InsuranceDekho Launches “Pet Insurance” On Its Platform Across India

India's leading Insurtech startup, InsuranceDekho, has recently introduced “pet insurance” to its product portfolio. InsuranceDekho has partnered with Future Generali India Insurance Company to offer this unique Dog Health Cover and is also in the process of tying up with other insurers. 

On the day of the launch, the company hosted a special launch event attended by four-pawed friends from various daycares and animal shelters. During the event, the dogs cum special guests of the day participated in fun events with the company employees and beautifully illustrated the meaning of the ‘coexistence’ of different beings in the world. 

Commenting on the launch Mr. Ankit Agrawal, Co-Founder and CEO of InsuranceDekho, said: “We are aware that pets and their human parents share a close bond, and that even dogs occasionally find themselves in unexpected predicaments. We have launched Pet Insurance to help pet parents protect their furry babies in these trying times. India has an estimated pet population of 32 million pets growing at 12% yearly, with dogs making up almost 85% of the total population. We can infer that the number of dogs insured in India is also on the rise, giving us an immense opportunity to grow in the dog health insurance category.”  

Post covid, there has been a wave of pet parenting with millennials making up 31%, baby boomers 29%, Gen Xers 26%, and Genz and Builder generations making up the rest of the pet owner market in India. It is estimated that pet insurance (including cattle) in India will witness an increase of at least 14% to achieve $490 million at the end of the year 2022. Globally, the pet insurance market is anticipated to reach USD 32.7 billion by 2030.  

InsuranceDekho under their dog health insurance plans offers comprehensive coverage for over 25+ breeds of dogs, aged 6 months to 10 years. With this pet insurance plan, financial assistance is offered for expenses incurred by pet parents towards hospitalisation (including pre and post hospitalisation), treatment of terminal illness, and surgery, subject to certain terms and conditions which may vary from one insurance provider to another. The pet insurance policy as of now has a starting premium of about Rs. 324 annually. 

About InsuranceDekho 

Insurancedekho incorporated in 2016 and has been granted the license to act as a Direct Insurance Broker by the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (“IRDAI”) in 2017, InsuranceDekho is an Insurtech startup by Girnar Insurance Brokers Private Limited. It enables its consumers to compare different insurance policies based on their requirements and helps them purchase the most suitable plan as per their needs. In FY 2022, InsuranceDekho clocked a business of Rs. 1000+ Crore in premium. The company currently has tie-ups with 45+ insurance companies offering 300+ plans on its platform. InsuranceDekho is headquartered in Gurgaon and has a presence across 1200+ cities.

HCL Technologies To Conduct Walk-In Drives In Karnataka For Class 12 Students

 

* Looking to hire 2000 freshers from the state 

HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global technology company, is conducting walk-in drives across four cities of Karnataka under its flagship early career program ‘TechBee’ starting from August 2022. Such walk-in drives are being organized to create opportunities for Class 12 students to get financial independence.  

HCL Technologies continues to expand and grow and looking to hire over 2000 fresh talents from Karnataka.  

The program was piloted in Karnataka last year and the company is enhancing its focus in the state from the success of the pilot. 

To offer bespoke training and mentoring program, HCL Technologies has signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC) to train tech-savvy, enthusiastic individuals seeking to accelerate their careers in IT. 

TechBee, HCL Technologies’ Early Career Program, is a work-integrated higher education program that contributes to the “Skill India” mission of the government. As a part of HCL’s new people strategy, the program offers IT engineering jobs by equipping the selected 10+2 students with future-ready skills. 

HCL Techbee program prepares students technically and professionally for entry-level IT jobs in HCL, where candidates undergo intensive 12-month training. The students also get an opportunity to do an internship on HCL projects. While working at HCL, students may also enroll in an undergraduate Degree program offered by reputed partner institutions like BITS Pilani, SASTRA University and Amity University.  

After completing the one-year TechBee training program, students earn a salary between INR 1.70 – 2.20 lakhs per annum. As a part of the program, selected students get an assured job at HCL Technologies upon completing the training program comprising classroom training and an internship. The internship comes with a stipend of INR 10,000.  

Students who have completed Class XII in 2021 or 2022 with minimum 60% with Mathematics or Business Mathematics in their curriculum can apply. 

Eligible candidates will appear for an Online Career Aptitude Test (HCL CAT). Those who clear the test would be invited for an Interview discussion, after which HCL will issue a Letter of Intent/offer letter. HCL CAT is an online assessment test designed to check your aptitude in areas of Quantitative Reasoning (Mathematics), Logical Reasoning, and the English language. 

