Category: Business

New Delhi, Mar 19: BuyBuyCart, a fast-growing player in India’s organized retail ecosystem, has introduced smart vending machines to enter the automated retail market. The company aims to provide customers with easy access to common grocery items and fast-moving consumer goods, which compete with rising demand for shopping methods that prioritize convenience.

 BuyBuyCart developed its smart vending machines to operate as continuous automated retail systems that enable customers to purchase daily needs through quick contactless transactions that require no effort. Urban residents now require immediate access to products, which automated retail solutions provide as their lifestyles become more demanding.

The newly introduced machines are equipped with advanced smart retail technologies that enhance both customer convenience and operational efficiency. Each machine features an interactive touchscreen interface that enables seamless product selection. The machines enable safe and smooth payments through multiple digital payment methods, which include UPI, QR code scanning, debit and credit cards, and digital wallet services.

BuyBuyCart’s vending machines will offer a curated range of high-demand FMCG and daily-use products, including packaged snacks, biscuits, beverages, energy drinks, healthy snack options such as makhanas and dry fruits, ready-to-eat food items, chocolates and confectionery, personal care essentials, and select grocery products. The vending machines also provide a space where brands can promote their products if they want. Commenting on the launch, Ashish Pandey, Founder of BuyBuyCart, said, “Consumer expectations from retail are evolving rapidly, with convenience, speed, and accessibility becoming key priorities. Our vending machine initiative is designed to bring essential products closer to consumers through a smart, automated retail format that operates around the clock. Through this expansion, we aim to strengthen our technology-driven retail ecosystem while also enabling entrepreneurs to participate in the growing automated retail sector.”

As part of its rollout strategy, BuyBuyCart plans to deploy the vending machines in high-footfall locations such as corporate offices, IT parks, colleges, hospitals, fuel stations, residential societies, transport hubs, and commercial complexes. The company is also exploring collaborations with educational institutions and campuses to expand its presence in high-demand retail environments.

In the first phase of its expansion, BuyBuyCart plans to deploy 300-400 smart vending machines across high-footfall locations such as offices, campuses, hospitals, and residential hubs within the year. The company will further expand the network based on consumer response, demand trends, and strategic partnerships in the automated retail space.

BuyBuyCart will operate the vending machine network through FOCO (Franchise Owned, Company Operated) and COCO (Company Owned, Company Operated) models, enabling both entrepreneurs and the company to participate in expanding automated retail solutions across India.

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gativedhi Technologies Pvt. Ltd. to integrate AI-based production intelligence tools into academic training and research environments. The collaboration focuses on introducing modern production pipeline systems to support India’s AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality) ecosystem.

 Under the agreement, IICT will introduce Gativedhi’s production intelligence platform, Shotrack, into its academic programmes. Faculty, students and researchers will engage with the platform through beta programs, academic evaluations and pilot deployments in simulated studio production environments. The initiative is designed to provide hands-on exposure to production tracking systems used in animation, VFX and digital media studios.

Shotrack is designed to manage production pipelines by enabling tracking of shots, assets, tasks and workflows, while supporting approvals, version histories and scheduling across departments. It supports on-premise, cloud and hybrid deployments, allowing studios to maintain control over production data. The platform also incorporates production intelligence capabilities, using structured data to generate operational insights such as identifying bottlenecks, optimizing resource allocation, forecasting schedule risks and analyzing production costs.

The platform addresses challenges in multi-studio collaborations, where differing internal systems can impact workflow continuity, asset sharing and progress tracking. By providing a unified production environment, Shotrack aims to improve coordination and transparency across distributed production pipelines.

Gativedhi is also developing an integrated ecosystem of tools including StudioTrack, focused on studio operations such as budgeting, recruitment and infrastructure management, and WorkTrack, a productivity platform for tracking workflow efficiency and team performance. Together, these platforms are intended to support end-to-end operations of creative organizations.

As part of the collaboration, IICT will integrate these tools into courses related to animation, VFX, gaming and media production management. The partnership will include guest lectures, workshops, internships and research initiatives, with a focus on production pipeline optimization, AI-assisted scheduling and data-driven production management.

Dr. Vishwas Deoskar, CEO, IICT, said,

“Academic institutions can play an important role as experimentation grounds for emerging technologies. Through this collaboration with Gativedhi Technologies, IICT will provide an environment where production pipeline tools can be explored, tested and refined while students gain insight into how large-scale animation and VFX productions are organized and managed.”

