Indian start-up beats big firms in wearable battle

GOQii, a health care start-up, has grabbed the number one position in the wearables segment for the second quarter of calendar year (CY) 2016 with 16.1 per cent market share, leaving China’s Xiaomi behind, the latest release from International Data Corporation (IDC) said. The gain in GOQii&…

Union Textile Ministry plans to fight off cheap Bangladesh import of jute

The Union Textile Ministry is considering policy intervention, both long-term and short- term, to address the issues impeding the growth of the jute industry. It plans to fight off cheap Bangladesh import of jute in the country and revive the growth of the jute industry upon which the economy of …

Bihar govt to launch venture capital fund for startups

The Bihar government gave its nod for the launch of a Start-Up venture capital fund which will encourage young entrepreneurs in the state to start new ventures. The approval to the Start Up policy, 2016 was given at a meeting of the cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The Start …

Pradhan pitches for funds to boot energy sector start-ups

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on September 6 urged the public sector undertakings to create startup funds on the lines of private sector in order to promote innovation and nurture new ideas in the energy sector. Pradhan while addressing a conference on methanol economy organised by NITI Aayog s…

Snapdeal offers Rs 1,000 crore collateral-free loans to its sellers

Online marketplace Snapdeal is offering collateral-free loans worth Rs 1,000 crore for its sellers, ahead of the festive season to enable them to stock up adequately. The loans would be disbursed through its ongoing programme — Capital Assist — which is now managed by FreeCharge and i…

India’s growth is in its small businesses: Nandan Nilekani

One of the founders of iconic IT company Infosys and the brain behind Aadhaar, Nandan Nilekani wears several hats these days — that of a philanthropist, angel for start-ups and an evangelist for re-imagining India. In an interview, Nilekani shared his views on a variety of issues concerning the c…

‘MSMEs feel cash pain, need Rs 5.15 lakh crore in near term’

Highlighting the financial crunch faced by MSMEs, a report has pegged the total credit demand for the sector at Rs 45 lakh crore over the medium term while Rs 5.15 lakh crore needs to be mobilised for the near term. “Crisil estimates show Rs 11.37 lakh crore is only a quarter of the total f…

Common Service Centres to help entrepreneurs in making LED bulbs

Soon Common Service Centres (CSCs) will help entrepreneurs interested in making LED bulbs by providing them with assembly kits. CSCs, till now were being utilised for booking railway tickets, providing Aadhaar numbers and passport applications. The government is proposing to provide LED kits to C…