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<ul><li>Roads, bridges, culverts and many other infrastructures have been damaged at various places in Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhubri, Chirang, Nagaon, Jorhat, Barpeta, Majuli districts. </li><li>The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Guwahati, Tezpur, Dhubri and Goalpara towns. </li><li>The floods, triggered by heavy rains, have inundated 122,573 hectares of crop area and have also damaged 30,605. </li></ul>“There’s lots of water, Everything is underwater,” Mohammed Rahman <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTpYNZ_-ILw">told AFP</a>. From the last few years, heavy floods in South Asia — especially Assam and Bangladesh — have destroyed a large number of homes, displaced millions of people and killed thousands. Rahman lives in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTpYNZ_-ILw">in Assam </a>and is among the 4 million people affected by heavy floods in that part of South Asia this year. His home and all the roads in his village are destroyed. In Assam, heavy floods have claimed 123 lives. <div type="Youtube" id="pTpYNZ_-ILw" title="Deadly monsoon floods affect over 4 million across South and Southeast Asia" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pTpYNZ_-ILw/mqdefault.jpg"></div> “Our houses have been underwater. Our houses have been damaged and many people lost their belongings,” another victim of Assam’s heavy floods told ANI. In Bangladesh, Safar Ali<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTpYNZ_-ILw"> wasn’t able to enter his house after the water level</a> reached over his chest level. He says, all the houses in his village were underwater. Mosammat Parveen was forced to leave her house and find shelter after the floodwater crossed knee-level. More than a third of the land in Bangladesh is flooded. This is a double whammy for local administration which is already struggling to battle with the coronavirus pandemic. The heavy floods were seen soon after the monsoon started in late June. The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Guwahati, Tezpur, Dhubri and Goalpara towns. Its tributaries Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Kopili, Beki and Sankosh at Golokoganj in Dhubri are also flowing above the danger levels at various places. <div type="image" title="Assam floods2" msid="77190201" hostid="261"></div> Roads, bridges, culverts and many other infrastructures have been damaged at various places in Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhubri, Chirang, Nagaon, Jorhat, Barpeta, Majuli districts. Massive erosions have been witnessed at different places of Biswanath, South Salmara, Chirang and Majuli districts.The floods, triggered by heavy rains, have inundated 122,573 hectares of crop area and have also damaged 30,605. <div type="image" title="Assam floods" msid="77190182" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt; Guwahati: An aerial view of the flood-affected areas of Assam, on July 24, 2020.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The embankments created by the government to prevent the floods are in need of high maintenance. President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday spoke to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over the phone on the flood situation in Assam and expressed solidarity with the distressed people of the state. The district administrations have set up around 457 relief camps and distribution centres in 23 districts, where around 46,000 flood-hit people have taken shelter, according to IANS. However, over 2.5 million people have been affected by it, according to IANS. The deluge in eastern and northeastern parts of India is nearly an annual affair but there is little preparation and maximum damage each time. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/coovid-vaccine-from-oxford-serum-institute-and-astrazeneca-shows-promising-immune-response/articleshow/77069321.cms">The COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford and AstraZeneca shows 'promising' results in early human trials</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/dil-bechara-kissing-booth-2-and-other-movies-you-can-watch-on-netflix-amazon-prime-disneyhotstar-this-week/slidelist/77142498.cms">Dil Bechara, Kissing Booth 2 and other movies you can watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+Hotstar this week</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/work-from-home-effect-these-companies-are-shelling-out-for-employees-power-bills-internet-cost-and-more/articleshow/77139229.cms">WFH effect – These companies are paying for employees' power bills, internet cost and more</a>

Gut-wrenching stories from Assam floods which have swept away villages displaced millions and killed over a hundred people

