Paytm Travel Sees 85 Lakh Flight Searches as Grounded Travellers Head Back Home

India's leading financial services platform Paytm Travel, today announced that with the government easing lockdown norms and allowing domestic airlines to resume operations, the company has seen an increase in the demand for air tickets. According to Paytm Travel, a majority of the tickets being sold are of travellers going from metropolitans to tier-II and smaller cities.

The flight search volume on Paytm Travel in the last few days has been trending at close to 200% of the average daily search volume witnessed before the lockdown began in March. Since the bookings opened up, there has been over 85 lakh searches for flight tickets with a surge in demand happening over the weekend. The searches hit a peak of 1.77 lakh requests per hour during the last three days.

Due to the last three consecutive lockdowns, several travellers had to stay back in metro cities mainly New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru which they might have visited for some work. They are now taking this opportunity to book a flight back to their home towns in non-metro cities including Patna, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Guwahati, among others. Few of the sectors such as Delhi-Patna, Mumbai-Varanasi, Bengaluru-Guwahati are witnessing unusually high demand as compared to typical busy routes like Delhi-Mumbai and Bangalore-Delhi. Paytm Travel is working closely with all airlines and also keeping abreast with all the guidelines of the aviation ministry as well as rules being laid out by the various state governments to ensure that passengers are able to return home safely.

Abhishek Rajan, Senior Vice President - Paytm Travel, "There is a pent up demand for non-metro destinations from metro cities. Eager flyers are booking tickets to go back home. This has led to a jump in searches and ticket bookings on our platform. While there is a surge in demand, we think it will taper down with time."

Paytm Travel over the last several weeks has taken a number of steps to help travellers who had booked tickets but were not able to fly due to the ongoing lockdown. It was among the firsts to provide the ability to its users to view and use their credit shell refund balance on Paytm for booking any new flight of their choice. Travellers who had booked tickets for these suspended flights were issued a refund by the airlines in the form of a credit shell balance of an amount equal to the cancelled flight ticket value. Users can redeem this balance for booking a flight ticket on the same airline for any future journey date in the next 12 months.

Paytm Travel is India’s first horizontal major to enter online travel and has been a pioneer in launching innovative features for flight, bus and train travellers. The company has already launched a free cancellation service that allows users to cancel their travel tickets without requiring to pay any cancellation charges. Other popular features include Live Train Tracking and Voice Search that was rolled out to make train ticket booking, seamless experience for users.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor to Resume Production Starting May, 26, 2020

After weeks of the nationwide lockdown and partial lifting of restrictions across the country, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) announced the restarting of its production in its manufacturing plant in Bidadi, Bangalore. The production will resume from May 26, 2020 in a phased manner, in concurrence with the directives of both, the State and the Central Governments. The Company officials are closely monitoring and evaluating the situation to gradually ramp up operations. More than 290 Toyota dealerships in the country are partially operational and close to 230 Toyota service outlets are also operational nationally, providing services by prioritizing domains like spare parts supply in response to the market needs where service activities have already started.

Sharing his thoughts on the production recommencement, Mr. Raju B. Ketkale, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “We are thankful to the Government for resuming operations of industries. We would also like to express our heartiest gratitude towards our supplier and dealer partners, as well as our trusted employees who have worked very hard to help us resume operations. While restarting operations we have deliberately been very circumspect to take some more time, owing to the fact that we wanted to take extra precautions so as to ensure that both the workplace and its surrounding are safe for us to resume work. The physical and mental well-being of our employees is of utmost importance to us and we do not want to jeopardize the same at any cost. As you are aware, we have come up with a revised set of guidelines to work by and we have be rerunning the ‘Restart Manual’ to ensure successful implementation of the same, before our workforce resumes office. In order to minimize the number of employees at the work place, most of our office employees will still continue to work from home for some more time.

As a part of our recommencement approach, we have also introduced various safety initiatives at our dealerships, keeping in mind the safety and well-being of our dealer staff, who are at the frontline as well as our customers. Additionally, we have started operating our service outlets so as to be able to support our customers with any of their service and spare parts requirements. Toyota Kirloskar Motor places highest priority to the safety and well-being of its stakeholders by adopting the ‘Safety and Health First’ approach, and has taken every necessary precaution before restarting operations.”

