Category: Business World

Amogh Lila Das, Maithili Thakur came to Pacific Mall D21 for the Janmashtmi fest

Renowned Indian Classical playback singer Maithili Thakur graced the Janmashtmi celebration dedicated to Lord Krishna held at Pacific Mall D21. The 22-year-old singer, widely famous for her devotional hymns and songs, has sung in various languages like Hindi, Bengali, Maithili, Urdu, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, and Tamil. She struck a chord with the audience and thrilled them with her mellifluous voice chords and singing talent.

Maithili Thakur crooned several popular Shri Krishna Bhajans, which filled the atmosphere with a devotional touch, reminding people of God’s omnipresence. Their performance left the audience awe-inspired and in a state of paroxysm of divinity and devotion.

Vice President of ISKON Dwarka Prabhu Amogh Lila Das also visited the mall to join in the Janmashtmi celebration. His speeches have always given youth a new direction and perspective on life. He narrated several leelas and incidents from Lord Krishna’s life and explained the profundity and bigger lessons people should learn from them.

The Janmashtmi festivities were marked with a glorious recall of Lord Krishna miracles, praising the Almighty through singing and dancing, and opulent decorations to pay obeisance. It was full of Bhajan Kirtans, Flower Decoration, Interactive sessions, Festive Talk and Kids’ Dress-up.

Mr Abhishek Bansal, Executive Director, Pacific Group, said, “We were exhilarated to host important guests like Prabhu Amogh Lila Das and Maithili Thakur, who completely took over the event with their commanding presence and superb singing and oratory skills. The entire event was a soul-pleasing spectacle for the audience, who danced, sang along, and inquisitively listened to various chronicles of Lord Krishna’s life and found their senses purified by it

IIT Mandi signs Memorandum of Understanding with Vehant Technologies to promote Industry Academia Collaboration

The MoU will help in developing enhanced applications in AI and ML and sponsoring projects on research and academic purposes

New Delhi, August 23, 2022: Vehant Technologies, a pioneer in Artificial Intelligence /Machine Learning- based Physical Security, Surveillance and Covid solutionshas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi(IIT-Mandi) in order to promote Industry Academia Collaboration. Vehant’s researchers shall collaborate with the researchers of IIT Mandi with mutual interest on developing enhanced applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies in security screening solutions offered by the company. Vehant Technologies is among key players in providing security screening solutions using AI and ML.

Vehant Technologies will sponsor up to five students enrolled in M. Tech program in the year 2022-23. Besides, the company will further sponsor research projects, faculty consultancies and Ph.D. students at the Institute in order to benefit from the mindshare of faculty and students. The collaboration has begun sponsorship with M. Tech students. The selection and admission of sponsored students and the project work began on 20th August 2022.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Anoop. G. Prabhu, Co-founder & CTO, Vehant Technologies, said, “The admitted students shall be addressed as Vehant fellows and each fellowship will imply a commitment of funds which may be used for research and academic purposes over a period of 2 years. Our goal is to build a strong research ecosystem within the company for development of future products and solutions by engaging with researchers at IIT Mandi working in domains of mutual interest.The main intent is to perform research on applications of AI/ML techniques in physical security, surveillance and traffic monitoring.”

Speaking on IIT Mandi’s collaboration with Vehant Technologies, Dr. Venkata Krishnan, Dean Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy & International Relations (SRIC & IR), IIT Mandi, said, “IIT Mandi is looking forward to a productive collaboration with Vehant Technologies to boost the industry-academia association. We believe this program will mutually benefit both the stakeholders in terms of acquiring technology competence and academic excellence in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. This initiative will help us in addressing the unique industry problem statements while ensuring real-time technical exposure to our students.”

Vehant will support all the efforts including publications, conferences, technical journals and IP generations coming out of the partnership. Faculty at IIT Mandi may benefit by this collaboration with more joint research/consulting opportunities with doors opening up from industry. Vehant would be able to attract young fresh talent to work on its projects while simultaneously supporting quality education.

