Arattai vs WhatsApp: Zoho’s Messenger Goes Viral in Swadeshi Surge

In a stunning turn of events, Arattai, Zoho Corporation’s homegrown messaging app, has catapulted from obscurity to the top of India’s app charts—registering a 100x spike in daily sign-ups within just three days. Once a quiet alternative to WhatsApp, Arattai is now the face of India’s digital Swadeshi movement.

A Swadeshi Surge, Minister-Backed

The tipping point came in mid-September when Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Piyush Goyal publicly endorsed Arattai, urging citizens to embrace indigenous platforms. Their posts, amplified across social media, triggered a wave of downloads and national pride.

“Let’s support Made-in-India apps like Arattai,” tweeted Minister Pradhan, igniting a digital domino effect.

Feature-Rich and Privacy-Focused

• End-to-end encrypted voice and video calls
• Multi-device login, including Android TV support
• Secret chats, stories, and channels for creators
• Seamless file sharing and group management

Available across Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux, Arattai’s cross-platform reach rivals global incumbents.

From 3,000 to 350,000 Daily Sign-Ups

Zoho’s founder Sridhar Vembu confirmed the surge, noting that the team had to rapidly scale infrastructure and optimize code to handle the influx. The app now ranks #1 in India’s Social Networking category on the Apple App Store.

“We’re humbled and energized. This is not just about tech—it’s about trust,” Vembu shared in a recent post.

What’s Next: Arattai 2.0

• Enhanced UI/UX
• New creator tools
• Expanded server capacity
• Strategic marketing push across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities

Zoho is also exploring enterprise integrations, positioning Arattai as a secure internal communication tool for Indian businesses.

Why It Matters

Arattai’s ascent reflects a broader shift: India’s growing demand for digital sovereignty. As global platforms face scrutiny over data practices, Arattai offers a privacy-first, India-built alternative—backed by sentiment, scale, and substance.

Arattai Vs WhatsApp

Arattai can serve as a strong alternative to WhatsApp by combining privacy-first design, cross-platform availability, and government-backed credibility. Built by Zoho, it offers:

• ✅ End-to-end encrypted calls and secret chats for secure communication  
• 📱 Multi-device support, including Android TV and desktop platforms 
• 🇮🇳 Made-in-India credentials, aligning with the Swadeshi and digital sovereignty movement 
• 📊 Rapid growth and ministerial endorsements, signaling trust and momentum  

With its expanding feature set and national sentiment behind it, Arattai is positioning itself not just as a WhatsApp clone—but as a homegrown messaging ecosystem.

India's CCI Slaps META with Penalty of $25.4 Mn Over WhatsApp

India's chief competition regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 213.14 crore (approx US$ 25.4 Mn) on Meta (formerly Facebook) for anti-competitive practices related to its 2021 privacy policy update for WhatsApp.

The CCI found that Meta holds a dominant position in both the OTT messaging apps and online display advertising markets in India.

The 2021 privacy policy update forced users to accept expanded data collection and sharing terms without an opt-out option, which the CCI deemed as imposing unfair conditions.

Meta is prohibited from sharing user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta companies for advertising purposes for the next five years. WhatsApp must provide users with an opt-out option for data sharing and ensure that future policy updates comply with these requirements.

Meta and WhatsApp are required to implement specific behavioral changes within a set timeframe to address the issues arising from the policy update.

Further, as regards sharing of data between Meta companies, the Commission has concluded that (a) sharing of WhatsApp users’ data between Meta companies for purposes other than providing WhatsApp Service creates an entry barrier for the rivals of Meta and thus, results in denial of market access in the display advertisement market, in contravention of the provisions of Section 4(2)(c) of the Act; and (b) Meta has engaged in leveraging its dominant position in the OTT messaging apps through smartphones to protect its position in the online display advertising market and the same is in contravention of Section 4(2)(e) of the Act.

In view of the anti-competitive harm elaborated in this order and for the purpose of addressing such harm, the OPs are further directed to implement the following directions:

• WhatsApp will not share user data collected on its platform with other Meta Companies or Meta Company Products for advertising purposes, for a period of 5 (five) years from the date of receipt of this order. After expiry of the said period, the directions at para 6.2 (except para 6.2.1) will apply mutatis mutandis in respect of such sharing of data for advertising purposes.
• With respect to sharing of WhatsApp user data for purposes other than advertising:WhatsApp’s policy should include a detailed explanation of the user data shared with other Meta Companies or Meta Company Products. This explanation should specify the purpose of data sharing, linking each type of data to its corresponding purpose.
• Sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta Companies or Meta Company Products for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp services shall not be made a condition for users to access WhatsApp Service in India.
• In respect of sharing of WhatsApp user data for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp Services, all users in India (including users who have accepted 2021 update) will be provided with:
• the choice to manage such data sharing by way of an opt-out option prominently through an in-app notification; and
• the option to review and modify their choice with respect to such sharing of data through a prominent tab in settings of WhatsApp application.
• All future policy updates shall also comply with these requirements.

This decision underscores the importance of user consent and fair competition in the digital economy. It also aligns with global trends of increasing scrutiny over data privacy and antitrust practices.

Meta and MCA Launching Fact-Checking WhatsApp Helpline in India to Curb AI-generated Misinformation

• Meta aunching a dedicated fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp with the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) to combat AI-generated misinformation.
• The program will implement a four-pillar approach – detection, prevention, reporting and driving awareness around deepfakes.
• Collaboration with MCA represents our continued effort to empower people with tools and resources to verify information on WhatsApp.
• The helpline will be available for the public to use in March 2024.

Meta is collaborating with the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) to launch a dedicated fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp in an effort to combat media generated using artificial intelligence which may deceive people on matters of public importance, commonly known as deepfakes, and help people connect with verified and credible information. The helpline will be available for the public to use in March 2024.

The industry leading initiative will allow MCA and its associated network of independent fact-checkers and research organizations to address viral misinformation – particularly deepfakes. People will be able to flag deepfakes by sending it to the WhatsApp chatbot which will offer multilingual support in English and three regional languages (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu).

The MCA will set up a central ‘deepfake analysis unit’ to manage all inbound messages they receive on the WhatsApp helpline. They will work closely with member fact-checking organizations as well as industry partners and digital labs to assess and verify the content and respond to the messages accordingly, debunking false claims and misinformation.

The focus of the program is to implement a four-pillar approach – detection, prevention, reporting and driving awareness around the escalating spread of deepfakes along with building a critical instrument that allows citizens to access reliable information to fight the spread of such misinformation. With millions of Indians using WhatsApp, our collaboration with MCA represents a continued effort to empower users with tools to verify information on its service.

“We recognize the concerns around AI-generated misinformation and believe combatting this requires concrete and cooperative measures across the industry. Our collaboration with MCA to launch a WhatsApp helpline dedicated to debunking deepfakes that can materially deceive people is consistent with our pledge under the Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections. As a company that has been at the cutting edge of AI development for more than a decade, we remain committed to work with industry stakeholders to introduce common technical standards for AI detection, transparency solutions and policies, along with empowering people on our platforms with resources and tools that make it simpler for them to identify content that has been generated using AI tools and curb the spread of misinformation.” – Shivnath Thukral, Director, Public Policy India, Meta.

