CAG Instructs Maharashtra Govt to revive or shut down about 28 PSUs in state registering losses of tune Rs 20,214 crore.
With the privatisation drive going on around the country, not just central but different state governments too, are trying to revive or pay off the incredible debt baggage of their respective public sector undertakings (PSUs).
In a similar feat, a report submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has brought urgent action to be submitted by the Maharashtra Government.
Let’s have a look at the contents of this report.
MH PSUs Registering Losses of Rs 20,214 Crore
The report submitted by CAG of India has instructed the MH government to seek an urgent closure of all such PSUs, which are registering losses, on Tuesday.
The CAG has calculated these losses to be Rs 20,214 crore.
The report stated,
“The state government should review the working of statutory corporations, rural banks, joint stock companies, cooperatives, and departmental cooperative undertaking incurring losses and take appropriate steps for closure or revival.”
Of the 95 total PSUs in the state, 28 are incurring losses, with the net incurring loss to
Numbers
The auditor (CAG) has reported that the Maharashtra govt invested a total of Rs 1.53 lakh crore in its PSUs, at an average interest of 7.9% on its borrowings between 2014-19.
Of this, only 0.07% was recorded as the average return of the investment in the mentioned period.
Speaking of loss making PSUs, the state govt funded them in the form of equity and long-term loans, for 11 such PSUs, with a total of Rs 10,226 crore.
Of these 11 PSUs, the ones which have been completely eroded are:
Maharashtra Power Corporation Limited: Rs 1,013 crore
Maharashtra State Textile Corporation: Rs 844.09 crore
Maharashtra State Financial Corporation: Rs 625.26 crore
Also, there are 49 departmental commercial undertakings, out of which 29 have been registering losses continuously, while the State has invested Rs 2,990.71 crore in them.
CAG has asked for a review in this.
The auditor has also flagged about 395 irrigation projects, where costs have crossed over Rs 1.06 lakh crore, asking the State government to look into the timely-completion of these projects.
TDS of 1% will be levied on all payments made to e-commerce participant/sellers/retailers by e-comm operators (Amazon, Flipkart, etc), under the Section 194-0 from October 1, 2020.
With the number of vendors enrolling themselves with e-commerce platforms like Amazon on Flipkart, increasing day by day, this article finds its application and importance for such retailers.
We can back this fact up by a story we covered about Amazon Prime Day, spanning from August 6-7.
In this 2 day festive event, Amazon witnessed over 91,000 new registrations on its platforms from small and medium business (SMB) sellers: from artisans, to weavers and women entrepreneurs from all over the country.
While over 4000 of the registered sellers bagged sales of Rs10 lakhs or more (per seller), about 209 SMB sellers became crorepatis, in just the 2 day event.
Once you understand the heavy inflow of such retailers on online platforms, the gravity and importance of this particular article will make more sense to you.
Sellers to Receive Tax Cut by 1% TDS
According to the newly inserted section 194-O`in the Finance Act 2020, E-commerce operators (like Amazon, Flipkart, etc) will levy a 1% Tax Deducted at Source (TDS), on all transactions made to the E-Commerce participants/retailers, starting from October 1, 2020.
This section will be applicable for all e-commerce operators, whether Resident in India or Non-Resident in nature.
All such e-commerce operators while making payment to only ‘resident e-commerce participant/retailer’, for selling their goods/services to customers through the e-commerce operator’s platform, will charge a 1% TDS while paying the participant, in return of their goods/services.
What is the Need of this Newly Inserted Section?
Prior to the Section 194-0, e-comm operators did not deduct any tax while making payments to the designated seller. The whole amount was paid out.
This meant that the seller was individually required (expected) to file his/her income tax returns. However, this was not the case.
Many small and medium business sellers did not file their ITRs, hence escaping tax liabilities.
Who all are Exempted?
It is the e-comm operator’s duty to make payments to the sellers on its platforms, for their sales/services.
It should be noted that under Section 194-O, TDS must be deducted at the rate of 1% on the gross amount of sales of goods or services.
It will be applied while crediting the amount to the ecomm-participant either through an electronic mode of payment or directly.
However, this section can be exempted under 2 cases:
The seller is an individual or HUF (Hindu Undivided Family) , with an aggregate gross sale of below Rs. 5,00,000 in the financial year, provided he/she has a PAN or Aadhaar furnished to the e-commerce operator, and/or
Any payment which is liable to TDS under any other provision of the Act.
Also, please note that under Section 206AA, if a seller does not provide their PAN/Aadhaar to the e-comm operator, then the tax (TDS) deducted would be 5% instead of 1%, which is a 500% increase.
