Bank Of Baroda Announces Robust Financial Results For Q1 FY2022

The Bank reported a Net profit at Rs 1,209 crore on the back of a robust 15.8% YOY growth in Net Interest Income (NII) to Rs 7,892 crore. Resultantly, there has been a significant rise in RoA at 0.42% and RoE of 8.63%. Operating profit increases by a robust 41.2% to Rs 5,707 crore. Cost to income ratio fell to 47.45%, a decline of 574 bps over the previous year. Gross NPA position improved to 8.86% from 9.39% in the same period last year. Bank’s capital adequacy ratio (CRAR) increases to 15.4%. Global Net interest margin (NIM) exceeds 3% at 3.04%. Domestic NIM at 3.12%. Bank reoriented its Loan book to high yield segments. Organic retail loans increased by 11.8% YoY. Within retail loans, auto loans increased by 25.0% YoY and personal loans grew by 19.5% YoY. Gold loans increased by 37.7% YoY. The Bank also brought down its Cost of deposits significantly by 103 bps to 3.92%. CASA Deposits increased by 12.7% YoY with the domestic CASA ratio increasing to 43.21% from 39.49% last year, an increase of 372 bps YoY.  

Highlights

Domestic deposits increased by 3.0% YoY led by 12.7% YoY increase in domestic CASA deposits. CA deposits increased by 21.1% YoY and Savings deposits by 11.2% YoY respectively. Domestic CASA ratio increased to 43.21%, an increase of 372 bps YoY. Domestic cost of deposits declined by 103 bps YoY to 3.92% in Q1FY22.

Domestic advances fell by 2.3% YoY due to run-off of low yielding corporate loans. Organic retail loans increased by 11.8% YoY, agriculture loans by 9.4% YoY and organic MSME advances increased by 6.9% YoY.  Within retail loans, auto loans increased by 25.0% YoY and personal loans grew by 19.5% YoY. Gold loans increased by 37.7% YoY.

NII increased to Rs 7,892 crore in Q1FY22 compared with Rs 6,816 crore in Q1FY21, an increase of 15.8% YoY.

Global NIM increased to 3.04% in Q1FY22 compared with 2.52% in Q1FY21 led by domestic margins which have now increased to 3.12% in Q1FY22 from 2.59% in Q1FY21.

Non-interest income during Q1FY22 increased by 63.4% YoY to Rs 2,970 crore boosted by fee income which increased by 28.0%. Non-fee income increased by 128.4% YoY led by trading gains and recovery from TWO. 

Operating Profit for Q1FY22 increased to Rs 5,707 crore thus registering an increase of 41.2% YoY. Cost to income ratio fell by 574 bps YoY to 47.45% in Q1FY22.

Credit cost in Q1FY22 fell to 1.36% as against 1.78% in Q1FY21, a decline of 42 bps YoY.

Bank reported a standalone Profit before Tax of Rs 1,595 crore in Q1FY22 and Net Profit of Rs 1,209 crore. For the consolidated entity, Profit before Tax and Net Profit stood at Rs 1,611 crore and Rs 1,187 crore respectively.

Gross NPA ratio declined to 8.86% as on June 30, 2021 against 9.39% as on June 30, 2020. Recovery and upgrades increased to Rs 4,435 crore in Q1FY22 as against Rs 818 crore in Q1FY22. Bank’s NNPA ratio increased to 3.03% as on June 30, 2021 as against 2.83% as on June 30, 2020.

Capital adequacy (CRAR) on standalone basis stands at 15.40% with CET-1 at 11.25% as on June 30, 2021 as against 12.84% and 9.08% respectively as on June 30, 2020. For the consolidated entity, CRAR and CET-1 stand at 16.38% and 12.35% respectively.

Bank reported RoA and RoE of 0.42% and 8.63% respectively in Q1FY22.

About Bank of Baroda 

Bank of Baroda (“The Bank”) established on July 20, 1908 is an Indian state-owned banking and financial services organization, headquartered in Vadodara (earlier known as Baroda), in Gujarat, India. Under the ‘Alternative Mechanism’ scheme, the Government announced the amalgamation of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda which came into effect on April 1, 2019.

Bank of Baroda is one of India’s largest banks with a strong domestic presence spanning 8,192 branches and 11,637 ATMs and Cash Recyclers supported by self-service channels. The Bank has a significant international presence with a network of 96 overseas offices spanning 19 countries. 

Airtel Partners With Google Cloud, Cisco To Launch ‘Airtel Office Internet’ To Accelerate Digital Transformation Of Small Businesses

* All-in-one enterprise grade solution with secure connectivity and productivity tools  

Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s premier communications solutions provider announced the launch of ‘Airtel Office Internet’ – a unified enterprise grade solution for the emerging digital connectivity needs of small businesses, SOHOs and early stage tech start-ups.   

More than ever, emerging businesses across India are looking for reliable connectivity and digital productivity tools that enhance their agility, efficiency and enable them to serve their customers better. Importantly, these businesses want to access these solutions with the convenience of a single relationship.    

Airtel Office Internet is built on these insights and brings together secure high speed data connectivity, conferencing and business productivity tools as a unified solution with one plan and one bill.  

FTTH broadband with symmetric speeds up to 1 Gbps along with unlimited local/STD calling.  

The superfast and reliable connectivity comes with built-in enterprise grade security from Cisco and Kaspersky to block malicious and unwanted domains, viruses, crypto-lockers and attacks.  

Complimentary Google Workspace licenses that allows businesses to use Gmail for all professional email communication along with an entire range of productivity and collaboration tools from Google.  

With growing requirements for video conferencing, Airtel Office Internet also offers a free Airtel BlueJeans license for unlimited and secure conferencing with HD quality . 

Digital self-serve portal for businesses to manage all these services at one place.  

Plans start at Rs. 999 with a range of add-on services like Static IPs and parallel ringing. For more details, please visit https://www.airtel.in/business/b2b/broadband-internet/ 

According to Ajay Chitkara, Director & CEO – Airtel Business: “The pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation journeys of businesses of all sizes. Emerging businesses are looking for trusted partners to help them in their journeys by eliminating  the complexity of managing multiple relationships. Airtel Office Internet is yet another innovation from Airtel in this direction. It brings together Airtel’s network and world-class partner ecosystem to bring to market tailor made solutions for India’s unique needs.” 

Bikram Singh Bedi, Managing Director at Google Cloud India said, “Telecommunications firms are increasingly differentiating by offering a wide range of tools that are helping Indian businesses accelerate their digital transformation with the cloud. The combination of Google Workspace’s collaboration and productivity tools combined with Airtel’s robust pan-India connectivity solutions will be a great growth enabler for small businesses in India.”  

Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India & SAARC said "As the threat landscape grows exponentially, cybersecurity becomes an urgent challenge for any business, regardless of size. This is particularly true for small businesses, given that they typically operate with limited resources and investments. Our partnership with Airtel is built on our joint vision of enabling enterprise-grade security for small businesses, grounded in AI and automation, so they can focus on areas that will have the biggest impact on their recovery and growth." 

RV University Institutes Announces 100 Scholarships For Those Who Lost Parents Due To COVID

Bangalore-based RV University (RVU) has instituted about 100 scholarships for meritorious students and those who are impacted by COVID-19. These have been instituted during the commencement year itself to enhance access to education.  

RVU has decided to provide scholarship equivalent to 100% of tuition fee for eligible students who have lost one or both the parents due to COVID-19. Ten students will be covered under this scholarship in its three Schools dealing with Liberal Arts and Sciences, Design and Economics and Finance.  

The RV University has also instituted several school-specific scholarships. In the School of Economics & Finance which offers B.B.A., B.Com., B.A. (Economics) programmes, 100% of tuition fee will be provided as scholarship to ten students who have scored 95% or more marks in the their 12th Standard or Pre-University Course (PUC) examination. Scholarship equivalent to 25% of tuition fee will be provided to 25 students in BBA and B.Com programmes and to 15 students in the B.A. (Economics) programme, who have scored between 80%-95% marks in their qualifying examination.  

In the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences, a sum of Rs. 15 lakhs has been earmarked for scholarships in the current academic year 2021-22. candidates who fulfil the academic eligibility requirements and have demonstrated exceptional co-curricular and extra-curricular activities at national and international level are eligible for these scholarships. The amount of scholarship is commensurate with the achievements and is decided by the Scholarship Committee of RV University.  

In the School of Design, a sum of Rs. 15 lakhs has been earmarked to provide the scholarships for students in 4 year B.Des and 2 year M.Des degrees in 2021-22. They are awarded based on the performance in Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design (UCEED) and NID Design Aptitude Test (DAT). 50% of annual tuition fee will be provided as scholarship to those  in 1-400 Rank in UCEED or those who secured  81-100 Marks in DAT. 30% of annual tuition fee will be provided as scholarship to UCEED Rank 401-800 and NID-DAT  Marks 66-80. For those who secured UCEED Rank 801-1500 or NID-DAT Marks 51-65, 15% of tuition fee will be provided as scholarship.  

These scholarships will be awarded on first-come-first served basis. Renewal of this scholarship is subject to outstanding performance in 1st year. Students can avail any one of the above scholarships. 

The  RV University has also instituted Alumni Scholarships worth Rs. 25,000 per annum each to those students who have studied at any of the RV institutions in the past and have received their first degree/ certificate at RV Educational Institutions. They will continue to receive the scholarship in the following years if they pass in all the courses in an academic year, maintain good attendance and conduct.   

A student whose parent is presently working in the Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust or RV Educational Institutions (RVEI) as a fulltime employee is eligible to receive a scholarship of Rs.25,000/- per annum. It will be renewed in subsequent years if the parent continues to be in service and the student passes in all the courses in that academic year, maintain good attendance and conduct.   

Welcoming these announcements, Pro Vice Chancellor, RVU and Joint Secretary, RSST, Mr. D.P. Nagaraj said, “The Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust is a public charitable one and we are deeply committed to improving the access to education of all students during the current pandemic. These scholarships only reaffirm our commitment to society. The number of scholarships will increase in the coming years.” 

The Pro Chancellor, RV University and Secretary of RSST, Mr. A.V.S. Murthy said, “Making education accessible to students in every strata of society is an avowed goal of our Trust. I hope deserving students will make full use of these scholarships and contribute their mite to nation.” 

The Vice Chancellor, RV University, Professor Y.S.R. Murthy said, “Our aspiration is to make the RV University a world class one. Our vision is to empower youth who are the future of our nation. I sincerely thank all Trustees of RSST and its office bearers for not only establishing the RV University but also instituting generous merit-based scholarships and other scholarships in the first year itself. I am sure that they will immensely help students.” 

The RV University (RVU) is opening admissions for under-graduate, post-graduate and full-time/ part-time Ph.D. programmes from the current academic year. Starting from the current academic year in 2021, the RV University will offer degree programmes in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Design and Economics and Finance. These three inter-disciplinary Schools will offer a range of specialisations and interesting mix of majors-minors to suit student choices.  

RVU has been established under the RV University Act, 2019 passed by the Karnataka Legislature. Recently, the Karnataka Government issued a Gazette Notification specifying 16 June 2021 as the date for coming into force of this Act.The University Grants Commission (UGC) through its letter dated 28th June included the RV University in the list of universities established as per Section 2(f) of the UGC Act 1956.  

JK Tyre’s Continues Resilient Performance In Q1FY22, Consolidated Revenues Up By 130%

Indian Tyre Industry major, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. (JK Tyre) announced its unaudited results for first quarter of FY2021-22.

·  Revenues Rs.2618 crore up by 130%,

·  EBIDTA stood at Rs.289 crore, a significant increase on y-o-y basis,

·  PBT and PAT were recorded at Rs.75 crore and Rs.44 crore respectively,

Commenting on the results, Dr. Raghupati Singhania, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), said, “The first quarter of this fiscal year started on a subdued note due to resurgence of second wave of the pandemic and lockdowns, which impacted demand. Despite these challenging market conditions, we achieved encouraging growth in revenues and profitability. With the rising input costs, operating margins were impacted. Nonetheless, we are taking judicious price increase across product categories. The company continued to focus on replacement and export sales. At the same time relationship with OEMs are being expanded and strengthened.”

“We expect improved market conditions, emanating from higher inoculation levels and sharp recovery in economic activities, which is likely to improve sale in both replacement and OEM segments. Going forward we are optimistic and expect a healthy growth of the industry.”

Dr. Singhania further added that, “the Company continues to give utmost primacy to the well-being and safety of its employees, business partners and society. In this direction, we have launched an initiative “JK Cares” program, to support the family of employees, who lost their lives during the pandemic on three fronts – financial, educational and health insurance.”

About JK Tyre & Industries Limited (CIN No. L67120RJ1951PLC045966)

The flagship company of JK Organisation, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd is amongst the top 25 manufacturers in the world. Pioneers of radial technology, the Company produced the first radial tyre in 1977 and is currently the market leader in Truck Bus Radial segment. The Company provides end-to-end solutions across segments of passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, farming, Off-the-Road and two & three- wheelers.

A global force, JK Tyre is present in over 100 countries with over 180 Global distributors. The Company has 12 globally benchmarked ‘sustainable’ manufacturing facilities - 9 in India and 3 in Mexico – that collectively produce around 32 million tyres annually. The Company also has a strong network of over 6000 dealers and 650+ dedicated Brand shops called as Steel Wheels and Xpress Wheels.

JK Tyre’s unwavering commitment towards innovation is reflected through its state-of-the-art global research and technology centre – the Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence - in Mysore, which houses some of the world’s finest technologies and techniques.

JK Tyre launched India’s first ever ‘Smart Tyre’ technology-and introduced Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) which monitors the tyre’s vital statistics, including pressure and temperature. The company recently rolled out its 20 millionth Truck/Bus Radial tyre becoming the first and the only Indian company to achieve this milestone.

It is the only Indian tyre manufacturer to be included in the list of Superbrands India in 2019 for the seventh consecutive year. JK Tyre has been conferred the Sword of Honour for Safety across its plants by the British Safety Council, UK. The company entered the Limca Book of Records with the country’s largest off-the-road tyre - VEM 04.

JK Tyre is also synonymous with motorsport in the country. For over three decades, the Company has relentlessly worked towards shaping India’s positioning as the motorsport hub of Asia, developing the right infrastructure for the sport and promoting young talent in the arena.

Indian Bank Signs MOU wWith NSRCEL- The Incubation Arm Of Indian Institute Of Management, Bangalore

Indian Bank entered into an MoU with NSRCEL- the incubation arm of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) - for extending exclusive credit to Start-ups.

NSRCEL is known for bringing up start-ups, industry mentors and eminent academicians from the parent institution, IIM Bangalore and researchers who thrive on continuous interaction of theory and practice. IIMB also nurtures technology and knowledge-based ventures.

Start-ups require funding to expand and grow. One of the most common problems they face is maintaining a positive cash flow. Under the MOU, NSRCEL will identify Start-ups and MSMEs based on their credentials and past experience and will refer such members for financial assistance from the Bank.

This initiative is a part of the Bank’s scheme ‘Ind Spring Board’ which is exclusively tailored to finance Start-ups. This arrangement shall empower these units to realise their research efforts, powered by financial support from the Bank and backed by incubation facility offered by NSRCEL. The Bank will extend loans of up to Rs. 50 crores to these Start-ups for their working capital requirements or purchase of machinery, equipment etc., as the name goes, the initiative, which is mutually beneficial for both Bank and NSRCEL-IIMB, will be the spring board for start-ups to realise their ambitions.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Padmaja Chunduru, MD & CEO of Indian Bank highlighted the start-ups’ unique needs and requirement of suitable counselling and training for tapping equity and debt funding. To supplement this objective, Indian Bank also has MSME Prerana – a Business Mentoring Programme – in place to empower MSME entrepreneurs through skill development and capacity building workshops in local languages.

The MOU was signed by Shri Sudhakar Rao,(GM - MSME, Indian Bank) and Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan (Director, IIMB), in the virtual presence of Ms Padmaja Chunduru. Shri. Sudhir Kumar Gupta, (FGM, Bangalore), Prof. Venkatesh Panchapagesan (Chairperson, NSRCEL) and other senior officials of Indian Bank and IIMB were also present on this occasion.

About Indian Bank

About Indian Bank Indian Bank is the seventh-largest public sector bank in India. Established in 1907 and headquartered in Chennai, the bank serves over 10 crore customers with 41,557 employees. With effect from 1st April 2020, Allahabad Bank got merged into Indian Bank. Indian Bank has pan India network with 20596 touch points including 6004 Brick & Mortar branches, 5428 ATMs/BNAs, 9161 Business Correspondents and 3 overseas branches.  

Blenders Pride Fashion Tour Unveils The Second Edition Of The Showcase In Collaboration With FDCI

* Industry stalwarts come together to redefine the fashion industry and create a holistic platform for aspiring talent

Blenders Pride Fashion Tour, a definitive voice in the fashion and design world unveils the second edition of The Showcase in collaboration with Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), with the objective of nurturing talent and opening up a world of avenues. The Showcase has been conceived to become one of India's leading platform to discover talent across four categories fashion designers, shutterbugs, models and content creators. Charting a unique course, The Showcase will catapult the journey of the aspirants, giving them a platform to exhibit their creative expression with Pride.  Redefining their career path, the winning talent stand a chance to showcase their work in the next edition of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour.

