MAM
Apurva Purohit steps down as the president of the Jagran Group
Mumbai: Apurva Purohit, the president of the Jagran Group has announced her decision to step down, after working for over half a decade with the group and nearly 16 years with MBL (Radio City). She will remain with the organization till 30 June.
Purohit played a pivotal role in its transformational growth of Radio City as a leading brand in the FM radio industry. MBL went public in 2016 and is currently among the most valuable FM players in the public market.
“Apurva’s key strengths lie in her ability to simplify complex problems, build teams, and implement innovations and strategies in a focused and extremely effective fashion. Her understanding of consumer behavior and what drives change in people, and managing the tough business of media which requires both right and left brain thinking, and her business acumen have been invaluable to Jagran, especially in the last few difficult years. Her exit is a great loss to the Group,” said Jagran Prakashan Limited, group chief financial officer, R K Aggarwal.
In a statement released on Thursday, the company said Purohit helped the group to pivot from a deep-rooted reliance on its traditional print businesses to focus on new age emerging businesses. The strategies adopted under her tutelage and her emphasis on excellence in implementation have helped create strong and resilient verticals in radio, print, outdoor and digital with the ability to power through difficult economic scenarios, it added further.
Purohit has spent nearly 32 years in media, beginning with Lodestar to working in television, radio, print, and digital. “These three decades have given me incredible opportunities to build and scale up a diverse set of businesses – from fledgling ones like Radio City to new ventures like Times TV and supervising turnarounds in mature organizations like Zee TV. I will continue to use these experiences to mentor and guide CEOs and entrepreneurs to build valuable businesses, a role I have been doing for the past few years at Jagran and the other companies I am associated with,” Purohit said on Thursday.
Elaborating on her decision, Purohit added, “I have been reflecting recently, especially in this period of crisis, that it is the job of each one of us who has the ability and the resources to drive change, to worry about the economic situation around us and do everything in our power to create positive impact. This phase of my journey is about creating and funding businesses which work towards generating employment where it is needed, and at scale, a sorely needed initiative given the significant number of people who have been rendered jobless in the past year.”
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
