Shreya Nandi &Amp;Amp; Dhruvaksh Saha

Stories by Shreya Nandi &Amp;Amp; Dhruvaksh Saha

'No second thoughts on Great Nicobar Port'

'No second thoughts on Great Nicobar Port'

Rediff.com   11 Apr 2023

'An area of land has already been earmarked for their protected habitation.' 'There are also steps being taken to take care of the coral zone and mangroves.'

NITI Aayog's Dynamic New CEO

NITI Aayog's Dynamic New CEO

Rediff.com   7 Mar 2023

Go-getter, ambitious, dynamic, workaholic are some of the adjectives that officials who worked closely with B V R Subrahmanyam use to describe him.

100% Railways Electrification By 2024

100% Railways Electrification By 2024

Rediff.com   3 Mar 2023

India is now much ahead of other large railway networks in the world in terms of electrification -- with the US at just 1 per cent, China at 72 per cent and Europe at 60 per cent.

Low demand for goods from China, others sinks imports

Low demand for goods from China, others sinks imports

Rediff.com   26 Feb 2023

A decline in demand from six of India's top 10 import partners -- China, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, South Korea, Australia, and Singapore -- resulted in India's imports hitting a 17-month low of $50.6 billion in January, showed the data compiled by the department of commerce. Shipments from South Korea, Australia, and Singapore declined by 14.1 per cent, 26.7 per cent, and 9.8 per cent, respectively. Among the 10, growth in inbound shipment was seen only in the case of the United Arab Emirates (12.1 per cent), the US (27.4 per cent), Russia (297.4 per cent), and Indonesia (22.9 per cent).

US taking steps to facilitate business visas in India

US taking steps to facilitate business visas in India

Rediff.com   25 Jan 2023

The US is taking several measures, such as increasing the number of staffers, to further facilitate the issuance of business visas in India, a senior US government official said on Tuesday. "We have also made significant progress by issuing more H1B and L visas in 2022 than we did even in 2019 before the pandemic. "This is a significant improvement. We are in the process of raising our staff," Arun Venkataraman, US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for global markets, said.

Ganga Vilas: World's Longest River Cruise

Ganga Vilas: World's Longest River Cruise

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2023

The MV Ganga Vilas will traverse through 27 rivers over 52 days, covering over 3,200 km.

Railways rolls out energy efficiency plan to meet 2030 net-zero target

Railways rolls out energy efficiency plan to meet 2030 net-zero target

Rediff.com   4 Jan 2023

Focuses on meeting non-traction demand through renewables.

Covid fears in China may have cascading impact on India's exports, imports

Covid fears in China may have cascading impact on India's exports, imports

Rediff.com   30 Dec 2022

The importance of China as India's top trading partner cannot be understated.

India exported goods worth $280 mn to Russia in Oct, up 3.7%

India exported goods worth $280 mn to Russia in Oct, up 3.7%

Rediff.com   20 Dec 2022

As sanctions-hit Russia increasingly relies on consumer products from India, outbound shipments to Russia have started picking up for the second consecutive month in October. This comes after it witnessed contraction for six consecutive months starting March, commerce and industry ministry data showed. During October, India exported goods worth $280 million, up 3.7 per cent as compared to a year ago. It was led by demand for items such as vegetables, tea, coffee, chemicals as well as iron and steel products.

Trade settlement in rupee: Govt, RBI devise country-specific plan

Trade settlement in rupee: Govt, RBI devise country-specific plan

Rediff.com   14 Dec 2022

The central government and the Reserve Bank of India have devised a country-specific plan towards implementation of overseas trade in rupee, people aware of the matter said. To start with, a small number of banks will be allowed to manage cross-border transactions in domestic currency with a particular country. "Small countries that are dollar-deficient have shown interest in doing trade in rupee.

Centre seeks info from embassy on Iran's bar on rice, tea imports

Centre seeks info from embassy on Iran's bar on rice, tea imports

Rediff.com   8 Dec 2022

The department of commerce has urged the agriculture ministry as well as the diplomatic mission in Tehran to apprise it of details as to why Iranian buyers have stopped import of rice and tea from India, a senior government official said. Exporters said that exports of items such as high quality tea and rice have stopped since last week. As of now, there has been no confirmation from the authorities and the response from the embassy in Tehran is also taking time, they said.