The Showcase will witness the coming together of the biggest names in the fashion fraternity as jury members, mentors, keynote speakers and active fashion promoters. The powerful jury will comprise of stalwarts such as Chairman of FDCI, Sunil Sethi, actor and style icon, Neha Sharma, design extraordinaire, Gaurav Gupta, leading content creator, Masoom Minawala, celebrity stylist, Shaleena Nathani and lastly the man with a lens, Bollywood’s leading shutterbug Rahul Jhangiani. Trailblazers of the fashion industry namely Amit Aggarwal, Anju Modi, JJ Valaya, Namrata Joshipura, Rahul Mishra, Shantanu & Nikhil, Suneet Varma, Abraham & Thakore, Rina Dhaka and Kunal Rawal, will mentor the competing teams during the course of the competition.

Speaking on the announcement, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India, said, “It is with great pleasure that we announce the launch of the second edition of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour ‘The Showcase’ in collaboration with FDCI, to co-create an inclusive fashion platform where we will nurture future talent. We aim to invite, celebrate and provide a platform to the aspiring talent across the fashion ecosystem. The journey of ‘instilling pride’ will continue to be at the helm of brand’s vision and The Showcase will only reinforce by bringing alive distinctive expressions of ‘Pride’.

Progressing through four phases spread out over nearly two months, The Showcase will intricately weave diverse narratives of Pride such as ‘My Identity. My Pride’, ‘My Passion. My Pride’ and ‘My Planet. My Pride’ to unravel a holistic experience. The shortlisted contestants from the nation-wide talent hunt will be divided into teams of four, each from the categories of designers, shutterbugs, models and content creators and given a challenge under the theme of My Planet. My Pride. With the philosophy of Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle at the helm of the platform, the aspirants will be required to repurpose garments sourced from over 60 leading fashion brands & individual labels such as Rohit Bal, Péro, Ashish N Soni, Bodice, Neeta Lulla, Varun Bahl, Gauri & Nainika, Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna, Huemn, Doodlage, Pankaj & Nidhi, among others to encourage the culture of consuming better as a part of ‘My Planet. My Pride’.

The Showcase will also witness multiple interactive sessions addressed by enigmatic personalities such as Sushant Divgikar, India’s mainstream Drag icon and the voice of inclusivity and diversity, veteran model, Lakshmi Rana, a guidepost for aspiring designers, Ashish Soni and finally globally acclaimed photographer, Tarun Khiwal, weaving in the narrative of ‘My Identity. My Pride’ through their journey.

Chairman, FDCI, Sunil Sethi, said, “We are proud to associate with Blenders Pride Fashion Tour for its second edition of The Showcase, and further add to the magnanimity of the property. Credible names in the fashion space, FDCI and Blenders Pride Fashion Tour share a common belief that together we can build an inclusive platform that will give a voice to upcoming talent from the length and breadth of the country.”

Curator, Ashish Soni, said, “India has immense talent and with the combined synergies of the Blenders Pride Fashion Tour ‘The Showcase’ and FDCI, we will be able to curate a platform that will nurture talent across diverse creative fields. This will be a definitive step towards building a more inclusive fashion ecosystem and giving voice to aspiring talent across the nation.”

Actor and Model, Neha Sharma, said, “Having a background in both acting and modelling, I am very excited to be the jury member of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour The Showcase, which aims to take a progressive step in the fashion arena. The Showcase is truly a-once-in a lifetime opportunity for the aspiring talent and I strongly encourage greater participation.”

Designer, Gaurav Gupta, said, “I have had a long-standing association with Blenders Pride Fashion Tour, and The Showcase is an important step forward to nurture the fashion talent of the future. Thrilled to come on board as the Jury member and doing my part in encouraging upcoming talent in the fashion & lifestyle space.”

Celebrity Stylist, Shaleena Nathani, said, “I have always been passionate about dressing up people and I was lucky enough to get the right opportunities to follow my passion. I believe that a platform like Blenders Pride Fashion Tour The Showcase will be a game changer for the industry and will nurture the new and upcoming talent.”

Fashion and Lifestyle Influencer, Masoom Minawala, said, “For the longest, fashion and lifestyle influencers were not considered as an intrinsic part of the fashion ecosystem and not recognised for their creativity and talent. With a dynamic platform like Blenders Pride Fashion Tour The Showcase bringing the influencers & content creators to the forefront, the credibility for the profession will increase manifold and encourage hidden gems across the country to hone their skills.”

Celebrity Photographer, Rahul Jhangiani, said, “Capturing diverse narratives of pride through a unique lens has defined my life. I am delighted to be associated with a platform like Blenders Pride Fashion Tour The Showcase that recognises the creativity of artists across diverse genres.”

Keynote Speaker, Sushant Divgikar, said, “My life has been defined by following my passion and embracing every facet that makes me who I am. With an inclusive platform like the Blenders Pride Fashion Tour ‘The Showcase’, the talent across the nation will get a chance to embrace their individuality and showcase their craft.”

For further details about Blenders Pride Fashion Tour ‘The Showcase’, please visit https://blenderspridefashiontour.com/

Tata Chemicals Q1 FY22 Income From Operations At Rs 2977 Cr, Up 27%; Consolidated PAT At Rs342 Cr, Up 362%

Tata Chemicals today declared its financial results for the quarter ended 30th June, 2021. The Company reported income from operations on consolidated basis at Rs2,977 Cr, up by 27% as compared to Rs2,348 Cr of the corresponding quarter of last year. Consolidated PAT for the quarter was at Rs342 Cr, up by 362%, as compared to Rs74 Cr for corresponding quarter of last year. This was mainly due to rebound in Soda Ash volumes in US and India.

Consolidated Gross Debt stood at Rs7,284 Cr, as compared to Rs6,933 Cr as on Mar21. Also Cash & equivalent stood at Rs3,293 Cr, as compared to Rs3,104 Cr as on Mar21.

The Company’s results by reporting segments showed income from operations for the Basic Chemistry Products at Rs2,173 Cr, up by 30%, and Specialty Products at Rs797 Cr, up by 18%.

Commenting on the results, Mr. R. Mukundan, Managing Director & CEO, Tata Chemicals Ltd., said, “Our priority continues to be safety of our employees and ensuring business continuity. During the first quarter, we ensured agile servicing of customer demand and cost control. The capacity expansion at Tata Chemicals, Mithapur and Rallis, Dahej is on schedule. With the business environment steadily improving, we are well positioned to grow across customer segments”.

Standalone Highlights Q1 FY22

Soda ash sales are at pre covid levels. Soda ash demand is expected to be robust through the year.

Salt and Bicarb production and sales remained healthy.

The rebound in demand cushioned the impact of increasing energy and freight costs.

Prebiotics (FOS), HDS Silica products continue to grow.

Consolidated Highlights Q1 FY22

Demand rebounds in all markets. Prices in spot markets are up.

Energy, logistic and carbon cost increase cushioned by volume growth.

About Tata Chemicals Ltd.

A part of the over US$ 106 billion Tata Group, Tata Chemicals Limited, is a leading supplier of choice to Nutrition, Glass, Detergent, industrial and chemical sectors. The company has a strong position in the crop protection business through its subsidiary company Rallis India Ltd. Tata Chemicals has world class R&D facilities in Pune and Bangalore.

Tata Motors Partners With Sundaram Finance To Provide Exclusive Offers On Passenger Vehicles To Its Customers

Key Highlights:

* Sundaram Finance to provide 100% financing on Tata Motors' new Forever range

* Special 6 monthly installments for farmers under the “Kisan Car Scheme’

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 India’s leading NBFC Sundaram Finance.

Highlights of the Partnership

As part of this partnership with Tata Motors, Sundaram Finance will provide six-year loans on the new Forever range of cars and UVs with 100% financing that will require for minimal down payment. The partnership has also on offer a special financing ‘Kisan Car Scheme’ with extended and convenient repayment options for the farmers. As part of this, the farmers can repay the loan in installments once every 6 months coinciding with their harvest.

Commenting on the roll out of these finance schemes offers, Mr. Rajan Amba, Vice President, Sales, Marketing & Customer Care, 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 Sundaram Finance 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.”

Commenting on the partnership with Tata Motors, Mr. A. N. Raju, Deputy Managing Director, Sundaram Finance said, “Following the lockdown in several states since April, we are now seeing a recovery in the passenger vehicles segment as endorsed by the sales numbers in July. Also with social distancing, we are observing a rise in the demand for ‘personal transport’ over the last 12 months. Car buyers have been looking for an exciting roll out and the new Forever range fits the bill. Through a lower down payment model and a lower EMI, we are proactively reaching out to the small business owners and making car ownership more affordable thus paving for a safe travel.”

In addition to the above, Tata Motors also recently announced that it has put in place a comprehensive ‘Business Agility Plan' to protect and serve the interests of its customers, dealers, and suppliers for the well-being of its business and supporting ecosystem.

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.

Stay Home, Stay Safe.

*The scheme is not applicable on Nexon EV

T&C apply

Keysight's Channel Emulation Solutions Selected By vivo To Perform Complex 5G Device Testing

* Supports real-world performance validation of smartphones in laboratory environment

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced that vivo, a global technology brand, selected the company's 5G channel emulation solutions to perform complex 5G device testing.

Keysight's PROPSIM F64 Radio Frequency (RF) Channel Emulator, part of the company's portfolio of channel emulation solutions, was chosen by vivo to perform multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) over-the-air (OTA) testing in a laboratory environment under a diverse range of real-world mobility scenarios, including rural, city and indoor.

"We're pleased to support vivo with end-to-end repeatable performance test capabilities in their lab," said Cao Peng, vice president and general manager of Keysight's wireless test group. "Major device makers and network equipment manufacturers use Keysight's channel emulation solutions to verify the performance of 4G and 5G base stations, smartphones and tablets prior to market introduction."

Keysight's PROPSIM channel emulation solutions enable vivo to test the performance of 5G devices under real-world channel conditions according to the latest 5G new radio (NR) specifications defined by 3GPP. PROPSIM integrates seamlessly with Keysight's UXM 5G Wireless Test Platform to deliver CTIA-defined MIMO OTA test scenarios in frequency range 1 (FR1). By combining channel and network emulation capabilities, users can also access advanced performance test capabilities, including full stack end-to-end protocol signaling and radio frequency (RF) performance testing of devices.

"Keysight enables vivo to conduct performance testing, supporting the development of our innovative technology that connects consumers around the globe," said Mingliang Xu, general manager of hardware and performance testing at vivo. "We rely on test equipment vendors that allow us to stay at the forefront of technology development – 5G and beyond."

vivo uses Keysight's 5G emulation solutions to validate the performance of 5G devices equipped with complex beamforming techniques such as MIMO and massive MIMO (mMIMO) in FR1 (sub-7GHz). The solutions use real-world complex 3D propagation channels to verify the performance of 5G device in highly dynamic mmWave end-user environments. The integrated test solution enables users to address both baseband modem performance and antenna design performance evaluation from a single channel emulation platform, leading to reduced test execution times.

About Keysight Technologies 

Keysight delivers advanced design and validation solutions that help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight's dedication to speed and precision extends to software-driven insights and analytics that bring tomorrow's technology products to market faster across the development lifecycle, in design simulation, prototype validation, automated software testing, manufacturing analysis, and network performance optimization and visibility in enterprise, service provider and cloud environments. Our customers span the worldwide communications and industrial ecosystems, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics markets. Keysight generated revenues of $4.2B in fiscal year 2020.

Moksh Agarbatti Ropes In Madhuri Dixit As Its New Brand Ambassador

 

Moksh Agarbatti one of the leaders in manufacturing incense sticks and one among the top three brands in India has roped in the legendary actress, Padma Shri Madhuri Dixit Nene as its brand Ambassador.

The famous superstar will endorse the company’s wide range of prayer products like Agarbatti and Dhoop known for their unique fragrance.

Madhuri Dixit Nene, said, “I am glad to represent Moksh Agarbatti, a brand that has been a pioneer in launching Agarbatti with some of the best fragrances which are Floral, Woody, Spicy, Fruity in nature. Brands like <https://www.mokshagarbatti.in/product/swarna-champa/> Swarna Champa, Akash Phool, and Samaj are market leaders in the commoditized Agarbatti category. Due to the brand's unique fragrances, it has a loyal customer base across the country.”

Speaking of the association Anand Kumar Ashiya, CEO, Moksh Agarbatti said “Moksh Agarbatti is an iconic brand with a rich history of more than two decades of trust and fragrant leadership in the Indian Agarbatti market. We are now proud to have Madhuri Dixit Nene as the brand ambassador of Moksh Agarbatti. She is a renowned Bollywood star who complements our brand values. Through this association, we want to spread awareness about the benefits of using fragrant and quality incense in one's prayers. Your prayers are uninterrupted with superior quality incense. We use the purest ingredients and raw materials to give you superior quality incense sticks. All the incense sticks manufactured go through a rigorous quality check to ensure every incense stick burns uninterrupted. Our products are made with the highest global quality standards with user-friendly packaging.”

Moksh Agarbatti will soon launch a 360-degree marketing campaign featuring Madhuri Dixit Nene encompassing TV, print, outdoor, digital and other media.

About Moksh Agarbatti

Moksh Agarbatti is one of the top three manufacturers of Incense sticks in India. The company's wide range of prayer products like Agarbatti and Dhoop is known for its unique fragrance. With over 35 different products, which are patented and trademark registered, Moksh has the vision to be available in every household in India. Apart from the flagship, Swarna Champa, it has introduced many brands with unique fragrances like Chandan, Lavender, Gulab, Akash Phool, Night Queen, Mogra, and Kewda to mention a few.

Founded in 1996 by Mr. Sesh Kiran Ashiya and Mr. Anand Kumar Ashiya as a partnership firm, Moksh Agarbatti is an iconic brand with a rich history of more than two decades of trust and fragrant leadership in the Indian Agarbatti market.  Moksh agarbatti uses the purest ingredients and raw materials to give you superior quality incense sticks. All the incense sticks manufactured go through a rigorous quality check to ensure every incense stick burns uninterrupted. The products are made with the highest global quality standards with user-friendly packaging. Moksh Agarbatti co is ISO9001-2008 certified company.

From being a team of 20 workers manufacturing 2.5 lakh Agarbatti a day, to the current workforce of around 1000 personnel manufacturing 1.5 crore Agarbatti per day, Moksh Agarbatti has come a long way since its inception.

WhiteHat Jr Expands Coding Curriculum In Schools With A Physical-Digital Blended Model

* Reaches out to more than 1.25 lakh students in 500 schools across 24 states & union territories under this initiative

* Targets to teach 1 million school students next academic year

WhiteHat Jr, India's leading live one-on-one online learning platform, today announced the launch of a physical-digital blended coding curriculum for school children in the country. The program combines the power of WhiteHat Jr’s online platform with a classroom model, where children can learn and collaborate with their peers.

The edtech company has received a very positive response to the offering, with schools showing massive interest in introducing next-generation coding skills to their students. Leveraging the strong in-bound, WhiteHat Jr has signed up 500 schools across the country, representing more than 1.25 lakh students who will learn coding through the blended curriculum.

The program has been especially developed to support schools in India. It delivers three key features –

Proprietary curriculum - WhiteHat Jr has designed an activity-based structured coding curriculum from Grade 1 -12. The curriculum is scientifically researched & based on age-appropriate learning outcomes.

Physical cum digital access - To maximize the benefits of peer classroom learning, the coding classes will be delivered in the school computer labs in person by a trained teacher using the WhiteHat Jr’s proprietary technology platform. All enrolled students will also have access to WhiteHat Jr’s online resources, including classroom tutorials and projects.

Teacher training program - WhiteHat Jr has developed a new teacher training program to prepare teachers for conducting the coding program in schools. It also has been empanelled by NSDC to build the capacity of coding trainers in the country. To date, 1,000 private school teachers have already been trained and will get certified under this initiative.

“We have to equip our children with 21st-century skills to help reap the demographic dividend in its truest sense. However, the big deterrent is that the majority of children in the country don't have access to computers or broadband. We aim to bridge this critical gap with a unique physical-digital blended model leveraging schools to enable coding access to millions of children across the country,” said Karan Bajaj, Founder & CEO, WhiteHat Jr. "With the positive reception that we have received thus far since the launch of our physical-digital blended model, our vision of teaching Coding to at least 1 million school students in the next academic year is an achievable reality.”

"We are at the helm of a breakthrough with this initiative, to provide Coding education to students that otherwise would not have had the infrastructure to access these future skills," said Nitin Kochhar, Chief Business Officer -  New Channels, WhiteHat Jr. "500+ schools representing 245 cities, from 24 states and union territories across the country, is a testament to the trust that we have gained by leading educational institutions across the country. We have built a strong support infrastructure/ processes and team in place to delight each and every child studying Coding through our school's initiative."

NBHC Makes Foray Into Digital Auctioning / Trading Of Agri-Commodities Via Krishi Setu Web App

* Influences the power of Farming and Digitisation with ease for Farmers, Traders & Processors to buy or sell commodities with Actual Price Discovery ~ 

National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC) announced the launch of its electronic application ‘Krishi Setu’, a one-stop solution in post-harvest agri value chain offering seamless user-experience & reduced operational inconveniencies in trade execution, through end-to-end digitized processes.  NBHC has developed this advanced e-marketplace for agri commodities, which is a result of our commitment towards taking ahead the legacy of technology-led innovation with an objective of providing all variants of digitally enabled auctions & trades.  

With a mission to empower the Farmer Community & Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Krishi Setu is committed to provide knowledge-driven services for building efficiency in Auctioning / Trading of commodities, even with remote access.  It directly links buyers & sellers electronically across the country and facilitates hassle-free transactions, purely through disintermediation. Furthermore by utilising market linkages and connecting market participants viz Farmers, FPOs, Government Agencies, Corporates, Traders and Processors; Krishi Setu enables efficient price mechanism with complete transparency.     

Mr. Ramesh Doraiswami, Managing Director & CEO, NBHC, said, “With internet penetration nearing 50% and the number of mobile connections equivalent to 79% of the population in India, trading in agricultural commodities is poised for a leap to the new digital age marked by ease and mobility. As a company focussed on innovation, NBHC aspires to make Krishi Setu an Amazon-like e-market platform for agri-commodities and further improve the lives of Farmers & FPOs, enabling them to make informed decisions on marketing their produce by providing them market access, transparency and post-harvest value added services.  

Mr. Deepak Kumar Singh, SVP & Business Head, NBHC, said, “Krishi Setu is all set to making a difference to the agri value chain through its progressive amenities which combines farming, automation and digitalisation. This platform offers tailor-made solutions for effective process-driven risk assessment & mitigation, coupled with digital financing option. Through Krishi Setu, we are enlarging our farm gate procurement services from farmers to clientele through disintermediation, by leveraging our tech-enabled operational capabilities. We are committed to empowering farmers by opening a gateway to lucrative deals featured with fair pricing, transparency and zero compromise on the quality”. 

Through NBHC’s pan-India reach, deep industry knowledge and tech-enabled operational capabilities, Krishi Setu provides services for an extensive range of commodities including grains, pulses, cereals, oil seeds and spices across various locations. This revolutionary platform is accessible through Google Play Store, QR code scanning and website.  

Aditya Birla Education Academy Provided Free Training To Over 1 Lakh Educators Across India, During The Pandemic

* In April 2020, Aditya Birla Education Academy began the free training programmes in the form of masterclasses and educator meetups with an aim to support teachers’ skill development

Aditya Birla Education Academy (ABEA), India’s leading professional development institute for teachers announced that it has achieved a milestone in terms of providing free training to over one lakh educators in India. Aditya Birla Education Academy is at the forefront of supporting the teaching community of the country by imparting in them the right skills required to stay abreast of the latest developments and aid their learning through various training programmes.

The novel coronavirus posed an unprecedented disruption in the education system. In response to the crisis, educational establishments began embracing virtual teaching methods and digital avenues to bridge the physical divides. During the initial days, many educators were not accustomed to the required digital tools and teaching methods to conduct virtual classes. This scenario was more of an eye-opener and an opportunity for the teachers to realize the importance of upskilling themselves by undertaking different training programmes.

To support skill development of the educators of the country especially during such dire times, Aditya Birla Education Academy (ABEA) as a part of its community-building initiatives for teachers’ learning has been offering free Masterclasses and Educator Meetup sessions for teachers for the last 15 months. ABEA began this initiative in April 2020 when teachers were grappling with strategies and tools to teach online. Aditya Birla Education Academy takes pride in successfully training over 1,00,000 educators by conducting around 60 free sessions from April 2020 to date.

Commenting on this community-building initiative, Mrs Neerja Birla, Founder, and Chairperson, Aditya Birla Education Trust said, “Last year, as the education sector grappled with the impact of the pandemic, we realised that skill development is an important area of focus. This led us to introduce free training programmes for educators across India. Through this initiative, we aim to fast-track the professional growth of educators and impart new-age skillsets required to conduct classes virtually, staying true to our objective of presenting a platform to educators for upskilling and thereby enhancing their overall quality of teaching.”

Through these monthly free masterclasses and educator meetups, Aditya Birla Education Academy has conducted sessions on diverse subjects such as The Identification and Development of Creative Productive Giftedness, Understanding Gen Z to Optimize the Teaching-learning Process, Developing Global Citizenship, Decoding the Unpredictable in the Future of Schooling, Mentoring and Monitoring Skills for Middle Management, Intrinsic Leadership in Schools, etc. These masterclasses are hour-long sessions led by a subject matter expert. The educator meetups consist of a 30-minute presentation by a skilled professional followed by a 30-minute session of sharing of ideas, insights, and strategies among educators. 

Here are some testimonials from the teachers who attended Masterclasses:

“It was quite an informative session and motivated teachers to keep going on and do their duties, uplift each other during such a challenging situation.”

Archana G Bhat, New Horizon Gurukul

Attended the Masterclass on Work from Home for Teachers in April 2020

“It was a very informative session. All the questions we had this whole time are answered. I got to know many new things and also new words which can improve my vocabulary. I got to know about the new phase of learning. The presentation was amazing and the words spoken were so true and thorough. Thank you so much for this wonderful session.”

Mahek Kaur Soor, Lodha World School

Attended the Masterclass on The New Face of Education in October 2020

“The session was well planned and very much informative. Take away from this session for me is to create and maintain the curiosity in the learners. Thanks a lot for the session!”

Manisha Singh, The Scindia School

Attended the Masterclass on Project-Based Learning in April 2021

The free online training sessions are conducted on a monthly basis after which educators can continue their discussion and communicate, share and learn from one another on Educator Community on Facebook. The details for the August 2021 sessions can be found at:

·Topic: ABEA Masterclass on Framing Higher Order Thinking Skills - MCQs

Date: 2nd August 2021

Registration Link: https://abea.in/workshop/abea-masterclass-on-framing-higher-order-thinking-skills---mcqs

About Aditya Birla Education Academy

Aditya Birla Education Academy is India’s leading professional development institute for teachers. Aditya Birla Education Academy aims to engage educators in the new-age global processes of education and empower them to evolve into the best knowledge-givers they can be, as they nurture young minds and contribute towards shaping the future. Aditya Birla Education Academy is providing a platform for educators to further their professional development through relevant and uniquely structured courses that meet their needs across the spectrum of education.

About Aditya Birla Education Trust

Aditya Birla Education Trust (ABET) is an organisation committed to the cause of education and mental health, with an objective to nurture young minds. Right from establishing the Aditya Birla World Academy, an International School with an Indian soul, to The Aditya Birla Integrated School, which acknowledges the need to cater to children with different learning needs, ABET has always prioritised the importance of a child’s overall development. Further under the aegis of ABET, the Aditya Birla Education Academy provides professional development opportunities for educators, and engages, empowers and equips them to contribute towards shaping the future of young minds. In an endeavour to stamp out stigma surrounding mental health concerns, ABET has established Mpower, a holistic mental health care initiative, which has become the pioneer of mental health awareness in the country. Aditya Birla Education Trust runs under the zealous leadership of its passionate and committed Founder & Chairperson, Mrs. Neerja Birla.

Tata Motors Joins Hands With Common Service Centre Scheme To Widen Its Reach In Rural India

* Ministry of Electronics and IT’s wide network will enable ease in buying of commercial vehicles, under Digital India programme

Tata Motors, India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, announced the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Common Service Centre Scheme (CSC) e-Governance Services India Limited, in a collaborative effort to bring Tata Motors commercial vehicles to rural customers, across India. CSC’s nationwide network and digital services will further strengthen Tata Motors’ reach in rural geographies, including remote areas of the country. The partnership will add impetus to the development of rural India, and remarkably better the last-mile transportation with Tata Motors’ modern and efficient commercial vehicle range.

The partnership is curated on the back of Tata Motors’ core philosophy of nation-building and providing a means of livelihood to the rural population of the country. Through this initiative, Tata Motors and CSC aim to increase accessibility in remote regions and help realise the Government of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rajesh Kaul, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors said, “It is indeed a momentous day for us as we join hands with CSC to make our vehicles more accessible to our fellow citizens in rural geographies. With the onset of the digital age, this partnership with CSC would play a large role in enabling those living in villages with the power of choice, in opting for a business proposition through our range of commercial vehicles. The CSC Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE) network would be instrumental in taking the proposition to the villages in India. It will further fortify Tata Motors’ widest network of sales and service touchpoints and contribute towards the overall development of the rural economy. Tata Motors’ widest range of commercial vehicles, with their efficient drivetrains and rugged build quality, are engineered to provide safe and comfortable transportation in the tough terrain of the Indian countryside. We are confident that this initiative will help in ‘Connecting Aspirations’ of those living in Indian villages.”

Elaborating on the partnership, Managing Director, CSC SPV, Dr. Dinesh Tyagi said, “Mobility is a significant factor in rural areas, especially when it comes to commercial activities. There is an untapped demand for light commercial vehicles by small scale industries, farmers and small businesses. This partnership with Tata Motors will help us reach out to this segment. With an uptake in the economic activity in rural areas and the growth impetus provided by Government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign, commercial vehicles will continue to be in demand for transportation of material and goods. CSC is also working in the area of FPOs and this partnership will help us serve them in providing commercial vehicles.”

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.

Olympic Team Ke Fan Bann Gaye? MPL Sports Foundation Gives You A Chance To Be Part Of Commonwealth Games 2022

The Olympic games may be coming to an end, but the excitement continues. The most ardent supporters will be rewarded with an all-expenses paid trip to catch our athletes in action yet again at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, with help from MPL Sports Foundation, the Principal Partner of the Indian Olympic Association. 

Over the last few weeks, Indian fans have come together in droves virtually, to show their support for Team India at the Olympics. Fans have cheered them on from afar, in ways never seen before, as they broke records and made history. As the Games draw to a close, MPL Sports Foundation wants to inspire fans to continue supporting our athletes, who will be competing next at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, while fostering the energy and enthusiasm seen this year. The Foundation, which is the Principal Partner of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), today announced a hunt for Team India’s Biggest Olympic Fan, giving users a chance to catch our athletes in action at the Commonwealth Games. This is part of a nationwide #FanBannJaaoge movement launched two weeks ago, rallying all 1.3 billion Indians to become ardent fans of our decorated athletes, during the Olympics and beyond. 

Here’s how you can be crowned Team India’s Biggest Olympic Fan: 

Upload a video on MX TakaTak showcasing why you’re Team India’s Biggest Fan with a fan-tastic cheer for the Indian Olympic Team.

Tag @mplsportsfoundation on MX TakaTak and @mplsportsfdn on Twitter. Use the hashtag #FanBannJaaoge

Tag as many friends as possible & increase your chance of becoming the BIGGEST FAN!

The lucky winner will win a chance to attend the Commonwealth Games 2022 at Birmingham, England for four days, with all expenses paid. 

Send in your entries before August 12th. 

MPL Sports Foundation, the community arm of Mobile Premier League (MPL), India’s largest esports and gaming platform, led the charge by creating India’s first ever fan group for our athletes, called the Indian Olympic Fan Army. The army is now over 100 million-strong, which includes fans from MPL’s users and supporters from top sports clubs in India like Kolkata Knight Riders, FC Goa, Ultimate Table Tennis, Gokulam Kerala FC, Shillong Lajong FC. Through this latest initiative, the Foundation aims to engage with all Indians across the length and breadth of India and encourage them to continue to cheer for our athletes, even after the Olympics are long over. 

Sounds exciting? Do not miss your chance to cheer for Team India and win big! 

ixigo Acquires Bus Ticketing AI-Based Technology Platform AbhiBus

* Business assets, intellectual property, team, technology & operations, transfer from AbhiBus to ixigo

Le Travenues Technology Limited, the company that operates the AI based travel app “ixigo” has purchased the business and operations of Hyderabad based bus ticketing and aggregation platform AbhiBus as a going concern on a slump sale basis vide a business transfer agreement, for a mix of cash and ixigo stock as consideration. The Abhibus team led by its founder Sudhakar Reddy Chirra have joined the ixigo team, and all intellectual property, brands, technology and operations are being transferred to ixigo.

The long-haul intercity bus market in India was valued at INR 585 Billion in FY2020. Buses are the most preferred mode of travel for the teeming masses in both urban and rural India, accounting for the largest share of 65% of all transportation used in the country. Resumption of bus services and relaxation of COVID lockdowns have led to swift recovery of bus ticketing volumes and the industry is expected to fully recover in the next 6 months. As per industry reports, AbhiBus was the second largest bus aggregator in India in FY20, selling 26,000 bus tickets per day through its platform. This deal will help the ixigo group to consolidate its presence in Tier 2/3/4 markets by offering a multi-modal transportation experience across trains, flights and buses to its combined user base of nearly 255 million users, as of May 31, 2021.

Aloke Bajpai and Rajnish Kumar, Co-Founders, ixigo said - “ixigo and AbhiBus founders share the passion and focus on the next billion traveler market. AbhiBus has built an innovative and high growth company with deep penetration on the supply side across state road transport companies (SRTCs) & private bus operators and on the demand side, as the dominant bus ticketing brand in several Indian states. By leveraging our combined user base, multi-modal transportation capabilities, tech resources and travel domain expertise we will be able to enhance the experience of millions of  travellers in India every day.”

Sudhakar Reddy Chirra, Founder & CEO, AbhiBus said - “We started AbhiBus with a vision to become India’s most preferred bus booking platform. We are happy that we were able to build a motivated, tightly-knit team and we grew rapidly to become one of the leading bus ticketing players in the country. We are excited to be joining ixigo, whose team and products have created new benchmarks for the travel industry. We remain committed as a team towards our joint vision of serving the underserved market segment of the next billion travelers in the country, for whom trains and buses are the primary modes of transportation.”

AbhiBus, established in 2008 by Sudhakar Reddy Chirra, provides end-to-end software and other value-added solutions such as e-ticketing systems, fleet management solutions, vehicle tracking systems, passenger information systems, logistics management. The company also provides technology solutions to private bus partners and state transport corporations in India. It has also partnered with IRCTC to offer bus tickets to IRCTC users.

This is ixigo’s second acquisition in 2021. In February 2021, ixigo acquired train booking app Confirmtkt.

About ixigo

Launched in 2007, ixigo is an AI-based travel app based in Gurugram, India. Offering train, flight and bus bookings across the ixigo, Confirmtkt and AbhiBus brands, the company applies AI for deal discovery, personalized recommendations, airfare predictions & alerts, train delay information, PNR confirmation predictions and fully-automated customer service. Founded by Aloke Bajpai & Rajnish Kumar, ixigo is backed by affiliates of Sequoia Capital and Elevation Capital among other investors.

MADAME Held Roadshow - Prêt -À- Porter 2.0 Spring/Summer ’22

The Prêt -À- Porter 2.0 Roadshow featuring luxe brands MADAME, CAMLA and MSecret rang up the curtain in Gurugram on 28th July 2021. Capturing the brand ethos and its commitment to timeless style, this Spring/Summer’22 range showcased a wide variety of apparel collection across Women’s and Men’s wear perfect for the summer.

The Spring/Summer ‘‘22 collection is a testament to brand’s creative expression, consisting of everyday wear as well as statement pieces on the go for the chic woman from MADAME, modish man from CAMLA and its loungewear collection from MSecret. Inspired from a soothing colour palette perfect for the breezy spring-summer season, the range includes comfortable silhouettes and breezy fabrics, perfect for tackling warm summers.

The week-long event witnessed the presence of over 300 buyers from across the country including household names like Shopper’s Stop, Central, Lifestyle as well as online stores like Reliance and Ajio- paving the way for future seasonal launches.

Akhil Jain, Executive Director, MADAME commented, “We wished to provide our guests with an extravagant experience through a show that gave them a glimpse of our upcoming Spring-Summer collection. Fashion is constantly changing and evolving, and each season brings with itself new creative arenas waiting to be explored, which was exactly what our Prêt-À- Porter 2.0 presented.”

About Madame

MADAME is a part of Jain Amar Group; the company consists other brands such as CAMLA and MSecret. MADAME Women’s fashion brand of western wear was launched in 1993. It caters to a wide range of apparel, handbags, footwear, and accessories for women. The brand provides fast fashion in-trend merchandise, casual wear, and party wear. In-Line with its global image, currently, MADAME has 150+ exclusive stores in Metros, Tier I & Tier-II cities. Ever since the take-off of its first ever store in 2002, the brand has briskly grown across India and has 150+ exclusive brand outlets across the country. The brand is vended through online markets including Myntra, Ajio, Flipkart and Amazon, and its own online store, Glamly.com.

FLAME University Helps Sculpt Future Researchers Through Its Very Own International Research Seminar Series

FLAME University, the pioneer of liberal education in India, launched the International Research Seminar Series on the 28th of July 2021, a 6-month long speaker series from July to December 2021 in the area of Communications Management by the FLAME School of Communication. Prof. Preetha Menon who is leading this series and is the Head of Department of Media & Journalism at FLAME University says, “Aimed at providing access and opportunities to collaborate with top scholars and practitioners in the field, this seminar series is widely based on three themes which include Methods in Communication Studies, Contemporary Issues in Communication Studies and Industry-led Research in Communication Studies.” The seminar series aims to help guide future researchers for their betterment in various aspects in the field of research. 

Dr. Dishan Kamdar, Vice-Chancellor of FLAME University, kick-started the session by observing that a cross-section of practice and academia can leave us with many research ideas to ponder, he further added, “Research that contributes to business, government, and society should be the goal. Research remains at the epicentre of what we do at FLAME University. We believe educating is about creating new knowledge, not just disseminating existing theory.”

The inaugural session on ‘Developing and Impactful Research: Ideas and Strategies’ featured speakers like Raj Sethuraman, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Retailing, and Professor Harold Simmons, Chair in Marketing, Cox School of Business - Southern Methodist University, USA, Justin Paul, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Consumer Studies, and Professor, Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan, USA, and Vivek Balaraman, Chief Scientist & Head, Behavioural, Business, and Social Science Research, TCS Research, Tata Consultancy Services, India.

Prof. Raj Sethuraman, noted the significant overlap between communication, marketing, and retailing and stated that all of them are about value creation and delivery. He also mentioned that “Writing rigorous, robust, relevant, and reader-friendly analysis is needed if academic research is to be relevant to the real world.”

Prof. Justin Paul, discussed a typology of review papers with detailed instructions for more citations and impact, making the research more accessible. He mentioned, “A review article is a survey of previously published research on a topic. Its main purpose is to provide direction for future research."

Vivek Balaraman, spoke on Computational Behaviour Science & Applied Research, and said, "Insight is good, change is better. Many of the real-world behavioural problems mandate massive use of technology.”

The following session on 'Impactful Experimental Research' included Prof. Rajat Roy, Associate Professor, Bond Business School, Bond University, Australia, who shared his insights on experimental design, various types of experimental designs, intricacies of correlation and causation, validity, control, data analysis, and ethical treatment of subjects. Prof. Rajat Roy, also spoke about differences between market research done by research firms and academic research, and said, “Marketing research firms do hands-on research while academic research is more rigorous. It does literature review in detail and is grounded in academic theory.”

The FLAME School of Communication will host their International Research Seminar Series for 6 months, right up till December 2021. Each session in the series is held for a duration of 90-120 minutes, including a Q&A session as well. Cumulatively about 12-15 speakers will deliver interactive talk sessions in the entire series, averaging at 2 -3 speakers a month. Some of the upcoming sessions in August 2021 include talks on ‘Impactful Qualitative Research’ by Prof. Russel Belk, Kraft Foods Canada Chair in Marketing at Schulich School of Business, York University, on 12th August and ‘Technology and Consumer Behaviour’ by Prof. Stefano Puntoni, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Netherlands, on 27th August, and much more.

The International Research Seminar Series is open to all students, academicians and practitioners who may wish to attend these enlightening sessions. Stay tuned to FLAME’s social media channels for registration details.

To watch the past sessions of the series, click here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKj7xJPfvm8&pp=sAQA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJISnEbdisQ&pp=sAQA

About FLAME University 

FLAME University is the pioneer of liberal education in India, delivering the country's premier interdisciplinary education experience. It is driven to being one of India's most respected and reputed centers of learning - the premier destination of choice for higher education in the nation for learners and teachers, to push the design and nature of studies and to create a societal up-gradation phenomenon, particularly in the fields of liberal education and leadership. With more than 100 quality full-time faculty members, the university offers an unparalleled educational experience. The student-teacher ratio is 10:1, unmatched at the higher education level in India. Spread on 60 acres of green expanse with aesthetically designed infrastructure, and the campus currently consists of four schools: FLAME School of Liberal Education, FLAME School of Business, FLAME School of Communication, and FLAME School of Fine & Performing Arts. FLAME University has been established as a state private university vide the FLAME University Act 2014 (Maharashtra Act No. II of 2015) of the Government of Maharashtra. It is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under Section 2(f), and degrees awarded by the University are recognized under Section 22 of the UGC Act, 1956.

Best Smartphones For Every Tech Enthusiast From Amazon.in’s Great Freedom Festival 2021

* Amazon.in’s Great Freedom Festival is live until 11:59 pm on August 9, 2021

Up to 40% off on Smartphones & Accessories

Enjoy up to 10% instant discount with SBI Credit cards and Credit EMI

Have you been waiting to get your favorite smartphone? Or wondering to upgrade with the latest one with top-notch features? Don’t worry, Amazon has got you covered.

Amazon.in’s ‘Great Freedom Festival’ brings a host of deals and offers on the latest smartphones and accessories. Customers can enjoy up to 40% on smartphones and accessories on brands like Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, Redmi, and many more. They can also enjoy up to 10% instant discount with SBI Credit cards and Credit EMI on top brands.

Prime members can enjoy additional benefits with Advantage - Just for Prime Program. They can avail 3 months extra No Cost EMI on select bank Cards and enjoy 6 Month Free screen replacements on a wide range of mobiles from Xiaomi, Samsung, iQOO and more.

Here are some products customers can choose from during Amazon.in’s “Great  Freedom Festival” with deals and offers from sellers:

Get Up to 40% off on Smartphones & Accessories

·       Apple iPhone 11: Apple iPhone 11 is equipped with the fastest A13 Bionic chip with a third-generation Neural Engine. It boasts a Dual-camera system with 12MP Ultra-Wide and Wide cameras with Night mode, Portrait mode, and 4K video up to 60fps and 12MP TrueDepth front camera with Portrait mode, 4K video, and Slo-Mo. You can enjoy up to 17 hours video playback and up to 10 hours video streaming with iPhone 11. Get iPhone 11 (64GB) for INR 50,999.

·       iQOO Z3 5G: The iQOO Z3 5G is one of the latest launches and is India’s first smartphone to come with the 5G ready and super-fast Snapdragon 768G processor. The phone has the best in class 55W fast charging, 64MP GW3 Sensor for its main camera, 5-layer liquid cooling, 120Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling, 6GB+1GB extended RAM making it possibly the best performance-oriented smartphone. Get this beast for INR 19,990.

·       OnePlus Nord 2 5G: OnePlus Nord 2 5G is 5G ready and features a powerful Mediatek Dimensity 1200-AI processor, a 90Hz AMOLED Display, a flagship level 50MP triple camera with Optical Image stabalization with the Sony IMX 766 sensor, 65-Watt Fast Charge, Alexa built-in and the much-loved OnePlus’s Oxygen OS 11 operating system as well. It will be available starting INR 29,999.

·       Redmi Note 10S: Packed with a powerful MediaTek Helio G95 processor and paired with 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, the smartphone has an AMOLED display with a full-HD+ resolution and a peak brightness of 1100 nits. It has a quad-camera setup and sports a 64-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For selfies, it has a 13-megapixel shooter. It is available for INR 14,999.

·       Samsung Galaxy M31s: The Samsung Galaxy M31s has a 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display along with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a pixel density of 405ppi, offering a brilliantly vivid cinematic experience to its users. The bezel-less display of the device features a punch-hole design, showcasing the front camera set-up and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass v3 and features a quad-camera set-up with a 64MP. It comes along with an Octa-core processor setup and boasts a massive 128GB internal storage space. Get your hands on Samsung Galaxy M31s for INR 18,499.

·       Samsung Galaxy M32: Samsung Galaxy M32 is packed with 6.4 inches display with 4GB RAM and MediaTek Helio G80 chipset and 64GB internal storage. It also comes with a quad-camera configuration on the rear surface of the smartphone comprising of a 64MP rear camera. The smartphone is available for INR 14,999. 

·       Tecno POVA 2: Tecno POVA 2 launched on Amazon.in’s Great Freedom Festival is a feature-packed smartphone to take care of all your needs. It’s an affordable smartphone with a 6.95FHD screen display, massive 7000mAh battery and 48MP AI quad-camera. The smartphone comes in three colors- Dazzle black, Polar Silver and Energy Blue and two variants. The smartphone will be available at a special launch price of INR 10,499 for the 4GB+64GB and INR 12,499 for the 6GB+128GB variant for a limited period.

* Disclaimer: The product details, description and pricing are as provided by the sellers. Amazon is not involved in pricing or describing the products and is not responsible for accuracy of product information provided by the sellers.

HackerEarth Partners With Lever To Boost Speed And Efficiency Of Tech Hiring Process

* Integration with leading Applicant Tracking System will further streamline and optimize the hiring process for tech recruiters and hiring managers

HackerEarth, a leading solutions provider for remote developer assessments, interviews, and upskilling, today announced its newest of many Applicant Tracking System (ATS) integrations with Lever, a leading Talent Acquisition Suite. As a part of HackerEarth’s network of ATS integrations, existing Lever users will be able to easily access and optimize use of HackerEarth Assessments.

HackerEarth’s integration with Lever allows recruiters to manage the applicant screening workflow faster and more efficiently. The key benefits of the integration for users include:

ÿ     Lever users can directly send HackerEarth Assessments invites to their candidates at various stages of the job hiring lifecycle. Once the candidate completes the assessment, their score, and a report containing performance data are linked back into Lever.

ÿ     Lever users can eliminate the constant shifting between LeverTRM and HackerEarth’s platform and view all hiring data from one dashboard. Recruiters can screen candidates faster using HackerEarth, while all members of the hiring team can stay abreast of the progress, by viewing it on the Lever Dashboard.

