Samsung To Launch New Foldable Phones On August 10; Customers Can Pre-Reserve The Next Galaxy At Rs 1,999

Samsung Electronics will unveil the next generation of its foldable smartphones at the Galaxy Unpacked event at Samsung Opera House in Bengaluru on August 10.

Customers can pre-reserve the next Galaxy smartphones ahead of the event to be eligible for early access. To pre-reserve the next Galaxy smartphone, customers have to pay a token amount of Rs 1,999 on Samsung.com or at Samsung Exclusive Store.

Customers who pre-reserve the next Galaxy smartphones will get additional benefits worth INR 5,000 after delivery of the device.

Samsung has been pushing boundaries and defying conventions of what a smartphone can do. Samsung believes meaningful innovations go beyond technical, providing a platform upon which our everyday lives become richer and more versatile.

Galaxy Unpacked will be live streamed on  Samsung Newsroom India at 6.30 pm IST on August 10, 2022

Hero MotoCorp Adopts 150 Covid-Affected Families In Bengaluru, Karnataka

Reaffirming its commitment towards betterment of the society, Hero MotoCorp, the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has adopted 150 Covid-affected families in Bengaluru, Karnataka. 

Under the Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platform “Hero WeCare”, the ‘Hero for Humanity’ project aims to support children who lost their parents or guardians and women who lost their spouses to Covid-19. This initiative will also support women from the affected families by creating supportive conditions to maintain their livelihoods, providing them essential services such as food security and nutrition along with education for their children.

Soon after adopting 150 families in the state of Odisha in collaboration with the Association of Business Women in Commerce and Industry (ABWCI), the ‘Hero for Humanity’ project will now offer a unique welfare package for 150 identified families in Bangalore who have been affected severely due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In the first phase of this project, 35 such families were distributed the relief packages in the state capital of Bangalore.

Mr. Bharatendu Kabi, Head – Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Corporate Communication, Hero MotoCorp said, “Hero MotoCorp has continuously worked and supported the communities during Coronavirus pandemic. At such a time, it is imperative for businesses to join hands with the governments, as well as civil society, to support the communities we live and serve in. We are facilitating a Skill Development Program aimed at empowering women to make them employable and self-reliant in the long-term. This initiative will help them get the required training and develop their entrepreneurial skills to attain a better livelihood, thus contributing towards the sustainable development of communities. We will also provide a monthly allowance towards the educational and nutritional requirements of the children who lost their parents or guardians to Covid-19.”

Till date, Hero MotoCorp has extended support to more than 520 families through this project, in collaboration with different partners across multiple states such as Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Odisha.

OPPO Successfully Concludes The Second Season Of OPPO Elevate; Offers Global Platform For Startups Innovating Humanistic Technology

* The second edition of OPPO Elevate program witnessed 2x growth in the number of participants

* Through Elevate Program OPPO India aims to sharpen focus on startups with an approach of virtuous innovation

With an aim to accelerate the development of high-potential tech startups and promote innovation in the market, OPPO India successfully completed the second edition of the OPPO Elevate Program. The 2022 edition of OPPO Elevate witnessed 2x growth in the number of participants. During the Demo Day held today in Hyderabad, the top 10 technology startups from India got the chance to present their proposals for innovative tech solutions in digital health and accessible technology to an esteemed Jury members from the industry. The top four India winners will present their innovations at the OPPO Research Institute Innovation Accelerator's global final, held later this year, and stand a chance to win $46,000. 

Tasleem Arif, VP and R&D Head, OPPO India, commented on the event, saying, "We need companies with a core value to support virtuous innovation and are trying to look at the world differently. Startups have an inherent DNA of innovation and utilising the best technology can offer. OPPO will be working with these startups not just to guide them to succeed but to also deliver their humanistic innovations to the customers and transform lives. We aim to be a springboard for India’s startups success and add value to the ecosystem. Through the OPPO Research Institute Innovation Accelerator and OPPO Elevate program, OPPO will continue mentoring the fantastic tech startups and spur a new wave of innovation empowering people to live healthier and happier lives.”

The OPPO India Elevate program serves as an incubator for a hub for driving ideas, innovation and action. Over the last year, OPPO Elevate has empowered several start-ups to build innovative solutions leveraging state-of-the-art equipment, global mentorship, and access to OPPO's rich network of partners, helping them drive and fast-track their way to reaching out to consumers. In addition to mentorship and technical project support, the elevate program includes deep dives and workshops focused on product design, customer acquisition, and founders' leadership development. This year OPPO Elevate program has been aligned with the global innovation accelerator program initiated by OPPO Research Institute to bring together resources and expertise from around the world. Focusing on two main areas of innovation, OPPO will provide both financial and technical support to aid the development of innovative technological solutions and bring them to more users worldwide.

All proposals submitted to the OPPO Research Institute Innovation Accelerator are evaluated under the supervision of a professional Judging Committee against their ability to meet four key criteria: Feasibility, Innovation & Originality, Social Value, and Long-term Potential. Three of the ten proposals shortlisted for the Demo Day in Hyderabad were selected to progress to the global final later this year. The winners (displayed in no particular order) are:

YogiFiBy Wellnesys Technologies: The brand synergises technology with ancient Indian Yoga techniques to build a healthier India and help users with medical care.  Being the first patient treated through this method, the founder Muralidhar Somisetty aims to enable access to state-of-the art digital health and wellness solutions to users even from tier 2 and 3 cities.

TinkerTech Laboratories Private Limited: Developed by team of people who have experienced hearing loss in some form in their lives, the TinkerTech Lab solution is the world's first truly affordable heads-up captioning display. The product aims to solve the challenges of expensive medical treatments, uncomfortable devices and medical procedures and revolutionise the world for patients sufeering from hearing loss.

Backyardcreators: The innovative offering by the company will help do away with surgeries for hearing impaired patients. This will help avoid the need for pre and post sugery care and expenses related to such surgeries. With the help of  the world’s first Adhesive non-Surgical hearing device for by birth and totally hearing loss patients, Backyardcreators aims to provide the opportunity to hear again for patients who may lost the hope to be able overcome the loss of hearing. The offering will have a significant impact on the lives of 140 million children around the world.

CogniAble International Private Limited: CogniAble aims to empower children with special needs and their caregivers alike through data and affordable care. The platform helps differently abled childern acquire skills across  multiple areas like social skills, academic skills, speech skills, language skills etc. through therapy and digital screening. It offers the families across socio-economic status to help their children lead an independent life.

In addition to the winners, the remaining presenters are entitled to a collaboration with OPPO for applicable technical discussion and access to R&D facilities (Labs, spaces, Mobile devices) on mutually agreed terms and schedules. Further, they will also be invited to Microsoft for Start-ups Founders Hub, and eligible start-ups will receive up to USD150K worth of Azure credits, mentoring and guidance from business and technical experts, and access to the world-class developer and productivity tools.

The rapid development of technology has resulted in certain disadvantaged groups being left behind by society. OPPO initiated the OPPO Research Institute Innovation Accelerator in May this year to explore solutions to some of the most urgent issues facing the world today that could help those most marginalized by current technology. This program draws on OPPO’s brand proposition of “Inspiration Ahead” to bring together technology and innovation professionals under the shared belief that Inspiration Matters to help solve some of the world’s most pressing issues.

For more updates on the upcoming the OPPO Research Institute Innovation Accelerator and all upcoming events, please visit https://www.oppo.com/en/proposal/

About OPPO Mobiles India Private Limited

OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone - “Smiley Face” - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO provides its users with the ColorOS operating system and internet services like OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO operates in more than 50 countries and regions with more than 40,000 of OPPO's employees are dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world.

Prawaas 3.0 – India’s Largest Public Transport Conference & Exhibition Flagged Off

* Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India’s flagship event Prawaas 3.0 aims to promote Safe, Smart and Sustainable Passenger Mobility 

* The 3rd edition of the event brings together entire public transport eco-system including fleet owners and operators from 28 States and 8 Union Territories, OEMs, Government and policymakers 

Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI) along with Andhra Pradesh & Telangana State Bus Operators Association inaugurated the 3rd edition of India's flagship conclave and exhibition for public transport, “Prawaas 3.0”. The three-day event will bring together leading bus & car operators from across India in eight important segments viz: Intercity, Intracity, School Bus, Employee Transport, Tour Operators, Tourists Cabs, Maxi Cabs and PPP-SPVs.  

The central theme of the event - “Towards Safe, Smart, Sustainable Passenger Mobility” echoes ethos of the governing organization, BOCI. The event is supported of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Ministry of Heavy Industries, Govt. of India.  

Shri Prasanna Patwardhan, President, BOCI said, “Pandemic has disrupted lives of millions over the last couple of years. The transport sector has been brutally hit as well and lives of thousands of operators across India were impacted severely. We have been through a debilitating period and are still recovering from the havoc created by the lockdowns and pandemic. 

