Celebal Technologies, A Jaipur-Based Software Company Named As The 2021 Microsoft India Partner Of The Year

Celebal Technologies has won the prestigious Microsoft India Country Partner of the Year Award. They were honoured among a field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in Customer Satisfaction and Technology Innovation using Microsoft Cloud Platform. Headquartered in Jaipur, Rajasthan, the company has been steadily building a global presence with its innovative offerings around Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Enterprise Cloud.

The Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Awards honours partners at the regional level that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based solutions during the past year. Celebal Technologies distinguished itself as a valued partner from thousands of partner nominations with their proven business impact across solutions ranging from Cloud to Productivity to Core Infrastructure.

“Being named 2021 Microsoft India Partner of the Year is an important distinction for us,” said Anupam Gupta, Co-founder and Head of US Operations, Celebal Technologies. “Our unique expertise lies at the Intersection of “Traditional Enterprise” and “Modern Cloud Innovation”. We shall continue to deliver on the promise of Intelligent Enterprise for our customers across the Globe”.

“Our relentless focus on innovation and a customer-obsessed culture has helped us achieve this award in India, which is one of the most prominent and fastest-growing regions for Microsoft Cloud,” added Anirudh Kala, Co-founder, Director, and Chief Data Scientist, Celebal Technologies. “This recognition is indicative of the trust placed in us. We shall continue to build resilient solutions aligned with the Microsoft Azure Cloud platform to solve the business challenges of tomorrow.”

This achievement is a testament to Celebal Technologies’ high level of expertise and innovation, along with a demonstrable track record of successful projects, effective engagement with local Microsoft office, and significant business impact for its customers.

About Celebal Technologies:

Celebal Technologies is a premier technology company that specializes in the fields of AI, Big Data, Data Science, and Enterprise Cloud. Their unique expertise lies at the intersection of “Traditional Enterprise” and “Modern Cloud Innovation”. Celebal Technologies drives continuous innovation to empower clients across various industries such as Manufacturing, BFSI, Consumer goods, e- Commerce, Life sciences, Education and Healthcare in their digital transformation journeys. They are a Microsoft Gold Partner with a strength of 800+ people serving customers across India, USA, Canada, UK, and Asia Pacific regions. 

CARE Ratings Upgrades Garware Hi-Tech Films Long Term Bank Facilities To CARE A+; Reaffirms CARE A1 Rating For Term Facilities

CARE Ratings Limited, a leading credit rating agency in India, has upgraded the long-term bank facilities rating of Garware Hi-Tech Films Limited to A+, Stable and reaffirmed the credit rating of short term bank facilities as CARE A1.

The revision in the ratings assigned to the bank facilities of Garware Hi-Tech Films Limited (GHFL; erstwhile known as Garware Polyester Limited) factors in the overall business risk profile driven by healthy topline growth and improved PBILDT margins backed by improved product mix and healthy capacity utilization.

The ratings also factors successful commissioning of the new product line, Paint Protection Film in April 2021 which is expected to further support revenue and margin growth going ahead. The rating revision also considers that GHFL will sustain the improvement in its financial risk profile, over the medium term, supported by steady cash generation.

Commenting on the ratings upgrade Ms Monika Garware, the Vice Chairperson and the Joint Managing Director said, “We continue to focus on growth & this improved rating is a continued validation of GHFL’s healthy performance. GHFL has capability to produce, around 10 Micron to 350 Micron different thickness Specialty PET films for various end applications. Ability to modify the features for various end applications of its products help GHFL to adequately cater the diverse needs of its customers. CARE Ratings has considered the strong operating metrics and competitive strengths of GHFL in the performance film industry.”

The long-term bank facilities Rs 422.08cr (enhanced from Rs 369.81cr) is CARE A+ / stable. For Short term Bank Facilities (Rs198.19cr) the rating is CARE A1.  

About Garware Hi-Tech Films Limited

Garware Hi-Tech Films Limited (formerly Garware Polyester Ltd.) (BOM: 500655) is the flagship company of the Garware Group co-promoted by the Chairman and Managing Director Mr. S.B. Garware in the year 1957 along with the Founder-Chairman Late Padmabhushan Dr. Bhalchandra Garware. The company makes Hi-Tech specialty performance polyester Films in India and has its State-of-the-Art manufacturing facilities at Aurangabad in Maharashtra, India. GHFL is the pioneer and one of the largest exporter of Polyester Films in India and the winner of top exporters’ awards for continuous 33 years from PLEXCOUNCIL.

Garware Hi-Tech Films Ltd.’s (GHFL) manufacturing facility in Aurangabad is vertically integrated, from manufacture of polyester chips to the finished product of polyester films with four independent manufacturing lines and a business that spans the globe.  Polyester Films are used for variety of end-applications such as PET Shrink films for Label application, Low Oligomer PET films for insulation of hermetically sealed compressors motors, Electric motor insulation and cable insulation, sequin application films, TV and LCD screen application, Packaging applications etc. GHFL is also the market Leader and India’s only manufacturer of Sun Control window films for Building, safety and auto applications. The company has facilities for manufacturing various coated products and co-extruded products for specialty application, apart from its capacity to design the recipe for raw material of PET films to suit the end application of the product.  The company has also developed surface-protection films and Paint Protection Films designed to deliver the highest level of protection and impact resistance which has applications in many sectors.  

Tata Motors Partners With IndusInd Bank To Provide Exclusive Offers On Passenger Vehicles To Its Customers

 

Key Highlights:

* EMI per month per lakh starting as low as INR. 834/- at an attractive rate of interest

* 60% low EMI options for the first 3-6 months as per the customer choice and financial requirements

* Up to 90% financing available

* Flexible tenor from 1 to 7 years depending on the product and variant

* Non income proof funding available

* Scheme available on New Forever range of passenger vehicles*

In an effort to make its New Forever range of Tata Motors cars and UVs more accessible in these challenging times, Tata Motors, India’s leading automotive manufacturer, has rolled out exciting finance offers for its passenger vehicle customers in collaboration with IndusInd Bank. The company has been partnering with banks to provide lucrative offers for its customers. As part of this partnership with IndusInd Bank, the Company will provide the Step Up scheme where the customers can choose and buy from the safest range of passenger cars in the country, with a special low EMI option scheme for the first 3-6 months.

Under the Step Up scheme, customers can now avail EMI options lowered by 60% starting from INR 834/- per lakh per month, depending on the scheme and the products at an attractive interest rate. As per the scheme, the EMI payments will remain lower for a period of 3-6 months depending on the convenience of the buyer. This will be provided with non-income proof funding and flexible tenor options ranging from 1 to 7 years depending on the product and variant. Furthermore, while the purchase of the Harrier, Safari or Tigor gets a loan to value (LTV) of up to 85% on the ex-showroom price, purchase of Tiago, Nexon or Altroz will make the customers eligible to get an LTV of 90%.

Commenting on the roll out of these finance schemes offers, Mr. Ramesh Dorairajan, Head Network Management and Trade Finance, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, said, “We, at Tata Motors, have always been committed to supporting our customers at all times. The recent Covid-19 upsurge has impacted everyone and to help our passenger car family in these challenging moments, we are delighted to be partnering with IndusInd Bank to roll out special finance schemes. This is in alignment with our constant effort to fast track the availability of safe personal mobility solutions to individuals and families at pocket friendly rates. We hope that these offers will boost customer morale and make the process of purchasing a car more convenient.”

Elaborating on the initiative Mr. T.A. Rajagoppalan, Executive Vice President, Passenger Vehicles, IndusInd Bank said, “At IndusInd, we believe in staying agile and responding to customer needs in keeping with emerging demand indicators. These innovative financial schemes aim at not only reducing the burden on the customer’s wallet during these tough times, but also allow them to prioritize commute in a hygienic, safe and comfortable environment. We take pride in joining hands with Tata Motors to roll out these schemes.”

To know more about offers and car buying options, call your nearest dealership or visit https://cars.tatamotors.com/. Customers can also enquire, request a test drive, make bookings, and select their preferred financing option via ‘Click to Drive’, Tata Motors’ end-to-end online platform, from the comfort and safety of their homes.

