Toyota Unveils Glanza with Price Starts at Rs 7.22 Lakh in India

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) entered the premium hatchback segment with the launch of Glanza in India on Thursday.

Japanese auto major Toyota launched in India premium hatchback Glanza, its version of Suzuki's Baleno, which it is sourcing from its compatriot as part of their collaboration. The Glanza has been priced in the range of Rs 7.22 lakh to Rs 8.9 lakh.

Toyota, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar group, is offering the Glanza only in two variants in BS-VI compliant 1.2 litre petrol engine with automatic transmission options.

Maruti Suzuki currently sells its Baleno in both petrol and diesel engine options with four different variants with automatic transmission options priced between Rs 5.46 lakh to Rs 8.9 lakh.

Commenting on the launch, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Managing Director Masakazu Yoshimura said that "in a dynamic market like India, it will be our constant endeavour to offer a range of options to our customers whose choices are governed by their mobility needs and expectations from brand".

TKM is offering warranty of 3 years/1 lakh kilometres that can be extended up to 5 years/2.2 lakh km.

The Glanza comes equipped with features such as touchscreen audio with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for smart phone based navigation.

When asked how Toyota would differentiate the Glanza from Maruti Suzuki's Baleno, Yoshimura said it will be based on customer experience, specially in the after-sales service.

"We provide very good durable car but at the same time also we need to deliver reliable after-sales service. It is a service experience. Owning a Toyota brand means something that a customer can gain in terms of experience. Our customers are very loyal...Some Toyota customers maybe interested to look at the Glanza because of the experience of owning a Toyota brand," he said.

Yoshimura said Toyota has been able to develop a loyal customer base of 1.5 million in India not only through just its products but also by providing a whole gamut of services, including financing, insurance and even resale of used cars.

"If we provide those other aspects, perhaps there should be Toyota customers (interested in Glanza)," he said, however, declining to share sales expectations from the new model.

When asked about the number of units of Glanza to be sourced from Suzuki, he said there is no concrete number.

"We cannot put a fixed number but it is not as much as we want. It will be based on consumer demand," he said.

In March this year, Toyota and Suzuki expanded scope of collaboration including manufacturing of Suzuki-developed compact SUV Vitara Brezza at Toyota's plant in India from 2022.

The two companies had also stated that they were considering a concrete collaboration in new fields that would include Suzuki supplying its Ciaz sedan and Ertiga multi-purpose vehicle to Toyota in India in addition to the already agreed supplies of premium hatchback Baleno and compact SUV Vitara Brezza.

The two partners had also agreed to extend their collaboration to Europe and Africa over and above their partnership in India. Suzuki will supply its India-produced vehicles -- Baleno, Vitara Brezza, Ciaz, Ertiga -- to Toyota for the African market as well.

Toyota on the other hand will provide Suzuki its hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technologies in India through local procurement of HEV systems, engines, and batteries, while also supplying THS (Toyota Hybrid System) to Suzuki in the global markets.

When asked about Toyota's future product development road map for India in the wake of its partnership with Suzuki, Yoshimura said the company could still develop its own products in the premium compact segment depending on Indian customer demand.

"If the demand comes up for different flavours for premium hatchback, we would need to look at it. We are always looking at opportunities," he said, however, adding the alliance helped both the companies to focus on their core areas of strength -- Toyota in medium and large vehicles, Suzuki in small segment.

Commenting on the overall outlook for the year, Yoshimura said the Indian market is "still very quiet" even after the elections, when customers were assumed to be in a wait and watch mode.

He said the expectation is for the auto industry to pick up growth towards the second half of the year continue to grow through the next two-three years.

As for Toyota, he said, "We are looking to grow in line with the market this year. Last year we sold 1.5 lakh units.

Bangalore’s New Creative Art Studio ‘The Hobby Place’ Inaugurated by Actor Ramesh Aravind

The Hobby Place, Mysore’s one of a kind creative studio and hobby center, launched the first Hobby Place in Bengaluru at the Langford Gardens. The new center was launched by Mr. Ramesh Aravind and Ms. Savitha Ranga, Founder, the Hobby Place.

At the event, Ms. Savitha Ranga walked the audiences through the purpose of a conceptual creative studio and the relevance of its necessity in an urban city like Bangalore. She also shared information about the various visual and performing art workshops available at the center. This was followed by, Kishore Chitragar an ancestral Kinnala artist who showcased the true beauty of the dying art of Kinnala for all present at the launch. Mr. Ramesh Aravind who tried his hand at the pottery wheel was an example of how artistic expression can bring emotional well-being in everyday living.

Over the last 6 years, The Hobby Place, Mysore has been one of the most popular creative spaces for adults and children to experience and appreciate art and culture through unique events, regular classes, and workshops from artists from all over the country, all year round. It is a vibrant art center and a platform where visual artists and performing artists come together to create, learn, teach, inspire, exhibit and perform.

Speaking about the new Hobby place Mrs. Savitha Shenoy Ranga, Founder Hobby said, “At the Hobby Place, we look to create a fun, convenient social experience for anyone keen on pursuing a hobby for her/his holistic development. Our mission is to educate, produce, promote and preserve great work, and to be socially responsible and have fun doing it all.”

“The Hobby Place Mysore has been the most popular creative spaces for adults and children to experience and appreciate arts and culture through unique events, regular classes and workshops from artists from all over the country, all year round. We wish to create the same in Bengaluru too”

Ramesh Aravind, Actor, Director, TV show host, said “In our fast-paced lifestyle, we’re never able to take some time out to really express ourselves. Even if people do express themselves, they do it very sporadically and not consciously. The Hobby Place works as an escape from all the world, where one can de-stress, and bond with their loved ones while creating art in a variety of forms.”

The event culminated with a live expression of art on an easel, wherein attendees painted their emotions on the canvas using various art mediums. 

Retail Tech Venture Arzooo.com Raises US$1M in Pre-Series A for Geographic Expansion, Product Devp

Arzooo.com, India’s fastest growing retail technology venture Powering physical retailers to compete and grow against their online peers, has raised USD $1 Million Pre-Series A funding led by Jabbar Internet Group, that founded Middle east’s largest e-commerce platform Souq.com and a consortium of Investors from India and the United Kingdom.

Arzooo’s tech platform “Go Store” is the unique technology offering by Arzooo.com that solves the big problem of selection, price and complex supply chain & sourcing for Offline retailers. With this platform, Arzooo.com is equipping the physical retailers to compete and grow in the age of Amazon & Walmart. It e­­­­­nables a partner store to offer its customers the largest selection, best prices and fastest delivery, without them having to stock every item. Commencing with the $48 billion Consumer Electronics market in India, Arzooo Go Store is disrupting the sector by digitizing the retailers on its Go Store platform. With this, retailers who command 90% of the consumer base (who prefer onground touch and feel of large appliances as a preferred mode of purchase) are able to convert a growing number of them into sales from in-store walk-ins. This is without investment on storage space, stocking or logistics for the physical retailer who has the potential to cross sell across categories via this platform.  Commencing with the Consumer Electronics retail category, Arzooo.com has plans to expand into other retail categories by integrating 500,000 retailers by 2022. The company currently has 500 partner stores on its platform and intends to own 20% of the consumer electronics market share by 2020.

The online marketplace comprising 7-8% of consumer electronics retail between Amazon and Flipkart who offer price and large selection advantage to the end consumer. This has been a limiting factor for the physical retailer who faces challenges of limited choice of inventory and sourcing prices have led to an impact on profitability for the physical retailers. Arzooo.com via the Go Store platform solves the problem of Price, Selection and Storage for the physical retailer via its technology that bridges the gap of a single point product sourcing from manufacturers and an expansive product offering via the digital catalogue.

With the fresh infusion of pre-series A funds, Arzooo.com plans to expand its geographic presence pan India. Today the company has physical retailers on-board across 3 major cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. The company will invest a sufficient portion of the funds in product enhancement, new talent recruitment and improvement of Go Store technology to encompass a wider network of cross sector retailers.