The fee for the training program is INR 1,00,000 + Taxes. Loans for the tuition fees are enabled through partner financial institutions repayable through EMI.  

On this occasion, Mr. Subbaraman B, Vice President, HCL Technologies, said, “We feel proud to partner with KSDC as this enable students from the rural areas an opportunity to work with us and our global clientele. TechBee started in 2017 to hire the best talent and enable them to achieve financial independence at the start of their career. So far, over 8,000 students have been selected for the TechBee program and are in various stages of their career journey with HCL. We have observed a lot of interest and potential in students in Karnataka and the other adjoining states. That is why we chose to do these walk-in drives in the state.” 

Honda Cars India Registers 6,784 Units Of Domestic Sales In July’22

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, registered monthly domestic sales of 6,784 units with a growth of 12% in July’22 over last year. The export numbers for HCIL stood at 2,104 units in July’22. The company had registered 6,055 units in domestic sales and exported 918 units in July’21.   

Sharing thoughts on the July’22 sales performance, Mr. Yuichi Murata, Director, Marketing and Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd said, “We have witnessed a good demand trend in last few months across model line-up. Unfortunately, the ongoing chip shortage continues to impact and slowdown our supplies. We are diligently aligning our production to meet the demand as quickly as possible.” He further added, “On a cumulative basis, HCIL sales have grown by 40% over last year. As we approach the festive period, we hope that the demand will continue to stay strong and bring in the much needed festive cheer for the industry after the challenging situation last year.” 

About Honda Cars India Ltd. 

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), a leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, was established in December 1995 with a commitment to provide Honda’s passenger car models and technologies, to the Indian customers. HCIL’s corporate office is based in Greater Noida, UP and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is located at Tapukara, District. Alwar, Rajasthan.  

The company’s product range include Honda Jazz, Honda Amaze, Honda WR-V, Honda City and recently launched Honda City e:HEV catering to diverse needs of its discerning buyers across different segments. Honda’s models are strongly associated with advanced design and technology, apart from their established qualities of durability, reliability, safety and fuel-efficiency. The company has a strong sales and distribution network spread across the country.  

Besides the new car business, Honda offers one stop solution for buying and selling pre-owned cars through its business function Honda Auto Terrace. The Honda Certified Pre-owned cars come with an assurance of quality and peace of mind that caters to the diverse and burgeoning needs of pre-owned car buyers across the country. 

Top 5 Tech Skills For Professionals Working In The Indian BFSI Sector

Digitization in India has taken over most sectors, including the market, startups, and companies, and BFSI is among them. According to a recent report, demand for jobs in the banking, financial services, and insurance sectors has witnessed an optimistic year-on-year growth of 27% in February 2022 compared to the previous year. Until now, the BFSI sector has primarily functioned using traditional technologies, resulting in lower efficiency and unsatisfactory customer experience. However, advancing technologies are paving the way for the industry to digitize through emerging skills like artificial intelligence, algorithms, and data sorting in enabling better customer insights. 

With technologies powering over the financial sector, upskilling professionals will help bridge the skill gap between traditional and contemporary work settings. This change has also seen a rise in various online courses for professionals aimed at building skills in current trends in roles such as trade finance specialists, credit and risk analysts, wealth management experts, cybersecurity analysts, and blockchain experts. The banking and financial industry is expected to provide jobs to 1.6 million skilled workers by this year. Here are the top five new-age skills that BFSI professionals can bag for career growth and transformation. 

1.      Data Analytics

The exponential growth of data volumes and analytical complexity has led to the increasing adoption of in-database analytical tools. Organizations are not only consuming this data to gain consumer insights and build networking but are also driving their major business decisions by analyzing the data. Data skills allow the professionals to automate processes and provide banks with more marketing muscle. Once professionals have the data analytics expertise, they can benefit the organizations by removing corrupted data, determining data quality, and preparing reports for their employers. Professionals with this skill can work as data analysts and data engineers.

2.     Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML)

AI and Machine Learning have immense potential in detecting financial fraud and improving the protection gap. The scope of AI has grown leaps & bounds over the last few years, and organizations across the sectors are looking to capitalize on artificial intelligence applications. AI is transforming various businesses' functional, operational, strategic landscapes, and customer experiences. This technology offers a high level of accuracy that helps in determining banks' profitability. Professionals with this skill can work as AI backend engineers, machine learning engineers, and data engineers.  

3.     Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has been the most transformative technology and has gained significant momentum since the 2010s. With many organizations migrating to the cloud from their traditional application, jobs in this domain are growing massively. Cloud computing technology improves the overall efficiency and reduces operating costs for the BFSI sector. It also ensures smooth banking functions and tunes the computing resources with the customer's needs. Database administrator, network architect, and system administrator are some of the high-demand roles for cloud computing.

4.     Cybersecurity

With the rise in digitization and adoption of new-age technologies, there is an increased risk of data breaches, leaks, and cybercrimes leading to the dire need for skilled information security professionals with every passing day. Cybersecurity has become an essential skill to have for the BFSI sector. Once the professionals upskill themselves, organizations will no longer have to hire cybersecurity teams to mitigate the threat. 

5.     Blockchain

Blockchain was first introduced as a concept of a technical backbone of the digital currency, and the integration of blockchain technology is now witnessing primary demand across various sectors. This technology is used in the banking sector for online identity verification, credits, loans, tracking payments, accounts, and more. Professionals with this skill-set bring in more transparency, reduce transaction costs, and streamline new banking services that create new revenue lines. Post acquiring this expertise, specialists can work with blockchain developers, project managers, and quality engineers. 

A significant challenge in digitizing the BFSI sector is the availability of talent with critical skills in emerging technologies. Though BFSI makes the top 10 recruiters in the country, a lack of a workforce that is not equipped with industry-relevant and contemporary digital skills remains a concern. Upskilling helps professionals gain relevant knowledge and empowers them to earn remuneration based on their recently added expertise. 

riidl Hosted 100 Indian Startup Founders And top Investors On Demo Day As Part Of Its Acceleration Program

* 40 startups across Fintech, Edtech, E-commerce, SAAS, Journalism, Agritech, Biotech, Food, Healthcare presented their ideas to investors for funding opportunities 

Research Innovation Incubation Design Laboratories’ (riidl), in association with HSBC, organised a ‘Demo Day’ as part of their Acceleration Program which was held on 30th July at The Somaiya School Auditorium. The event saw participation from 40 startups who got an opportunity to pitch their ideas to investors for fundings.

riidl was set up by the Somaiya Trust in 2010 to nurture entrepreneurship and innovation amongst its students, faculty, staff & alumni and is supported by Department of Science & Technology; BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and Maharashtra State Innovation Society, Government of Maharashtra to scale the startup incubation program. riidl supports the creation and incubation of early-stage companies from ideation to commercialization by providing them with industry-specific resources, labs, government grants, investor connections, funding, intellectual property protection & patent support, HR support and mentorship. In merely a decade, riidl, being a sector-agnostic incubator, has focused on building startups across various domains. riidl has incubated over 129 startups and facilitated in creating 600+ job opportunities with a community of over 2800 makers & innovators and 2200 Bio-enthusiasts & researchers across sectors through their initiatives & programs to develop their early-stage ideas to fully functional companies; with a total revenue generated by startups over INR 292 Crores till date.

The event, ‘Demo Day’ was held as a part of riidl’s Acceleration Program, which aims to help the startup community to pitch their ideas and network with the investors. This year, the program saw participation from 650+ startups, out of which 40 startups were shortlisted for the acceleration across Fintech, Edtech, E-commerce, SAAS, Journalism, Agritech, Biotech, Food, Healthcare and an array of other sectors to pitch for funding. The event was graced by Vikas Chauhan, COO & Co-Founder, HexaHealth; ex Co-Founder, Tata 1mg, and also an alumnus of K J Somaiya Institute of Management.

The event saw some amazing, innovative and unique startup ideas out of which some were shortlisted, including Pilk, it develops tasty and healthy plant-based milk products, Innokrit, develops a no code AI platform to extract data from images and videos, Farmology, a platform that makes agritech accessible and affordable to Indian farmers, ProPlant Foods Pvt Ltd, developed ProMeat, that offers a healthy, tasty and economical plant-based chicken with much higher protein content, amazing texture and rich-delicious mouthfeel, Atlancer, a platform that offers curated freelance talent, and Orage Digital Pvt Ltd, developed Offee, an AI based assessment and content learning platform with skill mapping.

Gracing the event, Mr. Samir Somaiya, President, Somaiya Vidyavihar & Chancellor, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, said, “If you had told me 10 or 15 years ago, that there will come a time when initiatives which specifically exist to help young entrepreneurs to boost their startup ideas in India would be a reality, I would not have believed you. Clearly, times have changed and the word ‘entrepreneur’ isn’t so much of a taboo anymore. It is honestly great to see such young individuals coming up with unique ideas of their own and showcasing them with determination. It fills me with optimism and hope for the future of our country.”

Chief guest and Keynote speaker, Mr. Vikas Chauhan, COO & Co-Founder, HexaHealth; ex Co-Founder, Tata 1mg, said, “It is truly an honour to be here; being back here on campus and on this podium feels somewhat surreal. It’s great that such an initiative to help startups is being taken, because it is very important for young entrepreneurs, especially in the initial phase, to make advantage of  platforms like these where they can come out and showcase their ideas, and of course get an opportunity for their ideas to be funded. If there is one thing I can say to all the young entrepreneurs, it would be that showing-up is the first step to success, and perhaps the most important.”

Thrilled about the positive outcome of the initiative, Mr. Gaurang Shetty, CEO, riidl, said, “riidl has been doing its best to recognise & enable access to knowledge, experience, and funding for the startups, as  we  have forged academic collaborations, industry-driven alliances, and participated in government entrepreneurship programs to reinforce the quality of the leadership team, range of services offered, good practices, scale and scope of activities, financial and operational stability and impact. It was refreshing and a delight to see so many creative and inventive ideas being showcased, and the investors present were certainly pleased to see genuine effort put behind each startup that participated. We have great hopes for the future of entrepreneurship in India; our vision is to create an ecosystem of inventions and not just entrepreneurship, which can enhance the intellectual, psychological and social development of our country in the next 10 years. With initiatives like the ‘Demo Day’ event, I am positive we will be able to achieve that.”

‘KMS Free Mega Artificial Limb Donation Camp’ In Jayanagar, B'lore

* Free Foot & Forearms Camp

For the 14th year Karnataka Marwari Samaj in association with Bhagwan Mahaveer Vikalang Sahayata Samiti (Jaipur Foot) is organizing a ‘Free Mega Artificial limb Donation Camp “. It is completely Free Mega Artificial limb Donation Camp for those who have lost their forearms or for those who need polio calipers. This time KMS added Forearm too in this camp.The measurement camp will be conducted on Sunday, 28th August, 2022 at Maharaja Agrasen Bhavan, near Ashoka Pillar, Jayanagar, Bengaluru -560011, Time 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. Registration will be closed on 27th Aug 2022 (Saturday).

The distribution ceremony will held on 28th September 2022 at the same venue.

Sri Bimal Kumar Saraogi, Project Director, Karnataka Marwari Samaj said, “All of us are affected in some way or other in this pandemic and we should contribute as per our capacity to help others. It is a clear social vision and commitment of KMS to help the disabled regain mobility and dignity by fitting high-quality, durable artificial limbs and other aids and appliances.

Speaking about the Camp Mr. Anand Poddar, President, Karnataka Marwari Samaj said, “It is heartening to see the coming together of people and communities to help each other out. We strongly believe that service to man is service to God, and invite one and all to take this opportunity to serve humanity.

The artificial limbs provided by Karnataka Marwari samaj uses Jaipur Limb Technology. This technology has been developed and further refined by the research and development team of the society. The Jaipur Limb is a one-stop facility and the patients who come are measured and their custom-made limb/caliper are fabricated and fitted, without making them visit again a second time. It is so efficient that after this limb is fitted, a person can walk like a normal person without a stick or support, and even run, ride a bicycle and climb a tree. After the fitment many of the patients can go back to work in the field, factories, shops and offices.

Request beneficiaries to avail this opportunity by registering themselves. All they need is Aadhar card, photo of legs/hands and phone number.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Clocks Highest Ever Wholesales Of 19693 Units In July 2022

* Registers a growth of 50% when compared to sales in July 2021

TKM today announced that the company sold a total of 19,693 units, the highest ever wholesales clocked by the manufacturer in a single month ever since its inception in India. Thus registering a growth of 50% when compared to its wholesales in the corresponding period last year. For reference, TKM had sold 13,105 units in July 2021. TKM also registered a growth of 19% over its wholesales of 16,500 units sold in June 2022.

Expressing his thoughts, Mr. Atul Sood, Associate Vice President, Sales, and Strategic Marketing, TKM said, “The month of July has been phenomenal for the company. Both in terms of sales as well as our endeavor towards “mass electrification” in India, as we unveiled the first self-charging strong hybrid electric vehicle in the high volume B SUV segment- the Urban Cruiser Hyryder. The response to the model has been exceptional, especially the customer’s choice for strong hybrids, further reiterating Toyota’s global prowess when it comes to the manufacturing and sales of electrified vehicles worldwide.  We are humbled by such an encouraging response and would like to thank our customers for placing their trust in the brand.

Last month also witnessed TKM’s highest ever wholesales in a single month, ever since we started operations in India. This significant milestone also reinforces the popularity our segment leading models like the Innova Crysta, Fortuner & the Legender enjoy. The cool new Glanza as well as the Urban Cruiser continue to gather momentum as well as very encouraging booking orders. The Camry Hybrid and the Vellfire too, continue to garner healthy customer orders”.