<ul><li>The <keyword id="11908705" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola-S1-Pro" source="Orion">Ola S1 Pro</keyword> has been in the news for several wrong reasons – the most prominent being fires. </li><li><keyword id="6354720" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ola" source="Orion">Ola</keyword>’s first electric scooter has also been in the news for reports of a few incidents of scooter malfunctioning, leading to either scooter damage or accidents. </li><li>The latest incident is from Guwahati, where an Ola S1 Pro rider endured fractures and over a dozen stitches. </li></ul>Ola S1 Pro, the first electric scooter from Ola, has been under fire – quite literally – for several <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/electric-scooters-are-catching-fire-in-india-should-users-be-worried/articleshow/90496840.cms">fires and other incidents</a> involving the scooter. Now, the company has come back with an investigation report into the <keyword id="13676526" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola-s1-pro-guwahati" source="Orion">Ola S1 Pro Guwahati</keyword> incident. According to the findings of Ola’s investigation, the victim was apparently ‘overspeeding’ and ‘braked in panic’, leading to the accident. The company revealed its findings in a statement on Twitter, highlighting that the victim had been overspeeding for nearly 30 minutes, touching a top speed of 115 kilometres per hour (kmph). It is worth pointing out that this is the top rated speed of the Ola S1 Pro. <div type="twitter" handle="OlaElectric" handlename="Ola Electric" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1133306333728391168/_EUsXP_o_normal.png" favoritecount="1310" retweetcount="173" status="Our statement on the Guwahati scooter accident https://t.co/LbwDLXNh3P" createdat="1650606099000" id="1517378075972890624"></div> According to Ola, the rider in this case had three different overspeeding sessions – during the first two, he travelled 11 kilometres. The accident occurred during the third session – the victim was apparently riding with the Hyper mode enabled, reaching a top speed of 95 kmph. During the third session, the rider, as per Ola, panicked, hitting all the three brakes – front, rear, and the regenerative one wherein the throttle is reversed. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="90981138" title="Niti Aayog’s draft battery swapping policy for EVs explained – key recommendations and what it means" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Here’s where Ola and the victim’s father differ – according to the company, the Ola S1 Pro did not malfunction, as there was no sudden torque or acceleration observed during the investigation. But the victim’s father, Balwant Singh, has alleged that there was a fault in regenerative braking, wherein instead of slowing down, the Ola S1 Pro accelerated to the extent that it caused an accident. <div type="twitter" handle="BALWANT1962" handlename="BALWANT SINGH" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1515254381746475011/Yk3FGbmc_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1235" retweetcount="781" status="@bhash @OlaElectric I had purchased new Ola S1 Pro. On 26th March 2022 my son had an accident due to fault in regen… https://t.co/IY0eDbd4Ym" createdat="1650019142000" id="1514916199674822670"></div> Singh also states that the S1 Pro went ‘airborne’, eventually crashing and skidding. His son ended up with a fracture in his left hand and 16 stitches on the right hand, after being flown from Guwahati to Mumbai for the treatment. Business Insider has reached out to Balwant Singh seeking more details and clarity into the matter. We have not yet received any response. We will update this story if and when Singh responds. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/here-are-the-auto-companies-that-have-exited-the-indian-market-in-the-last-five-years/slidelist/90999115.cms">From Datsun, Harley to Ford, these eight major auto companies exited India in the last five years</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/government-to-take-action-against-defaulting-ev-firms-in-e-scooter-fire-accidents-says-nitin-gadkari/articleshow/90984438.cms">Government to take action against defaulting EV firms in e-scooter fire accidents, says Nitin Gadkari</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/a-container-truck-carrying-40-electric-scooters-reportedly-caught-on-fire/articleshow/90780012.cms">In another setback for electric vehicles, a container truck carrying 40 scooters catches fire</a>

Ola S1 Pro Guwahati accident: Ola alleges the victim was overspeeding and braked in panic, leading to the accident

<ul><li>Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has urged the Modi government to extend the ongoing lockdown by two more weeks.</li><li>Addressing a press conference, Sonowal said the Assam government has conveyed its stand, and that he didn't want to 'say much'.</li><li>The third phase of the coronavirus lockdown is scheduled to end on May 17.</li></ul>Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said the state has written to the Centre urging it to extend the ongoing lockdown by two more weeks from May 18.The third phase of the coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown is scheduled to end on May 17. Addressing a press conference here in Guwahati, Sonowal said all states were supposed to give their feedback on the extension of the lockdown by Friday, and the Assam government has already conveyed its stand to the Centre. The state has also conveyed its views on the relaxations it wants in the fourth phase of the lockdown, Sonowal said. "Let the Government of India take a view on that. I don't want to say much about this now. All the states have written to the Centre, which will take a decision on the extension," he added. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/amid-covid-19-african-swine-fever-kills-over-13000-pigs-in-assam/articleshow/75667063.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Amid Covid-19, African Swine Fever kills over 13,000 pigs in Assam</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/assam-cm-appeals-to-people-not-to-panic-over-covid/articleshow/75744544.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Assam CM appeals to people not to panic over Covid</a>

