Surajeet Das Gupta And Dev Chatterjee

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta And Dev Chatterjee

India Inc rides merger-demerger wave

India Inc rides merger-demerger wave

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2023

Corporate India is busy restructuring - through mergers, demergers and splits. That seems to be the new normal as CXOs and boards brainstorm on how to create assets and value. The pitch rose significantly during the third quarter of this financial year (FY24), translating into $32.9-billion worth of such deals - the highest quarterly total since the HDFC Bank-HDFC merger announced in FY22 Q2.

Alternatives to China: Vietnam, India slug it out for semiconductor investments

Alternatives to China: Vietnam, India slug it out for semiconductor investments

Rediff.com   16 Oct 2023

India and Vietnam are vying with each other to woo semiconductor companies to their country. With the tension between the US and China escalating, and Taiwan getting vulnerable both countries are trying to present themselves as alternative destinations for global players. Vietnam, which started the effort as early as 2010, has got a leg-up after US President Joe Biden's visit last month.

How Zetwerk is shaking up India's smart TV market

How Zetwerk is shaking up India's smart TV market

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

Zetwerk is not exactly a household name, but this unicorn, boasting revenues of Rs 11,450 crore as of last year, is among the top four electronics manufacturers in India. The startup is capitalising on a notable trend in smart TV sales - fall in collective shipments from top brands like Xiaomi, Samsung, LG and an uptick in the market share of smaller, regional, and online brands. Emerging as a key Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) player, Zetwerk operates a plant in Haryana that caters to 10 per cent of the country's overall smart TV production capacity.

Lenders unlikely to clear Anil Agarwal's Vedanta spinoff in hurry

Lenders unlikely to clear Anil Agarwal's Vedanta spinoff in hurry

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

Indian lenders are unlikely to clear the vertical split of BSE-listed Vedanta Ltd in a hurry, considering that the demerger would reduce the fungibility of cash flows across businesses and increase their volatility, according to analysts. The demerger plan, which would result in six separate listed entities, would require approval from shareholders, lenders and other statutory bodies. "We believe that a separate listing of different businesses would reduce the fungibility of cash flows across businesses and increase the volatility of cash flows.

Asset divestment needed to resolve Vedanta's debt crisis: Analysts

Asset divestment needed to resolve Vedanta's debt crisis: Analysts

Rediff.com   10 Oct 2023

Analysts assert that Vedanta Group's plan to demerge India-listed Vedanta Limited into six listed entities will not resolve the debt problem of its promoter entity, Vedanta Resources (VRL). They suggest that additional asset sales or stake sales by promoters will be necessary to repay the debt. Vedanta is already considering the divestment of its iron-steel division and its copper plant.

Reliance General Insurance gets Rs 922 crore GST notices from DGGI

Reliance General Insurance gets Rs 922 crore GST notices from DGGI

Rediff.com   9 Oct 2023

Reliance General Insurance Company (RGIC), a subsidiary of Reliance Capital, finds itself in a bind as the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has issued multiple Show Cause Notices (SCNs) amounting to Rs 922.6 crore. This development comes at a time when Reliance Capital is currently undergoing a debt resolution under the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) process in which the Hinduja group has emerged the winner. The Hinduja acquisition is currently awaiting the Supreme Court's approval after the Torrent group, the winner of the first round, challenged the second auction conducted by the lenders of Reliance Capital.

E-motorcycles: Bhavish Aggarwal Riding High

E-motorcycles: Bhavish Aggarwal Riding High

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2023

Can Bhavish Aggarwal upend the electric two-wheeler market, which is now overwhelmingly in favour of scooters?

Two-wheeler Majors TVS, Bajaj Auto Close the Gap With Startups in EV Game

Two-wheeler Majors TVS, Bajaj Auto Close the Gap With Startups in EV Game

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2023

Bajaj Auto has virtually closed the gap with Ather Energy in September, notching up 6423 EV registrations compared to 6466 registrations by Ather.

Reliance Retail aims at 2025 IPO after valuation jump

Reliance Retail aims at 2025 IPO after valuation jump

Rediff.com   5 Oct 2023

Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) is discussing a three-pronged plan that includes an additional divestment of $250-300 million this year, apart from what it has diluted in favour of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and US-based private equity fund KKR recently.

What's Micron's Role In India's Chip Race?

What's Micron's Role In India's Chip Race?

Rediff.com   28 Sep 2023

The first leg of Micron's semiconductor play in Sanand is crucial for the company to sprint towards India's goal of joining the chip race.

