T E Narasimhan, Gireesh Babu &Amp;Amp; Surajeet Das Gupta

Stories by T E Narasimhan, Gireesh Babu &Amp;Amp; Surajeet Das Gupta

The little-known company that's buying up distressed telcos

The little-known company that's buying up distressed telcos

Rediff.com   24 Jan 2020

UV Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd has made the highest bid of Rs 16,000 crore to buy Anil Ambani group's Reliance Communications and Reliance Telecom, which are in the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). Last year it was the highest bidder for taking over Aircel's assets for an upfront payment of Rs 150 crore. Surajeet Das Gupta and Dev Chatterjee dig deeper to find out more about this little known company.

December's auto sales back in red

December's auto sales back in red

Rediff.com   22 Jan 2020

While commercial vehicle (CV) sales were the worst hit, down by 21 per cent to 67,793 units from 85,833 units, two-wheeler sales dropped by 16 per cent to 12,64,169 units from 15,00,545 units. Passenger car sales dropped nine per cent to 215,716 units from 236,586 units.

Auto Expo: From concept vehicles to facelifts, over 70 launches are scheduled

Auto Expo: From concept vehicles to facelifts, over 70 launches are scheduled

Rediff.com   22 Jan 2020

During the six-day-long event, automakers have planned 10 global launches, 26 India specific launches, six concept vehicles, seven facelifts and 21 vehicle unveilings.

At $321m, online pharmacies saw record funding in 2019

At $321m, online pharmacies saw record funding in 2019

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2020

In 2019 investors backed some of the major online healthcare and pharmacy retailers, with PharmEasy leading the deal list. The firm raised funds through the year to bring in around $220 million and the round is yet to be concluded, according to Venture Intelligence data.

Why Yes Bank audit committee chief quit

Why Yes Bank audit committee chief quit

Rediff.com   13 Jan 2020

Uttam Prakash Agarwal alleged that Citax and Braich offers were incomplete and did not include firm commitment as to the price, size, timings, confirmation from the banks about availability of the funds.

Textile hub Tirupur in trouble as world brands cut down export orders

Textile hub Tirupur in trouble as world brands cut down export orders

Rediff.com   5 Jan 2020

MotherCare, the baby and maternity clothes retailer that annually sourced garments worth Rs 100 crore from a single exporter in Tirupur, filed for bankruptcy in the UK and will close all its 79 shops in that country. It was the latest world-famous brand to pull down Tirupur's fortunes.

Chinese investors are suddenly in love with Indian startups

Chinese investors are suddenly in love with Indian startups

Rediff.com   2 Jan 2020

Not just from the likes of Alibaba and Didi Chuxing, Indian startups saw a surge in Chinese funding from financial investors in 2019. This is a seven-fold jump from $459 million in 2016.

How Ashish Bharat Ram transformed SRF

How Ashish Bharat Ram transformed SRF

Rediff.com   29 Dec 2019

SRF

High-end phone smuggling is costing govt exchequer Rs 2,400 crore annually

High-end phone smuggling is costing govt exchequer Rs 2,400 crore annually

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2019

As much as Rs 8,000 crore worth of mobile phones in this segment - out of a total of Rs 15,000 crore - come into the country through the grey market. The government imposed the duty on these phones primarily to encourage domestic production but the strategy has failed as the bulk of high end mobile phones are currently imported.

Isro puts Chandrayaan-2 setback behind it

Isro puts Chandrayaan-2 setback behind it

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2019

The year ended with the launch of the PSLV's 50th mission.

How Uber plans to cover 200 cities by 2020-end

How Uber plans to cover 200 cities by 2020-end

Rediff.com   25 Dec 2019

The key driver of this expansion will be not car-hailing but bike-taxi service. The company is willing to partner local players that have a similar offer and would like to come on their platform.

Tamil Nadu polls: A test for AIADMK, DMK

Tamil Nadu polls: A test for AIADMK, DMK

Rediff.com   24 Dec 2019

The new entrants in Tamil Nadu politics, actor-turned-politicians Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, have decided to stay away from the elections, reports T E Narasimhan.

BS-VI effect: Auto firms see PV sales rising in December

BS-VI effect: Auto firms see PV sales rising in December

Rediff.com   23 Dec 2019

A nationwide and compulsory switch to BS-VI is due from April 1, 2020. Amid increase in input and other costs, companies had decided to increase the price of their vehicles from January 2020. This is expected to push sales of passenger vehicles by 2 to 4 per cent in December; reportedly, bookings are in that range.

M&M succession plan: Change of role for Anand Mahindra

M&M succession plan: Change of role for Anand Mahindra

Rediff.com   21 Dec 2019

Mahindra will serve as a mentor and sounding board for the managing director on issues to be presented to the board, especially in the areas of strategic planning, risk mitigation and external interface. In addition, he will be available to provide feedback and counsel to the managing director on key issues facing the enterprise.

Yamaha aims to treble India market share

Yamaha aims to treble India market share

Rediff.com   21 Dec 2019

'We are bullish about India.'

Dabangg Effect: Pepsi puts the fizz back in Brand Salman

Dabangg Effect: Pepsi puts the fizz back in Brand Salman

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2019

Pepsi is betting on Dabangg 3's box office success.

Tamil Nadu rakes in Rs 19,083 cr investment in 10 months

Tamil Nadu rakes in Rs 19,083 cr investment in 10 months

Rediff.com   16 Dec 2019

At a time when investors are taking a "wait and watch" approach on fresh investment, Tamil Nadu in the past 10 months has signed 63 MoUs, enabling investment worth Rs 19,083 crore. After Palaniswami took over as chief minister in February 2017, cumulative FDI rose by Rs 46,427 crore from Rs 133 trillion (April 2000 to March 2017) to Rs 180 trillion by June this year. Thanks to the Tamil Nadu Business Facilitation Act, 2018, and the single window for applying and getting clearance for doing business, the ease of business issue has been addressed.

PSA's Citroen announces grand India plans with premium SUV Aircross

PSA's Citroen announces grand India plans with premium SUV Aircross

Rediff.com   16 Dec 2019

Europe's leading car maker, Groupe PSA, officially announced its re-entry in India this April with the Citroen brand. Citroen C5 Aircross SUV will challenge the likes of Mahindra XUV500, Tata Harrier, Hyundai Tuscon, Jeep Compass and the upcoming MG Hector. The C5 Aircross will be the first of several differentiated products from the company's vehicle manufacturing unit in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu.

If Voda Idea shuts shop, Airtel to gain the most

If Voda Idea shuts shop, Airtel to gain the most

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2019

If Vodafone Idea shuts, a bulk of the high-paying ARPU customers will move to Airtel as Reliance Jio does not have a comprehensive postpaid offering like it, and have aggressively preferred to play in the prepaid market. The bulk of Vodafone Idea customers use 2G phones and only a few of them use data. It will be easier for Airtel to woo these customers as they can shift seamlessly to its 2G network without changing handsets or even SIM cards,

Coffee prices up 10.1%; trend likely to continue

Coffee prices up 10.1%; trend likely to continue

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2019

Global exports of coffee in October 2019 fell by 13.4 per cent, to 8.91 million bags, compared to the same month in the previous year. A mix of factors, including unfavourable weather patterns and prolonged low international prices, have contributed to a decline in shipments across all regions. The daily price of the ICO composite rose from $102.74 cents/lb at the beginning of November to a high of $111.86 cents/lb on November 25, 2019, before closing the month at $111.77 cents/lb.