June 2021 Monthly Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 6     Digital Publishers Content Grievance Council formed in sync with IT Rules 2021 IAMAI announced the formation of the Digital Publishers Content Grievance Council (DPCGC), in alignment with the IT rules 2021. The Council has representation from platforms of all sizes, regions and languages. As online curated content becomes the preferred mode of media consumption, the influence and responsibility held by the industry also becomes significant. Taking cognizance of this, IAMAI took up the initiative of aligning significant Online Curated Content Providers (OCCP), to develop an effective and democratic grievance redressal mechanism in the form of DPCGC. (Media Coverage) IAMAI requests e-commerce personnel to be classified as Front-Line Workers In its submissions to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and several state governments, IAMAI has urged to categorise e-commerce employees, including delivery executives, transporters, warehouse operators, exporters, individual service professionals -- as Front-Line Workers (FLWs). Front-Line Worker status will aid the corporate sector in securing vaccines on priority basis at the rates approved by the Government of India and the manufacturers. Prioritising such personnel will help the government contain the spread of the virus, fight vaccine hesitancy and keep the economic flywheel running in these critical times. Submission on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Madhya Pradesh) Rules, 2021 IAMAI made a submission to the Ministry of Labour, Government of Madhya Pradesh, on draft Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Madhya Pradesh) Rules, 2020 (OSH Rules). The submission highlighted key concerns about a few sections of the OSH Rules and suggested revisions/changes in them. (Link to the Submission) Clarifications on Goa Registration of Tourist Trade (Amendment) Rules, 2019 Recently, the Government of Goa amended the Goa, Daman and Diu Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982 (Tourist Act) and introduced regulations to govern entities, which are engaged in the business of providing online booking of hotel rooms, other accommodation or any other tourist activity. Such entities have been defined as Online Service Providers (OSPs). IAMAI in its submission highlighted certain issues which are being faced by OSPs who operate throughout India. The submission captured the issue where the OSPs require additional time to comply with the registration requirements and other processes under the Tourist Act as an Online Service Provider under section 19E of the Tourist Act and 3C (1) of the Tourist Rules. For OSPs, which are not incorporated in India, the duration for providing a CIN and a GST registration certificate or compliance with the registration process should be extended by six months. OSPs which only provide a platform could be excused from undertaking a verification of the registration status of the hotels listed on its platform. (Link to the Notification) Relax rules for easy availability of medicines amid Covid-19 pandemic In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, IAMAI has urged the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) (a) To allow pharmacies to dispense an alternate brand of the prescribed medicine/steroids with the same formulation and dosage (b) Anti-allergy medicines and common preventive medicines be considered to be put under OTC list. Anti-allergy medications such as levocetirizine, cetirizine and other antihistamines and preventative medications such as Ivermectin to be temporarily notified as Over the Counter (OTC). (c) To consider allowing substitution between brands having the same generic composition. Essentially, suspending Rule 65, 11c for the time being. Amendments to the Master Direction (MD) on KYC The Reserve Bank of India had made amendments to the Master Direction (MD) on KYC dated February 25, 2016, to further leverage the Video based Customer Identification Process (V-CIP) and to simplify and rationalise the process of periodic updation of KYC. The Payments Council of India (PCI) scheduled a meeting with a team from Price Waterhouse & Co LLP, Knowledge Partner of PCI on May 17, 2021, to take members through the amendments and discuss their queries/ concerns. PCI is working on a draft representation to be sent to RBI which comprises the queries of the member companies with regard to the circular. (Link to RBI Notification) Meeting with Shri Saurabh Garg, CEO, UIDAI IAMAI held a meeting with Shri Saurabh Garg, Chief Executive Officer, UIDAI, on May 21, 2021 to discuss areas where the association can collaborate with UIDAI for the rise in Aadhaar penetration. It also discussed issues faced by the industry and the steps needed to resolve them. The association is in the process of stakeholders' consultation and will make the representation to the UIDAI on the subject shortly. 