Pegatron factory may start ops soon, no impact on supply of iPhone15 series

Pegatron factory may start ops soon, no impact on supply of iPhone15 series

Rediff.com   27 Sep 2023

Even as top Pegatron executives went to the factory near Chennai on Tuesday to make an assessment of the fire damage to decide on a possible date for resuming operations, sources said the impact of the closure will be minimal for Apple's iPhone production. Late in the evening sources said that the factory might be operational soon-but said they are waiting for a final update. It will also not impact the availability of the newly-launched iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, they said.

Nirma to tap into own funds, debt to buy Glenmark Life Sciences

Nirma to tap into own funds, debt to buy Glenmark Life Sciences

Rediff.com   25 Sep 2023

Nirma has roped in BCG and KPMG to advise it on the fundraising options for the acquisition. The company had earlier informed banks that it would raise Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 7,000 crore in the current financial year for the acquisition. Bankers said the company will rely on its funds and future GLS dividend to repay its debt for acquisition.

No plan on OTTs sharing revenue with telcos: Govt

No plan on OTTs sharing revenue with telcos: Govt

Rediff.com   25 Sep 2023

There is no plan to direct over the top (OTT) communications players who generate large amounts of traffic to give a 'fair and proportionate' share of their revenues to telecom network operators, the communications ministry has said. A senior official allayed any such apprehension by saying: "We have no proposal of this kind or anything like this which we are working on. "There is no fresh reference on this matter to the regulator (Trai)," he said. The ministry's view is significant as telecom network operators have been escalating this issue since July when Trai issued a consultation paper called 'Regulatory Mechanism Over OTT Communication Services and Selective Banning of OTT Services'.

How much does iPhone 15 cost? Rs 79,900 to Rs 199,900

How much does iPhone 15 cost? Rs 79,900 to Rs 199,900

Rediff.com   14 Sep 2023

Apple Inc has announced the India prices of the new variants of its bestselling smartphones - launched on Tuesday - as it assembles the device in the country. The new iPhone 15 range starts at Rs 79,900 for the 128 GB variant (the same price as the iPhone 14 when it was launched last year) and goes up to Rs 199,900 for the top-end Pro Max with a 6.7 inch screen and 1 TB (terabyte) storage. The world's most valuable company also launched three new upgraded Apple watches, starting with the SE at Rs 29,900 and going up to Ultra 2 at Rs 89,900.

Focus shifts from exports to import substitution

Focus shifts from exports to import substitution

Rediff.com   8 Sep 2023

It started out as a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to make India an export hub. But after many a twist and turns, the latest 2.0 PLI for IT hardware, for which the 40 eligible candidates have applied till its deadline, is now focused on 'import substitution'. The scheme will help in reducing India's over-dependence on imports (80 per cent of laptops are imported), especially from China which include laptops, tablets and servers.

JSW group keen to launch car in EV segment at Rs 15-20 lakh price tag

JSW group keen to launch car in EV segment at Rs 15-20 lakh price tag

Rediff.com   7 Sep 2023

The promoter entities of JSW Group are in talks with several electric-car manufacturers in China to launch an electric car for the Indian market at Rs 15-20 lakh, a source close to the development said.

EVs: Why LFP Is The Next Big Thing

EVs: Why LFP Is The Next Big Thing

Rediff.com   7 Sep 2023

From the customer point of view too, LFP batteries are safer and offer a longer life.

M&As likely to witness a strong comeback as PEs bet more cash in India

M&As likely to witness a strong comeback as PEs bet more cash in India

Rediff.com   5 Sep 2023

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in India are expected to stay buoyant, seen over the last three-four years, despite a slowdown in the first seven months of the calendar year. "M&A is a lumpy business activity, and we may suddenly see large deals taking place during the next two quarters of the calendar year. "This would help maintain the streak of strong M&A activity.

The take-off and crash-landing of Jet's Naresh Goyal

The take-off and crash-landing of Jet's Naresh Goyal

Rediff.com   4 Sep 2023

In a dramatic turn of events in May 2019, an Emirates aircraft en-route to Dubai was asked to stop while it was taxiing for a take off in Mumbai. The pilot was given no reason and ordered to immediately return to the parking bay. As the aircraft returned to the terminal, two passengers from the first class - Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita - were offloaded by the immigration authorities, who said the duo cannot leave the country. Goyal, founder of Jet Airways, was stunned. The man, who ruled the aviation sector for two and a half decades with an iron hand, did not expect to be offloaded in this fashion.

Bikanervala to go for IPO in next three years

Bikanervala to go for IPO in next three years

Rediff.com   31 Aug 2023

Indian sweet, snack, and restaurant chain group Bikanervala, with revenues of over Rs 3,000 crore, is working towards an initial public offering (IPO) for its food company in the next three years. Before that, it could also bring in private equity (PE) investors. The low-profile Aggarwal family-owned group company, Bikanervala Foods (which also sells under the brand name Bikano), operates in the snack business.