Sohini Das And Aneesh Phadnis

Stories by Sohini Das And Aneesh Phadnis

Bullish on 5G, Xiaomi to launch sub-Rs 15K phones

Bullish on 5G, Xiaomi to launch sub-Rs 15K phones

Rediff.com   5 Aug 2022

Xiaomi will strengthen its product portfolio and launch 5G devices in the sub-Rs 15,000 segment as it looks to increase its market share in the segment. Xiaomi led the shipments in overall smartphone category in 2021 with a 24 per cent share, according to Counterpoint Research. However, in the 5G segment it is ranked fourth behind One Plus, Samsung, and Vivo, with a 13 per cent share.

How start-ups are shaking up offline pharma business

How start-ups are shaking up offline pharma business

Rediff.com   3 Aug 2022

Bulk of the medicine sales in the $22-24 billion domestic pharma market happens through offline retail chemists. With the entry of online pharmacies, this space has started to witness a shake-up. Sample this: Dawaa Dost, a Rajasthan based digital health start-up, generates medicine orders from 'kirana' stores and women self-help groups (SHGs) that operate in villages, and then service these orders through its affiliated network of pharmacies. Biddano, another health-tech start-up, has a platform that acts as an aggregator for neighbourhood chemist shops.

Study Abroad: How To Deal With Rising Costs

Study Abroad: How To Deal With Rising Costs

Rediff.com   29 Jul 2022

The rupee depreciation will work in favour of students who are currently studying in the US and plan to secure a job that pays in dollars.

Your visa got delayed? Here's why

Your visa got delayed? Here's why

Rediff.com   28 Jul 2022

It was supposed to be a happy journey to London, one that the Imam family had been planning for the past two months. Everything was set - except the visa, which did not arrive in time for one of its members. "Visa was the villain...As a consequence, half of the family of four will be in London today and the other half at home in India and the US, respectively," Sanjar Imam, director of travel firm Panache World, wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Ten years on, ex-Kingfisher Airline employees wait for their dues

Ten years on, ex-Kingfisher Airline employees wait for their dues

Rediff.com   19 Jul 2022

Ten years after Kingfisher Airlines was grounded, its former employees continue to wait for their dues. On Monday, the Supreme Court awarded a four-month sentence to the grounded airline's flamboyant owner Vijay Mallya in a contempt case. The apex court also ordered him to deposit $40 million plus interest in four weeks to avoid attachment of his properties.

India's rising medical devices imports hurt small and medium units

India's rising medical devices imports hurt small and medium units

Rediff.com   19 Jul 2022

India's medical devices imports surged 41 per cent to touch Rs 63,200 crore in 2021-22, led by a 48 per cent year-on-year (YoY) jump in imports from China to Rs 13,538 crore, the commerce ministry data analysed by the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) has showed. Local industry players say this has led to several small and medium units to shut shop. Rakesh Vaid of Usha Fabs, a garments exporter, had started making N95 masks in his Gurgaon factory during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Airlines cancel, reschedule London flights as Heathrow restrictions kick in

Airlines cancel, reschedule London flights as Heathrow restrictions kick in

Rediff.com   15 Jul 2022

On Thursday, Virgin Atlantic, for instance, cancelled its morning flight between London and Delhi. And Air India rescheduled its London-Ahmedabad flight by several hours. With the Heathrow restrictions to remain in place till September 11, air traffic between India and London is likely to see slower growth over the next two months.

For the first time, Centre allows a private player to process opium

For the first time, Centre allows a private player to process opium

Rediff.com   14 Jul 2022

The central government has for the first time allowed a private company, Bajaj Healthcare, to process opium to extract alkaloids used to make pain-killers, cough syrups, and even cancer drugs. Two government factories in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, and Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, do the work yet, processing some 800 tonnes of opium gum annually to extract alkaloids. The government on Tuesday gave Thane-based Bajaj Healthcare an initial contract to process 500 tonnes of opium gum annually and wants production to be at 800 tonnes per annum (tpa) in the next five years, indicating the state's exit from the highly-regulated sector.

IndiGo's technicians go on sick leave to seek salary revision

IndiGo's technicians go on sick leave to seek salary revision

Rediff.com   11 Jul 2022

Some aircraft technicians at IndiGo are on sick leave since Friday demanding a revision in salaries. The protest comes days after the airline partially restored salaries of its pilots and cabin crew and made changes to its human resource (HR) policies. Some technicians in Hyderabad reported sick on Friday night while those from other bases skipped work on Sunday demanding a revision in salary, an industry source said.

