Real Estate Markets of Bengaluru and Pune to Recover Fast Post COVID-19, Reveals Magicbricks Consumer Survey

Key Points

* Bengaluru and Pune witness least drop in home buying intentions due to the crisis
* Uncertainty among home buyers in Delhi/NCR and Mumbai over prices

The outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted real estate activities across the country, however had the least impact on the home buyers’ sentiment in the markets of Bengaluru and Pune. Uncertainties around prices though remained among the home buyers in Delhi/NCR and Mumbai, revealed the latest Magicbricks COVID-19 Property Buyers Sentiment Survey.

Magicbricks’ survey suggests that the outbreak of COVID-19 has temporarily affected more than 80% of the buying intent across the Tier-1 cities. However, home buyers in Pune and Bengaluru retained their intention of buying a house post COVID-19. The survey also suggests that buyer sentiments in the markets of Delhi/NCR and Mumbai,which were already sluggish before the national lockdown, will remain so after the crisis.

Speaking on the consumer sentiment survey, Mr. Sudhir Pai, CEO, Magicbricks, said, “The outbreak of COVID-19 and the resultant national lockdown has impacted India’s real estate market. However, our survey suggest that 67% of home buyers still want to go ahead and buy a property even though with a reduced budget. In the last 6 months, Bengaluru and Pune, which are driven by end-users, have been among the best performing real estate markets of India and market sentiments suggest that they would continue to be so. With consumer sentiments shifting to Ready-to-move in properties, quick & enough supply there will be key to recovery.”

With uncertainty around prices looming large across markets, Bangalore (5%) and Pune (2%) have witnessed the least reduction in prices during the lockdown, compared to markets like Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, which saw decent price increments in the last one year but now have been majorly impacted during the COVID-19 crisis. In the last 12 months, Hyderabad residential real estate witnessed 15% (YOY) price appreciation but due to the lockdown, it witnessed a 9% drop in prices. The same is the case with Ahmedabad, which had an 8% (YOY) growth but had an impact of 7% in price drop due to the lockdown.

Eight TIER-I cities witnessed an average price decline of around 4% but most of the home buyers in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Chennai seemed certain about the variation in the prices due to this crisis.

It was also found that post-COVID-19, majority of the home buyers are willing to buy immediately for a specific discount in price. On an average 20% discount was found to be a sufficient trigger for buying and only 2% were willing to make a quick purchase if prices fell by <10 p="">
The survey also suggests that besides drop in prices, going ahead home buyers would also look for relaxed financial terms for down payments, woodwork and kitchen fittings that would minimise post-purchase efforts, minimal site visits through videos and photographs, online documentation, and online registry.

Renault Opens Bookings for Triber Easy-R AMT Price at Rs 6.18 Lakhs

Notes

* TRIBER EASY-R AMT will further strengthen the key USPs of TRIBER - Flexible, Attractive & Affordable
* TRIBER EASY-R AMT will be available in three trims - RXL, RXT, RXZ, with more than 25 key features as standard equipment across all trims
* Renault’s new game-changer is also being exported to South Africa and SAARC countries
* Renault TRIBER versions & price build up ensures customer price advantage at each version
* Offers great balance between performance and fuel economy, with low total cost of maintenance along with comfortable space for one to seven adults in less than 4 meters
* More than 30 class leading features such as EASYFIX seats, SUV Skid plates, LED Instrument Cluster, Twin AC with vents in 2nd and 3rd row, Styled Flex Wheels, High Ground Clearance of 182 mm and a 20.32 cm (8-inch) Touchscreen MediaNav Evolution system

Renault, the number one European brand in India, opened bookings for the TRIBER EASY-R AMT. Renault TRIBER EASY-R AMT will be available in three trims - RXL, RXT and RXZ at a price difference of INR 40,000 above the respective manual versions, with a starting price of INR 6.18 Lakhs. TRIBER EASY-R AMT has been specifically designed for the Indian market and will offer an unmatched value proposition to customers looking at a B-segment car. Renault TRIBER is a super spacious, ultra-modular, fuel-efficient vehicle with attractive interiors which boasts of many modern and practical features in less than 4 meters.

The Renault TRIBER EASY-R AMT can be booked online at https://renault.co.in, on the My Renault App or at a Renault authorized dealership. The company has started the bookings from today and the deliveries would start in the coming weeks. Customers can experience the EASY-R AMT drive at the dealership starting today.