Senthil Kumar, Founder & CEO, Gativedhi Technologies Pvt. Ltd., said,

“Partnering with IICT allows us to introduce our production intelligence platform, Shotrack, to an academic environment where students can engage with real-world studio management tools. The collaboration will also enable valuable feedback that can support the continued development of production pipeline solutions for the AVGC industry.”

Dr. Ashish Kulkarni, Co-Founder, Gativedhi Technologies Pvt. Ltd., added,

“Over the years, while working with and mentoring animation and VFX studios, I have seen how challenging it becomes when multiple studios collaborate on a project while operating on different pipeline systems. The industry has long needed a unified and practical solution that simplifies collaboration across teams and studios. Shotrack is designed to bring greater transparency, efficiency and coordination to modern production workflows.”

 

New Delhi, Mar 19th:  India’s urban economy has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade, driving the growth of office markets in major metropolitan cities. However, the soaring demand for both commercial and residential assets has intensified pressure on urban capacity in these cities. As a result, Tier–2 cities are rapidly emerging as the next frontier for scalable growth, offering businesses the opportunity to expand operations while maintaining efficiency and sustainability.

Flex Spaces Expand to Emerging High-Growth Urban Corridors

Capitalising on the growing allure of Tier–2 cities, flex operators are consistently expanding. As per Vestian’s latest report, Tier 2 cities accounted for over 575 centres and 8.8 Mn sq ft of flex stock, representing nearly 29% of the nation’s total flex centers and over 9% of pan–India flex stock.

Flex Spaces in Non-metro Cities Provide Cost Arbitrage, Attracting GCCs 

Beyond offering agile and scalable workspace solutions, flex spaces in Tier–2 cities deliver cost arbitrage of up to 50% compared to the metropolitan cities. Driven primarily by the IT-ITeS sector, followed by Consulting Services, BFSI, and Engineering & Manufacturing sectors, more than 200 companies have already established over 300 GCC bases across major Tier–2 cities.

Furthermore, the report also stated that nearly 9% of flex centres in Tier–2 cities cater to GCC-led operations, while 16% of GCC bases in these markets operate from flexible workspaces, indicating that even though GCCs are not the major demand driver for flex spaces, flex spaces have emerged as a preferred workspace option for several GCC companies. 

Demand for Enterprise-Grade, Sustainable Office Spaces to Increase in Tier–2 Cities 

Unlike metro cities, only 60% of flex centres in Tier–2 cities are located in dedicated office buildings, with just 26% situated in Grade-A assets. Over 53% of flex centres occupied by GCCs in these cities are situated within Grade-A buildings, and 19% operate from green-certified spaces. This reflects higher-quality and ESG-aligned real estate assets is now the primary catalyst for Tier–2 office market growth.

Shrinivas Rao, FRICS, CEO, Vestian, said: “The rise of Tier–2 cities is a defining shift in India‘s expansion strategy. As infrastructure improves and flex ecosystems mature, the decentralization of GCCs will become a cornerstone of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.”

 

Mumbai, Mar 19th: Central Depository Services (India) Limited (“CDSL”), Asia’s first listed depository, in collaboration with KPMG in India, has released the third edition of its Reimagine Thought Leadership report titled “Reimagine: Securities Market through Data Synergy”, following its third annual Reimagine Symposium held earlier this year. The report proposes a Creation–Control–Culture (3C) framework to guide data–led transformation across India’s securities market ecosystem.

The report highlights that “data risk is market risk,” and outlines how a structured data governance approach can strengthen resilience, transparency, and innovation across India’s securities market ecosystem. It proposes a 3C framework that enables market institutions to build shared data infrastructure, embed robust governance and cyber safeguards, and foster responsible data practices across the ecosystem. The report also presents the concept of a central regulatory operating model within market institutions, helping align regulatory expectations, improve interoperability across market participants, and enable more effective risk management and investor protection in an increasingly data-driven market. 

Shri. Nehal Vora, MD & CEO, CDSL, said: “Data synergy is the force that brings Creation, Control and Culture together – enabling innovation while strengthening trust. When data becomes intelligent and interoperable, it powers a market that is resilient by design and trust-enabled at its core. Such an ecosystem goes beyond facilitating transactions; it empowers the Atmanirbhar investor and supports India’s journey towards a truly Viksit Bharat.”

India’s securities market is witnessing rapid expansion in investor participation. While household participation is currently estimated at around 20%, leaving significant headroom for future growth compared with more mature markets such as the United States, the expanding investor base presents a strong opportunity to deepen financial inclusion and strengthen investor awareness across the country.

Further, the report highlights four key opportunity areas where data can transform the ecosystem: stronger price discovery and curated products, personalised investor experience at scale, improved risk intelligence and fraud prevention, and more agile supervision through Regulatory Technology (RegTech) and Supervisory Technology (SupTech).

