PlayShifu Announced Orboot App is Now Free for Any User Without Purchasing the Physical Toy

PlayShifu, the leading augmented reality (AR) toy company teaching foundational, STEAM skills through phygital (physical and digital) play, today announced that their Orboot app is now free for any user without purchasing the physical toy.

To support learning at home in the wake of the pandemic, PlayShifu has opened app access to those who haven’t purchased the Orboot globe. Now, anyone can play 4 games for free even without the globe. Shifu Orboot is a specially designed globe powered by AR and works with the companion app.Earlier, one could purchase games inside the app if they didn’t have the Orboot globe, but PlayShifu has now removed the in-app purchases.

The company raised a Series-A round of $7 million funding in July last year and has 2 platforms  with multiple products, Orboot and Plugo.Currently, they are seeing a surge of around 30k new registered user in March with April trending higher. They expect asimilar trend in May and June. The daily active users on the Orboot app went up by 60% over the last two weeks. As more and more parents are looking for educational games for their kids who are home bound due to COVID-19 outbreak, the company is witnessing around 300%-demand-surge alone in the US where Amazon is delivering certain products.

Hyundai Motor India Donates Sum of Rs 7 Crore to PM CARES Fund

Hyundai Motor India (HMI), country’s first Smart Mobility Solutions Provider and largest exporter since inception, made a donation of Rs 7 Crore to the PM CARES Fund, extending its support to the Citizens of India, amidst the COVID-19 crisis.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. SS Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. said, “The core values of our foundation inspire us to strive for the betterment of society. Our contribution to the PM CARES Fund stands testament to solidarity we hold with the people of India, amidst this crisis. In challenging times such as these, we are pledging to bring about ‘Progress for Humanity’ and will continue giving back to help India defeat this adversity.”

As part of Hyundai’s road map of giving back to society, series of initiatives have been taken to assist the Government in the battle against COVID-19. The range of initiatives now include:

Donation of Rs 7 Crore to PM CARES Relief Fund
Donation of Rs 5 Crore to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Relief Fund
Hand Over of Imported COVID-19 Advanced Diagnostic Test Kits worth Rs 4 Crore
Strategic Partnership with Air Liquide Medical Systems to augment the production and supply of ventilators; In-house Development of Ambu Bag Actuator
Distribution of PPEs, masks and other safety kits in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Haryana
Distribution of dry rations in Delhi and Tamil Nadu to adversely impacted sections of society

About HMIL

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company (HMC). HMIL is India’s first smart mobility solutions provider and the number one car exporter since inception in India. It currently has 11 car models across segments SANTRO, GRAND i10, GRAND i10 NIOS, ELITE i20, AURA, VENUE, Spirited New VERNA, All New CRETA, ELANTRA, New 2020 TUCSON & KONA Electric. HMIL’s fully integrated state-of-the-art manufacturing plant near Chennai boasts of advanced production, quality and testing capabilities.

HMIL forms a critical part of HMC’s global export hub. It currently exports to around 88 countries across Africa, Middle East, Latin America, Australia and Asia Pacific. To support its growth and expansion plans, HMIL currently has 517 dealers and more than 1,330 service points across India. In its commitment to provide customers with cutting-edge global technology, Hyundai has a modern multi-million-dollar R&D facility in Hyderabad. The R&D centre endeavours to be a centre of excellence in automobile engineering.

Residents in Bengaluru Can Now Pay Their “Electricity, Water” and Other Essentials Bills Using Paytm App

Notes

* Paytm app offers a one-stop solution through ‘Stay At Home Essential Payments’ feature
* Residents in Bengaluru can now make timely payment of essential bills like Bangalore Water Supply And Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on Paytm app
* Mobile and DTH recharge, credit card, insurance premium payments also become easier

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, people are advised to stay at home under the precautionary guidelines. In such a situation, the residents of Bengaluru can make all essential payments like water bill of Bangalore Water Supply And Sewerage Board (BWSSB), credit card bill payment, Mobile and DTH recharge, apartment maintenance bill, etc on Paytm app

India's leading digital payments and financial services platform Paytm has recently revamped its user interface with ‘Stay At Home Essential Payments’ feature. Thus all billing related requirements have been integrated on one single platform, where the people can easily select the icon of various service providers without switching to their respective websites. Marvellously curated, this new app also enables its users to seamlessly make payments for their mobile and DTH recharge, electricity, bill, credit card, etc. It also has the options for booking gas cylinders, and a special ‘Buy Insurance’ tab for insurance services.

