Category: News

This new player aims to take on Airtel, Jio in the internet-based home entertainment space

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Think broadband internet in India, and you will automatically think of Airtel Broadband, JioFiber, and a couple of other major brands. And why not?

According to the most current data available from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea account for the top three broadband service providers in the country — as of February 29 this year, Reliance Jio had 478.51 million subscribers, Bharti Airtel 269.63 million, and Vodafone Idea 126.56 million, accounting for 96% of the market.

The rest are serviced by hyperlocal internet service providers and smaller brands.

However, last December, a new player entered the market with affordable plans for comprehensive home entertainment and a fresh marketing gimmick. free televisions for early adotpers. This initial offer has since been discontinued, but Excitel had grabbed the attention of consumers in the handful of cities in which it launched — Delhi, Kanpur, Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad and a clutch of tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

Now, about five months later, the company boasts a million subscribers, has earned ₹500 crore in the 2023-24 fiscal — ₹1,250 crore since its inception — and plans to expand its presence to more than 55 cities across the country. 

In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18, Varun Parischa, COO of Excitel, says they are under no illusion about the uphill battle that they face to be considered in the same league as the established players. However, he is confident that there is enough in their offerings to ensure that Excitel eventually gets there — on the strength of the affordability and versatility of its services.

For context, Excitel currently offers plans in four categories — WiFi only, WiFI+OTT, WiFI+OTT+IPTV (Internet Protocol Television, or live TV streamed over the internet), and WiFi+IPTV.

Excitel’s plans (unlimited data)

Parischa said Excitel’s plans offer a better proposition than its like-for-like competition, Airtel’s Xstream Fiber service — which starts at ₹499 per month for 40 GB of data. Excitel offers unlimited data with a starting speed of 200 Mbps for about ₹424 a month.

He cited the example of consumers paying separately for cable and a decent internet connection and said, “When I combine the two, I can offer at anywhere between ₹550-650 both TV and internet — we can offer the customer all the main general entertainment channels, sports channels — predominantly cricket — in HD format, plus 200 Mbps unlimited internet at ₹550.”

Parischa said only 3.5 crore of the 35 crore homes in the country have an internet connection, which is a 9-10% penetration, which in his words is lower than Bangladesh or even Nepal. “So, a country which aspires to be the third-largest economy in the not-so-distant future, and clearly is on the path to get there, you cannot have such low broadband penetration. And the missing piece in the puzzle was the regulation which prohibited us from covering TV earlier. Now, this is possible. Riding on this TV wave, we can truly go to a consumer’s home and say we can deliver world-class entertainment at a super affordable price and quality which is reliable. I think this would unlock a lot of potential,” he said.

The key differentiators that set Excitel apart, according to Parischa, are speed and reliability. “Airtel Xstream and Excitel serve the same consumer need, but we offer far more speed as compared to what Airtel offers. That is one big differentiator,’ he said.

“The second is, in any Indian city — Pune, Mumbai, Delhi — you can very distinctly divide the city into two parts: One which is very developed, so all the telcos, Airtel, Jio have always gone there and this has been their primary focus area. Excitel, on the other hand, has focused on a relatively cluttered and unplanned urban landscape, which is typical of about 65-70% of any Indian city. We tend to focus on this 65% of the market — we go deeper and bring high-quality FTTH (fibre to the home) service to Bharat, not just India,” he added.

Also read: Mobile bills may go up post the election

How does the service work?

Excitel has tied up with an IPTV service to develop an app. So, when the service is set up, the only piece of hardware that is installed is the broadband router. The technician then installs an app on your smart TV, through which the user can access all general entertainment channels (GECs), and based on the plan they opted for, OTT services as well.

“We have Disney Hotstar, Sony LIV, and Zee5. Our integration with Amazon Prime is in the works and should be launched in two o three months,” Parischa said. “We have a whole array of specialist apps, too. So for people who want to watch Formula One, we have Fancode. For people who want to watch boutique Hollywood content, we have Lionsgate. For people who want to watch documentaries, we have Docubay and Nebula. This is the total app bouquet we bring to the consumer in the ₹600 price bucket,” he added.

