Ed-tech Startup Wonderslate Launches Learning-From-Gaming App Prepjoy To Help Aspirants Crack Competitive Exams Pan India

Providing a unique 'learning-from-gaming' experience, leading edutech company Wonderslate has launched first-of-its-kind, fun-filled app Prepjoy to help aspirants crack entrance and competitive exams in Hindi as well as English. The company with a vision of building the largest academic content store with superior learning experience believes in making learning fun and exciting and is offering 3 ways to learn and excel?watch it, read it and play it. The app is useful for current affairs, general awareness, general knowledge, general studies, Indian and global environment, national and international updates, and others.

"The unique learning-from-gaming experience with Prepjoy provides endless opportunities for learners in a fun-filled manner that not only helps them to achieve their career goals but also enhances their knowledge. The content is thoughtfully designed and carefully curated by a team of experts to give users a competitive edge in the exams. It also gives them a chance to daily challenge themselves to track their progress and be a better version. This is a first-of-its-kind experience and we believe that building a platform that makes learning fun and exciting will definitely help aspirants to focus on their growth and goals to achieve the desired results easily," said Mr. Anand Achyut, CEO, Wonderslate Technologies Pvt Ltd.

Prepjoy gives a platform to its users to read about daily current affairs and keep testing themselves with the unique Current Affairs Game. On the app, they can play it as a challenge to see how much they actually learned to constantly improve and grow by accepting and excelling at various levels. They can also track and flaunt their success and challenge people from all over the country to see where they stand on their current affairs knowledge. They can take daily quizzes in the form of a fun-filled game and win the tasks, get points and badges to flaunt success on the leader board.

It provides an immersive and interactive learning experience for the preparation of entrance exams of banks, SSC, railways, civil services, MBA IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO, SBI Clerk, LIC AAO, UIIC AO, NICL AO, RBI Grade B, RBI Assistant but also for many other government recruitment exams. Everything is meticulously curated and carefully selected by a team of experts, keeping the exam needs in mind. Moreover, watching content seamlessly on the platform helps users to remember and understand things better. With the best user experience and interface, the learners can read and watch content on daily affairs, bookmark and save important articles for later and prepare by dates to boost exam preparation. All the above for free of cost with no hidden fees and charges.

With A Purpose To Liberate Individuals To Pursue Their Aspirations, SBI Life Embarks On Brand Reimagine Journey

* Inspiring consumers to pursue their own individualistic aspirations while simultaneously fulfilling family’s needs, the private life insurer unveiled the brand’s evolution towards becoming an ‘enabler’ for its customers beyond a mere security provider

The pandemic has inevitably reshaped the consumer attitude towards buying insurance. Rather than being a ‘security provider’ individuals now expect life insurance to be an ‘enabler’ that will help them fulfil their aspirations and secure their family’s financial future. Recognizing the need to cater to changing consumer mind-set, SBI Life Insurance, one of the most trusted private life insurers in the country, unveiled its reimagined ‘Brand Identity’, which is a unique expression of the brand’s core belief i.e. ‘Independence in thinking’.

Brand consultancy ‘Chlorophyll’ has closely worked with SBI Life on the rebranding exercise. Deciphering the changing societal value system, consequent evolution of individual attitudes and accordingly align the iconic brand SBI Life, to address and serve the changing aspirations of new India.

SBI Life’s brand line has also been redefined to ‘Apne Liye, Apno Ke Liye’ which showcases the insurers’ unique attempt at enabling individuals to explore their own ‘wants’ while securing the ‘needs’ of their loved ones. SBI Life’s brand assets have also been redesigned aligning with the insurer’s unique identity, combining the strong lineage of the parent brand identity with a modern wordmark ‘Life’.

The new SBI Life brand symbolizes individualism and enables individuals to strike a balance between their own wants and their family’s needs, which sits perfectly with the lives of today’s consumer. This re-imagined ‘Brand Identity’ features vibrant colour scheme and fonts, an inspiring brand line and a bold ‘L’ shaped brand device which denotes both ‘Life insurance’ and ‘Liberation’.

A new sonic brand identity has also been devised to create a deep multisensory experience, thereby amplifying the overall brand experience for all stakeholders. The musical logo (MOGO), which is a delightful symphony encapsulating modern and forward-looking sounds was developed by ‘BrandMusiq’. SBI Life has also launched a heart-warming digital video showcasing how individuals are embracing life in pursuit of individual aspirations without compromising on familial responsibilities.

