In Brief: CIC pulls up govt bodies over Aarogya Setu; LinkedIn launches new tools

After an RTI petition asking for details on the process of creating Aarogya Setu app did not receive adequate details, the Central Information Commission (CIC) on Tuesday issued show-cause notices to the Central Public Information Officers (CRIOs) of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, National Informatics Centre and National E-Governance Division (NeGD), reports  Live Law, a website tracking legal cases. These government bodies have been asked to produce their case as to why penalty u/s 20 of the Right To Information Act should not be imposed on them for prima facie obstruction of information and providing an evasive reply on the RTI application. The CIC also asked NIC explain that when the app’s website mentions that the platform was designed, developed and hosted by it, how come they lack information about its creation.

LinkedIn launches new tools to help professionals find jobs

According to LinkedIn’s labour market data, hiring in India saw 12% yoy growth in August 2020, but the competition for jobs is 30% higher than last year. With more than 140 million people out of work globally, LinkedIn has introduced a ‘career explorer’ tool to empower professionals with insights on in-demand jobs and fastest growing skills, and making it easier for professionals to find people that are hiring. The tool helps job-seekers find new jobs by mapping their skills to open roles, and the new #Hiring frames help hiring managers to share that they are hiring right from their profiles. LinkedIn has also added new skills assessments based on top trending skills so members can showcase their proficiency. 

Amazon might move HC if Future Group fails to comply order

After the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) gave Amazon and Future Group a week’s time to mutually agree on whether to continue arbitration proceedings there, Amazon is looking to move an Indian high court if the two parties fail to come to a conclusion. The dispute between the companies emerged after Future decided to sell its retail, wholesale and warehousing assets to Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries for Rs. 24,713 crore. Amazon owns a 5% indirect stake in Future Retail and is fighting the sale. The development was first reported by the Mint. Meanwhile, TechCircle has confirmed from sources that the order by Singapore court is not binding on either Future Group or RIL as Amazon's investment was in Future Coupons, giving it an indirect stake in Future Retail. In order for the decision to be binding on these companies and temporarily hold the ongoing acquisition, Amazon will have to approach an Indian court.

RBL Bank and Visa launch real-time payouts for fintechs

RBL Bank announced a partnership with Visa to launch Visa Direct, a processing capability that facilitates instant, real-time and secure fund settlement on debit and credit cards, according to a statement. This partnership will enable RBL to offer domestic transactions and benefit programmes such as refunds, card bill payments, cashbacks and disbursements. The Visa-enabled platform will also help RBL Bank build advanced technology-led banking solutions to address the evolving needs of its partners and merchants. In turn, the partnering fintechs will benefit and will be able to deliver a better experience to its end customers.

PineLabs launches pay later campaign 

PineLabs, a merchant commerce platform, launched the third edition of its EMI shopping festival, familiarising customers with Buy Now, Pay Later offers available on credit and debit cards. The festival campaign is expected to continue till November 30 providing easy EMI options at the point of sale on consumer durables, mobiles, laptops, and accessories across major brands. Over 30 brands will be participating including 15 top banks and six NBFCs. Pine Labs will allow shoppers to avail ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ option and get cashbacks using either debit or credit cards at over 1,00,000 stores with Pine Labs terminals. Major brands like Apple, Vivo, Xiaomi, Samsung, OnePlus, Whirlpool, LG, Haier, HP, Dell, Panasonic, and Godrej will be offering Pay Later option to their consumers, according to a statement. 

Unicommerce partners with Flipkart to provide omnichannel support to retailers

Unicommerce, a software-as-a solution (SaaS) platform, announced its partnership with Flipkart to enable omnichannel selling for retailers, according to a statement. Retail brands using its omnichannel solution will be able to get higher customer visibility and sell efficiently on Flipkart by getting a Flipkart Assured tag. The solution can be seamlessly integrated with all the leading marketplaces and website platforms, including Myntral, Amazon, Shopify, Magento etc., along with logistics providers such as FedEx, Delhivery etc. and ERP systems such as SAP, Navision etc. The platform currently offers over 100 pre-existing integrations and Unicommerce is constantly working towards adding more integrations making it a perfect plug and play tool for etailers.  Some of the key benefits of the partnership for the retailers includes, wider product portfolio by integrating brand inventory across warehouse and store, faster delivery, higher customer visibility and F-Assured tag.