Archive: March 27, 2023

Colliers expands capital markets & investment business across asset classes

27 March, Gurgaon: A market leader and trusted real estate advisor, Colliers expands its Capital Markets and Investment Services capabilities in India by adding new business and strengthening its team.

The firm has built capabilities with expertise in debt syndications, equity raising, land solutions for sale/joint development, special situations, resolutions, and stress solutions, and investment and asset sales.

The capital market business that focused on top markets in India will also deal in hospitality, special situations, and resolutions apart from its existing domain of operations.

Piyush Gupta, Managing Director, of Capital Markets & Investment Services at Colliers India said: “Colliers’ Capital Markets is uniquely positioned to deliver solutions with in-depth expertise, and a diverse, experienced team. The Real Estate industry in India is poised for high growth due to structural change, and with our team’s ability to think and deliver on innovative ideas, we are playing a constructive role in our work with developers and investors on growth plans, capital solutions, and portfolio management.”

In strong collaboration with other verticals, Colliers’ capital market and investment business leverages its sharpened technical and strategic proficiencies to provide holistic real estate solutions that optimize portfolio returns and capital structure of the clients.

Colliers transacted across asset classes including commercial, residential, hospitality, industrial, and retail, with commercial and residential being big-ticket deals.

A joint development with Bangalore-based real estate developer, Address Maker, for plotted development, financing of an office asset in Bangalore, and financing of a retail asset in NCR was one of the key deals concluded. Further, an NCLT resolution of a Mumbai-based company with assets across cities was transacted. Other deals included a partnership of Aswani Promoters with a leading developer for residential development in Pune, financing for a large credit fund of residential development in Pune, and financing of city-centric development in Mumbai with ICICI Ventures.

“Colliers is committed to addressing the needs of the market and creating solutions that lead to long-term growth of the clients. Institutional investments in Indian realty are steadily increasing and both domestic and global investors are eyeing the Indian market to strengthen their real estate portfolios,” added Gupta.     

Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Emergency Services visits WE-Hub and T-Hub

Hyderabad, March 27, 2023: Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Emergency Services; Innovation and the Digital Economy; Medical Research; Volunteering along with the Western Australia delegation today visited WE-Hub and T-Hub, India’s pioneering innovation ecosystem and the world’s largest innovation campus.

Hon Stephen Dawson said, “We are happy to announce that we have signed 3 MOUs today. Western Australia is at the forefront of cyber security research and innovation with leading organizations. The purpose of this visit is to engage with the Telangana ecosystem and understand the priorities, as well as convey Western Australia’s capabilities around innovation, the digital economy, and medical research.”

1. The MoU between Cyber Security Centre of Excellence DSCI (A NASSCOM Initiative) and CyberWest will harness the expertise of both organizations using innovation, design, workshops and industry engagement.
2. The MoU between Cyber Security Centre of Excellence DSCI (A NASSCOM Initiative) and Edith Cowan University will collaborate for the mutual benefit of both organizations including research, education, innovation, incubation, marketing, hackathons, corporate innovation and training programs.
3. The Letter Of Intent between WE-Hub and CyberWest will accelerate growth in the local and international ecosystem and support goals of diversity and inclusion within the cyber security sector. This collaboration will also help in seeding female led cyber security startups and also integrating cyber safety into all cohorts.

Aarya 2 and Crash Course actor Swapnil Jain expresses gratitude to Pocket FM

Every artist dreams of climbing the ladder of success. For some, it’s a smooth ride, while for others, it’s a grueling journey to reach their desired destination. Actor-writer-director, Swapnil Jain, knows this all too well. After playing supporting characters in the well-acclaimed series Aarya 2 and Crash Course, Swapnil‘s big break came when he got the golden opportunity to write for Pocket FM. And it was the popular audio series, Insta Millionaire, that catapulted him to success.

A perfect blend of entertainment and inspiration, Insta Millionaire weaves together elements of drama, romance, and suspense to create a truly engaging listening experience. This captivating audio series has received rave reviews from people across India, touching unexpected numbers and leaving listeners inspired and entertained.