What about streaming quality? “That is determined by your subscription with the app directly. You get the service from the app, but the bill is generated by Excitel.”

So, instead of paying a monthly or annual subscription fee to different apps, you just pay Excitel a fee and get all your services from one provider. There is one exception, though. Excitel doesn’t support Netflix as, according to Parischa, “We don’t see a big overlap between our customer base and Netflix customer base.”

David vs Goliath battle

There’s no denying that Excitel is a small player on the same field as behemoths who have had their foot in the business for years if not decades. How does Excitel hope to attain the same level of instant brand recall as Airtel or Jio? Once it has that level of brand recall, half its job is done.

“We’re still getting to the point where half our job will be done. But it is exceptionally hard; it’s a David versus Goliath scenario. We are in a space where the need we are fulfilling is being fulfilled by two mega giants in the form of Airtel and Jio. So it’s a very crowded market — you have these big telcos with a massive, unaided brand recall at one end, and then you have very small, regional, sub-regional local players, who limit your ability to charge a reasonable price at the bottom,” he said.

While Parischa says there is a long way to go before Excitel will be seen as one of the top three in its category, what has worked so far in its favour is geographical success. It’s a very experiential brand — till somebody uses it and realises how the 200 Mbps FTTH connection changes their life vis-a-vis what they were using earlier, it won’t resonate with them. We depend upon our existing customers referring it to others — word of mouth.,” he said.

Also read: Reliance Jio adds about 4.2 million wireless subscribers in January 2024: TRAI

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

What is MS Dhoni’s record against Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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MS Dhoni has been having a cracker of a campaign for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Batting in the death primarily, Dhoni has smashed 87 runs at a strike rate of 255.88.

He has hit more sixes (8) than fours (7), indicating the brute powerhouse that he has transformed into with the bat for the franchise.

Also Read: CSK vs LSG Preview, IPL 2024: Predicted XI, key players, pitch report, where to watch

Even in their recent loss against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Dhoni contributed constructively with a nine-ball 28, securing timely boundaries against Mohsin Khan and Yash Thakur.

With CSK hoping to return to winning ways in their forthcoming clash against LSG, here is a look at his batting record against the KL Rahul-led team.

How does Dhoni fare against LSG?

Dhoni has played four matches against LSG, aggregating 56 runs at an average of 56, considering that he has never been dismissed against them.

His highest score against them was the 28* that he notched last week, whereas Dhoni boasts of a massive strike rate of 311.11 in front of LSG.

Behind the stumps, Dhoni has affected three catches in matches vs LSG.

Dhoni – Overall IPL Record

Dhoni has played 223 innings in the IPL, scoring 5169 runs at an average of 39.46 and strike rate of 137. He has hit 24 half-centuries and been dismissed for a duck on five occasions. Overall, Dhoni has notched 12.56% of the total runs that his teams have scored in the IPL, in matches featuring him. He has also taken 144 catches and made 41 stumpings in the tournament.

Dhoni has scored his most IPL runs (839) against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). However, his best average and strike rate are against LSG.

Will Rahul’s men be at the receiving end of another onslaught by the former India captain on Tuesday?

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Why these two modern-day challenges need urgent attention

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Childhood obesity and social media addiction are two modern-day challenges that demand urgent attention, points out Dr. Anupam Sibal, a paediatric gastroenterologist and Senior Consultant at Apollo Hospitals Group. 

 Prevalence of Child Obesity

Referring to a survey conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic by Apollo Hospitals Group on child obesity in 5 to 10-year-old school children in South Delhi, Dr Sibal says the findings were alarming. This survey found that 15% of children were overweight, and 4.9% were classified as obese. Even more concerning was the discovery that 19% of children with normal weight had fatty livers, while a 45% of overweight children had the same condition.

Dr. Sibal identifies unhealthy snacking habits and the availability of junk food in school canteens as major contributors to the rise in childhood obesity. The pandemic according to him exacerbated sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits with the incidence of obesity increasing post-COVID-19.

