SEEDS, Honeywell Partner to Provide “6 Lakh Meals in Bengaluru”

* Distribution drive to cover nine cities, provide more than 1 crore meals 

* 3.7 million meals distributed to nearly 12,300 families across five cities in phase 1 

* 7 million meals to be distributed in phase 2, covering nine cities 

* 6.7lakhs meals are being distributed in Marathahalli of Bengaluru supporting over 2000 families 

SEEDS, a leading humanitarian organization, has partnered with Honeywell to distribute food kits that will provide 10.7 million meals across nine cities to people who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. These include daily wagers, contract workers, and migrant population who have been displaced because of the lockdown.

While phase-1 of the distribution drive provided around 3.7 million meals across five cities, in phase-2, this partnership aims to provide an additional 7 million meals across nine cities: Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru, Pune, Madurai, Haridwar, Dehradun, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Cumulatively, this multi-city outreach will cover 1.78 lakh people.  

At the beginning of the countrywide lockdown, there was a huge outpouring of support for the displaced and marginalized. These efforts have come down significantly since the country began to restart and reopen. However, there are large swathes of population – especially among migrant workers – that continue to suffer from job losses and depleted savings.  

Yezdani Rahman, Chief of Program, SEEDS said, “We at SEEDS are committed to reach out to those in need, in the face of covid-19 pandemic since the very beginning. With the crisis still looming large, the challenge to sustain lives continues to prevail and we remain strong with people fighting against it. Through our second phase of ration distribution with support from Honeywell, we aim to reach out to more number of families in respective regions than in the first phase.” 

Each food kit comprises rice, wheat flour, sugar, pulses, cooking oil, and salt. 

The distribution drive will be conducted in the presence of Mr. Ramakrishnan Parasuraman, Director Engineering, Aerospace, Honeywell Technology Solutions Limited (HTSL), Mr. Ram Ganapathy, Director Finance, HTSL in Marathahalli. 

Anita K, Sub-Inspector, Marathahalli said, “Due to the nationwide lockdown, a large section of migrant population have lost their jobs. Although we have embarked on the unlocking process, these communities are still finding it difficult to make their ends meet with meager savings. Honeywell and their NGO partner, SEEDS, are doing commendable work by addressing some of their integral needs. We would like to urge more organizations to come forward at these dark hours to help the affected families return back to normalcy.” 

Mr. Ramakrishnan Parasuraman, Director Engineering, Aerospace, Honeywell Technology Solutions Limited (HTSL) said, “As responsible corporate citizens, we are committed to reaching out to the most vulnerable with assistance during this critical time. We are taking all the necessary precautions and ensuring safe distancing while conducting the ration distribution. Through this initiative, we would like to extend our support to the communities impacted due to loss of livelihood owing to nationwide lockdown.” 

Over the coming weeks, SEEDS will engage with social volunteers and government officials to undertake the distribution drive.

About SEEDS: 

SEEDS (Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society) is a not-for-profit organisation that enables community resilience through practical solutions in the areas of disaster readiness, response and rehabilitation. Since 1994, the organization has worked extensively on every major disaster in the Indian subcontinent – grafting innovative technology on to traditional wisdom. It has reached out to families affected by disasters and climate stresses; strengthened and rebuilt schools and homes; and has invariably put its faith in skill-building, planning and communications to foster long-term resilience. SEEDS is also India’s first agency to be certified for the global Core Humanitarian Standards – an international certification system for quality and accountability in humanitarian response. SEEDS completed 25 years of outstanding service to humanity in 2019 and is re-anchoring its approach to building resilience through innovation. It continues to empower the most vulnerable across Asia to build a better future. 

Your Money is Completely Safe with Paytm, and You Can Continue to Enjoy Wallet, Banking & UPI Services

Paytm, India's homegrown financial services platform has assured its users that their money and accounts are completely safe and there is no disruption in the services. "All your money is completely safe, and you can continue to enjoy your Paytm app as normal," the company tweeted from its official handle to assure millions of its users. The company has also assured its wallet, banking, gold and UPI services are safe, secure and operational.  

In an arbitrary move on Friday, Goggle had temporarily removed Paytm app from its Playstore for promoting UPI cashback & scratch cards. Paytm had launched ‘Paytm Cricket League’ on its app for users to engage in their passion of cricket and get cashback. The game allowed users to get player stickers after each transaction, collect them and receive Paytm Cashback. Google had unlisted Paytm from Playstore, claiming that this cashback offer is a violation of their policy. 

However, Paytm said that giving cashbacks is a standard industry practice followed by all players, including Google Pay. The US-based tech giant has doled out millions in cashback to gain market share in India. The Noida headquartered Paytm is the country's largest payments app and competes with Google Pay. 

This step has rallied massive support for Paytm against the unfair step by Google to thwart its competition. Several industry insiders, experts & journalists called out Google’s malafide intention and said that as a country India should not beholden to such tech giants. 

7 Workout Accessories to Help You Achieve Your Fitness Goals at Home

With the outbreak of COVID-19, and the subsequent shutdown of most public spaces, including gyms, staying fit became a challenge. However, with the right motivation, and determination, we think this time at home provides the perfect opportunity for you to focus on your health and fitness, and achieve the body goals you always desired. What’s more, is that working out will help you feel happy and ensure your mind stays healthy. To help you get started with a home fitness routine, here’s a list of workout accessories you must have. 

1. Syska SW100 Smart Watch 

To help you monitor your health and track your fitness regimen, the Syska SW100 is your go-to buddy. The smartwatch is equipped with features that monitor your sleep cycle, and calorie intake, track your step count, and heart rate, and keep a tab on yoga sessions, to give you a holistic overview of your health, so you can focus on areas of improvement. The Syska SW 100 smartwatch is available on Flipkart at a discounted price of Rs 2,499.

2. Goldmedal Electricals i-Sense FM-Bluetooth Music Player (3M)

i-Sense FM-Bluetooth Music Player (3M)

Almost everyone who works out will attest to the fact that the right music sets the tone for the session. Goldmedal’s i-Sense FM-Bluetooth Player (3M) is a one-of-a-kind product that is stylish yet compact, and can be installed directly into a flush box with any Goldmedal modular plate. The i-sense FM-Bluetooth player not only allows you to listen to the radio or music from any Bluetooth-enabled MP3 device, but also has an additional line output that allows connection to Hi-Fi or multi-room systems. It is also equipped with an in-built stereo amplifier that enables direct speaker connection, as well as has a 3.5mm port for multiple listening options while working out.

3. Strauss Skipping Rope

According to experts, skipping is a better alternative to running, as a part of fitness routines. A 15 minute session can burn up to 300 calories which is much more than other continuous cardio exercises, or riding a bike. The Strauss skipping rope is a light weight 3 meter solid PVC rope with a strong plastic handle and is perfect for beginners. The skipping rope is available on Amazon for Rs 199.

4. Victory Neo - Gym & Fitness Glove 

Wearing gloves is crucial while working out. Gloves protect your hands from any kind of injury, swelling, pain, inflammation, absorbs sweat, and provides odour protection. The Victory Neo gloves shield your fingers from the stress caused while lifting heavy weights or doing anything strenuous. If you’re worried about the fit, you needn’t be. These can be adjusted according to the size of your hand and are padded with foam to improve the grip and comfort. The gloves are available on Amazon for Rs 199.

5. Nodens Gym Ball

Working out using a gym ball can help enhance your flexibility. Gym balls stimulate muscle stability, and help tone your body. This gym ball from Nodens is made with user friendly PVC and is an anti-burst ball. It weights 2000lbs and is perfect even for rigorous workouts. The gym ball is available on Amazon at a discounted price of Rs. 1,402.

6. Signatron Extra Thick Yoga Mat

The benefits of using a yoga mat while working out are multifold. Not only does it provide you with a non-slip comfortable surface, but it also provides thermo-insulation between the body and the ground. This Signatron extra thick yoga mat is 10 mm thick, slip-proof and waterproof. It also comes with an attached carry strap, making it convenient to carry wherever you choose to work out. The yoga mat is available on Amazon at a discounted price of Rs. 1,099.

7. Diva And Diya Exercise Bands 

You don't need a gym and heavy equipment to reach your fitness goals. These exercise bands are a great alternative to machines. Besides helping in injury rehabilitation and toning of your body shaping, they are also ideal for assisting in workouts such as P90x, CrossFit, Yoga, Insanity, Pilates, Hot Yoga, and more. The Diva and Diya exercise bands are available in packs of five, and are high-quality resistant bands which do not lose their elasticity, even after frequent practice. The bands are available on Amazon at a discounted price of Rs. 799.