Commenting on the report, Shri. Akhilesh Tuteja, Partner and National Leader, Clients & Markets, KPMG in India, said: “Human intelligence has driven modern economies; the next phase of growth will depend on how well we harness intelligent data. As this report suggests, data risk is market risk. Treating data as core market infrastructure is critical for India to sustain market leadership and investor confidence”

The proposed 3C framework outlines a structured path for building a trusted data ecosystem:

• Creation celebrates India’s capacity to build shared utilities including market data dictionaries, machine-readable disclosures, secure API pipelines, and privacy-preserving simulation environments that unlock research and product innovation across the ecosystem.
• Control strengthens the system with smart guardrails including privacy-by-design, standardized lineage, cyber resilience programs (including post-quantum readiness), and responsible AI governance (including the vision of an industry-wide AI model registry). These controls accelerate progress by making it sustainable and trusted.
• Culture makes the transformation durable by tying incentives to data quality, explainability, responsiveness, and investor outcomes; and by scaling multilingual investor education that converts awareness into confident participation.

The report also draws on insights from the Reimagine: Securities Market through Data Synergy symposium, which was attended by Shri Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman, SEBI, as Chief Guest, and Shri Sandip Pradhan, Whole-Time Member, SEBI, and Shri Keki Mistry, Former Vice Chairman & CEO, HDFC, as Guests of Honour. The symposium brought together leaders from across the securities market, financial services, and technology ecosystem, with panel discussions exploring themes such as “Data’s Superpower – Driving Innovation at Scale,” “Data is Capital – Trust is the Currency,” and “Data as DNA – A Cultural Shift.”

As data becomes the backbone of financial markets, the report underscores the need for coordinated action across regulators, market infrastructure institutions, intermediaries and investors to build a resilient and trusted data ecosystem that can support India’s vision of a Viksit Bharat.

Mumbai, Mar 19th: India’s leading gaming talent management agency, 8Bit Creatives, has announced its strategic expansion into the lifestyle creator economy with the onboarding of popular content creator Nishu Tiwari. This move marks a significant milestone for the agency as it evolves from a category leader in gaming to building a more holistic creator ecosystem, in line with the rapid growth of lifestyle content in India.

Over the years, 8Bit Creatives has built a formidable roster of India’s top gaming creators, including Naman Mathur (Mortal), Payal Dhare (Payal Gaming), Raj Varma (Snax), Parv Singh (Regaltos), Krutika Ojha (Krutika Plays), and Gulrez Khan (Joker Ki Haveli), among others. With a proven track record of executing campaigns for over 100 brands across more than 20 industries, including apparel, FMCG, personal care, HORECA, and entertainment, the agency has consistently set new benchmarks in influencer marketing by crafting customized, high-impact campaign experiences.

With Nishu’s addition, 8Bit Creatives takes a significant step toward diversifying into mainstream lifestyle content, further strengthening its ability to deliver integrated, cross-category campaigns powered by some of the country’s most influential digital creators.

Speaking about the expansion, Animesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, 8Bit Creatives said, “Gaming has been the foundation of what we’ve built at 8Bit Creatives, and over time we’ve seen how deeply it connects with broader youth culture, including lifestyle, fashion, food and travel. Today’s audiences do not consume content in silos. They follow creators for their personality and storytelling across formats, and that shift is also influencing how brands approach collaborations. Our expansion into lifestyle is a strategic step in that direction, and Nishu coming on board strongly reflects this vision. As we continue to grow and expand across industries, our focus remains on creating long-term value for both creators and brands by enabling meaningful collaborations rooted in culture, community and creativity.”

Known for her engaging and relatable content, Nishu brings with her a strong and loyal digital community of over 4.37 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.6 million followers on Instagram. She creates high-engagement, concept-driven lifestyle content spanning challenges, food explorations, travel, and social experiments, combining relatable storytelling with mass appeal for a young, digitally native audience.

The Delhi-based creator has collaborated with leading brands such as Nykaa Fashion, Duolingo, realme, Himalaya Facecare, Red Label Tea, and Samsung, making her a strong addition to the agency’s growing portfolio. Her versatility across formats and categories allows brands to tap into a wide spectrum of audiences, complementing 8Bit Creatives’ deep-rooted expertise in gaming and youth culture.

“I’m really excited to join 8Bit Creatives. What stood out to me is their approach to working closely with creators while building impactful brand collaborations. I’m looking forward to exploring new formats, working with a wider set of brands, and creating content that continues to connect with my audience in a meaningful way,” commented Nishu Tiwari.

