Subrata Panda &Amp; Sohini Das

Stories by Subrata Panda &Amp; Sohini Das

Check Blood Glucose Levels Minus Prick

Check Blood Glucose Levels Minus Prick

Rediff.com   21 Mar 2023

One needs to charge the device every four days, which can provide over 65,000 blood readings and counts.

Life insurers' new biz premium down 17% in Feb, LIC collections shrink 32%

Life insurers' new biz premium down 17% in Feb, LIC collections shrink 32%

Rediff.com   17 Mar 2023

Life insurance companies reported a 17 per cent year-on-year (YoY) drop in new business premium (NBP) in February as state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India's premiums contracted 32 per cent during this period on account of a drop in its group single premium segment. According to data released by the Life Insurance Council, the industry earned an NBP of Rs 22,847.65 crore in February - a drop of 17 per cent from the same period a year ago.

REVEALED: How RBI Operated During Covid

REVEALED: How RBI Operated During Covid

Rediff.com   10 Mar 2023

200 staffers, consisting of RBI officials and support teams, who are essential to perform critical functions, were isolated at a separate facility in a dedicated quarantined environment near all three RBI data centres.

Auto Industry Sweats As Semiconductor Shortage Persists

Auto Industry Sweats As Semiconductor Shortage Persists

Rediff.com   10 Mar 2023

Open order books in February breach 700,000; wait period for some models exceed a year.

Insurance companies yet to see fire sale of high-value life policies

Insurance companies yet to see fire sale of high-value life policies

Rediff.com   8 Mar 2023

Many life insurance companies are yet to see a sharp spike in the sale of high-value policies as was widely expected in the aftermath of the government's decision to tax income from insurance policies having an aggregate premium above Rs 5 lakh in a year.

Maruti Sold 584,126 Cars In Rural Markets

Maruti Sold 584,126 Cars In Rural Markets

Rediff.com   6 Mar 2023

Maruti Suzuki says it has sold at least one car in 418,000 villages.

Why electric two-wheelers missed the ambitious 1 million sales target

Why electric two-wheelers missed the ambitious 1 million sales target

Rediff.com   1 Mar 2023

With just a month left in this financial year, electric two-wheeler sales, so far, are at just 62 per cent of the ambitious target of 1 million units set for 2022-23 by the NITI Aayog. According to VAHAN data, compiled by the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), 620,006 units of electric two-wheelers were sold across the country in FY23 until February 21. Though the industry may miss the 1-million target, sales in FY23 are already up 146 per cent from 249,621 units sold in FY22.

With 33% market share, Maruti eyes top slot in SUV space by FY24

With 33% market share, Maruti eyes top slot in SUV space by FY24

Rediff.com   16 Feb 2023

Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) - the market leader in small cars - is eyeing the top spot in the sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment within a year - with a 33 per cent share of the pie. The company has been selling two SUVs - the Brezza and the Grand Vitara - and will start deliveries of the Jimny and the Fronx from March-end, and has set a target of growing its share from the current 11.5 per cent of the SUV market to 33 per cent by the end of 2023-24. The SUV segment is roughly about 42 per cent of the total passenger vehicle market, or around 1.3 million units.

Credit card spends in Dec cross Rs 1 trillion for 10th month in a row

Credit card spends in Dec cross Rs 1 trillion for 10th month in a row

Rediff.com   26 Jan 2023

After a sequential fall in November, due to high base and waning of the festival season effect, credit card spends have picked up again in December, recording over Rs 1 trillion for the 10th consecutive month. Latest figures released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) show that credit card spends in December 2022 touched Rs 1.26 trillion, up 10.21 per cent compared to November. And, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, spends were up 34.31 per cent during this period.

'A creative mind never ages'

'A creative mind never ages'

Rediff.com   26 Jan 2023

Balkrishna V Doshi, who won the Pritzker Award in 2018 -- which is equivalent to the Nobel Prize in architecture -- passed into the ages this week. Sohini Das recalls an encounter with the the legendary architect, who was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan in this year's Republic Day honours list.

More Women Buy Luxury Cars In Post-pandemic Shift

More Women Buy Luxury Cars In Post-pandemic Shift

Rediff.com   26 Jan 2023

Dealerships, too, are going all out to roll out the red carpet for women.

GM, Ford switch off India ops but unable to exit

GM, Ford switch off India ops but unable to exit

Rediff.com   25 Jan 2023

Both are finding it difficult to sell one each of their plants -- Chennai Maraimalai Nagar (Ford) and Talegaon near Pune (GM) -- and are finding the road blocked by employee severance snarl-ups, report Sohini Das and Shine Jacob.

'None of the existing vaccines can prevent emerging variants of Omicron'

'None of the existing vaccines can prevent emerging variants of Omicron'

Rediff.com   25 Jan 2023

'We seem to be in a situation where we can do little, and nothing needs to be done anyway.'

Bajaj's e-Chetak to speed into Europe by 2024

Bajaj's e-Chetak to speed into Europe by 2024

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2023

The electric Chetak has already sold close to 25,000 units in India, and the European version will be based on the same platform.

Indians remitted nearly $2 bn in Nov under Reserve Bank's LRS scheme

Indians remitted nearly $2 bn in Nov under Reserve Bank's LRS scheme

Rediff.com   20 Jan 2023

Indians remitted close to $2 billion in November under the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) liberalised remittance scheme (LRS), latest data released by the central bank showed. Outward remittances under the scheme jumped 29 per cent to $1.99 billion compared to $1.54 billion in the year-ago month. Sequentially, outward remittances under the scheme were up about 3.5 per cent.

Why luxury carmakers will see quicker transition to EVs

Why luxury carmakers will see quicker transition to EVs

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2023

While Mercedes-Benz India expects 25 per cent of its India sales to come from EVs in the next four years, BMW says it estimates around 10 per cent of sales to come from those in the near future.

Field testing started for fuel-agnostic engines

Field testing started for fuel-agnostic engines

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2023

Cummins India will soon start producing fuel-agnostic engine systems at the Tata-Cummins plant in Phaltan in Satara district of Maharashtra, senior officials at Cummins India said. The firm will start limited production by the end of 2023 and mass production will likely begin by 2024, the officials said.

Budget 2023 wish list: Insurers bat for hike in tax deduction limit

Budget 2023 wish list: Insurers bat for hike in tax deduction limit

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2023

Ahead of the Union Budget 2023, insurers are hoping that the Centre will act on their recommendations, which includes increasing the limit for tax deduction under 80D of the Income Tax Act. Also among them are issuance of long-term bonds, tax incentives for home insurance premiums, and a separate section to claim deduction for term-insurance premium, among others. These suggestions would help improve the penetration of insurance in the country.

India 'Stay Calm' About Kraken: Experts

India 'Stay Calm' About Kraken: Experts

Rediff.com   16 Jan 2023

The Kraken COVID-19 variant accounts for almost 41 per cent of all Covid infections.

Headcount in public sector banks has fallen 8.72% in 8 years

Headcount in public sector banks has fallen 8.72% in 8 years

Rediff.com   16 Jan 2023

Public-sector banks, which are the largest employers in the banking space, have seen a drop in clerical staff over the years.