< Back Structural changes galore at Air India as a part of Vihaan.AI 31 Jul 2024 Vistara could be merged with Air India and AirAsia India with Air India Express by the end of 2024. Air India Group plans to combine its cargo operations and form a separate entity with dedicated freighters to serve the growing demand. SpiceJet executed a similar strategy by demerging its cargo operations from the passenger side, and IndiGo is planning a similar move. Air India witnessed a 30% spike in air cargo revenue in the past two years. Its cargo tonnage is expected to cross 2.5 million tonnes by 2027. To facilitate this growth, Air India is partnering with more freight forwarders, sales agents, and last-mile delivery agents. It is also developing a new portal for optimising the cargo network. Since last year, it developed a worldwide Key Account Management program to onboard and manage customers. It is investing $200 million in an IT upgrade and switched to Salesforce CRM for customer management. Air India announced a five-year transformative plan, Vihaan.AI , in September 2022 and completed its first phase. Previous Next

< Back Four IAF Fighter Pilots to man the Gaganyaan Mission 27 Feb 2024 The mission will launch crew members into the 400 km orbit for three days before returning them via splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed on Tuesday the names of four astronauts selected as test pilots for ISRO’s first human space flight mission, Gaganyaan (G1). All four are Indian Air Force fighter pilots who underwent extensive training in Russia since 2021 and then at the ISRO facility in Bengaluru. These four have been selected from a batch of twelve sent to Russia for training in 2020. Group Captain Prashanth B. Nair is a trained Sukhoi pilot from Kerela. He joined the Air Force in 1999, earning the prestigious Sword of Honour as the best-performing cadet. He also secured the first rank at the United States Air Force Air Command and Staff College. Group Captain Angad Prathap trained in Russia for 13 months. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla received training in space movement at Moscow’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. The mission should be launched between April and June this year. Previous Next

Depuis 1er juillet, une loi entrée en vigueur qui permis certaines entreprises d’adopter une semaine de travail de six jours et de 48 heures. < Back En Grèce, une loi nouvelle permit allongement du temps de travaille Depuis 1er juillet, une loi entrée en vigueur qui permis certaines entreprises d’adopter une semaine de travail de six jours et de 48 heures. Pour combattre de l’abaissement de la démographie et du manque de travailleurs qualifiés, le gouvernement conservateur est passé une loi qui permettre des entreprises du Grèce de faire de travaille leurs employés une semaine de six jours et de 48 heures ou deux heures supplémentaires dans le cas d’une semaine de cinq jours. Les employés recevront un salaire élevé de 40 % pour le sixième jour travaillé. L’augmentation sera 115 % si celui-ci tombe un jour férié ou un dimanche. Cette loi s’applique aux entreprises privées qui fonctionnant en continu 24 heures sur 24, sept jours sur sept. Cette s’applique aussi aux entreprises qui déclarant une charge de travail grande, qu’elles devront prouver à l’inspection de travail en l’évènement de vérification. En Grèce, le salaire mensuel moyen est de 900 euros. La Premier Ministre Kyriákos Mitsotákis l‘appelé « profondément axée sur la croissance et vise à stimuler la productivité. » Previous Next

< Back A 34-year low Yen strengthening India’s imports from Japan 30 Jul 2024 When the Bank of Japan increased its interest rate from negative to 0-0.1% in April 2024, the Yen depreciated to a 34-year low, thus making imports cheaper for India. Since 2003, India has been the biggest recipient of Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans. Japan has funded several infrastructure projects, like the Delhi metro and India’s first bullet train, by giving loans at meagre rates of 0.1 to 1.8%. Japan authorised the 50-year loan for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train at a 0.1% interest. A declining Yen catapulted Indian imports, especially those from the automotive industry. Between FY2023 and FY2024, India’s imports from Japan increased by approximately USD 1.2 billion, while exports to Japan reduced by USD 0.31 billion. With negligible domestic opportunities, Japan seeks large-scale infrastructure projects abroad. It lends loans at dirt-cheap rates on the condition that India imports technology, machinery, and metals from Japan. Compared to the Bank of Japan’s negative interest rates, 0.1-1.8% rates become profitable for Japanese lenders. Japanese imports from India include marine products and apparel, which are not locally produced in that country. Previous Next