G7CR Technologies Recognized As 2019 Microsoft Country Partner of The Year for India

G7CR Technologies India has proudly announced it has won the 2019 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award for India. The company was honoured among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

Awards were presented in several categories, with winners chosen from a set of more than 2,900 entrants from 115 countries. G7CR Technologies was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services, as well as representing excellent subsidiary engagement in India.

The Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Awards honour partners at the country level who have demonstrated business excellence in delivering Microsoft solutions to multiple customers over the past year. This award recognizes G7CR Technologies as succeeding in effective engagement with its local Microsoft office while showcasing innovation and business impact, driving customer satisfaction, and winning new customers.

G7CR Technologies India is an Expert Azure Managed Services Partner driving cloud transformation for over 800+ businesses across India. G7CR provides cloud hosting services on Microsoft Azure packaged with all related support services for free.

The services include managing cloud servers, monitoring cloud deployments, cloud architectural design, cloud security services, cloud governance services, 24x7 telephonic support and implementing advanced technologies like power BI, analysis services, artificial intelligence, bots and machine learning.

G7CR has been recognized globally for its technical capabilities driving cloud success journeys for businesses from industry verticals such as Banking, Insurance, Manufacturing, Healthcare, PSUs, Education, Retail and IT.

Edureka, NIT Rourkela Partner to Build Future Workforce in Big Data

Edureka, an e-learning platform for trending technologies, today announced a partnership with NIT Rourkela, an Institute of National Importance, to bridge the divide between Big Data roles and industry talent. Stemming from the growing need of the IT industry for qualified engineers who can harness the potential of Big Data, Edureka and NIT Rourkela have introduced a Post Graduate Program in Big Data Engineering. The comprehensive curriculum will nurture learners into Big Data Engineering experts through rigorous training, exposure to practical projects, placement assistance, an opportunity to network with industry veterans and unlike any EdTech course, offer mentorship from NIT Rourkela faculty. The interest to build a career in Big Data cuts across IT professionals from metros as well as tier 2 Indian cities, non-resident Indians and foreign nationals. Therefore, the program has been uniquely designed to cater to learners from both Indian and global markets.

The Big Data revolution offers exciting prospects and IT professionals have only scratched the surface when it comes to embarking upon a successful career in this trending technology. In fact, ‘Big Data Engineer’ ranks among the top, trending jobs on LinkedIn and the average salary of a Big Data Engineer is $90,885 per year. 2019 has been touted as the year of Big Data, however businesses need trained professionals in this technology to unleash its infinite possibilities towards better decision making. Further, organizations and individuals not embracing the change will lose their competitive edge and even risk extinction. Global Big Data market is expected to grow to 103 billion U.S. dollars by 2027.

"The fundamental role of the program is to bridge the talent gap in Big Data and equip more IT professionals through the right training, industry exposure and mentorship; and our course is the perfect amalgamation of all three. We are happy to announce this partnership with NIT Rourkela to create more Big Data Engineers who will take on the best jobs in this coveted technology,” said Ananda Rao Ladi, Chief Learning Officer, Edureka

Speaking about the partnership, Prof. Animesh Biswas, Director, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, said, "At NIT Rourkela, it is our mission to advance and spread knowledge in the area of science and technology leading to creation of wealth and welfare of humanity.' If Data is the oil of the 21st century, Big Data is the aviation fuel. I am proud to say that with NIT Rourkela and Edureka joining hands, we will be able to fulfil the never-ending demand for Big Data Engineers in the industry. I wish the best to all the participants as they embark on this exciting journey. We are delighted that this partnership enables NIT Rourkela to share its expertise and research with the whole world through Edureka’s live, online training platform.  Let's prepare for the future."

Edureka’s PGP in Big Data Engineering in association with NIT Rourkela will equip IT professionals with the appropriate skills to achieve coveted job roles as well as command higher salaries. It is specially designed for professionals looking for a career transition into Big Data Engineering, beginners in the Big Data domain looking to kickstart their careers or anyone working in Data Analytics & BI domain. Along with opportunity to connect with industry leaders and veterans, the program will also give students an opportunity to be a member of NIT Rourkela’s alumni network.

Applications for the first batch of the course closes on 20th June 2019 and the number of seats for the program are limited. Edureka is also providing scholarships up to Rs. 1,50,000 to select learners based on results of a scholarship test. Log onto https://www.edureka.co/post-graduate/big-data-engineering/ to take the test or apply now.

KEI Industries Bags Superbrands Title 2019, the Seventh Since 2011

Country’s leading wire and cable manufacturer, KEI Industries Ltd. bags the most prestigious Superbrands title 2019 for exemplary performance despite facing unfavourable economic conditions.

Superbrands is a global organisation dedicated to organise, showcase and acknowledge the best companies and brands in each country. It is now present in 89 countries.

Riding on the back of their robust success, this year marks the seventh time the company has bagged this honorary status. KEI was voted a Superbrand for 2019 by 18,013 consumers and industry professionals. Upholding the supreme standards of product quality and brand development, KEI Industries Ltd. has previously achieved the tag in the years of 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017and now 2019.

Speaking on the achievement of the esteemed Superbrands title, Mr Anil Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director- KEI Industries Ltd. said: “It is overwhelming to bag the title for the seventh time this year. Being one of the leading manufacturers of wires and cables industry in India, we believe in nurturing long-lasting partnerships with our valuable customers, suppliers and stakeholders. This achievement supports the company’s constant efforts in providing outstanding quality products to our customers and our success is attributed to our employees. Carrying on with the same motivation and enthusiasm, we aspire to conquer new heights and continue to receive more such honours in the future.”

KEI Industries Ltd. has constantly built a powerful bond that connects millions of hearts and lights colossal number of houses every day. It encompasses a complete range of cables and wires specially designed to meet the unique and niche demands of the clients in diverse segments.

The company is bullish on expansion with over 1400 dealers pan India, almost a jump of 9% from 1284 dealers as on March 31, 2018. The company continues to prioritize and focus on R &D with regular investments that will enable to deliver on customized solutions to the colossal range of clients.

Micro Focus Looks to Establish a Strong Firm Foothold in India

Micro Focus will play host to its fifth annual flagship event, Software Innovation Dialogue (SID) 2019 at the Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty in Kochi. The event’s theme is “Bridging Now and Next” and is Micro Focus' flagship customer residential conference in India.

The conference will be presided by Micro Focus’ APJ President Stephen McNulty, Micro Focus’ Country Director India Saurabh Saxena and Micro Focus’ Global Vice President, Corporate Marketing and Enablement Genefa Murphy. This exclusive conference will host over 100 senior representatives and IT leaders from country's largest enterprises, major consultancies and various governments departments.

Micro Focus, the seventh largest pure-play enterprise software company in the world, is the partner of choice to 40,000+ enterprise customers worldwide, helping them bridge now and next. In India, Micro Focus is a key player across industries especially in the BFSI and Government segments and is rapidly increasing its ecosystem. True to the theme, the event in Kochi provided a platform for Micro Focus customers, industry dignitaries and partners to share their thoughts on the impact of digital transformation, bridging the gap in the journey and accelerating enterprise innovations. The event enabled its diverse audience to a deep dive on the nuances of confluence of speed & quality in the digital future for a better customer experience.

Each year, Micro Focus nominates an Innovation Ambassador to showcase their inventions and discuss how they are reshaping the dynamics of technology by unleashing new possibilities of a digital future. This year Micro Focus invited Harshwardhan Zala India's youngest drone builder to take the stage and share his journey.

Micro Focus Lego City

On display intended to engage and attract the attention of customers and partners, the Micro Focus team created an interactive and educational display which will take the audience back to their childhood through the Micro Focus Lego City. It will show the functions, challenges and approaches customers often use when transforming to a Digital Enterprise, all through plastic bricks. The Lego City represents the stages of planning, building, delivery and running the IT management capabilities. This architecture is based on IT4IT™ (standard reference architecture and value chain-based operating model for managing the business of IT) and Micro Focus has abstracted this into 11 Functions and 10 Master Use cases.