*The scheme is not applicable on Nexon EV

T&C apply

Bentley Systems Announces Seequent’s Acquisition Of Aarhus GeoSoftware

* Enriching Subsurface Digital Twins through Electromagnetic Remote Sensing for Water, Environmental, and Infrastructure Resilience

Bentley Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq: BSY), the infrastructure engineering software company, today announcedthat its Seequent business unit has acquiredDanish companyAarhusGeoSoftware, a developer of geophysical software. The acquisition extends Seequent’s solutions for operational ground water management, and forsustainability projects involving exploration, contaminants, and infrastructure resilience. 

Aarhus GeoSoftware,aspinoff company fromAarhus Universityin Denmark, develops the software packages AGS Workbench,SPIA, Res2DInv, and Res3DInv for the processing, inversion, and visualizationof geophysical data from ground-based and airborne electromagnetic (EM),electrical resistivity tomography (ERT)remote sensing, and other sources.AGS software enables users to create 2D and 3D images of subsurface electrical resistivity. The outputs of the softwarecan be used to distinguish and differentiate subsurface materials and can subsequently be modeled in Seequent’s Leapfrog to aid in various subsurface investigations.

Thesoftware useselectric field measurements, collected at ground level orwithairborne sensors, to map the subsurface distribution of certain materials such as water, mineral deposits, and clays.Electrical resistivity allows a better understanding of the distribution of materials such as water, mineral deposits, and clays, and when the water contains other compounds such as salt, researchers and industry professionals can infer the distribution.

Thegenesis ofAGS software wasto ensure clean drinking water for future generations by mapping groundwater across Denmark. It is now used in many different areas,including locating subsurface faults and cavities to mitigate construction risk, in mining for investigatingorebodiesand waste rock and tailing processes, monitoring movements of groundwater and contaminants to help understand environmental impacts, modeling dam and tunnel stability, andassessing landslide risk to gauge asset resilience or construction plan impacts.Seequent will continue its tradition of collaborating withuniversities and research organizations worldwide  through ongoing engagement with Aarhus University for the development of AGS geophysical solutions.

Graham Grant, chief executive officer of Seequent, said,“The acquisitionwill add new geophysical data processing capabilitiesto our workflows to help advance subsurface investigation and modeling. AGS software, coupled with Seequent’sadvanced geologic modeling and analysis software, creates a key tool in helping understand and manage groundwater and assessing risk in infrastructure such as dams and canals.We’re excited about the new possibilities this opens up for our collective users worldwide, improving life-time digital twins.”

Toke Højbjerg Søltoft, chief executive officer ofAarhusGeoSoftware, said, “Seequent’s global reach will allow AGS software to positivelyimpact more projects worldwide.As we continue to develop solutions, ourusers will benefit from our tools being in Seequent’s ecosystem and workflow. We’re excited to join Seequent and to work together on oursharedvisionofhelping organizations make more informed andsustainable decisionsthrough abetter understanding of the subsurface.”

Samsung India Grants Scholarships To 544 Navodaya Vidyalaya Students Attending IITs & NITs; 150 New Students Added This Year

 ·         Samsung Star Scholar program has so far benefitted 800 JNV students

·         Program offers scholarship of up to 2 lakh for expenses related to tuition, examination, hostel and mess for one academic year, renewable every year up to 5 years

Samsung, India’s most trusted brand, has given scholarships to 544 meritorious students from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) schools who have qualified for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and National Institute of Technology (NIT), as part of its Samsung Star Scholar program, fulfilling its vision of #PoweringDigitalIndia by empowering the next generation of Young India.

In its sixth year, Samsung Star Scholar program has so far benefitted 800 JNV students. Under this program, Samsung offers scholarships every year to meritorious JNV students pursuing full-term B. Tech/Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech) course at any IIT or NIT.

The program offers a scholarship of up to 2 lakh for expenses related to tuition, examination, hostel and mess for one academic year and it can be renewed every year up to 5 years, seeking to financially support less privileged students from JNV schools who qualify to these prestigious engineering colleges.

“Samsung helps young people around the world gain access to better educational and learning opportunities as part of its citizenship vision of ‘Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People’. The Samsung Star Scholar program is an embodiment of our vision of #PoweringDigitalIndia that seeks to empower the next generation of young India. As we enter the sixth year of the Star Scholar program, we are excited to have supported these bright young talent who we wish to see as future leaders transforming the nation,” Partha Ghosh, Vice President & Head, Corporate Citizenship, Samsung India, said.

This year the program has granted 150 scholarships to new applicants from JNVs, of which 87 will begin their journey across different IITs and 63 at different NITs across India this year. In addition, scholarships have been renewed for the next year for 394 existing students. Recipients of renewed scholarships include 139 second year students, 171 third year students, 82 fourth year students and two fifth year students.

The selection of first-year applicants is based on their All India Rank (AIR) in JEE Main, however, to get a renewal of the scholarship for the 2nd – 4/5th year, students are required to maintain a Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) or Cumulative Grade Point Average (CPGA) rating of 5 or above.

The Samsung India and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti partnership for ‘Samsung Smart School’ program, which is aimed at providing digital education to less-privileged students from rural backgrounds, began in 2013.

Samsung is adding smart classes to 80 new JNV schools, taking the total number of JNV schools in which Samsung has set up smart classes to 625, impacting close to 500,000 students. So far, over 8,000 teachers have also been trained on how to use interactive technology to teach effectively, improving the quality of teaching and building capacity at JNV schools.

Every Samsung Smart Class is equipped with an interactive Samsung Smartboards, Samsung tablets, a printer, Wi-Fi connectivity and power backup.

To learn more about the ‘Samsung Star Scholar’ program, please visit Samsung’s website https://www.samsung.com/in/microsite/sapne-hue-bade/star-scholar/

Samsung Newsroom Link: Samsung India Grants Scholarships to 544 Navodaya Vidyalaya Students Attending IITs & NITs; 150 New Students Added this Year Under Samsung Star Scholar CSR Program.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.? 

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the world of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For latest news on Samsung India, please visit Samsung India Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com/in. For Hindi, log on to Samsung Newsroom Bharat at https://news.samsung.com/bharat. You can also follow us on Twitter @SamsungNewsIN

Tata Consultancy Services Revenues Miss; Deal Intake Remains Solid

 

¦    Revenue growth missed expectations due to a sharp decline in the India business (-14.1% QoQ due to the second Covid wave). Revenue grew 2.4% QoQ in CC terms in Q1 (ex-regional markets, grew 4.1%). EBITM declined 130bps QoQ to 25.5% due to salary hike.

¦    Revenue growth was broad-based, driven by Life Sciences & Healthcare (7.3% QoQ CC), Technology & Services (5.0%), Manufacturing (4.8%), Retail & CPG (4.4%) and BFSI (3.1%). All geographies, except for India, posted sequential growth.

¦    Management remains confident about the revenue growth trajectory in FY22 on broad-based demand, strong deal intake (USD8.1bn in Q1; 17% YoY), healthy deal pipeline, and traction in cloud, cyber security, analytics and enterprise application services.

¦    We lower our FY22/23/24 EPS estimates by 1.3%/0.1%/0.1%, after factoring in Q1FY22 revenue miss. TCS is well-positioned to benefit from the strong demand environment, acceleration in cloud adoption and digital transformation opportunities. However, revenue miss and rich valuations will weigh on stock performance. Maintain Hold with a TP of Rs3,500 (28x Jun'23E EPS).

Entertainment. Gaming And Music App Usage Peaked During Second Wave Lockdown: InMobi Report

* Social distancing, work from home, and lock-down regulations boosted mobile consumption 

With the second wave of Covid19 and lockdown being implemented across India, people relied more on their phones for entertainment, gaming, music and social networking. As users continued to stay indoors, mobile phone usage saw a spike, said InMobi's Second Wave Lockdown Audience Insights Report. According to the report, 2021's lockdown saw users relying on their smartphones specifically around weekends, compared to weekdays in 2020.   

Students, working professionals, and mothers were among the most engaged during the wave 2 lockdown. However, the audience’s app consumption behavior varied for each group. Students relied more on music, gaming, and OTT, compared to working professionals who consumed news, OTT, productivity, social and shopping, while mothers invested their time on gaming, lifestyle and education apps.  

"We have witnessed a drastic acceleration of the mobile-first consumer economy since the onset of the pandemic. With the second wave, we see that these “new normal” mobile-first consumer habits and preferences have become more mainstream," said Vasuta Agarwal, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, InMobi.  