I am happy that the sector has come together and is present here full strength. Prawaas 3.0 is our endeavour to bring public transport stakeholders together to ideate, showcase innovations and share best practices. Public transport in India needs a major boost given the sheer number of people it transports. Public transport carries 32 crore passengers daily, far higher than any other means of transport in India. Of this, over 85% is serviced by private operators of BOCI. Prawaas is our effort to draw attention of the policymakers and the government to take the needs of our sector into cognisance and work towards creating a favourable environment for the sector to thrive. The sector badly needs fiscal impetus, tax relief and availability of capital. We also seek industry status from the government to enable and empower our sector.” 

Prawaas 3.0 will feature Exhibition, Conferences & Workshops, Awards Function, Round table discussions, CEO Leadership Talks and panel discussions featuring sector leaders from across the country. The Exhibition boasts of the largest showcase of passenger vehicles, after-market solutions, accessories, consumables, IT & ITS solutions, and allied products & services.   

Given the central theme, this edition of Prawaas has a strong focus on showcasing Electric Vehicles and sustainable mobility. The Conference will present new trends and explore new opportunities in the sector in new normal. The passenger mobility sector will also discuss current and recommended regulatory and policy framework to enable and empower the sector that truly moves India. 

Shri Jagdeo Singh Khalsa, Chairman, BOCI said, “Public transport in India needs urgent attention, given our vast country and large populace. There is a need for a greater collaboration between stakeholders both public and private to revamp the sector and bring it on par with the best globally. Our efforts with Prawaas is to create a platform that brings together all key stakeholders to revitalize the public transport in India.” 

Shri G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of North-eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India and Member of Parliament – Secunderabad said, “I am happy to be here with the Prawaas family. I commend and appreciate BOCI for bringing all public mobility stakeholders together on one platform.  This is a great initiative and Prawaas is a platform that will help us introspect, ideate and formulate the roadmap for growth of public transport in the country.” 

Prawaas 3.0 will attract 10000+ Business Visitors from 28 States of India and 8 Union Territories, 100+ Expert Speakers in the conference and 200+ leading Exhibitors across all sectors. Ashok Leyland, Tata Motors, VE Commercial, Red Bus, Bharat Benz, Mahindra, Olectra, Cummins, Force Motors, Exide-leclanche, Blackbuk EV, Bitla Software, Valeo, SML, Intel, KPIT, Kyndryl, Paytm, ICICI Bank, etc. are some of the key participants. 

About Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI) 

Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India is the apex organization of all the State Federations of private sector Bus & Car passenger Transport operators across India. BOCI represents eight important passenger Transport segments viz; Intercity, Intracity, School Transport, Employee Transport, Tour Operators, Taxi Cabs, Tourist Cabs and PPP-SPVs. We are also adding Critical & Emergency response service for the first time which is emerging as a major sector. 

BOCI aims to promote Safe, Smart and Sustainable Integrated Passenger Mobility solutions to the citizens of India in close coordination with all the stake holders from public & private sectors. 

The significance of BOCI can be measured by the fact that over 1.5 million buses are operated by its members today on Indian Roads and it is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. 

Photo caption :  Union Minister of Culture and tourism  G Kishan Reddy is lighting up the lamp at Inauguration of Prawaas 3.0 India's flagship conclave and exhibition for public transport At Hitex,  Prasanna Patwardhan, President, BOCI, and  Jagdeo Singh Khalsa, Chairman, BOCI along with the minister. 

Pine Labs Launches Second Innings Program In Association With Natekar Sports And Fitness

* Onboards six former Indian athletes from diverse sporting backgrounds

Leading merchant commerce omnichannel platform, Pine Labs today announced the hiring of six former Indian athletes under its ‘Second Innings’ program, an initiative to reskill and employ retired sportspeople in India. The company has partnered with Natekar Sports & Fitness (NSF) which is led by its founder Gaurav Natekar who is a former India number 1 tennis player, Arjuna Awardee, double Asian Games gold medalist, and son of the legendary Indian badminton star Late Nandu Natekar.

Pine Labs and NSF will be mapping each of these hired athletes to the right job within the Pine Labs organisation and provide the necessary skill development training as well. These new hires will be entitled to the same perks as existing employees, and they will also be a part of the Pine Labs Annual Review process.

Commenting on the initiative, B Amrish Rau, CEO, Pine Labs, said, “This could not have come at a better time. In the month when India celebrates 75 years of Independence, and the country’s sporting heroes vie for the top honors at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, I am delighted to announce the launch of the ‘Pine Labs Second Innings’ program. It is our initiative in partnership with Natekar Sports & Fitness to empower retired Indian sporting heroes who have given their all in the service of their state/country. We strongly believe this needs to be the start of a bigger movement and should not just stop at Pine Labs. Happy to have some real Champions join us this month.”

“The Indian sporting ecosystem has seen tremendous strides in the past few years. However, one area that has concerned me tremendously is the lack of job opportunities in the private sector for the thousands of Indian sportspersons and athletes who give their heart and soul to play for India but are unable to make the grade for various reasons and are then left stranded once they retire from active sport. I am delighted that ‘Second Innings’ an initiative by Pine Labs in partnership with Natekar Sports & Fitness will be aiming to address this huge issue. I strongly believe this initiative has the potential to be a path breaking program which will not only create more jobs for our sportspersons but will also inspire more youngsters to take up sport. We are confident that all the stakeholders in the Indian sports ecosystem including the ministry, federations, NGOs and sports organizations will support the program to ensure its success.” said Gaurav Natekar, Founder, Natekar Sports & Fitness (NSF).

"Appreciate the opportunity given to me. I have been working with the sports industry for a decade. During pandemic I lost my job, that is when I started looking for a non-sports job, and I was browsing on LinkedIn, and I came across Pine Labs post (2nd Innings program). Sounded interesting to me and applied.

One day I received a call that I was shortlisted, and I was happy, excited, confused (What am I going to do here.)

Appreciate the way we were welcomed and for the arrangements done for the training so far." said Rakesh Basavaiah, track & field athlete from Bengaluru.

The ‘Second Innings’ initiative by Pine Labs has the potential to transform into a big movement, driven by the startup community and one that aids government efforts in strengthening the aspirations of the sporting talent in the country once they are past their prime in sports.

About Natekar Sports & Fitness (NSF)

Natekar Sports & Fitness (NSF) is a firm founded by a family of sportspeople who have represented India on the international platform in their respective sports and have a combined experience of over 100 years in the sporting industry. They include the late Nandu Natekar, a doyen and legend of Badminton in India, his son Gaurav Natekar, multiple times national champion, Arjuna Awardee and double Asian Games gold medallist, and Gaurav’s wife Arati Ponnappa Natekar, a former India number 1 tennis player and multiple times national champion. Today, NSF works with some of the biggest companies in the public and private sector on sports advisory, consulting, infrastructure development, and management. To know more, please email contact@natekarsports.com and visit www.natekarsports.com.

Safety Sarathy: A Traffic Awareness And Road Safety Drive Conducted In Bengaluru

~Powered by ReadyAssist, ISBR’s youth take to the streets to spread road safety awareness in collaboration with LetsTagOn~

To remind citizens of road etiquette, Safety Sarathy, a traffic awareness and road safety drive was conducted across 11 junctions in Bengaluru on Saturday morning, 6th August. In collaboration with industry partner and thought leader ReadyAssist and implementation partner LetsTagOn Foundation, students from International School of Business & Research (ISBR Business School) marched from Traffic Management Center, Infantry Road to Chinnaswamy Stadium rallying for road safety.

With about 150,000 Indians losing their lives to road accidents every year, Safety Sarathy emphasized on lane discipline, safety precautions and pedestrian safety. Positioned at 11 traffic signals across the city, student volunteers sensitized 2-wheeler riders and 4-wheeler drivers plying the roads with curated IEC material. Expert guidance was provided to students by experienced road safety volunteers across the designated signals.

Vimal Singh, Founder & CEO of ReadyAssist opines, “Safety Sarathy resonates closely with ReadyAssist’s ethos. Encouraging citizens to make conscious efforts in maintaining road etiquette is a much needed intervention and the ReadyAssist team is humbled to collaborate with partners like LetsTagOn. The sheer quantum of participation by ISBR youth is commendable and I hope more people join this cause.”

To push out this key message, the Bangalore Traffic Police also lent their support towards this cause, encouraging students to keep up the prosocial activities and further drive road safety awareness among the locals. 