Most sold phones in 2020? Best selling phones in India 2020? Recently iPhone 11 became the most-shipped smartphone model globally in the first half of 2020. But in India, the budget market leads the table and the bestselling phones in India in 2020 include an array of budget and mid-budget phones from Xiaomi, Realme and Samsung
Best Selling Phones In India 2020: Top Phones Sold By Xiaomi, Realme, Samsung, Vivo And More
Surprisingly every nine of the ten best selling smartphones in 2020 are made by Apple and Xiaomi.
Xiaomi continues to lead the Indian smartphone market with a variety of value for money budget phones. Out of every ten phones sold in the world, four four is from Xiaomi, five is from Apple and only one is from Samsung.
While none of the Apple phones doesn’t feature in the top ten best selling phones in India in 2020 as the world list, we have another top contender, Realme. The fastest growing smartphone brand in India has been able to ship some of the highest units in the country with some great budget devices.
Here are the best selling mobile brands in India with their top phones.
Best Selling Phones In India 2020: Best Selling Mobile Brands In India
The best selling mobile brands in India include the likes of the leader Xiaomi, the fastest growing Realme and the previous market leader Samsung.
Checkout the top selling phones in India in 2020.
Redmi 8
The budget Redmi 8 leads the list. The Redmi 8 starts at Rs 8,999 onwards, recently increased by a minimum of Rs 1,000 from Rs 7,999. The device comes with an aura design on the out featuring a 6.21-inch HD+ water drop notched display, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 439 processor. The hardware pairs with up to 4GB RAM and up to 64GB storage, supporting additional storage.
Coming to optics, Redmi 8 will come with a dual camera system featuring a 12MP main camera and another 2MP depth sensor for portrait shots. Up front, Redmi 8 will come with an 8MP single wide camera.
Redmi 8 runs on Android 9 Pie with MIUI 10.0.1.3 on top. The device packs a larger battery this time. The whole package will be backed by a 5,000mAh battery supporting 18W fast charging sporting a USB Type-C port for charging (ships with 10W standard charger in the box).
Poco X2
The comeback Poco phone was a massive hit. The remodelled Redmi K30 4G in India brought back Poco to limelight. Poco X2 features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display offering 120Hz refresh rate in an 20:9 aspect ratio. Both the sides, front and back are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 featuring a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Poco X2 is powered by Snapdragon 730G, the mid-range gaming-centric chip by Qualcomm. The company is now all set with another budget smartphone, Poco M2 Pro.
Coming to optics, Poco X2 features a rear quad camera setup with a Sony 64MP IMX686 sensor, a 2-megapixel camera, a 5-megapixel sensor, and an 8-megapixel wide angle camera.
Upfront, Poco X2 flaunts a dual selfie camera setup sporting a 20MP and 2MP depth sensor. Poco X2 runs on the latest Android 10 with MIUI 11 out-of-the-box. Poco X2 houses a sizable 4,500mAh battery and supports 27W fast charging. Poco X2 new price starts at Rs 17,499 after the new GST hike.
Realme Narzo 10
The recently launched Realme Narzo 10 was the biggest hit from Realme. It comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a water drop notch on top running onMediaTek Helio G80 SoC. The chip couples with 4GB of RAM and 128GB storage onboard. The memory can be further expanded up to 256GB with an external memory card. For optics, Realme Narzo 10 features a quad rear camera setup.
Realme Narzo 10 sports a 48MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor with 119-degree field-of-view, 2MP macro sensor with f/2.4 lens, and a 2MP mono sensor with f/2.4 lens.
Realme Narzo 10 upfront features a 16MP shooter for selfies. Realme Narzo 10 is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging via a Type-C port. Narzo 10 packs in Realme UI with Android 10 on top. Realme Narzo 10 price in India is priced at Rs 11,999 for the single 4GB RAM variant offering 128GB storage.
Redmi Note 8
Redmi Note 8, launched in late 2019 was a massive hit in 2020. So popular, that Xiaomi had to increase the price. Launched at Rs 9,999, Redmi Note 8 in 2020 sells at Rs 12,499. Redmi Note 8 features a 6.3-inch Full HD+ screen offering 90 percent screen-to-body ratio sporting a glass sandwich body with Gorilla Glass 5 support on the front and back as the previous generation Redmi Note 7 series.
The four camera system on Redmi Note 8 features a primary 48MP Samsung GM1 sensor with f/1.79 aperture, 2MP depth sensor, 8MP Ultra Wide lens and a 2cm Macro lens.
Under the hood, Redmi Note 8 runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 665. The smartphone will come with the same 4,000mAh battery with support for fast charging (18W charger included) and USB Type C port. Android 9 Pie based MIUI 11 is now available. Redmi Note 8 is available via Amazon India.
