BSNL’s Biggest 4G Push: 50,000 New 4G Sites Across 70,000 Locations; 4G Rollout In 6 Months!

BSNL’s Biggest 4G Push: 50,000 New 4G Sites Across 70,000 Locations; 4G Rollout In 6 Months!

As per the reports, the state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) is planning to invite bids from multinational gear makers soon.

How Did This Happen?

BSNL soon will invite bids from multinational gear makers including Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia and ZTE to purchase equipment for its fourth-generation (4G) commercial roll-out which is expected in six months.

According to the news, BSNL is planning to spend Rs 1,200 crore on network equipment over a two-year period. 

The BSNL chairman, Pravin Kumar Purwar said “We’ll come out with an open tender and allow all vendors to participate. No vendors will be excluded, and everybody will be free to participate,”. 

What Is The Plan?

According to him, BSNL will spend Rs 1,200 crore on network equipment over a two-year period. 

Recently the company has received a Rs 74,000-crore revival package from the government, is further planning to deploy more than 50,000 new 4G mobile sites at 70,000 locations.

The Indian state-owned company is planning to launch the data network in the first half of 2020.

The telecommunications company is currently ramping up its existing network even as it prepares the contours of the tender offer, as part of a phased approach.

What Does BSNL Has To Say?

When asked about Huawei’s 5G-centric backdoor concerns worldwide, Purwar said   “We have to follow the law of the land. As of date, no telecom equipment manufacturer has been barred, irrespective of the place of origin,”.

Following the US advisory to discourage Huawei, some countries including the United Kingdom have been looking at a multi-vendor approach to alleviate security apprehensions.

Purwar also said the 4G services launch would happen in phases. Already, the telco has 4G services in several circles with Kerala being the major circle.

 BSNL has already closed 3G services in the majority of the cities in Kerala to offer just 2G and 3G services. 

It is going to be interesting to see whether BSNL brings back the 3G network as part of the official 4G network rollout in the circle.

Will BSNL Allow Chinese Vendors To Participate In The Auction?

BSNL had awarded network expansion contract to Finland’s Nokia and China’s ZTE In 2017.

BSNL said that it will allow every vendor to participate in the auction when several countries were banning the usage of telecom equipment from Chinese gear makers like Huawei and ZTE.

Purwar said  “We’ll be coming out with an open tender and allow all vendors to participate. No vendors will be excluded, and everybody will be free to participate,”.

In turn, they had emerged as L1 and L2 bidders respectively, to deploy 40,000 base transceiver stations.

Furthermore, he added that the telco is not looking to ban Chinese vendors from participating in the auction because there’s no such directive from the government. “We have to follow the law of the land. As of date, no telecom equipment manufacturer has been barred irrespective of the place of origin,” Purwar said on asking about Huawei ban in various countries. (Reference)

How BSNL Plans to Deploy New 4G Mobile Sites?

The telco is launching next-generation services on the 2100 MHz band spectrum across its 20 licensed service areas.

The telco company already has some 4G network sites in various circles, but in a few months, the company is planning to deploy more than 50,000 new 4G sites to provide high-speed data services to the users.

 Currently, the company has around 70,000 mobile sites across the country and the next two years, new mobile sites will add to the list. 

Moreover, BSNL will be launching the 4G services on the 2100 Mhz band spectrum in the licensed service areas. 

While the company may launch around 44 services on 800MHz frequency range in Rajasthan but to confirm the frequency range it will use for launching 4G services.

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Whatsapp’s Disappearing Messages, Dark Mode Confirmed: Now Set Timer For Every Message & Destroy Them Forever

Whatsapp’s Disappearing Messages, Dark Mode Confirmed: Now Set Timer For Every Message & Destroy Them Forever

It was October when we informed you about Whatsapp working on a new feature that will enable users to delete their messages without leaving any trail. While this feature is already available in other chatting apps, such as Telegram and Signal, and Whatsapp is late to the party. 

There is news about the progress of Whatsapp’s Dark Mode as well, and that this feature is ready to be rolled out soon enough, after an extra prolonged wait.

Find out all the details about the new features of Whatsapp right here!

Whatsapp To Introduce Disappearing Messages Features Soon

WABetaInfo, the account that informs us about all the new and upcoming features in the popular social messaging app owned by Facebook, Whatsapp. One of the updates that is currently featuring in the latest posts by WABetaInfo is about deleting messages feature that Whatsapp is working on. 

In its information about the update, WABetaInfo states, “The feature is still under development, and WhatsApp is starting to work again on it in the 2.19.348 update, where they renamed Disappearing Messages to Delete Messages.”

Whatsapp’s Delete Messages Feature: Find Out How It Works

This feature, as the name suggests, will enable you to delete your messages without leaving a trail. Currently, if you delete a message, it still shows the text “This message has been deleted”. However, with these disappearing messages, you will now be able to delete the messages and no such text will appear either.

When this option is enabled, this feature can be toggled in the Contact Info option or Group settings. This option is available for both individual and group chats, and has already been made compatible with the Dark Theme that will soon be introduced in Whatsapp. 

Only administrators of a group can enable this feature in a group. 

You can set the time for the messages to be deleted, and there are four options, other than the off option – 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 1 year. 

There is still no news about when this feature will be available. 