“The Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) will serve as a critical and timely intervention to arrest the spread of AI-enabled disinformation among social media and internet users in India. Its formation highlights the collaboration and whole-of-society approach to foster a healthy information ecosystem that the MCA was set up for. The initiative will see IFCN signatory fact-checkers, journalists, civic tech professionals, research labs and forensic experts come together, with Meta’s support. We hope the DAU will become a trusted resource for the public to discern between real and AI generated media and we invite more stakeholders to be a part of the initiative.” – Bharat Gupta, President, Misinformation Combat Alliance.

Our robust fact-checking program in India includes partnerships with 11 independent fact-checking organizations that help users to identify, review, verify information and help prevent the spread of misinformation on its platforms. On WhatsApp, we encourage people to double-check information that sounds suspicious or inaccurate by sending it to WhatsApp tiplines. People can also follow dedicated fact-checking organizations on WhatsApp Channels to receive verified, accurate and timely updates. In addition to the fact-checking program, WhatsApp addresses misinformation by limiting forwards and actively constraining virality on the platform.

Our approach to addressing deceptive synthetic media has several components, including working to investigate deceptive behaviors like fake accounts and misleading manipulated media; our third-party fact-checking program, in which fact checkers rate misinformation, including content that has been edited or synthesized in a way that could mislead people; and engaging with academia, government and industry. We have recently announced an AI labeling policy. In the coming months, we will label images that users post to Facebook, Instagram and Threads when we can detect industry standard indicators that they are AI-generated.

We have also pledged to help prevent deceptive AI content from interfering with this year’s global elections. The “Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections” is a set of commitments to deploy technology countering harmful AI-generated content meant to deceive voters. Signatories, including Meta, pledge to work collaboratively on tools to detect and address online distribution of such AI content, drive educational campaigns, and provide transparency, among other concrete steps.

The Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) and Meta are working on launching a dedicated fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp in an effort to combat media generated using artificial intelligence which may deceive people on matters of public importance, commonly known as deepfakes

Meta Partners ONDC To Enable Small Businesses Build Conversational Buyer-Seller Experiences on WhatsApp

• Meta will enable and educate small businesses, through an ecosystem of our business and technical solution providers capable of building seamless conversational buyer and seller experiences on WhatsApp.
• With you ONDC partnership, Meta will digitally upskill five lakh MSMEs through the Meta Small Business Academy.

Meta, the parent of social media giant Facebook, today announced its partnership with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to enable and educate small businesses in building seamless conversational buyer and seller experiences on WhatsApp through an ecosystem of Meta's business and technical solution providers. As part of this collaboration, ONDC will help these business solution providers become seller apps, bringing the businesses they service onto the ONDC network and helping them drive commerce.

To kick-off the partnership, over the next two years, Meta will also digitally upskill 5 lakh MSMEs through the Meta Small Business Academy. Born out of Meta's commitment to up-skill 10 million small businesses across the country, Meta Small Business Academy offers a certification to empower entrepreneurs and marketers to gain critical digital marketing skills to grow on our apps.

“At ONDC, we are committed to accelerating and democratizing the digital landscape and towards that, we aim to empower MSMEs, help them build digital visibility, and boost their businesses. Today, for any business to grow, it is critical for them to market themselves and reach a wider audience. Our partnership with Meta will not only digitally upskill these businesses but will also enable them to connect with a customer base far and wide. I am confident that our collaborative efforts will pave the way for millions of small businesses by providing them with the right impetus for growth.” – T Koshy, MD & CEO of ONDC. 

“India’s digital transformation story is unfolding at a revolutionary pace, and for this growth to continue, we need the right ecosystem and partnerships that enable millions of small businesses to build and deepen their digital presence. Meta has been a frontrunner in partnering with the government and the industry to advance digital inclusion, especially for MSMEs across India. Our partnership with ONDC builds on supporting the government’s vision for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and furthering our ongoing commitment to skilling small businesses and aiding this rapid digital transformation and growth story in the country.” – Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President, Meta in India. 

As part of the partnership, Meta will also support Sahayak, ONDC’s WhatApp chatbot, in enhancing the services offered on the bot as the single point of seller communication and customer communication for ONDC.

Earlier this year, Meta launched ‘WhatsApp Se Wyapaar’ program to upskill 10 million traders across 29 states in 11 Indian languages on the WhatsApp Business app. Today, there are more than 200 million users of the WhatsApp Business app across the world, and more than 60% of people on WhatsApp in India message a business account.

In April this year, Meta partnered with NIESBUD, AICTE and CBSE, to train students, Entrepreneurs, Startups and small-businesses in Digital Marketing. The partnership agreement was inked through Ministry of Education, Ministry Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

Ex-Google Executive Launches WhatsApp Learning Platform ‘chaabi’ to Transform Blue-Collar Upskilling

chaabi is a disruptive B2B SaaS platform upskilling India's blue-collar industry

With the vision to make upskilling easy & accessible, chaabi launches their WhatsApp Learning Platform—a first-of-its-kind solution set to revolutionize blue-collar workforce training in India. Engineered with AI-Powered Vernacular Content offered in 10+ Indian native languages, the platform elevates training accessibility and completion rates through a dynamic gamification approach. To drive business impact, chaabi's platform distinguishes itself by offering limitless customization options for training creation, real-time data analytics, and intelligent user enrollment.

Recent market analysis has underscored an impressive 73% surge in job openings targeting blue and grey collar workers. This surge serves as a clear indicator of the escalating demand for skilled labour across various sectors. Upon conducting a survey, we found that 92% workers don't receive any vocational training and 87% of the workers were struggling with learning in English and some in Hindi as well which made chaabi build AI-Powered Vernacular Content that trains people in their preferred languages. The incorporation of advanced AI technology facilitates personalized learning journeys, enabling individuals to progress at their own pace while honing skills that align with their career aspirations.

Speaking on the launch, Puneet Dhiman, Founder and CEO of chaabi.ai said, "India's 500 million plus blue-collar workforce is poised for transformation. With WhatsApp, India's most widely used app, as the primary platform we ensure efficient delivery of job-specific training tailored to blue-collar workers. This approach helps in enhancing productivity and employability among this vital segment of our workforce."

With its innovative approach, chaabi aims to reshape the landscape of skill development and employment prospects for millions of blue-collar workers across the nation. By seamlessly integrating the convenience of WhatsApp with the power of AI, chaabi is at the forefront of this transformative journey.

chaabi is a disruptive B2B SaaS platform upskilling India's blue-collar industry. It merges WhatsApp learning with AI-powered Vernacular Content, improving the learning, grasping & retaining capabilities of blue-collar workers. This transformative approach narrows the skill gap and empowers employers, recruiters, or government institutions to deliver targeted training to help build a new Bharat. With an unwavering commitment, chaabi aims to upskill one million individuals by 2026, revolutionizing employability and reshaping the future of the blue-collar workforce in India.

Website: www.chaabi.ai

Social Media: [Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram]

Haptik’s First-of-its-kind WhatsApp Chatbot Brings Jio True 5G to India

Jio Haptik Technologies Limited, the world’s largest conversational CRM, announced its enablement of Jio’s launch of True 5G services via WhatsApp. Jio’s version of 5G, called stand-alone 5G, is the most advanced and has no dependency on its 4G network. Jio 5G is Live in 236 Indian cities, with more cities, towns and taluks to be added before the end of the year.

WATCH: Demo of Haptik’s WhatsApp chatbot helping people acquire Jio 5G connection

The WhatsApp Assistant, built by Haptik, is the first of its kind in helping Jio and non-Jio users check for 5G compatibility in their locality. Indian citizens can use the bot to request for 5G connections based on their device compatibility and geographic proximity. The bot supports English, Hindi and Marathi languages on WhatsApp.