Samsung Galaxy M31
Samsung Galaxy M31 is currently Samsung’s most hit smartphone of 2020. The device flaunts a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED full HD+ Infinity-U display. Samsung Galaxy M31 is powered by in-house Exynos 9611 processor and is available in storage variants: base model with 6GB of RAM paired and 64GB of storage, while the other top-end model has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Samsung Galaxy M31 features a quad-camera setup featuring a 64-megapixel main camera coupled with 8-megapixel secondary sensor, a 5-megapixel sensor and finally a 5-megapixel sensor.
Upfront, Galaxy M31 hosts a 32-megapixel selfie with an aperture of f/2.0. Samsung Galaxy M31 is backed by a massive 6,000mAh battery as it’s predecessor with support for 15W fast charging via a USB Type-C fast charger, shipped with the box along with a dedicated 3.5mm jack.
Realme C11
The recently launched Realme C11 has been a runaway hit. Launched in India at Rs 7,499, the Realme device features a 6.5-inch Mini-drop notch display with an HD+ (1600×720) resolution. Realme C11 will be powered by the 2.3GHz MediaTek Helio G35 gaming-centric budget chipset with the HyperEngine technology and IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU. Realme C11 comes with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage with support for additional storage. Realme C11 features a dual camera setup at the back.
The camera setup includes a 13MP primary sensor and 2MP depth sensor with a 5MP selfie camera upfront. Realme C11 houses a 5,000mAh battery and will ship with Android 10-based Realme UI.
Realme C3
The entry-level budget smartphone by Realme stands continue to stand strong at under 10,000. Realme C3 comes with a 6.52-inch HD+ ‘MiniDrop’ display featuring a MediaTek G70, gaming-centric budget chip. It comes with upto 4GB RAM with 64GB storage supporting expandable storage up to 256GB via a dedicated microSD card. Realme C3 runs on Realme UI out of the box based on Android 10.
Realme C3 packs a dual camera system at the back consisting of a primary 12-megapixel camera with f/1.8 aperture and fast PDAF and a 2-megapixel secondary camera.
Upfront, Realme C3 features a 5-megapixel camera. The major USP of Realme C3 is it’s the big battery. Realme C3 comes with a massive 5,000mAh unit which the company claims can run upto six movies on a single charge with a 30-day standby. Realme C3 new price starts at Rs 7,499 by minimum Rs 500. Earlier starting price was Rs 6,999.
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro has a major hit as well as its counterpart Redmi Note 8. From camera to gaming to performance, Note 8 Pro excels in every department. 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.
Under the hood, Redmi Note 8 Pro has the gaming-centric flagship MediaTek Helio G90T processor with upto 8GB RAM and 128GB storage and a larger 4,500mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging support (ships with 18W fast charger). The Redmi Note 8 Pro base model with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage now starts at Rs 14,999.
Realme 6
Realme 6 comes with a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display running on the MediaTek gaming-centric processor, the Helio G90T SoC. The G90T pairs with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, storage expandable via a microSD card up to 256GB. Realme 6 comes with a quad camera setup featuring a 64-megapixel main f/1.8 sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle f/2.3 sensor, a 2-megapixel macro f/2.4 sensor, and a 2-megapixel monochromatic f/2.4 sensor.
Upfront, Realme 6 comes with a single 16-megapixel front camera housed in the punch-hole. Realme 6 is backed by a 4,300mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging running on the new Realme UI. Realme 6 new price starts at Rs 13,999 post the GST hike on mobiles.
Samsung Galaxy M21
The last on your list is Samsung Galaxy M21. The mid-budget Samsung smartphone has been a huge hit under the Galaxy M series. It has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display and a 6,000mAh battery as major USP features. Under the hood, Galaxy M21 runs on Exynos 9611 octa core SoC paired with 4 GB and 6 GB RAM variants. The phone is available in 64 GB and 128 GB storage variants. At the back Galaxy M21 features a triple rear camera setup with a 48MP primary sensor.
The 48MP main sensor couples with an 8MP ultrawide sensor with 1/4.0 aperture and a third 5MP depth sensor with f/2.2 aperture. Upfront, Galaxy M21 dons a 20MP front selfie camera. The phone has a huge 6,000mAh battery with 15W fast battery charging support.
Serum Stops COVID-19 Vaccine Trial In India; Russia Rolls Out Vaccine For Public
Serum Institute of India (SII) paused the trials of Covishield, Oxford University-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after a notice issued the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
Meanwhile, Russia was set to make Sputnik V, the ‘first registered COVID-19 vaccine’ available for public distribution on September 7.
Read on to find out more about the COVID-19 vaccines…
Serum Institute Under DGCI’s Sharp Watch!
On Tuesday, AstraZeneca said that it was pausing the clinical trials in the UK after a person participating in the trial developed an ‘unexplained illness’. The company said, “The move was intended to give researchers time to examine safety data while maintaining the integrity of the trials.”
