Sohini Das &Amp; Shine Jacob

Stories by Sohini Das &Amp; Shine Jacob

Frontline Relive Pandemic Nightmare

Frontline Relive Pandemic Nightmare

Rediff.com   1 Apr 2024

Battling the virus, enduring separation from loved ones, and working extended hours became part of the job.

Election May Spike Sales Surge

Election May Spike Sales Surge

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2024

'During the scorching summer months of election season, largescale outdoor gatherings create a prime opportunity for increased consumption in the packaged drinking water category.'

Indian pharma companies bank on 'mother brands' to boost revenue growth

Indian pharma companies bank on 'mother brands' to boost revenue growth

Rediff.com   28 Mar 2024

Indian pharma companies are focussing on flagship products or mother brands under which they launch various new combinations to ensure robust revenue growth as well as therapy leadership. An analysis by market research firm Pharmarack showed how such flagship brands have posted strong growth CAGR in the last five years, with some even doubling sales. Sheetal Sapale, vice-president, commercial at Pharmarack, said, "Mother brands are analogous to an aggressive player who has put in a lot of effort during the prime years of life but now continues to silently nurture the brand family to collectively cross newer benchmarks of success."

PV or CV at TN plant? TaMo to decide based on trends

PV or CV at TN plant? TaMo to decide based on trends

Rediff.com   15 Mar 2024

Tata Motors will soon submit a detailed report on the upcoming manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu's Ranipet district and a decision, on whether the facility will churn out passenger or commercial vehicles, will be taken by the company on the basis of market trends, state's industries minister TRB Rajaa said on Thursday. "They are keeping the options open, and market trends will determine it (the type of vehicles the plant will make). "They will quickly come up with a detailed report on that," Rajaa said.

Rahul may win Wayanad but Kerala is no Congress fortress this time

Rahul may win Wayanad but Kerala is no Congress fortress this time

Rediff.com   11 Mar 2024

Political pundits unanimously suggest that the state is not experiencing a discernible Gandhi wave this time around.

Banks await RBI approval for appointing second whole-time director

Banks await RBI approval for appointing second whole-time director

Rediff.com   5 Mar 2024

More than half a dozen private-sector banks are awaiting regulatory approval for the appointment of a second whole-time director on their boards.

Skoda to drive in Brezza, Sonet rival in H1FY25

Skoda to drive in Brezza, Sonet rival in H1FY25

Rediff.com   28 Feb 2024

koda Auto India is set to drive in a new car by the first half of next year to reach its target of 100,000 unit annual sales in the country by 2026. The compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) will be positioned against the likes of Maruti Brezza, Hyundai Venue, and Kia Sonet, and would be competitively priced, a senior company official said. koda will also export the car to right-hand-drive markets like Australia, New Zealand and the Asean nations.

VinFast kicks off Tamil Nadu unit construction, seeks cut in import duty

VinFast kicks off Tamil Nadu unit construction, seeks cut in import duty

Rediff.com   26 Feb 2024

Vietnam-based electric vehicle maker VinFast, a rival of Tesla in the global market, has set foot in India and began work on building its Rs 16,000 crore EV manufacturing facility at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. The company has already sought a reduction in import duties on its cars for about two years until customers get familiar with the brand and its unit in the state. The global major kicked off the construction of the first phase of its integrated EV hub, which may see Rs 4,000 crore of investment initially and will create more than 10,000 jobs.

'The formulations business been a growth driver'

'The formulations business been a growth driver'

Rediff.com   24 Feb 2024

'However, we have seen weakness in our active pharmaceutical ingredients business.'

Harley, Triumph blaze a trail, give Enfield a tough ride

Harley, Triumph blaze a trail, give Enfield a tough ride

Rediff.com   19 Feb 2024

It has been seven months since the iconic motorcycle manufacturers, Harley-Davidson and Triumph, embarked on their journey in India with the backing of partners Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj Auto. According to data shared by the Indian majors, both brands are already creating ripples in the above 350cc category. The increase in sales has prompted a ramp-up in production and even the doubling of retail touchpoints for one of them.