Haptik Co-founder & CEO Aakrit Vaish said: “Haptik’s WhatsApp chatbot is paramount to helping customers experience 5G and benefit from powerful functionalities such as 5G voice, low levels of latency, edge computing, and network slicing. Our solution aims to cater to the need of 500 million customers who will be migrating to Jio True 5G, at every step starting with eligibility check to lead collection to sim delivery to device shopping and post-sales support.”

The chatbot offers personalization in the form of dynamic menu options with respect to user type (postpaid and prepaid), device, location and outage management via pin code, among others.

The increased mobility and much-improved connection quality of 5G empowers brands to offer more effective brand-customer communications. While 5G will help brands to personalize and streamline customer journeys, powered by AI, customers will also demand more from their digital experiences.

Jio will leverage Haptik’s Proactive Messaging feature to proactively reach and engage with new and existing users about the launch of 5G services to drive the adoption of the revolutionary network technology.

Haptik also recently launched Click-to-Haptik that will help Jio in running ads on Facebook and Instagram to raise awareness about 5G and trigger new conversations with users on WhatsApp to purchase 5G connections.

About Haptik

Haptik is an omnichannel Conversational CRM leader and a Generative AI-first platform helping 500+ global brands deliver memorable customer experiences. Haptik's prominent clients include Jio, Whirlpool, Dream11, Paisabazaar, Disney+, among others. Haptik helps brands scale support operations to handle high customer volumes in less time, offer proactive assistance, drive customer satisfaction, and foster lifelong customer relationships. The company is a Category Leader across platforms including Gartner, G2, Opus Research & more. Haptik won the “Tech Startup of the Year” award in the Artificial Intelligence category, where its decade-long expertise and excellence remain unmatched.

TRAI Exploring Emergency Ban on WhatsApp and Facebook

TRAI releases Consultation Paper on Regulatory Mechanism for Over-The-Top (OTT) Communication Services, and Selective Banning of OTT Services.

India's telecom services regulator, TRAI, has floated a consultation paper to explore a framework for internet-based calls and messaging apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Apple's FaceTime etc. and selectively ban their services during emergency situations.

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has requested TRAI to suggest a suitable regulatory mechanism for OTTs, including issues relating to 'selective banning of O1T services' as part of its recommendations to DoT.

Further, a parliamentary panel has recommended the DoT to examine the recommendation of TRAI and come out with a policy which will enable the selective banning of OTT services such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram during unrest and crisis as these apps are prone to be used by terrorists or anti-national elements in specified regions.

In December 2021, a Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology submitted its 26th report titled ‘Suspension of telecom services/ Internet and its impact’.

The Committee feels that it will be of great relief if the DoT can explore the option of banning selective services, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram etc. instead of banning the Internet as a whole. This will allow financial services, health, education, and various other services to continue to operate for business as usual thereby minimizing inconvenience and suffering to the general public and also help in controlling spreading of misinformation during unrest.

Through the letter dated 7th September 2022, DoT has also mentioned that "in view of the humongous growth of services in the recent past and these services having reached a matured stage, there is a need to holistically look into the various aspects of these services induding regulatory, economic, security, privacy, and safety aspects. This is also in keeping with para 2.2 of the National Digital Communications Policy - 2018 which mentions the policy goal for "Ensuring a holitic and harmonal approach for harnessing Emerging Technologies' It has been mentioned therein that a policy framework for 'Over the Top' services will be developed."

The consultation paper mentions — "In some use cases such as messaging, consumer preferences have switched from traditional telecommunication services to OTTs. With OTTs used increasingly for messaging and to some extent for voice communication, globally, the general trend is a transition from voice and SMS towards data as a primary source of revenue for telecom service providers. In India, composition of the revenue basket of wireless access service providers has undergone a sea-change in the period from the year 2013 to 2022.

Cloud based OTTs : An Issue for Selective Banning

DoT has informed committee that services hosted on cloud are difficult to ban selectively since they operate from multiple locations in multiple countries and continuously shift from one service to the other. However, websites operating through fixed URLs can be banned.

The websites that use dynamic IP addresses and are hosted on cloud servers can pose a challenge to conventional methods of blocking – said the consultation paper. In such situations, such situations, alternative methods may be necessary to effectively control internet filtering. Advanced techniques can be employed to identify and block access to such websites.

Further, there may be scenarios where the targeted websites use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (https) protocol. HTTPS protocol provides encryption and security for websites, making it difficult for service providers to block content on these sites. However, there are still ways to block or filter content at a network level, such as using a firewall or content filtering software. As far as area specific barring is concerned, it also needs to be carried out at network level, for which effective methods are required to be worked out.

The Department have also informed the parliamentary committee that Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram etc. are basically categorized as OTT services in short. These OTT services are riding over the existing telecom service provider's network.

In the consultation paper, the regulator has sought views on the requirement of a framework for OTTs encompassing lawful interception, privacy and security, customer verification, pesky calls and messages, technical challenges in banning specific service etc.

In the past several consultation papers, TRAI has set aside the demand for regulating internet-based calling and messaging apps.

TRAI has set August 4 as the last date for comments on the paper and August 18 for counter comments.

Jio Haptik's Interakt Presents "WhatsApp on Wheels", Taking the Power of Conversational Commerce to Mumbai

• In partnership with Meta, The WOW initiative is a half-day conference to be held at Taj Santacruz on June 15 from 4 pm onwards
• The event will be attended by over 250 Entrepreneurs, 15+ Speakers across 9+ Interactive Sessions
• It will empower D2C brands to leverage WhatsApp for business growth and customer engagement. 

WhatsApp has been adopted by 15mn+ businesses in India for business communication but few are leveraging its full potential. To encourage more flexible use for businesses Meta introduced the WhatsApp Business APIs in 2018 so that they could go beyond the limitations of the WhatsApp Apps, by offering flexibility and the ability to integrate with their current business platforms.

Since then Jio Haptik a subsidiary of Jio platforms has built its expertise around leveraging WA APIs to build advanced solutions for businesses over WhatsApp. With their product Interakt, a platform for Small and Medium businesses, they provide the ability for any business to manage and grow their business on WhatsApp, by providing a WhatsApp-based CRM, Support Platform, Marketing tool, and WhatsApp Shop, just like the solution they built for Jio Mart.

Interakt has been hosting conferences across the country to evangelize the use of WhatsApp for businesses as well as promote Meta's latest offering of 'Click to WhatsApp Ads' via its flagship event called WhatsApp On Wheels.

In its 6th edition, this month, 'WhatsApp on Wheels' is hosting its Marketing Edition in Mumbai at Taj Santacruz on June 15 from 4 pm onwards.

The event is designed to empower Indian D2C brands with the power of conversational commerce by hosting a series of events that educate them on how to acquire new customers, retain existing business opportunities and drive more conversions at scale on the popular messaging platform - WhatsApp

The half-day conference will provide an excellent opportunity for D2C founders to extend their business reach and knowledge on leveraging conversational commerce's power with WhatsApp.

The 6th Edition of WoW will expect the presence of over 250 entrepreneurs, 15+ speakers, D2C & startup founders, marketing & advertising agency owners, marketing & sales professionals, tech/business influencers, and more. TEAM, TiE Mumbai & D2C Insider have also joined the event as Community Partners.