On Wednesday, the DGCI issued a show-cause notice to the Pune-based vaccine manufacturer asking why the company hadn’t informed the central drug regulator about the problems faced by AstraZeneca during trials in the UK.
The notice stated that one of the conditions to start the trial in India was that “the clinical data generated in this trial shall be considered along with the data from Oxford University clinical trial”. It further added, “why the permission granted to you shall not be suspended till patient safety is established.”
The SII on Wednesday said that it had not faced any issues in its trials so far and that it was continuing with its trials here.
The Russian COVID-19 Vaccine Can Come To India!
The Russian Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) launched on August 11 is developed by the Russian Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology under Russia’s Ministry of Health of Russia. The vaccine’s phase I and II trials have been completed but phase III is still pending.
The head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev said that clinical trials for phase III will commence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Philippines, India, and Brazil in September, and the study will include 40,000 participants.
Denis Logunov, director for research at Gamaleya Institute and the associate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences said, “[The vaccine] examination is to begin within days… There is a certain procedure of authorizing a batch for civilian use. It must pass the quality check of the medical watchdog Roszdravnadzor,”
He added, “….between 10-13 September, we are to obtain permission to release a batch of the vaccine for civilian use. Respectively, from that moment on the population will begin to be vaccinated.”
The Russian Health Ministry will supervise the distribution of the vaccine. The Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said individuals falling under the high-risk category for COVID-19 such as medical professionals, teachers among others will be vaccinated first.
The Russian government is in talks with the Indian government to start the localized manufacturing of the vaccine.
Dmitriev told CNBT TV18 that if all goes well, Russia could start delivering the COVID-19 vaccine from November this year, with some 30 crore doses produced in India.
The catch here is that the World Health Organization hasn’t approved the vaccine for human use yet.
China’s First COVID-19 Fighting Nasal Spray!
The Chinese Government has given a go-ahead for clinical trials first nasal spray vaccine to fight the COVID-19 virus.
The trials will likely start in November this year.
As per Global Times reports, it is the only vaccine of its type approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration.
The vaccine is a collaborative venture between Hong Kong and China. It has researchers from the University of Hong Kong, Xiamen University, and Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy working on it.
The report also said that it is not yet clear whether the nasal spray vaccinations will develop a long-lasting immunity amongst humans than injected vaccines.
Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphones Launched For Rs 1300
Redmi has launched its SonicBass Wireless Earphones as Xiaomi’s latest neckband style headphones in Nepal.
Nepal is reportedly one of the first countries to have this product from Redmi.
The company has promised a playtime of 12 straight hours on a single charge for these earphones
Read on to find out more about Redmi’s SonicBass Earphones right here!
Redmi Launches SonicBass Wireless Earphones At Rs. 1300
Xiaomi has confirmed the launch of the Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphones in Nepal through the Nepal Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphones will be available in two colours when they go up for sale in Nepal – black and blue. Also, these earphones have been priced at NPR 2099, which is about Rs. 1300 in Indian currency.
They will be available for sale through the Mi preferred partners, Mi offline stores, and online partners.
Only a week ago, the company has also launched Redmi earphones in the Nepalese market making it the first-ever pair of wired earphones under the Redmi brand.
Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphones: Specifications and Features
These headphones flaunt various other features that set it apart from its counterparts.
As per reports, the earphones can play for 12 hours straight in a single charge. The headphones used a micro USB connector for charging. Additionally, they connect to a Android or iOS smartphone with Bluetooth 5.0 and also have an Environmental Noise Cancellation feature. They will also have a voice control feature that will help the user to navigate or take calls or play or pause the music and much more for voice calls.
As for the water resistance of the earphones, Redmi has incorporated the IPX 4 splash and sweat proof water resistant feature.
The Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphones will come with in-ear style tips and the neckband will have a relatively flat cable.
The battery on the earphones is a lithium ion polymer battery and a warranty of 6 months is also offered. As for the audio quality, the headphones flaunt superior sound with Pro bass.
The Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphonesare similar in design to Xiaomi’s Mi Neckband Bluetooth Earphones, however, the playtime on the latter is 8 hours only.
Google Pixel 4a pre-orders is now open in 8 more countries. The additional availability in eight new countries hint at the next availability of the budget-focused Pixel 4a in India. Pixel 4a India launch date is still yet to be confirmed by Google, but it will probably be available by the end of September.
Upcoming Smartphones This Week: Pixel 4a, Redmi 9i, Poco X3, Mi 10i, Moto E7
Poco X3 India launch may happen soon. The company head has hinted at X3 launch in India via Twitter saying the device will cost around Rs 20,000 in India.
Redmi 9i India launch has been confirmed on September 15. Redmi 9i Flipkart availability has been confirmed as well. Redmi 9i price in India will be in line with the Redmi 9 Prime pricing. Redmi 9 Prime base variant starts at Rs 9,999 with 4GB RAM and 64GB. Redmi 9i price may start at Rs 8,999 in India.
