VN Finance Announces Small Ticket Loans – ‘Shramik Loan’ and ‘Rozgar Loan’ for Migrant Workers and Financially Excluded

Small Loans 

* 24X7 service; Within 1-day loan disbursal; minimal no of documents

* Funds even for those who cannot provide security or existing assets

In sync with the Prime Minister and RBI Governor’s clarion call to provide credit/ loans to the financially excluded and the unbanked, VN Finance, a tech-enabled NBFC, has announced small ticket loan offerings – ‘Shramik Loan’ and ‘Rozgar Loan’ for migrant workers and financially excluded small business men and women on the eve of Independence Day 2020. In the aftermath of Covid-19 and the problems faced by lakhs of people, VN Finance's approach is to deploy 24X7 service and disburse loans within a day with the least number of documents and hassle-free interaction using technology.

The ticket size of the loan starts from Rs. 25,000 onwards. Those people, who need unsecured loans and have no security or no existing assets, can directly (or through intermediaries) approach VN Finance and share their creditworthiness and repayment capacity. They will get the funds at the best of terms to achieve their dreams.

VN Finance also offers Secured Loans such as Loan Against Property, Loans against Gold Jewellery and Loans against Inventories. Every business needs ongoing working capital and this requirement keeps increasing with the growth of business. VN Finance's professional team fully understands business needs and provides funding against the goods and inventories already lying in the shops/godown. The small business owner just needs to furnish the inventory list, its value and their needs.

Mohit Kakkad, Director & Founder, VN Finance, said, “We stand committed to our vision of changing the society by helping people to follow the dreams by easy and quick financing. We are focusing on the segments who cannot afford to wait and cannot meet or understand the complex and time-consuming processes of conventional lenders. We work tirelessly to develop delivery mechanisms with technology to make our disbursal process easy, efficient and widespread. We plan to expand aggressively in Mumbai MMR region, Maharashtra State and gradually across India.”

VN Finance is also developing a network of banking intermediaries, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), NGOs and correspondents who can help facilitate credit to migrant workers, unbanked and financially deprived business men and women. Since the target segment is not necessarily highly literate and educated in technology, VN Finance is using technology to help them and the financial intermediaries in the easiest of ways.

Mohit Kakkad firmly believes that if India has to achieve financial inclusion in the true sense, NBFCs such as VN Finance have to play a significant role in enhancing financial literacy, seeking minimal collateral, shorter processing time and building distribution network while grappling with lack of credit history, absence of formal identity, cyclical income and paper work.

The Union Government and regulators have taken various initiatives such as Basic savings bank deposit account (BSBDA), Lead banking scheme (LBS), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and set up payments’ infrastructure like BHIM, UPI, DBT to jumpstart the process of financial inclusion. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its National Strategy for Financial Inclusion 2019-24, announced that public credit registry has to be made fully operational by March 2022 so that authorised financial entities can leverage the same for assessing credit proposals. NBFCs can also access and analyze data from Google Pay, Walmart-owned PhonePe and Whatsapp Pay (to launch soon).

About VN Finance

VN Finance Pvt. Ltd. (VNF) is an innovative financial company Incorporated in March 2019 as a Non-Deposit taking NBFC (ND). The company is founded by 31-year old Mohit Kakkad with a vision to use technology to provide finance to hitherto unbanked section of society. The company is mainly engaged is providing the small and medium size ticket loans on secured and unsecured basis. Unsecured loans are being provided based on creditworthiness and repayment capacity of the borrowers. The senior management of the company consists of senior leaders from banking industry and mentored by some of the highly qualified professionals. VN Finance has put in place an interest rate policy, adopted by the Board, taking into account relevant factors such as, cost of funds, margin and risk premium, etc and determine the rate of interest to be charged for loans. It has a robust KYV Policy, Fair Practices Code and Corporate Governance Policy.

HATCH 2020 Online Event by St.Francis College, Koramangala on August 12, 2020

 * Online meeting of the Global Learning Community to discuss ‘Educating the Next’

* Release of the Publication ‘Hatch 2020 – Educating the Next’ with over 100 Educational Institutes & Thought Leaders across the globe.

St. Francis College, Koramangalawill release the debut publication ‘Hatch 2020 – Educating the Next’ together with a panel discussion featuring thought leaders from across the globe on the 12thAugust 2020 from 10 to 12 noon via an online webinaraligned with the UN International Youth Day.