Godrej Appliances Initiates Remote Selling Video Assist Program Along Host of Designed Offers

The Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown have hampered demand and greatly impacted consumer sentiments. Large Appliances segment which is dominated by cooling categories has been severely impacted. With businesses across sectors suffering a dent, consumers are being extremely cautious about purchases on one hand. On the other, appliances are the need of the hour with their ability to provide convenience and comfort at home.

Godrej Appliances, one of India’s leading Consumer Appliances brand, has announced a string of thoughtfully designed offers to complement their thoughtfully made appliances - providing consumers with much needed financial flexibility during purchase. These exclusive offers include extended warranty for 12 months, cashback up to Rs 3000 (select bank partners), up to INR 10,000 off on MRP, up to 47% off on Annual Maintenance Contracts, Easy EMI Offers like 0% Interest on EMI on all leading credit / select debit cards, Fixed EMI with Bajaj Finance on select AC models and attractive finance offers with 18/4, 10/0 and many options on selected models across categories, for those who are planning purchases as soon as the lockdown is lifted. With exclusive exchange offers on all Godrej Air Conditioner, consumers can bring home cooling comfort at a discounted rate. That’s not all. On the purchase of select models of Godrej Air Conditioners, consumers can avail subsidized installation charges as well, starting at INR 399.

As a responsible brand, Godrej Appliances is taking all the necessary precautions against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping in mind the safety and wellbeing of its customers and that of trade partners, the brand has shared store opening guidelines and good practices across its trade network espousing social distancing, maintaining hygiene standards, sanitization of appliances and work surfaces at retails shops, staff guidelines, etc.

The brand has also made arrangements to help consumers buy appliances without having to step out of the comfort of their homes through the new video-assisted remote selling initiative and the nascent initiative is already seeing signs of acceptance. Under this initiative, customers are being provided the option of a scheduled live demo via video call with the brand’s store-based advisors followed by flexible payment options as per the customer’s preference.

“Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, our consumers are locked inside their homes burdened by the various home chores without adequate help. They need to equip themselves with appliances to minimize their efforts, while they stay in and ‘work from home’. This situation is not going to be restricted to current lockdown but is expected to continue in some form even beyond lockdown for several months. At Godrej, consumers' safety is our top priority and we are committed to providing maximum convenience to our consumers and their loved ones. Hence, we have proactively worked out this video-assisted selling initiative. We also understand that savings matter a lot to consumers now, across segments. This is why we have worked out a spectrum of thoughtfully designed offers to choose from ranging from long term lucrative finance offers to cash backs and extended warranties, exchange and discounts on AMC. We hope consumers will make use of these options and make the right purchase for themselves so their homestay is made more comfortable and they are better prepared for future.” said Kamal Nandi – Business Head and Executive Vice President – Godrej Appliances.

These offers are launched through trade partner network and via its official website & e-commerce site. The brand has also rolled out e-catalogues through extensive dealers’ network, reaching out to the customer base with these attractive finance offers on select models.

Full Stack Used Car Platform - Spinny - Sold 300 Cars in Two Weeks ‘With Extra Care’ in India

Spinny, a complete online to offline retail platform for buying and selling used cars has sold over 300 cars in lockdown 4.0. To ensure safety of the customers as well as its employees, Spinny has implemented contactless delivery system and has processed a considerable number of orders during this period #WithExtraCare.

Young India is gearing up against the odds to fuel the economy. During these uncertain times, owning a car is considered as the safest way of personal mobility. And, the liquidity crunch is shifting the demand towards pre-owned cars. Spinny provides a modern-day solution at each touch-point keeping ‘Customer Convenience’ at the center of every experience.

Introducing Home Test Drive #WithExtraCare, Spinny is rigorously following the necessary precautions, as per WHO guidelines with customer comfort and safety as the top priority. Once on the website or the app, buyers have to go through 3 simple steps for a zero-contact home-delivery of the car of their choice. To ensure safety of the customers as well as its employees, Spinny has implemented home test drives and home deliveries and processed a considerable number of orders Post lockdown 2.0. With Contactless Home Test Drives, Spinny to get back to pre CoVID numbers by June. Over the years, Spinny has earned trust of 10000+ customers and currently operates in 5 cities - Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune, with 10 car hubs.

