New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) The ban on 59 Chinese apps has given homegrown app developers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create world-class products across chat, short videos, and photo/video sharing segments and led by ShareChat, desi apps are now scouting for fresh finds to invest intelligently into scaling their platforms and handle the upcoming rush. In a country where nearly 300 million people are on Facebook, another 400 million on WhatsApp and over 120 million on Chinese app TikTok -- not to forget the millions who are hooked to Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat -- there has not been a single social media platform to date with its roots in India that has created headlines globally. The time is ripe to rise to the occasion and show that Indian programmers can build top-notch social media apps right here, without going to the US or other countries. The regional language social media platform ShareChat is changing the way in which the next billion users will interact on the internet. With over 1 billion monthly Whatsapp shares, users spend more than 25 minutes daily on the platform. ShareChat has a user base of over 60 million monthly active users spread across the country and available in 15 languages including Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Odia, Kannada, Assamese, Haryanvi, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri and Urdu. The Bengaluru-based regional language social platform has become so popular that even Twitter came onboard when the four-year-old company raised $100 million in its Series D round of funding last year. "ShareChat is silently leading a social media revolution with a strong focus on regional outreach keeping its Bharat connect pristine," said Berges Y Malu, Director, Public Policy, ShareChat. "We welcome the move from the government against platforms that have had serious privacy, cyber security and national security risks. We expect the government to continue their support for the Indian startup ecosystem," Malu added in a statement. Public is a video-only social platform and has already registered 50 million users, with more than one million videos being created every month. According to Azhar Iqubal, Founder and CEO of Public, we have immense talent and resources in India and the vacuum created by this ban is a great opportunity for Indian app makers to launch products that have the potential to do well globally. "It will also make users more vigilant in checking what permissions they have given to apps as smartphones store sensitive information," said Iqubal. Public is currently available in five Indian languages: Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil and Telugu, and aims to have over 100 million users by the end of the year. Roposo is another leading homegrown short-video making app with more than 65 million downloads in the country. TikTok users, including influencers with huge fan followings, have started switching to Roposo in large numbers after the ban. "We have built Roposo as a clean and ethical platform. The unique idea of channels in Roposo provides every talented Indian with an opportunity to grow rapidly," said Mayank Bhangadia, co-founder of Roposo. Indians have rushed to download social app Chingari, a desi alternative to Chinese TikTok, which is witnessing nearly 1 lakh downloads and over 2 million views per hour since the government banned 59 Chinese apps over national security concerns. Already downloaded over 3 million times, the app which was founded by Bengaluru-based programmers Biswatma Nayak and Siddharth Gautam last year, was trending at the top spot on Google Play Store. "As Chingari is setting new benchmarks, a lot of investors are showing interest in our app. We are holding crucial discussions to get a good investor(s) on board so as to scale up our free-of-cost social platform," informed Nayak. Launched in October 2017, Khabri is another fastest-growing digital audio platform providing content in the regional language. "We urge Indian corporate leaders to come forward and reclaim the country's business ecosystem and consumers through supporting/investing in Indian startups," said Sandeep Singh, co-founder and president, Khabri. "Since the word spread that Indians now have a homegrown and more entertaining alternative to TikTok, we have been recording traffic beyond expectations on our app," said Nayak. Lifestyle community commerce platform Trell has witnessed more than 1 million downloads after India banned Chinese apps. With over 30 million downloads and 9 million monthly active users on its app, Trell has witnessed a 25 times growth within one year. "We welcome all the Tiktok and Chinese apps content creators with open arms to come and engage on Trell. As the largest Indian lifestyle social app, we will continue to ensure that the privacy and data of users will be protected," said Pulkit Agarwal, Co-Founder, Trell. --IANS na/in

Homegrown social media apps turn restless for big leap

<ul><li>Indian stock market indices opened in green on Friday.</li><li>The BSE Sensex was trading 0.87% higher at 38,551.15; while NSE Nifty was up 98.05 points at 11,410.25. </li><li>These are the top stocks that are buzzing the D-street today.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/">Check out the latest news and updates on Business Insider.</a> </li></ul>Indian stock market indices, Sensex surged over 300 points in early trade on Friday led by gains in index-heavyweights HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries and Infosys amid strong cues from global markets. The BSE Sensex was trading 0.87% higher at 38,551.15; while NSE Nifty was up 98.05 points at 11,410.25. PowerGrid was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 3%, followed by SBI, HDFC Bank, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, Tata Steel, Reliance Industries and Infosys. On the other hand, Bharti Airtel was the sole laggard in early trade. These are the top stocks that are buzzing the D-street today. SBI gained nearly 3% <div type="image" title="SBI August 21" msid="77668593" hostid="261"></div> State Bank of India shares gained nearly 3% after <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/sbi-indias-largest-lender-readies-plan-for-restructuring-relief-to-retail-borrowers-or-exclusive">news reports surfaced </a>that the bank is finalising its plan to offer restructuring relief to retail borrowers. The banking regulator has already permitted lenders to do so. The restructuring plan will be designed strictly for retail or individual borrowers directly affected by COVID-19, the report added. Hindalco gained nearly 2% <div type="image" title="HIndalco August 21" msid="77668598" hostid="261"></div> Hindalco shares gained nearly 2% after the company signed an MoU with UltraTech Cement to deliver 1.2 million metric tonne of bauxite residue annually to the cement company’s 14 plants located across seven states. Wipro up over 1% <div type="image" title="Wipro August 21" msid="77668651" hostid="261"></div> Wipro shares were trading 1% higher on August 21 a day after the company set up a blockchain-based gas trading platform for Uniper Global Commodities SE. Future Enterprises gains 5% <div type="image" title="Future Enterprises August 20" msid="77668677" hostid="261"></div> Future Enterprises was trading 5% higher as<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/future-enterprises-board-likely-to-discuss-merger-plan-on-saturday-120082100066_1.html"> reports suggest </a>that company is due to discuss the proposal to merge other listed group entities, such as Future Lifestyle, Future Retail, and Future Supply Chain Solutions, with itself on Saturday. SBI Life gains over 4% on Nifty inclusion <div type="image" title="SBI life August 20" msid="77668708" hostid="261"></div> Shares of SBI Life Insurance gained nearly 4% after the benchmark index Nifty50 said the company would be included from September 25 onwards. Jet Airways down over 1% after the company extends insolvency resolution <div type="image" title="Jet Airways August 21" msid="77668751" hostid="261"></div> Defunct airline Jet Airways’ shares fell over 1% after the deadline for completion of insolvency resolution process was extended for the fourth time due to the pandemic. “While the CoC (Committee of Creditors) and the RP are taking all necessary steps to expedite the insolvency process, it is difficult to exactly predict when it will be completed,” Resolution Professional for the airline, Ashish Chhawchharia, said in a letter to the employees. Rossari climbed over 4% <div type="image" title="Rossari August 21" msid="77668777" hostid="261"></div> Rossari shares climbed over 4% during the early trade hours on Friday. The company is slated to report its first-ever quarterly earnings since it listed on the Indian bourses last month. Reliance Industries shares gained nearly a percent during morning trade <div type="image" title="SBI" msid="77668832" hostid="261"></div> RIL opened 1% higher on August 20 after <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/saudi-arabias-public-investment-fund-looks-to-invest-up-to-1-billion-in-jios-fibre-assets/articleshow/77665968.cms">news reports surfaced</a> that the Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has initiated discussions with RIL on investing as much as $1 billion in Jio's fibre assets, adding to a stake purchase in Jio Platforms. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebook-asked-to-appear-before-parliamentary-panel-in-india-to-discuss-safeguarding-citizens-rights/articleshow/77666642.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"> Facebook asked to appear before Parliamentary Panel in India to discuss 'safeguarding citizens' rights'</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-eyes-indias-sharechat-as-microsoft-goes-after-tiktok-in-the-us-heres-why-it-makes-sense/articleshow/77667345.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Google eyes India’s ShareChat as Microsoft goes after TikTok in the US — here’s why it makes sense</a>

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Homegrown social media apps turn restless for big leap

IANS

Top stock movers on Dalal Street today— RIL, SBI, Infosys, Wipro, Future Enterprises, Rossari, Jet Airways and more

Navdeep Yadav