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| November 29, 2024 | | Check Out Mahindra's BE 6e, XEV 9e
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's the new electric SUVs from Mahindra!
Goodbye Skipper!
'He asserted in his usual jovial style that he was not an MBA like his audience at IIM-Ahmedabad but perhaps had an even better business degree: MBB'.
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| October 15, 2024 | | Strike: Lessons For Samsung From Hyundai
IPO bound HMIL, which is also from South Korea, had faced severe labour unrest for nearly a decade till the realisation -- a worker's union cannot be avoided -- dawned on it.
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| October 10, 2024 | | Ratan Tata, As I Knew Him
Ratan was extremely ethical in his dealings, which he brought to bear on the business house which he helmed, remembers Sailesh Kottary.
Ratan Tata: Rare Glimpses
Snapshots from his illustrious life through the lens of Photographer Gopal Shetty including images with the legendary J R D Tata.
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| September 28, 2024 | | Foreign Brands Are Eyeing India Again
Whether it's Carrefour, Ford, or other foreign majors, they are ready to adjust their strategies and design their plans in a way that would address the Indian consumption story.
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| August 28, 2024 | | AI Disruption Is REAL & Happening FAST!
When AI is used to enhance operational efficiency, businesses can deliver the same product or service but with improved quality, faster, or even at a reduced cost
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| August 27, 2024 | | Penny Stocks That Could Have Made You A Millionaire
Had you invested Rs 10,000 each in JSW Steel, Titan Company and Bajaj Finance 20 years ago, when they were just penny stocks (trading below Rs 10), you would have become a millionaire by now.
New Thar ROXX Is A Visual Treat!
The Thar ROXX is much larger and taller than the 3-door brute off-roader, The Mahindra Thar which was launched four years back on August 15. Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com simply cannot stop raving about it.
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| June 18, 2024 | | What Star Rating Does Your AC Have?
Since 2008, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency is running a star rating programme, under which electric equipment are rated according to their efficiency. This in turn helps the consumers save electricity.
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| April 10, 2024 | | RBI's 90 Year Journey
Sir Osborne Smith was the first governor of the Reserve Bank, serving from April 1, 1935, to June 30, 1937.
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| April 05, 2024 | | Will EV Policy Lure Tesla?
If Tesla comes in, India's position as a manufacturing hub will rise many notches, as it will become only the second country, after China, to have both Apple as well as Tesla.
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| March 14, 2024 | | Is Technology Important In Banking?
'Just the amount of work which is there just to become more and more successful in banking. For this to happen you need to have leaders who understand technology.'
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| March 05, 2024 | | Coming Soon! The Bullet Train!
With land acquisition completed and infrastructure work streamlined, India's bullet train dreams are slowly, but finally, inching closer to reality.
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| March 01, 2024 | | Russians Devise Ways To Outwit US, Help India
Russian oil supplies to India will continue to flow unhindered and suppliers will come up with ways to sidestep secondary sanctions, a Russian official told Business Standard.
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| February 20, 2024 | | 5 Electric SUVs Coming To India
If you are planning to buy an electric car in the near future, it would be highly advisable to wait for these upcoming electric SUVs.
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| January 11, 2024 | | 2024 Hyundai Creta Teased: Initial Impressions
The 2024 Hyundai Creta not only promises a stylish and modern design but also offers a technologically advanced cabin and a safer driving experience. With its launch just around the corner, the already crowded mid-size SUV segment is set to get even more competitive.
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| January 04, 2024 | | In non-cigarettes push, how ITC built more than 25 FMCG mother brands
A young couple sharing a laugh - in the living room over a Polish joke book, on the beach, in the rain - with the tagline, "Made for each other", hung from billboards at prominent street corners from the 1960s to the 1990s.
Is Renault Duster Coming Back?
The new Duster will go head-to-head with popular models like Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, MG Astor, etc in the highly competitive mid-size SUV segment.
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| December 23, 2023 | | First Look: The 2024 Kia Sonet Facelift
The 2024 Kia Sonet facelift impresses with its comprehensive upgrades, ranging from a refreshed exterior design to advanced safety and technological features.
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| November 07, 2023 | | Stock Picks: 10 Value Bets For Rich Payoffs
10 non-bank and non-finance stocks from the BSE500 Index universe that offer an optimal blend of low valuation, reasonably robust revenue and earnings growth in recent quarters, a strong balance sheet, and most importantly, positive cash flow from their operations.
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| October 11, 2023 | | How Meta Is Supersizing WhatsApp
WhatsApp's advantage is that it is the first app millions of Indian check first thing in the morning and innumerable times during the day and night.
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| August 22, 2023 | | Why TCS Picked Krithivasan As CEO
Krithi Krithivasan is the kind of person one might look to when the need is to calm things down and put things back on track.
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| June 16, 2023 | | What Went Wrong For Cyrus Mistry At Tatas
If Cyrus's protestations of having no knowledge of his imminent dismissal are to be taken at face value, he was extraordinarily naive and insulated from the ground reality.
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| June 01, 2023 | | Did RBI Know About Demonetization?
The RBI was not party to the decision to demonetize 500 and 1,000-rupee notes, which was taken at the highest level of India's political leadership.
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| May 19, 2023 | | 'FICCI is focusing on start-ups'
'For our traditional membership base, it would be an access to disruptive ideas,' FICCI President Subhrakant Panda tells Asit Mishra/Business Standard.
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| April 26, 2023 | | Why Bank Frauds Continue
The average time lag between the date of occurrence of a fraud and its detection is 23 months; for large frauds (Rs 100 crore and above), it was 57 months.
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| April 21, 2023 | | Has Apple's Roller-Coaster Ride In India Ended?
The new mantra was to align Apple's ambition with the government's, focusing on Modi's favourite themes of Make in India, employment generation and India as a high-tech export hub.
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| April 11, 2023 | | 10 Stocks To Invest For The Long Term
The third-quarter financials didn't excite market watchers. But equity investors can still make money if they invest in the right stocks.
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| March 20, 2023 | | 10 Safe Stocks To Bet In Volatile Market
10 high dividend paying stocks across sectors that are expected to maintain or even increase their pay-outs in FY23 thanks to faster earnings growth in the last four quarters.
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| March 10, 2023 | | REVEALED: How RBI Operated During Covid
200 staffers, consisting of RBI officials and support teams, who are essential to perform critical functions, were isolated at a separate facility in a dedicated quarantined environment near all three RBI data centres.
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| March 06, 2023 | | 42% Cars Sold In 2022 Were White
White is easy to maintain, looks brighter than other colours over a longer period, is the least commonly rejected colour among family members, has high resale value, provides better safety at night, absorbs less heat in the summer season, makes small cars look bigger, and is not considered inauspicious.
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| March 04, 2023 | | How Quick Commerce Is Changing Shopping
'The focus on easier access and faster delivery is creating a new consumption pattern that allows consumers to satisfy their last-minute cravings and restock essentials at the click of a button.'
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| March 03, 2023 | | 100% Railways Electrification By 2024
India is now much ahead of other large railway networks in the world in terms of electrification -- with the US at just 1 per cent, China at 72 per cent and Europe at 60 per cent.
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| January 13, 2023 | | Why Raghuram Rajan Raced At RBI
The speed at which he led the central bank in different areas -- ranging from internal reorganisation to inflation fighting, stabilising the currency, taking on rogue corporations, cleaning up bank balance sheets, and opening the sector -- makes one believe that Rajan knew he had only three years to do his job.
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| January 12, 2023 | | How Uday Kotak Got Into Banking
The role of a banker in the institutional framework is very different than any other kind of institutions, and along with that comes huge responsibility, Uday Kotak said, explaining in the video how he got into banking.
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| December 29, 2022 | | Axis Bank in competition for best bank
Axis Bank has strengthened its positioning -- on both the assets and liability side -- and it may be set to deliver sustained improvement in performance. The valuation gap between Axis Bank (which trades at 1.4x core book value (or BV) and peers like ICICI Bank (valued at 2x BV) is expected to narrow.
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| November 29, 2022 | | Indian Techies Write Code For Driverless Cars!
Engineers based in India are estimated to be writing roughly 35 per cent of the 100 million lines of codes required to develop one fully driverless car for global vehicle makers.
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| November 13, 2022 | | How drones can give wings to farmers
So far, the drones that were considered important for the agriculture sector were nature-made winged-insects - a key component of the bee-based natural pollination cycle.
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| November 02, 2022 | | The Secret of Gautam Adani's Success
Gautambhai has shown that he has ability to withstand payment delays or vexatious court cases. That is where he is on a more comfortable wicket than many others.
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| September 21, 2022 | | Devika Bulchandani has shattered the glass ceiling for good
'Devika is a people's person, who simply loves what she does. This reflects in her work; the insights she brings to the table and the way she interacts with people and clients. She has the demeanour of a good captain. Her success is well-deserved.'
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| July 21, 2022 | | India Inc's missing whistle-blowers
The latest whistle-blower revelations of multiple shenanigans at global ride-hailing app Uber, coming thick and fast after serial exposes of various dodgy practices at Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google in the recent past raises uncomfortable questions about India Inc.
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| June 20, 2022 | | All the President's Stock Portfolio
In his capacity as India's First Citizen, the President owns the shares of several public sector enterprises held by the government.
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| May 22, 2022 | | The growing tussle between the govt and CAG
In a first, the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) officers reached out to several ministries in the last week of April as part of a confidence-boosting measure.
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| May 02, 2022 | | 10 Most Popular Stocks
10 stocks which are most popular with brokerages right now and are expected to deliver maximum upside over the next 12 months.
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| April 29, 2022 | | 4 unique features of LIC IPO
Domestic capital market will see the launch of India's largest-ever initial public offering (IPO) next week.
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| April 17, 2022 | | Kamathipura: From shanty locality to prized real estate
After years of living with his family in a poky 110 sq. ft. 'house', textile worker Sambhaji Surve dreams of moving into a home four times the size once the Maharashtra government starts its ambitious redevelopment of the 39-acre Kamathipura shanty town in south-central Mumbai.
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| April 16, 2022 | | In case of war, can India be cut off from internet?
With Western corporations, including Microsoft, AWS and Oracle, shutting down their operations in Russia, the rest of the world has become acutely aware of its dependence on a clutch of technology service providers.
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| March 22, 2022 | | 4 IPOs to watch out for in 2022
Once stability returns to the secondary market, companies that have obtained approval from Sebi will start tapping the market.
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| March 18, 2022 | | What Rakesh Gangwal's exit from IndiGo may mean for the airline
On February 19, India's largest private low-fare airline IndiGo announced the resignation of one of the two founders, Rakesh Gangwal, from the airline's board and his intentions of offloading his stake in the airline over the next five years.
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| February 23, 2022 | | Confusion In The Crypto Universe
While the tax treatment does legitimise past crypto transactions, there is a possibility that any, or all, private cryptocurrencies will be banned in future.
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| February 04, 2022 | | 'It's a 6/10 Budget'
'The most important expenditure in the Budget that indicates employment generation is infrastructure.'
Digital Rupee: Pros And Cons
'The Digital Rupee will be equal to the Indian rupee in value and backed by the full faith and credit of the RBI/Indian government.'
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| February 03, 2022 | | All You Want To Know About Digital Rupee
'The government will carefully regulate and monitor the Digital Rupee, and because the currency is supposed to be tied to INR or supported by reserves, we should expect little fluctuation in pricing.'
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| January 24, 2022 | | Record Rs 32,000 Crore Seized in Tax Raids
Since arraignment under money laundering is a tougher offence, the CBDT hopes it will also overcome its dismal score sheet to prove satisfactorily to the courts that these cases were genuine ones of tax evasion.
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| January 23, 2022 | | Advertisements that Indians find 'offensive'
An advertisement showing two women talking about Cars24's promise that you can test drive the car and return it with full refund in seven days if it doesn't work for you has upset a section of men.
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| December 07, 2021 | | Meet The Man behind Skoda VW India
'Approach people with respect, mindful that they know their job better than you do, and that you're not superior to them just because you may be better educated or their boss.'
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| November 27, 2021 | | Why Amit Mitra is important to Mamata
No longer Bengal's finance minister, Amit Mitra, Mamata's principal chief advisor, will still advise and aid the 'chief minister and finance department on all matters relating to management of state finance', represent the 'state government in national and international events/meetings/committees' and examine 'important proposals/files and policy issues relating to financial matters referred to him for advice/views'.
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| November 21, 2021 | | Is Gurugram going the Kolkata way?
Militant labour policies compounded a poor security environment for capital in West Bengal and encouraged the business community to relocate. constraining the private sector's right to hire freely could well be the coup de grace. As with Calcutta/Kolkata, it will probably take a decade for Gurgaon/Gurugram to feel the difference, says Kanika Datta.
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| November 07, 2021 | | How TCS is reconfiguring its future
In March this year, when Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) unveiled a new brand statement of "Building on Belief", many wondered if it was the right strategy.
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| October 31, 2021 | | What makes Reliance Retail a unique venture in India?
Even as regulatory focus has zeroed in on foreign e-commerce giant Amazon, a domestic retail giant has been created almost below the radar in Reliance Retail (RR), one of the most crucial businesses for the group's future.
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| October 12, 2021 | | Zee: Whose company is it anyway?
The Zee saga will see a long-drawn-out court battle before shareholders get any chance to vote on any proposal by the management or Invesco, says Prosenjit Datta.
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| October 10, 2021 | | Who will win the Super App race in India?
Unlike the race to buy airwaves by telecom companies, airports by infrastructure companies and city gas networks by energy companies, the race to develop super apps by consumer-facing companies in India has not brushed up against any regulatory issues.
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| September 04, 2021 | | How veganism is spawning a robust plant-based industry
In India, as elsewhere, veganism has spawned an industry of plant-based products such as tofu, tempeh, peanut curd, cashew cheese, almond butter, flax eggs, sauerkraut, seitan, mock meats, apple honey, vegan chocolates, nutritional yeast and plant-based milks.
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| August 26, 2021 | | Of power, privatisation and politics
As the Centre pushes reforms in the power sector, especially for the beleaguered electricity distribution segment, several states, especially those ruled by Opposition parties, are clamouring against it.
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| August 22, 2021 | | How top realtors plan to transform Central Mumbai
One of Mumbai's biggest real estate redevelopment projects of Bombay Development Directorate's (BDD's) chawls (large buildings divided into many separate tenements, offering cheap, basic accommodation) has taken off in Central Mumbai, opening up a Rs 20,000-crore opportunity for real estate companies.
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| August 12, 2021 | | What Brought Economy to Its Knees
A combination of demonetisation, a poorly and hurriedly implemented GST, and more recently the "botched up" lockdown of the economy to control the spread of Covid has brought the economy to its knees.
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| August 11, 2021 | | Neeraj Chopra: Next Brand Superstar
The man with the golden arm could surpass some, if not all, top cricketers -- the demigods who stand well above athletes from other disciplines in India
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| August 05, 2021 | | Mumbai all set for its BIGGEST infra transformation
Mumbai, India's financial capital, is set for a mega transformation with a massive patch of land opening up for redevelopment; a new metro railway ready to start services by the year-end; and the country's oldest railway station, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, going for modernisation with private sector participation.
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| July 10, 2021 | | The e-com draft policy still needs plenty of rewriting
The proposed e-commerce rule book issued recently by the ministry of consumer affairs does not mention foreign companies or foreign direct investment (FDI) at any place, unlike most other government guidelines for the sector so far.
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| July 08, 2021 | | The many battles that Amazon is fighting in India
Among all the geographies where Amazon is fighting regulators, India is the only place where its lines are also tangled in a major corporate battle, this one with India's largest company by market capitalisation over the acquisition of Mumbai-based Future Group's retail chain, the country's second largest.
HDFC Bank's S Jagdishan: 'Not a P&L person'
'He's at best a holding-CEO. Not one who will re-imagine the bank,' a senior banker and former colleague tells Raghu Mohan about HDFC Bank CEO & MD Sashidhar Jagdishan.
Will Jet Airways manage to get enough airport slots?
As and when Jet Airways applies for slots, these would be allocated among all airlines according to guidelines, without any claim of historicity in favour of any airline.
