Retail Companies should build Robust Supply Chain Model which can handle any Disruption & Contingency

Business World

Retail Companies should build Robust Supply Chain Model which can handle any Disruption & Contingency

Sep 17, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Dr. Yogesh Srivastav, #Mr. Sanjay Singhal, #PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), #Retail Companies

PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organized an Interactive Webinar on Reshaping Retail with AI: Direct to Customer Strategy Post-COVID -19.

Mr. Ashutosh Sharma, Director & Country Head – Sales, Yellow Messenger while moderating the webinar, structured the discussion on the specific aspects of a technology shift and its implications on the Retail Industry.

In his deliberation, he highlighted how direct to consumer technologies are shaping in the time of pandemic which has become a new normal. Not only the enterprises but SME’s are adopting technological interventions for customer delivery and satisfaction in which AI is playing a pivotal role.

While discussing on How to Enable the Direct to Consumer model – common tech, Initiatives, and technologies for fast and effective Transitions, Mr. Sanjay Singhal, Chief Operating Officer – Dairy & Beverages ITC Limited, shared FMCG sector started investing in E-Commerce back 4-5 years but during Pandemic they have faced unique challenges due to market disruption and hampered supply chain as companies do not have sufficient feet on the ground to fulfil the household demands, consumer behaviour has shifted to online shopping, even for grocery requirements consumers are largely depending on online deliveries.

He highlighted the need for a robust customer engagement strategy whereby a content driven engagement platform along with the core product helps increase sales and demand of the products, for example, FMCG Food items bundled with recipes has helped ITC to increase the demand of its products.

Mr. Sanjay Singhal while sharing his thoughts on the digital and omnichannel marketing said that during COVID times the consumer is not experimenting with his preferences and only purchasing on the need basis with minimum exposure to Mom & Pop stores.

Talking about the effectiveness of the strategy of D2C for Enterprises and SME’s, Mr. Singhal shared that lockdown has enabled SME’s to reap maximum benefits owing to the local reach and better penetration of the supply chain in the local market.

Mr. Kunal Verma, Operations Director, Oriflame, while deliberating on the user engagement using AI automation spoke about how it has changed and shaped the customer service experience citing an example of how in the cosmetic industry Oriflame Inc is offering a customized experience by creating a unique skin profiling of the end-user and recommending them the intended product which is helping in customer acquisition and strengthen the last-mile delivery,

While discussing the brand transitioning to Direct to Consumer Mr. Verma, suggested that companies should adopt a step-wise transition model starting with internal evaluation, then financial evaluation, and then marketing evaluation, also he suggested that companies should start taking into account the influencers and bloggers while marketing their products.

Mr. Manoj Tomer, Manager System Implementation, Parle – G ltd, while expressing his views suggested that Operational excellence in the process automation has helped Parle to sail through the time of Pandemic. He also suggested that companies should build a robust supply chain model that can handle any disruption and contingency.

Mr. Pradeep Karambelkar, Chairman, Madhya Pradesh Chapter, PHDCCI highlighted the different consumer behaviour at different geo-localities he said that in two and three-tier cities people are still comfortable with mom and pop stores as the pandemic has not penetrated in these cities.

He said that Information technology will rule in the near future but, SME’s sector is on the learning curve right now, COVID-19 has changed consumer behaviour and also affecting business transaction models.

Mr. Saket Dalmia, Chairman, Retail Committee, while presenting his opening remarks highlighted that the need of the hour is how to efficiently perform customer acquisition, how to persuade customers to buy, and, last but not least encourage businesses to enhance technology transformation in the time of disruption.

Mr. Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary-General, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in his concluding remarks on the paradigm shift in the consumer preferences during these times of the pandemic. The Program was attended by almost 100 participants Pan-India and was supported by Yellow Messenger.

Dr. Yogesh Srivastav, Principal Director, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while welcoming the eminent speakers and the august gathering deliberated on how in the time of pandemic technology is shaping the consumer behaviour and altering the business transactions around us.

