Archive: May 3, 2023

5 brands that are Leveraging data analytics and artificial intelligence to improve supply chain efficiency in the logistic sector

The logistics sector is increasingly leveraging data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve supply chain efficiency. With the massive amounts of data generated in logistics operations, data analytics can provide valuable insights into the supply chain, enabling logistics companies to optimize their operations and improve their bottom line. Predictive analytics can be used to forecast demand and optimize inventory levels, reducing costs and improving service levels. AI-powered solutions, such as autonomous vehicles and drones, can help streamline logistics operations, enabling faster and more efficient deliveries. Real-time tracking and monitoring of logistics operations can provide greater visibility and transparency, allowing logistics companies to quickly identify potential disruptions and take proactive measures to mitigate them. Here are the top 4 brands that are Leveraging data analytics and artificial intelligence to improve supply chain efficiency.

Raaho:It is an on-demand intercity trucking management company that focuses on middle-mile logistics. Joined the market in 2017 with the goal of creating a ground-breaking technology-based paradigm for the trucking sector that would effortlessly eliminate decades of inefficiencies. Raaho has created a digital freight network, which uses technology and data to expedite operations and maximize the movement of millions of truckloads across the country. Raaho’s network is an open, fully linked freight marketplace that links shippers and carriers effectively using machine learning, automation, and other software services. Raaho ‘s technology is revolutionizing the notoriously inefficient transportation sector, allowing trucks to be better utilised, expenses to be reduced, and service quality to vastly increase. Raaho envisioned cutting costs for shippers, improving the lives of truck drivers, and striving to help the world by lowering carbon emissions by focusing on waste and inefficiency reduction.

Delhivery: India’s largest fully integrated logistics provider. They aim to build the operating system for commerce, through a combination of world-class infrastructure, logistics operations of the highest quality and cutting-edge engineering and technology capabilities. Our mission is to enable customers to operate flexible, reliable and resilient supply chains at the lowest costs. Delhivery uses machine learning algorithms to optimize delivery routes, reducing transit time and improving delivery efficiency. The company also uses AI-powered chatbots to handle customer queries, enabling it to provide real-time customer service.

Rivigo:A part of Mahindra Logistics, India’s leading integrated logistics services provider, we are an express logistics service provider with a mission to revolutionize goods mobility and bring down the overall logistics cost in India. Through innovation, problem-solving, and continuous collaboration, we are driven by our purpose of making logistics faster, safer, and more human.Rivigo uses machine learning algorithms to optimize its trucking routes, reducing transit time and improving delivery efficiency. Overall, these four brands are at the forefront of leveraging data analytics and AI to improve supply chain efficiency in the logistics sector in India, setting an example for others to follow.

Gati Limited:Gati Limited is one of India’s premier Express Distribution and Supply Chain Management companies, committed to delighting customers with seamless, end-to-end logistics solutions backed by future-ready digital tools and technology. Founded in 1989, with renowned expertise in surface and air express as well as customized solutions for retail and MSME sectors, Gati gives businesses the added advantage of an unmatched network. Gati’s coverage spans the whole of India, bolstering businesses with access to more than 19,800 PIN Codes and 735 of India’s 739 districts. Gati has implemented a block chain-based solution to improve supply chain visibility, enabling it to track products in real-time and identify potential disruptions.

BlackBuck – Utilizing technology to connect shippers with trucking fleets, BlackBuck is a logistics firm founded in 2015. The brand offers real-time tracking and transparent operations to its customers. BlackBuck has established itself as a prominent player in the Indian logistics industry and their proficiency in providing supply chain management services has been a significant factor in their success.

PhonePe goes live with UPI LITE

Bengaluru, 2023: PhonePe, today announced that it has gone live with the UPI LITE feature on its app. The feature allows users to initiate low-value payments under Rs. 200, with a single tap from their UPI LITE account without entering a PIN. The transaction is processed directly by debiting the on-device UPI LITE balance without involving the customers’ banks’ (remitter bank) core banking systems in real-time. This makes transactions more seamless and even faster than the regular UPI transactions while also increasing the success probability of the transaction.

UPI LITE on PhonePe is supported by all major banks and is accepted at all UPI merchants and QRs across the country. The feature operates through an ‘on-device’ balance that facilitates much faster real-time payment solutions for low-value transactions such as groceries, transit, even during the busiest time slots.