The publication is a step forward to unite and collaborate with the global learning community under once platform to shape future leaders and most importantly sustain a positive mindset during the period of Covid-19. It is also a platform to share best practices, insights and how educationists can come together and further the cause of education.

The publication will be released by noted personalities such as:

* BomanIrani – Indian theatre & film actor

* T. R. Parasuraman – President of the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce& Whole Time Director – Toyota Industries Engine India Pvt. Ltd.

* Dr. Joseph V.G -  Honorary Consul General, Republic of Maldives – Bengaluru & Chancellor, Garden City University

* IndrajitLankesh– Indian Film maker & producer and publisher of LankeshPatrike.

* Prof. J Philip – Founder & Chairman , Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship (XIME)

* FarzanehMajed – CEO & md, Partner Transform Alliance, UK

* Ashish Ballal - Former Indian Hockey Captain, Asia Game Gold Medalist, & Olympian

* RaginiPrajwal – Kannada Film Actor with recent movie hit ‘Law’

* Augustus Azariah – IBM India Pvt. Ltd

* Jalal ElNasser – Reginonal Manager – UTS Insearch University, Sydney, Australia

* RJ RiazBasha - Anchor, TV presenter, Big Boss contestant

* Ibrahim Khalil – Up by Levels – Dubai & Saudi Arabia

*  DJ Ivan - A DJ, music composer and host on a radio show Hotmix in Bangalore

* Samie – Alchrafi- Award-winning speaker, author and podcaster. Author of Business for Humanity.

* Br.Sayimon(Director)& Ms. Sameera Fernandes – (Director – Strategic Planning), St. Francis College, Koramangala

The panel discussion is moderated by Shekhar Vijayan.

Commented Br. Sayimon, Director, St. Francis College, Koramangala, “Our objective is to encourage the global learning community to come out with innovative ways to shape our future leaders. With plentiful insights into the publication, I am sure this can be a useful toolkit when framing policies and practices on the education front”.

Commented Ms. Sameera Fernandes, Director – Strategic Planning & Dean, St. Francis College, Koramangala, “SFC-publication is an ideal avenue for the learning community across the world to come together and contribute their ideas on the theme educating  next. The culture of inclusivity and collaboration is what the education sector should strive for moving forward.

Quite a few partners too have come forward which includes Talent 2 International Education Consultancy, Indigo Music, Bangalore Chamber of Industry &Commerce, Ecosol Global, India Today, Arivupro, Threadworks, Xavier Board of Higher Education in India and Catholic Club.

HATCH 2020 is an in-house e-publication aims at creating a new tomorrow with the global learning community. The publication brings together the highly valuable insights from principals, faculty and students in the form of articles and interviews.

Together with the learning community, we can build strong and safe world to live in. Watch us live on You tube, Face book, Instagram to support, enjoy and make a difference.

Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezyg76bWnpT9PWReAKLVsFwPG0hBeFNKGU9BhtTiJQ47z7Pw/viewform or log on to our website www.stfranciscollege.net

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Sameera Fernandes

Director – Strategic Planning & Dean

St. Francis College, Koramangala

Mobile: 97400 66551

Email: dean@stfranciscollege.net

ŠKODA Auto India Partners with PPS Motors to Expand its Footprint in Karnataka

 Summary

* ŠKODA AUTO’s new state of the art dealership facility in Bengaluru: PPS Motors boasts 4,500 sq. ft. of a modern showroom and 18,000 sq. ft. of premium service space, 70 plus technicians and staff members, 10 mechanical stations and body shop bays, and service capacity of 5,500 plus ŠKODA AUTO vehicles per annum

* The new dealership facility is the third outlet of the Czech marque, in Bengaluru, and aims to enhance the overall purchase and ownership experience for the ŠKODA AUTO customers in the region

* Under the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, ŠKODA AUTO India will double its network penetration, and expand to 50 new cities, over the next three years

* ŠKODA AUTO celebrates 125 years of its glorious history and heritage the world over

With the inauguration of PPS Motors in Bengaluru, ŠKODA AUTO India aims to strengthen its position in Karnataka and push forward its campaign of establishing a strong foothold in the southern markets of our nation. The new state of the art dealership facility sports the new Corporate Identity and Design as a part of ŠKODA AUTO global redesigning process. The Czech auto manufacturer, under the purview of the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, will have at least twice as many sales and service touchpoints, as it does today, by 2022.

PPS Motors is strategically located at 219/11, Ramana Maharishi Road, Palace Orchards, Sadashivanagar, Bellary Road and offers utmost ease and convenience across the region. The sales facility sprawls over an area of 4,500 square feet and accommodates at least four cars on display. A dedicated service workshop, located at 35, Kranthikavi Sarvagna Road, Sreerampuram, Okaluipuram, is spread across 18,000 square feet and houses ten mechanical stations and body shop bays. With 75 trained personnel, PPS Motors has a capacity to service 5,500 plus ŠKODA AUTO vehicles per annum.

Commenting on the inauguration of the new facility, Mr. Zac Hollis, Brand Director, ŠKODA AUTO India said, “To ensure preparedness for INDIA 2.0 launches, we at ŠKODA AUTO India are continually striving to expand our network reach, across the nation, so that not only more and more customers can experience our products but also enjoy easy access to our customer centric aftersales solutions. Bangalore is a key market for us in South India, and we are confident that our

partnership with PPS Motors will be pivotal for the brand and will further strengthen our foothold in Karnataka.”

Mr. Rajiv Sanghvi, Dealer Principal, PPS Motors Private Limited said, “We are delighted to partner with ŠKODA AUTO India and introduce a new dealership facility in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The modern architecture and streamlined business processes will provide the ideal backdrop for the presentation of ŠKODA AUTO products. With the global best practices and processes of Skoda Auto India and adapting them to suit our customers in the region we endeavour to create a lot of value for all our stake holder’s especially our customers to offer world service and customer care”

MODERN DEALERSHIP FACILITIES WITH STREAMLINED BUSINESS PROCESSES

With the highest priority given to functionality, clear orientation, and transparency, ŠKODA AUTO India has successfully rebranded its entire network of 83 sales and 58 service touchpoints across 69 cities across the nation. The Czech brand has invested over INR 1,200 million, along with its dealer partners, in the biggest rebranding campaign in its history in India.

In line with the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, the corporate architecture, functional interiors, and rationalized business processes, aim to enhance the overall customer experience. The new dealership design architectural concept reflects ŠKODA AUTO’s philosophy expressed in the slogan: “Simply Clever with a human touch”.

The new architecture of the dealership facility is characterized by clear and simple shapes, a harmonious colour concept, modular design features, and a modern lighting concept. The new exteriors of the ŠKODA AUTO dealerships will be the brand’s powerful statement during both day and night - clear, transparent, modern, and open.

In addition to sustaining ŠKODA AUTO’s proven strengths, the company is placing an increasing emphasis on enhancing the emotional appeal of the brand. It is conveyed by the sophisticated and logical arrangement of all the key elements, business areas, customer zones, and the use of cutting edge technology.

The high quality materials, new design features, effective lighting solutions, architectural graphic elements, and warm wooden tones create an inviting atmosphere. Fresh hues, clarity, openness, and transparency - are the highlights of the new interiors of ŠKODA AUTO showrooms.

New Education Policy 2020 Encourages Holistic Education Through Sports and Play

Sportz Village, India's largest youth sports platform, is in support of the emphasis on holistic development of children in the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 announced by the cabinet. Once the NEP gets implemented, children will benefit from the focus on balanced and all-round development from an early age.  

Commenting on the new initiative by the Modi government Saumil Majmudar, Co-founder, CEO and Managing Director, Sportz Village said that, “The new National Education Policy is a welcome change at a time when the health, happiness and immunity of children are becoming increasingly important due to the pandemic. The new NEP includes several key points that are instrumental for the holistic development of a child. By eliminating the rigid separation between curricular and extra-curricular activities, the NEP acknowledges sports to be equally important as any other subject like English or Science, thereby increasing the Fun and Engagement that children desperately seek in a school." 

Mr Majmudar adds that through Play, children can develop physically, mentally and socially. And we have also found Play to contribute positively to academic outcomes, classroom behaviour and attendance levels. Moreover, assessment-specific reforms such as the development of the National Assessment Centre and tracking a child's progress based on learning outcomes are great initiatives as they focus on the learning progress, thereby focusing on the all-round development of a child. We expect that sports and play, will be delivered and assessed with the same rigor and structure as core academic subjects, thereby ensuring all children experience the magic of Play and Sport, and we develop a nation of healthier and fitter children through the school system. The emphasis on Vocational Education is also a great step towards all-round development of children and we hope children will be able to choose Physical Activity and Sports as a Vocational subject. We look forward to the translation of the policy to reflect in a more playful, fun and engaging school environment for children while meeting the adult goals of learning outcomes.

About Sportz Village: 

Sportz Village is India's largest youth sports platform. Established in the year 2003, Sportz Village has a philosophy of: (i) Improving the health and fitness of children, (ii) Getting everyone to experience the magic of sports. 

Five Key Sectors That Will See A Transformation With 5G Technology

 

By Mr. Preetham Uthaiah, EVP - Marketing and Strategy, Saankhya Labs

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a long lockdown, which has spurred a digital transformation in the economy. Education has gone truly digital with the advent of online classes and exams, doctors are providing consultations online, meetings are being conducted via video conferencing platforms and even international trade exhibitions have shifted to online webinars and events. As a result of this digital transformation, internet usage has surged extensively putting immense pressure on existing communication networks. A reliable and robust 5G communication network can help industries maximize this digital transformation. The SLA’s (service level agreements) and QoS (quality of service) that need to be met for some of the time-critical applications can be accommodated using 5G technology with some of its advanced features such as ‘Slicing’ and low latency communication that ensures that real-time communication happens without getting affected by the traffic loads.

Here are some key sectors that are bound to benefit from a 5G driven digital transformation -

1. Healthcare

The healthcare industry will immensely benefit from 5G networks. With increasing use of online consultations and tele-medicine, a reliable and faster connection is critical to effectively deliver remote healthcare services. The low latency and faster speeds which are a main feature of 5G will help in time critical telemedicine applications such as remote surgery and remote patient monitoring etc. Hospitals also transmit large amounts of patient data including large files like CT Scans and MRIs. Some hospitals like King’s College Hospital, UK; Sinchuan University Hospital, China and Samsung Medical Centre, South Korea are installing private Enterprise 5G solutions to support their IT networks.

2. Agriculture

In this emerging technological world, scientific farming techniques are being used to boost productivity in farms. These include use of Agri-IoT sensors for soil monitoring, water management, smart irrigation, crop health monitoring, drone-based farm management etc. Deployment of 5G networks will provide added benefit to manage these drones and get real time data from the sensors by effectively using the 5G networks

3. Construction

The real estate sector, which has for long been known for its offline operations, is set to transform itself with the advent of 5G technology. In its new avatar, virtual property tours using AR/VR technologies, as well as 3D printed models of homes will be a reality in aiding digital marketing and sale of properties. Powered by stable and fast networks with lower latency, 5G will also ensure the smooth functioning of various stages of the design process to include 3D architectural visualization and collaborative meetings with various stakeholders.

4. Auto

5G brings with it unprecedented speed and connectivity to make autonomous, or self-driving cars a reality. An autonomous car is expected to produce up to 25 GB data per hour. Current networks will not be able to handle such large volumes of real-time data. 5G networks will allow faster-than-ever communication and real-time data processing between vehicles, networks, infrastructure and even pedestrians.

5. Manufacturing

The manufacturing sector is becoming more and more autonomous. High speed connectivity is needed to monitor and direct robots working on the factory floor. Additionally, many factories are becoming more “smart” with IoT sensors being installed across the factory, sharing real-time updates to a central server. 5G technologies can provide network characteristics that are vital for the manufacturing industry. This technology will allow for increased flexibility, lower costs, and smaller lead times for layout changes and alterations at the manufacturing units, factory floor production reconfiguration etc. Large organizations like Worchester Bosch, Siemens, Ford Motors etc. are deploying enterprise 5G networks to streamline their operations. 5G is poised to aid manufacturing/production operations, helping them become more efficient, while also refining security and reducing maintenance and operating costs.

Hailed as an upcoming tech revolution, 5G promises advantages that will touch every aspect of our lives, from healthcare to education to products and services we buy and beyond!

Dettol BSI and Wipro GE Healthcare Join Forces to Strengthen Covid-19 Response

 Highlights

* The partnership program is reaching out to the frontline health workers in communities across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand

* A total of around 770 frontline health workers are envisioned to be trained under this partnership, the ongoing first phase has so far touched 143,164 lives by training 250+ frontline health workers on the Covid-19 pandemic across the impacted communities

With a focus at enhancing public health system, Dettol Banega Swasth India, a flagship program by RB, in partnership with Wipro GE Healthcare India introduced training program for front line health workers amidst the raging spread of COVID-19. The integrated partnership program is aimed at training 250+ health workers across the states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand with on-ground support from Plan India and Jagran Pehel.

