Zerodha’s fintech fund and incubator Rainmatter has invested INR 2 Cr ($280K) in the seed round of online tax planning and filing platform Quicko.

Founded in 2015 by Vishvajit Sonagara, Quicko is a complete tax filing platform for both non-residents and residents of India.

Quicko’s Founder Sonagara said, “We want to encourage more people to file their tax return by simplifying the tax filing process.

In addition, the company will get access to the online stockbroking platform Zerodha’s customer base.

With this partnership, Quicko will allow Zerodha’s customers to upload their profit and loss (P&L) data and file their income tax returns. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1577791807.5263062/Zerodha’s-Rainmatter-Funds-Quicko-To-Help-Online-Traders-File-Taxes?ref=audio_experience

Indian tech startups raised the largest amount of funding, this year, according to the upcoming Indian Tech Startup Funding Report 2019 by Datalabs by Inc42 .

In 2018, if the Indian tech startups had raised $11 Bn in funding across 743 deals with more than 637 Indian startups raising funding, in 2019, 660 unique startups raised a whopping $13.16 Bn funding through 800 deals.

Startups That Entered The Unicorn ClubIn contrast to 2018, when according to Inc42 DataLabs, 10 startups entered the unicorn club, only seven Indian tech startups have turned unicorns, this year.

Startup India MilestonesLaunched in 2016, Startup India has sensitised the Indian ecosystem about entrepreneurship, innovation and the business value, startups bring in to the country.

While most of the states have now dedicated startup policies, the central government’s flagship Startup India programme registered a parabolic growth instead of an exponential one. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1577790011.443562/2019-In-Review:-Key-Milestones-That-Indian-Startup-Ecosystem-Achieved-This-Year?ref=audio_experience

Besides central government’s FAME scheme, various state governments have also been working on formulating EV and charging infrastructure policies.

There is no fixed timeline mandated by any government (state or central) to complete the transition of state transport union (STU) buses to EVs.

Being one of the early policymakers, the state provides incentives like interest-free loans on the net SGST for EV manufacturing enterprises.

Maharashtra EV PolicyLast year, Maharashtra came up with an effective EV policy to develop Maharashtra as the leader in EV manufacturing and use of EV and promote export of EV, components, battery and charging equipment.

An effective EV policy will help in building confidence of private manufacturers and effective programmes can increase demands for EVs. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1577788207.2923644/Preparing-For-EVs:-State-And-Central-Government-EV-Policies-In-India?ref=audio_experience

Even though the state government has started offering grants to emerging startups, the process is far from simple.

Under the Goa state startup policy, the government is disbursing a one-time grant of INR 10 Lakh ($15,373) to startups with a minimum viable product.

According to Karmali, the Goa startup ecosystem has only started growing in 2014, with the help of central government’s startup-focused initiatives such as Startup India.

Goa Startups To The ForeThe startups in the region are working across multiple sectors including healthtech, HRtech, digital payments, tourism and hospitality among others.

The company claims to have served 5K retailers in Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1577786410.3303397/The-Emerging-Startups-Of-Goa-That-Are-Thriving-Despite-Lack-Of-Private-Investments?ref=audio_experience

The first edition of Scalathon was held in December 2019 at KSUM’s Integrated Startup Complex in Kalamassery.

Over the years, KSUM has evolved to boost the startup ecosystem to the next level.

It has collaborated with international education institutes, accelerators and tech conferences to take the Kerala startup ecosystem to the next level.

KSUM also offers International Entrepreneurial Exchange Programme, where students and young entrepreneurs from Kerala are given the opportunity to experience the international startup ecosystem.

The selected startups will be undergoing an exchange programme to startups located in Silicon Valley, London, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Singapore and others. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1577784609.3607566/Kerala-Startup-Mission-To-Launch-Scalathon-2020-For-Growth-Focused-Startups?ref=audio_experience

Moreover, Flipkart, along with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, will collaborate with other projects registered with the DAY-NULM to establish the Flipkart Samarth programme in 22 states in India.

The incubation will help sellers in getting domain expertise in cataloguing, account management, among others.

Flipkart Samarth ProgrammeThe Walmart-owned company had launched the Flipkart Samarth in July 2019.

The Samarth programme aims to do so by offering dedicated support for onboarding, cataloguing, account management, business insights and warehousing support among others.

Under this initiative, Flipkart works closely with NGOs and government bodies to promote and encourage rural entrepreneurs, with a special focus on women-led enterprises, artisans and weavers. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1577782807.4769976/Flipkart-Partners-With-Govt-Scheme-To-Promote-SMEs-To-Sell-Online?ref=audio_experience

Related Article: IFF Sends Legal Notice To Govt For Surveillance Using Facial RecognitionQuoting media reports, IFF says that the facial recognition system being used in Delhi is disturbing.

The score of 2.4 out of 5 on the privacy index indicates a systemic failure to maintain data privacy safeguards.

“Several countries are creating what can only be described as surveillance states, with data privacy rights seemingly taking a serious back seat.

The government has been pushing for the facial recognition system claiming it is helpful for the defence forces and the law and order authorities.

The central government said in September this year that it will open bids to build a centralised facial recognition surveillance system across India. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1577781007.7788212/Internet-Freedom-Foundation-Questions-Video-Surveillance-During-CAA-Protests?ref=audio_experience

The ministry of telecom has been compiling a list of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), 15-digit unique serial number for mobile phones, under Equipment Identity Register (EIR) since 2017.

The white list comprises mobile phones which are permitted for use, whereas the grey list is composed of devices that do not conform to the standards but can be permitted to connect under supervision.

Once submitted, the lost mobile phone will be blocked.

The CIER will also have access to an international mobile network operator body’s Global System for Mobile Communication’s (GSMAs) IMEI database.

With access to this database, the Indian government can easily identify any counterfeit handset by comparing the two lists— CIER’s Indian IMEI database and GSMA’s IMEI Database. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1577779206.6881719/Now-Delhi’s-Citizens-Can-Report-Lost-Or-Stolen-Mobile-To-Telecom-Dept?ref=audio_experience

For instance, with this, the time taken to deliver a parcel from Mumbai to Delhi will come down from five days to 24 hours.

However, the Indian Railways is reportedly seeing a downfall in its parcel business and the move is expected to revive the situation.

“This will be a game-changer for the parcel industry, as all the stations, small and big, will have dedicated hubs to handle parcel.

Meanwhile, in September this year, the Indian Railways partnered with Amazon to set up pickup kiosks in four railway stations across Mumbai.

We welcome this partnership as the launch of Amazon kiosks will help elevate our commuters’ experience at these stations,” the Indian Railways had earlier said in a statement. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1577777410.2061315/Indian-Railways-May-Soon-Tie-Up-With-Ecommerce-Companies-To-Boost-Parcel-Business?ref=audio_experience

Here are seven stories from Sifted: some of our best of the past year about health (and sleep, and sex, and pet…) tech.

A couple of years ago, virtual reality promised to revolutionise not only the world of videogames, but the world of healthcare as well.

Get the Sifted Newsletter ✓ Thank you for subscribing to the newsletter!

Register for the Sifted communityBabylon Health has the most money and users, but it’s Sweden’s Kry that now has the most app downloads.

Europeans such as Legacy and ExSeed have raised millions in venture capital money offering sperm-freezing and testing services, while others look at ways to improve fertility. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1577775711.0222383/The-best-of-Sifted:-Healthtech?ref=audio_experience