CASHe Partners With IRCTC To Launch ‘Travel Now Pay Later’ (TNPL) Facility In Karnataka

·         Becomes the first fintech lender to embed its one-of-a-kind TNPL payment method on IRCTC’s travel app checkout page

·         CASHe’s TNPL payment option will benefit millions of daily passengers to book and pay later for their rail tickets in three to six EMIs

India’s leading credit-led, AI-driven financial wellness platform, CASHe, today announced that it has partnered with Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), India’s largest e-commerce player, to provide a Travel Now Pay Later (TNPL) payment option on its travel app, IRCTC Rail Connect. This will enable travellers of Indian Railways from Karnataka to book their rail tickets instantly and pay for it later in pocket-friendly EMIs, ranging from three to six months.  According to an analysis of borrowing and spending patterns of CASHe’s consumers, Karnataka is amongst the top ten states availing credit to finance travel needs. Out of the total borrowings from Karnataka, a significant share contribute to travel loans, added the analysis.

With CASHe’s TNPL payment option, booking and paying for rail tickets on the IRCTC travel app will now be easier and hassle-free for millions of Indian Railway passengers. The EMI payment option will be available on IRCTC travel app’s checkout page for passengers booking their reserved and tatkal tickets. CASHe’s TNPL EMI payment option offers a seamless user experience by automatically qualifying all users to avail the TNPL facility without any documentation.

IRCTC is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways that handles catering, tourism, and online ticketing operations. The IRCTC travel app has over 90 million downloads and powers over 1.5 million railway ticket bookings per day.  

"Commenting on the tie-up, Mr. V. Raman Kumar, Founder Chairman, CASHe, said, “This is India’s biggest travel now pay later embedded EMI payment journey with IRCTC of its kind. I am delighted to say that our association with IRCTC is another step to reach out and accelerate digitised EMI payments in the country. This partnership will also tremendously aid CASHe to reach out to the millions of IRCTC’s customers and provide them with a never-before and convenient option to travel now and pay for their rail tickets later in easy EMIs. The travel now and pay later as segment has seen remarkable growth and the message from the travellers is clear – they want the choice to pay for their trips in instalments. With CASHe’s travel now pay later, we will significantly enhance the payment convenience and flexibility for IRCTC’s customers at checkout, thereby improving customer experience.”

CASHe’s unique proposition lies in its proprietary AI-based algorithm platform - Social Loan Quotient (SLQ). SLQ assesses the risk of a borrower based on the user's social and mobile data footprints thereby providing credit to those that don’t qualify for credit from conventional lending. Besides offering faster credit decisions, SLQ has enabled CASHe to seamlessly capture untapped markets among the financially excluded sections of society. Its affordable interest rates, instant processing and flexible repayment options makes it India’s most preferred digital credit platform.

About CASHe:

Headquartered in Mumbai, CASHe is one of India’s leading AI-based, credit-led financial wellness platform focused on making financial inclusion possible by serving the underserved digital customers in India. The company is driven by its laser focus to unlock opportunities for the millennial and Gen Z population by making financial inclusion and accessibility possible using its cutting-edge algorithms and AI and ML-based credit decisioning model called the Social Loan Quotient (SLQ). Since its launch in 2016, CASHe has registered over 24 million app downloads on the app store and has disbursed loans worth Rs 5,200 crores to over 5 lakh customers. Its affordable interest rates, instant processing, and flexible repayment options make it India’s most preferred digital credit platform. Over the past year, CASHe has constantly introduced new product offerings and services in line with increasing consumer demands and has successfully transformed itself into a full-fledged financial services platform that offers its customers credit, investment, insurance, and EMI shopping.

NIC Honestly Natural Ice Cream Adds Flavours To Diwali With Its Special Combos

NIC Honesty Natural Ice Cream, the fastest-growing ice cream brand in the country, has brightened up the Diwali celebrations by offering special combos for its customers ahead of the festive season. NIC, known for ice-creams made from natural ingredients and offering Indian flavours, is offering six special combos, Celebrate the festival of lights with your loved ones with NIC Honestly Natural Ice Cream. 

“Diwali is the biggest celebration of the year in India, and it also holds a lot of significance for Indians living anywhere in the world. It is also the time to meet and greet people, exchange gifts, and celebrate together through parties. Keeping this in mind, we have introduced our combos so that the customers can enjoy our natural ice creams guilt-free and add exciting flavours to their Diwali celebrations,” said Sanjiv Shah, Director of Walko Food Company Pvt Ltd.