 Perils of Social Media Addiction

In addition to obesity, Dr. Sibal highlights the detrimental effects of social media addiction on children’s health and well-being. He observes a concerning trend of even 4 to 5-year-olds spending excessive time on smartphones, leading to adverse effects on their eyesight. The shift to online schooling during the pandemic further intensified screen time, raising concerns about parental control and healthy communication within families.

Dr. Sibal advocates for strict guidelines on screen time, recommending no more than one hour per day for children aged 2 to 5 years. He underscores the importance of parental involvement and fostering open communication with children from a young age. Failure to engage with children can lead them to seek advice and validation from social media platforms, exacerbating feelings of anxiety and inadequacy.

 Addressing Child Obesity with Lifestyle Changes

Dr. Sibal emphasised the need for a holistic approach to combat child obesity, involving the entire family in adopting healthier lifestyles. He stresses the importance of parental buy-in and active participation in programs aimed at promoting weight loss in children. By fostering a supportive environment at home and encouraging healthier eating habits and physical activity, families can effectively address the challenges of childhood obesity.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Why aligning traditional practice and new medical knowledge is important for newborn health

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In a world where medical advancements are rapidly transforming healthcare, it’s crucial to balance traditional practices with modern interventions, especially when it comes to the health of newborns says Dr. Rahul Verma, Head, Neonatology Department, and Director, Paediatrics Sciences, at Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre. 

Key Problems Faced by Newborns Today

 Dr. Verma emphasises that one of the most prevalent issues affecting newborns is the incidence of premature births. However, he notes a positive trend —the increasing survival rate of premature infants, thanks to advancements in neonatal care.

Additionally, low birth weights and babies classified as small for gestational age are frequently observed, affecting both urban and rural populations.

 Navigating Traditional Practices

When discussing traditional practices for newborns, Dr. Verma highlights the rich history of ancient medicine. He acknowledges the efficacy of practices like oil massage but emphasises the importance of understanding their purpose and execution.

According to him, the gentle touch stimulation provided by oil massages is beneficial for babies, but the manner in which it’s done matters greatly. Dr. Verma suggests that family members should perform the massage gently, using oil solely as a lubricant. However, he cautions against using oils that may be harmful to the baby’s delicate skin and stresses the significance of hygiene and cleanliness during the massage process.

 Rediscovering Traditional Medicine

Delving deeper into traditional practices, Dr. Verma urges awareness of their origins and purposes. For instance, he explains that the traditional practice of tying black threads around a baby’s ankles was intended to monitor growth. However, he notes the need for alignment between various such traditional practices and modern medical knowledge.

As Dr. Verma concludes, striking a balance between tradition and modernity is essential for ensuring the optimal health and well-being of newborns. By understanding the roots and rationale behind traditional practices and integrating them with evidence-based medical interventions, we can provide comprehensive care for the newest members of our society.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

A vegetable vendor’s daughter in Solapur is among the top 500 in the latest UPSC results

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Swati Mohan Rathod ranked 492 in the latest Union Public Service Commission results. She is the daughter of a vegetable vendor in Solapur, Maharashtra.

The Rathod household, which included three daughters and a son, on Bijapur Road in the Adityanagar area of Solapur, was marred by financial constraints but that didn’t stop Swati’s march.

“My mother mortgaged her gold but did not let it become a problem for my studies,” she said in a conversation with Local18.

By the time Swati finished her secondary education at a school run by the civic body, Mumbai was unaffordable for the Rathods, so the family shifted over 400 kilometres away to Solapur.

Swati’s academic journey was a testament to her dedication. After completing her secondary education from a school run by the civic body, she pursued her masters in geography at Walchand College in Solapur. It was during this time that she decided to take the UPSC exam.

It took her five attempts to crack the civil services examination. “I gave more importance to solutions than problems and worked on them,” she told Local18.

ALSO READ: 

Meet Aditya Srivastava, the Lucknow boy who topped UPSC civil services exam 2023

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As appraisals near, employees fear ‘dry promotion’ 

Three pro tips to ace your appraisal interview and three absolute no-nos

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Here’s how much gold Tirupati temple Trust has stored in banks

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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According to a recent white paper released by the authorities of what is often considered the richest temple in India, the combined value of all the gold deposited by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Trust has crossed a staggering 11,329 kilograms, a testament to the immense wealth associated with this place of worship.