Residents in Bengaluru can also pay their apartment maintenance bill within a few minutes. Even if your society/apartment is not registered on Paytm App, you can start making payments by following some simple steps.

Amit Veer, Senior Vice President, Paytm said, “Our team used the opportunity of working from home to understand how we can help the residents of Bengaluru. We have revamped the interface of the Paytm app so that the people in Bengaluru could easily see the essential payment icon and avoid stepping out of their home and taking the risk of being infected. We have also launched an information and assistance centre on COVID-19 so that the people are not misguided by the unscrupulous information being spread on various social media platforms. We are also providing free access to more than 50 e-newspapers of various national and regional media publications on our app. With the help of our self-assessment tool, the users can test their risk factor to this virus and follow the necessary precautions for staying safe.”

During the recent weeks, Paytm has launched several initiatives to check the spread of Coronavirus. The company is collecting donations for a contribution of Rs.500 crore to the PM Care Fund. Additionally, the company is also raising donations for food for the labourers and is working on it together with KVN Foundation. 

PRAHAR Calls for Accelerated Utilization of DMF Funds to Protect ‘Lives and Livelihoods’ from COVID Devastation

Highlights


* PRAHAR launches a ‘National Movement for Livelihood Resurrection and Self Employment’ in the wake of COVID 19 crisis
* A corpus Rs. 23510 crores of unutilized DMF fund is available which if liquidated can bring great relief to the people in mineral states at a time of a national crisis
* DMF fund collection in some key states includes Odisha’s Rs. 9501 crore, Karnataka Rs. 1842 crore, Goa Rs. 188 crore, Assam Rs. 80 crore, Meghalaya Rs. 48 crore and West Bengal Rs. 43 crore till date.
* Irresponsible opposition must be investigated for vested interests
* Judiciary should recluse from admitting objections to the utilization of funds and it should be left to the states to evolve a local policy serving the specific needs of the region

PRAHAR (Public Response Against Helplessness and Action for Redressal) a Delhi based NGO dedicated towards finding solutions for problems of the helpless, today urged the Government to actively use unutilized DMF (District Mineral Foundation) funds and accelerate relief efforts towards protection of lives and livelihoods for the COVID affected communities across states. This is part of the NGO’s ‘National Movement for Livelihood Resurrection and Self Employment’ in the wake of COVID 19 crisis launched recently.

According to the data available on the Ministry of Mines website a sum of Rs. 35,925 crores have been collected in DMF funds in total as on January 31, 2020 out of which only 35% or Rs. 12,414 crores have been spent so far, leaving behind a corpus of Rs. 23510 crores to be spent.

On March 26, 2020, the Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman during an announcement urged DMF funds to be used to supplement and augment healthcare facilities, screening and testing requirements and any other resources that might be required by the state governments. However, after 3 weeks only negligible progress has been made with few districts making some discretionary use of these funds. This is because of lack of clarity on the modalities of use of these funds for the purpose of saving lives and resurrecting livelihoods in the aftermath of the COVID outbreak.

Some mineral states like Goa have already been under deep economic crisis because of the judicial interpretation leading to cancellation of mining leases in March 2018 by the Supreme Court. This took away livelihoods of 30% of the state’s population and brought 3 lakh mining dependents to the brink. Recently, the COVID 19 pandemic has stopped Goa’s tourism business also. Goa has only two industries – tourism and mining. The tourism industry is unlikely to see a revival for the next 9 to 12 months and with mining also on a standstill, the state will suffer immensely with a potential law and order situation that can follow.

Goa collected Rs. 188.65 crore in DMF Fund and Rs. 399 crores in Goa Iron Ore Permanent Fund till March 2018 when mining was operational. Out of this only 2% or Rs. 4 crore of DMF fund has been used for the welfare of people. At a time when the state is in its worst crisis, this corpus can act as a bail-out package. The Finance Ministers’ announcement and subsequent attempt by state authorities to use these funds is facing irresponsible opposition. As per media reports, a high profile NGO in the state of Goa has threatened to file a petition in the Supreme Court to stay such fund utilization citing that this is against the statues of the Minerals Act and such utilization is ‘illegal’ and a ‘raid’. Such opposition on the back of the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law (the welfare objective) should be investigated for vested interests.