Assam writes to Centre favouring extension of lockdown by 2 more weeks

<ul><li>Erratic weather, coupled with a pandemic, has curbed tea production in Assam, which makes for more than half of India’s total tea output.</li><li>The price of tea had hit a record high in 2020 and the average price has risen further this year.</li><li>Branded players like Tata Consumer Products and <keyword id="44863" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="HUL">HUL</keyword> are giving profit margin to stay competitive and to grab market share from smaller players.</li><li>There are over a million people, mostly women, working in tea gardens losing productive days and wages due to the pandemic and inclement weather.</li><li>India is the second largest tea producer after China, and ranks fourth among tea exporting nations after Kenya, Sri Lanka.</li></ul>The price of tea was already at a record high before the weather in Assam got a bit kooky. And that could make tea even more expensive in the days to come. Companies like Tata Consumer Products and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) may pass on the rising cost or chai (Indian tea) lovers may have to curb enthusiasm for their favourite beverage. The average price of tea sold at the auctions in Guwahati (Assam) in 2021 has crossed ₹211 per kilogram and in Coonoor (Tamil Nadu), the average price for the year was more than ₹125 in mid-May. It was the COVID-19 lockdown last year that scuttled tea production and, this year, it’s the worst drought in decades. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Auction market </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Avg price for 2021 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Avg price for 2020 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Guwahati </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹211.75 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹164.42 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Coonoor </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹125.87 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹114.3 </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: <a href="https://www.teaauction.gov.in/pages/News.aspx#">Government data</a> Manoj Jallan, former chairman of the North Eastern Tea Association (NETA), described the current drought as the worst in 30 years. "Temperature drop from 34 to 19 degrees Centigrade coupled with hardly any sunshine for the last one week, preceded by temperatures above 34 degree Centigrade is playing havoc with the crop," Mrigendra Jalan, advisor to yet another producers’ lobby, Bharatiya Cha Parishad, told IANS, a news agency. All in all, the cup of tea is likely to get more expensive in the near future. This is because Assam and West Bengal produce more than 80% of all the tea in India (the world’s second largest producer after China). <div type="image" title="state tea output" msid="82792455" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Graphics by Business Insider India.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Business is not entirely bad for the companies. Tata Consumer Products, which sells Tata Tea among other brands, saw the beverage segment (including coffee) grow 59.6% by revenue, and 23% by volume, in Jan-March 2021. Tea consumption in India was already on the rise before work-from-home, forced by the pandemic, allowed people to have more cuppas each day. <div type="image" title="tea demand" msid="82792499" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;This a picture of the rising tea demand in India before the pandemic struck. The pace of growth has been better in the last year. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> However, overall operating profit margin for the company shrank nearly 10% and the primary contributor was the rising cost of buying tea from the estates. Hiking retail prices, cutting employee cost and marketing spends was not enough to protect the bottom line from shrinking. But that’s just the story of the three months ending March 2021. The business has been booming for Tata Consumer Products, whose revenue has grown 1.6 times and net profit is up nearly two and a half times over the last three financial years. <div type="image" title="tcpl financials" msid="82792549" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The compounded annual growth rate for Tata Consumer Products in the last three financial years is 10.9% for revenue, and 19.7% for profit, according to ICICI Securities report dated May 10. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The tea sellers at <keyword id="6355725" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-group">Tata Group</keyword> and HUL are using this period to remain competitive and capture as much of the market as possible. There are many Indians who still prefer cheaper unbranded suppliers. The unorganised market is estimated at ₹9,000 crore a year, by ICICI Securities, compared to the ₹16,500 crore organised segment where Tata Tea has steadily maintained a market share of 20%. So, the current <keyword id="22195" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Inflation">inflation</keyword> in <keyword id="46725" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tea-Prices">tea prices</keyword> could be a bigger jolt for smaller players as well as the million-plus people working in the tea gardens. Several hundred workers in many tea gardens under at least 15 districts have been infected by the <keyword id="1754604" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword>, IANS reported. The Indian summer is the peak harvest and loss of production may also mean loss of wages along with a rise in cost of healthcare. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/skyroot-aerospace-raises-11-million-in-funding-with-plans-to-have-vikram-1-on-the-launch-pad-by-mid-2022/articleshow/82788901.cms">Skyroot Aerospace raises $11 million in funding with plans to have Vikram-1 on the launch pad by mid-2022</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/cryptocurrency-polygon-founded-by-3-indians-has-touched-13-billion-in-market-cap/articleshow/82770196.cms">Cryptocurrency Polygon, founded by 3 Indians, has touched $13 billion in market cap</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/adani-green-energy-to-acquire-sb-energy-india/articleshow/82759578.cms">Adani Green Energy to acquire SB Energy India, boosting its renewable energy capacity by 4.9GW</a>

