Archive: December 5, 2022

KTR inaugurated ‘Telangana State Police Centre of Excellence for Cyber Safety’, a first-of-its-kind initiative in India to secure the Cyber Ecosystem for the State.

Hyderabad, December 05, 2022…Mr K. T. Rama Rao, Minister of IT E&C, MA & UD, Govt of Telangana inaugurates TS Police Centre of Excellence for Cyber Safety in the city at Cyberabad Police Commissionerate at Gachibowli on Saturday 

TS Police ‘Centre of Excellence for Cyber Safety’ is an initiative of Telangana Police and the Society For Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC) curated by Cyberabad Police Commissionerate.  It was inaugurated by KTR in the presence of Shri Mohd Mahboob Ali, Minister of Home, Govt of Telangana; Mr M. Mahender Reddy, Director General of Police, Telangana. 

It is the first of its kind initiative by any state in India. It is a proactive initiative. It is a process-driven initiative rather than a people-oriented unique initiative in which Telangana Police take pride. It is a productised approach. 

The vision of this ambitious initiative is to secure the cyber ecosystem for the state of Telangana. 

It is an industry-led initiative taken up in partnership with the Police (PPP), as a trusted partner to citizens, industry and academia, for mitigating cyber security incidents and frauds, by leveraging technology, setting up processes, building capacity, spreading awareness, to strengthen the legal framework by complementing cyber security initiatives of Government and to serve as a collaborative and continuous innovation platform for—Field Practitioners, Industry Experts, Thought Leaders, Researchers etc. 

The who-is-who industry partners of the initiative include Microsoft, CyberEye, Google, EY, ISB, NALSAR, IIT-Hyderabad; RBI, NPCI(National Payments Corporation of India), IDRBT, Dept of Telecommunication, Govt of India; TAFCOP(Telecom Analytics for Fraud Management and Consumer Protection; HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, RBL Bank, PayTM, TrueCaller, Intl Centre for Missing & Exploited Children. 

Speaking on the occasion Mr KT Rama Rao said new-age crimes need new-age solutions. During Munugodu by-elections we realised that voters were lured with money transferred through digital payments. The Election Commission also needs to be sensitised on this matter. We live in a world where technology is everywhere. The devices outnumber the population. We are living in a connected world where devices talk between themselves. Under these circumstances, Cyber Security becomes a huge challenge he observed. 

Speaking further he added that the sense of cyber crimes are not just confined to big cities but they are there and even spread to small and remote places. So we need to promote awareness. We need to promote 1930, an all-India toll-free number against cyber crimes. We need to build institutions like this Centre of Excellence rather than individuals. Processes are more important than people, he said. 

He urged the industry to be part of this initiative. He appealed everyone to come forward. More than a million people work in the IT sector in the city. All must become cyber warriors. We are working on the first draft piece of legislation on Cyber Crimes. The work is under process. When it was ready and announced Telangana will be the first state to do so, he claimed with pride. 

KTR urged the home minister and the top police leadership to work on the Registry of Sexual offenders. Sunitha Krishnan, a prominent social activist suggested it some time ago. Once those listed in the registry, will be prohibited from jobs and prohibited from using any facilities from the government. 

Also, a participant in a Hackathon in the past suggested implementing a First Respondent Drone which can swiftly move to a crime scene much before the police arrive. He urged the home minister to start the work on these initiatives at the earliest possible time.  

A customised Crime Operating System(Crime OS) s developed exclusively for this initiative by Hyderabad based Startup ‘CyberEye’ founded by a former DRDO expert, Ram Ganesh, who is also Director, Technical for the newly inaugurated Centre of Excellence(CoE) is launched by KTR. It is built on Microsoft Cloud. 

www.tspcc.org, the website was launched. An SoP Book (Standard Operating Protocols) authored by ground police personnel was also unveiled  

Mohd Mahmood Ali, Home Minister said the state has 64% of total CCTVs in India. Though there are not many crimes happening in this part,, most of our citizens are becoming victims of the cyber crimes done elsewhere, he said. 

DGP Mr M. Mahender Reddy said today there are no crimes without digital components. And there are no individuals who are not impacted. So Police need to be relevant, and effective and must serve.  

So we need to evolve from a physical force to a tech-savvy force. We must be the tech-based force which works with ease, he said.   

