Malaysia Airlines’ Travel Fair Is Here With Upto 25% Off On Airfares To Select Destinations

The Malaysia Airlines Travel Fair (MATF) has kicked off from 25 March - 10 April 2022 for travel up to 30 November 2022, offering Indian holiday goers exciting deals on airfares to dream destinations in Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand to name a few. With safety and flexibility at the heart of the Malaysia Airlines experience, MATF promises unique flying possibilities for the Indian customers. 

Malaysia’s borders are reopening on April 1, 2022 and many countries on Malaysia Airlines’ network are easing entry restrictions for fully vaccinated international travellers. These airfares with up to 25% discount come at a perfect time for customers to plan their well-deserved vacations ahead of school summer break. The airline’s Economy Class offers cabin baggage allowance of 7kg, complimentary snacks or meals and beverages, and inflight entertainment in addition to fully flexible fares and baggage of 35kgs under its FLEX fare family.

Speaking on MATF kick off, Amit Mehta, Country Manager - South Asia, Malaysia Airlines said, “With the international scheduled commercial flights resuming from 27 Malaysia Airlines will be reinstating 25 weekly connectivity to key Indian cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. We look forward to welcoming passengers travelling to Malaysia, Australia, Singapore and Indonesia, among other destinations on our network. We will steadily increase capacities to these cities based on demand. Malaysia Airlines is committed to facilitating safe and seamless travels for passengers to #FlyConfidently and experience a smooth journey underpinned by inimitable Malaysian Hospitality. Malaysia Airlines received a 7-star rating for its extensive COVID-19 health and safety measures from Airline Ratings and is a Travel Safe Alliance Malaysia (TSAM) member.”

In addition to promotional airfares, customers will also be able to enjoy discounted travel benefits with 25% off on various add-ons including seat selection, extra baggage, and value bundles (standard seat and 10kg extra baggage), allowing for greater flexibility to meet all their travel needs. Enrich members can also earn 10% Bonus Enrich Points when they book during this promotion period. 

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has been offering seamless and conformable transit to countries beyond Malaysia. VISA holders to Australia and New Zealand can avail free transit VISAs and explore Malaysia with a stopover. After a two-year hiatus, these deals are perfect for those looking to take a well-deserved vacation, make memories during school summer break, reunion with a loved one or those looking to embrace new experiences.

HDFC ERGO Launches VAULT, An Industry-First Digitally-Enabled Rewards Program

HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, a leading private general insurer and a digital-first company leads the way in customer loyalty with the launch of the VAULT program, an industry-first digital customer engagement and rewards program.

HDFC ERGO is committed towards enhancing customer experience and making them feel valued. Staying true to this commitment, the Company has taken advantage of the Regulatory Sandbox by IRDAI, in the form of VAULT, an experiment to test a new idea. Under this program, the insurer will incentivize its Optima Restore health insurance customers by way of reward points for performing certain activities like staying insured under the policy for more than two years, holding two active HDFC ERGO retail policies, interacting digitally, using the cashless network of healthcare providers, etc. These reward points, equivalent to cash, can be redeemed against a wide range of wellness offers like pharmacy vouchers, doctor consultations, etc; or can be used for social causes or buying insurance products.

Speaking about the launch of VAULT, Mr Ravi Vishwanath, President – Accident & Health Business, HDFC ERGO General Insurance said, “Innovation is the key to all that we do at HDFC ERGO. The Regulatory Sandbox gives us the impetus we need to innovate and introduce new and unique offerings for our customers. We believe that with VAULT, the relationship with our policyholders will go beyond the traditional transactional mode and help us provide more value to them. While it will pave the way to deeper engagement, it will facilitate reaching out to many new such customers who are keen to associate with an insurer who nurtures and values its customers’ loyalty”.

About HDFC ERGO:

HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company is a joint venture between HDFC Ltd. and ERGO International AG; the primary insurance entity of the Munich RE Group of Germany. HDFC ERGO is one of India’s largest non-life insurance company in the private sector. A digital-first company, transforming into an AI-first company, HDFC ERGO is a leader in implementing technology to offer consumers the best-in-class service experience. The company has created a stream of innovative & new products as well as services using technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Processing Language (NLP), Robotics and IBM Watson. HDFC ERGO offers a range of general insurance products and has a completely digital sales process with ~93% of retail policies issued digitally. The self-help tech platform developed by HDFC ERGO has empowered the customers to avail 58% of the services virtually in a self-help mode on a 24x7 basis with ~40% of the customer requested services digitally.

The Company offers a complete range of General Insurance products including Health, Motor, Home, Agriculture, Travel, Credit, Cyber and Personal Accident in the retail space along with Property, Marine, Engineering, Marine Cargo, Group Health and Liability Insurance in the corporate space. Be it unique insurance products, integrated customer service models, top-in-class claim processes or a host of technologically innovative solutions, HDFC ERGO has been able to delight its customers at every touch-point and milestone to ensure consumers are serviced in real-time.

