Archive: March 9, 2023

Brookfield Properties Partners With The Rotary Club Of Mumbai Lakers For The Powai Run 2023

Mumbai, March 2023: Brookfield Properties, a leading global developer and operator of high-quality real estate assets, partnered with the Rotary Club of Mumbai Lakers for the 2nd year to organize the 12th edition of Powai Run on March 5, 2023. The community marathon aimed to promote diversity, inclusivity, and equality, supporting this year’s theme of #EmbraceEquity. This special Holi edition was a resounding success, with over 6,500 participants from various walks of life, walking and running through the streets of Powai to support the cause.

The run was flagged off by Mr. Alok Aggarwal – MD and CEO of Brookfield Properties, Ms. Reema H. Kundnani – Senior Vice President – Region Head, West India and Head – Marketing, Branding & Communications, India at Brookfield Properties, Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani – MD Hirnandani Group of Companies, and Mr. Divyanshu Ganatra, Founder of Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF) at Downtown Powai, which offers marquee office assets from Brookfield Properties’ India portfolio. The initiative witnessed active participation from CXOs and eminent business leaders in the likes of Frank Schloeder (Managing Director, Hafele South Asia), Soumya Sen (Director- Compensation and Benefits, Asia Pacific & Japan, Abbott Healthcare) Shefali Mian (Director- Compensation and Benefits, India, Abbott Healthcare), Ramesh Nair (CEO, Colliers India), Anil Bhatia (VP and MD, Emerson), Gautam Saraf (MD, Mumbai and New Business at Cushman & Wakefield), professors, current students and alumni of the prestigious IIT Bombay, corporates and people of the Powai community.

The exclusive CXO run, ‘The Inclusion Run,’ was curated by Brookfield Properties in association with Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF), a not-for-profit organization that promotes inclusivity. Leaders of today and tomorrow came together to run as an ally to a visually impaired or ran individually, supporting the cause. Powai Run 2023 was also a day of carnival with live music, food pop-ups, shopping, and entertainment with the entire Powai community coming together to make it a perfect blend of fun, fitness, community engagement and social cause.

Expressing his views on the Powai Run, Mr. Alok Aggarwal, CEO and MD of Brookfield Properties, said, “We embrace our role as stewards of the communities we serve. Not just a partner to our communities, we’re part of them. Delighted to partner with the Rotary Club of Mumbai Lakers and be a part of this vibrant community. This year’s run supporting the theme of #EmbraceEquity was organized with the commitment to create awareness for people with disabilities. It is a unique initiative celebrating inclusion.”

Adding to it, Deepak H Daryanani, Team Powai Run, Rotary Club of Mumbai Lakers, said: “We are delighted and grateful to have Brookfield Properties partnering with us for this year’s edition of our annual fundraiser. The 12th Edition of the Powai Run sets a new bar for the cause at large, making the community imagine a gender-equal world, a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, a world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive.”

To engage people in a healthy lifestyle, Powai Run also initiated a 10km virtual run from February 18 to March 4, which witnessed the participation from across the world, showcasing the interest in attaining a fit lifestyle and showing solidarity for a cause.

Brookfield Properties and the Rotary Club of Mumbai Lakers remain committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable society and plan to organize more such events and experiences in the future.

Broadband India Forum suggests new framework to improve submarine cable systems, to promote innovation and push digitalisation in India

New Delhi, March 09, 2023: Through its consultation paper on “Licensing Framework and Regulatory Mechanism for Submarine Cable Landing in India” to the TRAI, Broadband India Forum (BIF), an independent policy forum and knowledge-based think-tank, has underscored the need to promote competition, innovation, and investment in the domain of submarine cable landing stations and provide equal, fair, non-discriminatory and open access to all potential seekers of international connectivity. It will facilitate the country satiate the demand for data, consumption of which is rising by the day.

The think tank body has emphasised the need for creation of robust submarine cable systems connected to India as well as geo-diversity and augmentation of submarine cable landing infrastructure. The new framework proposed by BIF talks about the necessity of a new regulatory environment which delinks the deployment & ownership of the submarine cable networks from the submarine cable landing infrastructure through open access under a light-touch regulation.