Telangana Police is the best in the country. We have ten lakh CCTVs. Every citizen must be reassured that they are safe and that the police ensure their safety. Safety and Security are pre-requisite for the development of Telangana. Our goal is to keep Telangana safe in terms of the cyber ecosystem. The command control which was inaugurated some time ago will have dozens of Centres of Excellence, said Mr Mahender Reddy.  

The Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said the TS Police Centre of Excellence for Cyber Safety is yet another feather in the cap of Telangana Police, who already have stellar respect and are known for their pioneering efforts in utilising technology. He urged Mr Stephen Ravindra, Commissioner of Cyberabad to collaborate with other government CoEs. And he assured his help in facilitating the same.   

Rajiv Kumar, MD of Microsoft India said post covid the nature of crimes used to be 80% conventional and 20% digital. Now it is reversed. And even that 20% has a digital component to it. TS Police Centre of Excellence for Cyber Safety is probably unique in the world.   

Mr BVR Mohan Reddy, Founder Chairman Cyient said 5G which is around the corner is going to revolutionise the way we engage in future. It makes remote telesurgery possible. It is one of the many wonders we can expect in the future. At the same time, cyber crimes are galloping. There is a 150% increase in Cyber Crimes in the recent past. Hyderabad is the Happening City in the country. 50% of Tech Companies have their development centres in Hyderabad. He gave three suggestions for better policing. One is to develop a level of awareness so that reporting of crimes will go up. Two, the police must do capacity building in terms of expertise in Cyber Security. The third is to provide subject matter expertise to the police. He assured that his company will come forward to extend that help for the next two years.   

Mr Stephen Ravindra, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad said it is a dream come true to the Cyberabad Police in particular and Telangana Police in general. We need new-age policing which is in tune with the aspiration of the citizen and adoption of technology, work process. Policing has to be predictive, preventive and proactive.

 Police must use technology as a force multiplier. Two lakh crore rupees worth of IT products and services are being exported from this state.  

The Centre of Excellence is the new way of tackling the security challenges of the 21st century.   

There is a compelling need to secure our digital ecosystem. It is the most sought-after initiative, an initiative of exceptional nature, said Mr Krishna Yedula, Secretary, SCSC in his welcome address. 

NimbusPost expands its footprint to the UK market

New Delhi, 5th 2022: NimbusPost, India’s most advanced and leading tech-enabled logistics partner, announces the expansion of its services to the UK market. The move will witness the fast-growing firm hiring over 500 people across different domains to streamline logistics operations in the UK.

Extending its global footprint, the organization’s expansion to the UK market is aimed at cementing its strategic growth both in the British and European logistic landscape. Foraying into the new market, NimbusPost will be seen offering its unmatched services across three main categories – domestic shipping, international shipping, and warehouse & fulfilment services. With the UK’s logistics market expected to reach USD 642.32 billion by 2027, increasing at a CAGR of 6.21% from an estimated USD 475.25 billion in 2022, the company intends to capitalize on strong business opportunities in the region.

Talking about the expansion, Mr Yash Jain, the Founder and CEO of NimbusPost said, “We’re extremely delighted and proud to announce that we’ve recently launched our logistics operations in the United Kingdom. The country is expected to have nearly 60 million eCommerce users in 2022 and the eCommerce market is projected to exceed £260 billion by 2025. These numbers indicate a promising future for the company. We’re actively hiring professionals in the UK team across different domains to ensure smooth operations.”

The platform lets users easily get a shipping quote based on the package weight, delivery distance, and other metrics through its website’s homepage. The shipping aggregator has partnered with over 12 courier partners to provide flawless domestic and international courier services to eCommerce merchants. They offer an API integration with 8+ marketplaces and eCommerce channels to facilitate quick order import and fastest shipping. With postage serviceability across the entire UK Mainland and offshore postcodes, the logistics partner is aiming to ramp up the customers’ eCommerce experience with the fastest deliveries across 196 countries including the USA, Australia, Netherlands, and others.

The company has appointed Mr Sunny Wadhwa as the country head for NimbusPost UK. Sunny, an accomplished and performance-driven professional with experience of over a decade in the freight forwarding industry, will help NimbusPost strengthen its foothold in the country’s fast-growing industry. Having worked with prestigious brands like Universal Delivery Solutions, Winify, and others, Sunny has proven his excellence in the logistics industry.