Tax poser in the way of Hyundai local arm listing

Tax poser in the way of Hyundai local arm listing

Rediff.com   15 Feb 2024

South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Company is considering tax implications of listing its Indian unit before taking a final call, according to sources privy to the development. Hyundai Motor is mulling an initial public offering (IPO) for its Indian arm to raise around $3 billion (at a valuation of up to $30 billion), and talks are in the early stages between the company and bankers, banking sources revealed. Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), however, declined to comment on the development.

India's 1st Private Launchpad Preps For Liftoff

India's 1st Private Launchpad Preps For Liftoff

Rediff.com   13 Feb 2024

Preparations are in the final stages by the Chennai-headquartered space-tech startup Agnikul Cosmos for the maiden launch of India's first-ever private launchpad and the second rocket launch by a private sector player.

Rooftop solar charges up electric vehicle boom in India's smaller cities

Rooftop solar charges up electric vehicle boom in India's smaller cities

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2024

The push given to rooftop solar installation in the Interim Budget ties in with its high rate of adoption in Tier-II and -III cities of India. If original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the automobile industry, government, and the solar sector are to be believed, in cities of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Kerala, 45-50 per cent of electric-vehicle (EV) users are employing rooftop power to charge their vehicles. This is compared to the national average of 25 per cent, say industry sources.

GOOD News! No Drug Price Hike In 2024

GOOD News! No Drug Price Hike In 2024

Rediff.com   6 Feb 2024

For the consumer, there would be practically no impact on prices of essential medicines this year.

Why This 2-Time MP Won't Contest Polls

Why This 2-Time MP Won't Contest Polls

Rediff.com   2 Feb 2024

'If businessmen should be included in the political process -- which is essential in my opinion -- they need to have the freedom to express themselves and to take stands against the government of the day, without fear of reprisals and attacks on their business.'

Q3 result preview: US, India to aid revenue growth for Pharma Inc

Q3 result preview: US, India to aid revenue growth for Pharma Inc

Rediff.com   30 Jan 2024

The pharmaceuticals sector is expected to post a revenue growth of around 13.5 per cent and a net profit growth of 30.3 per cent for the third quarter of 2023-24 (FY24), riding on the approval for niche drugs in the US market, fall in raw material prices and correction in shipping rates. In the healthcare segment, hospitals are expected to post revenue growth of 13 per cent during the coverage, while net profit growth would be around 37 per cent, ICICI Securities said in a note. However, the performance may not be comparable on a sequential basis due to the offset of the festive season in Q3FY24, the analysts noted.

How AI Is Transforming Auto Manufacturing

How AI Is Transforming Auto Manufacturing

Rediff.com   30 Jan 2024

'From data on enquiries, we can build what we call a data lake or a data warehouse where data is classified into various cohorts and then we use AI and ML tools to predict demand down the line.'

'Aster DM's plan is to be among top three in India'

'Aster DM's plan is to be among top three in India'

Rediff.com   27 Jan 2024

'Now that we are a pure-play India business, many investors are open to investing.'

Fortis plans acquisitions, may opt for neutral brand name

Fortis plans acquisitions, may opt for neutral brand name

Rediff.com   22 Jan 2024

Delhi-headquartered Fortis Healthcare is open to acquisition of hospitals with over 250-300 bed sizes as part of its strategy to grow at a faster clip. It may also opt for a neutral brand name soon. Neutral brand is a new brand, which is not owned by any of the stakeholders.

Domestic pharma market grew by 6.8% in 2023

Domestic pharma market grew by 6.8% in 2023

Rediff.com   22 Jan 2024

The Indian pharmaceutical market (IPM) grew 6.8 per cent to touch a turnover of ~1.93 trillion in calendar year 2023, despite volumes going down marginally by 0.9 per cent. This indicates the price increase has been the major growth driver. Growth in the moving annual turnover (the previous 12 months' turnover) in December was 5.1 per cent and that in new product introduction 2.6 per cent, while volumes dipped 0.9 per cent, leading to an overall growth rate of 6.8 per cent, according to the data from market research firm Pharmatrac.