Whatsapp Dark Mode Also Confirmed

The new update from Whatsapp also confirms the presence of dark mode in the app. Using dark mode, the user can rest their eyes, and get less strained while reading and accessing content.

We have already reported how to activate the dark theme, and why Whatsapp users are pretty excited for the same!

We will keep you updated, as more details come in.

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UP Govt’s Anti-Corruption Drive: 1000 Govt. Officers Are Now Jobless; IAS Officers Are Forced To Retire By UP Govt.

UP Govt’s Anti-Corruption Drive: 1000 Govt. Officers Are Now Jobless; IAS Officers Are Forced To Retire By UP Govt.

If you think that getting into a government job means doing as you like and not contributing towards the well being of the country, you might want to reconsider your train of thoughts. In July, we covered an article on how the NaMo government had officially retired or recommended compulsory retirement of 312 government officers, belonging to Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ services, since July 2014 to May 2019.

The government took this step to remove all those officers, registered with complaints and corruption cases pending against them. 27 senior officials, including principal and chief commissioners in the tax department were forced to retire on June of this year, on account of complaints and corruption cases pending against them.

Now, what’s topping this is the reports that have fled in from the UP government. It turns out that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s government has left more than 1,000 government employees in various ‘cadres’ as jobless.

Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Zero-Tolerance for Corruption’ Policy

The UP CM has rendered more than 1000 of his government employees of different cadres, jobless on ‘inefficient and corrupt’ officers in the state government. His ‘zero-tolerance for corruption‘ policy has swept many government official off of their jobs in the state.

The most recent victim of this policy is IAS Rajiv Kumar, who has been served a notice of forced retirement. The 1983 batch IAS officer has faced serious charges of corruption in Noida and even had a stint in jail.

As per sources in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, the CM has retired 37 employees in various cadres in the Transport Department, 36 in the Revenue Department and 26 in the Basic Education Department.

Apart from this, 25 officials in the Panchayati Raj Department, 18 in the Public Works Department, 16 each in the Labour Department, Institutional Finance and 16 in Commercial Tax Department have been sent into forced retirement.

Five IAS officers, namely Shishir Priyadarshi (1980 batch), Atul Bagai (1983), Arun Arya (1985), Sanjay Bhatia (1990) and Rita Singh (1997) have already been ‘deemed resigned’ for overstaying their foreign assignments. 

The state government has also initiated action against officers of the Provincial Civil Services who have been placed under suspension. They include Ghanshyam Singh, Rajkumar Dwiwedi, Chhotelal Mishra, Anju Katiyar, Vijay Prakash Tiwari, Shailendra Kumar, Raj Kumar, Satyam Mishra, Devendra Kumar and Saujanya Kumar Vikas.

The list of PCS officers who’ve been terminated include Ashok Kumar Shukla, Ashok Kumar Lal, and Randhir Singh Duhan. Prabhu Dayal, on the other hand has been demoted from the post of sub-divisional magistrate to tehsildar, along with irish Chandra Srivastava.

More on the Government Policies that Few Know

• According to disciplinary rules, the government has the right to proceed against corrupt officials on the basis of available evidence.
• It has the absolute right to retire government officials on grounds of lack of integrity and ineffectiveness, according to the Fundamental Rules 56(j)(l), Rule 48 of Central Civil Services (CCS) Pension) Rules, 1972 and Rule 16(3) (Amended ) of All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) [AIS(DCRB)] Rules, 1958. 
• According to Pension Rules, the review of whether an official is fit to continue to work should happen “six months” before the official attains the age of 50 and 55 years.
• The provision for “compulsory retirement” of officials in public interest was first notified by the government in 1969. Although the provisions existed, they were rarely used by previous governments, until 2014.
• They were again brought back into circulation through a circular in March 2014.

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Tata Sky Stops New Users From Choosing Long-Term Packs; This Means New Users Can’t Save Money!

Tata Sky Stops New Users From Choosing Long-Term Packs; This Means New Users Can’t Save Money!

The digital evolution is growing exponentially and seeing no stop signs. Platforms such as Netflix and YouTube have led way to so many Over the Content and video content that getting access to such medium for awareness and entertainment is getting easier and easier as each day passes.

As a result, the sales of DTH services have shown an unprecedented drop this year. People have diverted their means of content absorption to other, more familiar mediums.

However not all good has been dissolving. Just last week we covered an article about Tata Sky is giving away an Amazon Fire TV Stick free with every new High Definition set-top box connection, naming this deal as Amazon Fire TV Stick – Tata Sky Edition.

Today however, we bring another story to you related to Tata Sky. For anyone who is looking forward to having a Tata Sky subscription, the latter has reportedly stopped offering long term channel packs to its new subscribers. 

Tata Sky Stops Long Term Channel Packs for New Subscribers

It has been reported that Tata Sky will no longer be providing its long term channel packs, like the six-month channel pack or the annual channel pack to the new subscribers, in order to save on subscription costs.

Good for the ones who watch Malyalam and Marathi channels, these are the only two regional language channel packs which will be available for semi-annual or annual channel packs for the newly subscribed customers of Tata Sky. These packs can be subscribed in SD quality.

Earlier, Tata Sky subscribers could also go for SD Kannada Super, SD Kannada Value, SD Telugu Super, SD Kerala Super, SD Tamil Super, SD Telugu Value, Tamil Super Annual, SD Kannada Super Annual, SD Telugu Super Annual, and other packs for six-month or 12-month duration. It is to be noted that these conditions will not impact the existing Tata Sky subscribers who have already subscribed to a long term pack.

Tata Sky’s Promotional Moves

Separately, Tata Sky has withdrawn a promotional offer that provided free six-month subscription of Tata Sky Binge service on getting a new HD set-top box at Rs. 4,999, along with a cashback of Rs 2500.

Tata Sky is bundling up a free Amazon Fire TV Stick – Tata Sky Edition with every new High Definition (HD) set-top box, at no extra cost. The original price of this Amazon Fire TV Stick is Rs 3,999, which would otherwise come free, paired with the HD STB connection of Tata Sky. Also, Tat Sky is extending this offer to its existing customers too, who need to upgrade to the HD STB to avail this.

Tata Sky Binge is also bundling the premium subscriptions for streaming services such as Hotstar Premium, Eros Now, Zee5, Hungama Play and SunNxt.

Tata Sky Binge is priced at Rs 249 a month and with premium subscriptions of the aforementioned services, it is also letting its customers enjoy a limited time Amazon Prime subscription that allows access to Amazon Video streaming. 

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NHAI Asks ICICI, HDFC, SBI To Give Free FASTags To Everyone; But Is It Happening?

NHAI Asks ICICI, HDFC, SBI To Give Free FASTags To Everyone; But Is It Happening?

National Highways Authority of India or NHAI, which is implementing the ambitious FASTag project, has ‘requested’ all banks to provide free FASTags for all users.

This request has been made to ICICI Bank, HDFC, SBI, Kotak Mahindra and others.

However, it the free distribution of FASTags by banks started?

NHAI To Banks: Provide Free FASTags

As per incoming reports, NHAI has requested all banks to offer free FASTags, to all users, only till December 1st.

Every bank which is selling FASTags: ICICI, Axis, HDFC, IDFC First, IndusInd, Kotak Mahindra and others, have been requested for this.

NHAI is already issuing free FASTags to all vehicle owners, and this free distribution is happening at toll plazas across India.

How To Get Free FASTag From Banks?

As per the directives issued by NHAI, vehicle owners can bring their driving license, and a copy of their vehicle RC (Registration Certificate), to get free FASTags from any bank.

The minimum prepaid amount which needs to be present in the FASTag has to be uploaded by the user, but there won’t be any FASTag issuance fee for the same or any security deposit. 

This offer, as per NHAI directive, should be active till December 1st. NHAI has requested this to the banks, via IMCL (Indian Highways Management Company Limited), an initiative from NHAI for implementing the FASTag rule across all toll plazas.

Even NHAI’s offer of free FASTags is applicable till December 1st.

But Are The Banks Following This Request

As per incoming reports, banks are charging for issuing FASTags: both the security deposit, and the issuance fee from the users.

There has been no official announcement from the banks, regarding the free FASTag offer, as requested by NHAI and IMCL.

This is certainly creating some confusion. 

In fact, even after Govt. offered free FASTags for all, at toll plazas, there are some cases wherein the employees at toll plazas are not giving the FASTags for free.

For instance, at Kherki Daula toll in Gurgaon, reports have emerged that agents are selling these FASTags in black, and there was a huge queque for the same.

In case you receive any information about FASTags at banks, please do let us know.

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Xiaomi Black Friday Sale 2019: Best Deals On Smartphones, Accessories, TVs

Missed your favourite Xiaomi product at the previous sales? India’s biggest electronic brand is again back with a big sale this Black Friday on a wide range of Xiaomi products with some special discounts and extra cashback. 

Xiaomi Black Friday Sale 2019: Best Deals On Smartphones, Accessories, TVs

The Xiaomi Black Friday 2019 sale is offering deals on TVs, smartphones, Xioami accessories and more.

It’s a good chance to grab your favourite Xiaomi product at the Black Friday Sale. The company is offering some good discounts on a number of bestselling devices and accessories. You can avail the offers directly on mi.com.

Xiaomi is offering an instant 10 percent discount on all Xiaomi products at the Black Friday sale with HDFC Bank cards.

Here are the best Xiaomi Black Friday deals you can’t afford to miss.

Xiaomi Black Friday Smartphone Deals: Xiaomi Smartphones On Sale

There are a number of Xiaomi smartphones being offered on discount the Xiaomi Black Friday sale. You can claim an additional 10 percent instant discount on all the products at the Black Friday sale by Xioami.

Redmi Note 8 Pro At 13,999

Redmi Note 8 Pro is the currently best smartphone under 15000 in India. The new Note 8 Pro can be bought at Rs 13,999 during the Balck Friday 2019 sale by Xioami with an instant Rs 1,000 discount with HDFC Bank cards. Redmi Note 8 Pro features a 6.53-inch Full HD+ screen offering an immersive 91.94 percent screen-to-body ratio with a 3D curved CG5 glass sandwich body

Redmi Note 8 Pro packs in a quad camera system at the back. Note 8 Pro comes with the 64MP Samsung GW1 sensor with f/1.7 aperture, 2MP depth sensor, 8MP Ultra Wide lens and 2cm Macro lens. Note 8 Pro runs on MediaTek Helio G90T housing a 4,500mAh battery.

Redmi Note 8 At 8,999

The all-new special Redmi Note 8 Cosmic Purple edition has been unveiled in India, and it’s going on sale for the first time at the Xiaomi Black Friday sale with an instant Rs 1,000 discount with HDFC Bank cards. The Cosmic Purple Redmi Note 8 is available in both the storage variants: 64GB and 128GB. It features a 6.3-inch Full HD+ screen, glass sandwich body with Gorilla Glass 5 and a quad rear camera setup featuring a primary 48MP Samsung GM1 sensor.

Redmi Note 8 is powered by Snapdragon 665 backed by a 4,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging support running on Android 9 Pie based on MIUI 10. 

Xiaomi Mi A3 At 11,499

The latest third generation Mi A3 will be available at Rs 11,499 during the Balck Friday 2019 sale by Xioami with an instant Rs 1,000 discount with HDFC Bank cards. Mi A3 features a 6.08-inch HD+ AMOLED display an in-display fingerprint sensor, full-glass body with gradient finish and a triple camera system.

Xiaomi Mi A3 is powered by Snapdragon 665 SoC with a triple camera setup featuring the 48MP Sony IMX 586 sensor, an 8MP secondary sensor with a 118-degree and a wide-angle 2MP sensor. 

Redmi K20 At 18,999

After the price cut is Redmi K20 is now available at Rs 19,999 at the Xiaomi Black Friday Sale with additional Rs 1,000 off with HDFC Bank cards. Redmi K20 comes with Snapdragon 730 processor featuring an 6.39-inch AMOLED Full HD+ display with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage. Redmi K20 packs in a triple rear camera featuring 48MP Sony IMX582 sensor along with 8MP and 13MP sensors.

On top K20 has a 20MP pop-up selfie camera. It runs on Android 9 Pie based MIUI 10 (MIUI 11 now available) with a 4,000mAh battery backing it supporting 18W fast charging (charger in box).

Redmi Note 7 Pro At 10,999

Redmi Note 7 Pro is available at Rs 10,999 at the Xiaomi Black Friday sale including additional Rs 1,000 off with HDFC Bank cards. Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with a 48MP powered dual camera, complete glass body, Snapdragon 675, 4,000mAh body, notched Full HD+ display, fast charging support and much more.

The device has been permanently discounted, and now sells for Rs 11,999 on other days via Flipkart and Mi.com.

Redmi K20 Pro At 24,999

The current leader in the entry-premium flagship segment, Redmi K20 Pro is available with a flat price cut at the Xiaomi Black Friday. You can get the K20 Pro at Rs 24,999 at the Black Friday sale with Rs 1,000 instant discount with HDFC Bank cards. The smartphone is currently the cheapest Snapdragon 855 smartphone in India.

Redmi K20 Pro features a triple camera system housing a 48MP Sony IMX586 camera with an 8MP telephoto secondary sensor and a tertiary 13MP wide-angle sensor.

Redmi Note 7S At 8,099

Redmi Note 7S is currently the cheapest 48MP camera smartphone at this price. You can get the 48MP smartphone at as cheap as Rs 8,99 at the Xiaomi Black Friday Sale 2019 with Rs 900 instant discount with HDFC Bank cards. The 32GB model will be available at Rs 8,999 at the sale, while the 64GB model at Rs 9,999. It comes with a 6.3-inch Full HD+ notched display with Snapdragon 660. 

At the back, Redmi Note 7S comes with a dual camera setup featuring a 48MP main sensor coupled with a 5MP secondary depth sensor. 

Poco F1 At 13,999

The much-successful Poco F1 is available at Rs 13,999 at the Xiaomi Black Friday Sale with additional Rs 1,000 off with HDFC Bank cards. Poco F1 still remains one of the best entry-level premium smartphones on a budget. Poco F1 comes with a 6.18-inch Full HD+ display running on the previous Qualcomm flagship Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with Adreno 630 GPU.

It comes with a dual rear camera setup offering a combination of 12-megapixel and 5-megapixel secondary camera, and it produces some awesome camera results. 

Redmi Y3 At 7,999

The selfie focused Redmi Y3 is going to be available at Rs 7,999 at the Xiaomi Black Friday Sale. The smartphone sports a 6.26-inch HD+ display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top running on Snapdragon 632 SoC with 3GB or 4GB RAM and 32GB or 64GB storage. Redmi Y3 comes with MIUI 10 on top.

With a 32-megapixel front camera with an f/2.25 aperture and EIS support, Redmi Y3 has a dual 12+2MP camera system backed by a 4,000mAh battery.

Redmi 7 At 6,999

Redmi 7 is available at a special price of Rs 6,999 at the Xiaomi Black Friday Sale. Redmi 7 features a 6.26-inch HD+ only display with a dot notch running on 14nm Snapdragon 632 octa-core SoC. Redmi 7 comes with the same 12MP primary snapper with 2MP secondary depth sensor.

Redmi 7 runs on MIUI 10 skin housing a 4,000mAh battery unit. 

Xiaomi Black Friday Deals On Xiaomi Accessories, Top Xiaomi Black Friday Deals

Here are some of the best deals to be available at the Xiaomi Black Friday 2019 om mi.com.