One Year ZEE5 Premium Subscription for Vi Customers with INR 405 Recharge

* For INR 405, Vi customers can now enjoy a ONE YEAR ZEE5 PREMIUM membership PLUS  90 GB data and unlimited voice calling for 28 days

* Activate and get access to the best in class originals, shows, movies across 12 languages

The newest telecom brand Vi, today rolled out a very exciting proposition for its prepaid customers that will enable them to enjoy ONE year of ZEE5 premium membership at no additional cost. The offer is applicable on select data plans starting from INR 405 and will provide Vi customers access to ZEE5’s premium bespoke content in 12 languages across originals, shows and blockbuster movies.  

Inviting all mobile customers with discerning entertainment choices to avail of this attractive offer, Avneesh Khosla- Marketing Director, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “Content consumption has seen an explosion as  consumers today are spending 25%-30% more time (over 3 hours per day) watching  varied content on their devices. ZEE5 as a leading OTT platform has a rich and diverse content repertoire which appeals to a wide cross section of society. Their large library of movies and original shows in Hindi and other regional languages makes them an ideal partner as it helps us appeal to a large cross section of the smartphone population in this country that is seeking to do more with their mobile devices. With the new INR 405 ZEE5 Recharge pack that we are launching - we are providing the consumer the best of both worlds – access to the   best entertainment on ZEE 5 for one year coupled with huge telco benefits – an unbeatable combination that delivers great value to consumers.”

The annual ZEE5 membership is available with Vi data plans with recharge value of INR 355, INR 405, INR 595, INR 795 and INR 2595.

Speaking on the collaboration, Rahul Maroli, Senior Vice President and Head SVOD, ZEE5 India said, “ZEE5 and Vi are classic consumer first brands, and this collaboration exemplifies this core DNA that these brands have been built on, by bundling the best of entertainment offering for the ever-evolving digital consumers of India and Bharat. As part of this unique offering, Vi users will get one-year access to the premium bespoke content that ZEE5 has on offer across 12 languages with the 5 Vi prepaid recharge packs. This partnership is of many firsts and it aims to provide a superior content watching experience to the Vi users at their convenience.”

How to activate

Note: The ZEE5 activation can be done only once by the customer. Once activated, even on subsequent purchase of the bundled packs the customer will see the message that he/she has already activated ZEE5 earlier.

With a free ZEE5 premium membership, Vi customers can binge watch critically acclaimed original series such as Abhay, The Forbidden Love, Lal Bazaar, Rangbaaz, Never Kiss Your Best Friend, CodeM, State of Siege, The Final Call and the best of AltBalaji shows library.. besides a choice of original movies in Hindi, such as Yaara, Omerta, London Confidential, Chintu ka Birthday, Pareeksha, Mee Raqsam, Uri to name a few. For the benefit of non-Hindi speaking users, there is an extensive library of movies and shows in 11 other languages including Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali and Gujarati.

Vi is committed to help every Indian move ahead in life, for a better today and a brighter tomorrow. It is for the new age and for the connected ecosystem. Vi is future ready and is committed to dynamically serve and enable a digital society to progress in life. In the months to come Vi will continuously unpack exciting possibilities for its customers.

Over 370 Students Studying LIVE Online on Vedantu Achieve 99+ Percentile in JEE Mains

Vedantu, India`s leading LIVE online tutoring company today announced that over 370 learners on its platform have secured 99+ percentile in JEE Mains. Over 1300 students learning from home on Vedantu’s platform scored 90+ percentile studying LIVE from their respective homes.

Over 2,50,000 students from across India geared up and prepared for JEE Mains 2020 on Vedantu’s platform to make their dreams a reality. From accessing LIVE classes with Master Teachers, study material, tests & assignments to LIVE doubt solving students have been able to continue learning from the safety of their homes. In the last academic year, students attended over 5 million hours of classes with high-level doubts that were answered instantly. 

Vedantu’s vision is to make the best quality education accessible to everyone and it is committed to helping students experience uninterrupted learning. With the efforts of Vedantu's Master Teachers, this year, 1 out of 4 Vedantu's full-year course students qualified for JEE - Advanced.

"We congratulate all the successful students who cracked JEE Mains and secured 90+ percentile. JEE Mains is one of the toughest competitive exams and we have made great strides over the years by providing curated Live online education that helped many JEE aspirants to achieve their dream. This is a result of their hard work and perseverance for all the students and our master teachers." said, Anand Prakash, Academic Head - Vedantu.

About Vedantu: 

Vedantu is a LIVE interactive online learning platform for students. It offers individual and group classes delivered by experienced teachers in a LIVE real-time, virtual learning environment. Students also access content, take assessments and get their learning reports on the platform. 150,000 students study LIVE every month on the platform and more than 25 Million users every month from 1000+ cities and 40+ countries access free content, tests, doubts, videos on Vedantu’s platform and its channels on YouTube. To know more about Vedantu log on to https://www.vedantu.com or download the Application on your Android or iOS device.

Honda Cars India Organises Body & Paint Service Camp at all Dealerships Across India

Honda Cars India Ltd., leading manufacturer of premium cars in India today announced a ‘Body & Paint Service Camp’ for its esteemed customers giving them a chance to give their Honda cars the same look they once fell for. This customer-centric initiative will start from 14th September 2020 and will continue till 26th September 2020 at all authorized Honda service outlets across India.

The 13-day Body & Paint Service Camp will offer multiple benefits to Honda customers including attractive offers on customer paid Body and Paint Repair in terms of labour and select parts like Bumpers, Windshield and Side Mirror; Interior Enrichment, Paint Treatment & Beautification and Overall car sanitization. Customers will be offered free services like Top Wash and Body & Paint evaluation and additional Battery Buy Back offer during this camp.

Talking about the initiative, Mr. Rajesh Goel, Senior Vice President and Director, Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd. said, “Staying true to our commitment of providing Joy of buying and superior ownership experience to our customers, all Honda dealers across India are organizing this Body & Paint Service camp for their cars. This camp will help them to maintain their cars and renew their appearance after the lockdown period. We appeal our customers to avail the benefits offered during the camp and treat your loved vehicles with a makeover.”

Customers are advised to book the service appointment before visiting the dealerships through Honda Cars India website, Honda Connect app or by directly contacting the dealership.

As part of COVID-19 safety protocol, HCIL dealerships and workshops are adhering to all safety measures and guidelines along with social distancing protocols to provide the services to the customers safely.

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.

Ather Energy Adds Kozhikode to Phase 1 of Expansion List Across India

While Ather Energy, one of India’s first smart electric two wheeler makers had announced the launch of the Ather 450X in 10 cities earlier this year, they are all set to add a new market to the list - Kozhikode. The pre-orders, dealership requests, and also the volume of requests for test rides has led Ather Energy to include the new market  in Phase 1 of their expansion. By the end of the Q1 of 2021, Ather 450X will be on the roads of 11 cities - Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kochi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Kozhikode.

Ather Energy has already begun identifying partners (malls, coffee shops, restaurants, tech parks, and offices) to set up their fast charging public network - Ather Grid. A popular cafe chain has already signed up to host Ather Grid at two of its outlets in Kozhikode. Ather Energy plans to set up 10-15 fast charging points in every city in Phase 1 before they begin the deliveries of the scooters.  Ather Energy has already installed 52 Ather Grid points in Bengaluru and Chennai, which can be used by other electric four wheelers and two wheelers as well.

Ather 450X deliveries begin in November 2020 across the country.

About Ather Energy,

Ather Energy, one of India’s first intelligent electric vehicle manufacturers was founded in 2013 by IIT Madras alumni, Tarun Mehta, and Swapnil Jain. It is backed by the founders of Flipkart -Sachin Bansal & Binny Bansal- Hero Motocorp and Tiger Global. Ather Energy launched India’s first truly intelligent, electric scooter - Ather 450 in 2018, followed by their new flagship offering Ather 450X in 2020. Ather has also installed a comprehensive public charging network, Ather Grid, designed and built in India. With 38 charging points in Bengaluru and 14 charging points in Chennai, Ather Grid is one of the largest fast-charging networks for electric vehicles in the country. The company’s product line has won 30 awards in design, automotive and technology categories. With over 60 Indian and international patent applications, 109 trademarks and 118 Indian and International design registrations to its name, Ather Energy aims to provide consumers with the best possible ownership experience. Ather Energy currently operates in Bengaluru and Chennai and in 2020 will expand to 9 more cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune & Hyderabad.

