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<ul><li>We bring to you a series of columns from industry expert, looking back at the last 10 years</li><li>The columns will explore how the media, marketing and advertising industry has transformed in the last decade</li><li>Ravinder Singh, Founding Director, 1-India Family Mart pens down the changes the <keyword id="188491" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="retail-industry">retail industry</keyword> has witnessed between 2010 and 2020 </li></ul>Retailing in India has emerged as one of the most vigorous and fast-paced industries after travelling through different phases over the years. In fact, India is the fifth largest preferred retail destination globally and embraces a very strong position as far as its market potential is concerned. Retailers are consistently trying to tap the gravity of this potential by using the latest technologies along with new generation tools like data analytics, social commerce, CRM solutions, etc, which form the backbone of modern retailing. Bolstered by healthy economic growth, changing demographics, increasing disposable incomes, urbanisation, changing consumer tastes and preferences, and higher consumer confidence, year 2019 experienced strong retail sales. While traditional and unorganised retail formats continue to dominate the retail market, organised retail is growing at a faster pace driven by technology intervention. The industry is now expected to reach $1400 billion by FY2024 from $790 billion in FY 2019, growing at a CAGR of 12%. The dawn of technology in the retail space has transformed the traditional business model into a ‘Phygital’ experience with in-built metrics to comprehend customer needs. Emerging technologies like AR, VR, Artificial intelligence, IoT, cloud platforms, etc. take into consideration multiple consumer interactions through digital platforms in the form of reviews, suggestions and AI-based product assortments, to make in-store digitization possible. By connecting with the consumers at all possible touch points, these techniques are also enabling the retailers to influence consumer behaviour. With technology being a key facilitator in driving engagements and with existing consumers and acquiring new customers, retailers can foresee increased sales and reduction in the cost of operations. Meanwhile, considering the growing consumer consciousness and their preference for choice and convenience, retailers are leveraging data-driven technologies to meet their expectations. Key learning for the retailers to emerge as game changers in 2020 The evolving mind-set of Indian consumers expecting seamless shopping experiences across every channel; brick and mortar stores, e-commerce platforms or mobile apps, demand the retailers to work consecutively towards acquiring competitive advantage in 2020. This can be done by using these innovative retail formats and technologies: <ul><li>Experiential retail: Millennials tend to make the majority of their choices based on their experience instead of the products. So, retailers must focus on developing a customer-centric approach in their businesses, where the consumer can interact with the product or brand and give their feedback as well. An interactive methodology would enable the retailers, especially in the brick-and-mortar circle, to initiate a better brand recall and increased sales. </li></ul><ul><li>Immersive technologies: While online players specifically in fashion &amp; lifestyle and beauty &amp; personal care segment are already making it big by embracing the concept of experience-based shopping using AR/VR, offline stores too are joining the bandwagon by implementing these immersive technologies to redefine convenience for consumers. This means consumers can now simply walk in, find their preferred products/outfits through a virtual inventory and try the outfits via virtual mirror without actually having to do it physically. This combination of technology in stores would facilitate seamless experience to the consumers. In fact, by 2020, the retail industry will emerge as the top spending industry on AR and VR. </li><li>Big Data: Leveraging Big Data to observe and evaluate buying patterns, trends, etc, has been quite revolutionary in the online retail industry. It is now making its way into the offline retail space to create a significant effect on its future. Big Data can enable retail businesses to understand their customer expectations by predicting the popularity of products and identifying the relevant customers for each one of them. </li><li>Social commerce: Millennial consumers are becoming more demanding with time and this can pose challenges for the retailers in future to get their brand noticed amid all the traffic. Social commerce platforms can enable retailers to raise brand awareness and drive direct engagement with customers through pictures and videos of products or brands posted by the latter. Retailers can capitalise on the consumers sharing their experiences and stories on the web in the form of reviews and recommendations. </li></ul>The expectation from modern retail has transformed completely, as the idea here is not just to enhance the experience but also being able to guide the consumers towards making the right purchase decisions by understanding their profile. Having realised the tremendous scope of mass digitization in the retail ecosystem, retailers now must take proactive steps to streamline their day to day operations in 2020, making it exciting and rewarding time for all the stakeholders in the industry.