Users can instantly activate the feature on their PhonePe app through a simple process that doesn’t involve any KYC authentication and create a UPI LITE account. Users can load up to Rs. 2000 in their LITE account and make transactions of up to Rs. 200 or less in one go. To check the transaction history, users will receive a daily SMS containing the history of UPI LITE transactions carried out during the day from their bank. This also results in decluttering bank statements/passbooks with small-value transactions, as the transactions would only be visible in the LITE account and not in the bank statement.

Speaking on the announcement, Rahul Chari, Co-founder, and Chief Technology Officer at PhonePe said, “UPI LITE is a core part of the UPI stack offering, with a vision to enhance the users’ digital payments experience for frequent and low-ticket size spends. Small-ticket transactions make up a significant volume of the overall UPI payments, and UPI LITE will make them quicker and convenient, without putting a strain on the existing UPI infrastructure. UPI Lite also paves the way to introduce use cases that need payment execution without network connectivity making it one of the most exciting launches from NPCI in recent times. This is a crucial step towards increasing the adoption of digital payments for users across India, further strengthening a cashless economy. We are optimistic that India will embrace the feature for faster and hassle-free low- value payments.”

Here’s how PhonePe users can activate UPI Lite on the PhonePe app:
1. Step 1: Open the PhonePe app

2. Step 2: On the home screen of the app, users will get the option to enable UPI LITE

3. Step 3: User enters the amount to add it in UPI LITE and selects the bank account

4. Step 4: User enters UPI Pin and the UPI Lite account is enabled successfully.

The Iconic Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai Is Now 100% Green

MUMBAI, MAY 3, 2023: Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), India’s largest hospitality company, today announced that its landmark hotel, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai is now 100% green. In its drive to minimise its environmental impact, the hotel in addition to using renewable energy, has also implemented water conservation, and waste reduction measures.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gaurav Pokhariyal, Executive Vice President – Human Resources, at IHCL, said, “In line with the vision of IHCL’s ESG+ framework of Paathya, we are committed to energy conservation and long-term goal of deriving 50 percent of energy across all hotels from renewable sources by 2030. Reducing its carbon footprint, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai has yet again set a benchmark of being 100% powered by renewable energy. This achievement advances our transition to a more sustainable and low-carbon future and provides an example for others to follow”

Having successfully implemented sustainability measures to minimize its carbon footprint, the hotel is also accelerating its efforts towards water conservation and waste reduction by efficiently treating and using water, reducing waste generation, and promoting recycling and reuse. Towards its commitment to phasing out single-use plastic, the hotel introduced a bottling plant. Other sustainable measures include EV charging stations, the use of low-flow aerators for taps and showers, using treated water for horticulture and flushing, and the use of LED light energy-efficient motors and time control lighting systems.

IHCL has announced its sustainability commitments for the year 2030 under Paathya and will continue to pursue sustainable practices in its pursuit of excellence and creating benchmarks.

apna leverages cloud solutions from MongoDB Atlas to empower 30 million job seekers in India

National, May 3rd, 2023: apna, India’s largest jobs, and professional networking platform has revealed its adoption of MongoDB Atlas, a leading cloud-based solution, as part of its efforts to enhance user experience while prioritizing security. With MongoDB’s expertise, apna will be better positioned to help its users seek more opportunities. The current initiative is in sync with apna’s objective of innovating and making its platform more personalized, thereby helping match the right person with the right job.

Since implementing microservices architecture and adopting MongoDB, apna has experienced a significant reduction of 90% in downtime incidents and a notable increase of 40% in developer productivity. Moreover, with MongoDB Atlas capable of handling 30 million active users, apna has successfully improved user engagement on its platform, enhancing the overall user experience. By leveraging MongoDB Atlas, apna has been able to utilize its high-performance platform and flexible data model to iterate quickly, gather feedback from users, and optimize the user experience. MongoDB Atlas serves as the primary data source for apna’s content management system, facilitating all interactions that occur on the app.

