Shine Jacob And Indivjal Dhasmana

Stories by Shine Jacob And Indivjal Dhasmana

What made Ford pull the plug on its EV PLI?

What made Ford pull the plug on its EV PLI?

Rediff.com   2 Jun 2022

Earlier in May, Ford India announced that it had dropped its plans to make electric vehicles (EVs) in India, which it intended to export, under the production-linked incentive scheme (PLI). Ford was among 20 companies that had signed a Champion OEM Incentive Scheme under the PLI project with the government in February this year. The decision comes as a blow for the 4,000-odd employees at Ford India's Maraimalai Nagar plant near Chennai and in Sanand, Gujarat. In September last year, the company had announced that it would exit the India market, which it had entered in 1995 through an on-again, off-again joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra (they split in 1998, signed a JV in 2019 and split again in December 2020), retailing petrol and diesel brands such as the EcoSport, Figo, Aspire, and Endeavour.

Kerala bypoll has a lot at stake for Rahul, aide Venugopal

Kerala bypoll has a lot at stake for Rahul, aide Venugopal

Rediff.com   23 May 2022

Any adverse electoral fallout in Thrikkakara by-poll may have an impact on Rahul Gandhi because this falls in the state he represents as a member of Parliament and KC Venugopal because it is his home state, reports Shine Jacob.

RBI may 'kill excess demand' in economy in 6-8 months

RBI may 'kill excess demand' in economy in 6-8 months

Rediff.com   19 May 2022

With inflation remaining at elevated levels, central banks around the world, including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), will kill excess demand in economy over the next six to eight months, sources in the know said. They also indicated that there could be a rate hike in June, when the inflation forecast for the current financial year would be raised. The RBI, the sources said, might announce more steps such as raising the limit on held-to-maturity (HTM) bonds to support government borrowings but might not come out with any further quantitative easing GSAP (Government Securities Acquisition Programme) measures.

'We should pay more attention to China'

'We should pay more attention to China'

Rediff.com   18 May 2022

'Our competitiveness with China is very important.' 'If the exchange rate depreciates, it is good for us because it helps in our competitiveness.'

Ford drops plan to manufacture EVs in India; opts out of PLI scheme

Ford drops plan to manufacture EVs in India; opts out of PLI scheme

Rediff.com   13 May 2022

American automaker Ford on Thursday said that it had withdrawn plans to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs) in India and it won't invest in the country under the performance-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. "After careful review, we have decided to no longer pursue EV manufacturing for exports from any of the Indian plants. "We remain grateful to the government for approving our proposal under the PLI and for being supportive while we continued our exploration. "Ford India's previously announced business restructuring continues as planned, including exploring other alternatives for our manufacturing facilities.

Russia will play a major role in India's energy sector

Russia will play a major role in India's energy sector

Rediff.com   10 May 2022

Old timers in Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) still remember how in early 2000 its overseas subsidiary, ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), was on the verge of closure. Though OVL was set up in 1965, the only discovery the company had made till then was in Vietnam offshore, with more investment needed to monetise it. In 2001, when OVL started looking for new blocks abroad, the company's previous acquisition was 13 years old.

Boom Motors recalls Corbett ebikes, halts production after fatal accident

Boom Motors recalls Corbett ebikes, halts production after fatal accident

Rediff.com   30 Apr 2022

So far at least eight incidents of EV fires have been reported in just over a month's time.

Vande Bharat gets back on track after myriad controversies, vigilance probe

Vande Bharat gets back on track after myriad controversies, vigilance probe

Rediff.com   27 Apr 2022

On August 15 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort that the Indian Railways would launch 75 Vande Bharat Express trains by August 2023. Later, in her 2022 Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that 400 Vande Bharat trains will be manufactured in the next three years, which are expected to cost between Rs 40,000 crore and Rs 50,000 crore. Those upbeat announcements come after a series of cancelled tenders, vigilance actions against officials and interdepartmental rivalry that delayed the addition of these iconic trains developed entirely indigenously by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.

Freebies Making States Cash-Strapped?

Freebies Making States Cash-Strapped?

Rediff.com   26 Apr 2022

While the likelihood of these states going the Lanka or Greece way may be an alarming assessment, the financial situation of some states such as Punjab and West Bengal is indeed quite weak.

Stalin comes into his own in a year, national role next?

Stalin comes into his own in a year, national role next?

Rediff.com   26 Apr 2022

The Tamil Nadu government saw an increase in foreign direct investment by 41.5 per cent during the April-December period.

Why Ola decides to recall 1,441 units of S1

Why Ola decides to recall 1,441 units of S1

Rediff.com   25 Apr 2022

Ola Electric became the latest among electric scooter (e-scooter) makers to have started the exercise of recalling a specific batch of its model after a rap on the knuckles by the government. Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday advised electric vehicle (EV) companies to act responsibly by identifying and recalling defective batches without waiting for orders or guidelines from the ministry. The Bengaluru-based start-up is conducting pre-emptive diagnostics and health check on 1,441 scooters, it said in a statement on Sunday.

Why BPCL divestment is on the slow track

Why BPCL divestment is on the slow track

Rediff.com   12 Apr 2022

In December 2019, the India arm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu surprised many with its ultra-competitive bid to become the transaction advisor for the country's largest strategic divestment in Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL). The multinational major quoted just Rs 1; the second-highest bidder, SBI Caps, reportedly quoted Rs 15-17 crore. For Deloitte, the motivation was to bag a prestigious deal adding a national energy company to its portfolio. No doubt, it expected BPCL to go to a marquee buyer in quick time.

Long-pending four labour codes may go live by June-end

Long-pending four labour codes may go live by June-end

Rediff.com   6 Apr 2022

Their implementation is expected to create investment owing to improving ease of doing business as well as initiating pro-worker measures.

TN sets up GST advisory body, experts fear it may clash with Centre

TN sets up GST advisory body, experts fear it may clash with Centre

Rediff.com   6 Apr 2022

If other states follow suit, it is going to become difficult for the GST Council to decide on the next stage of reforms.

How safe are India's electric scooters?

How safe are India's electric scooters?

Rediff.com   31 Mar 2022

The government-appointed expert committee, which probes incidents of Ola Electric's S1 Pro and Okinawa vehicles catching fires, has added the latest case of fire involving PureEV electric scooter to its investigation, a senior government official told Business Standard. "A team comprising experts from Indian Institute of Science (IISC) and Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) are investigating the cases. "As soon as the report is submitted, we shall take appropriate action," said Giridhar Aramane, secretary at the ministry of road transport and highways.

Retail price inflation not to fall below RBI's 6% mandate any time soon

Retail price inflation not to fall below RBI's 6% mandate any time soon

Rediff.com   26 Mar 2022

However, it may still not change its stance on the policy rate as inflationary pressures are coming from high commodity prices.

India may import 15 mn barrels of cheap Russian oil

India may import 15 mn barrels of cheap Russian oil

Rediff.com   24 Mar 2022

Taking advantage of a Russian offer to sell its crude oil cheap and bear the cost of insurance and transportation, India may import as much as 2 million tonnes (mt), or roughly 15 million barrels of crude, from the sanctioned nation in 2022, Business Standard has learnt. This comes after reports that Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) bought 3 million barrels of Russian Urals from trader Vitol for May delivery. This will be on cost, insurance and freight (CIF) model, where the seller incurs the costs and pays the freight, including insurance charges.

Worrying news for consumers as health costs creep up

Worrying news for consumers as health costs creep up

Rediff.com   14 Mar 2022

Since January 2021, the inflation rate in health has stood in the range of 6.08-8.44 per cent.

Govt may miss Rs 6-trillion national monetisation target

Govt may miss Rs 6-trillion national monetisation target

Rediff.com   2 Mar 2022

The Centre's ambitious Rs 6-trillion National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) could fall short of yearly targets for the current fiscal year (FY22) and the next one as well (FY23), partly due to the long gestation period in monetising big-ticket railway infrastructure, Business Standard has learnt from sources in the finance and rail ministries. Officials say the major chunk of railway monetisation will happen from FY24 onwards because leasing some of the infrastructure, like stadiums and dedicated freight corridor, will not happen anytime soon. Rail infra is expected to be the second-biggest contributor to the NMP, with about Rs 1.52 trillion worth of assets to be monetised.

The $8.5 billion TVS Group splits to grow: What's changed structure-wise?

The $8.5 billion TVS Group splits to grow: What's changed structure-wise?

Rediff.com   1 Mar 2022

The $8.5 billion TVS Group received final approval for a family resettlement on February 4 from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). It is an arrangement that is noteworthy because unlike many other corporate settlements this one was sorted out amicably and without any open conflicts.