Shine Jacob And Deepak Patel

Stories by Shine Jacob And Deepak Patel

Battle for skies: Tatas kick-start Air India fleet expansion via leasing

Battle for skies: Tatas kick-start Air India fleet expansion via leasing

Rediff.com   13 Sep 2022

In its first move to significantly expand the fleet after the Tatas took over, Air India has leased 25 Airbus narrow-body aircraft and five Boeing wide-body planes. These will enter service starting December, the company said on Monday. A wide-body plane has a bigger fuel tank, allowing it to travel longer distances such as India-US routes.

Former SC judge PV Reddi to mediate SpiceJet-Kalanithi Maran spat

Former SC judge PV Reddi to mediate SpiceJet-Kalanithi Maran spat

Rediff.com   8 Sep 2022

The Supreme Court has appointed its former judge P V Reddi to mediate the dispute between SpiceJet and its former promoter Kalinithi Maran, the airline said on Wednesday. The dispute dates back to 2015, when Maran sold his stake in SpiceJet of 58.46 per cent, or 50.4 million shares, to Ajay Singh for Rs 2 after the airline suffered financial trouble. A year later, Maran approached the Delhi high court, alleging a breach of agreement by Singh for not issuing him 189 million share warrants and preference shares despite Maran's Rs 679-crore infusion.

Kerala likely to witness all-time high liquor sales this Onam

Kerala likely to witness all-time high liquor sales this Onam

Rediff.com   7 Sep 2022

Kerala is likely to witness all-time high liquor sales this Onam, the harvest festival, with the season already reporting a 30 per cent hike. According to the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BevCo), the first few days of this Onam season have set the tone for record sales. "During last year's Onam season, our sales were around Rs 561 crore. This year, we expect it to be over Rs 700 crore," said Yogesh Gupta, chairman and managing director, BevCo.

Ford India offers final severance package for Chennai unit employees

Ford India offers final severance package for Chennai unit employees

Rediff.com   6 Sep 2022

Ford India has offered a "final revised severance package" for its employees at the Chennai unit, which is on average equivalent to 130 days of gross wages per completed year of service. The company said this was rolled out in the absence of any suitable alternative buyer. As part of the earlier package, employees were offered 115 days of gross wages for each completed year of service, which was later revised to 124 days.

Personal info of Akasa Air's passengers leaked, airline informs CERT-In

Personal info of Akasa Air's passengers leaked, airline informs CERT-In

Rediff.com   29 Aug 2022

Personal information such as name, gender, email address and phone numbers of some Akasa Air passengers has been leaked to "unauthorised individuals", the airline stated on Sunday. India's newest carrier said it self-reported this incident to Indian Computer Emergency Response Team CERT-In, which is the government-authorised nodal agency tasked to deal with matters of this nature. However, Akasa Air asserted that there was no "intentional hacking attempt, but that the situation was reported by a research expert through a journalist for which we are grateful".

Lamborghini accelerates India plans, goes full throttle on Tier-I, -II cities

Lamborghini accelerates India plans, goes full throttle on Tier-I, -II cities

Rediff.com   26 Aug 2022

Lamborghini is focusing on bringing its new car models to India faster after the global launch of its Huracn Tecnica, its country head Sharad Agarwal said on Thursday, adding there is a lot more scope for the company to expand in tier I and II cities. "Typically, in the premium and luxury car segments, there is a lag of six to 18 months between a global launch and India launch," he said in an interview to Business Standard. The Italian carmaker launched the two-seater track-focused performance car - the Huracn Tecnica - here on Thursday four months after its global unveiling.

GAIL feels blowback from Ukraine war

GAIL feels blowback from Ukraine war

Rediff.com   17 Aug 2022

On February 24, when Vladimir Putin announced a military operation on Ukraine, few would have thought that Indian government-owned GAIL India would feel the impact. The tensions over gas supplies were essentially a Europe-Russia problem, related to the sanctions western economies imposed on Moscow. But the EU depends on Russian imports for 40 per cent of its gas stocks, an over-dependence that Russia has underlined with Kremlin-owned Gazprom cutting its supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20 per cent, citing maintenance issues.

IIT-M Scores BIG On Job Offers

IIT-M Scores BIG On Job Offers

Rediff.com   16 Aug 2022

The average salary received by students during campus placements for 2021-2022 was Rs 21.48 lakh per annum. The highest salary offered was $250,000.

India's plan to produce ethanol from 2G sources delayed

India's plan to produce ethanol from 2G sources delayed

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2022

India's plan to produce ethanol from second-generation (2G) sources -- mainly farm waste -- is taking time to materialise even as the government is set to dedicate to the nation on Wednesday a Rs 900-crore plant set up by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in Panipat. Though state-run oil companies had decided to set up at least 12 plants in 2016-17 with an investment of around Rs 10,000 crore, this will be the first unit coming on track while others are stuck in various stages owing to issues like capital expenditure, lack of feedstock, and high rates of finished products compared to traditional ethanol units. According to industry sources, three more second-generation plants are coming up.