A cup of regular tea has never been this expensive in India, thanks to kooky weather

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<ul><li>The deadline for GATE 2021 registration has been extended up to October 7. </li><li>GATE 2021 examination is scheduled over six days and twelve sessions, starting Feb 5, 2021</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/">Check the latest news and updates on Business Insider</a> </li></ul>Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has extended the registration window for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2021 till October 7. “Online registration for GATE 2021 is EXTENDED up to Wednesday 7th October 2020 with regular fees,” read a statement on the website. GATE is an entrance examination conducted jointly by Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) at Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, and Roorkee on behalf of National Coordination Board (NCB)-GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India. Students who wish to apply for MTech courses or jobs in the public sector undertaking are supposed to appear for the exam. How to register for GATE 2021: <ol><li>Go to <a>gate.iitb.ac.in</a> </li><li>Click on “GATE Online Application Portal is live. Click here to Apply” </li><li>Go to “register here” at the end of the new web page and fill in all the necessary details. </li><li>Login using your registered ID. </li><li>Fill out the application form and save the registration number. </li><li>Upload all the required documents along with signatures. </li><li>Pay the fee. </li></ol>Candidates who wish to register for the exam have to pay a fee of ₹1500 per paper. Female candidates and those who belong to the reserved category can pay up to ₹750. In case a candidate fails to pay the fee, s/he can apply by October 12, by paying an additional late fee of ₹2,000. GATE 2021 examination is scheduled over six days and twelve sessions — from Feb 5 till Feb 14, 2021 — according to IIT Bombay. This year, the exam will be computer-based and will be held for 27 subjects. The scores of GATE 2021 will be valid for three years. <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/how-to-check-the-result-of-ap-eamcet-2020-andhra-pradesh/articleshow/78383116.cms">AP EAMCET Result 2020 to be released soon — Here’s how to check the scorecard</a>

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And eventually, giving a respite from the mercury mayhem, the country has bathed with a bliss from heaven, the much awaited monsoon shower. In last 3 days, total rainfall has marked an 11% rise than normal. 
 
This increase in rainfall will boost planting of crops that had lagged behind so far, and replenish water reservoirs that irrigate fields and feed hydropower plants, according to a news report in The Economic Times. 
 However, it would be premature to celebrate as the weather office expects a shortfall of 12% in the monsoon's often-erratic, four-month <keyword id="6374782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="journey">journey</keyword> from Kanyakumari to Kashmir that delivers 75% of India's annual rain. 
 Rainfall was 76% more than normal in the past 24 hours, accelerating from an excess of 46% on Saturday and 22% on Friday. The turnaround has been dramatic in the oil seed growing regions of central India, where rainfall since June 1 was 31% in deficit on June 10, but is now 12% higher than normal. The region received three times the normal rain in the past day. The monsoon has now covered entire Maharashtra, and extends up to Surat, <keyword id="45327" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Raipur">Raipur</keyword> and Darjeeling. 
 
