Students Of VMSIIHE Can Now Intern In Portugal's Martinhal Family Hotels

Goa based leading hospitality management institute, V. M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE), has partnered with Portugal based hospitality brand - Martinhal Family Hotels and Resorts - to provide internship opportunities to students of the institute. 

With four luxurious properties, two each in Algarve and Lisbon, the institute has signed a two year agreement with the group.  

Said Prof Irfan Mirza, Director/Principal, VMSIIHE, "The internship is a crucial phase of the curriculum of the three-year degree programs BSc International Hospitality Management and B.Sc. Culinary Arts offered at VMSIIHE. This partnership will allow students to obtain practical experience, network with professionals in the field and gain on the job training in Portugal. It also aligns with the institute's goal of being a centre of excellence for the hospitality industry in India and will prepare students for the ever-changing needs of the industry." 

Once accepted the students will be provided with accommodation, meals, laundry facilities, and on-the-job training along with a stipend.  

The Institute has the unique privilege of having an existing collaboration with Turismo de Portugal, the Portuguese government's official tourism agency. The collaboration is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries. 

VMSIIHE offers students opportunities to do their professional internships at reputed starred hotels in India and abroad in some of the leading hotels across countries.  

With a string of long-standing associations with international and domestic hospitality majors to its credit, VMSIIHE has recently also introduced a three-year full-time B.Sc. Culinary Arts Program. The B.Sc. Program offers strong skilled-based modules and management experience with all the elements of Food Production, Food Beverage, and Service operations.  

Funskool Acquires Exclusive Rights To Manufacture And Market Goliath Games Sequence In India

* Funskool India become the official partner of Goliath Games to manufacture and distribute ‘Sequence’ across the country

Funskool India Ltd., India’s leading toy manufacturer, adds another blockbuster to their list, by acquiring the rights from international brand Goliath to manufacture and distribute their popular board game ‘Sequence’, in India. 

Developed by Doug Reuter in 1981, Sequence is a combination of a board game and a card game. Often referred to as the ‘Perfect Family Game’, Sequence can be played by 2 to 12 players. The game aims at building strategy, planning, sportsman spirit and team play along with providing quality entertainment. 

Taking inspiration from the ‘Make in India’ initiative, Funskool India has been expanding their base and challenging themselves to widen their association with international counterparts. The new rules on mandatory certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards for import of toys, makes Funskool India a perfect partner for international toy manufacturers to entrust their iconic games to be manufactured in BIS certified Funskool factories. 

Commenting on the occasion, R Jeswant, CEO – Funskool India Ltd., said, “Funskool India always wants to bring the best of toys and games to its customers, and this association with Goliath is another step towards it. We have always been a frontrunner in developing a catalogue of varied toys and games through extensive focus on innovation and development. We believe that this partnership will have a significant role in providing a unique synergy of strengths to build the brands further.” 

Jorge Aguila-Collantes , General Manager ROW- Goliath Group said,       

“We are glad to have begun our cooperation with Funskool on the Indian Market, we really believe this step will allow Sequence Brand to grow and become one of the top board game brands in the Indian Market, like it is in many markets in the world” 

About Funskool India Limited: 

Funskool is India’s leading toy manufacturing company promoted by the MRF group. Funskool started its commercial operations in the year 1987 and has state of the art manufacturing facilities at Goa and Ranipet. Funskool has been pioneering the concept of quality and safe toys in India and raised the standards of toys in the Indian Market. The company’s mission is to influence the parents to spend on toys that enable every Indian child to grow with quality toys that contributes to their mental development. With the largest range of toys offered by any Indian company, Funskool, has an assortment to meet the needs of every parent and child. 

Nokia C01 Plus 2+32GB Variant Launched In India To Further Strengthen Presence In The Entry-Level Android Smartphone Segment

·         Love it: Wallet-friendly 4G with a long-lasting battery

·         Trust it: Two-year security promise as a safety net

·         Keep it: Unmatched durability to keep looking fresh for years

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has launched the Nokia C01 plus which now comes with 32 GB storage, an exciting addition to the popular and most affordable Nokia C-series smartphones. Now customers in India will enjoy the new Nokia C01 Plus - a feature-packed entry-level smartphone, offering the best of everything in -the budget smartphone segment.