Indian retail industry: The year that went by and outlook for 2020

New Delhi, Nov 25 () 1-India Family Mart, which focuses on tier-III and IV towns, aims to have an annual revenue of Rs 2,300 crore in the next five years, on account of new stores.
 The company, owned by Nysaa Retail, launched 100 stores in Bihar recently, 1-India Family Mart said in a statement. The firm has a plan to raise the number of stores to 350 in the next five years.
 "Amidst the ongoing economic slowdown in the retail sector, 1-India Family Mart recorded a revenue of Rs 420 crore in the previous financial year and is further aiming to achieve Rs 2,300 crore revenue in the next five years with an expansion to over 350 stores," said 1-India Family Mart Founding Director Ravinder Singh.
 The company is eyeing a revenue of Rs 650 crore Rs 700 crore for the current financial year, he added.
 Its retail stores are spread in small cities of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Orissa.
 "Witnessing such increasing demand, we are planning to increase our retail presence in tier III and tier IV towns majorly in Assam, West Bengal and Odisha along with strengthening our presence in the existing states we operate," he said.
 The company reportedly raised its first external funding of USD 7 million from Carpediem Advisors in 2018 for investing in expansion, technology, customer relationship management, warehousing and storefront training.
 Recently, the firm also raised its second round of external debt funding of Rs 20 crore. KRH HRS

