<ul><li>Indian benchmark indices <keyword id="6484188" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sensex" source="Orion">Sensex</keyword> and <keyword id="2931774" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nifty50" source="Orion">Nifty50</keyword> edged lower in morning trade on Friday amid negative cues in global markets. </li><li>Realty, metal and auto stocks declined while FMCG and media stocks edged up. </li><li>Both the benchmark indices were down 0.1%, with Sensex at 59,579 points and Nifty50 at 17,596 points.</li></ul>Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty50 edged lower in morning trade on Friday amid negative cues in global markets. Realty, metal and auto stocks declined while FMCG and media stocks edged up. Both the benchmark indices were down 0.1%, with Sensex at 59,579 points and Nifty50 at 17,596 points. Top gainers and losers on Nifty50 <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Top gainers </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Change </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Top losers </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Change </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">HCL Tech </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1.69% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tech Mahindra </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-1.92% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Apollo Hospitals </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0.96% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tata Steel </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-1.76% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Divi's Laboratories </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0.91% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Hindalco Industries </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-1.51% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cipla </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0.86% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">JSW Steel </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-1.33% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BPCL </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0.86% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Adani Enterprises </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6000000000000001pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-1.19% </td></tr></tbody></table> Source: NSE, as on April 21, 2023 Earlier on Thursday, markets snapped a three-day losing streak to close in the green, with Sensex gaining 0.11% and Nifty50 gaining 0.3%. <keyword id="141968" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="hcl-tech" source="Orion">HCL Tech</keyword> delivered its Q4 results on Thursday, with results in line with analyst expectations. While its attrition cooled down in line with that of its peers TCS and Infosys, it also guided for 6-8% revenue growth, nearly half of its FY23 growth of 13.7%. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Global markets in the red" comment="subhead" text="Global markets in the red">Global markets in the red</cmsannotation> Markets in the US closed in the red on Thursday, with Dow Jones declining 0.33% while S&amp;P 500 fell 0.6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was down 0.8%. Asian markets were largely in the red, too, on Friday morning. KOSPI declined the most at 0.72%, while Hang Seng was a close second with a fall of 0.67%. Shanghai Composite was down 0.54%, while Taiwan Weighted was down 0.24%. Nikkei 225 was flat. Gold prices edged up a little to INR 60,508 per 10 grams ahead of the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya which sees an increase in purchase of the yellow metal. Crude oil prices continued to cool down, with Brent crude now hovering around the $81 per barrel level. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Stocks to watch" comment="subhead" text="Stocks to watch"><keyword id="73648" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="stocks-to-watch" source="Orion">Stocks to watch</keyword></cmsannotation> HCL Technologies: The IT company’s revenue grew 13.7% in FY23 in constant currency terms and also met its FY23 revenue forecasts as it had guided it to be anywhere between 13.5-14%. Its operating margin fell sharply in Q4 to 18.1% in Q4 from 19.6% in Q3. ICICI Life Insurance: The insurer has reported a 27% growth in net profit at ₹235 crore as compared to ₹185 crore in the previous year period aided by a strong growth in value of new business. <keyword id="28423" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="vedanta" source="Orion">Vedanta</keyword>: Billionaire Anil Agarwal owned company has pledged 2.44% stake in group company <keyword id="115997" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="hindustan-zinc" source="Orion">Hindustan Zinc</keyword> to raise ₹1,500 crore as it is struggling to meet its debt obligations. With this, Vedanta’s pledged shares in Hindustan Zinc rose to 91.35% or about 59.3% of the company’s overall shares. Rail Vikas Nigam: The consortium of the company and Siemens received two separate orders from Gujarat Metro Rail for phase 1 of Surat Metro and phase 2 of Ahmedabad metro. Earnings today: Reliance Industries, Hindustan Zinc, Aditya Birla Money, Tejas Networks, Bheema Cements, Metalyst Forgings among companies to report March quarter earnings today. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/hcl-tech-projects-its-revenue-to-grow-between-6-8-in-fy24/articleshow/99644337.cms">HCL Tech projects its revenue to grow between 6-8% in FY24</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/here-are-the-many-ways-you-can-invest-in-gold-this-akshaya-tritiya/articleshow/99635639.cms">Here are the many ways you can invest in gold this Akshaya Tritiya</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/sbi-icici-bank-ongc-tata-motors-bpcl-will-drive-niftys-earnings-in-q4-2022-23/slidelist/99632153.cms">5 companies that will drive Nifty’s earnings in Q4</a>

Sensex, Nifty50 edge lower amid negative global cues: Realty, metal and auto stocks decline

Kota, Apr 24 () Authorities in Rajasthan's Hadoti region are extra vigilant during the lockdown to make sure child marriages taking place on Akshaya Tritiya, which falls on April 26, are prevented. No report of child marriages has surfaced so far from Kota, Bundi, Jhalawar and Baran districts in the region. Akshaya Tritiya, also known as Akha Teej, is believed to be an auspicious occasion when girls and boys are tied in nuptial knots in large numbers, particularly in the rural belt of Hadoti region. According to a recent report by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the prevalence of child marriage is 89.4 per cent in rural areas of Rajasthan, while 10.6 per cent in urban areas of the state. The authorities in the four districts initiate awareness programmes and set up control rooms every year to check child marriages. "This year, the reports of possible child marriages around Akshaya Tritiya are zero so far as no child marriage is supposed to be taking place in the district due to strict enforcement of the lockdown," Deputy Director of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Bundi, Bhairu Prakesh Nagar said. He said anganwadi and ASHA workers are already in the field to conduct surveys in connection with coronavirus and they have not reported any suspected child marriage in the area so far. Forty-eight cases of child marriages were reported to the district control room in Bundi on Akshaya Tritiya last year, Nagar said. Kota District Collector Om Kasera on Thursday directed officials to ensure that no child marriage takes place in the district. Officials of an NGO -- Childline -- are divided over their opinion on child marriages taking place in the region. Childline coordinator in Kota Alka Ajmera said, "We receive a lot of calls on child marriages from across the district around Akshaya Tritiya every year, but this year no call reporting about child marriage has been received so far due to the lockdown." But the coordinator of Kota Railway Childline, Bhupendra Singh, said child marriages are likely to take place in rural areas in the usual manner as the entire government machinery is focused on fighting against COVID-19. "Child marriages in Rajasthan are performed secretly in presence of a few people, and this time with the whole focus of the government machinery on COVID-19, it would be easier for the villagers to solemnise child marriages," Singh said. CORR SNESNESNESNE