Business World

5 Entrepreneurs disrupting UGC space amid Tiktok ban

Sep 17, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Biswatama Nayak, #Mike lu:, #Nicholas Bohnlein, #Rahul Bhattacharya, #Varun Saxena

The demand for social content and short video apps surged worldwide in the light of this pandemic when the whole world was in lockdown. The opportunity in the space even doubled up after the anti-china sentiments swept across the world and many countries including India banned the popular social media app TikTok…The ban also fuelled innovation and the race to fill the void created by the Tiktok and created an opportunity for tech entrepreneurs and startups to showcase their innovative business models. Many entrepreneurs have been successful in developing super engaging apps in the space that have directly challenged the Tiktok platform. Apps like Chingari, Bolo Indya, Triller are leading the pack which have registered a meteoric rise in the number of downloads in the first week of the ban, while there are others like AIISMA & Fun2 that are further disrupting the space with unique features.

Hereby disclosing the entrepreneurs who have innovated in the segment:

Rahul Bhattacharya: A seasoned corporate professional turned entrepreneur; Rahul Bhattacharya is the Co-Founder & Director (Strategy) at Fun 2. The company has embarked on a journey to build a content first, influencer led social media platform, which is made in India for Indian audiences and diaspora. In his current role, as the Co-Founder and Director – Strategy at Fun2, Rahul works closely with the other promoters, devising the brand’s go-to-market strategies and striving to cement its stance as a leading social media video-sharing platform in the country. He also nurtures global aspirations with an aim to extend Fun2’s operations to international geographies in the times to come. Rahul brings over 20 years of experience in the corporate bandwagon, where he served various leadership roles in leading companies, including Accenture and Airtel.

Nicholas Bohnlein: A second generation entrepreneur hailing from Switzerland, Nicholas Bohnlein is the Co-Founder, COO and CMO of Aiisma, India’s first-ever consumer to business data ecosystem. Prior to co-founding Aiisma, he was the Co-founder of Consu LLC, a technical trading and management company based in Switzerland. Aii Social by Aiisma is a futuristic social network application, available both on Google Play Store as well as Apple App Store, offers users to convert data, social engagement and brand interactions into rewards & payments whilst keeping privacy at the user’s discretion. Nicholas aims to develop Aiisma into a full-fledged hard and software company that connects individuals to businesses to develop the ecosystem of the tradable data economy. Furthermore, he aspires to drive Aiisma to be the frontrunner in simplifying connected intelligence to a degree where social interactions, retail promotions, pandemic forecasts, job applications and business processes can be conducted within the Aiisma data ecosystem.

Biswatama Nayak : Biswatama Nayak, a tech genius who can develop a complete app in a day with his colleague Sumit Ghosh founded Chingari, a social app for Bharat. Biswatama Nayak hails from the state of Odisha who was working in an IT firm in Bengaluru, The duo thought of conceptualising a “super-app for India, where users will open it in the morning, consume some news, watch videos, get some entertainment, play some games, and just use it for every day. Initially, it was difficult to gain traction for Chingari and the duo had to work hard on marketing, but after the ban of Tiktok chingari gained momentum. Chingari has attracted over 28 million downloads across tier 1, 2 and 3 cities. With some major influencers in the app, it enjoys 26 million video views in just 24 hours. The app has also won the best app award in the social category in Atma nirbhar app innovation challenge.

Varun Saxena: Bolo Indya founder, Varun Saxena is the Cofounder and CEO of a successful MBA Test Prep Platform ‘Career Anna’. After 4.5 years of successful leadership, he decided to build towards creating value for language internet users, based on his learnings at Career Anna. He found a demand amongst the users for finding easy access to structured language content in the form of short videos, which adds contextual value to them. He foresaw the demand to come out full-fledged in a year’s time and that’s when these users will run to spend significant daily time on an infotainment platform, and not news or entertainment. Bolo Indya is on the mission to empower a common man from Bharat to emerge as the Knowledge Super Star of India. It empowers video creators to enhance the reach of their content multi-fold, and at the same time allows them to monetise the quality video content which gets popular on the platform. Bolo Indya, alike many homegrown social media platforms have gained momentum after the ban of TikTok.

Mike lu: US-based TikTok rival Triller is currently ranked as the No.1 photo & video app on the App Store store in India. Mike lu, CEO, Triller has over 16 years of product and technology experience in working in mobile/ social games and online media. Mike was the co-founder of fusion-8 which was acquired by popular social media company Rock You in spring of 2016. Triller is a music video editing app that gained momentum in both India and the US after Tiktok ban.