“With the AMT version of TRIBER, we will further enhance the USPs of TRIBER - Flexible, Attractive & Affordable. Looking at the evolving customer preferences, the AMT technology is becoming a popular choice across segments and we are happy to build on our portfolio with the Renault TRIBER EASY-R AMT. It is very motivating to see the outstanding response from customers and today we will take another step forward in the TRIBER journey with the launch of the Renault TRIBER EASY-R AMT,” said Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO & Managing Director, Renault India Operations.

An outcome of a joint project between Renault teams in India and France, Renault TRIBER was specifically designed keeping in mind opportunities for innovative products in the Indian market. Renault TRIBER offers an unmatched value proposition to customers looking at a less than 4 meter car. With the EASY-R AMT option, Renault will take forward the key USPs of TRIBER being a Flexible, Attractive & Affordable offering. Flexible, in terms of providing customers the enhanced comfort of city and highway driving. Attractive, with Traffic Assist which allows you to comfortably navigate in heavy traffic conditions. Affordable, by the fact that it will offer superior fuel efficiency and is competitively priced.

“Innovation is a key pillar of Renault’s business strategy in India. This is reflected by a clear product strategy to cater to newer and growing segments of India’s automotive market. With Renault TRIBER, our commitment was to launch a car that would redefine the conventional notions of the Indian automotive industry. Renault TRIBER has changed the rules in terms of space and modularity, targeted at a wide set of customers across segments.” added Mamillapalle.

Renault TRIBER EASY-R AMT comes fitted with the ENERGY engine - a 1.0-liter petrol engine, offering a great balance between performance and fuel economy, with low total cost of maintenance.

RENAULT TRIBER: CONTRIBUTING TO RENAULT’S SURGE IN VOLUMES IN INDIA

Renault TRIBER is an attractively designed, sturdy, versatile, super spacious and ultra modular vehicle which also achieves the feat of accommodating one to seven adults in comfort in less than 4 meters. Renault TRIBER is the result of a complete analysis of customers’ expectations in India which offers unbeatable flexibility. Renault TRIBER offers the best level seating space in all rows and offers 625L boot space - the largest boot capacity of its category, in five-seater configuration. Renault TRIBER is built with best level safety features including its class leading offering of 4 airbags.

Renault TRIBER has already established itself as a breakthrough concept and has seen tremendous acceptance amongst a wide set of car buyers. Renault has commenced the exports of TRIBER to South Africa and the SAARC region. Renault will continue this growth momentum and expand the exports of TRIBER to other parts of Africa and the SAARC region, alongside growing the TRIBER family in India.

The launch of Renault TRIBER together with the new Renault DUSTER and Renault KWID has ensured that Renault is progressing despite the challenging macro-economic environment in India. Renault is the only brand to post year-on-year growth in 2019, with sales of 88,869 units, enabling growth of 7.9% over 2018. Renault also exported more than 13,500 cars in 2019.

Renault has expanded its network reach to more than 370 sales and 450 service touchpoints, which include 258 service workshops and 215 locations covered through Workshop On Wheels. This is in support of Renault’s keen focus growing its presence in rural areas as part of its expansion plans.

With a developing product portfolio, increasing network and clear strategic direction, Renault is taking concerted efforts to grow the brand in India, which is an important market for the Group’s global expansion plans.

RENAULT TRIBER: SUPER SPACIOUS, COMFORTABLE & ULTRA MODULAR

Renault TRIBER can comfortably accommodate one to seven people with ultra-modularity and super space flexibility in under 4 meters.

Renault TRIBER offers best-in-class roominess and provides comfort to all passengers regardless of where they sit in the car. It provides the best-in-class front seat couple distance (710 mm), the best second-row leg room (up to 200 mm) and the best third-row leg-room (91 mm). All rows are equally comfortable, with 12V charging sockets and air-conditioning for all passengers. Even tall passengers can comfortably sit in the two independent third-row seats which provide best level roof height (834 mm) and include armrests fitted in the body panels.

Maximum versatility

Renault TRIBER offers sliding, reclining, foldable and tumble second-row seats along with the large door opening angles (74° on rear doors) which provide the best level ingress and egress of its segment. The industry first EASYFIX seats allows for easy handling and removal of third-row independent seats. Renault TRIBER offers a total of more than 100 different seat-configurations.