The good news is that it is poised to extend to more areas in a few days, the India Meteorological Department said in its latest forecast on Sunday. 
 "Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of north Arabian Sea, Gujarat state, <keyword id="6355554" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Madhya-Pradesh">Madhya Pradesh</keyword>, Chhattisgarh and Odisha; remaining parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh, northwest Bay of Bengal and some parts of <keyword id="6360371" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jharkhand">Jharkhand</keyword> and <keyword id="30033" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bihar">Bihar</keyword> during next three days," it said. 
 The weather office expects the rainfall to continue in the days ahead. Rainfall is expected in many cities including Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam, Indore, <keyword id="6355556" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="bhopal">Bhopal</keyword>, <keyword id="6354925" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata">Kolkata</keyword>, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Lucknow, Kanpur, Guwahati, Tezpur and Shillong. The revival of rainfall will boost crop planting, which was 9% below last year's level on Friday. Officials told the ET that this was likely to change soon. 
 
"When rainfall comes after a dry phase, farmers quickly plant crops and make up for the lost time. The recent increase in rainfall is very favourable," an agriculture ministry official told the financial daily. So far farmers have planted rice on a bigger area than last year, but pulses, coarse cereals and cotton sowing has declined, compared to last year. 
 
(Image: Reuters)

Monsoon turns He-Man, with an increase of 11% above normal in just 3 days!

Coronavirus cases in India count crosses the 23,000 mark— with 718 dead and a 20.57% recovery rate

The New Year has brought <keyword id="6354458" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="US">us</keyword> some much-awaited good news on the hiring front and along with that, some concerns. According to experts, it may rain jobs in 2014 as Indian <keyword id="22917" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Companies">companies</keyword> are gearing up to add more than 8.5 lakh new employees to their payrolls. But a robust hiring scenario may also see a rise in employee attrition. <keyword id="115437" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="India-Inc-">India Inc.</keyword> experiences the highest attrition rate globally and one in four employees in the organised sector could be set to switch jobs, according to a Hay Group study. 
 But there’s another side of the story. Ask employees why many of them tend to take flight and the responses would seem identical. At least 39% are concerned about opportunities regarding <keyword id="605173" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Learning-and-Development">learning and development</keyword> while 36% feel there is no <keyword id="2000020" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Supervisory-coaching">supervisory coaching</keyword> to ensure their <keyword id="42546" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Growth">growth</keyword>. In brief, a lot of attrition seems to be happening because <keyword id="6358610" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Businesses">businesses</keyword> fail to engage with their employees in the right way – be it <keyword id="6669200" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="induction">induction</keyword>, on-the-job training, breaking down silos or team-building. 
 <keyword id="1631069" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Corporate-training-programmes">Corporate training programmes</keyword> often turn out to be inadequate as they mostly follow a set pattern, instead of a need-based approach, and uphold the age-old ‘classroom’ training model, instead of making learning fun and interactive. But here is one start-up from Pune that aims to usher in a sea-change in the <keyword id="770011" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Employee-training">employee training</keyword> and engagement space. Two-year-old <keyword id="2000014" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MindTickle">MindTickle</keyword> provides a Cloud-based <keyword id="2000035" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gamified">gamified</keyword> and <keyword id="2000036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="social-learning-platform">social learning platform</keyword> that makes the training experience extremely engaging. As ‘<keyword id="1071127" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gamification">gamification</keyword>’ gets hot all over the world, MindTickle, too, has created waves globally. Here is a snapshot that captures the start-up’s vision and viability. 
 
