A couple of years back, owning a car was considered a luxury and a distant dream for many of us but now the car has become a commodity! The rise in disposable personal income, higher aspirations of working middle class, easy access to loans and growth of the on-demand economy are some of the factors that have led to increased demand for cars in India.
As per a report from the Indian Brand Equity Foundation, sales of passenger vehicles increased by 16.7% to 258,000 units in August 2016 driven by better-than-expected monsoon and strong buying sentiment. Sales of commercial vehicles grew by 1.53 per cent to 52,996 units [Source]. These staggering figures definitely indicate that the auto industry in India is one of the largest in the world!
The automobile industry landscape is changing at a rapid pace and the shared mobility torch-bearers namely Uber, Ola are driving force behind this change. A couple of months back, Ola signed a deal with Mahindra and as mentioned by Mr. Mahindra – The auto industry will grow but will it grow as much as it would have in the absence of car sharing, definitely not. That will certainly affect the potential of the market. In a country like this, starved of infrastructure with urban congestion, may be that is a very good environmental solution. People will buy cars when they want it as a sign of aspiration. Given the very low penetration, a car park of only 30 million here, there is a clear opportunity to grow both fleet market and individual buyers’ market [Source]
Even though there is a burgeoning growth of the automobile industry, the automobile repair and services industry continues to remain highly unorganized. India’s car servicing industry is slated to be a Rs 33,000-crore business by 2020, up from Rs 20,000 crore now [Source]. Since the car services market is highly fragmented, car owners have to depend on local garages for repair & service and most of the times the experience might not turn out to be pleasant. Local garages using bogus spares, delayed delivery, lack of customer service & orientation, incomplete repair works creates an overall bad customer experience. However, thanks to the increasing penetration of internet, car owners can now avail important car services at a click of a button. Startups like Fulltank are on a journey to organize the automobile repair services market by Providing an exceptional on-demand car repair and service at the doorstep.
Fulltank – Important car services available on a click
Fulltank is a car service provider currently operational in Bengaluru and Coimbatore. Whether your car broke down on a highway & you need assistance or you want to avail important services like a car wash, buying tyres, stepney change, etc. right from the comfort of your home, Fulltank would come to your rescue.
Unlike local garage shops, the spare parts used by Fulltank are 100% genuine. Their services are 24*7 available via their Android & iOS app. They also provide immediate assistance for any Break downs, Punctures, Fuel Out, Flat Tyre, Towing, etc. that happens all of a sudden in your vehicle.
Fulltank – Roadside Assistance, Chauffeurs, Car Insurance and more
Apart from being a handy companion in emergency situations, Fulltank also provides a gamut of services listed below:
Roadside Assistance – Be it fixing a puncture, towing a vehicle or replacing tyres, Fulltank provides all these services at the convenience of your fingertips. It charges a nominal fee for the service being provided. They have on-boarded verified mechanics who ensure that your car remains in awesome condition even after service!
Chauffeurs – Sitting in a car becomes an experience only if the steering is controlled by the right person. In order to provide an exceptional experience, FullTank offers chauffeurs rental service. The chauffeurs present on their platform possess good competency and clean driving record.
Maintenance Services – They provide comprehensive maintenance services such as scheduled 10000 km, 20000 km, oil change, etc. Fulltank also assists its customers with car insurance, car service, car wash as well as repair.
In a nutshell, Fulltank has a range of services built for well-being of your car
Fulltank – Mobile app for your car service needs
As mentioned earlier, the Fulltank app is available on Android as well as iOS. The app has user-friendly interface and once you download the app, you need to enter the car details [like the brand, car number, engine type, etc.] in Fulltank. Availability of some of the services like tyre replacement, battery replacement, stepney change, etc. might vary across different car models.
To top it all, in order to delight it’s customers Fulltank would offer up to 71% off on car wash services with free pickup & drop once you complete the following survey. #BeaHero and join the fight against the industry villains by downloading the Fulltank app. If you have used services from Fulltank, please leave your feedback in the comments section.
Telenor published its WebWise report that analyses internet usage and access patterns of school going children. The report has findings of the safe Internet survey done in schools by Telenor India.
The survey reveals access trends of school going children in areas such as Medium used to access internet, What is Internet being used for, Who will they approach if they are bullied, Understanding of safe internet practices, Awareness about child helpline, Favourite social media platforms and Types of cyber harm faced.