Education

Perspectives of NEP 2020 in Higher Education : Webinar hosted by Saamarthya Teachers Training Academy of Research (STTAR), Ghaziabad

Sep 17, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #and Way forward for Higher Education, #Dr Jitendra Kumar Mishra, #Issues, #National Education Policy2020: Perspective, #Saamarthya Teachers Training Academy of Research (STTAR), #Shri Shishir Jaipuria

September 17, Ghaziabad: Saamarthya Teachers Training Academy of Research (STTAR), Ghaziabad hosted today a national level webinar on “National Education Policy2020: Perspective, Issues, and Way forward for Higher Education” in association with Jaipuria School of Business and Jaipuria Institute of Management, Ghaziabad.

The webinar aimed to highlight and provide awareness on the perspectives of National Education Policy, 2020 in Higher Education. During the webinar, the speakers deliberated regarding the new and forward-looking vision of the education policy along with its distinctive implications and the proposed reforms with a new paradigm shift.

Speakers included eminent educationists such as Shri Shishir Jaipuria, Chairman, Seth Anandram Jaipuria Group of Educational Institutions, Prof. Vinayshil Gautam, Internationally acclaimed Management Thinker and Practitioner, Prof. Gautam Sinha, Vice-Chancellor, IMS Unison University & Ex-Director, IIM Kashipur, and Prof. Raj Singh, advisor to Eminent Universities & Ex-Vice Chancellor, Ansal University, Rayat Bahra University, GD Goenka University, and Amity University joined and imparted their valuable inputs.

Welcoming the guest’s Dr. Jitendra Kumar Mishra, Director, Jaipuria School of Business, Ghaziabad highlighted the salient feature of the policy and stressed upon the importance of having a multi-disciplinary environment at higher education institutions.

In his presidential address Shri Shishir Jaipuria said “As India moves towards becoming a knowledge society and economy, NEP 2020 is a milestone for the Education System of India. Given the requirements of the 21st century, a multidisciplinary approach is the need of the hour and is directed towards major reforms at higher education level”. He also dwelt on the changes the accreditation process needs to undergo for NEP’s implementation in higher education institutions.

While addressing the audience Prof. Vinayshil Gautam said “Many stalwarts from time to time have emphasized on the need for value-based education. The proposed reform and multiple exit & re-entry systems, credit transferability across the universities, have provided flexibility to students and is a revolution that will bring the much-desired change and the drop-out levels will be decreased. Prof. Raj Singh appreciated the Policy for advocating for an integrated ecosystem for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Prof. Gautam Sinha appreciated the policy for emphasizing on human values, constitutional values, and creating national pride.

The webinar was attended by more than 500 participants including academicians, students, and corporate guests, and was concluded with vote of thanks by Dr. Daviender Narang, Director, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Ghaziabad.

Business World

Dish TV India gives a boost to ‘Make in India’ initiative; shifts manufacturing of Set-top boxes to India

Sep 17, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Dish TV India, #MAKE IN INDIA, #Mr. Anil Dua, #Mr. Jawahar Goel, #Watcho.

India’s leading DTH Company, today announced the manufacturing of its set-top boxes in India. Demonstrating its commitment to the government’s ‘Make in India’ vision, Dish TV India has shifted the production of its set-top boxes to India, adopting a ‘vocal for local’ strategy. The first consignment of made in India set-top boxes is ready and being shipped to the market. The company offers DTH services across the country and operates Dish TV, D2H, and Zing brands in this segment, besides its rapidly growing OTT service brand Watcho.

Being the pioneer and technology leader in the DTH segment, Dish TV India plans to shift almost 50% of its production to India by the Q1 of 2021 while simultaneously benefitting its business and customers. The process will further intensify in the coming months, as the company is planning to also start the manufacturing of the major components of the Set-Top Box and its accessories in India, further boosting its commitment to ‘vocal for local’. Dish TV India plans to make the STB cabinet in India soon, has already started procuring the power adaptor from Indian manufacturers, and is in the advanced stage of talks with remote control manufacturers to produce the remote controls also in India.

Elaborating Dish TV India’s ‘Make in India’ plan, Mr. Jawahar Goel, Chairman & Managing Director, Dish TV India Ltd, said, “We are thrilled to join the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and localize the manufacturing of set-top boxes and other key accessories in India only. This announcement reiterates our pioneering position within the DTH industry as we aim to further expand our business operations and develop products that match the intrinsic needs of our customers. With the vision of ‘Make in India’, we reiterate our commitment to producing quality products and are confident that we can achieve several industry firsts. We thank the Government of India for all their support and favourable policies.”