Talking about the phenomenal success and adulation, Swapnil Jain, writer of Insta Millionaire, said, “As a storyteller, Insta Millionaire‘s success is an achievement that has allowed me to spread my wings and soar to greater heights. Pocket FM has given me the opportunity to share my passion for storytelling with a wider audience. With their immense support, writers like myself can bring our tales to life, captivate listeners with every word and share it with the world.”

The story of Insta Millionaire follows the life of Lucky, a young man from humble beginnings who battles against all odds to make a life for himself. Despite his struggles, Lucky’s unwavering character and selflessness never waver. Even though he faced one of life’s biggest betrayals when his girlfriend cheats on him, Lucky keeps his head up and continues to fight for a better life. But when he suddenly receives a message that changes his life forever, he’s forced to confront an entirely different set of challenges. Will Lucky let the wealth change him or will he stay true to himself and the values he learned during his days of hardship? Can he finally find happiness and love in his life?

Since his early days of graduation, Swapnil Jain has been a creative force with a burning desire to express himself through the written word. Growing up in a small town in Jaipur, Rajasthan, he always knew that he wanted to use the power of the pen to make a difference. While juggling various jobs in acting, direction, production management, technical coordination, and design, Swapnil always knew that writing was his true calling.

Insta Millionaire has been a game-changer in the audio OTT space, garnering a whopping Rs 30+ crore revenue. With over 900 episodes, this extensive storytelling has taken the world by storm and surpassed 300 million plays across English, Hindi, and Tamil, clocking over 3.5 billion listening minutes. So, what are you waiting for, grab your headphones, sit back, tune into Pocket FM, and let the story of Insta Millionaire unfold!

Transformation is the need of the era says Venu Kondur

India Chennai 27 March 2023: Lobb logistics who participated in the #Umagine Chennai Asia’s largest Tech Summit today, speaking at a panel discussion on the advent of technology and its changing forms Venu Kondur Lobb CEO said, “how companies have transformed in the last ten years is mind-boggling. He went on to say that it is the sole responsibility of the new age startups to create robust digital platforms, with the right kind of technology with perfect understanding of business needs strategically. Consumers keep looking at better products which add value to their experiences”.

The panel discussion was on “Digital start-ups Vs Analog Organisations transforming to digital”. While digital technologies are becoming ubiquitous today across both digital native startups & incumbent organizations that are reinventing themselves with technology. The sessions covered opportunity, impact & relative challenges across this spectrum of companies.

Lobb enables transporters & truckers to “Connect, Discover & Transact Freight” in a frictionless manner by leveraging the best of technology and building innovative solutions ground-up, that are relevant at a global scale.

The Indian logistics industry has over 10 million long-haul trucks, most of them owned by small truck owners struggling to find the right loads on time. We aim to empower them through our proprietary Truck Discovery Model, by creating a unique network of fleet, routes, and nodes aligned to demand supply and move to a machine-based matching engine.

Trucks in India run only 13-15 days in a month vs an optimal 23-25 days. This is largely due to opaque demand and supply availability. Demand and supply traditionally are done through calls in an inefficient manner. Lobb through its digital freight brokerage app is able to help logistics companies hire trucks on demand.

Current Scale of Business:

Trucks: 30,000 +

KMs Covered: 3 Crore KMs +

Tonnage Covered: 1 Million Tonnage +

Locations: 20+ Cities Like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Ahmedabad etc

Logistics Partners: 1000+

Fleet Owners: 5000+

In next 12 months:

Trucks: 1 Lakhs Trucks

Locations: 100+ cities

Two products – Lobb Truck – This is for fleet owners & Lobb FTL – for transporters

Issued by

Raghavendra Rao

South Indian Bank Ties Up with Central Board of Direct Taxes for Direct Tax Collections

Thrissur: South Indian Bank announced that it has associated with the Central Board of Direct Taxes for the collection of Direct Tax for retail and corporate tax payers. The payment facility is now LIVE, allowing any taxpayers to remit Direct Taxes under ‘Over the Counter Mode’ and specifically for SIB customers, payment can be made via ‘Over the Counter’ as well as ‘Internet Banking’ modes, thereby making the process seamless and faster like never before.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Thomas Joseph K, EVP & Group Business Head, South Indian Bank said “With this arrangement, we join the ranks of a select few other private banks in the country to carry out Direct Tax collections on behalf of CBDT under the new regime TIN 2.0. Our offering is for all taxpayers who can avail the convenience of Direct Tax Payments across our 932 branches and through our novel net banking platform –SIBerNet, exclusively for SIB account holders. With this initiative, we aim to make Tax payments more convenient for customers by providing them with alternate options that are seamless and hassle-free.”

