TECNO SPARK 9T Launched In India With 50MP Triple Rear Camera At A Special Introductory Price Of Rs 9,299

·         TECNO SPARK 9T  to disrupt the market with its 7GB RAM and 6.6” Full HD+ Display

·         The all-new smartphone will be available on Amazon.in, starting 6th August 2022

·         Consumers can get a chance to avail special offers on Amazon.in

TECNO Mobile, the global premium smartphone brand launches TECNO SPARK 9T, under its futuristic ‘SPARK series’. Staying true to the virtue of introducing industry-first features, making the photography more intuitive, the new TECNO SPARK 9T boasts the integration of an advanced triple-rear camera set-up at a disruptive price-point of Rs.9,299. Considering its continuous innovation, TECNO has cemented its position as the 4th largest smartphone player in the sub-10K segment as per Counterpoint Research.     

TECNO SPARK 9T is a premium smartphone that boasts ‘category defining’ features with 6.6” Full HD+ display giving a riveting viewing experience. The smartphone is backed by a super-efficient MediaTek Helio G35 processor. The new addition to the SPARK series is powered by a 5000 mAh battery and an 18W flash charger. The mighty combination gives 39 days of standby time and 147 hours of music playback time to the users. The TECNO SPARK 9T raises the bar of gratification quotient of TECNO SPARK series smartphones.

Commenting on the launch, Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of TRANSSION India, said, “At Tecno, we are committed to scaling new heights of innovation through our future-ready consumer-centric products. With our Spark series, we are focused on embedding powerful features in our devices at affordable prices to accommodate consumers’ lifestyle and further consolidate our presence in the mid to high category. With each launch, we have been positively gaining market share across segments by offering need based solutions basis closely studying our consumer pulse and demands and offering them the best-in-class products with advanced technology. With Tecno Spark 9T, we set out to disrupt and push the boundaries on all fronts. The device offers market-leading specifications such as 50MP AI triple rear camera, 7GB RAM, 6.6” Full HD+ display and 5000mAh long battery life with seamless performance, which ensures the best experience for Indian smartphone users.”

Key USPs of TECNO SPARK 9T:

·         50MP Ultra Clear High-Resolution AI Triple rear camera with Super Night Mode

TECNO SPARK 9T’s F1.6 large Aperture with PDAF technique enables you to click clear and memorable photos with each click. Multiple user-centric modes like AI Beauty, Portrait, Super Night and HDR add more flavors to your photos. With the TECNO SPARK 9T's 50 MP Main Camera, it can bring a clear world of images and freeze the beautiful details of life through excellent image processing. The phone also features pro-level shooting modes like 1080p Time-lapse, Slow Motion, and Video Bokeh additionally to give an edge to your memories. Users can click outstanding selfies either during the day or at night with its 8MP selfie camera with a dual front flashlight.

·         Large 7GB RAM with Memory Fusion for incredible speed

TECNO SPARK 9T is equipped with 7GB RAM for faster speed and lag-free operations. It comes with 4GB LPDDR4x RAM, which can be extended up to 7GB with a memory fusion feature. With this bigger RAM, you can enjoy the ultra-fast speed of up to 43% improvement in launching various apps thus, enhancing your multitasking experience. Memory fusion will allow users to borrow additional RAM from storage capacity to offer a better experience. Its 64GB internal storage with up to 512GB dedicated expandable storage slot is sufficient for your daily multimedia needs. 

·         6.6” Full HD+ Dot-Notch Display for a breath-taking viewing experience

TECNO SPARK 9T features a large 6.6” Full HD+ display with a dot-notch on the front to house the selfie camera. It also offers 1080x2408 full HD resolution with 401PPI high pixel density for vivid colors on screen. Its narrow bezels with a 90.1% screen-to-body ratio improve the viewing experience. The smartphone comes with an IPX2 splash-resistant feature to prevent water damage.

·         5000mAh Powerful Battery with 18W Flash Charger

TECNO SPARK 9T provides an ultimate battery backup with a 5000mAh mega battery. Furthermore, level-up charging with an 18W flash charger may quickly fill 50% of the battery in less than an hour. The user will get a standby time of up to 39 days and 147 hours of music playback time for unlimited fun.

·         MediaTek Helio G35 superfast processor for high-performance usage

Enjoy speed and performance with Intelligent, dynamic management of CPU, GPU and memory. MediaTek Helio G35 with the benefits of HyperEngine technology provides intelligent resource management that ensures sustained performance and longer gameplay.

·         Trendy and stylish design with attractive colors

The TECNO SPARK 9T will be available in two colors, namely Turquoise Cyan and Atlantic Blue making it a flaunt-worthy smartphone. With attractive and energetic colors and a bolder brand logo further enhances the premium appeal of the smartphone.

·         Other path-breaking features of TECNO SPARK 9T

All of these functions are combined with the HiOS 7.6 operating system, which includes many other top-notch features, like Vault 2.0, Document Auto Rotate Manager, Peek Proof, and Pic Film etc. The smartphone also has a smart anti-oil side fingerprint sensor with just 0.24 sec ultra-fast unlock to accept calls. Face unlock characteristic gives closed eye protection. In addition, the newly added attribute Soplay 2.0 is an app that is used for music-making even without the internet. Also, TECNO SPARK 9T produces loud stereo sound with its speakers. Experience cinematic level DTS surround Sound quality through its amazing speakers.

Brandintelle Services Signs Up International Auto Major As Its Client

Brandintelle signs up India-headquartered automobile giant Tata Motors Ltd as their fifth corporate customer. From custom workflow automation leading to total automation of Marketing Departments to pipelining marketing data into a Marketing Data Lake to increasing visibility via Dashboards to providing Analytics Models linked to the Marketing Data Lake - Brandintelle Services offers IT-enabled services to transform the business of Marketing Departments of large corporates. Having serviced clients from the automobile, FMCG & edutech sectors, Brandintelle looks forward to service the FMCD, BFSI, Mobiles, E-commerce & Telecom sectors. 

"Brandintelle is a custom-built solution designed to transform your Marketing Depts. - with workflow automation/transaction processing, virtual collaboration & the need for a single source of truth from your Marketing Data Lake for routine analytics & better visibility." - Sachin Bhosle, Vice President - Research & Marketing, Brandintelle. 

About Brandintelle Service 

Brandintelle Services Pvt. Ltd. was founded to fill the critical gaps of IT in Marketing - by serving as the latest enabler in the chaotic world of Marketing. Our objective has been clear from the beginning: to cover the entire marketing cycle. 

Incorporated in 2018, Brandintelle is affiliated with Mediaware Infotech, a leading IT product for media agencies with 1200+ clients nationally. 

Brandintelle is headquartered in Mumbai, India.

Sundram Fasteners Limited Registers Highest Ever Standalone Net Profit At Rs 130.11 Crores For Quarter Ended June 30, 2022

Standalone Financials

·           Revenue from Operations at Rs 1,239.64 Crores, an increase of 32%

·           Profit before Tax (PBT) at Rs 171.09 Crores, an increase of 13.2%

·           Profit after Tax (PAT) at Rs 130.11 Crores, an increase of 15.6%

The Board of Directors of Sundram Fasteners Limited today announced the unaudited Financial Results for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.

Highlights: Quarter ended June 30, 2022: FY 2022-2023

Standalone Financials

The revenue from operations was at Rs 1,239.64 crores for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 as against Rs 938.81 crores during the same period in the previous year, registering a strong growth of 32%.

The domestic sales for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 were at Rs 798.50 crores as against Rs. 559.93 crores during the previous year, a significant increase of 42.6%

The export sales for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 were at Rs 405.76 crores as against Rs. 356.33 crores, posting an increase of 13.9%. The Company continues to post a robust growth in export sales.

The earnings before interest, depreciation and taxes (EBITDA) for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 was at Rs. 214.86 crores as against Rs. 192.88 crores during the same period in the previous year, showing an increase of 11.4%.

The finance cost comprising of interest cost of Rs. 2.11 crores and exchange loss of Rs. 2.90 crores for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, was at Rs. 5.01 crores. The finance cost for the corresponding quarter in the previous year comprised of interest cost of Rs. 1.11 crores and exchange loss of Rs. 3.06 crores which thus amounted to Rs. 4.17 crores.

The Profit before Tax (PBT) for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 was at Rs.171.09 crores as against Rs. 151.13 crores during the same period in the previous year.

The net profit for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 was at Rs 130.11 crores as against net profit of Rs. 112.55 Crores during the same period in the previous year, with a year-on-year growth of 15.6%.

