LIC of India Announces the Financial Results 2019-2020

Sakht Khabar correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 31, 2020:

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC of India), India’s
largest life insurer, has announced its audited figures for the year ended March 2020.

New Business performance by the Corporation for the year ending March 2020 has
shown a growth of 25.17 % in its first year premium by posting a highest ever figure
of Rs 1,77,977.07 cr. Pension & Group Superannuation Business created history, crossing one lac crore
and collected Rs 1,26,696.21 cr as New Business Premium Income as against
Rs 90848.86 cr in the previous year corresponding period showing a growth of
39.46%.

The Corporation as at March end 2020 collected Rs 3,79,062.56 cr of Total Premium
Income as compared to Rs 3,37,185.40 cr collected during the corresponding period
last year showing a very robust growth of 12.42%.
Total policy payouts amounted to Rs 2,54,222.27 cr for the period ending 31.3.2020 as
compared to Rs 2,50,936.23 cr for the corresponding period last year, showing an
increase of 1.31%.

The Corporations Gross Total Income grew to Rs 6, 15,882.94 cr for the period ending
31.3.2020 from Rs 5, 60,784.39 cr as at the last corresponding period, showing a
handsome growth of over 9.83 %. Total Assets of the Corporation stood at Rs 31,96,214.81 cr as compared to Rs
31,11,847.28 cr for the corresponding period last year thus posting a growth of over
2.71%.

LIC has also been granting huge facilities for easy premium payments to its customers.
It waived convenience fee on all policy related digital transactions using credit cards
w.e.f December 01, 2019. This facility is available up to November 30, 2020.
LIC took every possible step to ensure that people stay covered through insurance
during pandemic. For collection of premium all Digital channels were available 24X7
during the lockdown period.

For the F.Y. 2019-20, the digital transactions for LIC policies initiated by customers
clocked a growth of 36 %.

LIC has always been proactive in settling death claims and goes every extra mile to
find claimants and mitigate the financial hardship of the family of the deceased. Death
claims arising due to COVID-19 are treated at par with other causes of death and
payments are being made on an urgent basis. LIC have already settled COVID death
claim under 561 Policies amounting to Rs.26.74 Crores.

They have also relaxed the
procedure and are getting requirements of death claim through e mail from their Club
Agents/Development Officers.

To help customers further in this environment LIC is now accepting the Maturity
Claim and SB requirements from customers by mail and settling the claims without
original document.(Subject to some conditions).
About Life Insurance Corporation of India:
Headquartered in Mumbai, LIC has 8 Zonal offices, 113 Divisional offices, 2048
Branches, 1526 Satellite offices and 1178 Mini Offices to serve the nation. LIC holds a
stature of a strong financial organization with governance and transparency as its
hallmarks.

Honda announces 2020 CBR1000RR-R Fireblade & Fireblade SP

Sakht Khabar correspondent,

Chandigarh, 30 July, 2020:

The wait is over for motorcycle enthusiasts to unleash their racing spirit. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. today announced bookings open for its two brand-new variants CBR1000RR-R Fireblade and Fireblade SP in the super sports category. The CBR1000RR-R Fireblade and Fireblade SP will be introduced via the Completely Built-up (CBU) route in India.

Revealed at the 2019 EICMA Show in Milan, the 2020 CBR1000RR-R Fireblade and Fireblade-SP under Honda’s super sports line-up are the most powerful Honda Fireblade to be ever introduced.

With an unwavering focus on circuit riding, unprecedented levels of performance and control, the 2020 Fireblade is created with extensive involvement of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).

Leaning heavily on the engine and chassis technology of the RC213V-S ‘street-legal MotoGP machine’, with aerodynamics drawn from the RC213V MotoGP machine, both versions of the new Fireblade have been designed from ground up – in terms of engine, handling and aerodynamics – for outright track performance.

The Fireblade SP additionally gets second-generationÖhlins Smart Electronic Control (S-EC) suspension and user interface, New Brembo Stylema brake calipers– 330mm discs with 2-level ABS and a quick shifter.

Talking about the legacy of Fireblade and Honda’s Premium Business plans, Mr. Atsushi Ogata, Managing Director, President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “By introducing the best models from Honda’s global line-up, we have proved our strong desire to take our racing DNA in India to another level. Legendary Fireblade has been synonymous for perfect handling, balance and sheer riding enjoyment for last 28 years.”

Announcing the bookings open for 2020 Fireblade, Mr. Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Director – Sales and Marketing, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said,“Taking forward the legacy, new Fireblade is drawn strongly on Honda’s RC213V MotoGP machine. ‘Born to Race’ the motorcycle offers more power and an unprecedented level of track-focused performance. The riders will have a whole new level of experience with these extreme performance bikes. The bookings have opened today at Honda BigWing dealerships across India. The deliveries will start from end of August 2020.”

Highlight Features

UNLEASH YOUR RACING SPIRIT

At the heart of the 2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade is a 1000cc in-line four-cylinder engine, generating peak power of 160Kw @ 14,500rpm, with peak torque of 113Nm @ 12,500rpm. It uses an all new Bore and Stroke (81mm x 48.5mm), same as the MotoGP’s RC213V motorcycle. The pistons forged out of aluminium is the same material used in the RC213V and now lighter by almost 5%.

LIGHTER WEIGHT

The CBR1000RR-R Fireblade uses a light-weight aluminium frame with 2mm thick wall sections. The titanium connecting rods, and the rod bolts thread directly into the rod body so there’s no separate fastening nut. The design reduces weight by approximately 50% compared to a steel rod, and is the same design as the RC213V-S rod.

DESIGNED FOR TOTAL CONTROL

The improved Throttle-By-Wire (TBW) delivers a faster response enhancing the riding experience on new Fireblade. It also comes with three default riding modes to change [Power (P), Engine Brake (EB) and Wheelie Control (W)]. Delivering maximum confidence to the rider is Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) that can be adjusted through 9 levels.

It also adds Slip Rate Control to moderate rapid wheel spin. The electronics package also now includes Start Mode (Adjustable). The CBR1000RR-R is equipped withShowa’s new 3-level Honda Electronic Steering Damper(HESD) which is controlled by input from wheel speed sensors and IMU.

With its large damping volume, the Showa 43mm Big Piston Fork (BPF) inverted telescopic fork effectively reduces hydraulic pressure generated under compression and extension. This result is reduced play during the initial stroke and smoother damping, maximising tyre contact with tarmac. The rear shock is a fully adjustable Showa Balance Free Rear Cushion Light (BFRC-Light). The rear tyre is now sized 200/55-ZR17

STRONGER CHASSIS

Chassis technology of new Fireblade is heavily inspired from the RC213V-S ‘the street legal MotoGP machine’. An increased wheelbase of 1,455mm and rake and trail of 24°/102mm (from 1405mm, 23°/96mm) improves stability. Considerable changes to balance and centre of gravity; crankshaft (33mm) evens out weight distribution, while the higher centre of gravity reduces pitching and improves side-to-side agility.

Round, thin-wall aluminium tubing forms the minimal sub-frame. It also mounts to the frame from the top (rather than sides) to narrow the area around the rear of the fuel tank and seat, making for a compact and aerodynamically efficient riding position. Seat height is 830mm, with the handlebar position pushed forward (for leverage) and foot pegs moved rearward and up.

ENHANCED BRAKING

It comes fitted with new Nissin four-piston radial mount front brake calipers offering more rigidity with reduced weight and larger 330mm diameter discs (+10mm). Braking power is improved for track use; the 5mm disc thickness also dissipates heat more efficiently. The rear brake caliper is the same Brembo unit used by the RC213V-S.

FULL-COLOR TFT METER

Inspired by the RC213V-S street legal version of Honda’s MotoGP machine, new Fireblade comes equipped with a larger and higher resolution full-colour 5-inch high-resolution TFT instrument screen. It gives the rider an option to choose from a menu of screen setting options to display the information in preferred format.

TITANIUM MUFFLER

The CBR1000RR-R Fireblade’s muffler was developed jointly with Akrapovič. It’s made out of titanium for light weight, and the design also contributes to the bike’s mass centralization. A special valve in the exhaust helps boost torque at lower revs and increase horsepower at higher rpm.

AERODYNAMIC WINGLETS

The CBR1000RR-R Fireblade is equipped with winglets which effectively generate downforce at track speeds. Three wings are installed in each of the right and left ducts in order to address downforces.

SMART KEY

The ignition now operates without having to insert a key, as does handlebar lock. This is both convenient in day to day use and has allowed use of a competition-style top yoke while freeing up optimum space for the ram air system.

BREMBO BRAKES (Exclusive to Fireblade SP)

The CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP’s front brake discs are a huge 330mm in diameter to improve braking force. The bike features Brembo Stylema front calipers while the rear caliper is the same as the Brembo used for RC213V-S. Even the brake master cylinders and front-brake lever are supplied by Brembo to offer the rider Brembo’s comprehensive braking performance.

ÖHLINS SECOND-GENERATION SMART EC SUSPENSION (Exclusive to Fireblade SP) The CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP uses an electronically controlled NPX fork manufactured by Öhlins. By adding a pressurized damping system to the NIX fork used by the previous CBR1000RR SP, cavitation inside the damper is minimized to stabilize damping force more and improve bump absorption.

Beginning today, Honda has started bookings for 2020 CBR 1000RR-R Fireblade & Fireblade SP at its premium BigWing dealerships.

Variants	2020 CBR1000 RR-R Fireblade	2020 CBR1000 RR-R Fireblade SP
Colour	Grand Prix Red Matte Pearl Morion Black	Grand Prix Red

Celebrate Raksha Bandhan with exciting offers from Mia by Tanishq

Sakht Khabar correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 29, 2020: Raksha Bandhan is one of the most significant festivals where bonds between siblings are celebrated and cherished. It is that time of the year when you make your sibling feel the ‘love and care’ with a token of endearment. While your sister has shown rock-solid support, cracked you up with silly jokes on gloomy days and cared for you like a mother; make her feel special with an exquisite gold jewellery gift that she can adorn and revere for a lifetime. Be it brother-sister or sister-sister relation, there’s something for everyone in this festive gift guide along with attractive offers.

Raksha Bandhan is one of the most significant festivals where bonds between siblings are celebrated and cherished. It is that time of the year when you make your sibling feel the ‘love and care’ with a token of endearment. While your sister has shown rock-solid support, cracked you up with silly jokes on gloomy days and cared for you like a mother; make her feel special with an exquisite gold jewellery gift that she can adorn and revere for a lifetime. Be it brother-sister or sister-sister relation, there’s something for everyone in this festive gift guide along with attractive offers.

1. Electrify the bond: To celebrate the uniqueness of relation you share with your sibling, what can be a better piece of a jewel than a gold chic pendant! Perfectly edged and neatly cut, this dazzling combination of diamond and gold are sure to strengthen the bond for a life time. With this timeless and versatile design, make the festival even more vibrant for your sister.

2. Keep it lively: The sibling’s bond is looked at as fun-filled and cheerful. A piece of floral earrings in hues of blue is sure to define the completeness and sanctity of your bond. Your sister can pair-up thesefloral studs with a pop of cool colours like blues and greens for her statement look on this day.

3. Simplify it: Despite endless love and admiration, a few siblings find it hard to express. Raksha Bandhan makes it a perfect occasion to express love in the most simplified fashion. This simple, stylish and light-weighted gold multi layered neckpiece with multiple chains will be a perfect hallmark of vitality that you’d want to bring in your loving relationship.

4. Add meaning to it: If your sister is intuitive in nature and is someone who actively follows sun-sign, you can gift a piece of jewel that she can relate to. This alluring bracelet from Birthstone collection with constellation and archer will help her connect to a deeper self and revive the energy around. This Birthstone collection is available for all Zodiac signs.

5. Let the charm never die: It is essential to sustain the charm of relations especially when it comes to the one shared with siblings as they hold the closest place in our hearts. If minimalism is part of your and your sister’s value system, this contemporary designed and elegant looking bangle will make her feel plush.

Mia by Tanishq has an exquisite collection of light weight jewellery in contemporary designs set in 14 Karat Gold of diamond rings, earrings, pendants and bracelets that goes well with all occasions. This Raksha Bandhan, celebrate with exciting offers from Mia and make it special for your beloved sister. Mia is offering flat 10%* off & additional up to 20%* off across all stores. To add in festive cheer Mia is also offering Exchange offer within which customers can exchange their old Mia jewellery. The offer is valid from 1^stAugust- 3^rd August.

Tech Mahindra and Hinduja Group’s CyQureX Sign a Global Strategic Partnership

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 29, 2020: Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business re-engineering services and solutions, announced a global strategic partnership with Hinduja Group’s CyQureX, a leading provider of advanced Cyber Security solutions world-wide, with a view to offer world class cyber security solutions in support of clients through successful digital transformation.

Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business re-engineering services and solutions, announced a global strategic partnership with Hinduja Group’s CyQureX, a leading provider of advanced Cyber Security solutions world-wide, with a view to offer world class cyber security solutions in support of clients through successful digital transformation.

The strategic partnership will enable the organizations to become leaders in the emerging ‘Zero Trust’ environment, leveraging CyQureX’s core SDP (Software Defined Perimeter)technology and solutions, alongside Tech Mahindra’s strategic focus on cybersecurity and other next generation technologies. The partnership will enable Global customers to have access to state-of-the-art cyber security protection for Data Assets across the entire life cycle i.e “Data in Motion”, “Data in Use” and “Data at Rest”.

With decades of consulting and digital transformation expertise, Tech Mahindra will provide consulting, planning, designing, integration, orchestration and automation of services. CyQureX, which represents a new and critical business vertical of the well diversified, multimillion dollar turnover transnational Hinduja Group, with research and development centers in India and USA and offices spread across USA, Europe/United Kingdom, Middle East and India, will prioritize capabilities in the ‘Cyber Security domain – the new middleware of the future’.

CP Gurnani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tech Mahindra, said, “Organisations have accelerated their digital transformation journey to emerge stronger and smarter from the current crisis. As a global leading provider of digital services, Tech Mahindra is committed towards leveraging new-age technologies to unleash new business opportunities and experiences for our customers and partner ecosystem through strategic partnerships and world class solutions. We see cybersecurity not only as an essential service but as a key business differentiator for our clients. The partnership with Hinduja Group’s CyQureX aligns with our core business proposition, and will further strengthen our position as the cybersecurity partner of choice for our customers globally

GP Hinduja, Co-Chairman, Hinduja group is of the view that “This partnership is a game changer in the cyber security domain. It brings the leading security services company Tech Mahindra, and our newest technology company, CyQureX, together to create a highly secure, agile and resilient digital world. I am extremely delighted to see this strategic partnership formed, as it is in line with one of the core principles of our founder, Partnership for Growth. With rapid transformation of business to digital, we believe cybersecurity will be the cornerstone to protect all digital assets, particularly for digital transformation of India and other geographies. We are committed to develop many more indigenous state-of-the-art cyber security products and technologies in the coming years, with a vision to be a major global player in the emerging cyber security solutions market”.

“I am very excited about the alliance with Tech Mahindra” observesM.K.Narayanan, Executive Chairman of CyQureX, a Former National Security Advisor and Special Advisor on Intelligence and Security to the Prime Minister of India. “This is a critical alliance and I am hopeful that it will be the catalyst to leverage next generation technologies like Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and create Cyber Security platforms to protect businesses, critical infrastructure and government. It promises to take digitalisation to the next level, providing clients across the globe with fully integrated cyber security solutions.”

The strategic partnership between Tech Mahindra and Hinduja Group’s CyQureX will not only provide affordable protection to critical data, and defend nations against ‘stealth offences’, but would provide Cyber Security solutions for agile deployment that are critically important for business continuity, competitiveness and flexibility. Together, given TechMNxt charter, which focuses onleveraging next-generation technologies, and Hinduja Group’s CyQureX as a leading provider of cyber security solutions, exciting new opportunities have become available in the arcane world of Cyber security. Simultaneously, Tech Mahindra andHinduja Group’s CyQureX will work towards Product Development, Consulting Services and Delivery in the Cyber Security space.

About CyQureX

Established in 2017, CyQureX is a cyber security solutions provider headquartered in London, UK. A Hinduja Group company, CyQureX focuses on design, development and delivery of next generation cyber security portfolio and services. Providing Software defined perimeter based network security solutions to a diversified set of industries such as banking, engineering and financial institutions.

Website: https://www.cyqurex.com/

About Hinduja Group

The Hinduja Group is one of India’s premier diversified and transnational conglomerates. Employing nearly a 150,000 employees, with presence across 38 countries it has multi-billion dollar revenue. The Group was founded over a hundred years ago by Shri P.D. Hinduja whose credo was “My duty is to work so that I can give.”

The Group owns businesses in Automotive, Information Technology, Media, Entertainment & Communications, Banking & Finance Services, Infrastructure Project Development, Cyber Security, Oil and Specialty Chemicals, Power, Real Estate, Trading and Healthcare. The group also supports charitable and philanthropic activities across the world through the Hinduja Foundation.

