Good morning, Bengaluru!
☁️ Today’s weather: Generally cloudy for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The General Post Office on Raj Bhavan Road is the second largest in South India after Chennai.
🛩️ Electric commuter flights a reality?
Bengaluru could become a hub for flights using eVTOL aircraft.
What’s it about? A joint venture between Hunch Ventures and Blade Air Mobility is working to bring electric commercial flights to the subcontinent. Bengaluru could become the launch city and a hub for urban air mobility.
- The companies are working with local, state, and central officials to ensure there’s adequate infrastructure in place. Eve Air Mobility and Hunch Mobility are the two companies working together on this effort.
- The company’s four-passenger electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) can fly 100 km, allowing it to complete several trips in the city. It has a lift-plus-cruise configuration with dedicated rotors for vertical flight and fixed wings for cruise flight.
Tests: Eve was the first eVTOL manufacturer to sign a letter of intent. Hunch Mobility announced its purchase of 200 eVTOLs. As part of the announcement, both companies launched a three-month pilot project conducting intra-city helicopter flights in Bengaluru.
💸 Loans for vendors
The BBMP granted loans to over 92,000 vendors and aims to cover more.
What’s it about? Under the PM SVANidhi scheme, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has provided loans to over 92,000 street vendors. The civic body is looking to expand coverage to newspaper vendors and rag pickers. However, officials stated that this didn’t mean they were allowed to encroach on public spaces.
- Over 1.3 lakh applied for the loans per BBMP officials. Women beneficiaries outnumbered men, with 62%. 30% of those who applied were from other backward classes, and 27% were from scheduled castes.
- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has set a target of 1,11,674 loans in Bengaluru. The scheme permits anyone doing business on their own and catering to the public to be eligible for a ₹10,000 loan.
Additional loans: If the beneficiary uses a digital payment method and returns the loan in one year, they’re eligible for a ₹20,000 loan in the second year and ₹50,000 in the third.
🏅 Scientific accomplishments
Two of the six Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) prize recipients are from Bengaluru.
What’s it about? The ISF announced the six winners of the prizes in six categories. The prize for each category includes a gold medal, a citation, and a $100,000 cash prize. The awards will be presented on January 13, 2024.
- The two recipients from Bengaluru are Dr Jahnavi Phalkey from the Science Gallery Bengaluru and Mukund Thattai from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS).
- Dr Phalkey won in the Humanities category for her insights into the individual, institutional, and material histories of scientific research in modern India. Professor Thattai was recognised for his contribution to evolutionary cell biology.
Other winners: The other winners were Sachchida Nand Tripathi from IIT Kanpur in the Engineering and Computer Science category, Arun Kumar Shukla, also from IIT Kanpur in the Life Sciences category, Bhargav Bhatt from Princeton University in the Mathematical Sciences category, and Karuna Mantena from Columbia University in the Social Sciences category.
🏢 Ninjacart’s new space
The agri-startup Ninjacart now has a managed office space to expand its presence in the city.
What’s it about? The company hired Colliers to help identify and transact a premium office space in the city. The experts proposed a managed office space instead of a conventional one.
- The new space is located within the Outer Ring Road corridor and is operated by IndiQube. It’s equipped with modern equipment, including a gym, food court, and childcare facilities.
- The space is also close to an upcoming metro line, an added convenience for its employees. The new office space, successfully negotiated by Colliers, can seat over 1,000.
About Ninjacart: The leading agri startup uses technology and data to enhance the efficiency of the agricultural supply chain process. The company now operates in verticals like fintech and commerce. It operates in 70 locations and will expand to 200 cities in the coming year.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you purchased green crackers?
- I have purchased green crackers.
- I haven’t purchased green crackers.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What would a book or movie about Bengaluru be called?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Devanahalli Taluk farmers have reported a surge in income through cultivating foreign broccoli.
- Samsung R&D Institute in Bengaluru won awards for engineering excellence and innovation at the Nasscom Spotlight Awards.
- Birdwatcher Shubha Bhat’s new book showcases photographic documentation of over 200 bird species.
- Some residents yearn for long weekends and hybrid work as a picture of empty roads goes viral.
- South Bengaluru residents say lack of amenities and sewage entry into lakes is a cause for worry.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I do visit a library often: 0.0%
- I don’t visit a library often: 100.0% 🏆
That’s it for today. Have a great day!