Earnings per share for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 amounted to Rs. 6.19 and was Rs. 5.36 in the corresponding period last year.

Operations in a challenging environment

Ms Arathi Krishna, Managing Director, Sundram Fasteners Limited, said, “The Company has registered a strong operating performance and reported highest ever profit despite a challenging environment posed by continuous increase in raw material prices, inflationary impact in indirect materials and steep increase in freight costs and other inputs.”

“We continue to be cautiously optimistic about the ensuing quarters” added Ms Arathi Krishna, Managing Director.

Proposed capital expenditure

The Company has planned an investment of Rs 350 Crores over a period of five years for manufacturing Advanced Automotive Technology Components like powertrain sub-assemblies for Electric Vehicles (EV) and select Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. The investments proposed to be made in this direction are expected to provide a major thrust to the Company’s exports in the years to come.

In addition, there is a significant potential for growth in the wind energy business. To meet the surge in demand, the Company proposes to make additional investments of Rs 300 Crores over the next two years.

Development of new products

The Company continued its efforts in developing new products such as tower fasteners, valve body housing and swash plate for hydraulic power system, electric water pumps for passenger utility vehicle, sintered pulleys for electric scooter application, which is expected to pave way for better business prospects in the future.

Consolidated Financials

The Company’s Domestic and Overseas subsidiaries have registered a good performance during the quarter ended June 30, 2022.

The Company’s consolidated revenue from operations posted for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 was at Rs 1,410.12 crores as against Rs 1,129.56 Crores during the same period in the previous year, an increase of 24.8%.

The consolidated net profit for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 was at Rs 138.03 crores as against net profit of Rs. 120.51 Crores during the same period in the previous year, a growth of 14.5%.

The consolidated earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 amounted to Rs. 6.47 and was Rs. 5.74 in the corresponding period last year.

About Sundram Fasteners

Sundram Fasteners Limited, a Company headquartered in Chennai, has established a track record of leadership over 50 years. With a diversified product line,

world-class facilities in 3 countries and motivated team of talented people, Sundram Fasteners has become a supplier of choice to leading customers in the automotive segments worldwide.

The product range consists of high-tensile fasteners, powder metal components, cold extruded parts, hot forged components, radiator caps, automotive pumps, gear shifters, gears and couplings, hubs and shafts, tappets and iron powder. Over the years, the Company has acquired cutting-edge technological competencies in forging, metal forming, close-tolerance machining, heat treatment, surface finishing and assembly.

The Need For Separating Corneas From Other Organs In Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act

By Jashwant Mehta, Founder Member & Ex President, Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI) & Chairman (Board of Advisor) & Managing Trustee, EBCRC

Eye Donation:

When we talk about eye donation it is mainly the retrieval of corneas from the human body after death. Cornea is a transparent outermost layer of the eye and it can be compared to the lens of the camera. Light goes in the eyes through cornea like lenses in the camera. In case of any injury to the eye due to any accident or any infection to the eye, the cornea gets damaged and the light cannot enter the eye. This condition is called corneal opacity. Thus even if the other organs of the eye like retina etc. are intact, there will be no vision. Unlike other organs such as kidney, liver, heart etc. which have to be retrieved before the actual death takes place; the endothelium cells in cornea remain alive up to 6 hrs after death and if retrieved within this period it is viable for transplantation.

Present status of corneal opacity & eye donation:

While there are several causes of blindness such as Cataract, Glaucoma or Retina detachment, the no. of people who suffer from corneal opacity are estimated about 8 to 10% of the total blind which works to about the 3/4 (three quarter) of the million people who can be benefited from the corneal transplant 

Prior to the pandemic which has badly affected eye donation activity, we had around 25000 corneal transplants per annum taking place in our country. To eradicate corneal blindness in a reasonable time frame of say 10 years of time, we need to perform at least 100000 transplants per year. To give some idea about the USA which is having 30% of our population, on an average they perform 50000 transplants every year.

It is very obvious that we need to separate cornea from the other organs and have favourable legislation. In fact, when HOTA was being enacted in 1994, we had prepared a model corneal Grafting Act & submitted to the parliament. Unfortunately, our law makers have never taken a note of this & this has seriously retarded our progress.

We started eye donation activity way back in the mid fifties. But in 65 years our progress is very slow. Several countries including the USA have separated cornea from other organs & have proactive legislation & their progress has been much better than ours. To give you some idea during the 10 years period between 1961 & 1971 they had a total of 20000 transplants performed. After a proactive & favourable legislation was enacted in various states in mid 70s and 80s, the number of eye donations which was a mere 6000 in 1967, touched a huge figure of 36000 in 1988. Presently in the USA, apart from performing 50000 transplants, they have surplus corneas which are sent to other countries where there is an acute need, number being 20000 to 25000 per annum.

By having cornea clubbed with other organs, all-along it has hampered the eye donation activities. Till 2012 it was mandatory to have a registered medical practitioner to enucleate the eyes. There were several obstacles created in HOTA including the requirement of a registered medical practitioner for retrieval of cornea. In large numbers of eye donations the retrieval of eyes has to be done at the home of the deceased and it was difficult to have registered medical practitioners who could spare the time of atleast 2 hrs required for this process. It was only in 2012, when HOTA was replaced with THOTA, we could manage to set this amendment. However, except for this cornea is still clubbed with other organs & we have no provision for Required Request & Presumed Consent which has helped the other countries to achieve much faster progress in eye donation & corneal transplant. In Required Request provision, the request for consent for eye donation is mandatory to be made to the next of kin when the death takes place & it has been found that if request is made even with little motivation so atleast 10% families are agreeable for consent for eye donation. In Mumbai alone nearly 80000 to 90000 deaths take place every year & we are able to retrieve 10% cornea, the number would be 8000 to 9000 eye donation. This is much larger than the present 1500 to 2000 eye donations received every year. In Presume Consent, unless there is a pre recorded refusal, the cornea is allowed to be retrieved in all medico legal cases where post-mortem has to be performed. In Mumbai alone we have 7000 medico legal cases where post-mortem is required to be performed & even if we are able to retrieve 30 to 40% of cases, this also would go a long way & Bombay itself can become the hub for corneal transplant in Maharashtra.

In the USA, the Required Request Law is strictly enforced in every case of death and hospital authorities have to request and if the request is not made, there is a punitive punishment. Similarly, under Presumed Consent, the eyes are allowed to be retrieved in all post-mortem cases. It must be mentioned that removal of eyes doesn’t affect post-mortem findings & also doesn’t disfigure the face. Both these are not possible for obvious reasons in other organs.

After our continuous representation & follow-up with good offices of Mr. Desiraju who was the then Health Secretary, we could manage to overcome this hurdle & have trained technicians permitted to enucleate the eyes and from 2013 till now HOTA has amended and now it is THOTA. However, except for this amendment cornea is not clubbed with other organs & there are no provision of Required Request & Presumed Consent for eye donation.

Having a proactive & favourable legislation would not only eradicate corneal blindness in our country but will also enable us to send corneas in several countries such as our neighbouring countries Bangladesh, Malaysia & several countries in Africa etc. where there is an acute shortage and will make India a leader in eye donation & corneal transplant in the world. 

JK Tyre Unveils The Complete Range of EV-Specific Smart Radial Tyres

JK Tyre, the pioneers of Radial tyre technology in the country has taken yet another step to further enhance its technological prowess in the industry by developing the complete range of EV specific Smart radial tyres for all categories of buses, truck, LCVs and Passenger Cars in India.

Designed and developed by the engineers from state-of-the-art global technology centre- Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence (RPSCOE), the tyres have been engineered specially to the unique needs of electric mobility.

Speaking on the new development, Mr. V K Misra, Technical Director, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. said, “At JK Tyre, innovation and technology are the core pillars and each of our product category is ahead of its time to meet the need of our customers and industry. With the evolution of the EV sector in India, the development of EV-oriented technology remains a key focus for the company. Our Smart tyres are developed with EV specific next Gen Design philosophy making the entire range Smarter, Quieter, Durable and Energy Efficient.”

JK Tyre has developed technologies to cater to the special needs of EV and ensures ultra-low rolling resistance, improved wet and dry traction, higher durability and lower energy consumption. To meet the challenging lower noise requirements of EVs, the tread pattern has been crafted using advanced FEA simulations for lower noise and better wear characteristics.

Fitted with in-house developed and perfected Treel® TMPS sensors, the smart EV tyres from JK Tyre are designed to meet the demanding performance needs of EV trucks, buses, LCVs, Passenger Cars, SUVs & 2Wheelers.

