In a big step towards enhancing customer experience, Ola, India’s leading and one of the world’s largest ride – sharing companies, launches a comprehensive in – trip insurance program for its customers across India. Extending the benefits of the “Chalo befikar” insurance program to its customers, Ola becomes the 1st ever smart mobility platform in the country to offer an in – trip insurance cover to its users, across all categories viz. cabs, auto, kaali –peeli & even e-rickshaw. Ola has partnered with Acko General Insurance Ltd to launch this program designed to benefit its customers across 110+ cities. A user booking an Ola ride can opt for an in – trip insurance cover while booking the ride at a premium of INR 1 for all intra – city travel; INR 10 for Ola Rentals; INR 15 for Ola Outstation.

The 1st – ever – of – its – kind program is being rolled out for customers in major metros and will be scaled up to all cities, covering the entire base in the coming weeks. The comprehensive insurance program provides benefits in cases of loss of baggage or laptops, missed flights, accidental medical expense, ambulance transportation cover, and much more. The optional in – trip insurance program can be purchased through the Ola app. The claims can be made through the Ola app as well as Acko’s website, mobile app and, call center. Ola’s partnership with ICICI Lombard General Insurance Ltd will be live in the coming months.

Vishal Kaul, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Ola said, “We are thrilled to introduce in – trip insurance for our customers under the “Chalo Befikar” insurance program. Just for INR 1, Ola customers can avail an insurance policy of INR 5 lakh which will also provide cover for missed flights, loss of baggage, loss of laptop, emergency hotel requirements, and many more. The launch of this initiative, a 1st – ever – of – its kind in India, reiterates our resolve of building customer – first solutions.”

“Chalo Befikar” has been extremely beneficial for Ola driver partners, extending the benefits to customers as well is the right step forward, bringing the entire ecosystem under this essential insurance program.

Varun Dua, Founder & CEO, Acko General Insurance Ltd. said, “Ola is a pioneer of mobility in India and Acko is excited to partner with them. Together with Ola we have created a 1st – ever – of – its – kind in -trip insurance that would be of great value to millions of Ola users and would ensure that their daily commute is stress – free. We have been able to develop an easy to understand product that is delivered seamlessly to the user. As India’s 1st insure – tech player we made this possible with our capabilities in product design along with our technology platform that is capable of high volume insurance transactions in real time for both policy issuance & claims management.”

Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. said, “At ICICI Lombard, we are proud to partner with Ola, India’s leading ride sharing platform. We are happy to offer yet another of our innovative digital insurance solutions to their customers. As India’s leading general insurance company, we have always been ahead in terms of introducing new age solutions that address the emerging market dynamics and meet the requirements of India’s young & aspiring consumers. We believe that this partnership will immensely benefit Ola’s large base of customers.”

How can a customer avail in – trip insurance program?

New user → in – app communication while booking a ride

Menu → profile → ride insurance → toggle insurance ‘on’ (once a customer has given his / her consent, insurance is charged on all his / her future rides unless the toggle is put to ‘off’)

Founded in 2011 by Bhavish Aggarwal & Ankit Bhati, Ola is one of the world’s largest ride – sharing companies. Ola integrates city transportation for customers & driver-partners onto a mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent, and quick service fulfillment. Ola is focused on leveraging the best of technology and building innovative solutions ground – up, that are relevant at global scale. Notably, in 2016, Ola Play the world’s 1st ever connected car platform for ride – sharing was launched, transforming commuting experiences and setting the tone for global innovation in this space. Using the Ola mobile app, users across 110+ cities, can connect with over 1,000,000 driver – partners across cabs, auto -rickshaws, & taxis. Driven by a hyper local approach, Ola is committed to its mission of building mobility for a billion people

Acko is an independent general insurance company with its entire operations offered through the digital platform. It will provide personalized products after measuring customer behavior using data analytics. Set – up by Varun Dua, previously founder of Coverfox, Acko has raised $30mn, which in effect makes it one of the largest seed rounds for a start -up in India. The company is backed by Narayan Murthy’s Catamaran Ventures, Accel & SAIF Partners, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Co – founder Infosys, Hemendra Kothari of DSP Blackrock, Atul Nishar – Founder & Chairman of Hexaware Technologies, Rajeev Gupta, veteran investment banker & Founder of Arpwood Capital, Venk Krishnan & Subba Rao of NuVentures, Swiss Re & Transamerica Ventures.