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/OVX0F82PpOY

The digital video encapsulates the emotions of a young man who taking a step towards one of the most decisive milestone in life, of getting married. The video describes the seven vows he promises to take with his partner along with a vow for himself, to retain his individualistic identity. One of the vow talks about sharing all his belongings with his better half, along with a vow to self, to continue pursuing his aspirations.

Speaking about SBI Life’s re-imagined brand identity, Mr. Ravindra Sharma, Chief of Brand, Corporate Communications and CSR, SBI Life said, “Brand SBI Life is not limited to a re-imagined identity or a TVC, fundamentally it is an entire belief system that we all live by, it is an experience that our customers and stakeholders remember us for. Our extensive research comprising countless conversations with consumers, business partners, employees and other stakeholders have indicated to a new evolving individualistically determined India. The consumer of this new India, expects insurance to be an enabler, in their pursuit of individualistic ambitions, which is way beyond the role of a mere financial tool. Aligning SBI Life’s brand journey to the evolving consumer attitude in the new India, we’ve undertaken a strategic rebranding exercise, where we envisage brand SBI Life to play the role of an ‘enabler’ for the consumer to follow their own individualistic aspirations, while simultaneously taking care of the needs of their loved ones.” He further added, “The brand’s core i.e. ‘Independence in thinking’ is our anchor, that guides all of our actions, behaviour and communication with our stakeholders. With the re-imagined brand SBI Life, we hope to serve the needs of our consumers and fuel aspirations of the new India.” 

About SBI Life Insurance:

SBI Life Insurance (‘SBI Life’ / ‘The Company’), one of the most trusted life insurance companies in India, was incorporated in October 2000 and is registered with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) in March 2001.

Serving millions of families across India, SBI Life’s diverse range of products caters to individuals as well as group customers through Protection, Pension, Savings and Health solutions.

Driven by ‘Customer-First’ approach, SBI Life places great emphasis on maintaining world class operating efficiency and providing hassle-free claim settlement experience to its customers by following high ethical standards of service. Additionally, SBI Life is committed to enhance digital experiences for its customers, distributors and employees alike.

SBI Life strives to make insurance accessible to all, with its extensive presence across the country through its 947 offices, 18,498 employees, a large and productive individual agent network of about 135,902 agents, 64 corporate agents, a widespread bancassurance network of 14 partners, more than 29,000 partner branches, 110 brokers and other insurance marketing firms.

In addition to doing what’s right for the customers, the company is also committed to provide a healthy and flexible work environment for its employees to excel personally and professionally.

SBI Life strongly encourages a culture of giving back to the society and has made substantial contribution in the areas of child education, healthcare, disaster relief and environmental upgrade. In 2020-21, the Company touched over 4.30 lakh direct beneficiaries through various CSR interventions.

Listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange ('BSE') and the National Stock Exchange ('NSE'), the company has an authorized capital of ` 20.0 billion and a paid up capital of ` 10.0 billion. The AuM is ` 2,568.7 billion.

For more information, please visit our website-www.sbilife.co.in and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

(Numbers & data mentioned above are for the period ended December 31, 2021)

Muthoot Finance Donates Fully Automatic Electric Wheelchairs To Persons With Special Abilities

Muthoot Finance, India’s largest gold loan NBFC donates fully automated electric wheelchairs worth Rs. 45,000 each, under the patronage of Muthoot Snehasancharini Project to an identified group of persons with special abilities in Bangalore. The initiative was taken in a bid to improve the lives of specially-abled people especially belonging to the financially weaker section of the society.

Mr. K. J. George, MLA, Sarvagnanagar inaugurated the ceremony and distributed the wheelchairs in an event held at Association of People with Disability (APD) in Lingarajapuram, Bangalore. The event was presided over by Mr. George M Alexander, Deputy Managing Director, Muthoot Finance Ltd. Mr. George M George, Deputy Managing Director, Muthoot Finance Ltd addressed the audience as the Chief Guest of the event.