< Back India to host EU’s top leaders for Republic Day, India-EU Summit 19 Jan 2026 European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend the Summit. India and the European Union may sign the much-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA), during the 16 th India-EU Summit on January 27 th if pending issues are resolved. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal calls it the “mother of all deals”. India has pursued the pact for two decades. Climate-linked border taxes, services mobility, and non-tariff barriers could become the highlight of the agreement, or an uneven bargain. Negotiations, stalled for years over issues like tariffs, intellectual property, wine and spirits, automobiles, data rules, public procurement, labour standards, and market access. It regained momentum after 2020 amid pandemic‑driven supply‑chain disruptions and geopolitical shifts. The EU seeks lower Indian tariffs on automobiles, alcohol, and medical devices, while India aims to protect sensitive sectors such as agriculture and steel. India expects stronger access for its textiles, pharmaceuticals, machinery, and services. The agreement could also boost investment, diversify trade dependencies, and strengthen supply‑chain resilience. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back Byju’s to settle BCCI’s ₹158 crore dispute within 10 days 1 Aug 2024 Byju Raveendran’s brother and largest shareholder, Ravi Raveendran, will pay BCCI in three instalments over the next ten days. Distressed ed-tech startup Byju’s signed a three-year jersey sponsorship with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in March 2019. It renewed the agreement for another year in June 2022 but had to seek termination in November 2022 due to a paucity of funds. In September 2023, BCCI initiated insolvency proceedings against Byju for failing to pay ₹158 crores. The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) admitted this plea last month. On July 30th, Ravi Raveendran’s advocate said that the amount would be paid in three instalments over the next ten days. Meanwhile, a group of US lenders has opposed the settlement, claiming that the money Ravi Raveendran is offering BCCI belongs to them. With this development, the NCLAT did not pass an order on Byju Raveendran’s challenge to the insolvency proceedings. Instead, it asked the company’s counsel to submit an underwriting revealing the source of these funds. Previous Next

< Back 10 companies who contributed to Ayodhya Ram Mandir Consecration Ceremony 22 Jan 2024 Nifty hit a record high of 22,124 on January 16th, which is being touted as a divine coincidence due to its connection to the date of the temple’s consecration on 22-1-24. As NSE rallied this month to achieve record highs, ten companies who contributed to the consecration ceremony at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir enjoyed the limelight today. Among these are IRCTC, the online railway ticket booking platform, and SIS Limited, which signed an agreement with Ram Mandir Trust to provide security personnel at the complex. Pakka Limited provided compostable and disposable cutlery for today’s ceremony. Kamat Hotels plans to inaugurate a new hotel with 50 rooms in Ayodhya this month and two more in the near future. Praveg has opened a luxury tent resort in the city with a capacity of 30 tents and one restaurant. Apollo Sindoori Hotels is constructing a multi-level car park, and Genesys is building the official map for Ayodhya city. Allied Digital is providing CCTV surveillance. EaseMyTrip and Thomas Cook, the online tourism portals, have crafted special Ayodhya Ram Mandir trip packages. Previous Next

< Back PayU to enter B2B payments, supply chain financing 16 Nov 2023 It plans to expand its profile once it receives the RBI payment aggregator license. Payments gateway veteran PayU plans to enter Business-to-Business or merchant payments for Indian customers. Once that is set, it will venture into the small ticket supply chain financing space. PayU also acquired a 4.6% stake in the supply chain financing startup Vayana Network. The B2B merchants tie up with multiple payment aggregators, so retention is lower in this segment. PayU intends to use QR codes for offline payments instead of POS terminal transactions. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rejected PayU’s application for the payment aggregator license in January this year. The company had to stop onboarding new merchants after this development. It implemented changes in its holding structure, reapplied for the permit, and now awaits RBI’s final nod. PayU used to generate up to 99% of its revenue from payments till FY2019. Now, it generates up to 47% of its revenue from non-payment related operations and 30% from credit. Previous Next

