Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited IPO to Open on October 20, 2020

* Price band fixed at Rs 32 to Rs 33 per equity share

* Offer to remain open from October 20th to October 22nd 2020

Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited (the “Company’), the largest SFB in India in terms of number of banking outlets, and the second largest SFB in India in terms of assets under management and total deposits in Fiscal 2019. (Source: CRISIL Report), will open the initial public offer of equity shares of face value of Rs. 10 each (“Equity Shares” and such initial public offer, the “Offer”) on 20th October 2020. The Offer will close on 22nd October 2020. The price band of the Offer has been fixed at Rs 32 to Rs 33 per Equity Share.

The Initial Public offering consists of a fresh issue aggregating up to Rs. 2,800 million (the “Fresh Issue”) and an offer for sale of up to 72,000,000 Equity Shares by Equitas Holdings Limited (the “Promoter Selling Shareholder”, and such Equity Shares the “Offered Shares”). The Offer includes a reservation aggregating up to Rs. 510 million, for subscription by Eligible EHL Shareholders (“EHL Shareholder Reservation Portion”) and a reservation aggregating up to Rs. 10 million, for subscription by Eligible Employees (the “Employee Reservation Portion”). The Offer less the EHL Shareholder Reservation Portion and the Employee Reservation Portion is hereinafter referred to as the “Net Offer”. 

Bids can be made for a minimum of 450 Equity Shares and in multiples of 450 Equity Shares thereafter.

The Equity Shares offered in this Offer are proposed to be listed at both BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited (“NSE”) post the listing. For the purpose of the Offer, NSE is the designated stock exchange. JM Financial Limited, Edelweiss Financial Services Limited and IIFL Securities Limited are the book running lead managers to the Offer (“BRLMs”).  The Offer is being made through the Book Building Process, in terms of Rule 19(2)(b) of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules, 1957, as amended (“SCRR”) read with Regulation 31 of the SEBI ICDR Regulations and in compliance with Regulation 6(1) of the SEBI ICDR Regulations wherein not more than 50% of the Net Offer shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to Qualified Institutional Buyers (“QIBs”) (the “QIB Portion”) provided that our Bank and the Promoter Selling Shareholder may, in consultation with the BRLMs, allocate up to 60% of the QIB Portion to Anchor Investors on a discretionary basis in accordance with the SEBI ICDR Regulations (“Anchor Investor Portion”), of which one-third shall be reserved for domestic Mutual Funds, subject to valid Bids being received from domestic Mutual Funds at or above the Anchor Investor Allocation Price. In the event of undersubscription or non-allocation in the Anchor Investor Portion, the balance Equity Shares shall be added to the Net QIB Portion.

Further 5% of the Net QIB Portion shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to Mutual Funds only and the remainder of the Net QIB Portion shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to all QIB Bidders including Mutual Funds, subject to valid Bids being received at or above the Offer Price. However, if the aggregate demand from Mutual Funds is less than 5% of the QIB Portion, the balance Equity Shares available for allocation in the Mutual Fund Portion will be added to the remaining QIB Portion for proportionate allocation to QIBs. Further, not less than 15% of the Net Offer shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to Non-Institutional Bidders and not less than 35% of the Net Offer shall be available for allocation to Retail Individual Bidders in accordance with the SEBI ICDR Regulations, subject to valid Bids being received from them at or above the Offer Price. All potential Bidders (except Anchor Investors) are required to mandatorily utilise the Application

Supported by Blocked Amount (“ASBA”) process providing details of their respective ASBA accounts, and UPI ID (in case of RIBs and Eligible EHL Shareholders Bidding in the EHL Shareholder Reservation Portion) if applicable, in which the corresponding Bid Amounts will be blocked by the SCSBs or under the UPI Mechanism, as applicable. Anchor Investors are not permitted to participate in the Offer through the ASBA process.

Aakash Student Chirag G from Bengaluru Secures AIR 113 in NEET 2020 Examination

Chirag G, a student of Aakash Institute, has made Bengaluru and the Institute proud by securing All India Rank (AIR) 113 in the prestigious NEET 2020 by scoring 697 out of 720 marks. NEET is one of the major exams for admission to noted medical colleges in the country, results for which were announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) today.   

Including Chirag, there are as many as nine other students who have secured positions in the Top 1000 AIR from Karnataka. The top scorers from the state are Yashas MS from Mysuru (AIR 148), Srija Chattopadhyay from Bengaluru (AIR 154), Veeresha R Sabarad from Bengaluru (AIR 157), Jathin ALD from Bengaluru (AIR 412), Yadhunandan D from Mysuru (AIR 537), Leroy D’Souza from Mangaluru (AIR 588), Sreya Jha from Bengaluru (AIR 712), Prajjwal Kashyap from Bengaluru (AIR 900) and Purva Reddy from Bengaluru (AIR 934). 

Congratulating the students, Mr Aakash Chaudhry,Director and CEO of Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) said, “It is a matter of great pride for us that our 10 students from Karnataka centres including 7 from Bangalore centres have excelled in the highly competitive NEET 2020 entrance exam. The credit goes to the hard work of our students, the support of their parents and instructors who have guided them throughout their journey. Our quality test preparation is renowned in the industry for preparing students to excel in medical and engineering entrance exams. I wish all of them all the best for their future endeavours.” 

The students credited the outstanding performance to burning the midnight oil and the excellent coaching provided by instructors of Aakash for the NEET examination, which is considered among the toughest in the world. The NEET Exam is applicable for admission to all the medical colleges in India and few colleges in abroad. 

The Top 3 Rank holders of NEET 2020 are students of Aakash, from its classroom and distance learning programs. This is an impressive feat considering that 15.97 lakh students have registered for the test this year.  

About Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) 

Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) provides comprehensive test preparatory services for students preparing for Medical and Engineering Entrance Examinations, School/Board Exams and Competitive Exams such as NTSE, KVPY, and Olympiads. AESL believes that the “Aakash” brand is associated with quality coaching and a proven student selection track record in various Medical and Engineering Entrance Examinations, Scholarship exams & Olympiads. 

With over 32 years of operational experience in the test preparatory industry, the company has a large number of selections in Medical & Engineering Entrance Exams and several Foundation level Scholarship exams/Olympiads, a pan India network of 200+ Aakash Centers (including franchisee), and a student count of more than 250,000. 

The Aakash group also owns famous K-12 EdTech brand, Meritnation.com as well. 

Harpic Mission Paani to Spread Awareness on Need for Saving Water for Improved Hygiene Across India

Harpic Mission Paani through its new campaign ‘Swachhta aur Paani’ (Hygiene and Water) aims to reinstate the importance of water in maintaining hygienic practices and emphasizing on how there is an increased urgency for efficient usage and conservation. Over the years, the focus for water-conservation has been understandably more on saving drinking water, but with the COVID-19 outbreak it has become clear that an increased need for water is also evident to maintain best-in-class hygienic practices to combat diseases.

Water is an issue that is affecting the daily lives of many Indians. As per Water.Org, 99 Million Indians lack access to safe water and 541 Million Indians lack access to improved hygiene. Until now, our water-conservation narratives had been focused on making drinking water accesssible, but with COVID-19 we have realized that water is equally important for maintaining hygiene and combating diseases.

Harpic has been pioneering the cause of hygiene and sanitation in Indian homes for decades and has been working towards driving behaviour change through awareness campaigns. Harpic Mission Paani’s new strategic pivot of ‘Swachhta aur Paani’ (Hygiene and Water) rests on the critical components of both water and hygiene, and the aim is to bring everyone together in this mission for a safe, hygienic and sustainable tomorrow.

Speaking about the pivot, Mr. Narasimhan Eswar, Senior Vice President, RB Hygiene, South Asia said, “RB’s purpose- to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world- has never been more relevant. Harpic Mission Paani is one of our key campaigns aimed at raising awareness and driving behavior change on water conservation and sanitation in India.  At this point, the need for hygienic sanitation alongside efficient water management is absolutely critical for our country. Through Mission Paani, we are now keen to encourage all our citizens on driving optimum utilization of this crucial resource for improved hygiene and sanitation that will help save lives. Harpic with this strategic shift continues to play the role of an enabler in providing superior hygiene and healthier homes.”

RB India in collaboration with News 18, launched Harpic Mission Paani, a nation-wide water conservation drive in 2019. In wake of the critical challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Harpic Mission Paani Campaign has been re-calibrated with an objective to save water for improved hygiene and focus on efficient water management.

Ms. Sukhleen Aneja, CMO & Marketing Director, RB Hygiene, South Asia supporting the cause as well as the new direction said, “Our fight is to make access to the highest quality of hygiene, wellness and nourishment a right and not a privilege. Harpic has been at the forefront to raise awareness and educate people on the importance of hygiene and sanitation. For over a year now, Harpic’s Mission Paani campaign has been solely focused on water conservation. During the ongoing pandemic, there has been an increased need for water consumption to enable the fight against Covid-19. It is now more important than ever to save water so that there are more people who can use this resource to keep themselves and their homes healthy and germ and virus free.”

We stand at a critical threshold today, where we are facing a pandemic and are witnessing the ever-depleting level of water. A precious natural resource, that is imperative for our survival and overall wellbeing needs to be nurtured, cared, protected, and preserved.

It’s urgent. It’s important. And it’s imperative for a better future. Let’s all pledge together for a more equitable, more sustainable tomorrow, by focusing on water as well as hygiene.

Fourth Edition of UTT Postponed to 2021 due to Coronavirus Pandemic

The fourth edition of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) has been deferred to 2021 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) authorities and the UTT management have jointly taken the decision to postpone India's premier table tennis event, keeping in mind various concerns, foremost being the safety and well-being of the players and other league stakeholders.

"We must avoid any risk to the health and safety of the players and other stakeholders, especially with 2021 being an Olympic year. Furthermore, international travel restrictions are still abound with clarity awaited on the same. So after evaluating the current situation and after due deliberations with TTFI, we have arrived at a mutual consensus to not conduct UTT in this calendar year. We are optimistic that 2021 will be healthier and happier, and in due course of time we hope to announce the dates for UTT to be held next year," UTT co-promoters Vita Dani and Niraj Bajaj said in a joint statement.

UTT has been a launchpad for many Indian paddlers while also supporting domestic tournaments and the larger ecosystem of the sport in our nation. The league has also given the sport a platform to showcase top-quality table tennis in India, as our country's finest rub shoulders with the world's best.

"We have been very keen for table tennis to resume, however there are various issues to be considered and addressed. And under such circumstances, conducting UTT with the presence of foreign players doesn't seem feasible. However, we are really looking forward to the fourth season of the League in 2021. We will identify a window to conduct UTT at the earliest next year, with the situation surrounding the pandemic also hopefully improving," TTFI General Secretary MP Singh said.

With the sporting world gradually moving towards resumption of live action, the fourth season of UTT next year will be a welcome boost for Indian table tennis.

Great Offers on Huawei Device During Amazon Great Indian Fest Sale

 * With the onset of festive-season , consumers stand a chance to get great offers and discount on industry leading Huawei wearable products during Amazon Great Indian Festival sale

* Huawei Watch GT 2, Huawei Watch GT 2e, and Huawei Band 4 will be available in exciting offers

* Huawei Freebuds 3i is available at a jaw dropping discount of INR 3000

As the festival season is right around the corner, customers can avail exciting deals and offers on a wide array of Huawei devices, at the Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale starting from 17th October, 2020 and from 16th October, exclusively for Amazon Prime users to 22nd October 2020. Some of these include Huawei Watch GT 2, Huawei Watch GT 2e, Huawei Band 4, and Huawei FreeBuds 3i.

There are a range of offers that are applicable during the sale. It’s more alluring for those who are looking at an immediate purchase, as the Huawei Watch GT 2e (Black, Green and Red variants) will now be available at a price of only INR 9,990. The Huawei Watch GT 2 Sport will be available at a price of INR 12,990, Huawei Watch GT 2 Classic at INR 14,990 and Huawei Watch GT 2 Premium would be available at INR 18,990.

Buyers can also get the Huawei Band 4, an ergonomically designed device fitness tracker which promises upto 9 days of power on a single charge and a 24/7 Continuous Heart Rate Monitor at a discounted price of INR 1799. One can get the world’s only open fit active noise cancellation wireless earbuds, HUAWEI FreeBuds 3i, at jaw dropping discount price of INR 6,990.

Furthermore, customers can get these premium products at extra discounts offered by banking partners as offered by Amazon. In addition to the discounts, cashback offers as well as No-cost EMI offers are also available on these purchases. Huawei revolutionised the wearable segment in India by launching Huawei GT 2 followed by Huawei GT2e. Also, the company’s latest technological innovation Freebuds 3i has set an industry benchmark in the TWS segment.

Interested customers can check these enthralling deals on Amazon starting from 15th October 2020 to October 22nd, 2020 and enjoy the upcoming festive weeks filled with offers, discounts and gifts. 

HUAWEI WATCH GT 2 CLASSIC

Huawei Watch GT2 (46mm) classic comes in a Pebble Brown colour with 1.39 inch AMOLED Display 390 x 390 HD, has evolved a great deal both in terms of ergonomics and technology innovation. The watch is powered by Kirin A1 chipset, world’s first chipset exclusively designed for wearables, with excellent battery life of up to two weeks. Abiding by the popular demand of more and more health conscious users, Huawei’s TruRelax functionality will track stress levels, along with providing 15 workout modes. The new watch can also store music in its 2GB memory. The Huawei Watch GT2 is also one of the first smart-watches to have integrated features such as 150 metres of Bluetooth connectivity and sleep tracking feature. To make the user experience even better, the Amoled touchscreen in the Huawei Watch GT2 supports slide and touch gestures.

HUAWEI WATCH GT2HUAWEI WATCH GT 2 SPORT

Huawei Watch GT 2 46mm for the sport edition is available in black colour. It is a breakthrough smartwatch in personal training and tracks your workouts with precise positioning systems and monitors your heart rate with the accurate TruSeen™ 3.5. It is the professional companion for your indoor and outdoor activities. The watch is powered by Kirin A1 chipset, world’s first chipset exclusively designed for wearables, with excellent battery life of up to two weeks.

The smartwatch can also store music in its 2GB memory. The Huawei Watch GT2 is also one of the first smart-watches to have integrated features such as 150 metres of Bluetooth connectivity and sleep tracking feature. To make the user experience even better, the Amoled touchscreen in the Huawei Watch GT2 supports slide and touch gestures.

HUAWEI WATCH GT 2 PREMIUM

Huawei Watch GT 2 Premium provides a new level of convenience by supporting notifications from SMS messages, Email, Calendar, and other social media apps. It comprises of other features like the Weather, Alarm, Timer, Stopwatch, Flashlight and Find My Phone. It is integrated with a high quality 3D glass face to create the bezel-less vision.

HUAWEI WATCH GT series is always exploring the limits of smart watch battery life. With HUAWEI's self-developed wearable chip Kirin A1, the dual-chip design and intelligent power saving technology, it serves day and night for up to 2 weeks.

HUAWEI WATCH GT 2e, Long Battery Life, Sports Watch | HUAWEI GlobalHUAWEI WATCH GT 2e

The HUAWEI WATCH GT 2e comes with a spectacular design,       inspiring an active lifestyle. The HUAWEI WATCH GT 2e is powered with a massive battery life of two weeks. The Huawei Watch GT series now has an important health parameter measuring application - the SpO2 feature. With this feature, users can monitor the oxygen levels in blood easily. HUAWEI WATCH GT 2e boasts of a 1.39-inch AMOLED high precision touch display supporting a Retina-grade resolution. The vibrant display assists clear viewing even in strong sunlight during summers.

Huawei’s FreeBuds 3i's latest technology advancements set it apart in design, sound quality, ANC capabilities, and easy to carry. With its wearing detection technology, the FreeBuds 3i syncs with the users every move. With its 10 mm large dynamic drivers it delivers powerful bass, giving audiences a ‘True Noise Cancellation, True Wireless Stereo’ listening experience. The earbuds design gives it a premium look, with dimensions which are a perfect fit for the ears, it comes with 4 silicone tips in different sizes for comfort and a secure fit. Offering better sound quality because of its shape. The weight of each earbud is about 5.5g and the charging case is about 51g, making it light and easy to carry at one's convenience. . With its IPX4 water-resistant technology, the user can easily use this in rainy weather. The Freebuds 3i also gives a playback of up to 3.5 hours.

HUAWEI Band 4, heart rate monitoring, smart wearable | HUAWEI GlobalHUAWEI BAND 4

The Huawei Band 4 features a built-in USB plug that helps to charge the device without requiring a specific cable or charger. The fitness tracker is powered by a 91 mAh battery which promises upto 9 days of power on a single charge. Unlike other fitness bands available in the market, the band 4 has a 24/7 Continuous Heart Rate Monitor and its scientific sleep mode detector can identify 6 most common sleep-related issues, providing over 200 potential solutions and suggestions, designed to help you sleep better. The Huawei Band 4’s 8 built-in colourful and customizable watch faces make it a unique choice for the consumers.

About Huawei Consumer BG

Huawei’s products and services are available in more than 170 countries and are used by a third of the world’s population. Fifteen R&D centres have been set up in the United States, Germany, Sweden, Russia, India and China. Huawei Consumer BG is one of Huawei’s three business units and covers smartphones, PC and tablets, wearables and cloud services, etc. Huawei’s global network is built on almost 30 years of expertise in the telecom industry and is dedicated to delivering the latest technological advances to consumers around the world.

Food and Nutrition Security is the Need of the Hour Across India

By Dr. Ezhil Arasan Ramanan | Nutrify India | Roots

WORLD FOOD DAY 

According to the Chairperson of Nutrify India's Medical Community Roots, Dr. Ezhil Arasan Ramanan,“Food and nutrition security is the need of the hour.   It is achieved when all people at all times have physical, social and economic access to food, which is consumed in sufficient quantity and quality. Quality also denotes the nutritional value and hence there is a need for fingerprinting of agriculture to enable and empower the quality fo nutrition in food. The finger printing is something that should be promoted for consumer awareness, so that people take conscious decision of what they are buying. This may sound little futuristic, but the need to start this is now to realize this in the future.

We don’t need crop surplus. We need quality nutrition crops and the same should be traceable and fingerprinted. Entrepreneurs of India are taking initiative at their level supported by international players like Euro alliance enabling finger printing of quality crops that are sustainable and scalable in quality.

A good quality crop will positively impact consumer’s health and nutritional profile and assist in bringing down lifestyle disease burden of the country. India witnessed 61.8 per cent deaths due to non-communicable diseases which form part of lifestyle diseases. The new guideline from ICMR has upgraded average Indian weight by 5 kg. This puts additional stress on agriculture to nourish each extra kg of human weight. The need is not crop surplus but fingerprinted nutritionally rich crop that can be sustained and scaled up. This fingerprinted crop will assist in partially lowering the lifestyle disease burden of India. 

Lets move from quantity to mindful quality."

Signify Adds An Extra Layer of Safety With New UV-C Disinfection Lighting Products For The Professional Market

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, is accelerating the development of UV-C based disinfection portfolio with the launch of new luminaires and equipment for the professional market in India. UV-C lighting is effective in disinfecting air, surfaces, and objects at homes and workplaces, and especially adding an extra layer of safety in elderly homes, schools, food outlets, hotels, retail outlets, industrial complexes, airports and public transportation. The effectiveness of Signify’s UV-C light sources on the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-has been validated by Boston University and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru

Professional customers in India can now order Philips UV-C disinfection upper air luminaires to disinfect air, Philips UV-C Disinfection linear and Philips UV-C disinfection trolleys to disinfect surfaces, and Philips UV-C disinfection chambers to disinfect objects.

