SAMACHAR-JUNE, 2022       IAMAI Announces Formation of Venture Capital Committee The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) announced the formation of the Venture Capital (VC) Committee on June 21, 2022. The committee will work extensively on public policy consultations, stakeholder engagement, ecosystem enhancement and building a strong industry network for venture capital firms. It will also play an essential role in highlighting sector-specific challenges faced by portfolio companies of the member VC firms. Mr Vikas Agnihotri, Operating Partner, SoftBank Investment Advisers, is the chair the VC Committee and Ms Shweta Rajpal Kohli, Chief Public Policy Officer, Sequoia India and Southeast Asia, is the co-chair.     IEC Meeting With GOI Consumer Affairs Secretary The self-regulatory body India Edtech Consortium (IEC), under the aegis of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), convened a meeting with Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, on June 24, 2022. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways to better manage consumer interests across India's edtech ecosystem. The meeting was joined by representatives of IAMAI, along with IEC member companies including upGrad, BYJU'S, Unacademy, Vedantu, Great Learning, WhiteHat Jr. and Sunstone. Members discussed the need to better safeguard consumer-interests, through seamless, transparent and feasible offerings for consumers of the Indian edtech ecosystem. The discussion also highlighted the effectiveness of the two-tier grievance redressal mechanism introduced by the IEC, which has been able to resolve more than 99 percent of the issues raised on an average, since its inception. The IEC explained the grievance redressal process and the role of the Independent Grievance Review Board (IGRB), which has been set up to oversee the adherence to the Code of Conduct. Among the members of the IGRB are Dr. Justice (Retd) B.S. Chauhan, retired judge of the Supreme Court, Dr. Aruna Sharma, a distinguished bureaucrat and industry veteran Mr. Anand Sudarshan. Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Consumer Affairs Secretary, Government of India (6th from left) with members of the India Edtech Consortium at his office after a meeting     IAMAI Submission on Draft National Data Governance Framework In response to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's (MeitY) invitation for a feedback and inputs on the Draft National Data Governance Framework (NDGF), IAMAI made a submission highlighting industry concerns surrounding the NDGF. The submission pointed out that data-related provisions in individual policies should be preceded by overarching data legislation to ensure that principles for data governance are set out before any sectoral/topical regulations emerge. Since the Data Protection Bill is yet to be finalised and passed by Parliament, the draft NDGF may lead to regulatory overlaps and confusion. Moreover, the draft NDGF does not sufficiently define the extent and scope of many terms used in the policy. There are also significant overlaps between the proposed India Data Management Office (IDMO) and the Data Protection Authority (DPA) envisaged under the Data Protection Bill, and a lack of clarity about how the two would function together.     IAMAI Response to TRAI Consultation Paper on Media Ownership IAMAI responded to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)'s consultation paper on 'Issues relating to media ownership'. IAMAI's response was developed keeping in mind the challenges that any cross-media ownership regulation might pose to a competitive and thriving industry. The consultation paper considered concepts such as the lack of media plurality and ownership while focussing on four market segments in the media and entertainment industry, and accordingly proposed regulatory intervention. IAMAI brought forth the absence of an understanding of a desired level of plurality, plurality within the market segments assessed as well as other market segments which had not been factored in, and the restrictions imposed on market players owing to the proposed interventions. IAMAI recommended following a light-touch/forbearance-based regulatory approach given existing checks and balances for the industry.     IAMAI Submission to National Medical Commission The IAMAI HealthTech Committee on June 22, 2022 submitted a set of recommendations on the Draft Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2022 to the National Medical Commission (NMC). There are certain clauses in the draft regulations which are ambiguous, and can be a cause of concern for the evolving healthcare industry. Following are the highlights of the IAMAI submission: Online-Offline Parity: When it comes to ethical conduct or exercising of professional judgement of doctors, there should be no artificial segregation of expectations for online vs offline interactions. Alignment with Other prevailing Acts/ Laws: Digital platforms and institutions such as hospitals are well covered under their own respective Acts and their conduct should not come under the ambit of NMC. Business Model: The legitimate financial relationship between the registered medical practitioners (RMPs) and institutions should be allowed rather than putting a blanket ban under commission/splitting of fee.     