Shivani Shinde, Ajinkya Kawale

Stories by Shivani Shinde, Ajinkya Kawale

Indian airlines slapped Rs 2.75 cr fine in 2023

Indian airlines slapped Rs 2.75 cr fine in 2023

Rediff.com   4 Jan 2024

The aviation regulator slapped fines amounting to Rs 2.75 crore on Indian airlines in 2023, marking a 39 per cent rise in financial penalties from Rs 1.97 crore in 2022. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it imposed fines on domestic carriers such as Air India, IndiGo, AirAsia India and SpiceJet for issues related to non-compliance in 2023. The regulator also carried out a record number of 5,745 surveillance activities in the year to ensure compliance by airlines, aerodrome operators, and aviation personnel among others.

TCS needs to keep evolving in age of GenAI: Krithivasan

TCS needs to keep evolving in age of GenAI: Krithivasan

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2024

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has to "keep evolving" and be relevant to clients as generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technologies emerge, K Krithivasan, chief executive officer and managing director of the IT company, has said in a New Year's message to employees. "It is always heartening to see the reinforcement of how strong our relationships are with our clients and the level of trust they place with us.

Paytm looks to rationalise employee costs by revising hiring strategy

Paytm looks to rationalise employee costs by revising hiring strategy

Rediff.com   2 Jan 2024

Sources close to the development told Business Standard the company was exploring different ways to save on its employee costs and had laid off a few employees on "performance" grounds. "We will see a similar development for the next few months. "The company is fine-tuning its hiring policies and implement rigourous measures to look into employee performance," a source said.

Navi Mumbai international airport's commercial launch expected in Dec 2024

Navi Mumbai international airport's commercial launch expected in Dec 2024

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

The outer structure of Navi Mumbai International Airport's first terminal building is almost ready. Exactly behind the under-construction building, stands a partially demolished hill. Executives from the airport company are now hopeful the hill will be flattened by mid-January, paving the way for the first commercial take-off by December next year.

Google versus Epic Games verdict in US cheers Indian gaming developers

Google versus Epic Games verdict in US cheers Indian gaming developers

Rediff.com   13 Dec 2023

The verdict in the Google versus Epic Games antitrust case in the US has spread cheer among the Indian gaming and app developers. Ending a three-year legal battle, the San Francisco jury found that Google turned its Play app store and billing service into an illegal monopoly. American video game maker Epic Games, best known for Fortnite, had sued Google in 2020.

Why Deepfakes Are A MENACE

Why Deepfakes Are A MENACE

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2023

'With free software on the Internet and apps, creating a deepfake video can take 3 to 5 minutes. Anyone can make these videos.'

Flights cancelled, airfares jump 52-171% as rainfall batters Chennai

Flights cancelled, airfares jump 52-171% as rainfall batters Chennai

Rediff.com   5 Dec 2023

Airfares on major domestic routes from Chennai surged as flight operations at the airport were disrupted due to strong winds and torrential rain that lashed the city in the wake of Cyclone Michaung on Monday. According to ixigo data, on December 5, one-way spot airfares from Chennai to cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata rose between 52 per cent and 171 per cent compared to prices three to seven days prior. The Chennai-Mumbai route, the busiest flight route from Chennai airport, saw airfares surge 68.6 per cent from Rs 3,728 to Rs 6,286 in the aforementioned period.

Tata Technologies IPO becomes the new buzzword of Street, investors

Tata Technologies IPO becomes the new buzzword of Street, investors

Rediff.com   27 Nov 2023

Her reasoning is simple, "It's a Tata company. No shareholder will let go of this opportunity," she told Business Standard. When asked if the other reason for lining up for the IPO is the technology sector and the fact that the combination of Tata and tech is happening after almost two decades, she replied: "The name of the company and the group matter. Tata means stability and credibility," she added.