Website: www.hindujagroup.com

Notify me for Huawei Freebuds 3i goes live on Amazon today- Best in class TWS; Featuring Ultimate Active Noise Cancellation and ideal listening capacity up to 32dB*

sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, 27^th July 2020: Huawei Consumer Business Group, India today announces ‘Notify Me’ for its much awaited HUAWEI FreeBuds 3i TWS earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and a unique in-ear design that comes with a Triple Mic Setup for best in class ‘Active Noise Cancellation’. The TWS earbuds come with premium design elements and offer crystal clear and rich sound quality.

Huawei Consumer Business Group, India today announces ‘Notify Me’ for its much awaited HUAWEI FreeBuds 3i TWS earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and a unique in-ear design that comes with a Triple Mic Setup for best in class ‘Active Noise Cancellation’. The TWS earbuds come with premium design elements and offer crystal clear and rich sound quality.

Interested customers can visit the Amazon India Offcial Website and register themselves on ‘Notify Me’ or visit the Official Website for more information about the Huawei Freebuds 3i, which will be available for the price of Rs 9,990. The announcement of the launch also comes with an exclusive and exciting offer for customers – a Band 4 worth Rs 3099 that will come at no additional charge with the much-awaited Huawei Freebuds 3i; this offer will be available from 6^th to 7^th August 2020 for Prime Member on Amazon, and it will be open till 12th August 2020 to all other customers.

Speaking at the occasion, Huawei India spokesperson, said, “Huawei as a brand constantly aspires to be a leader in the technology innovation space. The Huawei FreeBuds 3i offer one of the best ANC experiences in the industry today-giving users an immersive acoustic experience. The three-mic system is the best in enhanced listening and call quality regardless of outside noise and comes with an Aware Mode and offers the user customised controls which makes it a unique device.”

“The design is inspired from the fast-paced lifestyles of millennials , the earbuds snugly fit in the ears for long hours with ease, making it perfect for sportsmen and fitness enthusiasts, working professionals and music lovers. The FreeBuds 3i delivers impressive sound quality blocking unwanted noise and has a long battery life with the ANC on.”, added Huawei India spokesperson.

Ultimate Active Noise Cancellation

Whether listening to music, holding calls or experiencing thrilling movie audio effects, users can enjoy uninterrupted moments with the ultimate noise-cancelling experience. HUAWEI FreeBuds 3i comes with Triple-Mic call noise reduction, which has two outward-facing mics and one inward-facing mic. While the outward-facing mic detects ambient noise to actively counter with anti-noise, the inward-facing mic picks up the other noises in the ears for further cancellation, actively lowering background noise by up to 32dB*. The three mics offer thorough noise cancellation for improved call quality, bringing an immersive listening experience.

Convenient pairing, Powerful bass technology:

The Huawei Freebuds 3i comes fitted with a polymer composite diaphragm that offers professional tuning to deliver balanced audio. With its 10 mm large dynamic drivers it delivers powerful bass, giving audiences a ‘True Noise Cancellation, True Wireless Stereo’ listening experience. The pairing is simple and easy with the Pop to Pair, Ready to Start feature when the charging case is open, making it convenient for users. With its IPX4 water-resistant technology, the user can easily use this in rainy weather. The Freebuds 3i also gives a playback of upto 3.5 hours.

Premium design features, Lightweight:

The earbuds design gives it a premium look, with dimensions which are a perfect fit for the ears, it comes with 4 silicone tips in different sizes for comfort and a secure fit. Offering better sound quality because of its shape. The weight of each earbud is about 5.5g and the charging case is about 51g, making it light and easy to carry at one’s convenience.

Three Tap technology, Powerful ANC:

The audio device boasts of a plethora of class-leading features including simple and stable connectivity, three tap technology which is an excellent user-friendly feature that has a double feature to play and pause music, and answer and end calls; and with its long tap technology feature to activate ANC.

Huawei’s FreeBuds 3i’s latest technology advancements set it apart in design, sound quality, ANC capabilities, and easy to carry. With its wearing detection technology, the FreeBuds 3i syncs with the users every move.

Pricing and Availability

HUAWEI FreeBuds 3i will be available in two classic colours: Carbon Black and Ceramic White and is priced at INR 9990

The product will come with an exclusive and exciting offer for customers – a HUAWEI Band 4 worth Rs 3099 for absolutely no extra charge; This offer will be available from 6^th to 7^th August 2020 for Prime Member on Amazon, and it will be open till 12th August 2020 for all customers.

About Huawei Consumer BG

Huawei’s products and services are available in more than 170 countries and are used by a third of the world’s population. Fifteen R&D centers have been set up in the United States, Germany, Sweden, Russia, India and China. Huawei Consumer BG is one of Huawei’s three business units and covers smartphones, PC and tablets, wearables and cl

oud services, etc. Huawei’s global network is built on almost 30 years of expertise in the telecom industry and is dedicated to delivering the latest technological advances to consumers around the world.

For more information please visit: https://consumer.huawei.com/in/

Sushant Singh Rajput’s Dil Bechara Movie Shattered Many Records and Bagged World’s Highest Rating of 9.8 on IMBD

Dil Bechara

Rahul Khatry,

Sakht Khabar, Chandigarh, July 26

Sushant Singh Rajput once again proved that he was a brilliant actor and nobody can match is acting skills.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s last movie Dil Bechara was released after his death on July 24, Friday at 7:30 pm on Disney+ Hotstar App for both subscriber and non subscriber.

Hotstar app was crashed as soon as the movie was released and had record viewers of 75 million say 7.5 crore people in India.

It created history and and a new world record.Sushant Singh Rajput’s Dil Bechara Movie Shattered Many Records and Bagged World’s Highest Rating of 9.8 on IMBD.

Sushant Singh played the role of Immanuel Rajkumar Manny, a cancer patient who lost his leg and life at end.

Sanjana Sanghi played as Kizzie Basu in the movie with oxygen pipe in bag which she carries with her and named it pushpinder.

After watching movie fans celebrate the movie by posting on social media and felt story of movie was related to real life of Sushant Singh.

Movie also gives social message to live life to fullest and it’s upto you how to live life with own choice and way.
.

Saswat Chatterjee and swastika Mukherjee as Mr and Mrs. Basu acted brilliantly.

Sahil vaid as friend give full support to Sushant and last but not least cameo by Saif Ali Khan who nailed with his amazing performance.

Sushant Singh suicide case is still investigating by police and fans demand for CBI enquiry. Some say he was in dipression and bollywood mafia or gang put pressure on him and someone says Dawood Ibrahim gang pressure but real reason not known yet.

Tanishq implements digital features across its 200+ stores

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 26, 2020:

Imagine a world where the best of both online and offline platforms come together to truly offer a seamless shopping experience to customers. For scaling up their business across multiple channels including brick and mortar, website and mobile app, India’s most trusted jewellery brand Tanishq announces the launch of new phygital features, a tech stack that’ll bridge the gap between bricks and clicks – Video calling, Endless aisle, Virtual jewellery try on, Real time live assisted chat and Book an appointment powered by augmented reality in more than 200 stores.

With digital and remote buying as an emerging and continuous trend, these new features will further strengthen Tanishq’s Omni- channel approach.

Keeping customers at the heart of all innovations, Tanishq has also launched host of technology initiatives to promote contactless selling such as Book an appointment, Video calling, Endless aisle, Virtual jewellery try on and Live assisted chats.

Feature Highlights:

Book an appointment- Customers can take appointments either by calling the stores, by filling a small form at www.tanishq.co.in or from the google pages of the stores. Appointment based shopping not only provides personalized care to the customers at the store, but also helps in adhering to social distancing norms and thus provide a safe and secure environment so that the customers can have peace of mind while shopping at their favourite Tanishq store. Customers will also have the option of booking an appointment for Video Calling.

Video calling– Customers can connect on a video call with the store of their preference to virtually see the jewellery and gather details. Customers opting for Video Calling will be personally attended to help them choose from range of products curated beforehand based on their preference. The store staff showcase the jewellery by wearing it so customers are sure of how it looks before buying it. Once the customer places an order, the product gets delivered to their doorstep following all safety and hygiene norms. This feature brings a personalized real-time shopping experience of a Tanishq store in the comfort of home.

Virtual Jewellery Try on- Tanishq has created an innovative differentiation by offering a highly engaging, eye-catching and an immersive digital experience for customers to discover range of jewellery. One can ‘try and buy’ products across categories like earrings, pendants and necklaces virtually with the new Virtual try on feature on the Tanishq website. A tag is mentioned on the products – TRY ON AVAILABLE; to let consumers know that they can try on a particular product.

Endless Aisle- With the implementation of endless aisle at stores, Tanishq aims to connect all the stores in its retail network to showcase the entire range of products from any part of the country and guarantees to cater to jewellery requirements across all categories and regions at one go.

Live assisted chat- Customers, especially the first time online buyers, can be assisted by experts in real time on all their queries and help explore them and choose from a wide range of stunning designs, compare product attributes, and assist in resolving all queries immediately

Speaking on the introduction of virtual features, Mr. Arun Narayan, AVP Category, Marketing & Retail, Tanishq, Titan Company Limited, says “We are leveraging digital to solve for and enhance many aspects of the Tanishq buying experience. So now our customers can browse and even get expert assistance to make an informed purchase decision. The customers now have a choice to visit our stores physically or virtually through video calling from home. The idea behind initiating these virtual features was to enhance and give our customers the same experience that they would get by visiting any of our stores physically. The customers can also shop at our online store, seek live expert assistance through a chat, use our enhanced video calling facility or experience the look of the jewellery by using advanced virtual try on technology. Since we also cater to all the jewellery requirements across all communities, there is an option for a video call with an expert from any of the 207 cities where Tanishq stores are located. With all these new possibilities, shopping at Tanishq has become so much more exciting, safe and a lot more convenient.”

Customers can visit http://www.tanishq.co.in for further details.

About Tanishq:

Tanishq, India’s most-loved jewellery brand from the TATA Group, has been synonymous with superior craftsmanship, exclusive designs and guaranteed product quality for over two decades. It has built for itself the envious reputation of being the only jewellery brand in the country that strives to understand the Indian woman and provide her with jewellery that meets her traditional and contemporary aspirations and desires. Attesting to this commitment towards excellence, in 2019, Tanishq has been awarded the title of The Most Trusted Jewellery Brand in India by the Trust Research Advisory. To stress on their commitment to offer the purest jewellery, all Tanishq stores are equipped with the Karatmeter which enables customers to check the purity of their gold in the most efficient manner. Tanishq offers gold and diamond jewellery (in 22 and 18 karat gold) in over 5000 traditional, western and fusion looks. The jewellery is manufactured in a fully integrated manufacturing plant with state-of-the-art equipment. The Tanishq retail chain currently spreads across 335+ exclusive boutiques in more than 200 cities.

Godrej Interio and Design Dekko host webinar on ‘Re-imagine Workspace in the post-COVID-19 world

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, 25^th July 2020:

Godrej Interio, India’s leading furniture solutions brand today collaborated with Design Dekko, the Godrej Group’s owned media platform for architecture and design professionals, to launch a series of webinars titled ‘Re-Imagine Workspace’.

The inaugural session was held today in the presence of over 400 registered attendees. Participants witnessed the best of the experts from across the world explore the challenges and the plausible solutions to re-imagine workspaces in the post-COVID-19 world.

The webinar began with a keynote address by world-renowned architect Rafael Pelli, Senior Design Principal, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. Rafael, in his keynote address, highlighted various short approaches and long-term solutions to how office spaces must be re-imagined the post the pandemic.

Following the Keynote, an engaging panel discussion encompassing industry-leading experts such as John Alok Decruz, Director – Projects, Morphogenesis; Anil S Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, Godrej Interio; Col. Praveen Kumar, Head – IPD (Infrastructure Planning and Development), Tata Consultancy Services; and Organizational culture, employee engagement and experience expert, Ajith Nair, was held. The session was moderated by Sameer Joshi, Head of Marketing (B2B) & Workspace Research, Godrej Interio.

During the one-hour webinar, the panellists explored and deliberated upon the subject from multiple vantage points including design, materials, execution, people, culture and management as we prepare for the New Normal.

Commenting on the initiative, Sameer Joshi, Head – Associate Vice President, Marketing (B2B), Godrej Interio, said, “Today’s offices are designed to bring people closer, foster collaboration, teamwork and increase the speed of response. They are not designed to separate people and thereby prevent the spread of the disease. In the past, when we designed offices, we always looked at how do we enhance people productivity? How do we generate maximum returns from costly real estate for our clients? Post COVID-19 outbreak, while designing workspaces, we are now required to work with a new set of boundary conditions, those recommended by doctors and medics. Godrej Interio, therefore, strongly believes that existing offices need a rethink. This webinar series is a step to provide multiple perspectives from leading experts which would serve as a guide when designing workspaces in the future.”

Commenting on the webinar series, Sujit Patil, VP & Head of Corporate Brand & Communications, Godrej Group said, “Godrej Group has always been at the vanguard of creating platforms that foster engagement and collaboration. Design Dekko is a community for professionals from architecture, interior design and allied sectors to showcase their work, ideate with their colleagues and collaborate with their peers. The Re-Imagine Workspace webinar series is one such step towards leading conversation as a thought-leader, explore challenges, and reach a consensus on plausible solutions to re-imagine workspaces in the post-COVID-19 world.”

Honda 2Wheelers India becomes Industry First to Unlock 1 million BS-VI sales level!

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,Chandigarh, 25 JulyContinuing to steward the BS-VI technology revolution from the front, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) today announced that its cumulative BS-VI two-wheeler sales have crossed 11 lac sales mark in domestic market.

Honda 2Wheelers India was first two wheeler manufacturer in the country to unleash #AQuietRevolution and start selling BS-VI models six months ahead of the deadline in September 2019 with Activa125 launch. Noteworthy, that Honda ended the fiscal 2019-20 with the Industry Highest BS-VI sales of over 6.5 lac units.

Today, with over 11 lac dispatches & counting, more Indians are riding their favourite BS-VI Honda 2Wheeler, that comes packed with Honda’s globally acclaimed patented technology, first-in-class features, style, convenience and more.

Thanking its ever growing BSVI customers for embracing Honda’s BSVI product transition loaded with global technology & segment leading features, Mr. Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Director – Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “It’s a matter of great pride for us at Honda, that our 11 advanced BS-6 models have won the vote of confidence & created a new Joy of riding amongst Customers across India. Truly, it’s #AQuietRevolution from Honda in the BSVI era as our product portfolio stands out as the Industry’s most diversestarting from 110cc scooters and motorcycles going up to 1100cc premium adventure bike. As many customers are now preferring personal mobility for safety and hygiene in the challenging times of New Normal, Honda is unlocking new value with its many initiatives like online bookings, attractive retail finance schemes, industry first up to 6 year’s warranty option etc. Moving forward, we are confident that millions of Indians will continue to realize their dreams of mobility with Wings of Honda.”

#AQuietRevolution by Honda changes the way India rides into BS-6 era!

At the heart of this game-changing revolution is Honda’s all new BSVI engine with Enhanced Smart Power (eSP)technology. eSP integrates ACG Starter motor, reduced frictional losses with Programmed Fuel Injection(PGM-Fi). Since the World First to introduce PGM-Fi technology in 1982, Honda’s PGM-Fi technology has won the trust of over 55 million customers in ASEAN region, and is now delighting India.

Giving New Value to customers are the long list of first-in-segment technology and features with benefits likesignificant mileage-up. Adding further to this, is Honda’s gift of superior peace of mind to its customers with the Industry’s first 6-year Warranty package (3 years standard + 3 years optional extended warranty),

Honda 2Wheelers India is leading the BS-VI era with theIndian 2Wheeler Industry’s Most Diverse BS-VI portfolio of 11 all-new models. This includes 4 BS-6 automatic scooters (Activa 6G, Dio, Activa 125, Grazia 125), 6 BS-6 motorcycles (CD Dream & Livo in 110cc, Shine and SP 125 in 125cc, Unicorn and X-Blade in 160cc) and its iconic 1100cc adventure legacy model – the 2020 Africa Twin Adventure Sports.

Giving Wings to #AQuietRevolution are the 11 exciting new BS-VI offerings from Honda 2Wheelers India:

1. Activa 6G – India celebrates 2020 with the Power of 6!

With as many as 26 patents* including ACG motor for silent-start & World-First enhanced Smart Tumble Technology (eSTT), all new Activa 6G with its 110cc HET PGM-Fi engine powered by Enhanced Smart Power (eSP) technology gives 10% more mileage. Adding more value are 8 new additions (telescopic suspension, integrated dual function switch, malfunction light, engine start stop switch, external fuel lid, passing switch, DC LED headlamp, 3-step adjustable rear suspenson), Best-in-segment ground clearance and Power of More (increased floor space, bigger 12 inch front wheel, longer wheelbase).

