Soon, e-payment facility at RTOs to erase middleme

In a move aimed at eliminating middlemen and removing irregularities at regional transport offices (RTOs), the state government has decided to introduce e-payment facilities for vehicle registration and driving licences, vehicle permits and fitness certificates.

According to official sources, the facility will first be introduced for registration of vehicles by dealers and then extended to payments pertaining to licences, permits and fitness certificates by the public. Transport minister K N Nehru is likely to inaugurate the system in November.

"The department has tested the software and is now making certain modifications to make it more simplified. To start with, the payments can be made through the State Bank of India's net banking services and the bank has agreed to provide zero balance account facilities to vehicle dealers who don't have an account with it. Once the system is in place, we will gradually enable the driving schools and individual applicants to make use of it," a senior transport official told The Times of India at the Secretariat.

Authorised dealers in the state have already been given identity name and password to enable them to access the transport department's website to submit applications for vehicle registration online.

"The government aims to make the RTOs cashless and paperless offices and considers the introduction of e-payment facility an important step in that direction. Soon, the system will be upgraded to enable applicants to make the payments using credit and debit cards,'' said a regional transport officer in the city.

Many vehicle users welcomed the decision but said the government should be more pro-active in ensuring that there were no middlemen at RTOs since usage of e-services depends on the computer literacy among the general public. The recently introduced facility through which vehicle users can submit applications for driving licence and get prior appointments to take learner's licence tests and driving tests has evoked a good response.

Transport department records show that about 7,500 vehicle users across the state applied for learner's licence online since August 1 and in Chennai region alone, over 3,000 people used the facility to submit learner's licence applications. Besides, driving schools in the state submitted applications online on behalf of over one-lakh applicants.

Putting your health before your wealth

The message banks would like to convey to customers, using technology. An intervention for PurpleTeal would mean an SMS sent to a customer to remind him about taking medicine or a health check as the case may be.

I care for your health before I care for your wealth," is a healthy message that a bank might like to convey to its customers. And toward this end, asks Sethu Venkateswaran, "If I can place an ATM in a hospital, why can't I place a doctor in the bank?" Venkateswaran is the Head of Group Retail Banking for Arab Banking Corporation (ABC). He actually tried this out at his earlier employer - where some branches had doctors visiting at peak hours or days so that bank customers, while waiting to transact, could consult with the physician on at least basic medical issues.

No wonder he was taken in by PurpleTeal CEO, Narayanan Ram's offering - an SMS service which, by customers' choice, alerts them about medicines or medical tests they have to take or sends a mere morning walk reminder.

Venkateswaran is among three such bankers that eWorld spoke to, to know what they thought of the SMS service from the stables of PurpleTeal. None of them is yet a customer for PurpleTeal, but will decide on a deal shortly. What all of them agree on, though, is that the SMS-based offering fits in well with their aim of offering value added services to customers.

Why Banks?

It is easy to understand why Medical Insurance companies and Hospitals would want their clients to follow a prescribed medical regimen. But where do banks come in?

Says Venkateswaran, "About a decade or more ago, bank marketing was new to everyone. As we evolved, we had to offer that 'extra' something to attract clients. It had to be something more than the usual vanilla offering that was a given."

He explains that these were, among others, discounts on purchases using a credit card or accumulating reward points. "It slowly evolved into lifestyle related issues - we looked at a particular age-group and tried to address what it wanted." If it were insurance, he says, "We'd talk about benefits - example, the education of his child in the long-term." It could even be the lounge benefits in airports that a premium customer could get.

The end of the last century brought in car loans and home loans that needed the extra something. "Free car service for the first few months and free legal consulting for a home loan were obvious extras."

Now, he says PurpleTeal fits in with his plans, "Something (untoward) could happen to you, the customer. We won't let that happen. I care for your health before your wealth!"

Agrees Suresh Sethi, Group President, Transaction Banking at Yes Bank, which is evaluating PurpleTeal's SMS service for its insurance customers, through its tie-up with Bajaj Alliance. "We want our customers to lead a healthier lifestyle. It would certainly help prevent customers falling ill."

According to Rajesh Iyer, head, Personal Financial Services Marketing, HSBC India, health consciousness is an emerging trend today, and people do want to 'invest' in their health. "However, it is also a reality that current lifestyles leave most customers time-starved. PurpleTeal's offerings help us bridge this gap between 'intent' and 'action'. "We are able to add value to our customers, beyond banking."

In the last five years or so, agrees Venkateswaran, health consciousness has risen and so have the number of fitness centres, not to mention diet concerns. "For now, we would like to cater to patients' needs as they see it fit - such as reminding them, by SMS, about their 30-minute morning walk." Slowly, he feels it would evolve into a support system that a bank could offer to clients: "'Did you take the walk? Have you even thought about walking as a routine? If not, maybe you should.' kind of messages should reach them."

Backward integration should be easily possible with PurpleTeal's offerings coming into play. "We are doing this in Jordan. We tie up with hospitals and pharmacies. Once they are in our ecosystem, our clients would get discounts if they use the services of our partners. We could also tie-in a discount in insuring them with our master health plan."

Sethi says a bank client could use a debit card that doubles up as an insurance card, to be presented for claims. These customers could choose to receive this SMS service - mainly for 'Wellness', meaning being healthy and free of disease. According to Sethi, "This same card could be produced at Gyms or Spas to redeem points accrued." Going a step further, he even envisages extending this to discounts on health foods bought at stores that the bank ties up with.

Banks have not tried a service identical to PurpleTeal's yet. Says Venkateswaran, "Life monitoring is new to us, as is PurpleTeal's idea. It's so easy to plug and play with their offering."

Iyer says that consumer research brought home the fact that one common goal for customers was 'staying healthy'. That's about when HSBC "came across PurpleTeal. This should help us straddle the 'fiscal' as well as 'physical' well-being of our customers!"

Ask him to peep into the future and he says that the launch of 3G services would offer a lot of scope for innovative services. "Customised live video chats with a health specialist based on the health/fitness condition of the customer, is a possibility."

Why 'Intervention'?

Ram of PurpleTeal, meanwhile, is agog with anticipation as these bankers decide on striking a deal each with him. His company currently services 4,00,000 active customers, having totalled 15 million interventions so far. (An intervention for PurpleTeal would mean an SMS sent to a customer to remind him about taking medicine or a health check as the case may be.)

It has similar interventions specifically designed for pregnancy, weight-loss, smoking addicts who want to quit and the like.

Professionals typically fall in the age group of 25 to 44 years. High BP, diabetes, cholesterol and obesity are common problems across this segment. Wealth management clients are typically aged between 45 and 60. These suffer, in addition to above conditions, from the likes of arthritis. Since most diseases are aggravated, if not caused, by unhealthy lifestyles; diet, exercise, stress management and treatment should help significantly. Ram says, "Between visits to the doctor, people have to do a number of health-related actions on their own. They often miss things or don't do them as regularly as they should because of a lack of timely day-to-day hand-holding."

This is where PurpleTeal comes in. He says that with his offering, banks could attract customers and build their brand. Importantly, they can look to reduce insurance claims and possibly generate incremental fees for these services.

"They can also anticipate emerging opportunities. SMS reminder services for a pregnant client could throw up opportunities for a new baby savings account. Or, client hospitalisation could allow banks to offer loans to him."

Ram cites studies that say: in 2009 alone, India would have lost $9 billion due to premature heart disease, stroke and diabetes, since chronic diseases cause large and adverse economic effects on families, communities and countries. "WHO figures show that 80 per cent of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 Diabetes and 40 per cent of cancer could be prevented with healthy diet, exercise and avoiding tobacco products."

Now, isn't this reason enough to resume that morning walk you have been putting off for so long?

Making a Difference

Don't fail to do something just because you can't do everything."





You're probably familiar with the starfish story, the one about all the starfish that had been washed up on the beach during high tide only to be left there in the sand to die as the tide went back out.  A young boy playing on the beach recognized the fate of the starfish and began to methodically pick them up one at a time and toss them back into the sea.  A man who had been observing the boy approached him shaking his head.  "What's the point, boy, don't you see there are thousands of these starfish lying along the beach?  There's no way you're going to make a difference." Undaunted, the boy replied to the man as he tossed another starfish into the ocean, "Yeah, but it made a difference to that one."



During World War II my grandmother committed herself to writing letters to servicemen stationed overseas, primarily to those who at one time had been students in the Sunday school class she taught.  Now, my grandmother's letters were no small feat.  They were labours of love, written in her small handwriting on multiple pages front and back and often times around the edges.  In them she would share news from home, stories she remembered about that person's family and childhood, and offer words of encouragement and inspiration.  Each letter she composed represented hours of tedious work. Yet, I doubt seriously that my grandmother's letter writing made much of a difference in defeating Hitler and saving the world.  But I am pretty sure it made a difference to each one of those servicemen who received them, maybe to some it made ALL the difference.



Too often, I'm afraid, we find ourselves overwhelmed by the challenges and problems that exist in our lives and the world around us, becoming paralysed by the enormity of it all.  We're like the man observing the boy on the beach tossing starfish back in the sea.  "What's the point?" we ask ourselves.  "Surely my little contribution won't make any difference."  Oh, but it does!  In fact, for some it might make ALL the difference.



So . . . "Don't fail to do something just because you can't do everything."

Communication is Important

The dictionary says that to communicate is "to impart, to give to another, as a partaker, to confer for joint possession, to bestow, as that which the receiver is to hold, retain, use or enjoy.  To impart as knowledge, to reveal, to give as information, either by words, signs or signals, as to communicate intelligence, news, opinions."



Despite the fact that we have incredible technology which enables us to "communicate" instantly with people all over the world, we're still woefully short on one-on-one communication skills.  Effective communication skills are critical to building good relationships and to increasing productivity and the effectiveness of the people with whom we associate.  Basically, leaders know how to communicate and they communicate in many ways.



Once, while jogging in Chattanooga, I passed a house that had a sign which said, "No Trespassers."  Underneath it, the sign said, "Trespassers Will Be Shot - Survivors Will Be Shot Again."  That's communication.



Fiero LaGuardia was mayor of New York during World War II, before America entered the conflict.  During his tenure he was given the unenviable task of providing police protection for a group of Nazi dignitaries who were visiting the city.  He had no choice but to provide it, but he communicated very strongly by making certain that every member of the police force assigned to protect those men were Jews.  I'm confident Hitler got the message.  That's communicating.



I love the little story told by Herm Albright who, after watching a middle-aged waitress going about her business efficiently and with a smile for everyone, decided to compliment her on her good humour.  She responded, as she continued to work, "It's like this.  If you see the twinkles, you won't notice the wrinkles."  That's communication.



Think about your communication skills.  Practice good communicating techniques in your personal, family and business life.

APPEARANCE COUNTS

According to a study I read, the way we look has a direct bearing on our paycheque. Employment data from 7,000 adults was analysed. Interviewers divided the group according to looks and then compared what those working similar jobs in each category were paid. Those who were below average in appearance earned less than those rated “average.” Those who rated average earned less than those who were rated “above average.”

Appearance includes many things. The style and neatness of your clothing, the shine on your shoes, the crease in your shirt, your choice of colours, and a host of other things affect your “appearance rating.” The way you fix your hair, your make-up, and all the elements of your personal grooming make a contribution.

However, the biggest factor is the smile on your face, followed closely by your attitude and sense of humour. A good sense of humour and a positive attitude are particularly important as you move into the upper echelons of business. The reality is that people promote people. Evidence is solid that when everything else is equal, we will promote the person we like versus the one about whom we might feel either neutral or negative almost regardless of their skills.

The question is, who do we like? I believe you’ll agree that the people who are pleasant, cheerful and optimistic are easier to like than the ones who are inclined to be dour and even negative in their approach to life.

It’s also true that the cheerful, optimistic person is going to get more done and will have more cooperation from his or her fellow workers than will the negative individual. It’s a practical matter that employers seek those who “fit,” get more done, and are pleasant to be around. So let your “Sunday best” appearance include a smile, a great attitude and an easy sense of humour.

Don’t burn out the clutch…

“OK, first you push in the clutch. Now shift it in gear. Now ease off the clutch. Not all at once or you’ll stall it. Ease off just a tad and while you’re doing that (as if my mind didn’t already have enough going on inside it), with your other foot gently, I said ‘gently,’ start reviving the engine.” These easy to understand, hard to comprehend instructions, were repeated many times over by my mom as we sat in an idling car in a deserted parking lot in Austin, Texas; she trying to maintain her sanity, and I, trying to learn how to drive a stick shift. At that time in my life, 20-plus years ago, just about all I had in mind was the big picture of what I wanted for my life: freedom; independence and a clear stretch of highway. What I didn’t realize at the time was that what my mother was teaching me was a series of steps that would help turn my big picture perspective into a reality. That sounds a little bit like life, don’t you think? All too often, we run across people who may have the big picture in clear view, yet for some reason haven’t taken action yet. “Why haven’t you moved on this?” you might ask. “We’re just praying for God to give us a plan,” might be the answer. While that type of response is socially acceptable, and you probably won’t find too many people who will push past that answer, is “a plan” the right thing to pray for, or could it be, should it be, something else? When you fall to your knees tonight in prayer, what do you think would happen if, instead of asking God to reveal the perfect life or business plan, you simply asked Him for the next step? Here’s the 30-day challenge: Step one: While it’s important to have goals in all areas of life (financial, health and wellness, spiritual, personal development, social, family, and career), pick the one area that you are determined to make come alive in the first 30 days and set a 30-day goal. Have fun with this. Aim high. Shoot for the stars. Step two: Jot down the steps that you already know to take. (You probably know more than you realize.) Step three: Pray for the next step(s) throughout the 30-day challenge at least twice a day. Step four: Trust God and act.

how to remove the image once loaded to the blog

i am not able to remove my image (phoyo) which i have added to my blog kindly help me either remove it yourself or tell me the way hoe to remove

in reference to: Google homepage - Google Help (view on Google Sidewiki)