Brands
Casio sharpens India focus with locally made women’s watches
Tokyo: Casio is stepping up its India play, expanding its women’s watch portfolio with a new range of locally manufactured models aimed at a fast-evolving consumer market.
The Japanese watchmaker’s Indian arm has unveiled a curated lineup of 28 watches, led by 23 women’s models and supported by five men’s designs, underlining a clear strategic tilt toward women as a key growth engine. The move builds on Casio’s push to localise manufacturing while tailoring products more closely to Indian tastes.
Designed for modern, multi-role lifestyles, the new women’s collection spans metal bracelets, leather straps and dual-tone finishes such as gold-silver and rose gold-silver. For the first time, the range also introduces embellished designs, adding a touch of refinement without sacrificing everyday wearability. The watches are positioned for use across festive occasions, professional settings and daily wear.
Takuto Kimura, managing director of Casio India, said the country remained a critical market for the brand’s long-term growth. “By expanding our locally manufactured women’s portfolio, we are offering greater choice and stronger emotional connect, while staying true to Casio’s core strengths of quality, precision and reliability,” he said.
Manufacturing the new models in India is expected to improve availability and speed-to-market, while maintaining Casio’s global quality benchmarks. The company plans focused marketing and retail initiatives around the upcoming festive season to support the rollout.
The Made-in-India collection is available across Casio exclusive stores and authorised retail partners nationwide.
As competition intensifies and women emerge as decisive buyers, Casio is betting that local manufacturing, sharper design and lifestyle relevance will keep its watches ticking in India’s crowded timepiece market.
Brands
Uidai partners with Google to help users locate Aadhaar centres
Verified Aadhaar centres to appear on Maps with services and access info
MUMBAI: Finding an Aadhaar centre may soon be as easy as finding your favourite café. In a move aimed at making public services more accessible, the Unique Identification Authority of India has partnered with Google to display authorised Aadhaar centres on Google Maps. The feature, expected to roll out in the coming months, will allow residents to locate verified centres quickly and confidently.
More than 60,000 Aadhaar centres, including state of the art Aadhaar Seva Kendras, will be mapped. When users search on Google Maps, they will be directed to authorised facilities rather than unverified listings, helping curb misinformation and confusion.
The listings will do more than drop a pin. Users will be able to see the nature of services offered at each centre, whether it is adult enrolment, child enrolment, or limited to address and mobile number updates. Details such as operating hours, parking availability and divyang friendly infrastructure will also be shown wherever applicable.
Uidai CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, said the collaboration is part of the authority’s continued effort to improve ease of living for Aadhaar holders by making authorised centres simpler and faster to navigate.
The partnership will deepen in its next phase, with Uidai using Google Business Profile to manage information and respond directly to public feedback. Looking ahead, the two organisations are also exploring the option of enabling appointment bookings through the Google Maps interface, potentially allowing residents to plan their visits with greater efficiency.
Google India country head, strategic partnerships Roli Agarwal, said integrating verified Aadhaar centres would help millions access trusted services with confidence, bringing essential government infrastructure closer to the people who need it most.
If all goes to plan, a routine Aadhaar update may soon begin not with a queue, but with a search bar.
