Veena Mani, Sanjeeb Mukherjee &Amp;Amp; Sohini Das

Stories by Veena Mani, Sanjeeb Mukherjee &Amp;Amp; Sohini Das

Tax poser in the way of Hyundai local arm listing

Tax poser in the way of Hyundai local arm listing

Rediff.com   15 Feb 2024

South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Company is considering tax implications of listing its Indian unit before taking a final call, according to sources privy to the development. Hyundai Motor is mulling an initial public offering (IPO) for its Indian arm to raise around $3 billion (at a valuation of up to $30 billion), and talks are in the early stages between the company and bankers, banking sources revealed. Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), however, declined to comment on the development.

Rooftop solar charges up electric vehicle boom in India's smaller cities

Rooftop solar charges up electric vehicle boom in India's smaller cities

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2024

The push given to rooftop solar installation in the Interim Budget ties in with its high rate of adoption in Tier-II and -III cities of India. If original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the automobile industry, government, and the solar sector are to be believed, in cities of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Kerala, 45-50 per cent of electric-vehicle (EV) users are employing rooftop power to charge their vehicles. This is compared to the national average of 25 per cent, say industry sources.

GOOD News! No Drug Price Hike In 2024

GOOD News! No Drug Price Hike In 2024

Rediff.com   6 Feb 2024

For the consumer, there would be practically no impact on prices of essential medicines this year.

Q3 result preview: US, India to aid revenue growth for Pharma Inc

Q3 result preview: US, India to aid revenue growth for Pharma Inc

Rediff.com   30 Jan 2024

The pharmaceuticals sector is expected to post a revenue growth of around 13.5 per cent and a net profit growth of 30.3 per cent for the third quarter of 2023-24 (FY24), riding on the approval for niche drugs in the US market, fall in raw material prices and correction in shipping rates. In the healthcare segment, hospitals are expected to post revenue growth of 13 per cent during the coverage, while net profit growth would be around 37 per cent, ICICI Securities said in a note. However, the performance may not be comparable on a sequential basis due to the offset of the festive season in Q3FY24, the analysts noted.

How AI Is Transforming Auto Manufacturing

How AI Is Transforming Auto Manufacturing

Rediff.com   30 Jan 2024

'From data on enquiries, we can build what we call a data lake or a data warehouse where data is classified into various cohorts and then we use AI and ML tools to predict demand down the line.'

'Aster DM's plan is to be among top three in India'

'Aster DM's plan is to be among top three in India'

Rediff.com   27 Jan 2024

'Now that we are a pure-play India business, many investors are open to investing.'

Flight Kitchens Under FSSAI Scanner

Flight Kitchens Under FSSAI Scanner

Rediff.com   27 Jan 2024

FSSAI is looking to tap the Airport Health Organisation to ensure that such incidents aren't reported in the future.

Fortis plans acquisitions, may opt for neutral brand name

Fortis plans acquisitions, may opt for neutral brand name

Rediff.com   22 Jan 2024

Delhi-headquartered Fortis Healthcare is open to acquisition of hospitals with over 250-300 bed sizes as part of its strategy to grow at a faster clip. It may also opt for a neutral brand name soon. Neutral brand is a new brand, which is not owned by any of the stakeholders.

Domestic pharma market grew by 6.8% in 2023

Domestic pharma market grew by 6.8% in 2023

Rediff.com   22 Jan 2024

The Indian pharmaceutical market (IPM) grew 6.8 per cent to touch a turnover of ~1.93 trillion in calendar year 2023, despite volumes going down marginally by 0.9 per cent. This indicates the price increase has been the major growth driver. Growth in the moving annual turnover (the previous 12 months' turnover) in December was 5.1 per cent and that in new product introduction 2.6 per cent, while volumes dipped 0.9 per cent, leading to an overall growth rate of 6.8 per cent, according to the data from market research firm Pharmatrac.

Why is India's cotton dream turning sour?

Why is India's cotton dream turning sour?

