Shivani Shinde &Amp;Amp; Shally Seth Mohile

Stories by Shivani Shinde &Amp;Amp; Shally Seth Mohile

Under India's digital infra hood: Growing data centres

Under India's digital infra hood: Growing data centres

Rediff.com   1 Apr 2022

As India builds its data centre capabilities, it is imperative that it is supported by green energy. This is because data centres are guzzlers of energy.

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.

How Ukraine war has put India's automakers in a fix

How Ukraine war has put India's automakers in a fix

Rediff.com   29 Mar 2022

The sharp increase in commodity prices on account of the Russia-Ukraine war has put automakers in a fix. After the frequent price hikes in the current fiscal, manufacturers fear that any more price increases may further dent the already weak demand in certain segments. "We have taken several hikes and cannot immediately do it again. "We will have to closely watch the situation and act accordingly," said an official at an auto firm, declining to be identified. Even for companies like Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, which has had a strong volume run and a robust order book, passing on the entire costs has been tough.

TCS' $50-bn goal below its growth standards

TCS' $50-bn goal below its growth standards

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2022

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) - the largest information technology (IT) services provider in India and the second-largest globally - recently set an ambitious goal of $50 billion in revenue by 2030. The growth required to reach this goal, however, is lower than the company's own standards. In the past decade, TCS revenues, or net sales in US dollar terms, have grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5 per cent, from $10.2 in 2011-12, to an expected $25.3 billion during 2021-22 (FY22), based on its revenue trend in the first nine months of FY22.

Smaller cars ceding ground to bigger, pricey models

Smaller cars ceding ground to bigger, pricey models

Rediff.com   21 Mar 2022

Size matters on the road. Small is not dominating India's car market any more. The share of cars priced up to Rs 5 lakh in the passenger vehicle market has fallen to 10.5 per cent in the first 11 months of 2021-22, compared with 26 per cent in 2018-19 (FY19), the lowest in four years, according to data from industry sources. Even the share of those in the price range between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh has dropped to 32.4 per cent in the same period, from 34.9 per cent.

Tata Motors bucks chip crisis, cements its No. 1 position in SUV market

Tata Motors bucks chip crisis, cements its No. 1 position in SUV market

Rediff.com   7 Mar 2022

The Tata group flagship has sold more sport utility vehicles (SUVs) in the domestic PV market in the past four months than any other automotive manufacturer, cementing its no.1 spot. It first grabbed pole position in the SUV segment in October 2021 after the launch of the Punch - a sub-compact SUV offering.

TCS tweaks leadership, Suresh Muthuswami made chairman, North America

TCS tweaks leadership, Suresh Muthuswami made chairman, North America

Rediff.com   24 Feb 2022

IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has made changes to its leadership roles in North America. As part of the changes Suresh Muthuswami has been elevated to the role of chairman, North America, said sources in the know. This is one of the most significant leadership changes the company has announced for the region. The reason for the changes in the North American region, the largest in terms of revenue for TCS, is because Surya Kant who has been at the helm of North America for the past 16 years is stepping down by the end of the fiscal year, as he retires.

Business hotels start seeing signs of recovery after protracted lull

Business hotels start seeing signs of recovery after protracted lull

Rediff.com   15 Feb 2022

Encouraged by a steady recovery seen in the first two weeks of February, hospitality firms expect the business hotels in metros including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad that have been lagging the leisure hotels in terms of revenue per available room (RevPar) to catch up in the coming months. Huge pent-up demand for MICE (meetings, incentives, conference and exhibitions) as companies slowly return to hosting physical events coupled with easing of the recently announced restrictions on international travel, will also help in getting closer to pre-Covid levels of revenue, they said. The Omicron wave that peaked in January had derailed the strong month-on-month recovery seen by the hotels since August.

Ford Motors among 20 auto firms shortlisted for output-linked incentive scheme

Ford Motors among 20 auto firms shortlisted for output-linked incentive scheme

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2022

Ford, which had announced to quit the Indian market last year, said it was exploring the possibility of using one of its plants in India to produce electric cars for exports.

TCS bags electronic passport mandate from MEA

TCS bags electronic passport mandate from MEA

Rediff.com   8 Feb 2022

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has bagged -- from the Ministry of External Affairs -- the contract for delivering electronic passports (e-passports), according to sources. This deal is in addition to the second phase of implementing the Passport Seva Program, which the company got from the ministry. Players such as Thales India and HP participated in this deal, which is expected to be of Rs 1,000-1,200 crore.

