director of Tesla India, did not respond to a specific query on the meetings. Sources say that the executives are coming to see how they can expand and develop local sourcing of components from India for the Tesla car.

Why Apple Wants Indian Workers To Work Longer Hours

Why Apple Wants Indian Workers To Work Longer Hours

Rediff.com   15 May 2023

India's stiff labour laws were one key issue that Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed with Prime Minister Modi on his recent visit.

India's Chip Dreams Won't Happen Unless...

India's Chip Dreams Won't Happen Unless...

Rediff.com   15 May 2023

OSAT majors have concerns about India's ability to provide a stable, predictable, and lasting policy environment for years to come, which is key for making a decision in a capital-intensive business.

Let's get business running, crisis-hit Go First's IRP tells staff

Let's get business running, crisis-hit Go First's IRP tells staff

Rediff.com   12 May 2023

Go First chief executive officer Kaushik Khona and tribunal-appointed interim resolution professional Abhilash Lal on Thursday reached out to the airline's staff, seeking their support for revival. While Khona said the company had taken all steps for the airline's revival, Lal put forward the view it would have to raise funds. Employee engagement took place a day after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted the airline's insolvency plea on Wednesday and ordered a moratorium on recoveries.

A P&W story: From giving wings to aviation in India to Go First grounding

A P&W story: From giving wings to aviation in India to Go First grounding

Rediff.com   9 May 2023

Its association with India is over 70 years old and spans both civil and military aviation. The Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft used by the air force beginning the 1940s and the iconic Boeing 747 aircraft flown by Air India, both had Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines. The Indian Air Force's present-day, heavy-lift C-17 Globemaster III and the yet-to-be-inducted C-295 planes, too, have P&W power plants.

Jet Airways Revival Hope Diminishes

Jet Airways Revival Hope Diminishes

Rediff.com   8 May 2023

Jet's air operator certificate will lapse on May 19.

Electronics manufacturing gets a reality check; only $225 bn value by FY26

Electronics manufacturing gets a reality check; only $225 bn value by FY26

Rediff.com   4 May 2023

The government's ambitious vision document that aims at achieving electronics manufacturing with a value of $300 billion by FY26 (including exports of $105-130 billion) could end up far lower than the target, according to a reality check this month. The reality check came from the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), which partnered with the government in preparing the document. The members of the ICEA are mobile and electronics companies, and its assessment, based on current trends, indicates that the total electronics production in FY26 will be around $225 billion.

'Tough times': Go First staff hopes for airline survival, scout for options

'Tough times': Go First staff hopes for airline survival, scout for options

Rediff.com   4 May 2023

Employees of Go First, which has filed for bankruptcy, hope that the airline will fly out of the crisis with government support but some are already scouting for work. Some Go First pilots have joined airlines in West Asia in recent weeks and others have approached IndiGo, India's largest domestic airline. Calls to IndiGo's human resources and operations department increased after Go First said on Tuesday it will suspend flights for three days starting May 3, sources said.

Go First saga begins to hit passengers with flights diverted, cancelled

Go First saga begins to hit passengers with flights diverted, cancelled

Rediff.com   4 May 2023

A nine-day Kashmir trip ended on a sour note for the Shah family of Ahmedabad with an unscheduled diversion and an expensive road ride back home. The Shahs were among hundreds of passengers whose travel plans went awry with Go First suspending all flights till Friday. "We were supposed to travel from Srinagar to Ahmedabad via Mumbai on Tuesday.

Govt set to approve Micron Technology's $1-billion semiconductor plant

Govt set to approve Micron Technology's $1-billion semiconductor plant

Rediff.com   2 May 2023

The government is close to approving a proposal by Micron Technology to set up an assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP) facility in the country involving an investment of about $1 billion. The world's fifth largest semiconductor company, based in Idaho, USA, will use the facility to process some of its own wafers, manufactured across the globe.

Why Telcos Want Airlines To Replace Altimeters

Why Telcos Want Airlines To Replace Altimeters

Rediff.com   2 May 2023

'If the airlines are not given a clear deadline to change the altimeters by the DGCA, why should they do it voluntarily?' 'It means that the aircraft will be grounded for a while and lose money.'

Electric two-wheeler sales skid by a fourth

Electric two-wheeler sales skid by a fourth

Rediff.com   1 May 2023

Stung by the government's punitive action on electric two-wheelers, registrations in April fell by nearly a fourth to 62,581 from 82,292 in March, according to data from VAHAN. Electric two-wheeler companies, including Okinawa, Hero Electric, Ather Energy, and TVS, have all clocked their lowest registrations in the four months of this calendar year. Ola Electric has been the only exception to this bloodbath, and has crossed its March numbers, hitting 21,560 registrations in April, which is its highest in this calendar year. As a result, there have been some interesting changes in the electric two-wheeler pecking order.

Electric 2-wheeler players take on heavy industries dept on FAME 2

Electric 2-wheeler players take on heavy industries dept on FAME 2

Rediff.com   28 Apr 2023

Companies making electric two-wheelers, through their association Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), have taken on the Department of Heavy Industries (DHI), saying they did not get subsidies for even half the mandated 1 million units they manufactured. Subsidies are given under Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles 2 (FAME II). In a petition to the parliamentary standing committee on industry energy and estimates, the SMEV said the department had done an "accounting error" by showing that it (the department) was close to achieving the mandated target by including sales of the EVs that were "not funded" under the scheme.

Like Uber, You Can Book A Drone Soon

Like Uber, You Can Book A Drone Soon

Rediff.com   25 Apr 2023

E-commerce players may soon rent out drones, so you can use them the way you book a cab on an app, and test viable use-cases for last-mile delivery.

Has Apple's Roller-Coaster Ride In India Ended?

Has Apple's Roller-Coaster Ride In India Ended?

Rediff.com   21 Apr 2023

The new mantra was to align Apple's ambition with the government's, focusing on Modi's favourite themes of Make in India, employment generation and India as a high-tech export hub.

Air India pilot unions oppose salary proposal, call it anti-labour

Air India pilot unions oppose salary proposal, call it anti-labour

Rediff.com   20 Apr 2023

Two unions representing Air India pilots have asked members not to accept the revised compensation and employment offer, calling the company's proposals "unfair labour practices." They said any coercion on pilots to sign the offer would lead to industrial unrest. The Tata group airline announced on Monday a new salary structure for pilots and cabin crew.

Air India revises pilots', cabin crew salaries, announces reward, bonus

Air India revises pilots', cabin crew salaries, announces reward, bonus

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2023

Air India on Monday announced a new compensation structure for its pilots and cabin crew, with a guaranteed flying allowance of 40 hours per month for both categories of staff. While the flying allowance has been doubled for pilots, it has been introduced for flight attendants as part of the new compensation structure. Pilots will earn an additional amount as a reward based on the number of years of service with the airline and get an allowance while undergoing training for command or conversion to another aircraft type.