Archive: May 4, 2022

IBM launches STEM For Girls program in Arunachal Pradesh

India, Arunachal Pradesh, Itangar, 4th May 2022: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a collaboration with the Department of School Education in Arunachal Pradesh to introduce the IBM STEM for Girls program in more than 130 secondary and higher secondary schools across 15 districts in the state. In this effort, more than 13,500 students studying between 8th and 10th grade will have exposure to digital fluency, coding skills training, and 21st-century skills including life and career skills. The STEM For Girls program expansion in Arunachal Pradesh is a part of IBM’s commitment to skilling 30 million people worldwide by 2030.

The curriculum introduced by IBM STEM For Girls will align and supplement the state’s efforts toward offering quality education. This initiative is part of a three-year program between IBM and the state government, with Quest Alliance and Alombro Mayu Yaku Chi Amey Aroga (AMYAA) as the implementation partners, to further help increase the participation of girl children and women in STEM careers. AMYAA will hire facilitators to support the school processes, and will anchor the advocacy and liasiing with district education officials for executing the program.

Students will be able to access curricula in multiple settings, including via IBM SkillsBuild, which provides learners with coursework that provides introductions to foundational technologies used in many industries, such as cloud computing and AI.

Ms. Padmini Singla, IAS, Secretary-Education, Govt of Arunachal Pradesh said, “We are extremely proud to launch the IBM STEM For Girls program in the state. We believe that the purpose of education is to create a platform for independent thinkers and innovators. The state will continue to focus on improving foundational literacy and numeracy, early childhood care and education, governance and digital education and emphasize on improving vocational and teacher education.” 

Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India said, “Through our IBM STEM For Girls initiative, we are reaching out to students beyond metros to offer a holistic knowledge development program, training in new-age technologies, and help girls make informed career choices with the input of mentors from IBM . We aim to work in partnership with the Arunachal Pradesh State government to advocate, spread awareness and sensitize the school system, teachers, and educators on inclusive practices for promoting girls in technology.” 

The program also aims to build a State Resource Group comprising teachers, and educators in various districts. The group will be leading efforts toward capacity building of teachers and implementing the program across 130 schools. Through this program we will also empower 650 teachers in intervention schools and enable them to transform into 21st-century educators. This program will allow teachers to engage/train students on computational thinking, STEM, and agency development for girls. These schools will act as model schools demonstrating a curriculum of coding, STEM, and life and career skills training within the classroom curriculum.

This initiative focuses on involving teachers in co-creating relevant education materials to progress computational thinking and 21st-century skills development at secondary and higher secondary school levels. The IBM STEM for Girls program, currently running in 13 states, has successfully engaged with hundreds of thousands of students. Participating states include Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, Assam, Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Nagaland.

Symphony Limited: Robust profitability of International Business in FY 2021-22

Financial Highlights:

The Board of Directors have recommended a final dividend of ₹ 6 /- (300%) per equity share of ₹ 2/- each amounting to ₹ 41.97 cr. for FY 21-22. The total dividend for FY 21-22 aggregates to ₹ 9 /- (450%) per equity share of ₹ 2/- each amounting to ₹ 62.96 cr. which includes two interim dividends aggregating to ₹ 3/- (150%) per equity share paid during the year.

Consolidated Gross Profit Margin at 45% (FY21: 45%) and EBITDA Margin at 19% (FY21: 18%), despite elevated raw material cost and logistic cost

Consolidated PBIT stood ₹ 177 Cr. (+25% YoY Growth). International Business contributed PBIT of ₹ 70 Cr. (FY21: ₹ 11 Cr.), registering the growth of 536% on YoY basis. Robust performance from International likely to continue.

USA business generated sales of ₹ 133 Cr. (FY20: ₹ 48 Cr.), up by 177% in two years and by 55% in one year.
Complete normalization of the trade inventory, driven by excellent sales across India.

April 2022 sales (Symphony India) is higher than historical highest ever April sales, after liquidation of massive trade inventory.

Good traction in sales through Large Format Space (LFS) and E-Commerce channels.

Various measures of cost optimization, value engineering and many other initiatives in last two years yielding the result.

