Tag: Government of Karnataka

United Way Bengaluru and AMD India enable digital classrooms in Davangere

Bengaluru, 23rd October 2024: United Way Bengaluru (UWB) in partnership with Zila Panchayat, Davangere supported by Advanced Micro Devices India Pvt. Ltd. (AMD), has set up digital classrooms enhancing coaching for students in Davangere district. These smart classrooms have been set up in 21 Pre-University Government colleges in the district.

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) by the National Testing Agency (NTA) under the Ministry of Education (MoE), Govt. of India is the basis for students entering the engineering stream. Considered as one of the toughest examinations in India, the JEE is the gateway for pursuing engineering as a career for students. In recent years, the quality of coaching has become a crucial factor in the probability of students getting a college and stream of their choice. Many students have to move cities to get quality training which uproots them from their family and local communities; it is also a large financial burden for the families to sustain such an effort. These barriers are a key reason many students find it difficult to score well in the JEE.

Recognizing this gap in the system, the Zila Panchayat, Davangere embarked on bringing world-class infrastructure available in the metros to Davangere by expanding access to technology with new smart classrooms. The ease of access and locally available infrastructure aim to bring quality training infrastructure to those who otherwise could not afford to travel to metros and to girls who have an interest but could not find coaching infrastructure locally.

It is anticipated that more than 6500 students studying in Davangere will benefit from these digital classrooms.

Speaking on the occasion Ms. Gunjan Krishna (IAS), Commissioner for Industrial Development and Director, Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Karnataka said, “Enhancing opportunities by providing quality learning is the cornerstone of increasing the per capita income of the district. The children in Davangere have the talent to outshine their peers if we can give them the same infrastructure that the others have. The effort made by United Way Bengaluru and AMD to come together and help enhance the possibilities for children from the district to become engineers is laudable.”

Jaya Jagadish, Country Head, AMD India & SVP, Silicon Design Engineering said, “No child must have to live with the regret that they did not get the opportunity to make their life better. At AMD we draw from the societies we live in and Davangere is a prime example of how companies like AMD can build stronger and more resilient fraternities which contribute to nation building. Through our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, AMD provides many such enablement in STEM leadership for students. We are proud to have this opportunity to give back to society.”

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Rajesh Krishnan, CEO, United Way Bengaluru said, “United Way connects partners, donors, volunteers, and community leaders to tackle the root causes of the world’s most complex challenges while making a positive impact in the lives of millions of people. Together we are taking meaningful steps promoting inclusive and accessible education, ensuring that students have the tools they need to thrive in today’s digital age. The initiative of the Zila Panchayat will go a long way in bridging the gap and building talent while scaling the incomes in Davangere.

Multiplex Group celebrates 50 years of Innovations in Agriculture India to be carbon neutral by 2030: Giriraj Singh

Bengaluru, 19 September 2024: Multiplex Group, one of the leading agricultural companies in India, celebrated its 50th anniversary today. Shri. Giriraj Singh, Minister of Textiles, Government of India, along with Shri. Ram Nath Thakur, Hon Minister for State, Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Government of India, Shri. N. Chaluvaraya Swamy, Minister of Agriculture Government of Karnataka, His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah bin Saud, Prince of Saudi Arabia, Shri. Mohamed Ahmed Awaleh, Minister of Agriculture, Republic of Djibouti, Shri. T. B. Jayachandra, Former Minister, Government of Karnataka, Dr. G P Shetty, Founder of Multiplex Group, and Shri Mahesh G Shetty, Managing Director of Multiplex Group of Companies inaugurated the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Multiplex group today in the city.

While delivering the inaugural speech Shri. Giriraj Singh, Minister of Textiles, Government of India said that the country will develop through innovation in farming. Bio-fertilizer is the future and the right way to approach farming. He said that the world is moving towards sustainable farming and about 110 million hectares is under natural farming across the world, while in India the area under sustainable farming is about 3.6 million hectors.

He said that about 20 to 27% of the Indian farmers currently uses green and organic fertilizers which is about the same ratio as the world. Multiplex is leading the way in the production of organic fertilizers. According to him, we need to stop using chemical fertilizers as it is both harmful to the soil and human health, for a healthy India organic is the way.