Please log on to www.hdfcergo.com for more information on HDFC ERGO and the products and services offered by the Company.

Learning Links Foundation Announces Skills Program For Telangana Aerospace Industry Along With Boeing, And Tata Boeing Aerospace

•        First skilling program in Telangana for the aerospace manufacturing sector exclusively for People with Disabilities (PWDs)

•        Promotes Skill India initiative and gives wings to aspirations of youth

Learning Links Foundation (LLF) today announced the launch of a new chapter of Learn and Earn, its unique youth skilling program supported by Boeing and Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL). This is the first such program to be conducted exclusively for People with Disabilities (PWDs) in Telangana state for the aerospace manufacturing sector.

A first batch of 18 trainees, with speech and hearing impairment and locomotive disabilities, will undergo classroom training, followed by on-the-job training at TBAL. The curriculum will focus on developing skills in archiving, maintenance, inspection, stores, and safety audit domains in the aerospace manufacturing sector. The program will aim to provide technical and soft skills, which the trainees can leverage to secure employment opportunities with various aerospace manufacturing Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in Telangana.

The launch ceremony was held in the presence of Mr.SalilGupte, President, Boeing India, Mr.AshwaniBhargava, Director - Supply Chain, Boeing India, Ms.PraveenaYagnambhat, Chief of Staff, Boeing India, Ms. Maria Laine, Vice President, International Sales & Strategic Partnerships, Boeing, Mr.MasoodHussainy, Head Aerostructures and Aero-Engines, TBAL, Mr. Vishal Sanghvi, COO, TBAL and other dignitaries from the two companies.

"Boeing is working closely with LLF and our Indian partners to help skill and develop the local aerospace and defence ecosystem, as ultimately this will contribute to the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat," said SalilGupte, President, Boeing India. “Furthermore, equity, diversity and inclusion are critical drivers of innovation and fundamental to our business success and our sustainability goals. We want to advance this equity, diversity and inclusion vision within Boeing and beyond,” added Salil.

The Learn and Earn program has already benefitted close to 400 students, of which 40% are girls and 15% PWD, and helped them attain jobs in various industries. It is a unique program that aims to bridge the skill gap in youth by curating an industry-need-aligned training curriculum that can help them readily obtain employment as a productive workforce. The program aims to further strengthen the aerospace ecosystem in the country and is in line with the Government of India’s “Skill India” initiatives. 

Boeing has been supporting the growth of the Indian aerospace sector over the years by addressing the critical and growing need to skill frontline workers for the aerospace manufacturing sector. Learn and Earn, a collaboration between LLF and Boeing, is a unique skill-building program to help create a skilled and employable workforce for the aerospace manufacturing sector. Boeing-funded Learn and Earn curriculum and initiatives have been launched along with several other partners in India as well. 

About Learning Links Foundation (LLF)

LLF is a not-for-profit organization that is operating with a vision to foster purpose and progress by unlocking lifelong learning. The Foundation was established in 2002 and has worked extensively in the education and skill development sectors across India. To know more, visit www.learninglinksindia.org 

Klub Partners With Cashfree Payments To Finance Over 5,000 Indian Merchants

* India’s leading Revenue Based Financing player and leading payments and API Banking solutions platform join hands to promote embedded capital offering to Cashfree’s merchants 

Revenue Based Financing platform, Klub, announces its partnership with India’s leading payments and API banking solutions company, Cashree Payments. With this partnership, Klub and Cashfree Payments aim to finance 5,000 merchants through Revenue Based Financing.

Cashfree Payments offers an advanced payment gateway with features like instant refunds, card pre-authorization, among other products. The brand also provides a bouquet of payment services to vendors, including payment collections, recurring payments, and verification services to banks. Backed by SBI, Y Combinator, Apis Partners, and incubated by PayPal, Cashfree Payments enables 1,00,000+ growing businesses in India and across 8 other countries, including the USA, Canada, and UAE with payment collections, vendor payouts, wage payouts, bulk refunds, expense reimbursements, loyalty, and rewards.. 

Speaking about the partnership, Reeju Datta, Co-Founder, Cashfree Payments, said, “We are delighted to partner with Klub’s embedded financing platform. The collaboration will help Cashfree Payments merchants avail flexible financing options to operate in a nimble manner and drive their growth in the dynamic digital environment. We at Cashfree Payments stay true to our commitment to devise innovative solutions to address critical industry challenges.”