Seating Modes:

Life Mode: Inspired from customer usage in 5 seat configuration. Most comfortable 5 seats with slide and recline function

Tribe Mode: An inspiration to the name of the car, we use the full seating capacity of the car

Surf Mode: Accommodate uniquely sized objects (e.g.: surf board) as part of costumer’s experiences.

Camp Mode: Seating configured for 2 people with all the space for fun and adventure

A best-in-class boot space

Renault TRIBER offers best-in-class boot capacity (625 liters) in the five-seater configuration. Boot capacity remains 320 liters in six-seater configuration and 84 liters in the seven-seater configuration. Renault TRIBER also comes with functional roof rails with a load carrying capacity of 50 kg.

RENAULT TRIBER: EXPRESSIVE AND ATTRACTIVE STYLE

Renault TRIBER is the outcome of joint efforts between Renault teams in India and France. The exterior design is unique, modern and attractive, combining dynamism and sturdiness in its less-than-four-meter length while offering unmatched roominess. Renault TRIBER will be available in five attractive colors, namely – Metal Mustard, Electric Blue, Fiery Red, Moonlight Silver and Ice Cool White.

A vibrant look

Renault TRIBER’s vibrant look is reflected in its sleek and taut lines as well as in its inclined windscreen and rear window and slight roof drop. This is further accentuated by the body-fold which joins the door handles and extends onto the sculpted wing shoulders.

Visible robustness

The new front-bumper expresses sturdiness and modernity and suggests a greater capacity to cope with the most difficult roads. Best level of ground clearance of 182 mm reinforces the impression of robustness, as do other features such as the sculpted bonnet, front and rear SUV skid plates, roof rails with load carrying capacity, and wheel arch cladding and lower protective door panels, giving the vehicle an adventurous look and making it suitable for all types of roads.

A sophisticated front-end

Renault TRIBER boasts a contemporary and sophisticated front-end that includes signature Renault design features such as LED daytime running lights circled in chrome and black masks. The Renault logo is highlighted on a Triple Edge Chrome front grille which extends to the projector headlamps. The headlamps ensure perfect visibility and gives Renault TRIBER an assertive look.

An assertive rear-end

The Eagle beak split tail lamps extend onto the outside of the wings and taper to point to the centre of the tailgate, accentuating the rear design. The SUV skid plates extending up the bumper emphasizes its robustness.

INSIDE RENAULT TRIBER: CONVIVIALITY, SHARING AND MODERNITY

Renault TRIBER’s modern interior design presents leading-edge technologies for everyday comfort and ease of use. The passenger compartment layout promotes conviviality and sharing to offer passengers a truly pleasurable on-board experience.

Elegant and high-quality Ambience along with attention to details

Renault TRIBER’s interior brings warmth and personality with two-tone colours, from deep black for the upper part of the dashboard to a beige tone for the lower part and door trims, a combination generally associated with elegance and high-quality ambience. Details such as the chrome trim on air vents, air-conditioning dials, the start/stop button, silver accents on the dashboard and the feel of the silver door handle and door armrests covered with pleasant-to-the-touch fabric, add to the overall visual appeal of the car.

Super interior storage

To ensure passenger comfort, a cooled storage on central console and cup holders are accessible to everyone between the first and second seats. In addition to the lower glove compartment, which is also cooled, there is an upper glove compartment with a capacity of more than 4 litres. Renault TRIBER features the best level of interior storage compartments of up to 31 litres.

A connected multimedia system

Renault TRIBER’s best-in-class 20.32 cm (8 inch) multimedia touch screen features the MediaNav Evolution connected multimedia system. With its smartphone replication feature, it is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and their numerous driving and entertainment apps. The multimedia system also allows videos to be played through USB plug.

Modern LED instrument cluster

The fully digital LED instrument cluster with an 8.9 cm LCD screen framed by three virtual gauges for the tachometer, fuel level, and engine temperature.

Smart Access Card

With the convenient hands-free card, doors can be opened and closed, and the engine started with a smart start stop button, without making any physical contact with the key. The sensors in the card mean that the doors can be locked and unlocked without having to take the card out of a pocket or bag or pressing a button. The hands-free system includes an auto-lock function when drivers walk away from the vehicle. A real time-saver and great convenience!

Efficient air-conditioning at each row

Renault TRIBER’s rear- and front-seat passengers are equally pampered. It comes with smart packaged Twin Air conditioning system ensuring cooling comfort across the rows. The second-row customers get dedicated vents on Center pillars and the third row has specific air vents located on the ceiling. Everyone gets the option to adjust the air flow as they wish.