Speaking on the subject, Mr. Abhay Raj Mishra, National Convenor and President, PRAHAR, said, “In line with the Prime Minister’s clarion call to protect “Jaan bhi, Jahaan bhi” (lives and livelihoods), it is important to go all out to save lives and ensure economic survival of citizens at the bottom of the social pyramid during the current crisis. We need to unlock all possible resources at this hour. These include unused corpuses such as DMF funds and keeping wheels of economic activity rolling wherever permissible. Nations who come out of this pandemic with least damage will have a strong position in the new world order and India, which is in a better position, cannot make mistakes in letting this crisis take over the future of our countrymen”

“Yesterday, India witnessed its largest single day surge in COVID 19 positive cases till date at 2154 new cases. This after 26 days of continuous national lockdown and all preventive measures makes it unpredictable as to when this crisis will recede. If the present of our citizens is severely compromised, what is the point of holding resources for a future than nobody has seen.”

“Heartless opposition by institutions with a mindless goal to forcibly come across relevant should be stopped immediately as it exposes their true intentions. Our people need to survive and economy needs to revive for which all stakeholders including the executive, legislature, judiciary and civil society must work in unison”, he added.

According to the Minerals Act, 40% of the DMF fund can be used for ‘other priority areas’ whereas 60% should be reserved for the ‘priority areas’. This means that while 60% of the fund can be kept for communities directly working in mining activities, the remaining can be used for the wellbeing of the state. DMF corpus is particularly attractive here.

Among the mineral-bearing states, Odisha collected the highest amount as DMF (Rs 9,502 crore) followed by Jharkhand (Rs 5,181 crore) and Chhattisgarh (Rs 4,981 crore) till January 2020. Other collections are Rajasthan (Rs 3,514 crore), Madhya Pradesh (Rs 2,864 crore), Telangana (Rs 2,774 crore), Karnataka (Rs 1,842 crore), Maharashtra (Rs 1,728 crore), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 906 crore), Gujarat (Rs 668 crore), Uttar Pradesh (Rs. 651 crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs 610 crore) and Goa (Rs 189 crore). When it comes to spending of the proceeds, Chhattisgarh stands first with spending of Rs 3,359 crore till January followed by Odisha at Rs 2,794 crore and Jharkhand at Rs 2,409 crore. Even smaller states like Assam collected Rs. 80 crore, Himachal Rs. 143 crore, Meghalaya Rs. 48 crore and West Bengal Rs. 43 crore.

Hyundai Motor India Partners with Air Liquide Medical Systems to Augment Production and Supply of Ventilators

Highlights

* Hyundai Motor India to collaborate with Air Liquide Medical Systems in identification of Alternate Suppliers for Ventilator Parts
* Hyundai Motor India and Air Liquide Medical Systems aiming at enhancing the production and supply of Ventilators to Tamil Nadu and other states

Hyundai Motor India (HMI), country's first Smart Mobility Solutions Provider and largest exporter since inception, has entered into a partnership with Air Liquide Medical Systems Pvt. Ltd. (ALMS) a Manufacturer of ICU Ventilators, to augment the production and supply of Ventilators in Tamil Nadu and other states. With this partnership HMI and ALMS aim to achieve a target of 1000 ventilators in the Phase 1 of production, and to scale up subsequently.

Ventilators are medical devices used by healthcare professionals that take over the work of breathing from a patient who is unable to breathe on their own by delivering air with high concentration of oxygen to their lungs. For patients severely affected by COVID-19, ventilators are critical to ensure continuous oxygen is supplied to overcome respiratory insufficiency.

Commenting on this arrangement  with Air Liquide Medical Systems Pvt. Ltd. , Mr. SS Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., said, “Ventilators and other respiratory aids are critical devices in the fight against COVID-19 and to this end, Hyundai & Air Liquide Medical Systems are working together to ensure a steady supply of Ventilators in India. As a Socially Responsible and Caring Brand, Hyundai is committed to serving society in every way and will continue to support the Government in India’s war against         COVID-19.”

Commenting on the Partnership, Mr. Anil Kumar, MD, Air Liquide Medical Systems, India, said, “As a company that engages in supporting the healthcare professionals and systems worldwide, we have initiated a prompt response towards the fight against COVID-19 in support of the Government of India. We are confident that this collaboration with Hyundai Motor India will bring about a positive shift in this battle. We are one of the very few Global companies with a dedicated R&D to manufacture Ventilators in India. Air Liquide Medical Systems is employing all the resources available to manufacture innovative, easy-to use and high-performing ventilators and will hold the reins to deliver quality service across the country during this time of need, and to spearhead the Make in India initiative.”

