Surajeet Das Gupta, Subhayan Chakraborty

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta, Subhayan Chakraborty

India ranks 2nd in time spent on shopping apps

India ranks 2nd in time spent on shopping apps

Rediff.com   17 Jan 2024

Indian shoppers accounted for 13 per cent of the total hours spent by mobile users across the globe on their shopping apps in 2023, next only to China in this regard. According to the "State of Mobile -2024" report released a few days ago by data.ai (previously known as App Annie), which looks into various segments of the app economy across the world, in the last calendar year, users in India collectively spent 12.84 billion hours on shopping apps. This represents an increase of over 73 per cent from the time they spent in 2020 and of more than 3.5 per cent over 2022.

India's share of venture capital funding lowest in 5 years

India's share of venture capital funding lowest in 5 years

Rediff.com   16 Jan 2024

India's share of total global venture capital (VC) funding fell to 2.9 per cent in calendar year 2023 (CY23) - the lowest since CY19 - reaching $7.3 billion as most startups struggled to raise money without compromising on their earlier valuations. Based on global data by CB Insights on VC funding, funding to Indian startups fell by nearly a third compared to CY22 when it hit $20.6 billion and accounted for 4.8 per cent of the global figure. While the data shows that the world had 71 new unicorns (21 in Asia), India contributed only two of them, as compared with CY22 when it had 22.

'Railways plans to carry 10 billon passengers every year by 2030'

'Railways plans to carry 10 billon passengers every year by 2030'

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2024

'We carry 6.5 billion passengers every year. We have crossed seven billion this year, and are targeting 10 billion by 2030.'

'Public AI infrastructure we create would help startups'

'Public AI infrastructure we create would help startups'

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2024

'Similar to the case of the digital payment system where the government created a public platform and others joined in, we are exploring a similar structure to create a PPP platform where the compute required for AI could be accessed by the small player.'

Why DGCA Wants Airline Altimeter Upgrades

Why DGCA Wants Airline Altimeter Upgrades

Rediff.com   6 Jan 2024

'We have informed the government multiple times that the situation in the US and India are different.' 'Here, there will be a 500 MHz gap in the frequencies which will safely allow aviation without interference.'

Rs 26,400 cr on the cards for FAME-III

Rs 26,400 cr on the cards for FAME-III

Rediff.com   4 Jan 2024

Based on discussions with stakeholders, the ministry is proposing to allocate Rs 26,400 crore for FAME-III subsidy alone with electric two wheelers getting around Rs 8,158 crore, electric buses Rs 9,600 crore and electric three-wheelers Rs 4,100 crore, according to sources in the know. Along with some other components like setting up an innovation fund and money for testing , the total allocation could cross Rs 33,000 crore, estimates suggest.

Electronics exports propelled by mobile show sharpest surge in top 10 club

Electronics exports propelled by mobile show sharpest surge in top 10 club

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2024

Exports of electronics goods has risen by 24 per cent from April to November as compared with the same period in the last fiscal, the largest increase out of India's top 10 export categories. The increase has been propelled by mobile exports under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and has pushed electronics up from sixth to fifth position in the top 10. A gap of $200 million separates electronics from occupying the fourth position, currently held by drugs and pharmaceuticals at $17.9 billion.

Ola Electric's Rs 5,500 cr IPO to bolster its EV market, say experts

Ola Electric's Rs 5,500 cr IPO to bolster its EV market, say experts

Rediff.com   1 Jan 2024

Ola Electric's initial public offering (IPO), of Rs 5,500 crore, is essentially aimed at ensuring the company maintain its top position in the electric two-wheeler segment, with incumbent players TVS and Bajaj Auto giving a fight to the number one player in market share. Most experts and competitors say the amount being raised is in line with the investment required to expand the electric-vehicle (EV) business. There are two discernible trends in the competitive electric two-wheeler market.

India 15th in top 25 AI nations but has 'greatest upward potential'

India 15th in top 25 AI nations but has 'greatest upward potential'

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2023

India may be 15th among the top 25 Artificial Intelligence nations, but it has the 'the greatest upward potential' according to research by Tufts University's business school, the Fletcher School. At the top is the US, followed by China, fighting for global leadership in AI followed by the UK, Japan, and Germany. In the 15th spot, India is ahead of Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico, Turkey, Indonesia and Thailand.