At this exclusive, invite-only event attendees will learn how to leverage WhatsApp for unlocking powerful brand promotion techniques. With over 9 interactive sessions, they will discover the secrets to maximizing ROAS through click-to-WhatsApp ads and discuss the potential of WhatsApp and ChatGPT to take the business to new heights. The evening will be full of actionable insights from industry experts and real-world success stories of SMBs using WhatsApp. and the event will conclude with Networking Mixer where attendees can connect and network with like-minded professionals.

The lineup of speakers comprises Arjun Vaidya (Founder, Dr. Vaidya's), Naiyya Saggi (Co-founder, The Good Glamm Group), Akshay Gurnani (Co-founder & CEO, Schbang), Puneet Gupta (Founder & CEO, Astro Talk), Krishi Fagwani (Co-founder & CEO, Thrive), and Ambareesh Murthy (Founder, Pepperfry), Malini Agarwal (Founder, Miss Malini), among othersIn partnership with Meta, The WOW initiative is a half-day conference to be held at Taj Santacruz on June 15 from 4 pm onwards

The event will be attended by over 250 Entrepreneurs, 15+ Speakers across 9+ Interactive Sessions

It will empower D2C brands to leverage WhatsApp for business growth and customer engagement.

WhatsApp has been adopted by 15mn+ businesses in India for business communication but few are leveraging its full potential. To encourage more flexible use for businesses Meta introduced the WhatsApp Business APIs in 2018 so that they could go beyond the limitations of the WhatsApp Apps, by offering flexibility and the ability to integrate with their current business platforms.

Since then Jio Haptik a subsidiary of Jio platforms has built its expertise around leveraging WA APIs to build advanced solutions for businesses over WhatsApp. With their product Interakt, a platform for Small and Medium businesses, they provide the ability for any business to manage and grow their business on WhatsApp, by providing a WhatsApp-based CRM, Support Platform, Marketing tool, and WhatsApp Shop, just like the solution they built for Jio Mart.

Interakt has been hosting conferences across the country to evangelize the use of WhatsApp for businesses as well as promote Meta's latest offering of 'Click to WhatsApp Ads' via its flagship event called WhatsApp On Wheels.

In its 6th edition, this month, 'WhatsApp on Wheels' is hosting its Marketing Edition in Mumbai at Taj Santacruz on June 15 from 4 pm onwards.

The event is designed to empower Indian D2C brands with the power of conversational commerce by hosting a series of events that educate them on how to acquire new customers, retain existing business opportunities and drive more conversions at scale on the popular messaging platform - WhatsApp

The half-day conference will provide an excellent opportunity for D2C founders to extend their business reach and knowledge on leveraging conversational commerce's power with WhatsApp.

The 6th Edition of WoW will expect the presence of over 250 entrepreneurs, 15+ speakers, D2C & startup founders, marketing & advertising agency owners, marketing & sales professionals, tech/business influencers, and more. TEAM, TiE Mumbai & D2C Insider have also joined the event as Community Partners.

At this exclusive, invite-only event attendees will learn how to leverage WhatsApp for unlocking powerful brand promotion techniques. With over 9 interactive sessions, they will discover the secrets to maximizing ROAS through click-to-WhatsApp ads and discuss the potential of WhatsApp and ChatGPT to take the business to new heights. The evening will be full of actionable insights from industry experts and real-world success stories of SMBs using WhatsApp. and the event will conclude with Networking Mixer where attendees can connect and network with like-minded professionals.

The lineup of speakers comprises Arjun Vaidya (Founder, Dr. Vaidya's), Naiyya Saggi (Co-founder, The Good Glamm Group), Akshay Gurnani (Co-founder & CEO, Schbang), Puneet Gupta (Founder & CEO, Astro Talk), Krishi Fagwani (Co-founder & CEO, Thrive), and Ambareesh Murthy (Founder, Pepperfry), Malini Agarwal (Founder, Miss Malini), others

Leo Capital Leads $1.14 Mn Seed Round in WhatsApp Marketing Start-up, QuickReply.AI

Leo Capital has led the round with infusion of $0.75 Million in the Start-up

QuickReply.ai aims to transform the marketing landscape for businesses by facilitating personalised and interactive WhatsApp-based marketing engagement

QuickReply.ai, a breakthrough WhatsApp Marketing and Automation platform, has raised $1.14 Million in a seed round led by Leo Capital. Along with an investment of $0.75 Million from Leo Capital, the round also saw participation from Pentathlon Ventures, GSF and entrepreneurs and angel investors such as Deepak Diwakar (Co-founder, MindTickle), Azhar Iqubal (Co-founder & CEO, Inshorts), and Dinesh Agarwal (Founder & CEO, Indiamart).

(L-R) Hridayesh Gupta (CoFounder & CTO) and Himanshu Gupta (CoFounder & CEO)

Founded in 2021 by Himanshu Gupta and Hridayesh Gupta, QuickReply.ai offers an end-to-end WhatsApp engagement tool for D2C Brands and Online Stores. It aims to revolutionise the marketing landscape by facilitating genuine and interactive communication between businesses and their customers. Driven by technology, the company promotes a personalised and collaborative approach that could foster long-lasting customer relationships and retention.

Speaking on the round, QuickReply.ai’s Co-founder & CEO, Himanshu Gupta said, “Gaining early traction across India, our product has been integrated as a core customer engagement and retention tool, by over 250+ businesses. Following extensive growth over the last 18 months, this seed funding will be significant for us to further strengthen our proposition and drive innovation at a more rapid pace.”

Hridayesh Gupta, Co-founder & CTO, QuickReply.ai also commented as he said, “As a company operating in the communication-tech space, we recognize that WhatsApp is poised to disrupt traditional methods of business communication such as SMS, email, and push notifications. By leveraging the unique capabilities of WhatsApp, we believe that we can empower businesses to build stronger and more personalised relationships with their customers. We are delighted to be at the forefront of this evolution in the messaging industry, and excited about the opportunities it presents.”

QuickReply.ai’s holistic WhatsApp Marketing proposition enables businesses and e-commerce brands to design campaigns for a vast range of use cases. Some of them include Recovery of Abandoned Carts; Conversion of COD Order to Prepaid Orders; Customer Engagement with Timely Alerts; Retargeting to Win Back Lost Customers; and Customer Support, among others.

Commenting on leading QuickReply.ai’s seed funding, Leo Capital’s Partner Dinesh Singh, “Following our core thesis, we are bullish about tech-oriented solutions for businesses across stages and geographies. WhatsApp has already established itself as a major customer engagement and retention tool, entirely superseding emails and other traditional mediums in some sectors. Businesses that are capable of leveraging this tool in an interactive manner are poised to have a competitive edge. QuickReply.ai is a disruptive solution, set to help brands personalise their WhatsApp Marketing through innovative automation. We are excited to partner with Himanshu and Hridayesh in their journey to foster this industry transformation.”

QuickReply.ai plans to deploy the raised capital largely towards talent acquisition, product development, bolstering its tech infrastructure, and research & development. The Start-up is also looking to allocate funds towards marketing and global expansion. After successfully establishing a strong presence in India, it aims to expand its operations to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe, over the next two years.

About QuickReply.ai

QuickReply.ai is a platform for WhatsApp Marketing and Automation that helps businesses turn first-time visitors into loyal customers. By analysing customer behaviour from multiple data sources, it personalises customer interactions, creating long-lasting relationships and driving repeat purchases for higher customer lifetime value.