Authorities extra vigilant in Rajasthan to prevent child marriages during lockdown

Kota, Apr 24 () Authorities in Rajasthan's Hadoti region are extra vigilant during the lockdown to make sure child marriages taking place on Akshaya Tritiya, which falls on April 26, are prevented. No report of child marriages has surfaced so far from Kota, Bundi, Jhalawar and Baran districts in the region. Akshaya Tritiya, also known as Akha Teej, is believed to be an auspicious occasion when girls and boys are tied in nuptial knots in large numbers, particularly in the rural belt of Hadoti region. According to a recent report by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the prevalence of child marriage is 89.4 per cent in rural areas of Rajasthan, while 10.6 per cent in urban areas of the state. The authorities in the four districts initiate awareness programmes and set up control rooms every year to check child marriages. "This year, the reports of possible child marriages around Akshaya Tritiya are zero so far as no child marriage is supposed to be taking place in the district due to strict enforcement of the lockdown," Deputy Director of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Bundi, Bhairu Prakesh Nagar said. He said anganwadi and ASHA workers are already in the field to conduct surveys in connection with coronavirus and they have not reported any suspected child marriage in the area so far. Forty-eight cases of child marriages were reported to the district control room in Bundi on Akshaya Tritiya last year, Nagar said. Kota District Collector Om Kasera on Thursday directed officials to ensure that no child marriage takes place in the district. Officials of an NGO -- Childline -- are divided over their opinion on child marriages taking place in the region. Childline coordinator in Kota Alka Ajmera said, "We receive a lot of calls on child marriages from across the district around Akshaya Tritiya every year, but this year no call reporting about child marriage has been received so far due to the lockdown." But the coordinator of Kota Railway Childline, Bhupendra Singh, said child marriages are likely to take place in rural areas in the usual manner as the entire government machinery is focused on fighting against COVID-19. "Child marriages in Rajasthan are performed secretly in presence of a few people, and this time with the whole focus of the government machinery on COVID-19, it would be easier for the villagers to solemnise child marriages," Singh said. CORR SNESNE

Authorities extra vigilant in Rajasthan to check child marriages during lockdown

Mumbai, Apr 21 () The coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown ahead of Akshaya Tritiya is a credit negative for the gold jewellery retail industry in the short term, according to Icra. Gold jewellery buying is considered auspicious during Akshaya Tritiya, which falls in the last week of April this year. Over the last two years, the domestic gold jewellery retail industry has been affected by factors like weak consumer demand amid slowing economic growth, rapid rise in gold prices and faltering rural output, regulatory policy interventions and cautious lending environment, Icra said in a report."Given this background, the widened outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdown, ahead of the critical Akshaya Tritiya season is a credit negative for the gold jewellery retail industry in the short-term," it added.The lockdown has resulted in closure of retail stores across the country. Besides there has been supply chain disruption with restriction on movement of non-essential goods, Icra added."As the stores are currently non-operational and recovery in demand is likely to be slow and gradual given that jewellery is a non-essential product and consumers typically defer their discretionary spends, jewellery retailers shall witness sharp moderation in footfalls over the next few months. Especially, sales during Akshaya Tritiya, which falls in the last week of April 2020, shall witness considerable impact," Icra Vice President K Srikumar said.In addition to industry revenues being impacted, relatively stable fixed costs in the form of employee payouts and rentals shall affect the earning profile of the retailers, he pointed out."Any invocation of force majeure clauses given the above adverse impact in the rental agreements remains to be seen. Nevertheless, over the long term, gold jewellery demand shall continue to benefit from the cultural underpinnings, evolving lifestyle, growing disposable income, favourable demographic dividend and the growing penetration of organised sector," he added. SM SHW ANUANU

Gold jewellery retail industry to be credit negative in short term due to lockdown: Icra