ENERGY ENGINE AND UNIQUE PLATFORM WHICH OFFERS PERFORMANCE, ECONOMY AND A SUPERIOR DRIVING EXPERIENCE

Renault TRIBER’s ENERGY engine is perfectly suited to the Indian market, which balances performance with fuel economy. The vehicle is designed on a unique and latest-generation modular platform developed by the Alliance.

An engine that addresses the real needs of Indian users

Renault TRIBER is fitted with a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder petrol ENERGY engine generating 72Ps with 96Nm torque. It is paired with five-speed manual transmission and EASY-R AMT transmission option. It is a global powertrain already used on Groupe Renault’s best-selling B-Segment cars in Europe and South America like Clio and Sandero. Equipped with modern technology like a dual VVT system, the engine delivers optimum response at all revs. Torque is available from low revs which ensures optimum acceleration, ideal for driving conditions in India. The engine offers a right balance between performance and economy with good fuel efficiency and low maintenance cost.

A platform providing modularity, roominess, comfort and unique driving pleasure

The modular platform of Renault TRIBER is new that will address Renault’s ambition of entering the B-Segment in India. The platform offers advantages which give Renault TRIBER a crucial edge on its market:

Maximum space inside the passenger compartment
Optimized engine compartment
Unmatched roominess and unbeatable flexibility
Comfort and superior driving experience

Easier manoeuvring

Renault TRIBER features rear parking sensors and reverse camera providing drivers with enhanced visibility and precision for safe rear manoeuvring and parking.

Safety at the best level

Renault TRIBER complies with all the safety requirements for the Indian market and even goes beyond to protect both passengers and pedestrians. Its platform provides it with robustness and a high level of passive safety. Active safety is ensured by 3-point belts in all rows (except second row center seat), with those in rows 1 and side seats in row 2 equipped with a retractor. The driver’s belt is also equipped with a pretensioner and load limiter. Renault TRIBER is fitted with 4 airbags - driver, passenger, and front sides.

A Silver Lining Worth Nearly Rs 90 Crores of Kindness Across India

As the world still reels under the impact of the COVID pandemic, the need to be optimistic has never been greater. But even through this daunting time, people are proving that compassion and empathy do not depend entirely on the giver’s personal well being.

Milaap, South Asia’s largest platform opened up their platform for COVID related needs on March 22, 2020. Within a month, thousands of individuals have collectively mobilized funds worth nearly Rs 90 crores. The online funding campaigns not only span across helping stranded migrants and daily wage labourers get access to essentials and community kitchens but it has also come to the aid of peripheral communities such as trans people, male sex workers, circus artistes, drivers, delivery personnel, rural artisans, dancers and freelance workers.

Anoj Viswanathan, President and co-founder of Milaap said “During the times of natural calamities like floods in Chennai, Assam and Kerala, crowdfunding has enabled people to unite and help the worst affected section of people rebuild their lives. It was a stroke of hope to see it happen at a time like this when everyone’s life is displaced in some way or another. Over the last one month, we have seen more than 5x increase in customer queries and a 65% increase in the number of fundraisers. It was new for us, but now, more than ever, we wanted to ensure a seamless user experience. Therefore, we immediately built a special team to prioritize these needs, and waived off our platform fee for all Covid-19 initiatives so that people in need can get all the help coming their way.”

The preliminary theme of fundraising was for food, meals and ration for the worst-affected segments, like daily wage earners and migrant workers, followed by funds for medical and personal protective equipment for healthcare and other frontline workers. The third one is for specifically vulnerable segments of people. A Chennai based trans community started a fundraiser to reach out to at least 100 members initially but the response was so overwhelming that they went on to facilitate support for additional 200 affected trans people. Similarly, 11-year-old Ridhi from Hyderabad also received generous contributions from across the globe. This 6th grader has collected over 7.48 lakh and has distributed 1250 ration kits to daily wagers. She has plans to distribute 500 more kits in the coming days.

Among others, Luis Miranda, Chairman of CORO and Centre for Civil Society also started a fundraiser on Milaap to raise funds to distribute essential items to daily wage workers. So far, he has raised about 70% of the required Rs. 1.3 Crore and families of thousands of wage workers have received help. Speaking about his fundraising experience, Mr. Luis Miranda said, "Milaap has been a great partner. When CORO decided to crowd fund for support to daily wage earners who were impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown, Milaap immediately agreed to let us use its platform without any fee. This was the first time I was raising funds on an online platform and getting onto the platform was relatively easy. The team was very responsive to our requests. And the response from donors has been amazing. We are glad we went with Milaap."

