Sohini Das And Arnab Dutta

Stories by Sohini Das And Arnab Dutta

COVID-19 vaccine: Why Poonawalla wrote to Biden

COVID-19 vaccine: Why Poonawalla wrote to Biden

Rediff.com   17 Apr 2021

'The US has invoked the Defence Act and banned export of raw materials.' 'This is as good as banning vaccines.'

100 million Covaxin vaccines by Sept

100 million Covaxin vaccines by Sept

Rediff.com   17 Apr 2021

The production of Covaxin will increase from the current 10 million doses per month to 60 million-70 million by July-August.

Second Covid wave is 1.7x times faster than first wave, shows data

Second Covid wave is 1.7x times faster than first wave, shows data

Rediff.com   15 Apr 2021

It has taken 51 days to reach a daily caseload of 84,000 from 11,000, as against 85 days taken in the first wave, report Abhishek Waghmare and Sohini Das.

'We will be prioritising vaccine only for India'

'We will be prioritising vaccine only for India'

Rediff.com   14 Apr 2021

'I don't think anybody would want to be in my position today where every head of State has to be explained that I am prioritising my country because there is a surge in cases.'

Decade on, Jaypee Infratech customers still waiting for a home

Decade on, Jaypee Infratech customers still waiting for a home

Rediff.com   14 Apr 2021

Booked between 2007 and 2011, out of the total 32,700 residential units under various Jaypee Infratech (JIL) projects, at least 20,000 homes are yet to be delivered. Supreme Court documents show that, till last March, Jaypee had issued 7,997 offers of possession to homebuyers while executing only 6,530 sub-lease deeds. These deeds offer homebuyers possession rights but, unlike registration, does not guarantee absolute ownership.

Serum, Bharat Bio seek govt funds to boost vaccine output

Serum, Bharat Bio seek govt funds to boost vaccine output

Rediff.com   5 Apr 2021

Both manufacturers have sought funds in excess of Rs 150 crore under the department of biotechnology's Mission Covid Suraksha scheme. Announced last November, the scheme has an outlay of Rs 900 crore to help develop Covid vaccines, from the clinical development stage to setting up production sites.

Expert panel seeks more data on Sputnik V Covid vaccine

Expert panel seeks more data on Sputnik V Covid vaccine

Rediff.com   2 Apr 2021

'No approval was given to Sputnik V on Thursday. Some queries have been asked on safety, efficacy, and logistics, which the firm will have answers to at the next meeting'

Sputnik V vaccine may be added to India's Covid armoury soon

Sputnik V vaccine may be added to India's Covid armoury soon

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2021

'We expect to get the approval in the next few weeks,' says Deepak Sapra, CEO, API and pharmaceutical services, Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL).

Bharat Biotech's Krishna Ella wins Covaxin fight

Bharat Biotech's Krishna Ella wins Covaxin fight

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2021

'He came back from the US only to work for his country.' 'He has invested his fortunes to build this company and is married to his work.' 'Rarely does one see such commitment.'

Real estate, travel and tourism blues hit India's consumption story

Real estate, travel and tourism blues hit India's consumption story

Rediff.com   15 Mar 2021

India's Rs 4.5-trillion fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector was one of the first to bounce back from the lockdown induced blues, reporting a year-on-year (YoY) growth in the October-December quarter last year. That said, the overall consumption figures continue to remain depressed. The FMCG market, which includes daily consumables like branded atta, hand sanitizers, edible oils, shampoos, razors, and so on, recorded 7.3 per cent value growth during the period, while the smartphone market grew by 21 per cent.

Xiaomi expands smartphone, TV capacity in India with 3 new plants

Xiaomi expands smartphone, TV capacity in India with 3 new plants

Rediff.com   26 Feb 2021

Apart from bringing new suppliers on board, Xiaomi is also hoping to take advantage of the newly launched PLI scheme that offers incentives on incremental production of smartphones with 2020 as the base year.

Public may get COVID-19 vaccine by April

Public may get COVID-19 vaccine by April

Rediff.com   22 Feb 2021

Anybody over 50 years of age or with co-morbidities can get a date, place and time of choice for getting the vaccine shots.

Low turnout forces govt to mull private rollout of Covid vaccine

Low turnout forces govt to mull private rollout of Covid vaccine

Rediff.com   10 Feb 2021

Two weeks after the vaccination programme started, about 37 per cent of the targeted 10 million healthcare professionals had received the first shot. This slow rate may prompt the government to allow vaccines in the private market sooner, to use up the doses before they expire, Sohini Das reports.

Lava plans to turn up the heat on Chinese brands

Lava plans to turn up the heat on Chinese brands

Rediff.com   8 Feb 2021

Expansion of distribution network, venturing into new markets, supplementing production capacity, and ramping up workforce are all on the cards. Instead of trying to fight with brands having massive war chests, it will pass on the benefits to consumers by offering them phones at lower prices.

Lupin aims to enter Chinese market in the next one year

Lupin aims to enter Chinese market in the next one year

Rediff.com   8 Feb 2021

Once a difficult market to crack, in recent years, China has relatively opened up its drug market, enacting reforms and speeding up approval time.

More Covid vaccine candidates get approval for clinical trials in India

More Covid vaccine candidates get approval for clinical trials in India

Rediff.com   6 Feb 2021

Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila, Bharat Biotech's intra-nasal candidate are among the candidates who got approval from the expert panel to conduct clinical trials, Sohini Das reports.

More Indians will take vaccine if politicians do: Survey

More Indians will take vaccine if politicians do: Survey

Rediff.com   5 Feb 2021

In India, Opposition parties along with healthcare professionals have urged the government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top leaders, to take either of the Covishield or Covaxin doses, which could help in drastically reducing trust and fear issues amongst citizens., reports Sohini Das.

Why early applicant Pfizer's Covid vaccine is delayed

Why early applicant Pfizer's Covid vaccine is delayed

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2021

Pfizer sought to participate in the Subject Expert Committee consultations towards an emergency use authorisation for its Covid-19 vaccine. However, the company representatives have been unable to participate in the meetings because of extremely short notices of a few hours or less and time-zone limitations.

Serum Institute may supply 400 million doses to Gavi-Covax

Serum Institute may supply 400 million doses to Gavi-Covax

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2021

Serum Institute already has two deals of 100 million each to supply the Oxford-AstraZeneca and the Novavax vaccine to Gavi-Covax at $3 per dose.

5G: Smartphone makers poised for a sharp rebound this year

5G: Smartphone makers poised for a sharp rebound this year

Rediff.com   18 Jan 2021

Even if 5G is not launched by operators this year, the handsets market will certainly witness a strong supply ecosystem for 5G ready smartphones in 2021.