Varied age groups staying indoors  

With states reporting all-time high Covid cases, the report observed that 25-35 years old stayed indoors the highest during the lockdown, mostly due to the limited vaccination opportunities. Interestingly, people in the 35-44 age groups were seen stepping out the highest. 

Spike in Footfalls 

As per the report, hospitals, clinics and medical stores witnessed a spike of 597% compared to 398% last year. Supermarkets and essential stores saw an 89% spike against 44% last year, as consumers visited local stores to meet their daily needs. While a lot of consumers found cooking as a hobby last year, this year witnessed an increase in footfalls in restaurants from 7% to 23%. This was a result of relaxed lockdowns where takeaways and deliveries were allowed, helping consumers break the monotony of home-cooked meals by occasionally eating out. The footfall at each of the above places of interest during the lockdowns in 2020 & 2021 were indexed against overall footfalls observed across the above-mentioned places of interest and supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, and flea markets. 

Recreational centers and transport hubs on a low 

Despite transport being open to the public in lockdown 2, travel and transport hubs saw an all-time low during the second wave from 9% last year to 4% now. While rail travel had started to pick up until June, the new cases reported in India again forced people to shelter at homes. While footfall at movie theaters was at a decline, visits to lodging reduced further by 15% during lockdown 2, mounting on the already low footfalls due to the fear of the pandemic. 

“Social distancing, work from home, and lock-down regulations have boosted consumer mobile consumption as people rely on mobile entertainment spanning games, social media, and video streaming. With the second wave hitting us, consumers have adopted to the online world already and are well versed with this,” concluded Vasuta. 

Accenture Named An AI Consultancy Leader In Asia Pacific By Independent Research Firm

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today announced it is recognised as a leader in research firm, Forrester's latest report on AI consultancies, titled "The Forrester Wave™: AI Consultancies In Asia Pacific Q2, 2021". Aimed at evaluating the capabilities of AI providers, the report from the independent research firm saw Accenture scoring higher than any other vendor in the current offering, strategy, and market presence categories amongst 12 other vendors.

The report notes that Accenture's "delivery capabilities are top-notch across the board, and the firm is very good at AI strategy, AI culture, and realising business impact. Client feedback strongly supports this; reference clients noted Accenture's industry expertise, seamless delivery from strategy to execution, and ability to help clients create a data-driven culture."

It also states that "Accenture is the only vendor evaluated that continues to build joint ventures with its largest customers. It's especially good with complex AI reference use cases. This makes Accenture the top choice for large-scale, enterprise-wide transformation driven by AI, in particular for clients in its focus geographies looking for a co-investment partner to drive their transformation." In addition, the report also states: "Accenture's coverage of the Asia Pacific region is extensive; Japan is its strongest market, followed by Australia/New Zealand (ANZ) and Southeast Asia/ASEAN."

Accenture received the highest scores possible in the following criteria: deployment, delivery, and operations within the current offering category, regional roadmap, services strategy, business model, AI for delivery and partner ecosystem within the strategy category; and APAC customers, APAC AI revenue and APAC AI deployments within the market presence category.

"We are thrilled to be recognised as a leader by Forrester.  Our clients in APAC are equally excited about applying AI at the core of their businesses to make informed decisions and solve today and tomorrow's most complex problems. We strive to go above and beyond to make further advances in AI and reinvent what it means to be data-driven," said Senthil Ramani, Growth Markets lead, Accenture Applied Intelligence.

Blaupunkt Launches 4 ‘Made In India’ Android Smart Televisions Starting At Rs 14,999

 

●   The Android TV models will be available in 4 different variants- 32-inch, 42-inch, 43-inch, and 55-inch

●    The products will be available to millions of customers on Flipkart from 10th July onwards

●    The brand is looking to disrupt the Indian television market with their exquisite range of smart televisions

German consumer electronics giant Blaupunkt launched four ‘Made-in-India’ Android TV models today in India. The brand has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the Indian contract manufacturer Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL). As per the licensing contract, Blaupunkt’s manufacturing, branding, designing, packaging, and retailing supply chain will be handled by SPPL, the 30-year-old manufacturer of home-grown brands. The products will be available to customers from July 10th onwards on India’s home-grown e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart.

With pricing starting from INR 14,999, the four Android TV models include a 32-inch HD Ready Cybersound Android TV, a 42-inch FHD Android TV, a 43-inch Cybersound 4K Android TV and 55-inch 4K Android TV. The 32-inch version is available at Rs 14,999, powered by Android 9 is bezel-less which comes with 40W speaker output, Edge-free sound technology, 2 speakers, and 1 GB Ram and 8 GB ROM to offer a smooth viewing experience. The 42-inch FHD Android TV is priced at Rs 21,999, powered by Android 9 and includes a Ultra-Thin Bezel, 40W speaker output, Edge-free sound technology, 2 speakers, 1GB Ram and 8GB ROM. The brand has incorporated a 50W speaker output in the 43-inch 4K TV which is bezel-less and priced at Rs 30,999. It has Dolby Digital Plus, DTS TruSurround certified audio with 4 amazing speakers and has used Dolby MS12 sound technology that can decode and improve Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus powered sound technologies. The model is powered by Android 10 and is inbuilt with a 2GB Ram and 8GB ROM.

An exquisite 55-inch model priced at Rs 40,999 is bezel-less and has a 60W speaker output with Dolby Digital Plus, DTS TruSurround certified audio, Dolby MS12 sound technology that can decode and improve Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus powered sound technologies, Android 10, 2GB Ram, 8GB Rom and 4 speakers just like the 43-inch version. Interestingly, all the models have 5.0 Bluetooth, 2 USB ports, 3 HDMI ports along with voice-enabled remote and ARM Cortex A53 Processor.

Millions of customers across the country will be able to access the latest ‘Made in India’ TVs at their doorsteps through Flipkart in an affordable, safe and hygienic manner.

Excited about getting the exclusive brand license of Blaupunkt in India, Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, Super Plastronics PVT LTD (SPPL) said “We are extremely delighted to onboard a well-loved and well-recognized Germany based consumer electronics giant Blaupunkt. With Blaupunkt’s footprint and launch of the Android TV models in India, we would continue being committed to embracing our ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ or Self-reliant India momentum. Our existing partnership with Flipkart will play a key role in taking the new generation of smart TVs to millions of its customers across the country. With this launch, we expect to gain our market share by 15% in the next 3 years.”

Vibrant Industry Founded On Level Playing Field And Can Lead The Economy To Higher Growth Trajectory: Chairman CCI

* Disruptive events not only test resilience & adaptive capacity but can also unleash innovations

Mr Ashok Kumar Gupta, Chairman, Competition Commission of India (CCI) today said that dialogue with stakeholders can be effective in preventing violation of law and can help mitigate a range of competition concerns without burdening the industry with compliance and litigation cost. “CCI is committed to support the industry in being competition law compliant. A vibrant industry founded on a level playing field and characterized by healthy competition could pave the way for Indian economy to come out of the setback caused by the pandemic and move on to a higher long-term growth trajectory,” he asserted.

Addressing the webinar ‘Competition Law: Revolutionizing Corporate & Legal Strategies’, organized by FICCI Karnataka State Council, Mr Gupta said that as we move ahead it is imperative that the principles of good corporate governance and fair competition are adhered to and complied with. “These are the key aspects of the recovery process that need to be observed diligently,” he added.

Mr Gupta also stated that Karnataka, being the fourth largest global technology cluster, has emerged as a leading destination for investments and a hub for Start-ups. FICCI Karnataka State Council has a critical role to play as the economy strives to recover from COVID-19. “As we emerge out of the devastating second wave, an immediate concern is how to boost the economy and investment sentiments. Disruptive events not only test the resilience and adaptive capacity but can also unleash forces of innovation and creativity towards shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future,” he emphasized.

Mr Gupta said that in recent years the digital markets have been the major focus area of the CCI. Digital markets are bringing in innovation on one hand and are also giving rise to various competition concerns on the other. “Given the very fast evolution of the digital markets the focus has been to act swiftly and craft remedies to address these issues. In a young jurisdiction like India where legacy issues have not yet faded completely, stakeholders not fully aware of the benefits of competition and pro-market reforms still an ongoing agenda, enforcement cannot be the only route to market corrections,” he added.

Highlighting the measures taken by the Commission, Mr Gupta said that CCI has come out with a Competition Compliance Manual for the benefit of the corporates. He further said that Commission is in the process of introducing a confidentiality regime in line with the best global practices in consultation with all stakeholders. “The idea behind these initiatives has been to engage with the industry not only for prompt detection and rectification of competition problems but also to make them realize that all stand to gain from fair and competitive markets,” he said.

Speaking on the process of mergers and acquisitions, Mr Gupta that CCI has been working to streamline the procedures and promote ease of doing business by ensuring speedy clearance to reduce procedural burden. “A green channel has been introduced recently for automatic approval and this is first of its kind, a trust-based system in the world, where notifiable transaction with no overlaps between the parties is being approved on its filing,” he added.

Competition, he said promotes overall welfare by enhancing efficiency, promoting innovation leading to wider product choice and better quality. Strengthening competitive pressures in the economy acts to lower entry barriers which enables the creation and expansion of small businesses which in turn facilitates the introduction of new technologies, added Mr Gupta.

Mr K Ullas Kamath, Chairman, FICCI Karnataka State Council and Joint MD, Jyothy Labs Ltd said that competition and transparency are the two important pillars of corporate governance. “The collaborative approach of the legal fraternity, corporate and govt officials will help us to meet the global standards the best practices,” he added.

Mr Manish Mohan Govil, Adviser (Combination), Competition Commission of India; Mr Kaizad Adi Hazari, General Counsel & Head-Legal, Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India; Mr Kanaiya Thakker, Joint President & Head- Legal, Ambuja Cements; Mr Amit Bhasin, Executive Vice President & Head Legal, Marico Ltd and Mr Prashanth Shivadass, Advocate & Founder, Shivadass & Shivadass Law Chambers also shared their perspective on the competition law.

Tata Motors Partners With J&K Bank To Bring Attractive Financing Options For Its Customers

* The partnership will enable easy commercial vehicle financing at competitive interest rates and extended loan tenure

Tata Motors, India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, has signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jammu & Kashmir Bank, the largest commercial vehicle financier in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in a collaborative effort to bring attractive and easy financing options to its customers.

The beneficial offerings, arising out of this partnership, will be applicable across Tata Motors’ commercial vehicle range. The company will offer special Tata Delight points for joint customers of Tata Motors and J&K Bank on the purchase of its heavy, medium and intermediate trucks. Tata Motors will offer special vehicle maintenance program for the J&K Bank-financed small commercial vehicles and pick-up trucks. J&K Bank will provide special Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratios, and extended tenure for all vehicle segments with competitive interest rates. J&K Bank has the widest network in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with over 950 branches, across the country.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Girish Wagh, ED & President – Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, “As the market leader in Jammu & Kashmir, we are elated to join forces with the largest bank in the union territory. This partnership, with J&K Bank, will go a great distance in easing the vehicle financing process for our customers. It will also add impetus to the development of the union territory with Tata Motors’ wide range of products in the cargo, passenger and construction segments. We will leverage J&K Bank’s rich experience and reach, ensuring seamless availability of financing with our combined efforts. We aspire to continue on this path through our partnership.”

Commenting on the momentous occasion, Mr. R K Chhibber Chairman and Managing Director, J&K Bank, said, “As partnering with big and quality brands remains at the centre of J&K Bank's strategic planning vis-a-vis customer gratification, we see arrangement with Tata Motors as an opportunity to ensure consistency in availability of wide ranging and quality end-to-end financial solutions to our customers. The MoU will enable customers to a premium go-to-market package – J&K Bank's highly customised financial solutions blended with varied options of commercial vehicles offered by Tata Motors.”

About Tata Motors

Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM; BSE: 500570 and 570001; NSE: TATAMOTORS and TATAMTRDVR), a USD 35 billion organization, is a leading global automobile manufacturer of cars, utility vehicles, pick-ups, trucks and buses. Part of the USD 113 billion Tata group, Tata Motors is India’s largest and the only OEM offering extensive range of integrated, smart and e-mobility solutions. It has operations in India, the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa, and Indonesia through a strong global network of 103 subsidiaries, 10 associate companies, 3 joint ventures and 2 joint operations as on March 31, 2020.

With a focus on engineering and tech enabled automotive solutions catering to the future of mobility, Tata Motors is India’s market leader in commercial vehicles and amongst the top four in the passenger vehicles market. With ‘Connecting Aspirations’ at the core of its brand promise, the company’s innovation efforts are focused to develop pioneering technologies that are sustainable as well as suited to evolving aspirations of the market and the customers. Tata Motors strives to bring new products that fire the imagination of GenNext customers, fueled by state of the art design and R&D centers located in India, UK, US, Italy and South Korea. Internationally, Tata commercial and passenger vehicles are marketed in countries, spread across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, South America, Australia, CIS, and Russia.

Dharmendra Pradhan Takes Over Minister Of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship; Rajeev Chandrasekhar Joins As Minister Of State

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan assumed charge of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship as Cabinet Minister and Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, from Karnataka, took office as the Minister of State (MoS) of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, who was Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship before yesterday’s Cabinet reshuffle, was also present on the occasion and extended his best wishes to both minsters on taking office.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said he was committed to strengthen the skilling efforts of the ministry and equipping the youth with necessary skills to prepare them for Future of Work, and creating linkages between skilling and employment. He also extended his wishes to Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar on his assuming charge as MoS, and said he was looking forward to work together to give impetus to entrepreneurship and fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India the skill capital of the world.

Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar said he was privileged and honoured to serve as MoS in the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry, adding he would work hard to realise the Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital, Skilled and New India.

ASUS And Flipkart Announce A Strategic Partnership For New Category Of Products

●   Partnership aims to enable and help millions of Indian customers to digitally access education, ecommerce, social interaction and work, with a new range of products that are designed to be Thoughtfully Simple yet highly affordable

●   First set of products under this partnership will be the launched on July 15, 2021 at 12 noon 

ASUS, the Taiwanese tech major, and Flipkart, India's home-grown e-commerce marketplace, today announced yet another strategic partnership for a new category of products.

The partnership will kick off with both companies announcing the launch of a new range of innovative products that are designed to be ‘Thoughtfully Simple’ yet highly affordable on July 15, 2021 at 12 noon.

The partnership with Flipkart is one of the major steps in a series of other strategic efforts by ASUS to deepen its commitment to the Indian market and serve the unmet needs of Indian consumers designed with ASUS’ world-class, in-house engineering, R&D and design resources.

Commenting on the announcement, Leon Yu, Regional Director, India and South Asia, ASUS said, “India has the stature of home market within ASUS and we are deeply committed to the needs of our Indian consumers and the Indian Market. To enable and help millions of our Indian customers to digitally access education, ecommerce, social interaction and work. Flipkart has been our long-term strategic partner to bring in path breaking innovations to the Indian market. We are very happy and strongly believe this collaboration will bring about a radical change in the digital lives of Indians.”

Commenting on the announcement, Ajay Veer Yadav, Senior Vice-President, Mobiles, Electronics and Large Appliances at Flipkart said, “As India's homegrown e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart continues to meet customers' evolving requirements with its widest selection of products and delivering it in a safe and hygienic manner across the country. In this endeavor, Asus has been a long-standing partner with its best-in-class technology solutions and I'm excited to take this partnership ahead with the upcoming launch of a new range of its offerings aimed at simplifying digital access for millions of Indians and I expect it to become a customer favorite.”  

Kindly refer this link to the announcement video - https://youtu.be/C9VLl90321E

CM B S Yediyurappa Inaugurates 250-Bed Sathyaprabha Lakeside Super Speciality Hospital And Medical Centre Virtually

* Dedicates 150-Bed Covid Care Wing

The historic 40-year-old Lakeside Medical Hospital at Ulsoor, currently undergoing renovation, was inaugurated virtually by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri B S Yediyurappa in the city today. Also inaugurated was a 150-bed Special Covid Ward. Located in the heart of the garden city, Lakeside Medical Hospital enjoys unmatched connectivity to all parts of the city and aims at providing highly specialized tertiary care to patients, once fully renovated.

“It is great news that a Covid Care Center with 150 beds and a Super Speciality Hospital, is being launched in the campus of Satyaprabha Lakeside Hospital. Satyaprabha Lakeside hospital which is one of the prestigious hospitals in Bangalore is now ready to serve people after renovation. Private hospitals joining hands with the government in controlling Covid 19 is a welcome move. People who provide services in medical field should be professionals and have moral values. It should be our constant endeavour to ensure quality medical service at an affordable price to common people. I am sure that Satyaprabha Lakeside Hospital will work in this direction” said Shri B S Yediyurappa while virtually inaugurating the hospital.

Other dignitaries present at the occasion include Shri P C Mohan, Member of Parliament and Mr. Rizwan Arshad, MLA, while Shri D K Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education of Karnataka, Shri. G Satheesh Reddy, Chairman, DRDO, Shri Tejasvi Surya, Member of Parliament, and Shri Anand Sankeshwar, MD, VRL Group participated in the inaugural ceremony virtually.

They were welcomed by Ms. Chaitanya Audikeshavulu and family, current owners of the Lakeside Medical Centre & Hospital who have taken over the property and playing an important role in reviving and renovation of the hospital.

Currently being renovated and expected to commence operations shortly, Lakeside Medical Hospital will provide the latest and most comprehensive medical care facilities to all. Lakeside Medical Hospital will be overseen by Dr. Rajesh Naidu.

"This hospital has some great history associated with it and has several firsts to its credit including the first coronary bypass operation and the first kidney transplant in the city. My dream is for Lakeside Medical Hospital to regain its lost glory and offer quality healthcare to the people of the city, I am so happy that many of the Hospitals previous Doctors have re-joined the hospital with a great deal of enthusiasm. This gives me immense confidence and hope” said Ms. Chaitanya Audikeshavulu, Director of the Audikeshavulu Group of Companies.

"This hospital was special to the citizens of Bangalore and more so for people in and around Ulsoor. They have a lot of hope in seeing this hospital functioning again. We will strive to uphold this faith and belief of the people of Bangalore. Lakeside will strive to offer the best of healthcare with our state-of-the-art facilities," said Dr. Rajesh Naidu, Medical Director, Lakeside Medical Hospital.

About Lakeside Hospital:

Lakeside Medical Center & Hospital in Ulsoor Road, Bangalore (LMCH)

LMCH was started in the year 1982 and situated at the Junction of Ulsoor Road& St John Road, Bangalore. In its formative years LMCH was Bangalore’s premier Multi Speciality Hospital spanning a duration of over 30 years providing exemplary tertiary health care services to Bangalore citizens. The hospital was also a recognised center for exchange training programme with Children's Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University, Detroit, U.S.A. Medical institutes at Lakeside Hospital, Bangalore. Previously the hospital also had a nursing institute which was recognized by Karnataka Nursing Council and Indian Nursing Council. It also had another educational institute on its premises namely the Lakeside Institute of Medical Technology. Currently, Dr. Rajesh and Ms. Chaitanya Audikeshavulu are overseeing the renovation and running of the hospital.

Raise A Toast To Stardom With The Launch Of Blenders Pride’s Limited-Edition Pack In Association With Designer Manish Malhotra

The Undisputed leader in the premium whisky category, Seagram’s Blenders Pride has introduced a limited-edition pack in association with design maestro Manish Malhotra. The limited-edition pack echoes the impeccable craft of the designer, and invites the consumers to ‘taste the stardom’ so one can celebrate the rich taste and unmatched craftsmanship of the pack, making a bold style statement that spells out ‘My Craft, My Pride’.

The unique collectible reverberates with a contemporary design that is a true representation of the glamourous curations the designer is synonymous with. Inspired by the skillfully crafted smooth blend, the limited-edition pack is adorned with intricate patterns of his creations - with warm metallic accents and tones that build a sense of glamour, celebration and lifestyle. Manish Malhotra’s time-honed legacy, built over 30 years, is highlighted on the pack, which embodies a seamless blend of fine craftsmanship that reflects his signature style

Commenting on the launch of the limited-edition pack, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India, said, “The Blenders Pride limited-edition pack is a celebration of rich craftmanship, both through the legendary, global award winning fine whisky and our collaboration with the ace designer Manish Malhotra. We take immense pride in our product, quality and heritage and continue to celebrate the pride in craft through this collaboration. The pack is a sophisticated and glamourous statement that combines exquisite taste and design, which is what we stand for.”

Talking about the limited-edition pack, designer Manish Malhotra said, “I have had a long-standing association with Blenders Pride and, today, it gives me great pleasure to announce our collaboration that celebrates this association through a collectable limited-edition pack. The design is a true representation of my vision and spirited style, and brings together the precision and the bold, rich character of Blenders Pride on the same canvas, hence celebrating craft in all its glory.”

The Blenders Pride limited-edition pack is available for discerning whisky connoisseurs in over 15 markets.

Here is the link to the video -https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q5yf4Lxkm8Scsfe3XAyPzTwyADV1wIJz/view?usp=sharing

About Blenders Pride

Blenders Pride is a premium whisky from the house of Seagram, with over 160 years of unmatched craftsmanship & expertise.  It is an exquisite blend of fine aged scotch malts from Dalmunach, Scotland and Indian grain spirits. With a distinctive nose of malt, fruit, and spice, it’s a fine blend with a delicate aroma. The smooth blend of sweet taste and floral finish highlights the character of this elegant whisky making it a work of fine craftsmanship by our legendary master blenders.

This fine blend has been awarded globally for its supreme quality, bagging the Fifty Best Gold Award, Monde Selection Gold Award & London Spirits Competition award, all in one year (2020) and is winning hearts in India as well as select markets across the globe. Blenders Pride Rare Premium Whisky is available in 7 pack sizes, including 2L, 1L, 750ml, 375ml, 180ml, 90ml and 60ml in India.

About Manish Malhotra

Couturier, costume stylist, entrepreneur, and revivalist; Manish Malhotra’s prolific career spanning 30 years has seen him redefine fashion. Founder of the eponymous label, Manish Malhotra is known in the industry for his pathbreaking makeover for actors on the silver screen and giving them an individual style narrative in personal lives, whilst walking alongside in their journey of stardom. The first-ever fashion influencer and bold fashion creator, Manish Malhotra has extended his influence beyond fashion to carve his niche as an Indian luxury designer.

The designer has been acknowledged with multiple felicitations for his leadership position in costume designing in Bollywood. Being the first ever recipient for the Best Costume Designer award, he was celebrated with 4 Filmfare Awards, 4 Filmfare Glamour & Style Awards, 7 Bollywood Movie Awards, 5 IIFA, the Rajiv Gandhi award for designing & HT Most Stylish Award amongst the 50 other illustrious awards and numerous nominations. Manish Malhotra ‘s body of work on numerous movies and innumerable designs makes him a leading name in the Indian fashion design fraternity.

Omnichannel Meat, Seafood Brand - Tendercuts - Expands Its Footprint In Bengaluru City

Currently, the residents in vicinities of JP Nagar, Koramangala and HSR Layout would be the first group of privileged customers to have an exciting purchasing experience of buying meat and seafood from an organized retail store, as this would be the first organized meat and seafood retail store in Bengaluru.  The brand would be strengthening its presence in Bengaluru with addition of more stores in the coming months across different neighbourhoods. 

Commenting on this milestone, Mr. Nishanth Chandran, Founder & CEO at TenderCuts stated, “Since our first launch in Chennai in 2016, our experience has been nothing short of extraordinary. We are humbled by the response we have received from our customers, which has helped us to grow and become as one of the most preferred brand for purchase of hygienic meat and seafood. With our expertise as the market leader in Hyderabad and Chennai, TenderCuts takes a leap ahead into the Bangalore market with constant passion towards delivering the highest quality of fresh meat and seafood. 

Currently, TenderCuts is the only meat and seafood start-up that follows an omni-channel business model (online and retail) which helps in maintaining absolute freshness in the products. Once a customer places an order for a meat product, the order is directed towards the nearest TenderCuts store in the neighbourhood and the butcher slices the meat/seafood only after the order is received and it is not cut and stored prior.  

We process our orders in compliance to WHO and FSSAI standards, and the order is delivered within two hours after the initial cut, to ensure that our customers are assured of freshly cut meat and seafood at any point of time. Our farm-to-fork approach has set new benchmarks in the fresh cuts meats industry, with a diverse application of food technology to the selection, processing, preservation, packaging, distribution of fresh cut meat and seafood” 

In continuation to its steady growth of expansion, TenderCuts has recently raised INR 110 crore (USD 15 million) in a round led by Paragon Partners, a mid-market PE fund with participation from NABVENTURES, an agri-food tech VC fund backed by NABARD. In addition to the capital received from NABARD, TenderCuts also leverages NABARD’s network of over 5000 plus farmer producer organisations which includes over 1 million farmers, which helps TenderCuts to augment its supply chain, by establishing direct partnerships with local farming and fishing communities and strong backward links to guarantee absolute freshness. 

Customers can opt to purchase products of TenderCuts from the stores directly or they can order online through the TenderCuts app (Available on app store and Google play store), website (www.tendercuts.in), or reach +91 89390 91091. TenderCuts has also introduced Contactless retail services to help customers to pick a slot, book their order and pick up from the store directly and ensure social distancing is maintained. 

About TenderCuts:

Established in 2016 by Nishanth Chandran, TenderCuts is India’s first omnichannel meat and seafood brand with a vision to provide clean, hygienic, and quality meat and seafood to the customers. It begins its operations with one store in Chennai with one category chicken and today it has 25 stores across Chennai and Hyderabad and offers chicken, mutton, seafood, marinades, pickles, and eggs under one roof.

Customers can buy the freshly cut and freshly packed meat and seafood from their nearby stores or can order online via APP or website and get it delivered at their doorsteps. All their meats and seafood are halal certified and stringently follow the FSSAI and WHO guidelines from sourcing till last-mile delivery to the customer's doorstep. 

TenderCuts plans to expand its current operations and pursue organic and inorganic growth opportunities with the current funding. The funds will also allow the company to invest in scaling up its supply chain and technology infrastructure to support innovation and accessibility of its products and services. 

SBI General Insurance Launches “Arogya Supreme” A Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan

General Insurance, one of India’s leading general insurers, announced the launch of a comprehensive health insurance plan named ‘Arogya Supreme’ today. This specific plan is designed to ensure that customers can have full health insurance coverage, including 20 basic covers and 8 optional covers.  

The policy provides a wide range of sum insured options up to Rs. 5 crores, wherein customers can choose from 3 options viz Pro, Plus and Premium based on the sum insured and coverage features. Among other customer-friendly coverages like Sum Insured Refill, Recovery Benefit, Compassionate Visit, etc. customers also have a facility to choose the policy tenure ranging from 1 to 3 years. 

PC Kandpal, MD & CEO, SBI General Insurance Company, said, “In today’s scenario, health insurance has become a necessity and not an option. Arogya Supreme, a comprehensive health insurance plan, with reinstatement feature and a wide range of sum insured, will enable customers to choose the premium and tenure that suits their needs.”  

The surge of Covid-19 cases has underlined the importance of securing your finances with adequate Health Insurance. With diverse and changing symptoms, those affected are undergoing varied treatments. In such a situation where there is a possibility that health insurance cover may be exhausted, Arogya Supreme health policy is loaded with a refill feature, that enables the policyholder to refill full sum insured if the existing sum insured under the policy is exhausted under any treatment, which is a great relief for the customer. Arogya Supreme is a comprehensive product and filed with multiple benefits and coverages for a retail customer, however, we intend to cascade all the filed features / coverages, gradually. 

For more details of the policy, the customers can visit www.sbigeneral.inor download and refer SBI General Mobile App 

About SBI General Insurance Company Limited:  

SBI General is one of the fastest growing private general insurance companies, with the strong parentage of SBI, we, at SBI General Insurance, are committed to carry forward the legacy of trust and security; and have a vision is to become the most trusted general insurer for a transforming India. 

Ever since our establishment in 2009, from 17 branches in 2011, we have expanded our presence to over 137 branches pan-India. Till date, we have served around 8.7 crore customers. We follow a robust multi-distribution model encompassing Bancassurance, Agency, Broking and Retail Direct Channels. On the distribution network front, we have strong distribution partners adding up our reach to every nook and corner of India, with SBI’s over 22000 branch network, Agents, other financial, OEM and digital partners.  

We currently serve three key customer segments viz. - Retail Segment (catering to Individual & Families), Corporate Segment (catering mid to large size companies) and SME Segment; and are future-ready to serve the growing needs of Indians with new age-processes and services at affordable prices.  

SBI General Insurance closed the financial year 2020-21 with a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs. 8312 crore with a growth of 22% and net profit of the Company grew by 32%. The company has shown steady growth for the past 4 years, while maintaining positive track record of underwriting.  

Renault India Launches A Full Fledged Website In Hindi Language

* First automotive brand to introduce both Website and WhatsApp based chatbot - Renault Virtual Assistant (RVA); RVA all set to be launched in three regional languages - Hindi, Marathi and Tamil by end of July’21 

* Aims to further strengthen its Regional Reach 

* Hindi Website Link - https://hi.renault.co.in/ 

In a bid to further strengthen its presence in India and cater to the growing customer base, Renault India has launched its full-fledged “Hindi website”. With this, Renault India becomes the first four-wheeler automotive brand to launch a bi-lingual website (English & Hindi), taking another step towards enhancing its familiarity and consumer connect with the Brand. Offering customers language of choice as an interface, the website will enable customers who wish to access the website in Hindi, to efficiently avail information related to Renault’s entire product range and services, enabling direct access to a large portion of potential customer base adopting Internet throughout the country. 

The consumption and demand for content in regional languages has increased significantly over the last few years. India has over 624 million internet user base, with more than 90% users prefer  consumption of content in Hindi and Regional language. Hindi and Regional content consumption on the internet has witnessed a staggering 50% growth over the last year. The growing prominence of regional content and customers demand for accessing the internet in Hindi, has been a key driver for Renault to include regional outreach as an important part of its customer connect strategy.  

Renault India has significantly enhanced its digital capabilities and portfolios with online booking options and other interventions, providing the best of the services to its customers in these challenging times. In addition to demo through the Renault virtual studio, website booking facility and MYRenault App, Renault India launched the Renault Virtual Assistant (RVA) last year, offering personalized customer experience round the clock to potential buyers and existing customers. As part of the customer connect strategy to further strengthen the regional reach, RVA, currently in English, will be available in three regional languages including Hindi, Marathi and Tamil by the end of July’21. 

In the past one year Renault India been aggressively pursuing with an innovative and comprehensive strategy to amplify and grow our presence in smaller towns and cities including Rural markets. Renault India launched a special project like VISTAAR where the dealership teams recruited specialised sales consultants to reach out to the customers in the rural markets. Renault has recently partnered with CSC Grameen eStore, a subsidiary of CSC eGovernance Services India Limited (CSC-SPV). As part of this, Renault India’s leading product range is listed on the CSC Grameen eStore and made available to the potential customers in hinterlands through aspirational Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). 

Driven by innovation, ‘Rural Float’ is yet another significant step to move closer to the customers in the remote areas and provide a Renault vehicle ownership experience. With ‘Rural Float’, Renault has been able to showcase the newly launched sub-four meter compact SUV, Renault KIGER to its potential customers in rural markets, engaging more than 23,000 customers in 233 towns across 13 states, facillitaing 2700 test drives. 

Together with its product portfolio expansion strategy to drive volumes in India, Renault is substantially increasing its network reach in India and introducing several unique and pioneering initiatives to ensure that customers’ have an unparalleled association with the Renault brand. Currently, Renault India has more than 500 sales and service touchpoints in India, which include 200+ Workshop On Wheels locations across the country.

ABOUT RENAULT  

Renault India Pvt. Ltd. is a fully owed subsidiary of Renault S.A.S. France. Renault India cars are manufactured in the manufacturing facility located in Oragadam, Chennai, with a capacity of 480,000 units per annum. Renault India also has a widespread presence of more than 500 sales and service touchpoints, which include 200+ Workshop On Wheels locations across the country, with benchmark sales and service quality. 

Renault India’s product line up and services have seen strong recognition among customers and industry experts alike, winning more than 60 titles, making Renault India one of the most awarded automotive brands in a single year in India. 

Airtel Payments Bank Launches ‘Pay To Contacts’ For UPI Payments

* Customers can now pay by simply selecting a saved contact number 

* Eliminates the requirement to enter bank account details or UPI ID 

Airtel Payments Bank has launched ‘Pay to contacts’ which allows customers to initiate a UPI payment just by selecting the receiver’s mobile number from their phonebook. 

'Pay to Contacts' displays the valid UPI id associated with the selected contact, irrespective of the UPI app used by the receiver. This eliminates the need to enter the UPI id or bank account details to process the payment and saves time. 