Around 1,500 cabin crew are under training at IndiGo

Around 1,500 cabin crew are under training at IndiGo

Rediff.com   6 Jul 2022

IndiGo's management is of the opinion that Saturday's flight delays caused by sick leaves taken by many in the cabin crew are just an aberration. The airline's on-time performance nosedived to 45 per cent on Saturday as a large part of the cabin crew reported sick to participate in Air India's recruitment process. Privately, Air India executives denied holding interviews on Saturday and the airline did not issue any statement.

Cabin crew, guards among 1,600 Air India employees opting for VRS

Cabin crew, guards among 1,600 Air India employees opting for VRS

Rediff.com   1 Jul 2022

More than 1,600 employees of Air India, the former state-run carrier now owned by the Tata group, have opted for voluntary retirement under a scheme announced on June 1. These employees comprise 22 per cent of permanent staff (around 7,000). The airline has a total employee strength of around 10,800, including those on contract.

Jet claims rights on livery, objects to SpiceJet using it on some planes

Jet claims rights on livery, objects to SpiceJet using it on some planes

Rediff.com   29 Jun 2022

Jet Airways has complained to India's aviation regulator about the use of its livery on SpiceJet aircraft, saying the practice could "mislead the public" and is a safety hazard. Jet collapsed in 2019 and lessors repossessed its Boeing 737s. Some of these aircraft were leased to SpiceJet, which operates them without changing the livery. Jet, which is now being revived by the Kalrock Jalan consortium and aims to restart operations in September, has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ask SpiceJet to stop using its livery.

Visa on time: Embassies work to meet spike in applications by Indians

Visa on time: Embassies work to meet spike in applications by Indians

Rediff.com   21 Jun 2022

Visa delays have perturbed Indian visitors this summer. But a solution could be in sight soon, as embassies gear up to address the challenges caused by a spike in applications and staff shortages. While the British High Commission has said it is working urgently to reduce the current visa processing time, the German Embassy has introduced extra shifts to process more visas. However, appointments with the latter are fully booked till August-end due to high volumes.

Millions of Covid vaccine doses are set to expire in India

Millions of Covid vaccine doses are set to expire in India

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2022

Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) is sitting on 200 million doses of Covishield that were manufactured in December and are set to expire in September. The company is likely to destroy these vaccines if nothing works out, Sohini Das reports.

How Airtel took a long call on profit by focusing on costs and customers

How Airtel took a long call on profit by focusing on costs and customers

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2022

Six consecutive profitable quarters after an equal number of losses - for Bharti Airtel, the turnaround has been quick. But it is not a result of higher tariffs or absence of exceptional items alone. Execution and strategy are playing a part, too. Bharti Airtel's chief executive officer Gopal Vittal summed it up in a post-result conference call last month. "We track the profit in each of our 237,500 (cell) sites.

'Ranchi incident is a learning experience'

'Ranchi incident is a learning experience'

Rediff.com   16 Jun 2022

'We should have calmed down the child. We will do an internal analysis on that.'

Air India to restore grounded planes for capacity ramp up amid competition

Air India to restore grounded planes for capacity ramp up amid competition

Rediff.com   13 Jun 2022

Air India is set to increase capacity on domestic and international routes over the next few months as it overhauls its grounded aircraft. Air India has the approval to operate 2,456 flights per week in the summer schedule. This is more than a 16 per cent increase over 2020. But its international schedule has declined 41 per cent (compared to winter 2019) to 361 weekly departures.

'We can't get rid of COVID-19 for a long time to come'

'We can't get rid of COVID-19 for a long time to come'

Rediff.com   10 Jun 2022

'There will be ups and downs, and we have to plan how we live with it now.'

SIIto test Novavax's Omicron-specific vaccine

SIIto test Novavax's Omicron-specific vaccine

Rediff.com   6 Jun 2022

The Drugs Controller General of India has approved the manufacture of this Sars-CoV-2 spike protein recombinant nano-particle vaccine for 'examination, test, and analysis', reports Sohini Das.

Airport PPPs on a crowded runway; private sector bids could be subdued

Airport PPPs on a crowded runway; private sector bids could be subdued

Rediff.com   30 May 2022

Airports hold pride of place in the government's National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) programme to monetise public assets. Private airport operators, including the Adani group, Fairfax, GMR and Zurich Airport, are expected to evince interest in the next round of public private partnership (PPP) development of state-owned Airport Authority of India (AAI) airports. Industry analysts, however, do not expect bids to be as high as the last round, which saw Adani group gain control of six airports.