Surajeet Das Gupta &Amp; Sohini Das

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta &Amp; Sohini Das

India readies for massive testing exercise after lockdown

India readies for massive testing exercise after lockdown

Rediff.com   28 Mar 2020

The ICMR is working on a war footing to develop the testing ecosystem -- especially for the screening blood tests. NIV, Pune, is in the process of validating antibody-based screening kits.

PM's lockdown address best in terms of TV ratings

PM's lockdown address best in terms of TV ratings

Rediff.com   28 Mar 2020

The telecast was viewed by 197 million Indians, higher than the Indian Premier League final which was watched by 133 million, reports Sohini Das.

COVID-19 test: Why patients opt out of private labs

COVID-19 test: Why patients opt out of private labs

Rediff.com   27 Mar 2020

At present, the cost of testing for COVID-19 is Rs 4,500 per examination and the results are available within 24 hours. Almost 90 per cent of queries fizzle out after patients realise the cost of testing will not be borne by the government.

Govt now allows doorstep delivery of drugs

Govt now allows doorstep delivery of drugs

Rediff.com   27 Mar 2020

Medicines that fall under Schedule H category (class of prescription drugs) would be provided against a valid prescription that can be submitted either physically or over e-mail. Narcotics, psychotropics and controlled substances, though, cannot be delivered.

The murky trail of Rana Kapoor's firm DOIT

The murky trail of Rana Kapoor's firm DOIT

Rediff.com   24 Mar 2020

DOIT is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Morgan Credits in which Rana Kapoor's daughters Radha, Roshini and Raakhe, are directors. In 2018-19, the company incurred a net loss of Rs 48.76 crore on revenues of Rs 59 crore - a sharp contrast to 2017-18 when it had profits of Rs 2.7 crore on revenues of Rs 43 crore. To fund these aggressive investments into its subsidiaries in 2018-19, DOIT used debt which doubled to Rs 600 crore in 2018-19 from the previous year.

ISPs find work-from-home has boosted demand for data

ISPs find work-from-home has boosted demand for data

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2020

Feedback from telecom members indicated a 10 per cent increase in traffic, but no fears of choked networks. Telcos currently use 65-70 per cent of the network capacity. In other words, they have enough additional capacity to handle the new pressure without clogging the system.

Coronavirus spread: Retailers, multiplexes, mall owners spar over rentals

Coronavirus spread: Retailers, multiplexes, mall owners spar over rentals

Rediff.com   20 Mar 2020

Retailers and multiplex operators want mall owners to either forgo rent for the period of the shutdown or lower rent in the event the mall is open but footfalls are low.

How companies deal with coronavirus panic

How companies deal with coronavirus panic

Rediff.com   17 Mar 2020

Employees asked to work from home... cancelled travel plans... curtailed meetings... Caution and precaution dominate Corporate India's response to Covid-19.

Coronavirus fear robs malls, multiplexes of Holi colour

Coronavirus fear robs malls, multiplexes of Holi colour

Rediff.com   8 Mar 2020

'There is a clear business impact. People are avoiding crowded places and gatherings across cities. This is hitting business, both at traditional and modern trade outlets, during the Holi season, which kicked off from Saturday,' says Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

Coronavirus impact: Govt restricts exports of 13 APIs, formulations

Coronavirus impact: Govt restricts exports of 13 APIs, formulations

Rediff.com   4 Mar 2020

Exports of 13 APIs - including paracetamol, tinidazole, metronidazole, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, acyclovir, progesterone - along with formulations made from these APIs, would be restricted.

Ambani vs Chandra: Media convergence set for a new game

Ambani vs Chandra: Media convergence set for a new game

Rediff.com   28 Feb 2020

In terms of market capitalisation, Zee alone has a market cap of Rs 24,000 crore compared to Rs 15,000 crore of the merged Reliance entity.

The billion-dollar question before Vodafone Group

The billion-dollar question before Vodafone Group

Rediff.com   24 Feb 2020

Based on Statista data for 2019, Vodafone has 17.2 million subscribers in the UK, 29.5 million in Germany, and over 13.7 million in Spain. Without Voda Idea, the Group will become smaller than Airtel and Jio.

What consolidation of telcos mean for the customers

What consolidation of telcos mean for the customers

Rediff.com   20 Feb 2020

The Indian market is more in sync with mobile markets of advanced countries like the UK, Japan, and South Korea, where there are fewer players - three to four.

Coronavirus outbreak: Domestic drug market stares at supply crisis

Coronavirus outbreak: Domestic drug market stares at supply crisis

Rediff.com   20 Feb 2020

Big pharma companies, however, said while it was true that formulation players would not rush to buy raw material, they could not afford losing customers.

Kohli is top celebrity brand for third time in a row

Kohli is top celebrity brand for third time in a row

Rediff.com   17 Feb 2020

The Duff & Phelps report shows that Virat Kohli has increased his brand value by 40 per cent to $237.5 million in 2019 and taken a huge lead with his closest rival, Akshay Kumar, ranked second.

Coronavirus scare: India may soon run short of antibiotics, diabetes drugs

Coronavirus scare: India may soon run short of antibiotics, diabetes drugs

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2020

Indian pharmaceutical companies are heavily dependent on China to source fermentation-based active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates to manufacture these medicines, but the coronavirus outbreak there has disrupted the supply.

Medical devices to be treated as drugs from next fiscal

Medical devices to be treated as drugs from next fiscal

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2020

The new regime aims to bring in ease of doing business, as the NITI Aayog has proposed to do away with the need to have manufacturing licences to register medical devices or to get a certificate of compliance.

Coronavirus: Windfall likely for medical device firms

Coronavirus: Windfall likely for medical device firms

Rediff.com   7 Feb 2020

As fear grips the world, demand for protective gear used by health care professionals and citizens is on a rise. And, supply disruption from China has opened a window of opportunities for Indian medical device makers.

Telcos, DoT discuss part paying AGR ahead of SC ruling

Telcos, DoT discuss part paying AGR ahead of SC ruling

Rediff.com   28 Jan 2020

The companies have offered to pay upfront the principal amount due for licence fees and spectrum usage charges (SUCs) on the basis of adjusted gross revenue (AGR). This amount will not include the interest, the penalty, and the interest on the penalty.