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2024

A few days back, Atul Ganatra, president of the Cotton Association of India, presented a grim scenario of the crop's prospects in the 2024-25 season that starts in October. Addressing the association's annual general meeting, Ganatra said the area under the crop could go down by at least 10 per cent in the coming season due to falling yields and realisation, leading to farmers losing interest. The fear of a decline in acreage comes against the backdrop of India's cotton production probably falling to its lowest in a decade, according to estimates.

From Ashok Leyland to VECV, busmakers' sales entered the fast lane in 2023

From Ashok Leyland to VECV, busmakers' sales entered the fast lane in 2023

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2024

The demand for buses largely remained robust in 2023, driven by the increasing need for public mobility and replacement. Ashok Leyland Limited (ALL) recorded a 64 per cent year-on-year increase in sales of medium and heavy commercial vehicle (MHCV) buses during the April-to-December period of 2023 to 11,216 units. Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles (VECV) posted 24.7 per cent sales growth between April and December for light and medium-duty buses, and 36.9 per cent growth for heavy-duty buses.

'APIs are a very strategic part of Biocon's business'

'APIs are a very strategic part of Biocon's business'

Rediff.com   7 Jan 2024

'There is no reason why we should break this business up.'

Trade generics growth to dent value expansion of domestic drug market

Trade generics growth to dent value expansion of domestic drug market

Rediff.com   2 Jan 2024

Rising penetration of trade generic medicines is eating into the value growth of the domestic pharmaceutical market, showed a recent analysis. According to a Kotak Institutional Equities analysis, 70-110 basis points (bps) annual dent is expected from trade generics and Jan Aushadhi on Indian Pharma Market (IPM) growth at least until FY27-28 (see chart). Trade generic medicines are those that are not pushed into the market through doctor promotions.

Hyderabad firm develops next-gen XBB1.5 Covid vax, awaits trial nod

Hyderabad firm develops next-gen XBB1.5 Covid vax, awaits trial nod

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2023

As of now, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals has launched a vaccine, Gemcovac-OM, which is based on the Omicron variant.

Does India have enough vaccine reserves to combat another Covid wave?

Does India have enough vaccine reserves to combat another Covid wave?

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2023

According to CoWIN data, only 73 vaccination centres are currently active in India, of which 32 are government-run.

Are hospitals ready to handle Covid surge?

Are hospitals ready to handle Covid surge?

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

Larger hospitals are not worried about a spike in cases, as they are now accustomed to converting ICUs and general wards into negative pressure zones or isolation rooms. For smaller hospitals, the task is tedious.

Inequality a relative concept; absolute poverty India's urgent concern: CEA

Inequality a relative concept; absolute poverty India's urgent concern: CEA

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2023

Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran considers absolute poverty a more direct and pressing concern for India. He argues that inequality is a relative concept. Simultaneously, with formerly economically deprived sections joining the ranks of the middle class, policy attention needs to extend beyond 'roti, kapda, makaan' to keep the growth engine up and running.

Medica + Manipal Will Overtake Apollo

Medica + Manipal Will Overtake Apollo

Rediff.com   12 Dec 2023

Next year Medica and Manipal will merge, making the amalgamated entity the largest corporate hospital chain in the country, overtaking Apollo Hospitals Enterprises.

Polls Over, BJP, Congress Faced With MSP Hike Promise

Polls Over, BJP, Congress Faced With MSP Hike Promise

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2023

If states have to fall in line with MSPs declared by political parties, they will have to do so in violation of central order or bear the full expense of the surplus procured at above MSP rates.

Demand, supply mismatch pushing up vegetable inflation frequently

Demand, supply mismatch pushing up vegetable inflation frequently

Rediff.com   24 Oct 2023

Higher growth in vegetable demand relative to supply in the recent past has led to an upward trend in inflation, with spikes becoming more frequent. A study by rating agency Crisil found that vegetable inflation has been the most volatile in the food category, in fact. Inflation volatility is detrimental for both consumers and farmers and also sidetracks policymakers in the short term, necessitating frequent and repeated price-smoothing measures.