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and Airtel Launches WhatsApp Banking Services

Empower customers pan-India to access banking services on their mobile phones in just a few clicks 

Delivered on Airtel IQ, the messaging solution will augment the Govt.’s Digital India mission by enabling IPPB  customers across the country to seamlessly connect with their bank on WhatsApp 

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), in collaboration with Airtel, announced the launch of WhatsApp Banking Services for IPPB customers in New Delhi on Friday, enabling them to access banking services on their mobile phone.

The newly launched IPPB WhatsApp Banking channel will enable IPPB customers to seamlessly connect with the bank on WhatsApp and effortlessly avail a host of banking services, including doorstep service request, locating nearest Post Office and much more. In line with the ambition of the Government to bring digital and financial inclusion to citizens in their language, the Airtel – IPPB WhatsApp Banking solution is also working on to build multi-language support, enabling added convenience to customers, especially to those in the rural parts of the country to access banking services in their preferred language.

Airtel has been working with IPPB to deliver as many as 250 million messages per month to the bank’s customers many of whom are located in mofussil towns and tier 2,3 cities. The addition of the WhatsApp messaging will add to customer’s accessibility to connect with the bank on their fingertips, furthering Digital India mission of the Government, as part of which IPPB has been working tirelessly to deliver banking services in the rural pockets of the country.

Shri Gursharan Rai Bansal, CGM & CSMO – India Post Payments Bank said, “We are delighted to work with Bharti Airtel as our partner in driving digital and financial inclusion in India. We believe that financial services driven by technology have great potential and can go a long way in ensuring that the best financial products reach the farthest corners of the country."

Shri Abhishek Biswal, Business Head - Airtel IQ said, “Airtel IQ is a robust, intuitive and secure cloud communication suite. With the addition of WhatsApp messaging to the existing SMS and voice communication that we offer to India Post Payments Bank customers, we will further enable a two-way communication between the bank and their customers. We are delighted to continue our association with IPPB to contribute significantly in making banking services more accessible to tier2,3 cities in the country. We promise to continue delivering customer centric solutions that offer greater convenience to customers."

The IPPB and Airtel IQ are working towards further integrating a LIVE interactive customer support agent into the WhatsApp solution which will enable customers to access 24X7 support and get quick resolutions for their queries.

FedEx Integrates WhatsApp Notifications into Digital E-Commerce Delivery Solution for Indian Consumers

Integration of WhatsApp in FedEx® Delivery Manager International makes last-mile delivery even easier

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world's largest express transportation company, is enhancing its services with delivery notifications and personalized options now available on WhatsApp. The integration of one of the world’s most popular instant messaging apps into the FedEx® Delivery Manager International (FDMi) e-commerce solution is launched in India.

FDMi is an interactive e-commerce delivery solution that provides customizable delivery options and alerts. E-tailers using the solution can offer their customers the ability to pick the timing and location of their deliveries to fit their schedule – and change the delivery address when the shipment is in transit – giving them extra flexibility at no extra cost.

The WhatsApp instant messaging social media platform has 2 billion active monthly users globally. Over 80% of the population over the age of 16 in India, use it, and for 96% of users it‘s the most favored social media platform. With such high penetration, the integration of WhatsApp into FDMi makes it a much more effective solution for e-tailers to offer to their shoppers.

Recipients expecting inbound deliveries receive a WhatsApp notification from FedEx upon shipment pickup. FedEx uses a META-verified WhatsApp business account which helps mitigate the risk of recipients responding to scams perpetrated on WhatsApp using the FedEx brand. Recipients can message and chat with FedEx directly as well as access tracking status and re-direct options with the click of a button directly in the WhatsApp chat window.

“We know that consumers have an increasing preference for personalized delivery services. Integrating social platforms of choice like WhatsApp into our digital solutions gives an added boost to the convenience we can offer to e-commerce customers,” said Salil Chari, senior vice president, Marketing and Customer Experience, AMEA. “This service enhancement that allows two-way engagement is another example of how we are working at the intersection of our digital and physical networks to create differentiated, customer-centric service experiences.”

The integration of WhatsApp into FDMi is a win-win for all participants in the e-commerce ecosystem. In an increasingly competitive online marketplace, FDMi helps e-tailers, especially SMEs, provide a differentiated service offer. Customers get more peace of mind through the traceability of their package on their mobile device, as well as an enhanced online shopping experience. It also helps FedEx minimize delivery attempts to recipients who may not be at the registered delivery address.

About FedEx Express

FedEx Express is the world's largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed the delivery of time-sensitive shipments by a definite time and date.

Learn more about the latest insights in the logistics industry, please visit:

FedEx Business Insights Hub
LinkedIn FedEx Go Global

Cybersecurity Firm ClearTrust Launches WhatsApp ChatBot called AskMeera to Protect Against Phishing Messages

"Open this link and update your KYC or your xxx bank account will be blocked". How many times we all have received such phishing messages on sms and email from unknown numbers! And unknowingly many also mistakenly believe that the links are sent by their respective banks for updation of personal details and click on those only to fall prey to a virus/ cyber-attack / cyber-crime which costs them money or crashing of phone resulting in loss of data.

Realising the need to prevent these type of phishing messages and to educate the masses ClearTrust has launched Whatsapp ChatBot called AskMeera.

Team of ClearTrust

Explaining about the ChatBot, Founders of ClearTrust, AskMeera, Deepankar Biswas and Raja TN said "All you need to do is every time you get a suspicious message that seems like spam, whatsapp the said message to AskMeera ChatBot and you can confirm if it is a genuine message. What goes behind the Chat bot is of course technology that verifies if the message is actually from the sender and alerts you if it is spurious."

"It is a free service launched as a citizen safety initiative with the objective of cleansing the digital ecosystem and reducing the number of phishing attacks in the country," they further explained.

Post COVID-19, technology took over our lives. While it has its own advantages that we enjoy, it's also an opportunity for fraudsters to commit crimes in the strangest way possible. One such way of committing online fraud is through phishing attacks. This largely involves obtaining personal or financial information from users and employing it to commit cybercrimes, harming the digital goodwill of the individual. There have been reports of fraudsters impersonating government department officials, or bank officials, sending unfaithful messages with malware-attached links, and robbing people off their hard-earned money and reputation across the country.

"Being a WhatsApp ChatBot, it does not require any separate installation. A user must simply save the WhatsApp number and use it to interact in case of receiving suspicious message(s). Any form of text message can be easily verified on the platform. All it takes is a series of 4 steps to shield against phishing attacks," the founders concluded.

How to use AskMeera What's app ChatBot:

Save the WhatsApp number of AskMeera on your device - +91 6361655461

Send a ‘Hi’ to interact

On receiving the reply and selecting the option to verify a message, copy and paste the message you want to verify. 

An instant replay stating the authenticity of the message would be sent by the ChatBot

Confused if any link attached to the message is safe? AskMeera

The ChatBot specializes in detecting the fraudulent nature of messages by taking into account multiple factors associated with them. This includes the following:

Messages creating sense a of urgency

"Dear Customer, Your ATM Card Temporarily Has Been BLOCKED. Because Still You Did not Update According NEW Rules if You want to activate Please call US 78XXXXXX91"

Messages which are too good to be true

"Congrats. You can win Rs. 39,50,000 Lottery with the number 9348XXXX77. Download and verify now. TnC Apply http://k5ec.com/e0bu4Oi2ZI", 

Impersonal messages

"Dear you have passed our interview, wage is 8000 Rs/Day. Please contact to discuss detail: http://wa.me/91XXXXXXXXXX SSBO"

Currently available only in English, the platform shall soon be available in other languages. The platform has resolved more than 1 lakh queries as of November 2022.

