Surajeet Das Gupta And Ashish Sinha In New Delhi

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta And Ashish Sinha In New Delhi

3 pharma majors eye Wockhardt's Irish unit

3 pharma majors eye Wockhardt's Irish unit

Rediff.com   8 Apr 2009

Three leading international pharma companies have started due diligence to acquire Wockhardt Ltd's wholly-owned Irish generic drug company, Pinewood.

Promoters to sell 24% in Wockhardt Hospitals

Promoters to sell 24% in Wockhardt Hospitals

Rediff.com   6 Apr 2009

Wockhardt will divest a 24 per cent stake in its unlisted subsidiary, Wockhardt Hospitals.

Car makers see fading hopes of turnaround

Car makers see fading hopes of turnaround

Rediff.com   2 Apr 2009

Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest car maker, continued its three-month dream run by notching up a 15 per cent jump in domestic sales in March. Maruti's March sales follow a 19 per cent growth in February, when it sold a record 70,625 cars -- the highest ever by the company. In March 2008, the car maker sold over 64,000 cars.

Telecom tower biz to see high frequency battle

Telecom tower biz to see high frequency battle

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2009

The telecom tower-transmission business is going to see a shake-up with cash-rich and independent companies moving in with aggressive plans.

IPL relocation prompts advertisers to pull out

IPL relocation prompts advertisers to pull out

Rediff.com   25 Mar 2009

The decision to relocate the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament to South Africa has prompted several key advertisers such as Hyundai, Havell's and Reebok, among others, to consider cutting back budgets or pulling out.

Nano may fetch resale premium of Rs 30,000

Nano may fetch resale premium of Rs 30,000

Rediff.com   23 Mar 2009

"The scene will be a bit like the Maruti 800 days. Those who are lucky enough to be allotted cars this year can resell it immediately at a premium of Rs 30,000 due to the anticipated shortage," an executive at a Motors dealer said. Supply, Tata Motors dealers say, would be between 40,000 and 50,000 cars, with 100,000 being the most optimistic estimate. This would mean customers may have to wait for up to two years to get delivery if all the bookings are accepted.

UTV hunts for strategic partner for UTVi

UTV hunts for strategic partner for UTVi

Rediff.com   19 Mar 2009

The funds are needed to meet losses for the next two years, sources said. The channel, which was launched in April 2008, earns around Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) a month and incurs an operating monthly cost of Rs 7.25 crore (Rs 72.5 million). As a result, its monthly loss is about Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million), translating into an annual loss of around Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million), sources said.

Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland clash over JV

Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland clash over JV

Rediff.com   18 Mar 2009

Tata Motors subsidiary Telco Construction Equipment Company Ltd (Telcon) has opposed a proposal to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) from John Deere for a joint venture with Ashok Leyland to distribute and market its construction equipment in India.

SBI may levy 14% interest on Nano loans

SBI may levy 14% interest on Nano loans

Rediff.com   17 Mar 2009

SBI may charge 14 to 14.75% for 5-year loans.

Pricing formula for CAS to be Trai chief's legacy

Pricing formula for CAS to be Trai chief's legacy

Rediff.com   16 Mar 2009

Nripendra Misra's three-year stint as chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will be remembered for a host of recommendations and a number of controversies. Controversial issues like the conditional access system, non-CAS pricing kept Misra, who retires as Trai chairman on March 22, 2009, in the news.

Who owns how much, I&B asks NewsX promoters

Who owns how much, I&B asks NewsX promoters

Rediff.com   16 Mar 2009

Indi Media had bought NewsX in January from INX News, reportedly for Rs 50 crore. INX was promoted by ex-Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea and his wife, Indrani Mukerjea, both of whom quit the company with the sale. Indi Media is said to be owned by a clutch of investors led by Vinay Chhajlani, CEO of Webdunia.com India, and promoter of the Hindi daily, Nai Duniya, and by Jehangir S Pocha, former editor of the weekly, Business World.

Ravi Jaipuria to buy Pepsi's Bengal bottling plant

Ravi Jaipuria to buy Pepsi's Bengal bottling plant

Rediff.com   2 Mar 2009

With this deal, Jaipuria's RJ Corp will own over 10 bottling plants, controlling 25 per cent of PepsiCo's bottling capacity in the country (earlier he was PepsiCo's largest bottler together with his family). Confirming the development, Jaipuria said the deal would be complete in a day or two. "The West Bengal operations will contribute 10 to 15 per cent to our turnover," he said.

Around 3.3 mn Indians watched Oscars on TV

Around 3.3 mn Indians watched Oscars on TV

Rediff.com   25 Feb 2009

This is nearly 3 per cent of the total number of cable and satellite TV viewers--an extremely good number, considering past coverage data -- say media planners.

<I>Slumdog</I>: Big money for Indian companies

Slumdog: Big money for Indian companies

Rediff.com   24 Feb 2009

Fox Star Studio India, the distributor of Slumdog Millionaire in the country, has managed to gross around Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million) from the markets, surpassing collections of some of the biggest Bollywood hits of last year such as Rock On.

Subramanian in Subhiksha's control: Investors

Subramanian in Subhiksha's control: Investors

Rediff.com   19 Feb 2009

The investors, which include ICICI Venture, Azim Premji and ICICI Prudential, say that they do not hold more than 38 per cent in the retail company and do not have the requisite shareholding to amend the articles. ICICI Venture, which alone holds 23 per cent stake in Subhiksha, had earlier rubbished claims made by Subramanian that the private equity company 'controls' Subhiksha by virtue of its right to appoint a majority of the directors in the company.

IPL, coming soon to a theatre near you...

IPL, coming soon to a theatre near you...

Rediff.com   10 Feb 2009

Cheerleaders will applaud each six or boundary in their unique way. Bands will play in between overs.Only the venue is different. Instead of the cricket stadium, Indian Premier League enthusiasts can get all this for the price of an admission ticket to a movie hall. Multiplex chains like PVR, Inox Leisure, Cinemax, and Big Cinemas, among others, are negotiating the theatre rights to host at least one IPL match a day during the 45-day tournament starting April 10.

Airlines fail to benefit from fare fair

Airlines fail to benefit from fare fair

Rediff.com   6 Feb 2009

The gap between the average fares of a full-service airline and a low-cost carrier for metro routes narrowed by a third in January, thanks to leading players cutting their fares quite dramatically to grab the market share.

Automatic FDI approval may be selectively scrapped

Automatic FDI approval may be selectively scrapped

Rediff.com   6 Feb 2009

Broad consensus is emerging within a Group of Ministers chaired by finance and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on a proposal seeking comprehensive changes in the foreign direct investment policy. This includes scrapping automatic approval in sectors that have FDI limits and in which ownership or control is shifting to a foreign company, and a new definition for calculating indirect foreign equity.

Second IPL innings puts reverse swing on slowdown

Second IPL innings puts reverse swing on slowdown

Rediff.com   5 Feb 2009

And despite a slowdown, media planners say advertisers are pouring in over Rs 600 crore (nearly half the ad budget for cricket in 2009). This represents a more than 10 per cent increase over last year's spends on television, co-branding of teams and marketing, among others.

L&T seeks management control of Satyam

L&T seeks management control of Satyam

Rediff.com   30 Jan 2009

It's official now. Engineering giant Larsen & Toubro has sought management control of Satyam.