Friday, February 17, 2017

Mahindra Supro Brings Out 11 New Passenger and Cargo Vehicles in Diesel, CNG and Electric Variants.

Mahindra n Mahindra Ltd., a part of the US $17.8 billion Mahindra Group, today introduced 7 new products simultaneously under its Supro platform. The company launched 4 new variants of its stylish and spacious Passenger carrier, namely Supro Minivan, Supro Minivan VX, Supro Minivan CNG and Supro School Van and 3 new variants of its modern load carrier, Supro Minitruck, Supro Minitruck CNG and Supro Cargo Van. Priced competitively, the Supro Minivan starts at Rs. 4.61 lac (ex-showroom Bengaluru, BS4) while the Supro Minitruck starts at Rs. 4.33 lac (ex-showroom Bengaluru, BS4).

Today, the Supro platform boasts India’s widest range of Passenger and Cargo vehicles with 11 offerings which are available in Diesel, CNG and Electric Variants.

In the small commercial load category, the company expanded its range with the launch of Supro Minitruck, Supro Minitruck CNG and Supro Cargo Van, additions to the already existing Supro Maxitruck, making it a complete range of powerful, profitable Small Cargo vehicles.

In the passenger category, the company expanded its range with the launch of the Supro Minivan, Minivan VX, Supro Minivan CNG and Supro School Van to the already existing Supro, resulting in it a complete range of spacious, comfortable Minivans.

The Supro platform was conceptualised to effectively cater to the needs of multiple segments in the passenger and cargo movement categories, while delivering a superior value proposition.

Speaking on the launch, Pravin Shah, President and Chief Executive (Automotive), Mahindra n Mahindra said, As the leader in the small commercial vehicle load segment with a market share of 51% in less than 3.5T category, we are always aiming to understand and address the evolving needs of our customers. The roll out of an entire range of 7 new variants from the Supro platform with their superior value proposition is a strong step in this direction.”

Shah further added, “The Supro brand is synonymous with Superior performance, Superior operating economics, Superior style and Superior comfort. With the launch of the Supro Minitruck and Minivan, we will further strengthen our portfolio under the “Supro” brand umbrella. I am sure that the Supro platform will go a long way in helping our customers prosper in life, in line with our Mahindra Rise philosophy”.

Built at Mahindra’s state-of-the-art plant in Chakan, Maharashtra, the Supro platform has undergone rigorous and full test cycle runs and has been validated on all performance, safety and reliability parameters. It also comes with a class-leading warranty of 2 years/60,000km (whichever comes earlier).

At the launch of the Supro platform in October 2015, the company had introduced two products, namely the Supro Maxitruck (aimed at customers upgrading from the mini truck segment) and the Supro Van (aimed at Personal, Dual usage and Low end Tour and Travel customers). In October 2016, two more variants, namely the eSupro Van and the eCargo Van were launched.

Sasken Communication Technologies Limited Renamed to Sasken Technologies Limited to Reflect its Broad Range of Services

Sasken Technologies Limited, (formerly Sasken Communication Technologies Limited), announced that it has changed its name to Sasken Technologies Limited effective February 14, 2017 to reflect its broad range of services.

The Company had earlier changed its name from Silicon Automation Systems Limited to Sasken Communication Technologies Limited in 2000 in order to cater to the growing opportunities in the telecommunication space around the world. Today, the nexus of forces such as computing, communications, mobility, cloud, social media and analytics has transformed communications into a core ingredient across all business verticals. Sasken’s expertise therefore now serves businesses ranging from automotive, smart devices and wearables, industrials, enterprises, satellite, and retail, among others. Therefore, Sasken’s new name is a true reflection of its current vast opportunity landscape.

Rajiv C. Mody, Chairman, Managing Director and CEO, Sasken Technologies Limited said, “We see a whole new world unfolding in front of us where new services are getting launched which were hitherto unheard of. The key drivers that are making this difference are advances in silicon, embedded systems, cloud computing, and cognitive technologies.

“Sasken has been at the helm of enabling technologies that touches and betters lives. Over the past two and a half decades, we have enabled our customers to build cutting-edge solutions that have been breakthroughs in their respective markets. We are working with technology leaders to enable cognitive technologies that help define the world of tomorrow in areas such as car, home, wearables and devices, industrials, and retail. We are very proud of our heritage and are continuing to build a new future which is really going to make a difference in the new world we are embarking on.”

Thursday, February 16, 2017

IESA Launches Hyderabad Chapter; To Make Hyderabad an ESDM, Aerospace and Defense Hub

IESA, India Electronics and Semiconductor Association the premier trade body representing the Indian Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) industry has announced the launch of their Hyderabad Chapter. The key objectives of setting up an office in Hyderabad is to widen the eco-system, acquire new members and strengthen the supply chain in the region.  This move will boost the electronics, hardware and semiconductor startups and firms in the state with the required support and information. There will also be a large thrust on the Aerospace & Defense manufacturing too.

Telangana contributes to 6% of the electronics production in the country and aims to reach a revenue of more than $10Bn and provide employment to 1.75L citizens. The Telangana Government is planning to make Hyderabad as the hub of ESDM and is pursuing to attract investments into the two ESDM clusters at e-City Manufacturing Cluster and Maheshwaram Science Park. With a view to facilitating investments in the electronics manufacturing industry, IESA has gearing up to strengthen operations in Telengana this year.

Excited with this announcement, K. Krishna Moorthy, Chairman, IESA said, “This is a proud moment for us as we have now expanded our presence across the major technology hubs of the nation. With this launch, we now have an even more strengthened support to bring India into the global radar for manufacturing innovation. Several policy initiatives have been approved in last few months which include providing very attractive financial investment in electronics manufacturing and providing preference to domestically manufactured electronic goods in all Government procurement as well as all those electronic goods whose use has security implications for the country. This expansion has put us in the right path for the fulfilment of our objectives and aiding the government of India to digitally empower the nation. We are certain that, with the right mix of trained professionals and regional expertise we will make our vision of making India the global hub for innovation a successful reality very soon.”

Spearheading and strengthening ties with the local industry, MosChip Semiconductor has joined hands with IESA. Speaking at the launch of the IESA Hyderabad chapter, Ram Reddy, CEO and  Chairman, Moschip Semiconductor, said “We are delighted to be a member company of IESA Hyderabad. We strongly believe that this collaboration will be an impetus to start-ups and engineering/ research students to promote the country’s top design engineers and buyers with the best degree of technical knowhow and help bring the Government and ecosystem together on the same platform.”

Commenting on this move, M.N. Vidyashankar, President, IESA added, “We are delighted to announce the launch of the new IESA Chapter in Hyderabad. We need to improve the supply chain. We could achieve innovation-led design in the semiconductor space. But, what we lack is design-led-manufacturing. With the recently announced Chennai chapter and this launch, we have further expanded our reach to enrich the supply chain and make significant inroads in making the country the next manufacturing hub. We strongly believe that this expansion will fast-forward our operations and enable us to achieve the common goal of giving a boost to design-led-manufacturing.”

Forthcoming events from IESA:
This year, Hyderabad will be the host city for DEFTRONICS 2017, the fourth edition of the annual Aerospace, Defence & Internal security focused event. This will be an additional fillip to the Aerospace & Defence sectors. The Indian Aerospace and Defence industry is one of the most lucrative industries with a booming market and an ocean of opportunities for engineering design and manufacturing companies. India’s current requirements on defence are largely catered to by imports. The Global OEM and Indian companies alike are keen to leverage the opportunity of defence contracts, which reflects the success of initiatives like ‘Make in India’

IESA Vision Summit 2017
The 12th edition its annual flagship event, IESA Vision Summit 2017. Powered with global and Indian audiences to discover, innovate and bring together a stellar line-up of thought leaders & robust speakers. Scheduled on February 21 and 22 at The Leela, Bangalore, it aims to steer India closer to its goal of Design led Manufacturing – Redefining the future of India’s ESDM.

Telangana is the hub of Electronics Manufacturing Clusters with Districts of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medak being the base for the state. With an aim to give a fillip to the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector of Andhra Pradesh, the India SME Forum has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the State government for two industrial parks and an incubation centre in the State. As part of this, an industrial park for multi-sectoral MSME units is being proposed to be set up either at Vijayawada or at Visakhapatnam or Tirupati. As favourable Government policies and conducive growth opportunities exist in the state, Telangana became as one of the most preferred destination for the IESA’s expansion.

Julian Quinn Named as Regional Vice President (APAC) of Qlik

Qlik, a leader in visual analytics has announced the appointment of Julian Quinn as Regional Vice President for Qlik in Asia Pacific (APAC). Quinn will be responsible for leading and expanding Qlik’s operations throughout the region including ASEAN, Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan markets.
With over 30 years of experience in the IT Industry, Quinn has extensive knowledge of APAC markets and has a distinguished track record of sales success. Prior to joining Qlik, he held senior leadership positions at various companies, including but not limited to: Vice President Asia and Japan at Veeam Software, Vice President APAC at Adobe Systems, Vice President APAC at Borland, and Managing Director at Netscape.
“We’re delighted to welcome someone of Julian’s calibre onboard to helm Qlik’s operations in Asia Pacific. Under his leadership, even more organisations in the region will be empowered with self-service analytics to see the whole story behind their data,” said Mark Thurmond, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Services, Qlik.
Last year, in Asia Pacific, customers across different industries – such as Akindo SushiroBaiduLazadaLupin Limited and Teachers Mutual Bank – started to harness Qlik’s platform-based approach to derive actionable insights.  
“There’s no better time to join Qlik, as we continue to witness the upward surge of embedded, self-service and visual analytics in every sector. I look forward to further strengthening Qlik’s position as the leader in APAC in the Business Intelligence and Analytics market segment,” said Quinn. 

HAL Push to Include HALOld Airport in Regional Connectivity Scheme

Hopeful that some commercial operations can start from the HAL Airport in the next few months, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has appealed to the Civil Aviation Ministry to include the airport on the list for regional connectivity.

 At the Aero India 2017, HAL CMD T Suvarna Raju said when the regional connectivity policy was announced, the HAL Airport was not even on the list. The Kempe Gowda International Airport (KIA) has already achieved the passenger traffic projected for 2020. It grew by 22.5% in 2016, recording a footfall of 22.18 million passengers.

Raju said, “Normally, a state or city will be proud to have two airports.” However, through an agreement with the government, the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) had mandated that no other commercial airport should be allowed within a radius of 150 km from KIA.

HAL Airport, which was the city’s sole domestic and international airport for decades, was shut in 2008. All operations, barring VIP flights, were stopped at the old airport once KIA opened at Devanahalli. However, there have been demands from several quarters to at least operate short haul domestic flights from the old HAL Airport.

‘Trump Can be a Blessing for IT Cos’; They can Solve India’s Problem: Mukesh Ambani

Even as the IT industry keenly awaits the impact of protectionist measures by the Trump government in the United States, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani believes that his victory could be a blessing in disguise for Indian IT companies.

“It has been a great journey till now (for the Indian IT industry)....Trump can actually be a blessing in disguise. The Indian talent and IT industry will focus on solving problems in India,” Ambani said while speaking at Nasscom’s India Leadership Forum 2017. “I think the opportunities are immense, and we now have the infrastructure to do for own market and make India one of the largest software markets in the world,” he said.

According to Ambani, the key for companies to succeed is to have partnerships and be open and be always connected. “It is very important to be open, it is very important to have partnerships and not be close. That is really a strength for India and we should build on this strength, continue to be open and never think whatever the world changes,” Ambani said.

“The world might want to build walls around. I think it is very important for us not to be influenced by that, to make sure that we are always open, always connected,”Ambani added. He had some words of advice for budding entrepreneurs as well. “An entrepreneur has to figure out what he has do. This is something that I learnt from my father. Besides, it is very important to find a problem you want to solve, that you are passionate about,”Ambani said.

“Also, two more important things are that investors’ money should be treated more carefully than your own money and you cannot do anything without the right team,” Ambani added. 

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Another Successful Launch for ISRO; PSLV-C37 Deploys 104 Satellites in a Single Flight

In its thirty ninth flight (PSLV-C37), ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle successfully launched the 714 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with 103 co-passenger satellites today morning (February 15, 2017) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. This is the thirty eighth consecutively successful mission of PSLV.  The total weight of all the 104 satellites carried on-board PSLV-C37 was 1378 kg.
PSLV-C37 lifted off at 0928 hrs (9:28 am) IST, as planned, from the First Launch Pad.  After a flight of  16 minutes 48 seconds, the satellites achieved a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit of 506 km inclined at an angle of 97.46 degree to the equator (very close to the intended orbit) and in the succeeding 12 minutes, all the 104 satellites successfully separated from the PSLV fourth stage in a predetermined sequence beginning with Cartosat-2 series satellite, followed by INS-1 and INS-2.  The total number of Indian satellites launched by PSLV now stands at 46.
After separation, the two solar arrays of Cartosat-2 series satellite were deployed automatically and ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore took over the control of the satellite. In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration following which it will begin to provide remote sensing services using its panchromatic (black and white) and multispectral (colour) cameras.
Of the 103 co-passenger satellites carried by PSLV-C37, two – ISRO Nano Satellite-1 (INS-1) weighing 8.4 kg and INS-2 weighing 9.7 kg – are technology demonstration satellites from India. 
The remaining 101 co-passenger satellites carried were international customer satellites from USA (96), The Netherlands (1), Switzerland (1), Israel (1), Kazakhstan (1) and UAE (1). 
With today’s successful launch, the total number of customer satellites from abroad launched by India’s workhorse launch vehicle PSLV has reached 180.

With Over 100 Million Domestic Passengers, Boeing Sees Strong Continued Growth for India’s Commercial Aviation Market


Boeing continues to see strong growth for India’s commercial aviation sector, the company today shared during a briefing at the 2017 Aero India Airshow in Bengaluru, India.
“The major factors we watch – the exchange rate, fuel price and the profitability of the airlines – are all still favorable and we remain confident in the strong growth of

India’s commercial aviation sector,” said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president, Asia Pacific and India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We see the potential for travel growth in 2017 to continue to be high in India and we expect more than 100 million passengers to fly domestically this year.”

According to Boeing’s 2016 India Current Market Outlook, 1,850 new airplanes, valued at $265 billion, will be needed in India, over the next 20 years. Single-aisle airplanes such as the Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX will continue to account for the largest share of new deliveries, while widebody airplanes such as the 787 Dreamliner and the 777 family, make up the remainder of demand.

“Boeing continues to provide the airlines in India with the most fuel efficient, reliable and capable airplanes in every market segment, allowing them to open new routes and stay profitable in this growing and dynamic market,” said Keskar. “We look forward to delivering several more 787 Dreamliners to Air India this year and the 737 MAX to SpiceJet and Jet Airways in 2018.”

The 737 MAX family builds on the success of the Next-Generation 737 offering the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market. With its latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets and other improvements, the 737 MAX will deliver 20 percent lower fuel use

than the first Next-Generation 737s and the lowest operating costs in its class – 8 percent per seat less than its nearest competitor.

The 777 family of airplanes is distinguished by its fuel-efficiency, spacious cabin interior, range capability, commonality and reliability. The 777 provides the most payload and range capability and growth potential in the medium-sized airplane category — all with low operating costs. The new 77 7X builds off of the success of the 777 and incorporates advanced technology, including a new composite wing, all-new engines and superior aerodynamics. The 777-9 will be the largest and most efficient twin-engine commercial jet in the world with the lowest operating cost per seat of any commercial airplane and no competitor in its market segment.

The 787 is a family of technologically advanced, super-efficient airplanes with new passenger-pleasing features. Since beginning service in 2011, with its unparalleled fuel efficient and range flexibility, the 787 is flying more than 530 routes, with customers opening more than 130 new nonstop routes around the world.

Marshall Aerospace and Maini Enter into Multi-Million Dollar Contract

Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, Cambridge, UK and Maini Precision Products Ltd (MPP), entered into a multimillion dollar life of programme contract for structural machined parts and sub-assemblies for a major aircraft programme at Aero India 2017. With this contract, MPP is now positioned as the single source from India to support Marshall for their manufacturing requirements for the duration of this program.

Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group was represented by Andrew Monk, Supplier Manager and Jeremy Rogerson, Supplier Quality Manager. Maini Group was represented by Gautam Maini, Executive Director, Maini Group and Naresh Palta, CEO, Aerospace and Defence, Maini Group.

On this occasion, Marshall stated that MPP has been a key supplier to MARSHALL for complex structural parts and sub-assemblies and has achieved the status of top rated supplier during this period. The high level  performance over the years has built the confidence at Marshall, resulting  in the decision to extend  this contract for the entire life of the programme. 

Gautam Maini said, “MARSHALL has been our strategic customer since 2010. With this agreement, we are poised for further growth in this relationship.”

Naresh Palta further added, “It is a vindication and recognition of our strong commitment to  performance for meeting Marshall’s manufacturing requirements”

India Third Largest Civil Aviation Market by 2022: Ashok Gajapathi Raju

India can be the world’s third largest civil aviation market by 2022, if the country’s defunct airports are reactivated under the Regional Connectivity scheme. This is the estimation of Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju who articulated this at the Aero India 2017 exhibition here on Tuesday.

“The country has around 70 active airports. Already 55 airports have sought upgrading under the Regional Connectivity scheme catering to are as under-served. Over the next two years, if 50 more airports are upgraded, we can achieve the distinction of being the third largest market,” he explained.

Raju said the airports can be upgraded in partnership with the Defence Ministry. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar indicated that the synergy between the two ministries can help use many defence airports for civil aviation purposes.

Now New Feature in Google Maps with Wish List of Favourite Places

The Google Maps application has come up with a feature with which people can create and share lists of their favourite places in their city or any place across the globe, Agency reports from New Delhi.

The new feature will allow users to create lists of “places they love and the places they want to recommend to friends” without quitting the application.

“You can now create lists of places, share your lists with others, and follow the lists of your friends and family when shared with you,” the company said.

Available for both Android and iOS devices, the Lists feature also allows the creation of a wish list of places that one might want to visit in future. The recommendations, which range from fashion and food to art and movie theatres, can be a “list of weekend getaways, or a list of best street food joints, or best fashion boutiques in a particular area”.

Agencies

Upto 85% Price Cut of Medical Stent; Decision Effective Feb 14, 2017

In a major relief to heart patients, the government has reduced prices of coronary stents by up to 85%. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed the ceiling price of bare metal stents (BMS) at Rs 7,260 and that of drug eluting stents (DES) and bio resorbable vascular scaffold (BVS)/biodegradable stents at Rs 29,600, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar told reporters here.

The price cap came into force on the midnight of February 13. A coronary stent is a tube shaped device placed in the arteries that supplies blood to the heart. It keeps the arteries open in the treatment of coronary heart diseases. So far, the maximum retail cost of a stent ranged from Rs 45,000 to Rs 1,21,000.

Data on the NPPA website showed that hospitals made the maximum profits on stents, with a trade margin up to 654%. “If any hospital or pharmacist charges more than the ceiling price, stern action will be taken against the guilty. This includes withdrawal of licence,”Kumar warned.

The NPPA fixed the ceiling prices after taking into account cost of manufacturing and their profit, the minister said. The price cap will also be applicable on imported stents. This step is a major decisive action on the unethical margins charged at each stage in the supply chain of coronary stents, the minister said. Health groups have welcomed the decision.

“After months of consultations, we welcome the strong and determined action of the government, particularly in the face of a concerted campaign by industry and profit-oriented hospitals to prevent any form of effective price control,”Malini Aisola of the All India Drug Action Network said.

“The most shocking revelation that came to light through the extensive deliberations of the NPPA were about the massive cuts being taken by cardiologists and hospitals,” said G S Grewal of Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare in a statement.

Centre of Excellence in Aerospace, Machine Leaning and IoT in Karnataka

Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge said that a Centre of Excellence in Aerospace, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things, will be set up soon.

Speaking at a session on Manufacturing Startups at the concluding day of Make in India - Karnataka Conference here, the minister said that the idea behind this was to become future-ready and create a vibrant ecosystem. 

Stressing the importance of incubators, who are the most important stakeholders in the startup ecosystem, Joint Secretary of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Shailendra Singh said, “We aim to have 1,000 world class incubators to take this startup ecosystem forward.” “We want to take care of startups right from their registration, funding, and mentoring to exit,” he said. 

While funding is a vital issue of startups, Singh said that a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore is created in line with the ‘Startup India Action Plan’. “Also, patent filing fees for startups have been reduced by 80%, and startups have to spend only 20%,”Singh said. Earlier, Founder and CEO of Qikpod Ravi Gururaj moderated the session in which 10 prominent startups shared their ideas, and their journey. 

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Boeing Showcases Range of Advanced Military & Commercial Capabilities at Aero India 2017


Boeing will showcase a broad range of aerospace capabilities at the upcoming Aero India 2017 show, to be held Feb. 14-18 at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru.

Boeing’s participation at the show will highlight its enduring defense and commercial footprint in India and demonstrate alignment with the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Boeing’s exhibit in Hall E will feature large scale models and interactive displays to showcase the company’s advanced commercial and defense products and services capabilities of interest to India. A KC-46A Air Refueling Operator System (AROS) will be available to visitors for demonstrations.

Boeing subject matter experts will be on hand to discuss the defense capabilities of platforms such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet, KC-46 tanker, C-17 Globemaster III, P-8I aircraft, AH-64D Apache, CH-47F Chinook, V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and ScanEagle and Integrator unmanned airborne system. In addition, experts from Boeing’s services business will be on hand to discuss training and support solutions for Indian customers.

The company will feature models of commercial airplanes such as the 777-9X, 787-9 Dreamliner, 737 MAX 9 and 737 MAX 8.

Elders Knock Delhi High Court Doors Over Oswal Family Feud

Its new and probably most significant turn in Oswal’s family feud so far; Pankaj Oswal, the eldest son of Late business tycoon Abhey Oswal has filed a petition with Delhi high court on February 4, 2017 claiming his absolute proprietary rights to the extent of 1/4th undivided share in the estate of his father being class-1 legal heir. Pankaj has alleged in the petition that rest of the 3 heirs, his mother Aruna oswal, younger brother Shailendra Oswal and sister Shalu jindal are attempting to oust him from the estate of his father including suit properties.

For Oswals, acrid time in the family began as soon as Abhey Oswal died of heart attack on March 29th last year. Business tycoon of his time Oswal died in Russia while he was on a business tour. He left his enormous empire without a will or testamentary document regarding disposition of his assets, interest in businesses, movable and immovable properties. Since then a succession battle broke out between his widow Aruna Oswal and eldest son Pankaj Oswal. Both have been staking their claims to run his business empire that includes two listed firms Oswal Agro Mills and Oswal Greentech.

In the petition filed with Delhi high court Pankaj claims that while he along with his wife had moved to Australia, there was no partition, formal or informal, between him and his father. In fact, both son and father shared good relations and he and his parents used to visit each other often. He also claimed him being made to wear the traditional pagdi (turban) of the family in the Pagdi rasm held on April 3rd 2016 after the death of his father. Wearing Pagdi was a sign that the Oswal family recognized him as the main heir to head the business empire. Petition says that after the Pagdi rasm was over a board meeting of OAML and OGL was secretly convened behind Pankaj’s back. Very recently he came to know that a resolution was passed in the said meeting of Board of Directors of OAML and OGL appointing his mother Aruna Oswal as the additional Director and Chairperson of both the companies. Interestingly, OAML and OGL have considerable assets and hold substantial shares in other companies, inter alia, PC Media Systems Ltd., New Delhi Television Ltd., News Nation Network Pvt. Ltd., Monnet Ispat and Energy Pvt. Ltd. and other group companies.

Unaware of the sabotage taking place behind him Pankaj oswal proposed to convene a meeting with rest of the 3 heirs on April 4, 2016 at OAML’s office at Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi to formally execute the consensus arrived at on April 3, 2016 after Pagdi rasm. Also a draft memorandum of family settlement was prepared by him for formal execution and for sharing with them. As soon as Pankaj reached at the said place for meeting he was taken for surprise that none of the other 3 had turned up. His surprise soon turned into shock as he called up his mother to ascertain the reason for not turning up. On phone her mother Aruna asked him to leave India immediately and not seek any share in the assets of Abhey Kumar Oswal. Astonishedly his brother and sister too supported her mother and asked that he should forget about his share in the estate of his late father. Deeply upset and shocked Pankaj then came to know the dirty truth and ulterior motives of his own blood relations to oust him from the family assets.

On April 6, 2016 after getting confirmed of the ulterior motives of his own mother, brother and sister, Pankaj got a legal notice served to them seeking their confirmation that no action inconsistent with his rights be taken as regards the assets comprising the estate of his late father. Unfortunately till date none of them have responded to the said legal notice. Further on October 21 & November 7, 2016 through his lawyers, he got another legal notice issued to the Companies, Banks and third parties where or with whom Late Abhey Kumar Oswal had substantial holdings or business dealings asserting his rights as Class I legal heir of late Abhey Kumar Oswal. Clearly no evidence is required anymore to establish Pankaj Oswal’s right to 1/4th share in his late father’s estate is undisputed as none of the rest of the 3 heirs responded so far to any of the legal notices.

In the petition Pankaj has alleged that rest of the heirs are looking for prospective buyers to alienate the assets, properties and business interests of his late father by masquerading such disposal of assets as transactions in ordinary course of business. Accordingly he has sought instant interference of the court in partition and has requested court to direct the rest of the heirs to transfer and/or hand over exclusive possession of such properties which fall in his share. Also granting permanent injunction restraining rest of the heirs, their agents and representatives from transferring, alienating or creating any third party interest of whatsoever nature in respect of the his share of the assets. Seeing the nature and importance of the petition Delhi high court has listed the hearing of the matter on the 8th of February 2017.

Almitra Karnik Takes Charge as Head of Marketing of CleverTap

CleverTapthe leading platform for behavioral analytics and user engagement, announced today the expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of Almitra Karnik as Head of Marketing & Global Growth. Almitra will oversee growth across CleverTap’s global markets, actively managing brand strategy, digital, content and partner marketing along with public and analyst relations efforts.

Almitra is a prominent member of the Silicon Valley startup community, having led product marketing at Twilio, and most recently building out Splunk’s global brand recognition. She brings experience in cross-market growth development, having also served as marketing manager for Fortune 500 companies like Cisco Systems and EMC Corporation.

“We are at a very exciting phase in the CleverTap journey, with the potential for massive growth in the upcoming year,” said Sunil Thomas, CEO of CleverTap. “The app economy is extremely competitive today. With our rapid engineering innovations, we’re positioned to become the go-to solution for mobile app engagement and analytics. We’re thrilled to have Almitra on board to lead our global marketing efforts.”

“I strongly believe user analytics and customer engagement should be the cornerstone of every user lifecycle strategy,” added Almitra Karnik. “The CleverTap platform recognizes this market need and gives customers the best of both worlds as a single cohesive solution.  I’m really excited to be onboard and look forward to driving our global growth strategy.”

CleverTap plans to continue to expand globally, building off of its existing client presence in North and South America, Asia and Europe. With Almitra at the helm of its marketing efforts, the company is poised to continue its winning streak in 2017 and beyond.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Five New Main Themes at Computex 2017; TAITRA Seeks Huge Indian Tech Firm’s Participation


TAITRA, the Taiwanese Government Body promoting trade between Taiwan and other countries has organised an event in Bangalore to promote Computex 2017. The event is hosted to invite Indian ICT companies to participate at Computex, which is scheduled to be held between May 30 and June 3, 2017 at Taipei, Taiwan.
The event is hosted to invite Indian ICT companies to participate in the much coveted ICT and IoT trade show and entrepreneurial event. While evolving in sync with global ICT industry trend, Computex 2017 positions itself as building Global Technology Ecosystems, focusing on 5 main themes: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Innovation and Startups, Business Solutions, IoT Applications, and Gaming and Virtual Reality.
The Bangalore witnessed the unveiling of Computex 2017 and highlight Taiwan’s global leadership position in Information and communication technology, internet-of-things applications, innovation and startup technologies for India. The event will also demonstrate the show’s new positioning, themes, featured exhibits and unveil the latest states of the show; attract new potential exhibitors and buyers from India to attend the world’s leading technology stage – Computex Taipei 2017.
Startup Ecosystem
India is currently a startup hotbed for technology and generously poised at a watershed moment in terms of technology, innovation and service best practices.  The event is beneficial for all parties involved. Computex is a complete end-to-end solution meant to meet the needs of all ICT professionals and more. It builds strategic alliances and ecosystem partners for ICT companies and bridges global startups with investors and manufacturers.”
4 Featured Exhibits
Computex 2016 saw participation from 1,602 exhibitors, 5,000 booths and 40,969 international visitors from 178 countries. Furthermore, 4 Featured Exhibits are the highlights at Computex 2017 that compliment the new position and themes of Computex 2017.
1.   InnoVEX at Computex, held for the first time in 2016, debuted with 217 startups from 22 countries, turning out to be the biggest and most influential startup gathering event in Asia. This new established area is an ideal place for innovative and young entrepreneurs to meet investors, manufacturer. A series of events including forum, pitch, demo, meet ups are exclusively for startups only.
2.     SmarTEX is the stage for the latest IoT applications.
3.     iStyle, is a special showcase for Apple MFi-certified peripherals.
4.    Gaming and VR is the ultimate gaming platform for the coolest high-performance gaming products.
Investment and Industry between India and Taiwan
Economic cooperation in areas of trade, investment and industry between India and Taiwan has been very close in recent years. India ranks as Taiwan’s 16th largest export destination and 21st largest source of import. The bilateral trade relationship is further enhanced by frequent exchanges of visits by business delegations. Bilateral Economic Consultations Meeting between India and Taiwan is held annually and have proven to be a success in bringing various mutual beneficial opportunities to both sides. Governments and industries of India and Taiwan will continue to engage closely in “Make in India,” “Digital India,” “Skill India,” and “Startup India” initiatives for collective growth.
Thomas Huang, Deputy Director, Exhibition Department, TAITRA said, “We are extremely excited to host the introductory event at Bangalore, India’s ICT hub. We really look forward to top the overwhelming success we saw last year, in this year. Computex 2016 saw participation from 1,602 exhibitors, 5,000 booths and 40,969 international visitors from 178 countries. InnoVEX at Computex, held for the first time in 2016, debuted with 217 startups from 22 countries, turning out to be the biggest startup gathering event in Asia. We want to relive the achievement this year in an even better, grander and bigger way.”
Computex is the total solution to meet the needs of all ICT professionals and more. It builds strategic alliances and ecosystem partners for ICT companies and bridges global startups with investors and manufacturers! Visit the most significant ICT/IoT and startup trade show in Asia from May 30 to June 3, 2017. InnoVEX runs for 3 days, from May 30 to June 1, 2017

India’s First Integrated On-Airport Perishable Cargo Handling Centre Launched at KIA, Bengaluru

Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt. Ltd. (AISATS), India’s premier airport services company, launches “AISATS COOLPORT”, India’s first integrated on-airport perishable cargo handling centre, at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB). The 11,000 sq. meter state of the art facility built at a total project cost of Rs 48 crores, was inaugurated by R.V. Deshpande, Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, Government of Karnataka.

In the past few years, Indian air cargo industry has seen tremendous demand for handling of perishable cargo products. The launch of AISATS COOLPORT will meet the extensive handling requirements of perishable cargo products such as pharmaceuticals, fruits, vegetables, flowers, meat and sea food, through its future ready infrastructure with capability to handle 40,000 tons per annum, customized cold storage solutions comprising of 17 dedicated cold rooms with temperature ranging from -25 to 250C, Refrigerated Queue Lanes with a temperature range of 2 to 80C for unitized shipments and end-to-end cold chain solutions including refrigerated trucking service, indigenously developed cool trolley and thermal blanket, as well as temperature controlled container handling.

Speaking on the momentous occasion, Mike Chew, CEO, AISATS said, “As India aims to become the world’s third largest aviation market by 2020, we believe that the cargo industry will play a crucial role in achieving this objective. India has aptly demonstrated the potential to maintain an upward growth trajectory year on year, despite a global slowdown. However, there is an immediate need to develop adequate infrastructure to boost the growth of the air cargo industry. We at AISATS developed the COOLPORT, with invaluable support from the Government of India’s ASIDE (Assistance to States for Infrastructure Development for Exports & Allied Activities) scheme. The COOLPORT addresses the need for specialised infrastructure amenities catering to cold-chain processes, operations and logistics and we at AISATS partner the Government of Karnataka’s vision of turning the Kempegowda International Airport into a preferred air cargo hub in Southern India.”

“We aim to be the engine of economic growth for the region by connecting Bengaluru to the world and positioning the city as the Gateway to South India not only for passenger traffic but also for cargo. BIAL has a robust plan and strategic intent to grow the cargo business. Our aim is to create an environment that enables our cargo partners to introduce new initiatives and facilities that cater to the burgeoning cargo demand of this region. We firmly believe new logistics that redefine the cargo business will propel us closer to our vision of being the Cargo Hub of South India and the region. I, congratulate AISATS on the inauguration of the Perishable Cargo Handling Centre. This is a validation of our partnership and commitment by both BIAL and our partners to continue to explore new ways for enhancing efficient and seamless cargo operations.” said Hari Marar, President, Airport Operations, Bengaluru International Airport Ltd.


The trial operations of the AISATS COOLPORT, from October 2016 through January 2017, witnessed a 27% growth in the perishable tonnage in comparison to the same period last year. During the tenure of the trial operations, 4,653 tonnes (import and export) of varied temperature sensitive and perishable cargo was effectively handled by the AISATS COOLPORT.

Apart from being a specialised warehousing unit, AISATS COOLPORT is also a one-stop-shop comprising of customs clearances, state-of-the-art Drug Controller lab and Plant Quarantine Inspection & Certification office, to expedite the import and export procedures.
AISATS COOLPORT recently obtained its Good Distribution Practices (GDP) certification for receiving, handling, storage and dispatch of pharmaceutical and perishable cargo as per WHO standards. AISATS also aims to achieve HACCP and IATA CEIV certifications in the near future, which will promote better trade facilitation and enhance the State of Karnataka’s position as pharmaceutical and perishable hub of India.

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