Author: Alisha Sachdev

This North Goa bar breaks the rules of gin pairing like never before

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Gin is one of those versatile spirits that combines a delicious high with a sophisticated aura. It is easy to like – you can take your pick from a crisp, herby Portuguese label to a dry Japanese make. A waft of gin infused with rare botanicals is as pleasing to the nose as a sip of it on the rocks is to the palate.

And don’t even get me started on the many gin cocktails – iconic & experimental – without which day drinking is simply incomplete.

No wonder that so many dedicated gin bars are sprouting up all over – the most recent noteworthy addition being Sylvia at Marriott’s W property in Vagator, in North Goa.

Sylvia is home to over 25 distinguished gin labels, ranging from British, German, Japanese, Himalayan, and of course Indian craft. It is an 8-seater bar that can expand and transform into a 150-seater space for a larger soiree.

Also Read: Travel and movies ruled festive spending in 2021: PayU report

The Gibson Course

However, what steals the deal at Sylvia is the unique Gibson Experience that W Goa offers.

In the early 20th century, graphic artist Charles Dana Gibson is said to have requested a fresh take on the Martini while visiting New York private social club The Players, resulting in the garnish swap. Inspired by that history, Sylvia has curated a menu of five, that breaks the rules of gin pairing, giving guests an unexpected experience that sparks even the most discerning palates.

Technique-forward cocktails

Apart from the Gibson Course, Sylvia has put on its menu what they called “technique-forward cocktails”, which frankly, are quite eye-popping as they are palatable: For example, Dragon Eye is curated using the Sous Vide technique which means “under vacuum” in French. For this cocktail, the alcohol is in a plastic bag and infused with various herbs and fruits before boiling the whole concoction to bring alive a more robust, refreshing flavour. Sounds delicious? You bet it does.

This, however, is a limited-capacitt experience – and you will have to be lucky to make the cut to experience one of the only 10 of these cocktails Sylvia belts out in a day.

Also Read: Ingka Group to open its first shopping centre in India at Gurugram, to invest Rs 3,300 cr

“Within the first quarter of its launch, Sylvia has had a phenomenal response with not only our hotel guests but also locals and tourists coming down specially to experience the new gin bar in town. W Goa’s exclusive Gibson course has been the absolute highlight, with even first-time gin drinkers becoming a fan,” Tanveer Kwatra, general manager, W Goa told CNBC-TV18.

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Smooth Ride Podcast: India’s EVs need smaller batteries that can be topped up more often, says Exponent Energy

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Today’s electric vehicle market in India is a rich one – there are many products and many more enthusiastic buyers. But, while the product pie, when it comes to the vehicle itself grows, a fundamental challenge that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have to contend with is the lack of infrastructure conducive to slow, overnight home charging.

It is a solution that simply doesn’t work for a large number of Indian customers who do not have a dedicated parking spot. A defining trait of this market is also its price sensitivity, which means that higher upfront costs for vehicles with bigger batteries put EVs out of reach for many prospective buyers.

In that scenario, how does one truly scale EVs? By building fast-charging systems that can be deployed at scale, without degrading the battery too much, says Exponent Energy.

In this episode of the Smooth Ride podcast, CNBC-TV18’s Alisha Sachdev talks to Arun Vinayak, co-founder of Exponent Energy and also ex-chief product officer at Ather Energy.

Vinayak is trying to make the power grid and EVs talk to each other much more seamlessly than they do today.

“People build technology in isolation. A lot of people would buy charging stations and then set them up, operators who would then wait for customers to come, but then you also have batteries built that take eight hours to charge… if I was to draw an energy flow map, OEMs want complete control on the energy flow between the charger and the vehicle… but energy doesn’t seem to flow from the grid to the vehicle seamlessly, and efficiently.” Vinayak says.

Tune in to Smooth Ride podcast to find out how Exponent Energy’s solutions can be developed at scale and affordably, to solve that problem.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Gujarat most logistics-efficient state in India, says report

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Gujarat has retained its top spot in a list of state-wise rankings on the logistics’ ecosystem, said a report released by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.

The report, titled “Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) 2021” is in its third edition, and analyses the “business environment at the state-level, pertaining to logistics infrastructure, policy framework and regulatory regime”, according to Amrit Lal Meena, Additional Secretary, Logistics.