The expansion comes at a time when India’s influencer ecosystem is witnessing exponential growth. According to a report by Qoruz, the country is now home to over 4 million influencers, with the lifestyle category emerging as the largest and fastest-growing segment, growing from 1.28 lakh influencers in 2023 to 2.95 lakh in 2024. At the same time, gaming continues its strong upward trajectory, scaling from just over 1 lakh influencers in 2020 to 4.67 lakh by the end of 2024, reinforcing the convergence of gaming and mainstream digital content.

By expanding into lifestyle, 8Bit Creatives is strategically positioned to bridge these two high-growth ecosystems, enabling brands to unlock deeper and more diverse audience engagement.

New Delhi, March 19: The government has approved a ₹472 crore project for construction of a Road Over Bridge (ROB) and associated infrastructure at Tuna-Tekra to strengthen port connectivity and improve cargo evacuation, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal approved the project, which includes viaduct structures, a bridge over a creek, and provisions for maintenance over a 10-year period.

The ROB is expected to serve as a key connectivity link for the upcoming mega container terminal and multipurpose cargo berth at Tuna-Tekra. The container terminal is planned with a capacity of 2.19 million TEUs, while the cargo berth will handle up to 18.33 million metric tonnes per annum.

Officials said the project will help reduce logistics turnaround time, ease congestion, and improve overall supply chain efficiency in the region.

The execution of the ROB will be aligned with the commissioning of the Tuna-Tekra container terminal, which is currently about 45% complete. This is aimed at ensuring that supporting infrastructure is ready alongside port operations.

The project is expected to ease rail-road congestion and facilitate smoother movement of heavy cargo traffic to and from the port, strengthening last-mile connectivity.

The development is part of the government’s broader maritime strategy under Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, aimed at enhancing port-led development and positioning India as a global maritime hub.

New Delhi, March 19: The Centre has released over ₹24,600 lakh under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) to Andhra Pradesh between 2014–15 and 2025–26 to support indigenous cattle development, the Lok Sabha was informed.

In a written reply, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said the funds have been largely utilised by the state over the years, with utilisation matching releases in most financial years.

According to official data, major allocations were made in recent years, including ₹5,652.38 lakh in 2021–22, ₹3,538.38 lakh in 2023–24, and ₹3,184.16 lakh in 2024–25. An amount of ₹1,500 lakh has been released in 2025–26 so far, with utilisation yet to be reported.

 

Gokul Grams Established

The minister said 16 Gokul Grams were established in the state under the scheme. However, the component has been discontinued under the revised and realigned Rashtriya Gokul Mission for the period 2021–22 to 2025–26.

Rise in Indigenous Cattle Population

The government said the scheme has contributed to a significant increase in indigenous bovine breeds. At the national level, the population of indigenous cattle rose by nearly 30% between 2013 and 2022.

In Andhra Pradesh, the increase was higher at 62.11% during the same period, reflecting the impact of both central and state-level interventions.

Focus on Breed Improvement

The Rashtriya Gokul Mission aims to conserve and develop indigenous bovine breeds, improve milk productivity, and enhance farmers’ income through scientific breeding and better livestock management practices.

The government said coordinated efforts under the mission have supported breed improvement and strengthened the livestock sector in the state.

A decade after its launch, the Digital India programme is no longer just a government initiative. It has evolved into the backbone of India’s economic and service delivery architecture, quietly reshaping everything from banking and payments to welfare distribution and digital commerce.

The scale of transformation is striking. Broadband subscribers have grown from 25 crore in 2014–15 to over 103 crore in 2024–25, a fourfold increase that signals not just connectivity expansion, but the creation of a massive digital consumer base.

 

This growth has been supported by a rapid expansion of telecom infrastructure. Mobile base stations have nearly quadrupled, while optical fibre networks have expanded exponentially, laying the groundwork for high-speed data access across urban and rural India alike.

The Data Revolution: Cheap, Ubiquitous, Transformative

Perhaps the most consequential shift has been in data consumption. Average monthly usage per user has surged from just 61 MB to over 25 GB. At the same time, the cost of data has dropped by nearly 97 percent.

This combination of affordability and availability has unlocked new markets. From short video platforms and e-commerce to edtech and telemedicine, entire digital industries have scaled on the back of cheap data.

For businesses, this means access to one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing internet user bases, with consumption patterns increasingly mirroring mature digital economies.

Digital Public Infrastructure as a Growth Engine

At the heart of this transformation lies India’s digital public infrastructure stack, often referred to as DPI. Aadhaar, UPI, and the broader JAM trinity have created a foundational layer on which both government services and private innovation now operate.