The Smart EV tyre range for all categories of buses, truck & LCV is developed in 17.5” and 22.5” tubeless sizes. The EV range of tyres (255/70R22.5 & 295/80R22.5) is being supplied to JBM EV buses.

About JK Tyre & Industries Limited

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 105 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.

Honeywell Announced Vimal Kapur Has Been Appointed As New President And Chief Operating Officer

·         Kapur to drive execution of key sustainability and digitalization strategic initiatives and advance integration of Honeywell Accelerator throughout the organization

·         Change provides Honeywell Chairman and CEO Darius Adamczyk with additional flexibility to focus on overarching strategic and tactical objectives – with more time for business development, customer engagement and people development

Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) announced that Vimal Kapur, current President and CEO of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies (PMT), has been appointed to the role of President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective immediately. The presidents of all Honeywell Strategic Business Groups will report to Kapur in his new role, while Kapur and all functional leaders will continue to report to Chairman and CEO Darius Adamczyk.

Kapur, 56, has over three decades of experience across various Honeywell businesses and, as COO, will work closely with Adamczyk to drive the continued profitable growth of Honeywell's operating businesses. This includes creating new solutions to help customers drive their sustainability transformations and accelerate their digital transformation journeys.   Kapur will also oversee the continued integration of Honeywell's operating system, "Honeywell Accelerator," across the organization and further its adoption as a learning tool for all Honeywell employees.

"Vimal is uniquely qualified for this role, having proven his operational capabilities across many different industries, business models, regions, and business cycles," said Adamczyk. "Vimal has served Honeywell customers for 33 years, and in that time has achieved a deep understanding of the Honeywell portfolio, our end markets, and our customers' needs. He has successfully driven sustainability and digitalization solutions across our portfolio.  I look forward to partnering with Vimal to strengthen our execution and drive further value creation for our customers and shareowners."

Adamczyk continued, "As Honeywell continues creating new solutions to make businesses more efficient and sustainable – which are paramount for our customers and the future of the planet – this is the perfect time to bring Vimal into the COO role. His appointment provides me the additional bandwidth to prioritize overarching strategy, business development, customer engagement and people development. With this focus and a strong team in place, Honeywell is well positioned to expand our crucial partnerships with the customers and industries we serve."

"I'm honored to step into the COO role, where my initial priorities will be to support Darius with a key focus on our sustainability and digitalization solutions," Kapur said. "By building on and expanding the use of Honeywell Accelerator, we will be able to integrate and innovate with greater speed across our lines of business. These ongoing efforts are at the core of our growth opportunities and, looking ahead, will enable us to advance our collective success."  

Kapur will continue to perform the role of President and CEO of Honeywell PMT, a business group that develops process technologies, automation solutions, advanced materials, and industrial software, until his successor is named.

Under Kapur's leadership as President and CEO of PMT, the business continues to rapidly pivot its portfolio to sustainable offerings in circularity, energy evolution, environmental transformation, resiliency, and accountability.  This includes launching innovative technologies and partnerships with Avangard Innovative and Sacyr with new plastics recycling technology and with TotalEnergies for a petrochemical offtake company.  In addition, Kapur and his team introduced large scale renewable energy storage for wind and solar usage with Duke Energy and helped Walmart and AstraZeneca lower their carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency with the Solstice Line of products.  The PMT business currently has 20,000 employees and operates in more than 100 countries globally.

Additionally, Kapur served for three years as President and CEO of Honeywell Building Technologies (HBT), with leading offerings that improve energy performance, air quality, and the safety and security of commercial buildings in more than 10 million buildings worldwide. Under his leadership, the HBT business successfully launched the Healthy Building portfolio and expanded margins by ~200 basis points over three years.

Before HBT, Kapur also held the role of President of Honeywell Process Solutions where he led the business through the oil and gas downturn.  Over a three-year period, Kapur was able to increase sales by 6%, expand margins by over 400 basis points and grow cash margins by 860 basis points to over 17%. 

Prior to that, he was Vice President and General Manager of the Advanced Solutions line of business, where he built the foundation of an outcome-driven software business, successfully integrating our Matrikon acquisition into Honeywell.  Additionally, he has held several other leadership positions, including Managing Director for Honeywell Automation India Limited. 

Kapur graduated from the Thapar Institute of Engineering in Patiala, India, as an electronics engineer, with a specialization in instrumentation.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry-specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.

Mamaearth Launches Exclusive Brand Showroom At Phoenix Market City, Kurla And Infiniti Mall, Malad

Mamaearth, the fastest growing FMCG brand from the House of Honasa, launched its Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBO) in Mumbai at Phoenix Market City, Kurla and Infiniti Mall, Malad. The toxin free personal care brand will be retailing all the product ranges babycare along with beauty and personal care. 

Being a consumer centric brand, that evolves along with its consumers, Mamaearth started as a toxin-free brand with babycare but due to consumer demand ventured into toxin-free personal care products for adults. Keeping a close eye on the consumers, with the increasing consumer demand for product availability offline, the brand decided to venture into offline formats. Understanding that exclusive brand outlets are a great way to communicate about the brand and its expanse of its offering, Mamaearth launched its exclusive brand outlets. The EBOs serve as a platform to induct the consumer into the brand ideology and giving an in-depth brand experience.    

The brand launched its first store in the capital city, they have launched 2 EBOs in Mumbai. The stores are present at two major locations of Mumbai: Infiniti Mall, Malad and Phoenix market city, Kurla with a spread of 380 sq feet and 197 sq feet area offering all 140+ SKUs of Mamaearth from skincare, haircare, personal care, and our new range of color care. 

Commenting on the launch of the Exclusive Brand Outlet launch, Mr. Varun Alagh, CEO, Honasa Consumer Pvt. Ltd. Said, “Honasa Consumer is in the business of building brands and brands are built in the minds of the consumers. The mediums used to communicate with the consumers will continue to change and evolve. Being a digitally native company, digital platforms and technology are integral to our being, but the core objective is to stay connected with the consumer, and we need to follow the consumer’s journey. If the consumer wants to purchase you offline, you need to be present there. Understanding this need, we decided to venture into offline with Exclusive Brand Outlets and we truly wish that consumers show us the same love offline, as they did digitally.”

Mamaearth is a purpose-led brand that strongly believes in the principle of ‘Goodness Inside’ and is committed to furthering the goodness through its products and initiatives. Mamaearth believes that goodness starts with the small choices each of us make every day! The brand continues to live up to its belief by using only the best of nature and no toxins or harmful chemicals in their products. They are also animal cruelty-free, plastic positive, and have launched the Plant Goodness promise last year. As part of this, the brand links every order made on their website to a tree they plant and is set to plant 1 million+ trees by 2025. 

ABOUT MAMAEARTH 

Founded by husband-wife duo Ghazal Alagh and Varun Alagh, Mamaearth is Asia’s first brand with  Made safe certified products that offer toxin-free; natural baby care, skincare, and hair care products.  Driven by innovation and using the best of science and ayurveda, the brand caters to all personal care  needs of young, aspirational, and increasingly conscious Indian consumers. In a short span of 5 years,  Mamaearth has created a product portfolio of 140+ products packed with goodness inside, has  reached over 5 million customers in 500 Indian cities servicing 14000 pin codes, and is the fastest growing FMCG start-up to hit a 500 Cr run rate in India. Mamaearth products are available on 

www.mamaearth.in, major eCommerce platforms like Amazon, Nykaa, Flipkart and over 30000 point  of sales across the country. 

ABOUT HONASA CONSUMER PVT LTD 

Honasa Consumer Pvt Limited (HCPL), is a digital-first consumer brands company creating the FMCG  conglomerate of the future. A company built on the values of Honesty, Natural ingredients and Safe  care, HCPL caters to the needs of millennial consumers through innovative products, evolved  propositions, direct to consumer marketing, and e-commerce fulfilment. Currently catering to over  500 cities in India with brands like Mamaearth & The Derma Co., HCPL is building an ecosystem that  helps benefit the consumers and community at large. Backed by Sequoia Capital India, Sofina SA,  Fireside Ventures, and Stellaris Venture Partners, HCPL is set to become a billion-dollar FMCG conglomerate in the next 5 years — spread across the globe but connected through a digital center of  excellence.

Bank of Baroda Inks Pact With JNPA For “Baroda DigiNext Cash Management Services”

* Baroda DigiNext – SAP integration will help JNPA automate its accounts payables and receivables, bringing in more efficiencies  

Bank of Baroda (Bank), one of India’s leading public sector banks, and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), a premier container port in the country announced the successful roll-out of Baroda DigiNext Cash Management Services for digitisation of the port’s accounts payables, receivables and liquidity management.  

