News for 'Rapid Response'

IMF cuts India's growth to 6.1% for FY23

IMF cuts India's growth to 6.1% for FY23

Rediff.com31 Jan 2023

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday said it is expecting some slowdown in the Indian economy next fiscal year and projected the growth to 6.1 per cent from 6.8 per cent during the current fiscal ending March 31. The IMF on Tuesday released the January update of its World Economic Outlook, according to which the global growth is projected to fall from an estimated 3.4 per cent in 2022 to 2.9 per cent in 2023, then rise to 3.1 per cent in 2024. "Our growth projections actually for India are unchanged from our October Outlook.

How Hakki Pikkis Inspired Operation Kaveri

How Hakki Pikkis Inspired Operation Kaveri

Rediff.com8 May 2023

Hakki Pikkis are a semi-nomadic tribe, traditionally of bird catchers and hunters, from Karnataka. Their knowledge of the forest and traditional medicine is extensive and is prized by the Sudanese community.

Indian mission in Ukraine to be temporarily relocated to Poland

Indian mission in Ukraine to be temporarily relocated to Poland

Rediff.com13 Mar 2022

The Ministry further said that it is keeping an eye on the developments in Ukraine and the situation will be reassessed as per that.

Manchester United suffer COVID-19 outbreak

Manchester United suffer COVID-19 outbreak

Rediff.com13 Dec 2021

Manchester United suffered an outbreak of COVID-19 among players and staff on Sunday, jeopardising their next Premier League game against Brentford.

Omicron survives much longer on plastic, skin: Study

Omicron survives much longer on plastic, skin: Study

Rediff.com26 Jan 2022

The yet-to-be peer-reviewed study, posted recently on the preprint repository BioRxiv, found that the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants exhibited more than two-fold longer survival on plastic and skin surfaces, than the Wuhan strain.

Nuclear Or Conventional Submarines: What Should India Pick?

Nuclear Or Conventional Submarines: What Should India Pick?

Rediff.com13 Jun 2023

The status of the current submarine force level is alarming and we need to address the threat perceptions expeditiously. Critical decisions pertaining to national security cannot be delayed any further due to the rapidly changing maritime threat perceptions and growing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean region, asserts Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).

Gen Pande visits China border after last month's clash, reviews Army readiness

Gen Pande visits China border after last month's clash, reviews Army readiness

Rediff.com23 Jan 2023

Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande has carried out a comprehensive review of India's military preparedness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh in his first visit to the border state after last month's clash between Indian and Chinese forces in the Tawang sector.

Adani Group touts 'very healthy' balance sheet to calm investors

Adani Group touts 'very healthy' balance sheet to calm investors

Rediff.com15 Feb 2023

Billionaire Gautam Adani's embattled conglomerate said its balance sheet is "very healthy" and is laser focused on continuing business momentum, as it looked to reassure investors to keep faith in the conglomerate despite a share rout triggered by a damning report by a US short-seller. Group CFO Jugeshinder (Robbie) Singh in an earnings call said the group is confident of its internal controls, compliance and corporate governance. Separately, it released a compendium of group companies to highlight that it has adequate cash reserves and has ability to refinance debt.

Why GPT App Downloads Are A Concern

Why GPT App Downloads Are A Concern

Rediff.com1 Mar 2023

How many of the apps downloaded in India deliver the GPT technology they say they are?

Centre asks all states to be alert as more bird deaths reported

Centre asks all states to be alert as more bird deaths reported

Rediff.com7 Jan 2021

The Centre said bird flu has been confirmed only in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh so far, but all states should be prepared for any eventuality. States have been told to ensure sufficient stock of PPE kits and accessories required for culling operations.

Cyclone threat looms over east coast, Odisha on alert

Cyclone threat looms over east coast, Odisha on alert

Rediff.com7 May 2022

The weather system over the South Andaman Sea and the adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal is very likely to move north-westwards and strengthen into a depression by Saturday, the Met Department said.

Coronavirus: 'Govt needs to allow treatment by private hospitals'

Coronavirus: 'Govt needs to allow treatment by private hospitals'

Rediff.com27 Mar 2020

'We are going to be overwhelmed by the need for hospital beds. There are simply not enough beds in government hospitals.' 'We will need a large number of medical professionals and without the private sector's involvement, the government won't be able to expand capacity.'

India will not be an ally of US, but another great power: WH official

India will not be an ally of US, but another great power: WH official

Rediff.com9 Dec 2022

Kurt Campbell, the White House Asia Coordinator, said that in his view India is the most important bilateral relationship for the United States in the 21st century.