Speaking about the suggestions and its impact on digitalisation, Mr. TV Ramachandran, President of BIF, said, “Submarine Cable and Cable Landing Stations are critical elements to improve the Digital Communications infrastructure ecosystem, boost digitalisation and accomplish the dream of creation of a digital economy. It’s quintessential to create a conducive environment for the growth of Submarine Cable and Cable Landing Stations to support requisite infrastructure development to push Digital India mission. India is at a nascent stage of becoming a digital economy and it requires to accelerate its efforts. A light-tough regulation will play an instrumental role in promoting competition, encouraging innovation in the segment and fulfilling the data demand of every citizen.”

BIF in its response to the regulator has also suggested to open CLS facilities for new entrants and implement a regulatory framework with two broad categories of players. One, for those who will build and deploy submarine cable systems and CLSs, and another for those who would use the infrastructure to provide the public services. It has also raised concerns about the potential impact of some conditions (a & b in para 2.1 of the consultation paper) that may inadvertently create entry barriers for new entities seeking to build submarine cable infrastructure in India. This may discourage long term and sizeable investments in the sector.

Additionally, the think-tank body has requested for a review of the current regime in order to improve ease of doing business. It advocates the simplification of procedures & processes, reduction of turnaround time (TAT), implementation of lawful interceptions and monitoring (LIM) standards, and flexibility to implement new technologies/models. These measures will promote investors sentiment which is an inevitability today. Also, the body reiterated the importance of adoption of the latest technologies, such as Open Cables that help separate the wet and dry plant.

BIF also expressed concerns on Atmanirbhar approach. An Indian-owned undersea cable repair vessel may partially address some issues related to delays in undersea cable maintenance and reduce the dependency on foreign vessel providers. However, this may not be entirely practical as of now and may lead to unnecessary increase in cost to deploy, operate and maintain the network, thereby impacting end consumer experience.

Vedanta rolls out ‘Project Panchhi’ for recruiting 1000 girls

Inaugurates the project at its Alumina Refinery in Lanjigarh (Kalahandi, Odisha) with the recruitment of the first 40 girls

New Delhi 09, March 2023: In the week leading up to International Women’s Day 2023, Vedanta Ltd. announced the launch of its pathbreaking talent acquisition program – Project Panchhi – for recruiting 1000 girls from its communities across the country.

The objective of the programme is two-fold –

• To recruit young women from remote areas, in the operational areas of the company’s metals, mining and oil & gas businesses in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Goa, etc.
• To increase the diversity in its workforce by specifically focusing on the recruitment of girls, who are underrepresented in the metals, mining & heavy engineering industries.

What is unique about Project Panchhi is that this programme aims to recruit girls from marginalised communities. Many of these girls are first-generation learners who aspire for further study to have professional careers. Vedanta is undertaking a selection process to identify the right candidates based on various criteria and will support their higher education in leading institutions. After graduation, these girls will join Vedanta’s operations as graduate trainees.

This programme is inaugurated at Vedanta’s Alumina Refinery operations at Lanjigarh (Kalahandi, Odisha) where in the first phase, 40 girls have been identified.

Speaking about Project Panchhi, Vedanta’s Chairman, Mr. Anil Agarwal, said, “I strongly believe that Project Panchhi will give young girls wings to soar. It will enable girls from remote parts of the country to pursue higher education, learn skills and financially empower themselves.  Vedanta’s motto ‘Transforming for Good’ embodies our mission to bring positive change in the lives of our communities. I proudly look forward to seeing these girls succeed and emerge as tall leaders in our organization.”

Ms. Madhu Srivastava, Group CHRO, Vedanta Ltd., added, “Project Panchhi is a unique initiative towards an inclusive development of our communities and in line with our overall vision for diversity, equity and inclusion. We are confident that these upskilled young girls would emerge as leaders and become shining examples for others in their communities, states and country at large”.

Vedanta’s Lanjigarh operations, the site of the first roll-out of this project, houses a world-class 2 MTPA alumina refinery, which feeds the company’s state-of-the-art aluminium smelters at Jharsuguda (Odisha) and BALCO (Chhattisgarh). The refinery is currently undergoing expansion to 5 MTPA and will deploy significant manpower. This offers immense opportunities for the recruits to get a hands-on learning experience. It will also serve as an inspiration for thousands of other girls and women across India to aspire for a career in the manufacturing industry.

Chakri Majhi, father of Suriyakanti Majhi, one of the girls selected under this program shared his thought on the initiative saying, “Vedanta has come up with this wonderful initiative. It gives me immense happiness to see that the company is taking a step towards giving our young girls the opportunity to pursue higher studies. I am delighted to see my daughter get selected as part of the program. Vedanta has contributed immensely to the growth of our communities and the Kalahandi district. This initiative will not only help our daughters grow personally and professionally which will go a long way in helping better our quality of life”.