Genpact Alliances with Climate Vault to Rapidly Accelerate Towards a Carbon-Neutral Future

New Delhi, August 23, 2022 — Genpact (NYSE: G), a global professional services firm focused on delivering digital transformation, and Climate Vault, an award-winning non-profit founded at the University of Chicago today announced they are combining Genpact’s technology and digital transformation expertise with Climate Vault’s quantifiable, integrated approach to carbon reduction and removal. This partnership will address an urgent need for climate action and empower more organizations to accelerate their journeys to carbon neutrality.

Despite unprecedented demand among business leaders, consumers, and investors for carbon-neutral products and services, the market lacks a matching supply of credible, effective solutions to achieve those objectives. Climate Vault is the world’s first, verifiable, and integrated solution that enables organizations to not only reduce carbon effectively, but also remove carbon from the atmosphere – all in a fast, easy, and credible way. Founded by business leaders and Milton Friedman distinguished service professor of economics at the University of Chicago and former White House economic advisor, Michael Greenstone, Climate Vault’s market-based solution is uniquely designed for climate-conscious organizations.

In this innovative collaboration, Climate Vault will embed Genpact’s digital technologies and process expertise to boost its carbon reduction and removal solution. Through the Genpact-Climate Vault partnership, companies will gain wider access to carbon reduction from regulated carbon compliance markets with accurate, dynamic, real-time pricing, enabling greater access at scale to industry-leading and independently verified carbon removal programs. By leveraging Climate Vault’s carbon reduction solution, organizations will automatically gain access to the limited supply of carbon removal technologies, providing an immediate and transformative impact.

“Climate change is an existential global crisis, and at its core, it is a data and transformation challenge. Leveraging digital technologies and data to build a frictionless platform for carbon reduction and removal is key to advancing the sustainability agenda at scale,” said Sanjay Srivastava, chief digital strategist, Genpact. “Our partnership reflects Genpact’s commitment to social impact and climate action. With our experience and expertise in digital transformation, we bring the talent and technology Climate Vault needs to offer more organizations a smoother path toward carbon neutrality.”

Climate Vault is a high-growth 501(c) (3) start-up. It is a breakthrough solution that has driven significant impact since its inception in 2021 and is poised for scaling. In just over a year, the company has reduced 0.75 million metric tons of carbon emissions, the equivalent of preventing 72,000 cars from driving around the planet.

“Organizations face mounting pressure from customers, employees, investors, and regulators to take credible climate action,” said Michael Greenstone, co-founder of Climate Vault, Milton Friedman distinguished service professor of economics at the University of Chicago, and former White House senior economic advisor. “This is the perfect moment to partner with Genpact with its world-class digital transformation capabilities. Together we will dramatically expand the reach, speed, and impact of our unique carbon reduction and removal solution, helping to slow and even reverse climate change.”

Genpact continues to further its purpose, the relentless pursuit of a world that works better for people, by leveraging its expertise towards addressing societal issues. From helping tackle food insecurity to partnering with Formula E team Envision Racing to win races and remain carbon neutral, the company provides the digital and process expertise needed to address the world’s most pressing issues.

How ONDC Can Transform Lifestyle Retail in India

Authored by – Ridhima Kansal, Director, Rosemoore

India is building an Open Network Digital Commerce Interface that can herald a new beginning for the Indian retail industry, which is valued at around USD 1 trillion. ONDC can carefully dismantle the hegemony enjoyed by some of the biggest e-commerce players in the country and create a level playing field for smaller and other mid-sized merchants and traders and seamlessly integrate them into the digital grid.

For the uninitiated, ONDC is a platform-agnostic e-commerce system, wherein all kinds of vendors, sellers, and merchants (big & small) can display their offerings. With ONDC, India envisions a truly decentralized, coherent, and integrated system for e-commerce, which can be used by everyone.

ONDC is somewhat similar to the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), which has enabled everyone with a bank account to utilize mobile payments irrespective of whether they use a particular app or not. Similarly, with ONDC, everyone can use the app, as long as they are part of the system. Vendors would not be required to simultaneously join numerous different platforms. Similarly, even if they do not have their own e-commerce setup, they can sell online.