The Nokia C01 Plus is a phone you can trust that is targeted at those who want to upgrade from feature phones or older/slower smartphones for a best-in-class experience. Hence, the new Nokia C01 plus upholds the promise of a 1 year replacement guarantee. Also, with the JioExclusive offer, consumers would be able to get INR 600 instant price support making the phone even more affordable.

Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, Vice President, HMD Global: 

“Over the past couple of years, we have built a robust portfolio of Nokia smartphones to provide a wide array of choices to the consumers. The popular Nokia C-series has been our answer to the rising demand for low-budget -smartphone - with uncompromising quality, durability and of course   the Trust of Nokia Devices. Nokia C01  plus (2+16GB Variant)has been very well received by our users when it was launched last year  . With this new 32GB storage variant, we are further offering more choice to the consumers with this exciting new launch.

Beautiful moments with loved ones

Family life is all about magical moments. Video calling your closest ones feels even more real thanks to the clarity an HD+ screen brings. Having flash on both sides will ensure you never miss those special moments day or night. Cosying up with the kids to watch a film will be a treat on wider viewing angles. With HDR imaging, the Nokia C01 Plus will ensure your memories are as beautiful as the moment itself.

Trust the Finnish standards

From build quality to security levels, the European standards flow throughout. From twisting and bending, to heat, force and drop tests, the Nokia C01 Plus can meet the demands of everyday life. It also has a sturdy polycarbonate body with an inner metal alloy chassis.

When it comes to threats from the cyber world, the Nokia C01 Plus will work harder than most phones at this price range to keep your data safe. Regular security updates will come through for at least two years, whilst face unlock will make sure those cherished memories are well guarded.

Speed where it matters

Octa-core processor means that you get a phone that keeps up with the busiest of lifestyles – the days of lag and load are over. Android 11 (Go edition) brings you an increase in speed, which makes overall usage a breeze. With 4G LTE, you can say goodbye to video buffering and hello to a snappy everyday experience. The Nokia C01 Plus will also see you through your entire daily routine thanks to all-day battery life.

Pricing and availability

The Nokia C01 Plus is available in India starting today in Blue and Grey colour variants, with 2/16GB and 2/32 GB, configurations starting at Rs. 6299 & Rs. 6799 respectively, across leading offline retail stores, e-commerce platforms, and Nokia.com.

Customers who choose to avail the JioExclusive offer will get an instant price support of Rs. 600 on the best buy price, and will have to pay Rs. 5699 & Rs. 6199 respectively

Customers can avail the offer at participating Retail stores or through the MyJio app. In case of self-enrolment via MyJio app, they can opt for the JioExclusive offer within 15 days of activating the device and the Price Support benefits would be passed directly to customer’s bank account via UPI within 30 minutes of successful enrolment.

Additional Benefits for all Jio Subscribers:

Jio subscribers doing recharge of INR 299 and above would also be eligible for benefits worth INR 4000 across Myntra, PharmEasy, Oyo & MakeMyTrip.

Buy Now Pay Later Transactions Surge Over 250% Across Karnataka in 2021, ZestMoney Findings Reveal

·         Bangalore topped the list of cities lapping up Buy Now Pay Later in the state

·         Smartphones/electronics, lifestyle and fashion, Edtech and travel drove the demand in the state

·         Women customers surged by 2.5X YOY and men by 2x in 2021 in Karnataka

ZestMoney, India's largest and fastest-growing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) platform, revealed that the Karnataka region emerged as the top state last year in BNPL usage, outnumbering all the other states in India in terms of new customer sign-ups and transactions. On the back of solid demand, the platform noted that it saw a 2.5X increase in transactions, while the customer base of millennials and GenZ surged by 2X and 3X YOY respectively in Karnataka.

Most of the new customers on the platform were from the 24-27 years age group, demonstrating that young cohorts are driving the BNPL growth in the region. Bengaluru, Mysore, Belgaum, Kalaburagi and Kolar were the top five BNPL cities, while smartphones/electronics, lifestyle and fashion, Edtech, travel and home decor emerged as the top categories, ZestMoney noted. 

BNPL, a short-term credit financing option that lets customers conveniently split bills at zero (or low) cost, has grown to become a preferred mode of payment, not just in tier-I cities, but also tier-II, II and beyond in Karnataka, the platform findings revealed. ZestMoney has serviced demand from 99.7% of pin codes in the state, the company added.