The automotive consumer behavior is increasingly being altered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As health and hygiene is at the paramount, Niraj Singh, CEO & Co-Founder of Spinny is leading a new way, and expressed, “This time has required us to raise our standards to an even higher level with strict protocols at every touch point. With complete ownership of the customer experience from inventory of cars, online ordering, home test drives and home deliveries, it’s our responsibility to set industry standards in zero contact processes with extra care. The customer recognizes this and we’re witnessing a sharp increase in inquiries of Home Test Drives. We are expecting to be back to the pre-covid numbers by June.”

Facilitating the users to make the purchase online, Spinny ensures to keep the process transparent. The entire car history is available online with HD images that cover each and every angle of a car. Customers get real-time virtual tour with the Spinny executive to see the car.  All Spinny cars that are available on the website are eligible for a test drive at the customer’s home. Spinny also ensures employee hygiene and have trained its employees, under WHO Guidelines, to ensure social distancing while attending customers and are screened for temperature daily. Spinny car hubs, across the cities, are functioning as deep sanitisation zones where each car is sanitised before and after every test drive with special focus on areas that are touched frequently. Further to this, they make sure that their customer safelty is paramount too thus, with each test drive, customers get a complimentary safety kit consisting of masks, gloves and sanitizers. Once satisfied, the customer can buy the car on the spot of the home test drive or call for a home delivery.

As we adjust to living with coronavirus; lifestyle preferences, buying behavior and even the way we travel is bound to change. Health and safety will be the top priority and people will prefer using their vehicles. Addressing the pain points in today’s time, Niraj Singh added, "The steps we’re taking on cleanliness and new service norms are as much about the health and safety of our employees as they are about our customers. From the beginning, spinny.com was developed with complete transparent details online about each car with the confidence of 5-day money-back guarantee. With our full stack retail platform model, we are more prepared to cater to the needs of this new normal. Our customers would now appreciate this stepped up way to buy a car.’’

Spinny is redefining the Auto retail of Used Cars with its seamless "Phy-gital Purchase" process. Over the years, Spinny has earned the trust of 10,000+ customers with a 4x growth in the last 9 months. With the assurance of a No Haggling Fixed Price Offering, 1-year Warranty and 5-Day No Questions Asked Money-Back Guarantee, the company has been able to gain trust and add premium-ness to the customer's buying experience.

Thailand Prime Minister Leads National Committee to Promote 5G Development

A 26-member National 5G Committee has been formed with Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as chairman to coordinate the 5G development and boost the digital economy in the country.

The committee is also tasked with mitigating obstacles regarding the recall of unused spectrum, from state agencies for the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), in exchange for compensation. It is expected to enhance cooperation between related agencies for 5G development support.

Deputy prime ministers Somkid Jatusripitak, Prawit Wongsuwon and Wissanu Krea-ngam serve as the deputy chairmen of the committee. The minister of finance, minister of tourism and the minister of education are also part of the committee.

The permanent secretary for the Digital Economy and Society Ministry serves as the director and secretary of the committee.

This committee is formed to promote vertical 5G development, ensuring optimum benefits of 5G adoption for the economy and end users. It will promote a clear roadmap for 5G adoption and infrastructure development by ensuring the participation of representatives from key ministries, said Thailand NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted Thailand's major telecom operators to rev up deployment of 5G technologies. The country's top mobile operators are racing to deploy 5G networks at hospitals to support doctors and medical personnel to fight the virus.

“Application of 5G to public health demonstrates how digital infrastructure can have a significant impact on people's health during a major emergency,” said Buddhipongse Punnakanta, Thailand Digital Economy and Society Minister.

The Digital Economy and Society Ministry, together with Huawei Technologies Thailand, are providing AI-assisted solutions with 5G technology to hospitals in the country with the aim of enabling output diagnosis results more efficiently through a high-speed network. Industrial organizations such as GSMA pointed out that 5G technologies are crucial in the fight against the pandemic and will be a “backbone” for the economic recovery.  It is  increasingly accepted in the industry that ICT and digital economy will be a major push as work resumes post pandemic.

Huawei Launches ASEAN Academy to Empower Digital Talent and Nurture Digital Ecosystem

Huawei Malaysia introduced the Huawei ASEAN Academy, a dedicated training module set to empower digital talent in the region. In its commitment, Huawei aims to nurture 50,000 talents over the next five years, spread across various businesses and technology sectors. The academy will provide more than 3,000 ICT courses involving 100 skilled trainers to nurture digital talent.

