CHENNAI PLUS

Chennai’s summer carts are dominated by muskmelon and watermelon, highlighting a strong reliance on hydrating fruits to combat the intense heat. The city’s consumption is rooted in practicality, with a clear preference for cooling, water-rich staples. Nationally, Instamart’s Summer Trends 2026 report captures exactly how India orders its way through the heat, not just what’s trending, but what’s ritual. As temperatures climbed through March and April, demand in India surged sharply across categories, with top products growing up to 300% week-on-week. Fruits, cold coffee, fizzy drinks, and popsicles saw rapid spikes, while cooling appliances like fans grew over 280% and sunglasses recorded a massive 650% YoY growth. India’s Scorchingly Big Summer Baskets ●        Hyderabad’s biggest summer cart crossed 11K with ice cream, mangoes, cool drinks, and buttermilk ●        Bengaluru’s top summer spender crossed 11K on cold cof...

 V edanta Limited announced its unaudited Consolidated Results for the fourth quarter and full year ended 31 st March 2026, delivering its strongest financial performance to date. Vedanta achieved its highest-ever quarterly revenue of 51,524 crore , up 29% YoY , while annual revenue rose to 1,74,075 crore, up 15% YoY. EBITDA for the quarter surged to a record 18,447 crore, up 59% YoY , with margins expanding sharply by 915 bps YoY to 44%. For FY26, EBITDA stood at 55,976 crore, up 29% YoY , with margins at ~39%. The company reported a record-breaking Profit After Tax of 9,352 crore in Q4 FY26 , up 89% YoY. For the full year, Profit After Tax stood at an all-time high of 25,096 crore, reflecting a 22% YoY increase. This performance was driven by robust operational delivery and cost efficiencies. The company’s balance sheet strengthened significantly, with Net Debt to EBITDA improving to 0.95x, its best level in the last 14 quarters , compared to 1.22x a year ago. Credit ...

  After achieving robust volume growth over the past 4 years, Mahindra’s Truck and Bus Business inaugurated its state-of-the-art 3S dealership in Chennai,Tamil Naduwith12service bays, the facility can service more than 15vehicles per day while also providing driver lodging, 24-hour breakdown assistance and AdBlue availability. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vinod Sahay, Chairman – SML Mahindra and Mahindra Advanced Technologies & President – Mahindra Aerospace, Trucks and Buses, Member of Group Executive Board, Mahindra Group said, "Delighted to inaugurate our new state-of-the-art dealership in Chennai with M/s Sri Selvi Motors Pvt. Ltd. Mahindra Trucks and Buses and SML now have a combined strength of over 2003S dealerships and over 400 secondary service touch points for trucks and buses across the country, providing world-class customer care to our valued customers. With close to 7% market share in trucks and buses, the Mahindra Group today has a 24% market share in I&...

ICICI Bank has announced the implementation of biometric authentication for UPI transactions through iMobile, the Bank’s mobile banking application. The feature enhances user experience by allowing them to authorise transactions up to 5,000 via facial recognition or fingerprint authentication. This new feature does away with the need to manually enter UPI PIN for transactions up to the threshold.   The introduction of biometrics brings in the dual advantage of faster payments and security, by eliminating the risk of shoulder-surfing in public spaces. Customers can authorise UPI transactions such as peer-to-peer money transfer, scan QR for in-store payments, or online payments through their biometrics. For transactions above 5,000, the customer will require their existing UPI PIN to authorise the payment.   An ICICI Bank spokesperson, said, “Safeguarding our customers’ interest has always been at the centre of our operations, and we believe in providing our customers ...

CaratLane – A TATA Product is flooding the television screens across the country with their Mother’s Day campaign featuring brand ambassador Yami Gautam Dhar. Centred around the idea of gifting mothers a diamond as a symbol of love and a reflection of gratitude, and gifting yourself a diamond, because you’re her favourite. The first two films of the campaign saw high-impact visibility during the ongoing Indian Premier League, with placements across Star Sports and JioHotstar, complemented by strong regional presence on channels like Colours Tamil, Jalsha Movies and Star Utsav Movies. Together, these drove widespread national and regional reach for the brand. The film has been released just in time for Mother’s Day — celebrating the joy of gifting, with a heartwarming twist of choosing something for mom, and a little something for yourself. Shaifali Gautam, CMO – CaratLane , remarked, “ As we return for our second season advertising on the Indian Premier League, the platform allows ...

Sanofi Consumer Healthcare India Limited  releases its financial results for the first quarter, demonstrating sustained growth momentum across key business segments. Revenue growth for the quarter stood at 33% year-on-year. Domestic sales grew by 15.5% aided by the relaunch of recalled products to the market. Profit after tax (PAT) for Q1 ‘26reached 678 million, an increase of 36% on a year-on-year basis. Commenting on the Q1’26results, Himanshu Bakshi, Managing Director, Sanofi Consumer Healthcare India Limited, said, “ Our performance this quarter reflects consistent, disciplined execution across our key markets. Domestic business outpaced the market, delivering both market share gains and volume growth, while exports made a meaningful contribution to overall results. Guided by science and driven by purpose, we remain committed to simplifying self ‑ care and making it more accessible and effective for consumers”

Lava International Limited, India’s trusted homegrown smartphone brand, partnered with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to digitally empower 20,941 Anganwadi workers across the state, strengthening last-mile service delivery under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) framework.  The event, held at Lok Bhavan, Lucknow in March, 2026 , under the theme “ Suposhit Uttar Pradesh, Sashakt Bharat,” was attended by the Honourable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath; Ms Baby Rani Maurya, Honourable Minister of Women’s Welfare, Child Development and Nutrition, Uttar Pradesh; Ms Leena Johri, Additional Chief Secretary (WCD); and Ms Sarneet Kaur Broca, Director (WCD). Approximately 1,000 Anganwadi workers were also in attendance.  Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Llyod D’souza, Chief Business Officer – Enterprise Business, Lava International Limited said, “Digital transformation at the grassroots is not just about access to devices, but about building ...

Help Needed for College Students from Low-Income, Single-Parent Homes The college allows three students from low-income families to take their exams only if their tuition has been settled. The last day to pay fees is May 1st. Please support these students. Payment deadline is May 1, 2026. If you would like to help, please call 6381317981.

Lava International Limited, India’s leading homegrown smartphone brand, today announced the launch of the special edition Bold N1 5G in a 6GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration . Following the success of the Bold N1 5G, launched in September 2025, the brand has introduced this new variant to meet the growing consumer demand for better performance. With this launch, the Bold N1 5G moves to a single, upgraded configuration, offering its users enhanced performance as the new standard. Commenting on the launch , Mr. Sumit Singh, SVP and Head of Product, Lava International Limited, said: “Bold N1 5G series witnessed an encouraging response from users since its launch and based on consumer demand, we are introducing a new variant—more powerful and presented in aa refreshed design. The special edition is conceptualized for young urban users, offering enhanced power, greater storage and improved camera capabilities, along with 4K video recording and a smooth, lag-free everyday experience.” ...

Swiggy, India's pioneering on-demand convenience platform, announced the upcoming launch of Swiggy Builders Club, a community, partnership, and builder enablement program designed for developers, startups, and enterprises building AI-native commerce experiences on top of its platforms. While Swiggy's earlier MCP launch opened up the core commerce infrastructure, Builders Club is a distinct next step. It is the ecosystem layer around that infrastructure, designed to define who builds on it, how they engage with Swiggy, what capabilities they bring, and how promising integrations are recognised and scaled into deeper partnerships. At launch, Builders Club will open access to 3 MCP servers and 18+ API tools across Food, Instamart, and Dineout, enabling approved builders to create AI agents, copilots, assistants, and integrations that can take real-world actions such as ordering food, shopping groceries, or booking dining experiences. What is Swiggy Builders Club Builder...

  Uniqus Consultech, a tech‑enabled global consulting platform, today announced a strategic collaboration with Surya Financial Technologies Pvt. Ltd, a leading provider of financial risk management and data analytics solutions. The collaboration is designed to help banks and financial institutions worldwide strengthen risk governance, enhance balance sheet resilience, and make faster, accurate, data‑driven decisions through integrated advisory‑led technology transformation. Under the collaboration, the two organizations will jointly pursue large‑scale finance and risk transformation initiatives across key global markets, including India, the Middle East, Africa, the United States, and Europe. Together, they aim to deliver end‑to‑end solutions that combine Surya’s proven risk technology and data platforms with Uniqus’ deep advisory, program governance, and domain expertise. Jamil Khatri, Co-Founder and CEO at Uniqus Consultech, said, “As financial institutions continue to navig...

HCLTech, a leading global technology company, today announced the launch of a dedicated Gemini Enterprise Business Unit. The new business unit, the first of its kind from a global system integrator, will accelerate the development and adoption of industry‑specific solutions built on Google Gemini Enterprise. HCLTech’s Gemini Enterprise Business Unit aims to enable enterprises globally unlock the full value of generative and agentic AI. Enterprises can transition from manual, fragmented processes to unified, automated decision‑making, driving measurable outcomes such as reduced unplanned maintenance downtime, stronger fraud mitigation and improved diagnostic accuracy. "HCLTech continues to be an essential partner in bringing Google Cloud technologies to enterprises worldwide," said Kevin Ichhpurani, President, Global Partner Ecosystem at Google Cloud. "By combining HCLTech's industry expertise with Google Cloud's agentic platform, we're providing our joint...