Klub’s full-stack embedded capital platform offers capital starting from INR 5 lakhs up to INR 20 crores to digital SMEs. The RBF player has already partnered with 5 of India’s largest marketplaces across e-commerce, logistics, and payment gateways. Klub is now on the path to providing capital solutions at scale via every platform that supports digital SMEs.

Sudharsan Venkatkrishnan, Vice President, Klub, said, “We are excited to roll out Klub’s embedded capital platform on the Cashfree Payments ecosystem. Our platform will enable instant access to a range of capital products for 5000+ merchants on Cashfree Payments. Our products combine well with those of our partners like Cashfree Payments to accelerate the revenue growth of digital merchants. .”  

Klub has facilitated more than 400 investments in 200+ digital businesses so far and has a community of more than 6200 patron investors. The company raised $20 million in one of the largest seed rounds in the country and grew by 20x in the last year. 

Link In Bio, But Make It Shoppable: Meet Linkpop, Shopify's Newest Offering For Creators In India

* With Linkpop, merchants can create a cohesive brand experience across social channels and sell products directly from their link in bio page

Ever make a mental note to look into that new product your favorite TikTok star keeps recommending, only to lose the plot as soon as you get to your Google search bar? Us too. That’s part of the reason why we’re so excited to launch Linkpop, our new link in bio tool that’s commerce-first—meaning that creators and merchants can not only house all of their important brand-building links in one place, but launch social storefronts to sell directly on the platforms where they’re already engaging with followers. Consumers can then browse a Shopify merchant’s curated selection of products and purchase directly on Linkpop, without ever leaving the social app they were using (or trying to remember what to search).

That’s good news for consumers because the creator economy—which is estimated to include more than 50 million creators globally—is only growing. In 2021 alone, investors backed the industry with more than $1.3 billion in funding. At Shopify, we’re investing in supporting creators of all kinds by expanding access to our world-class commerce technology and by building tools that will help merge creativity, community, and commerce. And we’re starting with Linkpop.

Merchants can set up an account, link it to their Shopify store, and start populating their Linkpop page with shoppable links, as well as links to websites, articles, videos, and playlists (among other possibilities!) in less than five minutes. Shoppable links automatically sync with a merchant’s product catalog to feature all of the product details a customer will need directly on the merchant’s Linkpop page.

“We have an incredible community on social, and with Linkpop we're able to turn our followers into customers and brand advocates,” said Evie, YouTuber and founder of LongHairPrettyNails. “The results speak for themselves: We used Linkpop to support our most recent product launch and were able to increase our social sales conversions by over 600%.”

Linkpop gives merchants the ability to create a branded, social storefront that they can share wherever they engage with their followers. With Linkpop, merchants can:

· Provide buyers with a best-in-class checkout experience: Linkpop is powered sby Shopify, so consumers are able to enjoy a fast and secure checkout experience when they make a purchase from a merchant’s Linkpop. And because checkout happens right on Linkpop, consumers never have to leave the platform they were already browsing on to make a purchase.

· Track toward success: With Linkpop’s free, built-in analytics tool, merchants can better understand the behaviors and choices of visitors to their Linkpop. In addition to providing high level metrics like link clicks and unique visitors, Linkpop shows merchants how well individual links are performing—giving merchants invaluable insight into what their followers are engaging with most.

· Customise their page: Merchants can customise many aspects of their Linkpop page—from the background color and font to the profile description, logo, and beyond—to create a page that reflects their brand. Merchants can also upload photos to accompany specific links, creating a truly curated experience for their followers.

· Add up to 200 links & shoppable links: Once a merchant sets up an account, they can start adding links and shoppable links to their page. Since merchants can share up to 200 links on their Linkpop, they’re free to include all the touchpoints that are most important to their brand—whether that’s a link to a new YouTube video, a shoppable link featuring a new product, or something else entirely.

“Merchants and creators today are using multiple channels to engage with customers, and that number of touchpoints will only continue to grow,” said Amir Kabbara, Director of Product at Shopify. “With Linkpop, we've created a surface that unifies all links merchants post across social channels. What’s even better, we’ve made it a shoppable destination so it’s easy to purchase products directly on Linkpop, which is a win-win for merchants and buyers alike."

“We have long believed that the future of retail is everywhere: consumers are now shopping whenever, wherever and however they prefer to. With consumption patterns in India diversifying and evolving in the last few years, e-retail has become mainstream and at Shopify, we’ve had the opportunity to work with businesses across scale to help them bridge the offline to online shift. With the rising social commerce wave, we are now excited to be creating more value and opportunities in the social world. Linkpop has been introduced to help harness the benefits of evolved consumer spending behaviours through more selling opportunities to makers, creators, influencers and curators,” says Bharati Balakrishnan - Country Head & Director, India

For creators who are just getting started and haven’t yet launched a business, choosing tools that can grow alongside their audience and brand is crucial. They can use Linkpop to help grow their audience, and when they’re ready to launch their store on Shopify, they’ll be able to share products directly on their Linkpop page—seamlessly merging their existing community with their commerce ambitions. And for creators who are already merchants, Linkpop makes it easy to sell products directly on the social platforms that are most important to their brands.