Fintechs may shift to secure products after RBI order on consumer loans

Fintechs may shift to secure products after RBI order on consumer loans

Rediff.com   23 Nov 2023

Fintech companies believe that the impact of Reserve Bank of India's order last week on unsecured loans will be visible in six to 12 months and prompt them to diversify and strengthen their secured portfolio. Fintechs which source funds through banks or non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) are looking at quickly building their secured portfolio options to at least 40 per cent of their total portfolio. "Over the medium to long term, as part of our product strategy, we are evaluating secured products which can be enabled over a digital platform" said Yogi Sadana, the founder of Zype, a lending-focussed fintech.

ICC Cricket World Cup: Ahmedabad airport sees surge in chartered flights

ICC Cricket World Cup: Ahmedabad airport sees surge in chartered flights

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2023

Ahmedabad airport recorded thrice the number of private chartered/VIP flights in the build-up to the final of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup as compared to the average four-day period. The airport, which usually operates around 64 chartered flights in a span of four days, is set to handle 205 such flights between November 17 and 20, as celebrities and other VIPs descended to watch the India-Australia match.

India core to our products and services: JPMorgan Chase CIO Lori Beer

India core to our products and services: JPMorgan Chase CIO Lori Beer

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2023

For Lori Beer, chief information officer, JPMorgan Chase & Co, largest banker in the US, India is a big part of the organisation's global technology footprint and is core to its products and services. This is evident from the fact that in less than two months since JPMorgan & Chase chief executive officer Jamie Dimon visited India, Beer has come here to see the recently opened centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru. "What is different for me this year are our new centres and to be able to come and see the vibrancy, and connectedness is great.

IT Hiring Slowdown Worries Students

IT Hiring Slowdown Worries Students

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2023

'Students of Tier-II and Tier III engineering colleges in the south may find 2023 to be one of the toughest years for getting jobs.'

'We are confident our H2 will be better than H1'

'We are confident our H2 will be better than H1'

Rediff.com   11 Nov 2023

'Our Q1 was almost flat, and there was very negligible growth in Q2, but the deal pipeline and the order book have been fairly significant.'

'We see strong momentum for the second half'

'We see strong momentum for the second half'

Rediff.com   9 Nov 2023

'We will have a strong exit as our third quarter is strong.'

Growth in personal loans offering likely to remain muted for Paytm

Growth in personal loans offering likely to remain muted for Paytm

Rediff.com   1 Nov 2023

The growth in personal loans for fintech major Paytm may remain muted in the future and not replicate a three-digit year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth that it recorded in the previous years, a person familiar with the matter said. Sources said the personal loans book may grow in the range of 30 to 40 per cent Y-o-Y on its current base. On a quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) basis, the number of personal loans the Noida-based fintech company disbursed has dropped 20 per cent from 0.3 million in the first quarter of this financial year (Q1FY24) to 0.24 million in Q2FY24, according to regulatory filings.

'India is big enough to have over 4 airlines'

'India is big enough to have over 4 airlines'

Rediff.com   28 Oct 2023

'Within five years, we should be achieving more on the international front than what it took most airlines 15 to 20 years back.'

Five accidents in six months: DGCA grounds flight training at Redbird

Five accidents in six months: DGCA grounds flight training at Redbird

Rediff.com   24 Oct 2023

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday suspended operations at Redbird Flight Training Academy, one of India's largest flight schools, across all five of its training bases in the country. This action was taken after five accidents involving the institute's planes in the past six months. The DGCA announced it would conduct an audit of the academy's maintenance practices and also proficiency checks of the institute's flight instructors before allowing it to resume operations.

Campus Hiring In Slow Lane For IT Giants

Campus Hiring In Slow Lane For IT Giants

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2023

TCS saw its headcount reduced by 6,333. Infosys' headcount decreased by almost 7,500, and HCLTech saw its employee numbers shrink by 2,299.

Israel-Hamas Conflict: India's IT Companies On Edge

Israel-Hamas Conflict: India's IT Companies On Edge

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2023

'IT companies do not have a large presence there either in terms of market and team. So, the impact of the war will be minimal. But West Asia is an emerging economy.'

How Meta Is Supersizing WhatsApp

How Meta Is Supersizing WhatsApp

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

WhatsApp's advantage is that it is the first app millions of Indian check first thing in the morning and innumerable times during the day and night.