Talking about the initiative, Suresh Khemka, Head of Platform Engineering, apna said, “We have been constantly innovating and evolving to offer the best recruitment solutions. With MongoDB’s expertise in cloud solutions, we will be able to significantly improve user experience on our platform. We are witnessing a commensurate increase in developer productivity and remain confident that the data model will help 30 million job seekers with better job opportunities. We no longer need to be concerned about setting up or managing additional solutions, as MongoDB Atlas has become our go-to choice for new services due to its reliability and flexibility.

Sachin Chawla, VP of India, MongoDB said: “The gray-collar economy is hugely important for India, but it hasn’t always been easy to connect talent to opportunity. apna is using software and data to give people and businesses a way to solve that. Their team is an excellent example of how a small group of developers can have a huge impact when they have a clear mission, strong culture, and great technology. I’m so excited by how apna is helping connect millions of Indians to better opportunities.”

Besides the above initiative, apna is expanding its developer functionality and gathering richer data for reporting and analytics. Apna can now explore how to use data to address societal challenges, such as India’s employment inequality, with the aid of more sophisticated analytics and the appropriate technology. For instance, the app currently connects job seekers with opportunities. In the future, however, apna will possess the potential to determine what skills are in demand in specific regions and assist job seekers in making informed decisions about whether to invest in particular training programs via its enhanced analytics.

Punjab and Sind Bank records highest ever Net Profit of Rs.1313 Cr (FY) against a Net Profit of Rs.1039 Cr (Y-o-Y)

Q4 FY 2023 Key Highlights (Y-o-Y) 

Key Summary of Business Performance (as on 31^st March 2023) 

Y-o-Y Performance (Financial Year): 

Q-o-Q Performance (Sequential): 

Key Summary of Business Performance (as on 31^st March 2023) 

Priority Sector Advance and Financial Inclusion: 

1. Bank surpasses the targets in Priority Sector Advance which stands at 54.99% and Agriculture Advance at 20.67% of ANBC, as on March 2023, against the regulatory target of 40% and 18% respectively.
2. Credit to Small and Marginal farmers stands at 11.06% of ANBC, against the regulatory target of 9.50%.
3. Credit to Weaker Sections stands at 12.68% of ANBC, against the regulatory target of 11.50%.
4. Credit to Micro Enterprises stands at 14.31% of ANBC, against the regulatory target of 7.50%.
5. Bank is having 19.30 lakh PMJDY accounts with balance of deposits of Rs.558 Cr as at March 2023.Capital Position: 

1. Capital Adequacy ratio (CRAR) at 17.10% with Common Equity Tier 1 (CET-1) ratio of 14.32% at the end of March 2023.Distribution Network: 

1. As on 31^st March 2023, Bank has 1537 number of branches, out of which 572 are Rural, 281 Semi-Urban, 362 Urban and 322 Metro along with 835 number of ATMs, 357 Business Correspondents.
2. Bank has recently opened 25 new branches in PAN India, total number of branches stands at 1553 as on date.Awards & Accolades: 

1. Best Emerging Bank at MSME Banking Excellence Award.
2. 1^st Position under “Exemplary Gold Award” in Leadership Capital 4.0 by PFRDA.
3. Runner-up in “Best Digital Financial Inclusion” declared by IBA.
4. 3^rd Position in “Door-step Banking Udaan Campaign” by PSB Alliance Private Limited.

upliance.ai becomes one of the World’s first Consumer Hardware startups to integrate ChatGPT into home appliances

Bengaluru, May 03, 2023: Consumer Hardware startup, upliance.ai (Up⤴) is all set to roll out the integration of ChatGPT — the most talked-about technological advancement of the year — into their flagship product, the delish. Upliance.ai (Up⤴) becomes one of the world’s first companies to incorporate ChatGPT into a home appliance, revolutionising the way consumers interact with technology in their everyday lives.

delishUp⤴, India’s first smart cooking assistant, is making home cooking easier for young Indian homes. The appliance’s Smart Jar not only can heat and cook food but also automates chopping and stirring ingredients for a variety of dishes from gravies to one-pot meals. With 250+ guided recipes displayed on an interactive 8-inch touchscreen, owners only need to add ingredients as prompted to cook their meals. This drastically reduces the hassles of cooking for new cooks, with delishUp⤴ doing everything from supporting in recipe selection and cutting ingredients to automating heating and stirring. delishUp⤴ was built on the startup’s proprietary AI framework, Up⤴AI, to control and manage hardware functionality and recipe accuracy. Up⤴AI with ChatGPT now has encompassing knowledge of food, ingredients and recipes and can make generative and responsive suggestions to all cooking prompts and needs.