TCS world's second most valuable IT brand, Infy fastest growing

TCS world's second most valuable IT brand, Infy fastest growing

Rediff.com   27 Jan 2022

Infosys has emerged as the fastest growing IT services brand following 52 per cent brand value growth since last year and 80 per cent since 2020 to $12.8 billion, earning it third spot, the brand valuation consultancy said in its latest Global 500 IT Services Ranking report. TCS and Infosys have pushed IBM to fourth spot from second. IBM's brand value now stands at $10.6 billion, a decline of 34 per cent from last year and 50 per cent since 2020.

Omicron impact: Two-wheeler sales take a severe knocking

Omicron impact: Two-wheeler sales take a severe knocking

Rediff.com   26 Jan 2022

After a very weak December quarter and a poor year-to-date fiscal year volumes-when sales plunged to the lowest in nine years, the signs in the first 15 days of January haven't been encouraging either. "Though the severity of the current wave is not as high as the previous one, it has hit the sentiments hard impacting conversion of enquiries into sales," said Vinkesh Gulati, president, Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA).

HCL Tech to hire 40,000-45,000 freshers for FY23 to meet attrition threat

HCL Tech to hire 40,000-45,000 freshers for FY23 to meet attrition threat

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2022

HCL Technologies plans to double its fresher hiring for the upcoming financial year (FY23) as attrition continues to inch up. The company said that it will hire 40,000-45,000 freshers for FY23, up from 20,000-22,000 target for FY22. The company also stated that to ease supply-side constraints and to have access to diversified skills, it was expanding into other geographies over the next three-four quarters. "Some of the geographies that we are investing in to source talent include countries like Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Guatemala, Costa Rica. We are also ramping up our presence in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

How Indian IT giants are playing catch-up in consultancy

How Indian IT giants are playing catch-up in consultancy

Rediff.com   18 Jan 2022

The analyst community tracking the Indian IT services industry took special note of Accenture's first quarter (Q1) performance, which showcased the rapid growth of its consulting business that outperformed its outsourcing business. Bookings indicate that the trend will continue. Consulting bookings increased 41.6 per cent year-on-year (yoy) to $9.4 billion, higher than the 17.6 per cent growth in outsourcing to $7.4 billion. The management commentary was also more bullish on the consulting business.

After brisk Dec, hotels face biz loss as Omicron drives cancellations

After brisk Dec, hotels face biz loss as Omicron drives cancellations

Rediff.com   13 Jan 2022

In a bad start to the new year, hotels are counting their losses again. Weddings and corporate events for this month have either been called off or postponed. The blow has throttled the nascent recovery which had kicked in around August. It is primarily hurting the banquet-driven hotel chains, some of which are seeing cancellations running into lakhs for a single day.

Why unicorns are investing in startups

Why unicorns are investing in startups

Rediff.com   7 Jan 2022

Byju's, Flipkart, PharmEasy and CRED, among others, have taken the acquisition route to grow

Indians Want Offbeat Travel Choices

Indians Want Offbeat Travel Choices

Rediff.com   1 Jan 2022

On the itinerary: Luxury camping, tribal homestays, heritage cities.

24 New Cars To Hit The Road In 2022

24 New Cars To Hit The Road In 2022

Rediff.com   29 Dec 2021

'Some of the launches may get deferred due to the semiconductor shortage, which is unlikely to get resolved before the second half of 2022.'

PV makers to see cumulative earning loss of Rs 2,000 crore in FY22: Icra

PV makers to see cumulative earning loss of Rs 2,000 crore in FY22: Icra

Rediff.com   23 Dec 2021

Passenger Vehicle makers are likely to see their cumulative earnings at an operating level erode by Rs 1,800-2,000 crore in the year ending March 2022 on account of the shortage of semiconductors, rating agency Icra said at a webinar on Wednesday. The industry, it pointed out, is estimated to lose production of 500,000 units at the end of FY22 due to the chronovc shortage the chip, which is critical in safety, entertainment and the various other smart features of a car. "In absence of the chip crisis, the industry volumes are likely to have exceeded the all-time peak annual volumes." Icra has pared its growth estimates for the PV market from the earlier 10-14 per cent to 8-11 per cent now in FY22.

Automakers in India gear up to launch affordable EVs

Automakers in India gear up to launch affordable EVs

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2021

India's electric mobility goal, which has so far been riding on two wheels, is all set to graduate to four wheels. At least, the journey has begun. Hyundai Motor India said it would invest Rs 4,000 crore till 2028 to launch half-a-dozen electric vehicles (EVs) in India. It would eventually straddle premium and mass segments. The first of these - the electrified version of an internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered model - will go on sale as early as next year.