NIC had also launched its special combos during the Raksha Bandhan festival which had received a positive response from the customers. This time, the company is offering six different combos. These are – Mithai combo includes two ice cream flavours, Motichoor ladoo (500ml) and Gulab Jamun (500ml), Joyful combo has a combination of Motichoor ladoo (500ml) and Malai Barfi (500ml), Celebration Combo includes combination of Gulab Jamun (500ml), Dry Fruit Overload (100ml), and Malai Barfi (100ml), Luminous Combo which includes Belgian Chocolate (500ml), Madagascar Chocolate (100ml) and French Vanilla (100ml), Firework Combo includes Gulab Jamun ice cream (100ml), Malai Barfi (100ml), Roasted Almond (100ml), Dry Fruit Overload (100ml), and Festive Combo includes Gulab Jamun (100 ml), Chocochips (100 ml), Sitaphal (100 ml), Alphonso Mango (100 ml). 

All the combos are available on Food-Tech platforms like Swiggy and Zomato.

About NIC Honestly Natural Ice Cream:

NIC Honestly Natural Ice Cream was founded in 2015 on the principles of providing uncompromising quality, innovation, and a superior customer experience. Honestly Natural Ice Cream is not only their motto; it is also a promise that contains no artificial flavours, colouring agents, or preservatives. NIC Honestly Natural Ice Cream has won the prestigious BARC Rising Brand Award in March 2022. NIC Honestly Natural Ice Cream is the most popular ice cream brand on Food-Tech platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato and also available on Swiggy Instamart, BlinkIt, Big Basket, Amazon Fresh, Zepto and more, with flavours ranging from fruit and dry fruit variations to international flavours such as Mediterranean Sea Salted Caramel, Madagascar Chocolate, French Vanilla, and those inspired by Indian sweetmeats such as Gulab Jamun, Sheer Khurma, Til Gud, and Gajar Halwa to name a few.

Visit NIC at www.nicnaturalicecreams.com

Dreamz Production House Hosts 8th Season of Supermodel International 2022

* A Host Of Celebrities Including Prince Narula And Rohit Khandelwal Were Part Of The Gala Event

* The show welcomed a total of around 100 contestants in multiple categories (Mr, Miss and Mrs) from across the country.

Dreamz Production House, well known in the modelling and fashion industry hosted the grand finale of 8th season of Supermodel International 2022 in Jaipur recently. One of the biggest & prestigious events of this year, it was an exciting platform for the talent across the country as the pageant team visited over 20 cities across the country to audition contestants. The show was a grand success as it welcomed a total of around 100 contestants in multiple categories (Mr, Miss and Mrs) from all over the country. The winners received gift hampers and an opportunity to participate in TVCs, Video song, web series, Print Shoots, designer and reality shows amongst others. There was also a special kid round to promote young talent.

While competing in the pageant, the participants went through intense rounds with renowned experts of the industry. The gala event included three rounds on the theme of Traditional, Indo Western and Designer Outfits. A host of celebrities graced the much-talked-about show as jury of the pageant from film and entertainment fraternity which included Bigg Boss and Roadies fame Prince Narula, Actor and Model Rohit Khandelwal, renowned model Gargee Nandi and Arushi Handa and many more. Mr India Supermodel 2022 Abhishek Dubey from Bhopal was also a part of the jury team.

In the Miss category of Supermodel International 2022, Shweta Raje Parmar from Jaipur won the title, whereas Sayyed Nigar from Mumbai attained the position of the 1st runner up and Muskaan Gupta from Gurgaon won the 2nd runner up position. In the Mr category, Rizwan Ali from Dehradun won the title, whereas Bilal Ahmad from Dehradun attained the position of the 1st runner up and Rudra Dudhi from Indore won the 2nd runner up position. Mrs Aisha Sadiq Choudhary from Jammu & Kashmir bagged the title of Mrs. Supermodel International 2022 and the 1st and 2nd runners up positions were bagged by Mrs Devamita Goswami from Kolkata and Mrs Mahi Kapoor from Jammu & Kashmir respectively.

“Dreamz Production House aims to successfully provide an integrated platform for the new and aspiring Indian models from different cities in the country to make their dream of modeling, fashion, theatre, television and films come true. We have always received tremendous response for our show and we have made our mark this year too. This stage has given many newcomers a chance to be a part of the fashion and entertainment fraternity. This beauty pageant is a platform that’s committed to giving participants a chance to showcase their talent and shine as an individual.” said Sharad Chaudhary, Founder, Dreamz Production House.