1-India Family Mart expects to have Rs 2,300 cr revenue in 5 years

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11892747" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s commercial <keyword id="12102752" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="surrogacy" source="Orion">surrogacy</keyword> market was estimated to be worth $375 million before it was banned.</li><li>As people look overseas, the former Soviet state of <keyword id="11931393" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="georgia" source="Orion">Georgia</keyword> is emerging as a favorite option.</li></ul>Thousands of aspiring parents from around the world have turned to Dr. Nayana Patel for help.She has delivered more than 1,000 babies from surrogates at the Akanksha Clinic in Anand, in western India. Her prominence within Indian surrogacy led to her being interviewed on "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW6xM2dZO3Q">The Oprah Winfrey Show</a>" in 2006.But she told Insider that she hadn't had any new work since February. The future of an industry she helped build might lie 2,000 miles away.<div type="image" title="Photo of a woman seated in a chair with her arms across her front" height="274" width="365" msid="92087109" hostid="261"></div>A law banning commercial surrogacy, passed by India's Parliament in December, has upended the sector in a nation that for years was a surrogacy capital. Surrogacy in India was a $375 million business spread across <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26410397.2021.1878674">3,000 clinics</a> before the ban, doctors, researchers, and legal experts who spoke with Insider estimated.That's almost a tenth of what Global Markets Insights estimates is a <a href="https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/surrogacy-market">$4 billion</a> global market that's expected grow by almost a third by 2027.But the ban is pushing India's chunk of that market — which relies on <a href="https://nhrc.nic.in/sites/default/files/Report_NHRC_Surrogacy_24122018.pdf">affluent Indians</a> at a time when <a href="http://www.ijstr.org/final-print/feb2020/Infertility-An-Alarming-Situation-In-India.pdf">one in six</a> urban couples struggles with infertility — overseas. The former Soviet republic of Georgia, a rare nation where commercial surrogacy is legal and relatively inexpensive, is emerging as a favored destination.Patel recognizes that this means she might soon be flying to Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, to take on cases. "It's only natural for Indian couples to now want to go there for surrogacy," she said. "And clinics there will either bring in experts like me from India or hire local doctors."<a href="https://www.artbaby.in/">ARTbaby</a>, whose motto is "Your baby, our ART," is a surrogacy center<a href="https://www.artbaby.in/"></a> headquartered in New Delhi that's pitching its <a href="https://www.surrogacycentregeorgia.com/surrogacy/georgia-a-surrogacy-in-india-alternative/">Tbilisi facility</a> as an "alternative" for Indians. When asked how it was adapting its business in the wake of the ban, another Indian service provider, Vinsfertility, pointed to its ability to offer surrogacy services in other countries, specifically mentioning Georgia, which it said in a statement to Insider offered a "guaranteed surrogacy program."The promises are working.Five months ago, Ravinder Singh couldn't have placed Georgia on a map, he joked to Insider during an interview. Since India's ban, he and his wife, Meena — who has had three miscarriages — have spent nights poring over surrogacy options outside the country.They settled on Georgia, and in February, they flew to Tbilisi to check out different centers. The couple, who still haven't told most people in their conservative family that they're contemplating surrogacy, told relatives that they were going on a holiday.Once there, they found they weren't alone. "In every single center that we visited, we either met or heard of other Indian couples interested in surrogacy," Singh said. India was the <a href="https://gnta.ge/statistics/">13th-largest source</a> of visitors to Georgia in the first four months of 2022, up from 15th in 2019, Georgian government data indicated — though it's unclear how many of those travelers were exploring surrogacy options.India's ban follows a decade-long debate in the country over the ethics of allowing people to pay women to carry their children.Before the ban, each surrogacy in the country cost about $20,000, said Amit Karkhanis, a lawyer in Mumbai who specializes in contracts between couples and surrogates. In 2012, researchers from The Lancet <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)61933-3/fulltext">estimated</a>, that about 25,000 children were born annually to surrogates in India, and that almost half of them were for foreign parents.In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government banned foreigners from using Indian women as commercial surrogates. But the substantial domestic market was left untouched — until last year.The total ban "killed" the domestic surrogate market, said Hari Ramasubramanian, the chief consultant at the Indian Surrogacy Law Centre, a legal consultancy that specializes in the sector.For Georgia, the timing of the ban couldn't have been better. Two alternatives, Nepal and Cambodia, banned the practice in 2015 and 2016, respectively. India's total ban came into effect just as Ukraine, one of the world's most popular surrogacy destinations, was invaded by Russia. And while some Indian service providers are eyeing Kenya — where Vinsfertility also has a center — it can't offer a Georgia-like legal shield for those seeking surrogates. "It's murky in Kenya. There's no law recognizing surrogacy, but officials turn a blind eye," said Sharmila Rudrappa, the director of the South Asia Institute at the University of Texas at Austin and author of "Discounted Life: The Price of Global Surrogacy in India."By contrast, couples face no legal risks in Georgia, she added. Surrogacy there costs more than in India — with one provider citing a price range of <a href="https://www.caresurrogacy.com/care-georgia-program/">$30,000</a> to $39,000 — but significantly less than in the United States, where prices average between <a href="https://www.sensiblesurrogacy.com/surrogacy-costs/">$120,000</a> and $150,000, one group estimated.Georgia legalized surrogacy in 1997. Ravi Sharma, the director of ARTbaby, cited the way Georgia's laws favored adoptive parents as a pull factor: "The surrogate mother has no rights over the child. There is no mention of surrogacy or the surrogate mother on the birth certificate. There is no requirement for a lawyer."<div type="image" title="Man sitting at a desk looking to camera with a laptop in front of him" height="500" width="750" msid="92087112" hostid="261"></div>Other legal experts who spoke with Insider agreed with Sharma's interpretation of the Georgian law — which also helped the country attract some of the international surrogacy market after India's 2015 law barred foreign couples from using Indian surrogates.Many Indians were introduced to Georgia's surrogacy clinics when Lisa Ray, a supermodel and Bollywood actress, <a href="https://www.vogue.in/content/lisa-ray-just-became-a-mother-to-twins-born-via-surrogacy">spoke publicly in 2018</a> about using a Georgian surrogate to deliver her twins. Karkhanis said parents might be vulnerable to legal challenges once they return home if their child was born through commercial surrogacy in another nation. But Georgia's clear laws eliminate that concern, Ramasubramanian said.India's ban doesn't apply to "altruistic surrogacy," where someone carries a couple's child out of goodwill, rather than for payment. But that could be a shield for coercion and exploitation in a society as unequal as India, said Shiromi Chaturvedi, a psychologist whose work and research focused on surrogates."This is going to drive the industry underground," she said. "And surrogates won't even have the little protection they previously had from legal contracts."Once again, Georgia might be the beneficiary as an attractive alternative for Indian surrogates hoping for better pay in safer conditions, said Rudrappa, adding that this could expose vulnerable women to the risks of trafficking."Their shift to Georgia is real," she said. "I'm already starting to hear about it."