The WebWise survey was conducted across schools in 13 cities of India covering a sample size of 2727 students who have attended these sessions. The WebWise programme is aimed at strengthening digital resiliency among school children. As part of the programme, Telenor employees conduct workshops in schools to spread awareness on safe internet practices for students, teachers and parents.
Sharad Mehrotra, Chief Executive Officer, Telenor India Communications said
At Telenor, we believe in promoting a digitally connected society. As our children embark on this journey, it is our responsibility to ensure that Internet becomes a window to a wealth of information for them. On one hand the WebWise Report highlights the vulnerabilities and cyber threats, and on the other hand it presents us with insights that can help us to create focused awareness campaigns around safe internet practices.
Telenor has taken many steps towards enabling safe internet including Child Helpline 1098 by embedding the number on SIMs. Additionally, we conduct WebWise workshops to coach students on how to be safe while being online. We have reached out to over 55,000 students and will continue to educate them, along with parents and teachers, to ensure a secure digital future.
The Telenor India WebWise report indicates that children are extremely vulnerable to account hacking, receiving inappropriate messages, being bullied online, etc. Cyber-bullying has also emerged as one of the major threats online and often it goes undetected as children do not discuss the issue with parents or teachers.
98.8% school-going children access internet in urban areas and 49.5% of them do it from home.
Over 43% use mobile as the medium to access internet, followed by laptop, desktop and tablets.
Children use internet to find information for school projects, playing games, reading online books, listening to music and watching movies, social networking sites, email, etc.
54.8% children share their passwords with friends.
Majority of children were willing to approach their parents in case they experience any cyber harm.
Over 76% children are not aware of the Child Helpline 1098.
Facebook is the most favourite platform, followed by WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram.
Over 35% children have experienced their account being hacked while 15.74% shared that they have received inappropriate messages.
15% complained of being bullied online whereas 10.41% faced humiliation through picture/video that were uploaded on Internet.
After the workshop, 92.6% of the children surveyed said they will not share personal information with strangers while online whereas 89.3% said they will block suspicious persons and inform an adult in case they are bullied online.
In 2014, a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study done on behalf of the Telenor Group indicated that nearly 180 million children will access internet by 2017 in Telenor markets (13 countries) and up to 85% will use mobile devices as their point of access. Amongst the 12 countries studied by BCG, children in India were in the highest risk category due to a combination of increased access, enabled by affordable Internet and smartphones, and lack of knowledge among parents and children on the safeguards against different types of cyber threats.
To mitigate these risks, Telenor has been consistently working towards making Internet use safe among children. It is extremely important for a parent to monitor the online activities of their children and constantly educate them on internet safety by citing real life examples. Earlier this year, Telenor had also launched a Parental Guide to help parents talk to their children about internet access and solve their existing dilemmas.
Telenor India’s WebWise Report, which includes details of Internet access habits of school children is available online here
Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning are some of the hot trends in technology and definitely they are here to stay. There is a huge demand-supply gap of data scientists and as per Forbes it is considered as the most sexiest job to pursue. As stated by Srikanth Velamakanni, CEO of Fractal and a member of the Analytics Interest Group – Presently there are only 10,000-15,000 analytics and data experts in India,and there will be a shortage of two lakh data scientists in India over the next few years. [Source].
Today we have a discussion with Dr S Ramesh Babu, Director & Head of Manipal Global Academy of Data Science, Manipal Global Education Services about the course, demand for data science, industry relevance of the course, etc.
So, let’s get started with the Q&A….
How and when did you plan to have a program specifically designed around Data Science ?
As our world turns increasingly digital, there is an overwhelming and rapidly growing amount of data being generated and made available every hour. As per an IBM report, 90 percent of the data in the world today has been created over the past couple of years. And this is growing exponentially each and every day.
While various tools and software-like Hadoop have been developed to organize and make sense of this unending avalanche of data, there is an acute shortage in the number of people who can effectively use them. The fact that data science professionals require multidisciplinary skills including mathematics, statistics, and technology; professionals’ crossing over and meeting business needs makes things even more difficult.
While various institutes and entities have sprung up over the past couple of years to bridge this shortage of talent, the plethora of the problems in the data science field is so humongous that only knowledge experts with an outside-in approach from the data science field can solve this.
To address this challenge, Manipal Global Academy of Data Science (MGADS) put together faculty comprising veteran IT industry professionals and academics to provide industry relevant learning in the form of the Post Graduate Diploma in Data Science Program. They are supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure, the latest technology and a well-equipped, 77,000 square feet residential campus.