Meitra Hospital Introduces Comprehensive Treatment for All Types of Blood Cancers

Kozhikode headquartered Meitra Hospital unveiled a top-notch blood cancer treatment facility under the leadership and expertise of Dr. Ragesh R. Nair, a respected and well recognized personality in the field. This marks the upgrade of the existing setup to the Department of Hematology, Haemato-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant, which is set to provide state-of-the-art treatment for blood cancers like Myeloma, Lymphoma, Leukemia and other blood disorders. The department will infuse world-class treatment with evidence-based care protocols under the supervision of highly trained and accomplished experts. 

The services being offered now include chemo-immunotherapy and Allogenic/Autologous bone marrow transplant (BMT) in addition to BMT for Sickle Cell and Thalassemia conditions amongst others.

“We welcome Dr. Ragesh R Nair as the director of the department. His inclusion will let Meitra Hospital give focused attention to the treatment of blood cancers and bring in the much needed expertise to battle these life threatening conditions. The department with its team of dedicated doctors, nurses, physical therapists, nutritionists and counsellor ensure the delivery of the care mandates that are at par with global standards”, said Dr. P. Mohanakrishnan, CEO, Meitra Hospital. 

Dr.  Ragesh R. Nair gained his MD in Internal Medicine and DM in Clinical Haematology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi and is  a globally published author He is adept at performing adult and pediatric bone marrow transplants for not just malignant blood disorders such as a range of blood cancers, but also for non-malignant blood disorders such asaplastic anemia, sickle cell disease, thalassemia as well as for germ cell tumor, cases of multiple sclerosis, selected cases of systemic sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases.

“Kerala is placed as the cancer capital of India with the highest incidence of cancer prevalence. For every 100000 persons a little over 135 people have cancer in Kerala as against 105 nationally according to a studypublished in The Lancet Oncology, a few years back.  The same study ranks Leukemia amongst top eight types of cancers with more men showing incidence of leukemia than women. It also urges private sector to play a vital role in stemming this unmet need for better care and treatment facility. Meitra Hospital with this newly energized set up is all poised to play a vital role in delivering highest quality care for a wide array of blood cancers.”  said Dr. Ragesh R Nair.

Meitra hospital with its advanced facility is set to offer superior treatment for not just malignant blood cancers but also non malignant conditions requiring bone marrow transplants. There are three common types of BMT currently being performed globally. These are autologous transplant which uses your own blood-forming cells, allogeneic transplant which use blood-forming cells donated by someone else and haploidentical transplant – a type of allogeneic transplant. 

MPL Launches Rs 99 Ticket Campaign with Manoj Bajpai and Prakash Raj Ahead of IPL

Mobile Premier League (MPL), India’s largest esports and mobile gaming platform, has released its Rs 99 Ticket ad campaign ahead of the IPL, featuring renowned actors Manoj Bajpai and Prakash Raj. The ad will run on TV as well as digital mediums during the IPL starting today.

The ads are similar and while Manoj Bajpai’s ad will target the Hindi-speaking markets, Prakash Raj’s version, in multiple southern languages, will target the South Indian markets.

The ad was conceptualised and executed end-to-end by MPL’s creative team. It features Bajpai and Prakash playing themselves and seeks to educate users on MPL’s latest feature, the Rs 99 Ticket, which lets its users play unlimited Fantasy Cricket contests on the app throughout the course of the T20 Cricket season. The ad will run on the Star Sports network during the IPL. 

“The concept was to communicate the unique features of the Rs 99 Ticket in a simple yet impactful manner, and Manoj Bajpai and Prakash Raj fit the bill perfectly. We felt the proposition is unique for our users, with a single pass enabling them to play Fantasy for free all season long, and the ad carries that message with some tongue-in-cheek humour,” said Abhishek Madhavan, Senior Vice President, Growth and Marketing, MPL.

Here is the link for the ad -

Prakash Raj ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7KrjBcYPH8

About Mobile Premier League (MPL)

Founded in 2018, MPL is India’s largest Esports and mobile gaming platform. It has grown to over 60 plus games and 6 crore users, including titles like World Cricket Championship. MPL also has multiple gaming studios and developers as partners to publish their games on its platform. MPL’s app is available on both Android and iOS. The company was founded by Sai Srinivas and Shubh Malhotra, who earlier co-founded Creo, a Mobile Phone startup that was acquired. MPL is currently present in India and Indonesia, with offices in Bengaluru, Jakarta, and Pune, and with a personnel strength of over 300 employees.

VMSIIHE Commences Academic Year with Online Classes in India

V. M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE) has commenced its academic year with online classes this month. Students of the leading institute are now able to attend classes digitally from the safety of their homes through the online mode. In such challenging times, teachers and students of VMSIIHE are adapting to the new normal. 

Food Production Operations, taught by Chef Sujatha Madhavan required a little more challenge. While Chef Sujatha explained the details of the pre-sent regional recipes during the step-by-step cooking process, Chef Sebastian Breitinger, assisted her with the camera angles to give the best visuals for students. Q & A were taken up at the end of the session and during cooking time when the dishes were kept to simmer. As the Chef shared tips and substitute ingredient information, she also checked on students and their dishes through visuals, to ensure her instructions were being followed.  

Along with the online cases, a fun activity was initiated by the members of the Gavel’s club along with the teacher-in-charge, Nelissa Andrea Alcasoas, Assistant Professor of General Management, using Zoom meet as a platform for interaction. They organized a Gavel’s club virtual meeting along with the members of the Ana Fonte Toastmasters Club on Saturday, September 5, 2020. The activity included enthusiastic table topics session where each student had to speak for 1-2 minutes on the given table topic.  

Faculty members are curating classes from the institute’s spacious classrooms some of which have been temporarily converted into studios and equipped with the technology required to conduct online classes through Microsoft Teams platform. Faculty members have access to the studios as per their convenience. Course material, assignments and submissions are shared by faculty members and students alike, through the online medium. 

On the commencement of the online classes in the wake of the pandemic, Prof. Irfan Mirza, Director/Principal, VMSIIHE remarked “We are living in unusual times which calls for unusual measures. We have been gearing up for in the past few weeks conducting training sessions with faculty and adopting practices which allow us to adapt to this new normal in education. We look forward to resume classroom-based learning once the restrictions are lifted.” 

Sterling and Wilson Solar Ltd Wins “Fifth Project”, Signs Order of 106.71 MW, Worth USD62.6 Mn in Chile

Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited (BSE Scrip Code: 542760; NSE Symbol: SWSOLAR), today announced that it has signed an order of 106.71 MW worth USD 62.6 million (~INR 462 crores) in Chile. The order has been received from a global independent power producer (IPP), work for which is expected to begin in Q4 FY 2021.  

Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited, one of the leading solar EPC and O&M players in the world, already has a strong presence in the region with one project of 93.3 MW in Argentina and three projects of 588 MW under construction in Chile. 

Speaking on the project win, Mr. Bikesh Ogra – Director and Global CEO, Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited said, “We are excited to win our fifth project in Latin America. Our continuous focus in the market has reaped rich benefits with these prestigious project wins. We have established ourselves in Latin America with a cumulative order book of around USD 488 million (~INR 3,558 crores), making us amongst the leading players in the region.  

Commenting on the Chilean market, Mr. Ogra added, “Chile is one of Latin America’s fastest-growing economies in recent decades thanks to its solid macroeconomic framework. This coupled with a global race to energy transition enables increasing participation of foreign companies in the Chilean renewable energy market making it one of the key focus regions for us.” 

Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited has been executing projects globally and has to its credit more than 10.5 GW of solar power projects (commissioned and under various stages of construction) in various geographies. This portfolio includes a 1,177 MW Solar PV plant in Abu Dhabi - the world’s largest single-site solar plant. The Company also manages a portfolio of 7.8 GW of O&M projects globally, a testament to its best-in-class services. 

About Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited 

Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited, a Shapoorji Pallonji group company, is a global pure-play, end-to-end solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) solutions provider. The Company provides EPC services for utility-scale, rooftop and floating solar power projects with a focus on project design and engineering and manage all aspects of project execution from conceptualizing to commissioning. The Company also provides operations and maintenance (O&M) services, including for projects constructed by third parties and offers solar plus storage solutions to its customers. Present in 25 countries today, Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited has operations in India, South-East Asia, Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australia. 