Dr. Manish Kothari, President of ISBR Group of Institutions, shares, “We at ISBR give a lot of importance to sensitizing students on various social issues on a continual basis. I am very glad this year to collaborate with stakeholders like LetsTagOn, ReadyAssist along with the support of ACP and the traffic management of Bangalore city, for starting this road safety and traffic awareness program at 11 different junctions. I am sure this move will go a long way in creating awareness among students and the general public. I wish all the best to our students and also other partners of this initiative.”

Social Entrepreneur & Founder of LetsTagOn, Chetana Koulagi, adds, “LetsTagOn’s core mission is to foster social responsibility and community engagement. With growing mobility and vehicular traffic, road safety continues to be a serious concern. This drive is a small step towards engaging youth in local issues and nurturing active citizenship.”

For more information about the event - www.letstagon.com/

Brands Should Focus On Acquiring The Right Customer & Leveraging Leads To Stay Relevant: Social Beat’s Digital Leadership Summit 2022

* Social Beat’s Digital Leadership Summit 2022

Social Beat, India’s fastest-growing independent digital marketing company, organized the 8th edition of their Digital Leadership Summit 2022 in the city today. Themed ‘Growth through Innovation’ the day-long summit saw deliberations by subject matter experts on how digital marketing enables growth in both traditional as well as new age companies. 

Some key topics discussed during the summit included driving profitable growth with Google and Meta, building from India for the world, bridging the gap between sales and marketing, using analytics to drive marketing decisions, driving D2C growth, channel-mix optimization, and the growth story of one of India’s largest trucking platforms. 

Raghunandan G, Founder, Zolve said that the role of marketing is very important for a business to grow. According to him, marketing plays a bigger role in a business than any other operation of a company as there is no brand loyalty for consumers these days. He cited the example of web taxi services and food delivery platforms, where the customers will go to the app which gives the best deal at that time. Mr. Raghunandan said that companies need to adapt to changes quickly as you can’t capitalize on a single innovation for long. According to him, how a company leverages the market when their innovation is in demand makes or breaks the brand.

Ruchi Kohli, Head, Partner Management, Meta mentioned about how brands can drive profitable growth with Meta.

Anand Iyer, Manager, Google Customer Solutions spoke on driving profitability and scale with Google. 

Other speakers at the summit included Sanjay Kumar Jariwal, CMO, Prestige Group; Manish Singh, Chief Product Officer, Blackbuck; Abhijeet Patil, Vice President - Sales & Marketing, Upgrad Campus  and Rahul Dutta, GM - Growth, Wingreens.

About Social Beat

Founded in 2012, Social Beat is a digital growth partner, enabling brands rise to the impossible. With a 300+ strong team of digital experts across Bengaluru, Mumbai, NCR and Chennai, they are India's fastest-growing independent digital marketing solutions company and manage 4% of digital media investment in India. Social Beat is a Google Premier Partner, Meta Business Partner and works closely with ecosystem partners like Amazon, Hotstar, Salesforce & Linkedin. They work as extended growth teams with leading brands like Bharat Matrimony, Adani Wilmar, Jaquar, Tata Cliq, Indiabulls Dhani, Indian Terrain, Mahindra Finance, Go Colors, Hotstar, Sundaram Mutual & Give India and with hyperscaling startups including boAt, Upgrad Campus, Blackbuck and IGP.com on driving innovation through a combination of creativity and performance. They have bagged numerous awards from Google, ET Brand Equity, Social Samosa, Foxglove, Digies, Advertising Club of Madras and Advertising Club of Bangalore. They were awarded Agency of the Year by Ad Club of Bangalore in 2022 and adjudged amongst the Fastest Growing Agency by Agency Reporter for 3 consecutive years.

Website: https://www.socialbeat.in

Great Learning To Host A Webinar On "Cloud Computing: Applications In Healthcare And Career Prospects" On August 8

Great Learning, a leading global edtech company for higher and professional education is hosting a webinar for working professionals pursuing a career in Cloud Computing. The webinar will provide insights on Cloud as a domain and also how to advance career in the domain. This engaging live session will be followed by a Q/A round with Krishnan L Narayan (President and Chief Technologist - Netracity. LLC | Ex - IBM) and Mamta Kajla (Senior Program Manager, Cloud Operations - Great Learning); where the speakers will talk about in-demand roles, key skills, and career paths. Furthermore, they will also discuss how the healthcare industry is adopting cloud services across the ecosystem. And last but not the least, the session will throw light on  how the PG Program in Cloud Computing offered by Great Lakes Executive Learning will help learners advance their careers.

This session will be conducted from 7:00pm IST, on August 8, 2022.

Registration Link for the Webinar (Free) - https://bit.ly/3S9Zsad

About Great Learning 

Great Learning, a part of the BYJU'S group, the world’s largest edtech company, is a leading global ed-tech company for professional and higher education. It offers comprehensive, industry-relevant programs across various cutting-edge Technology, Data, and Business domains. Great Learning's programs are developed in collaboration with the world's foremost academic institutions like Deakin University, Stanford Graduate School of Business, MIT Professional Education, The University of Texas at Austin, Wharton Online, National University Singapore, University of Arizona, IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, IIIT-Delhi, Shiv Nadar University, and Great Lakes Institute of Management and are constantly reimagined and revamped to address the dynamic needs of the industry. Great Learning provides these programs in a blended and purely online mode, relying on its vast network of expert mentors and highly qualified faculty to deliver an unmatched learning experience for learners the world over. Great Learning is on a mission to enable transformative learning and career success in the digital economy for professionals and students across the globe and to date has impacted over 4.7 million+ learners from over 170 countries.

PhonePe Launches Smart Speaker For Reliable & Convenient Payment Tracking At Stores

-       Over 100k devices have been deployed across 8 cities in India 

-       Smart Speaker provides payment notifications in 11 Indian languages

PhonePe, India’s leading fintech platform announced the launch of its Smart Speaker for reliable and convenient payment tracking at stores. The Smart Speaker has currently been launched in 8 cities, and over 100k devices are already being used by PhonePe merchant partners.

The PhonePe Smart Speaker provides payment notifications in 11 Indian languages, comes with up to 4 days of battery life, doorstep installation at just Rs.50 as an initial set-up cost and a low monthly rental of Rs. 50/month. As part of the launch offer, both the initial set up and the monthly rental is available at just Re.1, provided the merchant does more than 25 transactions per month. The device also comes with lifetime free replacement against any manufacturing defects.

Speaking on the launch Vivek Lohcheb, Head of Offline Business at PhonePe said, ’At PhonePe we are constantly building new offerings to make it easier for our merchant partners to run and grow their business. We are excited to launch the Smart Speaker and are rolling it out Pan-India. We have kept the setup and installation costs very affordable as our goal is to make the Smart Speaker accessible to every merchant across India.’’

About PhonePe:

PhonePe was founded in December 2015, and has emerged as India’s largest payments app, enabling digital inclusion for consumers and merchants alike. With 390+ million registered users, one in four Indians are now on PhonePe. The company has also successfully digitized 30+ million offline merchants spread across Tier 2,3,4 and beyond, covering 99% pin codes in the country. PhonePe forayed into financial services in 2017, providing users with a safe and convenient option to buy 24-karat gold, and has recently also launched silver on its platform. Since then, PhonePe has introduced several Mutual Funds and Insurance products like tax-saving funds, liquid funds, international travel insurance, life insurance, COVID-19 insurance amongst others. Using PhonePe, users can also send and receive money, recharge mobile, DTH, pay at stores and make all their utility payments. PhonePe was recently recognized as the Most Trusted Brand for Digital Payments as per the Brand Trust Report 2022 by Trust Research Advisory (TRA).

Karnataka Minister Of IT C.N. ASHWATH Narayan Visits Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India's Facility At Brigade Tech Gardens

Manu Saale, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India, gives Dr. C N Ashwath Narayan, Minister of Higher Education, IT & BT, Govt of Karnataka, a tour of the newly opened facility of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development at Brigade Tech Gardens in Bengaluru.

Speaking at the grand inauguration, Manu Saale, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) said, “We are honoured to have Dr. C N Ashwath Narayan, Minister of Higher Education, IT & BT, Govt of Karnataka with us today to inaugurate the Brigade Tech Garden and visit our premises. Bengaluru is India’s high-growth tech hub, and it is encouraging to see some of the largest tech companies establish their base in this new space”.

“Over the last two years, MBRDI has contributed significantly to some major technological advancements and has been a creative centre for fostering research and innovation for the mobility world. We look forward to accelerating the future and delivering world-class solutions globally from India, especially from the Bengaluru centres”, he added.

The minister applauded the significant contributions and major technological advancements driven from India for global product development at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India.

About MBRDI

Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) is the largest research and development centre for Mercedes-Benz Group AG outside of Germany. Started in 1996, the Bengaluru-headquartered organisation plays a prominent role in the development of technologies like connected, autonomous, shared, and electric in the mobility world. MBRDI, known for its engineering services, has grown to a team of over 6,000 employees and is one of the earliest technology centres of a global automotive company to set up a strong presence in India.