Who runs MindTickle (www.mindtickle.com): Four <keyword id="382595" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="co-founders">co-founders</keyword> – <keyword id="2000038" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Deepak-Diwakar">Deepak Diwakar</keyword>, <keyword id="2000039" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Krishna-Depura">Krishna Depura</keyword>, <keyword id="1141504" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mohit-Garg">Mohit Garg</keyword> and <keyword id="2000016" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nishant-Mungali">Nishant Mungali</keyword>. Deepak has done BTech in Computer Science from IIT Mumbai while Nishant holds a bachelor’s degree in Design from IIT Guwahati. Krishna is an alumnus of IIT Roorkee and <keyword id="6357276" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="ISB">ISB</keyword>, Hyderabad. Mohit is an NSIT grad, has done MSEE from <keyword id="33081" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Stanford">Stanford</keyword> and holds an MBA from ISB. Krishna and Mohit were also batch mates at ISB. 
 Prior to starting up, Mohit was a director in PwC’s management consulting practice at New Jersey and worked with a number of telcos in the US, Europe, and <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> on various strategy projects. In addition, he has done <keyword id="187755" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="product-development">product development</keyword> for <keyword id="6357722" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="silicon-valley">Silicon Valley</keyword> start-ups such as <keyword id="270697" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Aruba-Networks">Aruba Networks</keyword>. The other three worked with <keyword id="1010923" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="PubMatic">PubMatic</keyword> before starting MindTickle although Krishna had an earlier stint with <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>. The start-up was launched in August 2011 and its products were rolled out in beta in early 2012. Besides its headquarters and development centre in Pune, the company has a sales &amp; marketing office in <keyword id="12161" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="San-Francisco">San Francisco</keyword> as it is aggressively targeting the <keyword id="35193" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="us-market">US market</keyword> for expansion. 
 
What inspired the venture: A hobby activity by the foursome led to the Eureka moment. It was called <keyword id="2000046" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="TeraMeraIdea">TeraMeraIdea</keyword> and later evolved into an <keyword id="6541953" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="online-platform">online platform</keyword> that allowed users to experiment with new ideas in the Internet, media and social business space. “We had quizzes and knowledge-based treasure hunts covering loads of topics. And people simply loved to learn things through our quizzes,” recalls Krishna, one of the co-founders. That’s when the four realised that learning can be fun and interesting without being scary or boring. 
 At the same time, they saw the rise of some new technologies and new concepts – Cloud, for instance, and increasing mobile penetration; social networking, casual gaming and gamification. The four of them were quite convinced that a big opportunity was out there to transform the learning experience with the help of social and gamification elements. So they did some more experiments with knowledge-based games, and worked with <keyword id="2000019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="LD">L&amp;D</keyword> experts and researchers to learn the best practices in interactive learning. “Finally, we deployed pilots for corporate houses and the feedback was just awesome,” says Krishna. “It was noon-clear that <keyword id="2000051" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Conventional-learning">conventional learning</keyword> would take a backseat in the next few years. So we decided to take the lead and create a next-generation learning platform,” he adds. 
 
What’s the pitch: <keyword id="2000054" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Effective-training">Effective training</keyword> and better <keyword id="610471" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="employee-engagement">employee engagement</keyword> that generate <keyword id="2000055" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Business-results">business results</keyword>. Most businesses are deeply dissatisfied with their training programmes although they have invested a large chunk into their human assets. Classroom methods are near-dead, especially in a corporate environment, as they are resource-heavy, limited in scope (not customisable), and lack the scale and global reach-out required for today’s mobile and <keyword id="2000092" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Distributed-workforce">distributed workforce</keyword>. On the other hand, a conventional e-learning system like the CBT or the WBT fails to engage and motivate the end user. “But at MindTickle, we have created a next-gen learning platform that enables enterprises to create and deliver very engaging and effective training,” clarifies Krishna. 
 
Why the name MindTickle: During its research days, the start-up came up with a unique content creation technique that would transform chunks of data into interesting mind tickles – a series of brain-teasers that would help you gain knowledge through problem solving and content discovery. Hence, the name. 
 
