Honda Cars India Unveils the All New 5th Generation Honda City in Indian Market

Experience ‘Rush of Supremacy’

* Designed on the concept of ‘Ambitious Sedan’, 5th Generation model – Longest and Widest Sedan in its segment

* India’s first connected car with Alexa remote capability

* Honda Connect with Telematics Control Unit (TCU) – Standard offering across all grades with 5-year free subscription and over 32 connected features

* BS-6 compliant Powertrains – All New 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC Petrol engine with VTC and India exclusive refined 1.5L i-DTEC Diesel engine

* ASEAN N-CAP 5 Star rating equivalent

* First in segment features such as Full LED headlamps, Z- Shaped wrap-around LED Tail lamp, 17.7 cm HD full color TFT meter with G-meter, LaneWatch camera, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Agile Handling Assist (AHA) and many more

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, today launched its much-awaited All New 5th Generation Honda City in India.  First introduced in India in January 1998, Honda City has been the country’s most successful mid-size sedan. Now in its 5th Generation, the City has always defined the original authentic shape of sedan in India and reinvented itself according to the needs and aspirations of its customers. The much awaited All – New Honda City has been conceptualized to carry forward its legacy, deliver supremacy and exceed previous benchmark by offering superior value proposition to its customers.

The new Honda City has been developed at Honda R&D Centre located in Tochigi, Japan following extensive market surveys in India, ASEAN countries and other markets for people’s driving needs and lifestyles.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gaku Nakanishi, President & CEO, Honda Cars India said, “Honda City has been our key pillar of business for more than 22 years, being one of the longest running nameplates in the Indian automotive history. With cumulative sales of more than 4 million units worldwide, it has provided joy to almost 8 lakh customers in India and many more aspiring to own the model. Each generation of the City has raised the bar on design, technology, quality, driving pleasure, comfort & safety, and has come with several industry firsts or segment first features.” “Our vision has been to offer our customers with a new value that is unprecedented in the history of City and we are confident that the All New City will create fresh excitement in the mid-size sedan segment,” he added.

In the All New 5th Generation Honda City, the length and width has been expanded making it the longest and widest sedan in its segment. The All New City takes a huge leap in Connected Car Services with Next Generation of Honda Connect available as standard offering across all grades along with 5-year free subscription. It is India’s First Connected Car with Alexa Remote Capability.

The all-new Honda City has been introduced in both Petrol and Diesel, powered by Honda’s superior EARTH DREAMS TECHNOLOGY range of BS-6 compliant powertrains – All New 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC Petrol engine with VTC and India exclusive refined 1.5L i-DTEC Diesel engine respectively delivering high fuel efficiency, low emission and spirited driving performance. 

The Grand Concept of the 5th Generation Honda City is ‘Ambitious Sedan’ which aims to complement its customer’s ambitions and provide them a strong sense of confidence to upgrade their lives. Its design concept accentuates enhanced stance, higher strength, sportiness and sophistication. The All New City boasts of the largest in segment dimensions including 4549 mm length and 1748 mm width. The height of the new model stands at 1489 mm and wheelbase of 2600 mm.

Mr. Rajesh Goel, Sr. Vice President & Director, Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd. said, “Our aim was to make an ambitious sedan for an ambitious customer. The City has always enjoyed strong brand equity and with the 5th generation, we have further enhanced the Intelligent, Confident & Secure presence. City customers have always been very discerning and want a car that is class above the rest. Hence multiple ‘industry first’ and ‘best in segment features’ for Styling, Connectivity, Safety and Convenience have been offered as standard from the entry V variant of the All New City, setting a new benchmark for the segment.”

Supremacy of Design

The overall styling of the All New City with its Full LED Headlamps with 9 LED Array Inline Shell, Integrated LED DRL, L Shaped LED Turn Signal and distinct Z- shape 3D wrap-around LED tail lamps with Uniform Edge Light, One-touch Electric Sunroof, R-16 Diamond cut alloy wheels and shark fin antenna will surely be eye catching on Indian roads and immediately identifiable as ‘City’ even at a glance. In addition to stylish exterior, the 5th Generation Honda City delivers ambition of spaciousness and comfort within the car. Inspired by putting people first, the interiors are based on ‘Man Maximum Machine Minimum’ philosophy. The new City offers Best in class knee room and legroom, enhanced rear seat shoulder room, an ergonomically designed cockpit, multiple storage spaces and top Class Trunk Capacity of 506L.

Supremacy of Powertrains

In addition to grandeur, strength and stance, the 5th Generation Honda City offers Supremacy with Honda’s Earth Dream Series advanced and innovative powertrains which greatly enhance driving performance and fuel economy.

The Petrol variant of the All New City is powered by new 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC petrol engine with VTC, which is Honda’s first in India.  Based on the High Accuracy Valve Technology DOHC + VTC, this newly introduced BS-6 engine improves combustion efficiency, reduces friction and lowers emissions. This high performance engine delivers 89 kw (121PS) @6600 rpm best in segment power and 145 Nm@1750 rpm torque, with quicker torque increase at lower engine speed. It has been mated to an All-New 6 speed Manual Transmission and New 7 speed CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) offering fuel efficiency of 17.8 kmpl and 18.4 kmpl respectively.

The Diesel variant of the All–New City is powered by new 1.5L i-DTEC DOHC Diesel engine mated to the 6-speed manual transmission. It delivers best balance of powerful performance and high fuel economy with 73 kW [100 PS] @ 3600 rpm power, 200 Nm @1750 rpm torque and impressive fuel economy of 24.1 kmpl. Application of advanced exhaust gas after-treatment system with NSC (NOx Storage Catalyst) and DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) has been done to meet the challenging target of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission in case of diesel engines.

Supremacy of Connectivity

The All New City is India’s first connected car with Alexa remote capability and is equipped with Next Generation Honda Connect with Telematics Control Unit (TCU) standard across all grades with 5-year free subscription. The Next Gen Honda Connect, with over 32 features, aims to provide a sense of safety & security, convenience and peace of mind for customers. By giving voice commands to Alexa, the cloud-based voice service from Amazon, customers can use 10 key features of Honda Connect to monitor and control their car from home. Hence, they can remotely access features such as car AC On/ Off, door lock/ unlock, check fuel status, locate the car, and status from the car dashboard, for unparalleled comfort and convenience.

Supremacy of Safety

The City’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body enhances self-protection while mitigating damage to other vehicles in the event of a collision.  The 5th Generation Honda City offers host of active and passive advanced safety features like 6 Airbags system, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Assist with Agile Handling Assist, Hill Start Assist, Honda Lane Watch™ camera, Multi angle Rear Camera, Emergency Stop Signal, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, ISOFIX compatible Rear Side Seats with Lower Anchorages & Top Tether, and Immobilizer with anti-theft alarm.  

Supremacy of Convenience

In the All- New City, convenience reigns supreme in the form of Honda Advanced Smart Key System with the Walk Away Auto Lock feature, Remote Engine Start (in CVT) & Keyless Window Remote Operation, Fully Automatic Climate Control with Max Cool, Click feel AC dials with red blue elimination, Rear AC vents with Charging Ports, Driver Seat Height Adjuster, LED map and Rear reading lamps.

Cockpit of Supremacy

The ergonomically designed and thoughtfully laid instrument panel sports the 20.3 cm Advanced Touchscreen Display Audio which connects with Apple Car play and Android Auto opening new ways of staying social and digital on the drive. The other features include 17.7cm HD full color TFT meter with Multi-function driver information interface with G-meter, Digital Speed and Cruise Control display, Web Link smart connectivity, 8 speakers premium surround sound system, Ambient Lighting and LED Interior Lamps, Steering Mounted Paddle Shifters for CVT.

The All New 5th Generation Honda City will be available in 3 feature packed grades offered in Petrol and Diesel variants – V, VX and ZX. The Petrol model will be offered in 6-Speed Manual Transmission and 7-Speed CVT and the Diesel model will be offered in 6-Speed Manual Transmission, across the 3 grades. Multiple ‘industry first’ and ‘best in segment features’ for Styling, Connectivity, Safety and Convenience have been offered as standard in all the three grades setting a new benchmark for the segment.