Google to spend $75 mn on women-led Indian startups

Google to spend $75 mn on women-led Indian startups

Rediff.com19 Dec 2022

Google is building voice and text search for over 100 Indian languages and will spend $75 million to support women-led startups in the country, said its CEO Sundar Pichai at the start of his visit to India - a nation that he saw as a big export economy. India, he said, will be a big export economy and it needs to create a balance between safeguarding citizens and enabling companies to innovate with its framework. Pichai first met Telecom and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and spoke at a Google for India 2022 event before calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

COVID: 'India is safe for the present'

COVID: 'India is safe for the present'

Rediff.com23 Dec 2022

'Viral infections rise in winter and better care needs to be taken in the next few months.'

Riot-hit families at relief camps now fear coronavirus

Riot-hit families at relief camps now fear coronavirus

Rediff.com5 Mar 2020

'Lekin jab ghar hi jal gaya to coronavirus kya kar lega'

China poses long-term challenge to India's strategic goals: IAF chief

China poses long-term challenge to India's strategic goals: IAF chief

Rediff.com8 Dec 2021

He said China's "growing imprint" will surely increase contestation and competition in the economic domain and it will attempt to keep India engaged on issues relating to the unsettled borders.

Worst days of Covid over, but pandemic will be with us for ever: US official

Worst days of Covid over, but pandemic will be with us for ever: US official

Rediff.com8 Nov 2022

With variants cropping up at regular intervals, Jha acknowledged that they are a concern as a very rapid evolution of this virus is being seen over the time.

New test can predict your level of immunity against COVID-19

New test can predict your level of immunity against COVID-19

Rediff.com10 Aug 2022

Easy access to this kind of test could help people determine what kind of precautions they should take against COVID-19 infection, such as getting an additional booster shot, the researchers said.

'Many Manipuris have lost faith in the central forces'

'Many Manipuris have lost faith in the central forces'

Rediff.com5 Jun 2023

'They have come here to protect people, but the allegation is that they help the armed organisations attack and burn down the houses of the Meiteis.' 'Many people have lost faith in the central forces as they believe these forces are involved in the escalation of the problem.'

Odisha train mishap: Railways seeks CBI probe, here's why

Odisha train mishap: Railways seeks CBI probe, here's why

Rediff.com4 Jun 2023

Railway officials also indicated that possible 'sabotage' and tampering with the electronic interlocking system, which detects the presence of trains, led to the Friday accident.

Will Financial Stress Break The Global Economy?

Will Financial Stress Break The Global Economy?

Rediff.com4 Apr 2023

What's different this time is that global financial stress -- which has its genesis in four policy choices made in recent years -- is juxtaposed with a more resilient real economy, observes Sajjid Z Chinoy, chief India economist at J P Morgan.

China orders release of Covid detainees

China orders release of Covid detainees

Rediff.com7 Jan 2023

The Chinese government on Saturday ordered the release of people detained over a host of coronavirus-related incidents, a day ahead of Beijing's plan to scrap its three-year-old stringently implemented zero-Covid policy.

'Much Bigger Disaster Looming Ahead In Joshimath'

'Much Bigger Disaster Looming Ahead In Joshimath'

Rediff.com17 Jan 2023

'There were literally thousands of houses with cracks.' '40 percent of the town has been affected.'

How Your Workplace Will Change in 2023

How Your Workplace Will Change in 2023

Rediff.com21 Dec 2022

As employers eye quality talent, employees will enjoy an upper hand in demanding high pay, better benefits, remote work options and other perks, predicts Navneet Singh, CEO, Avsar, a talent management firm.

6 IT Jobs For A BRIGHT FUTURE

6 IT Jobs For A BRIGHT FUTURE

Rediff.com7 Jun 2022

Emerging technologies like cybersecurity and the Internet of Things have the potential to add 1.4 million new IT jobs in India by 2027.

Tata Motors to export its EVs to mature auto markets

Tata Motors to export its EVs to mature auto markets

Rediff.com7 Apr 2022

Tata Motors is actively considering tapping into some of the export markets beyond South Asia, for its range of electric vehicles (EVs) as it sees an opportunity of selling affordable EVs in markets outside India. The export plans will coincide with the commercial launch of the Curvve - an electric SUV concept that broke cover on Wednesday, in two years from now, Shailesh Chandra, MD, Tata Motors PVs and Electric Mobility, told Business Standard. "We are actively thinking of the international markets and we would like to go with a portfolio of products. "We have identified a few markets and in a couple of years, we should commence the same," said Chandra.

