Page 17 - Forbes - India (January 2020)

`50 lakh cr

L e a d e r B o a rd the amount the government plans to spend on ShutterStock
the Indian railways over the next 12 years
for its modernisation

tranSport
Indian Railways’ Private Play Government plans to allow
operators to run 150 trains
on 100 routes

ShutterStock
IndIa’s 167-year-Old raIlWays trains, according to the proposed plan.
is set for a major overhaul. “It shall pay to Indian Railways pre-
According to a government determined charges for haulage and
plan, private operators will now be any other payments as specified in the
able to operate 150 trains on 100 agreement,” the document said. The
select routes, providing everything draft also suggests splitting the 100
from on-board services like routes into clusters and allows private
entertainment and linen to catering, operators to collect market-linked
based on a revenue-sharing model fares in addition to the flexibility of
with the government. Indian Railways class composition and halts.
will control everything else, including “This is a model adapted across the
infrastructure, tracks and signalling. allowing more private sector world, such as in the UK, and it’s time
According to a draft plan published participation in the railways,” says for Indian Railways to follow suit,”
on January 7 by government think Vinayak Chatterjee, chairman adds Chatterjee.
tank Niti Aayog, private trains of Feedback Infrastructure, a The decision comes at a time
running on a particular route will professional and technical services when the cash-strapped national
have a head start of 15 minutes over company. “Such a move will only transporter had decided to rejig the
other locals on the same route. The reduce the burden on railways and Railway Board through the merger
maximum speed will be set at 160 km bring traffic back,” he adds. of its existing eight Group A services
per hour and they will be able to have The private entity shall be into a central service called the Indian
their own guards and crew. responsible for financing, procuring, Railway Management Service.
“This is the first step towards operation and maintenance of the ● MANu BALAchANdrAN 17

technology mobile wallet and financial services
Tech That: 25x Increase provider Paytm raised $1 billion.
Udaan, a B2B online commerce

In Funding in a Decade platform provider, raised $585 million
while Delhivery, a logistics provider
for ecommerce businesses, raised
Technology startups raised $14.5 billion in 2019, up from $550 million in 2010 $413 million. Among the investors, the
top five most active venture capital
TechnOlOgy sTarTups In startups were founded in the year and firms were Sequoia Capital, Accel,
India in 2019 raised the close to 900 of them were funded. Tiger Global Management, Blume
second-highest amount of Two deals raised a billion dollars Ventures and Chiratae Ventures.
funding ($14.5 billion) in the last or more each: hotel booking provider The most active private equity firms
decade, according to startup Oyo Rooms raised $1.5 billion while were Steadview Capital, General
information platform provider Tracxn Atlantic, FMO, Sabre Partners India
Technologies. The only time they Kick-starting startups and CDC Group. “The range of
raised more money was in 2017 when 20000 Early Stage Late Stage companies and sectors that are active
the figure was about $15 billion. today has broadened and deepened,”
Funding over the last decade 15000 Dev Khare, a partner at Lightspeed
increased by more than 25 times: Venture Partners, told Forbes India
From about $550 million in 2010 to Total Funding Amount (in Mn $) 10000 last July. The ecosystem too has
$14.5 billion in 2019. During the year, grown. “We now have founders
there were 1,185 funding rounds of 5000 coming back for the second time,
which 459 were beyond Series A, some even for the third time to start
four public listings, 128 acquisitions 0 2010 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 2019 up companies,” added Khare.
and 817 active investors. Nearly 1,900 Source tracxn technologies ● hArIchANdAN ArAkALI

january 31, 2020 • forbes india