Ujjivan Financial reduces interest rates

Micro finance company Ujjivan Financial Services has reduced interest rates on its loan products, effective January 1.
The interest rates on group loans have been reduced from 23 per cent to 22 per cent and on unsecured individual loans from 26 per cent to 23-24 per cent, respectively, the company said in a statement here.
This is third amongst the series of interest rate cut by the Bengaluru-based micro lender since August.
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Swamy appointed Manipal Hospitals Group Medical Director * Manipal Hospitals today announced the appointment of Dr Nagendra Swamy as the Group Medical Director.
With over 30 years experience in Health care management in various national and international organisations, Swamy will represent the interests of clinicians and the clinical activities of the organisation.

In addition to the new role, he will continue to be responsible as Chairman of the quality council, management of teaching hospitals, nursing operations and President for private hospitals and nursing homes association (PHANA), among others.

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Livspace announces new line of business for modular kitchens * Livspace, online platform for end-to-end home design, today announced launch of a new line of business for exclusive modular kitchens and wardrobe systems.
A third of the company's resources on category management, technology and customer operations will be deployed to focus on growing the modular kitchen, wardrobes, and wall fittings category, the company said today.

The new service will currently be available in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai with future expansion to Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and select tier-II cities.
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UTI Dividend Yield Fund declares tax-free dividend of 5.5% * UTI Dividend Yield Fund has declared tax-free dividend of 5.5 per cent under dividend option-existing plan and dividend option -direct plan.
Pursuant to the payment of dividend, the NAV of the dividend option-existing plan and dividend option-direct plan of the scheme would fall to the extent of payout.
Hilton Worldwide unveils midscale brand 'Tru by Hilton'
* Hilton Worldwide today unveiled a midscale brand 'Tru by Hilton' and have already signed 102 hotels under the brand.

Demonstrating owners' desire for innovative midscale brand with a strong value proposition, the global hospitality group already has 102 hotels signed under Tru by Hilton and an additional 30 hotels in various stages of approval in cities including Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Denver, Portland and Nashville, Hilton Worldwide said in a release issued here.
"We are excited to be launching Tru by Hilton, which will serve the largest segment of the hotel market, but a segment where no brand is meeting guests' current needs," Hilton Worldwide President and CEO Christopher J Nassetta said.
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Flipkart partners Udacity to hire without interviews * E-commerce giant Flipkart today announced that it has partnered with the online learning company Udacity to hire graduates from the latter's skill-based learning programs.

With this partnership Flipkart aims to redefine the way it hires employees in the software industry which is currently based predominantly on personal interviews and referrals, the e-commerce company said.
Flipkart has hired three students based on Udacity's 'Android Developer Nanodegree' projects and profiles, without any in-person interview or group exercises. They are now working at its mobile development team.
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New mechanism based diamond pendant series launched * A city-based diamond jewellers today launched an exclusive series of mechanical diamond pendants which it claimed can alter its colour to match the dress.
Claiming it to be first of its kind, "Shakti IF Diamonds" Chairman S Raja Vignesh said the pendant 'Just a Spin' was made by combining colours and adding extra light to the diamonds.

The pendants will be on sale at a two-day diamond jewellery expo beginning on January 30, Vignesh said in a release today.
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GE Shipping includes Japanese-built tanker in its fleet * Country's largest private shipping company GE Shipping today said it has acquired a Japanese tanker taking its vessels' fleet to 31.
"The Great Eastern Shipping (GE Shipping) Company took delivery of a 2005 Japanese build medium range product tanker "Jag Padma" of about 48,000 dwt (dry weight tonnage)," the company said in a BSE filing.
Qriyo Infolabs raises $160k from Idein Ventures
* Technology-based learning platform Qriyo Infolabs today said it has raised a seed funding of USD 160,000 from UAE-based early stage venture capital firm, Idein Ventures.

