NEW DELHI, MARCH 15 (IANS): 49% Indian consumers say online sites and apps became the preferred mode of shopping for them in the last 12 months, as per a Local Circles survey. Safety from Covid-19 and convenience were cited as top reasons by consumers for using ecommerce. 69% of those who shop on ecommerce bought groceries/essential supplies online. Consumers used large ecommerce platforms as well as small verticals or local ecommerce sites to purchase groceries and essentials.

Seoul, March 15 (IANS): Kia Corporation, South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, on Monday revealed the design of the EV6, its first dedicated all-electric model built on Hyundai Motor Group's EV platform, ahead of its global unveiling later this month. The EV6 is based on the group's own Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) and developed under Kia's new design philosophy "Opposites United" that embodies its shifting focus toward electrification, Kia sai

New Delhi, March 15 (IANS): Fuel prices in the country have remained steady for over a fortnight now even though global oil market remains volatile with regular variations in prices. Accordingly, petrol continues to be priced at Rs 91.17 a litre and diesel Rs 81.47 a litre in the capital on Monday. Fuel prices have not been revised now for 16 days. Across the country as well the petrol and diesel price remain unchanged. But the pause has not helped in bringing down fuel prices th

Chennai, March 15 (IANS): The two-day nationwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Union in protest against privatisation of the government banks began on Monday. The leader of a major union claimed total success impacting the clearance of two crore cheques/instruments worth about Rs 16,500 crore. "On an average, about 2 crore cheques/instruments worth about Rs 16,500 crore are held up for clearance. Government treasury operations and all normal banking transactions

NEW DELHI, MARCH 14 (IANS): Telecom industry's revenues continued to grow for the fifth quarter in a row during Q3FY21 to Rs 443 billion, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) said in a report. Accordingly, this trend was supported by the industry-wide tariff hikes implemented in the last 12-18 months, increasing penetration of high ARPU (average revenue per user) broadband subscribers, and increasing subscriber base. Quoting the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India data, the

Toronto, March 14 (IANS): A Canadian public health authority has ordered retail and e-commerce behemoth Amazon to shut one of its fulfilment centres owing to an increase in Covid-19 caseloads. Peel Public Health has issued an order under the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act to Amazon Canada to require all individuals working at "8050 Heritage Road in Brampton to self-isolate for two weeks effective March 13, 2021." In accordance with the order, all employees

New Delhi, March 13 (IANS): Fuel prices in the country have remained steady for a fortnight now even though global oil market remains volatile with regular variations in prices. Accordingly, petrol continues to be priced at Rs 91.17 a litre and diesel Rs 81.47 a litre in the capital on Saturday. Fuel prices have not been revised now for 14 days. Across the country as well the petrol and diesel price remain unchanged. But the pause has not helped in bringing down fuel prices that

San Francisco/New Delhi, March 13 (IANS): Xiaomi on Saturday welcomed a US court ruling to temporarily suspend the decision by the Department of Defence asking the US companies not to invest in the Chinese conglomerate. The company said in a statement that it will continue requesting the US to remove designation of Xiaomi as a Chinese military company. "Xiaomi believes that the decisions of designating it as a Chinese Communist Military Company are arbitrary and capricious,

New Delhi, March 12 (IANS): The Jaiprakash Power Ventures announced on Friday that it has resumed operations at the 400 MW Vishnuprayag Hydro Electric Project (HEP) on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri on March 11. Power generation at the Vishnuprayag HEP was suspended due to river water gushing into the tail race tunnel of the project following the recent unfortunate flash floods in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand. "The company is pleased to announce that after carr

NEW DELHI, MARCH 12 (IANS): Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani has achieved a remarkable milestone amid the Covid-19 pandemic, as he added the highest wealth to his fortune in the world, as per the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index showed that so far in 2021, Adani has added $16.2 billion, taking his total net worth to $50 billion. With this surge in his wealth, Adani is now the 26th richest person in the world. He even beat two of world's r