JNPA is amongst the largest container ports globally. It has recently implemented SAP for bringing efficiencies in its operations. To help JNPA with its digital transformation, Bank of Baroda has successfully integrated its Baroda DigiNext Cash Management Services with SAP. 

The initiative demonstrates JNPA’s commitment to enhance the ease of doing business for the port users and suppliers through a fully digitised and automated solution for cash application, supplier payments and bank reconciliation. 

Shri Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority said, “The SAP system installed at JNPA is aimed to drive business innovations for faster execution of all business transactions. To further enhance it we have collaborated with Bank of Baroda to avail their 'Baroda DigiNext Cash Management Services' to take digitisation at JNPA to a broader aspect and make JNPA's business more organised, automated and efficient. As a part of digitising activities and ease of doing business.” 

Shri Debadatta Chand, Executive Director, Bank of Baroda said, “Businesses are becoming increasingly complex requiring customised solutions based on the size, scope and nature of their operations. In today’s highly competitive world, building in efficiencies and streamlining business processes through digitisation is a prerequisite for success. At Bank of Baroda, we are proud to deepen and expand our relationship with one of India’s premier container ports through thelaunch of Baroda DigiNext Cash Management Services for JNPA. Baroda DigiNext will help JNPA digitise its working capital management and enhance ease of operations for the port authority’s entire ecosystem.” 

About Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust 

The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) at Navi Mumbai is one of the premier container handling ports in India. Commissioned on 26th May 1989, in less than three decades of its operations, JNPA has transformed from a bulk-cargo terminal to become the premier container port in the country. 

Currently JNPA operates five container terminals: The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal (JNPCT), the Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT), the Gateway Terminals India Pvt. Ltd. (GTIPL), Nhava Sheva International Gateway Terminal (NSIGT) and the newly commissioned Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals Private Limited (BMCTPL). The Port also has a Shallow Water Berth for general cargo and another Liquid Cargo Terminal which is managed by BPCL-IOCL consortium and newly constructed coastal berth.  

About Bank of Baroda 

Founded on 20th July 1908 by Sir Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Bank of Baroda is one of the leading commercial banks in India. At 63.97% stake, it is majorly owned by the Government of India. The Bank serves its global customer base of over 150 million through over 46,000 touchpoints spread across 17 countries in five continents. Through Its state-of-the-art digital banking platforms, it provides all banking products and services in a seamless and hassle-free manner. The recently launched bob World mobile app provides customers with a saving, investing, borrowing, and shopping experience, all under one single app. The app also serves non-customers by enabling account opening through video KYC. The Bank’s vision matches its diverse clientele base and instills a sense of trust and security. It is moving well in that direction and bob World is a testimony of its roadmap towards Digital Transformation. 

Bengaluru’s First Sustainable Road Made With Over 3,000 KG of Recycled Plastic Built In The City’s IT Hotspot

* The initiative by Brookfield Properties will reduce travel time between Ecoworld and Outer Ring Road by 65%, positively impacting over 1,00,000 users

Brookfield Properties revamps the roundabout connecting Ecoworld Central Avenue and the Outer Ring Road (ORR) by constructing the Bengaluru’s most sustainable roadway using 3000KG of recycled plastic. The initiative is part of a larger infrastructural upgrade plan for the area led by Brookfield Properties in partnership with IBI - A Canada based architecture, engineering, planning, and technology firm, BBMP -  Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and Bengaluru Traffic Police.

The new road is built using a first-of-its-kind solution 'GridMats,' a patented method for building roads and pavements made entirely of recycled plastic waste. This approach consumes 30% less water, 74% less carbon footprint and is 20%-25% cheaper than traditional concrete roads. The project has been executed by PotHoleRaja, an organization specializing in building sustainable roads from recycled plastic.This road upgrade has resulted in a 65% reduction in travel time.  

Acquired in 2020,Ecoworld is a marquee asset in Brookfield Properties’ India portfolio and is South Asia’s first True zero-waste Commercial Office Campus, offering over 7.7 million square feet of leasable area with a strong tenant roster of leading multinational companies. The project hosts over 77,000 employees and houses over 2,500 residential units generating approximately 1,00,000 footfalls daily.

Expressing his views on the overall initiative, Mr. Shantanu Chakraborty, Executive Vice President & Regional Head of South India, and Brookfield Properties said, " At Brookfield Properties, we care for our communities. This revamp will ease the commute on Ecoworld Road resulting in a reduction in travel time. Made using the grid mat technology deploying 100% recyclable plastic waste, also ensures that the road is sustainable. With this infrastructure upgrade, employees working at Ecoworld, residents and employees of nearby business parks will spend less time commuting and will further help in reducing the carbon footprint.”

Adding to it Mr. Sourabh Kumar, Director, PotHoleRaja said, "With PotholeRaja GridMats, the intent is to use plastic waste to make long-lasting and sustainable roads/pavements. Unlike traditional roads, we do not use steel reinforcements. The thickness of our pavements is 5 times lesser than traditional concrete roads, use almost 80% lesser concrete and emit 80% lesser carbon. I am glad that we got an opportunity to work with Brookfield Properties on one of the most demanding road stretches helping decongest the traffic”.

"With the revamping of the under the bridge at the Ecoworld Junction, the traffic build-up has reduced significantly also easing the pressure on traffic management authorities. We are thankful to Brookfield Properties for spearheading this initiative for the community”, said Shri. Thippeswamy, Asst. Commissioner of Police (Traffic), K R Puram

As a socially responsible organization, with initiatives that promote sustainability across its value chain, Brookfield Properties aims to deliver on its sustainability goals and reach its Net Zero commitment by 2050 or sooner.

About Brookfield Properties:

Brookfield Properties is a leading global developer and operator of high-quality real estate assets. The company is active in nearly all real estate sectors, including office, retail, multifamily, hospitality and logistics, operating more than 800 properties and over 390 million square feet of real estate in gateway markets on behalf of Brookfield Asset Management, one of the largest asset managers in the world. With a focus on sustainability, a commitment to excellence and the drive for relentless innovation in the planning, development and management of buildings and their surroundings, Brookfield Properties is reimagining real estate from the ground up.

In India, Brookfield Properties manages 50 million sq. ft. of high-quality assets in some of the key gateway markets, 37 million sq. ft. of this is already operational. It Includes Candor TechSpace in Gurugram, Noida and Kolkata, Powai Business District, Waterstones, and Equinox in Mumbai and recently acquired office campuses in Southern India and CoWrks, the Co-working and Flexi office business across India.

Ecom Express To On-Board Over 50,000 Delivery Partners In India

Ecom Express, one of India’s leading technology-driven integrated logistics solutions providers to the e-commerce industry announced that it will be onboarding more than 50,000 delivery partners by the end of September 2022 under its flagship program ‘Ecom Sanjeev’. The company is expecting a spike in e-commerce order deliveries during the festival season and seeks to further strengthen its last-mile capabilities.  

Since the launch of ‘Ecom Sanjeev’ in 2021, the company has created massive opportunities for delivery partners – students, homemakers, freelancers, part-timers and those looking to supplement and maximize their income. 

By joining Ecom Express network, delivery partners can opt to work in flexible timeslots. Any individual – fresher or experienced – can take up this part-time job by applying online using ‘Ecom Sanjeev’ app available on Google Playstore. The applicant must have a valid driving license and an android smartphone. All personal documents for enrollment can be uploaded through the app and the verification is done at the nearest Ecom Express delivery center. The company will also be onboarding individuals who do not own any means of transportation. 

Interested individuals can apply using the Ecom Sanjeev app or send a message saying ‘’Hi’’ on WhatsApp to 7290066666.  

Ashish Sikka, Chief Strategy Officer, Ecom Express, said, ‘’When it comes to e-commerce order deliveries, customers expect timely service, and at Ecom Express, we continue to attempt to create better customer experiences. In times when the number of parcels is continuously increasing, owing to industry growth, we have clearly seen the advantage of having gig-workers to help strengthen our delivery capabilities, especially to meet the anticipated surge in customer demand during the festive season. We will continue to expand our delivery partner network and offer them benefits along with earning opportunity through our Ecom Sanjeev program.” 

The Company had recently announced hitting the registration mark of 55,000+ delivery partners on its ‘Ecom Sanjeev’ onboarding app. 