In line with the global ambitions of the Mercedes-Benz Group, MBRDI plays a prominent role in accelerating the future of sustainable mobility. Over the last 25 years of its presence in India, MBRDI has established itself as an innovation powerhouse. The engineers at MBRDI are committed to providing an unparalleled experience and comprehensive digital capabilities, with technology at the core. MBRDI harnesses the role of IT in accelerating the future of automotive technology in terms of engineering, digitalisation, testing and simulation, and data science.

MBRDI offices in Bengaluru specialise in end-to-end capabilities in product development and IT services. The satellite office in Pune focuses on interior component designs and IT engineering

OnMobile Reports First Quarter Of Fiscal Year 2023 Results

* Gross revenue growth of 5.8% QoQ and 4.4% YoY

* Challenges Arena: Revenue continues to grow; increased by 11 times YoY and 38 cumulative customer agreements by June’22

* ONMO B2B: 12 customer confirmations, 3 live as on end of June’22

OnMobile Global Limited (“OnMobile”), the global leader in mobile entertainment, today announced the financial results for the first quarter of FY23 ended June 30, 2022.

Highlights:

Challenges Arena: Revenue increased by 11 times on YoY basis

Challenges Arena: 38 cumulative customer agreements for Challenges Arena by June’22 (20 live as on Q1FY23)

Challenges Arena: Now live with 20 Operators cumulative in Q1FY23 as compared to 16 in Q4FY22, reflecting growth of 25% QoQ

Challenges Arena: 6.7 Mn cumulative gross additions of subscribers by June’22

Challenges Arena: Q1FY23 net active base increase to 1.66 Mn from 1.33 Mn in Q4FY22

Q1FY23 revenue stood at INR 141.0 crore, an increase of 5.9% QoQ and 4.4% YoY; Gross profit for the quarter increased by 9.0% QoQ

Manpower cost grew by 15.3% QoQ to INR 32.1 crore primarily due to rise in hiring costs and investment in specific talent skills

Marketing cost grew by 15.7% QoQ and 103.7% YoY to INR 16.2 crore primarily due to investments in our new product lines- ONMO and Challenges Arena

EBITDA at INR 7.8 crore with a margin of 5.8% for the quarter.

Commenting on Q1FY23 results, Sanjay Baweja, CEO & MD, OnMobile, said, “The quarter revenue performance was in line with our expectations, thanks to continued high growth in Challenges Arena. We are investing in marketing for sustained revenue growth, which is impacting profitability temporarily. Our other new gaming product ONMO B2B has started generating revenue from the current quarter. We are confident that our focused execution poise us well to achieve our vision to build cutting-edge mobile gaming products while simultaneously working on digitizing our core B2B businesses.”

Asheesh Chatterjee, Global Group CFO, said, “We are pleased to see a decent start of fiscal year 2023 in our new endeavours. Our revenue increased by 5.9% QoQ to INR 141.0 crore for the quarter. Gross profit witnessed a growth of 9.0% on QoQ basis. Our cost optimization efforts continued and we managed to sustain EBITDA margin at 5.8% for Q1FY23.

Focus on many countries across the world, it is focused on building cutting-edge Mobile Gaming products while also offering a wide array of products such as Videos, Tones, & Contests. Based on current deployments, OnMobile has over 80 million monthly users across the globe.

Tata Motors Showcases Next-Gen Mass Mobility Solutions At Prawaas 3.0 For A Safe, Smart And Sustainable Tomorrow

* Presents seven innovative, top-of-the line vehicles for both last-mile and long-haul passenger mobility

Tata Motors, India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer and the country’s leading passenger commercial mobility company, presents seven cutting-edge mass mobility solutions at Prawaas 3.0. Scheduled from 5th to 6th August 2022 in Hyderabad, Tata Motors exhibits a robust product portfolio of passenger commercial vehicles across multiple fuel options at the third edition of India’s flagship bus and car travel show. Aligning itself with the ‘Towards safe, smart and sustainable passenger mobility’ theme at Prawaas 3.0, Tata Motors displays modern and sustainable solutions for both last-mile and long-haul mass mobility needs.

Tata Motors’ top-of-the-line product portfolio at Prawaas 3.0

• Magna 13.5m sleeper coach

• Ultra Electric 9/9 

• Starbus Long Range CNG

• LPO 10.2 CNG AC school

• Caravan

• Winger 9S

• Magic Express 

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Rohit Srivastava, Vice President, Product Line – Buses, Tata Motors said, “Tata Motors is delighted to participate in the latest edition of Prawaas. This has emerged as an excellent platform for showcasing new products and technology as well as providing possibilities for deeper collaboration between operators, business visitors and other stakeholders within this segment. This year’s theme vitally highlights the necessity of using emerging technology and innovation to make sustainable transportation a reality. As a pioneer in the industry, Tata Motors has always remained aligned to this vision, and our diverse and smart range of products come with varied clean fuel options, with their characteristic promise of safety, comfort and efficiency.”

Tata Motors’ vehicle range at Prawaas 3.0 features India’s first front engine 13.5-metre bus – the Magna sleeper coach for intercity and luxury travel. Alternate-fuel-powered vehicles at the exhibition include the Ultra Electric 9/9 bus specially designed for staff transportation, Starbus Long Range CNG and LPO 10.2 CNG AC school bus. The display also features a customisable Caravan with modern facilities that is ideal for luxurious leisure travel. The iconic Winger 9S and Magic Express, ideal for last-mile passenger transportation, feature unmatched comfort for both driver and passengers with ergonomic seating designs and spacious arrangements. Each of the showcased products offers the lowest total cost of operations with highest efficiency and profitability potential.

Tata Motors is committed towards the vision of clean and sustainable mobility solutions for the future. It has enacted decisive steps to promote alternate fuel technology. The most recent being its steps towards the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology. The company is the first Indian vehicle manufacturer to have won an order for 15 Hydrogen Fuel Cell buses from Indian Oil Corporation. On the battery electric mobility front, Tata Motors is the market leader having delivered more than 715 Tata Motors’ e-buses in various cities of the country and have cumulatively clocked more than 40 million kilometres. The company also offers the widest range for CNG buses across categories ensuring lower operational costs and higher profitability for the operators.

Tata Motors’ passenger commercial vehicle range comes with the standard fitment of Fleet Edge – Tata Motors’ next-gen digital solution for optimal fleet management. Fleet Edge provides an end-to-end connected experience for the customers with better control over their entire business operations.

About Tata Motors

Part of the USD 128 billion Tata group, Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM; BSE: 500570 and 570001; NSE: TATAMOTORS and TATAMTRDVR), a USD 37 billion organization, is a leading global automobile manufacturer of cars, utility vehicles, pick-ups, trucks and buses, offering extensive range of integrated, smart and e-mobility solutions. With ‘Connecting Aspirations’ at the core of its brand promise, Tata Motors is India’s market leader in commercial vehicles and amongst the top three in the passenger vehicles market.

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. With a focus on engineering and tech enabled automotive solutions catering to the future of mobility, 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. The company is pioneering India's Electric Vehicle (EV) transition and driving the shift towards sustainable mobility solutions by preparing a tailor-made product strategy, leveraging the synergy between the Group companies and playing an active role liasoning with the Government in developing the policy framework.

With operations in India, the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa and Indonesia, supported by a strong global network of over 103 subsidiaries, 11 associate companies, 4 joint ventures and 2 joint operations as on December 2021, Tata Motors’ commercial and passenger vehicles are marketed in countries, spread across Africa, Middle East, South & South East Asia, Australia, South America, Russia and other CIS countries.

Xiaomi India Launches Mi Summit 4.0, B-School Participants To Work On Real Business Case Studies

- Students from the top 27 business schools across India to work on business case studies and showcase their problem-solving skills

- Prizes worth 6 lakhs along with Pre-placement interviews and goodies

Xiaomi India, the country’s No.1 smartphone and smart TV brand, announced the launch of the 4th edition of 'Mi summit' with the vision of enabling B-School students to get hands-on experience with real-world business case studies and problem statements. The winners will be awarded a cash prize of INR 2 lakhs followed by INR 1 lakh cash prize for the runners-up team and pre-placement interviews for both. 

In the 4th edition, students from 27 business Schools can form a team of two from the first or second year and submit their participation. The teams will have to present solutions that resolve a problem and showcase its usability and application in the actual business environment. Structured in 5 stages the program begins with a screening quiz, followed by a pre-campus, campus, and cluster round culminating in the finale at the Xiaomi headquarters in Bangalore. All campus round winners will get a Pre-Placement Interview (PPI) offer from the country’s leading smartphone brand and stand a chance to win goodies up to 6 lakhs from Xiaomi India.