About ClearTrust

ClearTrust is a SaaS based Cybersecurity Platform. The company specializes in Phishing intelligence, Bot intelligence and Invalid Traffic (IVT) intelligence which are its core solutions. It provides fraud filtering, detection, and blocking services to ad tech companies and online businesses across the globe.

WhatsApp To Take Center Stage As Primary Marketing Channel - Haptik’s The State of WhatsApp Marketing 2023 Report

As brands map out their marketing plans and customer engagement strategies for the new year, Jio Haptik Technologies Limited, the world’s largest WhatsApp chatbot solution provider, has compiled an in-depth report titled ‘The State of WhatsApp Marketing 2023’ that speaks to marketers about WhatsApp as a growth channel, trends that will shape marketing in the new year, best practices for WhatsApp business messaging, and more. The downloadable report was released at the Company’s quarterly product event, Hype, held virtually, on Wednesday.

Aakrit Vaish, CEO & Co-founder, Haptik, said: “With a reach of over 2 billion users across 180 countries, WhatsApp has emerged as a powerful marketing channel for brands to connect and engage with prospects across the globe. ‘The State of WhatsApp Marketing 2023’ is Haptik’s special initiative covering all the aspects essential to marketers about WhatsApp as a marketing channel. It covers trends, strategies and best practices to help Marketing, CX, and Growth leaders in the new year. The report includes case studies of prominent consumer brands that have leveraged WhatsApp to boost customer engagement, unlock higher revenue potential and foster brand loyalty.”

A timeline of the evolution of WhatsApp as a business platform is featured in ‘The State of WhatsApp Marketing 2023’, highlighting the new features and innovations on WhatsApp in the last couple of years that make it a powerful channel for marketers to drive end-to-end customer engagement.

Marketers and Growth leaders focus on generating high-quality leads, driving quick purchases, and ensuring their valuable customers are retained, and that they are engaged at every stage of their lifecycle. The report offers a data-backed narrative along with case studies and success stories of consumer brands that have accomplished key business metrics by using WhatsApp as their primary marketing and growth channel.

With personalization being an intrinsic part of customer experience and the growing need for brands to proactively engage with customers, the report discusses the solutions and tools that brands can leverage for customer engagement both within and outside WhatsApp.

Industry-specific use cases and dos and don’ts of WhatsApp business messaging are the other highlights that make the report an essential read as the messaging app indeed promises to be a key part of brands’ marketing strategy in 2023.

CASHe Partners Haptik to Launch Automated Instant Credit Disbursals on WhatsApp

Jio Haptik Technologies Limited (Haptik), the world’s largest WhatsApp chatbot solution provider, today announced it has partnered with CASHe, India’s leading financial wellness platform to enable an industry-first automated instant credit line disbursals on WhatsApp.

The overriding technology powering this solution is Haptik’s advanced Conversational Commerce capabilities and CASHe’s AI-powered bot that matches the user’s inputs and automatically facilitates a formal application, along with a Know-Your-Customer (KYC) check. Once verified, it sets up a credit line in a few clicks through a guided conversational flow. The user’s details are generated and displayed based on the name entered – the only key input that the borrower needs to enter at the start of the conversation. 

The WhatsApp chatbot is a one-stop, end-to-end solution for young professionals who can access instance credit. Users can connect with CASHe on WhatsApp at +918097553191.

Here’s a demo of how the CASHe WhatsApp Bot offers a seamless borrowing experience by understanding loan eligibility, loan application approval, document verification, and loan disbursal.

Swapan Rajdev, Co-founder and CTO, Haptik, said: “Brands today need to be on WhatsApp. Haptik is pleased to be partnering with CASHe, India’s leading financial wellness platform, with the aim of helping borrowers get access to loans and credit seamlessly and in under a minute. The CASHe WhatsApp bot, powered by Haptik, offers users a smooth onboarding and borrowing experience that includes instant verification, document upload, automated underwriting, and more importantly, quick loan disbursal. Since going live with our WhatsApp bot, CASHe has witnessed 50,000+ credit line issuances, more than INR 25 Cr in loan disbursals, and more.”

Yashoraj Tyagi, CTO & CBO, CASHe, said, “We are happy to partner with Haptik to offer a unique digital experience for our customers by integrating our services into WhatsApp, a popular platform that is already familiar and frequented by millions of its users. CASHe and the team at Haptik developed a WhatsApp native comprehensive loan processing and disbursal module that allows users to interact within WhatsApp without having to leave the platform. With this solution on offer, we have successfully pivoted our credit model to adapt to the shifts in the lending space by offering instant sachet loans to existing and prospective borrowers through an engaging and conversational flow. The digital assistant on WhatsApp helps us to reach out to new customers and support the existing ones. We are very excited about the prospects that lie ahead of us.”

Within months of launch, Haptik’s WhatsApp chatbot solution for CASHe has witnessed exponential growth in daily conversations and is set to scale higher.

About Haptik

Haptik helps brands acquire, convert, engage and delight users with AI-driven, personalized, conversational experiences across 20 channels and 100+ languages. With the vision of creating the most compelling conversational commerce platform of the 21st century, Haptik’s Conversational Commerce platform enables brands to design delightful experiences that improve conversion rates across every stage of their customer’s journey. Haptik’s leading clients and partners include KFC, Whirlpool, Starhub, HP, Reliance Jio, CEAT, Disney Hotstar, OLA, and Zurich Insurance among others. The company has been featured as a Category Leader across many platforms including Gartner, G2, Opus Research & more.

About CASHe

Headquartered in Mumbai, CASHe is one of India’s leading AI-based, credit-led financial wellness platform focused on making financial inclusion possible by serving the underserved digital customers in India. The company is driven by its laser focus to unlock opportunities for the millennial and Gen Z population by making financial inclusion and accessibility possible using its cutting-edge algorithms and AI and ML-based credit decisioning model called the Social Loan Quotient (SLQ). Since its launch in 2016, CASHe has registered over 24 million app downloads on the app store and has disbursed loans worth Rs 5,400 crores to over 5 lakh customers. Its affordable interest rates, instant processing, and flexible repayment options make it India’s most preferred digital credit platform. Over the past year, CASHe has constantly introduced new product offerings and services in line with increasing consumer demands and has successfully transformed itself into a full-fledged financial services platform that offers its customers credit, investment, insurance, and EMI shopping.

redBus & Karix Together Launch ‘redRail’, An Initiative for Live Train Status Tracking Service on WhatsApp

Karix Mobile, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tanla Platforms, India’s largest CPaaS provider, today announced the deployment of a first-of-its-kind WhatsApp LTS (Live Train Status) service for redBus as part of their redRail initiative.

This new service will allow travelers across India to reach +91 9538039911 on WhatsApp for up-to-the-minute information on the location, running status, ticket confirmation and the arrival of all intercity passenger trains in the country. Travelers can also use the redRail service to track their live location on the go during their journey and share it with their loved ones. WhatsApp is one of the leading, most secure messaging platforms in the world and has millions of Indian subscribers which made it an obvious pick as the platform of choice for the LTS implementation. Since the service is WhatsApp-based, it does not require the installation of any additional software other than WhatsApp, making it memory-efficient, battery-efficient, and hassle-free for travelers.

The WhatsApp Business Platform powered by Karix enables the redRail LTS service to seamlessly initiate conversations with customers and relays customer-initiated messages back to the redRail platform for processing incoming customer requests. In addition, the robust WhatsApp platform empowers the redRail initiative by offering higher delivery rates, better analytics and a 3D view of complete conversations happening with customer ROI metrics.

“Train travel is the most widely used mode of public transportation in India. We’ve always wanted to impact and better the lives of as many people as possible with our products, and that’s how we initially came up with the concept for redRail. This service is aimed at providing a convenient way for people all across the country, especially in rural areas, to have a real-time information window on trains. The idea was massive in scope, and we were aware that it will require significant technical expertise to deploy. Thankfully, with the help of our fantastic team and our channel partners Karix and WhatsApp, we were able to bring the idea to fruition. We are confident that this service will go a long way in alleviating concerns about pre-boarding and train travel for the 22 million people traveling on intercity trains every day.” said Parikshit Choudhury, Chief Business Officer, redRail by redBus.

Deepak Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Karix Mobile said in the release, “We commend redBus for the foresight and vision they have shown with the redRail initiative that stands to benefit millions of people. Being part of the first-ever LTS implementation on WhatsApp with redBus is an exciting undertaking for us too, given our penchant for cutting-edge technology. Partnering with an initiative like redRail that is making use of the latest technology to deliver real value for consumers and travelers is what keeps us going. With our advanced platform capabilities and the dedicated efforts of our teams, we are committed to innovating and building the next generation of digital customer experiences.”

The benefits and reach of redRail go beyond just the urban and tech-savvy populace. To use the redRail service, travelers simply need to send a message to +91 9538039911 on WhatsApp. As a response to this, a chatbot flow gets initiated which directs the user to enter their booking PNR or the number of the train that needs to be tracked.

Upstox Allows IPO Application and Demat Account Opening Through WhatsApp

Upstox provides end-to-end IPO application support for users and non-users through WhatsApp

Customers can also open an account with Upstox through WhatsApp instantly, 24*7

Upstox, one of the fastest-growing investment platforms in India, today announced that it will now allow investors to invest in initial public offerings (IPOs) and open demat account through WhatsApp.

Upstox provides end-to-end support for IPO applications via WhatsApp, empowering customers by easing the process of account opening. Upstox had grown its customer base by 1 million in October 2021 alone, taking the total customer base to over 7 million. The company aims to increase its customer base to 10 million by the end of FY2022.

Upstox launched its new service on WhatsApp after launching a brand-new platform with user-friendly features and an intuitive design that makes investments effortless. Backed by extensive research, the new Upstox platform equips investors with an easy-to-use interface, handpicked market insights, and a wide range of investment choices.

The key highlight of the latest feature is that all investors, whether they are registered with Upstox or not, can now subscribe to any IPO, without moving out of the WhatsApp chat window at any point during the application journey. With this integration, Upstox aims to achieve a five-fold growth in IPO applications.

The entire journey of account opening has also been made quick, easy and accessible. It takes just a few minutes now to open an account with Upstox via WhatsApp. Tabs such as ‘Upstox Resources’ and ‘Get Support’ provide customers with direct access to FAQs and all the necessary information about Upstox in real time with just a click.

Shrini Viswanath, Co-founder, Upstox

 
Mr. Shrini Viswanath, Co-Founder, Upstox, said, “Today consumers want on-the-go access to investments and we at Upstox strive to offer superior technology-enabled investment solutions to customers. With an aim to further strengthen our customer base in deep India and encourage more millennials to invest, we have integrated with WhatsApp, which is being widely used by users across the country.

This integration would serve as an enabler for novice investors and make investing an easy, accessible and effortless experience. With a huge uptick in IPOs and investors rushing to invest in IPOs, we see this as an opportunity to encourage more investors to open an account and invest through Upstox. We are optimistic that we will close FY2022 with 10 million customers, from the current customer base of over 7 million.”

How to start transacting on Upstox via WhatsApp

The customer needs to connect with Upstox’s verified WhatsApp profile number, 9321261098, to his/her ‘contacts’ on the mobile phone and send <hi> to this number from his/her mobile number

Steps for investing in an IPO with Upstox through WhatsApp

1. Say ‘Hi’ to WhatsApp Chat BOT ‘Uva’ on the official Upstox Whatsapp number - 9321261098
2. Using WhatsApp Chat BOT ‘Uva’, click on ‘IPO Application’
3. Enter the registered mobile number and OTP (One-time password (OTP) generated)
4. Click on ‘Apply for IPO’
5. Select the IPO which you want to subscribe

Steps for account opening with Upstox through WhatsApp

1. Using WhatsApp click on ‘Open an Account’
2. Enter mobile number (OTP generated)
3. Enter email address (OTP generated)
4. Enter Date of Birth
5. Enter your PAN details and the bot will direct you to the Upstox page for a few basic formalities and the process is complete!

*Note: No documents will be uploaded over WhatsApp and no documents will be sent as an attachment over the chat.

These services are open to all registered Upstox users as well as non-registered users who have accounts with other brokers.

NSDC and WhatsApp launch “Digital Skill Champions Program” to fuel skill development and entrepreneurship opportunities for youth

The alliance aims to support Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision to make India the Skill Capital of the World

Dr Manish Kumar, CEO & MD, NSDC and Mr Shivnath Thukral, Director, Public Policy, WhatsApp, virtually launching the digital skills programme

Bengaluru, India | 24 June 2021: The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and WhatsApp today announced an alliance to launch the Digital Skill Champions Program that aims to train India’s youth on digital skills, in order to make them employment ready. Through this program, school and university students would be coached to imbibe digital and online skills that would culminate with WhatsApp and NSDC awarding ‘Digital Skill Champions’ certification. The course is based on a module-format, is comprehensive and intensive in imparting knowledge about important aspects of the online ecosystem, equipping students with technology-based learning on campuses across tier 3 and 4 towns and cities throughout the country.

The partnership identifies two broad areas of collaboration viz., WhatsApp Digital Skills Academy and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) and WhatsApp Business App Training sessions.

WhatsApp Digital Skills Academy: As part of the Digital Skill Academies, young adults from tier 3 and 4 cities will be trained on critical aspects of digital safety and online privacy. These digital academies will deliver safe technology-based learning among the youth and train them on taking charge of their safety online as they embark on their professional journeys. The initiative will kick off with a pilot across 50 campuses in five states, namely Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The program will be imparted through WhatsApp’s project implementation partner- InfiSpark.

PMKK and WhatsApp Business App Training: WhatsApp will conduct training sessions to familiarise Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra trainers with the WhatsApp Business app. The training will cover modules on leveraging benefits of the WhatsApp Business app and to make small business entrepreneurship aspirational for young skill seekers. The trained PMKK community cadres will further manage and administer the WhatsApp Business app training to youth aspiring to become small business entrepreneurs.

Announcing the program, Dr. Manish Kumar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) said --

In a rapidly evolving digital world, NSDC aims to extend scope of virtual learning for youth across India. It aims to empower youth with new-age skills to make them employable and more productive in their work environment.

Talking about the partnership, Mr. Shivanth Thukral, Director - Public Policy, WhatsApp- India said, “We are honoured to be a part of NSDC’s mission to skill India and to take shop floor readiness training to the last mile. As India embraces digital innovation and entrepreneurship, it is imperative that the youth today are made aware of and educated about how they can upskill themselves and take charge of their presence online. At WhatsApp, we believe that online safety and privacy are vital drivers to a progressive digital society. Through this partnership, we are committed to enhance the digital skills of
the aspiring entrepreneurs and empower the youth of our country to create a safe digital environment for all."

About National Skill Development Corporation

National Skill Development Corporation, working under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, is a unique public-private-partnership that aims to catalyze the creation of a quality vocational training ecosystem in India. Since its inception in 2010, NSDC has trained more than 2.5 crore people through its partnership with 600+ training partners, 11,000+ training centers spread over 600+ districts across the country. NSDC has established 36 Sector Skill Councils and is implementing Government’s flagship skill development schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), among others.

About WhatsApp

With 15 million monthly users of the business app in India, and more than 50 million globally, businesses are finding tremendous value through WhatsApp. WhatsApp has played an instrumental role in helping small businesses interact with their customers and optimize sales especially now at the difficult time of the pandemic, when digital tools continue to serve as a lifeline for businesses and customers to stay connected. This association is another meaningful step towards WhatsApp’s commitment of driving digital and financial inclusion in India.

"Government Giving 3 Months Free Recharge for Online Classes" Is A Fake Message Circulating on WhatsApp

Lockdown was resorted to avoid spread of coronavirus in the country and today most people are doing work from home. Due to the closure of schools and colleges, online classes are being given to children so that there is is no loss of education of children and all this has been possible only due to technology. Technology has kept each other connected even in these troubled times. But there are many people who are duping people in the name of online classes.

Recently, a message was becoming quite viral on the instant messaging app WhatsApp, in which it was claimed that the government is giving 3 months recharge absolutely free for online classes. But now the whole truth of this message has come to the fore. It has been claimed in this message that the government is providing free internet service to 100 million users for 3 months for online classes. 

Along with this, a link has also been given in the message and it is written that by clicking on this link you can also get free internet service. On clicking on the link given in the message, a fake website opens in which the photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been given and it has also been claimed that users can choose their telecom operator and get free internet service for three months.

This message is completely fake, this message going viral on WhatsApp in the name of online class is completely fake . At the same time, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has also shared a post regarding this message on the official Twitter account. In which, while warning the telecom users, it has been said that this message of free recharge for three months on WhatsApp is completely fake and do not click on the link given in it. No such announcement has been made by the Government of India. Beware of such fake website.

धोखाधड़ी से सावधान!#WhatsApp मैसेज में दावा किया गया है कि भारत सरकार 3 महीने के लिए 100 मिलियन उपयोगकर्ताओं को मुफ्त इंटरनेट सुविधा प्रदान कर रही है।#PIBFactCheck: यह दावा व लिंक #फ़र्ज़ी है। भारत सरकार द्वारा ऐसी कोई घोषणा नहीं की गयी है। ऐसे फ़र्ज़ी वेबसाइट से सतर्क रहें। pic.twitter.com/08iUNUbEOM

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 1, 2021

Govt Launches New AI-driven Platform 'XraySetu' on WhatsApp for Rapid Screening of COVID-19

A new AI-driven platform will now help early intervention through rapid screening of COVID 19 with the help of Chest X-ray interpretation over WhatsApp for doctors who have access to X-ray machines. The solution called XraySetu can work with low-resolution images sent via mobiles, is quick and easy to use, and can facilitate detection in rural areas.

As COVID 19 continues to wreak havoc across the rural heartlands of India, it has become critical to drive rapid testing, contact tracing, and create dedicated containment zones. At a time when such tests are taking more than a week across some cities, the challenge is even more for rural areas. Easy alternative tests are necessary as RT-PCR tests also give a ‘false negative’ for some variants.

ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park), a not-for-profit foundation established by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, with support from the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India, in collaboration with Bangalore based HealthTech startup Niramai and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has developed XraySetu specifically designed to identify COVID positive patients even from low-resolution Chest X-Ray images sent over Whatsapp.

It also has semantic annotations of affected areas for review and localized heatmap by doctors to help them verify it easily with other modalities and has already served close to 1200+ reports so far from the interior parts of India.

To conduct the health check, any doctor simply needs to visit www.xraysetu.com and click on the ‘Try the Free XraySetu Beta’ button. The platform will then redirect the person to another page, wherein he or she can choose to engage with the WhatsApp-based chatbot via web or smartphone application. Or the doctor can simply send a WhatsApp message to the phone number +91 8046163838 to start the XraySetu service. Then they just need to click the picture of the patient’s X-ray and obtain the 2-page automated diagnostics with annotated images in a few minutes. While extending the probability of the COVID-19 contraction, the report also highlights a localized heatmap for a quick perusal of the doctor.

Tested and validated with over 1,25 000 X-ray images from National Institute of Health, UK, as well as over 1000+ Indian COVID patients from, XraySetu, has shown excellent performance with Sensitivity: 98.86%, and Specificity: 74.74%

Mr. Umakant Soni, Founder, and CEO, ARTPARK, said, “We need to scale technology for addressing the needs of 1.36 billion people, especially considering we have 1 radiologist for over 1 million people here. Built with the collaboration of industry and academia, XraySetu paves the way for exponential technologies like AI to leapfrog and provide cutting-edge healthcare technology to rural India in an extremely cost-effective manner.

“NIRAMAI has partnered with ARTPARK and IISc to provide a rapid COVID screening method for rural doctors who have access to X-ray machines. XraySetu provides an automated interpretation of Chest X-Rays to predict if a patient has any lung abnormality that indicates COVID-19 infection,” said Dr. Geetha Manjunath, Founder, and CEO, Niramai.

“In the absence of COVID positive X-Ray images, we developed a unique Transfer Learning framework that leverages easily available X-ray images of lungs, not necessarily COVID positive, to learn useful features which have high predictive power. We also developed a confidence score which is guided by the areas of lungs that are infected. The system outputs a prediction, localizes the infected parts, and creates a report which gives a confidence score, all within a few minutes”, said Prof. Chiranjib Bhattacharyya, IISc.

Besides COVID-19, the platform can also detect 14 additional lung-related ailments, including tuberculosis and pneumonia, alongside others. It can further be used for both analog and digital X-rays and has been successfully piloted by more than 300 doctors in rural areas over the last 10 months.

Technologies like XraySetu can enable cutting-edge AI-driven systems powering mobile PHCs, which can make healthcare more accessible even across rural India at a fraction of the cost.

Dr. Padmanabh Kamath, Prof & HOD Cardiology, KMC, Mangalore, who has been an early advisor and user of XraySetu, stressed that technologies like these could take healthcare and technology to the underprivileged and rural areas. Another early user of the service, Dr. Anil Kumar A D, Medical Officer of Health, Shimoga in Karnataka, was happy that the technology is helping to get the quick diagnosis of patients.

“Several Hubs of Cyber-physical Systems established by DST are working on leveraging of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Data Analytics, Robotics, Sensors and other tools to address the challenges of the health sector from diagnostics, and drug design to biomedical devices to telemedicine,” said Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST.

ARTPARK, initiated under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), is further collaborating with infrastructure partners like C-DAC (for leveraging AI supercomputer ParamSiddi), Nvidia& AWS to scale this free service to all the doctors in rural India.

For further details, Mr. Umakant Soni, Founder, and CEO, ARTPARK, can be contacted at umakant@artpark.in.