Can you please share some insights into this Post Graduate Diploma Program offered by Manipal Group [content, time, fees etc.]
The Eleven-Month Post Graduate Diploma in Data Science from Manipal University, is designed specifically for the industries and domains where such talent is required. The program will help you develop the knowledge and skills for first-day first-hour productivity in a data science role.
The curriculum will lay the foundation, introduce you to the basics and then move on to the advanced application-based courses of data science. The foundation level courses include Database Management, Programming for Data Science using R, Statistical Techniques and Exploratory Data Analysis.
The Basic courses include Machine Learning, Big Data Technologies, Data Visualization. These are then built on with the advanced courses.. Our curriculum also includes electives that we think are unique, building domain-specific competence in you. The electives offered are in the following domains: BFSI, Marketing; and additional domains will be offered in future. It also comprises of certain behavioural and soft-skills training that would complement the skill-set of a successful Data Scientist.
Team at Manipal Global Academy of Data Science
There are many data science & analytics training options available in the market, online and otherwise. How does the Program at Manipal Global Academy of Data Science differ from the lot ?
Manipal Global Academy of Data Science offers customized solutions to meet the various levels of industry, all designed to ensure first-day first hour productivity for data science professionals. It co-creates solutions with clients who are looking forward to set up an analytics unit. Areas such as predictive analytics and forecasting are included in the solutions offered to the B2B clients.
Programs are also offered to individuals interested in furthering their careers in field of data science. The academy provides comprehensive programs full-time eleven month program spread across four terms. A stringent eligibility requirement and competency assessment test ensures that only those who fulfill the necessary criteria can join this program.
A go-ahead from Manipal University’s Board of Studies adds rigor to the carefully crafted curriculum and our Industry partners [Genpact, Experian, IBM Big Data University] add relevance to this program. Moreover, the diploma for this program is awarded by Manipal University. These facts completely differentiate us from other training/certificate providers in the data science stream.
What is the target audience of the program (experienced and fresh graduates or only experienced) ?
Manipal Global Academy of Data Science offers Full-time eleven-month program for both fresh college graduates and experienced professionals. However, the Part-time program, offered on the weekends, is only for experienced professionals [subject to fulfilling the eligibility criteria].
Data Science as a field has become more prominent now. Apart from Data Science what are some of the emerging trends that would gain prominence in future!
The key developments in the next few years will be the gradual shift within enterprises and institutions away from isolated data siloes into open data platforms. Information sharing will become easier not just at the person to person level but also at the machine to machine level, as layers of semantics standards, best practices, innovating data technologies and organizational changes transform the role of data in our lives.
There are new professions that are seen emerging. These include professional computational decision engineers and AI [artificial intelligence] stewardship.
In the far future, we could see the birth of the Chief Meaning Officer-equal parts decision scientist, IT manager, storyteller, and organizational anthropologist.
There are many engineers from diversified roles interested in data science, statistical science; any tips on how they can change their career paths ?
A data scientist is someone who is better at statistics than any software engineer and he is better at software engineering than any statistician. Hence, anyone with a good quantitative aptitude can be a data science professional.
What are some of the basic traits that a Data Scientist needs to pursue ?
It is still an evolving field. Apart from having a quantitative aptitude, some of the skills needed include a flair for programming; knowledge of Math, Stats and Probability; Machine Learning; being skeptical and communication. Communication is the way for data scientist to show their findings to other people, which leads to visualization and presentation skills to be high on lists like this.
Can you list some of the tools that would be covered as a part of the course ?
Through this program you will learn the following tools and be equipped with these competencies:
Computing – Topics in Programming taught on R, Database management Systems taught using SQL and No-SQL, Statistical techniques and Exploratory Data Analysis will cover Algorithms & their performance.
Machine Learning – Knowledge about different algorithms like Regression, classification, clustering and recommendation systems, Artificial Intelligence.
Big Data Technologies – Hands-on experience on Hadoop ecosystem [For parallel processing of large data-sets; PIG – unstructured Data processing, and HIVE for structured DP]; open system tools [APACHE SPARK and STORM].
Data Visualization skills will be taught on tools like proprietary products.
Details about the faculty for the course and about Manipal’s involvement w.r.t placements, affiliations in industry etc.
Dr S Ramesh Babu is the Director and Head of Manipal Global Academy of Data Science, Manipal Global Education Services. He has two decades of professional experience in various positions in Technology, Management, Consulting and Leadership in the IT industry. His functional areas include driving enterprise-wide capacity and capabilities programs, and aimed at designing and deploying learning solutions.
Prior to joining Manipal, he has worked at Infosys for 19 years, and prior to that in Tata Research Design and Development Center at Tata Consulting Services. His last role has been Associate Vice President at Infosys.
Dr Yogesh Kumar Bhatt is the Vice-President – IT Education and Training at Manipal Global Education (MaGE). He heads Manipal Academy of Information Technology (MGAIT), and looks after entire academic development and delivery of programs for Information Technology vertical. He has around two decades of experience involving employee competency development, education, training, delivery and consulting in Information Technology sector.
Prior to joining MaGE, he has worked for 16 years with Infosys, spending this time across various functions and roles. His last role at Infosys was as the Associate Vice President and Head of Consulting and Systems Integration Academy.
Bhaskaran Srinivasan is a Senior Strategy Consultant helping companies to innovate and deliver their products and services, in a manner that ensures sustainable business, for both themselves and their customers. He is a trusted advisor in helping craft and live a strategy. He works with companies to help improve performance parameters such as top line, bottom line, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, product and market mix. He is also an accredited CEO Coach through Coaching Foundation of India. With over 30 years of business experience, of which 10+ years were in the role of senior management in Royal Philips Electronics, his focus areas include: Business Strategy; Deploying effective Management Practices; Organization architectures; Contextualized Training; Strategic Workforce Planning; Leadership development; Organization Competence Development; Executive Coaching etc.,
Manipal’s involvement in Placements – We are assuring 100% Placement assistance to all our learners, irrespective of full-time and part-time program, as long as they are self-sponsored and they meet all the placement eligibility criteria. We have Industry partners on board, who will play a major role in recruitment in final placements, as also for the internships in the last term.
For enhanced learning experience, we have extended the benefits of the Coursera-Manipal Global relationship to our Learners, wherein they can choose from a bouquet of specializations to enroll into, as an attractive package [additional certifications from leading global institutions at discounted prices!]. Also, through our relationship with IBM Big Data University, we have integrated some of their content in our program curriculum.
Can you mention some of the industry verticals that would be a part of the Data Science course ?
Millennials are spending more, not less, time with their PCs than before. Studies indicate that the average time spent on a PC has gone up by 12 minutes since 2012. In addition, consumers are spending twice as much time watching movies and TV shows on PCs rather than tablets and smartphones combined.
Lenovo has released Top PC Trends for 2017 and it is important to note that PCs are more important than before, and display technologies make all the difference. As consumers become prolific creators, consumers and sharers of content, Lenovo believes that display innovations will be a key feature that will drive customer satisfaction. The company has already implemented these features in industry-leading products such as the ThinkPad X1 Yoga’s optional OLED display; the Yoga 910’s near-edgeless 4K display; the Yoga Book featuring pen-based input, dual screen and a Halo Keyboard as well as the Lenovo Y27g Curved Gaming Monitor.
Against this backdrop, there will be plenty to look forward to in the personal computing space in 2017.
AR/VR Gaming – The AR/VR gaming space is projected to explode as a trend in 2017. With over 50 different headsets already confirmed to be displayed at CES 2017, gaming systems are set to dominate the PC market. We can anticipate that these technologies will grow beyond the PC gaming world as new uses are discovered for the technologies. For example, schools are piloting Virtual Reality Corners to diversify the learning process, bringing headsets and AR-compatible devices into the classroom.
Display Innovations – Thanks to growing consumer interest for AR/VR gaming, display innovations subsequently follow on the fast track to growing PC trends. Last year, Lenovo was one of the first to bring curved gaming monitors to market for more immersive gaming with the Lenovo Y27g Curved Gaming Monitor and continues to invest in this space to match display capabilities with AR/VR technology that calls for vibrant, snappy visuals.
Outside of gaming displays, Lenovo also introduced the ThinkPad X1 Yoga with optional OLED display and Yoga 910 with up to 4K display, ushering these high-impact displays to become the standard.
IoT Integration – IoT will continue to leave an impression in 2017 as industry observers are already predicting The Internet of Everything to be a disruptive trend in technology for the year. Expect to see significant growth in both the consumer and B2B market where smart connectivity extends to virtually any endpoint in the home or workplace. Lenovo is on the path to innovate in this space with ambitious R&D plans in place to make PCs and other smart devices even more integrated and intuitive.
Versatility in Laptops and Tablets – In a recent report, IDC forecasts that detachable can be considered as a PC replacement in the commercial space, with the detachable category expected to account for 31 percent of the tablet market by 2020, an increase from its current market share of 16 percent. 2017 will undoubtedly see an abundance of convertible and detachable devices on the market as portability and versatility remain top of mind for PC users who are becoming more mobile at work and at home.
Extended PC Lifecycles – In the commercial space, analysts forecast PC-as-a-Service [PCaaS] will help PC vendors transform transactional PC sales into longer-term and more profitable engagements by expanding their services portfolios bundled with PC sales. IDC also surveyed IT buyers across a range of company sizes about PCaaS and found that almost half of respondents said they engaged in the past 12 months or are considering engaging in the next 12 months in PCaaS. This means IT decision makers are positioned to drive and grow the PC market with customized add-on services to maintain and extend the life-cycle of the device.
RailYatri has launched a Fog Alert feature which will help train travellers plan their journeys better this winter. Trains in the winter months witness severe delays due to fog which adds to the travelers woes. RailYatri has noted that in the last one week more than 90 runs of trains [between Delhi and Patna] were delayed due to fog. The feature allows users to check the possibility of delay at particular stations.
This Fog Alert feature can particularly help people travelling to Patna for the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The birth anniversary that will be celebrated on 5 January is expected to receive thousands of devotees from across the country.
The journey experience for most train travelers to Patna can be ruined by the foggy situations prevailing in North India. More than 80% of trains moving towards Patna, from various parts of India, would have to cross through fog prone routes. This means the trains would be affected by fog delays, from a few minutes to many hours. Now, the RailYatri app would solve the uncertainty regarding fog delays.
The all new Fog Alert feature tells the passengers about fog probability along the route, severity of fog and its probable impact on train schedule.The feature would allow devotees to plan their travel better as well as keep their near and dear ones informed about the delays.
We launched this feature to help users manage their journey better. In the early weeks of January, fog is predominant in every rail route along North India. And in the wake of this, passengers are stranded on railway stations for hours at the end. With the heavy anticipated rush to Patna and fog conditions along the way, things can get quite chaotic for passengers. We believe that mobile technology, coupled with our data intelligence can remove the chaos, leading to happy travel experiences.
RailYatri.in understands how important it is for travelers (and their friends and family) to be updated about the possible delay of his train due to the dense fog.
This new feature in the RailYatri train app, Fog Alerts, allows travelers to plan and book their train journeys after ensuring that their selected train has the minimum probability of getting affected by fog.
About RailYatri.in
The brainchild of seasoned experts from IITs and IIM-Kapil Raizada, Sachin Saxena & Manish Rathi with over 20 years of engineering experience-RailYatri is changing the ecosystem of train travel in India. The intelligent travel provides the most comprehensive information on trains, passenger amenities at stations, platform information, speed of the train, personalized alerts, and much more via the mobile apps, mobile web and SMS. For more information, please visit RailYatri
Google has announced the roll out of Railwire Wi-Fi at Udhagamandalam [Ooty] bringing in high-speed Internet to 100 of the busiest railway stations across India. Over 10 million people who pass through these stations every day now have an access to fast Internet speed to stream [or offline] an HD video, research their destination or download a new book or game for the journey ahead. With over 5 million monthly users, the Google Railtel Wifi is helping millions of Indians discover the benefits of Internet with 15000 first time users connecting to the network everyday.
Excited about the roll-out of high-speed Railwire Wi-Fi at the 100th station in India, Gulzar Azad, Country Head – Connectivity, Google India said
We are really excited about reaching this milestone and it is an incredible feeling to look back and see how far we’ve come since weannounced that we were partnering with Indian Railways and RailTel to provide Wi-Fi at 400 railway stations throughout the country. But what has really inspired us are the stories of how people are using this high-speed access to the full and open Internet. They’re using Railwire Wi-Fi to be more productive with their time and to get things done more efficiently.
The high-speed, quality Wi-Fi also enables the travellers to connect with their loved ones more regularly especially with video calling apps. Google is committed to launch high-speed Wifi across 400 stations in India in partnership with Railtel. Launched in January this year, Google will continue to deploy the high speed Wi-Fi in the next 300 stations. In addition to this, Google has also introduced Google Station, which gives partners an easy set of tools to roll-out Wi-Fi hotspots in public places.