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| July 04, 2021 | | Gourmet meals on wheels, 5-stars' latest success mantra
Since home-delivered meals from five-stars are cheaper by 15 to 20 per cent as compared to eating at the destination outside, food delivery has emerged as an important part of every restaurant's service portfolio.
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| July 03, 2021 | | Glimmers of Mehul Choksi's 'empire' that was built on fraud
Despite recent developments that have accelerated the impending extradition of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, who has been in custody in London's Wandsworth Prison for over two years, the last month has seen his uncle Mehul Choksi dominate the headlines instead with his circus-like exhibition in the Caribbean that has involved red herrings such as a "girlfriend", to whom his wife seemed to have no objection, and possibly concocted stories of being kidnapped and manhandled.
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| June 29, 2021 | | Cyber Fraud Helpline: How it Works
Since its launch in April, helpline 155260 has been able to prevent more than Rs 18.5 million of defrauded money from reaching the hands of fraudsters.
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| June 23, 2021 | | In Sebi's Fire: Vivek & Roopa Kudva
After Chanda and Deepak Kochchar, the Kudvas are the second power couple in the financial world to come under the regulatory glare.
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| June 20, 2021 | | Despite its FMCG push, for D-Street ITC is still a tobacco play
Most of the changes have come about in the last four years and ITC is now reaping the dividends - standalone revenues from the non-cigarettes FMCG business have grown 40 per cent from FY17 to Rs 14,728.21 crore in FY21 and pre-tax profits 30 times to Rs 823.69 crore.
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| June 19, 2021 | | Decoded: What went wrong with the six schemes of Franklin Templeton
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has directed Franklin Templeton MF to pay Rs 5 crore as penalty, return over Rs 450 crore collected as 22-month investment management and advisory fees, and imposed a two-year ban on launching new debt schemes for alleged irregularities in running six of its debt schemes that were shuttered last year.
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| May 20, 2021 | | Covid effect: Banks prefer govt bonds to giving loans
Record liquidity infusion by the central bank in the banking system during the financial year 2020-21 amid sluggish economic activity resulted in banks investing more in safe government papers than in extending loans, data from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed.
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| May 10, 2021 | | Why Citi is exiting India
The Indian regulatory framework forced Citi to hibernate -- contrary to the claim that it never sleeps!
Why India's healthcare system is near collapse today
Shortage of ICU beds, oxygen, ventilators, vaccines, doctors, nurses and crematorium space in India has dominated headlines around the world in the past few weeks with Covid-19 cases surging beyond control and the government failing to deliver.
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| April 28, 2021 | | Modi era: Private banks grow; PSBs don't
Since 2014, the public sector banks' branch network in rural and semi urban has grown by a mere 4,000 while for private sector banks, it doubled from 9,673 to 18,437.
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| April 26, 2021 | | Amid Covid, exports could come as a saviour for India
Developed countries are relaxing restrictions on economic activity at a faster rate than expected. Global demand for consumer goods, intermediates and commodities is growing at a fast pace. Most exporters are flushed with orders, says T N C Rajagopalan.
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| April 23, 2021 | | Ajay Singh's toughest challenge: How to save SpiceJet
The fairy tale turnaround story has, however, taken a few knocks after a second wave of the pandemic has brought a series of default notices and has posed the toughest test for the 55-year old Singh to save the airline he founded and sold to the Marans only to assume control later.
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| April 22, 2021 | | The myth and magic of unicorns
Becoming a unicorn is surely a marker for a company in its growth story, but it's not a major achievement nor is it a turning point of any significant worth.
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| March 18, 2021 | | How India can protect itself from cyber attacks
The recent report in the New York Times that China had brought India's financial capital - Mumbai - to a halt by hacking the electricity supply grid has not come as a surprise to the CTOs (chief technology officers) and cyber security experts.
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| February 21, 2021 | | How Covid changed the lives of Amazon India's employees
From virtual yoga to empathy, the pandemic has prompted the e-commerce giant to double down on building innovations focused on improving remote work culture especially employee well-being, both mental and physical.
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| January 15, 2021 | | Dear Nirmala<em>ji</em>, please encourage tourism
Nangiohbok Rymbai, a graduate in economics who works as a daily wage labourer in Shillong, tells Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar what he would like to see in Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget.
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| December 18, 2020 | | Sunil Mittal's $2 bn gamble on space
Bharti Global is planning to put up more satellites and has set a stiff deadline to launch commercial Internet services by October in the UK, Alaska, northern Russia and northern Europe.
Vintage Beetle gets new life as electric car
Besides opening up the possibility of a policy that allows vintage cars retrofitted with electric batteries to ply on roads, this also gives a clue to how cars older than 15 years that are banned can be valued again by a similar conversion to EVs, says Ritwik Sharma.
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| December 17, 2020 | | Land Rover Defender Hybrid is here!
On December 15, 2020, JLR announced that it has opened bookings of its first Plug-In Hybrid in India, the New Defender P400e.
Meet Asha, the robotic nurse
'Imagine taking care of a patient who is infected with Covid. A human nurse is unable to do that due to fear of infection. The robot can do that task, while it is controlled or supervised by the human nurse. So the robot becomes an extension of the nurse.'
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| December 10, 2020 | | Why Modi visited Serum's Covid vaccine unit
The PM's visit would signal a strong intent towards making sure India becomes a beneficiary as vaccines become a massively traded commodity in the coming years.
J R D Tata and the birth of Infosys
Mr Tata said a letter had arrived in his office from a young woman who had applied for the graduate engineering programme of TELCO Pune and been turned down.
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| December 08, 2020 | | India's 10 Top Philanthropists
Azim Premji and his family gave away Rs 7,904 crore (Rs 79.04 billion) in philanthropy, up 1,645 per cent!!! over the previous year.
Uttam's Take: Petrol price erupt
Uttam Ghosh offers his take on the latest hike in fuel prices at a time when the economy is in its worst condition ever.
Can Murari Lal Jalan revive Jet Airways?
For Jet's revival, Mr Jalan should be on the scene long enough for everyone to get to know him, appreciate his skills, and not vanish into thin air within a matter of months or even weeks, observes Anjuli Bhargava.
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| December 07, 2020 | | How F C Kohli and TCS conquered the world
Combining affordable IT with native Indian ingenuity and entrepreneurship F C Kohli believed would enable Indian small businesses match anyone and thrive.
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| December 06, 2020 | | Rise of Cars24, India's latest unicorn
Co-founders of India's latest unicorn expected Covid-19 to be a speed breaker; instead it accelerated sales. Cars24 now enjoys more than 90 per cent market share among all other similar online transaction platforms.
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| November 20, 2020 | | Why Mumbai Indians is the brand to bet on
Much of this has been made possible by the owners's insistence on building a team, rather than banking on a collection of talented individuals not necessarily suited to play alongside one another.
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| November 11, 2020 | | How Kerala 'lost' the battle against Adani
Court documents show that the Kerala government, whose case was treated as the 'lead case' among all the petitions filed against Adani, made four allegations to convince the court to cancel the contract for the Thiruvanathapuram airport.
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| November 07, 2020 | | The missing pieces in Jet Air's revival plan
After 18 months of closure, what really could be salvaged? And the answer sadly is, precious little, Patience, perseverance and plenty of moolah is the way forward even assuming intent is in place, says Anjuli Bhargava.
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| November 03, 2020 | | Arrest of a Banker
This is one of the many such cases that helped to create an acute fear psychosis among public sector bankers, reveals Tamal Bandyopadhyay in his fascinating new book Pandemonium: The Great Indian Banking Tragedy.
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| September 01, 2020 | | 'Modi wants to do away with permanent government jobs'
The new government order to review the service record of employees who have completed 30 years in the job to identify inefficient or corrupt staff and retire them prematurely has invited the ire of labour unions, who believe that this is a step towards privatisation.
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| August 24, 2020 | | At a Glance: Jio's stake sale
Jio Platforms is expected to use its 388 million mobile phone subscribers as the cornerstone of an e-commerce and digital services business to rival Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart.
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| August 20, 2020 | | Requiem for the Pajero: An SUV like none other!
With Mitsubishi pulling the plug on it the days of the Pajero maybe over, but nobody who ever owned one will forget it. Some even learnt life-long lessons from it, says Pavan Lall.
The curious case of Jack Ma's India plans
Jack Ma who had five years ago said he was inspired and excited by "Make in India" possibly understood the essence of the signature campaign better than some others and decided to stay away from India other than as an investor, says Nivedita Mookerji.
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| August 18, 2020 | | First Drive: The New Gen Thar
A blend of traditional as well as contemporary features, the All-New Thar exceeds expectations by far, says Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com.
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| August 16, 2020 | | Should Big Tech be broken up?
Are the big five using their dominance to shut out rivals? That is the key question, says Prosenjit Datta.
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| August 14, 2020 | | How Aditya Puri 'built' the HDFC Bank
Puri gave up the comforts of Citibank to set up a new-age bank from a rat-infested room in the Kamala Mills Compound in Worli, Mumbai and build a marquee brand. A look at his 26-year stint as HDFC Bank's boss.
25 years of telecom in India: Who won, who lost
While smart boys like the Ruias of Essar, Ajay Piramal, Max India promoter Analjit Singh laughed all the way to the bank, the Tatas, Anil Ambani, Malaysian tycoon T Ananda Krishna of Maxis (which invested in Aircel), Sistema, and Norway's Telenor burnt their fingers, notes Surajeet Das Gupta.
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| August 12, 2020 | | The Mahindra Thar: Beauty and the beast
As Mahindra readies to unveil its latest version of the Jeep that is so beloved of adventure enthusiasts, the urban crowd as well as the countryside, Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com traces the vehicle's journey through the decades.
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| June 27, 2020 | | How Big Tech failed us in coronavirus pandemic
None of the Big Tech companies or tycoons appears to be playing a meaningful role in the testing, spread, cure, or eradication of the virus or even in contact tracing so far, says Prosenjit Datta.
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| June 25, 2020 | | 'India can market itself better'
'India is still hierarchical, but not as much as Japan and people appreciate a flat working culture,' Charles Frump, managing director, Volvo Cars India, tells Pavan Lall.
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| May 20, 2020 | | Email spoofing is the latest cyber fraud
Email providers can stop spoof emails impersonating them from reaching their customer's inbox or junk/bulk folder by enabling DMARC, says Venkata Satish Guttula.
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| April 11, 2020 | | Ecommerce cos hit roadblock as lockdown set to continue
What is aggravating the situation is that e-commerce firms are facing huge shortage of delivery personnel. They have not been able to bring back their staff to work, despite offering higher pay and Covid-related insurance packages.
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| March 16, 2020 | | The Risk-Taker
'An entrepreneur should always remain under pressure or he will die,' Vineet Rai tells Anjuli Bhargava.
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| March 11, 2020 | | How much will this painting sell for?
This is the largest single-owner sale of Indian modern art, but it is for reasons other than this historicity that it will be remembered, says Kishore Singh.
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| January 24, 2020 | | Jaydeep Barman is changing India's restaurant business
'As long as people are eating we will be there,' Rebel Foods CEO Jaydeep Barman tells Viveat Susan Pinto and Niraj Bhatt.
Humble potato takes tech route to health food status
The technology for producing healthy potato seeding material through aeroponic system, which has already been passed on by the CPRI to about 18 entrepreneurs, would expedite multiplication of seeds of potato, including those of the specialty potatoes, to promote their cultivation, says Surinder Sud.
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| December 18, 2019 | | Renault Triber is everyman's budget car
'The Triber, which sits between the Kwid and the Duster in the Renault portfolio, is an affordable option for those who have their sights set on a multipurpose vehicle and want to get something different from, say, a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga,' says Pavan Lall.
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| December 04, 2019 | | VOTE! India's BEST airport
Delhi's Indira Gandhi airport and Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji airport handle more than half of India's air traffic.
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| November 30, 2019 | | This RBI museum blends technology with history
In the museum, RBI's history is shown in panels that illuminate while moving on a rotating table, and begins with the commencement of RBI in 1934 and ends with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's famous speech on November 8, 2016 announcing demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes.
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| November 24, 2019 | | The story behind Vodafone's fall in India
Cut-throat competition, high spectrum costs, and frequent flip-flops in government policies have made it difficult for Vodafone to make money in the country.
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| November 20, 2019 | | What is Ronnie Screwvala up to these days?
"If telecom changed the game for how business was done in India, then we need 20 more of those systemic game-changers to take us to the next level," Ronnie Screwvala tells Pavan Lall.
How not to get scammed online
Making digital payments to known or trusted merchants, use of a dedicated computer and a separate email address only for financial transactions can reduce the exposure to fraud and data theft, says Arpinder Singh.
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| November 15, 2019 | | It is the script, not the star, stupid!
'Virat Kohli features in 25 campaigns, Ranveer Singh in 24, Akshay Kumar in 22, Deepika Padukone in 20, Ranbir Kapoor in 13, M S Dhoni in 12, Amitabh Bachchan in 12, Alia Bhatt in 11... but not one celebrity campaign is a sizzler,' says ad guru Sandeep Goyal.
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| November 02, 2019 | | Discovery of dark matter opens up new areas of research
The Nobel Prize to physicists for their work on dark matter could fuel further research into the cosmos and eventually lead to better understanding of places where life is most likely to exist, says Devangshu Datta.
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| October 26, 2019 | | Costlier green crackers may just dampen Delhi's Diwali spirits
Delhi, which has gained infamy as one of the world's most polluted cities, has for some years now witnessed a sustained campaign from various quarters seeking a ban on firecrackers. While the Centre launched the newly approved, eco-friendly firecrackers earlier this month as a "safer and cheaper" alternative, the mood in the market is tepid, says Ritwik Sharma.
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| October 23, 2019 | | Adani takes the Jio route to disrupt airports business
The Adani group's debut in the airports business has been equally audacious. Despite its Rs 1.26 trillion debt pile, the group emerged the highest bidder for as many as six airports in the government's first such auction in 13 years since the GMR and GVK groups won the right to manage Delhi and Mumbai airports in 2006, reports Shyamal Majumdar.
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| October 22, 2019 | | Explained: Where India stands in global trade
While India's growth stands shoulder-to-shoulder with a slowing China, the IMF expects the US to grow at a slower pace in the coming years, and smaller Asian economies such as Bangladesh to grow faster than India.
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| October 21, 2019 | | How the once mighty Singh brothers fell from grace
From Ranbaxy to Religare, Aashish Aryan takes you through a maze of legal cases involving Malvinder Mohan Singh and his younger brother Shivinder Mohan Singh. Both are in police custody following a complaint of fund siphoning.
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| October 04, 2019 | | Revealed: How PM planned demonetisation
November 8 will mark three years after demonetisation.
A textile tycoon who also spins dreams
Despite presiding over scores of factories in what is today India's largest garment exporter with 105,000 employees, Ahuja is a modest man with much to be immodest about. He tells Rahul Jacob that the government needs a free trade agreement with Europe fast to ensure a level-playing field with Bangladesh and Vietnam.
End of an era in Indian banking
With Allahabad Bank set to be amalgamated with Indian Bank, the legacy of the oldest existing joint stock bank in India is set to fade. The post-nationalisation period marked the turbulent journey to transform for Allahabad Bank from bank of nawabs and rajahs to one of farmers and artisans. It also marks the end of a bank in which two states with contrasting identities - Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal - took equal pride, says Namrata Acharya.
Indian banking business just got more complex
Rating agency Moody's Investor Services has already warned that the move would be credit negative for banks, causing volatility in net interest margins. One of the key changes that banks may have to make is how they price their deposits, says Joydeep Ghosh.
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| September 17, 2019 | | Fear of flying in the Indian skies
'The pressing point is that, for air passengers to get home safe, a combination of factors needs to work in perfect harmony. It's time for India's aviation industry to wake up and ensure that this orchestration is in good working order, says Anjuli Bhargava.
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| September 15, 2019 | | The simple number trick behind secure communication
This is one of the wonderful paradoxes of modern technology. Having designed machines to predictably and accurately perform the same tasks again and again, we protect these machines by finding numbers that are as unpredictable as possible, says Devangshu Datta.
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| September 11, 2019 | | Bimal Jalan, the 'go-to man' for most political parties
'One of the reasons Jalan, the only bureaucrat in India who has been executive director at both the IMF and then the World Bank, successively, can afford to be forthright is that he has seen it all in his 78 years,' says Subhomoy Bhattacharjee.