Coming out of the grip of economic slump brought in by the coronavirus pandemic, Indias gold demand for the second quarter (April-June) increased by 43 per cent compared to the corresponding quarter last year, revealed the latest report by <keyword id="113718" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="world-gold-council" source="Orion">World Gold Council</keyword>. Value-wise <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s second quarter (Q2) 2022 gold demand value was Rs 79,270 crore, an increase of 54 per cent in comparison with Q2 2021 (Rs 51,540 crore). Total jewellery demand in India for Q2 2022 was up by 49 per cent at 140.3 tonnes as compared to Q2 2021 (94 tonnes). Globally in the jewellery sector, Q2 gold demand increased 4 per cent year-on-year to 453 tonnes, helped by a recovery in Indian demand, up 49 per cent compared with Q2 2021. The strong performance in India balances a significant decline of 28 per cent in China, where the market was dampened by Covid lockdowns that stalled economic activity and constrained consumer spending. "India's gold demand for Q2' 22 left behind the anxiety caused by the pandemic in Q1 and marked by festivals and wedding buying, grew 43 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to 170.7 tonne. Akshaya Tritiya coupled with traditional wedding buying spurred jewellery demand by 49 per cent to 140.3 tonne, though on a low base as Q2 of last year was impacted by a devastating second wave of covid. Total jewellery demand for H1 (first half) reached 234 tonne which 6 per cent higher y-o-y. Gold investment that is, bar, and coin demand in Q2 was of 30 tonne which is 20 per cent higher y-o-y, whereas H1' 22 demand of 72t at 11 per cent stronger y-o-y. Gold demand drew support from volatility in equity markets and inflation expectations," stated <keyword id="1817980" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="somasundaram-pr" source="Orion">Somasundaram PR</keyword>, Regional CEO, India, World Gold Council. The World Gold Council's latest Gold Demand Trends report revealed that global gold demand (excluding OTC) in the second quarter was down 8 per cent year-on-year to 948 tonnes. Globally gold bar and coin demand remained stable year-on-year at 245 tonnes in Q2. Growth in demand came notably from India, the <keyword id="30350" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="middle-east" source="Orion">Middle East</keyword>, and Turkey which helped to balance weakness in Chinese demand that was partially driven by continued coronavirus lockdowns. Going into H2'22, jewellery demand in India faces downside risks, due to uncertainty over the economic outlook, a higher import duty and the possibility of additional curbs on gold buying, even if for temporary and tactical reasons with an eye on INR-USD exchange rate, stated Somasundaram. Upside potential for demand can come from expectations of a normal monsoon, higher inflation and the possibility for range-bound prices, he added. The gold prices increased from Rs 43,994 per 10 grams on March 31, as against Rs 46,504 per 10 grams on June 30, he said. Total gold recycled in India in Q2 2022 increased 18 per cent to 23.3 tonnes, compared to 19.7 tonnes in the same period last year. The quarter also witnessed 34 per cent growth in imports at 170 tonnes, compared to 131.6 tonnes in the same period in 2021. Somasundaram said, even as demand makes a recovery towards near-normal, the Indian bullion market is altering with some fundamental structural reforms such as mandatory hallmarking and exchange trading. "The proposed launch of the <keyword id="12742598" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india-international-bullion-exchange" source="Orion">India International Bullion Exchange</keyword> (<keyword id="12552666" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="iibx" source="Orion">IIBX</keyword>) will kick-start a journey to make India a trusted and efficient trading hub and extend its influence in the global bullion markets," he said. IIBX is bound to emerge as a credible global entity in the bullion industry. As the importance of bullion rises in an uncertain world, a trusted eco-system underpinned by IIBX will offer a global advantage to investors in gold. India's efforts to monetise gold will also derive tremendous support from a transparent bullion trading system in GIFT City, he added. Globally central banks continued to buy gold. Global official gold reserves grew by 180 tonne in Q2, taking H1 net purchases to 270 tonne. The report asserted that some macroeconomic factors such as aggressive monetary policy tightening and continued US dollar strength may create headwinds, but upside surprises for gold investment remain firmly on the table. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indias-domestic-air-passenger-number-dips-to-97-05-lakh-in-july/articleshow/93640586.cms">India's domestic air passenger number dips to 97.05 lakh in July</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/news/in-pursuit-of-terminating-plastic-adidas-collaborates-and-rohit-sharma-and-launches-a-sustainable-apparel-collection-for-the-indian-market/articleshow/93639487.cms">Adidas ties up with cricketer Rohit Sharma for sustainable apparel</a>

India's demand for the yellow metal rises 43% in Q2: World Gold Council

Mumbai, Mar 30 () The gems and jewellery exports are expected to witness a sharp decline in March as well as in the first quarter of the next fiscal due to disruptions caused by the Coronavirus outbreak, according to a report.An industry that is largely trade-oriented and attracts over over 5,000 exhibitors and 1,00,000 buyers at various trade fairs has witnessed a continuous decline in exports in all of the 11 months of FY20, with February 2020 being a major disappointment, CARE Ratings said in a report.A 41 per cent annual decline in cut and polished diamond exports led to a cumulative exports fall of 19 per cent year-on-year for the overall gems and jewellery industry in February 2020, it added.The gems and jewellery industry continued to face hurdles in the form of high custom duty on key commodities, continuous fall in exports and restrictions on the availability of bank credit and to add to this, recent outbreak of Covid-19 in top consuming markets including USA, Europe, China, Hong Kong and other south-east Asian nations has worsened the situation further for players operating in this industry, the report said."This has temporarily disrupted operations of all members in the value chain. Due to this, the exports of gems and jewellery from India are expected to witness sharp decline not only in March 2020, but also in Q1-FY21," it added.There could be heavy loss for domestic jewellery retailers as well, who were already distressed with lax demand due to escalated gold prices in the last few months and have now temporarily shut their stores due to the lockdown imposed in the country.Domestic retailers will face loss of revenue, stress on profitability and lengthening of operating cycles, which could further dampen their borrowing abilities in future, it added.The upcoming festivities of 'Akshaya Tritiya' may not offer much cheerful signs, as jewellery demand is expected to remain muted in the short term, the rating agency said.Short-term outlook for the gems and jewellery industry is negative, while long term prospects remain positive, owing to growing consciousness of branded jewellery, increasing purchasing power in tier II and III cities, increasing working women population and rising preference towards diamond jewellery, it added. SM SHW MKJMKJ