For more details, visit: https://ecomexpress.in/delivery-partner/  

About Ecom Express: 

Ecom Express Limited is one of India’s leading end-to-end technology enabled logistics solutions providers to the Indian e-commerce industry. Headquartered in Gurugram, Ecom Express was incorporated in 2012 by T. A. Krishnan, Manju Dhawan, K. Satyanarayana and Late Sanjeev Saxena with their 100+ years of cumulative experience in the Indian logistics and distribution industry. Ecom Express has its presence in all 28 states of the country and operates across 27,000+ PIN codes in India. Through its deep reach strategy, the company has the capability to deliver to 95%+ of India’s population.  

Fanzart - Luxury Fan Brand Unveils 3,000 Sqft New Showroom At Sadashivnagar In Bengaluru; Unveils 6 New Fan Models

Fanzart, pioneers of luxury designer fans in India, has opened its 104th showroom in the country. The showroom is located on Bellary Road in the posh Sadashivnagar locality of Bengaluru.

Fanzart, that started operations in 2012 has completed 10 years of operation and already has one company-owned showroom and two franchised outlets in Bengaluru. This new showroom will be the flagship showroom of the company with the largest display of luxury designer fans in the country.

Speaking on the launch of the flagship showroom, Mr. Anil Lala, Founder and Managing Director, Fanzart said “It brings me immense pleasure to be able to scale to such heights and have a widespread display of the most outstanding quality of luxury fans under one roof. We have a great team who work hard towards bringing innovation and defining state-of-the-art technology in designer fans.”

The outstanding range of more than 100 luxury designer fans on display in the showroom with perfect detailing and the right amount of spacing with interiors makes the showroom stand out and promises to be a fan connoisseur's delight.

6 New Fan Models

The company has also unveiled 6 new fan models- HALO, ORBIT, JAZZ, MAPLE Sunset, CHERRY Plum, and CHERRY Night.

“We are very excited about our new flagship as well as the 6 new models we are launching. The first 3 are brand new designs - the HALO, the ORBIT and the JAZZ, based on design trends and modern minimalism. They are powered by power-saving BLDC motors, and offer Fanzart's Summer-Winter feature - allowing the fan to rotate anti clockwise for a cool breeze and clockwise for a cozy warm air effect - all with the convenience of a remote control. 

The other 3 are variants of our existing designs which introduce a new dimension, they tell a story between the sequences of colors and because they are conceptualized and customized, this particular collection is only limited by your imagination. There could be infinite models, and a customer can customize it themselves." explained Mr. Tarun Lala, Co-Founder & Director, Fanzart.

HALO: A contemporary fandelier, it presents a breathtaking design with multi color LED lighting that illuminates your space while rendering an elegant and luxurious look. Powered by a brushless DC motor, this sustainable fandelier is a modern minimalist addition to Fanzart's decorative fandelier collection.

ORBIT: Orbit fandelier is a piece of art on your ceiling. With multi-color LED options transforming your interiors at the touch of a button, the inconspicuous fan blades spin only when you need.

JAZZ: A contemporary fan design made with handcrafted wooden blades, that resembles a wavy triangular note, to add a touch of jazz .The blades are light beech color that could be customized into 3600 shades or wooden finish with a metallic centre making the fan look sturdy.  Powered by a brushless DC motor that absorbs 70% lesser power

MAPLE Sunset: A customized version of the original Maple, it draws an inspiration from the spectrum of the sunset, covering 6 unique colors of the sunset as though bringing sunset into the room. Powered by a DC motor, this fan is breezy & whisper quiet. 

CHERRY Plum: True to the name, this fan looks like Cherry dipped into fine wine to create a lovely gradient of rose. The wine colors are a refined version of the popular Cherry fan. The colors may hide the wooden finish, but the characteristics of the specially handcrafted wood still prevail.

CHERRY Night: The original Mini Cherry has been customized to create the various soothing colors of the night sky that make the fan a great addition to contemporary interiors.

Fanzart is also known for its unique fans that include fans with classic look, interesting fans for kids' rooms, elegant and stylish- fandeliers, humanoids, mini fans, fans with blue tooth and fans with customizable blades.

About Fanzart

In the 10 years of its entry into the market, Fanzart has risen to prominence as a pioneer and leader in the luxury designer fans segment. With over 100 showrooms across the country, Fanzart is a name to reckon with in the luxury interior segment with its niche offerings. The products are also shipped internationally and have made a mark for themselves.

For more details log in to: www.fanzartfans.com

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Continues To Create ‘Green Wave Through Afforestation’

* Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) continues its strides to enhance afforestation activity through planation of over 750 saplings at its plant facility held recently

* To date, TKM has planted more than 3,23,000 saplings with 650 native species, creating rich biodiversity

* Toyota accelerates various eco activities towards realizing the carbon neutrality goals

In its journey of developing a strong sustainable culture in the company, Toyota Kirloskar Motor continues to make strides in creating a green campus through afforestation drive held at its plant in Bidadi (Karnataka). With the involvement of over 250 participation including students, NGO’s, Government officials from the Education Department and Directorate of Women & Child Development Department, and Anganawadi teachers, the project covered more than 2 acres  with the planting of over 750 fruit saplings to further stabilizing the biodiversity in the region.

This afforestation drive was graced by Mr. Ganganna Swamy, Deputy Director of Public Instructions, and Mr. A.R Shivakumar, Retd. IISC Scientist (popularly known as Bengaluru’s Rain Man), is one of the major contributors to developing Rainwater Harvesting programmes both in urban and rural homes of Karnataka. From TKM, Mr. Raju B Ketkale, Executive Vice President, Mr. R Vinaya Kumar, Vice President and Mr. G Shankara, Vice President – HR, were present at the occasion.

Thriving on the principle of living in harmony with nature, TKM over the years has extended unwavering support to the environment beyond just its sustainable product line-up. The announcement of Toyota's six aspirational global environmental challenges, in 2015, continues to strengthen the company's relentless efforts towards achieving ‘Carbon Neutrality by 2050’ & ‘Net Zero Carbon in Manufacturing Operations by 2035’. The afforestation drive which is inspired by the sixth challenge of ‘Establishing a Future Society in Harmony with Nature’, aims to conserve biodiversity, create awareness, and promote environmental education through collaboration with our internal and external stakeholders. Thus, in its journey of creating environment friendly premises, TKM to date has planted more than 3,23,000 saplings with 650 native species.

Talking about TKM’s continued focus on green initiatives, Mr. Raju B Ketkale, Executive Vice President, TKM said, “Sustainability is a way of life at TKM, which reflects in the environment-friendly practices across our entire value chain. All our initiatives are designed toward lowering our environmental impact and achieving the goal of ‘Living in Harmony with Nature’.

We believe that sustainable living is also important in reducing the carbon footprint and protecting our environment, and these initiatives are crucial to realizing these goals. As part of our water and environment conservation efforts, our focus is to co-create projects that not only showcase impact but bring about a behavioral change in society. Needless to mention, the students, teachers, and other government dignitaries play a major role in inspiring others to join the mission, and thereby continuously engaging with them in a variety of activities to support in inculcating eco mindset towards creating a society living in harmony with nature.  We are extremely grateful for their participation.”

TKM considers that it is critical to implement nature conservation activities beyond the Toyota Group and its business partners among communities, with the world, to the future generation towards creating a sustainable future. Therefore, the company has focused on creating interventions that bring about behavioral change by motivating various stakeholders to incorporate eco-friendly habits into their day-to-day lives. The idea is to help individuals understand how adopting a simple change in one’s life can make a huge positive impact on the environment.

In this journey of sustainable development, TKM has made significant achievements on the path of carbon neutrality and net positivity, with the help of strategic five-year action plans. Currently, TKM is using 100% Renewable Energy for our grid electricity needs. On water conservation initiatives, there have been outstanding results with reduced freshwater usage by 90% in manufacturing. The company not only focuses on eco initiatives to mitigate the impact on the environment but also proactively contributed to the betterment of it, by creating awareness & enabling a good understanding on the topic of sustainable development in Toyota’s one-of-a-kind experiential learning center – Ecozone, covering more than 27,100 people so far.

The novel mega project - Ecozone is also guided by the Environmental Challenge 2050. As part of TKM’s efforts to raise awareness about critical environmental issues, along with afforestation drives, the company has also been conducting webinars, eco-lifestyle campaigns, clean-up drives, and virtual tours. of. Set up inside TKM’s plant premises, the Ecozone is an outdoor environmental learning center, specially designed to provide experiential learning to stakeholders. Spread over 25 acres, Ecozone comprises 17 theme parks (to name a few - value theme parks covering 3Rs, medicinal garden, conservation of natural resources/energy, evolution timeline, climate change, and so forth) representing the five modules of Water, Waste, Climate Change, Biodiversity and Energy. This is an eco-effort to introduce and share deep insights about the crucial elements of mother nature, by creating native ecosystems, working models, audio-visual, and other sensory experiences including hands-on activities and experiments.

