Vi Rs.99 Pack To Drive Digital India Growth Across India

·         At just Rs. 99, Vi enables the large Bottom of pyramid users across the country, to stay connected and participate in Digital India growth 

·         Vi is the only pan-India, high speed data network to offer entry level recharge at Rs. 99 for consumers

·         Users in <<mention circle>> get Full Talktime and 200 MB Data with 28 Days validity

In line with its strategy to get closer to bottom of pyramid users driving Digital India growth, leading telecom operator, Vi is offering entry level recharge at just Rs. 99 for users across the country. Vi is the only pan-India, high speed data network which is offering essential mobile connectivity with both voice and data services to consumers at this price point.

Enabling bottom of pyramid users in <<mention circle>> to stay connected, Vi’s 99 RC offers full talktime and 200 MB data with a validity period of 28 days. 

According to Siddhartha Jain, Cluster Business Head- Karnataka, AP& Telangana, Vodafone Idea, “Catering to the affordability of consumers, Vi continues to take measures to offer the best in class mobile services at most attractive price points. We invite mobile users and non-users to join the high speed Vi network at just Rs. 99 and continue enjoying the benefits of mobile connectivity in the digital era. This will not just drive inclusivity but also enable more users to enter the digital bandwagon.”

Vi has also opened new format Vi Shops to service prepaid rural consumers in the market. It offers a wide bouquet of curated offerings for Bharat Youth in areas such as Jobs & Skilling, Govt. Exam preparation, English language skills amongst others.

About Vodafone Idea Limited:

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is amongst India’s leading telecom service provider. The company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G and 4G platforms. Company holds large spectrum portfolio including mid band 5G spectrum in 17 circles and mmWave 5G spectrum in 16 circles. 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’s equity share are listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the 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

Mutual Fund industry announces T+2 redemption payment cycle for equity schemes

* Move In-Line With T+1 Settlement Cycle Of Equity Markets, To Benefit Mutual Fund Investors

From today, Indian equity markets move to T+1 settlement cycle for all stocks, shortening the settlement cycle by a day and making availability of funds a day sooner than at present. To pass on this benefit to mutual fund investors, it has been decided all Asset Management Companies (AMCs) will move to T+2 redemption payment cycle for equity schemes, and implement this  uniformly with effect from February 1, 2023,  (i.e., for all transactions received before cut off timing on Feb. 1, 2023 and processed at closing NAV for February 1 2023)  after allowing a couple of days for the settlement cycle /process to stabilise.

Mr. A Balasubramanian, MD & CEO Aditya Birla Mutual Fund and Chairman, AMFI commented that “T+1 settlement cycle for Indian equity markets is a global first. As an industry, we want to pass on the benefit to our mutual fund investors and hence we are proactively adopting a T+2 redemption payment cycle for equity funds”

Mr. NS Venkatesh, Chief Executive, AMFI added that “AMFI and its member AMCs always keep investor interest at the forefront. Since the day SEBI announced the phased movement of equity markets to T+1 settlement cycle, the industry has been preparing to shorten the redemption payment cycle and we are happy to announce the shift to T+2 redemption payment cycle effective February 1, 2023 onwards.”

About AMFI: 

AMFI was incorporated on August 22, 1995, as a non-profit organisation. As of now, all the 44 asset management companies that are registered with SEBI, are its members. 

The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) is dedicated to developing the Indian Mutual Fund Industry on professional, healthy and ethical lines and to enhance and maintain standards in all areas with a view to protecting and promoting the interests of mutual funds and their unit holders. 

AMFI, the association of SEBI registered mutual funds in India of all the registered Asset Management Companies, was incorporated on August 22, 1995, as a non-profit organisation.  