1. Mi Headphones Comfort At Rs 999 (original price: Rs 2,999)

2. Mi Bluetooth Speaker Basic 2 At Rs 999 (original price: Rs 2,699)

3. Mi LED Smart WiFi Bulb At Rs 699 (original price: Rs 1,499)

4. Mi Router 3C At Rs 499 (original price: Rs 1,199)

5. Mi Home Security Basic Camera 1080p At Rs 999 (original price: Rs 2,299)

6. Mi In-Ear Basic Headphones At Rs 199 (original price: Rs 599)

7. Mi Band 3 At Rs 1,599 (original price: Rs 2,199)

8. Mi Sports Bluetooth Earphones Basic At Rs 999 (original price: Rs 1,799)

9. Mi Band 3i At Rs 1,299 (original price: Rs 1,599)

10. Mi TV 4X 2020 edition 55-inch At Rs 33,999 (original price: Rs 44,999) – Including Rs 1,000 instant discount with HDFC Bank Cards

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Tata Motors Stung by Slowdown; Will Offer VRS To 1600 Employees To Reduce Expenses

Tata Motors Stung by Slowdown, Will Offer VRS To 1600 Employees To Reduce Expenses; R&D, Engineering Dept Can Be Trimmed

It seems like a voluntary retirement scheme is becoming the latest trend amidst the prolonged slow down as Tata Motors Ltd is also working on a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), according to sources.

Why Would This Happen?

After BSNL and MTNL VRS scheme, Tata Motors Ltd is also planning on VRS schemes for its employees as India’s largest vehicle maker bears the brunt of a prolonged slowdown in the domestic market.

Tata Motors is not the only one who is planning on these kind of strategies as earlier other vehicle makers such as Hero MotoCorp Ltd, Ashok Leyland Ltd and Toyota Kirloskar Motors Pvt. Ltd that have introduced similar schemes this fiscal. 

The company’s adversity compounded by stringent emission norms that are set to kick in from April as well as possessing one of the largest workforce in the industry.

To Whom This Scheme Will Be Applicable?

As per the information, this scheme will be offered to employees of different departments, across its businesses of passenger and commercial vehicles.

On the condition of anonymity, the sources informed that “this year, Tata Motors’ employee cost-cutting plans are more aggressive than the previous times. Besides removing surplus staff at JLR in recent months, the company is now seeking voluntary retirements from more than 1,600 people across all locations and hierarchies,”.

According to sources, permanent employees across departments will be considered for VRS, but the focus will be on reducing the number of employees on the engineering side of operations. 

Also, the contracts of some senior employees, retained as consultants post-retirement, may not get renewed.

The source said “On the engineering side, the employee count is quite heavy compared to other automakers. Given the challenges ahead, the company will not be able to run efficiently with such a high employee cost,”.

He added, “Headcount rationalization across the board had led them to even look at the research and development (R&D) teams, including the engineering research center in Pune, which is the hotbed of all R&D activities for the company,”.

How Is Tata Motor’s Trying To Cope With The Situation?

During the September quarter, the company’s employee cost as a percentage of net sales swelled to 10.7% from 5.9% in the year earlier.

While Tata Motors’ stand-alone net sales fell 44% from a year earlier, during the quarter,  it plunged to a net loss of ?1,281.97 crore from a year-earlier profit of ?109.14 crore.

In terms of employee cost as a percentage of net sales at the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, accounted for at 4.9%, compared to 3.5% in the year-ago period.

Although,  over the last few years, Tata Motors has been trying to reduce its employee cost and it had launched a similar offer in 2017, but most of the permanent employees didn’t show any interest in these kind of schemes.

What Does Tata Motors Say About This News?

“At the moment, there is no such plan,” said a spokesperson for Tata Motors.

Fortunes of Tata Motors’ India operations have been dwindling over the last few quarters. 

The sales of heavy and medium commercial vehicles reduced to 59%, while overall sales for the company in the segment declined to 41.2% in the September quarter. 

 The demand for heavy and medium commercial vehicles is likely to decline further, due to the introduction of Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) norms, posing more challenges in the next fiscal.

According to manufacturing field analyst, the demand projection for the next few quarters is not buoyant with BS-VI norms set for introduction, while there will be greater automation in the manufacturing process. Hence, this step by the company makes sense.

What Does Future Hold For Auto Industry?

As per the reports, 1 host of new regulations for the automobile industry will be introduced in the country in the next few years till 2023 that will make vehicles across categories costly and is expected to have an adverse impact on demand. 

The country has adopted new safety norms for vehicles In October and the new emission norms will come into effect in April. (Reference)

The second and stricter phase of corporate average fuel efficiency norms will be implemented from 2022 and the real-time driving emission test will be introduced in 2023.

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Rs 5 Lakh Insurance For Every Ola/Uber Rider; 10% Cap On Income/Ride: Govt’s Regulation Plan For Taxi Apps

Rs 5 Lakh Insurance For Every Rider; 10% Cap On Uber/Ola Income, Surge Pricing: Govt’s Regulation Plan For Taxi Apps

In the coming days, the business of on-demand taxis in India is going to be transformed, by a huge margin.

Govt has proposed some big-time changes to the existing business model of Ola and Uber and other taxi apps, and going by the looks of it, these companies will protest.