The All New City will be available with a choice of 5 colour options – Radiant Red Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Modern Steel Metallic, Lunar Silver Metallic, Golden Brown Metallic.

5th Generation City also offers wide array of accessory choices to customers with wireless charger (with smartphone holder), front parking sensor with switch, leg room lamp, trunk spoiler with LED, front & rear bumper protector, Side air bag compatible seat cover, Door visor with chrome among many others.

HCIL will start deliveries of the Petrol variants of the new City immediately from HCIL dealer network across the country. The deliveries for the Diesel variants would begin from August 2020.

The All New City offers complete peace of mind with 3 years Unlimited Kilometres warranty as standard benefit to the customer. Additionally, customers can opt for Extended Warranty for additional two years Unlimited / Limited kilometres for extra peace of mind. The car offers low cost of maintenance with Service interval of 1 year/ 10,000km whichever is earlier. 

Customers can also book the All New City online from the comfort of their home through Honda's online sales platform "Honda from Home", alongside HCIL authorized dealership network across the country.

About Honda City

Honda City is one of the most successful car brands in India with very high brand equity. It was first introduced in India in its 1st Generation in January 1998 and later launched as 2nd generation in November 2003, 3rd Generation in September 2008, 4th Generation in January 2014 and has cumulatively sold 8 lakh units so far. The Honda City is currently sold in 60 countries with cumulative sales of 4 Mn units globally and is the leading brand of Honda in Asia and Oceania region.

About Honda Cars India Ltd

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), a leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, was established in December 1995 with a commitment to provide Honda’s latest passenger car models and technologies, to the Indian customers. HCIL has two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities at Greater Noida, U.P and at Tapukara, Distt. Alwar, Rajasthan. The company’s product range includes Honda Jazz, Honda Amaze, Honda WR-V, Honda City, Honda Civic and Honda CR-V, which are manufactured in India. Honda’s models are strongly associated with advanced design and technology, apart from their established qualities of durability, reliability and fuel-efficiency.

Five Sanitization Products for Hospitality and Aviation Industry

In a bid to revive traveler reliance in the tourism and hospitality industry which is badly struck by coronavirus outbreak, cleaning standards have been greatly enhanced for every facet of the hotels, resorts, and flights.

The quality, hygiene, and safety are one of the most critical success factors in tourism. Following weeks of ceased operations that permitted time for extensive planning the hotel, tourism, and hospitality industry along with the aviation sector have elevated safety and sanitization protocols.

As we have already passed the first phase of Unlock-1, contactless procedures and safe removing measures are turning into the new typical basics because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Safety and sanitation protocols are being applied in maintenance and operational areas, with the use of upgraded disinfecting products and increased frequency.

Here are 5 sanitization products essential for safe tourism:

The UVD Robot

The UVD Robots stands for UV Disinfection Robots The UVD Robot is used as part of the regular cleaning cycle, and aims at preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases, viral, bacteria, and other types of harmful organic microorganisms in the environment by breaking down their DNA-structure. The robot is safe, reliable, and eliminates human error. Furthermore, it is user friendly and is designed to be operated by every-day cleaning staff. UVD Robots' inventive arrangement, which joins profound microbiological know-how, self-ruling robot innovation, and bright light to make the world's best UV-C based sanitization arrangement, has been demonstrated to kill pathogens like coronavirus and microscopic organisms.

Milagrow imap9

Milagrow Humantech has deployed imap9, a floor disinfecting robot that can navigate and sanitize the floors without any human intervention at various places, including hotels, airports, museums, hospitals, offices, etc. The robot moves around autonomously without falling, avoiding obstruction while planning its own path, guided by LIDAR and advanced SLAM technology. Milagrow’s patented Real Time Terrain Recognition Technology (RT2RT) scans at 3600, 6 times per second to make a floor map in real-time with an accuracy of upto 8mm over a 16m distance. This enables the iMap 9 to perform successfully in the first attempt, whereas other robots can take twice or thrice the time. Additionally, the robot can do zoning, virtual blocking of avoidable areas, and sequential cleaning of zones based on specific needs.

Zesta

Launched for the first time in India by Zestaindia.com, Wall Mounted Automatic Thermometer is exactly the product you need for safe tourism in hotels and airports. Gone are the times when you see a person standing with a handheld thermometer to check the temperatures. With Zesta’s Wall Mounted Automatic Thermometer, you can just install it at the entrances of hospitals, hotels, airports and other public areas and let everyone scan themselves with zero physical contact. This thermometer is easy to install anywhere and comes with color code alarm, fast and accurate detection. Priced at 10,999, it is available at all leading online platforms like Flipkart and Amazon.

Plasma Air Purifiers

Plasma air purifiers are equipped with very small filters that have the capability to catch small particles that other types of filters easily miss. This means that Plasma Air Purifier is able to reduce/eliminate the amount of not only bacteria and viruses but other harmful particles, such as dust, smoke, and pollen.

While respiratory droplets are considered the primary transmission route, experts strongly suspect some form of aerosol transmission may be occurring. Plasma Air’s HVAC-mounted ionizers use proactive air purification technologies to deactivate airborne viruses safely. The air purifiers are available on their official website Plasma Air.

PCE Instrument Thermal Scanner

PCE-TC 34 is a thermal imaging camera used for visual inspection and non-contact infrared (IR) temperature measurement. It is ideal for industrial use in electrical, mechanical, and building installations (such as in the auditing of machines, engines, or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems).

This can be used to monitor the temperatures of people entering a particular public place and record all the data.

This is a high-definition, high-resolution thermal imager that captures and saves 640 x 480 pixel IR resolution images to the included SD card memory at a refresh rate of 50.

Aegon Life Updates its Life Insurance with Covid 19 Cover in India

Owing to the COVID – 19 spread across the country, self-protection is now of prime importance. In light of this situation, Aegon Life, the pioneer of digital insurance in India now provides an upgraded ‘Life Insurance with COVID-19 Cover’ policy that provides a life cover up to Rs. 50 Lakh and hospitalization cover up to Rs. 5 Lakh on a positive diagnosis of the condition. The launch of this product is in collaboration with Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, aimed to provide maximum benefit to the insured in case of a positive diagnosis.

The cost of hospitalization for COVID-19 has increased significantly in recent months which adds to the financial stress in addition to the emotional stress already faced by the family. Aegon Life’s ‘Life Insurance with COVID-19 Cover’ policy requires no medical test for purchase. The policy can be bought hassle-free on the Flipkart App from the comfort and safety of one’s home. For a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, the insured gets a guaranteed lump-sum payout on hospitalization for more than 24 hours. 

Shedding more light on the ‘Life Insurance with COVID-19 Cover’ policy, Mr. Satishwar Balakrishnan, CFO, and Principal Officer, Aegon Life said, “At Aegon Life, we are focused on the “direct to customer” model and therefore we can keep pace with our customer requirements, which, is our topmost priority. We introduced an innovation in the industry by launching the industry’s first life + hospitalization cover for COVID-19 earlier this May with Flipkart. However, we acknowledged the market scenario and the customer demands and felt the need to increase the cover to serve our customers better. The new updated ‘Life Insurance with COVID-19 Cover’ policy will further help to ease the financial burden on the policyholder if he/she tested positive for COVID-19 by now offering cover up to Rs.5 Lakh on hospitalization”.

A detailed structure of this policy is available on the Flipkart App. Customers can choose from a range of premium price points to best suit their needs.

About Aegon Life Insurance Company:

AEGON Life, one of the leading digital insurance companies in India, is a new-age digital service company and is amongst the first companies to launch Online Term Plan in India. Being the online protection specialists, AEGON Life has a company-employed service team that is fully geared to provide customers the highest levels of service.

With a vision to be the most recommended new age Life Insurance Company, the company’s Direct to Customer focus establishes a direct dialogue with the customers to make for greater clarity and transparency.

How women are Making it Big in Business Via WhatsApp-Based Social Commerce?

By Varun Khurana, Founder, Otipy ( India’s fastest growing social commerce venture)

 

Social commerce is not a new concept in the country major chunk of social commerce existed only in the fashion, beauty, and retail industries. Today, social commerce is gaining popularity for one of the fundamental aspects of life – fresh food. Fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables have become the most in-demand products as people switch to healthier ways of living and are eager to know the source.  

