Surajeet Das Gupta &Amp;Amp; Anup Roy

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta &Amp;Amp; Anup Roy

Chinese telcos feel new rule doesn't place curbs on them

Chinese telcos feel new rule doesn't place curbs on them

Rediff.com   29 Jun 2021

Chinese telecom gear giant Huawei Technologies has sought permission for access to the government's 'Trusted Telecom Portal' which went live on June 15 so that it can share details about the telecom products which telecom service providers have agreed to buy from it. The move is significant as sources close to the development say that, according to Chinese telecom companies' interpretation, the new National Security Directive on the telecom sector does not in any way prohibit them from participating in the process of selling telecom equipment of any kind to private telcos. The firm is waiting for a response from the government. It declined to comment.

Risks to economy still look uncomfortably high: Experts

Risks to economy still look uncomfortably high: Experts

Rediff.com   16 Jun 2021

High inflation print is the price that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will have to pay to nurse a fragile growth back, say economists. Wholesale Price Index-based inflation rose to a record high of 12.94 per cent in May, aided by low base effect, but also because of higher fuel and commodity prices. Retail inflation, too, surprised by rising to 6.30 per cent, while the core inflation, which is the non-food and non-fuel component, rose to an 83-month high of 6.55 per cent. These numbers are much above RBI's upper limit of 6 per cent inflation target, but there is very little that the RBI can do at this moment.

Covid-19 pandemic: PEs pour $584 million into healthcare in 2021

Covid-19 pandemic: PEs pour $584 million into healthcare in 2021

Rediff.com   11 Jun 2021

Sensing a huge opportunity in the healthcare sector during the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath, private equity (PE) players are upping their investments in the space. According to data from research platform VCCEdge, the PEs have together invested a staggering $583.82 million in the first five months of 2021 in five deals, which is the highest investment in the sector in the last five calendar years - from 2016 to 2020. The second highest investment in the sector took place in 2017, when PEs invested $503 million in 18 deals, with an average deal size of $29. 9 million.

How RBI managed to give Rs 1-trillion dividend to govt

How RBI managed to give Rs 1-trillion dividend to govt

Rediff.com   28 May 2021

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) booked massive gains on its foreign currency sales and needed to provide much lesser for its reserves in 2020-21 (FY21), helping it to carve out a significant Rs 99,122-crore dividend for the government, revealed the RBI's annual report for FY21. By doing so, the central bank's risk buffers have reduced to the bare minimum, which may restrict some of RBI's scale of operations, and would likely hamper dividend payout for financial year 2021-22, said analysts. The annual accounts are for nine months ended March 31, 2021 since the RBI changed its accounting year from July-June to April-March from FY21.

PE funds scout for bulk-buying social e-com start-ups

PE funds scout for bulk-buying social e-com start-ups

Rediff.com   24 May 2021

To create a community, the consumer can share the details of the offer with friends and family who want to buy the same goods.

Huawei seeks reboot after losing out on 5G spectrum trials

Huawei seeks reboot after losing out on 5G spectrum trials

Rediff.com   18 May 2021

Based on industry estimates, telecom companies, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and BSNL, are expected to invest over $10 billion on buying 5G telecom equipment in the next five years as they transition from non-standalone networks to standalone 5G networks.

Covid impact: RBI may have to change growth forecast

Covid impact: RBI may have to change growth forecast

Rediff.com   18 May 2021

Those hardest hit by the second wave of the pandemic have been blue-collared workers, doctors and healthcare workers, law and order and municipal personnel, individuals eking out daily livelihood, and small businesses. And there should be more measures taken to alleviate their pain, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Monday. The report also indicated that the RBI's growth numbers might have to be revisited as the central bank's real GDP growth projection of 26.2 per cent given in the MPC's resolution of April 7 for the first quarter of 2021-22, were "made before the full fury of the resurgence." Nevertheless, the "resurgence of COVID-19 has dented but not debilitated economic activity in the first half of Q1: 2021-22.