With a strong focus on Hyundai’s Global Vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’, HMI will continue to support the Government of India with multiple CSR initiatives for the betterment of society and communities.

BMW Group India Pledges its Commitment Towards Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic

BMW Group India has pledged INR 3 crore in the ongoing battle against COVID-19 pandemic. Associations with government and non-government organisations have been initiated for on-ground implementation in Delhi NCR and Chennai. Employees of BMW Group India, BMW Group Plant Chennai and BMW India Financial Services voluntarily contributed towards the cause

Mr. Rudratej Singh, President and Chief Executive Officer, BMW Group India said, “The coronavirus pandemic presents a mammoth challenge to public health, industry, economy and business. Responsible action and sincere efforts are immensely crucial for minimising impact on human life, providing immediate relief to the underprivileged and reinforcing those engaged at the frontline of this crisis. The most important need of the hour is to flatten the curve and ensure social distancing. It is a top priority and responsibility that we are taking very seriously. At the BMW Group, we have a strong culture and value system which has always stood the test of time. The resolve and commitment of our employees and dealer partners across India to fight this unprecedented threat to mankind is strong and undeterred. We will remain resilient and responsive.”

In Chengalpattu, near Plant Chennai, BMW Group India will participate in creation of an isolation ward for patients at the Government General Hospital. Critical care equipment and services will be provided for medical facilities in Delhi NCR and Chennai.

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) will be provided for frontline medical personnel and law enforcement agencies in Delhi NCR and Chennai.Nutrition for the economically marginalised families around Plant Chennai and Delhi NCR will be funded as part of the initiative.

Work from home’ at BMW Group India.

For well-being of employees in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, work from home has been implemented across BMW Group offices in India. The National Sales Company and BMW India Financial Services are working from home since 23 March 2020 until 3 May 2020. Local production at BMW Group Plant Chennai has accordingly been stopped till 3 May 2020.

Essential services such as security, facility management and health centre continue to operate. Business continuity is being ensured across all functions while adhering to all government directives and necessary safety measures. Across the BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad dealerships in India, staff are working from home to offer services to customers. Aftersales and breakdown services staff are operating as per the local government directives and are functional with limitations. All showrooms are presently closed and will reopen as per government advisory.

Bank of Baroda’s Initiatives Offer Reprieve in Times of COVID-19 Crisis

In the wake of the global pandemic and as the nation is in a lockdown, the onus falls on the various financial and lending institutions to come forward and help people tread these uncharted waters. Financial institutions should continue to play a larger role in creating a cohesive environment in this “New Normal” at a time when partnerships will be steered by new ethics, challenges and responses and in recognition of this responsibility and as a caring institution, Bank of Baroda, which is a very large and leading public sector lender, has made sure that the credit process keeps functioning.

Given the evolving situation and anticipating the customer’s requirement, the Bank has announced series of facilities and initiatives that addresses the needs of every section of society. The Bank’s branches, Business Correspondents and ATMs are working at any given point of time, with constant replenishment of cash to meet requirements for all.

The Bank’s Initiatives

While Bank of Baroda has more than 9,000 branches, it also has 18,000 plus Banking Correspondents (BC) who have extended constant support to customers across the country. The Bank has also announced an extension of financial support to the BCs towards the maintenance of hygiene and safety at BC touch points. A first-time initiative among public sector banks, the effort is meant to ensure protection by the Bank from COVID-19, towards its customers and members of the public and the business correspondents themselves. A financial support of INR 2000 has been given to each active and functional BC agent towards the maintenance of hygiene at their outlets for the purchase of sanitizers, disinfectants, masks, gloves etc. An additional INR 100 per working day is being given to every active BC agents towards transportation.

For the women beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) the Bank has arranged that all account holders receive an amount of INR 500 each for each of the next three months, as an ex gratia payment under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package announced by the government. The money is be credited to the individual bank account holders and an SMS is also sent to the account holders informing them on the date when they should withdraw from the nearby branch or the BC touch points.