But, there is positive news as we: Govt. has identified that online taxi apps help to reduce congestion and pollution, and they are here to stay. 

But, the bad news is that, Govt. will regulate this business.

Uber/Ola Can Be Forced To Cap Profits; Surge Pricing

As per reports coming in, Govt. has decided to modify the Motor Vehicle Act, 2019, and introduce some large scale regulation for taxi-hailing apps.

To start with, Govt. can propose a cap or limit of 10% income, for Uber and Ola, for every ride. Hence, if the proposals are accepted, then these companies cannot make more than 10% profit from any ride.

Right now, the commission which Uber and Ola charges is 20% on an average.

If the proposal is indeed accepted, then the income of these ride-sharing apps will reduce by 50%.

Limit On Surge Pricing

Govt. has also proposed a limit on surge pricing as well.

Ola and Uber cannot charge more than double of the base fare, as surge price, as per the proposals. Besides, any driver can have maximum of 5 rides, under surge pricing. 

State Govt. can, infact, propose their own surge pricing guidelines, as per the proposal.

The proposals will be soon shared with the public for their suggestions.

An official said, “We are planning to release the draft (aggregator rules) for public feedback sometime next week. It will largely be in line with the guidelines that were shared, with a few small changes.”

Rs 5 Lakh Insurance For All Riders

The proposal mentions that every rider who takes a ride with Ola or Uber, must have compulsory insurance of Rs 5 lakh.

This insurance should be provided by the taxi-app company.

In case a driver cancels a ride, then a 10-15% penalty of the fare, on the driver has been proposed, which should not exceed Rs 100, per instance.

Facial recognition-based identity-check of the driver can also be implemented, which has to be done after every few hours.

As per a Govt. official, it is clear that such ride-hailing services is good for the country. He said, “Ride-hailing is one of the best solutions for India. One cab replaces 10 personal cars on the road and 35% of personal car trips at any given point remain idle. This is what causes congestion.”

We will keep you updated, as more details come in.

Source

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Jio Stops Preview Offer Of 1.1 TB Data For New JioFiber Users; Now Pay Minimum Rs 699/Month

Jio Stops Preview Offer Of 1.1 TB Data For New JioFiber Users; Pay Minimum Rs 699 To Avail Any Plan Under JioFiber

Reliance Jio, to the dismay of its potential and new users, is now drawing the curtains on its Preview Offer that the company had launched for promotion of the Fiber.

The Jio Fiber Preview Offer provides customers with 100 Mbps plan with 1.1 TB FUP (Fair Usage Policy), and that too at no extra cost. 

This promotional Preview Offer by Reliance Jio had quickly won the hearts of Jio’s new users, and this news is sure to break a few hearts as well.

What Offers Will Replace Jio Fiber’s Preview Offer? Find out all the details right here!

Reliance Owned Jio Fiber To No Longer Offer Jio Fiber Preview Offer

Ambani owned Reliance Jio, at the time of the commercial launch of the Jio Fiber broadband service, had introduced the Preview Offer for its customers. This offer was available for a security deposit of Rs. 4500 or Rs. 2500, depending on the router, and this amount was refundable. 

Jio had also announced that each existing subscribers of the Preview Offer will be migrated to paid plans. However, this has not yet happened for many of them, and on top of that, new Jio Fiber users will not be able to pick the Preview Offer plan anymore. 

Many of the existing users of Jio Fiber are still enjoying the benefits of this Preview Offer.

What Plans Is Jio Offering For New Customers Of Jio Fiber?

Reliance Jio is offering its new users a variety of plans which are:

• Bronze plan: Rs. 699, with 100 Mbps speed, and FUP is 100GB + 50GB
• Silver plan: Rs. 849, with a speed of 100 Mbps, and the FUP is 200GB + 200GB
• Gold plan: Rs. 1,299, with a speed of 250 Mbps, and the FUP is 500 GB + 250 GB
• Diamond plan: Rs. 2,499, with a speed of 500 Mbps, and the FUP is 1250 GB + 250 GB
• Platinum plan: Rs. 3,999, with a speed of 1 Gbps, and the FUP is 2500 GB
• Titanium plan: Rs. 8,499, with a speed of 1 Gbps, and the FUP is 5000 GB

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Redmi K30 Leaked In Full: 120Hz Display, Snapdragon 730G, 64MP Quad Camera, 27W Charging

Redmi K30 Leaked In Full: 120Hz Display, Snapdragon 730G, 64MP Quad Camera, 27W Charging

After a series of leaks, finally we have a list of all the specs denoting Redmi K30, the Indian Redmi K30. Xiaomi would be launching two different editions of Redmi K30, an Indian edition running on Snapdragon 730G and a global model supporting 5G.

While India is yet to get 5G, bringing in a 5G model doesn’t make sense.

Redmi K30 will succeed the current Redmi K20 with some added features and better specifications. In India, the Redmi K30 4G variant will launch without 5G support. Redmi K30 4G in India will be powered by the Snapdragon 730G chipset.

Redmi K30 Full Specs, Redmi K30 Complete Specs

The Redmi K30 4G will come to India and not the 5G model. Redmi K30 will have a number of upgrades over the current Redmi K20 with new features and functions.

Redmi K30 Design & Build

The smartphone will come with a glass sandwich build with the front and back protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The smartphone will feature a complete glass body as the predecessor, while the gradient tones may see a change.