To explain it further, let us suppose someone is searching for scented candles on Amazon. While doing this, they can also view similar products from other platforms such as Flipkart, Nykaa, Shoppers stop, etc. (provided these platforms are registered with ONDC).

Bringing In a New Era for E-commerce 

ONDC will usher Indian e-commerce into a new era by multiplying the overall discoverability of merchants and vendors.

The Indian e-commerce industry is valued at around ~ 40 billion. The industry is still in its nascent stage. However, Indian digital consumerism is growing at a scorching pace, and as per government estimates, the market will reach USD 200 billion by 2027. India’s highly attractive demographic dividend with an average age of 29 makes the country one of the most suitable e-commerce markets in the world. \

As China already has a lot of indigenously developed e-commerce giants, India presently is a natural favourite for most of the global tech giants including Amazon, Walmart, Google, Meta, etc. Most of the major international PE players such as GIC, ADIA, CCPIB, Sequoia, and Warburg Pincus, are betting big on the Indian market.

Amidst such a positive turn of events, the recent move to develop an exhaustive and democratic system such as ONDC can give a further positive thrust to India’s e-commerce ambition. It can reshape the entire industry.

As per the government estimates, ONDC will be deployed in 100 Indian cities by October . It will directly positively impact 30 million sellers and 10 million vendors. It will also help the buyers by giving them a more democratized digital platform and find better bargains and options.

A Positive Impetus for the Lifestyle Retail Segment 

ONDC’s reach will be far and wide. It would not just be limited to general retail, grocery, etc. It can also entail visible shifts in lifestyle retail in India. India’s lifestyle retail is sized at around ~ USD 120 billion. This includes footwear & apparel, small appliances, fashion & personal care, home décor and ambience products, etc.

Digital commerce comprises around 6-7% of the overall lifestyle retail segment. Nevertheless, like other categories, it is growing incessantly and will reach USD ~ 40 billion in the next 3-5 years.

ONDC can give a positive push to the overall lifestyle segment. Like other segments, even the lifestyle segment is run by value-driven and price-conscious customers, which roughly comprise half of the overall market. The term ‘affordable luxury’ is quite popular in India, where buyers seek top-quality products but at a reasonable price.

The ONDC will unlock new opportunities for mid-sized vendors of lifestyle products and help them reach a larger audience. Likewise, it will spur faster digitization for vendors that are mostly relying on the offline model.

Another benefit might be getting away with the listing fees. Currently, getting listed with big horizontal players requires a huge amount of listing fees. Once ONDC becomes operational, it will save retailers from such large fees and the same amount can be channelized towards marketing, operations, and other activities. Likewise, it can also be passed to the customer, thereby accelerating the demand.

MG gears up for Taal Season 2; launches National Talent Hunt for Indie Music Artists

Mumbai, August 23, 2022: MG Motor India today announced the launch of Season 2 of MG Taal entitled ‘Naya Safar, Nayi Taal’, a unique National Talent Hunt for Indie music artists. A bold step for budding and innovative artists, Season 2 of Taal will focus on showcasing promising talent through a far-reaching platform. A talent search pulsing across the nation, this event will help shine the spotlight of fame on unique and deserving Indie artists no matter where they are!

In collaboration with Songdew, MG Taal Season 2 aims to help emerging Indie artists with its platform’s wide reach and expertise in music. This will help amplify the artists’ music across platforms and media—be it radio, TV, or digital channels. Career guidance will also be offered to the shortlisted talent. MG will also encourage and support winners by not only providing them with a platform to perform at MGverse customer events but also by assisting them in creating NFTs. MG Taal Season 2 will be a 1-year program where the top two winning artists will get extensive Exposure, deserving Eminence, fruitful Engagement, and vital Experience—the four fundamental pillars of MG Taal.

Participating in this Naya Safar, Nayi Taal frenzy is simple. If you are an artist with loads of talent, just head to www.songdew.com/mgtaal and post your content there.