What Mark Mobius thinks Modi Sarkar should do
'One thing the government has failed to do is to spend on infrastructure. The other thing is to make it easier for people to invest. The government needs to loosen up investment regulations and allow infrastructure spending to be shared with the private sector.'
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| September 10, 2019 | | Apple may finally dip its toes in Indian retail pool
Still, the earliest India will get to experience Apple online will be early 2020 and the company's first fully-owned signature store should be up around 2022 -- almost two decades after it had opened its first store worldwide, writes Nivedita Mookerji.
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| September 09, 2019 | | When Vodafone dialled a wrong number in India
'If Vodafone decides to quit India, the telecom market in the country will be left poorer. We need international players, especially in a sector like telecom, for global best practices and the latest in technology, if nothing else', says Nivedita Mookerji.
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| September 03, 2019 | | Cutting edge technology+crowd sourced research=Life-saver
A wide range of diseases including thalassemia, retinitis, muscular dystrophy, cancers, HIV, AIDS can be treated with Antisense therapy that targets the mRNA to prevent information from a mutated gene from being expressed, says Devangshu Datta.
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| August 29, 2019 | | 65 years of Computer Science in India
Shivanand Kanavi, former VP, TCS and adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, marks the milestones in India's computer journey.
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| August 26, 2019 | | In mourning Jaitley, we also mourn for ourselves
His sharp mind, sober head, and restraining hand will forever be unavailable as India navigates its uncertain economic and political future, says Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor under former finance minister Arun Jaitley.
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| August 24, 2019 | | Post FM's lifeline, markets to see best Monday so far in 2019?
Market experts on why the bulls will be on the rampage first thing on Monday after the scrapping of enhanced surcharge on FPIs and other measures to ease the systemic liquidity squeeze and boost demand.
The age of 5G is just around the corner
While 5G's features, such as enhanced speed, ultra-reliable and low-latency connectivity and guaranteed quality of service, promise to transform the digital experience in both the industrial and consumer space, they are of particular interest to a subset of organisations -- industrial manufacturers, says Subrahmanyam Kanakadandi.
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| August 06, 2019 | | IndiGo has finally decided to fly without Rakesh Gangwal - its architect
While a defamation suit is unlikely, Rahul Bhatia's InterGlobe Enterprise, which owns 37 per cent stake in IndiGo, will support groups of minority investors if they sue Gangwal for causing erosion of shareholder's wealth. After their bitter public spat, it's unlikely that Bhatia will allow any more room to Gangwal, says Arindam Majumdar.
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| July 26, 2019 | | How Amrapali's Anil Sharma had a great fall
Cut to 2019, and his name evokes grief and anger among more than 40,000 homebuyers who are fighting for the keys to their flats, which they should have rightfully got more than seven years back.
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| July 23, 2019 | | Battle for IndiGo - The story so far
The hiring of Ronojoy Datta as the airline's CEO - done primarily by Bhatia himself - may have been one of the two factors that marked the end of a relationship that was already beginning to fray.
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| July 11, 2019 | | How Economy Stalled Under Manmohan & Modi
The Indian economy was on an impressive growth path through the first decade of this century till it was brought to an abrupt halt by the policy inertia during UPA2 and the Modi government's inability to restore economic and financial momentum.
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| July 01, 2019 | | Hazards of investing in ponzi schemes
The news of Bengaluru-based IMA cheating thousands once again underlines the need for investors to steer clear of unregulated deposit schemes.
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| June 26, 2019 | | Will Modi govt manage to push labour reforms this time?
After assuming power in 2014 with a full majority of its own, the BJP-led NDA government started an ambitious process of reforming labour laws in the form of codes aimed at making the framework less cumbersome with a variety of alterations.
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| June 19, 2019 | | Why is Raghuram Rajan talking about Taylor Swift?
At the Mumbai launch of his latest book, The Third Pillar: How Markets And States Leave The Community Behind, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan served up an interesting mix that included Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, privileged families and a strong dose of commonsense economics.
How Patanjali 'broke' laws to acquire land in Aravalli hills
The land acquisition, the consolidation process in Kot and a slew of other decisions by the Haryana government to open the hills to privatisation and commercial activity run contrary to court orders, environmentalists' demand, and at times the Union government's measures to protect the Aravalli hills, say Nitin Sethi & Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava.
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| June 13, 2019 | | IL&FS fallout: Lessons for the rating agencies
Perhaps the way forward could be the introduction of uniform rating standards - on the lines of accounting standards for the accounting profession - with a separate regulating authority for enforcing those standards, says Sudipto Dey.
Dream 11 founders: Fantasy sports champs
Following their passion paid off for Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth with their fantasy sports platform Dream11 entering the unicorn club with a valuation of over $1 billion.
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| June 10, 2019 | | Do you know what impact investing is?
'India is the largest stomping ground in the world for impact investing as we have an extraordinary combination of entrepreneurial drive with huge, absolute demand for all kinds of social services,' IDFC First Bank's chief Rajiv Lall tells Anjuli Bhargava.
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| May 21, 2019 | | 8 superstar investors everyone wants to copy
These investors are not only betting on little-known stocks, but also sectors that the market participants are not paying much heed to. Some of these stocks can be potential multi-baggers, while others may not live up to the expectations of these stock-pickers, says Jash Kriplani.
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| May 12, 2019 | | Yogi Deveshwar: The Risk Taker
During his time as executive chairman, the company's net revenues grew 17-fold to Rs 42,777 crore and profit after tax nearly 40 times to Rs 10,289 crore.
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| April 22, 2019 | | Meet Nirav Modi's core team
The common denominator: They were predominantly Gujarati, mostly male, and either related by blood or very well-known to Nirav.
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| March 27, 2019 | | Working with Ratan Tata
Mukund Rajan, who worked closely with Ratan Tata, recalls the unique experience of working with the corporate titan.
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| March 12, 2019 | | Vande Bharat Express: Love at first sight
The train has a lot to offer to its passengers: Silent run, fully-sealed gangway connecting two coaches, GPS-based passenger information system, modular bio-vacuum and disabled-friendly toilets, intelligent air conditioning that adjusts cooling according to the climate and closed-circuit television for safety.
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| February 27, 2019 | | Is Mukesh Ambani being too ambitious with his retail plans?
While Reliance has the clout to negotiate prices with suppliers for its e-commerce, not to forget the cost advantage of integrated warehouse and supply chains, Amazon and Walmart are no pushovers, they too have deep pockets.
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| February 16, 2019 | | Why crypto-assets need to be regulated, not banned
Crypto-assets are essential to blockchain technology, which has the potential to be one of the next major growth drivers for the software ecosystem in India. A prohibition would nip this opportunity in the bud, say Vaibhav Parikh and Jaideep Reddy.
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| February 11, 2019 | | 10 stocks most likely to make investors RICH!
From Dabur to HUL, here are 10 stocks with significant rural exposure in the auto, agri-chemical and fast moving consumer goods sectors, which should see an uptick in sales growth.
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| January 31, 2019 | | Melas, rallies and the problem of unemployment
If everyone had decent meaningful jobs, the rally maidans would be largely empty and, save for the Akhara babas and curious foreigners and the devout senior citizens, not very many would spare time for the Kumbh Mela, says Mahesh Vyas.
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| January 21, 2019 | | Lessons from anti-profiteering order against HUL
The investigation against HUL was initiated on the basis of an anonymous complaint. It alleged 'profiteering' of around Rs 535 crore between November 15, 2017, and February 28, 2018.
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| January 16, 2019 | | How Mahabharata applies to board of directors
Many lay folks cannot fathom the arcane language of the corporate governance brouhaha. I found that a mythological story connects very well, says R Gopalakrishnan.
How to make flying accessible to all
UDAN demonstrates that good policy-making can fulfill important public requirements without requiring budgetary support, says MoS for civil aviation Jayant Sinha.
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| January 10, 2019 | | Why farm loan waivers are no magic wand
Be it loan waiver or DBT transfer, it only helps in creating a "feel good" factor and postpones the problem for some time if structural problems are not handled.
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| November 22, 2018 | | Enemy shares may become govt's friend in need
The government's move to sell enemy shares comes when it is struggling to meet its target of raising Rs 800 billion from the sale of State assets in the fiscal year ending in March 2019.
Holy cow! Now even India Inc spends money on them
41 listed firms made 73 donations to gaushalas (cow shelters) and other cow-related charities over the last four years. The donations range from a few thousand rupees to a million.
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| November 14, 2018 | | Why is Iran crude so important for India?
One of the major advantages of buying Iran crude is the additional credit period of 90 days that the country gives to India, compared to 30 days by other countries.
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| October 30, 2018 | | An RBI governor, two finance ministers and a quiet war
Duvvuri Subbarao recounts how his tensions with P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee, then finance ministers, over monetary policy spilled over into other issues in the central bank in this excerpt from Who Moved My Interest Rate?, his memoir of his term as Reserve Bank of India governor.
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| October 29, 2018 | | Investment advice from a Guru
'As the interest rates rise, people are going to say why should I be taking big risks when I can get 4 to 5 per cent in a bank account.'
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| October 10, 2018 | | Why has Subhash Chandra invested in a bus start-up?
Mass mobility in India is in a race when the light turns from yellow to green. Just that this moment has lasted three years. The renewed enthusiasm, however, indicates that the lights may finally be about to change, says Patanjali Pahwa.
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| October 09, 2018 | | Why IL&FS crisis has made investors so nervous
Given that there are hundreds of players in the shadow banking space, it's hard to make a credible estimate of potential NPAs. That creates more scope for panic, says Devangshu Datta.
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| October 06, 2018 | | 10 things to know about Gita Gopinath, IMF's new chief economist
Announcing her appointment, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde hailed the Mysore-born Gopinath as "one of the world's outstanding economists with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership and extensive international experience".
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| September 28, 2018 | | All you want to know about Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana
The Ministry of Labour and Employment on Wednesday announced a scheme to financially support those who lost their jobs and were covered under the Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948. Somesh Jha explains the key features.
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| September 14, 2018 | | Where the health of Ayushman Bharat is in a shambles
From coming up with the correct list of beneficiaries to finding enough people to work as Ayushman Mitras to generating awareness about the scheme - many things need to fall in place before it can be successfully launched in a few days.
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| September 01, 2018 | | Piyush Goyal bats for team India
'This country today is demonstrating to the world the true meaning of federalism, the true meaning of working in partnership between the central government and the state governments.'
What awaits Urjit Patel in 3rd year as RBI governor
Heading to the third year, will Urjit Patel be busy firefighting a currency crisis? Almost no governor of the RBI managed to evade it and Patel perhaps knows it.
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| August 21, 2018 | | How Honda Jazz matches up to i20 and Baleno
The Hyundai i20 is the classiest looking vehicle of the three -- the Jazz, while not exactly a bad looker, is a bit plain Jane (but, of course, classicists may prefer this aesthetic, says Aakash S Paul. But if you are on the lookout for a combination of space and sporty performance, the new Honda Jazz is the best-suited car for you.
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| August 18, 2018 | | How Gurumurthy may change the RBI
With his strong views on Bharatiya economics, his appointment to the RBI board may well presage interesting times, says Archis Mohan.
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| August 17, 2018 | | The BIG threat facing the fund houses
New technologies such as block chain are throwing up new opportunities; so the axe is bound to fall on those who are still stuck in the past and not reskilling themselves, says Shyamal Majumdar.
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| June 26, 2018 | | Maharashtra refinery hit by mega project jinx
The Rs 3-trillion West Coast or Nanar refinery has all the potential to become India's flagship petrochemicals project, with the planet's largest oil producer Saudi Aramco as its biggest shareholder. Yet the locals don't see the plant as a harbinger of better times.
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| June 16, 2018 | | If Amul's for butter, will Licious be for meat?
With India already having a huge population of meat eaters and about 70 per cent of the people being non-vegetarian, Indian entrepreneurs are hotting up the online meat market.
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| June 05, 2018 | | Patanjali: A prisoner of its own ambition
To stay in the race for the long term, the company has to innovate continuously - something that MNCs and some of the home-grown Indian firms have been doing successfully, says Sangeeta Tanwar.
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| May 29, 2018 | | What I learnt from Warren Buffett
Fund manager Gautam Sinha Roy shares what he has learnt from Warren Buffett, after attending Berkshire Hathaway AGMs over the years
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| May 28, 2018 | | The CEO behind the Voda-Idea merger
To outgoing Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao, negotiating big deals was an art form, as an international report pointed out after the $130-billion sale of Vodafone's 45 per cent stake in Verizon Wireless, says Nivedita Mookerji.
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| May 27, 2018 | | A Yojana way to 2nd term?
Can welfare schemes truly transform from being flagship to flag-bearers for a government that is looking to get a second term in 2019?
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| May 22, 2018 | | The boss who nurtures
It is all about a C and C model -- of choices and consequences -- for women.
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| May 14, 2018 | | Why Aditya Ghosh had to quit IndiGo
The founders of IndiGo may have thought it's time to go for a rejig of the top leadership team which can take care of the growing demands of an airline that has grown much bigger than they could have ever imagined, says Shyamal Majumdar.
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| May 11, 2018 | | Will Jio conquer the sky also?
The decision of the Telecom Commission to approve in-flight connectivity won't just bring cheer to the chat-friendly passengers, but even more to the telecom industry facing severe financial stress, says Nivedita Mookerji.
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| May 10, 2018 | | Is India ready to roll out 5G?
While moving towards the new technology is compelling and inevitable, powering 5G would also mean massive initial investments for telcos, says Surajeet Das Gupta.
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| May 03, 2018 | | Coping with the Jio challenge
But the road map of telecom will be decided by one thing: Whether Jio sticks to its ambitious plan and whether incumbents have enough financial muscle or ability to raise money every year to ensure that Jio does not reach its target, says Surajeet Das Gupta.
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| April 13, 2018 | | 'India is a great place to do business, come back. Jai Hind'
Businessman P C Mustafa wants Indian Americans to return home, Cognizant CEO Francisco D'Souza outlines how Indian tech companies could grow, Gaurav Dalmia has some investment recommendations while Subramanian Swamy warns that India is flirting with a debt trap.
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| March 27, 2018 | | Indian soldiers use this start-up's smart bandage, but others need it too
Beside the defence forces in India, the start-up has shipped around 350,000 units to 12 countries -- the United Kingdom, France, Poland, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kenya, South Africa, Romania, Indonesia, Qatar and Oman.
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| March 18, 2018 | | Why India remains critical for Uber and Ola
Both are focused on the overall transportation business, in which taxi services are only a part; the extended ambit includes autos, motorbikes, cycles, electric vehicles, water transport as well as food delivery services, says Surajeet Das Gupta.
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| March 09, 2018 | | India's head housekeeper, by appointment
A century-old company -- that started as an infrastructure provider for large religious gatherings like the Kumbh Mela -- has expanded its role to keeping the premises of such gatherings litter-free.
Remembering TT
T Thomas, former chairman of Hindustan Unilever, passed away March 2.
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| March 08, 2018 | | Knitting human bonds
Making woollen garments empowers women in two Uttarakhand villages.
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| March 07, 2018 | | The Ambani who got sucked in
Vipul Ambani, a runner who participated in city marathons, never wore his last name on his sleeve, was easy-going, mild-mannered and always smiling. Yet, the question that begs to be asked is why would he join a luxury jewellery company, says Pavan Lall.
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| February 26, 2018 | | Farewell, AVR
One of the finest minds on foreign exchange management, monetary and fiscal policies, on debt and currency markets, on bank management and governance, and indeed on almost every aspect of modern finance and banking passes into the ages.
The Crisis at India's public sector banks
The banking sector's credibility is on thin ice.
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| December 23, 2017 | | 'Entrepreneurs not only shape but create the future'
Five inspiring women who travelled thousands of miles to Hyderabad recently to grow their business and skills share their tales of global entrepreneurship. Vaihayasi Pande Daniel listened in.
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| December 13, 2017 | | How the 73-year old Havmor plans to change its Lotte
Havmor will now make its next journey, across India, under the banner of South Korea's Lotte Group, the confectioner best known for manufacturing and marketing chocolate marshmellow pies under the Choco Pie brand, says Sohini Das.