Signify is helping by contributing with an extra layer of safety in a world where organizations are seeking ways to continue operations and provide services to customers. “Now more than ever, disinfecting air, surfaces and objects is critical,” said Sumit Joshi, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Signify Innovations India Limited at Signify. “To support offices, schools, public transportation, retail outlets and many businesses as they strive to disinfect their spaces, we’ve leveraged our knowledge and experience in UV-C lighting, making multiple product ranges available for professionals.”

The UV-C based disinfection solutions can also be customized as per the unique requirements of an organization for example for use in airports and hotels for luggage disinfection, packages, and deliveries in (office) buildings, or for disinfection of larger objects such as shopping carts.

In India, the following solutions are now available for use across industries and public spaces:

Air disinfection solutions

* Philips UV-C disinfection upper air luminaires: Signify offers wall-mounted and ceiling-mounted UV-C luminaires to disinfect the air. These UV-C upper air luminaires are installed at a height of at least 2.3 meters which, in combination with shielding and optics, ensures people can continue to work in the lower sections of a room. The UV-C disinfection upper air luminaires can continuously disinfect the air.

Ideal for: elderly homes, offices, retail, food outlets, hospitality, schools, banking, cinemas, theaters, opera houses, gyms, washrooms, hospital waiting areas and other high-contact areas.

Surface disinfection solutions

* Philips UV-C disinfection linear: Fixed installation of luminaires (with sensor) on the ceiling to disinfect high contact areas outside of opening hours and can also be used with a control system based on Philips Dynalite technology, like the Philips Dynalite PDUVCC control system. Multiple safeguard controls are available using authorized activation with sensor monitoring, door monitoring and emergency override with visible and audible triggers during operation.

Ideal For: Disinfection of surfaces in offices, hotels & restaurants, educational institutes, retail outlets, etc.

* Philips UV-C disinfection trolley: The UV-C trolley, without sensor, with 1- or 2-arms version, is designed to disinfect up to 36m2 of circular coverage area/20m2 of square area. Integrated safeguard controls include a timer to plan disinfection for a predefined period, remote control, and voice alarm.  Single and double arm lamp variants; rotatable up to 180 degrees. Additional containment safeguards (such as user manual and mounting instruction) should be deployed together with the UV-C trolley in order to ensure that no people or animals are exposed to the UV-C rays. 

Ideal For: for disinfection of surfaces in retail outlets, schools, universities, offices, banks, barber shops, spas, hotel guest rooms, industrial sites, restaurants, hospitals, industrial kitchens and on buses and trains. 

Objects disinfection solutions

* Philips UV-C disinfection chamber: This UV-C disinfection chamber is used for disinfection of objects for professional use. It’s available in 2 variants currently: small (66 liters) & medium (112 liters) and it can be used for objects in pharmacies, shops, schools, universities, offices, mail rooms, reception areas, banks, barber shops, spas, restaurants and industrial kitchens.

These products are not intended for and must not be used to disinfect the surfaces of medical devices or for medical purposes.

UV-C breaks down the DNA and/or RNA of micro-organisms, including viruses and bacteria, rendering them harmless. Signify’s UV-C lamps emit a radiation peak at 254 nm which is near the germicidal efficiency peak and therefore ideal for disinfecting air, surfaces, and objects.

UV-C light should always be used by professionals in accordance with the safety requirements and instructions to avoid humans and animals from being exposed to it since it can damage their skin and eyes.

For more than 35 years, Signify has been at the forefront of UV technology, and has a proven track record of innovation in UV-C lighting. Signify’s UV-C lighting is designed, installed, and used according to the product-specific safety instructions, and manufactured using well-controlled industrial processes.