Singapore Airlines (SIA) has completed sale-and-leaseback transactions for 11 aircraft, comprising seven Airbus A350-900s and four Boeing 787-10s,raising approximately S$2.0billion in total.
The transactions were arranged by four different parties, as follows:
Lease Arranger
Aircraft
Aergo Capital Limited
1 Airbus A350-900
1 Boeing 787-10
Altavair
4 Airbus A350-900s
EastMerchant / Crianza Aviation
1 Airbus A350-900
2 Boeing 787-10s
Muzinichand Co. Limited
1 Airbus A350-900
1 Boeing 787-10
Total
11
SIA has successfully raised approximately S$15.4 billion in fresh liquidity since 1 April 2020, including these sale-and-leaseback transactions. Theamount also includes S$8.8 billion from SIA’s successful rights issue, S$2.1 billion from secured financing, S$2.0 billion via the issuance of convertible bondsand notes, as well as more than S$500 million through new committed lines of credit and a short-term unsecured loan.
SIA continues to have access to more than S$2.1 billion in committed credit lines, along with the option to raise up to S$6.2 billion in additional mandatory convertible bonds before the Annual General Meeting in July 2021.
During this period of high uncertainty, as the airline industry continues to navigate the unprecedented challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the SIA Group will continue to explore additional means to raise liquidity as necessary.
Mr Goh Choon Phong, Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer, said: “The additional liquidity from these sale-and-leaseback transactions reinforces ourability to navigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic from a position of strength.We will continue to respond nimbly to the evolving marketingconditions, andbe ready to capture all possible growth opportunities as we recover from this crisis.”
There are tracks that are meant to soothe your soul and make you feel calmer, and Mashhoor Hai Tu from Zareen Khan starrer Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele is just one of those songs. The song is now out for one and all to enjoy. ‘Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele’, a film aimed at challenging the social prejudices and the stigma attached to homosexuality in India in a light, humorous manner.
Set in the picturesque locales of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, the soft love ballad is sung by Adil Rasheed, who lends an earthy albeit romantic character to the entire track, and has been composed by Oni-Adil while the mesmerising lyrics have been penned by Saurabh Negi.
Speaking on the song, actor Zareen Khan says that, “Mashhoor Hai Tu is one of my all-time favourite tracks. The amalgamation of the composition by Oni-Adil and the vocals by.
Adil alongside the sweet lyrics, make it such a pleasure to listen to, one can do so on repeat! It was a pleasure to shoot this track in the beautiful and serene location of Dharamshala, the ethos of which matches the song to perfection. I am looking forward to the OTT release on May 9 and also to do the reaction to Mashhoor Hai tu.”
The riveting film has been a subject of heated discussion ever since its announcement and even won ‘Best Film’ at its World Premiere in New York at the South Asian International Film Festival. ‘Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele’ was also showcased this year in January at the Rajasthan International Film Festival, where it won Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress award. Zareen, who poured her heart and soul into the character couldn’t be more excited as the film has now been selected as the ‘Official Centrepiece’ film at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
A humane story of two friends Veer and Mansi – Veer who’s gay and Mansi, who’s a lesbian, Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele takes audiences on a road trip and a turn of events that change their lives. The film soon readies for its OTT release on May 9.
Pune: FLAME University, a pioneer of liberal education in India, delivering the country’s premier interdisciplinary education experience, has been certified as a Great Place to Work® for the year 2021-22. This certification recognizes FLAME for building a high trust and high performance culture within its institution. FLAME University is only the second university in India to be certified as Great Place to Work®.
During the pandemic, with a focus to ensure continuous learning, the FLAME faculty was trained in record time in how to conduct online teaching and engage with students using various training aids. At the same time, professional services staff were introduced to digital tools through a series of learning programmes to facilitate remote working. Amidst these unprecedented times, FLAME University focused even more on strengthening its people-centric culture and ethos.
FLAME University has created a well-nurtured and positive environment for its entire workforce by organizing in-house learning programmes for the professional services staff which are delivered by internal faculty; providing faculty with individual research grants which can be utilized for attending conferences, buying books, software/hardware and other resources that could further research and development; and also regularly organizing conferences / webinars on various themes and guest-speaker sessions that are open to faculty, students and professional staff.