Sanjeevini - KSRLPS And Meesho Sign MOU For The Empowerment of 2500 Self-Help Groups

* The world will know the 'potential' of women from Karnataka: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Sanjeevini - KSRLPS and e-commerce firm Meesho for the empowerment of 2,500 self-help groups in the state was signed in the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister said that the world will know the women's 'potential' from Karnataka. The state government has launched the `Saamarthya’ and the project will be taken up on an end-to-end route. He welcomed the efforts of Meesho and Canara Bank for joining hands with the government's initiative to empower rural women.

The Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood is providing assistance for self-employment to self-help groups under the `Elevate Scheme’ with the support of the Government of India's `Livelihood’ programmes.  He said these programmes need to be scaled up and managed at the micro level.

“Belief in the power of women”

The Chief Minister further said that it is commendable that self-help groups in the state have been selected for the Canara Bank scheme and women should be involved in economic activities. An economy is not money, but rather it is the economic activities of the people. Women have immense power and are always engaged in these activities. I believe in the power of women and that is why I decided to implement a scheme called `Saamarthya.’  Women, who make up half of the society, should be involved in economic activities.  For this, the products they produce need to be introduced to the global level by providing branding, marketing facilities in collaboration with online commercial entities like Meesho, he added.

“Big change in women's lives”

Specific schemes for self-employment of women should be identified in each Gram Panchayat and the DPR should be prepared. This can make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of women. Self-reliance is necessary to live a life of self-respect. The government will provide necessary assistance and cooperation in this regard, the Chief Minister said.  

Vidit Aatrey, Founder and CEO, Meesho said, “We are honoured to join hands with Sanjeevini and the Govt. of Karnataka to further our mission of democratising internet commerce for everyone. Over the years, Meesho has supported and empowered millions of women entrepreneurs and the partnership will take our efforts forward in that direction. Karnataka is home to several MSMEs who have the potential to grow their business online. We will provide these self-help groups with all the tools and guidance they need to succeed in the digital world.”

Minister for IT-BT, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Ministers Araga Jnanendra, B.A. Basavaraj, B. Sriramulu, Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma, Chief Minister's Principal Secretary Manjunath Prasad; Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Department Principal Secretary Selvakumar, National Livelihood Mission Director Manjushree. N, Meesho Founder Vidit Athreya, CFO Dhiresh Bansal and Devender Sahu of Canara Bank were also present.

Manipal Hospitals Transforms ICU Care Services With Advanced Technology Mechanism

* A dedicated team of Manipal Hospitals tirelessly served more than 35,000 patients since their inception

On the occasion of completing 25 years of critical care unit, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, organized a press conference to showcase the growth and expansion of the unit, since its inception. The hospital brought in a team of experts including Dr. Sunil Karanth, Chairman, HOD & Consultant – Critical Care Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, Old Airport Road, Dr. Rajesh Mohan Shetty, Lead Consultant – Department of Critical Care Medicine, Chief of Clinical Services, Manipal Hospitals, Whitefield, Dr. Justin A Gopaldas, Consultant – Critical Care Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, Jayanagar, and Dr. Ajith Kumar A K, Senior Consultant & HOD - Critical Care medicine, Manipal  Hospital, Sarjapur to talk about the state-of-the-art infrastructure, the advancement of technologies, and the hospital's ability to deliver clinical excellence in high-end Intensive Care services.

Since 1997, the ICU team of Manipal Hospitals, Old Airport Road, has provided treatment to 35,000 patients with utmost care. The expert team has provided robust care and has handled many critical cases with meticulous planning and execution. As high-end Intensive care services were their focus, they crafted different types of ICUs for patients who undergo kidney, heart, and liver transplants. Patients who suffer from multi-organ dysfunction, severe neuro diseases, and pregnancy-related complications are also treated in high-end digitized ICU with the support of skilled and experienced staff and doctors.

These ICUs provide a range of services including multichannel monitoring, complex modes of mechanical ventilation, different forms of acute dialysis, hemodynamic support and management, high-end neuro-critical care and neuromonitoring, and Extracorporeal services including Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Dr. Justin A Gopaldas, Consultant – Critical Care Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, Jayanagar said, said, “In these 25 years, the department has grown from a small 11-bed unit to a 50-bed unit with 4 zones. The ICU has also evolved and adapted to provide outreach services to acutely ill patients. To treat such critically ill patients, the staff must be skilled and experienced. In Manipal Hospitals, the nurses and staff are provided adequate training to treat patients efficiently, leaving no space for errors.

“Manipal ICU is one of the first centers in the country to be recognized for national level training program in critical care medicine. At present, the department caters to over 3,000 patients annually which makes this ICU one of the busiest units in the country. The efforts and dedication put in by our ICU team have resulted in the successful and quick recovery of 5,000 critically ill patients.”

Since its inception, the department and the management had adopted a far-sighted vision of providing better quality care, which is in sync with advanced innovative technologies. The aim of digitization in healthcare is to reduce human errors and provide more robust care for patients by skilled doctors and nurses. Artificial

Intelligence (AI) in healthcare has transformed the entire operations of the healthcare system, including emergency treatment procedures, techniques used in monitoring patients, and securing accurate data to provide correct diagnosis.   

Dr. Sunil Karanth, Chairman, HOD & Consultant – Critical Care Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, Old Airport Road, said, “The department has always believed in constant improvement and embracing new technologies to provide better quality clinical care. Work is being done to combine AI and IT with patient care. Digitization will slowly make it easy for medical experts to diagnose the patient without delay, monitor the patient's vitals sitting at home, capture accurate data, and access digital reports on any device.”

With the increase in critical cases among the younger and older population segments, the demand for ICU rooms has increased exponentially. Lifestyle changes, COVID virus, and severe infections are causing acute illness among the younger population. The demand for ICU admissions reached its peak during the second COVID wave, and the majority of the cases were seen among the younger population. With an increase in demand for ICU rooms, Manipal Hospitals equipped themselves with better infrastructure, including rooms, advanced technologies, and a better monitoring system to treat both contagious and deadly diseases.

In Manipal, there are two types of Anterooms used to treat critically ill patients. These are termed Positive and Negative pressure ICU. In the negative pressure ICU or isolation rooms, the air handling unit sucks contaminated air from the room, filters it, and is pushed out into the atmosphere. Patients suffering from COVID or respiratory illnesses are given appropriate medication and care in this room. In the positive pressure ICU, fresh and filtered air from outside is blown into the room. This room is designed to treat post-transplant patients who are under immunosuppressants and need constant monitoring of their vitals to avoid any infection.

Dr. Ajith Kumar A K, Senior Consultant & HOD - Critical Care Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, Sarjapur, said, “The department has always been agile in making decisions when it comes to saving lives. We, at Manipal Hospitals, have gone beyond the walls to shorten the distance to provide advanced care to patients with the help of Airlift ICU and green corridors.

“Airlift transfers require a team that is qualified to enable smooth transfer of patients from one region to another. The plane has a suitable monitoring system to keep a close eye on the patient's vital signs, such as heart rate, pulse, and oxygen saturation.”

Dr. Rajesh Mohan Shetty, Lead Consultant – Department of Critical Care Medicine, Chief of Clinical Services, Manipal Hospitals, Whitefield said, "The department have an advanced scoring system which is used to evaluate several health parameters of patients. These scoring systems takes into account the physiological scores of the patients into statistical algorithms that provides a single score. These scores help the clinical experts to predict how a patient’s condition will progress or how they will react to certain clinical interventions.”

The ICU team has shown exponential development in terms of services, technology, and medicines. The team continues its commitment to providing high-end world-class care to both minor to critically ill patients.

L&T Sets New Benchmark. Builds A 12-Storey Residential Tower With 96 Flats In Just 96 Days

Larsen & Toubro today announced the achievement of ‘Mission 96’, a plan to build a 12-storey residential tower for their client, CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation), with 96 flats in just 96 days using the Company’s Precast Large Concrete Panel System for ultra-rapid construction of public housing. The tower is a part of about 23,432 EWS and LIG houses being constructed by CIDCO under Package IV of the PMAY in Navi Mumbai at Bamandongri, Kharkopar and Taloja.