Even popular service aggregators stepped up and united to support their most affected segment of employees: delivery personnel and drivers.

Mayukh Choudhury, CEO of Milaap said, “While tomorrow is uncertain for everyone, we can still agree that the problems of today are harsher on some than the others. We would like to thank the 3000+ unsung heroes who lobbied support for critical needs and the 1.6 lakh generous donors who came forward to help, for adding an unforgettable chapter of hope even in these tough times. Some of these campaign organizers already have managed to serve over 50 lakh meals from the support they received online from generous donors and on-ground from government and administration officials. The response has been humbling, to say the least, and the people who did it are the real heroes. As it has always been, we will make sure that we go the extra mile to connect people with each other. Our next effort will be to help local businesses across India through our new initiative, the Small Business Relief Initiative."

Small and micro businesses are a lifeline for countless societies. They often address critical issues of sustenance and employment. With some support from their communities and generous people around the world, they can raise small grants that can help them restart their source of livelihood.

He further added, “Over the last decade, Milaap has built a network of over 1.5 small businesses who we have supported through regular capital interventions. We wish to extend our platform to qualifying small and micro local businesses that have been affected by the crisis. We are working with our partner Intuit QuickBooks to help these businesses raise small grants to restart their work after this phase. We hope additional companies and generous individual donors will continue to contribute to this Fund in the coming weeks, in order to provide the much-needed aid to even more businesses across the country,”

The Small Business Relief Initiative which will support businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19. They can raise small grants with the help of people, especially from the communities they serve to tide over the present standstill.

At a time when people gathering together is considered dangerous, more than 1 lakh people have come together on our platform to support various causes in Milaap. Perhaps one of the rarest incidents where a mass gathering has helped the cause of fighting Covid-19 and not the other way.

About Milaap:

Milaap is South Asia’s largest crowdfunding platform for personal needs, especially healthcare and related needs. Constantly endeavoring to make it easier for people to raise money online for the causes that matter to them, the platform enables lay-people to raise funds for personal causes and emergencies, especially for tertiary healthcare like cancer care, organ transplants and accidents. Milaap’s community of funders come from over 130 countries across the world and have contributed nearly 950 crores for 200,000+ projects across India. Over the last 10 years, Milaap has become a preferred platform for people to raise and contribute towards causes they care about in India. Milaap.org is constantly working to take crowdfunding to the masses. The website has over 2.5 million page views every month and is growing 3x yearly. The platform constantly adds new features based on user feedback to ensure a hassle-free experience. The e-mail support extends over 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is rendered via a dedicated team that hand-holds users through any procedure on the website.

Explore the Best Adventure Destinations that Asia has to Offer with Discovery’s Expedition Asia with Ryan Pyle’

Join adventurer Ryan Pyle as he spends months exploring the best adventure trekking destinations in Asia. Ryan’s human-powered adventures are always inspiring as he proves that anyone can get out and explore the great unknown. Expedition Asia is a modern television series that is focused equally on adventure, exploration and cultural education. Join Ryan Pyle has he unplugs from his urban life and heads out to explore the world in an exciting new 10-part series ‘Expedition Asia with Ryan Pyle’, which premieres on May 25 at 8:00 pm on Discovery, Discovery HD and newly launched app Discovery Plus.

Ryan Pyle’s Expedition Asia explores Asia’s best adventure trekking destinations such as Mount Apo in Philippines, Badain Jaran Desert in China, Bali in Indonesia, Khuiten Peak in Mongolia, Holy Ridge in Taiwan, Maclehose Trail in Hong Kong, The Turkestan Circle in Kyrgystan, Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia, Northern Thailand Trail and finally Jagatsukh Peak near Manali in India.

The Indian experience

Ryan and his team arrive in Manali, the hub of adventure sports in India. After a short acclimatization and enjoying some local food and culture it’s time to head out to explore the eastern Himalayan range. The early stages of the journey are a gentle stroll through forested mountains just outside of Manali, but soon things become incredibly difficult with challenging weather, snowstorms and Mother Nature puts their entire journey in India at risk.