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| December 12, 2017 | | Shopping 3.0 is here
Turbocharged with technology is becoming the Holy Grail of retail.
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| November 13, 2017 | | Mahindra's ambitious plan to become future-ready
E-mobility is only one among the several fronts on which Mahindra is waging a battle of aspirations, to future-proof the $19-billion tractor-to-technology conglomerate, says Nikhil Inamdar.
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| October 30, 2017 | | Uttam's Take: Gabbar Singh Tax
Uttam Ghosh offers his take on the tax that was meant to fiscally unite India, but which one leader described recently as the 'Gabbar Singh Tax', an allusion to the famed villain in Sholay.
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| October 25, 2017 | | Meet India's highest paid CEO
His compensation in FY17 was more than the combined salaries of the entire boards of TCS, Wipro and Infosys.
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| October 12, 2017 | | The extraordinary story of Radha Daga and Triguni Food
One's dreams never end. If you don't dream, you don't exist. You need to dream to look forward to in life, Radha Daga, who went from a textile exporter to food entrepreneur at 60 years of age, shares her incredible journey with Shobha Warrier.
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| September 29, 2017 | | The challenge before India
A must-read excerpt from former RBI governor and former Rajya Sabha member Bimal Jalan's India: Priorities For The Future.
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| September 26, 2017 | | The Mercedes Man
Roland Folger has told the ministries concerned that they are cutting India off from the rest of the world by making it a highly protected market, the Mercedes Benz India CEO & MD tells Ajay Modi.
Why are our airports in such a mess?
Domestic airports across the country are bursting at the seams. And new ones are stuck.
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| September 18, 2017 | | GST: As legal battles loom
Compliance requirements, valuation, input tax credit transfers are likely to lead to tax litigation, says Sayan Ghosal.
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| September 12, 2017 | | A CEO of CEOs
'We have great demographics, and are the fastest growing large economy. And we save.'
The meteoric rise of Brand Sindhu
The third highest paid endorser after Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, Sindhu is the highest paid among woman athletes and non-cricket sportspersons in the country, says Urvi Malvania.
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| September 09, 2017 | | Gadkari wants e-cars by 2030, but...
Customers won't shift to electric cars until there is countrywide infrastructure for charging stations, which should be as spread out as petrol pumps now.
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| September 08, 2017 | | Meet IBM's Transformation Man
'My simple instruction to every IBM salesperson is, "When you go to the customer, use less of this (he points to his mouth) and more of this (ear)".'
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| August 25, 2017 | | How Neemuchwala broke the jinx at Wipro
Under Neemuchwala's digital-first vision, Wipro has accelerated investments in automation, analytics, cloud and cognitive technologies over the past three years, says Ayan Pramanik.
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| July 13, 2017 | | Slow to start, banks wrestle with insolvency regime
Insolvency professionals feel the bankruptcy code will deter defaulters, but NPAs will not cease unless banks are sensitised on credit appraisal and experts are hired by banks to inspect what is happening with their loans.
Nandini Piramal gallops away in the OTC business
'Younger people are taking steps to prevent lifestyle diseases.'<br>'It is fascinating to partner with consumers on the journey of self-discovery and to help shape people's preferences -- that is what I find most exciting,' Nandini Piramal tells Abhineet Kumar and Aneesh Phadnis.
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| July 07, 2017 | | 'Jobs are not a problem in India'
'If we chose to do the right things, it is possible to avoid job losses at a mass scale,' ABB MD Sanjeev Sharma tells Raghu Krishnan.
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| June 27, 2017 | | The case for boomerang hires
A growing number of firms are putting in formal policy frameworks to tap into company alumni and facilitate the return of former employees, discovers Sangeeta Tanwar.
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| June 22, 2017 | | Building a 'Uber'culture
The cab-hailing firm needs to jettison its baggage of dysfunctional corporate and gender insensitivity, finds out Ritwik Sharma.
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| June 21, 2017 | | Airline pilots, moles and motor cars!
Anjuli Bhargava finds out that an astonishing number of relatives of DGCA officials over the years are and have been employed in the airline industry.
Success story of an Indian beer with a Belgian heart
Arnab Dutta traces how Bira 91 is already among the top two in the premium segment in all the cities that it is present in today and how it is giving larger brands Kingfisher and Budweiser a run for their market share.
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| June 13, 2017 | | GST: Promise and pitfalls
Under GST, the small and medium industries would have to handle things on their own, says V S Krishnan.
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| June 09, 2017 | | PM Modi faces a bureaucratic test
Here comes the moment of truth. Modi prides himself on offering an "incorruptible" government. Will he dilute the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill to coax the administration's fealty and compromise his self-image?
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| June 02, 2017 | | Meet the Lord of Battles
Saurabh Mahajan, a former Indian Army officer, is making history in medieval battles grounds.
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| May 26, 2017 | | Saving the heart of Make in India
Will private firms really boost Make in India in the defence sector? Ajai Shukla seeks answers.
Why Rising Pune Supergiant changed its name!
'Last year, someone told us you must remove 's' otherwise you won't perform well and we didn't perform well.' 'Obviously, that's not the reason for not performing well, but it didn't hurt us to remove the 's'.'
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| May 16, 2017 | | Not just Modi, even Manmohan Sigh has something to cheer
The new IIP numbers should spread cheer among those who were part of the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance, earlier accused of having presided over a steady deterioration in industrial performance, particularly in the last two years of its tenure, says A K Bhattacharya.
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| May 04, 2017 | | How to build a business in the Himalayas
The Alams saw the magical spot while on a drive to the hills. A few years later they set up home and a small hand woven shawl business, hiring local weavers, using local wool and natural colours made of root, stem and flower.
10 commandments for Modi Sarkar to curb black money
A K Bhattacharya digs into the yet-to-be-public report on ways to curb black money and finds out that Modi's next moves could include action on dabba trading, hawala, and education.
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| May 02, 2017 | | 'India has to catch a train that left 25 years ago'
'In contrast to the generally buoyant tone of the Economic Survey in January, he sounds uncharacteristically pessimistic, saying that forces in the world economy -- slowing global trade, protectionism, robots -- will limit India's manufacturing to levels well below what propelled East Asia's economies decades ago.'
It's time to check in to India!
India needs 1.4 million hotel beds a night but has only 2.4 lakh, points out Rahul Pandit, MD and CEO of Ginger Hotels.
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| April 04, 2017 | | 10 things that will change in FY18
While for the consumers, there is some gain and some pain, for India Inc, it's all about compliance, consolidation and parity
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| March 27, 2017 | | Explained! The alleged fraud committed by Reliance Industries
What was the fraud? Why did Sebi drag its feet on the order? What options does RIL have now? Samie Modak explains these and more.
The saga of an FB post gone horribly wrong
Of all the tremors to rock the start-up world of late -- Snapdeal's layoffs, Stayzilla's shutting down, Flipkart's frequent devaluations -- nothing will match the rumble at ShopClues for poignancy.
Why Aditya Puri is one of the world's top CEOs
'If you want to live a happy life, you have to help the downtrodden. You have to understand that you have been given a position which is a confluence of your own capability and the grace of God. You must use that position to exemplify to others what has to be followed.'
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| March 25, 2017 | | He is trying to turn Air India around
'It is not as bad an airline as it is made out to be: We serve wonderful food, the leg space is more, our cabin crew is warm and friendly.'
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| March 24, 2017 | | India's billionaires' success mantras
Three businessmen disclose their success mantras: One belongs to an old Marwari family, another is a second generation industrialist whose father scripted an amazing rags-to-riches story and the third was a professional till one day he succumbed to the charms of entrepreneurship.
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| March 09, 2017 | | Can India Inc manage its mergers?
It may be the season for corporate matchmaking but India Inc's record of managing partnerships is far from impressive, says Shailesh Dobhal.
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| March 03, 2017 | | Telenor's Indian adventure: A bold move that didn't click
After building a subscriber base of nearly 50 million in about eight chequered years, it finally gave up as it saw itself up against a 600-pound gorilla that breezed through double that many subscribers in a fraction of that time, says N Sundaresha Subramanian.
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| March 01, 2017 | | Six years of U K Sinha in Sebi
Sinha started his tenure at Sebi a bit shakily making people wonder if he'd complete his three years. Eventually, he went on to stay twice that long.
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| February 23, 2017 | | Infosys is no longer a cut above the rest of India Inc
Even before Murthy's reappointment to the board, the decision to let each of the founders have a go at the CEO role was an antithesis of the meritocracy that Infosys had established as its corporate culture, says Hetal Dalal.
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| February 14, 2017 | | Did demonetization steal the colour from art?
Since the note ban was announced auction houses, galleries and art fairs are witnessing lukewarm sales -- even with masters like Souza, Raza and Padamsee. Ritika Kochhar reports.
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| January 03, 2017 | | Vote: Will you buy Amul Girl merchandise?
Even in her 50s, the Amul Girl has far greater clout than any brand ambassador in India. And India's largest dairy organisation may soon cash in on that. Sohini Das reports.
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| December 28, 2016 | | Demonetisation's overnight celebrity
Nivedita Mookerji finds out how Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma is handling his soaring popularity after the note ban as well as the criticism that comes as a package deal.
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| December 16, 2016 | | Myntra's mantras for success
"Our artificial intelligence tells us what people are buying at that point, what is in fashion; on the other hand, we have a fair idea of the material available. It gives us a sense of what we should be putting across in the market and we can put them across really quickly," Ananth Narayanan, CEO, Myntra, tells Alokananda Chakraborty.
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| December 12, 2016 | | There is something foreign about the Rs 2000 & Rs 500 notes
This press, considered to be one of the most sophisticated, has been printing the new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes since August, three months before demonetisation rolled out, Alnoor Peermohamed/Business Standard reports from Mysuru.
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| December 07, 2016 | | Cashless transaction: Going beyond plastic money
For those who are sceptical about using debit or credit cards, even when faced with cash crunch, Adhil Shetty, CEO of BankBazaar.com, lists out a few safe cashless options that can be exercised through mobile phones.
When did printing of Rs 2,000 notes actually begin?
In the first of a four-part series, Business Standard takes a look at how a mint in Salboni, West Bengal, is working overtime to print currency notes.
Jayalalithaa's legacy: Industrial, social, crime rankings among India's best
Tamil Nadu now has India's lowest fertility rate - lower than Australia, Finland and Belgium - second best infant mortality and maternal mortality rate; records among the lowest crime rates against women and children; and has more factories and provides more industrial employment than any other Indian state.
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| December 02, 2016 | | The foot soldiers of Modi's cashless India
As Narendra Modi and his ministers vigorously campaign for a shift to a cashless society, Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf reports on what is really happening on the ground.
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| November 11, 2016 | | Share a selfie with the new currency
Were you one of the lucky Indians who handed over your Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and got a brand new Rs 500 or Rs 2,000 note in return?
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| October 28, 2016 | | The man who is caught in the crossfire between Tata and Mistry
R Venkataramanan, the managing trustee of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust who is responsible for all Tata-run trusts, prefers to keep a low profile but has emerged as a power centre in the group - with more clout than many established CEOs, says Dev Chatterjee.
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| October 17, 2016 | | Where are oil prices headed?
OPEC's move to cut output has pushed up oil prices. From here it could go either way: oil could reach $100/barrel or an analysis of demand and supply might follow, say Abheek Barua & Bidisha Ganguly.
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| October 12, 2016 | | Meet the first Indian to head a Swiss company
'Sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission,' Zubin Karkaria, CEO of the Kuoni Group and the first Asian to head a listed Swiss company, tells Niraj Bhatt.
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| October 04, 2016 | | Are we serious about e-cars?
The electric vehicle market in India needs a policy push that goes beyond targets, says Vandana Gombar.
For the Oswals, a 6-year, multi-billion-dollar legal drama ends
After reaching a deal with ANZ in a six-year tussle, Pankaj and Radhika Oswal have left Australia and plan to start a new venture in New York
Delhi is the world's most polluted megacity!
In 2012, with one million deaths, China reported the highest toll from PM2.5 and PM10 pollution. At the time, India followed, reporting 621,138 deaths, nearly 10 per cent of the global toll associated with outdoor and indoor air pollution
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| September 27, 2016 | | When it comes to business, he's Quickr!
Quikr founder & CEO Pranay Chulet tells Raghu Krishnan and Bibhu Ranjan Mishra why money has never been an issue for Quikr and that someday he will make a romantic comedy.
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| September 23, 2016 | | India's pizza man gets ready for the future
After 11 years at the helm of Jubilant, Ajay Kaul, the 'nuts and bolts' executive, called it a day amid speculation that his expansionist strategy was not clicking, says Viveat Susan Pinto.
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| September 21, 2016 | | An SC verdict that rattled India's high and mighty
The spectre of Singur and now its verdict is looming large on the future of many of Bengal's projects, especially the state government's industrial parks that are vacant. As many more episodes await, the question uppermost on everyone's minds is, how long will Singur haunt Bengal?
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| September 16, 2016 | | He is paying the price for rice @ Re 1
The current crisis Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is facing is a cumulative effect of inattention to water management and the fiscal burden of populist promises, says Aditi Phadnis.
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| September 13, 2016 | | The real reason behind RIL-ONGC dispute
Dispute resolution provisions in the production sharing contract remained unimplemented, while the regulator faltered, points out Jyoti Mukul.
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| September 06, 2016 | | What do India's GDP numbers tell us?
Private consumption is looking up and will get better as the full effect of the good monsoon is felt on rural income, and the effect of the payout from the Seventh Pay Commission is felt on urban income, say Anis Chakravarty & Rishi Shah.
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| September 03, 2016 | | Raghuram Rajan: The common man's central banker
Rajan, as expected, furthered his predecessors' agenda and continued with the same resolution to make India's financial system safer, and direct the economy towards further liberalisation
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| August 26, 2016 | | He helps Indian banks raise money in London
In India post the success of masala and green bonds on the LSE, Nikhil Rathi tells Rajesh Bhayani that there are many international investors interested in buying into the India story
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| August 19, 2016 | | Gripping tale of an iconic businessman
Over the years, Mr Singh has got in and out of innumerable businesses, cutting across sectors. He is one businessman who I have always found to be in a start-up mode, says Bhupesh Bhandari.
Fulfilling Deveshwar's dreams: A big challenge for ITC's new chief
The outgoing chairman believed in building for the future; for his successor, the challenge will be to maintain the momentum, says Ishita Ayan Dutt.
Perfect storm gathering over Smriti Irani's ministry
Rising skills gap, falling exports, low productivity, rising debt and low foreign investment is jeopardising the target set for the textile and apparels sector
A tale of crumbling infrastructure in India's IT cities
Can the country afford to have problems of such magnitude in the cities of Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad, which not only are the major growth drivers but are also the biggest revenue contributors in their respective states?
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| August 12, 2016 | | Balki: An extraordinary adman
He didn't think much of advertising awards, and yet as he moves on from Mullen Lowe Lintas, he leaves the agency at its strongest ever
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| August 10, 2016 | | How Skymet weathered the storm
If Jatin Singh is right in the long run and his morphed business can help reduce farmer distress, Skymet will provide a service of far more value from where it began
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| July 29, 2016 | | Ananth Narayanan: The turnaround man
Narayanan's strategy of building exclusive brands for Myntra has been a success as well, and more such brands will be added to the portal's offering in the future
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| July 04, 2016 | | Advice from an ace investor
Be a fox by temperament and a hedgehog by conviction, Gaurav Dalmia tells Bhupesh Bhandari. Then, he explains why.
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| June 08, 2016 | | Does Paytm have its finger in too many pies?
What explains Vijay Shekhar Sharma's optimism when other players have started to tread cautiously is Paytm's huge customer base: It has 120 million users and counting, says Nivedita Mookerji.
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| June 01, 2016 | | How water inequality governs drought-hit Maharashtra
Sugarcane, which is grown by no more than 1.1 million farmers, consumes 70 per cent of water available in Maharashtra for irrigation. In contrast, about 10 million jowar, pulses and oilseeds farmers get only 10 per cent of irrigation water, points out Abhishek Waghmare.
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| April 19, 2016 | | The man who's driving Uber in India
Amit Jain tells Shyamal Majumdar about his dream to make Uber the 'safest place in the city'
India's biggest farm reform is 91.6% behind target
The Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act of a state regulates the purchase of agricultural products, such as cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables for that region. It hobbles farmers, imposing multiple levies on produce and disallows direct sales to private companies.
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| April 12, 2016 | | Baba Ramdev, Sri Sri and India's skewed corporate laws
The strategies that the gurus adopted to build their successful business empires over the past two decades could hardly be adopted by businesses that openly claim to be businesses, points out Somasekhar Sundaresan.
Had farmers paid taxes, India could have earned an extra Rs 50,000 crore
Agricultural incomes can be taxed without hurting farmers, as a substantial section - the small and marginal ones - will remain outside the tax net simply because their incomes are likely to be below the basic exemption limit of Rs 250,000 per annum that is extended to all taxpayers in India, finds out Ishan Bakshi.
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| February 15, 2016 | | 'Our choices will shape the markets'
The Budget has to provide for capex on roads, railways, defence and other infrastructure sectors.
The united colours of Make In India
From home-made Dhanush howitzers to mine-protected vehicle to rock bands to folk dances to foreigners posing with Indian artistes to gigantic dumping trucks to families having a gala time, Rediff.com brings you all the action on Day Two of the Make In India Week.
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| February 11, 2016 | | How PM Modi can ensure the success of 'Make in India'
It has been clear for a while that India needs manufacturing - and it may be true that global manufacturing needs India as well. Time to strike while the iron is hot, say Rajat Dhawan, Anu Madgavkar and Sree Ramaswamy.
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| January 30, 2016 | | GSTN: The solution to India's tax problems
'Through the use of technology, the GSTN will tip the balance in favour of compliance rather than tax evasion, lowering the barriers for entry into the tax payment system while making it much harder to cheat on payments,' says Nandan Nilekani.
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| January 08, 2016 | | 4 things that could change India in 2016
More people will be literate, on the Internet, linked to the national identification scheme and likely to receive electricity, especially from alternative-energy sources.
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| December 28, 2015 | | How some SC judgements changed the game for corporate India
The 1995 judgment in the Union of India vs Cricket Association of Bengal case emphasised that free speech is essential for a successful democracy and citizens must have a plurality of views and a range of opinions on all public issues, says M J Antony.
2015: A good year for rupee, bad for G-sec
The reason for the stickiness in bond yields can be many, but the most responsible is the liquidity deficit stance taken by RBI, says Anup Roy.
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| July 08, 2015 | | How inflation impacts India's 'aam aadmi'
Inflation pegs down currency value, re-allocates resources, reduces potential economic growth and leads to the attrition of gross domestic savings.
India to be home to 4.37 lakh millionaires by 2018: Study
Mumbai is the only Indian city in the top 30 cities in the world for multi-millionaires.
It's not Greece, but Portugal who owes the most to IMF
Top 10 debtor countries owe 86% of total IMF loans
In India, 3 of 4 companies adulterating, mis-branding food go unpunished
Adulterated food can cause cancer, insomnia and other neurological problems, and adulteration is a growing concern across India
Etihad beats Gulf rivals to become fastest growing foreign airline
Jet Airways remains the number one airline serving foreign routes.
Fall in Indian markets will be a buying opportunity
It is useful to note that Indian markets have not gone into a tailspin as the Greece crisis has developed, says Devangshu Datta.
6 event risks investors must track this July
In a recent report, BofA-ML suggests investors to track these six event risks in July apart from the Greek drama
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| June 15, 2015 | | Markets keep an ear to the ground
The second half of June could be driven more or less by technical factors triggered by news flow from Greece, the US Federal Reserve and the monsoon. The technical picture seems bearish as of now, says Devangshu Datta.
Softly, softly, India's influence rises in crude oil
Saudis are interested in expanding their relationship with India, given it is becoming the main driver of crude demand growth in Asia
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| June 12, 2015 | | From the mud floor to designing algorithms
Tanmoy's story is one of hope in times of despair, courage in times of trouble and confidence in times of adversity. His story is a reminder that no matter what the situation is today, you can hope for a better tomorrow, say Jimmy John and Anoop Khanna.
Top 10 wind power countries
The price of wind power may soon compete with conventional fossil fuels, according to researchers in the United States
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| May 25, 2015 | | An anti-poverty guide for Modi
A programme that endeavours to graduate the poorest people could have seminal implications for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
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| April 24, 2015 | | 50 years later, will Moore's Law last?
While chips have become ubiquitous, Moore's Law has remained a self-fulfilling prophecy even half a century later. Not bad for an industry where the time scale is not measured in decades and centuries, but in annual quarters, says Shivanand Kanavi.
A Bolt out of the blue!
A long-time driver of SUVs from Tata Motors, Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com steps on the gas with the Bolt, the new turbocharged petrol hatchback and comes away impressed.
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| April 21, 2015 | | Reliance Insurance and the Rs 18 cr windfall from IRDA ex-chief
The CBI is probing whether the former IRDA chief J Hari Narayan had misused his discretionary powers to favour Reliance General Insurance Company, which has admitted that the extra amount collected by it way of premium was not Rs 1.07 crore, as originally believed, but 20 times as much, report Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Pranati B Mehra.
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| April 09, 2015 | | 'Now, I am reduced to nothing'
'I have tutored my family and myself to fight hunger,' the former agent for the disgraced Saradha chit fund says, his eyes welling up.
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| January 15, 2015 | | It's 0.25%! Why the RBI cut the repo rate
The muted CPI inflation print at 5% earlier this week, followed by a similar WPI number released Wednesday, seems to have spurred India's central bank into action, is how the economists are reading into Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan's 25 basis point cut in repo rate.
40 years ago and now: Rasna fights to keep the love affair going
Rasna was the ubiquitous soft drink served at home and large gatherings from the late-70s to the early-90s.
Vibrant Gujarat: Do the numbers add up?
The tall claims that the state administration, particularly Modi's highly charged PR machinery has created to hardsell the state, and in turn Modi himself, are not reinforced by the numbers
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| January 13, 2015 | | IIP figures not so bad: Should we be happy?
In October, the general index had declined by 4.2 per cent, while its manufacturing component went down by an even more alarming 7.6 per cent.
The intricate route from Yojana to NITI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced its imminent replacement in his Independence Day address, but the new name, structure and key personnel became known only a week ago.
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| January 09, 2015 | | With Vistara, a Tata airline is reborn
An airline's birth is a result of passion and enterprise, often not without its challenges and ordeals. And, Tata-run airlines are no exception
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| December 26, 2014 | | A wake up call for Indian carmakers
If carmakers don't explore innovations to improve safety, they could be relegated to the garbage heap by new players, says Indrajit Gupta
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| December 11, 2014 | | Can Chinese firepower rescue Vimal?
Reliance had been trying to bring the brand back to the forefront recently, after years of lull, through new ad campaigns highlighting a youthful range, called Unformal, in workwear.
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| December 05, 2014 | | The Rs 30,000 crore fight over gas
A Texas company will submit a report by June on whether a company controlled by RIL 'stole' natural gas from the wells where ONGC is contracted to operate in the KG basin, as alleged by ONGC.
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| December 03, 2014 | | Private stations? Railways must reform first!
The idea of modernising railway stations under a PPP arrangement was aired several years ago by the then railway minister, Lalu Prasad, who visualised attracting Rs 15,000 crore (Rs 150 billion) investment in 22 stations.
Why is the RBI playing it safe?
Credible fiscal consolidation has been a consistent pre-condition to easing the monetary policy stance as far as the RBI is concerned.
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| December 01, 2014 | | The first substantive trade agreement at WTO
If India does not wish to continually violate the WTO rules, it must also continue to push the WTO to either revisit the reference point of 1986-88 prices for calculating subsidies and pitch it at a recent period, or raise the ceiling on subsidies to enable countries like India to stay within the envisaged cap.
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| November 28, 2014 | | How the PropTiger team vowed Rupert Murdoch
In just three years, PropTiger.com, an online real estate portal started by friends Dhruv Agarwala, Kartik Varma and Prashan Agarwal, has managed to raise about Rs 270 crore in funding from various sources.
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| November 20, 2014 | | Kisan Vikas Patra, gold curbs: Old, bad ideas
The government is doubling down on existing 'temporary' restrictions on the import of gold. Some were introduced under the last administration, and had a transitory effect, reducing gold imports through the official channel.
Why Jan Dhan scheme is keeping bankers worried
Relaxation in KYC guidelines has helped meet the target but this could lead to money laundering and financial malfeasance, it is feared.
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| November 19, 2014 | | Is Jan Dhan really a success?
Government's financial inclusion mission is well intentioned, but it may be putting a severe strain on the banking sector.
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| November 05, 2014 | | Wockhardt: Recovery not in sight yet
The news that exports to the US will not restart before next year as well as the September quarter performance are sentiment dampeners.
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| October 11, 2014 | | Amazon's big-week sale begins smoothly
This was only four days after many aggrieved buyers chose social networking sites to attack Flipkart's 'Big Billion Day' discount this Monday (October 6), followed by an apology from the company's co-founders, Sachin and Binny Bansal.
Will the rupee remain steady?
Possible slowdown of FII money into debt and equity markets could add pressure on currency.
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| October 09, 2014 | | Why did Nokia suspend manufacturing in India?
While the tax holiday for the factory coming to an end might be a factor, many say the business model of Microsoft (which acquired Nokia's handset division last year), as well as freebies offered by the Vietnamese government, might also have played a role.
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| September 15, 2014 | | Factors that helped Honda's turnaround
In this industry, a company's strategy needs to be adaptable in order to keep up with the pace of change.
Why time ran out for HMT
Even though HMT has survived for over 50 years, it failed to find a new peg to sell itself even as later entrants captured market share.
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| August 29, 2014 | | Build toilets in the mind first
According to the 2011 census, 67 per cent of rural households and 13 per cent of urban households defecate in the open.
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| August 26, 2014 | | India's e-vehicle dream crashes
If the drop in sales over the past two years is anything to go by, India's dream of putting seven million electric vehicles on road by the end of this decade has come a cropper.
It's the population, stupid!
India is poorer than the world average and so naturally has a greater percentage of poor people and a lower percentage of rich people. Yet using absolute numbers, India has more of almost everything, which is misleading, says .
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| August 18, 2014 | | The sad business of smuggling red sanders wood
The illegal trade in red sanders wood, which sells for up to Rs 80 lakh a tonne in some Asian countries, involves a complex nexus of smugglers and impoverished woodcutters.
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| June 25, 2014 | | MNC funds a good option
Going by 5-year returns, one can allocate 10-15% to pure schemes or go for a large-cap fund with exposure to these stocks.
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| January 14, 2014 | | Why romance turned sour for Apollo and Cooper
Apollo and Cooper are yet to make the customary rounds of courts to settle termination charges and break-up fees, but the mood already is buoyant among institutional investors who had red-flagged the highly leveraged transaction agreed upon by the Indian company.
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| January 11, 2014 | | Murthy allays fears of leadership crisis
At a time when speculation was rife about its course after the organisational rejig last week, Infosys on Friday validated the changes, exuding strong faith in its leadership pipeline and gave a clear signal that the company was unperturbed by the slew of senior exits in the recent past.
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| October 14, 2013 | | The man who lost 90 per cent of his fortune twice
The 91.9 per cent slide in the stock price of Gitanjali Gems since April has depleted the value of promoter Mehul Choksi's holding in the company by at least Rs 17 crore (Rs 170 million) a day on an average.
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| September 25, 2013 | | Is Aadhaar necessary or not?
This is likely to put a brake on the fast pace at which Aadhaar cards have been issued so far to more than 400 million people.
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| September 05, 2013 | | Understanding India's economic mess
The central bank measures though are also taking a toll on the banking sector, which is heavily reliant on short-term money markets for capital.
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| August 30, 2013 | | Why are FIIs selling?
The catalyst is the run on emerging market equities, but many investors are just tired of waiting for India to get its act together.
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| August 09, 2013 | | The Bhagwati-Sen Debate: An Epitaph
Only reforms that accelerate economic growth can generate the revenues to finance expenditure on social infrastructure for the poor, not the other way round, insists .
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| July 22, 2013 | | Why govt should scrap Adani's Mundra plan
By refusing permission for the proposed ship-breaking facility, India can send a categorical message to the foreign ship owning countries that they should keep their own waste and recycle
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| July 10, 2013 | | Is luxury housing slowdown-proof?
The year so far has witnessed several luxury project launches by major real estate companies such as DLF, Unitech, Supertech, Tata Housing and Godrej Properties.
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| June 19, 2013 | | Why price control for drugs is wrong
For the poorest 20 per cent of Indians, the expenditure on medicines alone is 85 per cent of what they spend on their health, according to the National Sample Survey.
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| June 14, 2013 | | HUL's legacy brands foster more trust
Relatively new brands of HUL, such as Closeup, play second fiddle to other legacy brands such as Colgate from Colgate-Palmolive and Vicco.
Why Forbes' editors in India were sacked
Indrajit Gupta believes the edit team was forced out because it had become more vocal in demanding ESOPs that were expressly promised in their appointment letters in 2008.
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| June 10, 2013 | | From ICICI to YES Bank: Meet Shagun Kapur Gogia
Shagun Kapur Gogia might not have convinced her uncle Rana Kapoor, managing director and chief executive of YES Bank, to appoint her as a board member of the bank, but it appears she has successfully carved out her own space in the financial world.
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| May 14, 2013 | | Carbon threshold crossed
While long term solution depends on each one of us altering our consumption patterns, the future depends on next generation technologists and entrepreneurs creating business models that naturally reduce the green house gas emissions.
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| April 27, 2013 | | Help yourself to get filthy rich
With the cunning of a master thief, author Mohsin Hamid has stolen the form of a self-improvement guide with chapter heads that alternate between the mundane and the cynical
Sole searching ends right here
This 75-year-old hallowed store in Mumbai supplies shoes to Amitabh Bachchan, Tatas, Birlas among others.
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| April 15, 2013 | | RPG: A visionary tycoon who believed in his gut feeling
RP would agree that his four years in Presidency College, the influence of great teachers such as historian Sushobhan Sarkar ("I would go into a trance, listening to his lectures"), and regular visits to bookshops like Dasgupta and Dhar & Sons in College Street, made a bibliophile of him.
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| April 01, 2013 | | Debt funds score over fixed deposits
Medium- and long-term debt funds are likely to perform better with each rate cut; returns from FDs will improve but may remain negative
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| March 29, 2013 | | Are US equities cheap?
If investors decide that US equities are good value, the consequences for the Indian market will be dire.
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| February 19, 2013 | | A Budget for the banks
Companies that loaded up on debt when India was being hailed as the world's second-fastest-growing economy are now deleveraging to clean up their balance sheets.
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| February 07, 2013 | | Spectrum sharing should be the next step
By sharing the infrastructure with others, telecom companies can drive down their costs, reduce investments and, in the process, improve their bottom line.
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| February 06, 2013 | | The Supreme Court and spectrum
Only the Supreme Court can rectify spectrum management in line with other resources, but all stakeholders can contribute, writes .
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| January 14, 2013 | | Bengal: The Tea Party state
Very high tax rates can make states turn from extractive to rapacious, and in the process killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
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| December 17, 2012 | | Why land Bill cannot be delayed
In what Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has called the UPA's 'slog overs', several policy changes were announced, and proposed laws cleared.
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| December 12, 2012 | | Lunch and more with IT's marathon man
"I tell all my guys in the office to see this as running a marathon. The front runners are a million times our size. In a marathon, you don't run in front of the pack; you stay in the back and wait for your turn, otherwise you'll run out of steam."
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| November 20, 2012 | | All about greenhouse miracles
India's first exposure to truly hi-tech protected farming of vegetables and other high-value horticultural produce came through the Indo-Israel project on greenhouse cultivation, initiated at the New Delhi-based Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 1998, shortly after the establishment of diplomatic ties with that country.
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| November 06, 2012 | | Battles over food future
A wide range of activist organisations representing holistic and organic farming are at logger-heads with bodies which favour industrial agriculture.
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| August 08, 2012 | | The UPA gravy train wreck
Lo and behold the UPA magic. The share of the poor, in whose name all subsidy is created by liberal bleeding hearts, has shrunk from a little under half to just about one-third, write
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| July 11, 2012 | | All about the patent wars
Apple and Google got a judicial rap on the knuckles recently for indulging in 'silly' patent battles.
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| November 25, 2011 | | Antony opposes FDI in Retail
Defence Minister A K Antony expressed his displeasure to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in presence of their Cabinet colleagues on Thursday, for permitting 51% Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail.
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| May 11, 2011 | | Should the savings bank rate be deregulated?
The initiative will neither help banks nor borrowers since the cost of funds will rise, but it will provide greater scope for product innovation and service excellence.
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| March 25, 2011 | | No need to subsidise urban healthcare
But every sector has its own complexity and the nuancing that the health ministry has sought for such subsidy to healthcare infrastructure needs serious attention.
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| January 14, 2011 | | Can Phaneesh Murthy break into the big league?
For iGate CEO Phaneesh Murthy, slipping into Patni's shoes as promoter of the company that bears the latter's name could prove one of the biggest challenges of his career.
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| November 25, 2010 | | CBI quizzes top real estate tycoon
Shahid U Balwa, one of the promoters of the leading real estate company, DB Realty, as well as the controversial Swan Telecom (now Etilisat DB Telecom), has been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
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| September 22, 2010 | | Should new 2G licensees be bailed out?
Doing so would reverse a dubious set of licensing decisions but the government must also consider the question of 'moral hazard' with the government as the last guarantor of industry risk.
Sensex rise: Why you need to be cautious
While experts suggest that the outlook remains positive, there is also a need to be cautious due to the sharp rise in prices and the fact that markets have already started to factor in 2011-12 earnings.
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| September 20, 2010 | | Why Vodafone grabs global headlines!
The landmark Vodafone ruling was delivered last fortnight amid fiercely debated proceedings lasting nine days and putting to test skills of a battery of lawyers assisting Vodafone and the Indian government.
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| September 15, 2010 | | How India Inc can transform the society
There is a case for more stringent evaluation of CSR plans based on voluntary allocations, but a rule-based approach might be more effective.
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| September 06, 2010 | | How he made a profitable biz from online ticketing
Today, bookMyShow is India's premiere online ticketing site, having sold movie tickets worth Rs 6.21 crore (Rs 62.1 million) for Avatar and Rs 9 crore (Rs 90 million) for 3 idiots early this year.
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| June 22, 2010 | | Warren Buffett's 2 most favourite investing principles
Good investment is quantified fussiness: when you buy, you want to hold out for the lowest price you really can buy for, and when you sell, you want to hold out for the highest price you really can receive.
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| June 08, 2010 | | Now, India gives lessons in management, strategy
Some of these learnings may appear basic or low-tech, but Indian firms are finding that their unique approach to lean manufacturing may well have global applicability in higher technology as well.
What can Tata Nano do for India?
The Nano has taken the world by storm with its simplicity, tactful engineering and the mere fact that such an audacious project could be done in a developing economy.
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| May 25, 2010 | | New CEOs, old problems
Can the television industry's new generation work at solving its old problems?
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| May 13, 2010 | | Will the crisis in Europe spread?
The euro 750-bn package shows the will to protect the EU, but yoking structurally surplus nations to deficit ones makes the euro's survival risky - more capital flows to the US and emerging markets will hurt them.
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| May 07, 2010 | | Capitalism: A zero-sum game
Stock markets and entrepreneurism are linked and private equity is about taking the start-up to the IPO stage.
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| May 04, 2010 | | Meet Coke's captain in India
Coca-Cola's sports-loving CEO on the strategy that has helped him steer the soft drinks giant out of various crises.
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| April 30, 2010 | | From miners to investors
Coal India wants to organise PAN cards and demat accounts for each of its 400,000 staff ahead of its IPO.
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| March 24, 2010 | | Will the foreign education bill help?
Apart from the possibility that top-class foreign universities will not want to set up campuses if they're going to come in as 'deemed universities', there is the issue of a level playing field for Indian institutions. Here are two voices, one for and the other against the Bill. Read on. . .
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| March 12, 2010 | | 'Govt employees enjoy more freedom'
Rana Som, chairman and managing director of state-owned miner NMDC that is currently raising money through a follow-on public offer, is something of a contrarian. He believes the government gives employees more decision-making freedom than private sector promoters.
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| March 03, 2010 | | Think of this as Husain's IPO
Emotional chicanery or fiscal prudence? Whatever it turns out to be - artist M F Husain's decision to accept Qatari citizenship will result in the hardening of his prices
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| March 02, 2010 | | How to be a successful CFO
The chief financial officer's responsibility has become more complex. He no longer just crunches number but also leads the company on various fronts.
Looking East via the North-East
Opening up borders between India and countries like Bangladesh can make the North-East region the fulcrum of India's 'Look East' policy.
Budgeting for the future
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's decision to co-contribute, for 3 years, Rs 1,000 per annum to each individual who opens an account under the New Pension Scheme is more than welcome.
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| February 25, 2010 | | Create jobs in US, get a green card!
Egged on by more than 160 venture capitalists, including several Indian Americans, US Senators John F Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat and Richard Lugar, Indiana Republican, have introduced a legislation to create jobs in America and increasing America's global competitiveness by helping immigrant entrepreneurs obtain visas to the United States.
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| February 24, 2010 | | Expect a market-friendly Budget
Without a market that is positively impressed with the finance minister's Budget, the government will face major problems in offloading its shares in PSUs and bring down its deficit.
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| February 23, 2010 | | 'Twenteens' and new age marketing
Marketers across sectors like two-wheelers, telecom, lifestyle and fast-moving consumer goods now have on their crosshairs young men and women between 20 and 30 years of age.
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| February 12, 2010 | | The stunning success of SEZs
In 2008-09, SEZ exports grew 10 times as fast as overall exports - this year, they've risen while overall exports fell, says .
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| February 10, 2010 | | Congress accuses Modi govt of Rs 14,296-crore scam
Hitting out at the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday, the Gujarat Congress demanded that the controversial deal between Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation's Pipavav Power Company and Swan Energy Ltd be scrapped since it 'smacked of unprecedented corruption and nepotism'.
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| February 04, 2010 | | Bankers see huge challenges in next financial year
The biggest challenge was the large government borrowings that are likely next year to finance the government's fiscal deficit, bankers said at the Business Standard Banking Round Table in Mumbai on Tuesday. According to initial estimates put out by the government, the fiscal deficit will be 5.5 per cent of gross domestic product.
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| January 29, 2010 | | How he steered JLR out of crisis
Smith's financial acumen steered the troubled car maker through its toughest times in the recent past.
You can't read us this way, Indian authors tell Google
Having their works made freely available through the planet is a prospect that has infuriated Indian writers and their publishers. And, they want the upstart which has offered to do the job for free stopped before the thoughtcrime proceeds.
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| January 22, 2010 | | India and the rise of ETFs
A total of over $6 bn has flown into India through ETFs, making this equivalent to the largest country funds
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| January 14, 2010 | | The fastest growing jobs
Not every sector is going to grow equally this year. Here's a forecast of the jobs scene.
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| January 04, 2010 | | Private firms to arm police with modern weapons
On December 21, MHA promulgated a draft Arms and Ammunition Manufacturing Policy, which allows the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (Dipp) to issue licence to large private companies that are capable of producing advanced weapons, and invest over Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million), to manufacture arms and ammunition to be "primarily supplied to the Central Paramilitary Forces, Defence and state governments on tendering basis".
The Leela reflects Gurgaon's rise
The interiors of The Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon have been carefully designed to reflect the city's evolution.
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| December 31, 2009 | | India wins slowdown battle; loses rising prices war
India achieved the distinction of being the second fastest growing economy amid the global recession in 2009, but the joy was marred by the decade's sharpest rise in food prices to the chagrin of common man.
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| December 16, 2009 | | Power is the new dot-com!
Power seems to have become the new dotcom," a market observer said, referring to the surge in the number of companies of all shapes and sizes wanting to get into the power business.
China, India in a huddle over Danish draft
India and China have gone into a huddle over the possible existence of a Danish text, which the rich nations may wield at the climate change talks.
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| December 02, 2009 | | 'Can telcos transfer money?'
With even kiranas now entitled to perform a few banking functions, telcos can be allowed to transfer funds - customers trust them enough to pay crores of rupees in pre-paid revenues.
Loss Rs 7,200 crore, but Air India brass to fly in style
Air India's top brass will now travel like kings with the austerity drive having been given a quiet burial. The airline issued an order on November 27 saying that the airline's chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav and his spouse can travel first class on its flights, whether on work or on vacation.
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| December 01, 2009 | | Karl Slym: GM India's goalkeeper
GM stands fifth in terms of sales in India but its football-loving chief is convinced Chevrolet is now at a tipping point.
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| November 30, 2009 | | Dubai property recovery under threat
The fear of government-owned Dubai World reneging on its commitments to global lenders is expected to find an echo in a reversal of a recent tentative recovery in Dubai's real estate values unless the emirate manages to strike some sort of deal with creditors and / or somehow raises the cash to meet its obligations, analysts and industry professionals said on Sunday.
Check out these navigation devices!
With mobile phones and laptops boasting of embedded maps and GPS features, one would think that personal navigation devices (PND) would make a graceful exit from the market.
Check out these smart touchscreen phones
What you need to flaunt this season are touchscreen phones that are smart and sassy.
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| November 27, 2009 | | Are hotel key cards safe? Well. . .
Experts are divided over how safe the hotel electronic key cards are. Some say these cards store the guests' credit card numbers, while others deny this and call it a hoax. However, for the individual it is now all the more important to be vigilant.
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| November 25, 2009 | | Will number portability hit old telcos?
High-value post-paid subscribers are more likely to use number portability in India where the market is dominated by pre-paid subscribers who look for the cheapest service.
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| November 20, 2009 | | Reading Raju's mind
Not to be missed in the book are the personal details of the Rajus.
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| November 17, 2009 | | Reasons for Vishal Retail's big fall
Today, the chairman of Vishal Retail is eagerly waiting his date with the Corporate Debt Restructuring cell of lenders in the third week of November.
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| November 04, 2009 | | Pranab's trump card
Going by available indications from North Block, Mr Mukherjee may like to do a Chidambaram when he presents the Revised Estimates on February 27, 2010
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| November 03, 2009 | | Public spending on healthcare should be raised
Big global pharmaceutical firms seeking to buy into prominent Indian generic players is, in fact, a vindication of the Indian pharmaceutical story which began with the decision by Indira Gandhi to rein in the cost of medicines and allow process and not product patents.
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| October 30, 2009 | | 5 great business books to read
There are thousands of 'business' books adorning hundreds of bookstore shelves across the world, and new ones keep being written practically everyday. So given this problem of plenty, how do you select the best business books to read? Well, here's help....
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| October 26, 2009 | | 'Being an entrepreneur makes you a better person'
Go ahead and be an entrepreneur! Don't keep saying, I want to be an entrepreneur and one day, I will be one. There is no some day; just go out and chase your dreams, says Prof. Nandini Vaidyanathan.
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| October 15, 2009 | | Living L-I-F-E in instalments
It's offers galore. Cash is good, but you could use your credit card too, and pay back in easy instalments.
New-age brain drain
The 'always on' multi-tasking approach to work reduces efficiency levels - a new study suggests ways around it.
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| October 14, 2009 | | Time for Anil Ambani to apply moral codes to himself
Whether it was the issue of the treasury stock (which came about when Reliance Industries Limited and Reliance Petroleum merged), or the dependent nature of so-called independent directors of RIL, or the opaque structuring of conflict-of-interest deals, Anil Ambani came out with guns blazing, accusing his older brother Mukesh of trying to diddle the shareholders of the company their father had built.
Do Indian CEOs overpay themselves?
Eventually it boils down to whether Board compensation committees whose job is to fix salary levels have the power to question the CEO, especially owner-CEOs.
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| October 13, 2009 | | Where are we in the recovery?
An indication that consumer incomes are stabilising is visible in the demand for residential housing
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| October 12, 2009 | | Vavasi: A giant killer in India's telecom arena?
Not too much is known about the middle-aged Arifuddin who is Vavasi's major shareholder, except for the fact that he is a civil engineer from Karnataka and started the group around a decade ago.
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| October 02, 2009 | | Is the Indian market overvalued?
It would be incorrect to assume that the markets are cheaper when the Sensex is at 15,000 or that they are more expensive when it is at 20,000.
The man behind the Air India strike
The former Indian Airlines pilot won a good deal for colleagues protesting a pay cut; but others question whether the victory was good for the airline.
Good news for home buyers
The new legislation will replace opacity with transparency
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| October 01, 2009 | | India Inc's labour pains
The Pricol and Graziono cases are extreme ones, but there has been a steady rise in the number of worker disputes.
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| September 28, 2009 | | Digital ants to the rescue!
Swarms of digital ants may soon crawl all over the Internet, scouting not for food, but computer worms and self-replicating programs designed to steal information or facilitate unauthorised use of machines. Security experts have successfully deployed a new type of network security software which mimics the habits of real-world ants.
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| September 25, 2009 | | 'Social and political tensions could increase'
'An estimated 90 million people in the developing world are likely to be pushed below the poverty line. Lower revenues will also lead to lower levels of expenditure on rural infrastructure, health and education. This will not only hurt future growth, but also delay achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.' 's speech at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, September 25.
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| September 24, 2009 | | Insurers bank on celebrity appeal
Vijay is the name of the character that Amitabh Bachhan has played in many of his movies. In most cases, Vijay belonged to the underprivileged class.
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| September 22, 2009 | |
'We can buy out the Ambanis and Tatas in 5 years'
Villagers from Raigad and Nashik in Maharashtra and Mangalore in Karnataka speak about how their lives and livelihoods will be affected by special economic zones in their regions.
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| September 21, 2009 | | How to start a business with Rs 500!
Ask students of the Indian School of Business, who have gone through the 'Make as Much as You Can,' an out-of-the-class entrepreneurship module, and they will vouch that Rs 500 is enough.
Can the best automobile drink diesel?
At Rs 81.2 lakh, the BMW 730Ld is the most sensible 7 Series around. Pity most of them will form part of expensive hotel and travel fleets than that of personal collections.
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| September 18, 2009 | | Meet the man behind the Jet pilots' strike
The real mover and shaker behind the development that grounded India's largest airline remained mostly out of the public eye. That was 63-year-old NAG President Captain Girish Kaushik who was doing the heavy lifting in Delhi and Mumbai.
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| September 17, 2009 | | Consumer is king, sellers beware!
Despite its shortcomings, the consumer act is still a handy weapon for consumers to ensure accountability as well as compensation for defective goods and deficient services. It is one of the nicest gifts we, through our government, have given to ourselves as consumers.
India's second retail revolution?
If immediate ownership actually ceases to be the mark of success, it could trigger a second retail revolution, this time focused on the higher end of the market.
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| September 04, 2009 | | Ravi Parthasarathy: The artful deal-maker
Acquiring Maytas Infrastructure could be his chance to show his organisation's ability to think big.
Europe dims Edison's legendary bulb forever
A European Union ban on the traditional light bulb came into effect on Tuesday, despite strenuous opposition from a range of civil society groups. The ban is the EU's latest effort to combat global warming via energy saving.
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| August 28, 2009 | | Who do investors turn to in case of fraud?
The current practice which involves dealing with the Institute of Chartered Accountants to deal with auditors, is long and so tedious, and in practice offers practically no remedy at all.
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| August 26, 2009 | | Private labels dent established FMCG brand share
Though private labels comprise 10 to 12 per cent of the overall FMCG volumes, analysts said they were recording double-digit growth annually and could pose problems for the big players in the near future.
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| August 26, 2009 | | ASEAN FTA: Good or bad for Indian farmers?
India has historically been unable to muster strong negotiating teams in trade discussions, and this has been made worse by routine disregard for the negative impacts on some communities from trade deals.
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| August 18, 2009 | | The secret behind Perfetti's success in India
Globally, Perfetti Van Melle ranks third in the confectionery sweepstakes after Mars and Cadbury. But in India, it leads the pack with a 25 per cent share of the Rs 3,000-crore (Rs 30 billion) per annum market
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| July 16, 2009 | | Indian Rail's just a snail
India's cargo trains run at 19-30 km an hour, they run at 120 km in China - and the difference is only growing.
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| July 06, 2009 | | Pranab Mukherjee's Budget Speech
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the Budget for 2009-10 on July 6. Following is the Budget Speech of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee:
Budget gobbledygook, simplified!
Here is a financial glossary of words and phrases linked to the budgetary exercise to help you manoeuvre your way through the maze that is the Budget.
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| July 05, 2009 | | Food chains eye the highways
After commercial districts, residential markets and malls, fast-food chains like McDonald's, Barista Coffee and Nirula's have now trained their guns on highways. With the improved road network, brand-conscious Indians have begun to travel like never before.
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| July 03, 2009 | | How Australia woos Indian Inc
Praise Sachin to the hilt, avoid discussions on Slumdog Millionaire and ignore all possible holdups like ringing phones while in a business conversation: these among others are some of the tips by Melbourne-based consultant Stephen Manallack, who has trained many Australian corporates wishing to do business with Indian companies.
Trading volume: What it reveals about the market
Volume is the number of shares of stocks, bonds, options, or futures contracts traded during a period
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| July 02, 2009 | | Computer hardware industry wants tax clarifications
Higher impetus on automation through higher funding of e-governance projects and rationalisation and clarity on levy of taxes would bring relief, says the computer hardware industry.
Construction industry wants exemption from customs duty
Here's what the construction industry would like the Budget to do -- introduce GST, exempt customs duty on construction equipment for projects, introduce secondary market for debt trading to facilitate the infra developers to raise money through long term corporate bonds.
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| July 01, 2009 | | Power: Extend mega project concessions
Massive capacity additions are required to meet power deficit and rising demand; so the sector seeks the benefit given to mega power projects be extended to 500 to 1000 MW too.
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| June 30, 2009 | | How the top hotels have fared
Low occupancy rate and ARR together led to significant fall in RevPAR of the hotel sector, affecting its profitability significantly in the busy quarter ended March 2009.
Hotel industry wants infrastructure status
The hotel industry seeks infrastructure status and tax breaks, considering the huge investments required to meet the growing demand, especially in the NCR region for upcoming Common Wealth Games.
G-Secs: Yields rise on rising government borrowings
The government of India has programmed to raise Rs 241,000 crore, but due to scaling up of issuance size of securities, will end up raising Rs 259,000 crore in April-September 2009.
Rcom unable to sustain momentum
With many new players waiting to launch their operations and Mobile Number Portability to be implemented shortly, the competition will intensify further.
Rubber prices harden on short supply
Natural rubber prices move in sympathy to Crude Oil prices, and the added firmness is due to fall in production in key producing countries.
Extend tax holiday to refineries, govt told
Extend tax holiday for refineries in private sectors, reduce excise duty on Naphtha from 16%, exempt excise duty for captive consumption of intermediate products within the refinery for manufacture of exempted products.
Cut excise duty on large cars, govt told
Passenger Vehicle sector seeks cut in excise duty on large cars too, and to reduce interest on auto loans to boost demand
Tata Teleservices: In search of a USP
Tata Teleservices' GSM innings is likely to be a tough one despite its innovative offerings and tie-up with the Japanese market leader, NTT DOCOMO.
Housing sector seeks fiscal concessions
UPA Govt. has committed itself to a comprehensive programme of urban renewal and to a massive expansion of social housing in towns and cities, paying particular attention to slum dwellers.
Japanese yen: Under pressure to appreciate
Japanese Yen is experiencing an up trend lately, especially after the Japanese government raised its assessment of Japan's economy for the first time in three years.
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| June 29, 2009 | | Tyres: Cut customs duty on inputs
The Tyre Industry is one of the industries that have been majorly affected by the global economic meltdown.
Commercial vehicle: Industry seeks more fund
Accelerated depreciation expires by September 2009 while funds under JNNURM for urban transport is available till June 2009; industry seeks these benefits for extended time period.
Banks seek level playing field for deposits
Moderate credit growth at around 22 per cent and relatively higher deposit growth has placed the liquidity situation of banks in more comfortable zone.
Textiles: Remove customs and excise duties on MMF and inputs
The Indian Textile Industry is currently one of the largest and most important industries in the Indian economy in terms of output, foreign exchange earnings and employment.
Alkali: Cut customs duty on capital goods
To reduce the cost of captive power generation, seeks removal of import duty on all capital goods used for small and medium power projects.
AC industry: Big expectations from Budget
The ongoing economic buoyancy in India despite global economic melt down has offered opportunities for rapid growth of consumer durable industry, and in particularly air conditioners and refrigeration industry.
Broking firms seek cut in transaction cost
SST remains as a turnover tax (whether profit or loss) and not tax on income. Day traders and arbitrageurs, who generally trade on thin margins, are affected the most as STT raise their transaction cost. Any further hike in SST could prove negative and damper market sentiments. Removal or reduction in STT will pep up the stock market. Asset pricing is also likely to go up with reduction in transaction cost.
Budget: Will it usher in speedy recovery for India?
Union Budget 2009-10 comes at an opportune time for the New Government. The stake holders expects the New government to spell out its priorities -- be it to spur the economy from the current sluggishness, or to promote inclusive growth, or to contain the alarmingly high and rising fiscal deficit, or perhaps a good blend of all these!
Cement sector seeks duty sops
Only Cement is assessed to retail selling price based excise duty but denied abatement; also seeks imposition of import duty due to emerging surplus supply situation in India
What the two wheeler industry wants from Budget
The growth in two wheelers were triggered by couple of factors such as 4 per cent excise duty cut announced in stimulus package in December 2008, fuel price reduction of Rs 5 per litre in petrol and Rs 2 per litre in diesel as well as the unaffected and untapped demand from the rural market.
Sugar: Govt will focus on checking price rise
As the sugar industry is witnessing an up cycle, the government may not give due consideration to the demands of the Industry. Rather the government is already focusing on curbing the rising sugar prices.
Cut excise duty on pesticides to 4%
Realistically no major reforms are expected for the pesticides industry. Reduction in excise duty is very unlikely, as it would not solve the basic problem of spurious manufacturers.
Busy ministers and a new beginning
In 30 days, there have been a flurry of ministerial pronouncements. It does seem that most ministers have taken seriously the prime minister's observation that this time there can be no excuses.
Why weather forecasting is a tough job
Veteran weather forecaster Dr A B Mazumdar says, "The forecast is made with the help of certain systems and models. But it remains a forecast and hence can go wrong sometimes."
India opposed to 'reinventing' Doha talks
"Our government is fully committed to an early breakthrough in the Doha agreement based on the December 2008 draft texts in agriculture and industrial goods. It must be a balanced agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of developing countries," Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said.
Land Rover to make inroads into India's defence deals
The company is developing a new model in its research and development centre in the United Kingdom, which will primarily address the defence needs of most countries around the globe, including India, said a senior executive from Land Rover.
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| June 26, 2009 | | Budget to carry special 'monsoon' package
Experts agree with the assessment that the Budget next month would respond to the predictions of deficient monsoon rains with a policy package. According to them, rain-fed areas, which are likely to be affected by a 'below normal' monsoon, could see increase in allocation in terms of higher spending through the public distribution system and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
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| June 25, 2009 | | FMCG: Retain excise duties at current levels
While there is widespread expectation that excise duty is likely to be raised on revenue considerations, the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector pleads for retaining them at current levels to spur demand.
Telecom: Industry body seeks a slew of reforms
Liberalization and telecom reforms are known to be necessary to hasten growth in tele-density.
IEEMA urges the govt to continue with power sector reforms
IEEMA is again approaching the govt. with hope and puts forth the most critical issues / concerns of the industry requiring urgent attention of the govt.
Tatas in search of next 'Nano'
The biggest winner of the Tata drive to drill down innovation to every person on every shop-floor is the Tata conglomerate. While the most visible symbol of this has been the Nano, insiders say Tata has already started asking his senior executives, 'What is the next Nano?' The innovation drive is seeking to answer that question.
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| June 23, 2009 | | FINO: Bank to the poor
Mumbai-based FINO, a multi-bank promoted company, is engaged in providing financial and non-financial products and services to the unbanked rural and urban population. It has enrolled 6 million customers since its inception in 2006.
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| June 19, 2009 | | Anand Sharma: Trading on self-confidence
Industry and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma faces several challenges in his new assignment. He succeeds the redoubtable Kamal Nath, who had made tough negotiating positions his trademark. Sharma's style is certainly softer and more conciliatory, and the country waits to see whether he is also conciliatory when it comes to substance.
Big Pharma comes calling to India
Once despised as a 'dirty business,' generics are now seen as salvation, and Indian cos as experts.
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| June 17, 2009 | | RIL gas: The government's stand
If the government accepts the argument put forward by the director-general of hydrocarbons and reproduced in the court judgment, that the government has to accept the $4.20 price while valuing its own share of RIL's gas, then RIL would be faced with a huge setback when it comes to the returns on its gas business.
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| June 16, 2009 | | Of EMI and home loan
Of EMI and home loan
GM's damage control strategy
How President and Managing Director Karl Slym is steering General Motors India after its US parent filed for bankruptcy.
Air India: Headed for a crash landing
While the civil aviation ministry's activist supervision of the airline's functioning is said to be responsible for much of the mess, the airline management has its own sins to answer for.
Ordinary women, extraordinary work
Around 160 women, a mix of housewives from middle-class families and slum-dwellers, inaugurated a polythene bag unit called Swamini Mahila Bachat Gat Akhil Sangh Ltd.
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| June 10, 2009 | | Dealing with nasty EU customs
The more pernicious of these measures is EC Regulation 1383 that allows customs officials and rights holders to interfere in the legitimate trade of generic medicines.
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| June 03, 2009 | | Slowdown: Exporters continue to suffer...
As huge declines continue, the govt can do little. Major trade destinations -- the US, UK, Europe and Japan -- are all gripped by severe recession. Other countries in Asia have experienced declines of comparable magnitude.
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| May 28, 2009 | | Does India need to police the Internet?
Government-appointed officers, not below the rank of a joint secretary, will determine the nature of the offence and levy a penalty. But government officers are not judicial officers. Are they qualified to define, for instance, what goes against 'friendly relations with foreign states' and what is 'offensive' content?
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| May 18, 2009 | | Bharti Airtel's big dream
It's celebration time for Bharti Airtel, which last week became the third telecom brand in the world to cross the magic 100 million-subscriber mark in a single country. The gap between Airtel and its nearest competitor, Vodafone, is now about 26 million subscribers.
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| May 14, 2009 | | Why techies turn bureaucrats
The satisfaction of serving the masses is proving to be a bigger lure for some management graduates.
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| May 13, 2009 | | Can the stock market rally be sustained?
If FIIs come in looking for higher returns, this will help turn India Incs fortunes but a reform-oriented government is critical, says Nilesh Shah.
Laid off overseas, IIM grads seek institute help
Both IIM-Bangalore and IIM-Calcutta confirmed the development. "We have received placement requests from some students from the 2006-08 batch. We are trying to approach companies at a personal level and help these students get placed," confirmed a professor from IIM Bangalore.
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| May 11, 2009 | | Meet the man behind Tatas' nano housing plan
Jamshedpur gave birth to Telco (now Tata Motors) which has just launched the low-cost Nano; Jamshedpur, according to the 35-year old Tata Housing Development Company managing director Brotin Banerjee, is what inspired Tata Housing to launch its Shubh Griha low-cost housing project in Mumbai.
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| May 08, 2009 | | IT companies look for commercial space
According to Mayank Saksena, head -- transactions, Kolkata, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, "From January onwards, we have been tackling an increase in live enquiries in Kolkata. The rate of enquiries is significantly higher than in cities such as Hyderabad. Chennai, Pune and Bangalore, primarily because Kolkata has a large number of old business houses that have been occupying prime spaces in the central business district."
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| May 04, 2009 | | Parle-G, the price warrior
Parle-G enjoys close to 70% market share in the glucose biscuit segment and has held its price line for 25 years now. explains how.
Check out these magical mice
If you have been using the same old mouse on your computer for a long time, then you might be surprised to learn the new features that a new mouse sports. Optical and laser technologies are fast replacing the rolling ball that used to adorn the underbelly of the old mouse.
Flu: India safe but ill-equipped on epidemic drugs
Swine flu was first reported in Mexico, SARS and bird flu in China, but India surprisingly escaped being ground zero for any.
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| May 01, 2009 | | Why is India being shortchanged?
When word gets around that favouritism is de rigueur, it keeps away serious bidders and also ensures that the winners feel they can get away with shortchanging the country.
IMF warnings get grimmer
The warning being issued by many respected economists to governments across the world has been as follows: do not declare victory too soon since the path ahead is a very long one.
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| April 29, 2009 | | "Will banks now start lending more?"
Banks may reduce interest rates in keeping with the RBI's rate cuts, but they are unlikely to lend more till corporate balance sheets start looking healthier.
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| April 27, 2009 | | The success story of rural BPOs
A district collector's experiment in Tamil Nadu is showing the way for more rural BPOs even in times of recession.
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| April 22, 2009 | | RBI policy: Cautious but far-reaching
The RBI's assessment of the economy, presented as a prelude to the policy announcement, was relatively downbeat. Conceding the persistence of a hostile global environment and domestic weakness, the RBI expects GDP growth during 2009-10 to be 6 per cent. This is slightly higher than the 5.7 per cent that reflects the median of its external forecasters' survey.
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| April 22, 2009 | | RBI policy: Cautious but far-reaching
The RBI's assessment of the economy, presented as a prelude to the policy announcement, was relatively downbeat. Conceding the persistence of a hostile global environment and domestic weakness, the RBI expects GDP growth during 2009-10 to be 6 per cent. This is slightly higher than the 5.7 per cent that reflects the median of its external forecasters' survey.
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| April 22, 2009 | | RBI policy: Cautious but far-reaching
The RBI's assessment of the economy, presented as a prelude to the policy announcement, was relatively downbeat. Conceding the persistence of a hostile global environment and domestic weakness, the RBI expects GDP growth during 2009-10 to be 6 per cent. This is slightly higher than the 5.7 per cent that reflects the median of its external forecasters' survey.
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| April 20, 2009 | | Tech M-Satyam: Arduous task ahead
While the deal at the bid price of Rs 58 per share may bring some cheer to Satyam's shareholders as it brings to end a host of uncertainties, Tech Mahindra has a tough task on its hands, given that Satyam's revenues and client-base is diminishing slowly.
'Vision' entrepreneurs -- the new rural biz
VisionSpring trains low-income men and women as vision entrepreneurs and equips them with to sell affordable working eyeglasses and other eyecare products. These entrepreneurs screen for blurry up-close vision, an age-related physical condition that sets in between 35 and 40 years, sell affordable working glasses to those in need and refer those requiring more advanced eyecare to partner hospitals.
Should the Satyam name be retained?
The jury is still out on whether Tech Mahindra should retain the Satyam name. Srinivasan Swamy, CMD, R K Swamy BBDO, says. "Brand Satyam took a beating for only one reason -- accounting irregularities by its erstwhile chairman. The employees were not even aware of the fraud. The company's core values and foundation have not been impacted." The task for the new management, he believes, is to retain its clients and people and the brand image would get resurrected.
The man who is fixing DLF
Though the family controls and runs DLF, CFO Ramesh Sanka is said to be playing a key role in mapping the group's future strategy -- including the move to, now, construct lower-cost housing.
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| April 15, 2009 | | Slam dunk for Satyam
Satyam has been saved. It has a credible owner after an auction in which reputed companies had bid, it has survived the last three months without much loss of business or desertion by staff, it has coped with a severe cash crunch and a national asset can now be re-built into an IT services powerhouse.
What's in a name? Money!
You can make millions, if you are a celebrity and are willing to license your name to other people's business ventures.
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| April 09, 2009 | | Using maths to trigger sales
Behind the activity initiated by a single purchase is a set of rules and policies, called algorithms, that examine your profile, filter the possibilities that may add value to you, alert the correct officers, agents and delivery systems. The maths behind this process is complex and it gets even more so when it needs to be done in real time. But mining data for usable nuggets of information using mathematical techniques is what businesses need to trigger sales.
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| April 06, 2009 | | Why this eye hospital is a case study at Harvard
Sanskara Eye Care's model of charging fee from only 20 per cent of the patients is sufficient to make each hospital self-sustaining in three to five years. But is not the only source of its sustenance. In the US, children are donating their pocket money towards eye surgery in these hospitals. It is $30 for a surgery, says founder R V Ramani.