L&T’s ‘Mission 96’ was achieved by using Precast Technology that is touted as the future of construction of residential towers for mechanized rapid construction with superior quality based on controlled manufacturing in a factory environment. Mission 96 involved the production and installation of 1,985 precast elements of the superstructure along with architectural finishes and MEP works over a built-up area of 64,000 sq ft.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event held to showcase the completed tower Mr. Ashwin Mudgal IAS, Joint Managing Director, CIDCO, said, “Great to see the record making process by L&T, which will pave the way for use of such technologies and excellent shop floor management in future.” Padma Bhushan Architect, Mr. Hafeez Contractor added, “L&T, that pioneered Aluminium formwork construction in the country and changed the face of the residential sector, has been instrumental in driving Precast Technology to further achieve material sustainability and speedy construction,” adding that the Company’s focus on Prefabricated Pre-finished Volumetric Construction would help it to meet the growing demand for housing in India.

“At Buildings & Factories, we have always sought ways and means to speed up the pace of construction and this project is another successful effort to dramatically reduce construction cycle time,” remarked Mr. M V Satish, Whole Time Director & Senior Executive Vice President (Buildings), L&T. He mentioned about the formation of a special unit, B&F Fast, to focus on evolving methods & deploying technology to build to speed & scale that had recently completed a 7-storey, state-of-the-art Flight Control System Integration Centre for DRDO in just 45 days. “Apart from construction technology, digital technology also helped us achieve this rapid pace of construction. We adopted the Concrete Maturity method to monitor the development of concrete strength in real time with digital meters for seamless construction and monitored progress using the Digital Twin approach with a BIM model developed for the project.”

Flagged off on April 4th, 2022, L&T reached their first milestone of 12 floors in 36 days achieving an unprecedented 3-day floor construction cycle against the industry norm of 8 to 12 days per floor. Due to precast construction, it was possible to initiate internal finishing work in 10 days as soon as the 3rd floor was completed that helped to achieve their target on Day 96, July 9, 2022.

Birlasoft Adopts RISE With SAP To Migrate Their Digital Core To Cloud

* Increases focus on cloud adoption to help enterprises in their digital transformation journeys

Birlasoft Ltd [BSE: 532400, NSE: BSOFT], part of the USD 2.8 billion diversified CK Birla Group, and a global enterprise digital and IT services company, has strengthened its relationship with SAP, by leveraging RISE with SAP to transform its digital landscape onto the cloud. With enterprises adopting a ‘Cloud-First’ strategy, this move will enable Birlasoft to accelerate their clients’ transformation journeys substantially.

A global SAP Partner, Birlasoft has successfully completed the entire migration from its SAP S/4HANA on-premises instance to SAP S/4HANA® Cloud, within six months, across more than 20 countries where it has business operations. With the implementation of RISE with SAP, the company has streamlined and modernized its operations, to drive innovation across its business functions including chosen HR, Total Records, Cash management, Data services, integration services, and services for SAP deployment, in addition to the cloud edition of RISE with SAP.

Shreeranganath Kulkarni (SK), Chief Delivery Officer, Birlasoft, said, “Birlasoft has relentlessly evolved with the times and need to steer enterprises towards digitizing themselves. The changing IT landscape over the past two years have provided ample motivation for enterprises to move on to the cloud faster. RISE with SAP has been the best way forward in that regard. I’m confident that this extended partnership will lead our business transformation journey and enable us to serve our stakeholders better.”

“RISE with SAP is core to our strategy as we accelerate our growth in the cloud. Partners like Birlasoft play a crucial role of change agents who create momentum by transforming businesses across industry and size,” said Anand Raisinghani, Vice President & Head - Professional Services, BFSI, Telecom & Media, SAP Indian Subcontinent. “The joint alignment between Birlasoft and SAP will help our customers embrace agility, flexibility and productivity in their day-to-day operations and performance on the cloud.”

Cloud adoption and acceleration are an integral part of Birlasoft’s Digitalization Strategy and RISE with SAP provides better operational efficiencies, including seamless multi-cloud connectivity.

Birlasoft helps enterprises globally to increase their speed-to-market, grow their revenue and reduce the total cost of operations. It also helps benchmark business performance with best-in-class KPIs, templatized industry solutions aligned with RISE with SAP for focused industry verticals and Proprietary Intelligent Automation Platform tailored to outcome-based support and services. In addition, it helps focus on program execution following the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control approach to stay lean and ensure fast and agile implementations.

Celebrating Success of FOCUS, New Scheme “FOCUS+ Launched To Benefit All Households of Meghalaya”

* Initiative to provide financial aid of Rs 5000/- per household to boost agri value chain development activities 

The Chief Minister of Meghalaya Shri. Conrad Sangma launched FOCUS+ as an expansion to his flagship initiative FOCUS today to benefit all households across Meghalaya. In its new format, FOCUS+ will provide an opportunity to families to take up additional activities and contribute towards agriculture value chain development. Under this scheme, a financial aid of Rs 5,000/- per household will be provided directly to the beneficiary’s bank account. 

The scheme launched at an event in Resubelpara, North Garo Hills, is likely to provide aid to large sections of Meghalaya’s rural population and will look to transform lives of the people of the State.  Meghalaya, a state that is progressing fast on various parameters including getting a top rating in NITI Aayog’s Innovation Index, ranked among the best in Startup ecosystem, global awards, and recognition, looks to be on course to realizing its vision of being among the top 10 states in 10 years. 

Speaking at the event, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Mr. Conrad K Sangma said, “Over the past four and half years Meghalaya is making constant progress on various fronts, one of our key priority areas is our farmers. Our farmers’ support initiative FOCUS has provided much needed impetus for upscaling of farming activities, results of which are for everyone to see. Initiatives like mission mode projects in Lakadong, Piggery, Milk, Spice, Ginger, Aroma and others are providing necessary means to build a support system for our farmers with interventions from farm to market.” 

“FOCUS is very close to my heart, because it helped a large section of our farming community! And FOCUS+ will provide much needed aid to ensure every family in rural Meghalaya is empowered to realize their true potential. The scheme will provide Rs.5,000/- cash benefits to households across the State. This is part of our vision to bring all our farmers under collectivization theme and help them through various interventions, in turn doubling their income,” added Mr. Conrad K Sangma. 

FOCUS originally launched on March 2021, have benefitted 2.45 lakh farmers till date. It was launched to boost agri economic activities by collectivization of Producer Groups to farm and non-farm produce. 

Under FOCUS+, households would be provided with a FOCUS+ card as an Identification and cash transfer of Rs.5,000/- as family benefit. Individuals would need to get registered under a producer group to avail the benefit. This is an additional benefit over Rs.5,000/- to producer group account from FOCUS scheme. 

BOB Financial Launches Its Mobile App “bobcard” In Indian Market

* Partners with IBM to create an elevated digital experience for customers - powered by cloud 

* Simplifies rewards redemption, limit management, EMIs conversion, credit card bill payments and more for its customers 

* Launched record number of cobrand credit cards for Defence personnel, professionals like CA, CS, CMA  

* Recently entered the One million club with double the rate of industry growth 

BOB Financial Solutions Limited announced the launch of its credit card servicing mobile app,”bobcard”, to give its customers a one-stop solution to manage their Bank of Baroda credit card services on the move. Designed in collaboration with IBM, ‘bobcard’ is a smart digital platform that offers a battery saver dark-themed interface that is pleasing to the eye, an attractive design and secured access with face ID, fingerprint lock & PIN, and a smart eye feature that ensures the card details of customers remain private. 

To complement its faster-than-industry business growth and to delight its customers, the leading card player’s new mobile servicing app ‘bobcard’ will provide customers with the convenience to: 

Manage card usage limit 

Redeem reward points instantly  

Convert high-value transactions into Smart EMIs 

Pay credit card bills on time   

Mr Shailendra Singh, MD & CEO, BOB Financial, said, “The app has been built aspart of our vision to be an impactful credit partner with strong tech infra. We’re already onboarding our new customers through a digital-all process; it is a given that we make them have this convenience of availing all card services digitally only with a few simple clicks on their mobile phones, anytime, anywhere on the move.  And the app offers enhanced security which is our major commitment to our customers. The app is now available for both iOS & Android users, and we are confident that this new tech delivery will add a lot of convenience to our customers’ day-to-day lives.” 