Indian telcos at odds over controversial 5G standard

Indian telcos at odds over controversial 5G standard

Rediff.com   17 May 2021

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has directed the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) to make a presentation detailing the pros and cons of the controversial Indian 5G standard, also known as 5Gi, which the government has been pushing for. The move comes after serious differences emerged among telcos with regard to the technology's efficacy and implementation.

'Impossible Trinity': RBI's precarious balancing act

'Impossible Trinity': RBI's precarious balancing act

Rediff.com   17 May 2021

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is precariously balancing two opposing objectives - maintaining easy financial condition in the domestic market, while ensuring external stability - and economists have started taking note. They say India is going through the classic trilemma of the 'Impossible Trinity'. The RBI cannot have an independent monetary policy (setting domestic interest rates) in an environment of an open capital account and flexible exchange rates. What is even more complicated for the central bank now is that financial market stability overlays all the other three objectives.

Decoded: Why higher circulation of currency is normal in abnormal times

Decoded: Why higher circulation of currency is normal in abnormal times

Rediff.com   6 May 2021

Theoretically, the currency with the public should expand in sync with the nominal income, which again moves in relation to the nominal growth rate of the economy. But the correlation breaks easily when other factors come into play, says Anup Roy.

$1-bn outflows: FPIs turn wary of India on worsening Covid virus crisis

$1-bn outflows: FPIs turn wary of India on worsening Covid virus crisis

Rediff.com   30 Apr 2021

Covid-19, US yields, dollar to weigh on equity flows in the near term.

How Banks will Pester Customers to Pay

How Banks will Pester Customers to Pay

Rediff.com   23 Apr 2021

Although such alerts are not compulsory for the banks, this may become the norm now if payments are missed even for a day.

'Father of banking reforms', M Narasimham, passes away

'Father of banking reforms', M Narasimham, passes away

Rediff.com   21 Apr 2021

New-generation private sector banks such as ICICI, HDFC, Axis, Kotak etcetera owe their existence to the recommendations of the first Narasimham Committee.

Bird Group's ambitious plan to grab Air India's ground handling arm

Bird Group's ambitious plan to grab Air India's ground handling arm

Rediff.com   16 Apr 2021

The promoter-brothers, distant cousins to IndiGo's Rahul Bhatia, are eyeing Air India's ground handling subsidiary to augment their aviation services business even as they make a big play in EVs.

India, China border spat: Bird group's EV hatchback plans in limbo

India, China border spat: Bird group's EV hatchback plans in limbo

Rediff.com   15 Apr 2021

The car was expected to have a price tag of Rs 10 lakh and launch was slated for this June.

Don't panic over sudden movement of rupee, say dealers

Don't panic over sudden movement of rupee, say dealers

Rediff.com   12 Apr 2021

The sudden movement of the rupee - post the monetary policy - is not a reason to panic, said currency dealers. According to them, a correction was overdue for the rupee that remained the best performing currency in the region for well over a month. The rupee closed at 74.72 a dollar on Friday from its previous close of 74.60. It had dropped 1.52 per cent against the dollar on April 7 after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced its monetary policy, committing to buy Rs 1 trillion of bonds in the June quarter. A weak rupee goes well with the export narrative of the government, and is consistent with the RBI's intervention strategy that prevented an appreciation.

Will Xiaomi disrupt India's e-scooter market?

Will Xiaomi disrupt India's e-scooter market?

Rediff.com   10 Apr 2021

Known for its phones and emerging from nowhere in the segment, it might take on the scooter Goliaths.

'Next financial year will be much better'

'Next financial year will be much better'

Rediff.com   9 Apr 2021

'Revival is happening slowly.' 'But that is, if the pandemic is controlled.'

Mobile phone makers want relaxation under PLI scheme

Mobile phone makers want relaxation under PLI scheme

Rediff.com   5 Apr 2021

In a communication to the empowered committee on PLI recently, the Indian Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA) has stated that except one player (Samsung), all the other eight players (which include vendors of Apple Inc) selected under the scheme were facing numerous challenges in fulfilling the qualification criteria.

How govt can boost infra funding in India

How govt can boost infra funding in India

Rediff.com   4 Apr 2021

For development finance institution to succeed now, the government must stand like a rock behind it and be patient.