India banned commercial surrogacy. Now, parents are flocking to Georgia, a rare nation where it's legal &mdash; and relatively cheap.

Early last year, India’s most popular comedy collective <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=All+India+Bakchod+">All India Bakchod </a>broke new ground by organising the first ever roast. 
 
A popular concept abroad, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=AIB+Knockout">AIB Knockout</a>, hosted at the NSCI auditorium in Worli, saw the funny four along with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Karan+Johar">Karan Johar</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Aditi+Mittal">Aditi Mittal</a> take digs at actors <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ranveer+Singh">Ranveer Singh</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Arjun+Kapoor">Arjun Kapoor</a>, who played sporting victims. 
 
What they didn’t foresee was being slapped with FIRs on the participants and organisers on the ground of obscenity. 
 
The list of offenders thus included- the President of NSCI Jayantilal Shah, secretary general NSCI Ravinder Aggarwal and participants in the AIB Roast including <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Karan+Johar">Karan Johar</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ranveer+Singh">Ranveer Singh</a>, Rohan Joshi, Tanmay Bhatt, <keyword id="1359152" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gursimran-Khamba">Gursimran Khamba</keyword>, Ashish Shakya, Aditi Mittal, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Rajeev Masand and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Arjun+Kapoor">Arjun Kapoor</a>. 
 
“To be really honest, none of us thought it would be this big an issue, even in our wildest dreams,” admits AIB’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Gursimran+Khamba">Gursimran Khamba</a>, nearly a year after that incident, while speaking at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Coalition+India">Coalition India</a>. 
 
The case, however, is still on. 
 
Adding how they were flabbergasted at the news, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Gursimran+Khamba">Khamba</a> admits their first reaction was disbelief. 
 
“I mean, come on. There are farmers dying in Maharashtra and you really want to make an issue out of this and give us three day primetime coverage?” 
 
Having cases against them did see several brands being wary of approaching them, but <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Gursimran+Khamba">Khamba</a> thinks the most damaging impact was to their confidence. 
 
“We are obviously scared now. We’ll think twice before including a joke. But, there are times that I just don’t care and think, no matter what I’m going ahead with my sketch, but later I realised that can’t be the case anymore,” <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Gursimran+Khamba">Khamba</a> adds. 
 
He says comedy is subjective, and admits they make content for a mature audience. “The reason we have Bakchod in our name is to let people know we’re for a select audience”, he adds. 
 
 “The only way you come out of something like this without getting scared in the future is if you don’t have a family to worry about or if you have the kind of money that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Vijay+Mallya">Vijay Mallya</a> does,” he signs off. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