Outlook 

Upbeat on the domestic & overseas business and the strong sales growth trajectory to continue going forward.

Close watch on input cost, logistic cost and supply chain.

Agile international supply chain being built to address emerging logistic and raw material cost dynamics.

Increasing traction for LSV, driven by new products, better cost structure, and Above the Line (ATL) advertising spends.

Eunimart Marks its 6th Year Anniversary

May 4, 2022: Ecommerce enabler startup, Eunimart marks its 6th year anniversary since its inception in May 2017. Eunimart accelerates profitable organic growth for ecommerce brands by making it easy to sell on multiple sales channels around the world, leveraging a unified SaaS platform, enabling logistics and supply chain networks, and providing a growth-oriented marketing automation platform. Led by founders from INSEAD, IIM-B and ESADE who have led large ecommerce, payments, supply chain companies and have more than 12 startups and 4 successful exits between them, Eunimart is the brainchild of Shayak Mazumder, Founder and CEO, whose experience of leading cross border ecommerce at the Rocket Internet Group across 21 countries led him to the idea of providing businesses with a one-stop solution to manage multiple marketplaces, and the opportunity to reach customers globally.

Eunimart’s technology allows companies to sell in over 100 countries across more than 20 marketplaces, including Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, Shopee, and Lazada among others. Merchants using the Eunimart platform tend to see 2X growth in revenues and a 35% drop in costs in the first year of operations.

Over the course of the past few years, Eunimart has established itself in India and the US, and the team is planning to expand to the Middle East this year. Currently, 250 businesses are using Eunimart’s platform, generating $18mn in GMV growing at 24% month over month.

Speaking on the brand journey, Shayak Mazumder, CEO & Co-Founder, Eunimart shares, “I’m filled with hope as I think of all the amazing things happening recently. From the awesome people to the amazing product, from the changes in the industry to the love from partners; what started off as a vision and a dream has become a reality. It’s no longer just mine and that’s a wonderful thing, because I couldn’t have done this on my own. The last six years have been a rollercoaster ride indeed. The next six years will change the industry and Eunimart will be at the forefront of that movement. That’s what I dream of. Here’s to all of you dreamers, doers, and incredible people. There are no winners or losers when you’re out to impact millions of businesses across the world. We are here to support businesses of all sizes, help communities, and do our part to grow global prosperity. To the future.”

Ms. Archana Shah, COO & Co-Founder, Eunimart said, “I believe very strongly in ethics and people. I know that it’s easy sometimes to just do something without thinking of the consequences. I strongly believe that our actions have consequences and we are responsible for what we leave behind. What makes me so happy is that more often than not, we collectively are the flag bearers of the virtues and ethics that I personally espouse. I am in Eunimart because I understand what impact technology has in changing the world for the better. I want Eunimart to be a force for good and a force for that change. I seek your help in continuing the work for good, in continuing the drive towards a better world. Thank you for being a part of Eunimart’s Journey!”

“2021 was an exciting year of change for Eunimart. We moved the company to the US, completed the TechStars accelerator program in Los Angeles, and launched our US go to market plan. As we look toward the rest of 2022, there are some even more exciting developments on the horizon from new product features to partnerships that will continue to add value to our customers. “says Levi Reed, Co-Founder & Head of Business, USA.

Norton Consumer Cyber Safety Pulse Report: Deception Scams on the Rise

India, Bengaluru – May 4, 2022 – NortonLifeLock’s global research team, Norton Labs, today published its quarterly Consumer Cyber Safety Pulse Report sharing the top consumer cybersecurity insights and takeaways from January through March 2022, including how cybercriminals are deceiving victims with deepfakes and crypto scams to access financial or personal information.

Deepfakes are being utilised by bad actors to scam consumers and spread disinformation. The Norton Labs team has spotted deepfakes used to create fake social media profiles, fuel charity scams and other fraudulent ploys, and spread propaganda relating to the ongoing war in Ukraine, in addition to deepfakes used simply to make funny videos.