A recent white paper revealed the annual statistics of the golden deposits made at various banks. The Temple Trust deposited over 4,000 kg of gold between 2019 and 2022.

The State Bank of India (SBI) and the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) hold most of the gold deposited by the TTD Trust.

It is customary for the devotees of Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple to make offerings in gold and silver ornaments.

Offerings are made to the presiding deity at the sacred hill shrine by placing them in the Hundi adjacent to the sanctum sanctorum in the main temple.

Devotees on pilgrimage to the famous Vishnu temple in Tirupati, built in 300 AD in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, prefer to offer coins tightly packed in a piece of yellow cloth that is dried with turmeric paste. This tradition has been followed for decades together.

Between 30 million and 40 million people visit the temple in Chittoor district, about 134 kilometres from Chennai, every year.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Trust, set up by the government through an Act in 1933, has been depositing the offerings in various banks.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Google Doodle marks the start of polls with index finger voting symbol

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India on Friday, April 19, started voting for the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, with as many as 102 parliamentary constituencies spread across 21 states and Union Territories going to polls in the first phase.

To mark the occasion, tech giant Google has released a Doodle, which replaced the ‘Google’ logo on its homepage with one that shows an uplifted index finger marked with indelible ink – a symbol which represents the democratic process of elections in India.

A total of 16.63 crore voters, including 8.4 crore men and 8.23 crore women, are eligible to cast their vote across 1.87 lakh polling stations in the country on Friday, according to reports.

Upon clicking on the link, users are directed to search results related to “India national elections 2024,” providing all the latest updates regarding the poll process.

Over the next 44 days, a whopping 969 million registered voters will be exercising their right to vote to shape the future of the world’s largest democracy for the next five years.

A temporary modification of the ‘Google’ logo on its homepage, the Google Doodle usually appears to mark a holiday or a festival, or it commemorates the contributions of individuals on their respective birth and death anniversaries.

2024 Lok Sabha elections

The 2024 general elections in India to elect a total of 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha will be conducted across seven phases starting from Friday and will go on till June 1. Voting for the second phase will be held on April 26, followed by the third phase on May 7, Phase 4 on May 13, the fifth phase on May 20, the sixth on May 25 and the last phase on June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

Also Read: Nagpur records 8% voter turnout till 9 am, Nitin Gadkari seeks hat-trick victory

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is eyeing a third consecutive term at the Centre, while the opposition INDIA bloc, led by the Congress party, is hoping for a rebound.

Besides polling on the 102 Lok Sabha seats, voting on Friday is also taking place for 92 Assembly constituencies in the north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim simultaneously.

The results of Assembly elections for the two states will be declared on June 2.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

World Bank’s Banga wants to make gains in tackling the effects of climate change, poverty and war

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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There was no shortage of stressors to the global economy when Ajay Banga took charge at the World Bank almost a year ago: inflation eating at nations drowning in debt, a once-in-a-generation pandemic, climate disasters and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Factor in the Israel-Hamas war and rising tensions between powerful nations, and today’s agenda is even fuller as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund hold their spring meetings in Washington this week.

“The world’s intertwined challenges of poverty — which clearly we have seen great setbacks over the past few years — combined with fragility and conflict and violence, combined with climate change, is coming into a perfect storm,” Banga said in an interview with The Associated Press. ”We need to put all of our efforts into this.”

Banga highlighted new initiatives being announced at the meetings, including plans to provide 300 million people in Africa with electricity by 2030 and 1.5 billion people worldwide with health care access over the same time frame.

He stressed the bank’s role in financing climate projects and renewing its focus on major cross-border projects that can affect large numbers of people, especially as member nations increasingly compete in trade and isolationism is on the rise.

Banga took over after David Malpass resigned as the bank’s president last June following a backlash when Malpass appeared to cast doubt on the science that says the burning of fossil fuels causes global warming. Malpass apologized and said he had misspoken.