We are obviously scared now: Gursimran Khamba
on AIB Roast

New Delhi, From appealing people not to vote for them to flaunting the unsuccessful tag, changing name in each election to losing huge sums of money in security deposits -- some tenacious <keyword id="20022603" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="independent" source="keywords">Independent</keyword> candidates have tried these all but losing elections became a habit for them. Tamil Nadu's K Padmarajan, who proudly calls himself the "Election King", might be the only candidate in the election fray who urges people not to vote for him, so he can retain his tag of being "most unsuccessful candidate", a feat also registered in the Limca Book of records. The 65-year-old tyre repair shop owner also finds pride in his entry in the <keyword id="19981515" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="guinness-book-of-world-records" source="keywords">Guinness Book of World Records</keyword> for candidate with most contested elections. He claims to have lost Rs 80 lakh so far in security deposits which gets forfeited every time he loses an election besides expenses for filing nomination amid fanfare. Gearing up for his 239th attempt, Padmarajan has filed his nomination for the 18th <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections from Thrissur in Kerala and Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu. "I began fighting elections in 1988 from my home town of Mettur, located in Tamil Nadu. I have contested 238 elections so far including against former prime ministers <keyword id="20374221" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="atal-bihar-vajpayee" source="keywords">Atal Bihar Vajpayee</keyword>, P V Narsimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. This will be my 239th attempt. I pick a unique battle every time," he told PTI. Asked about his campaign plans, Padmarajan said, "I ask people not vote for me, I don't want the votes but I want to continue to hold the tag of most unsuccessful candidate. I don't campaign but when I go for filing nomination, I do that in a grand way." From former chief ministers like Jayalalitha, M Karunanidhi, YSR Reddy and AK Antony to filmstars Hema Malini and Vijayakanth -- the list of bigwigs against whom Padmarajan has contested is long. Indore's Parmanand <keyword id="21190647" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tolani" source="keywords">Tolani</keyword> is taking forward his father's legacy who fought elections as independent candidate for three decades. "My father passed away in 1988 and I am taking forward his legacy. I have contested 18 elections so far including eight Lok Sabha and eight Vidhan Sabha. I will be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls too," 65-year-old Tolani told PTI. "My father's wish was that we do not have to stop the trend till someone from the family gets elected. If I am not able to do it in my lifetime, my two daughters will carry forward the baton," said Tolani, who is a property broker. <keyword id="21190648" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vijay-prakash-kodekar" source="keywords">Vijay Prakash Kodekar</keyword> from <keyword id="19897309" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pune" source="keywords">Pune</keyword>, a retired staffer from state electricity board, has a different agenda behind contesting elections as independent candidate -- advocating zero budget poll campaigns. He can be seen pushing a steel cart on wheels in streets of Latur, where he is planning to contest the Lok Sabha polls. A flex board on the cart says "Main bhi Pradhanmantri". "The message why cannot any poor individual be the Prime Minister of the country. Why this exorbitant expenditure by parties on election campaigns? Polls can be fought on zero budget and the money can be utilised for public welfare," said 78-year-old Kodekar, who campaigns wearing a white dhoti. Having contested 24 elections so far, Kodekar uses a different name for different elections. "Some elections I have contested using the name Vijay, some with 'Rashtrapati' and some with the name 'Znyosho' -- as I am a disciple of Osho. I complete the name change formalities and then I contest the polls using the new name," he said. Hyderabad techie Ravinder Uppula, uses different campaign strategies for each Lok Sabha election he fights. In 2014 -- it was anti-corruption march and in 2019 it was a liquid only fast. "I promise during my campaign that if I get elected, I will get a lie detector test done every 100 days so public who votes for me doesn't feel cheated. That is how our politicians should do as well to weed out corruption," he said. Uppula, however, is disappointed with the poll campaign expenses. "It should not be an expensive deal to canvass in this country, an agenda and the right promise should be enough rather than the poll fray leaving the voters with no choice except voting for a smaller thief or a bigger thief," he added. The strange obsession of the independent candidates has also been featured in the book "The Power of The Ballot: Travail and Triumph in the Elections". Sharing the saga of some of the independent candidates' stint at the elections, the book decodes "why do some people contest every time knowing they will lose?" Kaka Joginder Singh, also known as "Dhartipakad", was a textile-shop owner who contested and lost over 300 elections. He died in 1998. In elections, he always contested independently, and always lost his security deposits. He earned the nickname Dhartipakad after several unsuccessful runs for the post of the President of India. The year with the greatest yield for him was during the tenth presidential elections in 1992 in which he earned fourth place in the polling with 1,135 votes, losing to Shankar Dayal Sharma; it was his best performance. He also contested elections from 14 states of India in the 1990s, mostly for state assemblies. Singh died in 1998. Long before <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword> chose Varanasi as an election destination, the city had Narendra Nath Dubey "Adig". Often referred to as Kashi's Dhartipakad, he has been fighting every election as an independent candidate since 1984, losing his security deposit each time. He passed away in 2022.

PM campaign on a cart, most unsuccessful record: Independents who never call it quits

New Delhi, People have reposed their faith in "<keyword id="19699064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="modis-guarantees" source="Orion">Modi's guarantees</keyword>," BJP leaders chimed together on Sunday as the party appeared set on the path of victory in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh assembly elections. "The election results show people accept Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantee of delivering on guarantees," BJP leader and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said here. Joshi, who was BJP's election-in-charge for Rajasthan, took a dig at the Congress and promises it made in the run up to the elections. "People have blessed BJP in three states, endorsed Prime Minister Modi's leadership and rejected Congress' false promises," Joshi said. Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and BJP leader Raman Singh said in Raipur,"People have reposed their trust in Modi's guarantees." Singh said the people have voted in the name of Modi and for his work over the past nine-and-half years. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan -- who is looking at his fifth term -- gave Modi's aggressive campaign ahead of the assembly election the credit for the party's performance. "Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji is in the hearts of the people of Madhya Pradesh. The state is also in the heart of Modi ji. There is immense faith towards him. He held public meetings here and appealed to the people which has touched the people's hearts," Chouhan said in Bhopal. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said it was Modi's belief in taking everyone together that worked for the party. "This victory is of the mantra of 'Sabka saath, sabka vishwas and sabka prayaas' given by Prime Minister Modi. It is the victory of the guarantee given by the Prime Minister. It is also the victory of the strategy given by Amit Shah and the able leadership provided by Nadda ji," she said. "Most importantly, it is a victory for our party workers," Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hailed the party's victory as a result of guidance of PM Modi. "Under the leadership and guidance of respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, BJP's hattrick of huge majority in terms election results in three of the four states, is a 'guarantee of people's trust' on the 'guarantee of Modi,'" he wrote on X. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the victory was an indicator of what is to come in 2024. "The Ghamandiya alliance's arrogance has been shattered. The INDI alliance has neither leaders, nor policy... For 2024, the indication is clear, the world has faith in India and India's leadership. If India progresses, the world will progress," Thakur said. In Chhattisgarh, the BJP manifesto -- 'Modi ki Guarantee 2023' -- promised cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500 to poor families, one lakh government jobs, and a Rs 12,000 annual financial assistance to married women. The BJP had also promised to procure paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal and an annual assistance of Rs 10,000 to land less farm labourers. Free food grain, income assistance for farmers, housing for all, 100 per cent electrification of villages, and tap water to every home, were listed by the party as some of Modi's guarantees. "All promises made to you will be fulfilled. This is my guarantee," Modi had said addressing a rally in MP last month. During several of rallies he took a dig at the Congress for its set of promises. "Those who do not have any guarantee about themselves are offering guarantees to the people," Modi had said at a rally in MP. "Modi's guarantees begin from where hope from others ends. That is why Modi's guarantees are popular," the prime minister had said on the campaign trail. In Jaipur, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat took a jibe at Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, saying people have come out of the spell of the "magician." "The 'magic' has ended and Rajasthan has come out of the spell of the magician. People have voted for the honour of women and for the welfare of the poor," he said. Gehlot was born into a family of magicians and assisted his father during his tours. Congress had unleashed the politics of guarantee during Karnataka assembly elections in May, making five distinct promises to the electorate - monthly cash assistance to women head of families, 200 units of free electricity, unemployment allowance to youth, free food grains, and free travel for women on state transport buses. The party tried to replicate the template in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Rajasthan. Modi turned on the heat on the Congress by projecting himself as a leader who has delivered on the promises made by him to help the common man meet his aspirations. "Modi Yaani Har Guarantee Poori Hone Ki Guarantee (Modi means the guarantee to fulfill every guarantee)," the prime minister had said in an article last week. "'Modi Ki Guarantee' denotes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to the aspirations of the common man. It echoes the resolution of his government to serve the last man standing. It allows us to witness a political phenomenon, hitherto missing, where promises carry meaning and are executed meaningfully," he had said. Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina said, "Today, the Congress headquarters in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are wearing a deserted look. The Congress and National Conference will face the same fate during assembly polls in J-K." The race amongst political parties to offer freebies to the voters triggered a debate on burden on the state exchequer.