FCC Insurance Committee Representation to IRDAI The members of the Fintech Convergence Council's (FCC) Insurance Committee made an industry representation to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) Chairman, Shri Debasish Panda, on some key regulatory aspects that require IRDAI's consideration. The highlights of the recommendations made in the representation are as follows: Regulatory - Relaxation to intermediaries on Point-of-Sale Person (POSP) onboarding and permissible activities. Data - Access to customer data from Insurance Information Bureau (IIB) at POSP. KYC - Accessing e-KYC services of Aadhar by Insurance Brokers. Claims Repository - In order to enable insurers to make accurate underwriting decisions, it is recommended to maintain a claims repository that can be accessible to all certified intermediaries.     Digital Gaming Committee Members Participate in MeitY Roundtable IAMAI and its Digital Gaming Committee members participated in a round table discussion on Online Gaming organised by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India on June 7, 2022. It was a discussion on the online gaming landscape, opportunities, regulatory challenges and the way forward. The discussion was chaired by Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Hon'ble Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics, and Information Technology along with Shri Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary, MeitY and senior officers from MeitY/ Cyber laws group.     IAMAI Forms HR Working Group to Facilitate Reference Check Mechanism There are concerns about the authenticity of the information provided by candidates when they move from one agency to another. To address this concern, IAMAI has formed a Working Group of human resource (HR) representatives from various member organizations who can respond to queries from new employers for checking the authenticity of the claims made by candidates in their resumes or during interviews. If a candidate is moving within organisations that have representatives in the HR group, a reference check can be triggered by the new employer to verify the claims done by a candidate. Thirteen IAMAI member agencies are already part of this HR Working Group.     Representation on RBI Master Directions on Loading of PPIs Through Credit Lines The Payments Council of India (PCI) is working with members on the RBI-issued notification to all Authorized Non-bank PPI Issuers. According to the circular, loading PPIs through credit lines is not permitted and should be discontinued immediately. A representation was made highlighting its impacts on businesses and customers, as well as industry perspectives to support and adhere to the RBI's requirement.     PCI Shares Payments Vision 2025 with Members PCI shared with its members an overview of the Payments Vision Document 2025. The vision document fundamentally focuses on the five anchor goalposts of Integrity, Inclusion, Innovation, Institutionalisation and Internationalisation. A follow-up on decoding the RBI's Payments Vision 2025 was also shared, which provided a deeper context on the Vision Document. This was provided by our knowledge partners at PwC.     IAMAI Effort to Seek Clarification on GST Impact on Gift Cards and Vouchers IAMAI, supported by EY, continued in June to work with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Commissioner's office to seek clarification on the impact of GST for Gift Cards and Vouchers. The working group is continuing to follow up to have the matter taken up in the Law Committee and is also meeting all Commissioners of States that are Members of the Law Committee, to explain the concerns.     Gift Card and Voucher Committee Meeting IAMAI conducted a Gift Card and Voucher Committee meeting on June 30, 2022, with members to provide clarity and answers regarding issues that were raised at the previous meeting on TDS implications and cross border transactions. EY continues to engage with IAMAI to provide the required information and guidance to members on the technicalities of the subject matter. As a follow up, IAMAI will be working towards creation of a representation to seek clarity on the various TDS issues.     BNPP Subcommittee Meeting The Billing and Payment Process (BNPP) Subcommittee conducted the monthly meeting of IAMAI and Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) members, on May 31, 2022, to clear outstanding payments to publishers. The meeting was hosted in AAAI's office in Mumbai.     Digital Transformation Summit The 5th edition of the Digital Transformation Summit, was organised by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on June 28, 2022, in Mumbai. Shri Amitabh Kant, the then CEO, NITI Aayog, addressed the conference and released a report, titled, ‘From Buzz to Reality: The Accelerating Pace of AI in India', prepared by Bain & Company in collaboration with Microsoft and IAMAI. Different sessions were held at the Summit, pertaining to issues digital transformation strategy, work management 5.0, future of connected vehicle experience, data security and data-driven decision making. Over 300 delegates, more than 250 companies and over 50 speakers took part in the Digital Transformation Summit. Besides Shri Kant, among those who spoke at the conference were Mr. Mathew Chandy, Managing Director Duroflex Mattresses; Mr. Ashutosh Pandey, Managing Director, Mahindra First Choice; Mr. Poorav Sheth, Chief Digital Officer, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co.; Mr. Navin Nathani Head of IT Projects and Transformation Management Office Aditya Birla Group Hindalco Industries; Mr. Brijesh Singh, Inspector General of Police, Government of Maharashtra; Mr. Piyush Kumar, VP & Head Data Platform Engineering, MakeMyTrip; Mr. Tushar Vagal, CIO & Digital Head Larsen & Toubro Realty; Mr. Sandeep Laxman, Head Fintech Business Development, APJ AWS; Mr. Neeraj Bhalla, VP Strategic Digital Projects - Group Technology Office, Mahindra Group; Ms. Anindita Veluri, Director Marketing - Adobe India; Mr. Sumit Srivastav, Partner & Leader - Intelligent Automation, PwC, and Mr. Rajesh Kumar, Vice President, Marketing, India & South Asia UiPath. Shri Amitabh Kant, the then CEO, NITI Aayog, releasing a report titled ‘From Buzz to Reality: The Accelerating Pace of AI in India' at the Digital Transformation Summit.     