ICICI Lombard are the largest private – sector non -life insurer in India based on gross direct premium income in fiscal 2017, a position they have maintained since fiscal 2004 after being one of the 1st ever few private-sector companies to commence operations in the sector in fiscal 2002. They offer their customers a comprehensive & well – diversified range of products, including motor, health, crop, fire, personal accident, marine, engineering & liability insurance, through multiple distribution channels.

The Union Home Ministry has asked all the state governments to be extra vigilant to avoid any violence and loss of life and property amid calls on social media for a “Bharat Bandh” (nationwide shutdown) by various anti-reservation groups to protest clashes during the SC/ST Bharat Bandh on April 2.

The ministry has particularly asked the state governments to make the District Magistrates and the district police chiefs “personally responsible” for the law and order situations in their areas of jurisdiction, sources said on Monday.

States have been advised to beef up security and make appropriate arrangements to prevent any untoward incident, including issue of prohibitory orders, if necessary.

They have been asked to intensify patrolling in all sensitive locations so as to prevent any loss of life or property, a senior ministry official said.

The advisory has stressed that District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police be made “personally responsible for ensuring that law and order situation remains firmly under control” in the areas of their jurisdiction, the official added.

A Bharat Bandh on April 2 by Dalit groups against the alleged dilution of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by a Supreme Court order had led to violence and arson in many parts of the country which claimed several lives and left hundreds of civilians and policemen injured.

Bangalore Buzz

Asia Jewels Fair 2018, one of South India’s most Glamorous Jewellery Exhibition hosted its 13th edition in Bengaluru city from 6th Apr, 2018 to 8thApr, 2018. The Grand jewellery fair took place at Conrad Bengaluru Hotel situated at Ulsoor (Near 1 MG – Lido Mall), the newest & the most luxurious 5 star Hotel Bengaluru from 10.30 am to 8 pm. This show is a very exclusive one as for the 1st time the expo showcased never seen before best jewellery designs from top handpicked jewellers from across India, all under one roof.

The Show was inaugurated by actress Angana Roy the renowned South Indian Actress on 6th Apr, 2018 at The Conrad Bengaluru Hotel.

Asia Jewels Fair 2018 was a niche event exhibiting exclusive & high end branded gold & diamond Jewellery amongst others. The event showcased some of the latest collection from, Fine gold Jewellery, Diamond Jewellery, Platinum Jewellery, Traditional Jewellery, Wedding Jewellery, Precious stone Jewellery, Kundan, Jadau & Polki Jewellery to name just a few.

Special Highlight of the Exhibition: The landmark Exhibition showcased one of Shobha Shringar Jeweller’s finest creations namely “The Femina Miss India Crown 2017”. The crown comprises 8000 magnificent diamonds along with 60 splendid rubies, and was worn by current Miss World, Manushi Chhillar.

“Asia Jewels Fair is one of the finest jewellery exhibitions in the city. Where people pre – booked their jewellery for the upcoming Akshaya Tritiya festival & for all the prospective grooms & brides. A fair like this is a one stop destination that brings some of the best jewellery designs & precious stones under one roof, a perfect destination to buy exquisite & world class jewellery in South India.”

On display were Luxury jewellery designs from top leading brands of Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Kolkata creating the most glamorous & the most spectacular platform for all branded jewellery. Adding to the exquisite display was a dazzling array of International jewellery designs, from top most brands from all across India like:

Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Joyalukkas – The World’s favorite jeweler, P. C. Chandra Jewellers, Amrapali Jewels, Creations Jewellery, Sri Ganesh Diamonds & Jewellery, Shobha Shringar Jewellers Mumbai, Nikhaar Jewels, Orra Jewels, Diamond Mantra, Abira Jewellers – Kolkata, Ananya Jewels, Gold Karat – Delhi, Design Source by Archana Aggarwal – Delhi, Sehgal Jewellers – Delhi, Ziva Jewellery – Mumbai, Karma Jewels, Reyna Gems & Jewels, Aura By Surana Jewellers – Delhi, K. Jewels – Delhi, Hedron et al.

About Asia Jewels Fair 2018

Asia Jewels Fair is an exquisite and most sought after event show brought to you by the Introduction Trade Shows Pvt. Ltd.