Rupee trade: 9 Russian banks open vostro accounts

Rupee trade: 9 Russian banks open vostro accounts

Rediff.com   16 Nov 2022

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed the opening of nine special vostro accounts with two Indian lenders - Uco and IndusInd Bank - to facilitate overseas trade in rupee, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said on Tuesday. Apart from the domestic lenders, Russia's two largest banks - Sberbank and VTB Bank - are the first foreign lenders to have received approval from the central bank for settling international trade transactions in rupee. "Nine accounts have been opened. One each in Uco Bank, Sberbank, and VTB and six with IndusInd Bank. There are six different Russian banks who have opened special vostro account in IndusInd," Barthwal said.

A stringent patent rule is latest hurdle for India-UK free trade agreement

A stringent patent rule is latest hurdle for India-UK free trade agreement

Rediff.com   3 Nov 2022

Negotiations for a trade deal between India and the UK have run into fresh controversy, after the proposals under a leaked chapter of the deal on intellectual property (IP) are believed to put access to affordable, lifesaving generic medicines from India at risk. According to the draft IP chapter put out by an international trade portal bilaterals.org, the UK is seeking continuous extension of patent period and rights through small tweaks in the drug, known as evergreening. This may prevent patents from expiring, impacting cheaper drug availability and its production by Indian generic drug manufacturers.

LNG Tankers Shortage Affects India's Fuel Supply

LNG Tankers Shortage Affects India's Fuel Supply

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2022

Tightening Russian gas supplies to Europe has led to scramble for tankers before winter sets in.

Cattle hits, snags raise doubts over Vande Bharat as 'train of future'

Cattle hits, snags raise doubts over Vande Bharat as 'train of future'

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2022

Experts suggest that a revamp in the surrounding infrastructure should take care of the issues plaguing the VB-2, stressing that the lightweight nature of the trains is what allows for higher speeds, and that needless design additions may hamper the train's efficiency.

Tasks Cut Out For New Commerce Secretary

Tasks Cut Out For New Commerce Secretary

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2022

The government is targeting export of goods and services worth $2 trillion by 2030.

India pushes for rupee trade with Cuba

India pushes for rupee trade with Cuba

Rediff.com   20 Sep 2022

The Centre is pushing for bilateral trade with Cuba and its settlement in rupee as a part of its strategy to internationalise the domestic currency. A delegation from Cuba, including officials from its central bank, met Indian government officials and banks last month to discuss bilateral trade and settlement using the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) payment mechanism in rupee, said people aware of the matter. Since the Cuban nation has opened up its economy and is looking to implement reforms to attract investments from India, Cuban banks have evinced interest in opening special rupee vostro accounts (SRVAs) with Indian banks.

IRCTC moves to monetise passenger data

IRCTC moves to monetise passenger data

Rediff.com   26 Aug 2022

In a first of its kind move, the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the ticket booking arm of the Indian Railways, is looking to monetise its bank of passenger data while conducting business with private and government companies. IRCTC has a large bank of data related to every online railway ticket ever generated as it is the country's only railway ticketing platform, an IRCTC official told Business Standard. The public sector undertaking, which has sought the services of a consultant to assist with the monetisation process, plans to raise Rs 1,000 crore through this exercise.

At $4.3 bn, imports from Russia jump nearly 7 times in June

At $4.3 bn, imports from Russia jump nearly 7 times in June

Rediff.com   20 Aug 2022

India imported goods worth $4.23 billion in June from sanctions-hit Russia, up 6.8 times as compared to last year, as demand for shipments of crude oil grew at the fastest pace during the month. Crude oil worth $3.02 billion was imported in June, which translates into a share of 71 per cent of the total imports from Russia, commerce and industry ministry data showed. Similarly, during the April-June quarter, India's imports from Russia were valued at $9.27 billion, up 369 per cent on year.

Govt to amend 114-year-old the Indian Ports Act, bring in reforms

Govt to amend 114-year-old the Indian Ports Act, bring in reforms

Rediff.com   19 Aug 2022

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has released a draft to amend the Indian Ports Act, 1908, which aims to bring in sweeping reforms in the sector by bringing non-major ports into the national fold, creating a new mechanism for resolution of disputes, and empowering maritime state development council (MSDC). The draft bill will see comments from stakeholders before being tabled in Parliament. "The Indian Ports Act, 1908 is more than 110 years old. It has become imperative that the Act is revamped to reflect the present-day frameworks, incorporate India's international obligations, address emerging environmental concerns, and aid the consultative development of the ports sector in the national interest," the shipping ministry said.