Speaking about the expansion, Sunny exclaimed, “We’re thrilled at the launch of NimbusPost UK, a tech-enabled logistics platform that facilitates simplified, fast shipping at the most affordable rates. We aim to streamline supply chain processes, improve workflow and make logistics management easy for eCommerce sellers so they can solely concentrate on selling goods and other core operations. Given the promising growth of the eCommerce and logistics sector in the UK, we’re expecting good business prospects in the country.”

SBI Foundation extends Rs 3.13 crore support towards strengthening homecare-based palliative care program to Sparsh Hospice for a period of 25 months

Hyderabad, December 5, 2022….SBI Foundation, the CSR arm of State Bank of India, has partnered with Rotary Club of Banjara Hills Charitable Trust for supporting the project “Sparsh Hospice: Centre for Palliative Care” to strengthen homecare-based palliative care program in Hyderabad and its surrounding districts to provide free home-based palliative care services to 1,700 terminally ill patients from socio-economically vulnerable families.

Shri. Sanjay Prakash, MD & CEO, SBI Foundation, inaugurated the project on today at Sparsh Hospice facility.

SBI Foundation extends Rs 3, 13, 75, 800  support  for homecare-based palliative care program at Sparsh Hospice for a period of 25 months ending March 2024.

It has also donated six Maruti Suzuki Vans which cost Rs 42 lakh for the same. The objective of SBI Foundation is to serve the under previliged.  It has projects across India.  It focuses on Education, Livelihoods, Entrepreneurship, Women Empowerment, Environment, Healthcare etc.  It extends support to the extent of Rs 100 to 150 crore every year.  

Shri. Sanjay Prakash emphasised that “the initiative will ensure affordable and accessible palliative care services to the vulnerable and marginalised sections of society through mobile medical van-based homecare services in the region.”

We have chosen Sparsh Hospice for the noble cause, transparency and uniqueness of the project.  Health Care and Skill Building are our to major focus areas, he added.

 India has a huge burden of people suffering from life-limiting diseases. Less than 1% of the population in India has access to pain relief services and palliative care. Population density, poverty, restrictive policies regarding medicine prescription, lack of institutional interest in palliative care, and lack of palliative care infrastructure are some of the major reasons behind the limited coverage of palliative care in India.

 Sparsh Hospice takes care of end of life (terminally ill) patients, typically in the last stages  of  cancer. With  its  in-patient, homecare, and  outpatient  services  we  are caring for 400 patients at any given day. Under its home-based services, which is also  a  practical  option  for such  patients –saving  precious  time,  energy  and resources.  At  home,  the  concerns  of  the  family  can  be  addressed in  relaxed atmosphere. Sparsh   homecare   team   consisting   of   physician,   nurse,   social   worker   cum counsellor and driver enables families in increasing the quality of life by managing the  issues  such  as  physical,  psychological, spiritual, and  social.  SBI  Foundation supported 6 vans every day visit patients home and extend palliative care tailored according to the needs of patients and their families.

Shri Rajaram Chavan, Senior Manager, Health & Women Empowerment, SBI Foundation, Shri Shiddalingesh Ballolli, Coordinator, SBI Foundation were also present during the event, several Rotarians and people behind Sparsh Hospice were present.

Benesse, Japan’s leading education company, enters India

Bangalore, December 5,  2022: Benesse (which means “well-being” in Latin) has set its foot in the Indian education space. Set up in the year 1955, the company grew rapidly in Japan and has been the largest education company in the country for over the last six decades. The heart of Benesse is enjoying the process of moving forward, step-by-step and with resolve, towards the realization of people’s dreams and aspirations.

In order to share their learning, both from so many years of experience working with schools in Japan and a limited experience in India so far, as also to gather insights from the Indian educators; Benesse had organized a summit titled “Future of education and enabling well-being” in Bangalore on December 3 in association with Empowered Minds Edu Solutions. Renowned educators and practioners from more than 50 educational institutions and school groups participated in the summit and shared their experience on topics most relevant to students and teachers of today. The day was divided into keynote sessions and panel discussions including on topics such as- “back to classroom- (online vs offline), improving well-being at school, relevance of student data analysis to improve learning outcomes and ways to build sustainable world in a world of constant change”.