The Bank’s Marginal Cost of Funds Based Lending Rate (MCLR) has been reduced by 15 basis points to 8.00% w.e.f. 12th April 2020.  For its retail customers, the Bank has reduced its Baroda Repo Linked Lending Rate (BRLLR) by 75 basis points with effect from March 28, 2020. The BRLLR linked to RBI Repo Rate is revised downwards in line with the reduction on Reserve Bank of India Repo Rate from 5.15% to 4.40% after the central bank slashed it by 75 basis points. The move was aimed encouraging customers to avail the credit lines that have been opened and assure that the Bank is available at all times to meet all the credit requirements most conveniently. The BRLLR for all new floating rate loans for all personal loans and retail loans of all asset classes and floating rate loans to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, is now 7.25%. For existing loans, the interest rate under the external benchmark shall be reset at monthly intervals linked to BRLLR. However, there has been no change in the mark-up /base spread or strategic premium.

In pursuance to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) COVID 19 regulatory package announcement, the Bank has provided a moratorium of three months on payment of all instalments falling due between March 01, 2020 to May 31, 2020 for all term loans including corporate, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Agriculture, Retail such as Housing, Auto, Education and Personal. Interest shall continue to accrue on the outstanding portion of the term loans during the moratorium period. These measures are to help mitigate debt servicing on account of disruption brought about by COVID 19 and ensure continuity of business. For all the customers whose Standing Instructions for deduction of monthly instalments have been implemented, the Bank has texted the customers in case they want a refund of the instalments of March and April as well as deferment for the instalment till up to May.

Further, the Bank launched the “Baroda Personal Loan COVID 19” for its existing Retail Loan customers (Home Loan, Auto Loan & Loan against property). The objective was to tide over the liquidity mismatch to existing customers. The customer could approach their existing branches to avail this personal loan up to a maximum limit INR 5 lakhs in a hassle-free manner. This being a special personal loan, the Bank has kept a much lower interest rate linked to the Baroda Repo Linked Lending Rate (BRLLR) than its regular personal loan schemes and the customers may avail the benefits under the scheme till 30th September 2020.

Bank of Baroda announced zero charges on digital transactions for retail customers for three months to ensure the safety of its customers and to provide enhanced and uninterrupted banking experience. The ‘Stay Safe. Bank Safe’ along with the ‘Khushiyon Ka Remote Control’ initiative aimed at encouraging customers to bank digitally and equipping them to avail the Bank’s services from a remote location, without visiting the branch.

For MSME and corporate borrowers, the banking giant has rolled out the ‘Baroda COVID Emergency Credit Line (BCECL)’ to provide Emergency Credit Line like Short- Term Loan/Demand Loans. This means that the Bank has decided to make a maximum of 10% of the existing Fund Based Working Capital Limits (FBWC) subject to a maximum of INR 200 crore. This is in addition to existing Adhoc/excess/SLC/Gold Card Limit. The interest rate for corporate borrowers would be one-year MCLR of 8.00% without the standard premium and for MSMEs, the rate of interest would be at BRLLR of 7.25%.

For the agriculture segment, Bank of Baroda floated various schemes to ensure immediate financial assistance to Women Self Help Groups (SHG), to meet their domestic and agriculture needs and an Emergency Credit Line for Farmer Producer Organization (FPO/ FPC) to meet the temporary liquidity mismatch of FPO / FPCs arising out of COVID-19. Under the Additional Assurance to SHGs-COVID19 scheme, the Bank will provide support to existing SHG facilities in the form of Cash Credit/Overdraft/Term Loan/Demand Loan. The minimum loan amount is INR 30000 per SHG and maximum loan amount granted under the scheme is INR 1 lakh per SHG, repayable in 24 months. The repayment for this scheme would be on a monthly / quarterly basis and the moratorium will be for a period six months from the date of disbursement.

Bank of Baroda has also cut deposit interest rates, on Domestic Term Deposits including NRO, NRE & Non-Callable deposits of below INR 2.00 Crore w.e.f. 9" April 2020. A sum of INR 20 crore has been handed to the government on behalf of the Bank’s employees for the PM-CARES Fund for the fight against coronavirus.

Together, we shall overcome

As the world comes together in its battle against a situation unheard, unseen before, banks are required to take on the responsibility of easing the financial ecosystem and enabling credit assistance to those who need it. As the whole finance sector gears up for the ‘New Normal’, Bank of Baroda is committed to providing comprehensive financial aid through various efforts and initiatives to continue in contributing to the Indian economy.