MAM
PM Modi’s Janta curfew witnessed 85% drop in footfalls across the country
MUMBAI: The clarion appeal given by PM Modi to participate in janta curfew for a day on March 22, 2020 to contain the spread and make the fight against coronavirus in India a success got an overwhelming response with most Indians staying indoors. This resulted in a 85 % drop in footfalls across the country as per the real time step count data collected by over 5 lakh users who are using GOQii Activity trackers. The footfalls were compared to the average footfalls seen before 5th March 2020.
The leading state in keeping most of its people indoors was the state of Kerala. Kerala saw a drop-in footfalls at 90% during janta curfew. Maharashtra also saw the drop increase to 89% and now with the suburban railways stopping, this number is likely to increase. The state GOQii has studied has seen a drop-in footfall percentage ranging from 75% to 90%.
Citywise, Mumbai and Chennai saw a drop of 90% in footfalls. Cities across India saw a footfall droop between 80 and 90%.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