Aditya Birla Health Insurance Unveils Its New Brand Campaign “KyaPeecheChhodaHai”

Features real customers as brand ambassadors

Talks about real-life stories on how individuals have transformed their lives and managed their health by walking 10,000 steps and thereby leaving behind unhealthy habits

·         Promotes the concept of “Health Assurance not just Health Insurance”

Aditya Birla Health Insurance Company Ltd. (ABHICL), the health insurance joint venture of Aditya Birla Capital Ltd. (ABCL), holding company for the financial services business of Aditya Birla Group, one of the largest diversified conglomerates in India, today unveiled its latest brand campaign, “KyaPeecheChhodaHai”, to promote the role of health insurance in changing lives of people by empowering them to lead healthier lives.

“KyaPeecheChhodaHai” campaign, encapsulates the importance of how positive health behaviour such as walking 10,000 steps daily can help an individual leave health concerns behind.

The uniqueness of this campaign is that it celebrates real ABHICL customers who have successfully managed to change their lifestyle by inculcating the simple habit of walking 10,000 steps regularly and have left behind health related issues.

These customers from across the walks of life, who are at the heart of the TVC and the digital campaign, narrate their stories about how walking 10,000 steps have helped them do away with concerns like mental stress and weight issues, diseases like diabetes, asthma etc. The essence of the campaign is to spread awareness on the importance of following a disciplined health regime and how ABHI is an active partner in this transformation.

Speaking on this campaign, Mr Mayank Bathwal, CEO, of Aditya Birla Health Insurance, said, “At ABHI, our primary focus is to help our customers with cutting-edge innovative health-first insurance solutions which not only protect them from medical uncertainties but nudge them to live a health-focussed life. We take immense pride in having pioneered this model of health insurance that transcends the boundaries of an indemnity based model by focusing on proactive health-care for our customers.”

“It is heartening to see our customers as brand ambassadors in our recently launched KyaPeecheChhodaHai campaign. For health insurance companies, customer trust is paramount, and to see our customers endorsing us, gives us immense satisfaction. The customers featured in the film belong to different walks of life, however, one thing that unites them is the initiative to bring a change in their lives by walking every day and managing their health proactively. We hope the films will encourage people to prioritise their health by engaging in simple yet effective physical activities such as walking 10,000 steps daily,” Mr Bathwal added.

Since its inception in 2015, incentivized wellness has been the primary focus for Aditya Birla Health Insurance and its offerings are based on its philosophy of “Empowering people to lead healthier lives”.

One of the unique proposition of ABHICL has been the concept of HealthReturns™, which incentivises policyholders for staying fit and adopting healthy lifestyle. This concept enables a policyholder to earn

up to 100% of their premium as HealthReturns™, which can be accrued on the basis of Healthy Heart Score™, the fitness assessment result and the number of Active Dayz™ recorded on a monthly basis.

A customer can earn “Active Dayz™ by undertaking any prescribed fitness activities like, walking 10,000 steps, or undertaking regular exercise, yoga sessions etc. Funds earned as HealthReturns™ can be used for payment of renewal premium and other non-medical expenses, out-patient expenses etc.

All the customers featured in the campaign were the beneficiaries of 100% HealthReturns™ as they successfully achieved their yearly fitness goals.

Watch the launch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

India Achieves Complete Transition To T+1 Settlement Cycle In Equity Markets

* It will mark as an important day in the history of Indian capital markets. All trades from this day executed in any securities in the equity segment will be settled on T+1 basis.

The journey to shortening of settlement cycle began on September 7, 2021, when Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) permitted stock exchanges to introduce T+1 settlement cycle from January 01, 2022, on any of the securities available in the equity segment. All the Market Infrastructure Institutions (Stock Exchanges, Clearing Corporations and Depositories) jointly finalized the roadmap for the implementation of T+1 settlement cycle in a phased manner.

The first batch of securities transitioned to T+1 Settlement on February 25, 2022, and thereafter, every month a batch of around 500 securities transitioned to T+1 Settlement. From January 27, 2023, all securities i.e., equity shares including SME shares, exchange traded funds (ETFs), Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs), Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB), Government Bonds and Corporate Bonds trading in the equity segment will now be settled only on T+1 basis.