“Going on an adventure is all about adapting to the change; the most important thing about an adventure is to adapt to the changes and the unknown. One needs to understand and respect the world around and put yourself right in the natural world. That’s why on my TV show, I am never the main host, I’m always the second host. Nature is the first host,” said, Ryan Pyle. “The Indian experience was exhilarating as we landed in the beautiful Manali with people busy with Dussehra celebrations.  The trek from Manali to Jagatsukh was breath-taking and helped me imbibe the beautiful Himalaya’s. Beyond the physical location, the hospitality of India is what enamours you. I’ve spent a lot of my professional career filming in India, either on the back of my motorcycle or on my feet exploring the magical nature that exists in the country. My heart goes out to my friends in India as we globally deal with this challenging viral pandemic. I hope when we can rise up and defeat this virus, I’ll be back in India continuing to explore."

Sai Abishek, Director–Content, Factual & Lifestyle Entertainment – South Asia, Discovery said, “Discovery India has always been at the forefront of bringing the best explorers from around the world who discover the world from fresh perspectives bringing new insights in the modern day adventure travel. A very interesting aspect of Expedition Asia with Ryan Pyle is that Ryan effortlessly lets nature do the talking thereby taking the audience on a journey that they not only get to see but also, experience. At a time like this, when we’re practicing social distancing, a show that allows viewers to explore this world and live the adventure right from where they are, safe and sound at home, is definitely going to be well liked and admired by the audiences.”

Join Ryan Pyle as he unplugs from his urban life and heads out to explore the world. Tune in to EXPEDITION ASIA WITH RYAN PYLE, premiering on 25th May at 8 PM, only on Discovery, Discovery HD and Discovery Plus app.

Lactalis India Pledges Rs 1.5 Crores to PM Cares & State funds; Joins the Fight Against COVID-19

Key Points

●     Emmanuel Besnier, Chairman of Groupe Lactalis writes to PM Modi to express solidarity with the country’s fight against the pandemic
●     Lactalis India group companies: Prabhat Dairy, Anik Dairy and Thirumala Milk together contributes INR One crore to PM Care Funds and an additional INR 50 lakh to support state administrations

Lactalis India, the India arm of Groupe Lactalis, world’s largest dairy group has pledged INR One Crore to India’s PM Care fund as a gesture of solidarity to the country’s fight against the global pandemic. The amount is donated through Lactalis India’s group of companies - Prabhat Dairy, Anik Dairy &Thirumala Milk.

In addition to the contribution made to the PM Cares fund, Lactalis India employees put together voluntary contributions that the company matched to contribute a total of INR 50 lakh. This contribution will go to the state administrations in which Lactalis India is operating in, namely, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Rahul Kumar, MD, Lactalis India said, “Lactalis India stands in solidarity with the country in this fight against COVID-19. As essential services organizations, Prabhat, Anik&Thirumala and all their employees have been working relentlessly to ensure uninterrupted supply of milk and milk products across the country. We have increased our milk collection and continue to support our farmers through these trying times. As a responsible organization, Lactalis India has also maintained a consistent and timely payment to all farmer partners in all perimeters. We salute all the frontline workers and essential service providers who have been working tirelessly to keep the country moving forward”

About Lactalis India

Lactalis the largest dairy group in the world, headquartered in France, with a large global footprint, contributes to the economy of all countries where they are present. Lactalis portfolio consists of popular global brands such as President, Lactel, Galbani and many others. With the acquisition of leading dairy companiesThirumala in 2014, Anik in 2016 and Prabhat in 2019, Lactalis became a major player in the Indian market and now with a Pan India presence, serves a cross-section of consumers in the country. With 14 functional dairy plants across India, Lactalis India handles 2.5 million litres of milk every day, collected from 400,000 farmers at remunerative prices.

Chowman Gives the Gift of Life Through Mobile Blood Donation Drive

The ongoing pandemic has taken a toll on regular health operations. Hospitals and clinics have been closed in order to minimize exposure to the virus. This has resulted in a dearth of blood reserves. While the government and its officials are doing their part in donating blood and organizing blood donation drives all over the state, it still continues to remain a major concern at the face of any emergency.

So, for the first time in the Indian Food & Beverage Industry, Chowman Chain of Restaurants came forward to host a blood donation drive among its employees and lend a helping hand to the government’s fight against Covid-19.