By shifting the production to India, the company looks at scaling manufacturing in the country and ways to enable industry revival. This will further assist them to streamline the supply chain, operations, and management. Sharing the optimism, Mr. Anil Dua, Executive Director & Group CEO, Dish TV India added, “Making our own STBs and accessories in India could not have come at a better time. Customer needs are evolving rapidly. As we refresh our STB range with a new set of connected devices and hybrid options, working with local design, development and production are definitely going to be a competitive edge for our business.”

Innovation is at the heart of the Dish TV operations; the company is credited with many firsts in the industry. Launched the first DTH service in the country, Live TV for moving vehicle- DishOnwheels, High-Definition services, Unlimited recording facility in STB, Live TV in luxury trains, Online TV for DTH viewers- DishOnline, Sub-brand for the regional markets- Zing, Home Video System- DishFlix to name a few. More recently, Dish TV India is also the first to launch a voice-enabled (Alexa powered) Smart and Magic range of technologically advanced products and the first DTH company to launch its own OTT platform, Watcho.

Business World

EVOCUS H2O launches campaign with celebrity influencers

Sep 17, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #AV Organics, #Evocus, #EVOCUS H2O

17th Sept 2020: Evocus H2O recently launched a campaign with celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija, celebrity fitness trainer Yasmin Karachiwala and popular NDTV anchor Ambika Anand. They were seen vouching for the benefits of India’s first mineral-rich, black alkaline water EVOCUS H2O. (Source: Instagram)

Speaking on her experience with EVOCUS H20 on her Instagram handle, https://www.instagram.com/p/CDi7I6GHaZt/?igshid=198h0y71s1ayg Pooja Makhija says, “Staying healthy and staying hydrated with boosted immunity is quite the need of the hour. I do feel in general, most people don’t really realize the value of water as a key nutrient to keep many diseases such as cancers, having boosted immunity and other anti-ageing factors at bay., Now when water is packed, not only with hydration but also nutrition. It’s quite like putting a cherry on the cake. Now, Evocus is India’s first alkaline black water has 70 essential minerals that are got from the core of the earth. All these minerals have high potency because they are very easily absorbed through the mucosal membrane and therefore increase the absorption as well as assimilation of other nutrients that have taken perhaps in the form of supplementation. These minerals improve the alkalinity of the water, helps you detoxify, helps you reduce acidity, It hydrates you faster and keeps you hydrated longer. So I would definitely tell everyone to keep the focus on good hydration and most definitely try Evocus and feel the difference”

Furth­­­­­­­er Yasmin Karachiwala, sharing her experience on her social media handlehttps://www.instagram.com/p/CDoD-69AW_W/?igshid=10blegihwwgnw, adds, “Staying Fit has always been a necessity. I started using Evocus for 30 days and I really feel the difference. It reduces the acid build-up throughout the day due to its high ph alkalinity and keeps my body neutral. Evocus’ is alkaline water which is black in colour due to more 70+ natural minerals which are essential for our daily intake. As Evocus is loaded with minerals and has high alkalinity it continuously flushes out toxins in our body and gives better detoxification. This is surely a game-changer. I recommend you give it a shot. I have shared the link in my bio. Switch to black today with Evocus.”

Finally, Ambika Anand sharing her views on Evocus H2O on https://www.instagram.com/p/CDvL3ggHcKn/?igshid=ruzfatp5vclhconcludes, “Black is always in. Walls, a mask, clothes, makeup and now even what I drink. Evocus, India’s first black alkaline water. It has 70+ trace minerals which are naturally black in colour, which is taken from the earth’s crust, from a rare deposit in Texas, USA. Run, pump, work it. If you like to be a trendsetter than you have to be at the top of your game. Evocus, Black Alkaline Water facilitates superior hydration and better detoxification all throughout the day. Water that is black in colour and does more functions than normal water. It’s truly a game-changer for all of us. It’s Black as the Minerals. Switch to Black with Evocus.”