Commenting on the program, Muralikrishnan B, President, Xiaomi India said, “At Xiaomi India, we have always focused on providing opportunities to youth that empower them and help in building a brighter future. The Mi Summit program was started with the vision of helping the young and bright minds of India to follow their passion and truly understand how the world of business functions. Currently, in its 4th edition, Mi Summit over the years has received an exceptional response from students across the country, and we are looking forward to seeing innovative solutions from these future leaders.”

The top teams from each college will be bifurcated into 6 clusters wherein the top 2 teams from each cluster will be selected for the final basis their presentation. Bringing an element of surprise in its 4th edition, among participants identified from 27 business schools, this year wild card entries from non-participating schools are also welcome. Participants from any B-school can sign up for this from all over the country. The cluster winners and runners-up will get a Mi Soundbar and Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphones along with a PPI offer respectively, whereas campus winners stand a chance to win PPI offers.

Launched in 2019, over 7000 students have participated in Mi Summit to date. In the 3rd edition, Xiaomi India reached out to 25 Business schools and saw a participation of 3000+ students. 'Team HS' from IIM Ranchi were the winners, whereas 'Team Crusaders' from XLRI were the runners-up.

Xiaomi Corporation

Xiaomi Corporation (“Xiaomi”) was founded in April 2010 and listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on July 9, 2018 (1810.HK). Xiaomi is a consumer electronics and smart manufacturing company with smartphones and smart hardware connected by an IoT platform at its core. Embracing our vision of “Make friends with users and be the coolest company in the users’ hearts”, Xiaomi continuously pursues innovations, high-quality user experience, and operational efficiency. The company relentlessly builds amazing products with honest prices to let everyone in the world enjoy a better life through innovative technology. Xiaomi is one of the world's leading smartphone companies. The company has also established the world’s leading consumer AIoT (AI+IoT) platform, more than 478 million smart devices connected to its platform (excluding smartphones, laptops, and tablets) as of March 31, 2022. Xiaomi products are available in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. In August 2022, Xiaomi was included in the Fortune Global 500 list for the fourth year in a row, ranking 266th.

Xiaomi India is the number 1 smartphone player since Q3 2017 IDC Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report.

Xiaomi India is the number 1 Smart TV brand since Q2 2018 IDC Worldwide Quarterly Tracker.

Triumph International India Launches Their First Exclusive Retail Store In Pune

* With this store, the brand is all set to charm customers with a great experience & wide product range across Triumph and sloggi brands~

Triumph International India, one of the world’s leading intimate apparel brands, has inaugurated its first exclusive standalone retail store in Pune at Phoenix Marketcity, Viman Nagar today. 

The charismatic actress, Mrunal Thakur inaugurated the new store that hosts both their brands Triumph and iconic bodywear brand sloggi, introduced by Triumph International India recently. 

Photo Caption:: Santhosh Sivaramakrishnan (Commercial Director, India & Sri Lanka, Triumph International) along with Actress Mrunal Thakur inaugurate Triumph and sloggi's first exclusive retail store in Pune.

Garware Hi-Tech Films Limited Clocks 21% Growth In Q1 Revenue

Highlights: Q1 FY23 Consolidated

Revenues up by 21% at Rs 370 crores VIS-À-VIS Rs 306 crores in Q1 FY22

EBIDTA up by 7% at Rs 71 crores VIS-À-VIS Rs 66 crores in Q1 FY22 PAT up by 24% at Rs 45 crores VIS-À-VIS Rs 36 crores in Q1 FY22

Garware Hi-Tech Films Limited (GHFL) (formerly known as Garware Polyester Limited), the flagship company of Garware Group and a leading player in specialty  Polyester  Films in India and Worldwide announced results for the first quarter ended June 30, 2022.

The management’s vision and continued focus on unique products and value-added films, along with a  higher share of consumer products have further enhanced the company’s growth trajectory which is visible in its financial performance.

Commenting on GHFL’s journey, Shri S. B. Garware, Chairperson and Managing Director,  GHFL  said, “The company’s transitioning towards a B2C company providing highly specialized and value-added products in the marketplace is seen in its growth trajectory and the efforts put in over last few years are clearly visible in the financial results. GHFL continues to craft a unique position for itself in the marketplace with a variety of offerings catering to individuals and industry by leveraging on its technology and in-house expertise. During the current year, we are increasingly optimistic about growing our sales network of dealers, distributors, and applicators in key markets across geographies.”

“I am extremely delighted to report that our company continues to consolidate its position during the quarter under review as we continue to accelerate our topline growth momentum. On the export front earnings remain robust and the outlook for the year ahead continues to remain positive,” said Ms. Monika Garware, Vice-Chairperson, and Jt. Managing Director, GHFL.

About Garware Hi-Tech Films Limited (GHFL)

Garware Hi-Tech Films Limited (BOM: 500655) (NSE: GRWRHITECH) is the flagship company of the Garware group co-promoted by Chairman and Managing Director Shri S.B. Garware in the year 1957 along with the Founder-Chairman Late Padmabhushan Dr. B. D. Garware.

GHFL manufactures Hi-Tech specialty performance polyester Films and has its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. GHFL is the pioneer and one of the largest exporters of Polyester Films in India. GHFL has been a winner of top exporters’ awards for 33 continuous years from PLEXCOUNCIL.

GHFL manufacturing facility at Aurangabad is vertically integrated, from the manufacture of polyester chips to polyester film finished products with four independent manufacturing lines and a  business that spans globally. Polyester Films manufactured by GHFL are used for a variety of end applications.

GHFL also manufactures various coated products and co-extruded products for specialty applications, apart from its capacity to design the recipe for raw material of PET films to suit the end application of the product. The company has developed surface-protection films and Paint Protection Films designed to deliver the highest level of protection and impact resistance which have applications in many sectors.

FADA Releases July’ 2022 Vehicle Retail Data Across Indian Market

Highlights

On YoY basis, total vehicle retail for the month of July’22 saw a dip of -8%. 3W and CV were the only segments which closed positively by growing 80% and 27%. 2W, PV and Trac saw lower retail by decreasing -11%, -5% and -28% respectively.

When compared with July’19, a pre-covid month, total vehicle retails fell by -20%. PV and Trac continued to outperform by growing 19% and 7%. All the other categories were in red with 2W, 3W and CV falling by -28%, -15% and -4% respectively.

July saw erratic monsoon across most of the states. While west, central, and south India majorly faced excess rainfall, Gangetic plains and eastern India witnessed deficient rainfall.

Erratic monsoon also led to decreased Kharif sowing as area under paddy dipped by 13% at the end of July. Tractor sales which were showing good growth until a month ago hence saw a big dip in July.

With the risk of Taiwan- China tussle, threat of semi-conductor shortage is once again looming.

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) today released Vehicle Retail Data for July’22.

July’22 Retails

Commenting on how July’22 performed, FADA President, Mr. Vinkesh Gulati said, “Continuing with our quest of a deeper insight in Auto Retail figures, FADA for the first time has released 3W sub-segment retail figures. After breakup of the CV segment, the 3W sub-segmentation will help all the stake holders understand the 3W market in much detail.

Auto Retail for the month of July’22 fell by -8%. July is generally considered as a lean month before festival season hits in August.

When compared with July’19, a pre-covid month, total vehicle retails fell by -20%. PV and Trac continued to outperform by growing 19% and 7%. All the other categories were in red with 2W, 3W and CV falling by -28%, -15% and -4% respectively.

The 2W retail run witnessed poor demand as Rural India continues to underperform. This coupled with high inflation, erratic monsoon and high cost of ownership continues to keep bottom of the pyramid customers at bay.

The 3W space continued to see demand recovery even though full recovery to pre-covid levels is still some time away. Digging deeper, it is clearly evident that e-rickshaws is the biggest mover in the segment. Demand recovery in 3W passenger category also shows that covid is now behind us as passenger movement has once again started gaining traction.

CV retail figures continue to witness good demand as Government’s infrastructure push is helping customers in concluding their purchase. Apart from this, the Bus segment also witnessed beginning of demand recovery as educational institutions and offices are once again back to normal mode.

The PV segment is witnessing a dream run as retail sales are already higher than 2019. Even though there is a blip in July numbers, the industry is continuously introducing new models especially in Compact SUV segment. Along with this, a better supply in coming months will help in bringing down customer anxiety due to large waiting period. We also urge all PV OEMs to recalibrate their supplies as per the market demand and avoid pushing low moving stocks.”

Near Term Outlook

July saw erratic monsoon where some states got less rainfall while others got more than required. The unfavourable weather resulted in decreased Kharif sowing as area under paddy dipped by 13% at the end of July. Tractor sales which were showing good growth till a month ago hence saw a big dip in July.

After Russia- Ukraine war, the world is once again facing the threat of Taiwan- China war. Due to this, the threat of semi-conductor shortage is once again looming as chip-maker TSMC raises red flag that if war hits, Taiwanese chip manufacturers would be rendered ‘non- operable’.

India’s services sector PMI (purchasing manager’s index) fell to 4-month low in July to 55.5 showing that growth momentum lost steam as result of weaker sales growth and inflationary pressure in previous month.

Overall, FADA remains cautiously optimistic due to the above factors as it enters the festival season. 

Key Findings from our Online Members Survey

Inventory at the end of July’22

Average inventory for Passenger Vehicles ranges from 20 – 25 days

Average inventory for Two – Wheelers ranges from 20 – 23 days

Liquidity

Neutral               49.4%

Good                 32.1%

Bad                      18.5%

Sentiment

Neutral              47.5%

Good                   35.8%

Bad                      16.7%

Expectation from August

Growth               61.7%

Flat                      27.8%

De-growth         10.5%

Jaguar Land Rover Prepares For Advanced Electrified And Connected Future With New Testing Facility

 

* Jaguar Land Rover investing for electrified and connected cars future

* Laboratory in Gaydon, UK, will help meet current and future legislation and quality standards

* New Range Rover Sport was the first vehicle to undergo a bespoke testing programme

* Electromagnetic Compatibility testing is increasingly important in vehicle development due to greater electrification and new connectivity technologies

Jaguar Land Rover has taken another step towards a new era of electrification and connectivity by opening a facility to test the next generation of vehicles for electrical and radio interference.

The Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) laboratory at Gaydon in the UK, will ensure future vehicles meet current and future legislation and quality standards for connectivity and electronics. New Range Rover Sport, which launched in May, was the first vehicle to undergo a bespoke testing programme at the in-house facility.

A critical aspect of vehicle performance, EMC is the ability of electrical equipment and systems to function correctly in their electromagnetic environment. It works by limiting the unintentional generation, propagation and reception of electromagnetic energy to reduce the risk of unwanted effects such as electromagnetic interference.

Jaguar Land Rover’s new vehicle laboratory features two anechoic chambers: an electrically ‘quiet’ rolling road that enables engineers to test vehicles at speed, as well as equipment to assess the performance of individual components, such as batteries or electric motors. Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, 4G, 5G, adaptive cruise control, wireless charging and blind spot monitoring are all examples of vehicle services and features that the facility will test for EMC.

Peter Phillips, Senior Manager, Electromagnetics and Compliance at Jaguar Land Rover, said: “The importance of testing our vehicles for electromagnetic compatibility cannot be underestimated. Opening this new testing facility is an important step forward for the business and it will play a crucial role in helping us deliver quality, legal, and customer satisfaction.”

With industry advances set to increase the number of electric powertrains and the range of digital and cloud-based services on vehicles, from Software-Over-The-Air updates to autonomous technology, testing for EMC is crucial to delivering quality, legal, and customer satisfaction. This new facility demonstrates Jaguar Land Rover’s commitment to giving customers the most advanced in-vehicle connectivity as the business accelerates electrification through its Reimagine strategy.

Tips To Get The Best Wash From Your Washing Machine This Monsoon

By Rajinder Koul, Product Group Head- Washing Machines, Godrej Appliances

The onset of monsoon season has brought much relief to everyone from the scorching heat, bringing joy and elating moods. However, the flip side to this weather is the clothes getting drenched often and the humidity in the atmosphere makes it tough for clothes to dry. Since clothes tend to get dirty often, the laundry load also increases. About a third of urban Indians rely on a washing machine for their laundry today. For all these washing machine users, it is critical that the washing machine operates effectively through the year and even more so in the monsoons.

Here are some simple tips to maintain your washing machine and get the best laundry results:

·         Use the right amount of detergent. Check the product handbook to make sure you are using the right type and amount of detergent for your machine. Using a top load detergent in a front load machine, for example, is not recommended! You should also check the detergent dosage as per the load. Too much or too little detergent both are not recommended. The dosage guidance will be included in your machine manual.

·         Clean the machine: Detergents or hard input water sometimes leads to scaling on the machine – this affects the wash quality adversely and a foul smell starts getting developed especially in Front Loading Washing machines.  It is a good idea to rinse away detergent residue using a washing machine cleaning powder, through an empty load or tub clean mode. This can be done monthly. You might alternatively run an empty load of hot water with a small amount of white vinegar as an option. Add some detergent in the middle of the cycle and wait for it to finish.  Using a clean towel, wipe down the drum, doors, and gasket.

·         Prevent bad odour: A mouldy smell in the laundry area and in your clothes is never pleasant. Remember to leave the washing machine lid open after each wash, to dry out the unit and to keep it smelling fresh. Also, thoroughly wipe the gasket around the door, even from inside, after doing your laundry to prevent mold build-up. 

·         Plan your laundry: Make sure you always use the washing machine to its full capacity, but not overload it. This will help the appliance use the least amount of energy possible. If you only need to wash a few small loads, you can use the machine's eco-mode (available in select washing machines), which uses less electricity and saves water.

·         Anti- Germ Mode: Use the anti-germ option on your washing machine for bedsheets, extremely soiled clothes, or clothes you've worn outside, and which have collected muck in the rain. This setting is available in washing machines that have an internal heater allowing you to wash your clothing in hot water. While most front-load washing machines have a built-in water heater, there are a few top-load washing machines and semi -automatic models that have this feature as well. It is particularly relevant in current times.

·         Clean the lint collector: After several wash cycles, the lint collector (often found in the center column of most machines) becomes clogged. Clean it at least once a week, by washing it under tap water to ensure that it continues to efficiently collect the lint particles. This simple tip goes a long way in delivering a superior wash.

·         Being careful about the controls: While some machines come with moisture resistant controls, many don’t. It’s a good practice to keep wet clothes away from the control panel.

·         Paying attention to the basics: Ensuring proper earthing is a hygiene for all appliances, and this must be checked by the consumer by getting in touch with an electrician before installation. Further, it is often seen that consumers place the washing machine exposed to the elements. While the machine will deliver the wash performance and most machines also come with anti-rodent mesh at the bottom, it is recommended to keep the machine in a safe area, away from rodents as they can easily lead to frayed wires, leading to critical safety issues.

·         Regular servicing from an Authorized Service center: Getting the washing machine serviced, periodically by a technician who is associated with an authorized service center to clean and service various parts & components that we as consumers are unable to clean is also a good practice. Any early signs of wear and tear can also be identified & repairs can be done on time thus preventing machine breakdowns

Careful usage and regular maintenance go a long way in helping appliances to perform better – not just during the monsoon but for years to come.

ZEE Digital Concluded Its Zee National Achievers’ Awards 2022 At Gurugram

~The award show facilitated leaders from Automobile, Retail, Real Estate, Healthcare, E-commerce, FMCG, Startups, Designs, Entertainment, Fashion, Jewelry, and Hospitality industry~

Zee Media Digital, the digital media publishing arm of Zee Group, organized the National Achievers’ Awards 2022 at The Leela Ambience, Gurugram on July 28.2022. The event, carrying on the legacy of Zee Media, recognized the outstanding work/achievements by leaders from various domains. The awards also honored the spirit of change makers who overcame obstacles to create stories by their intelligence, diligence, path breaking performance and grit.

Addressing the audience at the event, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Prahlad Singh Patel, said, “I am extremely impressed on how Zee Digital, which has become one of the fastest-growing digital media groups in India, acknowledges the excellent work of Industry leaders across different sectors. I would like to thank everybody who has been contributing to the development of the nation as a whole.”

The awards witnessed the presence of many esteemed and renowned names such as Manoj Tiwari, Malini Awasthi, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Prem Shukla, Ramesh Bidhuri, Shekhar Suman, Bhuvan Bam, along with Rithvik Dhanjani who hosted the event, and Neeti Palta who kept the audience engaged and entertained with her performance.

Speaking of the event, Shridhar Mishra, CRO – Digital, Zee Media Corporation Ltd. said, “Zee Media being a leading media house, understands the importance of felicitating change makers from various industries. We have always appreciated the incredible work done by these industry leaders. I thank the entire team for successfully concluding the Zee National Achievers Awards 2022. We are looking forward to introducing more award categories in coming years.”

Zee National Award winners comprised leaders from Auto, Retail, Real estate, Healthcare, E-commerce, FMCG, Startups, Designs, Entertainment, Fashion, Jewelry, and Hospitality industry. Some of this year’s National Achievers’ honourees include:  Kalyan Jewellers  (Business leader of the Year -Gems & Jewellery Industry); Genewin Biotech (Innovation in Agriculture & Climate change); M. Ponnaiyah Nageshwaran (Young Innovative Chancellor of the Year); Guvi (Most trusted Vernacular Edutech Brand); Mirae Asset Mutual Fund (Marketing Campaign of the year in Mutual Fund Category for Sapna in Progress Campaign); Dr Aneel Kashi Murarka (People’s Philanthropist); Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre (Best Superspeciality Hospital in West India); Mr. Ranjith Kumar - Head Marketing Air Asia (Digital Transformation Leader of the Year) and many more.

The award show was sponsored by LIC and Canara Bank.

About Zee Media Corporation Ltd: Zee Media Corporation Limited is one of India’s leading media and entertainment companies with strong presence in the news and regional entertainment genres and is India's one of the largest News Network with 14 news channels in 10 different languages touching more than 300 million viewers and digital properties like zeenews.com and dnaindia.com.

Happiest Minds Technologies Announces The Launch Of End-To-End Security Services For Healthcare

Happiest Minds Technologies Limited (NSE: HAPPSTMNDS), a ‘Born Digital . Born Agile’ digital transformation and IT solutions company, today announced the launch of its Cybersecurity services in the healthcare vertical. Cybersecurity for healthcare provides end-to-end security services for the Healthcare industry by applying a robust and proven framework tailored to meet regulatory requirements, digital security best practices, and cutting-edge tools & technologies. 

Happiest Minds enables cyber security for healthcare businesses with a 360? approach by applying a robust and proven framework built per regulatory requirements, digital security best practices, and best-of-the-breed tools and technologies. These services will help customers stay updated with evolving governance policies and tighten their healthcare security posture using leading technologies AI/Big Data/Behavioral and analytics. The company ensures that your organization complies with regulatory requirements (HIPAA/HITRUST) and becomes a resilient healthcare provider. 

Vijay Bharti, SVP, Head of Security Practice, and CISO of Happiest Minds Technologies said, “We have provided cyber security services to leading healthcare providers across geographies, but with COVID there was a sudden surge in the demand for cyber security for their Digital Transformation journey. I take great pleasure in announcing that we have launched a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for security services in the healthcare industry. This focused initiative will help us understand the pain points of healthcare service providers in-depth and build actionable solutions and services around them.” 

Srinivas Iyengar, Vice President, Head of Healthcare and Life sciences, Happiest Minds Technologies, said, “With care delivery going beyond hospital walls, patient-generated health data becoming an integral part of defining care pathways, the influx of connected devices, healthcare is experiencing a very high degree of disruption. The speed at which digital and emerging tech adoption is unprecedented and under these circumstances, one of the biggest challenges that the healthcare industry is facing is cyber threats which put patient safety and privacy at risk. We had a strong center of excellence for cyber security and since the last year, we have been helping the healthcare industry as well in this endeavor. Our deep expertise in Cybersecurity and a decade of experience working with healthcare customers has enabled us to formally launch our specialized cybersecurity services for healthcare customers.” 

Happiest Minds has impeccable track records and success stories with our Healthcare customers. For one of the leading healthcare services providers in the USA, the company provides end-to-end Managed Security Services to

·          Establish a centralized security monitoring solution leveraging existing investments 

·         Onboard multiple security solutions into the SOC platform to establish a single visibility portal

·         Eliminate false positives and finetune the existing setup? 

·         SLA-based monitoring and management of the security infrastructure ? 

·         IAM and PAM strategy, Engineering, and Roadmap 

Powered by its mission statement of “Happiest People . Happiest Customers,” Happiest Minds counts for more than fifty-four Billion-Dollar corporations as its customers.

About Happiest Minds Technologies 

Happiest Minds Technologies Limited (NSE: HAPPSTMNDS), a Mindful IT Company, enables digital transformation for enterprises and technology providers by delivering seamless customer experiences, business efficiency, and actionable insights. We do this by leveraging a spectrum of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud, digital process automation, internet of things, robotics/drones, security, virtual/augmented reality, etc. Positioned as ‘Born Digital. Born Agile’, our capabilities span digital solutions, infrastructure, product engineering, and security. We deliver these services across industry sectors such as automotive, BFSI, consumer packaged goods, e-commerce, edutech, engineering R&D, hi-tech, manufacturing, retail, and travel/transportation/hospitality. 

A Great Place to Work-Certified™ company, Happiest Minds is headquartered in Bangalore, India, with operations in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East. 

Unacademy Signs An MoU With Indo -Tibetan Police Force To Strengthen Accessibility For High Quality Education

* Top Rankers to receive Unacademy scholarships and free career guidance counseling

* All Children of ITBP Force will be eligible for a 50% discounted Unacademy Subscription

Unacademy, India’s largest learning platform*, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBPF) to empower their children for various competitive exams. Unacademy will offer its courses at a 50% discount to the children of ITBPF personnel, enabling an enriched learning ecosystem for every Learner.

As per the MoU, Unacademy every year will identify 1000 children of ITBPF personnel through a series of aptitude tests for an Unacademy scholarship to help them prepare for competitive exams. Students from class 9th till Graduation can apply for the test.

Besides, Top rankers currently studying in Class XII will also receive an Unacademy scholarship for IIT-JEE/NEET UG/NDA preparation courses based on their Class XI grades.

As an extension of Unacademy’s mega national program ‘Shikshodaya’ - Unacademy shall also extend free of cost study scholarships to up to 500 top ranking girl students.

Unacademy will also organize structured career guidance sessions for scholarship students on upskilling and emerging career opportunities.

Courses for which scholarships and discounted prices are offered are: UPSC, SSC (Non- Technical), NDA, CDS, NEET (UG), NEET (PG) and IIT- JEE.

Tech-Enabled Construction Company Design & Construct Acquires The Better Co. Company’s Total Valuation At Rs 125 Cr

One of India’s leading tech-enabled construction companies, Design and Construct, has acquired a mid-sized construction firm, The Better Co making the group’s valuation Rs 125 cr plus. After the acquisition, the company will be operating under the flagship name of Design and Construct.

Headquartered in Bangalore, Design and Construct which has presence in Hyderabad, Pune and Mysore, has been in the business of construction since 2020 and had raised funding earlier to grow the company further.  The Better Co also founded in 2020 has been specialists in civil construction. With the acquisition, Design and Construct hopes to expand their pan India footprint as well as add to their existing service portfolio. 

Announcing this at a press conference, Mr. Priyadarshi Mishra, Founder-CEO, Design and Construct, said, “We are very excited with this acquisition. By acquiring The Better Co, we will be acquiring the employee talent and skill-sets also, and are very confident that The Better Co, will help smoothen and fasten our global growth plans that we have on the anvil.  We can’t wait to get started with such fusion.”

Commenting about the acquisition, Mr. Fahim Alam, CEO of The Better Co, said, “This is a  memorable moment, and we are happy to be coming together and working under the umbrella of Design and Construct. We hope to strengthen the group by sharing our expertise and adding value to the existing basket of services”.

Acquisition adds to the numbers

This acquisition will result in growth for the group, in ways more than one.  Talking about the numbers , Mr. Gaurav Nanda , CFO – Design and Construct, said “We are happy that the group’s combined valuation will now be Rs 125 crore. We are also hoping to clock twice the turnover in the current financial year as compared to FY 21-22. We have also acquired talent in different verticals, which now makes the employee strength over 300.”

Talking about the synergies between The Better Co and Design and Construct ,Mr Priyadarshi Mishra further stated “ Design and Construct is ready for the expansion plans in tier 2 and tier 3 cities , with our  rich experience  in building end-to-end independent houses, from conceptualizing, designing, constructing, and providing remodelling services to villas, bungalows, duplexes, penthouses, farmhouses, and homes. Our next step is to create a global presence in Dubai, Malaysia, and Singapore. We are developing our SOP’s for expansion in the coming months. Apart from offering tech enabled platforms for individual home construction clients, we are also planning to build a team for on demand services”.

The company intends to set up a high level VR based experience centre across all metros by this year end.  By the end of 2023 Design and Construct intends to build around 1,000 homes.

The company currently has a B2B app for its existing customers which is an advanced e-tracking system providing with real time project tracking without visiting the site. The company is in the process of launching a B2C app which will help customers choose and share from the palates of colours, designs, layouts.

About Design and Construct

Design and Construct is a leading individual construction company that deals with the aspect of end-to-end needs of home and commercial construction such as Interiors, renovation, floor addition and even painting with an option of customizing requirements, creating a synergy between the teams to ensure there is proper coordination. Hence, giving the clients peace of mind as the top talents are working on building the dream home. Whether architects, civil engineers, quality control managers, project coordinators, sales, or marketing, the team members have expertise in all the required areas. The dedicated team is enthusiastic about providing the client with the most exemplary accommodation possible. The company is very conscious of the environment and believes in using sustainable options, highlighting affordability, thereby preventing accidents and reducing the costs of reworks and repairs. Their approach to using reused and recycled products during construction is commendable. Design and Construct have partnerships with famous brands such as Asian Paints, Kajaria, Havells, ACC, etc. Their few ongoing projects are spread around Hyderabad and have completed and handed over turnkey projects in Bangalore.

