OPINION, P2 EXPRESS ADDA ‘An institution is only so strong as the people willing to defend it’ Page 5 ‘Exact words’is a betrayal FE LINES Tesla is coming, but electric mobility is still a work in progress. Can electric cars survive in India? Page 9 FAREED ZAKARIA ACROSS THE AISLE , P CHIDAMBARAM The road ahead SPOTLIGHT Follow us on Twitter & Facebook. App available on App Store & Play Store WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM VOL 13 NO. 46 THEWITCH'S TALE FINANCIAL EXPRESS ON SUNDAY MUMBAI SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2021, 14 Pages, `10 P U B L I S H E D F R O M : A H M E D A B A D , B E N G A L U R U , WHAT'S INSIDE ■ LEISURE, P6 The truth diet From keto and low-fat to vegan and paleo, there are a plethora of diet fads swirling all around us, luring those looking to lose weight quickly. But do they actually help in weight loss or are they just passing trends? Experts weigh in... ■ WORDS WORTH, P4 The ironies of politics An account of Vajpayee’s term lays bare the hypocrisy of political theorists ODD & EVEN ROHNIT PHORE C H A N D I G A R H , C H E N N A I , A clutch of filmmakers are giving the witch a voice and story of her own Page 7 READ TO LEAD H Y D E R A B A D , K O C H I , K O L K A T A , L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , SPECTRUM FE BUREAU New Delhi, January 23 THE SPECTRUM AUCTIONS which the government plans to hold in March are likely to see operators bidding conservatively,which means that apart fromrenewingwhatisexpiring, theywilljustfillthegapsintheir portfolio to leverage their existing spectrum holding to the maximum. Also, none of the operatorsareexpectedtobidfor the premium 4G spectrum in the700Mhzbandbecauseofthe high reserve price.This means that for the second time — the first time this band was put up forauctionwas in 2016 — there would be no takers forthis band REUTERS Detroit/New Delhi, Jan 23 MAHARASHTRA’S MOVE TO are Swift and i10 etc; and compact premium are Baleno, i20, Altroz,Polo,Jazz,etc.Anincreasing number of Indians are now buying compact premium hatchbacks, such as Maruti SuzukiBalenoandHyundaii20, as theirfirst car,sayanalysts. block General Motors (GM) from shutting a plant and exiting the country defies the state’sbusiness-friendlyimage and sends a ‘concerning message’ to potential future investors, the US automaker said on Friday. GM’scommentscameafter authorities in Maharashtra earlier this week rejected the automaker’s application to cease operations at its plant in the western Indian state amid protests by workers who demanded GM continue production or keep them on the payroll indefinitely. The decision runs counter to Maharashtra’s businessfriendly reputation, a GM spokesman said in a statement. “It sends a concerning message to any potential future investors who want to bring jobs and investment to the state.” GM stopped selling cars in India at the end of 2017 after years of low sales. Continued on Page 11 Continued on Page 11 Jio: Total: 81.25 Mhz in 800 Mhz band Bharti Airtel: Total: 57.60 Mhz Vodafone Idea: Total: 57.25 Mhz 51.05 Mhz in 1800 Mhz band 6.20 Mhz in 900 Mhz band ■ Total spectrum to be put up for auction: 2,251 MHz worth `3.92 lakh cr at reserve price ■ Govt may get after final bids: `1.09 lakh cr, assuming there are no takers for 700 Mhz band duetoprohibitivelyhighprice. Reliance Jio needs to renew the biggest chunk of its spectrum — its 81.25 Mhz in 800 Mhz band which is used for providing4G services,is expiring later this year. So it is sure to bid for enough spectrum in this band as it needs to have 10 MHz in every circle. Continued on Page 11 P U N E GM warns Maha move to block its exit could hit investment Spectrum expiring in 2021 51.40 Mhz in 1800 Mhz band 6.20 Mhz in 900 Mhz band D E L H I , ANTI-BUSINESS Auctions may be a no-show ● Telcos expected to do minimum buying, leaving about 60% spectrum unsold N E W SWEET BEGINNING FM Nirmala Sitharaman and MoS Anurag Thakur participate in the halwa ceremony in New Delhi on Saturday. This year the ceremony marks the beginning of compilation of budget documents instead of printing, as documents will be distributed electronically for the first time since independence. The FM also launched the Union Budget Mobile App that can be downloaded from www.indiabudget.gov.in PTI HOT WHEELS Premium hatchbacks in demand VIKRAM CHAUDHARY New Delhi, January 23 IN CALENDARYEAR (CY) 2015, the compact low hatchback sub-segment contributed to 13.4% overall passengervehicle sales in India,compact mid 12.5%, compact high 14.8% and compact premium 8.2%. By CY2020, the compact premium hatchback sub-segment had improved its sales sharefrom8.2%to13%,while thatofcompactlowdroppedto 10.9%,compactmidto11.6% and compact high to 11.6%. Compactlowarecarssuchas the Alto; compact mid are cars suchastheSantro;compacthigh MAKE IN INDIA Indian smartphones back in the game ● Brands like Micromax, Lava ring loud again QuickPicks DEVIKA SINGH New Delhi, January 23 Fuel prices at all-time high; petrol at `85.70/litre in Delhi PETROLAND DIESEL prices in the country on Saturday touched new all-time highs after rates were increased for the fourth time this week, reports PTI. Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 25 paise per litre each, according to a price notification from oil marketing companies. This took the petrol price in Delhi to `85.70 per litre and in Mumbai to `92.28. Diesel rate climbed to `75.88 a litre in the national capital and to `82.66 per litre in Mumbai, the price data showed. PAGE 3 AFTER ALMOST DISAPPEARING from the market in the past few years, Indian-origin mobile phone makers, including Micromax, Lava International and Karbonn Mobiles, are back in the game. In November, Micromax returned to the segment with its new brand called ‘In Mobiles’,while Lava marked its ASMITA DEY New Delhi, January 23 EVEN AS OFFICES reopen, get- tingbacktoworkwillnotbethe same. The crowded meetings and huddling in the cafeteria for gossip will have to wait for sometime. Instead, as employeesstartworkingfromofficesin the new normal, they will be Wearing masks and maintaining social distance may be mandatory greeted by sanitation booths andsafetybooklets.Infact,prebooking your desk to avoid crowdingmaywellbethenorm. Companies FE spoke with said while they were keen on bringing all their staff back to offices, they prefer adopting a NO SCARS. It helps to reduce and remove, scars and marks. Lava International Karbonn Mobiles Micromax Launched IN Note 1 and IN1b in November Plans to launch two smartphones by March Karbonn Mobiles and eight devices overall in 2021 Indian brands re-enter smartphone segment Companies prefer adopting hybrid model, allowing staff to visit on need basis Sanitation booths and safety booklets to greet employees at offices To get blemish free skin use Continued on Page 11 Office 2.0 awaits employees this year ● New norms will redefine the idea of a working space for a long time to come '' Introduced customisable Lava MyZ range in January UltraTech Cement Q3 net profit jumps over two-fold to `1,585 cr ADITYA BIRLA group firm UltraTech Cement on Saturday reported over two-fold jump in consolidated net profit to `1,584.58 crore in the December quarter, reports PTI. The leading cement producer had posted a net profit of `711.17 crore in the October-December quarter a year ago, UltraTech Cement said in a BSE filing. Its revenue from operations stood at `12,254.12 crore, up 17.38%, as against `10,439.34 crore in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year. PAGE 3 '' don’t bothe or bother for scars any more. re-entry by launching a customisable smartphone range, ‘MyZ’. Karbonn Mobiles, too, plans to introduce two smartphones by March. BesidestheobviousMadein India plank, the comeback strategy of these brands is to replicatethesuccessofChinese smartphone makers with topnotch specifications at even lower price points. Lava’s MyZ series has been priced in the `6,999-10,500 range, while Micromax is offering IN Note 1 at`10,999andIN1bat`6,999. Karbonn Mobiles, too, plans to launch its smartphones in the `5,000-10,000pricesegment. Firms are also allowing staff to pre-book desk before visiting office Assembling in the cafeteria and meeting rooms to be avoided hybrid work model for now. EmployeesofDeloitteIndia can attend the workplace on a 'need basis'but they have been mandated to book their desks through an app before stepping into theoffice.SVNathan, chief talent officer, says this helps in allocating workstationswhile maintaining social distancing and also determining the amount of office space thatneedstobeoperationalon anygiven day.While activating the Aarogya Setu app before entering the office premises is mandatory, employees have also been instructed to avoid assembling in the cafeteria and meeting rooms.“The reason thatwork from home continues to be the default mode isthatwhilewefollowmultiple precautions at the workplace, not all cities have buses, metros and trains available and operational,”Nathan says. Continued on Page 11 100r% ue P rian a Veget ap So PREMIUM QUALITY SOAP Get dazzling Glamour with... Long Lasting Premium Quality Soap Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful. 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