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. George M Alexander, Deputy Managing Director said, “Muthoot Finance has always strived to be a responsible corporate entity and our CSR initiatives are primarily focused on community services helping the needy and underprivileged sections of the society. With an intent to empower differently abled people and make them more independent and mobile so that they can pursue their dreams, we are currently donating fully automated electric items of mobility equipment and this effort is ongoing. As a responsible corporate citizen, our endeavour is to help build a society that is accessible, inclusive and unbiased and hence we have chosen this cause of providing equal opportunities for the specially-abled citizens. By organizing the event this time in Bangalore, we are also now planning to extend the scheme to other states of Southern India and further empower more people through this initiative.”

The Snehasancharini project had begun in the year 2019, when Muthoot Finance had donated artificial legs to 101 people in Ernakulam. Prior to Bangalore, Muthoot had conducted similar wheelchair donation programs under Snehasancharini Scheme in Ernakulam and Trivandrum, Kerala and the plan is now to expand this scheme to other states of South India.

About Muthoot Finance  

Muthoot Finance is the flagship company of The Muthoot Group which has 20 diversified business divisions. Muthoot Finance is India’s largest gold loan NBFC and India’s No.1 Most Trusted Financial Services Brand, according to the Brand Trusted Report. It is a reputed ‘Systemically Important Non-deposit taking NBFC’. As part of the core business, Muthoot Finance provides loans secured against household gold jewellery at highly affordable rates and amazing product features. Globally, the Group has presence across, USA, UK, UAE, Costa Rica, Nepal and Sri Lanka. For more details visit: www.muthootfinance.com  

KITKAT Launches Moodbreaks Range With Multi-Colour KITKAT Fingers In Fruity Flavours

As a category first innovation in India - KITKAT is introducing its MoodBreaks range with two new never-seen-before flavours and is launching multi-coloured KITKAT fingers in fruity flavours

A unique innovation, the range has Mixed-fruit flavour with vibrant pink and brown fingers and Mango flavour with bright yellow and brown fingers. People can choose from these colourful KITKAT fingers to brighten their moods in everyday breaks.

Commenting on the new launches, Rupali Rattan, Head – Confectionery Business said, “We wanted to bring in some color into people’s breaks and offer a new taste sensation with this innovation. KITKAT moodbreaks range is not only visually appealing but will offer a delicious, new taste experience with a delicious, smooth combination of fruity flavors of Mixed Fruit and Mango.”

Brand Ambassador and Bollywood star Ayushman Khurrana said, “KITKAT has been a true mood uplifter for generations. We all need a break time and again to bring some excitement and colour in our lives. This truly unconventional innovation surely got me excited!”

Talking about her association with the brand, actress Sanya Malhotra added, “Every bite of the KITKAT Moodbreaks range brings memories of sunshine and mango. The novelty of this product is unmatched. It made me take a break from the usual dullness of everyday and brightened up my day !”

KITKAT moodbreaks will be available pan-India at a price point of INR 30/-

Name of Creative Agency: Wunderman Thompson

Youtube Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHKN4-y8YZE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zADhT4Ipirg 

Digital-Led initiatives Like Proposal To Set Up Digital Banking Units By Commercial Banks Will Boost Inclusive Development: Accenture

“Digital led transformation will underpin India's sustained socio-economic growth. Great to see progressive measures including tech interventions for health, finance, education and skilling in #budget2022,” says Rekha M. Menon, Chairperson and Senior Managing Director, Accenture in India.

While Piyush N. Singh, Lead - India Market Unit, Accenture says that the Union Budget 2022 outlines some clear initiatives that will improve India’s competitiveness as an economy. The introduction of a sovereign digital currency is an important step. It could not only help in transparent and effective distribution of benefits but also promote the use of blockchain which combined with other infrastructural investments will lead to improved supply chain efficiency. The proposed 5G spectrum auction will boost digital transformation efforts of enterprises, and the policy focus on sustainability such as investments in building energy efficient transport, battery swapping infrastructure and renewable energy will help drive overall sustainable growth.

Sonali Kulkarni, Lead – Financial Services, Accenture in India remarks that digital-led initiatives such as bringing all post offices onto the core banking system, and the proposal to set up digital banking units by scheduled commercial banks will boost inclusive development and financial inclusion. Similarly, the government’s continued focus on enabling digital payments will ensure more broad-based adoption of digital payments across all consumer segments in India. 