With over 143 crore Aadhaar identities issued, India has achieved near-universal digital identity coverage. This has enabled seamless onboarding for financial services, telecom, and government schemes.

UPI, in particular, has emerged as a global benchmark. With over 46 crore users and participation from 685 banks, it now powers the majority of India’s digital payments and accounts for a significant share of global real-time transactions.

For businesses, UPI has dramatically reduced transaction friction, enabling everything from street vendors to large enterprises to operate in a cash-light ecosystem.

Direct Transfers and Fiscal Efficiency

The JAM trinity has also transformed welfare delivery. Direct benefit transfers worth nearly ₹50 lakh crore have been routed directly to beneficiaries, reducing leakages and improving targeting.

This shift has implications beyond governance. It increases disposable income certainty at the household level, which in turn supports consumption, especially in rural markets.

Platforms That Scale with the Economy

Government-backed platforms such as DigiLocker and UMANG are quietly becoming part of everyday digital infrastructure.

DigiLocker, with 67 crore users and nearly 1,000 crore documents issued, is reducing paperwork and enabling faster verification processes across sectors like banking, education, and transport.

UMANG, offering more than 2,400 services, reflects a broader trend toward platformisation of public services, where citizens interact with the state through a single digital interface.

For private players, these platforms create opportunities for integration, partnerships, and service delivery innovations.

Bridging the Last Mile

One of the more understated achievements of Digital India has been its focus on inclusion. Village-level connectivity has reached near-universal levels, while digital literacy programmes like PMGDISHA have trained over 6.39 crore individuals.

This expansion is critical for unlocking demand in rural India, which remains the next frontier for digital growth.

What It Means for Business

Digital India has effectively created a large, connected, and increasingly data-savvy market. For companies, this translates into:

• Lower customer acquisition and onboarding costs

• Faster digital payments and reduced transaction friction

• Access to verified digital identities

• Expansion into rural and semi-urban markets

Sectors such as fintech, e-commerce, logistics, health tech, and edtech are already leveraging this ecosystem.

The Road Ahead

The next phase of Digital India will likely focus on deepening usage rather than just expanding access. This includes improving service quality, enhancing cybersecurity, and integrating emerging technologies like AI into public platforms.

As India moves toward a $5 trillion economy, its digital backbone will play a central role in driving productivity, formalisation, and innovation.

Bottom Line

Digital India has moved beyond infrastructure to become an economic multiplier. By combining connectivity, affordability, and scalable platforms, it has created a digital ecosystem that is not only inclusive but also commercially transformative.

For businesses, the message is clear: India’s growth story is increasingly a digital story.

New Delhi, March 19: Cooperative banking institutions in Odisha remain financially stable, with no banks under liquidation and a marginal decline in non-performing assets (NPAs), the government informed the Rajya Sabha.

In a written reply, Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah said the state has 9 Urban Cooperative Banks, 18 Rural Cooperative Banks — including one State Cooperative Bank and 17 District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) — and 4,287 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS).

According to data shared by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and NABARD, none of the cooperative banks in Odisha are under liquidation. However, around 725 cooperative societies are currently under liquidation, with outstanding dues of ₹11.08 crore to banks.

The minister said annual audits of these societies are conducted by the Directorate of Cooperative Audit, Odisha.

The asset quality of cooperative banks in the state has shown improvement. The Gross NPA ratio of the Odisha State Cooperative Bank (OSCB) declined from 1.08% as of March 2024 to 0.87% as of March 2025.

Similarly, the cumulative Gross NPA ratio of all 17 DCCBs reduced from 7.33% to 7.18% during the same period.

As of March 2025, seven DCCBs reported NPAs below 5%, eight were in the 5–10% range, and two had NPAs between 10% and 15%.

The financial position of cooperative banks is regularly reviewed by the state government, RBI, and NABARD. NABARD also conducts statutory inspections of the Odisha State Cooperative Bank and DCCBs.

The government said several measures have been implemented to improve governance and financial stability. These include allowing cooperative banks to expand branch networks, offer doorstep banking services, and enhance lending capacity.

Other reforms include higher loan limits, one-time settlement schemes, integration with the RBI’s Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, onboarding on Aadhaar-enabled payment systems (AePS), and inclusion under the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).

The Odisha government has also extended financial support to strengthen cooperative banks by contributing to their share capital. Assistance to DCCBs stood at ₹102 crore in 2022–23, ₹73 crore in 2023–24, and ₹28.02 crore in 2024–25.

The government said ongoing regulatory reforms, technological integration, and capital support are aimed at improving governance, reducing financial risks, and strengthening the cooperative banking sector in the state.