MUMBAI, MARCH 12 (IANS): With the pandemic disrupting the job market, hiring for freelance jobs in India grew 22 per cent in January 2021 compared to a year ago, said a report from job site Indeed on Friday. The data also showed that postings for freelance jobs spiked between May and June 2020, a near two-fold increase from the same period in 2019. With the implementation of work-from-home structures, job search activity post March 2020 was consistently higher than pre-pandemic l

CHENNAI, MARCH 11 (IANS): With the conciliation meeting between bank unions and the Central government failing, about 10 lakh bank employees will strike work for two continuous days - March 15 and 16 - protesting against the government decision to privatise public sector banks, the All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) said on Thursday. According to AIBEA General Secretary C. H.Venkatachalam, the conciliation meeting held between the bank unions and the Union Finance Min

AGARTALA, MARCH 11 (IANS): The 'Border Haats' (markets) along the India-Bangladesh boundaries would prosper the frontier villages and adjoining areas, besides economically empowering the people, especially the women, living on both sides of the borders, experts, economists and researchers said. Four Border Haats were set up along the India-Bangladesh borders in Meghalaya and Tripura in 2011, 2012 and 2015, while six more -- four in Meghalaya and two in Tripura -- have been a

NEW DELHI, MARCH 11 (IANS): In a fresh bid to secure Google Pay users in India, the company on Thursday announced more choice and control to manage transaction data on the digital payments platform. The users can now view and delete individual transactions and activity records that they don't want used to personalise their Google Pay experience, by visiting account.google.com. From next week, Google Pay app settings will provide users with more controls to decide how their Pa

NEW DELHI, MARCH 11 (IANS): Although businesses and economic activities around the world have resumed post the pandemic-related lockdowns, most countries are unlikely to return to their pre-pandemic activity levels until 2022, a report by Moody's Investors Service said. As per the report, a slow and bumpy global recovery is expected. It, however, added that despite the relative stability of its forecasts since last April, uncertainty around the macroeconomic outlook remains much

MUMBAI, MARCH 10 (IANS): India's e-commerce market is expected to increase by 84 per cent by 2024 to $111 billion, according to a new report from global financial technology company FIS on Wednesday. The growth will be driven by mobile shopping, which is projected to grow 21 per cent annually over the next four years, said the report. The research found that global trends in digital commerce accelerated under the pandemic. Countries including India have seen a shift in con

NEW DELHI, MARCH 10 (IANS): Automobile manufacturer Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL) has commenced the Covid-19 vaccination drive for all its employees. Accordingly, the drive includes employees' dependents as well in line with the ongoing government guidelines. The company said that inoculation drive will cover both shots of the Covid-19 vaccine in phases as defined by the authorities covering senior citizens and people with co-morbidities first, followe

MUMBAI, MARCH 10 (IANS): Private sector lender Axis Bank on Wednesday introduced wearable devices to carry out contactless transactions. Accordingly, the bank launched its wearable devices brand, 'Wear 'N' Pay'. "Axis Bank has become the first bank to introduce a new line of wearable devices that can be incorporated into existing accessories or worn easily to carry out contactless transactions on the go," the bank said in a statement. "These devi

NEW DELHI, MARCH 10 (IANS): Automobile manufacturer Ford India on Wednesday introduced a new variant to the EcoSport lineup. Accordingly, the new variant - Ford EcoSport SE - is priced at Rs 10.49 lakh for petrol and Rs 10.99 lakh diesel variants. The company said that the new variant features design cues borrowed from its American and European peers, where the compact SUV is sold without a rear-mounted spare wheel. "Introduced in Titanium trim, the EcoSport SE carries fo

MUMBAI, MARCH 10 (IANS): Lending major ICICI Bank on Wednesday announced that it will provide Covid-19 vaccination for its employees and their immediate family members free of cost. According to the bank, this initiative is aimed at safeguarding the lives of its employees and their dependent family members from the Covid-19 pandemic. "It is also a humble gesture to appreciate the dedication, perseverance and passion portrayed by the employees of the bank to ensure seamless s