Reflecting on their India entry, Mr Kotaro Ueda, Representative Director of Benesse India Private Limited said “we have been looking at the India education space for a very long time and did some small engagement in the past. What completely convinced us this time around to start our operations in India was the New Education Policy of 2020. When we did our assessment of the Policy, we concluded that several measures proposed there are very similar to how the K12 and higher education system evolved in Japan over the years. And, therefore, our experience could be of some help to our school partners in India”.

Speaking during the summit, Mr Hemant Joshi, Executive Director of Benesse India Private Limited stated “we envisage to work with the schools in a very data backed way. And, hence, one of our first offerings is around student assessment backed continuous improvement programme. This data provides actionable insights into key strengths and areas of development at the level of the school, class and individual students; which translates into a continuous improvement programme executed in partnership between the school and Benesse. Similarly, our second offering is focused on providing specific learning support to students based on the assessment findings. Many other offerings are on the anvil and are being shaped leveraging our experience in Japan and basis the feedback we are receiving from our clients in India.”

JK Cement Ltd. Strengthens its Presence in Central India – Lays the Foundation Stone of its Upcoming Grinding Unit in Ujjain, MP

India, December 2022: JK Cement Ltd. one of India’s leading manufacturers of Grey Cement and one of the largest White Cement manufacturers in the world today performed the groundbreaking ceremony of its greenfield Grinding Unit in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain District. The ceremony was presided over by Dr. Raghavpat Singhania, Managing Director – JK Cement Ltd., Dy. MD & CEO Mr. Madhavkrishna Singhania and the Senior leadership team.

Construction and installation activities have begun at the Grinding Unit with an investment of around INR 400 Crores and a total production capacity of 1.50 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA). This is among the major Grinding Units in Madhya Pradesh. Currently, JKCement has two operating units in the state, a greenfield integrated Cement Plant at Panna which was recently inaugurated by the Honourable Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and a Wall Putty Plant in the District of Katni.

Speaking on the company’s expansion Dr. Raghavpat Singhania, Managing Director, JK Cement Ltd. Said: “I would like to thank the Government of Madhya Pradesh for their constant support and for giving us the opportunity to be a part of the state’s growth story. JKCement is well placed through its capacity expansions, growing regional diversification and expanding portfolio mix to cater to the market needs. It dovetails with our plans of increasing capacity and expanding our outreach in untapped markets in a phased manner to stay in step with the demand growth as it progresses over the years. We plan to increase our cement production capacity to 25 MTPA by FY 2024-25 and have also developed a roadmap for 30 MTPA of cement capacity in the next few years”.

The company plans to scale up its manufacturing capacities for the production of Grey Cement to fulfill the enhanced demand across India. Bolstered with the latest additions including a newly built grinding unit at Hamirpur (Uttar Pradesh) along with its integrated cement plant in Panna, the overall capacity will reach 20.50 MTPA once the Ujjain unit is commissioned. These expansions reinforce JKCement’s growing footprint in Central and Northern India and its commitment to accelerate the socio-economic development of the region.

Adding to this Dy. Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Madhavkrishna Singhania said: “Amid strong demand from rural India and recovery in the infrastructure segment, there has been a sharp rise in Cement demand in the country. As we keep pushing our boundaries, consolidating our market position is a major priority that’s aligned with the company’s vision of sustainable and profitable growth. This will further provide an impetus to the sector and address the demand for Cement in Northern and central India. Through this addition, we will not only continue to contribute towards nation-building but also create numerous employment opportunities in the state.”

Over the years JK Cement Ltd. has been taking significant measures to aid the social development of local communities with interventions made in the field of primary healthcare & sanitation, skill development, and water and energy conservation impacting over 5 Lacs beneficiaries around its operations. Through its CSR arm, the company has been constantly working towards sustainable infrastructure development of the regions around its facilities.

SADDLE UP… Firefox Bikes opens award winning Experience Centre in Pune…

Pune(S.N): Firefox Bikes, India’s premium cycling brand (a Hero Cycles Group company) has announced the opening of its Experience Centre in Pune. The COCO (Company Owned Company Operated) store offers a unique, engaging and immersive user experience for premium and performance bikes. Situated at a prime location in JM Road, the store seamlessly combines technology, biking, and experiential retail. The move to launch an experience centre in Pune, is in line with the brand’s expansion plans and commitment to create a culture of biking as a way of life in the country.