“The Huawei ASEAN Academy in Malaysia is the first in Asia Pacific region which plays an important role in ICT development towards digital economic growth. It is more than ever, to nurture and develop local talent to ensure that they are well equipped with the proper ICT knowledge to adapt to this ever-changing globalization landscape. The Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM) and Huawei have had a long collaborative relationship in ICT since 2001 when Huawei Technologies was first established, we hope to have more successful collaborations in the future between both parties to steer digital economy in the right path,” said YB Dato Saifuddin Abdullah, Minister of Communications and Multimedia of Malaysia.

The academy’s ICT training programs and courses are designed to target government bodies, industry professionals and university students, providing a holistic approach in growing the country’s ICT ecosystem. It will implement established and diversified educational methods namely scenario-based and online live training, and overseas study tours. The academy also provides multi-dimensional solutions for different types of talent and levels of need to ensure that these solutions effectively match the current talent gaps for enterprises.

“As we all adapt to this new normal of social distancing, the importance of having a strong digital network and infrastructure is more obvious now than ever. The backbone of a strong digital network and infrastructure still remains with the people that builds and maintains such services for Malaysians to enjoy. The trainings and programs provided by the ASEAN academy will empower local talents to be future-ready and actively contribute to accelerating the country’s digital transformation journey,” said Michael Yuan, CEO of Huawei Malaysi

Based on the industry requirements, the academy addresses pain points of the country’s talent gap within the three core pillars which are ICT Industry Trend Guidance, Ecosystem Talent Enablement and Skill Improvement. The academy uses technology as a key enabler in skills and talent development to provide a solid foundation for the country’s digital economy.

As a global leading ICT solution provider, Huawei advocates for an open, shared, ICT talent ecosystem that benefits all parties. The Huawei ASEAN Academy presents another significant milestone in Huawei’s journey to develop local ICT talent and enable the digital transformation.

EON Launches Initiative to Unlock Influence of Nutrition on Immunity

Esperer Onco Nutrition (EON), a pioneer in bringing comprehensive nutritional portfolio to oncology, has announced an important initiative to unlock influence of nutrition on immunity. A team of scientists at EON have come up with an extensive research plan which collectively gives convincing evidence of the relationship between Diet Infections Nutrition Immunity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which the company has decided to persuade as the “DINI AXIS” concept to execute its research work.

The world has witnessed a rapid rise in nutrition-related disorders such as obesity, a risk factor for many of the non-communicable disease (NCDs) such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, dental disease, osteoporosis, and some forms of cancer all over the world.

Talking about the initiative Mr. Raktim Chattopadhyay, Founder & CEO Esperer Onco Nutrition Pvt Ltd said "EON takes responsible nutrition very seriously and studies it with respect to the science of biochemistry. Our diet (D)impacting on infection status(I) which in turn influence nutrient depletion(N) and hence weakening the body immunity system (I),the whole chain goes unnoticed (till the disease state is asymptomatic) , lead to NCDs. This DINI Axis hypothesis we are intended to establish in our research plan to integrate responsible nutrition and NCDs like cancer ,diabetes etc .

Humans by nature have an inherent preference for palatable, sugary, salty, fatty and refined foods. These foods are mostly energy-dense and low in micro nutrients. Food production, processing, manufacturing, marketing and promotion have responded to these preferences by making high energy-dense foods available at increasingly affordable prices. This has led to changes in food consumption patterns which unfortunately coincided with more sedentary, less active lifestyles.

 "The resultant over nutrition of especially macro nutrients is the major cause of obesity and also, together with obesity, a risk factor for many of the noncommunicable disease (NCDs) such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, dental disease, osteoporosis, and some forms of cancer" Mr Chattopadhyay added.

The DINI AXIS research initiative is categorised into four steps, the first being the ecological meta-analysis which compares different populations and the effects of migration of populations on food availability during economic development and differences in dietary and nutrient intakes. At the second stage scientist looked at numerous epidemiological/pandemic studies that have triggered the association between diet and biological risk factors of NCDs. During the third, they studied the interventions between specific nutrients and foods in placebo-controlled trials using both healthy and diseased subjects to confirm the relationships of drug-nutrient interactions and its outcomes. The fourth step followed molecular and genetic intervention under taken in research projects understanding how diet and nutrients affect genetic mutation and expression, adding to their knowledge of how nutrition influences immunity and improves quality of life.