Crypto scams are also trending as cryptocurrency becomes more widely adopted. Norton Labs tracked over $29 million in bitcoin stolen in 2021 and expects this figure to continue to rise in 2022 as the crypto market’s value increases and scammers capitalise on world events, including the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine to steal donations from philanthropic crypto investors. New threats emerge as cybercriminals combine tactics. By presenting realistic disinformation via deepfakes in a phishing scam that collects payment in cryptocurrency, a consumer would have little to no recourse.

“Scammers are always evolving their tactics to make their attacks look more believable,” says Darren Shou, head of technology, NortonLifeLock. “Cybercriminals are masters at profiting from deception, so it’s crucial for consumers to be aware of the latest scams and to critically analyse anything suspicious they encounter on the internet, whether on social media or in their inbox. We are here to help consumers navigate a changing digital world where you can’t always believe what you are seeing.” 

By the Numbers

In India, between January and March 2022, Norton thwarted:

Over 18,013,055 threats, the equivalent of around 195,794 threats per day

59,907 phishing attempts

31,062 tech support scams

Senco Gold Launches its premium Jewellery showroom ‘D’Signia’ in Chandigarh

Senco Gold & Diamonds, the largest organised jewellery retail player of eastern India, based on number of stores, expands its footprint in North India with the launch of its premium jewellery showroom – ‘D’SIGNIA’ in Chandigarh, Punjab.

This is the first showroom by Senco Gold & Diamonds in Chandigarh and overall eighth D’SIGNIA showroom in the country. The new two-storied D’SIGNIA showroom is located at the SCO147-148, Sector-17C Bridge Road, Chandigarh, Punjab-160017. This showroom in Punjab will offer a wide range of elegantly designed jewellery collections for all occasions.

Expressing his views on the launch of the new showroom in Chandigarh, Mr. Suvankar Sen, MD & CEO, Senco Gold & Diamonds said, “We are delighted to launch our first showroom in the state of Punjab. With a catalogue offering more than 108,000 designs for gold jewellery and more than 46,000 designs for diamond jewellery, Senco Gold and Diamonds offers a large variety of designs of handcrafted jewellery, most of which are designed and manufactured in-house by its designers in close collaboration with skilled local craftsmen (generally termed as “Karigars”) in Kolkata and across the country. We have jewellery for every purpose and we are thrilled to bring meticulously crafted exquisite pieces of jewellery to the people of Chandigarh.” 

Commenting on the occasion, Ms. Joita Sen, Director of Marketing and Designs, Senco Gold & Diamonds said, “Karigars of Kolkata are skilled and famous for their detailed craftsmanship. They cater to not just across India but also other parts of the world. The new D’Signia showroom will enable the jewellery lovers of The City Beautiful, Chandigarh to experience the exquisite collections of elegantly designed premium jewellery, handcrafted by the karigars of the City of Joy. We are also confident that the newly inaugurated showroom will provide the best in class retail experience to the people of Chandigarh.”

To celebrate this grand opening of the showroom on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya, the brand is offering a host of offers. Upto Rs. 225/- discount per gram on gold jewellery, Flat 50% off on making charges + free gold on diamond jewellery, flat 20% discount on making charges on platinum jewellery, 15% discount on making charges / retail value and 10% discount in stone value on astral Gemstone to delight the customers.

Senco Gold currently has 127 showrooms in 89 cities and towns across 13 states in India.

ABP Majha concludes it’s grand on-ground event Majha Maha Katta

Mumbai, 4th May, 2022: On April 30, 2022, ABP Majha celebrated the 10th anniversary of its flagship talk programme, Majha Katta, by hosting a spectacular on-ground conclave called “Majha Maha Katta” at ITC Grand Central in Mumbai. ABP Majha invited 10 prominent figures from diverse fields to the event. Rajiv Khandekar, Sr. Vice President – News and Programming, ABP Majha, with his exceptional aptitude and expertise in solo discussions displayed endurance to engage in a one-to-one interview with the guests continuously for 10 hours.

Majha Katta’s purpose is to present viewers with an unconventional interview documenting the lives and events of well-known figures from India’s political, social, and cultural spectrum. Over the past decade, the show has been a massive success, garnering enormous affection and support from viewers. In the fiscal year 2019-20, the show drew 15.6 million viewers. The show has aired more than 400 episodes since its inception.

