Cover Story
- We bring you the lowdown on changes in ITR forms this year and tips to ensure smooth sailing
The Rs 80,000 crore milk business
If you thought that all the action in business was concentrated around the e-commerce sector, you could not be more wrong. The unlikely category of milk and dairy products has been seeing some of the most frenetic activity over the past couple of years.
Walking the Tightrope
After two years of growing at a scorching pace, led by acquisitions, it seems things are not going well for AskMe. Recently, there were reports that the company has laid off 600 employees, reducing its workforce to 3,500. The company says this was part of its annual workforce rationalisation exercise. It's not about being noble or politically correct - just good business sense. In fact, retaining the experienced woman employee has evolved to be at the heart of gender diversity efforts of companies across industries. The reasons are not hard to find. Welcome to the brave new world of crowdfunding. As the name itself suggests, it is an alternative method of raising money compared to traditional mores. Here, a large number of people collectively contribute relatively smaller sums of money to support a creative project or donate to a cause/ charity. Bharat Biotech claims progress on a vaccine for Zika virus. However, this raises several questions.
An Expensive Read
There wasn't much to complain about the Kindle Paperwhite. But then came the Kindle Voyage which was thinner, lighter, with adaptive built-in light and PagePress sensor. The latest from Amazon, Kindle Oasis, is a remarkable e-book reader, but not significantly better than the Voyage. he country cannot aspire to be prosperous unless its vast rural economy prospers, urban and rural poverty are eliminated, and agriculture turns remunerative and profitable enough to sustain and support the growth ambitions of India's teeming rural population."There will not be in future any retrospective taxation"
Even as Vodafone and Cairn India tax disputes rear their heads again, forcing many to question the government's commitment towards making India's tax laws non-adversarial, Business Today caught up with Hasmukh Adhia, and asked him about the many tax issues the country is facing. It can be tedious for companies to track comments about brands on social media manually. There are social listening tools such as Radian6 and Sysomos available that collate all brand mentions and help in tracking conversations. Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi zeroed in on the Varanasi village under the Saansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana, the once sleepy village, which did not even have a post office until 2014, has become a centre of attraction nationally and internationally. A series of policy changes related to SUC rates has made the matter complex. Nevertheless, the government is close to finding a solution to the problem that seems to be hurting Rjio as compared with competition including Airtel, Vodafone and Idea. Attackers are no longer eyeing only your desktops and laptops to steal data. Smartphones, which are loaded with your personal details, are on their radar, too. Apps and pop-ups can have malware and viruses installed on your smartphones, even before you realise it. The Gandhis were among the first to answer Prime Minister Narendra Modi's clarion call to MPs to adopt and develop a village as a model village. Urwa and Jagdishpur, were adopted by Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi, respectively just a week after Modi himself adopted Jayapur. As the country prospers, the poverty bar will keep rising and a section of the population will always remain below it. After all, even the US and European countries have sections termed 'poor', though they may be much better off than the poor in India. State-owned insurance behemoth Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) often comes to the rescue of PSUs at the time of disinvestment. Green vehicles have failed to make much headway in India so far, but hybrid ones seem better poised to do so than the purely electric. The book takes one through the journey of IIT Kanpur right from its formative years, but is sketchy and somewhat inaccurate in parts.Managerial Deficit Can Derail 'Make in India'
To truly benefit from investments from global corporations, India will have to rapidly develop its managerial talent."Kwid was tested across Japan, Korea, France and India"
Sumit Sawhney, MD & CEO, Renault India, shares with BT the strategy for the success of its new small car the KWID. Even though basic, the latest smartwatch from Pebble sports a refreshing look. HackerRank is helping companies recruit coding champions through online tests. Harish Rawat was reinstated as the Uttarakhand Chief Minister after comfortably winning the trust vote in the state assembly under the supervision of a Supreme Court appointee.
The Clampdown
It is the end of the road for many 'shell' companies that used the Mauritius and Singapore routes to invest in India. With changes in the Mauritius treaty, the government has closed two popular destinations of round-tripping. Under the scheme, the prime minister wants to develop 6,320 model villages by 2024. In the first phase (2014 to 2016), 699 MPs adopted their first village. As on May 3 this year, 62 had chosen their second village, too. The Bankruptcy Code Bill, which was passed by both the Houses recently, has been hailed by the Finance Minister as the most significant reform after the proposed Goods and Services Tax. The Bill seeks to drastically bring down the process of winding up an insolvent company. There is discrepancy in numbers being quoted because different definitions have been used. The blurring of lines between banks and non-banking finance companies is setting the stage for a bank-led financial system. US-based SunEdison's bankruptcy news casts a shadow on India's chances of becoming a solar powerhouse.
Need to Reboot
The good news is that she has started saving. But too much surplus is going to pay for LIC policy and personal and credit card loans. The Business Today-Money Today Financial Awards recognised the top performers across banks, mutual fund and insurance sectors.
Premium for a healthy life
Health insurance policies are indispensable today. It is important to look beyond the premium amount when you choose between life and general insurers.
Debt funds: Better alternative to FDs?
Debt mutual funds could give you better returns compared to bank fixed deposits as India heads for a low interest rate regime. But be informed.
UPI: The new way of transferring money
Banks are expected to roll out the UPI-enabled services in two months, and are currently running pilot apps The new method of calculating interest rates will bring down your home loan rates
Food review: Hola Mexicana
Go down the corridor that begins at Tabula Beach and you find yourself along a bamboo enclosure that opens up into Arriba, Delhi's newest Mexican grill and tequileria.
People Business
The former promoters of Ranbaxy, Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh, suffered a major setback when an arbitration tribunal in Singapore asked them to pay 56.2 billion Yen (nearly Rs 3,500 crore) to Daiichi Sankyo for concealing key facts during the sale of their controlling stake in the company.