Checkout the upcoming smartphones in India this week.
Poco X3
Poco X3 India launch may happen soon. The company head has hinted at X3 launch in India via Twitter saying the device will cost around Rs 20,000 in India. The device comes with an impressive set of features and specifications. Poco X3 houses a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display running on a 120Hz refresh rate with 240mss touch sampling rate. Under the hood, Poco X3 runs on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 732G chipset.
The Snapdragon chip pairs with 6GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. The hardware has an integrated cooling technology called LiquidCool 1.0 Plus system.
In terms of optics, the Poco X3 has a quad-camera setup. The four camera system comprises of a primary 64-megapixel Sony IMX682 sensor with f/1.9 aperture along, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture. Poco X3 has MIUI 12 running out-of-the-box with a sizable 5160mAh battery and 33W fast charging.
Redmi 9i
Redmi 9i India launch is on September 15, confirmed via Flipkart. Redmi 9i is now the fourth handset under the Redmi 9 series. Till now the company has launched three smartphones under the series: Redmi 9 Prime, Redmi 9 and Redmi 9A.
Redmi 9i MIUI 12 availability has been confirmed as well. The new Redmi phone will run MIUI 12 out of the box.
Apart from MIUI 12, the Redmi 9i teasers confirm a big battery, water drop style notched display, headphone jack at the top, and what seems like a Cyan colour variant.
The handset will come with 4GB of RAM, confirmed in the teaser by Xiaomi. Redmi 9i will offer upto 128GB of storage as Redmi 9 Prime along with an option to expand storage. Leaked reports suggest that Redmi 9i will come in two models: 4GB RAM with 64GB storage and 4GB RAM with 128GB storage. Redmi 9i India price may start at Rs 8,999 in the country.
Google Pixel 4a
Pixel 4a India launch is expected by the end of September. The pre-orders are now live in eight more countries, and soon Pixel 4a India availability may be confirmed. The device is already available in the US, and Pixel 4a India sale date may be announced soon. Pixel 4a price in India is expected at Rs 29,999. The device features a 5.81-inch Full HD+ OLED display with a punch-hole. The device has a punch-hole display with the hole at the top right corner with a slight chin down under.
Pixel 4a is powered by the mid-range Qualcomm chip, Snapdragon 730 SoC. The device has a fingerprint sensor at the back with the camera on the top left featuring a square bump.
At the back, the Google midrange smartphone features a single camera at the back, a 12.2-megapixel rear shooter. There’s an 8-megapixel front-facing camera upfront. Pixel 4a packs in 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage. The Pixel device houses a standard 3,080mAh battery under the hood with 18W fast charging support.
Moto E7
Motorola may launch Moto E7 in India this week in September. Officially yet to be confirmed, the company is said to be planning to launch a new budget-focused device under Rs 10,000 and Moto E7 could be it. FCC listing previously revealed Moto E7 will have a 5,000 mAh battery, and a TUV Rheinland certification also confirmed that the Motorola phone will have a 10W charger in the box.
There will be two models with upto 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Moto E7 will either run with entry level Snapdragon 460 or mid-budget Snapdragon 632.
Moto E7 display would be around 6.2 -inch HD+ display offering a screen resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. Both Moto E7 and Moto E7 Plus may come to India as well, but the company will probably now focus on the budget category. The Motorola E7 models have leaked from time to time.
Mi Note 10 Lite / Mi 10i
Mi Note 10 Lite may launch in India as Mi 10i. Yes, that’s what the recent leak says. Mi Note 10 Lite India launch is expected in September. Mi 10i India launch is expected very soon. Tipped by XDA, it has been found that Xiaomi is working on a new smartphone especially for the Indian market with the codename “tocoin”. The device has been spotted in the June 2020 code, hence Mi 10i India launch could be imminent.
Mi Note 10 Lite was unveiled in China in late April alongside Redmi Note 9. The company unveiled the latter recently, and now it’s time for Mi 10i.
Mi Note 10 Lite is a camera-centric value-for-money device offering a 64MP quad-camera setup backed by premium features. Mi Note 10 Lite in India will be rebranded as Mi 10i. The company will place Mi 10i as a spiritual successor to the Redmi K20 in the sub-20,000 segment.
This is Vi’s new Work from Home pack, and the per GB cost is just Rs 3.5.
Here are more details..
Vi Launches Their 1st Plan: Work From Home Pack
Targeted for work from home employees, Vodafone-Idea’s new brand identity: Vi has launched their 1st plan.
This is Rs 351 Work From Home Plan, wherein users can get 100GB data for 56 days.
Hence, per GB cost for Vi’s Work from Home plan comes to just Rs 3.5, per GB.
