Major Developments in Dehradun: A Comprehensive Overview

 Dehradun, the picturesque capital of Uttarakhand, continues to be a hub of significant activity and development. As one of the fastest-growing cities in India, Dehradun is constantly evolving, with notable advancements in infrastructure, education, tourism, and public services. Here’s a detailed look at the latest Dehradun news making headlines.

Infrastructure and Urban Development

Dehradun's infrastructure is witnessing substantial growth, with multiple projects aimed at enhancing connectivity and urban living. The ongoing construction of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is set to reduce travel time between the two cities to just a few hours, promising a boost to both tourism and commerce. Additionally, the city is focusing on improving its internal road networks, drainage systems, and public transport facilities to accommodate the increasing population and traffic.

The Smart City initiative is another major highlight, with various projects underway to transform Dehradun into a technologically advanced urban center. This includes the installation of smart lighting, the establishment of digital kiosks, and the development of sustainable urban spaces.

Educational Advancements

Dehradun has long been known as an educational hub, home to prestigious institutions like Doon School, Welham Girls' School, and several notable universities. Recent news highlights the city's commitment to expanding its educational landscape. The state government has announced plans to establish new schools and colleges, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

Moreover, Dehradun is seeing an influx of students from different parts of India and abroad, thanks to its reputed educational institutions and the serene environment conducive to learning. The emphasis on quality education continues to be a key driver of the city's development.

Tourism and Culture

Tourism remains a cornerstone of Dehradun's economy. The city serves as a gateway to popular hill stations like Mussoorie and pilgrimage sites like Rishikesh and Haridwar. Recent initiatives to promote eco-tourism and adventure sports have been well-received, attracting a diverse group of tourists.

The local government is also working on preserving and promoting Dehradun’s rich cultural heritage. Events and festivals celebrating the city's history and traditions are regularly organized, drawing both locals and visitors. The ongoing restoration of historical sites and the establishment of new cultural centers are part of this cultural renaissance.

Public Services and Health

In terms of public services, Dehradun is making significant strides. The recent introduction of e-governance services has streamlined various administrative processes, making them more accessible to the public. Citizens can now avail themselves of numerous services online, reducing the need for physical visits to government offices.

Healthcare services in Dehradun are also improving, with new hospitals and clinics being established to cater to the growing population. The city has seen an increase in healthcare facilities offering specialized treatments, ensuring that residents have access to quality medical care.

Environmental Initiatives

Sustainability and environmental conservation are at the forefront of Dehradun's development agenda. The city has launched several green initiatives, including extensive tree-planting drives and the promotion of renewable energy sources. Efforts are being made to reduce pollution levels and manage waste effectively, contributing to a cleaner and healthier environment.

The government and local organizations are working together to raise awareness about environmental issues and encourage community participation in conservation efforts. These initiatives are vital in maintaining Dehradun's natural beauty and ecological balance.

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 In the fast-paced digital era, staying informed about current events is more important than ever. With an overwhelming amount of information available online, finding a trustworthy source can be challenging. This is where "The Pioneer" comes into play, providing you with a reliable and comprehensive English newspaper today.

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Other:

The Pioneer provides comprehensive and up-to-date Delhi news in English, covering a wide range of topics including politics, society, crime, and local events. Stay informed with the latest developments and in-depth coverage of news stories from the heart of India’s capital.

The Pioneer delivers timely and impactful breaking news from India, covering a spectrum of topics including politics, economics, culture, and more. Stay informed with the latest updates and insightful analysis on key developments shaping the nation's landscape.

Explore the latest updates and insightful analysis on business news with The Pioneer. Stay informed about market trends, economic developments, corporate strategies, and financial news that impact businesses in India and beyond.

Stay updated with comprehensive coverage of international news on The Pioneer. Explore breaking news, global affairs, diplomatic developments, and cultural insights from around the world, keeping you informed about key events shaping the international landscape.

Rationalise regulations for e-commerce

 When the government expects foreign companies to do almost everything that a retailer does, how can it deny these firms the right to sell?

Way back in 2019, Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh (DVM) an organisation of retail traders in the national capital had lodged a complaint with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) alleging anti-competitive behaviour by Amazon Seller Services (ASS) and Flipkart Internet Private Limited (FIPL).  

The CCI is an authority established under the Competition Act, of 2002. The Act prohibits anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominant position by enterprises and regulates mergers, amalgamations acquisitions etc to ensure that there is no adverse effect on competition. Amazon and Flipkart are global giants operating e-commerce marketplaces in India through their subsidiaries, the ASS and the FIPL.

DVM argued that ASS and FIPL had entered into exclusive sales agreements with smartphone makers to sell certain phones through a small number of preferred sellers. It also alleged that they had given preferential treatment to certain sellers by giving them higher search rankings and offering to pay for part of the discount that such sellers would offer during key sales periods such as Flipkart’s Big Billion Days and Amazon’s Prime Day.

On January 13, 2020, the CCI initiated an investigation under Section 26(1) of the Competition Act, 2002. Prima facie, the CCI agreed with DVM’s contention and ordered a probe by the Director General (DG) - Investigation. ASS and FIPL approached the Karnataka High Court (KHC) with a plea to quash the CCI order. The KHC refused to quash it. The duo challenged the order in the Supreme Court (SC). In August 2021, the SC too dismissed their applications and ordered that “the CCI - DG will complete the probe.

Now, the CCI-DG has come up with its findings.

The investigation has charged Amazon and Flipkart with violation of antitrust laws. Leveraging their substantial financial resources, they have indulged in ‘predatory pricing’ and forged exclusive partnerships with selective sellers. Predatory pricing is the illegal business practice of setting prices extremely low albeit by offering heavy discounts to consumers in an attempt to eliminate the competition and establish a monopoly. This has resulted in the shutdown of thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

 It has specifically targeted Amazon for certain practices, especially with Cloudtail India Pvt Ltd (a firm set up by a JV namely Prione Business Services (PBS) established by Amazon, in collaboration with an Indian entity owned by Narayan Murthy of Infosys) a “preferred” seller on Amazon’s marketplace and other in-house sellers. Similarly, Flipkart has been investigated for its links to platform sellers, which contravenes new e-commerce regulations.

What has led to the violations?

This can’t be attributed solely to the use of financial muscle by these companies as alluded to by the CCI - DG. This has a lot to do with the rules introduced in early 2016, through which the Government allowed 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) under the so-called e-commerce marketplace model.

The marketplace is a platform where vendors sell their products directly to consumers even as its owner (read: Amazon/Flipkart) merely acts as a facilitator by providing services such as booking orders, raising invoices, arranging delivery, accepting rejections etc. She can’t hold inventory or undertake direct selling. The policy intent was abundantly clear. The foreign investor in the marketplace wasn’t supposed to invest in the inventory model.

However, the intent wasn’t reflected in the Press Note (PN) issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in the Ministry of Commerce and Industries. While drafting the fine print, a clever bureaucrat blurred the demarcation between the marketplace where 100 per cent FDI was allowed and the inventory model where it wasn’t. The PN (2016) prescribed two conditions. First, the foreign entity owning marketplace cannot permit more than 25 per cent of total sales on the marketplace from one vendor or its group companies. Two, it cannot directly or indirectly influence the sale price.

In the absence of specifying who that vendor should be, it made way for a company linked to the owner of the marketplace to get in. The latter could set up four companies (call them subsidiaries or JVs) and control 25 per cent of each of the total sales on the platform. Contrary to the policy intent, which prohibited foreign investors from direct selling, the fine print did just the opposite. 

Having allowed its entities to control almost all of the sales made on the marketplace, it would be naïve to expect that an anti-competition situation won’t emerge. With such rules in place, it was a foregone conclusion that Amazon et al would have exclusive partnerships with selective sellers who - acting in concert with the former - would indulge in predatory pricing and give heavy discounts leading to the annihilation of thousands of SMEs. Following a complaint from the SMEs, on December 26, 2018, the DPIIT clarified that “the owner of the marketplace or its subsidiary or its joint venture (JV) with an Indian company can’t have ownership of the seller.” Further, “a seller on the platform can’t source more than 25 percent of its inventory from a firm connected with the latter.”

Foreign investors can circumvent the first rider by having less than 50 per cent shareholding in the seller firm and arguing that they have no control (majority) over the latter. The marketplace owner can also sell his ‘own’ product - albeit through its wholesale arm - on the platform. All that the wholesale arm needs to ensure is to restrict supplies to the seller within the 25 per cent threshold.

The clarification/modification in the conditions through December 26, 2018, hasn’t helped much in improving the situation.

A few sellers, some of them still maintaining connection with the marketplace owner continue to dominate the e-commerce platform. For instance, only three dozen firms out of the 400,000 sellers on the ASS platform account for 67 per cent of sales on it. Meanwhile, in 2020, the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, issued the Consumer Protection (e-commerce) Rules, under Section 101 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The rules bar affiliated entities from selling on e-commerce platforms, restrict ‘flash sales,’ and disallow sellers from using the name or brand associated with the marketplace e-commerce entities for the promotion of goods. In 2021, DCA made amendments to restrict business-to-business, or B2B, sales in e-commerce and a provision to prevent an ‘abuse of dominant position’ by e-commerce firms. The Government is also working on a comprehensive policy on FDI in e-commerce that will give primacy to the above rules. If it goes ahead with such a policy, it will be tantamount to a retrospective change of policy and send a wrong signal to foreign investors. 