 

A USD 200 Billion fresh produce category is now witnessing major disruption through social commerce. It is garnering the attention of consumer, entrepreneurs, and investors, . In fact, consumers are increasingly preferring their food sourced through social commerce for various reasons such as higher credibility, rational price and most importantly, fresher produce (delivered within a day straight from the farms sometime within 12 hrs). For women looking to be a part of the business environment without monetary investment, social commerce within the food category is the ideal solution. Let us take a look at how social commerce is playing a key role in helping women make it big in business.

 

The rise of social commerce

Increasing internet penetration and social media usage have paved the way for the rise of social commerce. A majority of the population today uses and is in fact hooked onto social media and brands are leveraging this aspect. With the rise in demand for fresh produce, women are joining hands with brands to become resellers within their community to make a mark for themselves in their community by leveraging social commerce. Currently, fresh produce is a supply-led model and social commerce is flipping it to demand-led model that further helps in solving the problem of middlemen and wastage (since there is no inventory). Apart from this, it helps resellers connect with their customers-base efficiently and offer real-time feedback to the farmers regarding the quality of the produce.

 

The emergence of women as dominant sellers

 For the first time, women are taking the center stage in spurring the adoption of e-commerce and helping the industry as well as themselves progress. The advent of technology, rapid digitization of businesses, and easy access have helped drive this change. For women sellers, a slew of features aided by cutting-edge technology such as voice chats/chatbots, real-time updates and feedback to the farmers, and most importantly, WhatsApp-based marketing is coming handy to open more doors to become micro-entrepreneurs.         

Additionally, women sellers also have a higher average order value, better retention and repeat orders, making them more suitable. In fact, not just urban cities, but women resellers hail from tier-II and tier-III catchment areas are hopping on the fresh produce social commerce bandwagon to fulfil their goals and achieve financial independence with almost no investment. A whopping 68% of women in most platforms sell from tier-II and tier-III cities.

 

Women sellers also help customers gain the trust factor for unbranded products since they usually tend to lean towards known/established brands. In return, social commerce platforms offer easy access for women to build an entrepreneurial empire of their own through community engagement without hindrances. Particularly in vernacular language-led social commerce platforms, women are dominating the space, even though the concept is still at a very nascent stage. They are learning the tricks of the trade and are keen on flourishing in the competitive business environment.

 

Social commerce is quickly becoming a multi-million-dollar market in India. However, the country has a largely unorganized market, particularly in tier-II, tier-III and tier-IV cities, especially for the fresh produce category with millions of farmers scattered across the country. Additionally, shopping for fresh produce is a social concept of sorts. Since the pandemic has forced us to adhere to social distancing norms, social commerce is flourishing and women are leading the way. With technological advancements, greater digitization and the availability of regional languages providing easy access and seamless experience, the rise of women entrepreneurs through social commerce is inevitable.  

Infogain Recognized as 3rd Fastest Growing Company in Everest Group’s Engineering Services Top 50™ 2020

Infogain, a Silicon Valley based digital platform and software engineering company­, is pleased to announce that it ranked 3rd in revenue growth and 32nd overall in Everest Group’s Engineering Services Top 50™ 2020, a global list of the 50 largest providers of outsourced engineering services. In addition, ChrysCapital-backed Infogain’s buys of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Azure Expert MSP Silicus Technologies and strategy and design firm Revel Consulting featured in the report’s list of key acquisitions made by engineering companies in 2019.

Third-party providers were evaluated and ranked based on their CY 2019 engineering services revenue and year-on-year growth. This is the second year Everest Group has released an Engineering Services Top 50™ list, with this year’s Top 50™ accounting for $45.9 billion in revenue as compared to $40.5 billion in CY 2018.

Infogain was credited for offering key engineering services across select verticals, including Software Products, Computing Systems, Consumer Electronics, Healthcare & Medical Devices, Industrial & Energy, and Automotive.

Ayan Mukerji, President and Chief Operating Officer at Infogain, said, “We are pleased to make Everest Group’s Engineering Services Top 50™ 2020 list and to be recognized as 3rd for revenue growth. 2019 was a great year for us: we closed several large deals and joined hands with two outstanding companies offering niche, high-value-add services. This ranking is a great testament to Infogain’s software engineering expertise and relentless commitment to delivering value to our customers.”

The Top 50™ list helps enterprises get a better sense of the global third-party engineering services landscape, make more informed sourcing decisions, and identify new ways to leverage third-party engineering services providers. This list also helps service providers make better assessments of their competitive positions compared to their peers.

The Everest Group Engineering Services Top 50™ 2020 report can be viewed here.

About Infogain

Infogain is a Silicon Valley headquartered company with digital platform and software engineering expertise in the travel, retail, insurance, healthcare, and high technology industries. We accelerate design-led transformation and delivery of digital customer engagement systems and platforms. Infogain engineers business outcomes for Fortune 500 companies and digital natives using technologies such as cloud, microservices, robotic process automation, IoT, and artificial intelligence.

A ChrysCapital portfolio company, Infogain has offices in California, Washington, Texas, London, Dubai, India, and Singapore, with delivery centers in Austin, Kraków, New Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, and Mumbai.

Sir David Attenborough’s Debut with Series Zoo Quest on Sony BBC Earth from July 19

“We were rebels”, said Young David Attenborough 66 years ago as he stepped into the world of natural history to bring one of the most pioneering and groundbreaking series - Zoo Quest. First broadcasted in 1954, Zoo Quest showcased the diversity of our beautiful planet by visiting parts of the natural world, as well as remote tribal communities, that were not filmed before. Not only did it change the way viewers saw the natural world but also launched Sir David Attenborough’s career as a wildlife presenter. 6 decades later, Sony BBC Earth brings a rare opportunity for his fans to re-visit Sir David Attenborough’s early adventures with ‘Zoo Quest in Colour’, and here’s why you shouldn’t miss out:

Launched 10 years before colour television even became available, Zoo Quest was originally broadcasted in black and white. However, using extraordinary 16 mm films, the series is now available in all colours and shades of the natural world

Coupled with behind-the-scene stories from David Attenborough and cameraman Charles Lagus, this series showcases the best of Zoo Quest in stunning HD colours for the very first time. Sir David reveals how they captured the incredible sequences back then and how the advancement of technology has enhanced our understanding of the natural world now

Sir David Attenborough was only 28 years old and Lagus 26 when they began filming the series and travelling to West Africa, Guiana, and Indonesia, in search of creatures to take back to London Zoo. They faced number of challenges and nerve-wrecking situations all through their journey

While filming Komodo Dragons on a remote island in Indonesia, Attenborough and Lagus faced a fatal situation and were stuck into a whirlpool when the boat they were travelling in hit a major tropical storm

Lagus describes the dangerous situation as: “Quite honestly neither of us were sure that we would ever see each other again, it was that dicey.”

Sir David Attenborough, remembering the old days said, “They were good days and I wouldn’t change them. Looking back, I don’t think anyone would let two kids in their 20s just go off like that and nobody asked us anything about health and safety or anything else. We just disappeared, and they said, when will you be back? Oh, just before Christmas, I think. Oh right-o, goodbye. So happy days.”

Watch the early adventures of Sir David Attenborough, the Godfather of natural history, in ‘Zoo Quest in Colour’ on 19th July at 9:00 pm only on Sony BBC Earth.

Jaguar Land Rover Celebrates Clean Engine Manufacturing with Milestone of 1.5 Million and Counting

Milestones

* More than 1.5 million Jaguar Land Rover Ingenium engines have now been produced

* The Engine Manufacturing Centre (EMC) houses the full line up of Ingenium powertrain technologies

* New straight-six diesel joins the Ingenium family which also includes Electric Drive Units (EDU) assembled at the Wolverhampton facility, UK

* Innovative manufacturing facility supports the move to electrification and is part of the company’s Destination Zero mission 

Jaguar Land Rover has now produced over 1.5 million Ingenium engines, as the UK manufacturer celebrates its leading facility adding a new, advanced powertrain offering.

The Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton, UK, produces the ultra-efficient Ingenium powertrain family, providing a range of clean and electrified powertrains for all Jaguar and Land Rover models*. 

