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Travel expenditure grows 165%; OTT expenditure grows 80% during festive season: PayU Insights Report

– Close to 7mn transactions processed in one day as major brands announce sales on same day – 

– Credit Repayment via UPI mode sees 251% growth in expenditure and 172% growth in transactions –

NEW DELHI, Nov. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — PayU unveiled its Insights Report – Festive edition today which compares digital payment transaction trends on the PayU platform between the festive seasons of 2021 and 2022*. 2022 saw a 64% increase in expenditure & 31% increase in the number of transactions vis-à-vis festive sale period in 2021. Moreover, the report also mapped the overall pandemic impact on Indians’ adoption of digital payments for the festive period. There has been a 245% increase in expenditure & 130% increase in the number of transactions between the ‘normal’ period of 2019 & post-pandemic period of 2022.

Key insights for 2022 vis-a-vis 2021

India’s strong credit preference

Credit cards were the most preferred mode of payment this season. Interestingly, credit card users spent about 5 times more than debit card users in 2022 (total expenditure), in spite of the fact that there is 1 credit card for every 12 debit cards. On an average, a credit card user spent Rs. 6000 as opposed to a debit card user who spent Rs. 2500, in 2022. Year on year, credit card transactions and expenditures grew 42% and 84%, respectively. One reason could be banks offering cashback, reward points, discounts, deals & add-on services on cobranded cards & standalone cards.

The appetite for credit is also reflected in the fact that credit repayment (i.e. personal loans for consumers & businesses) saw a 107% increase in expenditure & 105% increase in transactions over the last festive season. One of the highest categories for UPI spending was Credit Repayment, showing that Indians are increasingly repaying personal loans using UPI. Not surprisingly, debit card transactions declined by 34%.

Revenge tourism is the rage

Whether motivated by revenge tourism or the extended Diwali weekend Indians’ expenditure in the travel and hospitality sector showed a 165% increase this festive season. Not only are Indians traveling extensively, but they are using all modes of travel. Cabs showed a 121% increase in expenditure, while train bookings witnessed a 50% increase in expenditure & 33% increase in average ticket size. Airlines saw a 95% increase in average ticket size. Holiday packages saw a 70% increase in expenditure & 341% increase in average ticket size.  

UPI driving digital payments adoption for daily use-cases 

There was a 133% rise in the number of transactions and a 124% growth in expenditure compared to 2021, probably echoing economic recovery, increased UPI adoption by small businesses & consumers. Interestingly, the average ticket size for UPI transactions has gone down marginally (-4%). Consumers used UPI for small ticket items such as groceries, within city travel & entertainment, which could be the reason ticket size declined. The top 5 cities contributing to the highest number of transactions through UPI are Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi NCR.

Digitization and economic expansion led to the growth of financial services

In the Banking and Insurance sector, transactions & expenditures increased by 100% and 143% respectively. This general sentiment is reflected across BFSI categories; total expenditure made in the insurance space grew by 41% perhaps driven by economic expansion, regulatory moves and increasing insurance penetration. Investments saw a 66% growth in expenditure & 50% growth in average ticket size – one possible reason could be the increased adoption of do-it-yourself wealth management platforms – especially among millennials & post-pandemic behavioral changes.

OTT & gaming leading digital entertainment adoption

The entertainment industry witnessed an increase in both expenditure and transactions of 52% and 54%. OTT expenditure has grown by 80% & transactions by 175%; gaming expenditure shot up by 20%. However, expenses related to watching movies physically and attending on-ground events witnessed a decline in expenditure and transactions of 11% and 43% respectively – perhaps habits set during the pandemic (OTT preference & avoiding public spaces) continue post-pandemic.

Education

Education as a category saw a 20% growth in expenditure & 24% growth in average ticket size. There is a 14% growth in university-related expenditure but a 40% dip in expenditure on upskilling. More Indians are paying for education using UPI. UPI transactions for education increased 29% while expenditure through UPI on education increased 47%.

Region-wise expenditure

Patna, Indore, Ernakulam, Nagpur & Ludhiana are new entrants to the list of the top 20 cities by expenditure, in 2022. Maharashtra, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu continue to be top festive spenders. 

* The report compares digital payment transaction trends on the PayU platform between festive periods of 2022 (September 15October 15) and 2021 (October 1-31).

About PayU India

PayU, India’s leading online payment solutions provider, is regulated under the Reserve Bank of India and has advanced solutions to meet the digital payment needs of the Indian market. PayU India aims to create a full-stack digital financial services platform to serve all (tapped and untapped) financial needs of customers (merchants, banks and consumers) through technology.

PayU provides payment gateway solutions to online businesses through its cutting-edge and award-winning technology. PayU is one of the leading payment gateways in India & has empowered 4.5 lakh+ businesses, including leading enterprises, e-commerce giants and SMBs. It enables businesses to collect digital payments across 150+ online payment methods such as Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Net Banking, EMIs, BNPL, QR, UPI, Wallets, and more. PayU is one of the most preferred payment gateways that offer industry-best success rates while ensuring a seamless checkout experience.

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Fulfilling PM Modi’s Dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat: India’s AI Writing Startup Kreativespace Incubated at IIT Kharagpur

  1. Kreativespace, an Indian AI-powered writing platform founded by Vinet Kakadea, has been incubated at IIT Kharagpur and recognized by SVNIT University, Ministry of Education under Bodhan AI Conclave also through the NVIDIA Inception Program, AWS Startup Program, and DPIIT under Startup India.
  2. The platform unifies 8 AI-powered writing tools, along with AI Humanizer and Message AI feature being the latest addition into a single ecosystem, so you can generate and refine content all in one place.
  3. The company reports more than 50,000+ signed-up users, 75,000+ anonymous users, and roughly 100,000 monthly website visitors, positioning itself as the only Indian company operating at scale in the global AI writing market.

SURAT, India, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kreativespace, an AI-powered writing platform, is building out its position as the only homegrown alternative in a market long dominated by international tools such as Grammarly and QuillBot. Founded by Vinet Kakadea and incubated at IIT Kharagpur, the company has aligned its growth with the broader push behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative, which encourages indigenous technology development capable of competing on a global scale.

Kreativespace Incubated at IIT Kharagpur

As AI adoption accelerates across India’s education, research, and enterprise sectors, Kreativespace is among a small group of Indian startups building writing technology designed to compete directly with established international platforms.

Kreativespace’s progress has been recognized by several institutions central to India’s startup and technology ecosystem. The company has been incubated at IIT Kharagpur, selected under SSIP 2.0 through SVNIT University, and chosen by the Ministry of Education to present its work at the Bodhan AI Conclave. It has also been accepted into the NVIDIA Inception Program and the AWS Startup Program, and holds DPIIT recognition under the Startup India initiative.

Where many writing-tool users rely on separate subscriptions for content generation to refinement for grammar correction, paraphrasing, plagiarism checking, citation generation, and editing, Kreativespace brings these functions into a single platform as a super-app for AI writing tools. The company says its approach centers on affordability and accessibility alongside performance, aiming to make advanced AI writing assistance available to a wider range of users regardless of geography or budget.

The idea for Kreativespace took shape while founder Vinet Kakadea was studying at New York University and Marymount University in the United States, where he experienced firsthand how students, researchers, and professionals often need multiple paid subscriptions to cover writing-related tasks. That fragmented experience led him to build a super-app offering each of these capabilities together, at a more accessible price point.

Kreativespace combines 8 AI-powered writing tools with AI Humanizer and Message AI feature being the latest addition, allowing users to generate, rewrite, refine, and humanize content without moving between separate platforms. The product is available via web platform, mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play, browser extensions for Chrome, Mozilla, and Edge, and a Google Docs add-on.

Vinet Kakadea, Founder of Kreativespace, said, “Kreativespace’s vision is to digitalize the entire Indian education ecosystem to support PM Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme.”

About Kreativespace

Kreativespace with the Motto of Making Writing Accessible for Everyone: Kreativespace is an AI-powered writing platform built to make AI writing tools accessible, affordable, and effective for students, researchers, educators, professionals, content creators, startups, and enterprises. Founded by Vinet Kakadea, the company is incubated at IIT Kharagpur and has been recognized by AWS Startup Program, the NVIDIA Inception Program, and DPIIT under Startup India. For more information, visit kreativespace.com.

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Santokbaa Humanitarian Award 2026 Marks 20 Years of Compassion and Service

SURAT, India, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Santokbaa Humanitarian Award 2026, instituted by Shree Ramkrishna Knowledge Foundation (SRKKF), the philanthropic arm of Shree Ramkrishna Exports (SRK), marked 20 years of honouring individuals who have made a lasting difference through compassion, service and leadership. The awards were presented recently in Surat.

This year’s Santokbaa Humanitarian Award was conferred on Padma Shri Dr. Gullapalli N. Rao, renowned Indian ophthalmologist and Founder-Chair of the LV Prasad Eye Institute, and Padma Shri Smt. Reema Nanavaty, development worker and Director of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). Their work has touched millions of lives through healthcare, empowerment and community development.

In a significant addition this year, SRKKF introduced the Social Entrepreneur Award to recognise leaders who combine business excellence with measurable social impact. The inaugural award was presented to Shri Srikanth Bolla, Founder of Bollant Industries, a sustainable manufacturing company known for disability-inclusive employment and environmentally responsible practices.

The event was graced by Chief Guest Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh, Hon’ble Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and Guests of Honour Shri Harsh Sanghavi, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat; along with several other distinguished personalities.

Established in 2006 by Shri Govind Dholakia, Founder & Chairman Emeritus of Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt. Ltd. and SRKKF, the award reflects the legacy of compassion and selfless values embodied by his mother, Santokbaa. Over the past two decades, it has become a platform to honour individuals whose lives and work continue to inspire society.

The awardees are selected through a rigorous and transparent process led by an independent jury comprising leaders from diverse fields. The 2026 jury included Shri Govindan Rangarajan, Director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru; Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar, Former Chairman, ISRO; Admiral R. Hari Kumar (Retd.), Former Chief of the Indian Navy; Shri Rishabh Shroff, Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas; and Shri Shreyans Dholakia, Entrepreneur and Brand Custodian, SRK.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Guest Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh said that the SRK Foundation is carrying forward Santokbaa’s legacy to the next generation by celebrating service, sacrifice and compassion over wealth or fame. He added that the family’s effort to connect this legacy with social entrepreneurship reflects the values of nation-building.

Shri Harsh Sanghavi said the Santokbaa Award reminds us that true achievement lies not only in personal success, but in bringing light and happiness to others. Shri Govind Dholakia said his mother Santokbaa spent her life guided by truth, love and compassion, and that her values continue to inspire the family’s work. He added that the award’s 20-year journey is a tribute to changemakers whose efforts have strengthened communities across the country.

Speaking on the honour, Dr. Gullapalli N. Rao said it was a privilege to receive the recognition on behalf of all those working to expand access to quality eye care. He said restoring sight restores dignity and opportunity, and praised SRK’s world-class operational systems. Smt. Reema Nanavaty said the award belonged to the millions of women whose resilience and entrepreneurial spirit continue to inspire SEWA’s mission. She noted that when women are empowered, they become agents of change for their families and communities. Shri Srikanth Bolla said his journey has shown that limitations often exist more in perception than reality, and that the award is a reminder that with the right support, every individual can contribute meaningfully to society.

Over the past 20 years, the Santokbaa Humanitarian Award has honoured 20 of India’s most distinguished humanitarian and social leaders, including Shri Ratan Tata, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Dr. Sudha Murty, Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, Shri Shiv Nadar, Dr. Abhay Bang and Dr. Rani Bang, Dr. Verghese Kurien, Shri Kailash Satyarthi and Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar. With the introduction of the Social Entrepreneurship Award in 2026, the milestone celebration reaffirmed the importance of empathy, service and purposeful leadership in building a better future.

About Santokbaa Humanitarian Award:

Over the past 20 years, the Santokbaa Humanitarian Award has honoured 19 of India’s most distinguished humanitarian and social leaders, including Shri Ratan Tata, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Dr. Sudha Murty, Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, Shri Shiv Nadar, Dr. Abhay Bang and Dr. Rani Bang, Dr. Verghese Kurien, Shri Kailash Satyarthi and Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar, among other eminent personalities. In 2026, SRKKF also instituted the Santokbaa Social Entrepreneurship Award, with Shri Srikanth Bolla becoming its inaugural recipient.

As the Santokbaa Humanitarian Award completed a remarkable 20-year journey, the milestone celebration reaffirmed the enduring importance of empathy, service and purposeful leadership in shaping a better future. The journey endures, contributing to nation-building through compassion, innovation and service to humanity.

For more information, visit: https://srk.foundation/honours

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Osstem Implant Accelerates Innovation in India with ‘Denall TV’, a Digital Dental Education Hub

  • Over the past two years since its launch in April 2024, Denall TV has become a core platform for digital dental education in India.
  • Opened a dedicated Denall Studio in India in July 2025, strengthening live hands-on and professional training programs.
  • Supporting the professional growth of clinicians through practical content, including ‘Master Courses’ and ‘Product Reviews’.

NEW DELHI and MUMBAI, India, June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Osstem Implant announced that its specialized dental education platform for the Indian market, ‘Denall TV’ (https://in.denall.com), is gaining significant traction among local practitioners, establishing itself as a vital hub for digital dental education in India.

The thumbnail for the ‘Implant System Introduction’ lecture, the most-watched content on Denall TV India
  •  Building a Comprehensive Digital Clinical Education Environment

Since launching its first content in April 2024, Denall TV has continuously evolved to meet the needs of Indian clinicians. To provide more immersive and high-quality education, Osstem Implant established a dedicated Denall Studio in India in July 2025. This facility has enabled the creation of a systematic digital clinical education environment, overcoming geographical limitations for dentists across the country.

  • Providing High-Quality, Practice-Oriented Clinical Content

The platform focuses on promoting ‘Digital Dentistry’ through specialized ‘Digital Surgery’ education and providing accurate product information. Denall TV consistently uploads essential clinical content, including: Live Hands-on sessions, Practical Master Courses, Expert product reviews featuring items such as the T2 Plus and 122 Taper KIT, helping clinicians make informed decisions for their practices.

  • Strengthening Trust as a Strategic Education Partner

Professional clinical courses have become a major topic of interest among local medical professionals. Notably, the ‘Implant System Introduction’ lecture has surpassed 25,000 views, proving the platform’s high influence. This achievement signifies that Osstem Implant has successfully established itself as a trusted education partner in the Indian market, going beyond its role as a manufacturer.

  • Bridging Global Trends and Improving Educational Accessibility

Osstem Implant connects local practitioners with global academic networks. The platform provides timely content from global academic events such as the ‘2026 Osstem World Meeting in Bangkok’, sharing the latest implant trends and technological advancements with the Indian dental community. By offering online access, Denall TV effectively bridges the educational gap for dentists in regions where offline seminars are difficult to attend.

An official from Osstem Implant India stated, “Denall TV serves as a key bridge, delivering world-class clinical knowledge to local dentists. We will continue to strengthen our real-time interactive webinars to provide deeper clinical insights.” The official added, “We are committed to driving both the quantitative and qualitative growth of the Indian dental implant market through the continued provision of high-quality educational content.”

Moving forward, Osstem Implant plans to enhance its B2C PR strategies centered around the Denall TV platform and lead the popularization of digital dental treatment in India through close communication with local practitioners.

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