24x7 helpline to address customer queries & grievances on digital payments The Reserve Bank of India had expressed its willingness on setting up of a centralised industry-wide 24x7 helpline for addressing customer queries and grievances with respect to digital payments. The Payments Council of India (PCI) had organised a meeting with the Payments Network committee on May 18, 2021 to discuss creating the 24x7 helpline. PCI is currently working with its members to set up the helpline. Roundtable - Drive Customer Loyalty for a Connected CX Using Personalized Voice Message | 20th May 2021 | Partner: Infobip At a time when businesses are doing everything possible to compete for consumer attention, customer loyalty is considered a premium. To earn it, brands need to find new ways to connect with customers on a personal level. The latest research on communication trends shows that, together with email, voice represents the most common way of communication in all stages of the consumer lifecycle. The session revolved around (a) why voice messaging is a great way to add a human touch to business communications, making it more personal, engaging and convenient. (b) why is voice message a powerful channel in business communication? (c) how voice communication helps in providing personalised CX experience. Speakers: Divesh Lohia, Client Solution Engineer, Infobip; Shankar Iyer, Head of Customer Success, Infobip; Brish Bhan, Head of Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain (Asia Pacific), Uber; Aliasgar Bhopalwala, SaaS Expert, Infobip; Akhil Jain, GM - Marketing Communication, Matrimony.com; Mohit Mehra, Business Head, Support & Analytics function, Zerodha; Nijish Nair, Director Marketing, Lendingkart; Riddhi Chakrabarty, Chief Growth Officer, CASHe. Webinar - The Evolving Crypto Regulatory Framework - Developments in India and Singapore | 14th May 2021 Designing an appropriate regulatory framework for crypto currencies and crypto assets continues to be a challenge with countries taking differing approaches to find a solution. While some reports suggest that India is considering a ban on crypto currencies; Singapore has taken a balanced approach with regulations aimed at preventing criminal activity without impeding technology innovation. Experts from India and Singapore came together to share their views on the crypto regulatory framework. The panel was of the view that India needs its own crypto unicorns and better regulations and we must encourage our entrepreneurs to build crypto. Speakers: Sriram Chakravarthi, Counsel, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP; Regina Liew, Head, Financial Institutions Group, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP; Vivek Kathpalia, Head, Singapore Office and Leader, Technology Law, Nishith Desai Associates; Jaideep Reddy, Leader, Crypto-Assets and Blockchain, Nishith Desai Associates; Kanny Lee, Managing Director, OSL Brokerage; Nischal Shetty, Chief Executive Officer, WazirX. Event - Digital Transformation Summit - Decoding the Emerging-Tech Potential | 05th & 06th May 2021 Over 2,000 delegates, comprising Chief Digital Officers, Chief Technology Officers and Chief Information Officers attended the Digital Transformation Summit. The summit highlighted the importance of digital transformation and why it is critical to any organization's business model. Industry stalwarts opined that technology investment would be a key factor in driving growth post Covid-19. They mentioned that digital mission is a boon in order to manage a crisis of this magnitude. Every sector, BFSI, Auto, Retail, is adopting the hybrid working model. In fact, startups/SMEs and the government too are adopting hybrid and strengthening their digital armour. With all such digital-enabling steps, once this Covid wave gets over, we would be staring at a massive growth wave. Key Speakers: Amitabh Chaudhry, Managing Director and CEO, Axis Bank; C K Venkataraman, Managing Director, Titan Company; Gautam Sinha, Chief Executive Officer, Times Internet; Manish Gupta, Group Chief Information Officer, Aditya Birla Group; MR Rangaswami, Managing Director, Sandhill Group; Rajeev Dubey, Chairman, Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd. and Member of the Governing Body, International Labour Organisation, Geneva; Sameer Garde, President India and SAARC, Cisco; Venu Nair, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Shoppers Stop. Workshop - Design Thinking Workshop for Women Entrepreneur, by Dr. Kaustubh Dhargalkar, Entrepreneur-turned-Academician, Innovation evangelist | 21st May 2021 The design session gave insights into the design thinking framework and how it can be leveraged as a problem-solving tool to enhance products, solutions, customer identification and customer interaction.  Participants were provided with hands-on tools and techniques in design thinking and customer first approach.  It was supported by Startup Karnataka and Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), Government of Karnataka. Interactive Session - 'Journey of Entrepreneurship', a discussion with students of BMS College of Engineering by Ms. Rachana Thamankar, Founder and CEO, Clymbe | 31st May 2021 The interactive session on 'Journey of Entrepreneurship' was driven by Ms. Rachana Thamankar, Founder and CEO, Clymbe, wherein she shared her experiences on the exciting and challenging journey of entrepreneurship with students and provided deep insights on the topic.  The students were provided with detailed insights on entrepreneurial mindset, idea selection, importance of execution, product-market fit and do's & don'ts about raising investment. The session was supported by BMS College of Engineering, Startup Karnataka and Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), Government of Karnataka.