Evocus was launched in June 2019 by AV Organics, the revolutionary black alkaline water is enriched with 70+ natural minerals imparting its unique black colour. Being 100% natural, 100% black, the water provides sustained hydration, better detoxification, reduced acidity & Boosted Immunity. Moreover, a zero contributor to glucose calories and carbs, it is also an exceptional nutrient booster for the new-age consumers and millennials who are always on the go and is available at Amazon, Paytm Mall and Snapdeal

Health

Pre book your vaccination through WondRx app

Sep 16, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #health-tech start-up, #irector of WONDRx, #Mr Pankaj Agrawal, #Pankaj Sindhu

September: A Mumbai-based health-tech start-up launched an application for Indian citizens to book an appointment with the nearest doctor or the vaccination clinic to get themselves vaccinated. Bringing in much needed convenience and transparency, this platform will ensure vaccination reaches every nook and corner of India. The health-tech firm, WONDRx, has tied up with doctors and qualified healthcare service providers across the country to ensure easy accessibility of the vaccine to the concerned citizens through an app. WONDRx has already curated and listed 180K plus healthcare providers on its WONDRx consumer app, making it the largest healthcare providers’ aggregator in India.

Speaking on the occasion, the co-founder and Director of WONDRx, Mr Pankaj Agrawal said, “Our app would list the details of all vaccination clinics that we are curating, along with the fees to be paid for availing the vaccination at a pre-booked time slot. Vaccination booking via pre-booked slots will ensure crowd management as well while maintaining social distancing aspects. People from every nook and corner of this country would be able to take an informed decision based on the details provided.”

“Our app would act as a bridge between the residents of each state and the vaccination clinics. This would help the people to schedule their appointment with the vaccination clinics of choice and do away with waiting in uncertainties and long queues,” he added.

The app would be compatible with Android phones in the first phase and iOS versions would be launched at later stages. This app would be available as a free download from Google Play Store for every consumer and healthcare provider of this country. Dwelling on the advantages of this product, the Founder and Director of WONDRx, Mr Pankaj Sindhu, stated, “This product will make the vaccination journey highly convenient for every stakeholder — consumer, doctors, vaccine distributors and manufacturers — while ensuring required transparency and control around vaccination. It would give control and visibility right from the manufacturer to the end consumer at the last mile and ensure a controlled supply chain.”

WONDRx is a made in India health-tech start-up working on Digital India mandate augmenting AtmaNirbhar concept across the healthcare stakeholders in the country.

Business World

DBS Bank unveils hassle-free, online SME loans; Offers in-principle sanctions up to INR 5Cr in 24 hours

Sep 16, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #DBS Bank India, #DBS Digital Business Loans, #Head - Business Banking, #Managing Director & Country Head - Institutional Banking Group, #Niraj Mittal, #Sudarshan Chari

MUMBAI, September 16, 2020: Driven by its constant focus on building seamless, intuitive and hassle-free banking solutions for customers, DBS Bank India today unveiled its online credit solutions platform – DBS Digital Business Loans for SMEs. This segment-flagship platform from DBS improves the ease of accessing business credit for the entire spectrum of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, offering credit up to INR 20Cr.

The loan application process is simple and can be done online by just uploading bank statements, and IT Returns (financial statements for loans above INR 5Cr). The data-driven platform then pulls in credit-related information at the backend and runs a financial health analysis on the overall business of the applicant. The platform is enabled to auto-generate an e-offer letter if the lending criteria is met.

Enterprises with a turnover of up to INR 25Cr can receive in-principle approval for loans of up to INR 5Cr within 24 hours* subject to completion of the loan application and fulfilment of the lending criteria. Subsequently, a final e-offer (subject to a successful verification process) for credit up to INR 5Cr for a company with a turnover up to INR 25Cr, can be sanctioned in just 5 working days*. Once the customer accepts the offer, DBS starts the valuation process. The disbursal can be made in as less as a week after the final sanction. DBS offers both, a DBS Relationship Manager (RM) – initiated self-serve (in select locations) as well as an RM-assisted credit application on the DBS Digital Business Loans platform.

Commenting on the offering, Niraj Mittal, Managing Director & Country Head – Institutional Banking Group, DBS Bank India, said, “It is more important now than ever to support our customers, especially the micro & small enterprises, to navigate the challenging business environment. DBS Digital Business Loans proudly underscores the bank’s commitment to supporting lives and livelihoods. We are attempting to leverage the true potential of our online credit platform, and have continued to disburse credit, even amidst the lockdown. DBS has also been offering the ‘Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line’ scheme in line with the government’s Covid-19 relief efforts.”

“Boosting credit access to businesses has been our top priority, and DBS Digital Business Loans for SMEs is another step towards reshaping the future of business banking by leveraging digitalisation. DBS will continue to support enterprises to unlock new opportunities through this solution. DBS Digital Business Loans further strengthens our existing suite of business banking offerings, such as Payments & Collections, Remittances, Forex Solutions including FX Booking & FX Forwards, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Integration, APIs, Trade Solutions including DBS Network Letter of Credit, etc.”, Mittal added.

Speaking about the nuances of the online credit platform, Sudarshan Chari, Head – Business Banking, DBS Bank India, said, “We always strive to sanction the adequate quantum of funding with competitive interest rates, to help customers grow their businesses. Leveraging DBS Bank’s technology prowess, we are setting a new industry benchmark with DBS Digital Business Loans. Through this platform, we are sanctioning e-loan offers in a matter of hours, significantly faster than the current market standard of over a week. We require minimal documentation for our decisioning and have even disbursed loans, end-to-end, in under 10 days*. The process is completely transparent, and the borrower can check the status of their loan application online, anytime.”

The bank has completed the pilot run for the DBS Digital Business Loans platform in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Surat, Nashik, Kolhapur, and Kolkata. Loans worth INR 1,000Cr have already been disbursed via the platform to various businesses engaged in trading, manufacturing and services in these markets. Going forward, the bank will also offer the online credit platform to businesses in Gurugram, Noida, Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Nagpur, and Bhubaneswar.

With the establishment of a locally incorporated, wholly-owned subsidiary in 2019 – DBS Bank India Limited, the bank has accelerated its growth plans in the country and is building a greater scale by adopting a ‘phygital’ model. The bank has a total of 35 branches in 25 cities across India. DBS has designed end-to-end digitised solutions to seamlessly interweave banking into everyday life of customers by making it a part of their ecosystem. In keeping with this ethos, it has harnessed the power of technology to design solutions that make banking simpler and invisible for time-strapped business owners. The solutions eliminate the need for cumbersome documentation and offer a seamless and paperless banking experience.

Business World

“Atmanirbhar spirit will result in India coming out much stronger after Covid-19,” says minister Hardeep Singh Puri

Sep 16, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #and the Minister of State, #Atmanirbhar Bharat, #Ministry of Commerce and Industry, #Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation

Kolkata: “The Atmanirbhar Bharat spirit will result in India coming out much stronger after Covid-19 because we are unleashing our animus spirits in terms of self-reliance and work. Some of this is in reaction to global trends. If the global supply chains are unduly dominated by a particular country, and you apprehend difficulties, well thats the genius of the Indian people to quickly rebound and the results are heartwarming,” said Mr Hardeep Singh Puri at a special online session of The Write Circle and in conversation with former diplomat, author and foreign policy analyst, T C A Raghavan, organized by Prabha Khaitan Foundation of Kolkata. The Write Circle is a forum that brings top minds and experts to share perspectives and deep insights from diverse fields and spheres of activity.

Mr Puri, who currently holds three portfolios as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation, and the Minister of State, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in response to a question by Mr. Raghavan further said, “Atmanirbhar Bharat is not intended to be an inward-looking excuse to close our borders to the world. It is a spirit and a resolve to make us more productive and better members of the International Community and the global system. We are on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution with the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and artificial intelligence, and the spirit is to make sure we don’t become a lego or just nuts and bolts. Atmanirbhar will resonate strongly because we want to take advantage of the other supply chains in the world.”

As a career diplomat for 39 years, Mr. Puri has held many important posts including former Representative of India in the United Nations, President of UN Security Council and Chairman of UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee and others. Mr. Puri has also authored two books Perilous Interventions and Delusional Politics.

Commenting on various challenges and struggles of the COVID pandemic, Mr. Puri said, “Since 6th May India has now (in the fifth phase) brought back over 1.4 million citizens from across the globe during the pandemic. I can say with a sense of confidence that this is the largest evacuation and repatriation mission undertaken at any point of time in human history and the rate at which things are moving we shall set a new record. We were able to do it within reasonable arrangements of social distancing and other safety quotients.”

Touching upon different topics he said that the lockdown has helped us to create necessary infrastructure – the number of beds required; PPEs, ventilators, medicines, etc., that have been exported to many countries in the world, including the developed West.

Puri lauded the Prime Minister for the foresight and courageous steps to combat the pandemic. “The decision to prioritise life and livelihood is a difficult one. Domestic civil aviation was opened on 22nd May and in the pre-COVID days India was handling 2.5 to 3 lakh passengers per day. By Diwali we hope to handle 1.5 to 2 lakh passengers per day and hopefully, by the end of the year we would go back to the pre-covid days,” Puri said.

Talking about his other ministry, he said that they have built more than 6,00,000 public toilets and more than 66,00,000 toilets in individual households. This has helped to reduce the open defecation in India and also helped in gender empowerment by providing safety and security to the girl child. The Yojanas that helped micro industries has played a huge role in tackling covid.These micro industries produced crores of face masks, lakhs of PPE kits and thousands of litres of sanitisers.

Even though a scheme such Awas Yojana shouldn’t be a factor in deciding who to vote for, there is some sort of correlation according to Puri. Even in the case of youngsters who faced job problems came in and voted for Modi ji because there was a clear outline of the plan.

Business World

Informa Markets in India and KDCL Unveil INFRACONEX

Sep 16, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Atmanirbhar Bharat, #Informa Markets in India, #Managing Director, #MSMEs, #Yogesh Mudras

Gandhinagar, September 16th, 2020: Informa Markets in India, (formerly UBM India), India’s leading B2B exhibition organiser, and K and D Communication Ltd. ( KDCL ) in a Joint Venture, today unveiled a brand new Exhibition ‘ INFRACONEX’ that will cater to the Indian construction equipment sector. The three day Expo slated for 6th-8th August 2021 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, will focus on new launches, automation technology in construction, provide solutions to the industry drivers, and forecast the challenges of the India construction equipment market through high content-driven conference, seminar & product presentation. The announcement was virtually marked by the presence of Shri Satin Sachdeva-Founder President- Construction Equipment Rental Association (CERA); Shri Arvind Patel Chairman Gujarat Contractors Association (GCA); Shri Sanket Shah- Hon. Secretary, GIHED CREDAI, Shri Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India, and Shri Samir Kapoor- Head Projects – KDCL at the Virtual Press Conference.

The country’s economy and the construction industry both have faced adversity following the COVID-19 enforced lockdown. This unprecedented scale of events had forced the industry to come to a halt forcing the migrant labour to return to their hometowns as private businesses had pessimistic views and reduced spending. The timing of the expo is in sync with the movements in the market especially in the current pandemic scenario where industries are looking forward to revival. According to a recent research report by GLEEDS, general sentiments in the market show the business to be slowly picking up, however, Q4 2020 shows a poor to moderate returns and a sense of normalcy would be expected to return only in Q2 2021, provided the vaccine is found and distributed in India by year-end 2020.

With the Government’s mission of ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT and vision to increase MSMEs’ contribution to India’s GDP to over 50% from the current 29%, the event will also facilitate the MSME companies with special pricing at the MSME Pavilion and will allow meeting the policymakers & buyers. Apart from providing ease of doing online business, the expo will act as a catalyst for global networking with foreign manufactures.

Speaking at the virtual Press Meet of the unveiling of INFRACONEX 2021, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India said, “The Indian road infrastructure and highways construction industry, including the equipment and materials, are the biggest component in driving the economy and the second-largest employer after agriculture. With the government’s projection of ₹111 trillion investments for 2020-25 to develop social and economic infrastructure to boost economic growth, allied industries such as the construction equipment market will be augmented. InfraConex aims to create a business /experience for all the industry stakeholders such as construction equipment companies, distributors, policy makers, government, financial institutions, associations, organizations, forums, and alliances related to the construction equipment market. The expo will also help the MSME companies from the construction sector to connect with the financial institutions to better understand the government policies of funding MSME. This would be especially useful given that 30 % of equipment manufacturers in India comprise Gujarat based MSMEs. Special products zone will be created to display the innovative products manufactured by the MSMEs.”

“We are extremely proud to partner with KDCL for InfraConex that will support us with their worldwide networking, pre-emptive planning, and execution. With a strong base in the western region, our collaboration with KDCL will raise the platform for the construction equipment sector. We look forward to a prolific partnership with them.” He further added.

The expo will be a catalyst in the growth of the construction equipment market by creating meaningful interaction between various stakeholders of the industry such as manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, policymakers, investors, nodal agencies, and associations. It will provide a platform to showcase the path-breaking technologies, automation, and solutions for the industry to ascend to the next level. It will help industry stakeholders explore the latest products and technologies and thereby help them in CAPEX related decision making. The expo will also host a knowledge forum by key influencers of the industry through conferences and seminars and will facilitate mind-stimulating discussion on challenges and way forward for the industry.

Infraconex is well received by associations such as Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association-I-CEMA; Construction Equipment Rental Association- CERA; Crane Owners Association Of India- (COAOI); Builders Association Of India- BAI; Maharashtra Chamber Of Housing Industry- CREDAI- MCHI; Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI); CREDAI Gujarat; National Real Estate Development Council- NAREDCO; Tunneling Association OF India- TAI; Gujarat Contractors Association; Ready Mix Concrete Manufacturers Association -RMCMA and Fluid Power Society Of India.

Exhibitors at the event will be from various industries related to construction such as Earthmoving, Demolition & Transport Equipment; Roads, Ports & Foundation Equipment, Building & Concrete Sector; Lifting, Handling & Hydraulic; Automation & IT; and Safety Equipment. The first physical expo of the construction industry after the COVID pandemic is likely to attract Architects, Builders / Developers, Consultants, Contractors, Distributors /Retailers, Large EPCs, Financial/Leasing Companies, Government Officials, Industry Associations, Mining Companies, OEM Manufacturers, Oil Refineries, Port Companies, Power Plants, Public-Sector Decision Makers, Rental Companies, Safety Companies, and Spare Parts & Component Manufacturers.

Business World

Success in a time of distress! TYC Communication, a Delhi-based communication firm opens a new branch in Estonia

Sep 16, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #European market, #Geeta Singh, #Ritika Singh, #TYC Communication

New Delhi, Sep 16, 2020: TYC Communication, one of India’s leading communication agencies based in Delhi, has recently announced the opening of a new branch in Tallinn, Estonia, which will strengthen the company’s partnerships with various clients in the European market. At a time when many SMEs are struggling to survive, this global expansion by TYC Communication stands a testament to the company’s standing in the communication industry.

Set up with a mission to provide the best of communication strategies to the clients, TYC Communication has over the years proved beyond doubt that ‘to believe is to deliver’. Started in 2012 with traditional PR, the company has expanded its wings by embracing Digital Marketing, which is an inseparable tool to provide a complete communication solution. From media management, content research and creation, media training, client servicing to crisis management, TYC offers a gamut of services.

Currently, the new branch would be focusing on 3 major communication services, including digital media marketing, creative content writing, and translation services. More services would be added to the branch portfolio at a later date.

I believe the market here in Estonia is quite receptive to the gamut of services that we’re looking forward to providing, and if things go well, I believe we will be able to establish a strong presence here within a year’s time. I am currently marketing for TYC Communication in the Estonian market while working out strategies with our headquarters in Delhi as to how we would go about our business. As soon as that is taken care of, we’ll be up and about in Estonia,” said Ritika Singh, Director, TYC Communication Pvt. Ltd.

The demand for affordable communication services has shifted the tide in favour of the Indian SMEs and the expansion project by TYC Communication could serve as a representative of the Indian communication industry in Europe.

“European countries have a very fertile startup landscape and new companies are emerging every day that need effective communication services. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most firms are running short on liquidity, and therefore, they want to work with companies that can provide top-notch services that are affordable as well. Especially, for this reason, many of the companies there are looking towards India for support, and by establishing our presence in Estonia, we will be able to connect with our clients in a much better fashion and address their woes more efficiently,” said Geeta Singh, Founder and Managing Director, TYC Communication.

“We have already started the hiring process for our new branch and we’re looking for talented sales executives in Estonia who can help us connect with companies that require affordable communication services. So besides supporting the businesses in the country we will also be generating employment opportunities for Estonian residents – which, I believe, is the need of the hour right now. For now, we will be sourcing the work from India only, but once things kick-off and the pandemic subsides, we’ll start setting up our service unit there as well,” she further added.

This first overseas expansion project by TYC Communication could turn out to be a gateway for further expansion in the other nearby European countries as well and bring Geeta Singh a step closer to her dream of making TYC Communication one of the top 5 communication companies in the world.