The man behind RIL's KG achievement
P M S Prasad has been part of Mukesh Ambani's A-team for the last 25 years. The 55-year-old engineer, now president and CEO (petroleum), Reliance Industries, joined the company in 1984, when it was building a captive power plant at Patalganga, 70 kilometres north of Mumbai.
How elections can swing markets
Expect markets to remain volatile as the poll dates come closer as well as if uncertainty prevails post-May 2009.
How safe is the food you are eating?
The govt's move to once again defer the enforcement of detailed nutritional information on packaged food labels is incomprehensible.
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| March 30, 2009 | | TAL trips skilled immigrants' return to US
A procedure known as the Technology Alert List, used to screen visa applications or stamping of visa extensions of people coming to the United States for graduate studies, research or employment in certain specialized areas, seems to have become a hurdle for some highly qualified Indians who want to return to the US.
Conflict! The finance ministry versus the RBI
The stress of dealing with the crisis, often with potentially conflicting objectives in front of them, appears to have brought the differences between the finance ministry and the RBI back to the surface.
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| March 27, 2009 | | Infrastructure: Crippled by the land hurdle
An official review of projects that have been held up is reported to have revealed that as many as 70 per cent of the 190 delayed works are victims of roadblocks in the way of getting land. Some of them have been in limbo for over a decade and may have to be shelved eventually, as cost estimates have gone haywire.
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| March 25, 2009 | | 'Will the Nano change India's auto industry?'
It signals a major jump in the global acceptance of India as a hub for small cars, but maintaining this will require a lot more including, for starters, large production volumes.
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| March 24, 2009 | | The Age of the Nano
Like many other low-unit value, fast-moving consumer goods, the Nano can be expected to alter the dynamics of its market like nothing before.
How suppliers help cut Nano's cost
Some of the biggest and the best component suppliers in the business were roped in, with scissors and ingenuity to bring out solutions within a specified cost structure.
How safe is the Nano?
The Nano is developed to meet all the safety features that are applicable for passenger cars in India -- which is not saying much. What we like is the fact that the car will be able to meet the upcoming safety norms too. Current norms stipulate that the cars sold in India should meet norms set for full frontal crash, head impact on steering wheel, body block impact on steering system and seat belt anchorage strength, etc.
What driving the Nano feels like!
The Nano does not look or feel like a very 'cheap' car. It is a very thoughtfully designed piece of kit, with an agreeable level of fit and finish. Nor would you expect the kind of space it has in its interior. The two-cylinder 624cc engine hisses like a modern scooter before waking up and settling to an idle. The cable-linked gear lever helped select first and presto, we had motion!
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| March 23, 2009 | | Despite downturn, Doon auto bulb industry thrives
After a turnaround two years ago driven by heavy tax breaks currently available in Uttarakhand, this auto bulb industrial unit is now enjoying the benefits of slowdown in auto sector as it is mainly producing replacement bulbs only. "Sales in the auto sector have taken a nosedive during the past one year. So it is natural that our bulbs will be used in old vehicles," said Rajiv K Agarwal, managing director of GBPL, which situated at Patel Nagar, Dehra Dun.
Why audit committees need strengthening
Audit is being questioned by investors. Subhiksha is an example. In the case of Siemens India, institutional investors questioned the valuation in a deal involving the sale of Siemens Information Systems to German parent Siemens AG. This shows the low level of investor confidence in the corporate governance system. The audit committee mechanisms need strengthening.
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| March 17, 2009 | | PF a must for expats working in India
Expatriates working in India and some Indians working abroad for an Indian employer are required to make mandatory contributions to the Indian government's statutory provident fund.
Citigroup, BofA: Fighting to be zombies
Even the poster children of the current banking crisis, like Citibank's Vikram Pandit and Bank of America's Ken Lewis, may be able to grind their way through the recession like the Japanese banks did in the 1990s. But, as a consequence, Japan's economy lost a decade. The alternative -- and one the US consistently urged on the Japanese at the time -- is to bite the bullet, recognise bad assets and recapitalise.
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| March 16, 2009 | | Invested in Satyam? Here's what you should do
Existing investors, who have bought at higher levels of Rs 200 and above, should remain invested for at least a quarter until further clarity emerges from the bidding process.
How Infosys is cutting costs
Grappling with falling sales and a dropping bottom line, companies have had no alternate but to put cost-cutting measures in place. Infosys, for example, has cut variable pay, made appraisals more stringent and asked employees to make a one time saving of $10.
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| March 13, 2009 | | Economic slowdown: Is the end in sight?
If the numbers for the Index of Industrial Production for January 2009 are in fact a precursor to a bottoming out, they suggest the transmission from policy action to economic response is lightning fast. However, the numbers need to be understood in greater detail, and must be interpreted with caution.
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| March 09, 2009 | | Will the rural-urban telecom divide widen?
A further reduction in termination rates would seriously impact mobile operators' plans to expand in rural areas, say .
Goldman Sachs slips on ONGC
Perhaps the most sensible thing Goldman Sachs did in an otherwise poorly-researched report on ONGC was to talk of 'corporate governance issues with cash withdrawals by promoter,' says .
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| March 06, 2009 | | 5 investment secrets of a self-made millionaire
Accept that you cannot judge the quality of a single trade or investment by whether you made a profit or loss.
All about reverse mortgage
A reverse mortgage (or lifetime mortgage) is a loan available to senior citizens. Reverse mortgage, as its name suggests, is exactly opposite of a typical mortgage, such as a home loan.
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| March 05, 2009 | | Loan against property: What you must know
There are many ways you could arrange for money, and one of those ways is taking a loan. You could take a personal loan for the amount required, or you could take a loan against your property.
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| March 02, 2009 | | 7 golden ways to beat inflation woes
If finances are wisely coordinated, it can greatly help in controlling the continuous process of rising prices. To handle your finances during inflation, this is what you should do. . .
Of global crisis & India's ties with US, China
Habitat Centre in New Delhi arranged Eminent Persons Lecture series on 'Geo-Political Consequences of Current Financial and Economic Crisis: Implications for India.' In his keynote speech, Shyam Saran, special envoy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former foreign secretary, spoke about the changes taking place around the world.
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| February 23, 2009 | | The dream home bargain
Have you ever considered a home auction that is periodically conducted by several banks? You actually can get a house which is lesser by nearly 20 per cent of the current market value. Let us help you get started on some research for you to build the plan for your steal.
What's the outlook for Indian markets
With growing concerns over global economic growth and further cuts in earnings estimates, a recovery in markets is not expected before end-2009.
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| February 20, 2009 | | H1B: Waking up from the American dream
Since early December 2008, Sreehari Gopalakrishnan has applied to 176 firms, and the rate of call back has steadily declined. "Earlier, it used to be from 20 to 30 places but now it is less than 10 per cent", says Gopalakrishnan, an analyst with a firm in Connecticut that does relocation management. With the current economic downturn and the housing slump, his company has several houses in its inventory worth millions of dollars.
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| February 19, 2009 | | How HUF status can save you tax
Ccertain tax advantages are attached with HUF under the income tax and wealth tax laws.
Dreams of Indian fabs fading away
Major investment plans for a fabrication facility have put off due to the slowdown. A full-fledged fab requires an investment of $3-4 bn. Moreover, even if a fab were to come up now in the country, the technology would be rendered obsolete by the time it starts production. "If the government was serious about making the electronics manufacturing ecosystem robust, why is it sitting on proposals? How can you sustain a company's interest for so long?" asks an industry source.
The wrong way to get FDI
The new rules for foreign investment issued by the Cabinet committee on economic affairs have two specific problems. Both lie in the new provision that any company which has an Indian majority shareholding and Indian control will be treated as an Indian company.
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| February 18, 2009 | | To GSK: With awe and some scepticism
Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has slashed prices of drugs for the poorest countries and is sharing part of the profits with these countries to beef up health facilities. CEO Andrew Witty said, ' We have the capacity to do more and we can do more. The question is can we, big pharmaceutical companies, rise to the challenge and be a genuine catalyst for change?'
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| February 13, 2009 | | SBI's 8% home loan rate lure
The interest rate scheme where 8 per cent is frozen for one year may not actually be as profitable as it appears upfront.
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| February 12, 2009 | | Before Ramalinga Raju, there was Dharma Teja
Long before former Satyam chairman B Ramalinga Raju admitted to a fraud of gigantic proportions, there was the Indian shipping magnate Dharma Teja who defrauded the Indian government by creating a hollow business empire and living off it. He was jailed for seven years and died soon after his release.
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| February 11, 2009 | | Why government schemes are slipping badly
Since there is no constraint on the availability of central funds for these programmes -- thanks to additional grants, over and above liberal allocations at the start -- tardy implementation by states seems wholly to blame for the lack of progress.
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| February 09, 2009 | | The story behind the $10 'laptop'
Low-cost computing is all set to grow, but if the Rs 500-Sakshat is also to be called a 'laptop', it confuses users and hurts the market
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| February 06, 2009 | | Why do promoters pledge shares?
Most have pledged their shares as collateral to raise working capital or a term loan, to increase their holding or to fund an acquisition as a multinational had done to buy an Indian company. Companies are rushing to make disclosures on pledging of shares by their promoters after Sebi made it mandatory. Promoters have to disclose details of pledged shares if the same exceeds 25,000 shares in a quarter or 1 per cent of the total shareholding or voting rights of the company.
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| February 04, 2009 | | Tax relief: Here's what suits you best
The Income Tax Act provides tax relief if you invest in certain financial instruments. Find out which product category suits you best.
How to save for a rainy day
Let us put away that dreaded thought and focus instead on ways to have access to funds when we need them the most like, for instance, a job-loss or an emergency surgery for a loved one! Here budgeting comes into play.
This university targets the world's most pressing problems
Singularity University will train its students to take on and make progress in understanding and applying fast moving technologies to solve the world's 'grandest challenges,' including hunger, global warming, alternative energy, telemedicine and more.
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| February 02, 2009 | | Economic crisis: No end in sight
In any downturn, the turnaround comes only when investors feel asset prices have bottomed out; when consumer demand has fallen so much that it has nowhere to go but up; and when bankers feel that businesses (or those that remain) are on even keel.
Why the NREGA should not rely on banks
Using banks to make NREGA payments has only added to corruption, says .
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| January 30, 2009 | | Need more from your home loan? Here's help
To avail a top up loan, factors like your repayment capacity based on your income and commitment towards any other loans other than your home loan etc, will be factored in
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| January 29, 2009 | | Should you prepay your home loan?
If you can afford to make larger payments towards your home loan, perhaps because of a promotion or because of a bonus, then making prepayments towards your home loan is a very good idea as it will save you a lot of money over the term of the loan.
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| January 27, 2009 | | Doc in a box
Telemedicine sure helps private enterprise. If it also helps the cause of health care, then why not?
Does your reward system measure up?
Companies also realise that their "solid citizens", too, feel insecure and anxious and that they have to be engaged to give their best during these times, rather than being overwhelmed by despair and pessimism.
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| January 23, 2009 | | Taking a home loan? Beware of these facts
These clauses are overlooked by most home loan borrowers and some of them eventually end up paying interest rates
Wireless wonders
According to analysis done by Icrier, the teledensity of a country/state plays a big role in determining its economic growth.
How the American housing dream went bust
We also have strict regulatory bodies like the Reserve Bank of India, which ensures that loan products that could produce systemic risk never make it to the market.
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| January 21, 2009 | | ICAI in dire need of complete overhaul
Even seventeen years after the government adopted the new economic policy the ICAI is yet to come to terms with the changing times and changed circumstances
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| January 20, 2009 | | Montek's misgivings about AP CM's land deals
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia had misgivings on how and why the chief minister could raise so much money by selling government land, but eventually cleared the annual plan that was promised to be funded by a 32 per cent increase in the state's tax revenues. He put on record his doubts in a 3-page communication to the prime minister on April 23, 2008, a copy of which is with rediff.com
It's advantage broadcasters in the television war
The TDSAT scrapping the Trai's judgement on channel pricing is a major victory for
Should the RBI cut rates again?
Cutting the rates and the ratio by about a 100 basis points will send the right signal as well as give the RBI credible room to make further reductions in the coming months as the situation warrants.
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| January 19, 2009 | | Is this the right time for an oil price cut?
There has been a dramatic decline in oil prices from the high of $147 a barrel in July, to less than a third of that today. However, it is too early to say if this is a fundamental change in the direction of oil prices, resulting from the announced cuts in production by the oil-exporting countries, or a blip in a falling market. The government seems to be assuming (or hoping that it is) the latter and is rushing ahead with its price cut plan.
Are real estate subsidies working?
On the evidence so far, however, these steps have not improved the scale of transactions in the real estate market. Most buyers continue to hold back in the hope of further drops in prices, while developers find that financial succour gives them the staying power to withhold price cuts. The result may, therefore, prove to be the opposite of what was intended, by delaying the price adjustment that is essential if demand and supply are to balance once again.
Corporate governance: What India must do
A well-balanced board of directors, proactive shareholders and swift action against malpractices could restore market confidence.
Is the government going soft on Satyam?
The political consequences of exercising soft options in the Satyam scam would indeed cost the UPA government dearly. The YSR leadership being so close to the guilty group is something that also needs to be scrutinised. Another aspect that has received wider public disapproval is the Centre's reported plan to pump in around Rs 20 billion from public sector banks to bail out Satyam. The government's argument of saving some 50,000 'high-wage islanders' jobs by pumping pubic mon
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| January 16, 2009 | | Satyam, Wipro: Ex-World Bank official denies wrongdoing
Sources close to Mohamed Mushin say he regrets the indiscretion of purchasing the shares that he did, and even though it was perfectly legal, it gave the perception of conflict of interest, that his buying them under the Friends and Family IPOs seemed as it was a quid pro quo by the two companies that had secured handsome Bank contracts.
Satyam: What to expect and what to do
Talks of a possible merger or takeover will not have credence for a while
Corruption in India like Africa: WB official
The IPO offerings to Bank officials were "the least of the Bank's problems. At the end of the day, whatever they may have gotten with stock options or whatever, I think is nothing compared to the rampant corruption that is being practiced on the Bank's lending operations," says former Bank official Steve Berkman.
Survival strategies for Indian tourism
One effective solution is to lower luxury taxes. The tourism ministry has requested the finance ministry and the Planning Commission to work with state governments on this, but no one knows when any results will come, if ever. Another solution is to introduce no-frills, clean and functional budget hotels.
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| January 13, 2009 | | 10 rules of successful trading
This is a crucial advantage traders enjoy over investors -- the ability to make money whether the market is moving up or down. This fact should not, however, lead you to believe that trading is easy; it requires both a skill-set and rigorous discipline.
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| January 08, 2009 | | Want some great in-car entertainment?
All those who spend a lot of time on the road, gear up your cars with these Road Warrior essentials, spanning GPS navigation systems, in-car sound systems and Bluetooth devices.
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| January 07, 2009 | | 'Insider trading' acquires a new meaning in Sebi
Surely, the time for introspection for Sebi is right now. The lessons from l'affaire Pyramid are compelling for Sebi. It comprehensively exposes the workings within Sebi and its organisational weakness. It quickly needs to puts its house in order.
Best indicator of when to buy shares
Although it may be impossible to objectively determine current value, in the light of hindsight it is clear that price does tend to revolve around it. Consequently, several indicators have been developed which purport to measure value and thereby provide a reference point for the relationship of price to value.
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| January 06, 2009 | | Should you prepay your car, home & study loans?
Prepaying a loan is usually a good idea. And, part-prepaying the principal part of the loan makes even more sense. The reason is that it reduces the total amount of interest you have to pay out and, possibly, the loan tenure. But before doing so, you must look at some factors.
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| January 05, 2009 | | What will happen to the economy in 2009?
The problems of financial markets have started affecting the real economy worldwide. Consensus estimates suggest that 2009 will be worse than 2008.
2009 may not be good for the salaried class
Salaried professionals could get unhappy news in 2009. But, patience is the key.
How will Indian stocks do in 2009?
In view of the market downturn since January 2008, will it make sense to invest in stocks in 2009? How will the economy and the stock market fare in the New Year? What are the factors that will affect the market in the coming year and how long should I wait before investing?
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