COVID-19 leaves some of India’s most vulnerable communities facing “a crisis within a crisis”. As per a study conducted by the United Nations (UN) in India, there have been major concerns around the impact of the crisis on vulnerable populations, especially women and children. Some of the factors include disruption in the supply of essentials and divided attention towards other healthcare facilities/support. Additionally, the public health support system assisting to fight back COVID-19 at the grassroots levels is weakening given these unprecedented challenges.

Addressing the gravity of the issue and to alleviate the panic & appropriately curb community transmission, the two-leading healthcare organisations partnered to equip ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, women health educators and allied front line health workers in India.

Commenting on the partnership initiative, Mr. Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, AMESA, RB Health, said, “We at Dettol are deeply concerned given this unprecedented pandemic and its impact on our healthcare warriors exposed to vulnerable communities across the nation. We understand that our front-line workers need community support & correct upgraded skill set as they are assigned the crucial role of screening and awareness generation at the grassroots level. With a vision to support the frontline health workers, Dettol, #1 trusted partner of the Indian population and Wipro GE Healthcare joined forces to provide accurate knowledge & elevated skill sets. we hope that with this training, the community health and nutrition workers are better able to perform their field duties and carry out efficient screening and awareness activities to address the Covid-19 pandemic. We will continue to serve, educate, and partner with the aim of a healthier nation.”

“We are immensely proud to partner with RB and ‘Dettol Banega Swachh India’ initiative in enabling frontline healthcare workers strengthen their response to Covid-19. GE Healthcare’s long-standing experience in the healthcare industry has taught us that a bottoms-up approach to awareness, prevention and cure goes a long way in addressing a healthcare crisis of this scale. This partnership has allowed both organizations to come together and deploy their unique strengths in India’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. We look forward to take this partnership from strength to strength and play our part in creating a healthier India,” said Nalinikanth Gollagunta, Managing Director, Wipro GE Healthcare.

Dettol BSI will be providing technical support in infection prevention, best practices, as well as mobilization support through its partners in the field. Wipro GE Healthcare is the end-to-end training implementation partner, involved in content development, curriculum management and deploying experienced faculty for the program. The participants will be trained on best practices in hygiene and infection prevention, DIY tools (e.g. making a mask, preparing sanitizer at home, etc.), personal safety & precaution guidelines, recommendations for home isolation & quarantine, myth-busting and overall mental health.

Adhering to the nationwide lockdown and social distancing norms, the participants are being trained digitally through a Learning Management System that features quizzes, videos, interactive tools, and additional reading materials, available to all participants.

Five Platforms Enabling Seamless Functioning Between Teams During Remote-Working

Usually, in an office setting, it’s easy to coordinate the work. You likely have your manager and the team around to discuss and close the set tasks. But since the outset of the pandemic, things have changed. As the remote-working setup has become normal for small as well as big organizations, teams are several or thousands of miles away from each other. Unquestionably, it has made individuals more disciplined to stay on track and meet the deadlines.

However, not every day with work-from-home is the same. There are days we struggle to make it productive for the assigned tasks. Thus, we have curated a list of some of the best apps and platforms for you that can manage your tasks efficiently and effectively during remote-working.

1. Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams is your hub for teamwork, which brings together everything a team needs: chat and threaded conversations, meetings & video conferencing, calling, content collaboration with the power of Microsoft 365 applications, and the ability to create and integrate apps and workflows that your business relies on

2. Clink: The recently launched app helps organizations and teams to advance themselves on a higher growth trajectory. It does so by improving their feedback sharing in real-time and unlocking relevant actionable insights. This app is amazing because it has a ‘Cheer’ and ‘Boost’ framework, plug-ins easily with Gmail and Slack, and Integrates with Jira and Google Calendar thus Enabling feedback sharing to encourage continuous performance.

3. Dropbox: Dropbox lets anyone upload and transfer files to the cloud, and share them with anyone. Back up photos, videos, docs, and other files to cloud storage, and access files synced with any of your computers or mobile devices—from anywhere. And with advanced sharing features, it’s easy to send files—large or small—to friends, family, and co-workers.

4. Workplace by Facebook: Workplace by Facebook is a collaboration and communication tool that connects employees to one another via an internal social network.

5. Slack: Slack brings team communication and collaboration into one place so you can get more work done, whether you belong to a large enterprise or a small business. Tick off your to-do list and make progress on your projects by bringing the right people, conversations, tools, and information you need together. Slack is available on any device, so you can find and access your team and your work whether you’re at your desk or on the go.