The Great Place to Work® Certification is one of the most prestigious achievements for any organizations across the globe. For an organization to get certified, 70% or more of its employee respondents should rate the organization as a great workplace by Great Place to Work® Institute.
Dr. Dishan Kamdar, Vice Chancellor, FLAME University said, “This certification recognizes FLAME University’s consistent effort to create an engaging and inclusive environment for its workforce as well as to maintain a level of transparency with the workforce so that their needs and wants can be catered to, this will eventually result in the smooth functioning of this liberal education institution.”
In a year as many as 10,000 organizations from over 60 countries partner with Great Place to Work® Institute for assessment, benchmarking and planning actions to strengthen their workplace culture. Great Place to Work® Institute’s methodology is recognized as rigorous and objective and is considered as the gold standard for defining great workplaces across business, academia and government organizations.
Just after the Maharashtra government discontinued the stamp duty waiver on property registrations from April 2021, the month has witnessed the registration of as many as 10,136 properties in Mumbai. The data was made available by Maharashtra’s Department of Registration and Stamps. There was a 43 percent decline in just about a month as March 2021 had registered 17,728 units when the stamp duty waiver of 3 percent was available. However, the number of units registered in April 2021 was up 70 percent compared to the units registered in April 2019 which were 5,940 units. There were zero registrations in April 2020 due to the complete nationwide lockdown amid the first outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
In February 2021, 10,170 units were registered; in January this year, 10,412 units were registered. December and November 2020 saw the registration of 19,581 and 9,301 units, respectively, the state’s registration data indicated.
As per the IGR data, the month of April 2021 has recorded the best registration numbers as compared to the past few years.
Year
Sales
April 2013
6436
April 2014
5053
April 2015
6409
April 2016
5705
April 2017
5652
April 2018
7016
April 2019
5940
April 2020
0
April 2021
10136
Source: IGR Office
Here is what real-estate experts have to say:
Ashok Mohanani, President -NAREDCO Maharashtra
Mr. Ashok Mohanani
President, NAREDCO Maharashtra
“After the Maharashtra government restored stamp duty to 5 percent from 1st April, we have witnessed a slight dip in property registrations. April 2021 though has witnessed significant registration numbers as compared to the same period for last few years. There is still demand among the homebuyers, and we believe the numbers will see an uptick once the lockdown restrictions are lifted. The stamp duty cut significantly stimulated housing demand in the city in the previous quarters and it would be great if the government can reconsider to trim it down for another year, until March 2022. This will continue the momentum for property sales.”
Mr. Pritam Chivukula, Co-Founder & Director, Tridhaatu Realty and Hon. Secretary, CREDAI-MCHI
“April 2021 has yet again witnessed significant property registrations in Mumbai. This is mainly because of the overflow of the registrations from March 2021 where many homebuyers took advantage of the stamp duty benefit before the March deadline and registered their properties in April 2021. The real estate sector witnessed an impressive recovery in the past few months owing to the stamp duty cut by the State Government. Other factors such as a hike in household saving rates, all time low home loan rates, developers offering discounts and payment flexibility too helped in the resurgence for real estate demand. Amid the sudden spike in Covid cases and the various curbs due to the lockdown in the State, the sector is facing a gradual slowdown which has made it extremely difficult to sustain the momentum. We urge the Government to reconsider their decision on the stamp duty waiver in interest of the homebuyers again.”
Mumbai- With COVID-19 wreaking havoc in the country, average monthly rentals across the key high street markets in top cities witnessed some corrections. As per recent data by ANAROCK Research, the iconic retail hub in Delhi – Khan Market – saw average monthly rentals reduce by as much as 8% to 17% in Q1 2021 against Q1 2020.
Likewise, high street markets of Kala Ghoda, Bandra Linking Road and Fort in Mumbai (one of the worst-affected city) also saw high street retail rentals decline anywhere between 5% to 10% during the same period.
Retail sector has been one of the worst affected due to the pandemic since early 2020. With almost zero sales amidst lockdown and thereafter as well for few months, we saw retailers closing their stores or even curtailing their future expansion plans. As a result, the average monthly rentals across the major high street retail markets mostly saw corrections across cities. However, there were also few markets that saw an upward trend. For instance, Hyderabad localities such as Gachibowli, Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills saw average retail rentals increase in Q1 2021 against Q1 2020.