Even though the exact shape and form of the proposal to introduce Central Bank Digital Currency (Digital Rupee) in 2022-23 is awaited, it is a welcome measure and a step in the right direction towards ushering in more efficiency, transparency and systemic resiliency. Central Bank Digital Currency has the potential to enable targeted welfare distribution as well as enable more precision in policy initiatives.

The extension of the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) scheme till 2023 will be critical to continued economic recovery in industry sectors hit hard by the pandemic, and especially for MSMEs.” 

Budget 2022 Aims To Empower Citizens To Skill, Re-Skill Or Upskill Through Online Training

The finance minister, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman in her fourth Budget speech today made some important announcements regarding the skilling and education sector. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has welcomed the General Buget proposals presented in the Lok Sabha today saying, “Hon’ble Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman has presented a progressive Budget that looks to building India as a skill hub for the world. With the launch of the DESH Stack e-Portal — Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood — we have a transparent platform that provides payment and discovery layers to boost livelihood and entrepreneurial growth besides proving access to online training, all at one place. The technology architecture founded on Trust-Payment-Discovery enabling protocols will help citizens find trusted skilling courses and training institutes and a place to store their skill and experience certificates in Digi Locker, which in turn, can be accessed by employers to verify profiles of skilled professionals. Similarly, Payment Technology protocols will help needy citizens access government funding for training, while Discovery Technology protocols will allow transparent discovery of skilling courses, institutes, loan, scholarship, CSR and job opportunities. This will encourage skill-seekers, prospective employers and financial institutions to come to the portal and is in line with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of building the largest skilling programme in the world, where we aim to skill 10 crore Indians in the next five years. Different ministries have come together to fulfil this vision, a fact that is amply reflected in the National Education Policy 2020 that envisages seamless integration of education and skilling. The Drone Shakti program is yet another step in this direction that will receive a boost from Drone as a Service and will give wings to ITIs and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to build synergies between long-term and short-term training programmes (implemented in collaboration with Industry, other organizations and relevant Ministries).”

Udyam, e-Shram, NCS and ASEEM portals will be interlinked. Their scope will be widened. They will now perform as portals with live, organic databases, providing G2C, B2C and B2B services. These services will relate to credit facilitation, skilling, and recruitment with an aim to further formalise the economy and enhance entrepreneurial opportunities for all. 

MSDE will work with MSME and MoLE for integration of various digital platforms to provide unified opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship. 

Skilling programmes and partnership with the industry will be reoriented to promote continuous skilling avenues, sustainability, and employability. The National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) will be aligned with dynamic industry needs.

MSDE is engaging with Industry and re-align existing NSQF as per dynamic industry needs for which NCVET is being asked to roll out necessary framework.

Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood – the DESH-Stack e-portal – will be launched. This aims to empower citizens to skill, reskill or upskill through on-line training. It will also provide API-based trusted skill credentials, payment and discovery layers to find relevant jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.

DESH is extension of Aadhar-DBT-Jan-Dhan-BHIM technology architecture. DESH technology architecture is founded on Trust-Payment-Discovery enabling technology protocols and specifications. Trust Technology protocols on one hand help citizens find trustworthy skilling courses and Training Institutes and on the other hand help citizens store their Skill Certificates and Experience Certificates in Digi Locker which can be verified by employers to access trusted and verified profiles of skilled professionals. Payment Technology protocols/specifications help needy citizens to access government funding for training in their chosen skilling/reskilling/upskilling courses. Discovery Technology protocols/specifications allow transparent discovery of skilling courses/skilling institutes, Loan/scholarship/CSR opportunities and job opportunities.

Like Aadhar and UPI, DESH is also a set of open protocols/specifications, open data sources, and open APIs which will help start-ups to build innovative solutions to help everycitizen maximize their potential by availing skilling/reskilling/upskilling and employment/entrepreneurship opportunities.

Startups will be promoted to facilitate ‘Drone Shakti’ through varied applications and for Drone-As-A-Service (DrAAS). In select ITIs, in all states, the required courses for skilling, will be started.  

The DGT has already designed a six month duration training programme in ‘Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)/ Drone Pilot’ Trade in it is.  Short term courses in Drone Assembly/Repair/Coding etc. have also been designed by Sector Skill Councils.

The above programme would be rolled out in select ITIs across all States. Besides, NSDC & SSCs would also help implement this training programme through various industry associations. Multi-Skilling needs in this from Ministries like Agriculture, Chemicals & Fertilizers etc. will also be factored in.