Enabling this facility would further strengthen the ties of South Indian Bank with the Government of India imprinting it as a bankable partner in facilitating payments.

South African Tourism showcases its MICE offerings by organizing a Corporate Think Tank in Bangalore

Bangalore, 27 March 2023: Reiterating its commitment to the Indian business and MICE travel segment, South African Tourism concluded the second edition of its in-person Corporate MICE program at ITC Gardenia, Bangalore. The first edition of this highly engaging program proved to be a major success for the tourism board. The program became a powerful platform to explore business and corporate event opportunities for South Africa.

Engagement programs like Corporate Think Tank sessions assist in setting the ground for quick recall and are particularly aimed at capitalizing on the growing demand for MICE tourism. It serves as an add-on to the tourism board’s well-developed strategy and allows them to directly communicate with the decision-makers responsible for their company’s corporate travel purchasing and address their needs. Organized by OptiMICE Events Pvt Ltd, these sessions have been specifically curated to be interactive and encourage a healthy free flowing exchange of ideas amongst the attendees and South African Tourism.

Bangalore has emerged as the start-up capital of India over the past decade and is progressing rapidly. Home to several leading multinational companies from across the world, the city serves as an important market to South Africa’s ambitions of increasing MICE tourism from India. In 2022, Bangalore ranked as one of the fastest growing source-cities for outbound travel. Led by Ms. Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – Middle East, India, and South-East Asia, South African Tourism, the interaction focused on exploring latest opportunities within the destination for hosting MICE travellers. Further, it provided an in-depth understanding of the overall MICE market, an evolved sense of purchaser needs and expectations, and most importantly helped educate the decision-makers on various business-oriented facilities that the destination has to offer.

Moderated by Ms. Kamal Gill, Director, OptiMICE Events Pvt Ltd the discussions covered a wide range of subjects including the upcoming employee engagement cycle, USPs of South Africa for MICE groups, the support offered by the tourism board as well as the activities that can be explored by potential MICE groups in the new era.

Ms. Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head Middle East, India, and South-East Asia, South African Tourism said,“Corporate India’s increasing interest in hosting global meetings, key conventions and important exhibitions in South Africa is a testament towards the world-class business facilities the country has to offer. The Rainbow Nation has evolved as a destination with winning combination for India’s business and MICE travellers owing to the affordability and available engagement opportunities. It is heartening to see more and more corporate houses choosing South Africa as the preferred destination for addressing their business needs.”

“The strengthening economic ties between both the nations presents us with a great opportunity to capitalise on the increasing demand for MICE tourism. Keeping in mind the ever-growing size of the Indian economy, we are aiming for a 35% growth in MICE travellers from India in 2023”, she added.

Post the pandemic, India moved up two spots to become the 6^th largest international source market for South Africa. In 2022, the Rainbow Nation witnessed over a 200% surge in travellers from the country and welcomed nearly 50,000 Indians till November. With over 1 in 4 Indian arrivals to South Africa motivated by MICE, the country continues to remain amongst the top-3 focus markets for South African Tourism.

Raising its targets for this year, the tourism board is aiming for a 35% increase in MICE travellers from metros and tier-2 markets in 2023 and will continue to interact with potential audiences through such highly engaging events. In line with its corporate engagement schedule, the tourism board successfully concluded its corporate MICE programs in Bangalore along with Delhi, Mumbai, Pune in the previous weeks.

Brakes India launches brake pads for luxury car range

March 2023: Designed with a unique abrasive film for higher performance, TVS Apache, a friction brand of Brakes India, launched Platinum brake pads for the luxury car range which have been designed for comfort and a pleasant driving experience. The brake pads cater to both front and rear requirements of premium vehicles.

