MAM
Consumer confidence plummets in March 2019
MUMBAI: The India Primary Consumer Sentiment Index (Consumer Confidence), as measured by Thomson Reuters in partnership with Ipsos, has nosedived by 6.8 percentage points in March 2019.
The monthly PCSI result which is driven by the aggregation of the four, weighted, sub-indices, has seen a sharp fall across all of them: the PCSI Employment Confidence (“Jobs”) Sub-Index, is down by a glaring 7 points; the PCSI Economic Expectations (“Expectations”) Sub Index, which has sharply fallen by 10.9 points; the PCSI Investment Climate (“Investment”) Sub-Index which has dropped by 6.1 points; and the PCSI Current Personal Financial Conditions (“Current Conditions”) Sub-Index which is down by a significant 4.9 percentage points over last month.
“The survey was fielded in last week of February and first week of March, amidst tensions on Pakistan border. The near-war conflict sharply pulled down the already sliding consumer confidence. It once again proves that consumer and economy do not want war – rather afraid of it. This factor strongly clouded the fear around rise in inflation and lack of jobs. Since our respondents are largely urban – for the salaried ones it is also the time for tax saving investment, leading to temporary cash crunch. All these factors have a cascading effect, adding to pessimism,” says Ipsos India country service lines group leader, public affairs, corporate reputation & customer experience Parijat Chakraborty.
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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.