< Back Adani’s US indictment impacting long term investor sentiment 27 Nov 2024 A New York court accused the Adani Group of allegedly bribing Indian government officials. A New York Court of Justice announced charges against several top executives of the Adani Group for allegedly offering bribes to Indian government officials in a project involving the development of a major solar power plant. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused the conglomerate of raising more than $750 million from investors and $175 million from US investors during this scheme. All this while, Azure Power was also trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Accused are Adani Group’s board members Gautam Adani and his son Sagar Adani; Vneet S Jaain, MD and CEO of Adani Green Energy; and Cyril Cabanes from Azure Power. Adani Group recently secured a USD1.36 billion syndicate loan from eight global banks, mentioned in the current indictment. Adani’s long-term investors have expressed concern about investing further in the group. General sentiment may also prevent other Indian corporations from raising debt from global investors. Previous Next

< Back Network18 to merge TV18 and e-Eighteen.com into itself 7 Dec 2023 The media giant received the Board’s nod to create a single listed entity with these two companies. TV18 will be dissolved without winding up. Network18 announced plans to merge its two entities: TV18, which owns a 13.54% stake in Viacom18, and e-Eighteen.com , which owns Moneycontrol.com . Network18 secured the nod from the Board of both companies to consolidate digital media and broadcasting businesses and form a single listed entity under its brand name. The new entity will include TV18’s TV portfolio comprising CNBCTV18.com and 20 new channels in 16 languages, Network18’s digital assets comprising News18.com in 13 languages and Firstpost, and Moneycontrol.com website and app. The move will create India’s largest news media platform with the widest range of languages covered via TV and digital media. It will lead to operational collaborations, cost optimisation, and higher revenue. Earlier, Network18 held a 91.89% stake in e-Eighteen.com , an unlisted entity, and a 51.17% stake in TV18, a listed entity. TV18 shareholders will receive 100 equity shares of Network18 at ₹5 each for every 172 shares of TV18. Previous Next

< Back Home Ministry blocks 805 apps, 3,266 websites 12 Feb 2025 The action was taken by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). During the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Home Affairs on ‘Cyber Security and Cybercrime’, Home Minister Amit Shah announced the actions taken by the I4C.The I4C is the Ministry of Home Affairs initiative to combat cybercrime. I4C blocked 805 apps and 3,266 websites, caught 19 lakh mule accounts and suspended dubious transactions worth over ₹2,038 crore. It plans to deploy AI to identify mule accounts in a coordinated effort with RBI and banks. Cybercriminals use mule accounts to hide swindled money. I4C’s efforts will ensure mule accounts are closed even before becoming operational. 48% of the world’s digital transactions in 2024 happened in India. 95% of Indian villages are digitally connected, and 1 lakh gram panchayats now have Wi-Fi hotspots. In similar news, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry blocked 18 OTT platforms and associated 19 websites, 57 social media handles, and 10 apps for publishing inappropriate and obscene content. Never miss another post from SalestorrsNews150. Follow Salestorrs on WhatsApp , LinkedIn , Facebook , X , and Instagram . Previous Next

< Back Amul set to expand to the US 28 Mar 2024 Branded milk products like Amul Taaza, Amul Shakti, Amul Slim n Trim, and Amul Gold will hit the shelves within a week. Amul partnered with the Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) in the US for collection and processing as per Amul’s recipe. Meanwhile, it will brand and market its products in New York, New Jersey, Dallas, Chicago, and Washington. Amul will market the products under the name Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, the cooperative society that owns the Amul brand. MMPA is America’s 10th biggest farmer-owned dairy cooperative society and a 108-year-old brand that owns Country Fresh. Amul’s fresh milk will be premium priced, and the company will also supply butter, cheese, and buttermilk to the American market. In the first quarter of its launch, the brand will distribute fresh milk through Indian grocery stores and a few mainstream channels. The man who led India’s milk revolution, Verghese Kurien, set up Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited, which later became Amul. He is also a Michigan State University alumnus. Previous Next