President Joe Biden, who nominated Banga, said upon Banga’s approval by the bank’s board that the ex-Mastercard CEO “would help steer the institution as it evolves and expands to address global challenges that directly affect its core mission of poverty reduction — including climate change.”

Now Banga is under pressure to deliver on putting climate at the forefront, while climate activists and advocates for developing nations have their own ideas about how to proceed.

Simon Stiell, the U.N. climate secretary, said recently that climate finance needs to include decision-making between developed and developing countries as a way to build a financial system ”fit for the 21st century.”

Banga said developing nations “feel like they weren’t the ones who created this situation — their energy consumption is still small in proportion to many developed nations.” But under the World Bank model, because countries vote on many issues based on an allocated share of stocks in the bank, smaller countries are often limited in decision-making on issues that affect them most.

”There are a whole series of things the World Bank is doing to be a hand on countries’ backs, rather than trying to force feed them into situations” that are unfavorable to smaller nations, he said.

The bank is the world’s largest financier of climate projects in developing countries, delivering $38.6 billion in the 2023 budget year.

Another challenge is dealing with powerful shareholders, namely the U.S. and China, as trade tensions have risen.

”I think we can find spaces where the potential for geopolitics and national security fears don’t interfere with what we want to do with development,” he said, pointing to the new project to expand health care services to people with limited access.

He also cited World Bank funding for a project with the African Development Bank that will give electricity access — a “basic human right” — to more than 300 million people in 2030.

“There are 1.1 billion young people in the Global South who are going to become ready for jobs in the next decade,“ Banga said. ”It’s hard to get people productive if you don’t give them access to electricity.”

Current conflicts around the world are pushing the bank to the forefront for recovery efforts.

A World Bank and U.N. report this month said the cost of the destruction from the Israel-Hamas war had reached roughly $18.5 billion, equivalent to 97% of the combined gross domestic product of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022. Tens of thousands of people have died in the war, which has destroyed housing, commercial areas, water treatment plants, schools, highways and hospitals.

“While we can help in the short term with money for humanitarian aid, which we’ve done,” Banga said, ”the problem is currently getting it into Gaza.”

He said the World Bank has assembled a group of Palestinians, Israelis, Americans and Europeans to try to figure out what the bank can do in bringing together investments after the war ends.

“The World Bank is going to have to play a role in the shorter term, but also on medium-term and longer-term issues,” he said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Newsletter | Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase One; Israel rains missiles on Iran; Gold prices steady amid geopolitical tensions

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Here are the top 11 news stories across business, global events, tech, and more —

#LatestNews⚡

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Live Updates Phase One: West Bengal records 34% voter turnout, MP 31%, Maharashtra 19% till 11 am

The voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections began at 7 am on April 19, Friday. As many as 102 parliamentary constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories are polling today. There are 1,625 candidates out of which only 134 (8%) are female candidates. Besides General Elections, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will conduct the Assembly polls simultaneously in the first phase. Eight Union ministers, two former chief ministers and one ex-governor are among those who are set to test their electoral fate in this phase. The voting for the 18th Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases. The counting of votes will be on June 4.

Read here

Lok Sabha Polls ’24 | Will Katchatheevu resurgence in the campaign help BJP in Tamil Nadu

With Tamil Nadu going to the polls in the first phase of the General Elections and the BJP determined to make a mark in the Southern State, many issues that have been on the backburner were rekindled. One such issue was that of the tiny island of Katchatheevu in the Palk Strait.
Situated close to the coast of Rameswaram, Katchatheevu is a mostly uninhabited small island of less than 300 acres. It houses a Church where fishermen from both the Sri Lankan and the Indian side visit once a year for a festival, and a few fishing hamlets.

Read here

Middle East on the brink of a big war as Israel rains missiles on Iran in retaliation

The situation in the Middle East turns worse as Israel retaliates to Iran’s attacks over the weekend. Israeli drones struck an military base near Ifsahan, which has the country’s largest nuclear research centre, according to officials from Iran who spoke to the New York Times.

Reports of explosions near the Isfahan airport emerged just minutes after a US official told the Australian broadcaster ABC that Israel had fired missiles on one Iran site.

However, the Iranian officials didn’t explicitly name the country behind the attack in Ifsahan.

Read here

#TechTalks📱

Swiggy integrates Instamart with Mall to deliver a wider selection of products

On-demand convenience delivery platform, Swiggy, on Thursday (April 18), announced the integration of Swiggy Mall, with its popular quick commerce platform Swiggy Instamart.

According to the company, Swiggy Mall, which initially ventured into online retail, catering to a diverse range of home and family needs, has garnered significant traction in select areas of Bengaluru. It offers an array of categories spanning sports goods, footwear, clothing, electronics, appliances, toys, and stationery.

Read here

Infosys is committed to ethical and responsible use of AI, says CEO Salil Parekh

Infosys CEO Salil Parekh said that the company is committed to the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). He was speaking during a media briefing after the IT major announced its January-March quarter results.

Parekh highlighted the progress Infosys has made in AI-driven initiatives, showcasing the substantial traction gained among clients for generative AI endeavours.”We are working with market-leading open access and closed large language models. As an example in software development, we have generated over three million lines of code using one of the generative AI large language models in the public domain,” he said.

Read here

#Podcasts▶

People Will Laugh At You… You Also Laugh With Them: Vikas Khemani | I Did It My Way | N18V

#Education&Careers💻

As appraisals near, employees fear ‘dry promotion’ — Here’s all about the new workplace trend

Amid a busy week and routine emails, have you ever been ecstatic to find a promotion letter? But, as you read through, you realise the monetary hike that comes with the added responsibilities is next to negligible. Total buzzkill, isn’t it?

Suppose you haven’t encountered this situation before. In that case, chances are some of your senior colleagues can attest to having experienced it, or you might face a similar scenario in the future. As this phenomenon regains prominence in the slack job market, the trend has a new name — dry promotion.

Read here

Future Female Forward: Women need to embrace self-care and aspirations fearlessly, says Radhika Gupta

For many women, achieving a harmonious work-life balance remains a challenging feat. Approximately 70% of women view work-life balance as the primary obstacle to career advancement. This statistic underscores the intricate dance between career aspirations and personal responsibilities that women grapple with on a daily basis.

During CNBC-TV18’s event, Future Female Forward, Radhika Gupta the Managing Director and CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, shared her perspective on this perennial challenge. Gupta reflected on her pre-motherhood mindset, where she compartmentalized her life into three distinct buckets: work, family, and personal growth. Personal growth, she emphasized, was a vital component, encompassing endeavours unrelated to her primary work or family obligations.

#PersonalFinance💰

Gold prices steady amid geopolitical tensions: Check city-wise rates today

The price of 24-carat gold exhibited a marginal decline of ₹10 in early trade on Friday, April 19, according to data sourced from the GoodReturns website. 10 grams of the precious metal were valued at ₹73,790.

Globally, gold has been buoyed by escalating tensions in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and Iran.Investors, seeking refuge from geopolitical uncertainty, have flocked to gold, driving its prices higher, according to news agency Reuters report.

Read here

Kotak Mahindra MF lowers SIP amount to ₹28 for four funds — what this means for investors

Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund has announced some adjustments to its systematic investment plan (SIP) amounts for four of its flagship funds, effective from April 22, 2024.The funds affected by this change include:

Kotak Gold Fund.
Kotak Multicap Fund.
Kotak Multi Asset Allocation Fund.
Kotak Nifty 200 Momentum 30 Index Fund.

Read here

#MarketNews📈

Infosys shares fall 2% after subdued revenue guidance; 15% analysts have a ‘sell’ rating

Shares of technology bellwether Infosys Ltd. fell up to 2% on Friday, April 19, after the company missed revenue estimates and offered softer guidance for the financial year 2025. The US-listed shares of Infosys recovered to trade 1% down at open after falling 8% in pre-market trading on Thursday.
Infosys announced a muted constant currency (CC) revenue growth forecast of 1-3% for FY25 against analyst estimates of 2-6% in CC terms with operating margin guidance at 20-22%.

Read here

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow