Vinay Umarji &Amp;Amp; Abhijit Lele

Stories by Vinay Umarji &Amp;Amp; Abhijit Lele

FinMin asks PSBs, insurers to postpone staff promotions

FinMin asks PSBs, insurers to postpone staff promotions

Rediff.com   4 May 2021

The finance ministry has asked public sector banks (PSBs) to postpone the annual exercise of promoting and transferring their staff in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The advisory issued by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) states that the promotion process has coincided with a spike in Covid-19 cases across the country along with localised lockdowns and an increase in micro-containment zones. As there are cases of bank employees or their family members being hospitalised due to Covid-19, bank, insurance companies and financial institutions must take cognizance of the issue, the advisory issued by DFS said.

Negative outlook list may get longer, Q1 biz to be hit

Negative outlook list may get longer, Q1 biz to be hit

Rediff.com   3 May 2021

At risk of entrenched rough times are sectors like hospitality and those with discretionary spends.

COVID-19 stings: Guj model under scanner

COVID-19 stings: Guj model under scanner

Rediff.com   29 Apr 2021

Amid the growing queues of ambulances waiting for patients to be admitted with ventilators and oxygen, only time will tell if the state government has lost the plot or not.

Where is the manpower to handle ventilators?

Where is the manpower to handle ventilators?

Rediff.com   25 Apr 2021

The second wave of the pandemic has not only crippled medical infrastructure in terms of hospital beds, but has also led to bottlenecks in invasive ventilators and medical oxygen capacities and supplies.

South Africa's FirstRand Bank to exit India after 12 years

South Africa's FirstRand Bank to exit India after 12 years

Rediff.com   23 Apr 2021

The plan was to expand further, add more branches and also eventually become the third bank in India to start a wholly owned subsidiary after Singapore's DBS Bank and State Bank of Mauritius, but those plans never materialised due to lack of scale and rising non-performing assets in the country.

Demand for Covid-19 tests growing 100 pc week-on-week

Demand for Covid-19 tests growing 100 pc week-on-week

Rediff.com   23 Apr 2021

One challenge for many laboratories in ramping up is the shortage of trained manpower for collecting samples, report Sohini Das, Vinay Umarji and Virendra Singh Rawat.

How Banks will Pester Customers to Pay

How Banks will Pester Customers to Pay

Rediff.com   23 Apr 2021

Although such alerts are not compulsory for the banks, this may become the norm now if payments are missed even for a day.

How IIM-B is solving its quota problem

How IIM-B is solving its quota problem

Rediff.com   13 Apr 2021

'Going forward, whatever faculty positions we fill we expect to do so consistently with the quota requirements.'

How govt can boost infra funding in India

How govt can boost infra funding in India

Rediff.com   4 Apr 2021

For development finance institution to succeed now, the government must stand like a rock behind it and be patient.

RuPay takes on Visa and Mastercard with a little govt help

RuPay takes on Visa and Mastercard with a little govt help

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2021

RuPay is working on how to increase offers to customers. It is also focused on technology innovation in the card payment system.

At 28L, average CTC at ISB up by 8%

At 28L, average CTC at ISB up by 8%

Rediff.com   24 Mar 2021

Of the 1,145 offers made this year, consulting firms made up 34 per cent, followed by banking, financial services and insurance, pharma/healthcare, IT/ITeS and FMCG/retail.

Whistleblower accuses Edelweiss ARC of fund diversion, other irregularities

Whistleblower accuses Edelweiss ARC of fund diversion, other irregularities

Rediff.com   20 Mar 2021

The ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) has launched a probe into the books of Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company (EARC) following allegations by a whistleblower of fund diversion and irregularities. The whistleblower, Paras Kuhad, a former additional solicitor general of India, had written to the Prime Minister's Office and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Kuhad has alleged that Edelweiss Group and Caisse de depot et placement du Qubec (CDPQ), a Canadian institutional investor, which hold stakes in the ARC, diverted funds and did not adhere to norms while making investments in EARC's instruments. Sources have indicated that a probe has been initiated, but the MCA did not comment on the issue.

India Inc goes slow on rupee bonds, eyes international market

India Inc goes slow on rupee bonds, eyes international market

Rediff.com   15 Mar 2021

Indian corporate are fast tapping the international bonds market to raise funds for their operational expenses even as they reduce their presence in the rupee bond market. As bonds are costlier for companies and investors are more sceptical than the banks, chief financial officers say they are looking at other avenues for raising funds in the coming months as dollar bond rates are lower in the range of 100 to 250 basis points. "For corporate with reasonable credit quality, the Indian bond market has become less of an option from a cost point of view. "In addition, conditions imposed in the Indian bond market by investors post Franklin episode have also become very onerous," said Prabal Banerjee, president-finance of Bajaj group. "Hence very few corporate are looking at the local bond market for resource mobilisation, since both, bank loans and the overseas bond markets are much more attractive," he said.

Out of PCA, IDBI Bank can now expand business

Out of PCA, IDBI Bank can now expand business

Rediff.com   11 Mar 2021

The bank will now be in a position to resume normal lending activity, including corporate lending, with tightened risk management framework.

IIM-A placements: HUL, Samsung make top offers

IIM-A placements: HUL, Samsung make top offers

Rediff.com   9 Mar 2021

Unlike many other B-schools, IIM Ahmedabad follows a cluster system of final placements process where sectors are invited in cohorts at regular intervals.

IIM-C records 100% placement, avg salary up by 4%

IIM-C records 100% placement, avg salary up by 4%

Rediff.com   8 Mar 2021

172 firms participated in the final placement process.

Surat's textile hub weaves a revival story amid Covid-19

Surat's textile hub weaves a revival story amid Covid-19

Rediff.com   25 Feb 2021

When the lockdown was lifted last year, Rasikbhai Kotadiya, who runs a powerloom unit in the Kim-Pipodara industrial area on the outskirts of Surat, was left with only four workers out of the 48 that he used to employ to run his 128 looms. Though the economy had been unlocked, his textile unit, and that of thousands of others, struggled to resume operations. By the last week of May, nearly 700,000 of Surat's 1.2-1.5 million migrant workers, left high and dry with no pay during the lockdown, had returned home. In Laskana, another textile weaving hub in Surat, the powerlooms were all but silent, with only 2,000 of the total 55,000 looms churning out grey cloth at a snail's pace.

Over 50% MBA students bag international offers

Over 50% MBA students bag international offers

Rediff.com   22 Feb 2021

The highest compensation package for the Global MBA class at the S P Jain School of Management stood at Rs 43.9 lakh while that for the MGB programme was Rs 35 lakh.

Singapore-based DBS Bank plans to trim India branches in 2-3 years

Singapore-based DBS Bank plans to trim India branches in 2-3 years

Rediff.com   15 Feb 2021

The combined deposits of its Indian operations stood at SGD 9 billion and net advances were at SGD 5.6 billion at the end of December 2020.