The advanced Ingenium family, which includes a range of clean, refined and efficient diesel, petrol and electrified engines, are built to maximise performance whilst at the same time reducing the environmental impact and running costs for customers. Developed and manufactured in-house in the UK, Jaguar and Land Rover’s all-aluminium Ingenium engine designs are modular, flexible and scalable, with common core technologies. 

The latest addition to the Ingenium range is the six-cylinder diesel engine, which offers enhanced performance, smoothness and efficiency, powering the new Range Rover and new Range Rover Sport. The advanced in-line Ingenium diesel engine, featuring mild hybrid technology, joins the range of clean and efficient six-cylinder petrol and four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines manufactured at Jaguar Land Rover’s facility in the West Midlands.

The evolving, efficient Ingenium family supports the company’s long-term commitment to reduce vehicle emissions and improve fuel economy across its vehicle range. This is part of its Destination Zero mission and a commitment to reducing emissions and making environments cleaner through relentless innovation.  

Jaguar Land Rover will continue to develop its Ingenium technology, continue to advance the electrification of its model line-up and establish a concept hydrogen fuel cell powertrain solution**. The Engine Manufacturing Centre also houses the assembly of Electric Drive Units (EDUs), offering full flexibility between new petrol and diesel engines and EDUs for those customers who want to make the switch from conventional to electrified vehicles.

The Wolverhampton site is complemented by a growing electrification ecosystem in the Midlands, with the innovative and technologically advanced Battery Assembly Centre at nearby Hams Hall assembling PHEV and BEV batteries. Together, they will power the next generation of Jaguar and Land Rover electrified vehicles.

Ken Close, Jaguar Land Rover Powertrain Operations Launch Director, said: “We are experiencing unprecedented demand for cleaner-running vehicles, so it’s more important than ever to deliver clean and efficient engines without compromising on the performance or all-terrain capabilities our customers have come to expect. 

“Our Ingenium powertrains offer the very best of both worlds – better fuel efficiency and lower emissions, and even greater torque for a more responsive and engaging drive."

The Engine Manufacturing Centre supplies engines to Jaguar Land Rover’s global vehicle operations, with a large majority of those powertrain units used in UK based facilities including Solihull, home of the recently announced new Range Rover and new Range Rover Sport.

The latest six-cylinder diesel shares its manufacturing facilities with the six-cylinder petrol engine, which was successfully launched last year. These include machining of the key architecture, cylinder head, cylinder block and crankshaft, as well as the assembly and testing of the engine. The Engine Manufacturing Centre has utilised its extensive modern machining, assembly, test and metrology capability to successfully deliver one of the world’s leading clean diesel engines.

Sylo Partners with Indian Exchange Bitbns to Serve the Indian Market

Global software development house Sylo has officially partnered with premiere Indian exchange, Bitbns, to better serve the Indian market’s growing demand for legitimate crypto-projects.

A unique place where the old and new worlds collide, it’s clearer every day to those watching the market that #IndiaWantsCrypto

Bitbns, a bona fide cryptocurrency exchange and one of India’s first, represents a significant partnership for Sylo that is positioned to help extend key functionalities into the experience of Sylo Smart Wallet users. 

The Sylo-Bitbns alliance is one that makes sense across business and product levels - with both partners sharing the belief that “digital currencies are the future of money” and are an area to which users need straightforward access.

Through their partnership, Sylo and Bitbns aim to take cryptocurrency usage to the mainstream in India.

Often deemed complex, Sylo solves one of the biggest hurdles to the normalisation of cryptocurrency through the Sylo Smart Wallet, a highly-usable app designed from conception to “make crypto simple”.

The move for a more dedicated expansion into India will not come as a surprise to anyone keeping an eye on the Sylo success story. Recently, the tech firm revealed that in Q2 2020, they had already seen a 500% growth in sign ups to the Sylo Smart Wallet app from India, with Indian users now making up 30% of the app’s more than 250,000 strong overall user-base.

"India's new-found enthusiasm for digital assets and privacy after the restriction of certain privacy-hogging apps like WeChat and TikTok, has presented a significant opportunity to offer India a ‘WeChat’ of sorts that incorporates all the best elements of new generation communications tech, without the privacy concerns, and with the added benefits of crypto assets,” says Bitbns CEO Gaurav Dahake. 

“This is an area where the Sylo Smart Wallet, being developed on decentralised infrastructure, is primed to address, and a key reason we’re excited about this partnership opportunity.”

Sylo also offers a solution for the unbanked of India. In terms of barriers to get started on Sylo, there are very few - neither a sign up cost nor the mandatory provision of an email address or phone number is required in order to create a Sylo Smart Wallet account.

The result of this forward-thinking is the ability to instantly provide millions of people with access to de-fi services. Using the Sylo Smart Wallet, users can request and receive payments in chat, store and interact with digital assets  such as Bitcoin or any ERC-20 compatible token, such as Ether or BAT, in the non-custodial wallet.

“We realised a long time ago that in order to see widespread adoption, we needed to make interacting with crypto as simple as any other activity you might do on a smartphone,” says Dorian Johannink, Sylo Co-Founder and Business Director. “That’s why sending and receiving cryptocurrency in the Sylo Smart Wallet is as straightforward as sending a message.”

“Our design team have worked hard to create an app that is clean, fast, intuitive, and astonishingly simple to use. The Sylo Smart Wallet user statistics speak for themselves, the app has been available for just ten months and already has over a quarter of a million users. We’re confident that Sylo can meet India’s desire to get in the crypto game.”

Other features of the app include the ability to send messages, make audio and video calls, utilise a Web3 Ethereum dApp browser to spend crypto, and to pay using cryptocurrency in the real world at relevant vending machines.

The Sylo-Bitbns partnership will also see the SYLO token, an ERC20-compatible utility token that fuels the Sylo Network, listed on the Bitbns platform as of July 23, 2020.

Hyundai Motor India Announces Nationwide Hygiene Drive in India

Hygiene Drive

* 17 Day Sanitization Drive to ensure complete hygiene and safety of Vehicles across all workshops in India

* Wide range of benefits on interior smoke sanitization, interior surface sanitization, Free 50-point check-up & much more

 

Hyundai Motor India Ltd., country’s first smart mobility solutions provider and largest exporter since inception, today announced the commencement of Nationwide Hygiene Drive across all Hyundai workshops, with an aim to promote complete sanitization of vehicles during the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers can avail special incentives and offers on sanitization for their Hyundai cars. This 17-day Hygiene Drive will begin from 15th July and go on till 31st July’20.

Commenting on the Hyundai Hygiene Drive, Mr. Tarun Garg, Director – Sales, Marketing & Service, said, “At Hyundai, we place our customers’ safety and hygiene on top priority. The Hyundai Hygiene Drive is an initiative aimed at providing a seamless car sanitization experience for our valued customers at various touch points for their complete peace of mind. With over 1300 service outlets, HMIL is committed to provide the most comprehensive and qualitative service.”

Keeping in line with respective State regulations, all Hyundai Showrooms and Workshops are adhering to the government guidelines that promote safety and hygiene among Customers and Employees. Customers’ offers and benefits for Hyundai Hygiene Drive include:

Free 50 points general check-up and hi-touch points sanitization

Complete interior smoke sanitization starting at ₹ 599

Complete interior surface sanitization starting at ₹ 999

Exterior Dry Wash starting at ₹ 340

Special offers on new car purchase

 

Hyundai service facilities can also be experienced via 360° Digital & Contact-less Service. From online service booking through Hyundai Care App, Vehicle status update via WhatsApp, Pick and Drop from home/office and online payment facility, a touch free service experience is ensured for the customers, wherever they are and whenever they want to. Hyundai has always outpaced the industry with best service initiatives and our ranking as No.1 by JD Power in Customer Service Index for 3 years consecutively is a strong testimony of that.”