Anubha Vashisth, co-owner of Dreamz Production House, said “Beauty pageants are much more than just being beautiful; they are about being strong physically, mentally as well as emotionally. Dreamz Production House hosts one of the most glamorous and sought-after beauty pageants in the country and aims to provide an exceptional platform to deserving participants to display their talents and build their confidence. While the event had few winners, it gave a platform to many of them who are sure to rule the ramp in future.”

Over the years, Sharad Chaudhary, a well-known personality of the modelling world and known for managing mega shows and events has also worked with many celebrities like Neha Dhupia, Madhur Bhandarkar, Yuvika Chaudhary, Zareen Khan, Urvashi Rautala, Upen Patel, Pooja Chopra, Kainaat Arora, Jaideep Ahlawat, Gizele Thakral, Ajay Chaudhary, Anusha Dandekar, Stefy Patel, Benafsha Soonawalla, Himanshu Soni, Millind Gaba and many more. Apart from organizing events like fashion & modelling shows, Sharad is now focussed to take his production house to new highs.

Cremica Foods Eyes 40% Sales Rise In FY 23; Cold Condiments To See High Growth On Retail HORECA Rebound

Cremica Foods Ltd. a home-grown brand known for its premium quality liquid condiments is eyeing a 40% leap in terms of turnover in FY23. After the industry suffered a setback in the initial period of covid pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, the company has seen a strong rebound in both retail and HORECA segments. With an ability to 350 Cr business generating of liquid condiments yearly, the company now operates the largest tomato ketchup factory in India and is the leading producer of ketchup portion packs in the country.

Mr. Akshay Bector, Chairman & Managing Director, Cremica Foods Ltd. “The market is experiencing a very robust recovery driven largely by rising outside-the-home consumption. This year, the retail industry will experience robust growth in demand. Additionally, the business is also expanding at an extremely rapid rate. The holiday season is currently the placement phase and after the holiday season, we expect the growth to continue. It will undoubtedly be far better than the previous years”.

“Cremica is a farm-to-table producer, and we directly work with farmers to procure their goods. What started as a small home-based business back in 1976, touches one-in-four Indians with its products every day. Cremica was the first to make vegetarian mayonnaise in India, and today, mayonnaise and ketchup products fetch equal profits for the company. With a younger population making buying decisions and along with changes in tastes and food habits in small markets, the popularity of Cremica sauces, ketchups, spreads and salad dressings are gaining popularity in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets at a rapid pace”, added Mr. Bector.

Cremica is renowned for its innovative recipes, cutting-edge research, and high production standards, and is the largest seller of liquid condiments in the HORECA segment. It has clients like McDonald's, KFC, Subway, Dominos, Haldiram's, Bikaner's, Pizza, Pizza Hut, PVR, and Faasos, among many others. Cremica’s creative marketing strategy, commitment to quality, and investment in premium manufacturing facilities have helped in establishing the brand as a leader in this segment.

About Cremica Foods Ltd.

Over the past three decades, Cremica has established itself as a food products conglomerate, leading the food processing business through its range of products, its internationally certified production facilities, the consistency of its quality and its unmatched expertise in the industry. It is also a preferred vendor to some of the largest food giants in India like McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Domino's and Subway, consistently scoring high on international quality tests and taste parameters.

Cremica launched India’s first vegetarian mayonnaise and introduced Indian sandwich mayos like Tandoori and Mint.

Singapore Airlines To Launch Its A350-900 Aircraft On Hyderabad To Singapore Sector

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is pleased to announce the introduction of its A350-900 medium haul wide-body aircraft on the Hyderabad to Singapore sector.  

Singapore Airlines will operate daily flights between Hyderabad and Singapore, with the A350 services operating every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The inaugural service SQ 523 will depart from Hyderabad International Airport at 2310 hrs on 30 October 2022. The Airline will continue to operate its B737-8 narrow-body services through the remainder of the week.  

Mr. Sy Yen Chen, General Manager India for Singapore Airlines, said, “We are delighted to enhance our services to Hyderabad with our wide-body A350 aircraft. This is a significant milestone for us as it reinforces our commitment to the market, more so after SilkAir’s integration with Singapore Airlines a year ago.”  

“In line with the company’s commitment to product and service excellence, the Airbus A350 medium haul aircraft, combined with our award-winning inflight service, will provide enhanced comfort to travellers from Hyderabad. Furthermore, the introduction of a wide-body aircraft on this sector also opens up a wider range of opportunities and capabilities for SIA Cargo,” Mr. Chen added. 