This drive was executed on May 15th with the support of Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya, Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare, who helped arrange the mobile blood bank keeping in mind the safety and hygiene of all the donors.  Many employees from various branches of Chowman donated blood at the drive. The drive was held in the mobile blood bank, a bus converted into a sanitary and safe blood donation unit, which had successfully housed few more such donation drives in the previous weeks, all conducted under the supervision of Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya.

Speaking on the occasion, DebadityaChaudhury, Managing Director, Chowman Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. said, "Many other companies are stepping forward to help out in any manner possible. After delivering essentials and medicines door-to-door, we felt such a step was the need of the hour. Emergencies, accidents, and patients with certain types of cancer and liver diseases, among others, are in constant need of blood. Due to the low availability, many of them have been affected. So we have decided to come forward and help out with this initiative, which we want to dedicate to our Healthcare Professionals, who have left no stone unturned in helping and treating us. We hope to alleviate the distress of as many people as we possibly can and we are eager to host some more such camps in the near future."

About Chowman

With a strong presence in Kolkata, and a recent introduction to Bangaluru, Chowman Chain of Restaurants has successfully become a household name. It was set up exclusively to give each visitor a fine dining experience. The ambience is created with personally handpicked decor from the markets of Hong Kong and Thailand. From the moment you enter the restaurant, the world-class experience begins with hand crafted sculptures, exquisitely carved walls by expert craftsmen, warm lighting with elegant red and black interiors. Apart from the interiors and the lavish spread, special attention has been given to the hospitality. Combining contemporary elegance with an intimate ambience and an unparalleled service, Chowman presents the hallmark of true and authentic Chinese cuisine.

Chowman has successfully opened 14 outlets in and around Kolkata with 2 more ready to open in the next few months. In its 10th year of service, the Kolkata-based chain of restaurants has put its plan of foraying into other major cities into action, starting with Bangaluru. Besides adding more outlets in Bangaluru, Chowman will soon also set up shop in other metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Pune to give the locals a taste of authentic Chinese cuisine.

Indian Tourism Industry Goes Into a State Wave of Shock and Disbelief

Details

* No announcements to support tourism
* 10 Weeks of constant discussions come to a naught
* Industry has gone directionless

Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality, the policy federation of all the national associations representing the complete tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India (ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI) says the Indian tourism industry has gone into a state of disbelief and shock.

The Indian Tourism industry was looking forward to deep set of survival measures for tourism from the ₹ 20 lakhs crore package announced over 5 days, which however were not addressed.

The Indian Tourism, Travel & hospitality is believed to impact almost 10% of GDP through its direct and indirect impact. It has already seen over one quarter of accumulated losses which began from February onwards.

There is no cash inflow expected for many quarters over FY 20-21 as the key segments of the Indian tourism economy will be down. The international inbound tourists, inbound and VFR - (visiting friends and relatives) and the outbound travel will remain mostly non performing due to international flight restrictions & tragic impact in most key markets tourism markets of India.

Domestic travel and corporate travel within the country may slightly ease up post lockdown but will be highly restricted due to fear of travel among elders & children, the new social distancing norms, corporate travel freeze and the closure of the holiday season which will impacting all leisure, adventure, heritage, spiritual, cruise and niche tourism segments.

The meetings incentives exhibitions & events segment will be severely impacted due to meeting size restrictions.

Consequently, all tourism service providers, the hotels, travel agents, tour operators tourist transporters, restaurants, guides will be compromised and the tourism industry of India will be operating with extreme under capacities making most tourism businesses unviable on a cash operating basis.

To prevent this and to ensure survival, FAITH had proposed a dedicated interest and collateral free long term fund for paying salaries & operating costs and for a minimum of 12 months of complete waiver of fixed central & state statutory and banking liabilities without any penal or compounding interest which have not been addressed.

The proposed MSME fund with its many underlying restrictions may have a very limited usage.

FAITH & its ten member associations  (ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI) had been constantly dialoguing with all factions of the Government over the past 10 weeks the PMO, ministries of Finance, commerce , aviation, and tourism, with RBI, with all 28 chief ministers, Niti Aayog and with the Empowered Group 6.

Indian tourism travel and hospitality is said to impact 10-12% of India’s employment which is believed to cover almost 5 crore + direct and indirect jobs.

The industry has gone numb from a lack of any umbrella direction from the Government or without any fiscal & monetary support.

With no visibility of cash inflows the Indian tourism industry is now looking at large scale bankruptcies, business closures which will lead to job losses across cities, towns and hinterlands of India. This has the potential to set back the Indian tourism, travel and hospitality industry by many years.