Gaurav Gupta, Chief Commercial Officer – MG Motor India, said, “We are excited to connect with the Indie Music community through Taal Season 2. At MG, we are passionate about music. We see it as a common bond between our extended community and our brand. We are confident that in this brand-new season, our talent search will lend both a supportive hand as well as an encouraging boost to promising artists. We hope they continue making memorable music and provide unending joy and delight to audiences everywhere.”

Sunil Khanna, founder of Songdew mentioned that “At Songdew, we have built a family of 55K Indian artists and bands who leverage our services to promote, distribute, and monetize their music. We believe that the future of music in India is bright, and we have been collaborating with various stakeholders to accelerate this trend. In the last 18 months or so, there has been significant popularity and traction for indie music, which is growing at an unprecedented rate. Hence, MG Taal Season 2 could not have come at a better time. We are excited to be working with MG on this initiative and look forward to playing a significant role in bringing the music of the selected artists to music fans.” 

Using music to deliver exciting experiences to its customers, MG Motor has developed an entire architecture around music, including the Sonic Identity of the brand, the brand-aligned music at its showrooms, and its brand anthem.

In Season 1, MG worked with 2 phenomenal acts – A World/ Fusion ensemble with breathtaking compositions from Surat – The Tapi Project, and a multi-genre act from Pune with magical lyricism – Fiddlecraft. The resulting music videos garnered over one million views and over 500 user-generated videos. The brand looks forward to a more exciting time in MG Taal’s Second Edition.

Casio India launches its new brand campaign #LiveYourDream for the Casiotone range of keyboards

National, August 2022– Casio India, a leading consumer electronics company & a pioneer in the electronic musical instruments category has launched its new brand campaign called #LiveYourDream for its Casiotone range of beginner music keyboards. The cornerstone of the campaign is a digital brand film featuring Mr. Darsheel Safary of Taare Zameen Par fame playing the role of an underdog who is able to rise in the eyes of his peers with the help of music-playing skills he has developed by learning the Casiotone. The campaign is supported by well-known artists from the music industry such as music composer Sean Rolden, singer-instrumentalist Swasti Mehul, keyboard player Anshuman Singh & singer-instrumentalist Priyanshi Srivastava communicating their own tryst with social recognition achieved through playing a musical instrument.

Casio’s mission is to increase the number of musical instrument players in India by targeting Generation Z and younger Millennials. The Casiotone keyboard with its beginner friendly interface and compatibility with Casio’s own self learning app Casio Music Space is the company’s go-to-brand to accomplish this mission. Conceptualized by Tribes Communication Pvt Ltd and produced by Rising Star Productions, the film takes the opportunity to highlight these strengths of Casiotone which enables the protagonist to realize his desire of playing an instrument and garner admiration from his fellow college students. The film is live across all social media pages of the company including YouTube, Instagram & Facebook.

Commenting on the campaign, Mr. Hideki Imai, MD, Casio India said, “We want to transform young India from a music loving to a music playing people. And we believe that Casiotone will help us take a giant leap towards this goal. Casiotone has an uncluttered interface which makes it less overwhelming for beginners; its portability & compatibility with the Casio Music Space app means that you can start & continue the learning process anywhere – at home or in your hostel room. Also, keeping the target market in mind, the instrument has deliberately been made sleek & colorful to augment the appeal & attractiveness that a musical instrument player enjoys. Knowing to play a musical instrument is the epitome of cool and we hope that this campaign instigates Generation Z to pick up one.”

APCC in India becomes Asia’s First and Exclusive Proton Beam Training Institute in association with IBA, Belgium

India, August 22, 2022: Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC), the first & only Proton Therapy Centre in South Asia & the Middle East, and Ion Beam Applications (IBA), Belgium, signed an agreement to offer proton therapy training and education for clinicians in Asia and across the globe.

Apollo Hospitals, Asia’s foremost and trusted integrated healthcare services provider, acquired IBA’s Proteus®PLUS proton therapy system and has been successfully treating cancer patients for over three years. Now, with this association, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre will impart knowledge through its advanced training and education program on proton therapy to clinicians.

