Morning Buzz: Prosus cuts Byju's valuation by more than half to $3 billion; Cabinet extends free foodgrains scheme by five years, and more
This is the third time the Dutch investor that owns 9.67 percent of the company has marked down the edtech company's valuation. The foodgrains scheme will cost the government an additional Rs14,000 to Rs15,000 crore a year
Byju’s valuation cut to $3 billion
Dutch investor Prosus has cut Byju’s valuation by more than half to $3 billion. This is the third time the investor that owns 9.67 percent of the company has marked down the company’s valuation. At its peak, in July 2022, Byju’s was India’s most valued startup worth $22.5 billion. Edtech’s UpGrad and Unacademy have fired thousands of staff in the last year. Prosus also marked down the investment in PharmEasy, but did not specify a new valuation.(Economic Times, Business Standard, Mint)
Cabinet extends free foodgrains scheme by five years
The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of the free foodgrain scheme by five years. The scheme will cost the government an additional Rs14,000 to Rs15,000 crore a year. The Centre has spent an additional Rs11.8 lakh crore on this in the last five years. The government clarified that there will be no reduction in the foodgrains distributed nor any cap on the amount distributed in this scheme.(Business Standard, BusinessLine)