Now, Vodafone has already a similar plan, which costs Rs 251, and provides 50 GB data for 28 days.
Hence, by paying Rs 100 more, users can get double validity and double data.
It’s expected that Rs 251 plan can be discontinued soon, but no details are right now available.
Besides, Vi has also launched some low-cost data value add-ons,which are:
Rs 16 plan: Users can only 1GB
Rs 48 plan: Users can get 3GB
Rs 98 plan: Users can get 12GB data
The validity varies from 1 day to 28 days for these data add-ons.
Vi Becomes IPL 2020 Sponsors
In a related news, Vi has now become the co-presenting sponsors of IPL 2020 tournament, which is starting from September 29th in Abu Dhabi.
Ever since Vodafone-Idea merged in 2018, this will be their 1st ever sponsorship stint with IPL tournaments.
The IPL 2020 tournament is caled Dream 11 IPL 2020, since Dream11 gaming app has secured the title sponsorship of IPL 2020, by paying Rs 222 crore for two years.
It’s not clear how much Vi has paid to BCCI for securing the co-sponsorship for Dream 11 IPL 2020. The matches will be streamed on Star Sports.
We will keep you updated, as more details come in.
No Android 11 Update For Pixel Phones In India! Why Are Pixel 3 Batteries Swelling Up?
A report has revealed that Google’s Android 11 OS will not be available for the Pixel devices in India.
Another news has suggested that the batteries on the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL are swelling up, and the issue has been reported by several users of the Pixel phones.
Read on to find out all the details!
Android 11 Will Not Be Launched or Pixel Phones In India
A report in the Android Central has said that the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system Android 11 will not be launched for the pixel smartphones in India. It says that the Android 11 stable update is available for all the phones, with the exception of OTA (over the air) update not being available for the Pixel devices in India.
The report reveals, “Google’s OTA images page has download links for the Android 11 stable builds for all Pixels, and the version notes suggest the build is available for all carriers except IN (India).”
The update would be available for the Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3XL, Pixel 3a, and Pixel 3a XL.
Google spokesperson has said that they will roll out the update for the users in India very soon. They said that they are “making sure that the Android 11 update is compatible with the Indian ecosystem requirements.” They also said that the company is planning to roll out the update next week.
Google Pixel 3 Batteries Swelling Up; Customers Complaining Of Damage To Handsets
There are numerous threads on the Google Support forum and Reddit, all complaining about the swell of the batteries of Google pixel 3 and 3xl. As per these forums these bulging batteries are causing the back panels of the pixel devices to come off.
The reason behind the swelling of these phones remains unknown but common threads have shown that the swelling happens shortly after the wireless charging of the device starts to malfunction or stops working totally.
The swelling will also affect the efficiency of the IP68 sealing of the phone that protects against water and dust which will cause more damage. There is no response from Google about this issue on the Google Pixel 3 and 3XL
Redmi 9i Launching For Rs 7,999 In India? Leaked Specs, USPs & More For Redmi 9i
Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Redmi is planning to launch the Redmi 9i on Tuesday, September 15. However, just days ahead of the launch, the rice of the Redmi 9i has been leaked.
As per the leaks, the price of Redmi 9i will be surprising, and can be the best in the class of budget smartphones in India right now.
Redmi 9i is going to be the 4th smartphone in the series, after Redmi 9A, Redmi 9, and Redmi 9 Prime.
Read on to find out all the details!
Redmi 9i Launch On September 15; Price Leaked Days Ahead
This price seems quite reasonable as the Redmi 9i will be between the Redmi 9A which is priced at Rs. 6799 while Redmi 9A is priced at Rs 6,799, Whereas, the Redmi 9 is launched for Rs 8,999.
The phone will be launched on Tuesday, September 15, and will be the next in the series after Redmi 9A, Redmi 9, and Redmi 9 Prime.
Redmi 9i Color Variants Leaked
Along with the price, some color variants of Redmi 9i was leaked as well.
As per the leaks, this budget smartphone will be available in three color variants: Midnight Black, Sea Blue, and Nature Green.
Redmi 9i Specs Leaked
This price of Rs 7,999 is for the base model that the Redmi 9i will come in, but there is one other model that will be launched as well.
The base model is 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM, while the other model is 4GB RAM and 128GB ROM.
Besides few details, we don’t have much information about the specs right now. However, we know that it will have 3.5mm audio jack, a larger battery, and water-drop notch in the display for the selfie camera.
As per some earlier rumors, the processor will help gamers to play their games seamlessly .
The phone will be available for sale on Flipkart and Mi online store.
We will keep you updated, as more details come in.
Flipkart Big Savings Day Details Out! Book 3 Crore Gadgets For Re 1: Dates, Offers, Highlights
Before the Big Billion Day starts at the end of September, Flipkart will launch a new discount sale called Flipkart Big Savings Day.
