Surajeet Das Gupta, Arnab Dutta, Ishita Ayan Dutta &Amp;Amp; Shally Mohile

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta, Arnab Dutta, Ishita Ayan Dutta &Amp;Amp; Shally Mohile

Covid robs Moradabad's Brass City of its shine

Covid robs Moradabad's Brass City of its shine

Rediff.com   18 Jul 2021

According to the local Brass Handicrafts Manufacturers Association (BHMA), some 800,000 people are directly employed in Moradabad's massive brass handicrafts and utensils manufacturing industry, which has some 30,000 small and micro-scale units and a total annual turnover of Rs 10,000 crore. The manufacturers are heavily dependent on export markets such as the US, Canada, Australia and the European Union. And exports account for nearly 70 per cent of their revenues. According to industry insiders, since this year's lockdowns, manufacturing has been at 65 per cent of normal levels.

Why Voda Idea's options for survival are narrowing

Why Voda Idea's options for survival are narrowing

Rediff.com   14 Jul 2021

Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) CEO Ravinder Takkar did some plain speaking. In an analyst call after its quarterly results recently, Takkar said that the main stumbling block to raising fresh capital from investors is "pricing" - telecom tariffs, in other words. Nine months ago, the telecom company's board had cleared a proposal for raising Rs 25,000 crore from investors, after the promoters made it clear that they were not ready to pump in more money. But potential investors are concerned that without clarity on tariff hikes (there have been none for more than 18 months) they might just lose their money. The lack of visibility on raising tariffs has also impelled VIL to request the Department of Telecom (DoT) for a fresh reprieve by extending the two-year moratorium on paying its spectrum instalment of Rs 8,200 crore for another year till FY23.

Why Vodafone Idea has failed to raise fresh funds

Why Vodafone Idea has failed to raise fresh funds

Rediff.com   12 Jul 2021

Vodafone-Idea (Vi) has said the key hurdle it faces in raising fresh funding, despite interest from investors, is the 'pricing situation' which is also the reason why it has asked the Department of Telecommunica-tions (DoT) for another extension of the moratorium on payment of spectrum instalment by one more year. Responding to a question during an analysts' call on Friday after its quarterly results on the reason for the delay in fund-raising nine months after it was announced, CEO & MD Ravinder Takkar said: "We are in discussions with investors. There is continued interest in investing in the telecom sector in the country. "The biggest hurdle is that the overall industry is under stress because of the pricing situation." He said that once tariffs go up, it will create a significant amount of confidence.

Samsung officials questioned by DRI over alleged duty evasion

Samsung officials questioned by DRI over alleged duty evasion

Rediff.com   10 Jul 2021

The probe agency is learnt to have taken possession of multiple physical and digital records during a search operation conducted on the premises of the South Korean firm in Delhi and Mumbai this week.

Wistron invests Rs 1,255 crore in Apple's India factory

Wistron invests Rs 1,255 crore in Apple's India factory

Rediff.com   9 Jul 2021

Apple Inc's leading contract manufacturer, Taiwanese giant Wistron, has exceeded its investment obligation in India in just eight months, although the government's production-linked investment (PLI) scheme allowed it to complete the investment in four years. Between August 2020 and end March 2021, Wistron made an investment of Rs 1255 crore - 25 per cent more than the total investment it had committed to the government. Under the PLI scheme for mobile devices, the government had stipulated that each of the five participating global companies needed to invest Rs 250 crore every year for the first four years, totalling Rs 1,000 crore.

India's consumption story moving fast once again

India's consumption story moving fast once again

Rediff.com   1 Jul 2021

Sanjiv Mehta, chairman of the country's largest consumer goods company, HUL, believes that the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic between April and June this year has been a mere pause in India's consumption story, and that it will not change the country's overall growth trajectory. India is poised for growth, especially in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, Mehta told shareholders at the company's annual general meeting on Tuesday. The signs of recovery are becoming evident with many states lifting lockdown restrictions in recent weeks.

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.

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.

Covid blues fail to dampen Apple's dream run

Covid blues fail to dampen Apple's dream run

Rediff.com   27 May 2021

Rising prevalence of work-from-home and e-learning is driving sales of notebooks and tablets for most brands, but Apple's superior performance has more to do with its product quality.

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.

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.

Apple takes a big bite out of locked down India, posts record JFM sales

Apple takes a big bite out of locked down India, posts record JFM sales

Rediff.com   14 May 2021

Apple was a fringe player in all key categories like smartphones, notebooks, and tablets till recently. But with the last quarter's record-breaking performance, the brand has established itself in the country's price-sensitive consumer electronics market.

Mobile phone production down 50% amid Covid-19 surge

Mobile phone production down 50% amid Covid-19 surge

Rediff.com   12 May 2021

According to research firm IDC, a slowdown in smartphone shipments began showing up as early as late February, though companies insist that the March quarter was fine, albeit on a low base.

2nd Covid wave may erase gains in smartphone market

2nd Covid wave may erase gains in smartphone market

Rediff.com   28 Apr 2021

While the record shipments reflects the prevailing mood at the time, the exponential rise in Covid cases in the country has turned the tide since.

Delhi curfew, oxygen shortage takes a toll on Noida industrial belt

Delhi curfew, oxygen shortage takes a toll on Noida industrial belt

Rediff.com   23 Apr 2021

From trucks lined up and waiting in the area to local vendors, the scenes tell a story of livelihoods stalled.

Apple revs up India offering with new iMac, iPads and iPhone

Apple revs up India offering with new iMac, iPads and iPhone

Rediff.com   22 Apr 2021

The new iMac, two iPads and iPhone 12 and 12 Mini will be open for ordering starting April 30, just like in the US, the UK, China and Japan.

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.

Decade on, Jaypee Infratech customers still waiting for a home

Decade on, Jaypee Infratech customers still waiting for a home

Rediff.com   14 Apr 2021

Booked between 2007 and 2011, out of the total 32,700 residential units under various Jaypee Infratech (JIL) projects, at least 20,000 homes are yet to be delivered. Supreme Court documents show that, till last March, Jaypee had issued 7,997 offers of possession to homebuyers while executing only 6,530 sub-lease deeds. These deeds offer homebuyers possession rights but, unlike registration, does not guarantee absolute ownership.