Ride hailing platform Ola and tech-enabled logistics company Porter scored zero in fair work standards for gig workers on a scale of 0-10, according to Fairwork India report 2023. bigbasket topped the list with six points.
The 'Fairwork India 2023' report, spearheaded by the Centre for IT and Public Policy (CITAPP) at the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B), in association with Oxford University, examined Amazon Flex, bigbasket, BluSmart, Dunzo, Flipkart, Ola, Porter, Swiggy, Uber, Urban Company, Zepto and Zomato for the survey.
Fairwork India interviewed workers from 12 platforms in four cities — Bengaluru, Delhi, Kochi, and Thiruvananthapuram — for minimum standards of fair work in the platform economy. The agency examined the working conditions of platform workers on digital labour platforms in India.
A key highlight of the report is that none of the 12 platforms evaluated on five principles, including fair pay, fair conditions, fair contracts, fair management, and fair representation, managed to get a perfect score.
Jhunjhunwala Family-backed IKS Health Acquires US Tech Firm
Healthcare platform IKS Health, backed by the Jhunjhunwala family, acquired US-based tech solution firm AQuity Solutions, as a wholly owned subsidiary for US$ 200 million (Rs 1,600 crore).
AQuity Solutions is a leading tech-enabled clinical documentation, medical coding and revenue integrity solutions provider in the healthcare domain while IKS Health primarily provides administrative, clinical and operational services to clinicians.
The combined company is forecast to have an annual revenue of over US$330 million (Rs 2748 crore), as well as a global workforce of over 14,000 employees serving over 150,000 clinicians in many of the largest hospitals, health systems and specialty groups in the United States.
JSW Energy Joint Managing Director & CEO Resigns
Private power producer JSW Energy said that the company's joint Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer resigned.
Prashant Jain, joint Managing Director and CEO, expressed his intention to take early retirement from active professional life and pursue his personal interests.
As per JSW Energy, Jain will continue to serve in his current position until January 31, 2024 to support an orderly transition.
Jain took the position of joint Managing Director and CEO of the company in 2017.
Tata Motors Wins Rs. 766 Crore Arbitration Award in Singur Plant Dispute
Tata Motors Wins Rs. 766 Crore Arbitration Award in Singur Plant Dispute
Tata Motors secured an arbitral award amounting to Rs. 766 crore as compensation for their investment in the now-defunct Singur plant. The Singur plant was initially intended for the production of the Tata Nano cars.
This arbitration stems from a dispute between Tata Motors Limited (TML) and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Limited (WBIDC). The conflict pertained to TML's claim for compensation from WBIDC, covering various aspects of capital investments. These investments were related to the automobile manufacturing facility in Singur, West Bengal.
Under the award, Tata Motors is entitled to recover a total sum of Rs. 765.78 crore, in addition to an 11 percent per annum interest, commencing from September 1, 2016, until the full recovery is achieved from WBIDC.
Oct 31, 2023
Bank of Baroda Introduces Lifetime Zero Balance Savings Account
Bank of Baroda launched a new lifetime zero balance savings account this festive season. As a part of its 'BoB Ke Sang Tyohaar Ki Umang' campaign the public sector lender introduced the BoB LITE Savings Account with a lifetime zero balance facility.
Through this account the customers can enjoy all the banking services without the requirement of maintaining minimum balance.
CCAvenue.ae Launches Mobile-based QR Code Payment Solution in the UAE
Payment gateway CCAvenue.ae, the UAE-based subsidiary of fintech firm Infibeam Avenues, launched a mobile-based QR Code payment solution for merchants in the UAE market.
It is for the first time, the company forayed into the offline payment space in the UAE market with its innovative QR-Code payment offerings for merchants.
It is a pivotal and strategic move marking the company's debut on the international stage of offline payment solutions, starting with the UAE market.
The company is also set to launch CCAvenue TapPay (SoftPoS) in the UAE market as part of CCAvenue.ae, which will convert an NFC-enabled mobile device to function as a POS (point-of-sale) machine, allowing card payments with just a tap.
Oct 30, 2023
RBI Revises Bulk Deposit Limit of Regional Rural Banks to Rs. 1 Crore
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) conducted a review of bulk deposit limits for financial institutions, specifically focusing on Regional Rural Banks (RRBs). As a result, the bulk deposit limit for RRBs was significantly increased from Rs. 15 lakh to Rs. 1 crore.
This adjustment carries significant implications for the operational framework of RRBs and aims to create a more equitable banking landscape.
IPhone Maker, Taiwan's Wistron Approves the Sale of its India Unit, Wistron InfoComm to the Tata ...
With Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Wistron selling its India operations to Tata Group for $125 million, Tata Electronics is going to become the first Indian company to manufacture new Apple iPhones in the country, which is a major fillip to the government's 'Make in India' initiative.
Wistron will sell a 100 per cent stake in the unit Wistron InfoComm Manufacturing (India) Pvt. to Tata Electronics Pvt., following the board approval.
The much-awaited deal has been finalised after strategic considerations in response to the reshaping of the group's product strategy and global manufacturing layout.
Fincare SFB to Merge with AU Small Finance Bank
In what could be the first-ever merger in the small finance bank space, Fincare Small Finance Bank is set to merge with AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB) in an all-share deal.
At present, AU's market capitalisation is Rs. 46,000 crore, the highest among small finance banks. The market capitalisation of the merged entity will be slightly over Rs. 50,000 crore. The deal values Fincare at around Rs. 4,416 crore.
The merger is subject to approval by the Reserve Bank of India and the Competition Commission of India.
Kerala Becomes the First State to Have Hallmarking Centres in All Districts
With the inauguration of a hallmarking centre in Idukki, Kerala became the first state in India to have hallmarking centres in all 14 districts.
The opening of hallmarking centres across the districts will make Kerala a hub of gold business and further strengthen its claim to being the most reliable market in the country to buy gold ornaments.
The Bureau of Indian Standards made hallmarking compulsory with a view to protect customers, especially those not aware of the market, from being taken for a ride by jewellers. Hallmarking ensures accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in the jewellery, artefacts or bullion, and coins.
Oct 29, 2023
Five MSME Lending Products Complete Test Phase under RBI's Sandbox Cohort
Five MSME lending products completed the test phase under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulatory sandbox cohort.
Products of the entities that completed the test phase were evaluated based on mutually agreed test scenarios and expected outcomes.
The entities whose products completed the test phase are FinAGG Technologies Private Limited, Mynd Solutions Private Limited, Rupifi Technology Solutions Private Limited, Small Industries Development Bank of India, and SysArc Infomatix Private Limited.
Tata Group to Make iPhones in India for Global Market
Tata Group will start making Apple iPhones in India for domestic and global markets within two and a half years, announced Electronics and Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The development highlights India's growing production prowess and reflects a significant departure from Apple's previous strategy of selling largely Chinese-made new devices to customers across the world.
Oct 28, 2023
Air India Announces Senior Level Appointments
In a major development, Air India appointed Captain Klaus Goersch as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer. Goersch will oversee flight operations, engineering, ground operations, integrated operations control (IOCC) and cabin crew functions in the newly-created position. It also announced various other senior level appointments.
Goersch will be based out of Air India's new Gurugram headquarters and will be replacing the incumbent chief of operations, Captain R. S. Sandhu who will transition to an advisory role.
The airline also appointed Manish Uppal as Senior Vice President for flight operations. Uppal transitioned from AirAsia India a few months ago. Additionally, Henry Donohoe's corporate role in safety, security, and quality will be expanded to encompass emergency response, and his title was adjusted to Senior Vice President for Safety, Security, and Quality.
Air India is the flag carrier of India, headquartered in New Delhi.It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the sale. The airline was founded by J. R. D. Tata as Tata Airlines in 1932. Air India's mascot's the Maharajah (Emperor) and the erstwhile logo consisted of a flying swan with the wheel of Konark inside it.
Reliance Jio Partners With Plume to Provide In-Home Services Enhanced By AI
India's top telecom operator, Reliance Jio Infocomm, announced a partnership with California-based Plume to deliver smart home and small business services to its nearly 200 million subscribers across India, leveraging Plume's cloud platform.
This partnership brings forth a range of innovative offerings under the names 'HomePass' and 'WorkPass'. These services, enabled by Plume's cutting-edge platform, encompass whole-home adaptive WiFi, device and application performance optimisation, cyberthreat protection, parental controls, WiFi motion sensing, and more.
Additionally, Jio's support and operations teams will have access to Plume's 'Haystack' Support and Operations Suite. This suite aids in quicker identification and resolution of performance issues, facilitates the pinpointing of network fault locations, and provides insights into the customer experience.
The partnership will complement the carrier's JioFiber and JioAirFiber networks.
Ambani Scions Get Shareholders' Nod to Become RIL's Non-executive Directors
The shareholders of Reliance Industries (RIL) approved the appointment of Isha Ambani, Akash Ambani and Anant Ambani as the company's non-executive directors. Over 98 per cent votes were in favour of Isha and Akash's appointment. The appointment of Mukesh Ambani's youngest child – Anant, saw some resistance. 7.24 per cent of the total votes were against his appointment.