Sohini Das &Amp; Sachin P Mampatta

Stories by Sohini Das &Amp; Sachin P Mampatta

Govt Project Launches Hit All-Time Low

Govt Project Launches Hit All-Time Low

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2024

Government announcements for the building of new roads, railways, and other capital expenditure (capex) projects may have hit an all-time low, according to numbers for the December quarter.

'APIs are a very strategic part of Biocon's business'

'APIs are a very strategic part of Biocon's business'

Rediff.com   7 Jan 2024

'There is no reason why we should break this business up.'

Trade generics growth to dent value expansion of domestic drug market

Trade generics growth to dent value expansion of domestic drug market

Rediff.com   2 Jan 2024

Rising penetration of trade generic medicines is eating into the value growth of the domestic pharmaceutical market, showed a recent analysis. According to a Kotak Institutional Equities analysis, 70-110 basis points (bps) annual dent is expected from trade generics and Jan Aushadhi on Indian Pharma Market (IPM) growth at least until FY27-28 (see chart). Trade generic medicines are those that are not pushed into the market through doctor promotions.

Hyderabad firm develops next-gen XBB1.5 Covid vax, awaits trial nod

Hyderabad firm develops next-gen XBB1.5 Covid vax, awaits trial nod

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2023

As of now, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals has launched a vaccine, Gemcovac-OM, which is based on the Omicron variant.

Does India have enough vaccine reserves to combat another Covid wave?

Does India have enough vaccine reserves to combat another Covid wave?

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2023

According to CoWIN data, only 73 vaccination centres are currently active in India, of which 32 are government-run.

Are hospitals ready to handle Covid surge?

Are hospitals ready to handle Covid surge?

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

Larger hospitals are not worried about a spike in cases, as they are now accustomed to converting ICUs and general wards into negative pressure zones or isolation rooms. For smaller hospitals, the task is tedious.

40,175 Manufacturers Vanish From Tax Data

40,175 Manufacturers Vanish From Tax Data

Rediff.com   23 Dec 2023

Manufacturing's share in the profit pool of companies had declined before the pandemic.

Medica + Manipal Will Overtake Apollo

Medica + Manipal Will Overtake Apollo

Rediff.com   12 Dec 2023

Next year Medica and Manipal will merge, making the amalgamated entity the largest corporate hospital chain in the country, overtaking Apollo Hospitals Enterprises.

Caste Is Back In The Electoral Equation

Caste Is Back In The Electoral Equation

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2023

Bihar has fertile grounds for caste to emerge as an electoral issue.

Wilful Defaulters Dues Rise To Rs 100 Crores Per Day

Wilful Defaulters Dues Rise To Rs 100 Crores Per Day

Rediff.com   17 Nov 2023

Wilful defaulters owe SBI Rs 80,000 crore. 10 nationalised banks are owed another Rs 1.5 trillion.

Mutual Funds Invested In Nearly 1,000 Companies

Mutual Funds Invested In Nearly 1,000 Companies

Rediff.com   16 Nov 2023

The number of companies had touched a low of 792 in July 2020 amid heightened uncertainty because of COVID-19.

Auto industry Q2 preview: Product mix, commodity tailwinds to aid margins

Auto industry Q2 preview: Product mix, commodity tailwinds to aid margins

Rediff.com   21 Oct 2023

Automobile manufacturers are likely to report strong numbers for the September quarter of Financial Year 2023-24 (Q2 FY24), riding on growth across segments and offset by a marginal drop in overall two-wheeler (2W) volumes. Higher average selling price (ASP) year-on-year (YoY), which was necessitated by price hikes taken by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and an improved product mix will also aid revenues and margins. Moreover, commodity prices are down on a YoY basis, leading to higher margins in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda).

Number of women in blue-collar jobs increasing across manufacturing sector

Number of women in blue-collar jobs increasing across manufacturing sector

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2023

"Lady candidates need not apply." So read the postscript in a job notice from Telco (now Tata Motors) on a notice board in the corridors of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (now Bengaluru), in 1974. Irked, Sudha Murty, who was then pursuing her masters in computer science at the institute, wrote a postcard to JRD Tata, expressing her surprise at this gender discrimination, especially since the Tata Group were pioneers on many fronts. Shortly, Murty became the first woman on the firm's shop floor.

Israel trade with India doubled after Covid-19 pandemic

Israel trade with India doubled after Covid-19 pandemic

Rediff.com   16 Oct 2023

India's trade ties with Israel have only strengthened in the years after 2019. The total value of trade rose to $10.5 billion on a rolling four-quarter basis in June 2023 from $5.5 billion in the same month in 2019, shows a Business Standard analysis of data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). A rolling four-quarter number provides a comparable figure across different time periods.

Select unsecured loans up by nearly Rs 7 trillion since 2019

Select unsecured loans up by nearly Rs 7 trillion since 2019

Rediff.com   16 Oct 2023

People are availing far more of certain kinds of unsecured loans than was the case before the pandemic. Bank lending for buying consumer durables and funding of credit cards and other personal loans have risen by Rs 6.9 trillion between August 2019 and August 2023, shows a Business Standard analysis of data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). These loans are typically unsecured, which means they are provided without collateral.

Nirma's new clothes: The journey of detergent brand towards healthcare

Nirma's new clothes: The journey of detergent brand towards healthcare

Rediff.com   12 Oct 2023

Nirma's tryst with the pharmaceutical space started in 2006 when it acquired the ailing Core Healthcare in a deal reported to be worth Rs 300 crore. The Ahmedabad-based manufacturer of intravenous fluids was subsequently renamed Nirlife. Pharma industry insiders say Nirma, which broke open the detergent market in the 1990s with low prices and massive advertising, tried an encore of the low-price strategy in pharma, but with mixed results.

Indian pharma exports to Iran decline thanks to its lower rupee reserves

Indian pharma exports to Iran decline thanks to its lower rupee reserves

Rediff.com   3 Oct 2023

India's pharmaceutical exports to Iran have been hit owing to depleting rupee reserves in the West Asian country because of India stopping the import of crude oil from it in 2019 following US sanctions. Pharmaceutical exports dropped 71.25 per cent in April-August this year over the same period last year. The data from the Pharmaceutical Exports Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) showed exports to Iran had declined 31.29 per cent in 2022-23 as against the previous financial year.

Cipla deploys drones to fly in critical drugs

Cipla deploys drones to fly in critical drugs

Rediff.com   27 Sep 2023

Drug major Cipla on Tuesday said it has launched drone-powered deliveries of critical medicines - cardiac, respiratory and other essential chronic therapies - to hospitals and pharmacies across Himachal Pradesh in partnership with Skype Air Mobility, a Gurugram-based drone delivery company. Cipla is the first among large Indian pharmaceutical companies to adopt drone-based deliveries to facilitate expedited supply to stockists in remote areas, it claimed. The Mumbai-based firm said the use of drones will support the on-time delivery of its medicines to chemists and clinics in remote areas, and minimise risks of affecting cold chain products due to temperature excursions.

'Need to make Auto Exports a national mission'

'Need to make Auto Exports a national mission'

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2023

'There is a need for a national task force with a singular objective to increase automotive exports.'

Jeep To Drive Petrol Options For India

Jeep To Drive Petrol Options For India

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2023

The iconic brand is considering petrol powertrains for its entire Indian portfolio, which includes the Jeep Compass, Meridian, Grand Cherokee and Wrangler.