SpiceJet flyers walk on Delhi airport tarmac post 45-min wait for bus

SpiceJet flyers walk on Delhi airport tarmac post 45-min wait for bus

Rediff.com   7 Aug 2022

Passengers are not allowed to walk on the Delhi airport's tarmac area as it is a security risk. There is a demarcated path on the tarmac for vehicles only.

Battered by three decades of controversy, TMB looks back to the future

Battered by three decades of controversy, TMB looks back to the future

Rediff.com   28 Jul 2022

June was a memorable month for the 101-year-old Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB). Last month, the Thoothukudi-based bank witnessed two new landmarks in a history in which the last three decades could easily qualify for a Kollywood blockbuster.

DGCA begins 2-month-long special audit of airlines after technical snags

DGCA begins 2-month-long special audit of airlines after technical snags

Rediff.com   24 Jul 2022

The DGCA conducted the spot checks as there have been many technical malfunction incidents in Indian carriers' planes during the last 45 days.

This super app will offer a range of multi-brand services for passenger cars

This super app will offer a range of multi-brand services for passenger cars

Rediff.com   18 Jul 2022

A single application and a plethora of services for passenger cars - that is what myTVS, a brand that operates under Ki Mobility Solutions and is part of the TVS family, is set to bring to customers, in a bid to disrupt the concept of "super apps" in India. Starting July 15, myTVS will launch its connected car platform or super app called myTVS Life360 for aftermarket passenger cars. Through it, customers will be able to avail themselves of a range of services like maintenance, diagnostics, roadside assistance, accessories, payments, insurance, and so on.

SpiceJet again! China-bound freighter returns to Kolkata as radar fails

SpiceJet again! China-bound freighter returns to Kolkata as radar fails

Rediff.com   6 Jul 2022

SpiceJet said its freighter aircraft, which was heading to Chongqing in China, returned to Kolkata on Tuesday as the pilots realised after take off that its weather radar was not working.

ACME, Tata Power among 60 firms to sign MoUs worth Rs 1.25 trn with TN govt

ACME, Tata Power among 60 firms to sign MoUs worth Rs 1.25 trn with TN govt

Rediff.com   5 Jul 2022

Tamil Nadu secured investments worth Rs 1.44 trillion on Monday by signing of memoranda of understanding (MoU) with 60 companies, laying of foundation stones and inauguration of new projects.

Ford India unions call off month-long strike

Ford India unions call off month-long strike

Rediff.com   5 Jul 2022

Employees at Ford India's Chennai unit have called off the strike that started on May 30. Following this, the company has revised its severance package from earlier 115 days to 121 days for employees supporting production. The company indicated it would continue 'constructive discussions' with the unions in order to sweeten the deal further, if required.

Collectors' items: Some of these exotic pets cost Rs 150,000!

Collectors' items: Some of these exotic pets cost Rs 150,000!

Rediff.com   3 Jul 2022

White-lipped tamarin is a type of monkey that lives in the Amazon area of Brazil and Bolivia. Prevost's squirrel is a colourful species from the forests in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and nearby islands. Sugar gliders are tiny marsupials - 6.3 to 8.3 inches in length - native to Australia.

Foxconn likely to set up EV manufacturing unit in India

Foxconn likely to set up EV manufacturing unit in India

Rediff.com   30 Jun 2022

In a boost to the electric vehicle boom in India, Taiwanese major Hon Hai Technology Group (aka Foxconn) is likely to set up an EV manufacturing unit in India through its subsidiary Foxtron. Amid speculation that the company may look at Tamil Nadu and probably the Ford India unit near Chennai for its new facility, sources indicate that the group was already betting big in the electric vehicle component space in India through Bharat FIH, which is already having a tie up with companies like Ola Electric and Ather. Bharat FIH currently has two manufacturing units in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur that manufactures phones like Apple iPhones and Xiaomi phones.

Domestic crude oil producers get marketing freedom, exports not allowed

Domestic crude oil producers get marketing freedom, exports not allowed

Rediff.com   30 Jun 2022

In a move that may boost the Indian hydrocarbon industry and bring more investments into the sector, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday decided to give marketing freedom to domestic crude oil producers, allowing them to sell petroleum to any company in the local market. The move is set to be beneficial for major crude oil producers, such as state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India, and private sector majors like Vedanta's Cairn Oil and Gas and Reliance Industries. As of May 31, India was dependent on imports for 86 per cent of its crude oil consumption; domestic production sufficed the remaining 14 per cent demand.

7 out of 9 neighbouring nations charge less for petrol than India

7 out of 9 neighbouring nations charge less for petrol than India

Rediff.com   28 Jun 2022

Amid news of a fuel shortage in some parts of the country and wider unrest over fuel issues in the neighbourhood, an analysis of the data from international tracker globalpetrolprices.com shows that the per litre price of petrol is higher in India than in seven out of its nine neighbours.