The present mess owes it to the very idea of the marketplace which is flawed. When, the Government expects foreign companies to do almost everything that a retailer does viz. booking orders, raising the invoices, arranging the delivery, accepting rejections and so on, how can the former deny the latter right to sell?

The way forward is to shun this idea; instead, allow 100 per cent FDI in retail. The bureaucrats had already done it but in a ‘subtle’ way. The Government should make it obvious and straightforward. Moreover, 100 per cent FDI should be permitted to all retailers, online or offline, big or small for a level playing field.

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Breaking News: The Pioneer, a prominent English newspaper in India, reports on the latest developments unfolding across the nation. Stay tuned for updates on politics, economy, culture, and more, as The Pioneer delivers timely and insightful coverage of India's ever-evolving landscape.

Stay updated on the pulse of India's capital with The Pioneer's comprehensive coverage of Delhi news. From local politics to cultural events updates to infrastructure developments, The Pioneer brings you timely and reliable news straight from the heart of Delhi.

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India’s Most Visited College Search Portal as per Similar Web

 According to stats by prominent online competitive intelligence tool –SimilarWeb, the EduTech start-up, Collegedunia is India’smost visited college search portal with over 11.45 Million viewers for the month of August, 2018.

Collegedunia is India’s leading college search engine, helping students choose the right college, and get adept information on colleges, exams, and courses. The portal currently holds a database for more than 27,000 colleges.

With current generation inclining towards portable technology, Collegedunia has made its mark by receiving about 85% of its traffic from mobile. Further, the portal claims that their app, launched in 2016, has already recorded more than 5 lakh installs and enjoys an average rating of 4.4 on Playstore.

As per SimilarWeb,

• Collegedunia stands amongst the Top 5 players dominating the Indian education market, alongside Careers360, Shiksha, MBAUniverse and PaGalGuY.
• Comparing the daily website visits, Collegedunia leads Career 360 with an average of more than 400 thousand daily pageviews. While Careers360 stands atthe second position with 300 thousand pageviews.
• On comparing average visit duration by users, the numbers are not much variant among Collegedunia, Careers360 and Shiksha. Career360bagged the first position with viewers spending 3 minutes 30 seconds and Collegedunia at second position with a difference of mere 15 seconds.
• The portal generates 92.36% of its traffic organically and experiences the lowest bounce rate of 39.77%.

The portal is popularly known for its College Reviews.With over 2 lakh published reviews, the portal allows prospective students to witnesscolleges from eyes of both alumni and current students. To further promote the same, Collegedunia successfully organised India’s first ever,largest review competition for students –Revicon.

Mr. Sanjay Meena, Business Head at Collegedunia says “At times when majority of college search portals experience bounce rate of more than 55%, we are able to engage 16.5 Million users through our relevant and necessary information, with only about 40% of users navigating away from the web site without interaction.”

Collegedunia has partnered with many known and esteemed Institutes such as SRM Institute of Science and Technology, VIT University, Manipal University, Amity University, Symbiosis, NMIMS and more.

On their association with Collegedunia, Dr. Venkat, Dean (Admission) of ICFAI Business School says, “We engaged the service of Collegedunia for our campaign. Happy to see that it worked out well. We are happy and look forward to a longer, fruitful and sustainable association with the team at Collegedunia.”

Sahil Chalana, founder, Collegedunia says “Collegedunia is doing exceedingly well and the same can be seen through increasing numbers in terms of daily website visits and expanding userbase. Our clients are happy with us and students satisfied with the content.”

Similarweb is an online competitive intelligence tool, renowned for providing in depth traffic and engagement statistics. It makes use of numerous algorithms to make such estimations and hence helps the businesses to identify emerging trends for both themselves and their competitors.

Also Read:

Breaking News: The Pioneer, a prominent English newspaper in India, reports on the latest developments unfolding across the nation. Stay tuned for updates on politics, economy, culture, and more, as The Pioneer delivers timely and insightful coverage of India's ever-evolving landscape.

Stay updated on the pulse of India's capital with The Pioneer's comprehensive coverage of Delhi news. From local politics to cultural events updates to infrastructure developments, The Pioneer brings you timely and reliable news straight from the heart of Delhi.

Stay informed on the latest developments in the business world with The Pioneer's comprehensive coverage of business news. From corporate mergers to market fluctuations, entrepreneurship to innovation, trust The Pioneer to deliver timely updates and insightful analysis to help you make informed decisions in today's dynamic economy.

Explore the global landscape with The Pioneer's comprehensive coverage of today's international news. From geopolitical tensions to diplomatic breakthroughs, humanitarian crises to scientific advancements, The Pioneer delivers timely updates and in-depth analysis to keep you informed about events shaping our world.