Supporting Quotes:

“Every country, city and organization is becoming digital and innovation is key to capturing the opportunity. Over the last 20 years, our investments, global expertise, world-class innovation and deep partnerships have placed Micro Focus at the heart of the innovation ecosystem. Micro Focus offers unmatched portfolio of Enterprise DevOps, Predictive Analytics, Hybrid IT management and Security, Risk and Governance. Our proven customer centric technologies give industry customers the edge they need to connect their machines and assets, become more agile—and compete and win in a world of new opportunities” said Stephen McNulty, President APJ at Micro Focus.

Saurabh Saxena, Country Director, Micro Focus, India said, “We believe India is well on its way to becoming one of the largest digitized countries in the world, and we're proud to continue our deep commitment to partnering with companies, communities and cities in the country. With our presence in India, we have focused on encouraging technology and innovation to help enable and empower customers to traverse the digitization journey.” 

“We are excited to host the fifth annual Software Innovation Dialogue in Kochi and to provide a platform for our customers and partners to come together to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunities presented by this wave of digitization.”

JK Tyre Expands Global Footprint: Opens First Retread Centre in Nepal

Marking an important strategic step to expand its global footprint, leading Indian tyre maker and pioneer of radial tyre technology in the country, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd today inaugurated the first JK Retread Centre in Pokhara, Nepal. The retread centre adds another feather to the cap of JK Tyre in its bid to consolidate the company’s presence internationally through an exclusive service network of providing quality retreading for bias and radial tyres.

Strategically located in Pokhara, a potential market of TBB, LCV & PCR tyres, the centre is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, machinery and trained manpower. It offers company-recommended repair and retread procedures to bring down the cost-per-kilometre for customers. The addition of the Pokhara centre is in line with the company’s ambition to increase its network of retreading centres to 100 from 36 by 2020.

On the occasion, Mr. Dinesh Dasani, Vice President and Head - National Sales, JK Tyre & Industries Limited said, “We are proud to inaugurate our first Retread facility in the international market and that too in our neighbourhood. With its hilly and mountainous terrain, Nepal holds immense potential for long-term growth and we are confident that we will be able to tap the increasing demand for retread tyres in the region. The opening of this centre emphasises on JK Tyre’s customer-centric approach with unmatched ‘One-Stop Solution’ service at its core.”

JK Tyre & Industries Ltd entered the retreading business in 2009 by setting up a retread rubber manufacturing facility at Kankroli, Rajasthan, which provides original tread design for retreading of tyres to fleet owners/end users. JK Tyre Retread facilities cater to various State Transport Corporations and Fleets in domestic market across pre-cured rubber treads and allied material categories.

JK Tyre has evolved as a 360-degree service solutions provider and is currently the No. 1 franchise network that provides tyre care solutions through its network of service centres spread across the country.  

Emirates Airlines Offers First Class Suite Makes its Debut in Durban

Emirates has introduced its First-Class cabin in Durban today, in conjunction with the airline’s seasonal frequency increase of four additional flights a week, bringing the airline’s award-winning, luxury travel experience to the coastal city.

During the seasonal increase from 14 June to 04 August 2019, travellers to and from Durban can enjoy the Emirates’ First Class cabins on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER. The aircraft will operate the additional flights in a three-class cabin configuration, offering eight seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class.

Fouad Caunhye, Regional Manager of Emirates Southern Africa, said, “As we approach 10 years of operations to Durban, introducing our award-winning First Class experience is a milestone in our history of operations to the city. Travellers will have an opportunity to experience the luxury product offering the Emirates is so well-known for, whether they are heading to Dubai or connecting to popular destinations across our network including India, UK and the Far East.

Over the years we have seen Durban grow into the thriving metropolis it’s become, from its busy port facilitating global trade, to developing a vibrant culture and distinctive landscape, the city has become a hub for both trade and tourism. The seasonal frequency increase is a result of the growing demand for travel in and out of Durban,” Mr Caunhye continued.

New menu for Durban

From June, Emirates has also launched a new menu on this route; the revamped menu will consist of some local specialities in all classes to showcase the diverse culture and strong Indian influence from the city of Durban. Some of the food on offer include: Peri Peri chicken with sweet potato carpaccio, Tandoori Prawns with spiced pineapple salad and curry mayonnaise, and Durban classic Lamb Bunny Chow with traditional garnishes just to mention a few. Additionally, Emirates’ long-standing relationship with wine producers from all over the globe has allowed the airline to have access to exclusive wines - adding to their impressive wine collection. Some of the South African wineries served on-board include Ken Forrester, Porseleinberg, Klein Constantia, Waterkloof and Boekenhoutskloof.

Emirates First Class
The Emirates Boeing 777-300ER offers First Class passengers a private suite with seats that recline to a full-flat bed and a personal electrically-controlled mini-bar. Features also include touch screen Wireless Integrated Passenger Seat Controllers for Emirates’ in-flight entertainment (ice) and seat functions, as well as a 32” HD LCD screen. With electrically-operated privacy dividers, First Class suites offer passengers maximum exclusivity – even from an adjoining suite.

Passengers flying in First Class can indulge in luxuries like Voya skincare products, exclusive to Emirates, as well as the world’s first moisturising sleepwear. The new pyjamas for First Class travelers use Hydra Active Microcapsule Technology to keep skin soft while flying. Passengers on long-haul flights also receive amenity kit bags designed exclusively by Bulgari.

Passengers in every cabin class can access more than 4 000 channels of visual and audio entertainment on the airline’s award-winning ice system that features the latest movies, music, audiobooks and games. There are also family-friendly products and services for children on board, including complimentary toys, kids’ meals and movies, priority boarding for families and the use of free strollers at Dubai International Airport (DXB). Travellers can also enjoy a variety of proudly South African wines and other South African foods such as tasty ostrich meat, Rooibos tea and local cheeses onboard Emirates flights.

In South Africa, two of the four daily Emirates flights to Johannesburg are served by the iconic Airbus A380 to cater to the growing demand for the airline’s successful, customer-orientated experience. Emirates also operates two daily flights to Cape Town and a daily flight to Durban using Boeing 777s. To book, or for more information and terms and conditions, please visit https://www.emirates.com/za/english/ or visit the local Emirates office or your travel agent.

Apollo Hospitals and Abbott Join Forces to Build India's First Cardiac Registry to Assess Risk of Heart Disease

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the biggest cause of mortality in India with nearly 25 percent of mortalities – amongst the age group of 25 to 69 years – attributed to CVDs. The condition also seems to affect Indians at least a decade earlier as compared to Europeans.

With the aim of improving preventive care for cardiovascular disease in India, Apollo Hospitals and Abbott are working towards building the country’s first cardiac registry. As part of the registry, both the organizations will collect heart health data of patients visiting Apollo Hospitals across the country, including troponin levels measured by Abbott’s High Sensitive Troponin-I blood test.

The data collected as part of the cardiac registry will help researchers better understand how heart disease impacts Indians, as well as patterns in cardiac risk that can help prevent CVDs and enable physicians and patients to manage their condition much more efficiently.

According to the American Heart Association, setting up of cardiac registries in the US has helped hospitals and physicians improve the quality of care provided to the patients. Setting up a national cardiac registry in India would help physicians save countless lives in the years to come.

Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals, said, “Over the last decade, data has been central to improving the standard of care across the world. By setting up a national cardiac registry in India, we aim to collect invaluable data that would enable us improve cardiac care and save a number of lives.” 

Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata set up a pilot test last year to help its employees better understand their risk of developing heart disease. More than 16,000 Apollo's employees have been screened and the data collected has already been added to the registry.

"As a leader in heart health, Apollo Hospitals is proud to pioneer the use of Abbott's blood test in India. Our employees have been the first to benefit from this initiative. We have already added the data collected to the registry and we will be making this blood test part of routine health check-ups to enable us capture more data," added Dr Sangita Reddy.