Roundtable on Rethinking Customer Engagement and Loyalty Strategies Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in collaboration with CleverTap organised a roundtable discussion on ‘Rethinking Customer Engagement on Loyalty Strategies' on June 15, 2022, in Bangalore. The main theme of the roundtable was ‘Rise with Retention'. Key speakers at the event were Mr. Akhil Sharma, Ola; Mr. Dinesh Arora, TenderCuts - Farm Fresh Meats and Seafood; Mr. Dinesh Kumar Kotha, ConfirmTkt.com; Mr. Edwin Daniel, Branch International; Mr. Harshna Pasari, BlueStone; Mr. Naveen Ramasamy, Glance; Mr. Rajnish Kumar, ITC Limited; Mr. Vachana Shetty, Akshayakalpa Organic; Mr. Varun Kulkarni, NoBroker.com; Mr. Subramanian Chandramouli, Repute Network, and Mr. Suvojit Mukherjee, CleverTap.     Roundtable on How Digital-first Brands are Redefining Marketing Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in collaboration with Netcore organized a roundtable discussion on ‘How Digital-first Brands are Redefining Marketing' on June 16, 2022 in Mumbai. The theme of the roundtable was ‘D2C Growth Story'. Key speakers at the roundtable were Ms. Akanksha Sharma, Lead Product Sales Specialist, Netcore Cloud; Mr. Abhimanyu Lal, Chief Business Officer, D2C & Private Label Brands, TATA Digital; Mr. Jasmeet Thind, TATA Digital, CoutLoot; Mr. Nishit Vora, Vice President - Digital and Performance, Think9 Consumer Technologies; Ms. Pallavi Desai, Co-Founder, Creatures of Habit, and Mr. Vivek Bhargava, Co-Founder, ProfitWheel.     Roundtable on The Search for Results is Over: Connect, Engage, Drive Internet and Mobile Association of India in collaboration with Inmobi and Microsoft Advertising organized a roundtable discussion on ‘The Search for Results is Over: Connect, Engage, Drive' on June 29, 2022 in Mumbai. Mr. Aditya Varadarajan, Business Head India & SEA, Microsoft Advertising, InMobi; Ms. Reena Mishra, Senior Partner - Sales Executive, Microsoft Advertising, and Mr. Rishabh Singla, Principal Program Manager Lead, Microsoft Advertising.     Webinar on Regulatory Framework for Fintechs and TechFins at GIFT-IFSC A webinar on understanding the regulatory framework for fintechs and TechFins at India's first and only international financial services centre (IFSC) at GIFT-IFSC, GIFT City, Gujarat, was jointly organized by the Fintech Convergence Council (FCC) and the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA). The webinar was conducted by Mr. Joseph Joshy, Chief Technology Officer of the IFSCA. The webinar provided a platform for fintech firms and technology start-ups to address their queries and seek clarifications directly from IFSC's Unified Regulator on the Regulatory Framework for FinTechs and TechFins at the GIFT-IFSC.     Workshop to discuss issues on interoperability in UPI Ecosystem The Payments Council of India facilitated a virtual workshop with the National Payments Council of India (NPCI) on May 31, 2022 to discuss interoperability issues faced by the UPI ecosystem. The discussion provided insights on scope clarity, operational challenges, timelines involved for certification, and test cases applicable for interoperability to go live.     Women Entrepreneurs Circle Networking and Discussion Session IAMAI Mobile 10X in collaboration with e-Chai organized a Women Entrepreneurs Circle networking and discussion session on June 4, 2022 in Bengaluru. Speakers at the roundtable shared experiences of their start-up journey, struggles, and difficulties as women entrepreneurs and expressed their views on how to attract more women towards entrepreneurship. Speakers at the session were Ms. Komal Chaturvedi, Founder, MotionGility; Ms. Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay, Founder, Techweirdo; Ms. Radhika Mohta, Relationship Coach, and Ms. Deepshikha Yadav, Founder, World we Desire.     Session on Digital Marketing and Brand Awareness Strategies IAMAI Mobile 10X organized a session by Mr. Amogh Oak, Partner, CluelessMonk Technologies on June 16, 2022 in Bengaluru. During the discussion Mr. Oak interacted with all the start-ups and shared his insights on marketing: what needs to be included, what skills are to be used, and how to effectively grab customers' attention.     Discussion With India's Deputy Consul General, San Fransisco Shri Rajesh N Naik, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of India, San Francisco, visited the IAMAI workspace in Bengaluru on June 20, 2022, and interacted with IAMAI Mobile10x start-ups on their products and solutions. Shri Naik extended his support for start-ups to establish themselves in the US Market and also expressed willingness to raise funds for the start-ups from the US.     Panel Discussion on Marketing Start-ups IAMAI Mobile 10 X, in collaboration with e-Chai, organized a panel discussion and networking session on June 25, 2022 in Bengaluru. Speakers at the session discussed strategies for marketing early-stage and growth-stage start-ups for B2C and B2B. Mr. Chetan Sharma, VP, Simpl; Mr. Balamurali T R, Marketing Head, Dao Lens, and Mr. Aman Garg, Whatfix addressed the session.