How it works: Simply put, MindTickle has created a Cloud-based learning platform, which enables enterprises to deliver their training programmes anywhere, at any time and on any device. Moreover, the same learning platform can be used to train their partners and customers. It features an in-built social and gamification engine that makes the entire learning experience really engaging. This has not only resulted into huge participation, but also ensured increasing level of <keyword id="2000060" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Training-completion">training completion</keyword>. 
 As of now, the focus is on <keyword id="2000062" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="New-hire-training">new hire training</keyword>, <keyword id="2000064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Product-training">product training</keyword>, <keyword id="2000065" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sales-training">sales training</keyword> and <keyword id="2000066" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Customer-service-training">customer service training</keyword>, but the range can be quite extensive. Also, a SaaS (software as a service) platform means totally hassle-free implementation – enterprises can simply sign up and start creating their own learning/training sites. 
 The start-up offers an intuitive admin interface with a number of templates that allow companies to create interactive training programmes by using their existing content (audio, video, PPT, PDF, Doc file, etc.). Once that is done, a trainer can invite end-users who can securely access the site via any Web browser. Detailed <keyword id="6359249" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="analytics">analytics</keyword> and reports are also generated on a real-time basis, which trainers can use to measure the effectiveness of their programmes and can also tweak it, based on the feedback. Overall, MindTickle has embraced the <keyword id="2000067" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="SoGaMo">SoGaMo</keyword> (social, gamified and mobile) technologies as its product backbone. 
 “Our platform has several pre-defined, <keyword id="2000070" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Customisable-features">customisable features</keyword>, which users can tweak to create their own <keyword id="2000071" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Personalised-experience">personalised experience</keyword>. However, we don’t create custom solutions for specific requirements,” explains Krishna. 
 
Claim to fame: Traction and recognition. MindTickle has been awarded for ‘Best use of engagement techniques in Enterprise HR’ at the Global GSummit in 2012 and 2013. And the traction has been impressive over the past two years. More than 54,736 learners from a number of leading organisations have benefited till date while its customer base includes several <keyword id="542582" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Fortune-500-companies">Fortune 500 companies</keyword> and some reputed start-ups such as <keyword id="282568" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SAP-Labs">SAP Labs</keyword>, <keyword id="15492" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vodafone">Vodafone</keyword>, <keyword id="6357395" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="eBay">eBay</keyword>, <keyword id="180948" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Yahoo-India">Yahoo! India</keyword>, <keyword id="164941" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="inMobi">InMobi</keyword>, <keyword id="54613" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="makemytrip">MakeMyTrip</keyword>, <keyword id="1101579" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SHRM">SHRM</keyword> and ISB. 
 
Show me the money: Unlike many start-ups, this one is a venture-funded company and raised an undisclosed seed <keyword id="6357455" type="EVENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> from <keyword id="144381" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Accel-Partners">Accel Partners</keyword> in January 2012. That’s not surprising as globally, the training market is worth $200 billion and growing. MindTickle targets medium-to-large enterprises in India and the US, and has in place a robust per-user subscription model. However, it is a <keyword id="2000069" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Product-company">product company</keyword> that needs constant cash-burning for ongoing design, development and implementation. “To meet that requirement, we are now putting all the money we earn back into the company and we are not margin-focused at present,” says Krishna. “Of course, no one can ignore break-even and profits, but our first priority is to build more and more world-class products and adopt a scalable go-to-market policy,” he adds. The start-up will also raise more funding as and when it requires the money for incremental growth. 
 
Biggest challenge: Not competition, per se, feels Krishna. According to him, MindTickle’s platform actually complements a lot of existing learning solutions, rather than being a direct competition. For instance, the company has tools, which help create great videos from existing PPTs or help record or create screencasts for training. With the help of such platform integration capabilities, companies in the training space can actually improve their offerings by leveraging multiple content formats. On the other hand, quite a few education tech companies like Udemy, Coursera and <keyword id="1175348" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="edX">edX</keyword> have come up in the <keyword id="6561759" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MOOC">MOOC</keyword> space (<keyword id="1071995" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Massive-Open-Online-Courses">Massive Open Online Courses</keyword>) and they are now entering the <keyword id="2000084" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Enterprise-environment">enterprise environment</keyword>. MindTickle is keeping a tab on the latest developments as these may ensure further opportunities for growth and <keyword id="6379846" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="collaboration">collaboration</keyword>. 
 “But one of the biggest challenges is to evangelise the concept – to make people aware of how easy it is to create great training programmes,” admits Krishna. Many of the <keyword id="2000089" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Subject-matter-experts">subject matter experts</keyword> feel intimidated when faced with the complexity of the current systems. Companies, too, struggle to cope with <keyword id="2000091" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Employee-learning">employee learning</keyword> and engagement, especially when they are growing very fast or trying to manage a distributed workforce. “Now that we have got a great platform whose effectiveness has been proven globally, our next challenge is to position our brand, create awareness and grow exponentially,” concludes Krishna.

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