Bengaluru’s Residential Prices Fell by Almost 3% in Last Quarter: Magicbricks Propindex Report Q2 2020

COVID-19 Effect

* Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Bellary Road and Electronic City were the top 4 micromarkets in the city

* Strong demand for smaller size 2 & 3BHKs; together accounting for 88% of the property searches

* COVID-19 induced a price decline of 1-3% across most budget segment

Amidst COVID-19, Bengaluru’s residential prices have witnessed a QoQ decrease of approx. 3% in the second quarter of 2020, revealed the latest edition of Magicbricks’ PropIndex (Q2, 2020). Bengaluru residential market maintained a steady momentum in the last 5 years with 17.7% and 33.3% surges in ready to move and the under construction segment prices, respectively. However, the QoQ 2.8% price decline in the ready-to-move segment washed away the gains made during the previous six quarters.

The under-construction segment had a decent 33% growth in the last 5 years, but the recent pandemic brought a decline of 0.8% in Q2 2020.  Shortage of labour, supply chain disruption and extension in the RERA deadline by 3 months in Bengaluru is likely to shift delivery of some under construction projects by a few months.

According to the Propindex, Bengaluru thrives on a healthy mid-segment demand, with both 2 and 3 BHKs each accounting for more than 40% of the demand and supply. Together they account for 88% of the property searches and 92% of the supply. However the market is slowly shifting to the affordable segment, and a small demand-supply mismatch is emerging in the less than INR 5,000 per sqft price bucket. The demand for 1 BHK and 2 BHK configurations is likely to further increase due to the reduction of stamp duty between 3% to 5% for properties costing upto INR 35 lakh.

Commenting on the PropIndex, Sudhir Pai, CEO, Magicbricks, said, “India’s real sector is gradually adopting to the new normalcy. The economy had almost come to a stand-still in March but now hopefully we are on the road to recovery. At a pan-India level, the price decline has been just 1.5% QoQ while repo rates have been lowered by more than 100 points. This augurs well for the industry. Our data also suggests that consumer interest has not tapered off and developers have to grab the attention of the home buyers through attractive deals and offers. There is a pent-up demand for ready-to-move in properties as our data suggests that the 80% of searches are happening in this segment and the rest for under-construction.”

Post COVID-19 pandemic, government has allowed partial sales of plots In the layouts to ease the liquidity situation of developers and accelerate the layout development process. State government allows the regularization of over 75,000 land parcels, which were initially a part of the BDA development scheme but were under unauthorized possession for more than 12 years, by payment of penalty.

Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Bellary Road and Electronic City were the top 4 micromarkets in the city, supported by factors such as affordability, better access to IT hubs and sound connectivity to the airport. The extension of metro lines from Baiyappanahalli – Whitefield and RV Road – Bommasandra is likely to boost the demand for the economic hubs of Whitefield and Electronic City in the future

However, it will be interesting to see how these factors play out as the market recovers from the outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing national lockdown. Magicbricks data indicates that overall, consumers are back to the marketplace, albeit in lower numbers. Developers are running various schemes and promotions to entice home buyers and drive transactions. The next three to six months will remain key to determine any developing trend in prices and transaction volumes. It has become even more of a buyers’ market with the onus on sellers to make the right interventions to enable the real estate market bounce back.

About Magicbricks: India's no 1 property site

Magicbricks is India’s No.1 property site. With monthly traffic exceeding 20 million visits and with an active base of over 1.4 million+ property listings, Magicbricks provides the largest platform for buyers and sellers of property to connect with each other in a clear, transparent manner. With this in mind, Magicbricks has innovated several product features, content and research services, which have helped us, build the largest audience pool.

51.4% of MSMEs Assessed were First Time Borrowers, Says NeoGrowth Research

An exhaustive study by NeoGrowth Credit on a base of over 17,000 MSMEs across cities including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad, revealed some interesting insights about the MSME industry.

Credit bureau scores have been traditionally used as a report card of one's credit history and repayment behavior. The lack of sufficient credit history or no credit history usually makes it difficult for the borrower to get loan approvals. According to NeoGrowth Research, over 51.4% of the MSMEs assessed were first-time borrowers

According to the Sixth Economic Census released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in 2018, womenconstitute around 14% of the total entrepreneur base in India i.e. 8.05 million out of the total 58.5 million entrepreneurs.  10.8% of the total disbursements of the 17,000 MSMEs assessed for FY2019-20 were towards businesses that were run by women either as sole proprietors, partners, or directors.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem in India has been conventionally led by experienced players that have been reigning in their respective markets for generations. While first generation entrepreneurs are finally emerging in the scenario, they are starved of growth opportunities majorly due to a lack of credit. NeoGrowth Research establishes that about 77.6% of the MSMEs assessed were revealed to be first-generation entrepreneurs.

With digital connectivity growing rapidly and emergence of smart cities, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are the new business hubs, employment centres and consumer markets of the country. About 19% of the MSMEs assessed in the study, were originating from Tier-2 cities.

The Indian Government considers MSMEs and entrepreneurship as key to driving economic growth, innovation, job creation and social upliftment across the nation. By generating 120 million employment opportunities, MSMEs boast of being the second largest job creators in the country. As per the study, 28% of the MSMEs assessed showed an increase in the number of their employees’ post availing a business loan.

These insights form part of an annual assessment conducted by NeoGrowth. Over these years, NeoGrowth the company has successfully maintained its unique product proposition by providing collateral free, short-term, quick, and customized business loans on flexible repayment terms. Having disbursed loans amounting to more than INR 5,500 crores, NeoGrowth has been funding and enabling MSMEs to grow and sustain their businesses while continuing to tread on its initial journey of achieving inclusive growth.

Mr. Dhruv Khaitan, Founder and Chairman, NeoGrowth said, “We are happy to share our Sixth Social Impact Report, an annual effort to engage with our key stakeholders – MSMEs, to understand their financial needs, challenges faced by them and assess the impact of lending activities on their lives. At NeoGrowth, we have always focused on creating strong positive social impact on MSMEs by lending to first generation entrepreneurs, assisting women entrepreneurs and enabling our customers in job creation and improvement of credit scores via our loans.”

NeoGrowth Research is the in-house research team of NeoGrowth that keeps a continuous track on the emerging trends in the payments, fintech and MSME sectors and publishes insights.

SAP Appoints Kulmeet Bawa as President and Managing Director of Indian Subcontinent

SAP SE has announced the appointment of Kulmeet Bawa as President and Managing Director for SAP Indian Subcontinent, effective July 20, 2020. Kulmeet will be responsible for driving and delivering an exceptional SAP experience for employees and customers across our ecosystem, as well as guide businesses in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to adopt a digital-first mindset. Based in Gurgaon, Kulmeet will report directly to Scott Russell, President of SAP Asia Pacific Japan (APJ).

“The current pandemic environment requires companies to take swift action and accelerate digital transformation to become intelligent enterprises. At SAP we are committed to support our customers and help them transform, scale and win,” said Scott Russell, President, SAP APJ. “We are confident that Kulmeet’s track record of a customer-centric approach, his focus on people and effective team-work, coupled with deep industry knowledge, will propel SAP India to continued success,” he added.

Most recently, Kulmeet was the Chief Operating Officer for Resulticks where he led the growth strategy and execution of go-to-market for the organization. With cross functional experience of more than 25 years, Kulmeet has served with the Indian Army in the Armored Corps, subsequently moving to the corporate side. He led the India & South Asia market for Adobe orchestrating businesses to digitally transform and drive excellence in customer experience, prior to that he was with Microsoft Corporation and Sun Microsystems, managing enterprise strategies across industries and portfolios. 

“As India acclimatizes to the new reality in the new normal, it is important for businesses to permeate digital technologies in every industry, institution, business process, and individual experience,” said Kulmeet. “I am excited to move from Singapore back to India working closely with local customers, helping them adopt innovative technologies to achieve successful business outcomes,” he added.

Under the guidance and leadership of Deb Deep Sengupta, current SAP India MD and SAP veteran of two decades, the organization achieved significant success with strong growth across several business areas. Deep will work closely with Kulmeet to ensure a smooth leadership transition for our customers and partners. Deep’s next position will be announced in due course.

About SAP

As the Experience Company powered by the Intelligent Enterprise, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software, helping companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world’s transaction revenue touches an SAP® system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want – without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables more than 440,000 business and public customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people’s lives. 

Move Over, Siri! University of Southern California Researchers Develop Improv-Based Chatbot

What would conversations with Alexa be like if she was a regular at The Second City?