The Better Co.

The Better Co is a home construction company which helps you build your dream home and do your home interiors on one platform. With an experienced team consisting of Designers, Architects, Engineers, Experience management, Quality assurance, etc., to provide the client with the best home construction possible within the budget.  Quality and experience is the priority over everything else. Serving all client needs of building their dream home within their budget is the speciality. 

For more details log in to : www.designandconstruct.in

Expect IT Spending To Be Resilient In Near To Medium Term Outlook For IT Sector Is One Of Cautious Optimism: CareEdge

*  Digital Transformation, Cloud computing, Cybersecurity to be key focus areas

*  A surge in employee costs due to high attrition has impacted operating margins

*  A slowdown in US & EU, global eco uncertainties, currency volatility key risk

CareEdge has released a report on the sector outlook for the Indian IT industry. The research house is cautiously optimistic on the outlook of the sector on the back of a resilient IT spending in the near to medium term.

CareEdge expects that the broad trends in demand outlook in the Indian IT industry along with technology-driven spending will continue during FY23. The digital transformation initiatives grew manifold during the pandemic, with a much greater realization of the need for digitization and data-driven solutions and this trend is expected to continue going forward. This augurs well for the IT services industry.  According to CareEdge, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics and IoT, among others are expected to be the key focus areas going forward.

However, a slowdown in the key markets of the US and EU, uncertainties arising from the global macro-economic slowdown, and currency volatility can potentially play a spoilsport with respect to corporations spending on technology and may lead to postponing some of these spends. Also, with significantly increased employee attrition levels across most players, there has been a surge in employee costs. This is the single largest expense item for the sector, and will potentially impact the operating margins of the players.

The Indian IT industry witnessed a strong client addition during FY22 supported by vendor consolidation and various initiatives like cloud adoption and digital transformation agendas by clientele across various verticals. The industry has been re-aligning its offerings to cater to the evolving requirements of its clients with respect to emerging technologies in order to become more effective in the dynamic business environment.

The IT companies expanded their products and service offerings to cater to the new demands of an expanding set of clients with a focus on delivering customer-centric solutions. During FY22, IT majors have seen a strong progression of client addition in existing as well as new geographies and verticals. The client wins in the higher deal-size buckets have significantly increased.

During Q1FY23, on a year-on-year basis, there has been a slowdown in client addition (in greater than USD 1 Million segment)– an implied higher base effect on account of a sudden post-pandemic ramp-up in Q1FY22. However, on a sequential basis (q-o-q), client additions gathered pace vs. Q4FY22 where in 42 clients were added. This is despite Q4 being a generally weak quarter from a seasonality perspective. The growth has mostly been broad-based across verticals and the BFSI vertical continues to have the largest share and is the fastest growing segment.

About us: CareEdge (CARE Group) is a knowledge-based analytical group that aims to provide superior insights based on technology, data analytics capability, and detailed research methods. CareEdge Ratings is one of the leading credit rating agencies in India. It has an impressive track record of rating companies for almost three decades and has played a pivotal role in developing the corporate debt market in India. CareEdge provides near real-time research on all domestic and global economic developments. The wholly owned subsidiaries include CareEdge Advisory & Research arm focused on providing advisory and consultancy services and CareEdge Risk solutions a platform that provides risk management solutions.

Nokia 8210 4G Launched In India - A Classic Icon, Reborn With 4G And Modern Essentials

Two new features phones arrive in India with the classic icon, the Nokia 8210, returning after two decades and new Nokia 110 offering trusted build quality you expect while looking sleek and modern at the same time

·         The new 8210 4G comes with a big battery life with 27 days standby time, and Dual SIM VoLTE for crystal clear calls with elegant colour choices.

·         New Nokia 110 (2022) offers a built-in rear camera, wireless FM Radio, Auto Call Recording feature and a bigger storage

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, announced the launch of the newest member of the Originals family, the Nokia 8210 4G, that combines memorable design, durability and long lasting battery life with modern details like a large display, an MP3 player (MicroSD card sold separately), camera, and intuitive user interface, making it simpler and easier to use.  Also announced today is the launch of Nokia 110 (2022), which has exciting features like the auto call recording, and built in rear camera with the trusted build quality of Nokia phones blended in their signature style. Both the Nokia 8210 4G and Nokia 110 (2022) offer new sleek design and long-lasting battery, with a focus on seamless entertainment. Both the phones come with 1 year replacement guarantee.

Nokia Mobiles is further strengthening its feature phones portfolio with these exciting new additions. Nokia mobiles continues to be number 1 in value in the feature phone segment as per IDC Q1’22 report.

Speaking on the launch, Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, Vice President, HMD Global-India & MENA said; “Nokia 8210 4G – a new addition to the ‘Originals’ family – celebrates the iconic Nokia 8210 4G launched in 1999 at Paris Fashion Week, which was quite the sensation in India at the time. We have also added new Nokia 110 (2022) to our robust feature phone line-up. The latest portfolio additions reaffirm HMD Global’s commitment to ensuring everyone has access to affordable and long-lasting technology. Moreover, we are the strongest player in the premium feature phone segment in India. With today’s young generation embracing minimalism and seeking a more sustainable fashion, feature phones are becoming highly sought after and we do see a lot of people using these feature phones as their secondary phone. Nokia 8210 4G brings the classic Nokia heritage combined with innovation in feature phone space. For those that seek a break from social media and hustle culture, Nokia 8210 4G is a digital detox retreat”

A timeless classic for today’s retro lovers

Nokia 8210 4G continues our Originals–line with outstanding design and renowned Nokia phones build quality. Designed just like its predecessor, has a big 2.8” display and zoomed user interface, making communication easier than ever. The updated display frame adds a fresh twist to the instantly recognizable Nokia 8210 look courtesy of function keys adapted for today, and elegant island keymat with separated keys and an intuitive interface.

Meanwhile, the Nokia 8210 4G is rich in features, including the in-build MP3 player, wireless and wired FM radio, and a camera to capture life’s best bits – alongside a slice of retro courtesy of fan-favorite games like ‘Snake’.

Never go out of style

Fast fashion is out, timeless items are in, and the Nokia 8210 4G is the fashion accessory that will stand the test of time. It’s light and compact design seamlessly carries a massive battery which allows for longer conversations and weeks of standby so users can call, text, and go offline with confidence. Improved radio frequency, 4G connectivity, and dual SIM VoLTE voice call capability keep your calls connected and crystal clear so you can do more of what you love.

Super chic, yet super tough

The new Nokia 8210 4G brings together style and strength in the palm of your hand. Like every Nokia phone, it has been rigorously tested to ensure it meets high durability standards – giving its users peace of mind that they won’t have to replace this celebration of design excellence any time soon.

It is minimalist, yet its super tough. lets you stand out from the crowd for longer thanks to its durable and sleek design, modern features, and update on a classic look – delivering a bit of ‘90s nostalgia and a lot of the quality and performance you’d expect from a Nokia phone.

Pricing and availability – Nokia 8210 4G

The Nokia 8210 4G launched in India on 2nd August, exclusively on Amazon.in for the first month and Nokia.com/phones, in blue and red colour options.

The Nokia 8210 4G goes on sale on Amazon.in starting 6th August for Rs. 3999.

Other new offerings in the range

The New Nokia 110 (2022) offers a new sleek design with the trusted build quality of Nokia phones blended in their signature style. It has a compact form factor for ease-of-use, an all-new modern finish, and it is packed with standout features like a built in rear camera, music player and an auto call recording with bigger storage. Beauty inside and out.

The Nokia 110 (2022) comes with superior build quality, incorporating a sturdy 1000 mAh battery and expandable 32GB storage capacity. With this feature phone you will be able to do much more without worrying about running out of power. Whether you want news, music or sports, you can now listen to your favourite FM stations with a radio in your pocket on the go without a headset. The feature phone also includes everyday essentials like built-in torch, storage capacity and pre-loaded games including everyone's favorite, Snake.

Pricing and availability- Nokia 110 (2022)

The Nokia 110 is available in three stylish colours Charcoal, Cyan and Rose Gold in India, at a recommended best buy price of Rs. 1699 for Cyan & Charcoal and Rs. 1799 for Rose Gold color along with a free earphone worth Rs. 299/- across all leading retail outlets, e-commerce sites and Nokia.com/phones.