2. Keep Dio’ing it with Dio BS-VI

2020 Dio BS-VI packs a punch with its 20 patents*,Honda’s trusted 110cc PGM-FI HET engine with eSP and11 new technology & features (full digital meter, side stand indicator with Engine Cut-off, telescopic suspension, engine start/stop switch, integrated dual function switch, external fuel lid, passing switch, front pocket for convenient storage, DC LED headlamp, malfunction light and 3-step adjustable rear suspension).

3. All-new Activa 125 BSVI:

Loaded with as many as 26 new patents*, Honda’s trusted 125cc PGM-Fi HET engine boosted by eSP technology promises 13% more mileage. Adding to this are 5 segment first features (Side Stand Indicator with Engine Inhibitor, digital analogue meter, integrated dual function switch & external fuel lid, Idling Stop System and front glove box for more storage).

4. The Stunning Genius of GRAZIA 125 BSVI

All-new Grazia 125 now vrooms with Honda’s trusted 125cc PGM-FI HET engine, boosted by eSP. Adding to its genius are the significant additions in form & styling like the LED Split Position Lamp, chiseled tail lamp, split grab rail and 3D Logo emblem on side panel.

5. ‘Kuch kuch nahi…Sab Kuch Hai’ in CD 110 Dream BSVI

At the heart of CD 110 Dream ticks BS-VI compliant Honda’s trusted 110cc PGM-FI HET engine, boosted byEnhanced Smart Power (eSP). Bringing future technology to the present is the patented* ACG starter motorensures silent, jolt-free start every time with small amount of power giving more mileage & efficiency.

6. Live Life Livo Style with Livo BSVI

The all new Livo BSVI is designed and built for next era of transformation. Honda’s trusted 110cc PGM-FI HET engine with eSP. Adding more convenience are the integrated engine start/stop switch and 5-step adjustable rear suspension for a smoother ride. Livo Style now gets chiseled tank shrouds, modern front visor, bold fuel tank design, striking graphics with new refreshed digital analogue meter.

7. All new Shine 125 – ‘AMAZING SHINE’

The Shine of Honda’s 125cc favourite motorcycle gets brighter with the Honda’s trusted BS-VI compliant 125cc PGM-FI HET engine boosted by eSP. Bringing more value are new features like 5-Speed Transmission, Engine Start/Stop switch and more.

8. SP125 BSVI – ‘Strictly for the Advanced’

Developed with 19 new patents*, Honda’s brand new SP125 is powered by the completely new 125cc HET engine with eSP technology which delivers 16% more mileage. Adding to this are 9 segment first features (full digital meter, distance to empty, average fuel efficiency, real-time fuel efficiency, LED DC headlamp, Engine Start/Stop switch, Integrated headlamp beam/Passing switch, Eco Indicator, Gear Position Indicator).

9. Be a Wing Rider with Unicorn BSVI

Honda Unicorn BSVI comes with 160cc HET BSVI PGM-FI engine. Giving a smoother, confident ride with excellent stability everytime are the Anti-Brake system, Rear Mono Shock suspension and Engine Stop Switch.

10. Look Beyond with X-Blade BSVI

The new X-Blade BSVI comes with advanced 160cc HET BSVI PGM-FI engine with Best-in-class torque, Rear Mono Shock suspension, Front & NEW Rear petal disc brakes with ABS. The 130mm wide rear tyre with hugger fender, long wheelbase(1347mm) enhance stability & comfort beyond expectations.

11. True Adventure begins with 2020 Africa Twin Adventure Sports

Honda’s 1^st BSVI compliant big bike in India comes in both Manual (for the 1^st time) and DCT transmission.2020 Africa Twin is a completely new from the wheels up with a new bigger engine, new lightweight chassis, new electronics and new suspension! The iconic Dakar Rally machine is smaller, slimmer and 5 kg lighter while being power-packed with loads of new features for total control on all terrains!

Mahindra University Outlines a New Paradigm for Higher Education in India

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,
Chandigarh, July 24, 2020:

The Mahindra Group today launched Mahindra University (MU), which is focussed on offering a world-class, futuristic education in India. Its mission is to develop multi-skilled leaders, capable of reflection as well as innovation, and ones who are ethical and empathetic. To drive a meaningful shift in the way that higher education is imparted in the country, MU will drive interdisciplinary academic excellence, integrating the study of science and technology with the Humanities, Ethics & Philosophy, and Design.

It will operate as an autonomous University, with its contemporary, new-age curricula being curated to fully leverage emerging technologies like Data Science, Blockchain and Data Analytics. MU will uniquely enable the holistic development of its students, combining the Emotional Intelligence (Right Brain) and Artificial Intelligence (Left Brain) paradigms.

Mahindra University is part of the Mahindra Educational Institutions (MEI), a not-for-profit subsidiary of Tech Mahindra. It reflects the standards and reputation of the entire Mahindra Group, mirroring its core purpose of Driving Positive Change in the lives of both peoples and communities, enabling them to Rise.

The university will also be a platform to balance education with real world experience through entrepreneurial projects to solve complex challenges facing society. This, combined with the provision of extra-curricular activities like sports and music, will help revolutionize higher education for millennials and help build a hyper-skilled, future-ready talent pool.

Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group and Chancellor, Mahindra University, said, “High quality education has transformative powers for individuals and nations, alike. Mahindra University will strive to deliver a more balanced education, combining the latest technology with Liberal Arts, to create next generation leaders that have a holistic world view.”

The sprawling 130-acre, multi-disciplinary campus in Hyderabad will offer undergraduate, post graduate and PhD courses. MU includes the Ecole Centrale School of Engineering that was set up in 2014.

Vineet Nayyar, Board of Management, Mahindra University, said, “With the education landscape continuously evolving, there is a need for a dynamic and empowering approach to education that goes beyond business and is at par with the technological demands of the industry globally. In line with this, the Mahindra University will be a key enabler in providing a holistic educational and learning experience that involves analytical and design-led thinking, quantitative and creative problem-solving skills and a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.”

CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra and Board of Management, Mahindra University, said, “The Mahindra University is a testimony of our commitment towards bridging the skill gap and creating global leaders that are willing to change, adapt and transform according to dynamic market needs and business environment. The university will also provide access to multi-disciplinary learning focused on leveraging the power of Artificial Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence. This will help the students to develop new-age competencies and inculcate entrepreneurial thinking to enable them solve complex challenges faced by the society.”

As a part of the immediate roadmap, the University will launch the School of Management (2021-22), School of Law (2021-22), Indira Mahindra School of Education (2021-22), School of Media & Liberal Arts (2022-23) and School of Design (2023-24).

An estimated 4,000 Students and over 300+ Faculty members will be in place across the various Schools at Mahindra University over the next five years.

The Minerva Fund – Mahindra University Scholarship Program is available to ensure that deserving students have access to a quality education. Efforts are also being made to drive inclusion in awarding scholarships across geographies, gender, and academic excellence, among others, to create a stronger society and a wider talent pool for industry and academia, alike.

Prof Yajulu Medury, Vice-Chancellor, Mahindra University, said, “Mahindra University aims to revolutionise the educating environment for the future workforce of our country through necessary industry-academia collaborations to prepare the students for present challenges and future industry needs. The university will bring together expertise of international faculty and will provide access to innovation and research hubs with top academic partners. We plan to be a holistic learning platform for the students, providing access to studies related to Engineering, Law, Management, Education, Media & Liberal Arts, Design and others.”

MU will also to bring the Corporate and Industrial ecosystems together through its Centres of Excellence. Students will have access to the Mahindra Group’s expertise through a Centre of Excellence, visiting faculty and other strategic engagements. Students will be provided opportunities to interact with CEOs, CXOs of organizations across the country.

MU already has a Supercomputer Lab with an advanced NVidia GPU-based supercomputer, the DGX-1. It also has a Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CAI), a Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) and a Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure and Systems (CSIS).

Additional CoEs being considered include, the Centre for Computational and Experimental Mechanics (CCEM), the Centre for Research in Optics and Photonics (CROP) and a Centre for Executive Education (CEE).

Bank of Baroda launches paperless ‘INSTA CLICK SAVINGS ACCOUNT’

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 23, 2020:

Bank of Baroda, India’s third-largest public sector bank, has launched ‘Insta Click Savings Account’, a 100% paperless digital self-assisted online savings account, for all its customers.

Bank of Baroda has been working towards continuously creating innovative digital offerings for customers; Insta Click Savings Account is one such outcome of the Bank’s efforts to transform digitally and make banking a safer and seamless experience for a customer, from the comfort of their homes.

The Insta Click Savings Account uses a new form of digital KYC and Aadhar based OTP authentication of the customer, which can be operated from the bank’s website, through Mobile phone, IPad, Laptops, and PC. The account is activated in real-time, which means the customer can start transacting, using the Baroda M Connect Plus application with the MPIN received on the mobile number, immediately.

The product also offers the customers an option to subscribe to a wide range of digital channels like Mobile Banking, Internet Banking, UPI, and Debit Card.

Speaking on the product, Shri. Sanjiv Chadha, MD & CEO, Bank of Baroda, said, “Bank of Baroda recognises that banking has transformed over the last few months. The needs of the customers have evolved, driving us to create innovative products to suit their requirements. We are working on digitisation of all our process and intend to be 100% paperless by 2023. The only way to ensure our customers can have a safe and secure banking experience without having the need to step out of their homes is with adoption of digital products and services.”

About Bank of Baroda:

Bank of Baroda (“The Bank”) established on July 20, 1908 is a State-owned banking and financial services organization, headquartered in Vadodara (earlier known as Baroda) in Gujarat, India.

Bank of Baroda is India’s leading public sector bank with a strong domestic presence supported by self- service channels. The Bank’s distribution network includes 9,500+ branches, 13,400+ ATMs, 1,200+, self-service e-lobbies and 18,000 Business Correspondents. The Bank has a significant international presence with a network of 100 branches/offices of subsidiaries, spanning 21 countries. The Bank has wholly owned subsidiaries including BOB Financial Solutions Limited (erstwhile BOB Cards Ltd.), BOB Capital Markets and Baroda Asset Management India Ltd. Bank of Baroda also has joint ventures for life insurance viz. India First Life Insurance and India Infradebt Ltd., engaged in infrastructure financing. The Bank owns 98.57% in The Nainital Bank. The Bank has also sponsored three Regional Rural Banks namely Baroda Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank, Baroda Rajasthan Gramin Bank and Baroda Gujarat Gramin Bank.

SBM Bank collaborates with EnKash and Yap to launch co-branded Business Credit Card on RuPay network for MSMEs and start-ups

Chandigarh – July 23, 2020:

SBM Bank India, EnKash, YAP and RuPay joined hands today to launch India’s most comprehensive business credit card, the SBM EnKash RuPay Business Card. This corporate credit card would utilise the RuPay network and will be available upon immediate issuance through digital and paperless on-boarding for SMEs, MSMEs and Start-ups at any SBM Bank touch point.

The SBM EnKash RuPay Business Card is designed to streamline business expenditure and finances, through a blend of expense tracking and a 30-day credit period on business purchases, bill payments, travel expenses, automated GST, rental payments, payments to suppliers, online purchase of software, cloud bills payments, utility bills payments, online purchase of inventories among others.

Commenting on the launch, Neeraj Sinha, Head – Retail and Consumer Banking, SBM Bank India, said, “While the small and medium businesses are the backbone of the Indian economy, liquidity and access to funds remain their biggest concerns. Being a young Bank, we have always introduced solutions that can address key issues for the segment, otherwise left untouched by the traditional banks. Towards this end, we are proud to introduce SBM EnKash RuPay Business Card. It will not only offer a 30 day credit period on business expenses, but more importantly empower the small businesses through transparency and technology – to become more efficient.”

Yadvendra Tyagi, Founder, EnKash said, “This partnership is unique as it brings together like minded teams to create world-class product experience for their customers. EnKash- as a B2B Fintech, has made a conscious decision to work towards creating offerings for businesses of all sizes, specially the underserved SMEs and MSMEs. And now with this association along with RuPay, we move one step closer in the journey to create value in the corporate credit card ecosystem in India.”

The Start-ups can manage all corporate payments through SBM EnKash RuPay Business Card. Businesses can on-board to EnKash platform digitally without any paper work and get dedicated customer support facility for handling all their issues. The card offers corporates variable billing cycle, instant bulk pay-outs and at the same time enables them to streamline and automate their cumbersome process of rental payments. Additionally, the card comes with an intuitive dashboard for businesses to analyse their spends and make better business decisions. As part of this partnership, users can also get access to EnKash’s Whatsapp- based expense management service to manage and control all employee and business related expenses on the go. This unique feature helps employees to upload receipts and get approvals instantly, leading to efficient business operations experience.

Praveena Rai, COO, NPCI said, “We are happy to launch the SBM EnKash RuPay Business Card, with the launch of the RuPay Commercial card portfolio. Apart from providing the ultimate shopping experience to retail customers with RuPay Debit, Credit and Prepaid versions, RuPay is in the journey of providing a seamless corporate payments experience to businesses. This SBM EnKash RuPay Business card will assist small business to perform multiple business tasks with ease like paying GST, Travel expenses, Payments to suppliers and more. We believe this card will empower businesses to efficiently organise their business expenses and support working capital needs. We, at NPCI, are constantly working towards bringing in innovative business solutions for diverse set of corporate customers to make them an integral part of our strong RuPay network”.

Madhusudanan, Co-founder – YAP, the company providing the API platform commented, “We are delighted to partner with SBM Bank India to roll out a unique program in the Corporate / SME segment, the timing of the launch is opportune as more SME’s look to digitise their businesses and the SBM EnKash RuPay Business Card is right at the intersection of Commerce, payments and convenience.”

About SBM Bank India

SBM Bank (India) Limited “SBM Bank India” is the first bank to receive universal banking license from the Reserve Bank of India to set up and operate as a Scheduled Commercial Bank under Wholly Owned Subsidiary (WOS) mode offering banking services in India. SBM Bank India has a network of 6 branches located in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ramachandrapuram. SBM Bank India has profound domain expertise and is led by a core team comprising of industry veterans having over a century of cumulative experience in banking and financial services. The Bank offers a diverse suite of universal products and services to its customers which include Deposits, Advances, NRI Services, Treasury Products and Trade Finance Services. SBM Bank India stands poised to embark on a new journey, innovating in every sphere of its business, expanding its service proposition to include an extensive suite of retail and wholesale banking products and capital markets.

VIL offers a unified Vodafone REDexperience to all postpaid customers

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 22^nd, 2020:

Vodafone Idea Limited, one of India’s leading telecom service providers, today announced the completion of its postpaid consolidation journey by bringing all Idea post-paid subscribers under a single umbrella of Vodafone RED. All Vodafone Idea postpaid customers can now avail benefits of the Vodafone RED plan, a uniform customer service, and an enhanced digital experience.

This consolidation is a major step towards its synergy realisations and has led to process standardization for both the retail and enterprise customers.

It will enable the company to provide a uniform customer experience through self-service channels with enriched menu options on IVR, USSD, MyVodafone App and Websites for availing products, services and making payments. Erstwhile Idea postpaid customers now do not need to go through a separate on-boarding and service experience. They can now avail Red Family subscription, a single bill for entire family, access to Vodafone Play, premium content and a bouquet of other value added services.

Announcing the completion of postpaid consolidation, Vishant Vora, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea said, “The consolidation of Vodafone and Idea postpaid customers is a major step towards our vision of one company, one network. One of the biggest and fastest migration in the telecom space, this has led to operational synergies and process standardisation for both our postpaid retail and enterprise customers. It enables us to provide enhanced customer experience to our postpaid users.”

With this consolidation, Call Centre Agents will be able to serve customers better using the CRM insights provided through 360 degree view on customer information, interactions and service profiles. Real time rating functionality will ensure accurate unbilled charging for customers at any given point of time. Customer will also be able to receive timely notification and alerts for any over usage. Moreover automated credit monitoring and dunning can trigger on time to ensure customer does not incur huge Bills thus avoiding Bill shocks.

Vodafone Idea has successfully integrated two strong networks in 92% of the districts, taking the integrated circles to 18. The deployment of new age technologies such as M-MIMO, DSR, Hybrid Cloud, OpenRan to enhance capacities and increased 4G coverage has resulted in richer customer experience.

During the pandemic the company has introduced several initiatives like recharges and payments via ATM/ USSD/ other digital platforms and launched AI powered customer service Bot on WhatsApp to keep its customers connected with their loves ones.

About Vodafone Idea Limited

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is India’s leading telecom service provider. The Company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G, and 4G platforms. With the large spectrum portfolio to support the growing demand for data and voice, the company is committed to deliver delightful customer experiences and contribute towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future-ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The Company is listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

Sharekhan just went Bollywood ! Launches MoneyFLIX, World’s First Financial Movies Platform

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 22^nd, 2020: Sharekhan Education, a separate entity under Sharekhan, one of the largest brokerage houses in India, has unveiled its maiden edutainment platform – MoneyFLIX – to lead a digital revolution in financial education in the country.

Sharekhan Education, a separate entity under Sharekhan, one of the largest brokerage houses in India, has unveiled its maiden edutainment platform – MoneyFLIX – to lead a digital revolution in financial education in the country.

Catering to both, the digitally native millennials and the not so millennial, the platform will offer financial modules with a generous sprinkle of entertainment that aims to keep viewers engaged and hooked. Learning through entertainment and stories is not an entirely novel concept. In fact, it has been part of our tradition for ages, in the form of epics, fables and parables, driving home key values. Teaching consumers about money through ‘edutainment’ seems like an effective way to demystify a complicated subject by using compelling and familiar concepts.

MoneyFLIX’s purpose is to educate and help both, new to market and experienced investors & traders to better understand finance and consequently enable them to better take advantage of financial market opportunities.

To start with, the platform already has nearly 100 videos ranging from being as small as 5 minutes in duration to almost up to 30 minutes in duration and this number is set to double within the first year itself. These movies cover topics from the simplest Investing principles all the way upto complex trading strategies in a bollywood styled manner.

Embedded with key features such as subtitling in local languages, the ability to capture voice notes on the go & easy references to important points by the click of a button, this state of the art edutainment platform has many technology offerings and thus expects to improve learning and retention.

On the occasion, Rahul Ghose who heads MoneyFLIX said: “The integration of technology in the financial services industry has been radical in uplifting customer experience. However efforts towards literacy have often been complex and hence, the idea was to create content that even millennials resonate with.

This is a significant step that emboldens the ideology and commitment to empower retail investors in the market. This new digital-first endeavour would help us take investing and trading education to even the remotest parts of the country.”

MoneyFLIX ’s yearly subscription for the platform will be at a special price of Rs 1,990+G.S.T. and the monthly subscription will be at Rs 990+G.S.T. Subscribers will have access to the entire premium content of the platform as well as access to 10min video snippets on fundamentals of trending companies, called MoneyFLIX Bytes. MoneyFLIX has ensured something for everybody – anyone who walks through the site will get to enjoy and learn from a vast pool of free movies and tutorials on Trading and investing.

MoneyFLIX APP is available on Google PlayStore.

iOS – App to be released in the end of the year

About Sharekhan Education:

Started over a decade back in the year 2010, our unique approach towards professional financial education helps create a distinctive learning platform for traders as well as investors and help them learn the skills necessary to trade and invest confidently like the professionals. Over the course of the last decade we had over 100,000 people from various walks of life who have attended our workshops and have trained more than 17000 people across the country.

We set up our first education center in Mumbai and since then we have expanded to 6 locations across the country namely, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and New Delhi with traders & investors having experienced our unique hands-on education across the country. Our courses cover a spectrum of trading styles and asset classes. One can learn Short Term Trading, Swing Trading, Position Trading & Pro active Investing, using an array of asset classes namely stocks, options, futures and currencies.

About Sharekhan

Sharekhan has been founded in 2000 and is a full subsidiary of BNP Paribas, a leading European banking institution. Sharekhan services more than 20 lakh clients aggregating more than 45,848 Cr of assets*, operates via 142 branches all over India and more than 3050 franchisees. It provides equity & derivatives execution, DP services, Portfolio Management, Mutual Funds & Corporate Deposits. Sharekhan executes on average more than 8 lakh trades/day** and performed more than 170 CR trades since inception.

Stress, besides the coronavirus, is a real threat

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 20, 2020:

The multifaceted impact of COVID-19 pandemic has been felt across economies and industries all over the world. Crisil, an Indian analytical company providing ratings, research, and risk and policy advisory services has stated that this would be the nation’s fourth recession since Independence, first since liberalisation, and perhaps the worst to date. Unemployment, salary cuts and the forced Work from Home (WFH) scenario due to the pandemic has led to a host of health concerns including lack of enough sleep, backaches, exhaustion, stress, anxiety, and even rage amongst some.

The latter is backed by research: a Tata Salt Lite survey, indicated that men are more likely to succumb to work and tech rage. Although work-related issues are the primary cause of stress for one-in-five women (20%) respondents, the survey showed that it was actually men who flew into a rage when faced with unforeseen work and technology related issues. In fact, 64% of male survey respondents said they would lose their temper if they were compelled to work on days off compared to 58% of women.

The survey further revealed that while Gen Z respondents (Age between 18 – 25 years) would lose their cool over minor technology disruptions; those over 45 years appear to take such incidents in their stride. Further, one-in-six of the Gen Z respondents (16%) claim that issues related to technology are the most likely cause of their stress and tension (compared to 12% of those over 45 years).

Sharing some health tips to stay calm and positive, Nutrition Expert, Tata Nutrikorner, Kavita Devgan, highlighted, “Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the leading health problems of urban India especially men. Make healthy changes to one’s lifestyle. While working from home, get up frequently or walk around every hour. Have home-cooked Indian traditional food instead of ordering from restaurants. Take up a form of exercise like brisk walking, yoga, swimming, etc. Ensure one gets 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night.”

Kavita added, “One of the ways to keep food tasty while reducing intake of sodium is to use low sodium salt. There are low sodium salt available in the market today that are specially formulated to provide 15% lower sodium salt than regular salt. Low sodium salt are also vacuum evaporated, iodine enriched. It is also a convenient mean to take preventive measures towards keeping the blood pressure and hypertension in check.”

Having said that, this COVID-19 situation has also changed the consumer buying patterns. According to a research report by Accenture, consumers expect their shopping habits to change permanently. Limited food waste and shopping more health consciously are the two priorities for consumers. Most of the FMCG companies have seen an uptake in demand for products which are not just convenient, easy to store but also that offer health and nutrition. Ms. Richa Arora, President, Packaged Foods, India, Tata Consumer Products, explained, “COVID-19 has altered consumer behaviour with a sharp uptake in demand for home cooked meals – traditional Indian foods that are healthy and nutritious. In the initial weeks there was a surge in demand for both Tata Sampann unpolished dals and the organic dals range, as well as our ready to cook range of Nutrimixes such as 6 Grain Khichdi Mix, Multigrain Chilla Mix etc.”

VODAFONE announces LAUNCH of eSIM on primary device

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 20, 2020: Vodafone Idea Ltd., India’s leading telecommunications service provider, today announced the availability of eSIM for Vodafone postpaid customers using eSIM compatible Apple devices including

Vodafone Idea Ltd., India’s leading telecommunications service provider, today announced the availability of eSIM for Vodafone postpaid customers using eSIM compatible Apple devices including iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max & iPhone Xr. The service will be available soon on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Fold as well. The service is currently available in select circles Mumbai, Delhi, and Gujarat.

Vodafone postpaid customers using eSIM enabled handsets will no longer be required to put in a physical SIM card to access the network. eSIM comes in the form of an integrated SIM chip which will be compliant with all the supported mobile network operators. The consumer will be able to carry out normal calling, SMS, data access and more without having to change physical SIM cards manually.

Speaking about the eSIM technology, Avneesh Khosla, Director – Marketing, Vodafone Idea, said, “Vodafone Idea is excited to introduce eSIM technology for our postpaid customers which enables them to enjoy the benefits of convenience and flexibility of having more than one sim even on single sim device. We therefore believe that eSIM will provide enhanced experience to our customers as it will enable them to do a lot more with their device.”

How to get eSiim on your phone

Existing Customer

§ Send SMS to 199 by typing “eSIM <space> email id” (If no email id is registered with your mobile number, send SMS “email <space>email id” to 199. Post registration you can reinitiate the eSIM process).

§ If your email is valid, you will receive SMS from 199. You need to reply back with ESIMY to confirm eSIM request

§ Post your confirmation SMS, you will receive another SMS from 199 asking you to provide a consent over a call

§ After providing your consent on the call,an email with a QR code will be sent to the registered email id.

§ Scan the QR Code:

Apple device: Please make sure that the phone is connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data.

· Go to “Settings” > Select “Mobile Data” > Click on “Add Data Plan”

· Now “Scan QR code” received on mail.

· Follow the prompts on the phone.

New Customer

§ Visit nearest Vodafone store with proof of identity and photograph to get new Vodafone eSIM connection

§ Is it preferred if you carry the handset along, so that QR code generated during the activation process can be scanned immediately

The QR code sent through email will only be useful for a single scan and the eSIM will be successfully activated within 2 hours post scanning the code.

About Vodafone Idea Limited

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is India’s leading telecom service provider. The Company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G and 4G platform. With the large spectrum portfolio to support the growing demand for data and voice, the company is committed to deliver delightful customer experiences and contribute towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The Company is listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

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Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

16 July 2020, Chandigarh:
Keepingthe consumers’ evolvingentertainment needs at the fore, Media & Entertainment Powerhouse ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEE) today announced the return of its much-loved content brand Zindagi, on its digitalentertainment platform, ZEE5.Zindagi’s shows have been highlyappreciated by audiences for its realistic appeal, superlative character portrayals, captivating performances and its ability tosatiate the evolving contentpreferences of the viewers. Catering to this strong level of global consumer demand, Zindagi is returning with a bigger promise tonot only offer its rich originalcontent library, but to also createfresh new shows which will bethought provoking, with a boldmulticultural narrative. As a premium global content brand, Zindagi has always narrated handpicked real stories that aredifferentiated, yet universal in itsstorytelling and appeal, resonatingstrongly with the consumersglobally.

Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Amit Goenka, CEO, ZEE5 Global and International Broadcast Business, ZEEsaid, “ZEE’s strength has always been in its

ability to narrate unique stories, to connect with billions of audiences worldwide, and to offer different genres of content. Zindagi has always been appreciated for its premium content offering and culturally rich stories from across the globe, which are far more attuned to the digital audience sensibilities. Zindagi’s universal content has a very strong appeal, and we are excited to offer this rich & engaging content library to the users of ZEE5, inIndia and across the world. We alsounderstand that the viewers’ needs arediverse and therefore we have a compelling content catalogue from Zindagi, which encapsulates a universality of emotions. We stay committed to offering an extraordinary entertainment experience to our consumers across multiple touchpoints, and we are sure that our viewers will once again embrace thiswidely acclaimed brand on our platform.”

With a promise of ‘Zindagi Mil keJiyenge’, the brand reinforces itscommitment to live up to its legacy of bringing forth multi-cultural narratives that resonate with the audiences. The brand philosophy is a reflection of its belief that art knows no nation, boundary or religion.

Zindagi will offer a myriad mix ofshows that are truly global innature, ranging from family dramas to romance including Shehr–E–Zaat, Aunn Zara, Badi Aapa, Mastana Mahi, Main Abdul Qadir Hun,Noorpur Ki Rani and many othersuch realistic stories which arecustomized as per the tastes andpreferences of the global audiences.This eclectic mix of curated shows, featuring 1000+ hours of meaningful content, will be available for our global audiences onZEE5.

Godrej Protekt introduces personal & home hygiene range with twelve products; partners with Indian Railways for hygiene-based safe rail travel program

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 16, 2020: To empower people to live fearlessly in the ‘new normal’, Godrej Protekt, India’s trusted hygiene brand from Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), introduces a complete personal and home hygiene range of twelve products. Offering 99.9% protection against germs, bacteria and viruses, the range includes Godrej Protekt Health Soap, Body Wash, Germ Protection Fruit & Veggie Wash, Germ Protection Dish Wash Liquid, INR 1 Hand Sanitiser Sachet, Air & Surface Disinfectant Spray, On the Go Disinfectant Spray, Surface & Skin Anti-Bacterial Wipes, PW95 Face Masks, and Multipurpose Disinfectant Solution.

To empower people to live fearlessly in the ‘new normal’, Godrej Protekt, India’s trusted hygiene brand from Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), introduces a complete personal and home hygiene range of twelve products. Offering 99.9% protection against germs, bacteria and viruses, the range includes Godrej Protekt Health Soap, Body Wash, Germ Protection Fruit & Veggie Wash, Germ Protection Dish Wash Liquid, INR 1 Hand Sanitiser Sachet, Air & Surface Disinfectant Spray, On the Go Disinfectant Spray, Surface & Skin Anti-Bacterial Wipes, PW95 Face Masks, and Multipurpose Disinfectant Solution.

Till recently, Godrej Protekt was present only in hand hygiene segment with hand sanitisers and handwashes including Mr. Magic – India’s first powder to liquid handwash, in its portfolio. With the new range, Godrej Protekt becomes a complete personal and home hygiene brand. It is foraying for the first time in segments like soaps, disinfectant sprays, face masks, fruit & veggie wash and dish washing liquid. Thus, Godrej Protekt will now offer hygiene based protection for home, kitchen and personal use. It has also introduced hand sanitiser in a sachet format at INR 1 for the first time.

Commenting on the occasion, Sunil Kataria, CEO – India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), said, “Godrej Protekt’s purpose is to alleviate hygiene concerns of consumers with the personal and home hygiene range. We have become a complete hygiene-suite for home, kitchen and personal use. Our key new products include Germ Protection Fruit & Veggie Wash, Germ Protection Dish Wash Liquid, INR 1 Hand Sanitiser Sachet, Air & Surface Disinfectant Spray, On the Go Disinfectant Spray, Surface & Skin Anti-Bacterial Wipes, and Multipurpose Disinfectant Solution. As a brand, Godrej Protekt aims to be INR 500 crore in next 3 years.”

He further added, “We have partnered with the Indian Railways’ Central Railway zone to promote travel hygiene amongst passengers and rail employees. 2 lac products of our new range like Hand Sanitiser Sachets, On the Go Disinfectant Spray will be used in passenger trains for a safe travel experience. Our Air and Surface Disinfectant Spray will be used to disinfect surfaces of ticket booking counters as well. We look forward to the partnership with Central Railways to build an initiative which will positively impact people’s lives.”

As a purpose-driven brand, Godrej Protekt has effectively utilised the new range for an initiative in partnership with Indian Railways’ Central Railway zone. In the new normal, regular activities like rail, flight, and road travel, will be impacted. Health risks perceived by people will need immediate acknowledgement, to boost their confidence and reassure a safe travel experience. Under the aegis of Protekt India Movement, Godrej Protekt and Mumbai division of Central Railway will run a joint program to improve travel hygiene and its awareness amongst passengers and rail employees. The following activities will be undertaken as part of the joint program:

· Safe travel awareness-raising activitieswill be conducted at railway stations under Central Railways

· Godrej Protekt Health Soap will begiven to railway employees to boost their hand hygiene

· Godrej Protekt Hand Sanitiser sachetsto be distributed amongst passengers on Central Railway local trains as well as long-distance trains originating from Mumbai for cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Patna, Lucknow, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Gorakhpur, Darbhanga, and Gadag

· Godrej Protekt’s On the Go Disinfectant Spray, with 99.9% germ protection and anti-bacterial capabilities, will be used in the above mentioned long-distance trains to disinfect hard surfaces like passenger’s luggage along with handles, seats, armrests, door handles

· Surroundings and surfaces of ticket booking counters of Central Railway stations in Mumbai will be disinfected with Godrej Protekt Air and Surface Disinfectant Spray, an aerosol spray which kills 99.9% germs and bacteria. 87 ticket booking counters of 53 stations between CST upto Karjat, Panvel and Kasara, will be covered

· Both entities will co-create digital content around hygiene practices necessary for rail travel during COVID-19 times. This will be to build awareness amongst 4.12 lac combined followers of Central Railways on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The program will cover close to 400 local and long-distance COVID-19 special trains. The on-train activities will benefit passengers of long-distance trains traveling from Mumbai to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Karnataka, Odisha, Telangana, Kerala and other parts of Maharashtra. Passengers of Mumbai local trains running under Central Railways will benefit as well. Around 2 lac products from Godrej Protekt new personal and home hygiene will be offered by Godrej Protekt for this program.

Commenting on the joint program, Gaurav Jha, Sr. DCM, Mumbai Division, Central Railway, said, “Through a joint awareness program with Godrej Protekt, Central Railways highlights its commitment towards health and safety of our passengers and employees. This is a unique social initiative aiming to boost hygiene standards awareness as well as gear them with relevant solutions at select touchpoints. This will encourage people to travel more by rail. We will connect with passengers on-ground, in-train and via digital media through this program. Seeing its success, we can replicate this program across various zones of Indian Railways.”

About Godrej Consumer Products Ltd:

Godrej Consumer Products is a leading emerging markets company. As part of the 123-year young Godrej Group, we are fortunate to have a proud legacy built on the strong values of trust, integrity and respect for others. At the same time, we are growing fast and have exciting, ambitious aspirations.

Today, our Group enjoys the patronage of 1.15 billion consumers globally, across different businesses. In line with our 3 by 3 approach to international expansion at Godrej Consumer Products, we are building a presence in 3 emerging markets (Asia, Africa, Latin America) across 3 categories (home care, personal wash, hair care). We rank among the largest household insecticide and hair care players in emerging markets. In household insecticides, we are the leader in India, the second largest player in Indonesia and are expanding our footprint in Africa. We are the leader in serving the hair care needs of women of African descent, the number one player in hair colour in India and Sub-Saharan Africa, and among the leading players in Latin America. We rank number two in soaps in India and are the number one player in air fresheners and wet tissues in Indonesia.

But for us, it is very important that besides our strong financial performance and innovative, much-loved products, we remain a good company. Approximately 23 per cent of the promoter holding in our Group is held in trusts that invest in the environment, health and education. We are also bringing together our passion and purpose to make a difference through our ‘Good & Green’ approach to create a more inclusive and greener India.

At the heart of all of this, is our talented team. We take much pride in fostering an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high performance culture. We are also deeply committed to recognising and valuing diversity across our teams.

Spain New 2020 season begins in Jerez for the Repsol Honda Team

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,
Spain, July 15, 2020:
As the world continues to work together and adapt to new ways of living, Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez arrive in Jerez for the start of the MotoGP World Championship.

When the lights go out on Sunday, July 19th, it will be 245 days since the MotoGP World Championship grid raced at the season ending Valencia GP. Since then the world has gone through difficult times and people around the globe have pulled together to help return life to normal and thanks to these efforts, normality and with it racing is set to return.

The Gran Premio Red Bull de España is the second round of the 14-round rescheduled 2020 MotoGP World Championship campaign, with the Moto2 and Moto3 classes having already run in Qatar. A unique schedule presents itself to the teams and riders for the first race with a day of testing on Wednesday after the long break before beginning the traditional Grand Prix weekend format from Friday.

Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez arrives in Jerez eager to reunite with his team and get back to riding the Honda RC213V after a positive end to testing in Qatar. The Jerez Circuit has seen Marquez take three premier class wins and never finish off the podium in his seven previous visits as a MotoGP rider. With round three of the 2020 championship also taking place in Jerez a week later, a productive week will be important to keep momentum with a solid base to work from.

For rookie Alex Marquez, the wait to go racing has seemed even longer as the reigning Moto2 World Champion has been forced to delay his premier class debut. His first pre-season with the Repsol Honda Team was him post impressive times during the Sepang Test and make constant progress while in Qatar. Fresh from extending his agreement with HRC for another two years, Alex’s ambition for the opening weekend is to continue making forward progress, waiting to see what will happen in Sunday’s race.

In addition, both Repsol Honda Team riders will wear special helmets, dedicated to the hard work not only of key workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also everyone else who changed their lives to follow the new guidelines and help limit the spread. The helmets will be auctioned off after the weekend with the proceedings going to Cruz Roja Responde.

Marc Marquez

“First I want to say thank you to everyone who has helped and worked hard during these strange times. Now it is our turn to go back to work, to put on a great show and entertain everyone around the world – give them some excitement and rest in these difficult times. Jerez is a circuit I know well and the test on Wednesday will be important because even though we have been able to ride some motocross and keep our fitness, there is nothing like a MotoGP bike. We need to adapt how we work to stay safe and healthy, but I am really excited to see the team again and enjoy riding the Honda.”

Alex Marquez

“It has been a long wait and there have been some difficult times for everyone, and the most important thing is to extend our thanks to all those who have worked tirelessly to help us return our lives to normal. This is why we will wear the special helmets; it is just a small gesture, but everything helps. Of course, I am very excited to see the team again and finally make my debut in MotoGP, it’s something everyone dreams of. It’s going to be a different weekend, but I think once we begin working on track our focus will shift and we can progress in a good way. The key thing is to take this weekend slow and remain realistic but of course I am excited, I have dreamed of lining up on the MotoGP grid since I was little.”

IIFL Finance Launches Digital Gold Loan

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 15

IIFL Finance, one of India’s largest non-banking finance companies has launched Digital Gold Loan, which allows customers to avail loans without visiting branch.

Customers of IIFL Finance can easily avail top-up and renewal of their gold loan account, add a bank account, download loan statement, pay EMIs etc.

In these times of Covid19 pandemic, lockdown, and social distancing norms, it is advisable for people to stay safe at home. Digital Gold Loan is therefore a perfect product for customers to avail Gold Loan without even stepping out of their home. The whole process is online, quite convenient and gets completed in few minutes, living up to its tagline click click, aur ho gaya!

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Saurabh Kumar, Business Head- Gold Loan, IIFL Finance said, “We understood the difficulty our customers were facing in moving out of their homes due to the restrictions and the fear of contracting Corona. Therefore, Digital Gold Loan will help customers to meet their requirement of funds for business or emergencies, sitting in their home and at any time of day or night. We believe that this is a big step towards helping our customers, not just during these Covid19 times but beyond as well.”

IIFL Finance recently signed up India’s superstar cricketer Rohit Sharma as its first-ever Brand Ambassador.

IIFL Finance is a systemically important Non-Banking Financial Company not accepting public deposits and engaged in the business of home and property loans, gold loans, loan against securities, SME business and micro-finance loans. IIFL Finance has a long-term credit rating of AA (Stable) by Crisil, AA (Stable) by ICRA and AA (Positive) by CARE.

IIFL Finance, through its subsidiaries, offers a wide spectrum of products such as Home loan, Gold loan, Business loan, Microfinance, Capital Market finance, Developer and Construction finance to a vast 30 lakh customer base. IIFL Finance has widened its pan-India reach through extensive network of branches spread across the country and various digital channels.

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Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

July 15, Chandigarh:

K. C. Mahindra Education Trust, which was founded 65 years ago, today announced that it had awarded this year’s K.C. Mahindra Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies Abroad to 55 students after conducting interviews online, given the current situation related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The K. C. Mahindra Education Trust has been awarding these interest-free, loan scholarships to deserving students desiring to pursue post-graduate studies overseas in various fields, since 1956. In 2020, a total of 1,246 applications were received, and after a careful evaluation, 90 candidates were shortlisted to be interviewed by the selection committee comprising of 9 members.

Commenting on the scholarship program, Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group said, “The ongoing pandemic has significantly disrupted the higher education sector, which is a critical driver of a country’s economic future. Despite these unprecedented times, we were able to facilitate the programme for students through virtual interviews. I hope that each one of our scholars uses this unique opportunity to not only pursue their educational goals, but also creates a positive future impact on the communities in which they live and work.”

The shortlisted candidates included 23 graduates from the IITs, and the balance are alumni of other premier educational institutes including BITS Pilani, the National Law Schools, Lady Shri Ram College, St. Xavier’s College, St. Stephens and Sir JJ College of Architecture. The candidates had secured admission to highly regarded foreign universities including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, Pennsylvania, London Business School, LSE, Oxford Cambridge, and ETH Zurich.

The top 4 scholars will get a scholarship of INR 8 lacs each and the rest will receive a scholarship of INR 4 lacs each. Aimed at enabling higher education for the brightest and best students in India, the total value of the scholarships awarded this year is Rs. 2.36 crores. The scholars will be pursuing their post-graduation in a wide range of subjects including Computer Science, Engineering, MBA, Architecture, Design, Law, Public Policy and Economics.

The selection committee comprised of eminent leaders including Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group; Bharat Doshi, Chairman, Mahindra Intertrade Ltd.; Ulhas Yargop, Chairman, Bristlecone; Dr. (Mrs.) Indu Shahani, President and Chair – Indian School of Design & Innovation and Indian School of Management & Entrepreneurship; Ranjan Pant, CEO Advisor, Global Strategy Management Consultant & Change Management Expert; Vikram Singh Mehta –Chairman & Senior Fellow Brookings India, Leena Labroo, Partner at Niana; Aishwarya Ramakrishnan, Head – Strategy, Marketing & Operating Excellence Farming as a Service, Farm Equipment Sector, M&M and Shruti Agarwal, EA to the Chairman, Mahindra Group who interviewed the shortlisted candidates over a period of two days.

Many of the KCMET scholars are not only carrying out path-breaking research and teaching at reputed institutions but are also manning and leading national and international banking, commercial and financial institutions, multinational corporations, providing quality health care and legal services and entering sunrise industries such as IT, Biotechnology, Computing, including areas such as Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and so on.

This was the very first scholarship program set up at the Trust by the founder, Mr. K C Mahindra, and it continues to offer bright Indian students the possibility of pursuing their higher education at reputed universities abroad.

Chandigarh parents show greater consciousness to protect selves with a health insurance policy

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

July 15, Chandigarh: A recent survey, Indian Parental Care Survey 2019, commissioned by Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co. Limited (ABHICL), the health insurance subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), a significant non-bank financial services’ conglomerate, reveals that the senior citizens in Chandigarh have very well taken up the responsibility of being in-charge of their own health and fitness. According to the survey,

A recent survey, Indian Parental Care Survey 2019, commissioned by Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co. Limited (ABHICL), the health insurance subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), a significant non-bank financial services’ conglomerate, reveals that the senior citizens in Chandigarh have very well taken up the responsibility of being in-charge of their own health and fitness. According to the survey, interestinglyChandigarh ranks second, after Bangalore, with almost 54% parents having invested in a health cover for themselves and their spouse. A chunk of the parental population is on top of their fitness regime, timely health check-ups and a health cover for protection.

Almost 60% parent respondents admit to be financially secured which is the second-highest after Delhi.53% parent respondents claimed that they are in full control of their finances and keep good amount handy for emergency which is the highest across India.

When questioned about their health and fitness, majority of the parent respondents from Chandigarh mentioned that they regularly walk(55%) to keep themselves fit. Almost35% Chandigarh parents admit to consume nutritious meals and avoid food that might affect their health.The survey further highlights, Chandigarh as one of the most health conscious cities with 46%parents opting for health check-ups every 12 months which is the third-highest across India without depending on their children to accompany them. In case of medical emergency, children still remain the first point of contact for 73% of parent respondents from Chandigarh. However, 69% of Chandigarh parents miss their children when they go for a routine medical check-up which is the highest across India.

Majority of the children 88% from Chandigarh live away from their parents in other cities. Majority of children respondents from Chandigarh stated that they continue to feel connected with their parents in spite of living away from them. Nearly 91 % children respondents claimed that they are mostly worried about their parents’ well-being.

The survey which was conducted across 10 cities (METRO & Tier I)further deep dived into relationships, communication and emotional anxiety amongst several family generations living in separate locations. Despite modern technology that enables unprecedented levels of inter-generational connectivity; Indian children continue to feel anxious about their parent’s health while living away from them.

Commenting on this survey, Mr Mayank Bathwal, CEO, ABHICL said,“These days many youngsters leave their parental homes, to build a career and for their growing professional aspirations. However, there is a constant sense of concern towards parent’s health and wellbeing. The Indian Parental Care Survey 2019 provides a unique insight on the rising concern of parental health and wellbeing among children living away. As a caregiver to my parents, I understand how big a priority this is and being able toprovision for their needs”.

The survey brought to fore the needs that have emerged from changing lifestyle, modern parent – children relationship and the gap that exists in parental care and the support children require to meet their concerns.

IIM Udaipur Flags off ‘UNNATI 2020’, Engagement and Learning Program for the Incoming Batch

July 13^th, 2020; Chandigarh Indian Institute of Management Udaipur kick-started its three-week engagement and learning program ‘UNNATI 2020’ last Thursday for the newly enrolled 2020-2022 batch. The program aims to provide opportunities to the incoming batch to reflect on their personal journeys as they get ready to join IIM Udaipur as well as interact with different stakeholders of the Institute, including IIM Udaipur’s Director, Board of Governors, Faculty, Students, and Alumni.

Indian Institute of Management Udaipur kick-started its three-week engagement and learning program ‘UNNATI 2020’ last Thursday for the newly enrolled 2020-2022 batch. The program aims to provide opportunities to the incoming batch to reflect on their personal journeys as they get ready to join IIM Udaipur as well as interact with different stakeholders of the Institute, including IIM Udaipur’s Director, Board of Governors, Faculty, Students, and Alumni.

Mr. Shiv Shivakumar (Board Member, IIM Udaipur), Group Executive President – Corporate Strategy and Business Development, Aditya Birla Group, inaugurated UNNATI 2020 and addressed the incomingstudents through a webinar. He spoke to them about the challenges they will face given the ongoing pandemic, and how to prepare for the same. Sharing his own life lessons, he explained to the students the way to approach each aspect as management graduates and make the most of every opportunity that comes their way. The session ended with him explaining the role ofstudents in the growth of any institute, and how as members of the IIMU community, they too will contribute towards IIMU’s growth in the coming years.

Learning in the new normal has urged B-Schools to come up with novel ways of engagement and learning. This program of IIM Udaipur is divided into four parts spanning across the month. The focus of the program is on reflection to help students’ understand their strengths better, work on your communication skills as well as interact with different stakeholders of IIM Udaipur via webinars, interactive sessions, and engaging activities.

Prof. Janat Shah, Director, IIM Udaipur wrote in his welcome letter to the class of 2022, “The Institute recently conducted an expansive visioning exercise led by IIMU’s Board, and we are confident that with support from all our stakeholders, among whom you are now an invaluable part, IIM Udaipur will undoubtedly be able to make our mark on the global landscape by 2030. We hope that this engagement program will lay a solid foundation for this process of reflection that must be part of your entire time at IIM Udaipur.”

He further entrusted the value of a strong moral compass for managers and urged the students to be role models of integrity in everything they do.

Other sessions in the UNNATI 2020 program are webinars with industry leaders to understand current industry challenges and strategies and interaction with IIMU alumni to gain career perspectives in different industries.

Mia by Tanishq brings back ‘Lil Joys Sale’

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,
Chandigarh, 13^th July 2020:
Mia, by Tanishq, one of India’s most fashionable jewellery brands today announced the Lil Joys Sale on all exclusive collections at Mia startingfrom 13^th July to 31^stAugust where customers can avail attractive discounts of up to 20%* on all Mia products. Celebrate little moments of joy with Mia’s fashionable and edgy collections that will lift your spirit and bring in hope and positivity in life. As Mia announces reopening of its retail stores, embrace every little moment of happiness by dressing up either for work based video calls, catching up with friends or at a cosy dinner date at home with Mia’s light weight jewellery.

Customers can also celebrate their special moments and indulge in gifting for their loved ones and select from a wide range of premium fine jewellery in 14 Karat gold with over 800 designs.

Mia offers a wide array of collections to suit different tastes and preferences, from quirky to classy and from elegant to chic. There’s something for every women who believe in living in the moment and rejoicing little joys of life whether it’s virtual celebrations, reading a book and sipping on tea on a rainy day, reminiscing old travel trips or indulging in hobbies.

The brand’s unique, minimal and extremely versatile creations are spread over a wide range of products comprising earrings, pendants, bracelets, rings, necklaces, bangles, chains and nose pins at attractive prices. Fashioned for the women of today, Mia’s exquisite 14 Karat jewellery is a perfect blend of style and elegance that is easy on the pocket too at affordable prices.

Speaking about the offer, Shyamala Ramanan, Business Head, Mia (Tanishq Brand), “We at Mia understand our muse and are cognisant of the state of her mind in the last few months. We wish to participate in her optimism and celebration of life by bringing back our ‘Lil Joys Sale.’

At Mia by Tanishq, we believe, it’s time to spread the cheer, recognise a peer and even indulge oneself with a little something special. Styling with Mia’s exquisite 14 Karat jewellery is an ideal way to make a fashion- forward statement. The uber stylish and versatile collections are available in plain gold, gold and diamond and even in coloured stones which will surely add a sparkle to Life’s little joys.”

The offers can be availed at your nearest Mia store, select Tanishq stores and on Mia’s e-commerce platform https://www.miabytanishq.com/. Mia by Tanishq is now delivering the products at your doorstep ensuing all safety measures.

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Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 13, 2020

SBI Life Insurance, one of the most trusted private life insurers in India, today, unveiled its new product campaign ‘Apno Ki #PoornaSuraksha’, highlighting the product’s (SBI Life’s Poorna Suraksha) dual protection feature which offers complete financial immunity by providing both Life cover and protection against 36 Critical Illnesses in a single plan with an auto-rebalancing aspect which is much needed to navigate through the current uncertain times.

The ad film features popular playback singer, Shaan alongside his son Shubh, emphasizing the need to maintain immunity. The film opens with a charming father son role reversal conversation, where Shaan is being interrupted by Shubh at various instances while performing daily activities, only to be reminded of ways to boost and keep the health immunity in check at all times. Shaan, expresses how kids these days have become immunity specialists to their parents. Similarly, he continues to highlight the importance of building a healthy financial immunity for choppy times that will enable in creating a financial cushion to safeguard oneself and the loved ones from any monetary stress led by lifestyle diseases or other unforeseen consequence.

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/x6Tf7ZrHLeU

Today, critical illnesses account for 60% of deaths in India, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study. Treatments to cure critical illnesses are usually lengthy and expensive, making it very difficult for the family to afford the costs. Therefore, it is paramount to focus on building one’s financial immunity for tough times so that mental immunity stays guarded, in case of a lifestyle disease or any other unforeseen event.

Speaking on the launch of ‘Apno ki #PoornaSuraksha’ campaign, Mr. Ravindra Sharma, Chief of Brand and Corporate Communication, SBI Lifesaid, “A newfound immunity regime has become second nature for most of us, today the larger populace is consciously making smart choices around health, wellness and life in general. Delving deeper into this intrinsically protective behaviour, that is consuming everyone across sections of the society, we realized that as an Insurance player our role to provide immunity to the consumer has never been more accentuated. With an approach of keeping a simple communication for an insurance category, we have drawn a parallel for financial immunity via the concept of health immunity which is understood by all. We hope to educate the consumer on the importance of building one’s financial immunity like they have towards their health. SBI Life’s Poorna Suraksha being a unique product combining both life cover and protection against 36 critical illness in a single package, this dual protection can enable individuals to build a holistic financial immunity, as a safety net for themselves and their family to battle against any odds”.

Ms. Garima Khandelwal, Chief Creative Officer, Mullen Lintas said, “Health Immunity is of priority today, with everyone aware and abreast like never before. We have all realised the importance of being proactive about immunity when it comes to good health, and made changes to our routines, self-care is undoubtedly the no. 1 learning today. This being the context, we wanted to introduce a parallel need for one’s family’s financial immunity, being as proactive about the same. And it’s relevance in this landscape. Drawing a simple parallel between health and financial immunity and stressing on the need for both, borrowing from the current and changed awareness in the behaviour”.

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Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 13, 2020

Celebrating the spirit of solidarity and the joy of being back, Media & Entertainment powerhouse Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) has announced its content comeback via an innovative partnership with leading CPG brands. ZEE collaborated with leading brands – Nestle Maggi, Amul Lassi, PepsiCo, Red Label, Cadbury Dairy Milk, ITC Dark Fantasy to gear up the nation for the 13^th of July, the date of its daily content comeback on Zee TV. 4 other HSM channels, & TV(HGEC), Zee Marathi, Zee Yuva (MGEC) and Zee Punjabi (PGEC) are also making their daily content comeback on the same day.

With a massive outdoor teaser campaign, people took to social media channels wondering what the #13thkitTaiyyari was about. The banter between the brands on Twitter left people even more curious on why they should be stocking up for the 13^th with many more brands and companies jumping into the fray building up the excitement for the D-Day. TV has always been the Greatest Common Unifier and with this teaser campaign, ZEE has again brought together some of India’s most loved brands in an extraordinary partnership celebrating the coming together of viewers, partners and our fresh episodes with the promise, #BanegiBaatSaathSaath.

The #BanegiBaatSaathSaath promise has been rolled out across media and to all of ZEE’s partners along with a film, which is an ode to the entire TV industry coming together to entertain its viewers. ZEE strongly believes that the challenges we all faced in the first half of 2020 are just like a twist in the tale before the interval and when we all rally together we can achieve the impossible and create an extraordinary second half.

“Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Consumer Officer, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limitedsaid, “With the resumption of production, we are excited to bring fresh content for our consumers. The last three months have caused a significant stir amongst the mood of the nation. People are increasingly investing time in entertainment to cope with the uncertainty prevailing around. TV has been the greatest common unifier and respite in this lockdown and as content creators, we acknowledge that it is a huge responsibility we carry. For us, understanding the pulse of our consumers and customers and delivering delight is an obsession, which is what we are attempting to do both with this campaign and in crafting all our stories for the second half 2020. The stories we bring will aim to uplift the mood of the nation and provide our viewers respite through all that they are going through. Zee has and will always stand by its viewers and all its partners and is looking forward to holding hands and turning on the light at the end of this tunnel and are confident that we will once again provide valuable experiences to our partners and viewers.”

Expressing his views Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer, Advertisement Revenue, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) said, “With the resurgence of fresh dose of content, we would like to celebrate the spirit of camaraderie with all our stakeholders – cherished viewers & advertisers – to brighten and cheer up with engaging content. Brands will once again have the opportunity to resonate and pave their way into the minds of their consumers in this new environment. At ZEE, we have not only seamlessly weaved stories for brands with relevant influencers & have been at the forefront in creating an integrated platform agnostic solution for our advertisers/brands but ensured that they are part of our communication as well. This has led us to partner with our brands in unique ways and create value for them and #13kitaiyyari is another testimony to the power of partnerships, more importantly brand partners are integral part of the communication when we are reconnecting with our consumer.”

With a three-month long wait, viewers have been eager to see some of their cherished stories and characters coming back with their daily dose of fresh episodes. A lot of the storylines will come back to induce a sense of positivity and bring back strong heroes that people turn to for companionship. A collective force of 5000+ people have come together to bring 100+ fresh stories, every day in 11 languages, which take inspiration from the consumer sentiment and echo their anticipations. While channels like Zee Bangla, Zee Kannada, Zee Sarthak, Zee Keralam, Zee Telugu have already started and are entertaining viewers in regional markets delivering around 100+ hours of content per week, the 4 HSM channels – Zee TV, &TV, Zee Marathi and Zee Punjabi go live on 13^thJuly. With a strong understanding of the entertainment preferences of the consumer and keeping their evolving needs at the fore, the channels are returning with a diverse mix of content which caters to the entire family.

Through the power of storytelling, the strength of the characters, the depth of emotions, and the delight of the plots, ZEE has aligned its content strategy to instil a fresh sense of positivity as the country slowly unlocks its operations. ‘Cos this is just an interval and the story is far from over!

Annexure 1

#13thkiTaiyyariZeeTVkeSaath, #BanegiBaatSaathSaath– Campaign Overview

As we start resuming life in the second phase of the ongoing unlock and resume fresh content on air, ZEE promises to continue walking on this journey with all its viewers and partners, to create a better second half after a brief pause. Stemming from its brand philosophy of creating Extraordinary Together, ZEE along with Lowe Lintas conceptualized the promise of ‘Banegi Baat Saath Saath’, celebrating the joy of being back and creating a stronger future together.

The philosophy of Banegi Baat Saath Saath brought together our viewers and partners in a one-of-a-kind initiative where we partnered with 6 leading brands and asked consumers to stock up and do #13thkiTaiyyari. In partnership with Publicis Worldwide India, the #13thkitaiyyari campaign panned out in two phases. The first phase created intrigue when 6 leading CPG brands asked people to stock up via billboards in Mumbai and Delhi that led to a high buzz on ground as well as piqued curiosity on digital as everyone took to social media to figure what 13^th July was about. It was later revealed that the brands had partnered with ZEE asking consumers to stock up as they would serve as a perfect accompaniment to families watching all their favourite shows resuming on ZEE.

Talking about the core thought of Banegi Baat Saath Saath, Sagar Kapoor, CCO, Lowe Lintassaid “We want to reinforce the power of unity and remind everyone that if we come together we can conquer any barrier. The film made for Banegi Baat Saath Saath is a tribute to the industry’s resilience and its commitment to entertain the vast audience it caters to. The message we want to reverberate is that of hope in sight and encourages everyone to rally together to craft a better second half as we come back from the very short interval!”

Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director , Publicis Worldwide India added, “While we were preparing for the big come back Zee TV campaign, we had this germ of an idea, it was all about bringing multiple brands together to co-create cheer and tremendous excitement, as we know that our dear Zee TV viewers are indeed eagerly waiting for their favourite shows to come back with fresh episodes. We developed #13thKiTayyari and this was a testament of true collaboration between the ZEE team who got in touch with the brands and the Publicis team who delivered this campaign from start to finish in a matter of just 3 days. This is probably the first time that so many brands were coming together in one campaign. We are elated over the chatter on this campaign… goes to show that we achieved what we set out to do – Go ahead and tune in on 13^th of July to enjoy Naye Kisse – naye Episodes of their favourite shows on Zee TV.”

Atul Shrivastava, CEO, Laqshya Media said, “We are thrilled to partner with ZEE for their comeback announcement. The power of the outdoor medium with the might of the partner brands and the ZEE network created tremendous buzz on ground around the campaign. The message of solidarity from ZEE resonates with the partners and viewers alike and we look forward to more fruitful associations through the coming half of the year”

Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund launches voice-based services via Google Assistant

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 08, 2020:
Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited (a significant non-bank financial services’ conglomerate), and investment manager to Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund (ABSLMF) today said that it has launched voice-based services for its investors with Google Assistant. The voice assistant acts as a 24X7 interface for investors to interact with the fund house, to address their various service requests such as portfolio valuations, account statement, capital gains statement etc. The Google voice assistant uses the latest in AI and NLP to provide a simple conversational experience and provide the relevant solution. The fund house also has plans to be soon available on other voice assistant platforms such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri.

The fund house has implemented various sophisticated technology based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to enhance the experience of an investor’s journey. The fund house has launched a host of unique initiatives such as Email BOT, Chat BOT, Whatsapp services for investors and partners and Video e-KYC system that has onboarded several new investors to the mutual fund industry. Its customer focussed apps Active Account for transaction in Liquid Fund and FinGo, and partner focussed tech innovations such as Partner Portal and Partner App have modernised service experience. In its Google Assistant implementation, the fund house has focused on an investor’s common service needs and built the journey accordingly.

Mr. A. Balasubramanian, MD & CEO, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited said, “I am happy to announce the launch of our voice-based customer service interface with Google Assistant. We as a fund house constantly strive to bring new services for our investors and harness the strength of modern technology to provide convenience and seamlessness in their transaction experience. We have been pioneers in adopting cutting-edge technology and this is yet another example. We are encouraged by the rapid increase in digital modes of transaction by investors and partners, with 97% of our transactions being carried out digitally. Technology truly has the power to break the boundaries and facilitate financial inclusion in the country”.

Making service requests related to Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund on Google Assistant has become as easy as using a voice assistant to make a phone call or search on the internet. Google’s voice assistant can be accessed through any smart phone having Google Assistant or where the Google Assistant app has been downloaded, or any of the Google Home devices. Investors can simply speak to their smartphones/digital devices to connect with ABSLMF following a series of prompts and voice commands that are secured and encrypted. Users can activate Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund Voice Assistant by saying to their Google Assistant “Ok Google”, followed by “Talk to Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund’’ and link their Google account with ABSLMF for the first time.

ICICI Bank crosses milestone of 1 million users on WhatsApp banking platform

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,
Chandigarh, July 7, 2020:

ICICI Bank today announced that it has crossed a milestone of 1 million users on its WhatsApp banking platform. The Bank introduced banking services on WhatsApp three months ago to enable its retail customers to undertake a slew of banking requirements from their home at a time when they are advised to stay indoors in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Bank has received an encouraging response from its customers in such a short span and aims to double the number in next three months.

To begin with, the Bank introduced services like savings account balance, last three transactions, credit card limit, get details of pre-approved instant loan offers and block/unblock credit & debit card in a secure manner with end-to-end encryption for all messages. Recently, the Bank has added several new features like opening instant savings account in a few minutes, access to pdf for our partnered newspapers / magazines, locating nearby essential stores and opting for loan moratorium to this service. The Bank has also introduced this service to its NRI customers.

Services like checking account balance, last three transactions, applying for loan moratorium and revising credit card limit have seen the maximum usage.

Commenting on the milestone, Bijith Bhaskar, Head- Digital Channels & Partnership, ICICI Bank said, “With the growing prominence of social media in every-day life, we believe that WhatsApp banking has offered immense convenience to our customers as it allows them to bank while they are on WhatsApp. Customers can access a host of their banking requirements on their own, without visiting a branch. Over a million of users have adopted the service in a short span of three months. We have mostly seen that millennials across the country are using WhatsApp for their banking needs. With the encouraging response, we aim to double the number of users in next three months to 2 million.”

Customer has to follow below given quick steps, to avail the banking services on WhatsApp:

· Save number and say ‘Hi’: The customer simply needs to save ICICI Bank’s verified WhatsApp profile number, 86400 86400, to his/her ‘contacts’ on the mobile phone. Send <Hi> to this number from his/her mobile number which is registered with the Bank. The Bank will respond with a list of services available

· Type keyword for service: From the list of services, type the keyword of the service required (keywords are highlighted in the conversation for easy recognition), example : <Balance>, <Block> etc. The service is carried out and displayed instantly.

To know more, visit:https://www.icicibank.com/online-services/WhatsApp-Banking/index.page

For news and updates, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ICICIBank

For media queries, write to: corporate.communications@icicibank.com

About ICICI Bank: ICICI Bank Ltd (BSE: ICICIBANK, NSE: ICICIBANK and NYSE:IBN) is a leading private sector bank in India. The Bank’s consolidated total assets stood at ₹13,77,292 crore at March 31, 2020. ICICI Bank’s subsidiaries include India’s leading private sector insurance, asset management and securities brokerage companies, and among the country’s largest private equity firms. It is present across 15 countries, including India.

Honda launches advanced, sporty & stylish new X-Blade BSVI

Sakht khabar correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 7, 2020:

Extending its portfolio in 160cc motorcycle segment further, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt Ltd. today unveiled the new X-Blade BSVI.

Introducing X-Blade BSVI, Mr. Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Director – Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “The new X-Blade BSVI is inspired by the dreams of success oriented young enthusiasts. The generation which aspires to ‘Look Beyond’ will find it hard to resist Honda’s globally acclaimed superior technology, new features like dual petal disc brakes with ABS, Engine Stop Switch and new dynamic stripe design of the new X-Blade BSVI.”

Sporty Character

For the one who embrace technology without compromising on looks, the X-Blade strikes the perfect balance between sportiness and practicality.

At the heart of X-Blade BSVI ticks Bharat Stage VI compliant Honda’s mid-size advanced 160cc PGM-FI^NEWHET (Honda Eco Technology) engine. PGM-Fi is a system that uses 8 onboard sensors to constantly inject optimum fuel and air mixture to provide greater performance and superior efficiency.

The advanced & efficient engine is designed to deliver superior efficiency with best in class torque. The compression ratio of 10:1 and spiny sleeves on outer surface leads to punchy performance. Smooth power delivery is ensured with a needle bearing rocker armwhich helps in reduction of friction losses. The new engine also comes equipped with counter weight balancer which reduces vibrations and helps in delivering smooth acceleration from low to high rpm. Powered by the revolutionary HET (Honda Eco Technology), the long stroke engine is tuned to deliver extra torque and super mileage.

The high-performance Rear Mono Shock suspension is housed below the seat and mounted on the advanced tough and flexible diamond frame. It offers superior riding comfort and excellent stability.

The petal shape cut on the disc brake dissipates heat effectively which improves the overall braking efficiency. A combination of Front & ^NEW Rear* disc brakes provides effective braking and better control.

Superior Convenience

New Honda X-Blade BSVI comes equipped with ABS (Anti-lock braking system) that gives an enhanced braking performance on the roads.

^NEW Engine Stop Switch provides the convenience of turning-off the engine on brief stops with the flick of a switch.

Ensuring safety of riders in low visibility conditions is theHazard switch that flashes indicator lights.

The Street-Tech digital meter comes with advance features- Gear Position Indicator (gives information about engaged gear in all road conditions), Digital Clock(shows time) and Service Due Indicator (informs when the vehicle requires service).

Being an all-rounder, the stylish X-Blade offers superior riding comfort and excellent stability. The 130mm wide rear tyre with hugger fender, long wheelbase(1347mm)enhance stability on bad roads and ensures comfort during longer rides.

A long (582mm) & wide (337mm) seat provides ample space for a comfortable long-distance traveling. It comes with seal chain which needs less frequent adjustments and low maintenance cost.

Uber Stylish

The all-new X-Blade is designed with precision to compliment the attitude of millennials and Generation-Z. Cut through the dark in style with Robo-faced LED headlamp while leaving a mark on your followers with theRazor-edged LED tail lamp. Adding sportier demeanor toX-Blade is the Aggressive Sculpted tank design and Dual Outlet Muffler.

It’s aggressive and futuristic design is further accentuated by link type gear shifter, groovy grab rail,stylish wheel stripes, sporty under cowl & front fork cover, sharp side covers and hugger fender. ^NEWDynamic graphics on fuel tank and side covers enhance the identity of X-Blade.

Price, variants & colors

The new X-Blade will be available in two variants – Single disc & Double disc in four stunning colors – Pearl Spartan Red, Pearl Igneous Black, Matte Axis Grey Metallic andMatte Marvel Blue Metallic. The price for X-Blade BSVI starts from Rs. 1,05,325 (Single disc version, ex-showroom Noida, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh).

Bhartiya Skill Development University, Jaipur (BSDU) adopts contactless admission process

Invites Applications for Bachelor of Vocational Programs in Multiple Disciplines

The B.Voc degree is a UGC approved degree, equivalent to any other graduate degrees, and is based on the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) to address the critical requirements of Skill sets in the country.

· The last date for submission of applications is 31^st July 2020

· Fee Concession on Early birds’ registration is available till 31st July 2020

· Number of seats: 30 seats in all B.Voc programs (Except Manufacturing Skills, which has 60 seats)

· Fees: Rs.60,000/- to Rs. 100,000/- per annum

· Program duration – 3 years for B.Voc

· B.Voc is of 6 Semesters (30 credits each)

· B.Voc training at BSDU- I, III and V semesters

· B.Voc training in the industry- II, IV and VI semesters

· Internship- 100% internship record and students complete the course with 1.5 years of industry experience

· Credits in Total:180 credits for B.Voc

Disciplines: Automotive Skills, Building and Maintenance, Construction Skills, Electrical Skills,

Entrepreneurship Skills, Entrepreneurship Skills (Beauty and Wellness), Healthcare Skills (PRS), Hotel Management and Tourism Skills, IT/ Networking Skills, Machine Learning, and AI Skills, Manufacturing Skills, Metal Construction Skills, Office Administration Skills, Plumbing Skills, RAC Skills, Renewable Energy Technology Skills, Telecom Skills, VLSI Design Skills, Woodworking Skills.

BVoc Program Page: https://ruj-bsdu.in/bsdu-jaipur-b-voc-programs/

Bhartiya Skill Development University Jaipur (Incorporated through Rajasthan State Legislative Act No. 3 of 2017) 005-001.002, Domestic Tariff Area Mahindra World City (SEZ), Jaipur – 302042.

Notable Recruiter: Forsk Technologies, hmt, ASHOK LEYLAND, airtel, Eureka Forbes, Appirio, IBM, HCL, Cisco, Genus, Mahindra Tractors, TATA, Shree Cement, Daikin, Hero MotoCorp., Perto, RS India, RUJ Elecon, RUJ Woodcraft, are some of the names of companies where students have been employed.

Bhartiya Skill Development University, Jaipur (BSDU) one of the leading universities to offer skill development programs that has been incorporated by Government of Rajasthan vide State Legislature Act No. 3 of 2017 (Bhartiya Skill Development University Jaipur Act 2017) and notified vide Notification No. F.2(4) Vidhi/2017 dated 30th March, 2017. The UGC has included BSDU in its list of universities vide UGC letter no. F. 8-14/2017 (CPP-I/PU) dated 04 August 2017.. University has recently introduced a contactless admission process on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. The University invites applications for its 3-year B.Voc Program where the curriculum is focused on 60% Skills and 40% General Education Component. BSDU follows the Swiss-Dual System of training where Industrial internship offered is up to 1.5 years i.e. student is exposed to the practical industrial environment every alternate semester which is not offered by any University.

The strength of any university is its students and where they are placed as they carry themselves as brand ambassadors. BSDU’s training and placement cell nurtures the aspirations of students and creates a connect with recruiters’ requirements and student skills matching up industry requirements. Students have the liberty to secure skills in the area of their interests where BSDU enhances skills through soft skill training, personality development, full involvement of faculty and trainers during internal internships, and have excellent collaborations with companies in India and abroad offering placements in the best companies. The students are groomed through a rigorous process of mock interviews, group discussions, presentations on technical/ general topics, and entrepreneurship preparing them for a whole new exposure outside a University. More than 100 companies visited for internships at the campus in 2020 where 378 students were placed for an internship with the highest stipend for internship per month was up to Rs. 25,000/-.

Prof.Achintya Choudhury, President BSDU said, “Bhartiya Skill Development University is the only university that offers state of the art set-up and infrastructure that has a curriculum designed by experts from the industry. BSDU has always focused on nurturing students with the ideology of making them entrepreneurs and not job-seekers. The University has strong collaborations with esteemed organizations where imparting industrial knowledge through internships of 1.5 years across their curriculum has been fruitful to make them trained resources for industries and organizations in not just India but across the globe.”

Prof. Choudhury further said, “The B.Voc program is designed to provide students with a broad, versatile skill set, coupled with hands-on industry exposure. Situated in Rajasthan, the University has faculty who have been veterans in their fields across industries that train our students. Our students experience Global Culture as they are trained by International Trainers and Project Managers.”

The UGC has approved B.Voc and M.Voc programs based on the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) to address the critical requirements of Skill sets to make the graduate’s industry-ready. These programs are now equivalent to any other graduate degree program.

Eligibility To apply for B.Voc, the student must have passed:

1. 10+2 or equivalent.

2. 2 years of ITI after 10th.

3. Polytechnic Diploma holders will be considered for lateral entry into the second year of B.Voc.

Program specifications: The B.Voc program is modular in nature and offers multiple entry and exit points at Certificate, Advanced Diploma and B.Voc. It has 6 semesters with 30 credits each resulting in a total of 180 credits to earn a B.Voc degree.

Scholarships:

Merit Scholarships:

B.Voc (UG) Students admitted directly:

Students having 90% or more marks in 10+2 or equivalent qualifying examination, will be eligible for a scholarship equivalent to 100% of the Tuition Fees.

B.Voc (UG) Students admitted through the University Entrance Examination:

Students admitted through the University Entrance Examination and getting 90% and higher marks in the Examination will be eligible for a Scholarship equivalent to 50% of the Tuition fees.

Early Bird Fee Concession:

All students will be eligible for an Early Bird Fee Concession of 25% on the Tuition Fees, if they get admission before 31^st July 2020.

Information on Scholarship/fee concessions can be accessed on https://ruj-bsdu.in/scholarship/

In addition to excellent job opportunities in companies, the B.Voc degree holder will also be eligible for Govt. jobs such as IAS, IPS, Défense Officers, and other Central and State Services.

Virtual Admission Process:

The varsity has adopted a contactless admission process, the entire admission process is online right from counselling, virtual open house, registration, the entrance exam, document verification to the fee submission process. Students and parents can take advantage of these facilities and experience BSDU Jaipur from the comfort of their homes. They can visit our admission simplified page to get all the details on https://ruj-bsdu.in/bsdu-admission-simplified/

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:Interested candidates can apply online by visiting BSDU Website www.ruj-bsdu.in or Application forms may be collected from the Admission Office, Administrative Block at BSDU. For more details contact on 9828882458 or write to admissions@ruj-bsdu.in

Hershey’s Chocolate Recipes to Try on World Chocolate Day

Rahul Khatry

7 July, Chandigarh

From Dalgona coffee to chocolate cake and chocolate cookies, the lockdown has been the reason for sweet cravings if nothing else! Who doesn’t love chocolates, it is an indulgence which can lift your mood instantly! On the occasion of World Chocolate Day while we are all at home quarantined with our families why not celebrate our love for chocolate with some delicious Hershey’s recipes?

1) Gingerbread mug cake

Ingredients

· Refined flour – 1cup

· HERSHEY’S Cocoa Powder – ½ cup

· Sugar – ¼ cup

· HERSHEY’S Chocolate Flavoured Syrup – 100ml

· Melted butter- ½ cup

· Flaxseed powder – 1tbsp

· Yogurt – 2 ½ tbsp

· Baking soda – ½ tsp

· Baking powder – ½ tsp

· Gingerbread spice powder (anise, mace, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon in equal quantities) – 1tsp

· Milk- ¼ cup

Process

· Add refined flour, cocoa powder, and sugar in a bowl.

· Also add butter, HERSHEY’S Chocolate Flavoured Syrup, flaxseed powder and yogurt.

· Mix all ingredients well.

· Now add gingerbread spice powder, baking powder and baking soda and mix thoroughly.

· Take 4 large mugs and fill half the mug (to stop it from overflowing in the microwave) with the prepared batter

· Center the mugs in the middle of the microwave and cook on high temperature for 90 seconds or until it has stopped rising and is firm to touch. Don’t forget to watch it rise as it cooks!

· Remove and serve warm

Note – you can use any flavor of Hershey’s syrup.

2) Choco Kalakand

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 45 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

· 650 ml of milk

· 40gms soaked rice, crushed

· 250 ml HERSHEY’S Chocolate Flavoured Syrup

· 1 tsp Cardamom powder

· 2 tsp pistachios, sliced (blanched & skinned)

· 100 g Kalakand

Process

● Heat milk on low flame in a heavy bottom broad pan & heat till it reduces to half, keep stirring at intervals so that the lumps are not formed

● As the milk reduces, pour in the rice paste and stir continuously. Do not let the paste stick to the bottom of the pan.

● As the mixture starts to thicken, pour in HERSHEY’S Chocolate Flavoured Syrup and mix.

● Once the mixture has thickened & reaches coating consistency, add cardamom powder & mix thoroughly, cook further for 2-3 minutes more.

● Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool for a while.

● Pour in individual serving bowls & garnish with pistachio slices & crumbled kalakand

3) JoCo phirni

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

· ½ cup Sorghum (Jowar), roasted and ground coarsely

· 1¼ liter Full Cream Milk

· ½ cup Hershey’s Chocolate flavoured syrup

· 1 tsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)

· 4-5 nos Cardamom, crushed

· 1 tsp Dried rose petals, for garnish

Process:

• In a pan, roast the jowar with clarified butter till it is dry and coarsely ground it.

• In a wide thick bottomed sauce pan, add the ground jowar and milk. Bring to a boil and later cook on a low heat until jowar cooks. The milk would start thickening

• Keep stirring continuously, add Hershey’s chocolate flavored syrup and stir together

• Add in the crushed cardamoms

• Now remove from heat and let it cool down a little

• For serving, pour little chocolate flavored syrup in a small clamp jar and add the cooked phirni till top. Garnish with dried rose petals

• Set in the fridge for 2-3 hours and serve chilled

4) No Bake Brownie

Preparation Time: 20mins (2hrs setting time)

Cooking Time: 10mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

· 1 Cup Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup

· ½ Cup Oats

· For Mixing

· ½ Cup Hershey’s Cocoa Powder

· 8 Medjool Dates, de-seeded & chopped

· ¼ Cup Cashew nuts, chopped

· ¼ Cup Oats

· 2 tbsp Hershey’s Chocolate Spread

Process

· Heat a pan on medium-low flame. Add chocolate syrup and let it warm up a little.

· Now add oats and cook till it reaches to a thick doughy consistency. Turn off the flame and let it cool for 5mins

· Take out this mixture in a mixing bowl. To this mixture add all the other ingredients and mix well.

· Line a dish or tray with butter paper and take out the mixture in the dish.

· Spread mixture evenly in the dish and let it set in refrigerator for 1-2hrs.

· Remove the dish from refrigerator and take out the brownie. Cut into squares.

· Drizzle chocolate syrup on top and serve

5) Emoji Idli

Preparation Time: 30min (Fermentation time 5hrs)

Cooking Time: 20mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

· For Idlis

· ¼ Cup Whole White Urad Dal

· ¼ tsp Fenugreek Seeds

· ½ Cup Poha

· 1 Cup Brown Rice or White Rice

· 2 tsp Rock Salt

· 1 cup Rice Flour

· Other Ingredients

· ½ Cup Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup

· ¼ Cup Hershey’s Cocoa Powder

· ½ Cup Hershey’s Strawberry Syrup

· ½ Cup Beetroot Juice

· 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder

Process

• Wash and soak urad dal, fenugreek seeds and white/brown rice separately.

• Drain the water from urad dal and grind together with fenugreek seeds in wet grinder adding ¼ cup water only. Keep aside.

• Now grind the poha into a fine powder. Mix it with urad dal batter.

• Drain the water from the white/brown rice and grind the rice in the wet grinder. Add ½ – ¾ cup water while grinding.

• Mix all the batters together and add salt, mix again thoroughly. The dough should be thick in consistency.

• Keep the batter in a large bowl and allow it to ferment in warm place for 4-5 hrs.

• Once the batter is fermented, give a nice mix.

• Separate three equal parts of batter in separate bowls.

• In first part of batter, add little beetroot juice and strawberry syrup and mix well. Add rice flour if needed to thicken the batter.

• Divide the second part of batter in two bowls. In one bowl, add little beetroot juice and strawberry syrup and mix well. In another bowl, add chocolate syrup and cocoa powder and mix well.

• Make two cones from butter paper or take piping bags and fill separately the strawberry flavour batter in one and chocolate flavour batter in another and keep aside.

• Keep the third part of batter as it is.

• Heat water in idli steamer. Grease the idli plates with oil, put muslin cloth over mould.

• Pour the strawberry batter in idli mould and in another mould pour the white batter and keep idlis for steaming.

• Once the idlis are cooked about 75% (about 10 minutes), then using the piping bag batter make emoji’s on the idlis. On the white idlis, use the strawberry batter and on the strawberry idlis use the chocolate batter

• Wipe the idli steamer lid and put the idlis back to cook fully for about 5-10 minutes

• Remove the idlis, when slightly cool and serve

NTPC bags ATD Best Awards for 4th time in a row for its HR Practices

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, 4 July 2020:

NTPC Ltd, the country’s largest power generating company has been honoured with ATD BEST Awards by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), USA. NTPC has bagged this award for 4th time in a row for its Human Resource Practices.

For NTPC, the core of its ethos has always been about engaging with employees and stakeholders with innovative measures. The award is testimony to its contemporary HR practices.

The ATD BEST Awards recognises employee talent development practices that affect enterprise-wide success to use talent development as a strategic business tool for enhanced results. NTPC has been successful in creating an ecosystem which empowers employees to enhance their skill sets.

The award included small and large private, public, and not-for-profit organisations from across the globe.

With a total installed capacity of 62110 MW, NTPC Group has 70 Power stations comprising of 24 Coal, 7 combined cycle Gas/Liquid Fuel, 1 Hydro, 13 Renewables along with 25 Subsidiary & JV Power Stations.

Kalyan Jewellers strengthens leadership team with company’s first CEO, appoints two new directors

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 2 2020: Kalyan Jewellers today announced the appointment of its first Chief Executive Officer as well as the expansion of its board to include two new directors. With this announcement, the company elevated Mr. Sanjay Raghuraman to Chief Executive Officer from his earlier position as the Chief Operating Officer. Additionally, Mr. Salil Nair joins the company’s board as Non-Executive Director, while Mr. Anil Nair was named Independent Director. The company already has 4 independent directors with banking and financial sector expertise.With these two new appointments, Kalyan Jewellers board will include both retail and marketing expertise.

Speaking about this announcement Mr. T S Kalyanaraman, Chairman and Managing Director, Kalyan Jewellers said, “We are extremely delighted to appoint Mr. Sanjay Raghuraman as the Chief Executive Officer of the company and warmly welcome Mr. Salil Nair and Mr. Anil Nair, who bring to the table expertise in the retail and marketing spaces, to the Kalyan Jewellers core team. With an aim to continue expanding the company’s footprint to cater to newer audiences, we are confident that our enhanced team will take us to newer horizons and achieve bigger milestones, leveraging growth opportunities despite the challenges in the new COVID-19 era.”

Mr. Sanjay Raghuraman joined Kalyan Jewellers in 2012, when the company began its journey of accelerated growth by expanding operations outside of South India. He was the Head of Operations at HDB Financial Services Limited prior to joining Kalyan Jewellers.

Mr. Salil Nair holds expertise in retail management with over 30 years of experience, including his successful spell as Chief Executive Officer at Shopper’s Stop. Mr. Anil Nair has been in the advertising industry for over 24 years, including serving as CEO & Managing Partner of L&K Saatchi & Saatchi as well as a member of the global leadership team of Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann and DDB.

The announcements come at a time when the retail sector is seeing constant fluctuations due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic globally. With these new appointments at the helm, the company aims to strengthen its growth strategy and drive creative and sustainable solutions during these challenging times.

ICICI Lombard launches #RestartRight campaign

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

Chandigarh, July 02, 2020:

COVID-19 has impacted lives and businesses across the globe. The human society stands at the crossroads of a ‘New Normal’, something that will alter our future completely. Social distancing and curtailed movement have become the norm. Further, in this changing scenario, health protection through a comprehensive health insurance plan gains paramount importance.

Staying ahead of the curve, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, India’s leading private sector non-life insurance company, has revamped its health insurance portfolio and introduced new age solutions. Further, to create awareness of the same among consumers, it has launched a unique #RestartRight campaign in mass media, focusing on digital channels and targeting new age platforms like OTT (Over The Top) video streaming.

The campaign launched by ICICI Lombard is two-fold. The first phase of the campaign involves a brand led communication which exemplifies the current situation where consumers are hesitant given the pandemic but are trying their best to work through the constraints. Depicting various ‘slice of life’ situations, it shows a lady inviting her friend home after a long time, but first makes sure she sanitizes her hands before entering. In another instance, a mother returning home from work stops her daughter from coming close to her, but then hugs her after she has taken a shower. In this way, the communication persuades people to ‘Restart’ life, but in the ‘Right’ way. At the same time, it communicates its own adoption to the ‘new normal’ and upgrading of its health insurance solutions that align to the new normal.