Jonathan May, research lead at the USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI) and research assistant professor of computer science at USC's Viterbi School of Engineering, is exploring this question with Justin Cho, an ISI programmer analyst and prospective USC Viterbi Ph.D. student, through their Selected Pairs Of Learnable ImprovisatioN (SPOLIN) project. Their research incorporates improv dialogues into chatbots to produce more engaging interactions.

The SPOLIN research collection is made up of over 68,000 English dialogue pairs, or conversational dialogues of a prompt and subsequent response. These pairs model yes-and dialogues, a foundational principle in improvisation that encourages more grounded and relatable conversations. After gathering the data, Cho and May built SpolinBot, an improv agent programmed with the first yes-and research collection large enough to train a chatbot.

The project research paper, "Grounding Conversations with Improvised Dialogues," was presented on July 6 at the Association of Computational Linguistics conference, held July 5-10.

Finding Common Ground

May was looking for new research ideas in his work. His love for language analysis had led him to work on Natural Language Processing (NLP) projects, and he began searching for more interesting forms of data he could work with.

"I'd done some improv in college and pined for those days," he said. "Then a friend who was in my college improv troupe suggested that it would be handy to have a 'yes-and' bot to practice with, and that gave me the inspiration--it wouldn't just be fun to make a bot that can improvise, it would be practical!"

The deeper May explored this idea, the more valid he found it to be. Yes-and is a pillar of improvisation that prompts a participant to accept the reality that another participant says ("yes") and then build on that reality by providing additional information ("and"). This technique is key in establishing a common ground in interaction. As May put it, "Yes-and is the improv community's way of saying 'grounding.'"

Yes-ands are important because they help participants build a reality together. In movie scripts, for example, maybe 10-11% of the lines can be considered yes-ands, whereas in improv, at least 25% of the lines are yes-ands. This is because, unlike movies, which have settings and characters that are already established for audiences, improvisers act without scene, props, or any objective reality.

"Because improv scenes are built from almost no established reality, dialogue taking place in improv actively tries to reach mutual assumptions and understanding," said Cho. "This makes dialogue in improv more interesting than most ordinary dialogue, which usually takes place with many assumptions already in place (from common sense, visual signals, etc.)."

But finding a source to extract improv dialogue from was a challenge. Initially, May and Cho examined typical dialogue sets such as movie scripts and subtitle collections, but those sources didn't contain enough yes-ands to mine. Moreover, it can be difficult to find recorded, let alone transcribed, improv.

The Friendly Neighborhood Improv Bot

Before visiting USC as an exchange student in Fall 2018, Cho reached out to May, inquiring about NLP research projects that he could participate in. Once Cho came to USC, he learned about the improv project that May had in mind.

"I was interested in how it touched on a niche that I wasn't familiar with, and I was especially intrigued that there was little to no prior work in this area," Cho said. "I was hooked when Jon said that our project will be answering a question that hasn't even been asked yet: the question of how modeling grounding in improv through the yes-and act can contribute to improving dialogue systems."

Cho investigated multiple approaches to gathering improv data. He finally came across Spontaneanation, an improv podcast hosted by prolific actor and comedian Paul F. Tompkins that ran from 2015 to 2019.

With its open-topic episodes, about a good 30 minutes of continuous improvisation, high quality recordings, and substantial size, Spontaneanation was the perfect source to mine yes-ands from for the project. The duo fed their Spontaneanation data into a program, and SpolinBot was born.

"One of the cool parts of the project is that we figured out a way to just use improv," May explained. "Spontaneanation was a great resource for us, but is fairly small as data sets go; we only got about 10,000 yes-ands from it. But we used those yes-ands to build a classifier (program) that can look at new lines of dialogue and determine whether they're yes-ands."

Working with improv dialogues first helped the researchers find yes-ands from other sources as well, as most of the SPOLIN data comes from movie scripts and subtitles. "Ultimately, the SPOLIN corpus contains more than five times as many yes-ands from non-improv sources than from improv, but we only were able to get those yes-ands by starting with improv," May said.

SpolinBot has a few controls that can refine its responses, taking them from safe and boring to funny and wacky, and also generates five response options that users can choose from to continue the conversation.

SpolinBot #Goals

The duo has a lot of plans for SpolinBot, along with extending its conversational abilities beyond yes-ands. "We want to explore other factors that make improv interesting, such as character-building, scene-building, 'if this (usually an interesting anomaly) is true, what else is also true?,' and call-backs (referring to objects/events mentioned in previous dialogue turns)," Cho said. "We have a long way to go, and that makes me more excited for what I can explore throughout my PhD and beyond."

May echoed Cho's sentiments. "Ultimately, we want to build a good conversational partner and a good creative partner," he said, noting that even in improv, yes-ands only mark the beginning of a conversation. "Today's bots, SpolinBot included, aren't great at keeping the thread of the conversation going. There should be a sense that both participants aren't just establishing a reality, but are also experiencing that reality together."

That latter point is key, because, as May explained, a good partner should be an equal, not subservient in the way that Alexa and Siri are. "I'd like my partner to be making decisions and brainstorming along with me," he said. "We should ultimately be able to reap the benefits of teamwork and cooperation that humans have long benefited from by working together. And the virtual partner has the added benefit of being much better and faster at math than me, and not actually needing to eat!"

About the USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Engineering began at the University of Southern California in 1905. Nearly a century later, in 2004, the school was named the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, honoring alumnus Andrew J. Viterbi, inventor of the Viterbi algorithm, a key to cell phone technology and numerous data applications. The school is consistently ranked among the top engineering programs in the world. It enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students, taught by 188 tenured and tenure-track faculty, with more than 90 endowed chairs and professorships. The school offers comprehensive programs in all major areas of engineering, from aerospace and astronautical engineering, to biomedical, chemical, civil and environmental engineering, to computer science and materials science, and to electrical engineering, industrial and systems engineering and mechanical engineering. With annual research expenditures exceeding $207M, the school is home to the Information Science Institute and more than 45 other research centers. Its more than 50,000 alumni span the globe. USC Viterbi is also home to the pioneering distance learning program DEN@Viterbi, ranked as the top such program in the nation the last two years. USC Viterbi is the only engineering school in the nation with three top-10 USNWR rankings: Best Graduate Schools, Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs, and Best Online Information Technology Programs. 

ASSOCOHAM Launches Illness to Wellness, a Awareness Programme Aimed at Promoting Healthy Living in Association with SAVLON

Healthy Living

* Programme to promote healthy living with focus on wellness and preventive health through healthy habits, diet, exercise, and holistic health

* Programme kicked off with a webinar titled ‘Illness to Wellness – The Yoga Way’ with discussion on the role of yoga in fighting the COVID-19 health crisis

* Webinar revealed that the Delhi Government has deployed 30 yoga instructors in COVID centres to help the patients; and yoga therapy is being extended to the contact chain like family members, police personnel, medical professionals among others 

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India has started a national health & wellness awareness program called ‘Illness to Wellness’ to promote healthy living and preventive health through holistic measures. 

Supported by the hygiene brand SAVLON, the programme was kicked off with a webinar on the topic “Illness to Wellness – The Yoga Way” which saw leading health and yoga experts and recognized industry leaders deliberate on how Yoga could be the answer for mitigating threats caused by viruses and other ailments like the COVID 19.

A key speaker at the session Dr Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, director, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, revealed that, “we have deployed 30 instructors in COVID centres run by the Delhi government, who would teach patients yoga for three hours in the morning. Additionally, we have undertaken yoga lessons for COVID patients in the neighbouring 11 districts. We received 500 applications from Department of Science & Technology to understand the beneficial aspects of yoga especially for COVID patients and so are working on three projects with renowned yoga institutes to arrive at findings.” The programme is being expanded to cover people who have come in contact with COVID patients like family members, police personnel, medical professionals etc. 

For centuries yoga has proven to be a tool for mental and physical well-being. As the focus on boosting immunity grows due to the widespread adverse health effects caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, the role of this ancient and spiritual practice has become prominent in the journey from illness to wellness. Other eminent speakers emphasised the importance of wellness, not just in challenging times, but in general as a way of life.