The achievement is significant considering National Stock Exchanges of India’s (NSE) size and scale of operations in the equity segment. NSE ranks 4th in calendar year 2021 globally in equity segment based on number of trades executed in electronic order book as per statistics maintained by World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).

NSE witnessed transactions by more than 2.7 crores investors (unique PANs) in equity segment in financial year 2022 and the number has already surpassed 2.3 crores in this financial year as well. In value terms, there is a healthy mix of participation across investor categories with individual investors accounting for about 36%, followed by proprietary desks with 27%, Foreign Institutional Investors with 15% and Domestic Institutional investors accounting for 11%.

Globally most stock exchanges in developed as well as emerging markets follow the T+2 settlement system.

Shri Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD & CEO, NSE said: “It’s a great achievement for the Indian Capital Market. The achievement would not have been possible without the continuous guidance provided by Securities and Exchange Board of India and painstaking effort taken by all Market Infrastructure Intermediaries particularly the Clearing Corporations, trading members, clearing members, custodians, and all other stakeholders in re-engineering the processes and crunching timelines to adapt to shorten the settlement cycle.

The shortening of settlement cycle to T+1 will bring in significant capital efficiencies to the investors and improve risk mitigation for the entire industry.”

About National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE):

National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) is the world’s largest derivatives exchange by trading volume (contracts) as per the statistics maintained by Futures Industry Association (FIA) for calendar year 2021. NSE is ranked 4th in the world in the cash equities by number of trades as per the statistics maintained by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) for calendar year 2021. NSE was the first exchange in India to implement electronic or screen-based trading. It began operations in 1994 and is ranked as the largest stock exchange in India in terms of total and average daily turnover for equity shares every year since 1995, based on SEBI data. NSE has a fully integrated business model comprising exchange listings, trading services, clearing and settlement services, indices, market data feeds, technology solutions and financial education offerings. NSE also oversees compliance by trading, clearing members and listed companies with the rules and regulations of SEBI and the exchange. NSE is a pioneer in technology and ensures the reliability and performance of its systems through a culture of innovation and investment in technology.

For more information, visit: www.nseindia.com

Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) Honors Their Founding Father Sir Dhanjishah Bomanji Cooper At “IMTEX 2023”

Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association (IMTMA) which is the apex industry body for the machine tool sector in India is hosting the 20th edition of IMTEX. IMTEX is South and Southeast Asia’s largest exhibition on machine tool and manufacturing technologies. At this event, Sir Dhanjishah Bomanji Cooper, founding father of IMTMA was felicitated at Bangalore for his magnificent contribution to the creation of the association. He is the grandfather of Mr. Farrokh N. Cooper Chairman & Managing Director Cooper Corporation Pvt.  As a part of 75 years of the association’s journey, they have launched a special coffee table book and produced a short film where they showcased the invaluable contribution of Sir Dhanjishah Bomanji Cooper. The book and film were released during the IMTEX event.  

Sir Dhanjishah Bomanji Cooper was an Industrialist, Politician and the Prime Minister of Bombay Presidency. In the pre-independence period, he strived hard for the cause of social and industrial development in rural Western Maharashtra. He started the first iron plough manufacturing in the Year 1922 at Satara and was President of Satara Municipality from 1923 to 1932. In 1934 the first diesel engine was manufactured, laying the foundation of the automobile era and he became a pioneer of diesel engine manufacturing. He was the recipient of Knights of Garter-the most senior and oldest British order of Chivalry. 

On facilitating Sir Dhanjishah Bomanji Cooper, Mr. Farrokh N. Cooper, Chairman & Managing Director Cooper Corporation Pvt. Limited said “My family and I are grateful to IMTMA for remembering and honouring the founder Sir. Dhanjishah Bomanji Cooper in such a dignified and auspicious way at IMTEX this year. This only goes to show the high level of integrity, ethics, and principles with which IMTMA is being run today. My grandfather Sir. Dhanjishah Bomanji Cooper was the first entrepreneur in our family. I am very elated and humbled that IMTMA is honouring and giving recognition to my grandfather for the role he played in laying the foundation of the association. This year we at Copper Corporation are celebrating the completion of 100 glorious years of our legacy which is built on trust and reliability and I am grateful to my grandfather as he was the pivotal force behind the success of the business. We wish IMTMA great success in their commitment to serve industry and the country”. 

Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association (IMTMA) formed in 1946 is the industry body for the machine tool sector in India. Comprising large-, medium- and small-scale units, the membership of IMTMA includes manufacturers in the entire range of metal working machine tools, accessories and other ancillary equipment for machine tools, cutting tools and tooling systems along with trading companies. IMTMA has played a leading role in the development of the machine tool industry, which is the backbone of industrial growth in India. The association supports the machine tool industry of India in increasing its competitiveness, technology, productivity and quality for overall advancement and growth. The association has actively supported initiatives for the advancement of the metalworking manufacturing industry in India.   

Renault India Celebrates “Republic Day” With Special Initiatives

* Launches Republic Day Celebration Service Camp from January 27th – 29th across all Renault service facilities in India 

* Celebrating the spirit of patriotism, the Indian ‘Tricolour’ logo – Saffron, White and Green has been integrated in all the TV commercials 

Commemorating the 74th year of the foundation of the Indian Constitution, Renault, the leading European brand in India announced the commencement of a nationwide “Republic Day Celebration Camp” for its customers. As part of the national celebration, a three day long ‘Service Camp’ would be conducted from Jan 27th to Jan 29th at all Renault service facilities across India.  

Aimed at providing trouble free experience and optimal performance of Renault cars, the Renault Republic Day Camp will offer Renault owners a free car check-up as per the guidelines stipulated by Renault India enabling a detailed examination of all key functions of the car, with trained and well-qualified service technicians dedicated to providing the care and expert attention needed for the cars. Such periodical checks ensure necessary actions for enhanced performance of the car and provide customers a rewarding ownership experience with the brand. 

In addition to a wide range of services including free car top wash and comprehensive car checkup, the Renault Republic Day Camp will offer exclusive benefits to the customers like discount on Parts & Accessories and Road-Side Assistance. The customers can avail a host of exciting offers including 10% discount on select Parts & Accessories, 20% discount on Labour Charges & Value-Added Services and 10% discount on Road-Side Assistance (RSA). Interesting customer engagement activities like painting, drawing & quiz competitions for kids along with activities like free health checkup camps, customer education programs will also be organized at the specific workshops, making it a delightful experience for customers to cherish for long.   

Celebrating the spirit of patriotism, Renault has also integrated the Indian ‘Tricolour’ logo – Saffron, White and Green in all its TV commercials. This ‘Tricolour’ logo as part of the TV commercials reinforces Renault’s commitment to the ‘Make of India, made for India’ vision. The TV commercials with the Tri-colour logo will be aired on 26th January on all major national and regional channels throughout the country. It will also be featured on all Renault India's social media platforms. 

Renault has undertaken many first-of-its-kind after-sales and customer centric initiatives to offer a seamless brand ownership experience to its customers. These include – Renault SECURE, Renault ASSURED, Renault ASSIST, Renault EASY CARE, Workshop on Wheels (WoW), MY Renault App and regular customer service camps. In a decade of its presence in India, Renault has made significant progress which includes a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, a world-class technology centre, logistics and design centre in India. This strong foundation backed by its unique product strategy and pioneering customer satisfaction initiatives have been instrumental for Renault’s successful journey in India. 

Tata Motors Increases Prices Across Its Passenger Vehicles, Effective Feb 1st, 2023

Tata Motors, India’s leading vehicle manufacturer has announced a price increase across its ICE portfolio of the passenger vehicles. The company has been absorbing a significant portion of the increased costs on account of regulatory changes & rise in overall input costs and is hence passing on some portion through this hike.

Effective Feb 1st, 2023, the weighted average increase will be 1.2%, depending on the variant and model.