The main communication will be followed by specific benefit driven creatives which bring out the individual offerings that form part of the brand’s health insurance ‘new age’ solutions. These include benefits such as tele-consulting a doctor 24×7, online medicines order & delivery and insurance for treatment availed at home. The benefit driven videos again showcase constraints faced by consumers due to the lockdown and how the revamped offerings remove the said hurdle. For instance, if a consumer is hesitating to visit a doctor, ICICI Lombard’s tele-consult facility enables her to seek expert medical advice on the phone itself including obtaining an e-prescription that can be ordered online.

On the announcement of the campaign,Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard General Insurance stated, “Amid the lockdown relaxations, consumers are wanting to restart life but hesitating to do so, amid the heightened health concern. At ICICI Lombard, we understand this ‘new normal’ situation and have accordingly reoriented ourselves by introducing relevant solutions for our customers. Our new campaign that showcases new age benefits reassures customers that by following safety protocols and equipping themselves with our health insurance solutions, they can go ahead and #RestartRight.”

Speaking on the launch, Talha Bin Mohsin and Mahesh Parab, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy Mumbai said, “The new normal has brought with it new uncertainties that have left us with a lot of unanswered questions. We all are trying to make sense of the new range of do’s and don’ts. But even in these testing times we wanted to tell people that ICICI Lombard has suitably adapted its services to help its customers adapt to the new normal, seamlessly. While the world awaits a restart, our new health insurance solutions are here to make it right”.

ICICI Lombard has always been a pioneer in identifying emerging trends and providing effective solutions to customers, in line with its brand ethos of “Nibhaaye Vaade” (Keeping promises).

Jyothy Labs launches #VocalforLocal campaign supporting Aatmanirbhar Bharat

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

July 02, 2020:

Jyothy Labs Limited (JLL), one of the leading Indian FMCG companieslaunched a brand new television campaign today in support of the #Vocalforlocal appeal made by the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The film narrates the journey of the company’s legacy since 1983 through a beautifully scripted song that describes the ethos and values of the company.

The launch comes at a time when the entire nation is witnessing an emotion of patriotism and self-reliance. The campaign focusses on the centricity of Jyothy Labs’ evolution and functioning being driven by ‘Bharat’. It depicts the joy and happiness of being a true Indian homegrown company serving its consumers through its various innovative products across the nation.

Expressing delight on the launch, Ms. Jyothy MR, Managing Director, Jyothy Labs Limitedsaid “With a soul that reflects India for all intents and purposes, Jyothy Labs hereby pledges strong support to the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative made by our honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji. In the last 37 years of our existence we have thought, worked and served as an Indian keeping our nation and citizens at the forefront. Our single most important objective since inception was to contribute in nation building by serving the discerning consumer with innovative products that not only fulfils a need but become life changing solutions. With a new Television campaign supporting the Vocal for Local initiative, we want to reiterate our intentions of being ‘‘vocal about local’ products and help them become global.”

Supporting the Vocal for Local initiative and to become a part of ‘ATMANIRBHAR BHARATAbhiyan’, Jyothy Labs started the campaign through BTL activities in May 2020, followed by Print ads in national dailies showcasing it’s ‘Made in India’ and ‘Made for India’ products. The TVC will furthermore propel its strong support for the VFL initiative and also strengthen it’s connect with the Indian consumers.

About Jyothy Labs:

Jyothy Labs Ltd (JLL), one of the leading Indian FMCG companies was founded in 1983 by Mr. M P Ramachandran. Over the years the company has evolved from a single product proprietary firm into a multi brand, BSE & NSE listed company involved in the manufacturing and marketing of products in Fabric Care, Home Care, Personal Care and Dishwash categories.

The companys’ power brands includes Ujala, Exo, Maxo, Margo, Henko and Pril, The company is also engaged into service sector in organized laundry to provide “World class laundry at affordable price” through its subsidiary ‘Jyothy Fabricare Services Limited’.

CM Ashok Gehlot to ensure doing business gets easier in Rajasthan

Sakht Khabar Correspondent,

1 July 2020, Chandigarh: The Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot would personally monitor the progress on Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) parameters in the state. A meeting under chairmanship of the CM will soon be convened. This was informed by the Chief Secretary DB Gupta while addressing a high-level meeting with various departments at the secretariat on Wednesday over the implementation of EoDB in the state.

The Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot would personally monitor the progress on Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) parameters in the state. A meeting under chairmanship of the CM will soon be convened. This was informed by the Chief Secretary DB Gupta while addressing a high-level meeting with various departments at the secretariat on Wednesday over the implementation of EoDB in the state.

“Ensuring achievement of EoDB goals is more necessary now than before. We need to establish responsibilities, identify focus areas, and set a time-bound program to fulfil the goals,” the Chief Secretary directed the officials. “There would be monthly meeting with the department secretaries and nodal officers regarding progress in the direction,” he added.

The Central Government, while increasing the parameters of EoDB reforms has also linked the implementation with the additional borrowing limit of several states. The additional borrowing limit has been established at 2 percent of the respective Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), in the case of Rajasthan, 1 percent of GDP nears about Rs 10,000- Rs 11,000 crore. The states are expected to comply with the directives till January 2021. These guidelines are mostly aimed to make more and more business-related government process accessible online and free of any physical contact.

“We observed that several of the district level business reforms proposed under the guidelines cannot be dealt merely at the district level and thus need portals at the state level to deal with all the user-related requirements,” said Dr Subodh Agarwal.

“Also the portal will provision for future requirements, the central government keeps amending the EoDB criteria and a centralised portal would ensure that the new parameters can be easily included,” he added.

The Chief Secretary asked the related departments to increase coordination with the Department of Information Technology for the purpose. Directing for focused approach, the Chief Secretary held that compliance of guidelines would be implemented under guidance of Commissioner of Industries, Muktanand Agarwal, who is nodal officer for the implementation of EoDB.

“The departments need to sensitize the respective nodal officers and ensure that objectives are met before the Central government deadline by December, while there is still time left for rectification if required,” said Commissioner Industries, Muktanand Agarwal.

He informed that implementation of the EoDB parameters will not be evaluated on mere basis of changes in the government procedures, the feedback of users will also be taken in consideration to determine that the reforms have been implemented to satisfaction.

Officials from Urban Development, Local Self Governance, Tourism, Excise, Mines, Energy, PWD, PHED, Forest and several other departments were present during the meeting.

NTPC signs MoU with IOCL & SDMC for development Waste to Energy (WtE) Pilot Plant at Okhla Landfill Site utilising Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

Chandigarh, July 1, 2020: India’s largest power generator NTPC Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) signed a bi-partite MoU and a tri-partite MoU amongst NTPC, IOCL and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has been signed at Delhi for “Development of Waste to Energy (WtE) facility at Okhla Landfill site” in the august presence of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Shri R.K. Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy & Minister of State (Skill Development and Entrepreneurship) and Shri Anil Baijal, Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

India’s largest power generator NTPC Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) signed a bi-partite MoU and a tri-partite MoU amongst NTPC, IOCL and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has been signed at Delhi for “Development of Waste to Energy (WtE) facility at Okhla Landfill site” in the august presence of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Shri R.K. Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy & Minister of State (Skill Development and Entrepreneurship) and Shri Anil Baijal, Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

Under the MoU, it is proposed to set up Plasma Enhanced Gasification (PEGS) technology-based Waste to Energy pilot plant at SDMC Okhla Landfill site utilising 50 TPD Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) & generating one MW of Electricity. The technology is eco-friendly as there are hardly any flue gases or bottom ash waste. The Pilot Plant is being setup for Technology demonstration.

Mayor of Delhi, Commissioner SDMC, CMD NTPC, CMD IOCL and senior officials from the Ministries, IOCL, NTPC & SDMC also graced the occasion. MoUs were signed by Shri Subodh Kumar, ED IOCL, Shri Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Chief Engineer SDMC, and Smt. Sangeeta Kaushik, GM NTPC.

NTPC is collaborating with municipalities of East Delhi Municipal Corporation along with Kawas, Varanasi, Indore and Mohali. The municipal solid waste will be segregated and processed to utilise combustion fraction for conversion to coal or for power generation, biodegradable fraction for production of methane gas for use as bio CNG, and the recycled residue shall be used for construction purpose after required processing

Smt Parminder Chopra takes charge as Director (Finance), PFC

Chandigarh, 1st July 2020: Government-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC), India’s leading NBFC, today announced the appointment of Smt Parminder Chopra as Director (Finance) of the company. She succeeds Shri N.B. Gupta, who superannuated on June 30 2020.

Government-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC), India’s leading NBFC, today announced the appointment of Smt Parminder Chopra as Director (Finance) of the company. She succeeds Shri N.B. Gupta, who superannuated on June 30 2020.

Smt. Chopra was working as Executive Director (Finance) at Power Finance Corporation (PFC) before assuming charge as Director (Finance), PFC.

With over 32 years of rich and varied experience, she specializes in handling crucial and core finance functions such as fund mobilisation, corporate accounts, banking & treasury, asset-liability management, stressed asset resolution etc.

Before joining PFC, she was associated with key organizations in the power sector like National Hydroelectric Power Corporation of India (NHPC) and Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL).

Smt. Chopra, who joined PFC in 2005, spearheaded the key initiative to diversify PFC’s fund mobilisation to international markets that allowed the lender to raise money at lower costs. With her focussed approach, share of fund mobilisation in foreign currency grew from a meagre 2% to 15% within a short span of 2 years.

Smt. Chopra has also been lauded for many firsts including launch of PFC’s maiden Green Bond issue & PFC’s first fund raising from US bond market under sec 144(a). She also played a key role in PFC’s mega acquisition of Government of India’s holding of 52.63% in REC Ltd. and overcame challenges related to PFC’s capital adequacy levels and negotiations with various parties regarding PFC’s borrowing agreements & domestic & international credit rating.

Smt. Chopra also serves as Director on the Board of Coastal Tamil Nadu Power Limited and Cheyyur Infra Limited.

Smt. Chopra’s rise from her humble beginning as a Cost Accountant & MBA to the top rank of the Finance function at PFC demonstrates her passion, commitment and hard work.

Her deep understanding of PFC’s operations, strengths and focus areas will surely help the power sector lender excel further and achieve more milestones in the coming days.

ICICI Bank launches instant loan against MF units

1 July 2020

ICICI Bank announced the launch of a facility that enables retail customers to get loan of up to Rs.1 crore instantaneously by pledging their holdings in both debt and equity schemes of mutual funds. The fully digital and paperless facility empowers the customers to avail this loan as an overdraft (OD) in a matter of few minutes, without visiting a branch and submitting physical documents. Called, ‘Insta Loans against Mutual Funds’, the facility has been launched in partnership with ‘Computer Age Management Services’ (CAMS), the country’s leading registrar and transfer agency for mutual funds. ‘Insta Loans against Mutual Funds’ is an extension of the Insta LAS, an instant loan facility against equity shares, which the Bank launched over a year ago.

With ‘Insta Loans against Mutual Funds’, the millions of pre-approved customers of the Bank get the convenience to select the mutual fund scheme and number of units they wish to pledge, confirm the loan amount and set-up the OD limit in a few simple clicks on the Bank’s internet banking platform. The facility isopen to customers of the Bank holding units in mutual fund schemes serviced by CAMS. This offering comes handy to customers in the current pandemic scenario as it empowers them to take care of their liquidity by pledging assets, without stepping out of the comfort of their homes.

Talking about the initiative, Mr. Rajesh Iyer, Head- Wealth, Private Banking and LAS, ICICI Bank said,“ICICI Bank has been offering a lot of retail products instantaneously to its customers leveraging upon data analytics and technology. In the past few years, the list of the instant products which the Bank had introduced include instant credit card, instant personal loan, instant home loan, instant car loan, instant credit called Paylater, instant overdraft facility for MSMEs and instant opening of Public Provident Fund account facility, and InstaLAS. This new facility, ‘Insta Loans against Mutual Funds’, is an extension of this endeavor.

We are happy to partner with CAMS for this facility to provide complete digital access for loans against mutual funds to our customers. With this facility, customers can leverage their mutual fund holdings to get access to funds instantly. We believe that in these extraordinary times of the Coronavirus pandemic, this offering will help both self-employed customers looking for funds for their business as well as salaried customers to tide over personal need for liquidity. Moreover, they will be able to avail this facility anytime, anywhere, using the Bank’s internet banking platform.”

Speaking about enabling the digital solution, Mr. Anuj Kumar, President & CEO, CAMS, said, “Leveraging technology to augment mutual fund customer experience has been a focus area of CAMS. We are delighted that our portal is expanding further to serve mutual fund customers in newer ways. The collaboration with ICICI Bank to design a 100% digital solution for loans against mutual funds will help set higher service standards and superior customer experience. This is an important milestone in our mutual fund service journey.”

This facility can be availed by marking a lien on the existing mutual funds serviced by CAMS, in a few simple clicks. It is available for resident Indians and for portfolios that are individual holdings.

Some of the salient features of ‘Insta Loans against Mutual Funds’ are:

· Instant access to funds: The customers get access to instant liquidity by leveraging their existing mutual fund portfolio, without selling them.

· Flexibility of mutual funds: The loan can be availed against a wide range of debt and equity schemes of mutual funds serviced by CAMS and approved by the Bank

· Wide range of loan amount: Minimum loan amount is Rs. 50,000 for both debt and equity schemes of MFs. Maximum loan amount is Rs. 1 crore for debt schemes of MFs and Rs. 20 lakh for equity schemes of MFs

· Competitive margin: Minimum 20% for debt and 50% for equity MFs

· Advantage of OD; No fixed EMI: Since the loan is available as an OD, the customers do not have to pay fixed EMI. They only need to pay interest on the limit utilised and for the number of the days it was utilised

· No foreclosure charges: The customers have the flexibility to repay the principal as and when they choose to, without any foreclosure charges

Resident Indian customers can avail the loan in a few simple steps as below:

· Log into Internet Banking: Log in to ICICI Bank Internet Banking >> Go to ‘Investment & Insurance’ >> click on ‘Loan against Mutual Funds’ >> Check pre-qualified eligibility >> select type of mutual fund

· Confirm request on CAMS portal: On re-direction to CAMS portal, select mutual fund scheme and number of units. Confirm request through One-Time Password (OTP) authentication

· Confirm loan amount : Confirm loan amount and commercials of the loan on ICICI Bank internet banking >> Complete FATCA >> Accept terms and conditions

· Enter OTP: Enter OTP received on registered mobile number with the Bank. Instantly the OD account and limit is set up.

One can immediately start using the funds, on completion of the above steps.

To know more about the ‘Insta Loans against Mutual Funds’ facility, visit

https://www.icicibank.com/Personal-Banking/loans/loan-against-securities/mutual-funds.page?#toptitle

To read list of approved mutual fund schemes, visit https://www.icicibank.com/managed-assets/docs/personal/loans/list_MF.pdf

For news and updates, follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/ICICIBank

For media queries, write to: corporate.communications@icicibank.com

About ICICI Bank: ICICI Bank Ltd (BSE: ICICIBANK, NSE: ICICIBANK and NYSE:IBN) is a leading private sector bank in India. The Bank’s consolidated total assets stood at ₹13,77,292 crore at March 31, 2020. ICICI Bank’s subsidiaries include India’s leading private sector insurance, asset management and securities brokerage companies, and among the country’s largest private equity firms. It is present across 15 countries, including India.

Certain statements in this release relating to a future period of time (including inter alia concerning our future business plans or growth prospect s) are forward – looking statements intended to qualify for the ‘safe harbor’ under applicable securities laws including the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward – looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward – looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to statutory and regulatory changes, international economic and business conditions; political or economic instability in the jurisdictions where we have operations, increase in non – performing loans, unanticipated changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, equity prices or other rates or prices, our growth and expansion in business, the adequacy of our allowance for credit losses, the actual growth in demand for banking products and services, investment income, cash flow projections, our exposure to market risks, changes in India’s sovereign rating, as well as other risks detailed in the reports fi led by us with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of the date of this release. ICICI Bank undertakes no obligation to update forward – looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date thereof. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available atwww.sec.gov

Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector Sells 35,844 Units in India during

June 2020

Witnesses a growth of 12%

July 1, 2020: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES), a part of the USD 19.4 billion Mahindra Group, today announced its tractor sales numbers for June 2020.

Domestic sales in June 2020 were at 35,844 units, as against 31,879 units during June 2019.

Total tractor sales (Domestic + Exports) during June 2020 were at 36,544 units, as against 33,094 units for the same period last year.

Exports for the month stood at 700 units.

Commenting on the performance, Hemant Sikka, President – Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, “We have sold 35,844 tractors in the domestic market during June 2020, a growth of 12% over last year. This is our second highest June sales ever. The timely arrival of the south west monsoon, combined benefits of a record Rabi crop, Government support for Agri initiatives and very good progress in the sowing of the Kharif crop have led to positive sentiments among farmers. These underlying factors along with better cash flows in rural markets have helped boost tractor demand during June. It is expected that this demand will continue to remain buoyant in the coming months. In the exports market, we have sold 700 tractors”.