Announcing the partnership, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Founder & Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd, said, “An acute need for high quality cancer care and the increasing prevalence of cancer cases in India, was the genesis of Apollo Cancer Centres (ACC), about three decades ago. Ever since, ACC has continually introduced the finest and most advanced cancer care into India, with the most recent being, bringing in Proton Therapy into the region. Furthermore, in keeping with its resolute mission to raise the bar in cancer care for all in need, in association with IBA, the Apollo Proton Cancer Centre is becoming the first of its kind training and education program reference centre in Asia.”

Commenting on the collaboration, Olivier Legrain, Chief Executive Officer at IBA, said, “In the last years, Apollo Hospitals has shown its expertise and motivation in organizing successful training symposia for local and international proton therapy experts’ community. We are looking forward to collaborating with Apollo to provide high-quality training and education to Proton Therapy users in Asia without them traveling to another continent.”

Dr. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd, said, “It was in 2019 that Proton Therapy was introduced at APCC, it was the first ever in South East Asia and Middle East and this was a definitive step ahead in making the world’s most advanced radiation therapy lot more accessible to millions of cancer patients. Since then, in delivering care to hundreds of patients, the stellar teams at APCC demonstrated remarkable expertise in Proton Therapy and the clinical outcomes, underline the acumen. Now, with APCC becoming Asia’s first and exclusive Proton Beam Training Institute in association with IBA, it will provide valued access to clinicians across the world and also be a pivotal contributor to research in Oncology and Proton Therapy.”

Dr. Rakesh Jalali, Medical Director & Head of Radiation Oncology, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, said, “We started the proton cancer centre in India to provide the most advanced cancer treatment available in the world. So far, we have treated patients with various types of tumours. Each patient is selected based on a very intense and rigorous process and approved after discussion in a dedicated site-specific tumour board and peer review process. We have judiciously and consciously made the centre at par with any other major international cancer centre in terms of care, generation of quality data and several innovative educational initiatives. Now, with this collaboration, we’re providing access to clinicians, physicists and therapists from across Asia and the world to avail the opportunity for training and education on contemporary Proton Beam Therapy Practice.”

Apollo Hospitals are ranked amongst the best hospitals world-wide for providing advanced medical services. So far, it has touched the lives of over 200 million patients from 140 countries. The services offered include treatment of patients at the tertiary hospitals; consultation by specialists in hinterlands through tele-medicine, inspiring the young to become high-quality clinicians, and to support nations and business enterprises to build quality healthcare ecosystems. As Asia’s integrated private healthcare services provider, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited consists of Hospitals, Pharmacies, Primary Care & Diagnostic Clinics and Telemedicine units across 50 countries. Apollo Hospitals have expanded its presence via Health Insurance Services, Global Projects Consultancy, Colleges of Nursing and Hospital Management and a Research Foundation with focus on Global Clinical Trials, Epidemiological Studies, Stem Cell & Genetic Research.

Vaishnavi Group Leases 700,000 Sq Ft to Smartworks

Bengaluru, August 2022: Vaishnavi Group, one of the top real estate companies in Bengaluru, has leased 700,000 sq. ft. to Smartworks in Vaishnavi Tech Park. This is the single largest flex office transaction in the country. The 50% pre-booked 9000+ seat center will be operational in the final quarter of 2022.

Vaishnavi Tech Park is a multi-functional IT and Business Park with a contemporary design which has been built using global offsite precast construction technology. Vaishnavi Tech Park has been developed on a land parcel of 5.6 acres and has a total leasable area of 7 lakh sq. ft. Designed for IGBC platinum certification, the building is energy efficient as it significantly optimizes the operational expenditure.

Speaking about this transaction, Mr. C N Govindaraju, Chairman & Managing Director, Vaishnavi Group said, “Vaishnavi Group has been developing commercial spaces for over two decades now and we have leased out 1.5 million sq. ft. in the last year to many marquee clients from a cross-section of organizations and government bodies. Smartworks has recently leased out 7 lakh sq. ft. at Vaishnavi Tech Park, which is the single largest managed office space transaction in the country.”

According to market sources, Vaishnavi has recently leased out spaces to Navi, Cloudera, Cash Free, Yubi, Zetwerk and the Consulate General of Italy in Bengaluru, amongst others.

Strategically located next to the Outer Ring Road (ORR), close to the Sarjapur Junction, Vaishnavi Tech Park offers excellent connectivity to the upcoming Bellandur Metro Station and hotels such as Novotel, Double Tree Suites by Hilton and Fairfield by Marriott making it a vibrant business destination. Designed keeping workspace wellness in mind, Vaishnavi Tech Park is also equipped with a food court, amphitheatre, outdoor sporting zones, futsal court, gymnasium and F&B and retail zones.

An astounding 408 Philips SportsStar LED luminaires light up the DY Patil Sports Stadium

Bengaluru, India, August 2022: Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, has installed its connected lighting system Interact Sports at the DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai, India. The multi-purpose stadium with a spectator capacity of 55,000 is the largest privately owned stadium of this stature in India and has hosted three seasons of the world’s most watched cricketing tournament – The Indian Premier League in 2008, 2010 and the latest season in 2022.

Signify has installed 408 Philips SportsStar LED luminaires in the stadium, equipped with its DMX networking control system, thereby making each luminaire individually addressable. This enables the stadium to instantaneously switch on the luminaires to 100% output or dim them to create amazing light shows during match breaks. All this can be done at the touch of a fingertip, thanks to Signify’s Interact Sports connected lighting system. The company delivered an end-to-end solution to the stadium including lighting design, testing, commissioning and extended warranty support.

Stadiums are now becoming multi-purpose hubs and the DY Patil stadium is also designed to be quite versatile. It has been hosting international cricket and football tournaments since several years now and for the stadium, it is important to meet the specific illumination requirements as stipulated by the respective sport’s standards. With the latest lighting system, the stadium can now easily switch between the lighting settings required for the game being played on-ground.

Commenting on the project, Sumit Joshi, CEO & Managing Director, Signify South Asia said, “We are proud to illuminate India’s most versatile sports stadium with our Interact Sports connected lighting system. The DY Patil Sports stadium offers an unparalleled and unforgettable sports viewing experience for fans across the country, which was evident during the recently concluded season of the Indian Premier League. The unique light shows between the matches created a novel experience and generated a new level of excitement amongst cricket fans who visited the stadium, and I am sure they will remember this for a very long time.” 

With more than 80 years of experience and recognition as the world leader in sports lighting, Signify has successfully applied its high-quality professional lighting solutions to major stadiums around the world, including India, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

New IT Minister, Bihar, Shri Mohammad Israil Mansuri takes charge

The ministers for different departments after the cabinet expansion of the state government have now started taking charge. In this episode, Shri Mohammad Israil Mansuri, the new Minister of the Department of Information Technology, reached the department on Tuesday and inspected the office.

Shri Santosh Kumar Mall, Principal Secretary of the department was present on the occasion, along with his colleagues of the department and welcomed the Hon’ble Minister, Mohammad Israil Mansuri by presenting a bouquet. During his visit, the Hon’ble Minister said that his entire effort would be to set new records of progress in the information technology sector of Bihar, as well as transparency, accuracy and speed would be maintained in the works of the department.

Shri Mohammad Israil Mansuri reached the department office with his entire team at 3.20 pm. The minister said that after assuming charge, he will review the department for the next few days. Will see the progress of various projects being executed by the department. He advised the department to speed up the key projects being carried out by the department. It will be his endeavor that whatever the state government’s plans are in the field of IT should be completed on time.

Santosh Kumar Mall, Principal Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Govt. of Bihar, shared brief information and updates about key projects including BSWAN, SecLAN, State Data Centre & eOffice, to the Hon’ble IT Minister, Shri Mohammad Israil Mansuri. He also gave a brief introduction about the Department’s enterprise BSEDC Ltd. (Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd. – Beltron)

The Special Secretary of the Department, Shri Arvind Kumar Chaudhary (ITS), Officer on Special Duty, Shri Vishal Anand (BAS) & senior officials of the department were present on the occasion.

During his visit to the department the Hon’ble IT Minister, Shri Mohammad Israil Mansuri inspected the department & also met the officials.