Congress leader also took public transport – at least between the seat of government, Vidhana Soudha, to the Mahatma Gandhi road. He travelled by the Metro, Bengaluru’s Namma Metro.
Bengaluru city has 28 assembly constituencies – a good number of seats in the total of 224 that will elect their MLAs in next month’s Karnataka Assembly. So little wonder that Congress president Rahul Gandhi not just decided to spend a day in the city but also pulled out all the stops to make his presence felt.

As he moved from one place to another, the Congress leader also took public transport – at least between the seat of government, Vidhana Soudha, to the Mahatma Gandhi road. He travelled by the Metro, Bengaluru’s Namma Metro, shared a joke with passengers and took selfies with them.

Rahul Gandhi is also set to address a rally at Palace Grounds later in the evening. Since it is a Sunday, the normally traffic-choked city was spared traffic snarls as a result of the visit for much of the day. But that changed later in the evening due to the large number of people who turned up at the rally.

His day began with an informal meet with journalists – where he talked of the battle of ideologies in the state and how Karnataka could teach the country because of its synthetic culture. He said it was a battle between Bengaluru and Nagpur – a reference to the location of the RSS headquarters, the ideological mentor of the BJP.

Rahul Gandhi interacted with Pourakarmikas at Jakkarayanakere in Central Bengaluru

From the five-star hotel where that meet was held, Mr Gandhi then went to a lower income group area – to meet corporation workers of the BBMP, or pourakarmikas, at a location near an open drain.

Optics are of course important in any campaign and he pulled his chair from the small stage that had been erected and dragged it down to the same level as the workers. The gesture earned him a loud round of cheers. The workers – who had clearly been specially chosen, largely spoke of support from the Congress government. Some of them even spoke to Mr Gandhi in a language not their mother tongue – Hindi.

Jayamma took the microphone to say that she had been a contract worker for 25 years and wanted to be made a permanent employee. Her stand was echoed by Muthyalappa, who said, without a guaranteed salary, it was difficult to raise children.

Rahul Gandhi at a luncheon interaction with ‘women of Bengaluru’

The next event was for the well- heeled – as the Congress president met members of the business community at the Jnana Jyothi Auditorium. He also had a session described as a ‘Conversation with women of Bengaluru’ that was closed to the media.

COMMENTSIn between, Rahul Gandhi took a break from his schedule to visit the Bengaluru home of veteran Congresswoman Margaret Alva to pay his condolences. Ms Alva had lost her husband, Niranjan Thomas Alva, on Saturday morning.

And the Congress president also stopped off at a bookshop where he bought books including Karen Armstrong’s ‘A History of God’ two books by Thich Nhat Hanh’s, including ‘The Art of Living,’ and Perumal Murugan’s ‘The Goat Thief’.

The Congress chief made a stop at a bookstore in Bengaluru’s Church Street.

And the Congress president also stopped off at a bookshop where he bought books including Karen Armstrong’s ‘A History of God’ two books by Thich Nhat Hanh’s, including ‘The Art of Living,’ and Perumal Murugan’s ‘The Goat Thief’.

Election Authorities were seized a sum of Rs 32.90 lakh unaccounted cash on Friday at several places over the state.

A total of Rs 11.83 lakh was seized from four lorry drivers in Terdal, while Rs 9.96 lakh, which was being transported in a KSRTC bus was seized near Komaranahalli checkpost in Hoovinahadagali taluk. A sum of Rs 3 lakh was found in the car of Raichur forest officer Raghavendra on Thursday night.

Another Rs 3 lakh was seized from two Pune-based people who were transporting the money in a car, near Dundur checkpost in Gadag taluk. The election authorities seized Rs 3 lakh which was being transported with no document in Afzalpur taluk. Rs 1.90 lakh was seized in two separate incidents near Shahpur, Yadgir area.

Assistant Commissioner Gargi Jain said “The officer revealed to us that the money has a place with the department, but he had no documents. The money will be returned in the event that he submits necessary documents”

Authorities have ordered the shut down of higher secondary schools, colleges and universities in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday to prevent a face off between agitating students and the security forces.

Students have taken to the streets against civilian killings in Shopian and Ganderbal districts.

On Friday, clashes between angry protesters and the security forces erupted across the valley after the Friday prayers.