Unlike Redmi K20, the Redmi K30 will feature a punch-hole display and not a pop-up sensor.

Also, the Redmi K30 will come with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor instead of a in-display fingerprint sensor.

Redmi K30 120Hz Display, K30 Display

Redmi K30 is feature a 120Hz display offering the same refresh rate. K30 will sport a 6.6-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with a punch-hole cutout on the top shaped like a pill. The display will pack in two selfie sensors featuring dual selfie cameras. 

Redmi K20 came with an AMOLED display, and K30 will feature an LCD display, just with added 120Hz refresh rate. 

Redmi K30 Hardware & Storage, Redmi K30 Snapdragon 730G

Under the hood, Redmi K30 will run on a slightly improved Qualcomm processor, the Snapdragon 730G. It has some added gaming enhancements over Snapdragon 730. It’s currently the fastest midrange chipset available.

Redmi K30 base model will start with 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage, with another model with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.

Redmi K30 Cameras, Redmi K30 Rear Camera, K30 64MP Camera

Coming to optics, the K30 will come with upgraded cameras over Redmi K20. Redmi K30 will feature a quad camera setup at the back featuring a 64-megapixel sensor as the primary shooter. The other three sensors will include an 8-megapixel telephoto camera, 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-megapixel depth camera.

Up front, Redmi K30 will feature a dual camera system. It will include a 20-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel depth camera.

Redmi K30 Battery, Redmi K30 27W Fast Charging Support

Redmi K30 will be backed by a huge 4,500mAh battery. The predecessor housed a 4,000mAh unit, and it’s an upgrade over it. With Snapdragon 730G backing Redmi K30, the device will be able to deliver a hassle free experience and dependable backup.

Redmi K30 will support 27W fast-charging, with a 27W adapter expected in the box. 

Redmi K30 India Launch, Redmi K30 Launch In India

The 4G variant of Redmi K30 will come to India, and not the one with 5G support. Both the 5G models of Redmi K30 smartphones will remain exclusive to China. Redmi K30 and Redmi K30 Pro are also the first Redmi smartphones to come with 5G support.

Currently the Redmi K20 smartphones in India comes with standard 4G connectivity.

Xiaomi India haven’t yet revealed the Redmi K30 India launch date, but it’s expected by the end of 2019 or early 2020. Xiaomi will unveil Redmi K30 in China on December 10.

The company will be upgrading the current Redmi K20 series really quick to take on the growing competition. Realme will also soon be launching Realme X2, a direct Redmi K20 competitor. Redmi K30 hence will have some leverage with better features and specs. 

Redmi K30 India Price, Redmi K30 Price In India

The Redmi K20 landed in India only a few months back, and the device is doing pretty well after the recent price cut. Redmi K20 is currently the best smartphone you can buy in India under 20000. Xiaomi will unveil Redmi K30 in China on December 10.

Xiaomi India hasn’t yet revealed anything from their side by far, and we need to wait to have the official Redmi K30 India launch date.

Redmi K30 India price is expected in the same sub-20,000 category. Currently Redmi K20 is selling at a discounted price of Rs 19,999. Redmi K30 India price will start at the same Rs 19,999 for the base model with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage.

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SBI Cards File India’s 5th Biggest IPO Ever; Rs 9600 Crore Of Shares Will Be Sold At A Valuation Of Rs 65,000 Crore

SBI Cards File India’s 5th Biggest IPO Ever; Rs 9600 Crore Of Shares Will Be Sold At A Valuation Of Rs 65,000 Crore

State Bank of India, India’s biggest Public Sector Bank in India, with a network of over 15,000 branches spread across the lengths and breadths of the country has a piece of information, which we’d eagerly like to share with you.

It turns out that SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd, SBI’s credit card unit filed initial share sale documents on Wednesday, which could comprehend the company selling shares worth around Rs 9,600 crore.

SBI’s Possible Share Sale

The share sale conducted by the credit card unit of the country’s largest lender yesterday, is poised to become the fifth-largest IPO in the country after Coal India Ltd, Reliance Power Ltd, GIC Re, and Oil and Natural Gas Corp. This could help the bank raise funds to boost credit growth.

SBI holds 74% stake in the unit, sharing this with the private equity firm Carlyle Group that holds the rest 26% through its subsidiary CA Rover Holdings. They’ll together sell 130.5 million shares through this IPO.

It has also been informed that the secondary component of the IPO could be Rs 9,100 crore, giving a partial exit to both its shareholders. While Carlyle is looking to sell 10% stake via the IPO, SBI would sell 4% stake in the company.

The initial share sale also includes a fresh issue of shares that shall help the company raise Rs 500 crore to augment its capital base and for business growth. Fortunately, the secondary markets have seen some recovery, spurring some activity in the IPO market. However, many small-cap companies are still finding it tough to get the desired pricing.

SBI Cards and More

SBI Cards is the second-largest credit card issuer in the country with 9.46 million credit cards. They had an 18% share of the Indian credit card market until September 30.

HDFC Bank has the largest credit cards business in the country with 13.3 million cards issued, while ICICI Bank stood third with 7.9 million credit cards, as of 30 September, according to data from the Reserve Bank of India.

