Ola and Uber hit speed bump, Indians are drinking a lot more, and more top news

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Growth seems to be slowing down for Ola and Uber. Though the absolute number of daily rides has increased in 2018, Economic Times reports citing analysts and company executives, growth fell to 20% across segments (including taxis, autos, and shared cabs) from 57% in 2017 and 90% in 2016. The reason? Lower driver incentives and customer discounts, leading to a plunge in supply and higher fares. Former Meru Cabs CEO Siddhartha Pahwa says fares have risen from an average of ?10/km to ?15/km, making many target customers go back to buses, trains and the Metro.

Indians are drinking more than twice they did in 2005. A WHO study shows that per capita consumption of alcohol rose from 2.4 litres in 2005 to 5.7 litres in 2016, putting India almost on a par with the rest of the world. (Global per capita consumption stood at 6.4 litres in 2016.) The distribution is lopsided, though, with men guzzling almost thrice as much as women. But this rising consumption isn’t without health problems – the study found that alcohol claims 2.6 lakh lives in India every year either due to diseases or drunk driving. 

The government will not cancel the Rafale jets deal amid allegations of a scam. Finance minister Arun Jaitley said whether the fighter aircraft were bought at a higher rate or not was for the Comptroller and Auditor General to investigate. Jaitley also refuted former French president Francois Hollande's claim that aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation was given no choice but to partner Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence for making spares of Falcon and Rafale aircraft in India. Dassault has clarified that its partnership with Reliance Defence was its own choice while the French government has already distanced itself from the controversy.

The careers of spouses of H-1B visa holders hang in the balance. That’s because the Trump administration plans to revoke work permits for H-4 visa users – of which more than 90% are Indians – within the next three months. The Department of Homeland Security told a federal court it had made “swift progress in proposing to remove… certain H-4 spouses of H-1B non-immigrants as a class of aliens eligible for employment authorisation”. A group of displaced tech workers has challenged the Obama-era H-4 Employment Authorization Document programme even as a federal court ruled in favour of its continuation.

Sales, customer support and HR jobs are bearing the brunt of telecom consolidation, reports Financial Express. Randstad India estimates the sector will let go of 50,000-75,000 employees in 2018. Another estimate, from TeamLease Services, pegs the layoffs at an even higher 90,000. There’s more downsizing in store: According to Randsta India chief Paul Dupuis, the sector could shrink by another 5-10% over the next 12 months. The silver lining? New entrant Reliance Jio, which plans to recruit 80,000 people in FY19.

Idea of the Day:  The main reason people quit their jobs is because they don’t feel they have support and guidance from their direct manager, but training managers from the start to be strong mentors can reduce attrition, says Ripple HR VP Sandi Kochhar.

“You want to look for a place where you can learn not just your day-to-day job, but where you’re challenged and provided the right training to take on new responsibilities. This is a sign that your leaders are also receiving training as well.”

This article was updated. From earlier: Incumbent governments have their work cut out getting re-elected in India.

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— Abhigyan Chand and Mandar M Bakre/Share this using #DailyRundown