The dates are out, and more details, which includes pre-booking more than 3 crore gadgets, accessories for Re 1.
What’s the fuss about Flipkart Big Savings Day?
Flipkart Big Savings Day: Dates, Offers, Highlights
Flipkart has officially announced the launch of Flipkart Big Savings Day from September 18th, till September 20th, 2020.
For these 3 days, Flipart users can buy electronic items, gadgets and accessories at heavy discount.
More than 3 crore gadgets and accessories are on sale for Flipkart Big Savings Day sale.
Flipkart hasn’t yet revealed the exact gadgets on offer, but there will be no-cost EMI for some of the best selling smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electronic accessories.
SBI users can expect some heavy discounts, including 10% off for both debit and credit cars purchases.
Cardless credit offer from Flipkart and exchange offers have also been included to make the mega shopping days even more exciting.
Besides smartphones, there will be a lot of offers and discounts on accessories such as power banks, wireless mouse, headphones, keyboards, cables and more.
Pre-Book 3 Crore Gadgets At Re 1: How It Will Work?
One of the biggest highlights of Flipkart Big Savings Day is the pre-booking feature.
On September 15th and 16th, Flipkart customers can pre-book any item from the huge collection of 3 crore+ gadgets and accessories.
On September 15th and 16th, Flipkart users need to visit the pre-book section of the website, and pay Re 1 to pre-book any item. This will ensure that the users have guaranteed access to the stock, on the day of the sale.
However, once pre-booked, the remaining payment needs to be done before 11.59AM on September 18th.
Flipkart’s Big Billion Day Sales is kickstarting from September 29th, till October 4th, and is expected to bring in even more deals and offers.
Cognizant Becomes ‘CEO Factory’; 5 Ex-Employees Become CEOs In 30 Days!
After following Cognizant CEO’s restructuring initiative, many top executives at Cognizant had left the company. Despite the COVID-19 resultant economic crisis, these senior executives have now found top job roles in companies smaller than Cognizant.
The companies hiring these employees must be taking advantage of their experience in the top IT company during the period when Cognizant surpassed every one of its peers.
Read on to find out what the ex-senior employees are doing now…
Cognizant’s Former Employees Now CEOs At Leading Companies!
Gajen Kandiah, the former President of Cognizant’s over the digital business of $2 billion, worked with the company for 16 years. Kandiah is now the CEO of a Japanese conglomerate Hitachi’s subsidiary, Hitachi Vantara. The US-based Hitachi Vantara with a workforce of 11,000 offers data infrastructure governance, and cloud-based products, digital solutions, and other data management services.
Nirav Patel, the former global head of Cognizant’s $2 billion communications, media, and technology business, worked with the company for 20 years. Now Patel is the CEO of Bristlecone, a Mahindra Group company. The US-based Bristlecone with a workforce of 1800 consultants offers supply chain consulting and has a system integration business.
Kaushik Bhaumik, the former executive vice president of Cognizant, responsible for the company’s $3-billion healthcare business with over 40,000 people, worked with Cognizant for 16 years. Bhaumik has now become the CEO and founder of Glide Health which specializes in applying AI/ML methods to overcome healthcare challenges.
Karthik Krishnamurthy, the former global head of markets in Cognizant’s digital business, worked with the company for 18 years. Krishnamurty is now CEO of Collabera. Collabera with a workforce of 16,000 offers talent solutions and woks with 70% of the Fortune 500 companies.
Venkat Krishnaswamy, the former vice-chairman of Cognizant’s healthcare and life sciences business, worked with the company for 16 years. Krishnaswamy is now the Chairman of Firstsource Healthcare’s advisory board, a business process management (BPM) firm.
What Do Experts Have to Say?
Rod Bourgeois, head of research in DeepDive Equity Research, said that before 2016, Cognizant rapidly outgrew its peers and had a long-standing position with a stock favorite amongst investors. He said, “As a result, in the market for management talent, Cognizant staff tend to benefit from the company’s historical reputation as a growth leader.”
For the past year, many IT behemoths, like Capgemini, Accenture, IBM, now Wipro have undergone leadership transitions.
A partner in a top-tier executive search firm pointed out that the first-generation IT services talent comes from a leadership pedigree focused on the bulking up game. He said, “They may not get a seat at the table in driving high-end consulting conversations. However, the market still has an appetite to hire leaders with scale-up skills in mid-sized assets.”
He also posed a question saying, “But the big question to ask is how many boards have opted to evaluate leaders coming out of the Indian IT services ecosystem?”
Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 dates? Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 mobile offers? Flipkart is gearing up for the mega e-commerce sale of the year, the Flipkart Big Billion Days. With every passing year the Flipkart grand sale is getting bigger, the Flipkart Big Billion Days 2020 is set to take it to another level.
Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020: Dates, Top Offers, Participating Banks And All You Need To Know
Recently Flipkart has on-boarded 50,000 kirana stores into their network for the upcoming Flipkart Big Billion Days 2020 sale.
The addition of 50,000 kirana stores will ensure faster delivery of products during the Big Billion Day 2020 Sale. There’s immense rush during the sales, and the new network of kirana stores will help in a more connected network.
Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 Date: Big Billion Day 2020 Dates, Time
Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 dates are expected from September 29 to October 4 as the last year. While the official Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 dates are yet to be confirmed, there are high chances that the Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 sale will start at the end of September and will continue till the early October, the first week of the second month.
Both the e-commerce giants are known to clash against each other, and as usual Flipkart and Amazon will clash for another festive face-off. The Amazon Great Indian Sale 2020 dates will clash with the Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 dates.
Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 Mobile Offers: Big Billion Day Mobile Offers
Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 mobile offers will include some of the current best selling smartphones. While the offers are not out yet, but the upcoming Flipkart sale will have some steep discounts and promotions on a variety of mobiles including exchange offers.
Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 mobile offers may include:
Redmi 8
Poco X2
Oppo F17 Pro
Realme 6
Poco M2 Pro
Moto G9
Realme 6 Pro
Oppo A31
Redmi 8A Dual
Oppo F17
Realme 5 Pro
Realme X2
Oppo F15
Moto One Fusion+
Honor 9S
Realme X3 SuperZoom
Apple iPhone SE 2020
Realme C3
Oppo A12
Vivo Y11
Realme C15
Mi 10
Vivo Y30
Redmi K20
Samsung Galaxy Note 20
iPhone 11
Redmi K20 Pro
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Realme Narzo 10A
Oppo A53
Realme C12
Infinix Hot 9
Moto Razr Flip
Infinix Hot 9 Pro
iPhone XR
Moto Edge+
Realme 6i
Realme X2 Pro
Vivo Z1X
Honor 9X Pro
Oppo Reno 4 Pro
Oppo A5s
Vivo Y20
Samsung Galaxy S20
iQOO 3
Realme X
Vivo V19
Vivo X50
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite
Vivo U10
Vivo X50 Pro
Oppo A52
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite
Realme X50 Pro 5G
This list of the Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 mobile offers include the expected smartphones to be on offer.
Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 Bank Offers: Big Billion Day 2020 Banks – Participating)
Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 bank offers may include multiple lenders. The e-commerce giant will tie up with multiple banks to offer instant 10 percent discount on all the products across categories. Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020 bank offers may have Axis Bank onboard with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and SBI (State Bank of India).
Flipkart will soon confirm the 10 percent additional discount offer at the Flipkart Big Billion Day 2020, and two or more banks will participate to offer instant discounts.
iPhone 12 Won’t Have 120Hz Refresh Rate; Sale Starts In October With iOS 14.1
The buzz surrounding iPhone 12 doesn’t curb to excite the users! As rumors have it, the iPhone 12 launch event will take place in October.
The biggest highlight and the topic of disappointment surrounding this new launch by Apple is that the iPhone 12 won’t include a 120Hz high refresh rate screen.
Read on to find out more…
iPhone 12 Mass Production Has Commenced!
Previously, YouTuber Jon Prosser had uploaded a video that showed few screenshots of a 6.7 inch iPhone 12 Pro Max production validation (PVT) prototype. The screenshot showed new controls in the Settings app with two new toggle switches to enable High Refresh Rate and Adaptive Refresh Rate.
The leakster took to Twitter and said, “120hz (code name: d6x) didn’t make mass production. *now* you can give up.”
120hz (codename: d6x) didn’t make mass production ?
This suggests that the mass production of the smartphone has commenced and neither iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max will have this feature.
Previously, there were many reports stating that iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max might have the 120Hz refresh rate.
Ross Young, founder and CEO DSCC, had claimed that the iPhone 12 Pro won’t have the 120Hz screen refresh rate as Apple hadn’t found driver ICs to drive the pixels at 120Hz.
All the iPhone 12 models will run on iOS 14.1 and the shipping might start mid-October.
iPhone 12 Cheaper than One Plus 8, iPhone 11!
Recently, the iPhone 12 prices were leaked, and they surprised everyone!
The iPhone 12 will start at $649 (around Rs 49,220), which is lesser than its predecessor iPhone 11 priced at $699. It will also be cheaper than the recent OnePlus 8.
The 6.1-inch OLED screen iPhone 12 with LiDAR sensors will be priced at $999 (around Rs 95,750).
The top model, 6.7-inch OLED display, triple rear cameras, and LiDAR sensor iPhone 12 Pro Max will cost $1099 (around Rs 83,330).