 Godrej Enterprises Group (GEG), a pioneer and one of India’s most trusted brands in safety and security solutions, will participate in  Smart Home Expo 2026 , unveiling a comprehensive portfolio of smart, connected, and future-ready security solutions designed for modern Indian homes, commercial establishments, and evolving urban lifestyles. At the expo, hosted from 28–30 April 2026 at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, Godrej Enterprises Group will showcase its smart safety and security solutions portfolio at Stall No. K-40. The Showcase will highlight how digital-first innovation and intelligent access control are reshaping safety, convenience, and peace of mind in today’s increasingly connected environments. The showcase will feature a wide range of advanced, ‘Made in India’ digital lock solutions, alongside interconnected home safety offerings. Strengthening its leadership in home lockers, Godrej has also introduced a new portfolio designed with next-generation,...

BLS International, a leading global AI-and tech-enabled services partner for governments and citizens, entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the India and Arab Countries Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (IACCIA) to expand commercial attestation and related services through its network of 17 centres across India. This collaboration will make documentation processes faster, more accessible, and highly efficient for Indian businesses engaged in trade with the 22 Arab League countries. The MoU was formalised in the presence of Dr. Waiel S. H. Awwad, Secretary General (In-charge) of IACCIA, and Mrs. Charu Khosla, Chief Operating Officer - Strategic Markets, Governments and Institutions, BLS International.  The India & Arab Countries Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (IACCIA) has recently achieved a significant milestone with formal recognition from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Government of India. This author...

Zydus Wellness Ltd. announced the expansion of its RiteBite Max Protein portfolio into three new formats ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shakes, culturally rooted Ghee Jaggery protein bars, and Korean flavoured protein chips, marking a significant step in its strategy to build a comprehensive, multi-format protein ecosystem. With this expansion, the company is further strengthening its protein play and repositioning RiteBite Max Protein as an everyday protein platform. Through these launches, the brand also aims to tap into India’s rapidly growing protein market, which is estimated at $10–12 billion across supplements, functional foods, and everyday formats and is expanding at a mid-teen CAGR. In Q3 FY26, RiteBite Max Protein demonstrated strong momentum post-acquisition, and posted near double-digit EBITDA margins, underpinned by distribution expansion, innovation, and category tailwinds. Commenting on the development, Tarun Arora, CEO, Zydus Wellness, said: “Protein in India is no l...

From stocking up on silver to adding gold coins to the cart, this Akshaya Tritiya, India turned to quick commerce in a big way. Instamart recorded a 45x surge in overall demand on April 19, led by a 49x jump in gold and 24x growth in silver. Across the platform, the most loved gold grammages were 1g, 2g, and 0.5g , proof that Akshaya Tritiya is as much about cultural intent as it is about affordability. Silver: Go Big or Go Home: If gold was about repeat taps, silver was about going all in. One Bengaluru shopper added ₹1.65 lakh worth of silver bars to the cart in a single tap. Across Instamart, silver showed up as the go-to for gifting, investing, and stocking up, with 10g, 5g, and 20g bars leading the way. Because sometimes, festive shopping isn’t about small steps, it’s about filling the cart and calling it a day. Gold Lock, Because Shagun Can Be Secured: This Akshaya Tritiya, Instamart enabled a Price Lock feature for select gold coins offered by sellers on the platform that ...

Lava International Limited, India’s leading homegrown smartphone brand, today announced a set of AGNI upgrade offers, with exclusive exchange benefits for existing AGNI series users to upgrade to the latest AGNI 4 5G . This limited-time offer, running from April 21 st till 30 th exclusively on Amazon , reinforces Lava’s commitment to its loyal community by making the latest flagship more accessible. The AGNI series has consistently democratized high-end technology, bringing powerhouse performance to Indian tech enthusiasts. The recently launched AGNI 4 5G elevates this legacy with Vayu AI, a first-in-segment Gen AI assistant available to users like their companion, and the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 8350 5G processor. Available in Phantom Black and Lunar Mist color variants, it features a stunning 1.5K AMOLED 120Hz display, a premium matte AG glass design, and a versatile 50MP Sony OIS camera system with 4K recording. Combined with 66W fast charging and a bloatware-free exp...