National Council of Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has approved more than 5,100 industry aligned qualifications till January 2022, on the request of various Sector Skill Councils and other awarding bodies. It has identified future skills required by the industry in close collaboration with SSCs, DGT, Central Ministries, State Governments, industry experts.

NCVET is closely working on skills required for Industry 4.0 and beyond. Efforts have been made for NSQF-level alignment of industry-recognized courses from top companies like Oracle, Microsoft, TATA, CISCO and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) courses to skill/upskill/reskill the youth.

DGT has got qualification tag on drones approved under NSQF for implementation in ITIs:

Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) - Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)/Drone Pilot (Refresher Course)

Drone Technician

Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)/Drone Pilot

Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)/Drone Pilot (CTS)

Under NCVET, a Unified Credit Framework will be implemented from the next academic session. This Framework will seamlessly integrate vocational education and training in school and higher education and enable multiple entry-exit along with fulfillment of the quality manpower requirements in industry.

About Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)

MSDE was formed on 9th November 2014, by the Government of India to focus on enhancing employability of skills. Since its inception, MSDE has undertaken significant initiatives and reforms in terms of formalizing the policy, framework and standards; launching of new programs and schemes; creating new infrastructure and upgrading the existing institutions; partnering with States; engaging with industries and building societal acceptance and aspirations for skills. The Ministry aims to bridge the gap between demand and supply of skilled manpower to build new skills and innovation not only for existing jobs but also for jobs that are to be created. Till date, more than three crore people have been trained under Skill India.

AIFISPA Applauds The CM And Dept of IT BT - Tamil Nadu For The Forward-Looking Telecom Infrastructure Policy, 2022

All India Fixed Internet Service Providers Association (AIFISPA) would like to thank the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and Department of IT BT for enabling reforms of the Tamil Nadu Telecom Infrastructure Policy, 2022 to establish a robust infrastructure and leveraging Telecommunication Network in delivering Smart Governance to its citizens. The reforms announced by the government in Information Technology along with Tamil Nadu Telecom Infrastructure are pivotal in transforming the nation into a digital economy.

This policy will be called the Tamil Nadu Telecom Infrastructure Policy 2022 and will be extended to the whole of Tamil Nadu. The administration of this policy will be governed by the Information Technology Department and the Government of Tamil Nadu. The objective of the policy is to develop a robust and secure state-of-the-art telecommunication network to provide seamless coverage to rural and remote areas. AIFISPA appreciates the amends of reducing the Right-Of-Way permission to establish and operate overground and underground telecommunication networks.  This positive reinforcement of the policy is a step towards digital equity and growth of the state.

While commenting on the reforms, the President of AIFISPA, Mr. Sunil Yajaman said, “We thank the Government of Tamil Nadu for the adaptation of RoW reforms that will assist in having a hassle-free Right of Way processes and encourage green and citizen-friendly telecom sites. This will also facilitate reliable and high-quality telecommunication and internet services to the citizens. We look forward to supporting the initiatives taken by the government and its efforts towards creating Tamil Nadu an economic powerhouse by riding on next-generation technologies”.

The importance of telecom services has grown manifold as several organizations have adopted e-learning, e-services e-commerce, e-governance etc which has led to a tremendous upsurge in broadband traffic. To cope with the increased traffic, and in consonance with the Indian Telegraph Right of Way Rules 2016, Tamil Nadu Telecom Infrastructure Policy, 2022 has been reformulated to improve the socio-economic scenario of the country through laying emphasis on affordable and quality telecommunication service in rural and remote areas. The main agenda of the policy is to ensure that good network and connectivity lead to sustained growth and adoption of emerging technologies. Further, this policy will ease the process of application, approval, and installation of telecom infrastructure by providing a single-window clearance.

About AIFISPA

All India Fixed Internet Service Providers Association (AIFISPA), which consists of Fixed-line Internet Service providers serving more than 30 lakh homes across the country. Some of the founding Members of AIFISPA include leading Fixed Broadband service providers namely - ACT Fibernet, Shyam Spectra, You Broadband, Microsense, D-Vois, Vizag Broadcasting Company, Pioneer Elabs, Mithril Telecommunications, Bell TeleServices, BBNL, etc. Currently, these members cater to more than 3 million subscribers of the Fixed-line internet industry representing more than 35% of the pure-play ISP universe.