Archive for June, 2007

Paramount may go for GoAir

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

Paramount Airway’s MD, M Thiagarajan has finally given a clear hint that he is interested in Go-Air. Though he isn’t naming any names.

Jeh Wadia’s airline seems to be the perfect fit as GoAir operates in the western sector and there has been a strong buzz that it is looking for investors.

In fact, at a time when other airlines have been fighting to expand operations, GoAir has refused additional slots in Delhi and Mumbai and has even sent back three new planes.

But it won’t be very easy to integrate the two airlines because they fly different type of aircraft and while GoAir is a low cost airline, Paramount flies in the premium category. However, Paramount may be looking at the bigger picture.

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BSNL, MTNL to offer free insurance

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

Sign up for a new cell phone connection and get insured against accident. Yes! That’s the new scheme India’s state owned telecom operators MTNL and BSNL are presently working at.

The day A Raja took over as telecom minister, he asserted that rural India is his top priority. But he’s not just happy doing what his predecessor Maran too had been talking about, he wants to race ahead.

And what could be better than dolling out free insurance for every cellphone connection.

NDTV has learnt that a new BSNL or MTNL connection will get you accident cover of up to Rs 50,000. Both telcos are already talking to insurance companies and expect to roll out the scheme within a month.

Some of the top insurance companies NDTV spoke to are also in the fray. After all with over six million subscribers being added every month, it’s an easy cash cow even at discounted rates.

Analysts also expect private telecom operators like Reliance and Bharti to offer similar products, after all both private service providers have insurance arms that can be leveraged to beat competition. But for now it’s the subscriber who has every reason to celebrate.

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India will need 500,000 IT professionals in 5 yrs: Karnik

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

India’s information technology sector would require nearly 500,000 professionals in the next five years to cater to the growing needs of this booming industry, Kiran Karnik, president National Association of Software and Service Companies said on Wednesday.

Currently, the industry required 300,000 professionals, however the number was expected to nearly double with the sector being poised for huge growth, he said during the inauguration of the country’s first IT finishing school.

Though the institutes churned out a huge number of engineering graduates, the industry was left with less than 300,000 professionals to hire from, since many of them turned entrepreneurs, some sought jobs overseas while others opted for higher studies, Karnik said.

It was not only shortage of numbers that was a matter of concern but also the quality being churned out.

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TRAI imposes fine for unsolicited calls

Tuesday, June 5th, 2007

Telecom regulator TRAI on Tuesday came down heavily on telemarketers by imposing a fine of Rs 500 on them for each unsolicited commercial call or message – a move that would give relief to telephone users.

Issuing a new regulation to curb unsolicited commercial calls, TRAI said the regulation would come into effect from today.

A National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC) containing list of telephone numbers of the subscribers who do not want to receive Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) would be created by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) within three months.

After the establishment of the NDNC registry, a telephone subscriber (landline or cellular) who does not wish to receive UCC can register his/her number with the telecom service provider for inclusion in the registry.

“The telemarketer will have to register with NDNC registry to avail the facility of scrubbing their calling list,” TRAI said in a statement.

An amount of Rs 500 per call/message has been prescribed to discourage telemarketers who makes calls to numbers registered in the Do Not Call list.

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I see Infosys as an agent of change: Nilekani

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Rumour mills did the rounds of Indian IT industry when Nandan M Nilekani recently stepped down as the Infosys CEO.

What made him relinquish the post in favour of S Gopalakrishnan? Have problems started brewing in the corridors of one of the leading IT companies of India? What plans does Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy have for Nilekani as the co-chairman? Will he succeed in taking Infosys to the next level?

Questions like these thronged many minds and the only person who could provide the facts was Nilekani himself. In a long e-mail interview to Senior Associate Editor (Business) Indrani Roy Mitra, the Infosys co-chairman speaks about his new post, his company’s future, dreams and aspirations. Read on…

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Tata to launch world’s cheapest car in 2008

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Tata Motors [Get Quote] is likely to launch the world’s cheapest car as early as January 2008, turning a whole new chapter in the retailing of low cost vehicles.

According to Tata Motors’ Managing Director, Ravi Kant, work on the Rs 100,000 ($ 2,467) car was proceeding as per schedule and it will be launched in the Auto Expo to be held in January 2008 at Delhi.

The company is also developing a new line of small hatchbacks and mid-sized sedans to be launched in 2008 as well.

The four-door car would be the cheapest offering in the small car segment. Currently, the Maruti [Get Quote] 800 produced by Suzuki’s Maruti unit, is the cheapest and sells for more than $4,000. Similar cars sell for much more in rich countries.

However, competitors and critics have expressed doubt about the quality of the car.

For instance, Tata’s car will not conform to European safety and emissions norms. This is significant since the company sells cars in overseas markets such as South Africa and a few European markets. However, according to Tata Motors it would upgrade the car as and when it plans to export it.

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