In addition to closing of the educational institutes, the authorities have also postponed exams scheduled for Saturday.

No separatist group have called for protests or a shutdown on Saturday.

Public transport, shops and other businesses started functioning in Srinagar and some other places on valley after Friday’s shutdown.

Very few commuters and shoppers were, however, seen in the old city and uptown areas of Srinagar.

Train services between Baramulla and Bannihal towns will remain suspended on Saturday.

Heavy contingents of police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in Srinagar and all the district headquarters of the valley.

Normal life was paralysed in Tamil Nadu on Thursday due to a DMK-called shutdown over the Centre’s failure to set up a Cauvery Management Board (CMB).

DMK leader M.K.Stalin led a massive procession comprising members from his party and his allies, on the arterial Anna Salai to Marina Beach here affecting traffic flow.

He was accompanied by Tamil Nadu Congress leader S. Thirunavukkarasar.

Speaking to reporters before being taken away by the police, Stalin said the strike was successful and thanked all those who cooperated.

Hundreds of protestors belonging to DMK, Congress, CPI, CPI-M, MDMK, VCK and farmers were also taken into police custody across the state.

In Chennai, very few government buses were plying on the roads while autorickshaws stayed off.

But radio taxis were available.

Suburban and long distance train services were also being operated as usual, a Southern Railway official told IANS.

However, six suburban trains were held up at the Avadi point here, the official said.

There were brief protests on the rail tracks in Salem and Tirunelvelli.

In Tirunelvelli, a large number of DMK cadres protested in front of a passenger train. Around 150 protesters were detained.

As a result of the Tirunelvelli protest, the Chennai-bound Guruvayur Express and Trivandrum-bound Ananthapuri Express were delayed, according to the Southern Railway official.

In the hosiery town of Tiruppur, units were shutdown in support of the strike.

However petrol bunks stayed open and milk supply was not affected.

As per reports reaching here, shops in Erode, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram downed their shutters.

In neighbouring Puducherry, transport services were affected while three buses belonging to Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation were damaged.

The Supreme Court on February 16 reduced Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery water from 177.25 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), which was less than the 192 TMC allocated by a tribunal in 2007. Karnataka’s share of water was increased by 14.75 TMC.

The Centre failed to set up the CMB within six weeks of the apex court’s February 16 order. The deadline ended on March 29.

Streax Professional Introduces Marigold collection
Summer is almost upon us and it’s time for fashionistas to embrace the season with style & sparkle. Bringing vibrancy & elegance to the hair styling trends this season, Streax Professional, the premium hair colour range specially crafted for salon professionals & technicians recently launched its Spring Summer 2018 Collection ‘Marigold’. Ruled by the shades of golden, copper & blondes, the Marigold collection signifies the celebratory mood that the season brings in. Along with the new collection, Streax Professional also kicked off its campaign “Hair & Beyond”, providing beauty technicians an opportunity to enhance their hairstyling skills. The 1st ever exclusive seminar & styling event under the campaign was organized recently in Mumbai that inspired aspiring & practicing hair stylists to be creative in the field of Cut, Colour & Style.

Announcing the launch of the new collection Rochelle Chhabra, Professional Division Head, Hygienic Research Institute averred, “Streax Professional Spring Summer 2018 Collection “Marigold” has been designed keeping in mind the latest trends in colour hues & customer demands for the season. Today, brighter, bolder & spicier shades are making it to the list of personal favourites, and we are happy to have these chic shades in our range of hair colour this season.” Talking about the Hair & Beyond campaign, she averred, “Hair & Beyond is a significant campaign that aims to educate & update the hairstyling professionals & aspiring beauty technicians about the latest trends in colouring & styling techniques. With customers increasingly turning to salons for professional hair colour solutions, it is essential that we train our partners to provide the best solutions in hair colour and help them achieve complete customer delight.”

Internationally renowned hair styling Guru from Sweden Joakim Roos, also known as “The King Of Hair” graced the Hair & Beyond seminar in Mumbai where he unveiled the Marigold collection and empowered the professionals by sharing world – class hair styling techniques & tips. Joakim Roos, Swedish stylist with his trendsetting vision & extraordinary skill averred, “Streax Professional has come out with trendy hair colours for this season, that will look the best if styled by the right set of hands. Hair colour needs the right skill & technique to come out beautifully and hence, I am very proud to be part of Hair & Beyond where I can share my learning’s with future stylists. It’s wonderful watching these young & enthusiastic talents learning and willing to experiment with newer shades & techniques.”

