MAM
Jivi Mobiles marketing budget 5 per cent
NEW DELHI: Jivi Mobiles, a division of Magicon Impex Pvt Ltd, proposes to spend five per cent of its total investment into marketing of its mobiles.
Jivi Head Marketing Harsh Vardhan told indiantelevision.com that the company is only advertising on FM and in newspapers at present in view of its target to reach rural audiences as the mobiles launched by it are not smart phones. However, it will ultimately go 360 degrees in its campaign at a later date. At present, Jivi already has the Jivi Shoppe channel on Dish TV (209) and Reliance (313).
Jivi Mobiles CEO Pankaj Anand said that seventy to seventy-five per cent of the parts of its mobiles are still imported from China, but was quick to add that the country had the potential to produce all the parts if the government gave the right incentive, including increasing the duties on imported parts.
Earlier, Jivi announced the launch of seven feature mobiles ranging between Rs 699 and Rs 1199. Anand said this had become possible because of the encouragement given under the Make in India scheme.
Demonstrating style combined with advanced technology, the devices aspire to be the ideal companion for people who are looking for offering seamless and enhanced user experience at an affordable price.
Anand said “We are one of the very few companies in the country to offer such a wide range of feature phones at these price points. All our devices and chargers are Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) approved. The products would be ‘Made in India’, in our newly opened facility in Delhi. ”
JIVI Mobiles is setting up two new facilities with an investment of Rs 200 crores. JIVI Mobile first factory is in Mahipalpur, New Delhi, built up on an area of 15000 sq. ft. which would cater to the north and east India demand of JIVI Mobile phones. The facility in Mahipalpur will have a capacity to roll out 700,000 phones per month and it employs some 350 employees in the first phase.
The second facility of JIVI Mobiles is located in Lonavla, Maharashtra, to cater to the south and western parts of the country and would be operational in the coming months.
“This investment of Rs 200 crore in our manufacturing units would be made in phases and would have a capacity to generate employment for nearly 1000 skilled workers over a period of time. The purpose of setting up these manufacturing facilities is to save on the imports duties and hence cut on the manufacturing cost by 10 to 15 per cent. We would pass on the benefit to our customers.” He said there were over 550 service centres all over the country with eighty per cent of them being in rural areas.
The company proposes to tap the huge potential for feature phones in the country and manufacture all its devices in India in the days to come. Jivi Mobiles would be manufacturing battery, chargers and handsfree in India to cut the cost of duty which is 29.5 per cent currently. The benefits would be passed on to the customers.
Answering a question, he said the phones at present only had the option of Hindi and English but would soon have other languages as well. Every feature phones comes with a scheme of ‘Dugni Bachat Dugna Fayada’ – free LED bulb – 9W.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