While sharing his perspective, Mr Rajiv Chandran, director and office-in-charge, UN Information Centre emphatically stated that United Nations embraced the Yoga and 175 out of 193 countries unanimously agreed to celebrate Yoga as an annual International Day. The COVID–19 pandemic has completely transformed the concept of wellness. Now, wellness is not merely an individual's concern rather a community strategy and is being viewed in a very broader perspective of people's relationship with planet and the society.”

Promoting adoption of correct lifestyle and wellness strategy, (Padma Shri) Guruji Dr. H. R. Nagendra, Chancellor, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana & President, Indian Yoga Association said, “During the present COVID pandemic situations, Yoga – A Way of Life – can bring wellness for people at large. Coronavirus has the potential to infect and affect the human lives, however our immune system is also very strong as WBC (white blood cells) acts a gigantic robust army to defend from many viruses including corona. Stress weakens our immunity system and thus it becomes a victim of virus (corona) attack. He further stated that although one can cure through medicines, vaccinations and other supplements, the solution to strengthen our immunity is Yoga only.” 

Sharing his views, Mr Anil Rajput, Chairman, ASSOCHAM CSR Council said, “COVID pandemic has taught human race the hard lesson that medical science may not have readymade answers to emerging health crises. Therefore, we need to go back to the basics by putting focus on preventive measures and healthy living. Illness to Wellness has been timely conceived to bring the spotlight back on aspects we perhaps know at the back of our mind, but many are not able to practice in the rush of a busy life, such as the importance of healthy diet, exercise, hygienic habits, timely preventive practices among others.”

L&T Technology Reports Q1 FY21 Results Medical and Telecom & Hitech Segments Show Resilience, Announces Acquisition of Orchestra

L&T Technology Services Limited (BSE: 540115, NSE: LTTS), India’s leading pure-play engineering services company, announced its results for the first quarter ended June 30, 2020.

Key financial parameters for Q1FY21:

USD Revenue at $171 million

Revenue at ₹12,947 million; down 4% YoY

EBIT margin at 12.1%

Net profit at ₹1,173 million; down 42% YoY

 

LTTS has executed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% stake in Orchestra Technology, a specialist technology solutions provider for the Telecom industry. Orchestra is based in Texas, USA and will enable LTTS to strengthen its capabilities in network engineering and modernization.

“With many industries operating at limited capacity on account of the pandemic, Q1 was a challenging quarter as expected. Still, we had a good performance in two of our segments - Telecom & Hitech and Medical, and our large deal engine continues to churn wins. Free cash flow generation was strong during the quarter and the healthy cash position sets us up well for the future.  Looking ahead, we see a path for recovery backed by good order bookings and a healthy pipeline. We expect both revenue and operating margin to show sequential improvement over the remaining quarters of the current fiscal.

The acquisition of Orchestra will enhance our offerings in the areas of Network Engineering & Enterprise Mobility and provide us strategic access to Telecom service providers who are investing in next generation digital systems for 5G and IoT networks.

As customers redraw their business plans, we are working with them to improve operating efficiency, finetune sourcing and production plans, and prepare for faster go-to-market.  Our newer set of offerings like Frugal Manufacturing, Telehealth solution and i-BEMS Shield are seeing good traction in the market. The large deal discussions we are having with customers are a notch higher in terms of criticality and adoption of new age technologies, which we believe will pave the way for greater mind share and competitive differentiation”, said Dr. Keshab Panda, CEO & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services Limited.

During the quarter, LTTS won 9 multi-million dollar deals across all major industry segments which includes one deal with TCV of USD30mn plus and two deals with TCV of USD15mn plus. On a YoY basis, LTTS has increased its USD10mn+ clients by 5 and its USD1mn+ clients by 3.

Industry Recognitions:

* TechCircle honored LTTS with the Business Transformation Award in the “New Markets” category to our IT and HR functions jointly for leading digital transformation at LTTS with innovative solutions.

* Enterprise IT magazine conferred LTTS’ IT Team with the “COVID-19 Super Hero Award” for their tireless efforts to help LTTS’ workforce during lockdown.

Patents

At the end of the first quarter, the patents portfolio of L&T Technology Services stood at 525, out of which 385 are co-authored with its customers and the rest are filed by LTTS.

Human Resources

At the end of Q1FY21, LTTS’ employee strength stood at 16,641.

Seagate's ‘Rethink Data’ Report Reveals that 68% of Data Available to Businesses goes Unleveraged

The report also identifies the missing link of data management—DataOps—which can help organizations harness more of their data’s value and lead to better business outcomes.

Seagate Technology plc, a world leader in data storage and management solutions, today released Rethink Data: Put More of Your Data to Work—From Edge to Cloud. The report—based on a survey of 1500 global enterprise leaders, which was commissioned by Seagate and conducted by the research firm IDC—identifies today’s most pressing data management challenges, and solutions to them. It pinpoints the amount of data available to enterprises that goes unused: 68%.

“The report and the survey make clear that winning businesses must have strong mass data operations,” says Seagate CEO Dave Mosley. “The value that a company derives from data directly affects its success.”

The most significant findings include:

Data management is increasingly important as data proliferates. IDC projects that over the next two years enterprise data will grow at a 42.2% annual rate.

Only 32% of data available to enterprises is put to work. The remaining 68% is unleveraged. 

The top five barriers to putting data to work are: 1) making collected data usable, 2) managing the storage of collected data, 3) ensuring that needed data is collected, 4) ensuring the security of collected data, and 5) making the different silos of collected data available.

Managing data in the multicloud and hybrid cloud are top data management challenges expected by businesses over the next two years.

Two thirds of survey respondents report insufficient data security, making data security an essential element of any discussion of efficient data management.

 

The report identifies the missing link of data management: data operations, or DataOps. IDC defines DataOps as “the discipline connecting data creators with data consumers.” While the majority of respondents say that DataOps is “very” or “extremely” important, only 10% of organizations report having implemented DataOps fully. The survey demonstrated that, along with other data management solutions, DataOps leads to measurably better business outcomes. It boosts customer loyalty, revenue, profit, cost savings, plus results in other benefits.

"The findings of this study illustrating that more than two-thirds of available data lies fallow in organizations may seem like disturbing news," said Phil Goodwin, research director, IDC and principal analyst on the study. "But in truth, it shows how much opportunity and potential organizations already have at their fingertips. Organizations that can harness the value of their data wherever it resides—core, cloud or edge—can generate significant competitive advantage in the marketplace."

The survey queried 1500 respondents—500 in the Asia Pacific and Japan region, 475 in Europe, 375 respondents in North America, and 150 in China.

About Seagate Technology

Seagate Technology crafts the datasphere, helping to maximize humanity’s potential by innovating world-class, precision-engineered data management solutions with a focus on sustainable partnerships. Learn more about Seagate by visiting www.seagate.com or following us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and subscribing to our blog.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.

©2020 Seagate Technology LLC. All rights reserved. Seagate, Seagate Technology, and the Spiral logo are registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ZEE Entertainment Brings Back the Acclaimed Content Brand ‘Zindagi’ on ZEE5

Keeping the consumers’ evolving entertainment needs at the fore, Media & Entertainment Powerhouse ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEE) today announced the return of its much-loved content brand Zindagi, on its digital entertainment platform, ZEE5. Zindagi’s shows have been highly appreciated by audiences for its realistic appeal, superlative character portrayals, captivating performances and its ability to satiate the evolving content preferences of the viewers. Catering to this strong level of global consumer demand, Zindagi is returning with a bigger promise to not only offer its rich original content library, but to also create fresh new shows which will be thought provoking, with a bold multicultural narrative. As a premium global content brand, Zindagi has always narrated handpicked real stories that are differentiated, yet universal in its storytelling and appeal, resonating strongly with the consumers globally.

Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Amit Goenka, CEO, ZEE5 Global and International Broadcast Business, ZEE said, “ZEE’s strength has always been in its ability to narrate unique stories, to connect with billions of audiences worldwide, and to offer different genres of content. Zindagi has always been appreciated for its premium content offering and culturally rich stories from across the globe, which are far more attuned to the digital audience sensibilities. Zindagi’s universal content has a very strong appeal, and we are excited to offer this rich & engaging content library to the users of ZEE5, in India and across the world. We also understand that the viewers’ needs are diverse and therefore we have a compelling content catalogue from Zindagi, which encapsulates a

universality of emotions. We stay committed to offering an extraordinary entertainment experience to our consumers across multiple touchpoints, and we are sure that our viewers will once again embrace this widely acclaimed brand on our platform.”