The ever – gorgeous actress Hina Khan strutted the ramp flaunting the Streax Professional Spring Summer 2018 hair shades and took the glamour quotient a notch higher.

Streax Professional aims at providing hair professionals in other cities as well an opportunity to learn directly from the hair styling Gurus and will, therefore be conducting Hair & Beyond seminars across multiple locations i.e. New Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow & Chandigarh. If you are a professional who aspires to match steps with global experts, here is your chance to make that happen!

Streax Professional has also appointed Jaokim Roos & Yolly Ten Koppel, International Creative & Technical Director, Pivot Point International on the panel of its Chief Hair Dresser.

Streax Professional – a brand closely associated with style & glamour in salon business, was launched in the year 2004 by Hygiene Research Institute. Streax Professional is smart choice for smart Indian stylists & consumers and guarantees value for money. Launching innovative products, with well researched formulations, especially suited to Indian hair types, Streax Professional is the fore – runner in the professional segment with the widest distribution network. Streax Professional Hair Colorant Range (Colour, Developer & Ultralights) is on continuous growth path and has partnership with over 25000 salons in India as well as abroad.

Established in 1957, Hygienic Research Institute (HRI) is one of the fastest growing cosmetic companies in India. Every beauty product of HRI has been prepared with the help of ancient Ayurvedic sciences & modern technology, giving the consumer the very best, to be the very best. An ISO 9001:2015 certified company, HRI implements path breaking innovations & personal care solutions. All the products are manufactured, tested & approved by quality assurance as per Indian BIS specifications and adhere to the stringent international norms of countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore & Sri Lanka FDA (Food & Drug Administration). Streax as a Hair colour brand is trusted and used by 17 lacs consumers every month across India and is sold through 3 lacs outlets

The President of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, Vatal Nagaraj has called for Karnataka bandh on April 12th contradicting the formation of Cauvery Water Management board. As indicated by media reports, Vatal Nagaraj was detained when he was protesting in Attibele town which is near Tamil Nadu-Karnataka outskirt.

On February 16, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had coordinated to frame the CMB inside within a month in a decision that insignificantly expanded Karnataka’s offer of Cauvery water, hence lessening the allocation for Tamil Nadu and settling the extended water debate between the two southern states.

By uprightness of the SC decision, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Union Territory of Puducherry would be every year qualified for 404.25 tmcft, 284.75 tmcft, 30 tmcft and 7 tmcft of Cauvery water, separately out of an aggregate of 740 tmcft.

The state wide bandh called by DMK and other opposition parties demanding to constitute Cauvery management board (CMB) hit the bus and train transportation in several parts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday.

Train No. 56718 Tirunelveli – Nagercoil passenger was stopped by agitators between Tirunelveli and Sankaralingapuram near Tamarabarani bridge. The train was detained for an hour and 150 agitators were arrested by the police.

As a result of this rail roko, Chennai bound Guruvayur Express and Thiruvananthapuram bound Ananthapuri Express were delayed for 90 minutes.

In another similar incident, DMK supporters blocked the Jolarpettai – Erode Passenger at Magundanchavadi and Chennai – Coimbatore Kovai Express stopped at Morappur.

While the Erode bound passenger train resumed service after 20 minutes, the protestors detained Kovai Express for more than 30 minutes.

More than 20 Express trains across the state were delayed by 30 to 90 minutes due to various rail roko protests.

In Chennai, six EMU suburban trains were stopped by agitators at Avadi for more than 15 minutes, leading to disruption of train services between Chennai and Tiruvallur. Two EMU trains also help up at Chennai Park station for ten minutes.

About 45 percent of MTC buses did not ply in Chennai city, while 30 percent of mofussil buses operated by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) also participated in the strike.

Earlier, ten transport corporation workers unions including Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF),All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) affiliated to CPM, DMK, CP and Congress have extended their support to strike.

However, MTC officials claimed that about 98 percent of buses operated in Chennai city.

J Ramanujam, President of Thozhargal Car Ottunargal Amaippu Sara Thozhirsangam said nearly 10,000 cab OLA and UBEr drivers participated in the strike.