The band “Pandavaas” rocked the yoga festival.

Rishikesh / Dehradun 9 March 2023 : The musical group “The Pandavaas” echoed the evening of the sixth day of the Rishikesh International Yoga Festival. The crowd present were excited and enthusiastically began dancing when the artists of Pandavaas performed on Uttarakhand’s folk tunes Fulari, Time Machine Series, and Uttarakhand Meri Mathrubhumi during the final session of the day.

” Pandavaas” is an adventurous folk music band that was formed in 2008 with a young team of artists who are passionate about producing quality work. The band has been active in experimenting with music. The group has created various media that have been viewed and enjoyed by viewers all around the world, including music videos, documentaries, commercial films, and web series.

It is a unique initiative by Uttarakhand Tourism to offer yoga and pranayama classes as well as Ayurveda, diet, and disease prevention classes from six traditional yoga schools to yoga aspirants at the International Yoga Festival.

The final day of the International Yoga Festival, today, will have different varieties of Holi which include fusion of Lathmar Holi and Awadhi Holi in the evening and yoga sessions in the morning.

Netflix and ACT all set to premier Rana Naidu in Hyderabad

09 March 2023: ACT Fibernet, one of India’s largest fiber broadband ISPs (Internet Service Providers) is thrilled to announce the premiere of Netflix’s upcoming crime-drama series ‘Rana Naidu’. For first-time ever, Rana Daggubati will be seen sharing screen space with his uncle Venkatesh Daggubati as they star as the father and son duo.

ACT Fibernet customers who have subscribed to the new Netflix plan will get a chance to win a free ticket to the premiere on 9th March 2023 at theatres in Hyderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam, ahead of the show’s official launch on Netflix on 10th March 2023.

“We strive to deliver our brand promise of Feel the advantage to our customers. In line with this, we are delighted to bring unique experiences such as exclusive premiere of Rana Naidu in partnership with Netflix for our loyal customers.” Ravi Karthik, Head of Marketing and Customer experience Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd.

Citi Named Bank of the Year in Asia Pacific

Hong Kong: Citi was recently recognized as ‘Bank of the Year’ in Asia Pacific at the International Financing Review (IFR) Asia Awards 2022 based on a unanimous decision of the editors of IFR Asia, a leading industry magazine with a focus on capital markets.

Citi was also named ‘Best Bond House’ in Asia Pacific for its ability to bring Asian issuers to the G3 market throughout the year against a backdrop of new geopolitical headwinds and rising interest rates, according to IFR Asia.

The independent recognitions from IFR Asia, reaffirms the expertise and solution-driven approach of Citi’s capital markets and advisory teams in developing and executing complex transactions for clients in an ever-changing and challenging macro-environment. “Citi’s panAsian footprint and diverse sector coverage made it a bastion of stability, while its commercial bank enabled it to give issuers more options in rapidly changing market conditions,” concluded IFR Asia in the editorial write up accompanying the award win.

“This win is a recognition of the strength of Citi’s franchise, the competitive advantage of our global network and the passion and energy of our teams. We would like to thank our clients for their trust in Citi, and for choosing us as their partner to support their banking requirements,” said Jan Metzger, Head of Asia Pacific banking, capital markets and advisory at Citi.

During the last year, Citi helped raise over US$200bn for Asian clients from global capital markets. Citi led transactions also won awards including the following:

• Reliance Industries US$4bn multi-tranche bond – Best Investment Grade Bond
• Lenovo US$675m seven-year CB – Best Structured equity issue
• LG Energy Solution’s W12.8tr IPO – South Korea capital markets deal
• Thai Life Insurance Bt37bn IPO – Thailand capital markets deal

In the write ups accompanying the award wins, the editorial said: 

“Citigroup, in contrast to many of its peers, did more than just stand its ground in 2022. The bank was proactive as it consistently found market windows for its clients and supported them as they sought the best possible funding opportunities.”

“Issuers in Asia were faced in 2022 with volatile capital markets that were inclined to close at a moment’s notice, but Citigroup provided the stability clients needed to manage their funding plans.”

“Issuers could not rely on Asia-only demand in 2022, but Citi connected them to international investors.”