Brakes India with over six decades of technology expertise in Brake systems, is a leading player in the passenger car friction market. “We are unveiling Platinum brake pads with advanced friction technology and expanding our range to cater to the premium segment. In the first phase, it is introduced for select luxury car models and the range will be expanded in the coming months,” said Sujit S Nayak, Vice President of Friction and Aftermarket Business, Brakes India.

Sujit further added that the brake pads are engineered for global specifications with premium formulation to deliver quiet and high-performance braking without compromising on life. The front brake pads are environmental friendly with premium copper free formulations to meet the global specifications and meeting the highest N compliance level as per SAE J2975.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor announces Assured Buyback Scheme for its iconic Lifestyle Utility Vehicle – The Hilux

Bangalore, 27 March 2023: Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today announced an exciting offer for its iconic lifestyle utility vehicle, the Hilux. Customers looking to buy the Hilux can now choose attractive low EMI option starting from Rs. 32,886/- or opt for an assured 70% buyback after 3 years, from the date of purchase of Hilux, which are made available exclusively through the Toyota Financial Services. These rollouts have been specially designed keeping in mind the customers’ convenience to own the much-celebrated Hilux in the lifestyle vehicle segment.

In line with Toyota’s Customer First philosophy, aforesaid buying options are curated with an aim to provide an enhanced value proposition for the prospective consumers who desire to purchase the Toyota Hilux, thereby ensuring a low cost of ownership. Needless to mention, since its launch, the Hilux had gained enormous appreciation for its great styling and driving comfort.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Atul Sood, Vice President of Sales and Strategic Marketing – Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “With the recent announcement of the restart of Hilux bookings opening, we are once again overwhelmed with the good customer response. Owning the globally acclaimed Hilux has now become easy & more exciting with best finance options of low EMI or 70% assured buyback after three years from the date of purchase of Hilux. We strongly believe that this scheme will cater to our discerning customer preferences to own and experience the legendary Toyota Hilux with enhanced convenience, thereby giving them the complete peace of mind. For many of our loyal customers, this new offering will be a step up in their journey with Toyota, and get to enjoy the Quality, Durability, and Reliability which is associated with Toyota products.

We are confident that Hilux will continue to set new standards with its unmatched toughness & powerful performance, creating new experiences to ‘Live a Fuller Life’ be it business or family”.

Toyota Hilux is aimed to fulfil the needs of customers seeking an awesome lifestyle utility vehicle that is best suited, not only for off-roading adventure drives on tough terrains but also for everyday city use. Furthermore, this versatile vehicle is perfectly suited for multiple purpose usages that can cater to new emerging business customers be it campervan, farming, defense, mining, construction, rescue van, etc. With its powerful powertrain system of a 2.8 L Four Cylinder Turbo-Diesel Engine, the Hilux is available in options of 6- Speed Automatic and 6-Speed Manual Transmission. All the variants of Hilux are equipped with 4X4 drive capabilities along with many first-in-segment features such as 8” Infotainment system, Connected features (such as Emergency Call [e-Call], Vehicle Security, Remote Check, Smart Watch enabled, Vehicle Static Location, Geofence & Speed alerts and more), Dual Zone AC, Tire Angle Monitor & Front Parking Sensors for a smooth drive.

In addition to a variety of remarkable features coupled with a robust engine, the Hilux also offers exceptional endurance, low maintenance cost, and great practicality for a variety of usage purposes. Furthermore, the Hilux’s water-wading capability of 700mm makes it suitable for driving through Indian trails, setting new standards in its off-road capability.

Further, the current price of Hilux is as follows (Ex-showroom Price – grade wise):

 Note: For platinum pearl white color, additional premium of Rs. 15,000/- is applicable 

To know more about these finance schemes of Toyota Hilux, we urge the customers to visit their nearest Toyota touchpoints to discuss customized financial packages as per individual needs. Customers can make their bookings online on www.toyotabharat.com or through Toyota dealerships. With Toyota’s virtual showroom, now the customers can seamlessly get a 360-degree external and internal view, check out all the available variants and colors and experience the key features as well.

Overview of TKM

Overview of TKM 1st Plant:

Overview of TKM 2nd Plant: