Surajeet Das Gupta And Aneesh Phadnis

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta And Aneesh Phadnis

'Lockdown should be extended for another 15 days'

'Lockdown should be extended for another 15 days'

Rediff.com   2 Apr 2020

'In the first phase, you might allow 30 per cent of the workforce to come in and see how it goes,' says industrialist Harsh Goenka.

In essential items, e-commerce is no match to kirana stores

In essential items, e-commerce is no match to kirana stores

Rediff.com   1 Apr 2020

Despite the failure of most e-commerce players to meet orders through the first week of the lockdown, there has been no serious crisis, thanks to supplies from 11 million small kirana and mom-and-pop stores across the country with the support of over 300,000 distributors and wholesalers.

'It is bound to be a slow and strained recovery'

'It is bound to be a slow and strained recovery'

Rediff.com   31 Mar 2020

'When 99.9 per cent of the most vulnerable are above 65, I see no logic in this sweeping lockdown in a country in which 94 per cent are below 65.' 'The most sensible thing to do would be to recalibrate this unnecessary lockdown as soon as possible.'

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.

Travel portals, airlines are grappling with cancellations

Travel portals, airlines are grappling with cancellations

Rediff.com   18 Mar 2020

The issues include not getting refunds on airline and hotel bookings, getting charged a service fee even if airlines have waived cancellation charges and so on. Complaints are piling up on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels as more and more people cancel their travel plans due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

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.

Covid-19: DGCA asks foreign airlines to waive cancellation fee

Covid-19: DGCA asks foreign airlines to waive cancellation fee

Rediff.com   14 Mar 2020

Indian airlines have also been advised separately to give relief, an official said.

Is it safe to travel in the time of coronivirus?

Is it safe to travel in the time of coronivirus?

Rediff.com   12 Mar 2020

Flight occupancy and fresh bookings have dropped over ten per cent in last few days as individuals and corporates defer trips. International travel is already hit due to a series of visa restrictions.

Coronavirus outbreak: Airlines seek relief package from govt

Coronavirus outbreak: Airlines seek relief package from govt

Rediff.com   12 Mar 2020

Airlines sought a limited period concession of the standing rule of slot allocation, which mandates that firms must operate at least 80 per cent of their allocated slots.

DGCA warns airlines over not following Covid-19 rules

DGCA warns airlines over not following Covid-19 rules

Rediff.com   11 Mar 2020

"We have found that a couple of international airlines are not adhering to the rules. Failure to adhere to rules shall entail strict action," said Director General of Civil Aviation Arun Kumar.

Coronavirus fears see drop in domestic flight bookings

Coronavirus fears see drop in domestic flight bookings

Rediff.com   10 Mar 2020

Executives of Indian airlines said that the drop is primarily for flights to major metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, which are the prime revenue generators on the domestic front.

Coronavirus outbreak: Airfares to UK, US get cheaper by 30%

Coronavirus outbreak: Airfares to UK, US get cheaper by 30%

Rediff.com   6 Mar 2020

Travel restrictions are in place only for a limited number of countries but people are cancelling or postponing travel to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

With coronavirus going strong, aviation cos feel the heat

With coronavirus going strong, aviation cos feel the heat

Rediff.com   29 Feb 2020

Reduction in fuel price was supposed to bring back good luck for Indian airlines. But with the global spread of coronavirus, airlines are being forced to rejig their network, cut flights, and delay launches.

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.

Coronavirus impact: Saudi move to halt pilgrimages to hit Indian carriers

Coronavirus impact: Saudi move to halt pilgrimages to hit Indian carriers

Rediff.com   28 Feb 2020

Over 50 per cent of all traffic to Jeddah consists pilgrims headed to Mecca and Medina.

Adani group joins race to buy Air India, may submit EoI by March

Adani group joins race to buy Air India, may submit EoI by March

Rediff.com   25 Feb 2020

Apart from the Adani group, the Tata group, the Hinduja group, Indigo and a New York-based fund, Interups, are expected to submit EoIs.

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.

Coronavirus won't have too big an impact on Indian airlines' revenues

Coronavirus won't have too big an impact on Indian airlines' revenues

Rediff.com   24 Feb 2020

Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet have suspended flights to China and Hong Kong.

As tourist traffic grows, airlines plan more India-Russia flights

As tourist traffic grows, airlines plan more India-Russia flights

Rediff.com   23 Feb 2020

The new flights come against the backdrop of the Indian government's move to boost air connectivity with Central Asia and tap the interest of Russian investors in India.