Speaking about the launch of SIA’s A350-900 operations, Mr Pradeep Panicker, CEO,GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd said, “Over the past few months, GMR Hyderabad International Airport has witnessed a significant growth in international passenger traffic. This is an indicator of a rebound in international travel post the pandemic. Travellers are exploring exotic destinations; there has been an uptick in the student traffic pursuing academics in international shores; business travel has resumed. The festive season has contributed to the footfall in the passenger profile of Visiting Friends and Relatives. Singapore is one of the most sought after destinations from Hyderabad. With the introduction of the highly advanced A 350 aircraft, passengers are in for a delightful travel experience which will increase further passenger traffic from the southern and central region.”  

The Singapore Airlines A350-900 features higher ceilings, larger windows, an extra wide body delivering more space and comfort, as well as lighting designed to reduce jetlag. Fitted with SIA’s regional Business Class and Economy Class cabin products, the A350-900 medium haul Business Class cabin has 40 lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 arrangement that ensures direct aisle access for every customer, while the Economy Class cabin has 263 seats arranged in a comfortable 3-3-3 configuration. 

Business Class 

SIA’s A350 medium haul Business Class seats have been manufactured by Stelia Aerospace. With each seat able to recline directly into a 76” fully-flat bed, customers can rest in more comfort, even on the shortest flights. Each seat measures up to 26” in width with retractable armrests that can be raised and lowered. 

Other features include ample stowage space for personal items, a business panel with in-seat power supply and USB ports, an integrated reading light unit with adjustable lighting intensity and a personal 17” full high-definition touchscreen monitor. 

Economy Class 

SIA’s A350 medium haul Economy Class seats have been designed and manufactured by RECARO and also offer customers an enhanced in-flight experience. Each seat has an ergonomically-designed contour backrest that provides greater relaxation, and a six-way adjustable headrest with foldable wings to provide more neck support. Economy Class customers can also enjoy an enhanced entertainment experience on their personal 11.6” full high-definition touchscreen monitor.  

Other features that have been introduced for Economy Class customers include storage space for small personal items, a coat hook, USB port and in-seat power supply. 

In-flight Entertainment 

The A350-900 medium haul aircraft are also fitted with the latest Thales AVANT in-flight entertainment system – a first in SIA’s fleet. This has been designed with a new user interface that offers a more intuitive experience and navigation options, leaving customers with the pleasure of enjoying Singapore Airlines’ myKrisWorld and its selection of more than 1,800 movies, TV shows, audio programmes and games with even greater flexibility.  

Customers can receive personalised content recommendations based on their preferences and viewing history, while KrisFlyer members can bookmark and resume content, as well as customise and save preferences and playlists for subsequent flights. KrisFlyer members and Business Class customers will also have access to additional in-flight entertainment content choices. 

In addition, customers will have access to high-speed in-flight WiFi service on the new A350-900s, equipped with Inmarsat GX Aviation’s broadband connectivity system offered through SITAONAIR. 

From 30 October 2022, Singapore Airlines will restore 100 per cent of its pre-pandemic frequency from India, and will operate 96 flights weekly from 8 cities across the country.  

SIA has implemented myriad digital solutions for the well-being of our customers, and to support a comfortable and seamless experience. Please click here for more details on our health and safety measures. Please click here for more details on the award-winning products and services that customers can enjoy on board our flights.  

Dvara KGFS Announces A Slew Of Leasures As It Enters The 15th Year

As Dvara Kshetriya Gramin Financial Services Pvt Ltd. (Dvara KGFS), a leading NBFC operating in remote rural parts of India, enters its 15th year of existence, announces go-to-market initiatives such as KGFS Digital, KGFS Direct, My KGFS, KGFS Branch on Wheels and KGFS Partnerships including change in colour of brand attire. The key initiative includes the implementation of the omnichannel network where customers can connect with Dvara KGFS’ Wealth Managers through its multiple avenues.  

Having embarked on the innovative and ambitious path of employing its aggressive growth strategy by adopting an omnichannel route, this initiative will help Dvara KGFS deliver products and services in a standardized manner with a superior customer experience. This channel is an integral component and support network for the growing branch network of 295 branches spread across the 12,000+ villages that Dvara KGFS caters to. 

Speaking on the journey of DVARA KGFS, Mr. LVLN Murty, MD & CEO, Dvara KGFS, spoke, “14 years of a remarkable journey since 2008 with a singular agenda of helping create wealth for people in deep rural pockets of India, Dvara KGFS has evolved into a full-fledged operational service provider covering across many geographies and catering to more than 1.38 million population today. We are looking at adopting a meaningful strategy to expand our reach to more rural communities and geographies by adopting the omnichannel approach.”  

“With more than 2200 employees catering to 12,000+ villages, we wanted to bring in uniformity in identity. Ushering the change in attire will help us to communicate our commitment of uniform services across all geographies. This will also be a measure, especially for the rural population to stay well connected.”, explained Ms. Huma Tariq, Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO), Dvara KGFS. 

About Dvara KGFS -   

Dvara KGFS, a systematically important NBFC in the Dvara Group regulated by RBI, works with a mission to maximise the financial well-being of every individual and every enterprise by providing complete access to financial services in remote rural India. Dvara KGFS has a strong presence in Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha, spread across 48 Districts with 295 branches and more than 1.1 million enrolled customers. 

AIC-Pinnacle Plans To Incubate 40 New 'Bharat' Startups From Tier-2 And Tier-3 Cities

* The NITI Aayog & Pinnacle Industries supported incubator plans to facilitate INR 50 million in 40 new startups from tier-2 and tier-3 cities 

India’s leading incubation and investment platform, AIC (Atal Incubation Centre)-Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Forum, supported by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Ministry of MSME, and Ministry of Electronics and IT, Govt. of India, has announced its plans to incubate 40 new, passionate and innovative startups from tier-2 and tier-3 cities that are willing to address the ground-level societal issues of "Bharat"—where 70 % of India resides. The incubator is also eying to facilitate INR 50+ million to startups over the next three years across automotive, EV, agritech, IT/IoT/AI, clean energy, health tech, social innovation, and other emerging areas.    

Speaking on the way forward, Dr. Sudhir Mehta, Founder, AIC-Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Forum, and Chairman of Pinnacle Industries & EKA highlighted, “We firmly believe that the youth from tier-2 and tier-3 cities possess huge potential, talent, and futuristic vision. They deeply understand the ground-level societal problems of "Bharat" and have the ability to come up with innovative-scalable business ideas and solutions that contribute largely to the idea of nation-building. We’ve already been incubating 60+ startups and we look forward to onboarding 40 new potential startups, whom we will be supporting under various government-supported schemes such as Atal Incubation Mission – AIC, MeitY, TIDE 2.0, MSME Innovative, SISFS, etc. to establish a solution-driven economy together. We’re looking forward to inviting the next-generation wealth creators and entrepreneurs to strengthen India’s startup ecosystem.”  

Being India’s leading Government-backed start-up incubator, AIC-Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Forum grooms, guides, mentors, connects and supports young, potential, innovative startups.  AIC-Pinnacle is a leading start-up accelerator with a highly experienced advisory board including 100+ veteran mentors, IP support, legal assistance, investor, and market connect, focused learning & development programs, manufacturing, and rapid prototype assistance, advanced product testing lab facilities, co-working space, startup community access, hiring assistance, etc. to nurture and prepare startups in a focused and practical manner with a real market environment and support.  

At present, AIC-Pinnacle incubated startups, including Attron Automotive, Nettoyer Automotives, Krishigati, Agrosonic Solutions, Ziffytech Digital Healthcare, Diabetico, Rut3, Arcatron Mobility, Adivid, Eldew Digital, Fountlab Solutions, U4U Sociotech, etc., are bringing innovative technology-driven solutions to address key societal issues such as Automotive, EV, Agritech, IT/IoT/AI, Clean Energy, Health-Tech, Social Innovation, etc.   

About AIC- Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Forum:   

AIC (Atal Incubation Centre)-Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Forum, is one of India’s leading incubation & investment platforms supported by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Ministry of MSME, and Ministry of Electronics and IT Govt of India. AIC-Pinnacle supports and promotes complex, technology-enabled, high-impact product startups that generate economic wealth and support socio-economic development.  

With the purpose to enable entrepreneurship, start-up ecosystem, and employment generation via research, skill development, innovation, incubation, acceleration, investments, consultancy, and product development. 

AIC- Pinnacle aims to encourage the creation of a vibrant and high-impact entrepreneurial ecosystem focused on innovation in key sectors which lead to inclusive and sustainable techno-socioeconomic development of India, with the partner network including Invest India, AWS, CII, NASSCOM, MeitY, Windrose Capital to name a few.    

Know more: https://www.aic-pinnacle.org/