About Linkpop

Linkpop is free and available globally in English, whether the user is a Shopify merchant or not. Shoppable links are currently only available to Shopify merchants. To learn more about Linkpop and get started, visit Linkpop.com.

About Shopify

Shopify is a leading provider of essential internet infrastructure for commerce, offering trusted tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business of any size. Shopify makes commerce better for everyone with a platform and services that are engineered for reliability, while delivering a better shopping experience for consumers everywhere. Proudly founded in Ottawa, Shopify powers over one million businesses in more than 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Nush by Anushka Sharma, Raymonds, Starstruck, John Jacobs eyewear and many more. For more information, visit www.shopify.in.

Godrej Properties To Develop A 33-Acre Project Near Bannerghatta Road In Bengaluru

* The new project near Bannerghatta Road will have a developable potential of approximately 3.4 million square feet of saleable area with an estimated revenue of approximately INR 2,000 crore *

Godrej Properties Ltd. (GPL), (BSE scrip id: GODREJPROP), one of India’s leading real estate developers, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to develop a 33 acres land parcel in the residential micro-market of Bannerghatta Road in South Bengaluru. The agreement is for an outright purchase with ~5% area share to the landowners. 

Bannerghatta Road is one of the established residential locations in South Bengaluru and has excellent connectivity to the Bannerghatta Main Road and the IT/ITES belt in Electronic City. In addition, the site is in close proximity to several other key hubs of the city and offers an extremely well-developed social and civic infrastructure with multiple schools, hospitals, retail, residential, and commercial spaces in close proximity.

Mr. Mohit Malhotra, MD & CEO, Godrej Properties, said, “Bannerghatta Road is an important micro - market within Bengaluru and we are happy to add this land parcel to our portfolio. This will further expand our presence in South Bengaluru and fits with our strategy of deepening our presence in key micro markets across India's leading cities.”

*On the basis of the current business assumptions.

Two-Day Workshop On AI Inaugurated At Manipal Institute of Technology

* The workshop called ping 2.0.2.2 has the theme “Artificial Intelligence & Cognitive Science: An Industry Perspective”

Department of Information & Communication Technology, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal organised a two-day workshop ping 2.0.2.2 during 25th & 26th of March 2022 on the theme "Artificial Intelligence & Cognitive Science: An Industry Perspective". The workshop commenced with an inaugural ceremony on March 25th.

The workshop aims at providing industry exposure to students where experts from reputed organisations would help students get a deeper understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. The event was attended by dignitaries, participants, faculty and students.

Dr. Madhusudhan Govindaraju (Professor, Department of Computer Science & Vice Provost for International Education and Global Affairs (IEGA), Binghamton University, New York) was the chief guest. Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh (Vice Chancellor-MAHE) and Mr. Gautam Bhat (Vice President, Head of Cloud Architecture & AI, Deutsche Bank, Bengaluru) were the guests of honour. The event was presided over by Commander (Dr.) Anil Rana (Director, MIT, Manipal)

Dr. Smitha N. Pai, (Professor & Head, Department of I & CT, MIT, Manipal) and Co-convener of ping 2.0.2.2 welcomed the gathering. The event was also attended by Dr. Manohara Pai M. M. (Professor, Department of I & CT, MIT, Manipal) who described the importance of ping 2.0.2.2 and its theme.

Speaking on this occasion, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh (Vice Chancellor, MAHE, Manipal), said “Workshops like ping 2.0.2.2 provide an opportunity for participants to listen to industry experts' views, build up a network with them, and also work on collaborative projects. I encourage all the students to capitalise on such opportunities and participate in such events. These can be a stepping- stone towards a bright professional future”

Commander (Dr.) Anil Rana (Director, MIT, Manipal) said “We are extremely pleased to be organising this workshop. AI is a flourishing field that can provide immense career opportunities to students. I encourage the students reap the benefits of such workshops through active participation”

Mr. Gautam Bhat (Vice President, Head of Cloud Architecture & AI, Deutsche Bank, Bengaluru) provided details about the sessions and the importance of each session. Chief guest, Dr. Madhusudhan Govindaraju briefed the audience on the opportunities available for MAHE students and faculty at Binghamton University. He wished for the success of the workshop and inspired the participants to have a rewarding experience. 

Dr. Preetham Kumar (Deputy Registrar-Academics (Technical), MAHE & Professor, Department of I&CT, MIT, Manipal) and convener of ping 2.0.2.2 gave the vote of thanks for the ceremony.