Shri Giriraj Singh stated that the government of India’s goal is to become carbon neutral by 2030 and by 2070 the country will be carbon negative. Bio-fertilizers, sustainable farming, e-tractors, and e-vehicles all will help in achieving our sustainable goals.

Mahesh G Shetty, Managing Director of Multiplex Group of Companies said “As we celebrate our Golden Jubilee, we stand at a pivotal moment in our journey, reflecting on 50 years of dedication, growth, and remarkable achievements. This milestone serves as a testament to the collective efforts of all who have contributed to our legacy, from our visionary founders to our present-day leaders, farmer community, staff, dealers and stakeholders”.

“Throughout the past five decades, we have transformed challenges into opportunities, making significant strides in key areas of achievement: namely Innovation, Service, Research & Development, Community development, Sustainability etc. Our unwavering commitment to excellence has earned us a position of prominence, not only in India, but also in the broader global landscape. We celebrate the impact we’ve made and the values that have shaped our success such as integrity, innovation, teamwork, dedication and collaboration” he added

Mr. Shetty stated “as we look to the future, we are more determined than ever to build on our accomplishments in terms of quality Agro inputs. The next chapter of our story will be one of continued innovation, expansion, and a deepened commitment to our future goals in Agri technology, such as enhancing sustainability, diversity, digital transformation and community engagement etc. We are excited to build further ahead, driven by a clear vision and guided by the lessons of our rich history”.

Shri. Ram Nath Thakur, Hon Minister for State, Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Government of India stressed on the need for supporting the country’s farming community in adopting sustainable farming practices. He urged Multiplex and other organic fertilizer manufacturers to focus on providing innovation and cost-effective solutions for farming,

Minister for Agriculture, Government of Karnataka, Shri. N. Cheluvarayaswamy said that the Indian farmers need to adopt organic fertilizers and natural farming, He also lauded the effort of Multiplex Group, a company from Karnataka leading the way in biofertilizers in the country.

The Multiplex Group has been at the forefront of the agricultural sector since its inception in 1974. As industry leaders, the company specialize in manufacturing and distribution of a comprehensive range of agricultural inputs. Multiplex portfolio includes fertilizers, pesticides, nutrients (both major and minor), organic manure, bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, and bio-stimulants. The reach of Multiplex products extends to more than 17 countries, including Japan, Korea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sri Lanka, and various Arab nations.

UNDP launches’ “Green Recovery Pathway” for Green jobs and Livelihood

Bangalore: UNDP has worked in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development, from systems and institutional strengthening to inclusive growth and sustainable livelihoods, as well as sustainable energy, environment and resilience. On world EV day UNDP has launched its prestigious project “Green Recovery Pathway”. This project aims to skill the youth on certain job roles under Green Transportation and create employability in the state of Karnataka.

Celebrating the World EV Day, the Government of Karnataka and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly organized a multi-stakeholder consultation titled ‘Green Transport Sector and Green Recovery Pathways in Karnataka’.

Set to commence from September 2021, UNDP has partnered with AISECT which is India’s leading Social Enterprise working in the area of Skill Development in semi urban and rural parts of the country. Under this partnership, AISECT will offer cutting-edge and industry aligned technology certification programs in EV Technology.

Ms. Supriya Khound, Project Coordinator- Green Recovery, UNDP, highlighted UNDP’s response to COVID-19 pandemic and the focus on Green Recovery for building resilience of communities, with a focus on Green Jobs specifically in the Green Transport Sector. Under the project Green Recovery Pathway for India: transitioning towards a green and resilient COVID-19 recovery UNDP will aim to train 3000 women and youth in green jobs and place over 2000 in Karnataka and Delhi NCR Region. The consultation led to exchange of ideas and creation of a green transport platform with participants from private sector, start-ups, academia, Government and industry association participating.

Talking about the partnership, Mr. Jeya Chandran, state project head UNDP said, “Both UNDP and AISECT plan to boost the efforts creating employability for youth especially female candidates and provide them with the necessary skills in order to help them get ready for the industry. 

This step will facilitate the youth of the state to build a strong economy in the future. By carrying out this project in Karnataka, we hope to empower the students of the State and encourage them with every possible means as mentioned by Zonal Head AISECT.

BHIVE Investech Aims to Democratize the Commercial Real Estate Market in India by Giving Simplified Investment Options to the Indian Middle Class and HNIs

Bengaluru: The StartUp Conference organised by BHIVE at the launch of its FinTech Venture BHIVE Investech on Thursday, February 11th evening was participated by some of the prominent names from the StartUp, FinTech and Investor Community. The Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Higher Education and IT/BT, Government of Karnataka, Dr. Ashwathnarayan C N and DCP, East Division, Bengaluru City Dr. Sharanappa SD, IPS were amongst the key guests present at the event. (For details on the conference, refer to the annexure)

BHIVE’s new venture BHIVE Investech is an asset-light FinTech company aimed at democratizing the Commercial Real Estate (CRE) market by distributing ownership of high value properties. Shesh Rao Paplikar, Co-Founder and CEO, BHIVE Investech shares, “Under the new venture, BHIVE will offer fractional investment opportunities through a tech platform. The platform is designed to help individuals participate with ease and ensures liquidity of the asset. Individuals can keep track of their investment through detailed information on the property/ investment product, including details on regular earning, spends etc., available on the website. The dashboard is particularly designed to make the process transparent and easy to understand, even for customers who are not familiar with the sector.”

BHIVE Investech offers the Indian Middle Class an opportunity to participate in a safe high-return asset class of Commercial Real Estate. The startup is well on its way towards raising a $1 million seed fund from existing and new investors which is being used for team building, technological development, legal, compliance and marketing.

Speaking at the launch event, the Deputy CM Dr. Ashwathnarayan said, “I would like to congratulate BHIVE for doing a lot of good work. They started with co-working spaces and are gradually extending into many more areas wherever there is an opportunity and what needs to be done in that direction. Their new venture, BHIVE Investech is into democratising investment in commercial real estate and I wish them all the very best.”

The Deputy CM emphasized the role of the Karnataka government in supporting the growth of the StartUp sector and shared that $300 Billion has been earmarked for the next 5 years to develop all emerging markets – going beyond Bengaluru.

Sharing the focus on the recent announcement of KDEM (Karnataka Digital Economic Mission), he said that Karnataka is the only state in the country to have implemented this 360-degree regulatory sandbox authority across all industry sectors.

He added that the new platform- Karnataka Digital Economic Mission will further enhance the support that startups and innovative firms get in Karnataka. The platform supports all verticals and also has industry associations such as Nasscom to support and channel growth opportunities. It is also progressive and a 10 year strategy is being worked on for supporting future innovations.

Sandeep Gupta, CFA, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of BHIVE Investech says, “Investech makes high value Commercial Real Estate available with amounts as low as INR 25 lakhs. These investments will not only give Fixed Deposit like monthly yields but also the Equity or Mutual Fund like long-term appreciation to retail investors.”

Sandeep Gupta further added, “At BHIVE Investech, our aim is to help our customers invest confidently. Our comprehensive property analytics & legal due diligence provide peace of mind to our customers. Our fully transparent tech driven platform approach enables real time visibility to an investor through personal dashboards.”

Through the Fractional Investment platform, BHIVE Investech brings to the investors two products- the Hard Asset where BHIVE will facilitate direct participation in specific commercial offices in opportunistic locations through Fractional Investments. The second category is the Soft Asset where investors can look at existing BHIVE coworking spaces with flexible leases and lower lock-ins. These are also spaces where the interiors are done professionally and ergonomically, without having to spend their own Capex on fitouts.

In both cases, the investors enjoy Monthly Rentals, Low ticket size (Liquidity), Hassle Free Ownership, Appreciation Benefit, Portfolio Diversification and Lower Cost of Ownership.

Commercial Real Estate, especially the office space sector, has shown robust and resilient performance and has attracted a large amount of capital. Many giant multinational companies have already leased millions of sqft of office space in 2020. Also, pre-leasing for 2021 is on the rise. In a recent report, Knight Frank says Asia-Pacific prime office rents are likely to decline between -3% and 0% in 2021, but Bengaluru, where BHIVE is a dominant operator, is likely to see a surge in prime rents. In a way, COVID has provided more tailwinds for BHIVE Investech rather than the otherwise.

Launching of Fruits Portal – An Initiative of E-Governance Department, Government of Karnataka

Chennai: A function was organized on 22 December 2020, wherein the “FRUITS”(Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System) Portal, a project of e-Governance, Government of Karnataka was inaugurated.

Delivering the keynote address, Ms. A. Manimekhalai, Executive Director, Canara Bank, observed that Karnataka State Government has always been in the forefront of technology initiatives to improve the ease of Banking as can be seen from the various initiatives like BHOOMI Package, Debt Waiver Portal and currently, the FRUITS Portal. The FRUITS Portal is integrated into the BHOOMI Package of the Karnataka State for fetching and validating the land details. One other important facility of this Portal is online creation of charge by which visit of farmers to Sub-Registrar Office is avoided. She thanked the Karnataka State Government and NABARD for identifying our Bank for launching the pilot project and assured us that they will take all necessary steps to make the Project, a success.

Speaking on the occasion, Sri Rajeev Chawla, Additional Chief Secretary, e-Governance, Government of Karnataka informed that this is the latest initiative from the Government of Karnataka to bring all the farmers in the State with land and other details to a single Portal. In this Portal, all the farmers will be registered and given an FID Number. Using this number, the Financial Institutions and Lending Institutions can access the land details of the farmers as well as their borrowings and take a quick decision on lending to the farmers depending on their requirements. It is hoped that Bankers will find this initiative, a very useful one. He also lauded Canara Bank for agreeing to take up the Project on a pilot basis. Once the same is found successful, all other Financial Institutions will be brought on to the Portal so that at one place, all the data pertaining to the loans of the farmers will be available.

Sri NirajVerma, Chief General Manager & Head of Karnataka Regional Office, NABARD informed that NABARD is always in the forefront to enable improvements in the living standards of farmers by taking initiatives in various fronts such as providing refinance at cheaper rates to Societies and RRBs, etc. He also informed that FRUITS Portal is the first of its kind in the country wherein the land and other details of all the farmers in the State are being captured and he hoped that this project should serve as a role model to other States in the country. Karnataka, being the IT Hub of the country, always had tech-enabled initiatives and this FRUITS Portal is one such proposal from the Government. He also appreciated Canara Bank for accepting the pilot Project and hoped that soon all financial institutions will be onboarded to the Portal so as to have a single data source of the farmers. He thanked the Department of e-Governance, Government of Karnataka for spearheading this initiative.

The gathering was welcomed by Dr. K U Viswanathan, General Manager, NABARD, and a vote of thanks was proposed by Sri K.R. Badrinath, Deputy General Manager, Canara Bank.

Sweden Aims For Space At Bengaluru Tech Summit

Team Sweden participated in Bengaluru Tech Summit, the flagship technology event of the Government of Karnataka, with a country session called ‘Sweden India Space Technology Collaboration for a Sustainable Future’ to support ongoing and future dialogues between the two countries in the field of space technologies, ground station networks, R&D and Innovations.

Sweden and India have an MoU in Space since 1986 and the area for collaboration was further mentioned in the Sweden-India Joint Action Plan, agreed by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018. The Sweden India Joint Action plan highlights collaboration on space research, technology, innovation and applications.

India has recently created National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) to provide a level playing field for private companies to use Indian space infrastructure. This is part of reforms aimed at giving a boost to private sector participation in the entire range of space activities.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Klas Molin, Ambassador of Sweden to India, said, “It’s great to participate in the BTS in Bengaluru, the tech capital of India, home to ISRO and several Swedish-Indian companies. I am also happy to be addressing a longstanding area of Swedish-Indian cooperation today – space! Today, we’re taking another important step by bringing together experts and interested parties who will explore possibilities for further Swedish Indian collaboration on and in space, including commercially!”

The stellar panel this afternoon, comprised Mr. G. Narayanan, CMD, New Space India Limited (NSIL) who gave a special address, Mr. Laxmesh BH, Head of Missiles & Aerospace Business, Larsen & Toubro Defence, Mr. S. M. Vaidya, Executive VP & Business Head, Godrej Aerospace, Mr. Christer Fuglesang, Astronaut, Group Strategy, SAAB, Ms. Anna Maria Johansson, Head of Legal Affairs and International Relations, Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA), and Ms. Miranda Pirrie, President Satellite Management Services Division and Member of Executive team, Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). The discussion was moderated by Dr Olle Norberg, Vice Rector for Space, Luleå University of technology. The opening remarks were given by Ambassador Molin.

Ms Cecilia Hertz, CEO Umbilical Designs made a presentation on Space Technology and Agenda 2030 – How Sweden is spearheading the use of technology in the work to implement the Global Goals.