A customer can initiate a payment by clicking on Pay Money - To Contacts option under the BHIM UPI section and then selecting the receiver's contact.  

Mr. Ganesh Ananthanarayanan, Chief Operating Officer, Airtel Payments Bank, said, “We aim to offer a simple, secure, and seamless payment experience to our customers. With the Pay to Contacts, our users no longer need to worry about entering the bank details or UPI id every time they make a payment. We believe that this feature will significantly add to customer convenience.” 

Customers can now open an Airtel Payments Bank account within few minutes with a video call from the Airtel Thanks app. The bank offers a digital savings account - Rewards123, which gives more value to customers when they transact digitally using the account.   

Paytm Payment Gateway Enables CRY To Raise Donations Amounting To INR 2 Cr+ During The Pandemic

India’s largest payment enabler for businesses, Paytm Payment Gateway has enabled CRY, Child Rights and You to raise over Rs 2 crore in donations during the ongoing pandemic. CRY is a 42-year-old organization and one of India’s most trusted NGOs in the country. Paytm Payment Gateway’s integration has helped the NGO reach a larger audience and collect donations via multiple payment methods. The donations were made collectively through QR code and Paytm’s donation tab.  

Paytm Payment Gateway comes with the widest range of payment methods, like wallet, credit cards, debit cards, net banking, UPI, Paytm Postpaid and others. For CRY, Child Rights and You, the Paytm Wallet has become the most useful method for digital payments through the payment gateway integration. Additionally, the payment methods range has helped in digitizing the donation acceptance process which was highly dependent on bank cheques previously. The same-day settlement facility for NGOs ensures that they need not wait for a long time to receive donations into their bank account.  

CRY, Child Rights and You works with the vision to protect the needs of children in our society and ensure equity for all. In collaboration with 102 local NGOs, CRY, Child Rights and You has already impacted the lives of 3 mn+ children in 19 Indian states. In the current pandemic situation, CRY, Child Rights and You aims at creating sustainable change in the lives of children in need. They are working on relief measures that include the distribution of dry rations and hygiene kits to keep underprivileged children and their families as the pandemic continues. With the digital payment solution backed by Paytm Payment Gateway, they are working on increasing the scope of their programs and efforts. Currently, more than 30% of the contributions CRY receives is via Paytm only.  

Praveen Sharma, Senior Vice President at Paytm said, “Social welfare has always been a key part of all that we do as an organization. During the current pandemic, CRY, Child Rights and You has done a phenomenal job in helping the underprivileged  get access to food and other essentials. Offering Paytm Payment Gateway to CRY, Child Rights and You is a part of our mission to help digitalize the payment system in the country.”

Talking about the much-needed payment solution, Vatsala Mamgain, Director, Resource Mobilisation at CRY said, “Given the nature of the work we do, it is critical to ensure all channels of support are open to our well-wishers, at all times. We’re extremely grateful to Paytm for enabling us to continue protecting India’s most vulnerable communities, particularly in these difficult times. Paytm is one of India’s biggest payment enablers and for us, the platform has certainly been instrumental in mobilizing funds from those who are willing to help to those who are in need and that is definitely the need of the hour." 

Besides this, the company has also announced to offer Paytm Payment Gateway services to the registered NGOs at 0% transaction fees up to Rs. 10 lakhs to help more NGOs.  

FADA Releases June 2021 Vehicle Retail Data In The Indian Market

Total vehicle retail for the month of June’21 rise by 22.62% YoY on a low base. When compared to June’19 (a regular pre-covid month), retails are still down by -28.32%.

On YoY basis, all categories were in green with 2W up by 17%, 3W up by 22%, PV up by 43%, Tractor up by 14% and CV up by a massive 236% (on a very low base due to non-availability of BS-6 vehicles).

Positive momentum from June carries forward to July. With Southern India opening up, we can expect further pickup in demand.

While daily infection cases have been contained offering some respite from the debilitating second wave, however the new virus mutants and the impending 3rd wave continue to pose as risks on a longer term.

FADA thanks the Government of India to bring entire Auto Retail under MSME. This will help the industry at a time when gears are down.

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) today released Vehicle Retail Data for June’21. 

June’21 Retails

Commenting on how June’21 performed, FADA President, Mr. Vinkesh Gulati said, “The month of June witnessed re-opening for most of the states except the ones in South. Due to this, the industry witnessed a high pent up demand which was stuck in the system because of statewide lockdowns.

While all the categories were in green, Passenger Vehicles maintains to see good demand as customers continued to show keenness in vehicles for observing social distancing and safety of their families. Two Wheeler category though in green has witnessed a softer recovery as rural market is taking time to get back from post covid stress. Commercial vehicle segment has seen a staggering growth over last year, though on a very low base as there were product shortages due to BS-6 transition.

Overall, the Industry is still not out of the woods. When compared to June’19, we are still in red by -28% with 3W and CVs taking the max hit as they are down by -70% and -45% respectively. Only Tractors continue to grow as it was up 27% compared to June’19.

FADA is thankful to the Government of India and previous MSME Minister, Shri Nitin Gadkari for bringing entire Auto Retail under the ambit of MSME. This will definitely help Auto Dealers in multiple ways, may it be lower cost of financing or lower utility rates to name a few.

Near Term Outlook

Positive momentum from June carry forwards to July. With southern India opening up, we can expect further pickup in demand. On a longer term, Auto Industry is yet to see retail numbers comparable to FY 19.

Continued global semi-conductor shortage is impacting demand – supply mis-match thus restricting the growth of Passenger Vehicles. On one hand, while the new virus mutants and a prediction of 3rd wave in August are effecting sentiments, the revival of monsoons in July after a pause of 2 weeks and a better vaccination drive rate continues to build some hope.

We will therefore have to wait and watch how the overall economy shapes up over the next couple of months. We hence see demand to be a mixed bag and hope that recovery is back on track by the time Navratri and Diwali knocks our door.

Inventory at the end of June’21

Average inventory for Passenger Vehicles ranges from 30-35 days

Average inventory for Two – Wheelers ranges from 20-25 days

Tableau Extends Augmented Analytics, Bringing The Power Of AI To Everyone

* Features available in latest product releases from Tableau and Salesforce help more people see and understand data

Tableau, the world’s leading analytics platform (NYSE: CRM), is bringing data analytics and AI together in a suite of new and expanded augmented analytics features. Tableau’s latest release will empower more people with the right technology to make smarter and faster decisions  regardless of their role and skill level.

New IDC research[1] found that a strong data culture creates numerous benefits including increased collaboration, innovation, and measurable value like trust and accountability, regardless of industry or region. However, gaps persist between expectations and reality —83 percent of CEOs expect their organizations to be more data-driven, but only 33 percent of employees are comfortable using data analytics to support their decisions.

“Organizations can drive growth and foster innovation by pairing the right technology investments with a focus on data culture,” said Chandana Gopal, IDC Research Director, Future of Intelligence. “Technologies like embedded AI and augmented analytics are promising tools that can democratize analytics beyond the traditional BI and advanced analyst user, and empower all workers to become more data-driven in their decisions.”

Key new augmented analytics functions from Tableau include:

Ask Data is now available to all roles and users for Tableau Server and Tableau Online with several significant updates. Ask Data helps more people, regardless of their role, answer business questions using natural language. With a new input experience that guides users on how to ask the most relevant question and dashboard integration for an integrated, simple and personalized experience, this release of Ask Data dramatically broadens the number of people who can successfully ask questions of data.

Explain Data is now available to all roles and all users for Tableau Server and Tableau Online. It helps answer the ‘why’ in data by using powerful statistical methods and machine learning to surface understandable explanations behind data points. Now with a UI optimized for a wider audience, business users can quickly understand the drivers behind a specific data point. Explain Data also reduces the risk of error by searching for explanations in the entire data source, beyond what is shown in the visualization.

Ask Data for Salesforce helps Salesforce users ask any question in Tableau CRM using natural language and semantic search to get answers instantly in the form of insights, instantly generated reports, and recommended dashboards, tailored to the context of their business. Because Ask Data for Salesforce automatically learns directly from Salesforce data and users, minimal admin setup time is required, enabling all users to start using data for decision making.

Einstein Discovery for Salesforce Reports auto analyzes data from Salesforce reports quickly and thoroughly to explore and identify the most important insights, surfacing them with charts and explanations that are easy to understand. It helps reduce the barrier to machine learning by enabling direct access to the associated Einstein Discovery story, where users can analyze further.

“There’s a growing disconnect between business leaders expecting a data-driven organization, and employees who aren’t comfortable using data to make decisions,” said Francois Ajenstat, Chief Product Officer, Tableau. “Building truly data-first organizations requires unlocking the power of data for as many people as possible. AI-powered analytics will help more people use data to answer questions, make meaningful decisions and, ultimately, transform their business.”

Through augmented analytics, Tableau tackles the data skills gap by guiding people to uncover insights they wouldn’t otherwise see or discover.

“Ask Data opens up an opportunity to close the gap between advanced analysts and a broader, general business audience, allowing anyone to connect and explore data.” said Ilya Kovalenko, ‎Data Analyst & Visualization Team Lead, Siemens. “By leveraging Tableau’s modern and fast natural language processing technology, our colleagues are reaching insights faster than ever before. With Explain Data, our team is not only able to see data trends, but can easily identify and understand what’s driving them.”

The newly expanded Ask and Explain Data features are now available in Tableau 2021.2. Einstein Discovery for Reports is now available with the Salesforce Summer ‘21 release. Ask Data for Salesforce will be available early next year.

Additional new features in Tableau 2021.2 include:

Collections: Curate content to simplify collaboration and engagement across the organization. People can easily add content (workbooks, data sources, etc) from across their site) and create custom gallery layouts and share them with others.

Jumpstart Your Salesforce Connection: Helps organizations and administrators onboard their employees using Salesforce to Tableau by pre-populating your Tableau Online site with relevant data sources and workbooks that accelerate exploration of Salesforce data.

Connected desktop for web authoring: Enables Creators to transition seamlessly from web authoring to Tableau Desktop for an improved authoring workflow.

Write to Google BigQuery from Tableau Prep: Empowers people to add or update data in Google BigQuery with clean, prepped data.

Containers: Gives customers the ability to run Tableau Server in a single container, making deployments easier, faster and more efficient. In 2021.2 Tableau will support Kubernetes and Docker containers for Linux.

New Canada Tableau Online Pod: Serves our customers in Canada with greater stability and performance.

Area spatial calculation: Allows analysts to measure the square area of a selection on a map, amplifying the power of spatial joins.

Amazon SageMaker for Tableau: Provides a unique opportunity to communicate and share machine learning (ML) with anyone, via self-service analytics. With a few clicks, people can implement ML models built on SageMaker directly within Tableau dashboards.

Aspire Systems Case Study Recognized With 2021 ISG Digital Case Study Award

 

Aspire Systems, a global technology services firm, has announced that it has been recognized by Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, with the 2021 ISG Digital Case Study Award™, presented to select IT and business services providers for best-in-class digital transformation work with their enterprise customers.

ISG selected case studies from 39 providers for this year’s Awards from a record of nearly 250 submissions. A majority of digital transformation initiatives submitted for consideration were focused on improvements in customer and user experience, with the related goal of driving top-line revenue growth.

Aspire Systems' case study, which received this prestigious recognition, is about a leading insurer whose legacy insurance system had a major constraint that involved a lot of manual work in order to connect its workflows with its partners. Aspire Systems helped it transform with a modern platform that delivered seamless, customizable access to their partners while reducing overhead and human error, thus allowing them to rapidly onboard more partners. The “Underwriting Decision Engine” was a big highlight with faster onboarding of partners. Partners also had real-time access to the insurer’s products. Given the reliance on partners for the insurer, the platform helped them grow their partners up to 150. This makes it a standout example of digital transformation, based on an open platform that makes a partner ecosystem work for all its participants.

“Winning this ISG Digital Case Study award is indeed a proud moment for us. The standout case study which fetched us this recognition focused on the business value delivered to a leading insurer in expanding their distribution channels through our digital transformation initiative. Our insurance practice aims at enabling insurers to improve straight-through processing, enhance operation excellence, increase quote conversion, reduce loss ratio and deliver best-in-class customer experience and this achievement is a testament to the same”, commented Maha Santaram, Insurance Practice Head, Aspire Systems.

The ISG Digital Case Study Awards evaluate the objectives, solutions and outcomes achieved through digital transformation projects. Technology and service providers worldwide submit case studies, which are independently validated by the enterprise client and reviewed by an expert ISG digital research review committee. Selections are based on a multi-dimensional assessment of the tangible impact of digital transformation on the client’s business and the uniqueness of the provider’s solution.

“The events of the past year have accelerated the adoption of digital technologies and business models,” said Paul Reynolds, ISG partner and chief research officer. “Enhancing customer and user experience was the most prevalent objective across the enterprise-provider projects we examined, and the transformational role providers are playing was evidenced by the many innovative and impactful solutions they delivered.” The ISG Digital Case Study Awards program and related research help guide ISG’s digital advisory work with enterprise clients.

About ISG (Information Services Group)

ISG is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. 

About Aspire Systems:

Aspire Systems is a global technology services firm serving as a trusted technology partner for more than 200 customers across the globe. Aspire works with the world's most innovative enterprises and software product companies, helping them leverage technology to transform their business in the current digital landscape. Its proven approach to Software Engineering & Digital Technologies helps companies run smart business models. Aspire’s core philosophy of ‘Attention. Always.’ communicates its belief in lavishing care and attention to its customers and employees. The company currently has over 3200 employees, globally and is CMMI Level 3 certified. It operates across North America, LATAM, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific. Aspire Systems has been recognized for the 12th time in a row as one of the Top 100 ‘Best Companies to Work For’ by the Great Place to Work® Institute.Mr Gupta will be responsible for building ecosystem partnerships for driving magicpin’s growth. A graduate of IIM Ahmedabad and IIT-Delhi, he has decades of experience as an entrepreneur and investor.

In accepting the position, Pranay Gupta stated, “magicpin is a fantastic platform that lets consumers save, while driving growth for its 150K+ merchants. I am eager to join the team and build partnerships that take magicpin’s massive savings network to many more consumers.”

ALSO READ :Rural-Tech Startups Frontier Markets, Hesa and 1Bridge Join Hands To Form Rural Access Coalition for Covid-19 Resilience

Commenting on the appointment, Anshoo Sharma, Co-Founder and CEO of magicpin said, “We are excited to welcome Pranay to the magicpin family. He brings a lot of experience, expertise, and valuable insights to the position, and we look forward to him playing a key role in the company’s next phase of growth."

Mr Gupta’s appointment comes on the heels of other key strategic additions to the leadership team of magicpin.

ALSO READ :Jaipur Startup Nanomatrix Materials Unveils Graphene-based AC Filters for Protection Against Airborne Virus, Bacteria and Fungus

magicpin is India’s #1 savings app that spans from local merchants to large brands, online and offline. We bring the local market alive on our user’s phone and let people discover and save through our magicpin rewards programme, powered by over 150K partner stores.

magicpin drives over $1B of annual business that covers local merchants and brands like Pantaloons, Lifestyle, Westside, Levis, Jockey, Titan, Fastrack, McDonald’s, CCD, KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Flipkart, Boat, Amazon, Samsung, Biba, ITC, Zandu, P&G and many more. 

magicpin Appoints Pranay Gupta As VP, Growth And Business Development

magicpin, India’s #1 savings app, has appointed Mr Pranay Gupta as the new Vice President of Growth and Business Development. He was the co-founder of 91 Springboard and is extremely well networked in the technology ecosystem.

Mr Gupta will be responsible for building ecosystem partnerships for driving magicpin’s growth. A graduate of IIM Ahmedabad and IIT-Delhi, he has decades of experience as an entrepreneur and investor.

In accepting the position, Pranay Gupta stated, “magicpin is a fantastic platform that lets consumers save, while driving growth for its 150K+ merchants. I am eager to join the team and build partnerships that take magicpin’s massive savings network to many more consumers.”

Commenting on the appointment, Anshoo Sharma, Co-Founder and CEO of magicpin said, “We are excited to welcome Pranay to the magicpin family. He brings a lot of experience, expertise, and valuable insights to the position, and we look forward to him playing a key role in the company’s next phase of growth."

Mr Gupta’s appointment comes on the heels of other key strategic additions to the leadership team of magicpin.