All stories by Shine Jacob
Stalin's Breakfast Scheme A Social Revolution
Rediff.com3 May 2023'Within a short span, it increased attendance, improved children's physical fitness, and led to a rise in the enrolment ratio.'
Sky is the limit for private space sector in Isro's new policy
Rediff.com21 Apr 2023The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Thursday came out with the Indian Space Policy 2023 to promote greater private sector participation in the entire value chain of the space economy. According to the policy, Isro will encourage new-generation entities to participate in space exploration and human presence in outer space, including collaboration with domestic and international stakeholders. The policy also sets a road map for Isro to transition from manufacturing operational space systems to focus energies on research and development in advanced technologies.
In a first, Kerala adopts water budget to tackle shortage
Rediff.com19 Apr 2023Kerala on Monday became the first state to adopt a water budget in a bid to come up with a solution to water scarcity in certain regions there. The first phase of the project would cover 94 gram panchayats and 15 block panchayats. The Public Water Budget was released by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday, along with the launch of the third phase of the Ini Njan Ozhukatte (Let me flow now) project, for the rehabilitation of irrigation networks in the Western Ghats.
'It's time for caution, not expansion'
Rediff.com12 Apr 2023'Silicon Valley people are generally used to layoffs.' 'Every person who has been in the industry for 15-20 years would have been laid off at least 3-4 times.' 'In India, we aren't used to that concept.' 'So when it came here, people were shocked.'
Automobile retail sales up 14% in March; post 21% YoY growth in FY23
Rediff.com12 Apr 2023Automotive retail sales saw a 14 per cent rise in March on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, according to data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). For the whole of financial year 2022-23 (FY23), sales grew 21 per cent YoY. For both March and the financial year, all categories, except for tractors, and including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger vehicles (PVs), and commercial vehicles (CVs), posted double-digit growth. However, the total retail sales of 22.1 million for the financial year were still 12 per cent lower than the pre-Covid (FY20) level of 25 million, owing to an 18 per cent dip in the two-wheeler segment.
'MSME, gold will grow faster than any other segment'
Rediff.com10 Apr 2023'The market has picked up for commercial vehicles. We are very close to pre-pandemic levels.'
How BJP Plans To Gain Foothold In Kerala
Rediff.com7 Apr 2023On Easter, April 9, 10,000 BJP workers are being assigned to visit the houses of 100,000 Christian families. Plans are afoot to visit the homes of Muslims on Eid.
2-wheeler EV sales up 58%, PV 130% in March: Fada
Rediff.com7 Apr 2023The country saw a massive year-on-year surge in the demand for electric vehicles, with retail sales of electric two-wheelers rising by 58 per cent, passenger vehicles by 130 per cent, three-wheelers by 82 per cent, and commercial vehicles by 171 per cent in March 2023, according to the data shared by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (Fada). According to a report by JMK Research, the EV segment as a whole grew by 157 per cent during FY23, to 1,180,597 units, from 458,746 units a year ago. Overall, EV sales in March 2023 rose by 82 per cent from the March 2022 figure, the JMK report added.
Why EV makers are flocking to Tamil Nadu
Rediff.com5 Apr 2023At Prestige Polygon Towers in Chennai's Teynampet, hectic preparations are on for a mega global investors' meet under the aegis of Guidance Tamil Nadu (the state investment promotion agency) scheduled for January 2024. Asked about the key focus areas of the meet, the agency's managing director and chief executive officer, V Vishnu, said the state was betting big on electric mobility. This is no surprise, given that the state has signed electric vehicle (EV)-related memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with several companies in the recent past that may bring in investments worth around Rs 33,000 crore with the potential to create over 43,000 job opportunities.
South Indian Bank to name new CEO by May as Ramakrishnan announces exit
Rediff.com30 Mar 2023South Indian Bank is likely to name a new managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) by May end, said the Thrissur-based lender on Wednesday. The bank's shares dipped some 14 per cent at one point after MD and CEO Murali Ramakrishnan said he will not apply for an extension when his tenure ends on September 30, citing personal reasons. The bank's board on Tuesday considered Ramakrishnan's request for not intending to continue on his post and appointed a search committee for his replacement.
Luxury Carmakers Eye Small Towns
Rediff.com28 Mar 2023Many of these companies have a waiting period from 6-18 months now, indicating a rise in demand.
'Complete fiction': Zoho CEO Vembu denies wife's allegations in magazine
Rediff.com15 Mar 2023Sridhar Vembu, Zoho Corp's chief executive officer (CEO), said on Tuesday a report that he financially abandoned his wife and son is "complete fiction". An article in Forbes magazine alleged Vembu, founder of the Indian SaaS company, had abandoned his wife Pramila Srinivasan and their special needs son in the US in 2020. Srinivasan and Vembu are fighting a divorce case in California.
'We are exploring setting up an aerotropolis'
Rediff.com10 Mar 2023'We would like to develop Andhra Pradesh into a logistics hub not only for India, but also for South Asia.'
'Dhoni gets the best out of the players'
Rediff.com7 Mar 2023'It is Dhoni, Fleming and the support staff who decide on cricket.' 'The fans expect CSK to do well, and with Dhoni at the helm, CSK is capable of it.'
Major global brands finally return to Tiruppur after a long dry spell
Rediff.com26 Feb 2023Following a gap of several months, global brands like Walmart have started lifting orders from Tiruppur's garment makers, leading to growth in knitwear exports in January after five months. Knitwear exports from Tiruppur increased 1.5 per cent in dollar terms and 11.6 per cent in rupee terms in January. According to the Tiruppur Exporters' Association (TEA), global majors have started placing more orders from the region.
ISRO Satellite, Developed By 750 Schoolgirls
Rediff.com20 Feb 2023AzaadiSAT had around 75 small payloads developed by schoolgirls of 75 rural schools.
Nod to Apple's Chinese suppliers may ring in jobs for Sriperumbudur
Rediff.com30 Jan 2023Local residents say until about two months ago, this board carried the name of Motorola, which once had a manufacturing unit in Sriperumbudur, 40-odd km from Chennai in Tamil Nadu. In May 2020, Luxshare Precision Industry Co, a China-headquartered AirPods and iPhone assembler, had entered into a deal with the Tamil Nadu government to take over the defunct Motorola unit.
'India's young offer growth potential for auto sector'
Rediff.com20 Jan 2023'The semiconductor supply is constantly improving, with visible green-shoots in the situation as compared to earlier part of last year'
Ashok Leyland's telematics is a next gen solution
Rediff.com14 Jan 2023According to reports, by last year, the company has helped its customers save 15 per cent on costs -- around 5-6 per cent on fuel and 15 per cent on fleet utilisation through digital measures.
Tata Motor's Mission 2045: Electric, Flex-fuel And Hydrogen ICE
Rediff.com13 Jan 2023'Battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen ICE, could be the three technologies which have the potential of being zero emission and that are what we will have to work on,'