Trash On Trays On Our Trains

The Indian Railways attracted flak from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India recently in a report tabled in Parliament. Notwithstanding the professed efforts of the Indian Railways to serve fresh and hot food on Express, Superfast, Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains, a CAG Audit on food catering and distribution conducted between July and October 2016 shows that the food on trains was unsuitable for consumption.

Iron nail on a plate of cutlets, expired items, uncovered food kept at certain railway stations, unauthorised bottled water brands being sold to passengers, fungal growth around sweets served to patrons, are some examples highlighted in the CAG report. During the audit, cockroaches, rats, insects and dust were noticed in the pantry cars of Duronto Express. The revelations ironically, come in the midst of the Swachh Bharat Mission and railway modernisation programmes!

Another CAG report lambasts the Indian Railways for the delay in processing, assigning and completing projects for electrification. The CAG has said that it had conducted an audit on the 14 completed projects, 15 ongoing projects and seven new projects for detailed examination and discovered massive delays.        
– Ashish Sinha

Renault On A Rough Patch 
Renault India, the fastest growing four-wheeler brand in FY 2017, is on a rough patch. After growing at 88 per cent in FY17, the French carmaker saw its domestic sales plummet by 23 per cent in the first quarter of FY 2018.

The sales volumes of Renault’s small car, Kwid, is losing momentum to other cars in the segment, primarily Tata Tiago. The old horses, Maruti Suzuki Alto and Hyundai Grand i10, continue to rule the small car market. After launching several new versions of Kwid, the carmaker has not yet come up with anything new.

Competitors like Tata Motors and Honda Cars have launched several new cars in the meanwhile. The Renault Duster, the very first compact SUV, is now old and calls for a change. Renault’s presence in the premium hatchback and sedan segment is also minimal. Perhaps, it is time it came up with a new game plan.    
— Arshad Khan

FMCG Sales Soar Post GST 
At a juncture when wails of protests are emanating from traders’ communities and industry chambers about the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates, the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector offers some good cheer for the government.

According to a research survey by market research firm, Brickworks, the overall sales volume of the FMCG industry jumped 5.37 per cent between the week before 15 June and the first week of July. The GST was rolled out on 1 July. Brickworks said the survey captures both modern and general trade sales volume and that it was conducted among 2,262 retailers across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Cereals and pulses led the sales growth, rising by 9.2 per cent.  
— Monica Behura