Victory of Modi's guarantees, say BJP leaders as party sweeps states states

By Amit Kumar Das(Eds: A EXCLUSIVE)New Delhi, Apr 11 () With the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) suspended and golf courses shut due to the coronavirus enforced lockdown, the daily-wage caddies are under great deal of financial stress with most worrying about their livelihood.The fast-spreading COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed over 95,000 people globally, has triggered an economic meltdown, hitting sports hard across the globe and in the golf fraternity, it is the caddies who are the most affected as they depend on day-to-day work. There are around 2500 to 3000 caddies in the NCR region with most being migrants. While many are regular caddies, others hundreds of others look for part-time jobs or alternate sources of income as there are no job guarantees. Two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan, the front-runner to qualify for Tokyo Olympics, believes more than anybody the caddies will have a tough time if the situation doesn't improve quickly."The lockdown is affecting the caddies a lot. They earn money on a daily basis, they don't have any other incomes. They have families, and have to pay rent. So it will be difficult for them to sustain if things don't improve," Rashid told . "Even my caddie (Imran Mohammad Ansari), who is from Mumbai, had texted me requesting for financial help. There are many caddies who are being affected."Mantu, who has caddied Rashid Khan, Chandigarh's Akshay Sharma and 2015 Junior World Golf Champion Shubham Jaglan at the Delhi Golf club, said if things don't get to normal 95 % of the caddies will be in trouble."In our country, only 5 percent of caddies are well-off, who are earning Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per month and can manage their household but the rest will be in trouble if things don't improve and clubs don't open soon," he said."Only 50-60 caddies regularly travel with the top golfers in the PGTI, some of the caddies get a salary from golfers whom they caddie but rest are completely dependent on daily wages. "Fortunately, I have saved 30 % of the money that I have earned in my life. So I don't need help now as such. I can sustain my family."Mumbai-born Imran, who has been caddying Rashid for the last four years, said he is worried about his future."We are in deep trouble with golf courses being closed. Our Club is currently providing ration like rice, pulses, onions and potatoes but that is not enough. We are somehow managing. "We earn Rs 500-600 if we caddie for any member on a day but now with no work, things are looking gloom," said the 37-year-old, who works at Bombay Presidency Golf Club. "There are around 140 caddies who have come from outside. These people are in bigger trouble, they are not getting help." While Bombay Presidency Golf Club is providing ration, Bangalore golf club has been paying Rs 300 to each caddie till the club opens again. Noida Golf Club has also paid sums of Rs 2000 and Rs 2500 to the caddies, while Patna Golf Club too has managed to help with Rs 1000 to its caddies besides distributing food items. Given the situation, the Caddies Welfare Trust (CWT) at Delhi Golf Club has written to the Home Ministry to consider opening the golf courses in the country."A letter has gone from the Caddie Welfare Trust to the Home Minister to consider opening the golf courses, mainly for the sustenance of the caddies, who solely depend on daily wage and are currently in financial stress," DGC president Major Ravinder Singh Bedi (retd) said. "If it is not addressed these people will start going home and it might lead to another migration issue."DGC has also decided to pay Rs 5000 to the caddies and the members have also opened a fund where each has contributed Rs 500 which will be distributed to the caddies once the lockdown is lifted. DGC also has been preparing 600 food packages in its kitchen everyday which is being distributed by the police to the needy. Many golfers and clubs members have also come forward to help out the caddies. Rahul Bajaj, who won the silver medal at the 2010 Asian Games, and Kashif Alam, a golfer on PGTI, also used social media to motivate others to come forward and also to gather funds to help out the caddies."Caddies are the migrant labourers of the golf course and so I thought if each golfer can take care of a couple of caddies, we can solve this problem to a great extent, so I started a page in social media and it took off well with people from Noida to Jorhat joining and it motivated others to help out the caddies," Bajaj said. Alam too has been distributing rations to caddies and their families. But caddies are worried that whatever help they are receiving now will dry up if things don't look up soon. "We can only hope, nothing is in our hands," says Imran. ATK KHS KHSKHS

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