Business - The Purbottar

28 Feb

Indian Idol goes global: Season 16 shoots landmark Abu Dhabi episodes on Yas Island

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In a first for the franchise, Indian Idol Season 16 has marked its international debut with two special episodes filmed at Yas Island, in collaboration with Sony Pictures Networks India. Shot at Warner Bros. World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the region’s largest indoor theme park, the episodes aired on Indian Idol on February 21 and 22 on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV. The Abu Dhabi specials aligned with this season’s theme, “Yaadon Ki Playlist”, blending nostalgia and timeless music with Yas Island’s immersive entertainment landscape. The judging panel — Badshah, Vishal Dadlani and guest judge Madhubanti Bagchi — along…

28 Feb

Toonsutra expands to 10 languages, brings global best-selling comics to Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada and Malayalam readers

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Toonsutra, India’s leading digital comics platform, has announced a major expansion of its AI-powered localisation capabilities by adding five new Indian languages — Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada and Malayalam. With this move, readers in these languages will get access to premium, best-selling international comics for the first time. With the addition, Toonsutra now supports 10 languages — Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, English and Bahasa Indonesia — covering native speakers of over 1.5 billion people across India and Southeast Asia. The platform’s full catalogue of more than 3,200 premium titles will now be available in these languages.…

28 Feb

Oriflame India ropes in Karishma Tanna to lead premium NovAge+ Skincare and Supreme Tribute Ezzénza Fragrance push

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Oriflame India has announced actor Karishma Tanna as the face of its premium NovAge+ advanced skincare range and Supreme Tribute Ezzénza fragrance, strengthening its focus on science-led beauty and sensorial luxury in the Indian market. Developed at Oriflame’s Skin Research Institute in Sweden, NovAge+ is powered by patented technologies including Bio Aspartolift for collagen and elastin support, Oripeptide-3 to reduce fine lines, Bio Lumilock for pigmentation control, and Bio Re:Barrier to strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier. Clinical tests indicate visible improvements in smoothness, radiance and firmness within two weeks of consistent use. The four-step routine—cleanse, eye care, boosters and moisturisation—is…

28 Feb

SMFG India Credit impacts 1.55 lakh rural lives through 8th Pashu Vikas Day initiative

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SMFG India Credit, a leading NBFC, has successfully concluded the 8th edition of its flagship rural outreach programme, Pashu Vikas Day (PVD), impacting over 1.55 lakh lives across India. Held on February 14 under the theme ‘Sarvottam Seva: Pashu, Parivar aur Pragati’, the initiative focused on strengthening livestock health, family wellbeing and sustainable rural progress. Launched in 2014, Pashu Vikas Day provides free veterinary services and expert guidance to cattle owners. This year, the programme facilitated treatment for nearly 1.4 lakh cattle and extended healthcare support to over 14,000 individuals, benefitting more than 30,000 rural households. The initiative was conducted…

27 Feb

TATA AIG launches ‘Accident Super Guard Plus’ amid rising road fatalities in India

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TATA AIG General Insurance Company Limited on Tuesday announced the launch of ‘Accident Super Guard Plus’, a flexible personal accident insurance policy aimed at strengthening financial protection against accidental risks in India. The launch comes against the backdrop of rising road mishaps. According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ Road Accidents in India – 2023 report, the country recorded 4.8 lakh road accidents and 1.73 lakh fatalities in 2023, marking a 4.18% rise in accidents and a 2.61% increase in deaths year-on-year. Nearly 68% of fatalities involved pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheeler riders. The new policy covers accidental death,…

27 Feb

IndusInd Bank launches next-gen UPI 6.0 platform, promises faster and more reliable payments

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IndusInd Bank has gone live with its next-generation UPI processing platform, marking a significant step in India’s evolving real-time payments ecosystem. The bank announced on Tuesday that its digital banking channels are now operating on the new system, branded as UPI 6.0, aimed at delivering faster transactions and near-zero technical glitches. Built by Mindgate Solutions, the sixth-generation upgrade runs on a hyper-scalable, cloud-ready and resilient architecture. The bank said it is the first private lender in the country to go live on the next-gen platform for both issuer and acquirer services on the cloud. The upgrade offers 30 per cent…

27 Feb

Functional teas gain ground as Tetley Green Tea Slim Care targets everyday wellness

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As consumers increasingly choose beverages with purpose, functional teas are emerging as a preferred addition to daily routines. Industry observers note that green tea, valued for its natural antioxidants and light, refreshing profile, is becoming a familiar base in this shift towards balanced lifestyles without drastic dietary changes. Amid this growing trend, Tetley Green Tea Slim Care has positioned itself as an everyday wellness beverage. The product combines premium green tea with added L-Carnitine, designed to help reduce body fat when paired with a balanced diet and regular physical activity. Rather than projecting itself as a quick-fix solution, the brand…

27 Feb

Ai+ expands AIoT Play with NovaPods, NovaWatch; Pulse 2 to debut on March 2

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Ai+ Smartphone has forayed deeper into the AIoT segment with the launch of NovaPods and NovaWatch, while announcing that its next smartphone, Pulse 2, will be unveiled on March 2, followed by the Nova 2 Series. The expansion comes less than a year after the brand’s debut in July 2025, during which it claims to have built nearly one million users. Pulse 2 will feature a 50MP AI dual rear camera, 8MP front camera, the slimmest 6000mAh battery, and Android 16 on NxtQuantum OS. The company said the device is designed to deliver a simpler and smoother user experience at…

27 Feb

BHIM launches UPI circle to enable safe, controlled payment access for families

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BHIM Payments App has introduced a new feature called UPI Circle, aimed at making authorised UPI payments simple, structured and secure for shared household use. The feature allows a primary user to extend controlled payment access to trusted individuals such as children, elderly parents or staff, without sharing UPI PINs, passwords or device access. UPI Circle enables a primary user to add up to five secondary users and authorise them to transact from the primary user’s UPI-linked bank account within preset limits. A monthly spending cap of up to ₹15,000 can be set, with validity ranging from one month to…

27 Feb

Cricket season sparks 46% surge in travel searches; Tier-2 cities see sharp rise in bookings

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India’s upcoming cricket season has triggered a sharp spike in domestic travel, with new data from Airbnb showing a 46% rise in searches across key match-hosting cities. The surge is being led by Gen Z travellers, nearly 60% of whom plan to travel to attend live cricket matches in 2026. Searches between February 5 and June 2 recorded steep year-on-year growth in emerging cricket hubs. New Chandigarh topped the list with a 318% jump, followed by Raipur (232%), Ranchi (118%) and Thiruvananthapuram (114%). Jaipur and Lucknow also reported strong double-digit gains, signalling a shift beyond traditional metro centres. During the…