For the six months to September, SBI Cards reported a revenue jump of 36% to Rs 4,363.9 crore from a year ago. Its profit jumped 78% to Rs 1,034.58 crore during the period.

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Govt Will Sell 100% Of Air India To Private Firms; If Sale Fails, Then Air India Will Shut Down

Govt Will Sell 100% Of Air India To Private Firms; If Sale Fails, Then Air India Will Shut Down

There’s an attractive amount of conundrum going on about the state-run national carrier, Air India and government’s hardcore attempt to sell the high-profile asset. Almost recently, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed her confidence in the government’s focused disinvestment of Air India.

What’s new this time is the fact that has just flooded in. Unfortunately, the debt-laiden airline will have to shut down if a renewed attempt to sell it fails to find a buyer, as informed by India’s civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri yesterday.

Govt to Sell 100% Stakes in Air India

It is no secret that Air India hasn’t made money since its 2007 merger with state-owned domestic operator Indian Airlines Ltd. and is in constant burden of debt, concluding the government’s decision to sell it.

In 2018, the government put up 76% of Air India for sale, which saw a weak demand from investors. The tepid response during the bidding process led to the govt to abort the airline’s sale. This is the government’s second attempt to sell their stake in Air India.

This time however, the Centre has decided to divest its entire stake in Air India Ltd and its no-frill subsidiary Air India Express, as last time it failed to attract bids for a partial stake.

Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM) has approved the 100 percent sale of Government of India’s stake in Air India, along with Air India Express and government’s stake in AISATS for the re-initiated strategic divestment of Air India. The international carrier is saddled with $11 billion in debt.

The government is pretty desperate to sell off the airline, as it is crucial to bridge a widening fiscal deficit exacerbated by tax collections and a $20 billion corporate tax cut.

Air India’s operating expenses rose about 24% Y-o-Y to ?30,194.06 crore during fiscal 2019. The airline has been surviving on a rescue package, approved as a part of its Turn Around Plan (TAP) on 2012. Under this plan, the government infused over ?29,000 crore into Air India. Notwithstanding, there are no more rescue package plans for the national carrier.

Air India Shall be Shut Down if Not Sold

The international carrier is saddled with $11 billion in debt. It net debt swelled to ?58,351.93 crore at the end of March 2019 from ?55,000 crore at the end of March 2018, which includes working capital and aircraft-related debt. Selling Air India, which has about 128 planes, will help the government exit a loss-making business.

A group of ministers concerned with this whole Air India case have agreed to sell the entire government stake in the carrier at low costs, as pumping in more taxpayer funds into the airline doesn’t come out to be the best idea.

Modi’s administration is considering a plan to exclude $7 billion of the airline’s debt, to lure buyers.

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12,000 Bharat Petroleum Employees On Strike Against Privatisation; BSNL, Indian Railways Employees Can Join Them

12,000 Bharat Petroleum Employees On Strike Against Privatisation; BSNL, Indian Railways Can Join Them

On 28 November, around 12,000 employees of state-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) have threatened the company to go on a strike.

How Did This Happen?

The employees of the oil and gas company are going against the Union government’s decision to privatize the company.

There is also news of worker’s unions of other public sector entities join this strike in solidarity.

The senior BPCL workers’ union functionaries said that unions cutting across political affiliations from other public sector undertakings (PSUs) such as Indian Oil Corp.Ltd (IOC), Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC), Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd (HPCL), Indian Railways, Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd (MTNL), and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will support them by joining this nationwide protests.

Praveen Kumar P. said, “If the government does not reconsider its decision on BPCL’s privatization, we would be joined by employees of other oil companies in our strike which will go on for multiple days,”. (Reference)

He is the general secretary of Cochin Refineries Employees Association, an affiliate of Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC).

What Does BPCL Say?

“BPCL employee unions have given a strike notice that they plan to observe a day’s strike on 28 November. All efforts are being made to ensure that the refineries and marketing locations are running normal,” said BPCL spokesperson.

BPCL had 11,971 permanent and 22,267 temporary, contractual or casual employees as of 31 March.

How Will This Happen?

20 November, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the sale of the government’s entire stake in BPCL.

According to that, the potential bidders will have to submit an expression of interest (EoI) and after due diligence will be asked to submit price bids as part of the privatization process.

The valuation of BPCL’s assets will be carried out by an outside “asset valuer” as the government has set a 50-day deadline for the same.

What Is The Benefit Behind This Privatization?

 It is expected that this privatization process of BPCL will attract global energy majors to the economy since India is the world’s fastest-growing major oil market.

The earnings from this sale will be very significant for the government since it will help to contain its fiscal deficit amid lower-than-expected goods and services tax collections and a corporate tax cut that will cost the exchequer ?1.45 trillion.

As per the news, the government is planning to sell its 53.3% stake in the company which may account for ?60,000 crore.

What Does BPCL Employees Feel About The Privatization Of The Company?

An anonymous BPCL employee said “We feel cheated by the government now. We had joined BPCL on the security of a government job but with privatization, our livelihoods are threatened. We are protesting for our rights,”.

This is not happening for the first time fro BPCL since a similar attempt in 2003 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

That attempt was scuttled by the Supreme Court, ruling that the privatization required parliamentary approval.

Now Narendra Modi government has repealed the law, clearing the way for the stake sale.

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