With a promise of ‘Zindagi Mil ke Jiyenge’, the brand reinforces its commitment to live up to its legacy of bringing forth multi-cultural narratives that resonate with the audiences. The brand philosophy is a reflection of its belief that art knows no nation, boundary or religion. Zindagi will offer a myriad mix of shows that are truly global in nature, ranging from family dramas to romance including Shehr-E-Zaat, Aunn Zara, Badi Aapa, Mastana Mahi, Main Abdul Qadir Hun, Noorpur Ki Rani and many other such realistic stories which are customized as per the tastes and preferences of the global audiences. This eclectic mix of curated shows, featuring 1000+ hours of meaningful content, will be available for our global audiences on ZEE5.

Radisson Hotel Group South Asia Enters into Strategic Tie-Up with EazyDiner in Indian Market

Radisson Hotel Group South Asia today announced its partnership with EazyDiner – India’s leading table reservation and food discovery platform. The partnership is a significant step to strengthen the Group’s Food and Beverage (F&B) capabilities in the region. The collaboration will serve all 94 operating hotels of the Group’s portfolio in India and will include table booking and home delivery services.

“We are excited to roll out our association with EazyDiner to usher in a new era of restaurant dining and safe food deliveries with participation across our network. This partnership is a very timely step for us as we innovate our business model to reach more guests. Food and beverage constitutes a critical lever of our strategy and is central to our business recovery and brand building efforts in these critical times,” said Zubin Saxena, Managing Director and Vice President Operations, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group.

Radisson Hotel Group South Asia has devised 20 signature dishes for home delivery. Curated by Chef Rakesh Sethi, a known culinary expert in the Indian F&B industry and presently corporate executive chef for Radisson Hotel Group South Asia, these include items like Paan Kulfi with Gulkand Cake and Supari Cigar, Angaar E Jamun (Chocolate stuffed Gulab Jamun flambeed) and Trio Symphony (Gajar Halwa/Gulab Jamun Terrine/ Kalakand Tart/Kesar Phirni) amongst many others. Guests will be able to order these dishes online along with their favorite cuisines across Radisson Hotel group South Asia’s specialty restaurants through EazyDiner’s EazySafe+ platform that ensures safe takeaways and minimal-contact deliveries.

“Partnering with Radisson Hotel Group, South Asia, is a great value addition for us, and we are delighted to bring their signature dishes to our customers. The Group offers some of the nicest all-day dining restaurants in the country run by top chefs and renowned names like Chef Rakesh Sethi. The EazySafe+ hygiene rating by EazyDiner features these restaurants at the top of the list and we are certain that this collaboration will be mutually rewarding,” said Kapil Chopra, Chairman of the Board, EazyDiner.

Radisson Hotel Group has rolled out Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol, a new program of in-depth cleanliness and disinfection procedures, in partnership with SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. Additionally, exhaustive food safety and hygiene manual and food and beverage protocol guidelines have been laid out for all hotels to ensure safe and secure F&B experience.

This collaboration will provide food lovers an opportunity to discover and book tables at Radisson Hotel Group’s restaurants when they become available for in-person dining while home deliveries can be booked immediately with a simple three-step ordering process and hassle-free online payment.

To order home delivery services across Radisson Hotel Group’s restaurants across India, download the EazyDiner app on your phone and enjoy great offers.

ABOUT RADISSON HOTEL GROUP

Radisson Hotel Group is one of the world's largest hotel groups with seven distinctive hotel brands, and more than 1,400 hotels in operation and under development in 120 countries. Its signature service philosophy is Every Moment Matters.

Radisson Hotel Group portfolio includes Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels.

Radisson Rewards is our global rewards program that delivers unique and personalized ways to create memorable moments that matter to our guests. Radisson Rewards offers exceptional loyalty benefits for our guests, meeting planners, travel agents and business partners.

Radisson Meetings places its guests and their needs at the heart of its offer and treats every meeting or event as more than just a date on the calendar. Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service commitments: Personal, Professional and Memorable, while delivering on the brilliant basics and our signature Yes I Can! service spirit and being uniquely 100% Carbon Neutral.

More than 100,000 team members work at Radisson Hotel Group and at the hotels licensed to operate in its systems.

ABOUT EAZYDINER

Founded in 2015 by a team of experienced hoteliers Rohit Dasgupta, Sachin Pabreja, Ahana Bhutani, Shruti Kaul, Kapil Chopra and Vir Sanghvi, EazyDiner is India’s first online instant restaurant reservation platform.

EazyDiner helps a user find great restaurants and bars, get a guaranteed reservation within 18 seconds and every reservation comes with a deal which enhances the dining experience, whether it is a substantial discount or a glass of wine for every diner. EazyDiner also provides safe & hygienic takeaway & delivery options for its users at restaurants ensuring the safety of its users through the EazySafe+ program.

Diners also have access to and can talk to experienced 24-hour food concierge for personalised recommendations. The EazyDiner Loyalty Program awards points which can be further redeemed for dining vouchers. EazyDiner currently lists over 1.5 lakh restaurants and bars with menus and offers real-time reservations at over 10,000 partner restaurants in 225 cities in India & Dubai. 

Rgyan App Helping Young India To Create a Socio Spiritual Networking Platform

Empathy and compassion can provide healing and solace to our beautiful mind in these turbulent times.

If data of suicides is taken into consideration during the lockdown and Unlock 1.0, because of depression, The mental isolation is proving more dangerous than coronavirus these days. 

Also, some days back, the news of the banning of Tiktok and other 59 chinese apps was in the discussion, but in the meantime, cases of suicides have also increased. It is also being said that people, especially teenagers were being very upset due to the banning of Tik-Tok and because of it, some committed suicide. 

What is this depression actually? Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living.

When the Indian Government banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, many questioned what would happen to those who used TikTok as a platform to share their content and made some money from it? Well, there is an Indian version of the app, “RGYAN”, which unlike its existing social media platforms which produces minimal thoughtful content, it is a “Social Spiritual Networking Platform which helps in creating a community of intellectuals and motivated individuals seeking truths about life”. 

It is a socio-spiritual technology startup founded on the belief of empowerment of participation by creating a spiritual social network. It can also be compared to “Spiritual Instagram with a touch of Quora”. Rgyan promotes thoughtful content on various non-trivial topics necessary to find important truths about life. It expects to do so by facilitating sharing of thoughts on various subjective matters. Amidst social media sites that promote banality and silliness, Rgyan stands out as a platform where meaningful content is shared and discussions are heard. It is available on both web as well as a mobile application on android play store in English and Hindi Languages. 

To use Rgyan, users can log in by creating an account using a registered phone number or explore its services as an anonymous user. The app allows users to express and share their thoughts through pictures, videos, text, GIFs, or as real-time discussions. Content shared on Rgyan is centred around spirituality, health and wellness, motivational quotes and various other pertinent topics. The Rgyan app offers the flexibility of a User Generated Content Model (UGC) with that of curated content available on Divinity, Daily Horoscope, and aggregated news on spiritual and social matters.

Speaking about this Made in India App, Rgyan’s success, Mr. Debjit Patra, Founder and Chairman, Rgyan said “There was a need for such a meaningful social platform where people can get knowledge as well as they can share their thoughts on various meaningful matters which Rgyan is giving right now. Starting back in 2016 with just a vision and now having more than 1 million monthly views on the platform, we have come a long way,  but this is not the limit as we know in the coming time more and more people will love Rgyan ''.

About Rgyan

Rgyan is a  socio spiritual tech startup started in the year end of 2016 with the classification of curated content on Divinity, Daily Horoscope and aggregated News on spiritual and social matters. Slowly it has evolved into a complete Spiritual Social Networking platform through which users can express and share their thoughts/content (Through Pics, Videos, Text, GIF or in a discussion manner) related to spiritual matters, health tips, motivational Quotes and many more meaningful categories.