Gems, jewellery exports stare at steep fall in Q1 next fiscal: Report

Gold and gold ornaments are something integral to Indian tradition. Gold is considered as a symbol of luck, prosperity, abundance and auspiciousness. In fact people see gold as embodying Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in it. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Indians love gold" comment="subhead" text="Indians love gold">Indians love gold</cmsannotation> Indian households take a sentimental interest in buying gold. India has recently overtaken China in becoming the largest importer of gold on the earth. People consider it auspicious to <keyword id="2329317" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="buy-gold" source="Orion">buy gold</keyword> on festivals like Makar Sankranti, Dussehra, Navratri, Gudi Parva, <keyword id="188" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Diwali" source="Orion">Diwali</keyword>, Akshaya Tritiya and <keyword id="4067" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dhanteras" source="Orion">Dhanteras</keyword>. It is considered highly auspicious to <keyword id="8248136" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="buy-gold-on-dhanteras" source="Orion">buy gold on Dhanteras</keyword>. Some of the beliefs attesting this tradition are discussed here. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Shopping for gold on Dhanteras" comment="subhead" text="Shopping for gold on Dhanteras">Shopping for <keyword id="6994209" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gold-on-dhanteras" source="Orion">gold on Dhanteras</keyword></cmsannotation> On the day of Dhanteras, the sale of gold reaches one of its annual peaks in India. The term Dhanteras translates as dhan (wealth) teras (thirteenth day). People buy gold bars, gold ornaments, gold coins silver coins or silver ware on this day. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The legend behind Dhanteras" comment="subhead" text="The legend behind Dhanteras">The legend behind Dhanteras</cmsannotation> Once upon a time, there was a king named Hima. He had a son of sixteen years. The king got him married to a girl. Astrologers predicted that the prince would die of snake bite on the fourth day of his marriage. This information made the king and the bride misery stricken. The bride was a clever and highly devoted girl. She hatched a plan to save the life of her husband. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Dhanteras is celebrated for the first time" comment="subhead" text="Dhanteras is celebrated for the first time">Dhanteras is celebrated for the first time</cmsannotation> On the day when the astrologers had predicted the death of the boy, the girl collected all the ornaments and gold in the palace and placed them in a heap in front of the main door. She advised the prince not to sleep and sat with him narrating some interesting stories and singing some melodious songs. The couple sat awake throughout the night. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Lord Yama arrives" comment="subhead" text="Lord Yama arrives">Lord Yama arrives</cmsannotation> During the scheduled time of taking the prince’s life, Lord Yama arrived near the palace. He took the form of a serpent which was supposed to bite the prince to death. As the serpent neared the main door of the palace, the heap of ornaments and valuables blocked its way, the dazzling brilliance of the items nearly blinded the vision of the snake. The snake could not enter the palace. Meanwhile, the snake was charmed by the melodious songs sung by the girl. Hence the snake laid there all night long listening to the songs. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The time of death lapses" comment="subhead" text="The time of death lapses">The time of death lapses</cmsannotation> The time that the planets had scheduled for the prince’s death elapsed and the serpent lost its mood to bite the prince. Lord Yama in the disguise of the snake left the house without taking the life of the prince. Thus, with her clever strategies and devotion to God, the girl could successfully save the life of the prince. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Dhanteras tradition begins" comment="subhead" text="Dhanteras tradition begins">Dhanteras tradition begins</cmsannotation> The legend of how the prince was saved from death inspired the tradition of buying gold on the day of Dhanteras. Gold is kept in puja on the day and a lamp known as Yama Deep is lit in front of the main door seeking the blessings of Lord Yama and goddess Lakshmi.

Why Indian people purchase gold on Dhanteras festival

Mumbai, May 10 () With retailers starting to open their shops in green zones, the gems and jewellery industry is slowly inching back towards normalcy, but is witnessing just 20-25 per cent sales. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has allowed shops to open during the lockdown, which has been extended till May 18, for essential commodities and standalone business establishments of non-essential goods. All India Gems and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJF) Chairman Anantha Padmanabhan told that jewellers have opened shops in few states after taking permission from local authorities in the last one week. "These retailers are doing 20-25 per cent business as people are coming to buy wedding related jewellery as gold prices are going up and also those who had bought gold online during Akshaya Tritiya are also coming to redeem their purchases," he added. Gold prices in India are currently ruling at Rs 45,000 per 10 grams, he said. The jewellers' body is keeping an eye on how COVID-19 situation pans out till May 18 and what decisions are taken by the government, he added. In Tamil Nadu, Padmanabhan said jewellers have approached authorities to allow them to open shops. "We have sent representations to the authorities to allow us to open shops. We will take all precautionary measures under the government guidelines to curb the pandemic," he added. Meanwhile, Kalyan Jewellers has opened 10 stores in the last week, one each in Odisha, Assam, Puducherry and seven in Karnataka after getting clearance from state governments. "We have opened 10 stores in India since last one week and are taking all safety measures for curbing COVID-19 pandemic, including social distancing, store and hand sanitization among others. "These stores are opened after discussions with the local governments. Currently, we are witnessing wedding related purchases," Kalyan Jewellers Executive Director Ramesh Kalyanaraman said. He said the company has enough inventory to cater to its customers and is constantly in touch with local governments and taking stock of the situation. "We are inventory ready and will open the rest of our stores once the local government gives the go ahead. Once all our stores are open, we expect business to come back to normal momentum within a month," he said. The company, which has 34 stores in the Middle East, has opened 13 of them in the UAE and Qatar, he added. Senco Gold and Diamonds has also announced reopening of its stores across green and orange zones in four states -- West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Karnataka. Headquartered in Kolkata, the company plans to start operations across all locations in a phased manner following clearance by the concerned government authorities. "We have started operating at selected stores in four states after getting approvals from local government authorities. To ensure safe hygienic shopping experience for our customers and for the well-being of our employees, we will be following all suggested safety measures," Senco Gold and Diamonds Executive Director Suvankar Sen said. "We are ensuring contact-less shopping experience by using new age technology and emphasizing on digital payments," he added. The company is also promoting its e-commerce platform for shopping and is suggesting customers to do first round of selection with the help of e-catalog, prior to visiting the store. Meanwhile, Tanishq, a jewellery brand from Tata Group, on Saturday announced plans to reopen its 328 stores across the country in a phased manner by opening first 50 stores by Sunday. It would continue to comply with all rules related to COVID-19 lockdown, while reopening and running operations, the company said a statement. "We are reopening our stores in a phased manner because each store has to pass an eligibility test prior to re-commencing operations. This is to ensure each store is 100 per cent prepared to manage the store, staff and customers," CEO of jewellery division at Titan Company Ajoy Chawla said. SM RVK

COVID-19: Jewellers start opening stores, sales down to 20-25 pc

New Delhi, May 11 () The challenging situation due to coronavirus pandemic will further push credit card transactions, a senior SBI Card official has said.He also said that now people will spend more to upgrade their homes as staying indoors is becoming inevitable."It is little early to say how the credit card industry is going to pan out. I have always been a big votary of digital payments. I think that opportunities will come back. Given whatever is the economic condition, I think transaction through credit cards will continue to see a rise," SBI Card MD and CEO Hardayal Prasad told in an interview.Assuming that the lockdown is removed in some places on May 17, the businesses will come back to normal to say about in 2-3 months, he added."After demonetisation, there was a big push towards the credit card industry, I think this (pandemic) is going to be even bigger than demonetisation."After demonetisation, cash was converted into digital (money/ transactions)...even if I get 5 per cent of that, that will be phenomenal. So, we are concentrating on what we can convert. Your cash spend can actually be your card spend. Now, if you are going to stay more time at home and you are not going out, you probably will look at more avenues also to make your house a better place," Prasad said.As people will stay more at home, they will vie for better products, may be a bigger televison set, a bigger fridge as they are not eating out and cooking at home, he added."So, we are looking at that kind of trend also to be emerging. People will feel that let's make home a better place, this is now my workplace and office as also this is the place where I live, so they will upgrade their homes if they are working (more) from homes," he said.Card spends towards travelling, staying at hotels, summer vacations, cinema and entertainment will be reduced, he said, adding the business is going to be a little challenging assuming things will get back to normal by October."Then there are lot of festivals also in between. In India, festivals play a major role in terms of spends. Looking at travel, I am told 60-80 per cent of their business happens during the summer, that will not happen now," said the CEO.However, he expressed confidence that some of the lost ground will be met as the big sales come up during winter festivals and new year.SBI Card is also looking at avenues such as co-branded cards where a lot of business proposition looks feasible, however, those with airlines will continue to see challenges for the time being.The company has co-branded card with the Apollo Hospitals group and hence people can get doctors' advice as well as pharmacy purchases online.Also, there is scope in the education sector as lot of people are now opting for online courses."Suddenly, there is massive uptick taking place in online education sector. Also, during Akshaya Tritiya, we also saw for the first time ever that there was almost Rs 5-6 crore purchase online on the jewellery side."If people are aware of the brand and products, they can do online purchases," Prasad said.SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd, under the brand name SBI Card, has registered 28 per cent growth in credit cards to 1.05 crore in fiscal ended March 2020.SBI Card, promoted by the country's largest lender State Bank of India in a joint venture with the Carlyle Group, registered a jump of 44 per cent in its net profit to Rs 1,245 crore during 2019-20 as against Rs 865 crore in the preceding fiscal due to robust growth in cards number, spends and receivables.Improvement in cost to income ratio and fall in bad loan ratio to little over 2 per cent by March 31, 2020 also helped in posting good numbers.Recognising the unprecedented challenges in the economic situation due to COVID-19, the credit card company has created specific the virus related provision of Rs 489 crore.Prasad hoped that things may get back to track if companies move out from China to India alongside the government efforts to contain the economic fallout due to the pandemic."May be these can also propel the economy to rebound in a very strong way. So I think all these things have to be looked for some more time and to see what more the RBI and government can do so that the economy bounces back," Prasad said. KPM BALBAL

Pandemic to push credit card transactions further: SBI Card CEO

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/46982429.cms" />

	 <keyword id="637909" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Akshay-Tritya">Akshay Tritya</keyword> is around the corner and <keyword id="6354553" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-estate">real estate</keyword> developers betting big on this days to clock-in a good sale this time around. However, keeping in mind the current scenario, is it wise to invest in property across the country? 
	 
	“Akshaya Tritiya is one of those days in the year where one stands to benefit significantly from every new acquisition. And this day has been associated with the buying of gold and property since ancient times. Akshaya literally means ‘endless’,” said Kishore Pate, chairman and managing director of Amit Enterprises Housing Ltd. 
	 
	He added, “Akshaya Tritiya is a divine day for the start of any activities, most especially investments and business ventures. Property brought on this day brings with it the assurance of non-diminishing (‘akshaya’) good fortune.” 
	 According to the industry players, the beliefs of the people play an important role in the decision making process of the <keyword id="6371902" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="home-buyers">home buyers</keyword>, hence, developers offer their projects around this time. 
	 
	Besides, the consumer sentiment in the market has been low and hence builders are offering great discounts to woo more consumers. “Needless to say, the property market is kept quite busy during Akshaya Tritiya. This year, Akshaya Tritiya falls on 21st of April, both and Indian tradition and the many good deals available in this period indicate that there cannot be a better time to buy a home," he noted. 
	 
	Interestingly, the four day property expo by Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI-Credai) that began on April 11, saw massive turnouts as developers offered great discounts and schemes on their projects for Akshay Tritya.

Buyers
Alert: Buy your home this Akshay Tritya?

(Eds: Adding details) New Delhi, Apr 26 () Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India's "people-driven" battle against COVID-19 is the only way for the country to overcome the pandemic, and asked people to shun any complacency that they will not be infected by the coronavirus because it has so far not affected the places where they live or work.In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast, Modi said the country is in the middle of a 'yudh' (war) and asserted that people have to continue being careful and take precautions.His note of caution comes against the backdrop of the Union government and states relaxing lockdown norms to revive economic activities. "I urge you not to get overconfident. You should in your over-enthusiasm not think that if the coronavirus has not yet reached your city, village, street or office, it is not going to reach now. Never make such a mistake. The experience of the world tells us a lot in this regard," he said.Modi referred to a popular Hindi idiom 'Sawdhani hati, durghatna ghati' (accident happens when caution is lowered) to make his point. In his 30-minute address, Modi hailed states, emergency workers and civil society groups for their contribution in combating the pandemic, and said that the resolve shown by the people of the country has led to the beginning of a transformation with businesses, offices, educational institutions, medical sector rapidly undergoing new changes.With the country under a lockdown since March 24 midnight, he said India's people-driven battle against the pandemic will be discussed when the world discusses the crisis later. "India's fight against the coronavirus is people-driven in the truest sense of the term. Along with people, government and administration are fighting it as well... This is the only way we can win over the virus," he said. Citing a Sanskrit shloka, he said. "Fire, debt and illness, if taken lightly, grow again at the first opportunity, assuming dangerous proportions, so it is important to treat them completely. Therefore, in over-enthusiasm, there should be no negligence. We will always have to remain cautious."Lauding the contribution of people in terms of helping the poor with food and medicines, he likened the exercise with 'mahayagya' in which everybody is eager to contribute. "We are fortunate that today the whole country, each and every citizen of the country, every person is a soldier in this battle and also leading the battle," he said. India's decision to export medicines needed by several countries, including developed nations, has earned it praise from world leaders, Modi said, noting that it did so as part of its ethos.The prime minister said wearing masks will now become a part of a civilised society and also exhorted people to stop spitting in public places, saying it was high time to get rid of this "bad habit" once and for all.This will not only boost our basic hygiene standards but also help in preventing the spread of the coronavirus infection, he said. The health crisis, Modi said, has made the world pay special attention to Indian heritage of yoga and ayurveda as people look to them to boost their immunity.Modi expressed confidence that the world will acknowledge the significance of India's traditional medicine system in a similar way it adopted yoga, and lamented that hundreds of years of foreign rule have resulted in Indians failing to realise their own strengths. Everyone in this battle is putting up a fight as per one's capacity and ability, and altruism has gained in strength in recent years, Modi said, asserting that he bowed to this sentiment. He asked people to join 'covidwarriors.gov.in', a digital platform that links volunteers, health professionals, representatives of civil society and local administration with each other to take care of relief works. Over 1.25 crore people are already part of this portal, he said.Airlines have clocked a distance of over three lakh km under "Lifeline Udan" project to deliver over five hundred tons of medical supplies to different parts of the country, while the railways has been running more than 100 parcel trains on close to 60 routes, Modi added. He also greeted people on Akshaya-Tritiya and noted that holy month of Ramzan had also begun."We should pray more than ever before so that prior to the celebration of Eid the world is rid of the coronavirus and we celebrate Eid with enthusiasm and gaiety like earlier times," Modi said, urging people to adhere to guidelines of local administration.The pandemic, he noted, has changed the manner of celebrating festivals all over the world, including in India. People recently observed many festivals such as Bihu, Baisakhi, Puthandu, Vishu and Odia new year while staying indoors, he said.The fight against the epidemic has also given people a fresh perspective to look at the world around them with the importance of sanitary workers and neighbourhood shopkeepers being realised like never before, he said. People used to think negatively of police but a humane and sensitive aspect of policing has manifested itself now as uniformed personnel has been helping those in need, he added.The prime minister hoped that there may be some good news in the fight against the coronavirus during his next 'Mann ki Baat' episode, usually the last Sunday of every month. He reiterated his advice to people to maintain a distance of two yards from each other to keep healthy."Maintain a distance of two yards and keep yourself healthy. 'Do gaz doori, bahut hai zaroori'," he said. NAB/KR KR SMNSMN

Modi says India's fight against coronavirus people-driven, cautions against complacency

New Delhi, Mar 25 () The nationwide lockdown for next 21 days amid spread of coronavirus will severely impact residential real estate as housing sales have almost come to a standstill, which could affect builders' cash flow and lead to default in repayment of bank loans, according to property developers and consultants. Market experts also fear that existing customers might delay payments of their instalments to developers, who in turn could default in repayment of principal and interest on bank loans. Developers may hold on to apartment rates, but prices in the secondary or resale market could fall, they said. To mitigate the impact, developers and brokers are adopting digital marketing tools to reach out to prospective home buyers. When contacted, realtors' apex body CREDAI President Satish Magar said the lockdown will greatly impact the sales transactions and new launches will be deferred. "There are chances of many customers defaulting on their instalments because of tough economic conditions. These will have a cascading effect on developers-who will be battling with servicing their debts as cash inflows will be strained," he added. NAREDCO President Niranjan Hiranandani said overall sales numbers have dropped. The lockdown has opened up opportunities for digital platforms for sales and marketing activities, as also payments, he said. Bengaluru-based Puravankara MD Ashish R. Puravankara said: "At this point, no property registrations are taking place and all new project launches are postponed". As all construction sites are under lockdown, there will be a delay in completion leading to an increase in the interest cost, he added. "Additionally the lockdown could hamper the cash flow cycle of the developers' balance sheets and could result in bank defaults", said Ashish. Anarock Chairman Anuj Puri said the lockdown will have a negative impact on housing sales and new launches during the auspicious festivals of Gudi Padwa, Akshaya Tritiya, Navratri and Ugadi. "This is a time when AV technology to enable virtual site visits and walk-throughs will gain increased relevance and use," he said. Anshuman Magazine, Chairman &amp; CEO (India, South East Asia, Middle East &amp; Africa), CBRE said: "It is too early to comment on the impact of Covid 19 given that the situation is still evolving ... We are confident that once the situation normalises, sales will resume". Dhruv Agarwala, Group CEO, Housing.com and PropTiger.com, said the lockdown will have an adverse impact on real estate. "We too have begun to see a dip in traffic on all our platforms," he said, adding that the company has come out with innovative schemes for builders and brokers to advertise on its websites. Siva Krishnan, MD (Residential Services and Developer Solutions), JLL India said the lockdown will definitely have an impact on housing sales, but briefly. Shalin Raina, MD- Residential Services, Cushman and Wakefield, said the complete lockdown means lesser sales since most of the transaction closures happen only after site visits. Housing prices have corrected by 15-20 per cent in the last few years and further decline is unlikely, Raina said. Savills India CEO Anurag Mathur said: "Housing sales may see a sharp dip for at least the next one quarter... Even if the situation settles down quickly, it may take time for homebuyers to come back to the market." "Price elasticity is not a concern under the circumstances since the transaction activity is at a standstill anyway. Depending upon the duration and depth of the current crisis, prices may or may not see a downward movement," he said. Omaxe CEO Mohit Goel said the recovery in the housing segment has been halted. "As for real estate prices, there will be no change as transactions are not taking place. The prices will resume at the level it has halted," he said. Gaurs' MD Manoj Gaur said, "The sales are impacted, but it is temporary." Supertech Chairman R K Arora said, "housing sales have completely gone". There are no buyers in the market. Pune-based Gera Developments MD Rohit Gera said, "Real estate sales are at a standstill. So far there has not been any reduction or crash in prices of homes." "In the absence of some relief from the government, more real estate developers with debt obligations will default on account of the stop in cash flows thereby impacting the economy and jobs," he added. M3M Director Pankaj Bansal said housing sales would get impacted during this period of crisis, but it would also create a pent up demand once things get back to normal. Experion Developers Senior ED Ananta Singh Raghuvanshi said, "Sales closures are temporarily getting pushed ahead. Prices won't change." Raheja Developers ED Nayan Raheja said the sales and construction are badly impacted and at standstill. ABA Corp Director Amit Modi said the sales velocity has definitely been slow. Gulshan Homz Director Deepak Kapoor said, "People are deferring property buying decisions." PropEquity MD Samir Jasuja said: "For the real estate sector, this is a tough situation as it was just finding green shoots of recovery. We believe for the next few weeks, we will not see any new transactions for housing sales". Ambience President (Sales &amp; Marketing) Ankush Kaul said: "Housing sales will be impacted for the next few weeks." Ekta World Chairman Ashok Mohanani said the lockdown has affected the business cycle deeply. Wadhwa group, Head - Sales, Marketing Bhasker Jain said the lockdown has impacted sales and the company is offering cashback on online bookings. Brokerage firm 360 Realtors Ankit Kansal said the activities have come to a standstill after lockdown. Sales were down by 30-40 per cent during the first three weeks of March. Investors Clinic Founder Honeyy Katiyal said sales would be impacted but not the price. Wealth Clinic CMD Amit Raheja said, "It will hamper sales to a large extent, but we expect a good turnaround once the situation returns to normalcy." MJH MRMR

Nationwide lockdown to impact housing sales, say realtors

<ul><li>In our latest series, we talk to brands about how they have been marketing during these adverse times, the things they have learnt and how they are preparing for the somewhat uncertain future.</li><li><keyword id="9451504" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ranjani-krishnaswamy">Ranjani Krishnaswamy</keyword>, General Manager - Marketing, Jewellery Division, <keyword id="2028078" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Titan-Company-Limited">Titan Company Limited</keyword> believes that the future of retail and jewellery industry is secure.</li><li>She shared with us a few consumer shopping trends that point towards an optimistic growth pattern, Titan Jewellery’s unlocking plan and larger marketing strategy. </li></ul>One would assume that the pandemic has pushed consumers to prioritise food, home and shelter. However, the kind of response Titan Jewellery has seen from its audience during the lockdown proves that they are becoming more organised and want to be prepared in every field. With the volatility caused by COVID-led lockdown in the share market, consumers are turning to buy and invest in the yellow metal. Audience from metro cities, Tier I and Tier II are open to planning their long-term investments and are buying <keyword id="6379337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gold-jewellery">gold jewellery</keyword> to secure their future. As a result, Titan Jewellery saw 1 million visitors on its website, hinting that the market is slowly picking up its tide. To meet this demand from consumers, Titan decided to open 90% of its stores in India. The jewellery giant also upped its digital game by introducing video calling features, providing live assistance to consumers, facilitating appointment-based purchases and launching digital campaigns to help its consumers adjust to the new normal and address their queries phygitally. We further caught up with Ranjani Krishnaswamy, General Manager - Marketing, Jewellery Division, <keyword id="1824765" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Titan-company">Titan Company</keyword> Limited, who is optimistic about retail and jewellery industry’s future, to understand what else the brand has in its stores for the unlocking period, a few lessons the team has learnt during the lockdown and future of retail shopping in India. Excerpts: Q. Tell us a bit about your latest campaign. What is the idea behind it? How difficult was it to execute it considering the restrictions? As a responsible brand, Tanishq believes that every little act of kindness and support is a blessing earned. This campaign brings to life the concept of blessed gold which is fondly called Dua Ka Sona. The thought of crafting a campaign relevant to the current pandemic is based on empathy as an emotion. We are not just in the business of selling jewellery but we believe in valuing the craft and craftsman equally. It’s only when our Karigars thrive, we as a business will be purposeful and wholesome in its true sense. Through this campaign, we have attempted to showcase how our efforts during this pandemic translated into blessings. Dua Ka Sona 2.0 showcases the ethical, responsible and sustainable business practices employed by the brand since its inception. With an honest attempt to give back to the society, the brand has taken sincere and proactive steps to uplift and support the lives of karigars and help them deal with the effects of covid. Understanding and quickly nurturing the needs of the Karigars and community at large, Tanishq walked the complete mile to help more than 20,000 families in every way possible. From supplying essentials and medicines to the elderly, from providing food to over 15000 karigars and migrants to arranging special financial aid, from virtual up-skilling and vocational training to enable karigars to further polish their skill sets and strict adherence to sanitize and follow safety norms is all a part of the deeper Karigar connect program which have been showcased in the campaign. As a part of the Tata group, the very fabric of goodness is ingrained in our ethos. We further extended kindness in more ways by providing essentials, PPE’s and medicines to covid warriors and communities in need, thus helping the entire value chain involved in standing together in these trying times. Given the current restrictions, it was challenging to bring together this campaign in a no travel and no shoot scenario. Having said that, we were able to achieve the right balance of emotions and acts of kindness done in the covid context by borrowing some footage from the earlier campaign. Q. How difficult was the lockdown period for Tanishq? How are your preparations for unlocking going? What are the various precautions you have taken? The lockdown was tough on all businesses but I think staying positive and keeping a focus on the changing times has helped Tanishq stay optimistic and ahead of the curve. We launched e-Akshaya Tritiya during the lockdown and received a great positive response. We had close to 1+ million visitors/browsers on our website, indicating a lot of customer interest. The ticket size online has jumped 2.5 to 3 times than our usual online average ticket size. Today almost 90% of our stores are open and Tanishq customers are at the heart of everything we do. To make jewellery shopping experience seamless for our customers we introduced new digital features like video calling, live assistance and appointment based shopping at our stores and at Tanishq.co.in. Customers have the option of getting the products delivered at their doorstep or they can choose to visit the store by booking an appointment and try out the shortlisted products. We rolled out a ‘Gold Standard’ safety ebook that reiterates company’s commitment to safety and well-being of customers and its employees at the store. It covers all staff and customer touch points, entailing numerous safety measures, including contactless shopping and strict social distancing at all times. Now that stores are open, to disinfect jewellery, Tanishq is using UV Type C Chambers, safe for all metals. Q. What has your marketing strategy been during the lockdown? Did you modify your media mix, with marketing investments getting shifted from one medium to another? The core, or sole, of the brand hasn’t changed. What obviously changed was the medium. With the changing market and consumer behaviour, largely our focus has been on enhancing our digital platforms and taking the Omni channel route for marketing. The whole strategy has been about intensifying and recognising cohorts, and to be able to talk to them through digital, through our loyalty programs, through our stores, and build a more virtual relationship with them. Q. The pandemic and the lockdown has brought with it a lot of learning. What would you say have been your major learnings from this experience so far? The current pandemic and journey that we are going through is teaching us to pause, reflect, connect and move forward with resilience and positivity. But times like these urge us to be more agile, adaptable and turn a crisis into opportunities. Being fitter, faster, and stronger will be the key to managing ourselves, our ecosystem of partners &amp; Karigars &amp; more importantly in our service to our customers. Q. The kind of communications a brand comes up with during a crisis can either help win consumer trust and endear them to the brand or work completely the other way around. How did you ensure during the last months that you stay connected with your consumers? All throughout the lockdown, we were in constant touch with our consumers to check on their well-being through empathy calls and help was mobilized with delivery of essentials and medicines to our elderly customers wherever needed! Empathy was the need of the hour and Tanishq jumped headlong into this battle with the intention of helping out wherever and however India and our extended Tanishq family needed help. A significant part of the consumer journey in jewellery has been digitised like – Video calling, Virtual try on, Live chat on our website and book an appointment. These improved our assortment on lower and middle karatage products available on the website as per consumer demand and left no stone unturned to aid our consumers make their purchases online. Q. We are sure the future of retail and jewellery industry will never be the same. How are you making sure you opt to digital media, online selling policies and physical distancing need to help your consumer? I don’t think the future looks very bleak. Shopping trends and consumer shopping trends point towards an optimistic growth pattern and it’s a positive growth. We have developed our plan based on the vision of “Fitter Faster Stronger”. Fitter means being agile and adapting to the new normal with flexibility. Faster means the speed of execution to adapt to rapidly changing consumer preferences &amp; behaviours. And stronger means to come together to reach out and help each other to build back the value chain for the jewellery industry. Digital media is one of our core platforms for consumer engagement and we have built a virtual relationship with the Tanishq community. Engagement campaigns like real golden moments, Mother's day and Jewellery cleaning posts in the last 2 months were highly engaging and gave us higher than targeted engagement percentages. Tech features like live chats and remote selling through video calls are working well for us. Our store attendants showcase the jewellery by wearing it so customers are sure of how it looks before buying it. Physical distancing has also been enabled at stores where we’ve changed layouts so not more than 1-2 customers are inside the store shopping at any given point. Safety will be key for consumers and as India’s leading only national jeweller we have created safe, tech-supported, and digitized dynamic innovative ways of shopping.

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