Persistency ratio must improve for life insurance customers: India Inc

Persistency ratio must improve for life insurance customers: India Inc

Rediff.com23 Dec 2022

In order for life insurance customers to attain maximum benefits, it is crucial for the persistency ratio to be far higher than its current level, top executives of the industry said at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit on Thursday. The persistency ratio is a metric that measures the number of policyholders who continue paying renewal premium and is gauged at varying stages in the life of a policy. A higher persistency ratio is seen as an indicator of an insurance product that caters satisfactorily to the needs of a customer.

Covid-hit China welcomes international passengers after 3 years

Covid-hit China welcomes international passengers after 3 years

Rediff.com8 Jan 2023

Officials said 387 passengers were aboard two flights from Toronto and Singapore on the day the country ended its strict COVID-19 restrictions for travellers.

10 Ways STRESS AFFECTS YOU

10 Ways STRESS AFFECTS YOU

Rediff.com13 Sep 2022

Doing an activity you love instantly reduces stress and lowers your heart rate too.

Stealth guided missile destroyer Mormugao commissioned into Indian Navy

Stealth guided missile destroyer Mormugao commissioned into Indian Navy

Rediff.com18 Dec 2022

Singh said the warship's commissioning will boost India's maritime power.

The Perils Of Democracy In Pakistan

The Perils Of Democracy In Pakistan

Rediff.com26 May 2023

Pakistan still has to acquire the patience you need in a democracy. The patience to accept that even if I do not like the government I have, I must wait till the next election to change it, explains Shekhar Gupta.

PM chairs meet on oxygen supply, availability

PM chairs meet on oxygen supply, availability

Rediff.com22 Apr 2021

PM also said that states must act against any hoarding of oxygen and directed officials to ensure that the oxygen supply to various states happens in a smooth, unhindered manner and called for fixing responsibility with the local administration in cases of obstruction.

Manipur: A Distant Outpost Full Of Promise

Manipur: A Distant Outpost Full Of Promise

Rediff.com9 Jun 2023

A lesson we have not learnt from China is the urgent need to knit the vast country together to keep it from falling apart at the seams. While there is considerable dent in poverty, sadly, the North East remains as distant today as it always was, points out Shreekant Sambrani.

9 Soft Skills Employers Want In You

9 Soft Skills Employers Want In You

Rediff.com15 Sep 2022

An individual with a self-learning attitude is critical to surviving and growing in a competitive environment, says Narayan Mahadevan.

WHO urges nations to strengthen surveillance, health measures for monkeypox

WHO urges nations to strengthen surveillance, health measures for monkeypox

Rediff.com24 Jul 2022

In the WHO South-East Asia region, four cases of monkeypox have been reported, three from India and one from Thailand.

Why is Modi playing the drums?

Why is Modi playing the drums?

Rediff.com10 Nov 2021

The Top Videos of the Week!

Peeing incident: Air India reviews liquor policy; pilot, crew grounded

Peeing incident: Air India reviews liquor policy; pilot, crew grounded

Rediff.com7 Jan 2023

Tata Group-owned Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on Saturday apologised for a flyer urinating on a fellow female passenger on a flight from New York in November, and said four cabin crew and a pilot have been de-rostered and the airline is reviewing policy of serving alcohol on flights.

MPC members argued for front-loading rate hikes in view of inflation

MPC members argued for front-loading rate hikes in view of inflation

Rediff.com26 May 2022

Most members of the monetary policy committee (MPC) argued for front-loading interest rate hikes in view of rapidly rising inflation during the off-cycle monetary policy review earlier this month - the minutes of the meeting published on Wednesday showed. In early May, the rate setting committee met unscheduled and unanimously decided to hike the repo rate by 40 bps. This was the first repo rate hike in four years, and an inter-meeting hike in more than a decade.

Tech intensity will help businesses improve productivity: Nadella

Tech intensity will help businesses improve productivity: Nadella

Rediff.com11 Jan 2022

Businesses of various scales can improve productivity and affordability of their products and services by building tech intensity, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has said. Nadella noted that organisations globally are undergoing digital transformation amid the COVID pandemic, and that trends like hybrid work, hyperconnected business and multi-cloud environments require "a boundaryless digital ecosystem where trust between different parties needs to be established in real-time". "Digital technology is a powerful deflationary force in an inflationary economy. Businesses - small and large - can improve their productivity as well as the affordability of their products and services by building tech intensity," he said.