Interestingly, ZestMoney’s findings also showed that Bengaluru women transacted more than their men counterparts compared to the other top BNPL cities. Data suggests that women used BNPL to upgrade their tech and electronics while also indulging in some fashion and lifestyle retail therapy. Men, on the other hand, went all out to spruce up their wardrobes and spent heavily on fashion, besides spending on electronics. Overall, the company said it observed a 2.5X YOY growth in women customers and 2X in men last year with customers taking to the flexibility, transparency and ease of pay-later options in a big way. 

Commenting on the findings, Lizzie Chapman, CEO & Co-Founder of ZestMoney, said, “It is not surprising that Karnataka, which is in the forefront of writing India’s tech and innovation story, has emerged as the top BNPL state in the country. With the digital way of life becoming the new normal globally, a large number of customers are choosing the ease, convenience, transparency, and cost-effectiveness of short-term credit tools such as BNPL over other formal credit means. In line with the global trend, millennials and Gen Z especially in India are seeing BNPL as a go-to credit-based payment option as it offers perfect flexibility to spread out costs and plan their finances better. Categories such as smartphones, Edtech, travel, fashion and lifestyle continue to top the BNPL purchases and see phenomenal growth, driving both numbers of customers and transactions higher on our platform. Our most popular ‘Pay in 3’ zero-cost offering is a huge hit, making us the leader in the category with 70% share in the online ‘Pay in 3’ market. We see tremendous headroom for the category to grow in India.” 

Chapman further added, “We are also seeing an increased demand for BNPL at offline stores. Customers from India’s tech capital Bengaluru, who were earlier used to traditional EMI checkout network cards, are choosing digital products for ease and convenience. Keeping in mind the growing needs and varied use-cases in a heterogeneous market like India, we continue to work towards offering innovative products by combining the simplicity of digital payments with the benefits of pay-later offerings. We are also doubling down on further strengthening our offline store footprint, adding to our already-wide network of 75,000+ stores across the country. While Karnataka is already riding the BNPL wave, we, as the largest omnichannel player in the country, are confident that the proliferation of BNPL as a credit-based payment category will continue to grow exponentially in India in the coming years.”

Bengaluru topped the list in the number of BNPL transactions across all categories. Cities that followed Bengaluru in top BNPL cities/towns include Mysore, Mangalore, Madikeri, Kolar and Kalaburagi in smartphone/electronics, Mysore and Kalaburagi in the travel category, Mysore in fitness, Ramanagar, Raichur and Kolar in electric vehicles, Dharwad, Mandya and Kolar in home decor, Tumkur, Belgaum and Bellary in fashion and lifestyle, and Mysore, Mangalore and Belgaum in Edtech categories.

ZestMoney is the largest omnichannel Buy Now, Pay Later platform with 15 Mn registered users across the country. It has the largest network of merchants with 10,000+ online partners including the biggest e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, MakeMyTrip, Nykaa among others. It is also present at 75,000+ store partners including brands like Apple, Reliance Digital, Croma, Sangeetha Mobiles, Pai International, Pai Mobiles, and Poorvika Mobiles across the country.

About ZestMoney:

ZestMoney is India’s largest and fastest-growing Buy Now, Pay Later platform in India.  

ZestMoney is deeply integrated with the largest merchants in India including Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, MakeMyTrip and Nykaa increasing the affordability of their products and helping them facilitate frictionless sales at a higher conversion rate to a larger base of customers. We also have the largest network of merchants with 10,000+ online partners, 75,000 physical stores, making the company a market leader in the space.  ZestMoney has built a platform that integrates mobile technology, digital banking, and artificial intelligence, enabling people to apply for and get a digital credit line within seconds. 

ZestMoney’s innovative technology and work to make affordable digital finance accessible led to their selection as a 2020 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. It was also recognized as the second fastest-growing technology company by Deloitte India in 2021. 

For more information, visit: www.zestmoney.in  

Vi Customers In Bengaluru Can Get Free Astrology Consultation At Select Vi Stores

* Vi customers can walk in to select Vi stores Bengaluru between 4th and 9th April to avail free Astrology consultation

The Kannada New Year, week  is the time for citizens to set aspirations and plans to be achieved during the coming year. To celebrate the spirit of Ugadi, Vi, India’s leading telecom operator is facilitating Astrology consultation for customers in Bengaluru. This Astrology consultation is being offered free of cost to Vi customers between 4th April to 9th April 2022.

Vi customers in Bengaluru can visit the Vi stores at JP Nagar, Bommanahalli, Kagadaspura, VijayNagar, Basaveshwar Nagar, Rammurthy Nagar, SahakarNagar, Marthahalli, RajajiNagar, Gandhi Bazaar and Jayanagar to avail the free of cost Astrology consultation.

Both prepaid and post-paid Vi customers in Karnataka can avail Free Astrology consultation at the mentioned Vi stores in Bengaluru.

S. Murali, Operations Director- South, Vodafone Idea, said, “At Vi, we look out for innovative avenues to bring more and better value for our customers. The endeavour is to be relevant to their needs and interests and be an important part of their special moments through each day of the year. On the auspicious occasion of Ugadi, I would like to take the opportunity to wish Vi customers in Karnataka and their families, a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. May you all have many happy hours of staying connected with your world, on Vi 4G network.

This Ugadi, Vi is also extending an invitation to mobile phone users in Karnataka to join Vi 4G network by subscribing to Vi Hero Unlimited plans. Vi Hero Unlimited Recharge plans starting from Rs. 299, bring three unique product benefits under one umbrella.

·         Weekend Data Rollover: This lets users accumulate unutilized daily data during the weekdays and use it over the weekend.

·         Night Time Free Data- 12:00 am to 6:00 am: Prepaid customers can access unlimited high speed Night time data without any restrictions, at no extra cost from 12:00 am to 6:00 am.

·         Data Delight enables customers access a backup of 1GB high speed data per day, twice in a month.

About Vodafone Idea Limited

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is India’s leading telecom service provider. The Company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G, 4G and has a 5G ready platform. With the large spectrum portfolio to support the growing demand for data and voice, the company is committed to deliver delightful customer experiences and contribute towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The Company is listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

The company offers products and services to its customers in India under the TM Brand name “Vi”.

For more information,  visit: www.MyVi.in and www.vodafoneidea.com

Searches For Beauty Salons & Spas Jump By 34% Amidst A Decline In COVID Cases And Wedding Season: Just Dial Consumer Insights

-         Searches for beauty services in Tier-I cities rise by 42% & Tier-II by 39%

-         Salons are the most sought-after beauty services contributing to 66% of the searches

Relaxation of COVID protocols due to the decline in cases and the onset of the wedding season, has triggered a jump in searches for beauty salons, spas, and make-up artists across India, reports the latest Just Dial Consumer Insights.

The latest consumer search trends on Just Dial, India’s largest local search engine, suggest that searches for beauty services jumped by 34% during the JFM 2022 quarter vis-à-vis OND 2021 quarter. The demand growth rate for beauty services in Tier-II towns and cities was rapidly growing and is now catching up with Tier-I cities. The demand growth in Tier-I cities was 42% and 39% in Tier-II cities.

The most sought-after beauty service on the platform was salons and it made up for almost 66% of the searches for all beauty services. Demand for spas made up for 29% of the searches while that for make-up artists contributed 5%.

Commenting on the consumer trends, Mr. Prasun Kumar, CMO, Just Dial said: “Decline in COVID cases, relaxations in protocols, and the forthcoming wedding season has rejuvenated hopes for beauty salon and spa owners. The industry was hit hard due to the impact of COVID but now we are witnessing a rise in demand for beauty services on our platform. Hence, we are enriching our platform with credible information that helps users get authentic information on local beauty services. The rise in demand is testament to how Just Dial has aggregated online the local beauty salons and spas online helping them to enhance their online reach.”

The latest insights also suggest that at a pan-India level searches for beauty salons have gone up by 32%, spas by 40%, and make-up artists by 14%. In Tier-I cities, searches for beauty salons grew by 45%, spas by 40%, and make-up artists by 30%. Searches for beauty salons in Tier-II towns and cities grew by 40%, spas by 43%, and make-up artists by 9.3%.

Searches for both salons and spas were at par in Tier-I cities. Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore were the top-3 cities with maximum demand for beauty salons. Delhi generated almost 61% of the searches for spas followed by Mumbai and Ahmedabad. For makeup artists, Delhi and Mumbai contributed to 54% of the searches.

Most of the searches for beauty salons in Tier-II towns and cities took place in Lucknow, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Indore, and Patna. Spas were mostly in demand in Lucknow, Surat, Jaipur, Indore, and Dehradun. With wedding season around the corner, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Kanpur, and Patna saw maximum demand for make-up artists.   