Gujarat is followed by Haryana in the second spot, Punjab in the third and Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra in the fourth and fifth spots respectively. Delhi tops the list of UTs which are ranked separately in the list. The three main components of the report are infrastructure, services and operating and regulatory environment for logistics.

“Some states have leapfrogged very significantly – Uttar Pradesh has climbed up 7 ranks in just 2 years, the highest jump that any state has had, reflective of the spending on infrastructure the state must have done”, Goyal told reporters in an event to unveil the report.

The government outlined an expectation of reducing logistics costs by 5 percent in the next five years.

“Infrastrcture can change the destiny of our nation.High quality, low cost and expansive infrastructure at scale has enabled nations to gain prosperity… and efficient infrastructure will be a natural outcome of that”, Goyal added.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Urban Company responds to concerns, charts out 12-point change plan

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Following concerns raised by some female beauty service professionals associated with the on-demand at-home services app Urban Company (UC), the startup has now floated an internal memo to introduce a 12-point change agenda including a reduction in commissions, product costs, penalties and a change to the partner rating systems, sources told CNBC-TV18.

A formal announcement to that effect is likely to be made today after a group of UC professionals meet with co-founder Abhiraj Singh Bhal.

As part of the change plan, UC will slash commissions on the highest slab of services from 30 percent to 25 percent.

“Prices will be increased in some beauty SKUs to maximize partner earnings. Partner blocks, other than rating blocks will be removed from the platform too, which will result in 80 percent of the blocks being done away with”, according to the plan.

Sources also added that every partner will now be allowed 1 cancellation or no-show without penalties each month, plus up to 2 penalty-free cancellations intimated 12 hours prior to the appointment.

“I hope you will not misuse this provision”, Bhal said as part of the note sent to partners.

The penalty cap, which is the maximum penalty that can be levied on any partner will be reduced to Rs 1500.

Customers will be charged a fee for last-minute cancellations, and average ratings will be calculated on 100 jobs instead of 50 jobs.

UC professionals are sent for a 5-day refresher training course if their ratings fall below a certain threshold. The duration of that training will reduce from 5 days to 3 days.

A critical point that service professionals raised was of auto-debit of credit that may have been availed by a UC professional from the platform.

The company will no longer auto-debit these credit deductions.

Moreover, UrbanCompany has said that it will set up a dedicated women’s helpline for female partners and sensitize customers towards treating partners with respect and dignity.

The protesting professionals had also alleged that the company was charging high mark-ups on products. However, UC maintains that it has in fact been operating at zero profit from the sale of these products and sells them at wholesale prices, pretty much at cost price.

Urban Company will charge professionals for products only after taking their consent. The company has also slashed prices by 10-15 percent in certain high-value categories.

Also, the company will extend vaccination support and reimburse each pro’s vaccination cost until December 31, 2021 and make insurance claims easier.

However, UC’s partners, members of the All India Gig Workers Association told CNBC-TV18 that while the company has taken a big step forward, some other key demands are yet to be met.

For instance, UC professionals say commissions must be reduced on low-value and base category jobs. For example, the commission charged on the Classic category of beauty services is at an 8 percent rate, which the professionals demand must be reduced to 5 percent, as a large number of jobs they receive fall in this category.

Further, they’ve asked that they should only be rated on service delivery performance, not other personal parameters.

Earlier, a section of UC’s beauty service professional protested outside the office of the unicorn in Gurugram, alleging the company charged high commissions and dealt with them in a non-transparent manner.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Looking at India-Aus trade partnership with fresh eyes, says Australia minister

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India and Australia have committed to formalising a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries by the end of 2022, Australia’s minister for trade and investment, Dan Tehan told reporters on Thursday in New Delhi.

Tehan met his Indian counterpart, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, along with a delegation led by the Australian High Commissioner to look at India and Australia’s economic partnership “with fresh eyes”, he said, adding that the current volume of trade between the two countries does not reflect the true extent of the economic partnership between the two countries.

The minister said dedicated teams will be set up by both sides to meet the commitment the two countries have made, with an attempt to finalise an interim agreement by Christmas this year. The countries will also put in their offers for an early harvest deal as soon as October.

Goyal said that there is a commitment from both sides to finalise the FTA in a time-bound manner, adding that pre-RCEP trade negotiations with Australia, which started in 2011 and had to be put on hold as both countries negotiated the agreement, saw a delayed resumption due to COVID-19.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

E-commerce vendors hit by rising shipment costs, may pass burden to customers

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As large sellers on e-commerce platforms gear up for mega festive season sales, starting next month, they have to contend with high delivery costs. Logistics companies are increasing shipment rates to offset rising operational expenses, which may have a spill-over effect on e-commerce orders, with deliveries likely to get more expensive.

A week ago, transport and e-commerce logistics company FedEx announced that it will hike shipment rates in the US market this festive season onwards. An increase in shipment costs may have to be passed on to be customers, though FedEx did not respond to CNBC-TV18’s query on whether there will be similar revisions for the Indian market.

For logistics players, operational costs are an on the upswing on account of high fuel prices, costs associated with moving trucks and drivers to multiple geographies, and general economic inflation.

Also read: Rising freight costs worry pharma companies

A leading domestic package delivery service that CNBC-TV18 spoke to suggested that it is asking anything between 10-15 percent higher shipment rates at the moment, and in some regions like North and East India, the increase is as steep as 15-20 percent. There is a similar trend across surface transport services.

Large vendors on e-commerce platforms have been hit by these high costs, and may have to consider passing some of these on to the customer. This could be done by increasing the value of orders qualifying for free delivery, and by hiking shipping charges, which have already been increased on some platforms.

Of course the impact will be higher on low-value items where there isn’t much room to absorb these costs, or where there was existing inventory with the seller. Further, shipment costs have risen for large consumer electronics companies owing to soaring container prices, and the high costs of inland transportation — not to mention the high raw material costs and the ongoing semi-conductor chips shortage.

However, for large e-commerce companies like Flipkart and Amazon, investments in hiring and deploying delivery personnel and putting up fulfilment centres to achieve economies of scale and timely deliveries will help.

E-commerce giants have their eye on servicing the new demand emanating from tier 3 and tier 4 towns as well, and the high costs of shipping will pressure warehouses in the region.

Also read: Explained: How consumers will feel ripple effect of surging freight rates

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Govt asks customs to free up 20,000 held up containers for exports; industry expects short-term relief

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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An inter-ministerial task force comprising representatives from the Commerce, Railways and Shipping ministries is looking to initiate several short-term actions to make more containers available to exporters and cushion prices that have gone up by 200 percent-300 percent over the last one year.

An acute shortage of shipping containers has been pushing up global prices of containers with no immediate signs of abating. Indian exporters, chasing an ambitious $400 billion export target are struggling to secure containers without hurting their bottom lines.

Also Read – Explained: The international container shortage; its impact on Indian traders

The Central Bureau of Indirect Taxes (CBIC) has instructed Customs to immediately release nearly 20,000 TEUs or twenty-foot containers which are currently held up due to unclaimed or seized and confiscated goods. The CBIC, citing the ongoing shortage, has said that these containers should be made available for exports. Sources that CNBC-TV18 spoke to said Customs will file weekly reports detailing the number of containers it has been able to free up, and some of this easing up is already visible on the ground.

While the government has said that container prices are determined by the market and therefore placing a price cap on them was not possible, sources indicate that the task force is mulling several short-term support schemes, such as extending TMA or Transport and Market Access benefits exports to more export categories. The government has recently expanded the scope of the TMA concessions for agriculture to include dairy products and also increased the rates by 50 percent for exports by sea.

Also Read: Container shortage is cause of concern, says FIEO

The government has also urged shipping lines to “work as partners” with the government, Sunil Vaswani, Executive Director, Container Shipping Lines Association of India told CNBC-TV18. While pointing out that the world’s third-largest shipping line CMA-CGM has decided to freeze freight rates till February 2021, shipping lines have also requested exporters to give advance notice of their requirements to aid transparent pricing.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Smooth Ride Podcast: M&M’s new Chief Design Officer on new SUV logo, born-EVs and more

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) recently appointed Pratap Bose as its chief design officer at a time when the automaker wants to go for the kill in India’s competitive SUV market.

In this edition of the Smooth Ride Podcast, CNBC-TV18’s Alisha Sachdev chats with Bose about the new brand logo on Mahindra XUV700.

Bose who is no stranger to the game as he was Tata Motors’ former global design chief says the brand essence of Mahindra’s SUVs has been redefined to “explore the impossible”. The new logo will be seen not only on cars but also in showrooms, and on other physical and digital assets.

The two also discuss the plan ahead to accomplish M&M’s vision to become “more SUV than ever”, the buzz about born electric vehicles, customer connect and more

Tune in to the Smooth Ride Podcast for more

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Tata Motors teases new Tigor EV, to come powered with Ziptron technology

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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After the widespread success of Tata Motors’ flagship electric car, the Nexon EV, the company on August 11 teased a facelift of its well-known compact electric sedan — a refresh of the Tigor EV.

The Tigor EV has been in the market as a fleet vehicle deployed across various government ministries and PSUs. The government procures these cars through Energy Efficiency Services Limited or EESL.

Fasten your seatbelts. The all-new EV from Tata Motors is here! #Ziptron #ZiptronElectricAscent #TataMotors #ElectricVehicle #TataMotorsEV pic.twitter.com/OKMuKrK4BD

— Tata Motors Electric Mobility (@TatamotorsEV) August 11, 2021

In July, Tata Motors rebranded the Tigor EV as Xpres-T: the first electric product under the automaker’s new Xpres targeted exclusively for fleet applications.

The new Tata Tigor EV, however, will be launched with the company’s Ziptron powertrain, which also powers the Nexon EV. This means the car’s performance will be far more enhanced vis-a-vis its fleet counterpart.

Launched in 2019, the Ziptron technology that will power the new Tigor EV guarantees fast charging capabilities and a “minimum range of 250 kms”, according to the company.

The existing Xpres-T model for fleet owners comes with a claimed range just a shade above 200 kms.

Cars with the Ziptron powertrain also come equipped with batteries with a warranty of eight years and adhere to IP67 standards. Tata Motors will most likely extend these features to the new e-Tigor too if it plans to make the car a success in the personal segment.

The fully camouflaged glimpses of the car also reveal some changes to the exterior – including LED DRLs and signature teal accents.

Tata Motors Chairman N Chandrasekaran had earlier said that the firm plans to become a leading player in the sustainable mobility business and will have 10 new EVs by 2025.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

July passenger vehicle registrations top pre-COVID level; long wait list due to supply hitch

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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For the first time since the onset of COVID-19-related lockdowns in March 2020, passenger vehicle registrations have surpassed pre-pandemic levels. According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association (FADA), passenger vehicle retails grew 24.27 percent in July this year, compared to a normal, pre-pandemic July in 2019.

Registrations of passenger cars were up 63 percent on a YoY basis in July, two-wheelers by 27.56 percent, three-wheelers by 83.05 percent, commercial vehicles by 166 percent and tractors by 6.64 percent, according to data released by the FADA. Tractors and passenger vehicles were the only segments to register growth vis-a-vis 2019.

FADA said it foresees the momentum will continue in August, and retail recovery will continue to improve. However, customers looking to take deliveries of their vehicles in time for the festive season should act proactively.

Also read: India considering sharp import tax cuts on EVs after Tesla lobbying

“FADA has been raising a red flag over semi conductor shortage for a while. Dealers have a waiting period between 2-4 months,” Manish Singhania, vice president, FADA, told CNBC-TV18, adding, “Passenger cars have a continued waiting period and we do not foresee an immediate improvement. Customers must book their vehicle right if they want to buy it during the festival season.”

The supply constraints stem from a global shortage of semi-conductors as chipmakers struggle to ramp up production to meet the unexpected demand for automobiles which came up after the first wave of the pandemic.

“Most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been affected by the chip shortage. Tata Motors and Kia have been managing it, but they are affected too​. No OEM is unable to supply as per customer demand,” Singhania said.

Also read: Hyundai brings N Line brand to India; first model under N badge to debut this year

The high demand also means OEMs are unlikely to offer handsome festive season discounts — especially for models in the compact SUV space where demand is high and companies are struggling to supply the vehicles.

“But even as a preference for personal mobility becomes an enduring trend, first-time buyers, or customers on a budget are being kept out as automakers across the boards have announced price hikes to offset rising raw material costs. Increasing vehicle costs and high fuel prices are a real deterrent for entry-level customers,” Singhania explained.

The consistent increase in passenger car sales, though, seems to suggest that the demand for personal mobility — at least at this point in time — trumps considerations stemming from rising costs.

Also read: Volvo Car India defers booking, launch of XC40 Recharge to early next year

Booking periods averaging to even four months in many cases suggest customers are willing to pay a premium for models in high demand, and a robust pipeline of new launches has kept the interest intact, despite the long delivery timelines.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow