All stories by SURAJEET DAS GUPTA
Indians Now Boarding For Central Asia
Rediff.com13 hours agoJust over a three-hour flight from Delhi, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia have seen a big jump in visitors.
Large deals power paradigm shift in India's venture capital terrain
Rediff.com17 hours agoIndia's venture capital (VC) landscape saw a strategic shift during the first half (H1) of the calendar year (CY) 2024, with a notable increase in larger-sized investments. This was evident from a 45.3 per cent rise in disclosed funding value year-on-year, despite a 2.1 per cent drop in deal volume, according to GlobalData, a data analytics and consulting company.
Rs 1.82 trn GST from cell phones 5x what PLI allocated
Rediff.com7 days agoGoods and services tax (GST) collections from mobile device companies, amounting to Rs 1.82 trillion between 2020-21 (FY21) and 2023-24 (FY24), have already generated more than five times the revenue for the government compared to the Rs 34,149 crore allocated under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for mobile devices over six years ending 2025-26 (FY26). Currently, the GST on mobile devices stands at 18 per cent.
Google Pixel Phones Now Made in India
Rediff.com7 days ago'The plan is to assemble most of the new phones in India within three years.'
Ather's $450 mn IPO the next big spark in electric revolution
Rediff.com15 Aug 2024Bengaluru-headquartered electric two-wheeler manufacturer Ather Energy is all set to file its draft red herring prospectus within the second week of September to the Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for its maiden initial public offering (IPO), in which it is expected to raise over $450 million. On Tuesday, the fourth-largest electric two-wheeler maker in the country by volume raised Rs 600 crore from its existing investor, the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), catapulting itself into a unicorn with a valuation of $1.3 billion.
Qualcomm launches India-made chip to compete with MediaTek in 5G market
Rediff.com31 Jul 2024Qualcomm launched its new affordable, India-designed chipset, the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2, on Tuesday. This chipset will enable mobile device makers to sell 5G smartphones operating on a standalone (SA) network for Rs 8,300 or less.
'You Can't Solely Rely On Electric Cars'
Rediff.com22 Jul 2024'At present, hybrids emit lesser carbon despite using fuel than pure play electric cars.' 'That is because EVs have to be charged and 76 per cent of the country's electricity is still coal-based and not renewables.'
Can Bajaj's Freedom 12 Disrupt 2-Wheeler Market?
Rediff.com19 Jul 2024'They are testing the waters to see if there is a market. That is why they are not giving sales targets.'
Want A Job In The Movies? Click Here!
Rediff.com18 Jul 2024The ministry of information and broadcasting is working on a proposal to set up a mega movie production studio -- akin to those in Hollywood -- with an investment of Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion), which will be supported by the government.
Apple Sales In India Up to 67,000 Cr
Rediff.com16 Jul 2024Despite the robust growth in this country, Apple's India share in its overall global sales remained modest -- constituting 1.5 per cent of its overall turnover of $389 billion in FY23.
How to make India an electronic & semiconductor products nation
Rediff.com11 Jul 2024A task force set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) for transforming India into an "electronic and semiconductor products" nation is on the verge of finalising its report, which is likely to recommend an allocation of Rs 44,000 crore between 2024 and 2030 to support homegrown companies in their quest to develop products and build global brands. The task force's recommendations include significant incentives: Rs 15,000 crore dedicated to electronic products (systems), Rs 11,000 crore for semiconductor products, and Rs 18,000 crore for various other incentives such as talent development, common infrastructure, logistics, and technology & IP (intellectual property) acquisition, a member of the panel revealed.
CRED's Kunal Shah Is Top Startup Founder-Investor
Rediff.com3 Jul 2024Kunal Shah has funded over 266 startups including Razorpay, Snapdeal, Zetwork, BlueSmart, Unacademy, Bliss Club, and Spinny, amongst others.
India now 3rd-largest domestic airline market; capacity doubles in 10 yrs
Rediff.com20 Jun 2024India is the third-largest domestic airline market in the world, up from number five position a decade ago, according to analysis based on OAG data. The data shows India's domestic airline capacity doubling in a decade from 7.9 million in April 2014 to 15.5 million in April 2024. In reaching the third slot, India has replaced Brazil (pushed to fourth place with 9.7 million) and Indonesia (relegated to fifth in the rankings with 9.2 million).
iPhone exports from India hit $2 billion in April-May
Rediff.com12 Jun 2024Technology giant Apple Inc has pushed the pedal on exporting iPhones from India by racking up exports valued at over $2 billion in the first two months of the current financial year (FY25), according to the data provided by vendors to the government. This accounts for 81 per cent of the country's total production of iPhones worth $2.6 billion. In May, Apple repeated its performance of April and once again crossed $1 billion of iPhone exports.
Feud in Godfrey Phillips: Samir Modi files FIR against mother Bina
Rediff.com4 Jun 2024Godfrey Phillips executive director Samir Modi has lodged an FIR in New Delhi's Sarita Vihar police station, alleging that her mother Bina Modi and Lalit Bhasin, one of the company's board members, orchestrated an assault on him during the board meeting. It further exacerbated the ongoing feud among the late KK Modi's family members over the distribution of the Rs 12,000 crore inheritance. Bina is also the director of Godfrey Phillips.
Are Plug-In Hybrid Cars The Future?
Rediff.com15 May 2024Plug-in hybrids have two engines and the electric part has a much larger battery than in the regular hybrids. Car companies, led by the Japanese, are pushing the Indian government to look at hybrids in the interim if it wants to reduce carbon emission.
Weizmann to move court against Western Union on trademark, logo issue
Rediff.com13 May 2024Mumbai-based Weizmann, part of a diversified group, will take to court its former partner Western Union Holdings, the American money-transfer giant, alleging that the United States-based company has imitated its trademark and logo. This, its lawyers say, constitutes a case of infringement and dilution of its intellectual-property rights.
In red-hot AI space, funds for Indian startups cooling down: Traxcn
Rediff.com11 May 2024Venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) funding for Indian startups in the artificial intelligence sector has seen a dramatic decrease with deal sizes shrinking, notwithstanding the buzz around the country's potential as a major AI hub. Data from research agency Traxcn, which tracks PE/VC investments, shows that total funding for AI startups in India, which started with a bang in 2022 at $599 million, dropped sharply in 2023 to $168.4 million - a decrease of over 71 per cent.
Finnish phone maker HMD plans to make India its manufacturing hub
Rediff.com10 May 2024Finnish phone manufacturer Human Mobile Devices (HMD Global), which acquired the Nokia brand name from Microsoft, is planning to make India a key manufacturing hub for its phone exports. The company only began exporting late last year with the Nokia 105 Classic. What started mainly with feature phones will now extend to smartphones - it announced the global launch of models under the HMD brand for the first time a few days ago and these will be available in India too.
Top 6 Auto Brands Sold 92% Cars
Rediff.com10 May 2024The top six auto brands are: Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Toyota, Kia and Mahindra & Mahindra.