About Just Dial Limited

Just Dial Limited provides local search related services to users in India through multiple platforms such as Desktop/PC website (https://www.justdial.com), mobile site (https://t.justdial.com), mobile apps (Android & iOS), over the telephone (Voice, pan India number 88888-88888) and text (SMS). Justdial’s latest version of JD App, is an All-in-One App, replete with features like Map-aided Search, Live TV, Videos, Stock quotes, etc. to make the life of the consumer infinitely smoother & more engaging.

The Company has recently launched its B2B marketplace platform, JD Mart. JD Mart platform, available at https://www.jdmart.com and via apps on Play Store and App Store, is aimed at enabling millions of India’s manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers to become internet-ready in post-COVID era, get new customers and sell their products online. The platform offers digital product catalogues to businesses and aims at digitalising India’s businesses, especially MSMEs, across categories. Buyers can discover quality vendors offering a wide selection of products to choose from, spread across millions of categories to suit all B2B needs.

Justdial has also initiated transaction-oriented services for its users. These services aim at making several day-to-day tasks conveniently actionable and accessible to users from one App. With this step, Justdial is transitioning from being purely a provider of local search and related information to being a direct/ indirect enabler of such transactions. Justdial has also recently launched an end-to-end business management solution for SMEs, through which it intends to transition thousands of SMEs to efficiently run business online and have their adequate online presence via their own website, mobile site. Apart from this, Justdial has also launched JD Pay, a unique solution for quick digital payments for its users and vendors.

Red Hat Adds Common Criteria Certification For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

* Independent security certification for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 helps to extend the world’s leading enterprise Linux platform as a trusted foundation for computing across the open hybrid cloud, from traditional to cloud-native workloads

Red Hat, Inc., the world's leading provider of enterprise open source solutions, today announced a new Common Criteria Certification for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2, further strengthening Red Hat Enterprise Linux as a platform of choice for users with critical workloads in classified and sensitive deployments.

A Common Criteria Certification is intended to provide a level of assurance that a product meets a certain security criteria for specific computing environments. A component of the validation is rigorous, standardized and repeatable testing by any independent third party and provides common ground for sensitive computing operations at an international level.

For Common Criteria, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 was certified by the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP), with testing and validation completed by Acumen Security, a U.S. government-accredited laboratory. The platform was tested and validated against the Common Criteria Standard for Information Security Evaluation (ISO/IEC 15408) against version 4.2.1 of the NIAP General Purpose Operating System Protection Profile including Extended Package for Secure Shell (SSH), version 1.0 and is the latest Red Hat Enterprise Linux version to appear on the NIAP Product Compliant List.

Open innovation for sensitive computing

As IT’s threat landscape continues to evolve, organizations must find ways to continue protecting sensitive environments and systems while still keeping pace with technological innovation. Red Hat is committed to answering this need through a comprehensive, cross-portfolio evaluation and U.S.-government recognized validation effort. The many secure computing certifications achieved by Red Hat Enterprise Linux highlight this drive, as well as establishing Red Hat Enterprise Linux as the bedrock for Red Hat’s open hybrid cloud offerings in highly-regulated IT deployments.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 provides more than a validated foundation for security-conscious computing environments - it also includes the benefits of a Red Hat subscription. While a Red Hat subscription includes extensive levels of technical support, it also provides longer product lifecycles with more reliable and predictable product updates, a dedicated security response team for analyzing and addressing potential vulnerabilities as they appear and proactive analytics tools to help identify and remediate potential system issues.

Supporting Quotes

Clara Conti, vice president and general manager, North America Public Sector, Red Hat

“Linux is the foundation for modern computing, including sensitive IT deployments of all kinds across the hybrid cloud. Today’s Common Criteria Certification of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 shows our continued commitment to making Red Hat Enterprise Linux a platform that not only embraces innovation but also serves as the backbone for critical and security-sensitive operations.”

Kenneth Lasoski, Director, Common Criteria, Acumen Security

“Acumen Security, part of the global Intertek High Security Certifications group, congratulates Red Hat on the successful Common Criteria certification of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2. This rigorous security evaluation against stringent requirements for General Purpose Operating Systems identified by the National Information Assurance Partnership under the international Common Criteria Certification standard demonstrates and confirms Red Hat’s commitment to make Common Criteria certified versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux available to security conscious customers, such as national security-related agencies, finance and healthcare organizations. We are honored that Red Hat has once again selected Acumen Security as their security certification partner to achieve this significant milestone as well as applaud their continued commitment and contribution to the information security industry.”