The modern and innovative design of the store is conceptualised by leading Design Agency Elephant Design, which won a Gold in the VMRD Retail Design Awards 2022. Each touch point of the Firefox Experience Centre is designed to elevate customer interaction so that they engage with the brand, its products, and services on a whole new level. The effortless browsable store layout assists the customers to understand the different bike segments and choose what is best suited to their needs.

The store displays a wide range of bikes across different categories from premium quality MTBs, Hybrid, Electric, Women, Kids and more to cater to different segments of customers. The store also flaunts a good spread of accessories to meet the comfort and styling of the customers.

Speaking at the launch, Sriram Sundresan, CEO, Firefox Bikes said, ‘The reason for opening Firefox store in Pune is largely driven by the growing culture of cycling in the city. We are delighted to open ourexperience centre in a city that isso passionate about biking. The experience hub in Pune will ensure the best customer experience with the finest displays of bikes and accessories catering to every age group and their distinct needs. We see this store becoming a destination in the city for all bike enthusiasts. As a category leader we intend to create world class customer journeys at all touchpoints on digital & physical.’

‘This format has been very well received in other cities and we look forward to offering the same holistic experience to our customers in Pune as well’, he added.

Firefox Bikes has clocked tremendous growth in the last few years. These brick-and-mortar experience centres are part of our omnichannel strategy to create Firefox biking community in key cities.

Firefox omnichannel business model combines D2C (direct-to-consumer) innovations and a countrywide offline network. Every online purchase is mapped to a dealer offline through a customized enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Currently, Firefox Bikes has stores
across India, including all major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Guwahati, Bhopal, and many more. Over the end of this year, Firefox Bikes plans to enter newer geographies by opening more stores. The stores will be set up in both metropolitan cities as well as smaller cities and will cater to a wide range of target audiences

CIE at IIITH startup PiStarTech wins “best idea” award at Aarambh 2022

Hyderabad 05 December 2022: CIE at IIITH startup PiStarTech’s CEO Anis Fatema won “Best Idea” award at Aarambh 2022, a national entrepreneurship conclave organized on 26-27 November by Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU), Kanpur.

Anis Fatema, whose startup has been incubated at CIE for a year now and is part of the Nidhi Prayas program, has created “Flexible Podiatry System (FlePS) Mat”, a digital automated foot scanning system that provides complete plantar pressure analysis. The highly affordable and advanced patented flexible technology provides the complete plantar pressure analysis in just 5 secs. A doctor with this technology is able to diagnose the problem, track the patient’s progress and also prescribe customized insoles according to the orthotics. The FLePS Mat helps doctors gauge accurate data via a thorough plantar pressure analysis of the foot, which includes static, dynamic, and stabilometry analysis via a RRR functionality (Recognize – Restore – Reinforce). Recognize the root cause of the problem by providing a complete foot pressure analysis. Restore the patient’s health by providing evidence-based rehab treatment and tracking progress throughout. Reinforce treatment using the doctor’s prescribed customized insoles for relief and performance enhancement.

She was selected from a total of 650 entrees, of which 103 participations pitched their ideas at the conclave through 2 rounds – an initial pitching round, followed by an investor round. The jury comprised of representatives from HBTU, Venture Catalysts and iCreate team. Among the 3 categories of the contest (Idea, Prototype and Product), Fatema won the ideation round and was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 60,000.

Commenting on her achievement, Prakash Yalla, Professor of Practise at IIITH’s Tech Transfer Office (TTO) said, “We are very happy to see some traction and success from our efforts to seed hardware startups through the Nidhi Prayas maker program at CIE. Hoping to see more products in the market succeed”.

Anis Fatema said, “The most prestigious moment for me was when Smt. Neha Jain, IAS officer of Kanpur Dehat, got her foot screening done on the FlePS mat and appreciated the idea of designing such a device for the doctors. I was overjoyed when all the investors got their foot screening done and appreciated the idea. The representative of iCreate (International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology) also agreed to support our startup through their platform.”