This integration is a testament to upliance.ai’s (Up⤴) commitment to democratising cooking and transforming Indian households into “smart” homes. By incorporating ChatGPT into the upliance, delishUp⤴ has exponentially increased what one can accomplish in their kitchens. The “upliance” aims to level up young Indians who are looking to cook more often at home, but don’t know how to cook or lack the time to do it every day. This integration has not only expanded what one could be eating at home every day but has also given its owners the ability to customise and tailor these recipes according to their preferences or lifestyle.

Commenting on the latest upgrade, Up⤴’s CEO and Co-Founder Mahek Mody said, “With the delishUp⤴, our mission has always been to get more homes in India cooking, and the integration of ChatGPT into the delishUp⤴ is a major step in that direction. We wanted our owners to have the ability to cook what they wanted at whim. Food is deeply personal, and we understand that everyone has different needs and preferences when it comes to cooking. By integrating Up⤴AI with ChatGPT, we can now cater to the varied needs, requirements, and preferences of our owners. We are thrilled to be at the forefront of bringing truly smart and connected technology to Indian homes”

Upgraded Features:

AI Chatbot Assistance: The AI powered “Up⤴Bot” enables owners to seek cooking tips, receive assistance with modifying recipes during cooking and clarify doubts. The Up⤴Bot can offer suggestions on customising existing recipes on the upliance to suit dietary needs and preferences. Examples of customisation include making recipes vegan, sugar-free, and low-calorie. Additional features also include speech recognition.

AI-Assisted Generative Recipes (Beta): In addition to the 200+ in-built recipes, owners can now also request any recipe they desire. Owners can generate trending recipes from social media or a recipe they have seen on their favorite cooking show, or request a recipe with an unusual combination of ingredients, the delishUp⤴ will generate a recipe for it.
Up⤴ is disrupting India’s home technology industry with its category-defining ‘upliance’. The company aims to be in 1.5 lakh homes across the country by the end of the year, with a revenue target of INR 150 crores by FY25. Up⤴ closed its pre-seed funding round of $1.5 million in 2022, with participation from Zerodha’s funding arm – Rainmatter, Rukam Capital, Draper Associates, co-founders of Ather Energy and Unacademy, as well as mini angel investors. Deliveries of delishUp⤴ began in January 2023 and is currently priced at only INR 21,999. It is the only Made in India AI-enabled cooking assistant available for young Indian homes.

Jana Small Finance Bank’s profitability fuels nationwide expansion; crosses 755 branches across India

Bengaluru, 3rd May 2023: Jana Small Finance Bank, one of India’s leading small finance banks (SFB), today announced the opening of its 756th branch in Yelahanka, Bengaluru. The Bank now has the distinction of being the second SFB to cross the milestone of a pan-India presence of over 755 branches.

This launch comes at a time when the bank is focused on accelerating its growth, fuelled by its record-breaking profits in the last financial year.

Jana Small Finance Bank has been committed to providing inclusive banking services to customers across the nation, and the opening of this new branch is a testament to that commitment. The branch will offer a wide range of services, including deposits, housing, and MSMEs in a digital-enabled delivery.

Honourable Shri. N Santosh Hegde, Former judge of the Supreme Court of India, graced the launch along with other senior officials from the bank.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ajay Kanwal, MD & CEO, Jana Small Finance Bank, said, “With the launch of our 756th branch, we are proud to expand our footprint with this being the 28th branch in Bengaluru, one of India’s most dynamic and thriving cities. Our mission is to provide the best-in-class Phygital services to customers across the nation, and this new branch takes us one step closer to achieving that goal.”

Jana Small Finance Bank’s strong financial performance has enabled the bank to expand its services and reach more customers across the country. The opening of this new branch is a testament to the bank’s commitment to serving the people and businesses in the region with innovative financial solutions and excellent customer service.

With the addition of this new branch, Jana Small Finance Bank now has 756 branches across the country, including branches, banking units, and unbanked rural centers, further strengthening its position as one of India’s leading small finance banks.