If we consider trends of the previous two quarters, the retail segment seemed to be on the verge of recovery and was gradually inching towards the pre-pandemic-level business. However, the second wave has once again crimped this growth.
In an overall trend, many of the prominent high streets in the country saw reduced monthly rentals over the last one year.
High Street Rental Trends in Top Cities
Almost zero sales seriously impacted the retail sector during the first lockdown. Soon thereafter, many retailers closed down their stores permanently or a the very least curtailed their expansion plans.
Given this sombre scenario, the average monthly rentals across major high street retail markets began correcting by anywhere between 2% and 30%. However, some markets saw an upward trend in the same period:
The country’s most expensive retail hub – Khan Market in New Delhi – saw a drop of between 8-17% in avg. monthly rentals in Q1 2021, as against Q1 2020. The avg. monthly rentals hovered b/w INR 1,000-1,100 per sq. ft. as on Q1 2021-end. Likewise, in GK-1 M Block, rentals reduced between 13-14% and are presently b/w INR 300-350 per sq. ft.
Brigade Road in Bengaluru saw a drop in rentals between 8-17% in Q1 2021 as against Q1 2020 with current avg. monthly rentals between INR 250-275 per sq. ft. At Indiranagar, the rentals range between INR 225-250 per sq. ft.
Another highly impacted city was Pune where average high street monthly rentals dropped anywhere between 8-20% in Q1 2021 in comparison with Q1 2020. While M G Road saw rentals maintain status quo of INR 250-275 per sq. ft., the landlords on J M Road are also holding the rents at INR 275-300 per sq. ft. despite vacancy.
Kolkata also saw a decline in its high street rental rates, Gariyhaat Rash Bihari Avenue being the worst affected in the city with rental rates dropping to INR 160- 220 per sq. ft. in Q1 2021 from INR 250-260 per sq. ft. in Q1 2020.
Mumbai saw about 5-10% decline in rentals rates in key markets as on Q1 2021 against the previous year. The current average monthly rentals at both Kala Ghoda and Fort area are around INR 450-500 per sq. ft. each, while at Bandra Linking Road it stands at approx. INR 750-900 per sq. ft.
In contrast to all major cities, Hyderabad saw an increase in average high street rental rates in areas like Gachibowli, Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills as much as 7-15% during this period. The avg. monthly retail rentals in Gachibowli are now at INR 115- 125 per sq. ft. Last year, they were INR 100- 120 per sq. ft. In Banjara Hills 12, the avg. monthly rentals increased from INR 120-130 per sq. ft. in Q1 2020 to anywhere between INR 135-140 per sq. ft
May 3, 2021: Offered by The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, the MSc. in Brain Sciences provides advance, comprehensive multidisciplinary training with hands-on research experience in brain studies. The program equips students to spearhead research in academia, the industry, and clinical environments.
Structured such that the program is personally adapted to each student based on their academic background and scientific interests. Well-equipped with a wide variety of laboratories, the program exposes students to advanced research technologies and engages in basic brain science, as well as clinical trials.
Students of the program are required to take on Preparatory/Supplementary courses along with at least four Core courses. While the Preparatory/Supplementary courses are based on a student’s specific academic background, the Core courses include modules on Computation, Biology, and Cognitive Science.
Program delivery
Taught in English, the program is a unique 2-year MSc program.The program compromises of two main elements: completion of the courses and thesis work. Students of the program are required to participate in activities including:
Short-term research project of one semester in one of the labs.
Participation in a department seminar.
Elective courses – every year, a variety of electives courses are offered by the Center’s researchers, providing an opportunity for students to increase their knowledge and skills in a range of research topics.
Website:
https://gondabrain.biu.ac.il/en/node/24
Admission process:
Students applying to the program are required to register at the university website and parallelly send an application to gondabrain.center@biu.ac.ilalong with their CV, undergraduate transcript and degree, recommendation letter, and a purpose of the statement. They can check the complete admission process here at: https://gondabrain.biu.ac.il/en/node/572
Admission Cycle:
The Admission cycle for the program has begun for the session starting 2021 and the university will accept applications until early June.
Admission Requirements:
The program is open to all students who have obtained or are about to obtain a completed under-graduate BSc degree in brain sciences, life sciences, exact sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, computer sciences), or cognitive sciences from a recognized university in India.
The students are required to have an average of 85% or equivalent grade average with a recommended band of 6 or above in IELTS.
Hyderabad, May 3, 2021: Airtel Payments Bank today said that its customers will get an increased interest rate of 6% p.a. on savings account deposits of over Rs. 1 lakh.
This follows Airtel Payments Bank becoming the first payments bank to implement the enhanced day-end savings limit of Rs 2 lakh as per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines.
Anubrata Biswas, MD, and CEO, Airtel Payments Bank, said, “RBI’s increased savings deposit ceiling is a major milestone for payments banks as this was a key ask from customers. With an attractive 6% p.a. rate of interest on deposit sums in excess of one lakh, we are making our banking proposition even more rewarding. Our unmatched footprint of 500,000 banking points and a global first secure and simple experience delivered digitally, Airtel Payments Bank offers a market-leading proposition for both the urban digital and the rural underbanked customer.”
Airtel Payments Bank Savings Account Interest Rates from May 1, 2021
Rs 1-2 lakhs
6% p.a.
Upto Rs 1 lakh
2.5% p.a.
The new interest rate regime is an important addition to the Bank’s suite of simple, secure, and rewarding solutions. Customers can now open an Airtel Payments Bank account within few minutes with a video call from the Airtel Thanks app. The bank offers a digital savings account – Rewards123, which gives more value to customers when they transact digitally using the account. Furthermore, customers who have an Airtel number linked to their savings account can also enable Airtel Safe Pay – India’s safest mode for making digital payments.
Airtel Payments Bank has over 55 million engaged users across its operations.
The second wave of COVID-19 is devastating – but this time, it has not caught the real estate sector completely unprepared. Developers learned many lessons from Lockdown 1.0.
No doubt, in the highly affected states in Maharashtra, the second lockdown has again caused an outward migration of construction labourers. The worst COVID-19-hit cities are Mumbai and Pune, where the bulk of real estate construction is underway. Nevertheless, the situation is not as grim as it was during the first lockdown.
In the Pune Municipal Region and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, a large number of the migrant workers returning to their hometowns are from the hospitality and other services sectors. This is not surprising because hospitality has been hit very hard and its workers face an uncertain future.
It is impossible to predict when hotels, restaurants and resorts will be able to recover. With no revenues being generated, owners cannot afford to pay idle workers. Real estate, on the other hand, continues to sell. Recent reports by leading real estate consultancies confirm that in cities like Mumbai and Pune, no less than 65-70% of the pre-COVID-19 demand for housing has returned.
Since developers continue to generate revenues, they can also take many measures to assist their construction workers. Before the pandemic, over 43 million unskilled labourers were working in construction or building activity in India. Of this, more than 75% were migrant labourers from small towns and villages.
During the first lockdown, the fear of getting infected coupled with lack of work and affordable accommodation caused construction workers to abandon their sites and return home by any means available to them.
It was tragic and disheartening to witness. According to the Construction Workers Federation of India, over 70% of India’s migrant population went back to their hometowns in 2020. The real estate sector was caught unawares – developers lacked any prior knowledge and expertise to handle the situation.
By the time they began to improvise and re-strategize, most migrant workers had already left the cities. Thus, the impact of the pandemic on real estate construction was massive during the first wave.
Lockdown 2.0 – Lessons Learned and Implemented
During the current second wave, even as active cases have exceeded all calculations, the situation at construction sites is not as gloomy as it was in 2020. In the first place, there is no stringent lockdown across the country as was seen last year, when all construction work came to a total halt after the intense 21-day lockdown was announced.
At that time, millions of workers were left without work or wages. This time, in Maharashtra, construction using local labourers is allowed with provisos. Meanwhile, CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India) has assured construction workers not only of accommodation but also groceries, medical assistance and enhanced hygiene and safety.
Regular COVID-19 testing is being done at sites and even medical isolation facilities are available at many of them. Workers there have the assurance of immediate medical attention and daily site sanitation. CREDAI has also announced that it would provide free vaccination to over 2.5 crore construction workers at the sites.
With over 13,000 developer members across 217 cities and towns, CREDAI had also petitioned the government to make all construction labourers over 21 years eligible for vaccination. In the most recent announcement, the government has cleared vaccinations for all aged 18 and above.