How govt's PLI scheme is fuelling Dixon's global dreams

How govt's PLI scheme is fuelling Dixon's global dreams

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2023

Dixon Technologies right now is a beehive of activity. It is building a new facility in Noida to make 1.3 million laptops for Taiwanese PC maker Acer. The facility must be up and running in four months. The pace of activity will only increase. Last week Dixon won a similar contract from Lenovo, the Chinese personal computer maker and the third largest information technology (IT) hardware brand in India, to assemble laptops and notebooks. Though the clientele in these two cases is Taiwanese and Chinese, Dixon is a company reaching for the stars with its feet planted firmly in the Indian government's policy.

The Battle For Satellite Spectrum

The Battle For Satellite Spectrum

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2023

While the market for satellite broadband currently is small, the potential is large as an estimated 30 per cent of the country does not have reliable terrestrial broadband services.

Will attacks on ships in Red Sea affect India?

Will attacks on ships in Red Sea affect India?

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

'Given that the situation is quickly escalating, such attacks will affect the flow of crude in the short term from West Asia' Subhayan Chakraborty and Dhruvaksh Saha report.

What changes new Telecom Bill will bring

What changes new Telecom Bill will bring

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2023

Officials said the bill has provided a clear legal basis for spectrum allocation, which till now was allocated or auctioned by the government based on the interpretation of various laws and judgements.

India The Next Big Travel Market

India The Next Big Travel Market

Rediff.com   19 Dec 2023

In outbound travel, India will be ahead of Italy, South Korea, Australia, Canada and France.

India's domestic aviation capacity soars beyond pre-pandemic level

India's domestic aviation capacity soars beyond pre-pandemic level

Rediff.com   12 Dec 2023

The growth in India's domestic aviation capacity in calendar year 2023 (CY23) was the sixth highest among 20 major domestic markets, compared to the pre-pandemic year of CY19. The domestic capacity in the country surpassed the pre-pandemic level seen in CY19 and was up 5 per cent in CY23. It trails Mexico, Columbia, China, Vietnam, and Spain, which have shown higher growth, according to data shared in a seminar organised by global travel data provider OAG on global aviation trends in 2023.

Samsung Pushes Xiaomi To 3rd Spot

Samsung Pushes Xiaomi To 3rd Spot

Rediff.com   12 Dec 2023

Counterpoint Research estimates that Xiaomi will end CY23 with a volume market share in CY23 to 15 per cent, pushing the Chinese company, which has faced numerous challenges and scrutiny from investigative agencies, to the third place.

India may buy more oil from UAE in the coming months after COP talks

India may buy more oil from UAE in the coming months after COP talks

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2023

India is expected to ramp up its purchase of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the coming months following discussions between the two countries on the sidelines of the ongoing COP28 summit in Dubai, multiple sources in the know said. The UAE has historically been India's third-largest source of crude. It has suffered the largest drop in shipments since Indian refiners began to binge on Russian crude in 2022.

Next spectrum auction likely in February

Next spectrum auction likely in February

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2023

The next spectrum auction will be held in late February 2024 and the reserve price for most bands will remain the same as the 2022 auction, department of telecommunications (DoT) officials have said. The government expects operators to go for low bands beginning in 600 megahertz (MHz), licences for many of which are lapsing soon. Back in September 2021, the government had decided that spectrum auctions should be held annually.

Zepto claims 2nd spot in monthly active customers, surpasses JioMart

Zepto claims 2nd spot in monthly active customers, surpasses JioMart

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2023

The Bengaluru-based quick-commerce application (app) Zepto is making big strides. According to Sensor Tower data, it surpassed JioMart in November, securing the second position among grocery apps in terms of monthly usage. This shift, identified by BofA Global Research, closely monitoring key segments of the app business, has pushed JioMart to third place in the grocery space.

Apple seeks more time to comply with EU norm in older iPhones

Apple seeks more time to comply with EU norm in older iPhones

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2023

Apple Inc has requested the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) to give it 18 to 24 months' exemption to comply with the European Union (EU) regulation of putting an USB charging port in all its older smartphones, mainly iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, which are assembled, exported and also sold in the domestic market. Apple's stance is different from that of Samsung, which has been pushing for an immediate implementation of the EU regulation. All smartphones by the South Korean giant already comply with the EU rules.