It is currently active in Jodhpur and is in the process of expansion to Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Jointly founded by IIT Bombay alumni Mudit Jain, with 4 years of working experience with MNCs like Finmechanics and PWC, and serial entrepreneur Rishabh Jain, Qriyo offers courses at home from wide domains including academics, extracurricular and fitness.
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IAN invests in DesignBids
* Delhi-based startup DesignBids, a marketplace for architecture and interior design services, has secured an undisclosed amount of funding from the Indian Angel Network.
Angel investors Ambarish Raghuvanshi and Arihant Jain have led this round of investment on behalf of IAN and will join the company board for further mentoring the team.

DesignBids is a platform that connects projects owners with architects and interior designers by using a reverse-auction mechanism, very similar to the floating of tenders, which is commonly practised for government projects.
The company was founded in November 2015, and DesignBids has acquired over a 100 projects with 300 designers registered on the website.
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Yes Bank to launch 'Yes InControl'
* Private sector lender Yes Bank today said it is launching 'Yes InControl' which will help its customers to fully control their Yes Bank debit card usage.
The move is in partnership with MasterCard and would allow customers to customise usage parameters and limits for their Yes Bank debit cards for better safety and efficiency.

Air Canada to start Vancouver-Delhi non-stop flight
* Air Canada will operate a non-stop flight from Delhi to Vancouver in October, as the airline seeks to strengthen its presence in India.
In a release, Air Canada said the flight would commence from October 20, in time for Diwali festivities.
"The seasonal, three times weekly flights complement Air Canada's Toronto-Delhi non-stop service," it said
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PNB Housing's special home loan for middle, lower income grps * Housing finance company PNB Housing today said it has launched a special scheme - Unnati Home Loans for customers of lower and middle income group.

It will enable them realise their dream of owning a home at affordable Equated Monthly Installments (EMIs), PNB Housing said in a statement.
The company said it has customised the scheme on the basis of potential customers needs in their intent to buy their own house.
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ErosNow enters Malaysian market, ties up with 2 telcos * Entertainment firm Eros International Plc today announced that its digital over-the-top (OTT) distribution service ErosNow has entered the Malaysian market in partnerships with two leading telecom companies.
The company has tied up with Maxis Berhad and U Mobile and with these partnerships, ErosNow becomes the only Indian OTT platform to penetrate the growing Malaysian market, the company said in a statement.
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Excel crop care sells its investments in 3 firms * Excel crop care today said the company has sold its investments in three companies -- Excel Genetics, Kutch Crop Services and ECCL Investments and Finance.
MyTaxiIndia raises funds from Dubai-based investor
* Inter-city cab rental platform MyTaxiIndia has raised an undisclosed amount from ZGC Global, a Dubai-based investor to expand its operations.
MyTaxiIndia, which claims to be present in 200 cities, is looking at rolling out its offerings in the North-East as well as tier I and II cities in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
However, no financial details of the investment were divulged. The company plans to raise its next round of funding of about USD 5 million in the next four months.
Stating that the Dubai-based company will also participate in the Series A round, MyTaxiIndia Co-Founder Anshuman Mihir said: "We are discussing the valuation with several venture capital firms... We would be raising up to USD 5 million".
In July 2016, MyTaxiIndia had raised USD 1 million in bridge funding from existing investor Nihon Kotsu Co, a taxi rental company in Japan. The firm was also part of Green House Ventures' 12-month accelerator programme in June 2015, where it received seed funding of USD 100,000.
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Hitachi Consulting unveils IoT experience centre at Pune * Hitachi Consulting today launched a user experience centre in Pune to offer customers a real-time feel and experience of its IoT capabilities.
Called 'MIRAI' (meaning future), the centre demonstrates the connected factory and predictive maintenance capabilities of Hitachi Consulting and displays its IoT capabilities to its clients in an experiential manner, Hitachi said in a statement.
The centre focuses on real-time data acquisition, analytics and machine learning and enhances business capabilities, it added.