This effectively covers the entire construction sector and will be a massive relief to developers and construction workers alike.
These Days Will Also Pass
Currently, about 12-15% of the construction workers have left the sites to return home for the duration of the current lockdown. This is certainly lower than it was in 2020, and we do not expect the number to increase since the government’s support and preparedness of developers have had a positive impact.
Also, going by their own past experiences, many construction workers have realized that they are much better off in the cities than in their hometowns, where there are currently almost no employment opportunities.
In short, while it has slowed down during Lockdown 2.0 and the alarming rise of COVID-19 cases, construction continues in cities like Mumbai and Pune. Equally importantly, this construction activity is driven by actual demand since the pandemic has brought about a new awareness about the importance of housing.
Construction continues to be one of the largest employers of unskilled labour in the country. The desire to own homes has never been higher than during these pandemic times. Two positives can never result in a negative, so we expect things to normalize quickly once the current curbs are lifted.
Anil Pharande, Chairman – Pharande Spaces
About the author:
Anil Pharande is CMD of Pharande Spaces, a leading real estate construction and development firm famous for its township properties in West Pune. Pharande Promoters & Builders, the flagship company of Pharande Spaces and an ISO 9001-2000 certified company, is a pioneer of townships in West Pune. Anil Pharande is also President – CREDAI (Pune Metro) and a MahaRERA conciliation forum member
Hyderabad, May 03 2021: Tutors Pride, an online resource that has been recognising teachers for “Ideal Teaching Practices and Methodologies” for the past several years is now embarked on upskilling private teachers who lost jobs to migrate from traditional classroom teaching to online. We will train them in the Hybrid model of teaching, informed Dr. Ankam of Tutor’s Pride. Besides upgrading their skills, it would like to set up a fund to help teachers a sum of Rs 1000/-
We used to spend Rs 40 to 50 lakh every year by holding ITAP-Ideal Teaching Awards Program. Instead of it this year we will help teachers bounce back into their last jobs with upgraded skills, says Dr. Ankam, Founder of Tutors Pride.
We are also in the process of announcing few quick and short terms courses free of cost which will make Teachers Ready for Online Teaching.
The sudden shift from traditional classrooms to virtual learning plunged many teachers into uncharted waters. Those who were unable to shape up to the new challenges thrown at them shipped out of their career. For many educators, the transition from teaching in a physical classroom to a fully virtual environment is a new experience and posed several challenges. Teachers were confronted with the need to adapt to online teaching
Those who could not handle Teaching in a virtual environment, those who were unable to familiarise themselves with technology are now fighting to survive. Doing some odd jobs such as selling vegetables, working as farm labourers, daily wage earners, sheep-rearing, and many jobs below their dignity. I have no qualms about accepting any opportunity. I am ready to accept whatever role comes my way. Otherwise, my family will be starved to death, said a teacher, Teachers of many private schools and colleges are living a hand-to-mouth existence.
“Teachers should be the best minds in the country”.Teachers are known to be building blocks for society. They raise the responsible citizens of society. Through these upskilling programs and financial help, we would like teachers to earn their lost glory, says Dr. Ankam.
Recently at the Dayanand Ashram Ghaziabad, a program was being organized by Jan Seva Foundation, Shiv Sadhika Maa Vishwaroopa attended as the chief guest, in which children performed beautiful yoga asanas. Various activities, patriotic songs, etc made the program very beautiful, there were a lot of saints present in the program, dignitaries from every profession were present in the program.
Shiv Sadhika Ma Vishwaroopaji spoke about making moral education compulsory in schools. Ma said in his address that Sanatan Dharma has no boundaries for Sanatan, eternal rites. True Sanatani can understand the way to live a life that life is very simple. The time of the corona period has told us that it is not very difficult to live life. We all are leaving behind the basic needs and running after imitation.”
Further, Shiv Sadhika Ma Vishwaroopa Ji said “ the world has the specialty for powers, the whole world tells women to stand shoulder to shoulder, but in our scriptures, women have been placed higher than men, the duty of mothers becomes more, to their children.”
Shiv Sadhika Ji wishes the founder of Jan Seva Foundation, Tiwari Ji, Anil Kaushik Ji Praveen Verma Ji many times for the program and said that from time to time such programs should be done to save their culture. needed.