The event was attended by Devendra Fadnavis, former CM of Maharashtra with his spouse Amruta Fadnavis where both were seen in great form with witty answers to questions on apolitical topics. The event was also attended by the likes of Sushilkumar Shinde, former CM of Maharashtra with his spouse Ujwala Shinde, Raj Thackeray, MNS chief with his spouse Sharmila Thackeray, Shreyas Talpade, famous actor, Chetan Sashital, renowned voice actor, Sarang Sathaye and Paula McGlynn, founders of Bharatiya Digital Party, Dilip Vengsarkar, former Indian cricketer, Chhagan Bujbal, Cabinet Minister of Food and Civil Supply, Consumer Affairs, Government of Maharashtra, with his spouse Meena Bhujbal, Aamir Khan, actor and director, Satyajit Bhatkal, CEO of Paani Foundation, Eknath Shinde, Minister of Urban Development, Government of Maharashtra and Prasad Oak, acclaimed Marathi actor and director. Prasad Oak showed up on the stage in his remarkable appearance of Shiv Sena leader Dharmveer Anand Dighe, the character he is playing in his forthcoming movie Dharmveer.

Key Highlights 

• The first session was with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray and his wife Sharmila Thackeray. Addressing at the ABP Majha’s Majha Maha Katta conclave, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president talked about how the constant use of loudspeakers cause a problem for everyone. “The playing of high tuned prayers on loudspeakers bothers not only to Hindus, but also to Muslims. This isn’t a religious issue but a social one. Everyone should keep their religion at home and not bring it to the streets,” Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray said. “It’s reasonable to have loudspeakers on for a day or two, but it’s not appropriate to have them on for 365 days. Loudspeakers create noise, which bothers everyone. This should stop”, added Mr. Thackeray.

• Actor Aamir Khan who was one of the participants of the program presented his story about his work in the field of agriculture. Speaking on the benefits of group farming, Aamir Khan said, “Group farming will reduce the cost of production. Many problems of farmers will be reduced, if they implement group farming. We want to create certain ecosystems and work to make the farmers more knowledgeable. We will give professional advice to the farmers in this regard. Earlier we worked to irrigate the water, now we want to flourish the farms.”

• Former Home Minister of India Sushilkumar Shinde while shedding light on the need for substantial changes in the functioning of Congress party, said, “I have never tried to join G-23 or any other group. The Gandhi family has a huge following. Poor people have a lot of love for them. But now everyone should come together and re-establish the Congress party.”

The clock has struck #GinOClock: ‘Gin Explorers Club – Space City Edition’ brings country’s biggest gin celebration to Mumbai

The ‘Gin Explorers Club – Space City Edition is all set to come to the city of Mumbai this summer! The event, which is India’s biggest celebration of gin, will take its attendees on a juniper-fuelled exploration of some of the coolest gins over a weekend of music, fun and revelry in its mystical ‘Space City’ on 7th and 8th May 2022.

With a wide range of exciting activities and experiences to indulge in, the Gin Explorers Club makes for the perfect way to unwind with friends. Taste the finest selection and exciting flavour combinations of international and local gin brands like Greater Than, Hendricks, Jimmy’s, Roku, Samsara, Stranger & Sons, Tamras, Terai, and more, alongside a variety of delicious cuisines from some of the best restaurants in the city all under one roof.

Not only that, but a line-up of live high-octane live acts and DJ sets by Culoe De Song, J Babe, Kayan (DJ Set), Lynston (Throwback), Madstarbase, O.G SHEZ, PERP & Linfomation, Sickflip, Sindhi Curry, and Zokhuma will see you groove to their pumped-up beats!

The event is a cultural culmination of good music, food, cocktails and more curated by Food Talk India, where you can embrace the magical vibe and create ‘gin-ful’ memories! It is coming to Mumbai’s Mahalakshmi Race Course on 7th May, from 3 PM onwards to 8th May till 10 PM. Tickets for the event are priced from ₹600 onwards. For more details and booking your tickets, log on to insider.in now!