Preliminary findings from the pilot indicate that the test is able to identify a younger and wider set of patients at risk of developing heart diseases - ranging from low to medium to high. More than 80 percent of the people participating in the pilot were under the age of 45, and the captured data enabled researchers to identify high-risk patients in this age group, who do not typically get assessed for their risk for heart disease.

Agim Beshiri, M.D., Senior Medical Director, global Medical and Scientific affairs at Abbott's diagnostics business said, "This life-changing technology has the potential to transform how doctors identify those at risk for developing heart disease. We know not all patients fit the typical profile of a person at high risk for heart disease. Now, we have a simple and accessible blood test that is specific to the heart, sensitive for women and works across the age groups to address the earlier onset of heart disease in India."

Troponin blood tests have been used in emergency rooms to help aid in the diagnosis of a heart attack but now research shows it could be used in a preventive setting. When added to existing cardiac risk scoring systems, such as the Framingham Risk Score, Abbott's test can more accurately predict a person's chances of  having a cardiac event even in those who show no apparent symptoms of cardiac disease – potentially years in advance.

Commenting on the strategic partnership between Apollo Hospitals and Abbott’s Diagnostics business, Narendra Varde, General Manager and Country Head at Abbott’s Diagnostics business said, “This is a unique collaboration that will help transform India’s approach to cardiac care. Armed with an ahead-of-time understanding of cardiac profiles, both doctors and surgeons will be better prepared to manage health outcomes.”

MAHE and Universite de Lille Agreements for Inter University Cooperation

MAHE represented by its Vice Chancellor, Dr. H Vinod Bhat has signed 3 cooperation agreements with the Universite de Lille on 7th June, 2019. Dr. Bhat and Lille President, Prof. Jean-Christophe Camart, agreed to foster Student Exchange across all disciplines, bring about cooperation among the School of Medicine, ULille and the Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal/Mangalore along with the Inter University Cooperation Agreement.Under the Inter University Cooperation agreement, the two Universities shall work together to achieve research, teaching programs in common, staff exchanges, student exchanges, mobility of doctoral and postdoctoral students, promotion of seminars and colloquia.

KMC Manipal/Mangalore and the School of Medicine at Lille agree towards exchange of medical students and staff, publishing joint publications, mobility of graduates and post graduates in the fields of healthcare, teaching and research. The Student exchange agreement covers student exchanges in widespread disciplines of mutual interest for a semester or two at the partner university. ULille and MAHE have agreed to exchange maximum of 10 students each University year covering first, second and third cycles of degree. The Students will be selected for the exchange program based on the respective guidelines as put forth in the agreement and they will be exempted from paying admission, tuition and examination fees.

Dr. Raghu Radhakrishnan, Director of International Relations, MAHE, Pr. Francois- Olivier Seys, Vice President for International Relations, Pr. Kathleen O’Connor, Vice President for International Development, Mrs Pauline Ravinet, and Vice President for European Affairs, Prof. Didier Gosset, Dean of Medicine, ULille and Mr. Philippe Cordonnier, Managing Director for International Relations were present. This association with one of the premier cultural, scientific and professional public institutions in France is to further MAHE’s ties with the European Academia and strengthen academic and research engagement of students and faculty between the two Universities.

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The approval states that the plan complies with all regulatory conditions set by the Australian and State Governments, bringing to a close a two-year process of rigorous scientific inquiry, review and approvals. This includes relevant reviews by Australia’s pre-eminent scientific organisations CSIRO and Geoscience Australia.

The finalisation of the GDEMP and Black-throated Finch Management Plan paves the way for construction to commence on the Carmichael Project and the delivery of much needed jobs for regional Queenslanders. Moving forward, Adani Australia’s priority is ensuring the safety of everyone who works on the project and that all construction activity meets the strict environmental requirements we have agreed to meet in our management plans and approvals.

Over the coming day’s preparatory activities such as finalising contracts, mobilising equipment, recruitment and completing inductions will continue.

These preparatory actions will enable us to then start construction activities including fencing, bridge and road upgrades, water management and civil earthworks on the mine site.

The level of construction activity will then steadily increase over the coming weeks. The project will deliver 1,500 direct and 6,750 indirect jobs during ramp up and construction, with Rockhampton and Townsville the primary hubs for employment.

The Whitsunday, Isaac, Central Highlands, Mackay, Charters Towers and Gladstone regions will also benefit from work packages and employment opportunities.

Adani gets Final Environmental Approval for Carmichael Mine in Australia

Adani Australia on Thursday received its final environmental approval needed to begin work on its Carmichael mine in Central Queensland.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Gautam Adani, Adani Group Chairman, said, “Today our remarkable journey of conviction, resilience, and commitment in Australia enters a new phase. I am thankful to the Queensland government and the Australian federal government for believing in the Adani Group's vision of strengthening India's energy security and creating new opportunities for the people of Australia.”

Mr. Lucas Dow, CEO Adani Mining, said, “Adani Mining received advice today from the Queensland Government’s Department of Environment and Science that the Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems Management Plan (GDEMP) has been finalised and approved. Throughout the past eight years regional Queenslanders have been beside us every step of the way and we thank them for their on-going support. We’re ready to start work on the Carmichael Project and deliver the jobs these regions so badly need.”

Manipal Hospitals Whitefield appoints Dr Prabhakar. B as Consultant General and Laparoscopic surgeon

Manipal Hospitals Whitefield announced the appointment of Dr Prabhakar. B as Consultant General and Laparoscopic surgeon. A seasoned professional with 17 years of experience, Dr. Prabhakar in his role, will be responsible for the role of consultant general and laparoscopic surgery.

A proficient patient counselor and a subordinate trainer, Dr. Prabhakar is known for his expertise in entire range of Basic and Advanced Laparoscopic surgeries,like appendicectomy, cholecystectomy, hernia surgeries, Intestinal Surgeries like inestinal obstruction, adhesiolysis, intestinal cancer surgeries, Basic and Advanced open Abdominal surgeries, proctological surgeries like fissurectomy, hemorroidectomy, fistula surgery,Thyroid and Breast surgeries, Open and Emergency Gynaecological surgeries and  Surgical emergencies. In addition, he has a special interest in SILS and Hepato Biliary and Pancreatic surgeries.

“I am very excited to welcome Dr. Prabhakar to Manipal Hospitals Whitefield. He provides a great blend of top notch clinical education and knowledge with a strong passion for providing patient care. His illustrious track record with a combination of strong communication skills, analytical ability and capability to perform under stress and strenuous conditions makes him an ideal person for his role. We look forward to working with him and wish him good luck”, said Mr. Arnab Mondal, Hospital Director, Manipal Hospitals Whitefield

In the past, Dr. Prabhakar was associated with some of the leading hospitals like Queen Hospitals, Birmingham - UK, Narayana Multispecialty Hospital, Whitefield, Yashomati Hospital and Apollo Clinic, Bangalore, He has been responsible for managing surgical work independently and teaching and training junior doctors and nurses. In addition he was also involved actively in hospital committees.

Ness Digital Engineering Completes Acquisition of Sovereign CRM

Ness Digital Engineering, a portfolio company of The Rohatyn Group (TRG), has completed an acquisition of Sovereign CRM, a rapidly-growing Salesforce consultancy that specializes in the architecture, implementation, customization and integration of a broad suite of Salesforce products. Sovereign CRM will further expand the capabilities of Ness’s Cloud & Platform Engineering Practice to capitalize on rapidly increasing demand for Salesforce expertise globally.

“Many companies rely on Salesforce as their platform for launching highly complex, digital applications to drive their businesses, and Sovereign CRM has already distinguished itself as an innovator in this area,” said Paul Lombardo, Ness Digital Engineering CEO. “We’ll immediately bring this value-added expertise to existing clients while positioning ourselves to capitalize on new growth opportunities globally.”

Sovereign CRM is a leader in architecture and design for leveraging Salesforce products, including building new solution accelerators that help customers quickly move into production with Salesforce solutions. The company is a Salesforce consulting partner that has earned more than 70 Salesforce certifications. Sovereign CRM provides consulting services around CPQ, Sales Cloud, Community Cloud, Service Cloud, Field Service Lightning, partner relationship management, Mulesoft, and Pardot.

“Our offering is highly differentiated and in demand, and with Ness’s global footprint and complementary software engineering capabilities, we can quickly seize upon this opportunity,” said Eric Borthwick, founder and lead evangelist at Sovereign CRM. “Together, we’ll help businesses turn Salesforce momentum into broader digital capabilities that provide real competitive advantage.”

Sovereign CRM will keep its name and join Linium as a “Ness Digital Engineering Company.” Eric Borthwick will continue to lead expansion of Ness’s expertise in Salesforce solutions and manage its relationship with Salesforce.

Salesforce, CPQ, Sales Cloud, Community Cloud, Service Cloud, Pardot and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, Inc.

Atos and Virtru Announce Partnership to Offer Data Security Solution for Digital Workplace

Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announced a strategic partnership with Virtru, a leading data protection platform provider that stands at the intersection of security and privacy. The partnership will provide global organizations with a joint encryption solution for Digital Workplace, protecting customer data across cloud-based platforms.

This solution combines Atos hardware encryption with Virtru’s encryption software and is aimed at organizations which are looking for easy-to-use data encryption solutions to protect data in both cloud and hybrid environments.

Virtru’s solution, the Trusted Data Format (TDF) is an open-source data protection standard [1]. Designed to protect customers’ most sensitive data, the TDF protects the privacy of email, files and data – both at rest and when shared with third parties. The TDF provides persistent protection and granular control for emails, files and other data types related to the workplace environment.

The Atos Trustway Proteccio Hardware Security Module (HSM) [2] safeguards and manages digital keys - with the highest level of certification, for ultimate security. User experience is completely unaffected by the extra layer of security and the HSM simplifies auditing processes. Depending on the customer’s strategy, Atos delivers those hardware security modules either on customer’s premises or “as a service” from Atos secured datacenters.

Leveraging its integration capabilities, Atos has created a unique offering to address the high-level security required for the digital workplace, based on both Atos and Virtru products. This offering can be provided on-premise or as-a-service, depending on customer requirements and constraints.

The Atos HSM brings on extra security layer by further protecting the keys used to encrypt the customers’ data and generated by Virtru.

“As a European leader in cybersecurity, and more specifically in data protection, we guarantee the confidentiality of sensitive data. Our Hardware Security Module with state-of-the art encryption, completed with Virtru’s software encryption solution, offers ultimate security for digital workplaces – thus facilitating day-to-day work and ensuring complete end-to-end data encryption for our clients, in both cloud and hybrid environments” says Alexis Caurette, VP Head of Cybersecurity Products at Atos.

“As more organizations across the globe transition to the cloud, end-to-end security of data becomes paramount. This partnership between Atos and Virtru provides customers with a data-centric approach to security that works and is easy to use. Plus, it opens the door for future joint innovation that will help customers manage their data wherever it’s shared, while at the same time, reducing risk,” said John Ackerly, CEO of Virtru.

[1] invented by Virtru’s Co-Founder, Will Ackerly

[2] A Hardware Security Module (HSM) is a physical computing device that safeguards and manages digital keys for encryption, to guarantee the identities and to provide cryptoprocessing.

Mahadevapura Lake Gets an Eco-Friendly Sewage Treatment Plant as Part of Multi-Stakeholder Initiative with BBMP

In a unique initiative, leading corporates in Bengaluru have come together to partner with United Way Bengaluru (UWBe), BBMP and Citizen’s Group to construct an eco-friendly Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) of 1 million litres a day (1MLD) capacity at the Mahadevapura Lake in the city. Supported by Amazon, Mphasis, Dell Technologies, HTC Global and BORDA, the multi-stakeholder effort is aimed at rejuvenating the Mahadevapura Lake, which adjoins their offices at Bagmane World Technology Centre.  The STP will tap and treat 1MLD wastewater flowing in an adjoining drain and discharge it into the lake every day. The inaugural ceremony took place today at Mahadevapura Lake.

UWBe has demonstrated success with its Wake the Lake campaign, and this is bringing together skills and expertise from various fields. The STP is an eco-friendly natural solution. It is a chemical free process with minimum dependence on electricity for treating the wastewater. It is an anaerobic process called DEWATS, which aims to mimic natural processes by providing the right conditions for microbial action. The Bangalore-based Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination Society (CDD Society) have provided the technical expertise for design and implementation of the STP. The construction was led by Revlon Build tech.

Speaking on the initiative, Kishore Thota, Director Customer Experience and Marketing, Amazon India says, “We are happy to associate with UWBe and BBMP to align efforts around intergovernmental initiatives to contribute to and preserve the city’s ecological systems to positively impact the local communities. The rejuvenation of the Mahadevapura Lake will be able to restore the rich biodiversity and inspire citizens to create hubs for a vibrant socio-cultural life.”

“We have a responsibility to give back to the society we reside in and this project with UWBe and BBMP is one such effort. We hope this initiative will bring back the lake its lost glory. This is a classic example of collaboration to safeguard the nature for our future generations,’’ said Meenu Bhambhani, Vice President and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mphasis.

Echoing similar sentiments, Sarv Saravanan, Corporate Senior Vice President & General Manager, India Center of Excellence, Dell Technologies said, “We at Dell Technologies have always been committed to the good of the people and the planet. The STP initiative at Mahadevapura Lake is an extension of this commitment. We are glad to partner with UWBe, BBMP and other corporates.”

I am so excited to see this unfold. Bengaluru once a city of lakes is well on its way to reclaim its past.  United Way’s ethos --- “Mobilizing the Caring Power of Communities “is well demonstrated by this initiative by which the Mahadevapura Lake will now have 1 Million Litres of sewage Water treated and put back into the lake every day. A spirited team effort of BBMP, Community and the Corporate Partners with UWBe anchoring the whole initiative, said Prashanth Prakash, Board Chair, United Way Bengaluru.

“Multiple stakeholders coming together for a cleaner and greener environment is what encouraged us to support this project. We hope that the success of the project encourages more funds towards lake rejuvenation in Bangalore, “said Stanzin Tsephel, Director, BORDA-South Asia

“It makes us immensely proud and happy that we have the support of civil society and corporates and they are doing so much to make our city clean and green,” said R.L. Parameshwaraiah, Chief Engineer- Lakes, BBMP.

“UWBe’s development initiatives are designed to ensure that corporates derive maximum impact from their investments. With water taking centerstage in the push for cleaner and greener environments in recent times, this initiative is a step towards meeting the objectives of policy makers, corporates and civil society at large. Thanks to the coordinated team efforts of all, this was made possible, said Rajesh Krishnan, Executive Director, UWBe. 

“We hope that this project serves as an example for managing untreated wastewater that enters our lakes in large quantities.  It is very commendable that corporates have come together to fund this project. The CSR financing allowed us to implement the project in a Design-Build model that provided for a more dynamic implementation approach to accommodate unforeseen site conditions,” said PG Ganapathy, Director (Programs), CDD Society.

Sanzar Group Launches Avast Consumer Security Products in India

In view of the growing concern for Personal Device Security & Privacy in mind, Sanzar Group is launching global, digital security leader, Avast’s range of Protection, Productivity and Privacy products in India.

Avast, with its global footprint of over 435 million total active users (desktop and mobile), aims to make a bigger dent in the Indian market, where it already boasts of 17 million users. With the local expertise of Sanzar Group and Avast’s reputed product technology, the goal is to become India’s #1 consumer security software company by userbase.

At launch, five products will be available at special prices, catering to the price-conscious Indian consumer in two formats – Digital License Key & Physical Activation Cards. They will be available to purchase at:

-       www.avastindia.in
-       www.avgindia.in
-       www.amazon.in

Avast Premier: Avast Premier offers complete, top-of-the-line security and the best Avast has to offer. It improves user’s home network scanning, protects their webcam and PC from ransomware, offers automatic software updates, stops redirects to fake websites, safely shreds data and features Avast’s Secure Browser, the world’s most secure browser, so users can shop, browse or bank, safe from hackers and online ads. It’s the ultimate protection, from the most-trusted security provider in the world.

Price: Rs. 699/-

Avast Internet Security: Avast Internet Security helps protect users against identity theft, phishing emails, infected websites, and more. Avast Internet Security comes with Avast’s Secure Browser, the world’s most secure browser. It blocks annoying ads with Ad Blocker, allows users to watch their favourite videos offline with Video Downloader and lets users bank or shop safely, so no hacker can track them with Bank Mode.

Price: Rs. 599/-

Avast Cleanup Premium: PC’s don’t get younger. Fix slow PC’s with Avast Cleanup Premium’s patented technology – The ultimate PC tune up. It speeds up and cleans PC’s, updates apps/programs and fixes annoying problems that tend to slow down PC’s. Avast Cleanup Premium is the most comprehensive PC optimizer and tune up toolkit available.

Price: Rs. 499/-

Avast SecureLine VPN: Enjoy the Internet, the way it was intended, with Avast SecureLine VPN. It encrypts user’s Internet connection, at the click of a button for true online privacy and freedom. Users can enjoy and access all online content, by utilizing one of the 56 servers across 35 countries. With Avast SecureLine VPN, users can browse securely on up to 5 devices across multiple platforms (PC, Mac, Android & iOS).

Price: Rs. 799/-

Avast Mobile Security for Android – Ultimate: Secure up to 5 Android smartphones with the world’s most trusted mobile antivirus app. Protects user privacy by allowing private, secure and restriction-free internet browsing via Avast’s top-of-the-line VPN. It also helps remotely secure phone data and allows phone location tracking, in cases of theft. It enhances phone performance to keep it running smoothly and provides insights to users about their digital habits.

Price: Rs. 399.

Trend Micro Collaborates with DOCOMO to Launch Security for IoT Devices

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, today announced NTT DOCOMO, INC., Japan's leading mobile operator and one of the world's foremost contributors to 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies, will launch a solution to protect IoT devices running on DOCOMO’s mobile network utilizing Trend Micro’s security solution.

Enabling this first-of-its-kind protection is the new DOCOMO Cloud Platform Network Security Service, a solution that layers in security solutions from Trend Micro. The result is an easy-to-use security shield specifically for DOCOMO’s customers who are building infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) environments.

Until now, deploying a security solution on the DOCOMO Cloud Platform required customers to set up third-party products manually. This new service simplifies the deployment of security onto the DOCOMO Cloud Platform.

Telecom companies and service providers have long been planning for the impact of 5G. Now is the time to ensure the extra security risks posed by these smart endpoints at a network level are protected. Trend Micro is helping DOCOMO protect their customers’ data in cost-effective, easy-to-deploy ways.

Under the technical covers of this solution is Trend Micro’s Virtual Network Function Suite (VNFS), tested rigorously last year in the DOCOMO 5G Open Cloud.

In addition to verification in the 5G environment, verification has also been promoted in the 4G environment currently used by many customers. As a result of verification, DOCOMO concluded that this solution is effective in the environments with increased opportunity for IoT security threats. Therefore, they decided to provide this solution for 4G environments as part of DOCOMO Cloud Platform.

“The promise and potential of 5G has the world waiting but let me issue a warning for the need for extra protection. Smarter endpoints mean a greater cyber risk to manage,” said Akihiko Omikawa, executive vice president for Trend Micro. “We’re delighted and proud that our technology meets the needs of this global mobile phone leader. Together our joint solution delivers cloud infrastructure capabilities integrated with IoT-ready security customized for modern data centers.”

Trend Micro’s telecom solution, VNFS, offers service providers a range of security functionality including intrusion prevention, URL filtering and application control to mitigate threats across their networks without impacting performance.

As a software-based solution, this security service can be deployed in minutes versus the days required with on-site hardware, and is dynamically allocated, configured and scaled according to customer requirements.

Underlying threat intelligence is provided by Trend Micro, which analyzes 1.5 billion new threat samples and blocks 250 million threats every 24 hours.

ASUS Announces Game-Changing VivoBook 14 & 15 in Indian Market

KEY POINTS

·         Slim and light laptops with four-sided frameless NanoEdge ultra-narrow-bezel displays for an immersive viewing experience
·         Powered by up to an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, with up to NVIDIA GeForce MX250 discrete graphics
·         Innovative design featuring the ErgoLift hinge for comfort typingand four gorgeous color options

Tech giant ASUS today announced two new additions to the VivoBook family: the 14-inch VivoBook 14 (X412) and the 15.6-inch VivoBook 15 (X512). The brand has furthermore launched X412 in partnership with Flipkart. To the same end, ASUS unveiled the Vivobook series together with Adarsh Menon, Vice President, Electronics, Private label and Furniture at Flipkart.

Commenting on the new launches, Arnold Su, Head of consumer notebooks and ROG business, ASUS India, said, “We are glad to introduce the new additions to VivoBook. Both X412 and X512 deliver on the brand’s promise of high performance and easy portability, crafted with perfection for today’s young and eclectic users that are always on the move and prefer finer pursuits in life. This launch also marks another run of successful collaboration with Flipkart and we are extremely proud to be associated with India’s leading online platform. We are affirmative that our users would appreciate the new offerings and look forward to an affirmative response.”

While Adarsh K Menon, Vice President Electronics, Private Labels and Furniture at Flipkart , said,"At Flipkart, we constantly endeavor to offer our customers best-in-class products, with the latest features at great prices. We are delighted to partner with ASUS and offer our customers their range of durable, lightweight and colorful notebooks. ASUS has been a key player driving the growth of the laptop category on Flipkart and we work in close association with them to develop these India-focused products. We are confident that Vivobook 14 & 15 will resonate well with our customers, who are looking at the best technology at affordable price points.”

Express yourself with beautiful hues

VivoBook 14 and 15 are available in four gorgeous colors. There are classics such as Transparent Silver and Slate Grey, as well as iridescent Peacock Blue, which changes color tone depending on how light strikes the laptop surface. There’s also the eye-catching Coral Crush with a bright matte finish and users can pick one to best express their personalities.

Immersive viewing experience &Tru2Life Video Technology

Offering an unmatched immersive experience, both VivoBook 14 and 15 feature frameless four-sided NanoEdge displays with at least an 87% and 88% screen-to-body ratio, respectively, for immersive viewing. The incredibly slim bezel allows a large display to fit into a smaller chassis, effectively reducing the laptop footprint for a more compact and portable machine. These laptops are powered by up to an 8th Generation Intel® Core i7 processor with up to NVIDIA GeForce MX250 discrete graphics, promising unrivalled performance and easy multi-tasking.

The NanoEdge display gives VivoBook a smaller footprint that makes the laptop more portable without compromising the screen size. Furthermore, both the machines feature ASUS Tru2Life Video Technology, an advanced video-tuning system that renders the quality of high-end TVs, enhancing clarity, color, and contrast in video.

Powerful Intel Core CPU and dual-storage design

VivoBook 14 and 15 are powered up to an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor with NVIDIA GeForce MX250 discrete graphics. They have dual-storage designs that can be specified with up to a 512GB SSD and 1TB HDD.In addition, dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) connections provide speeds of up to 867Mbps — 6X-faster than 802.11n — for seamless video-streaming, and smooth web-surfing. Both the variants also features Bluetooth 4.2.

Innovative Keyboard & Touchpad

The new launches pack in ASUS ErgoLift hinge, the silky-smooth dual action that securely holds the display steady at any angle, while slightly elevating the keyboard by up to 2° for a natural and comfortable typing position. Featuring a one-piece construction with 1.4mm key travel (1.3mm for VivoBook 14) for comfortable keystrokes. The touchpad is with Windows gesture support – VivoBook has a large touchpad that’s smooth to touch. It supports Windows 10 touchpad gestures including multi-gesture input, making it easier to switch apps or screens, and supports handwriting recognition to input text or digital signatures. With VivoBook 14 and 15, users will also have a more secure fingerprint login via Windows Hello in a blink.

Designed with comfort in mind

Delivering the brand’s promise of high performing and portable machines, both VivoBook 14 and 15 have 19.5mm profiles, and weigh 1.5kg and 1.6kg respectively. For easy connectivity, the laptops feature a variety of ports including USB 3.1 Type-A, USB Type-C (USB-C), HDMI output, an audio combo jack for headphones and microphones, and a microSD card reader. Ensuring optimum performance with adequate cooling of the machine, the laptops use a blower style design where the fan takes in the air and circulates it around the motherboard cooling CPU and GPU with ease. This is done with the help of air channels built into the chassis.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

ASUS VivoBook 14 will be available on Flipkart starting from 33,990 INR

ASUS VivoBook 15 will be available online and offline at a price range starting from 34,990 INR

The Oberoi, Gurgaon and Trident, Gurgaon Hotel Chains Introduce 100% Solar Power

Taking a step towards a greener future, The Oberoi, Gurgaon and Trident, Gurgaon have introduced solar power to fulfill the electricity needs of both hotels. A captive power plant in Balasar, Haryana will generate 7.5 MW of electricity to meet the energy demands of the two hotels.

The solar power plant has been equipped with Polycrystalline technology and is spread over 25 acres With 27,000 solar panels installed, the plant’s performance ratio is determined to be 76.50%. The Oberoi and the Trident in Gurgaon aim at reducing CO2 emissions by 12,344 tons per year.

Talking about the initiative, Mr. Abhishek Panshikar, General Manager, The Oberoi, Gurgaon, says. We are proud that our Gurgaon hotels are now operating on 100% solar power. This is our small way of giving back to Mother Nature and providing our guests a sustainable luxury experience.”

Adding to this, Mr. Amit Khare, General Manager, Trident, Gurgaon says “Surveys have shown that guests prefer to stay in environment friendly accommodations. This is equally an important priority for us.  With this in mind, our guests will be pleased to know that they are now staying in a hotel that is fully powered by solar energy.”

Adopting renewal energy like solar power will help resolve many environmental challenges like reducing global warming and CO2 emission and also helping drive greater socio economic benefits by creating local employment opportunities.

SAAS Based Edtech Startup - Ulektz Announces Tie-Up with Packt Publishing, UK

uLektz, a SaaS based Edtech startup announced that it has partnered with Packt Publishing, a UK based publishing company offering more than 7000 Titles on information technology and software. Under this agreement, uLektz will sell and distribute the ebooks of Packt Publishing in India through its digital content marketplace uLektz Books (www.ulektzbooks.com).

“We are pleased to partner with a global tech publisher Packt. This partnership gives us an opportunity to provide our users the access to high quality academic books at affordable costs. As an edtech start-up that offers a suite of applications, it is such alliances that promote and raise the bar for the Indian education ecosystem.” said Mr. Sadiq Sait Founder and CEO of uLektz Learning Solutions.

Packt Publishing, a global tech publisher is known for its quality educational books and videos on information technology and software. Many of the Packt’s books are usually sold in the international market between $40-$70. With our partnership, these ebooks will be offered at around 90% discounts as a promotional offer for the audience in India.

Speaking on the association, Mr.Vishwas Kshirsagar, Head of Country, Packt India said: ”Packt provides effective learning solutions and content services primarily to IT professionals keeping them updated with the latest development in the IT industry. uLektz’s wide-spread reach in the higher education of India allows us to extend our offerings to students and educators as well. Considering the potential and demand of the India market, we are very keen to reach out to the wide audience in India. We have had an amazing response from professional learners and readers in India. We are encouraged to see the robust operations of uLektz and tap the potential of delivering our digital content to India”.

uLektz offers a suite of software applications for higher education. uLektz Books is one of the products of uLektz suite that aggregates, sells and distributes digital content from various educational publishers, renowned institutions and expert faculty members.

uLektz has existing tie-ups with 20+ reputed educational publishers, who sell their ebooks to students and educators across India through uLektz Books platform. uLektz has also created and published 1500+ interactive ebooks as per the curriculum of specific universities using its in-house Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). These uLektz published ebooks along with various other digital content such as videos, solved question papers, lecture notes, etc., are currently offered for free of cost through uLektz Books.

About Packt: Packt is a global company based in Birmingham, U.K, has published over 7000 books and videos so far, providing IT professionals with the actionable knowledge on specific learning on an emerging technology or optimizing key skills in more established tools.

Toyota Achieves ‘Quality Education for All’ in Government Schools of Ramanagara, Karnataka

Key Highlights

-          Stimulated a steady increase in the overall enrolment of school children amongst various Government schools at Bidadi region at various grades up by 24% in 2018, as compared to 2016-17
-          During FY 2019-20, 24,500 school children from 327 schools in Ramanagara district benefitted
-          Toyota’s Educational Activities outreach expanded to cover 300+ schools until this year [activity started in 2003 with one school].
-          Toyota creates a model school in GLPS Devalinganapalya near Bidadi to upscale the Government school standards in line with the private learning environment

In its relentless commitment towards promoting quality education to school children from the weaker sections of the community since 2003, Toyota Kirloskar Motor today kicked off the distribution of essential school supplies to children covering 327 government schools from the state. This initiative is a part of Toyota’s sustained efforts to develop a positive learning environment in schools. The school supply kit consisting of bags, books, geometry box’s, drawing books and crayons will be distributed to 24,500 students across first to tenth grades in Government schools at Ramanagara district, where the company’s manufacturing plant is located.

The company represented by Mr. K. V. Rajendra Hegde, General Manager, Toyota Kirloskar Motor handed over the books and bags to the local school children in the presence of Mr. Gangemare Gowda, Deputy Director of Public Instruction and Mr. Marilinge Gowda, Block Education Officer, Ramanagara, marking the commencement of the activity.

Toyota’s timely interventions and focused approach has stimulated a steady increase in the overall enrolment of school children amongst various Government schools at Bidadi region at various grades up by 24% in 2018, as compared to 2016-17. Such initiatives have been a significant step in ensuring uninterrupted learning and reducing school dropouts amongst the financially challenged children.

Additionally, for past three years TKM has been working to build capacity of teachers in Government Schools on their English Communication and teaching skills.

Appreciating Toyota’s initiative, Mr. Gangemare Gowda, Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Ramanagara said, “Education plays a pivotal role in the development of the economy of the country.  We are happy with the way Toyota is setting a benchmark in enhancing the quality of education in the local communities through a very holistic approach.  The company has been committed ensuring education of highest quality and encouraging education for all. We encourage more corporates to come forward and help us provide free and quality education among the weaker sections of the community, so that together we can build a better tomorrow. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Toyota for continuing this wonderful cause year after year.”

Sharing his thoughts on this initiative, Mr. Naveen Soni, Vice President - Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “We have been working closely with local communities to catalyze sustainable impact through system and behavioral change. Children are at the core of these interventions and act as change agents.

We at Toyota recognize education as one of the main pillars to a nation’s development and have always worked towards providing quality education at the grass roots level. TKM believes in providing holistic solution for quality education. Thus, in addition to providing learning aids, sports kits, we have also upgraded the infrastructure of Government Lower Primary Schools in Ramanagara. This has helped in motivating the students, teachers and changing the perception of the parents. Our aim is to significantly contribute towards reducing school dropouts rate in the local communities with such sustained efforts.” he added.

These programs have expanded over a period, enhancing the beneficiary coverage to around 24,500 school children across 327 Government Schools this academic year, as compared to 3000 children in 2007.

Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund Launches Dedicated Partner Priority Desk for Karnataka

 

Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, the mutual fund arm of Aditya Birla Capital announces the launch of Partner Priority Desk (PPD), a one-of-its kind, dedicated service counter for its distribution partners in Karnataka. Partner Priority Desk is to become a one stop solution for the distribution channels’ servicing needs and ensure accurate resolution of service requests from distribution partners, speedily and with a sense of urgency.

Mutual Funds have become a preferred investment tool for investors. Industry growth fuelled by increased number of investors has led to higher volume of transactions. This in turn has led to greater volume of service requests. Distribution partners who play a key role in growth of the industry, require the support of robust service standards as they manage growing number of investors.

Commenting on the launch of the Partner Priority Desk, Mr. A. Balasubramanian, CEO, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund said, “Partner Priority Desk Telangana is part of our continued effort to deliver best-in-class service experience to our distribution partners. Given the steady rise in retail interest for Mutual Funds from Karnataka, we see PPD contributing greatly in helping distribution partners in the region and enhancing the overall experience for our stakeholders.”

PPD has implemented dedicated region-specific toll-free numbers to ensure that service requests are resolved in a timely manner. The Desk has also deployed a real-time feedback mechanism to capture distributor feedback after every phone call. This feedback channelled back into the system helps the fund house drive continuous improvement and raise the bar on service delivery to distribution partners.

Partner Priority Desk Karnataka is equipped with trained specialists, dedicated only for distributors. Distribution partners have the comfort of speaking to a service expert from their region, in their regional language, who will take responsibility for the service request and see it through to resolution. All service requests are logged into a dedicated system that enables tracking until satisfactory closure.

Garmin India Launches New ‘Forerunners’, 245 and 245 Music with Ultra Modern Technology

Expanding the choices for running enthusiasts in India, Garmin India- a unit of Garmin Ltd. today launched the all new Forerunner 245 and Forerunner 245 Music. These two are the latest and advanced models under their best-selling Forerunner series. Built on the mantra of “You do the running; FR 245 series will do the thinking”, the lightweight smartwatch is loaded with advanced features such as, incident detection, body battery, race predictor, and are available in new attractive colours.

Specially made for the serious and new-age runners, these GPS-enabled smartwatches enhance the running experience with detailed data, safety and tracking features along with other advanced training options. In addition to these, the Forerunner 245 Music holds up to 500 songs and lets users sync playlists from select preloaded music streaming services like Spotify or transfer music from a computer.

Speaking at the launch of these new models of the Forerunner series, Mr. Ali Rizvi, National Sales Manager - Garmin India said, “The Forerunner series is the flagship series for Garmin, which has been highly appreciated by the running fanatics. Adding more value to the series, Garmin India today launched the Forerunner 245 and Forerunner 245 Music for all those enthusiasts who wish to combine intelligence, style and futuristic features, all in one. With features like body battery, VO2 max, incident detection, race predictor etc., this forerunner series will prove to be the perfect running partner to deliver an enhanced running experience to the users.”

The Forerunner 245 and Forerunner 245 Music are the latest solution from the ever-expanding Garmin fitness segment, which focuses on developing technologies to enhance and promote healthy and active lifestyles. Whether it is running, cycling, swimming or simply looking to stay active throughout the day, Garmin fitness devices can help athletes of all levels reach their health and fitness goals.

Key Features:

Train safer & smarter with Forerunner 245 & Forerunner 245 Music

These watches don’t just serve the purpose of your fitness, but also look after one’s safety & security. With their built-in incident detection feature, one can now easily share their location with their pre- chosen contacts, in case one needs assistance. Location can also be shared if a potential incident, such as a fall is detected.

Another new feature with the Forerunner 245 series is the newly introduced Body Battery which helps optimize body’s energy. The Body Battery energy monitoring uses collected data to gauge one’s energy reserves at any moment, so that the user can plan their day accordingly, optimizing times for activity and rest.

Additionally, the Forerunner 245 Music holds the ability ‘Store up to 500 songs’ on the watch for phone-free listening and even syncs one’s favourite music from select streaming services like Spotify or allows transferring music from a computer to your device.

Advanced Physio Features & Running Dynamics

With the improved race predictor, a runner can now easily predict the race time and plan training sessions accordingly. The Forerunner 245 model is also equipped with advanced features that will help one evaluate the training status and indicate if under training or overdoing is taking place. It also offers additional performance monitoring features like VO2 Max, to analyze the amount of oxygen a person can utilize during intense exercise. It further analyzes the recovery time post intense activity, aerobic and anaerobic training effect, and training status & load.

These watches also come with advanced running dynamics such as ground contact time & balance, stride length, vertical oscillation and vertical ratio, which work on enhancing one’s overall running sessions.

Designed for the running gene

Garmin users can now train with the help of Garmin Coach feature, which offers free training plans that adapt according to a runner’s goals and performances. Whether the user is training for a 5K or a marathon, it creates a personalized workout. The user can also download Garmin Coach adaptive training plans for free! Offering a lot more, the smartwatch also includes multiple sport activity modes like run plus treadmill, indoor track, bike, indoor bike, treadmill, pool swim, row indoor, elliptical, stair stepper and many more.

The Forerunner 245 and Forerunner 245 Music are reliable training companions with outstanding battery life - up to 7 days in smartwatch mode; up to 6 hours in GPS mode with music and 24 hours in GPS mode without music.

Pricing and Availability

The Ultra modern and sport-ready Forerunner 245 & Forerunner 245 Music comes with lightweight, adjustable, quick release bands. The Forerunner 245 is available in Slate and Amp Yellow colours, priced at Rs. 29,990 while the Forerunner 245 Music is available in three quirky colours- Black, Lava Red and Aqua, priced at Rs. 34,990

The ‘Forerunner 245 and Forerunner 245 Music is available online at Amazon.in, Paytmmall and Myntra. For offline purchase the customers can shop at GO Sport Mumbai and Bangalore, Peloton Calicut, PlayWell Calicut and Kochi and Helios Watch Stores Pan India.

Dettol Unveils Dettol Co-Created with Moms with 0% Free from Parabens, Dyes and Talc

Dettol, the leading germ protection brand in the country, today announced the launch of Dettol Co-Created with Moms, a range of bathing soaps and hand washes, designed keeping consumer preferences in mind.  With this announcement, Dettol has developed an entirely new space, with a range of products that have ingredients approved by moms while continuing to deliver Dettol’s trusted protection. This is a unique innovation with products that are free from any parabens, dyes and talc, giving mothers exactly what they want.

Acknowledging a growing need for products that have lesser chemicals & avoidable ingredients, Dettol co-created with Moms has been introduced without paraben and dyes, with fragrances inspired from nature. Dettol directly went to mothers to understand the attributes they want in products and received their approval on the ingredients before launching the range.

With consumer needs at heart, this significant product innovation has been designed to ensure that today’s mother gets the best of both worlds – trusted protection with lesser chemicals. This led to, Dettol Co-Created with moms that has 0% Parabens, 0% dyes and 0% talc, with protection from 100 illness causing germs.

Commenting on the launch, Pankaj Duhan, Chief Marketing Officer, RB South Asia Health said, “Dettol’s rich heritage in India makes it - a trusted partner for mothers and we constantly thrive to innovate our product offering to best suit their needs. We are very excited to launch the Dettol Co-Created with Moms range, a - unique initiative where Dettol has gone ahead of the curve and directly engaged with mothers to understand what they want in products for their family, so that moms never have to compromise. With ingredients approved by Moms, we have added a touch of mom’s love to the trusted protection of Dettol – and this range has been co-created with moms to give them exactly what they want. It is truly a range that has, “Touch of Mom, with a Touch of Dettol”.

Dettol Co-Created with moms soap and handwash - comes in two fragrances infused with natural essences: Tulsi and Jasmine. It is available in the following pack sizes –

125g Multi Packs: Launched with a consumer offer of Buy 4 Get 1 Free, MRP Rs. 260/-
175ml Refill Pouch with a Buy 3 Get Rs. 40 off Promo: MRP Rs. 146/-
200ml Liquid Handwash with a 175ml Pouch Combo: MRP Rs. 125
75g Multi Packs: Launched with a consumer offer of Buy 4 Get 1 Free, MRP Rs. 160/-
75g Single: With an introductory MRP of Rs. 30/-

It will be available across, grocery stores, departmental stores, pharmacists in India and leading e-commerce websites.