ÿ     Hiring managers have all candidate information easily accessible on demand, and recruiters can provide candidates with real-time feedback.

ÿ     Lever users have the option to send more than one assessment to evaluate a particular candidate. If the recruiter or hiring manager chooses to retest the candidate (on a different level of assessment or skill set), the integration allows that.

“With demand for skilled tech talent higher than ever, the ability to recruit and hire quickly and efficiently is actually a competitive advantage today, said Sachin Gupta, CEO of HackerEarth. “Today’s users of enterprise software want solutions that integrate seamlessly with others in their tech stack and this partnership with Lever will empower recruiters and hiring managers to save time and leverage data in ways that provide a better experience both for their companies and candidates.”

Lever users can read more about the HackerEarth integration in the Lever Marketplace: https://leverpartner.com/integrations/hackerearth.

Discover more HackerEarth ATS integrations here: https://www.hackerearth.com/recruit/enterprise/integrations/.

About HackerEarth

HackerEarth is a global company that helps large enterprises recruit, evaluate, and upskill developers based on specific skills. The company’s platform enables recruiters to make the most accurate and informed decisions about candidates, improve hiring efficiencies, facilitate continuous learning and development, and ensure the right developers are matched with the right positions. HackerEarth is also a leading facilitator of online hackathons and coding challenges, where its community of over 4 million developers can upskill and practice for employment interviews. The company was founded in 2012 with offices in San Francisco and India. For more information, visit www.hackerearth.com.

About Lever

Lever is a leading Talent Acquisition Suite that makes it easy for talent teams to reach their hiring goals and to connect companies with top talent. Lever is the only platform that provides all talent acquisition leaders with complete ATS and robust CRM capabilities in one product, LeverTRM. The Lever Hire and Lever Nurture features allow leaders to scale and grow their people pipeline, build authentic and long-lasting relationships, and source the right people to hire. Lever Analytics provides customized reports with data visualization, see offers completed and interview feedback, and more, to inform strategic decisions between hiring managers and executives alike.

Our platform also enables companies to hire with inclusivity in mind, and helps to eliminate any hiring bias. Lever supports the hiring needs of over 3,800 companies around the globe including the teams at Netflix, Atlassian, KPMG, and McGraw-Hill Education. 

Coimbatore Based Emerging Software As A Service Product Company - Kovai.co Turns 10!

* Impressive landmark of reaching 1500+ Global Enterprise Customers

Kovai.co - a premier enterprise software and B2B SaaS company based out of Coimbatore, India, and London, U.K., reached a significant milestone in July 2021 – its 10th anniversary. Founded in 2011, Kovai.co presently employs more than 250+ people in multiple countries and markets. By 2030, the company aims to become a SaaS-unicorn and become one of the key SaaS players in the country. Also extends its Kovai.co Connect program – an industry-academia initiative focusing on imparting education on emerging technologies to students across Tamil Nadu, esp. from tier-2 cities.

The company’s first launch - BizTalk360, a platform for operations and monitoring, and analytics for Microsoft’s BizTalk Server started gaining momentum in mid-2011. Later, Kovai.co established a full-fledged innovation and R&D-focused office when they reached a milestone of 145 customers within three years. Microsoft honored Saravana Kumar – Founder and CEO of Kovai.co with the “Integration MVP of the Year” award for his contribution towards Microsoft Integration platforms. 

Since then, Kovai.co has been focusing on its growth through R&D, product innovation, and launching new products that are performing across verticals, including Serverless360 and the most recent Document360.

Additional Key milestone in Kovai.co’s history includes: 

In 2015, Kovai.co moved into 6000 sq. ft, brand new office space in Coimbatore and invested in a 2000 sq. ft office space in London, U.K. 

Launched its second product, Serverless360 for Microsoft Azure Service Bus management

Saravana Kumar being awarded with “NRI Entrepreneur of the Year” by Times Now in 2016

In 2017, Saravana Kumar was officially invited to Buckingham Palace to be given recognition as “50 scale-up CEOs in London”.

Two new products – Atomic Scope and Document360-were launched in 2018 and started gaining momentum in the market. 

In 2020, Kovai.co acquired Cerebrata to act as a complementary product for Serverless360

In 2020, Kovai.co reached $10 million in annual revenue milestone.

Kovai.co was awarded as the “Bootstrapped SaaS Startup of the Year” for 2020 by SaaSBoomi 

Commenting on 10th-year anniversary and the plan ahead, Saravana Kumar said, “We are proud to celebrate 10-years of being a bootstrapped profitable SaaS company. It reflects the trust of our 1500+ enterprise customers, the capabilities of our employees, and our ability to innovate new products over time. Looking ahead, we remain focused on growing the product portfolio, build and nurture local talent, have lateral hires who will help us grow further, and turn Coimbatore into the next big SaaS hub in the country.”

“There will be investments in R&D, acquisitions, and business investments over the next few years for geographic expansion. Also, our Kovai.co Connect program will be taken to educational institutions across the state to train students as per industry needs and make them SaaS-ready. We have had some success on this front over the last two years. Even during the pandemic, our team completed the training of 50+ students in and around Coimbatore virtually. With Kovai.co Connect, we aim to increase the product development and tech capacity of students through innovation and collaboration,” Saravana Kumar added.    

Kovai.co plans to continue its hiring trend and become the employer of choice for talents coming from both inside and outside the city. Besides hiring, the company aims to invest in the local community, become a unicorn by 2030, and drive SaaS product innovations across organizations.

Cement Company Major - Nuvoco Vistas’s Rs. 5,000 Cr IPO To Open On Aug 09, Sets Price Band Of Rs. 560-570 Per Equity Share

Highlights 

·         Price Band of Rs. 560 – Rs. 570 per equity share bearing face value of Rs. 10/- each (“Equity Shares”).

·         Aggregate Offer Size up to Rs. 5,000 crores i.e. Fresh Issue of Equity Shares aggregating up to Rs. 1,500 crores and an Offer for Sale aggregating upto Rs. 3,500 crores.

·         Bid/Offer Opening Date – Monday, August 09, 2021 and Bid/Offer Closing Date – Wednesday, August 11, 2021.

·         Minimum Bid Lot is 26 Equity Shares and in multiples of 26 Equity Shares thereafter.

·         The Floor Price is 56 times the face value of the Equity Share and the Cap Price is 57 times the face value of the Equity Share.

Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Limited (“Nuvoco Vistas” or the “Company”), is the fifth largest cement Company in India and the largest cement company in East India in terms of capacity and one of the leading ready mix concrete manufacturers in India (Source: CRISIL Report). As of March 31, 2021, the Company had 11 Cement Plants with a consolidated installed manufacturing capacity of 22.32 MMTPA.

The Company’s leadership team is led by Mr. Hiren Patel, Chairman and Non-Executive Director and Mr. Jayakumar Krishnaswamy, Managing Director.

Nuvoco Vistas is proposing to open its initial public offering of Equity Shares (the “Offer”) on Monday, August 09, 2021 and close on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The price band for the Offer has been determined at Rs. 560 – Rs. 570 per Equity Share.

The total Offer size is up to Rs. 5,000 crores with a fresh issuance of Equity Shares, aggregating up to Rs. 1,500 crores and an offer for sale of Equity Shares aggregating up to Rs. 3,500 crores, by Niyogi Enterprise Private Limited (the “Promoter Selling Shareholder”).

The Company intends to utilize the proceeds of Rs. 1,350 crores from the fresh issue for repayment/prepayment/redemption, in full or part, of certain borrowings availed of by our Company, besides general corporate purposes.

ICICI Securities Limited, Axis Capital Limited, HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) Private Limited, JP Morgan India Private Limited and SBI Capital Markets Limited are the book running lead managers to the Offer (“BRLMs”).

The Company and the Promoter Selling Shareholder have, in consultation with the BRLMs, considered participation by Anchor Investors, whose participation shall be one Working Day prior to the bid/offer opening Date, i.e. Friday, August 06, 2021. The Offer is being made in terms of Rule 19(2)(b) of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules, 1957, as amended, read with Regulation 31 of the SEBI ICDR Regulations. The Offer is being made in accordance with Regulation 6(1) of the SEBI ICDR Regulations, through the Book Building Process wherein not more than 50% of the Offer shall be available for allocation to Qualified Institutional Buyers, not less than 15% of the Offer shall be available for allocation to Non-Institutional Investors and not less than 35% of the Offer shall be available for allocation to Retail Individual Investors.

All capitalized terms used herein and not specifically defined shall have the same meaning as ascribed to them in the Red Herring Prospectus dated July 30, 2021 (“RHP”) filed with the Registrar of Companies, Maharashtra at Mumbai (“RoC”).