Corning Globally Celebrates 50 Years of Low-Loss OFC Innovation

Corning today joined the optical communications industry in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the company’s world-changing invention of low-loss optical fiber. The breakthrough material, each strand thinner than a human hair, made possible today’s ever-faster telecommunications networks that link neighborhoods, connect cities, and bridge continents.

“Our invention of low-loss optical fiber ushered in a communications revolution,” said Wendell P. Weeks, chairman, and chief executive officer. “Fifty years ago, few could have imagined the impact of optical fiber on our world today, but that’s what we do at Corning – we create innovations that transform industries, enhance people’s lives, and continue to unleash significant new capabilities.”

Over the past 50 years, that groundbreaking invention has enabled the development of new technologies in data communications, video streaming, cloud computing, and more that enable the connected lifestyle the world is accustomed to today. 

Today, more than ever, people seek to be connected, whether it's with family members in another region, global customers, or massive audiences on social networks. So, to celebrate the birthday of the invention that enables us to FaceTime, text, and connect to the Web – all while on the go -- Corning is taking a moment to reflect on how fiber became a reality.

Corning scientists Drs. Robert Maurer, Donald Keck, and Peter Schultz were brought together more than 50 years ago to develop a highly pure optical glass that could effectively transmit light signals over long distances – a feat that had never been achieved.

In the mid-1960s, it became clear to researchers at the company and to the larger telecommunications industry that the existing copper wire infrastructure used to transfer data and voice would not have enough bandwidth for the projected traffic of the future.

During this time period, members of the British Post Office came to Corning seeking assistance in creating pure glass fiber optics. Their design required a single-mode fiber having a total attenuation – or signal loss -- of about 20 decibels per kilometer.

The very best bulk optical glasses of the day had attenuations of around 1,000 dB/km. This meant the scientists had to see an improvement in transparency of 1098 in order to reach the 20 dB/km goal.

The task seemed impossible, but their successful technological breakthrough forever changed the world.

"This invention started a communications revolution. Corning Optical Communications proudly continues that legacy today." said Michael Bell, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Optical Communications

Dr. Keck recalled the breakthrough, saying: "I knew something was very, very special and unique about this fiber… I hastily measured the results. It was a very short piece of fiber; we thought we got a very good measurement. I recorded in the databook: '17 dB/km, whoopee;' We've met our goal." 

Since that moment on Aug. 7, 1970, Corning has delivered over a billion fiber kilometers and operates several optical fiber plants globally. And even more impressively, this single invention led to what is today Corning's largest business segment – Optical Communications – in which applications such as fiber to the home, indoor wireless technology, and hyperscale data centers are served. 5G accessibility, the cloud, and almost any connection people make today on electronic devices ties back to that moment of discovery.

As they toiled in their lab that summer in 1970, Drs. Maurer, Keck, and Schultz could not have imagined what their discovery would make possible 50 years later. In that same way, today's Optical Communications team that invents, manufactures, and sells Corning's industry-leading fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions can scarcely imagine what this landmark discovery will make possible in the next 50 years. 

Corning invites you to join in the celebration and visit http://www.corning.com/50YearsOfFiber and follow #50YearsofFiber on social media.

Tata Nexon Becomes the First Indian Car to be Published on International Dismantling Information System

India’s foremost home grown auto manufacturer Tata Motors today announced that the Tata Nexon, its popular compact SUV, has become the first Indian car to be published on the prestigious International Dismantling Information System (IDIS) platform for End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV). With this achievement, Tata Motors reiterates its holistic commitment towards making the entire life cycle of its products sustainable i.e. from the development of ultra-low/zero emission vehicles to responsible dismantling and recycling of the vehicle at the final ELV stage. 

This milestone on the Nexon, signifies the increasing commitment of Tata Motors to “End of Life” across its range of vehicles and the beginning of sustained declaration of dismantling procedures across its entire range of vehicles that are complex with increasing technological content, though over the years commercial vehicles have achieved good levels of recyclability where dismantling procedures are better understood. 

IDIS, which is a central repository of ‘Manufacturer Compiled Information’, is used by 25+ global manufacturers from over 40 countries across Europe and Asia and Tata Nexon is the first Indian car to join this elite group. Tata Motors will provide all relevant information for responsible vehicle handling, starting with information about draining automotive fluids, the neutralization of airbags and seat belt tensioners and all the way up to the dismantling of components containing particularly hazardous substances. This will now enable the Indian Authorised Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (AVSF) to undertake environmentally safe dismantling practices recommended by Tata Motors and implement them to work towards a cleaner environment.

The publishing of the Tata Nexon ELV process on IDIS also complements the government’s initiative towards Vehicle scrappage policy & Automotive Industry Standards (AIS 129), contributing to the protection, preservation and improvement of the quality of the environment and energy conservation.

Speaking about this milestone, Mr. Rajendra Petkar, President & CTO, Tata Motors, said “At Tata Motors, our commitment to following sustainable practices is absolute. Accordingly, all our products are designed from the inception stage itself with high levels of recyclability potential to minimise material waste. Use of hazardous substances is restricted to bare minimal while manufacturing and now with a defined process to manage ELV, we are laying down the path for responsible dismantling and recycling at the vehicle’s end of life stage. We are hopeful that such pioneering initiatives will encourage all auto industry stakeholders as well as customers to consciously consider sustainability and environment safety in their decision making process while building and purchasing vehicles.” 

Tata Motors has a rich legacy of adopting sustainable business practices. It established a proprietary International Material Data System (IMDS) where all suppliers mandatorily declare details of the material used for manufacturing vehicle components. It also releases design and system standards for recyclability and maintaining control over the usage of hazardous substances & material marking as part of Performance Attribute Targets (PAT) of Environment Management. Tata Motors remains committed to design vehicles that are environmentally green & sustainable, during its active life as well as after its end-of-life.

Tata Trusts’ Antaran Unearths Handlooms from Hidden Clusters this Festive Season

Antaran, an initiative of Tata Trusts, has curated an exclusive new collection of handloom products made by select Artisan Entrepreneurs nurtured under the initiative. This collection, intended for the coming festive season is available through the platform, www.antaranartisanconnect.in. The participating artisans are from six hidden and lesser-known clusters of India with a rich history of cultural weaves and local handwoven textiles.

More than 2000 textile pieces handwoven in an array of colours and designs representing six diverse heritage weave techniques are being featured on the platform as a part of its inaugural Artisan-led Design collection. Products in this new collection range from sarees, stoles, dupattas & fabrics (for men & women) and home furnishings such as cushion covers, table runners and placemats in cotton and varieties of silk such as Eri, Muga and Tussar. Key features of the textiles are natural fibres, ecofriendly or natural dyes, blends of handspun, mill spun yarns handwoven to create beautiful masterpieces with a design focus.

Antaran’s community initiatives run across four states and six clusters of Assam (Kamrup and Nalbari), Nagaland (Dimapur), Odisha (Gopalpur and Maniabandha) and Andhra Pradesh (Venkatgiri).

Through this platform, Antaran promotes exquisite textiles of lesser known handloom regions in India. Visitors to the site are able to directly access a wide variety of high quality, local, environmentally and socially conscious products from skilled artisans; while trade buyers and designers are able to establish long-term business relationships with them with facilitation support from a team of professionals as part of the initiative

Speaking about the latest collection, Mr Sharda Gautam, Head of Crafts – Tata Trusts, said, “In these challenging times, small craft producers are possibly amongst the worst hit. However, it is encouraging to see 600 artisans, linked to 70 microenterprises, maintaining their creative spirits, as they design and develop beautiful textiles for the coming festive season, with the hope to spark joy and keep their craft alive. This one-of-a-kind collection encapsulates the artistry and skill of the weavers while offering consumers the rare opportunity of direct interaction at a fair and transparent price point”.

The platform which was set up to support Artisan Entrepreneurs by selling their stock at the start of the Lockdown, proved to be a huge success in its first phase. It attracted patrons from across India and abroad as far as The US, Canada, The UK and Singapore. The unique offering of personal contact with these artisans made for an altogether unique buying experience.  Allowing customers, a rare firsthand view of the industry, the true charm of handwoven textiles and the lives of our artisan entrepreneurs.

Yahoo Cricket Reaches Audience of Cricket Fans with PhonePe Partnership

Yahoo Cricket, a one-stop destination for cricket fans, has partnered with PhonePe, India’s leading digital payments platform to exclusively power the content for PhonePe’s cricket hub ‘Switch Gully’ through the cricket season ahead. Users of PhonePe can now catch all the live action while they transact, with live scores, real-time cricket news updates, and ball-by-ball commentary from Yahoo Cricket on ‘Switch Gully,’ available on the PhonePe homepage.

With many more Indians turning to digital payments for their utilities and purchases online since the pandemic, cricket fans in the new normal can now track what’s happening on the field while they continue to transact on PhonePe. Yahoo Cricket will be available on PhonePe Switch even after the completion of the upcoming Premier League.

“This partnership uniquely positions Yahoo Cricket to deliver the latest scores, useful content and an interactive experience to many more cricket fans at scale. PhonePe’s vast, diverse user base and phenomenal reach will enable fans across the country to enjoy updates of the latest cricketing action from the league with Yahoo Cricket. For fans, this partnership creates a seamless way to connect to their passion, without pausing what they need to get done on PhonePe,” said Nikhil Rungta, India Country Manager, Verizon Media.

Commenting on the partnership, Rituraj Rautela, Head of PhonePe Switch said, “We are excited to have Yahoo Cricket as a partner onboard PhonePe Switch. Yahoo Cricket will also be an important offering for our users on ‘Switch Gully’, our dedicated hub for cricket this season, where we have partnered with multiple brands for a variety of services across food, gaming and shopping. With this partnership, our 230 million users can now catch all the live cricketing action on the PhonePe app itself. With over 220 partners on PhonePe Switch currently, our effort has been to build a comprehensive ecosystem offering users a  convenient way to engage with multiple apps without downloading them individually. In doing so, we also enable faster customer acquisition at lower costs and drive higher engagement for our partners." 

New fan experience for the new normal

Yahoo Cricket has also upgraded its mobile app experience for fans, making sure the excitement is ‘always on’ and more interactive! Now with a reduced app size, fans can stay updated with live cricket scores, intensive ball-by-ball commentary and all the cricket news as it happens, besides enjoying the game with a slew of brand new, innovative features:

Uninterrupted experience:

Keep track of live scores via ‘Sticky’ Scorecard: Following a nail-biting match when you suddenly need to check another app on your phone? Now you won't miss a minute with Yahoo Cricket’s new, unique “Sticky Scoreboard”. Available for Android users, this innovative feature allows you to continue to track live scores via the Yahoo Cricket app while using other apps on the phone.

Fast-track to Fantasy research

If you’re a Fantasy Cricket fan who wants an unfair advantage, Yahoo Cricket has you sorted with its comprehensive ‘Fantasy Research’ section. Loaded with stats related to players and teams, it has the ultimate data fans need by match and player, so they can create their best team yet.

Interactive, fan-centric features

Even if you can’t be in the stadium this year, Yahoo Cricket draws you into the game, making it easier, more fun, and bringing fans together to enjoy matches:

Real-time polls and quizzes: Yahoo Cricket has match-specific polls integrated within the commentary. Fans can also dive into daily cricket quizzes.

Bringing users into the conversation: Manually curated user comments are incorporated in the ball by ball commentary -- no social distancing required to join the discussion!

NGO, Government, Donors Partner for Happiness Kit for Healthy India

* The Akshaya Patra Foundation, in partnership with State Governments and philanthropist donors, announce the launch of the “HAPPINESS KIT”,

* Aims to distribute 1,00,000 multi-utility kits by the end of September 2020, to the government school children till their schools re-open

When a nation’s staggering 115 million children are at risk of malnutrition it is time for society to acknowledge that a catastrophic situation is brewing. As the world’s largest school lunch programme run by The Akshaya Patra Foundation, was disrupted and families were pushed into poverty by the coronavirus pandemic, realization dawned that children from marginalised groups were headed towards triple ills of hunger, malnutrition, and starvation. With the aim to mitigate childhood hunger through the pandemic, The Foundation announced the launch of the Happiness Kit to support children from vulnerable communities and their families.

Happiness Kit comprises food items that provide essential nutrients for daily consumption leading to the health, growth, and development of a child. The pulses, spices, peanuts, jaggery, biscuits and other food items in the Kit, are to supplement and enhance the nutritional intake of children and their families, above and beyond the set allocation of grains by Central & State Governments and MHRD. The kit also includes a soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and sanitary pads to promote hygiene in children. To exercise their cognitive abilities, activity-based learning workbooks are also included in respective regional languages.

This kit contains essential nutrients like Glucose, Iron & Calcium, Iodine, Protein that help boost the immunity of the child. Each kit has a nutritional value of 717.5 g of protein and 22,175 Cal of energy, while on a per meal basis each child receives 23.9 g of protein and 739 Cal of energy.

It is only if basic requirements, such as nutrition-rich food, education, and basic hygiene, are met, can the country’s future generations aspire to health, education, and a brighter future.

Having received enthusiastic support from the Happiness Kit pilot project which targeted 1,200 school children in Bangalore, and another 38,666 children in Guwahati, Akshaya Patra aims to scale up and expand the programme across locations to midday meal beneficiaries at their school premises, with student’s parents picking up their kit.

Speaking about the Happiness Kit, Shridhar Venkat, CEO, The Akshaya Patra Foundation said, “As Indians, we must focus on creating high quality human capital which will define our demographic dividend. Stakeholders need to work together to create a robust and healthy population for the betterment of the nation through an inclusive society. This September as we observe the National Month of Nutrition, we launched the Happiness Kit initiative which has been created to take care of the nutritional and educational needs of children who are missing school due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I am extremely thankful to our patron donors, including Crompton Greaves, Savita Oil, Schindler, Franklin Templeton, Gland Pharma, India Carbon, Hikal, Sai Sulphonates, CISCO, Amazon and many of our corporate & individual donors for coming forward and supporting this initiative.”

Till now the number of kits that have been distributed is close to 11,000. They are being distributed in locations such as Bangalore, Vadodara, Silvassa, Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Guwahati as well as UP as a way of maximizing their reach and will continue to be distributed until the schools reopen, state-wise.

Covid-19 impact

In India, school closures have impacted 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary education, and 28 million who were attending preschool education in Anganwadi Centres. This is in addition to the more than six million girls and boys who were already out of school prior to the Covid-19 crisis, according to UNICEF. 

* Source: UNICEF Report on the Impact of COVID-19 on the Lives of 600 Million Children in South Asia

About the Akshaya Patra Foundation

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India, which strives to address issues like hunger and malnutrition in the country. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government and Government-aided schools, Akshaya Patra aims to fight hunger and at the same time, bring children to school. Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked towards reaching out to children with wholesome food on every single school day. The Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and attract curious visitors from around the world.

In partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments, and the inestimable support of many philanthropic donors and well-wishers, Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across five schools to becoming the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme, serving wholesome food to over 1.8 million children from 19,039 schools across 12 states & 2 union territories in India. For more details, please log on: www.akshayapatra.org

South Korea Donates One lakh Masks to TVS Motor Company for Free Distribution to Aid India's Fight Against COVID-19

Social Welfare Corporation Anguk Zen Center in South Korea, headed by the Venerable Abbot, Subul Sunim, in an exceptional gesture of humanitarian support and solidarity between the two nations, donated one lakh health masks for free distribution to aid India’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.  The donation was coordinated by K-Art International Exchange Association in Korea and InKo Centre in India.

The consignment (estimated at 150 Million Korean Won) was handed over today, to Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman, TVS Motor Company, and Managing Trustee, Srinivasan Services Trust; Chairman, InKo Centre and Goodwill Envoy for Culture and Diplomacy of the Republic of Korea, for free distribution through the Srinivasan Services Trust, the social service arm of TVS Motor Company.

Mr. Venu Srinivasan Chairman, TVS Motor Company & Managing Trustee, Srinivasan Services Trust said, “I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and deepest appreciation to the Venerable Abbot, my revered teacher, Subul Sunim for this compassionate gesture of donating 1 Lakh masks to InKo Centre. We welcome what is indeed a most timely and valuable donation in these challenging times, when wearing masks, following strict rules of sanitation and hygiene and maintaining social distancing is the ‘new normal’.  We will ensure that the masks are widely distributed to local communities across the country through the Srinivasan Services Trust, the social service arm of TVS Motor Company.  This unique civilian gesture of goodwill and support from Busan to Chennai truly epitomizes the warmth and depth of the valued relationship between the two nations.” 

Mr Young-seup Kwon, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Chennai, said “The global pandemic is by far one of the most serious challenges humanity has ever faced. We can overcome this challenge by staying strong and working together.  This cooperation at this civil society level clearly shows how much ordinary Koreans and Indians care for each other and we can overcome this challenge by standing together.”

These high-quality masks produced by BlueIndus Co. Ltd were specially provided by CEO Jeong Cheon-sik for distribution in India. The masks were shipped to India, courtesy Mr. Yang Jae-saeng, CEO of Eunsan Shipping Air, Korea.

About the Anguk Zen Center

The Anguk Zen Center in Korea, headed by the Venerable Abbot, Subul Sunim, is a social welfare corporation founded in 2014, which runs a Support Center for Abused Children as its core programme. The Center donates baby clothes and supplies to communal living facilities, multicultural facilities, single mother facilities and regional child centers in Korea in partnership with Zero to Seven, a company that specializes in childcare. The Center also supports babies in foreign countries, including Nepal, Mongolia and North Korea.

About the special relationship with India

The Venerable Abbot, Subul Sunim, designated by K-Art International Exchange as Korea's Co-Chairman of the Korean-Indian Cultural Exchange Group - a highest-level decision-making authority- which supports several small, medium and large-scale cultural exchanges between visual artists in Korea and in India, initiated on a regular basis by K-Art International Exchange Association, Korea and InKo Centre, India. The Venerable Abbot donated masks through InKo Centre to Mr Venu Srinivasan, Chairman, TVS Motor Company, Chairman, InKo Centre; Chairman of the Srinivasan Services Trust and Goodwill Envoy for Culture and Diplomacy of the Republic of Korea.  In 2010, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, honoured Mr. Venu Srinivasan, with the "Order of Diplomatic Service Merit" (Heung-In Medal), in recognition of the valuable contribution in promoting Korea-India bilateral relations. Mr Srinivasan received an Honorary Citizen of Busan Award from the city of Busan in 2014. He was formerly the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Chennai and currently holds the title of Goodwill Envoy for Culture and Diplomacy of the Republic of Korea.

About Srinivasan Services Trust (https://www.tvssst.org)

Srinivasan Services Trust (SST), a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, promoted by Sundaram-Clayton Ltd and TVS Motor Company Ltd., has been carrying out rural development activities since 1996. SST is working in thousands of villages spread over in five States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. SST's holistic approach focuses on key areas of Economic Development, Health, Education, Infrastructure, Environment and Social and Cultural development in the villages.

Nasdaq Listed JFrog Announces Pricing of Its Initial Public Offering

JFrog Ltd. (“JFrog”) (NASDAQ: FROG), the liquid software company, announced today the pricing of its initial public offering of 11,568,218 ordinary shares at a price to the public of $44.00 per share. Of the offered shares, 8,000,000 shares are being offered by JFrog and 3,568,218 shares are being offered by certain of JFrog’s existing shareholders. JFrog will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by the existing selling shareholders. The underwriters have the option to purchase up to an additional 1,735,232 ordinary shares from JFrog at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions.

The shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on September 16, 2020 under the symbol “FROG.” The offering is expected to close on September 18, 2020, subject to customary closing conditions.

Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan and BofA Securities are acting as the lead book-running managers for the offering. KeyBanc Capital Markets, Piper Sandler, Stifel, William Blair, Oppenheimer & Co. and Needham & Company are acting as co-managers for the offering.

This offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained from: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, New York 10014, Attention: Prospectus Department; or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, telephone: 866-803-9204 or by emailing prospectus-eq_fi@jpmorganchase.com; or BofA Securities, NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor, Charlotte NC 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department or by email at dg.prospectus_requests@bofa.com.

A registration statement relating to the sale of these securities was filed with, and declared effective by, the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 15, 2020. Copies of the registration statement can be accessed through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About JFrog

JFrog’s vision is to enable continuous software updates through liquid software, empowering developers to code high-quality applications that securely flow to end-users without interruption. JFrog products are available as open-source, self-managed, and SaaS services on AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. JFrog is trusted by more than 5,800 customers, with top global brands depending on JFrog to manage their software packages for mission-critical applications. JFrog has offices across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Ken42 to Revolutionise Coaching Institutes; Targets 5% of Market Share in Next 1 Year

Ken42, India’s superapp edtech platform, announces its foray into the higher education coaching market and is targeting to capture 5% of the market share in the next one year. Bengaluru based edtech start-up, has allocated 30% of the initial Investment of 11 crores of the company into this. Backed by Turbostart, Ken42 is a student centric organization which aims at providing a 360 education ecosystem for students to get the best out of a unified educational journey. Given the sudden need for digitization across all educational platforms, coaching centres especially for competitive programs are now trying to become tech savvy. Ken42 will assist coaching institutes to embrace new tools and technologies with a personalized solution for each.. 

Ken42 has disrupted the K-12, and higher education segment by rapid digitisation and becoming a one stop solution for students by providing all administrative and faculty requirements under one platform.  With the coaching institutes, Ken42 is aiming at a seamless transition from physical classes to online classes. The online classes will follow the similar pedagogy of high quality personalised teaching. Online coaching has been a saviour for many, everyone can now access quality and uniformed education irrespective of the geography. 

Speaking on the launch of coaching institutes, Ganesh Raju, Founder and CEO, Ken42 said “Coaching institutes is a large market in India and since the COVID-19 impact, approximately 85% people are willing to approach online institutes. We feel entering the coaching market is a move in the right direction, it is not only the need of the hour but online coaching also provides access to premium institutes for students from Tier II and Tier III cities. We at Ken42 strongly believe that education is above all and without digitisation, students would miss out on an entire academic year. Hence, we are looking at working with key coaching institutes across India and start their seamless digitisation journey.”

Schools and universities across the country have been closed since mid-March and competitive exams like NEET and JEE have been rescheduled since. With the upcoming exam season, coaching institutes are gearing up to be fully online and adapt to the evolving times. 

About Ken42: 

Ken 42 is a complete education ecosystem that revolutionizes how administrators manage their institutions, faculty imparts learning, and how students gain academic and real-world knowledge and skills. Designed to support students at every stage of their crucial learning years, from Class 6 through 12 in its offering for schools, and from standard 12 through higher education and placements, Ken 42 is strongly differentiated from other learning management platforms. 

Conceptualized by serial entrepreneur Ganesh Raju in October 2019, Ken 42 also enables online classroom and exams, certificate courses from universities around the world, and opportunities for personal growth in the form of interview preparation, public speaking and professional skills. 

Backed by Turbostart a bi-yearly program for early-stage startups that aspire to be part of a unified and encouraging startup ecosystem, Ken 42 occupies a unique position as mentors to the startup ecosystem with a focus on ed-tech. It boasts a series of strategic alliances as well as long- standing relationships with premier educational institutions and governmental organizations, enabling it to create a solution that is not just cutting edge with unmatched user experience but closely aligned to educational policy and change. 

With its one-of-a-kind integrated platform, Ken 42 is set to disrupt both universities and the K- 12 edtech industry by ensuring maximum student success, without the need of managing multiple platforms. 

ServiceNow Delivers New Levels of Business Agility and Resilience for the COVID Economy

* The Now Platform® Paris release accelerates digital transformation, helping to connect teams, systems, and work

* Industry leaders, including Microsoft, Zoom, Adobe, Uber, Accenture, and Deloitte, are using the Now Platform to power their digital accelerations

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company making work, work better for people, today unveiled the Now Platform® Paris release, to help organizations remain agile and be resilient so they can grow and enhance their productivity during the COVID economy. With ServiceNow workflows, people can work smarter and organizations can realize faster time to value from their technology investments.

The COVID economy has exposed weak links in old value chains, driving a workflow revolution. Organizations that struggle to digitally transform and create great experiences for customers, employees, and partners in this new work environment are being left behind. According to IDC, 45 percent of organizations worldwide are now in economic decline or recession, with 64 percent of organizations worldwide planning to be early adopters of emerging tech. Those organizations that are digital laggards are more inclined to seek out emerging tech as a means of catching up.1 With nearly 80 percent of the Fortune-500 leveraging the Now Platform, ServiceNow is committed to delivering solutions that will help companies on their digital transformation journeys, whether their workforce is remote or planning an eventual return to the workplace. 

“Customers are increasingly considering the business value from integrating separate, but increasingly dependent workflows across teams, and the business and IT organizations,” said Stephen Elliot, program vice president, DevOps and Management Software, IDC. “There is unquestionable customer traction, in part accelerated by  COVID-19 and its pressure to drive more collaboration between IT and business stakeholders to digitize processes, rethink customer engagement models, and make strategic business decisions faster than at any point in the last 10 years.”

Several leading organizations, including Microsoft, Zoom, Adobe, Uber, Accenture, Deloitte, Acorio, TPx, Veolia, Novant Health, Lone Star College, AEGIS Insurance Services, and City of Raleigh, are turning to the Now Platform and its Paris release capabilities to power their digital transformations.

“The C-suite realizes that 20th-century architectures are too slow and siloed in today’s fluid working environment, where they need speed and agility,” said Chirantan “CJ” Desai, chief product officer at ServiceNow. “The ServiceNow advantage has always been one architecture, one data model and one born-in-the-cloud platform that delivers workflows companies need and great experiences employees and customers expect. The Now Platform Paris release provides smart experiences powered by AI, resilient operations, and the ability to optimize spend.  Together, they will provide businesses with the agility they need to help them thrive in the COVID economy.”

With the Paris release, ServiceNow is unveiling six completely new products as well as new features that enable organizations to leverage one platform to:

* Quickly respond to business change with new workflow apps, boost productivity with embedded analytics and AI in every app and digitize and automate work across the enterprise.

* Deliver employees the right experiences anywhere, drive productivity of their workforce and transform their organization to provide critical services.

* Drive customer loyalty with connected workflows that allow them to manage location-based work efficiently and effectively, organize resilient operations for unforeseen circumstances, and expand capacity via automated self-service. 

* Optimize IT productivity, cost, and resiliency to modernize and automate with ITSM and AIOps, deliver resilient operations, and help reduce software, hardware, and cloud spend.

Generally available today, key new products in the Paris release include:

* NEW Business Continuity Management unveils modern, automated business impact analysis, business continuity plan development, and crisis management leveraging context within the ServiceNow platform to enable operational resilience. With operational disruptions as a persistent threat, resilient organizations need to anticipate these disruptions and develop actionable plans that will help minimize impact, as well as duration.

* NEW Hardware Asset Management automates the IT asset lifecycle by tracking the financial, contractual, and inventory details of hardware and devices to make smarter decisions from purchase to disposal. In order for companies to be resilient in any economic environment, it’s critical to know what IT assets are where, so companies can persist or have the ability to pivot if the time comes. 

* NEW Legal Service Delivery provides legal operations the visibility they need to make decisions fast and enhance productivity by eliminating manual emails and phone calls.

Strengthening the ServiceNow ecosystem with industry solutions and partnerships

ServiceNow’s new industry products, which are generally available today, enable telecommunications providers and financial services organizations to transform business operations within the context of their industry and create value at scale. Together with strategic go-to-market partners, Accenture for telecommunications and Deloitte for retail banking, these new offerings will force multiply business value for customers. 

* NEW Financial Services Operations helps banks connect teams and systems in the front, middle, and back office to more quickly serve customers. It digitizes core workflows, such as payment and credit card operations, resulting in greater efficiencies.

* NEW Telecommunications Service Management gives customers a more proactive experience and greater flexibility to manage their services, while providing the care and operations organizations with an enhanced service platform and insights into the customer status and health, resulting in a reduced cost to serve.

* NEW Telecommunications Network Performance Management provides network operations teams with a unified view of the install base and the ability to analyze, correlate, and resolve events and alarms originating across multiple network monitoring platforms, resulting in a precise identification of affected customers and a faster time to resolution.

Telecommunications Service Management and Telecommunications Network Performance Management work together to efficiently identify and resolve network troubles across services, while proactively informing customers and creating a more connected experience between customers and the care organization. 

Partners play a critical role in accelerating customers’ digital transformation journeys. ServiceNow is introducing partner integrations with Microsoft and Twilio, as well as the new ServiceNow Service Graph Connector Program, which helps customers streamline internal processes by seamlessly connecting new and old tools to prepare for a new way of working.

Toshiba Unveils Its Futuristic Range of ULTIMATE 4K TVs; to be Made Available in India from September 18

* Announces a range of 7 SKUs of Premium UHD & Smart televisions to be available from 18th Sept. on Amazon, Flipkart, Reliance Digital and Tata CliQ

* Designed in Japan and Made in India, the 4K Televisions are equipped with the powerful combination of Dolby Vision® & Dolby Atmos®, VIDAA Operating system, and a Premium Design

* Limited period launch offer: 4-Year warranty on the panel of its 4K range from 18th-21st Sept 2020

Toshiba, a symbol of Japanese quality and trust for the past 68 years across the globe, has launched 7 SKUs of its Premium UHD and Smart televisions range in India. The range starts from INR 12,990 and goes to INR 66,990 for the 65-inch Premium UHD U79 series. As an introductory offer, Toshiba will be offering a 4-year panel warranty on its entire range of 4K televisions for the first 4 days of the launch (18th-21st Sept 2020) on Amazon, Flipkart, Reliance Digital and TataCliQ.  

Speaking at the launch, Rishi Tandon, COO, Toshiba Televisions India said, “We are extremely thrilled to announce 7 new models of the Made in India televisions starting from 18th September onwards. As a global reputed brand, we always believe in keeping customer needs as our prime focus, hence, we bring a special inaugural offer of a 4-year warranty on the 4k panels from 18th-21st September. Our televisions provide not only an immersive viewing and audio experience with the powerful combination of Dolby Vision & Dolby Atmos but they also include features like Full Array Local Dimming, VIDAA OS and a Premium Design that bring a complete cinematic experience at your home.”

Toshiba Ultimate 4K Full Array LED TVs provide the Ultimate TV viewing experience. They provide an Ultimate Picture with features like Dolby Vision HDR, Ultra Dimming, Ultra Vivid Panel across its entire 4K range. The TVs also come equipped with Dolby Atmos technology delivering immersive audio and hence Ultimate Sound. The Smart televisions are powered with VIDAA OS which is clutter-free and offers 3x speed with built-in Alexa, making it an Ultimate Smart addition to your home. With an elegant, slim and metal finish design, and a bezel-less finish, the design of the TV enhances the interior décor of the room, bringing the Ultimate Design as its core.

Toshiba has partnered with Dolby to bring the winning combination — the ultra-vivid colors of Dolby Vision and immersive sound of Dolby Atmos. It’s easier than ever to take your entertainment to the next level with the powerful combination of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Dolby Vision makes your entertainment come alive with ultra-vivid colors you’ve never seen on a screen. Enjoy incredible brightness and contrast that you can’t get with a standard picture. Dolby Atmos immerses you in your favourite entertainment with sound that moves all around you with breath-taking realism. Discover the Dolby difference — a premium entertainment experience that helps you feel a deeper connection to the movies, shows, music, sports, and games you love. See and hear what you’ve been missing with an immersive experience like no other.

To ensure consumer delight, the brand shall be ensuring that its service is readily accessible with a fast response rate and a wide service network that spans across more than 18,500 pin codes with 450+ service centres.

As part of “The Ultimate Experience” launch campaign running across major online platforms, the brand is also running a quiz contest wherein lucky winners get an opportunity to win 43” Toshiba Smart TVs.

The brand also announced the launch of its website www.toshibatv-in.com where its entire range of televisions, including the upcoming QLED, is showcased. U80 Series Quantum Dot LED shall also be launched later this year.  Consumers can access detailed specifications and features of all Toshiba televisions and can also stay updated with launch details of its upcoming products and brand related information.

Warburg Pincus Backed CAMS to Open IPO from September 21 - 23

 

* Minimum Bid lot is 12 Equity Shares and in multiples of 12 Equity Shares thereafter

* Price Band of ₹ 1229 – 1230 per Equity Share of face value of ₹ 10 each

* Bid/ Offer Opening Date – 21 September, 2020 and Bid/ Offer Closing Date –  September 23, 2020

* The floor price is 122.90 times the face value of the Equity Shares and the cap price is           123.00 times the face value of the Equity Shares.

Chennai based, Computer Age Management Services (CAMS), will be opening its initial public offering on 21 September, 2020 and will close on September 23, with a price band of ₹ 1229-1230  per Equity Share.

Bids by anchor investors shall be submitted, and allocation to them be will be completed, on September 18, 2020, being one working day prior to the Bid/ Offer Opening Date.

As the Offer is an offer for sale of Equity Shares, CAMS will not receive any proceeds from the Offer.

Initial public offer of up to 18,246,600 equity shares of face value of `10 each (“Equity Shares”) of Computer Age Management Services Limited (“Company” for cash at a price of `[●] per equity share, through an offer for sale of up to 18,246,600 Equity Shares aggregating up to `[●] million (“Offer”/ “Offer for Sale”) by NSE Investments Limited (“Selling Shareholder”). This Offer includes a reservation of up to 182,500 equity shares (constituting up to 0.37% of the post-Offer paid-up Equity Share capital) for purchase by eligible employees (the “Employee Reservation Portion”). The Offer less the Employee Reservation Portion is hereinafter referred to as the “Net Offer”. The Offer and the Net Offer would constitute at least 37.40% and 37.03%, respectively, of our post-Offer paid-up Equity Share capital.

The Offer is being made through book building process in accordance with regulation 19(2)b of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2018, as amended where allocation to QIBs is not more than 50% of the Net Offer, Non-Institutional Bidders is not less than 15% of the Net Offer and Retail Individual Bidders is not less than 35% of the Net Offer.

The Company has capital sponsorship from marquee investors such as Great Terrain (an affiliate of Warburg Pincus), HDFC Limited, HDFC Bank Limited and NSE Investments Limited.

Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Limited, HDFC Bank Limited, ICICI Securities Limited and Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities (India) Private Limited are the BRLMs to the issue.

Disclaimer

Computer Age Management Services Limited is proposing, subject to receipt of requisite approvals, market conditions and other considerations, to make an initial public offer of its Equity Shares and has filed the red herring prospectus dated September 11, 2020 (“RHP”) with the SEBI and the RoC situated at Tamil Nadu at Chennai. The RHP will be available on the website of the SEBI at www.sebi.gov.in as well as on the websites of the book running lead managers, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Limited, HDFC Bank Limited, ICICI Securities Limited and Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities (India) Private Limited at www.investmentbank.kotak.com, www.hdfcbank.com, www.icicisecurities.com and www.nomuraholdings.com/company/group/asia/india/index.html, respectively. Investors should note that investment in equity shares involves a high degree of risk and for details relating to such risks, see "Risk Factors" on page 20 of the RHP. Potential investors should not rely on the DRHP for making any investment decision.

The Equity Shares offered in the Offer have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws in the United States, and unless so registered may not be offered or sold within the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Accordingly, such Equity Shares are being offered and sold (i) outside of the United States in offshore transactions in reliance on Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act and the applicable laws of the jurisdiction where those offers and sales occur; and (ii) to "qualified institutional buyers" (as defined in Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act), pursuant to the private placement exemption set out in Section 4(a) of the U.S. Securities Act.

LTTS, Exponential-e Partner to Jointly Offer ‘New Normal’ Workplace Transformation Solutions

Exponential-e, a UK-based leading & innovative CSP of enterprise connectivity & unified communications services, today entered into a strategic partnership with L&T Technology Services Limited (BSE: 540115, NSE: LTTS), a leading global pure-play engineering services company, to jointly offer workplace transformation solutions to customers working in the post-COVID environment.

In the “new normal” brought on by the pandemic, enterprises are ramping up operations in phases and planning to bring back their workforce, with their health and safety being the top priority. During these times, the need of the hour for companies is to retrofit the workplace with safety solutions on a fully digital foundation that can scale to intelligent buildings/campuses, smart facilities and offices.

According to the partnership, LTTS will offer its latest solution i-BEMSTM Shield, built on the company’s award-winning i-BEMSTM framework, and anchored on Exponential-e’s next-gen composite SDN carrier grade network & cloud infrastructure. The combination of these solutions will accelerate digital transformation of the workplace, across industries through digital technologies and platforms.

LTTS’ Intelligent Building Experience Management System, i-BEMSTM is a modular ‘system-of-systems’ platform that unifies all campus operations under one system and focuses on creating digital experiences and building optimization.

To build future-facing workplaces, i-BEMSTM is deploying Shield, a module within the solution that automates and develops smart systems and provides real-time insights to diagnose inefficiencies for quick decision making. i-BEMSTM Shield’s advanced digital interface redefines contactless interaction and surveillance by enabling temperature detection, face detection and tracking, air quality management, occupancy management and energy management.

Exponential-e, a leader in delivering fast, low latency connectivity, flexible and resilient Cloud solutions and world class IT services, will provide the platform for i-BEMSTM Shield to scale new heights of safety at workspace. The company’s ‘Software Defined-Digital Platform’, anchored on world class SD-WAN hosting the LTTS full stack digital innovation applications has the potential to spawn an ecosystem powered by digital VAS; drones-as-a service, connected cars, video-analytics as a service, AR/VR, gaming, smart cities & intelligent buildings are high in impact & value. Every industry is transforming itself through mobility & digital technologies. The LTTS-Exponential-e partnership accelerates the transformation by enabling a platform-based business federated in structure for companies across industries to collaborate and co-create new markets and revenue generating services.

Lee Wade, Founder & CEO, Exponential-e said, “The needs of businesses in the post-COVID environment is set for a dramatic change. While green quotient and sustainability were focus areas earlier for adopting smart building frameworks for campuses, enterprises now are faced with the urgent need of ensuring a safe and secured workplace environment for their workforces. With increasing customer engagement devices being used to help the modern-day work environment, we provide a software-defined network where functions can be deployed seamlessly. We are pleased to partner with an engineering services leader like LTTS and are confident that together, we will co-develop a value proposition that aligns with the present day needs of businesses in this ‘new normal’ world.”

Gaurav Gupta, Chief Business Officer, Europe, at L&T Technology Services said, “Worldwide the most evident trend to emerge as a fallout of COVID-19 are the disruptive innovations driven by new-age digital technologies. The role of ER&D services in shaping such cutting-edge innovative solutions will only grow. Our strategic partnership with Exponential-e is one such initiative that promises to redefine the smart building ecosystem and we are glad to be the pioneers on this front along with Exponential. This tie-up will lay the foundation for multiple industry leading initiatives on smart and secure workspaces and campuses in the near future.”

Clumio Achieves AWS Infrastructure Outposts Ready Deployments

Clumio, innovators of authentic SaaS for enterprise backup, announced today that it has achieved the AWS Outposts Ready designation, part of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Service Ready Program. This designation recognizes that Clumio’s enterprise backup as a service has demonstrated successful integration with AWS Outposts deployments. AWS Outposts is a fully managed service that extends AWS infrastructure, AWS services, APIs, and tools to virtually any datacenter, co-location space, or on-premises facility for a truly consistent hybrid experience.

Achieving the AWS Outposts Ready designation differentiates Clumio as an AWS Partner Network (APN) member with a product fully tested on AWS Outposts. AWS Outposts Ready products are generally available and supported for AWS customers, with clear deployment documentation for AWS Outposts. AWS Service Ready Partners have demonstrated success building products integrated with AWS services, helping AWS customers evaluate and use their technology productively, at scale and varying levels of complexity.

“Customers are looking for better ways to store and manage their data across the enterprise as part of a comprehensive digitization initiative,” said Joshua Burgin, General Manager, AWS Outposts, Amazon Web Services, Inc. “With Clumio on AWS Outposts, customers can benefit from a comprehensive data management solution for any application in their environment, on AWS Outposts, or in AWS Regions, for a truly consistent hybrid experience.”

“Clumio’s enterprise backup as a service is built on native AWS services, and our team continues to empower customers to take full advantage of the flexibility, scalability, and economics AWS provides,” said Poojan Kumar, CEO and co-founder, Clumio. “This latest AWS Service Ready designation validates our ongoing efforts to remove cloud barriers and help customers harness the power of the public cloud. Clumio offers a seamless data protection experience and consumes no AWS Outposts resources. We’re pleased to continue our work with AWS. As an APN member, we have also achieved AWS Storage Competency status for enterprise backup solutions, validating our deep domain expertise in core storage categories including backup and recovery.”

To support the seamless integration and deployment of AWS Outposts Ready solutions, AWS established the AWS Outposts Ready Program to help customers identify products integrated with AWS Outposts and spend less time evaluating new tools, and more time scaling their use of products that are integrated with AWS Outposts deployments.

Clumio continues to redefine SaaS backup for the all cloud enterprise, delivering a globally consolidated data protection service in, for and to the cloud. The Clumio platform provides a unified backup solution that protects public cloud, private cloud and SaaS with a single service, empowering companies to get to the cloud faster. The company enables enterprises to map to an all cloud vision, helping them manage and protect their dispersed data — wherever that data resides. As a result, companies can then reap the full scalability, flexibility and elasticity benefits of the cloud – without additional hardware or software for data management and protection.