Shine Jacob &Amp;Amp; Arindam Majumder

Stories by Shine Jacob &Amp;Amp; Arindam Majumder

Govt to break 150-yr tradition, gives nod to Railway board restructuring

Govt to break 150-yr tradition, gives nod to Railway board restructuring

Rediff.com   25 Dec 2019

The new board will have a leaner structure on functional lines headed by the chairman and four members - covering infrastructure, operations and business development, rolling stock, and finance.

Railways in talks with Reliance Jio on tower use

Railways in talks with Reliance Jio on tower use

Rediff.com   23 Dec 2019

Indian Railways is in talks with Reliance Jio Infocomm to allow the Mukesh Ambani-led telecom major's use of its towers. The aim is seamless mobile and internet connectivity for passengers along the 67,368-km of tracks. The Railway Board has entrusted its RailTel Corporation arm to work on the modalities with Jio. The Jio tie-up is expected to bring down its telecom bill by at least 35 per cent from this financial year.

At 11.2%, Nov's air traffic growth fastest this year

At 11.2%, Nov's air traffic growth fastest this year

Rediff.com   13 Dec 2019

About 1.2 crore passengers flew in November compared to 1.1 crore in October. While the industry opinion is divided over the sustainability of unprofitable growth, which is primarily led by low fare, some described it as the resilience of air travel against the economic slump.

Cars to get pricier in 2020

Cars to get pricier in 2020

Rediff.com   4 Dec 2019

Primary steel producers in the domestic market have raised product prices by 2.5 to 3 per cent for December to address margin compression and in anticipation of a demand pick-up.

Oyo brass Aditya Ghosh joins board, Rohit Kapoor becomes CEO

Oyo brass Aditya Ghosh joins board, Rohit Kapoor becomes CEO

Rediff.com   3 Dec 2019

Oyo has recently undergone large-scale corporate restructuring, setting up several subsidiaries and bifurcating operations globally.

Only 61% homes used LPG as of Dec 2018

Only 61% homes used LPG as of Dec 2018

Rediff.com   26 Nov 2019

Only 48.3 per cent of the rural households used LPG, while the figures were much higher in urban areas at 86.6 per cent, according to a NSO report.

Festive-season discounts bring respite to auto dealers

Festive-season discounts bring respite to auto dealers

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2019

Retail sales of passenger vehicles - the largest component of the pie - jumped 11 per cent year-on-year in October to 248,036 units, largely because of discounts offered during Navratri and Diwali.

Why stubble burning will continue to choke NCR

Why stubble burning will continue to choke NCR

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2019

To prevent rise in air pollution levels, oil marketing companies and thermal power units were planning to procure stubble from farmers to make bioethanol and promote the central government's 'Agricultural Mechanization' for crop residue management. But both have seen minimal success.

Lost Jet capacity back in air

Lost Jet capacity back in air

Rediff.com   12 Nov 2019

However, while the capacity void in the domestic market has been filled, a vacuum still remains in international connectivity, especially on the India-Europe and onwards route, which was well connected by Jet Airways via the Boeing 777, Airbus A330 aircraft and its hubs in Paris and Amsterdam.

Will Boeing 737 MAX return to Indian skies?

Will Boeing 737 MAX return to Indian skies?

Rediff.com   7 Nov 2019

The aircraft, which has been grounded since March following two fatal crashes which killed 346 on board, is crucial to Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet's fortune, which has up to 205 aircraft on order. With the grounding, the airline's capacity expansion plan is suffering.

DGCA error forced Pak F-16s to intercept SpiceJet flight

DGCA error forced Pak F-16s to intercept SpiceJet flight

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2019

The DGCA official who wrongly assigned the code of Antonov AN-32 -- an aircraft used by the IAF -- to the SpiceJet aircraft has been suspended, report Arindam Majumder and Aneesh Phadnis.

More flights will take off this winter than last year

More flights will take off this winter than last year

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2019

A senior DGCA official said 23,403 departures per week have been finalised, covering 103 airports, which is 1.2 per cent higher than the 23,117 operated during the previous winter schedule.

Economic slowdown and lean travel season clip wings of India's airlines

Economic slowdown and lean travel season clip wings of India's airlines

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2019

An executive of a private airline said even though volume picked up, it will be difficult for airlines to make money as fares have remained low even during festive season.

IndiGo's boardroom battle lands in US courts

IndiGo's boardroom battle lands in US courts

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2019

The genesis of the arbitration lies in a bitter public battle that began in July when Rakesh Gangwal wrote to capital market regulator Sebi alleging lack of corporate governance in the company. He alleged that Rahul Bhatia, who holds controlling power of the company, had used it to execute questionable related-party transactions.

Air India stake sale: Buyer to get only Rs 10,000 crore of airline debt

Air India stake sale: Buyer to get only Rs 10,000 crore of airline debt

Rediff.com   16 Oct 2019

This is a third of Rs 33,992 crore debt that was to be passed on to the new owner during last year's failed divestment process.

Subsidy on kerosene likely to go by FY21

Subsidy on kerosene likely to go by FY21

Rediff.com   15 Oct 2019

A major reason for the decline in the consumption of kerosene was an increase in the number of LPG consumers in rural India after the government launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. in 2016.

In 6 months Maruti sold 2 lakh BSVI compliant cars

In 6 months Maruti sold 2 lakh BSVI compliant cars

Rediff.com   5 Oct 2019

The figures are encouraging for the auto industry amid apprehension that due to higher cost and lack of fuel availability, cars with stricter emission standards may not be popular in initial stages. Automakers had even cited this confusion as one of the reasons for dwindling car sales in India, reports Arindam Majumder.

How Saudi terror attack has hit Indian kitchens

How Saudi terror attack has hit Indian kitchens

Rediff.com   4 Oct 2019

A shortfall in LPG supply from Aramco has led to huge booking backlog across states. To meet the backlog, India has asked Abu Dhabi National Oil Company for two additional cargos of LPG, but that may take another 10 days to reach.

Is India's LNG deal with US a risky affair?

Is India's LNG deal with US a risky affair?

Rediff.com   3 Oct 2019

Majority of PLL's long-term deals are linked to crude, which faces price challenge from other fuels. Spot LNG is moving away from this linkage, which puts a question mark on crude linked contracts.

Car sales continue to slide in September, Maruti's down by 32.7%

Car sales continue to slide in September, Maruti's down by 32.7%

Rediff.com   2 Oct 2019

However, compared to August, vehicle sales increased by 15.25 per cent on the back of discounts. Maruti led the market in offering heavy discounts and incentives for buyers and dealers, reports Arindam Majumder.