Mobile and Internet have become important inseparable companions of our lives. Food, taxi, finance products,etc. are now accessible at the click of a button, thanks to the rising internet penetration and affordability of smartphones. However, apps that each one of us would wish to stay away from are the On-Demand health apps since you would never want that you or any our loved one’s have to visit a doctor 🙂 However, no matter how much we take preventive actions, somethings cannot be avoided especially diseases spread by the mosquito mayhem!
Mosquito bites can result in serious infections coupled with diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya,etc. hence, it is very important to keep yourself as well as kids are protected from them. This is the primary reason why there are mosquito repellent solutions and hence mosquito repellent companies have come up with tailor-made mosquito repellent for babies.
As per this report, 85% Indians are aware that Dengue can be life threatening. 90% Indians are unaware that the mosquitoes that bite primarily during the day cause Dengue. Only 8% Indians use repellents during the daytime when the Dengue mosquitoes are the most active. Armed with this insight, Good knight has embarked on a journey to raise awareness of the Dengue mosquitoes prevalent during the daytime which will help the people to take necessary precautions in the day time as well thus, protecting themselves and their families from Dengue.
When it comes to medicines, we never experiment since it is a very serious matter and this is where brand trust & brand recall plays a crucial role. Good Knight is the undisputed champion in providing best electronic mosquito repellents in the indoor & outdoor mosquito repellent segment. Since e-commerce has become an important enabler in life, customers can now buy safe mosquito repellent online. Lets have a look at some of the game changing products from Good Knight catering to various customer segments particularly the kids!
Good Knight Fabric Roll-on – 100% Natural Mosquito Repellent
Parents want their kids to be free from germs since they are the source of any kind of infections. Good Knight has a child-safe outdoor mosquito repellent that is 100% natural and gives a protection of upto 8 Hours. You need to just apply 4 dots on clothes to ensure that your loving kids are protected from mosquito bites. Good knight Fabric Roll-on consists of pure citronella and eucalyptus oil for mosquitoes which makes them child safe.
Good Knight Fabric Roll-on – 100% Natural Mosquito Repellent
Parents want their kids to be free from germs since they are the source of any kind of infections. Good Knight has a child-safe outdoor mosquito repellent that is 100% natural and gives a protection of upto 8 Hours. You need to just apply 4 dots on clothes to ensure that your loving kids are protected from mosquito bites. Good knight Fabric Roll-on consists of pure citronella and eucalyptus oil for mosquitoes which makes them child safe.
Good Knight Patches for Babies – Baby Safe Mosquito Repellent
In order to protect your little-ones, Good Knight has come up with baby safe mosquito repellent also known as Patches. The patches are 100% natural since they are made up of 100% natural oils. The patches provide 8 hours of protection from all kinds of mosquitoes including those that spread dreadful diseases like dengue, malaria & chikungunya. The patches are child-safe and can be stuck on prams, strollers and other places.
So, what are you waiting for ? Protect your child from the mosquito menace by using innovative child-safe products from Good Knight so that your kids enjoy a Good Night Sleep 🙂
Starting today, Google will make information about thousands of public toilets in India’s National Capital Region and Madhya Pradesh available on Google Maps. Working closely with the Ministry of Urban Development, Google is adding the location, address and opening hours of over four thousand communal and public restrooms to Maps, aiming to provide easy access to information to people in India and help improve sanitation.
With over four thousand listings covering Delhi NCR including Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, Bhopal and Indore in Madhya Pradesh-Indians and visitors alike will now be able to easily find the nearest public toilet on Google Maps-both on the mobile app as well as on desktop. This service will be accessible to users both in English and Hindi language.
When you search for “public toilet” on Google Maps in an area where the service is available, you will see a list of restrooms near you, including the respective address and opening hours. For instance, if you are traveling on the national highway 8 in Gurugram, locating a public toilet can be challenging and most often the only option is going to nearby restaurants and cafes. Having this information handy can make things much easier.
Improving sanitation is an important cornerstone of the government’s Swachh Bharat campaign for a clean India. This includes making information about existing sanitation facilities easily accessible to people. The Ministry of Urban Development plans to continue to provide information about public restrooms for more cities.
Google is beginning to roll out these new local listings on Google Maps today, and they will be available to users both on desktop and Google Maps for Mobile [Android and iOS].