Mr Rishi Aurora, Senior Partner & FSS Sector Leader, IBM Consulting, India/ South Asia said, “We’re thrilled to partner with BOB Financial on their digital transformation journey and enable their commitment to implement sustainable business practices. The new digital platform for Bank of Baroda credit card customers leverages our deep industry expertise and is built on an open cloud-based scalable architecture with minimalistic design as its core value proposition. The ‘bobcard’ app is powered by intelligent workflows at the backend to deliver an engaging & secure user experience for the customers.” 

Customers can download ‘bobcard’ app from the App Store (iOS users)/ Google Play Store (Android users), and start using after linking it with their registered mobile number.  

About BOB Financial Solutions Limited: 

BOB Financial Solutions Limited was established in the year 1994. It is a Non-Banking Financial Company, wholly owned by Bank of Baroda. The Company’s primary business is in credit cards with its key differentiator being simple, easy-to-understand products that are fairly priced and efficiently serviced. A pioneer in the space of credit cards, BOB Financial offers an array of products catering to all segments of customers. It is leveraging state-of-the-art technology to provide unique payment solutions to its customers. 

For more information, visit www.bobfinancial.com 

ATS ELGi Announces Manufacturing Agreement With VTEQ, Spain

* 7500 sq. ft. world-class facility setup to manufacture imported vehicle testing equipment for India, in India at affordable price points

ATS ELGI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Elgi Equipments Limited and India's largest garage equipment manufacturer, announced its manufacturing agreement with VTEQ, a global leader in vehicle testing equipment based out of Spain. With this partnership, ATS ELGI will set up a world-class 7500 square feet manufacturing facility to manufacture previously imported vehicle testing equipment for the Indian market at competitive prices. The equipment spans brake, suspension, slip, and speedo testers, axle play detectors, and steering gear play.  

Commenting on the partnership, Praveen Tiwari, Managing Director, ATS ELGI Ltd., said, "We are excited to embark on this new journey with VTEQ. We have been maintaining VTEQ vehicle testing equipment in India for Government-run testing centers for over five years as a natural extension of our association with them. For several years, all of these products were imported into the country. With this breakthrough agreement, we will now manufacture proven products in the country and offer them to customers at affordable prices. In addition, ATS ELGi's widespread sales and service network will ensure customers have access to faster procurement of equipment, high uptime, and quick response rates for addressing maintenance and spare parts requirements." 

"India was the fifth-largest car market in 2020, and the country's automotive sector, including components, is expected to be worth INR 16.1-18.1 trillion by 2026*. We’re also witnessing the Indian government introducing key initiatives - the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles (FAME), the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP), and the Bharat Stage (BS) VI standards to promote the country's automobile production and testing. Over the next five years, we expect over 200 testing centers will be set up in the country. We are looking forward to our partnership with VTEQ, which will provide us with an excellent growth opportunity," added Dr. Jairam Varadaraj, Managing Director, Elgi Equipments Ltd.

ATS ELGI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elgi Equipments Limited, is the largest manufacturer and distributor of Automotive Service Equipment in India and offers the broadest range of garage equipment in the country.

*Source - https://www.ibef.org/blogs/high-speed-track-for-automobile-testing-in-india

About VTEQ, Spain: 

Founded in 2001 by personnel with extensive experience in the field of Vehicle Inspection Equipment for PTI (Periodic Technical Inspection), VTEQ was born with two main objectives, one, internationalization, and another, the spirit of continuous innovation, concepts that, after years have made VTEQ one of the most prestigious companies Worldwide.

The continued VTEQ international expansion in different markets for Periodic technical inspection (PTI), with more than 6000 vehicle inspection test lanes installed in over 80 different countries in which VTEQ operates, has made it a significant international player. 

For more information, visit: https://www.vteq.es/en

discovery+ With Neeraj Pandey, Manoj Bajpayee Uncovers India’s Untold Story With Its Upcoming Title – ‘Secrets Of The Kohinoor’

* The second chapter from the fan-favorite franchise ‘Secrets’ docuseries premieres exclusively on discovery+ starting Thursday, Aug 4, 2022 

* Enriched with opinions from experts including Parliamentarian and Author, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Historian Irfan Habib, renowned Archaeologist K.K.Muhammedand, Adv. J Sai Deepak and Prof. Farhat Nasreen amongst others, the docuseries sheds light on the history and the importance of one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, the Kohinoor

For centuries, dark secrets and mystery shrouds one of the most beautiful and largest cut diamonds in the world- the Kohinoor. Retracing the story and controversies around what is inarguably India’s most prized possession that was wrongfully snatched during the British rule, discovery+ comes together with acclaimed director Neeraj Pandey – Friday Storytellers and the versatile National Award and Padma Shri-awardee Manoj Bajpayee for a fascinating docuseries in the ‘Secrets’ franchise, titled ‘Secrets of the Kohinoor, premiering on August 4, 2022.

After the roaring success of ‘Secrets of Sinauli: Discovery of the Century’, discovery+ is expanding the ‘Secrets’ franchise to showcase one of the most contentious debates on the origins and ownership of the illustrious jewel. The docuseries uncovers aspects like how, over the years, since its discovery, the weight of the diamond has been slashed down to less than six times its original weight; or that the Kohinoor, which we want to call our own, might not be the same diamond Emperor Babur mentioned in his memoir. Featuring Parliamentarian and Author, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Historian and AMU, Irfan Habib, Dr. Adrienne Munich, Prof. Farhat Nasreen, K. K. Muhammed, Dr. Manvendra Kumar Pundhir, Navtej Sarna, J Sai Deepak, Dr.Danielle Kinsey, Dr.Miles Taylor and Master Diamond Polisher Ms.Pauline Willemse.

Directed by Raghav Jairath, the docuseries also uncovers the stories of multiple rulers and their insatiable desire for the Kohinoor which led to significant and very bloody wars, triggered agonizing mind games, and empowered rulers and ruined dynasties whilst exploring stories of powerful emperors whose lives intertwined with the diamond in unfathomable ways. Just like the Kohinoor with its timeless allure, Secrets of the Kohinoor through its sharp storytelling and creative treatment is expected to be just as riveting, serving as a guiding reference for enthusiasts, general audiences, and history connoisseurs in the years to come.

Speaking about the docuseries, actor Manoj Bajpayee, said, “The opportunity of presenting this particular series in the franchise has been a uniquely satisfying and a learning experience for me, and for that, I am truly grateful to discovery+ and Neeraj Pandey. This project marks my second collaboration with them. Despite being talked about for years, there are many facts about the Kohinoor that were unknown to me, and I am certain, they would be unknown to a majority of the world as well. The revelations made in the documentary took me by surprise and I cannot wait for viewers to explore this untold story and be just as surprised.”

Creator Neeraj Pandey, added, “The unseen, disguised and unknown historical facts have always intrigued and fascinated me to delve deep into the subject. After the amazing response to Secrets of Sinauli, the idea to explore the mystery of the Kohinoor excited us as it has been one of the most talked about diamonds in the history of time.” He further adds, “Our partnership with discovery+ has been great at bringing alive stories that are bigger, better, and bolder. Moreover, it is always a pleasure to work in collaboration with Manoj, who is a master of his craft and has taken the show to a whole new level with his striking storytelling expertise. The robust research, peppered with inputs from renowned scholars and experts, digs deep into the story of Kohinoor to surface lesser-known facets of its journey whilst narrating the importance of bringing it back to its homeland.”

Sai Abishek, Head of Factual & Lifestyle Cluster- South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery, shared, “We’re pioneering the history genre with our distinctive offerings that appeal to audiences across age groups. We have added another Indian Originals IP to our already expansive history genre on the platform with the growing ‘Secrets’ franchise. Following the massive success of ‘Secrets of Sinauli: Discovery of the Century’, we realized the tremendous potential in the subject and thereby built on the successful collaboration with Neeraj Pandey and Manoj Bajpayee. The captivating history of Kohinoor and its unexplored aspects are even more prevalent now and need to be known by audiences across the globe.”

India’s untold story- ‘Secrets of the Kohinoor’ hosted by Manoj Bajpayee, will stream exclusively on the discovery+ platform starting Thursday, August 4, 2022.

About discovery+ 

‘discovery+’, an exciting D2C streaming app is launched to satiate the unmet need of a differentiated product, offering premium real-life entertainment. Priced competitively at INR 399 per annum, the app is developed and curated specifically for India. Discovery+ offers thousands of hours of exclusive content across 55+ genres, including Science, Adventure, Food and Lifestyle, in 7 languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali. The premium subscribers have access to a pool selection of never-seen-before Premium Discovery titles, must-watch documentaries, India originals and exclusive acquisitions. Free users of the app have access to all-time favorites from the Discovery library.