AAF Launches Industrial-Grade Air Purifiers in the Indian Market

 AAF (American Air Filter), a Daikin group of company, the world’s largest clean air solutions provider launches industrial-grade air purifiers for the healthcare segment. These portable air purifiers enable healthcare facilities to transform the basic patient room into a negative pressure isolation room.

The AstroPure 500 is the most versatile AAF model. It can be used as an infection control system in healthcare and commercial facilities. The 3-stage air filtration with UV light can be utilized in any of the three operating modes to recirculate and clean the air in a controlled environment.

100% exhaust*

Need-based variable exhaust based on the application

100% recirculation

The design of the equipment is suitable for Accident & Emergency Room (ER), ICUs, Operating Room (OR) or any controlled environment to convert to an infection-free isolation room. This equipment can also be used in small clinics, laboratories, patients waiting rooms or any other common areas to avoid the spread of infection while recirculating the air.

Features:

A stand-alone complete air purification system to recirculate and clean the air in a controlled environment.

It combines particulate, gas-phase and HEPA filters to remove airborne particles, gaseous contaminants, viruses, bacteria, fungus and molds to provide total clean air solution.

The pre-filter prolongs the life span of a higher efficiency filter

The gas-phase filter effectively removes odor problems.

HEPA filter to remove fine particles, viruses, bacteria, fungus, molds with an efficiency of 99.99% at 0.3μm.

This powerful system delivers up to 500 CFM operating airflow. As a result, the AstroPure 500 can typically provide above 12 air changes per hour in rooms up to 2,500 cubic feet. Variable speed controls enable the AstroPure 500 to be run at lower speeds where less airflow is required.

AstroPure 500 is the best solution for prevention of spread of viruses and can be used as a stand-alone unit in any space where people gather like offices, malls, hotels (conference rooms, restaurants and suites), airports (lounges, immigration area), schools (classrooms, canteen, indoor sports areas), hospitals (common areas, consultation rooms, isolation rooms, ICUs), dental clinics, movie theaters, convention halls and tech parks.

Busworld India Postponed Until 2022 Due to the COVID 19 Pandemic

Taking into consideration the current state of affairs and caution advisories still in place by the Indian government, the organisers of Busworld India - Busworld and Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd in consultation with stakeholders have decided to cancel the 2020 edition of the fair. In order to keep the industry updated with the changing business landscape in the Bus & Coach sector, the organisers will continue to host a series of virtual webinars and interactive events to keep the industry connected until its next edition in 2022.

In consultation with key OEMs and exhibitors from the bus and coach industry, the 2020 edition of Busworld India that was postponed to 6th - 8th October 2020 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bengaluru is now set to be hosted in 2022. The organisers have confirmed that the dates for the next edition of the trade fair are currently under dialogues and will be announced after detailed discussions in the coming months. 

Industry 4.0 and 4 Ways to Leverage and Connect Industrial IoT

The fourth wave of the industrial revolution, known as Industry 4.0, connects industrial devices and permits organizations to use arranged information from IoT gadgets and PC controlled frameworks. Applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to this information makes fully automated smart factories, smart cities and more.

Industry 4.0 is all about being digitally enabled and data driven, bringing together new technologies and compute services across edge and cloud assets to drive productivity, create new business models, and innovate faster. These technologies include everything from advanced analytics and AI to augmented reality, digital twins, and industrial IoT platforms, and, together serve the core needs of the manufacturing sector.

IoT and Industrial IoT power mission-critical applications that require high reliability and unwavering quality. An excellent arrangement joined with a top-notch programming process for these gadgets during assembling is fundamental to the general execution of the application.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) seeks to drive operational efficiencies in industrial settings through automation, analytics, and connectivity. Utilizing a network of sensors and communications technologies, all parts of an industrial process can be interconnected and managed from a single platform. It analyses the data captured by the sensors and organizes it into actionable information. The goal of IIoT is for manufacturers to achieve unrivalled perceivability into production stages and processes, recognise any tricky holes or torment focuses, and fix them before they develop into critical or complex issues. The outcome is a progressively effective modern procedure with more uptime and higher production quality.

Regardless of whether it's a mechanical arm in a manufacturing plant or a drone monitoring agricultural fields, these machines work under altogether different conditions, and will require the right connectivity solution to optimally handle the deluge of data they will produce, process, and devour.

As the Internet of Things (IoT) grows its span and limit with regards to operational efficiency, increasingly industrial facilities are seeing the advantages of IoT connectivity for industrial applications. Industry 4.0, the IIOT is one of the quickest developing segments of IoT. Accenture report estimates that IIoT could add $14.2 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

While the conversations encompassing IIoT focus on what is conceivable when everything is connected, some companies still are at a loss when it comes to utilizing connectivity to take data-driven action. A study by McKinsey found that, of the companies who have deployed an enterprise-level IoT solution, more than half have used only 10% or less of the information they collect. As the future of manufacturing is likely to be dominated by those who appropriately leverage Industry 4.0, companies that would like to remain significant must look to the current chiefs in IIoT advancement and decide how their techniques can be applied to improve operations.

Below are three examples of commercial companies where cutting-edge IIoT solutions are driving the industry forward. Through their innovative approaches to IIoT deployment, manufacturers and other industry leaders have a roadmap to help them stay ahead of the curve.

Paragon footwear advanced their operational productivity with IoT Solutions

India’s leading footwear brand Paragon deployed an integrated IoT solution and managed services from Aeris in partnership with Sify.

Paragon faced challenges like unexpected delays due to vehicle breakdown or wrong routes taken which led them to the search for an IoT-based solution to remotely track and monitor Paragon’s fleet in real-time in order to prevent vehicle misuse, idle time in the logistics chain and even driver behaviour.

Since footwear is a distributor-retailer led business, all of these were critical to ensure that supplies reach the market on time, every time. Paragon decided to use technology to manage their nationwide fleet. As a first step towards digitizing their supply chain, Paragon decided to implement the Aeris IoT solution across its nation-wide fleet, thus making them a single connected entity. To address the growing need of data management arising from the accelerated growth projection of IoT in India, Aeris collaborated with Sify Technologies, to develop niche IoT offerings with managed services for the Indian enterprises. At the core of Sify’s Digital Transformation model is the cloud iteration of IoT services.

How BSNL provides bandwidth for IoT solutions

IoT is the next wave of growth in telecom sector. State owned telecom player BSNL, entered into a landmark strategic alliance with Aeris to take IoT solutions to the masses, in India. Together the companies are offering packaged IoT solutions and services to enterprises, small and medium businesses and public sector undertakings among other segments in India. This partnership has opened the doors for wider propagation of IoT projects across the country as part of India’s digital transformation drive.

BSNL is the only service provider making efforts and planned initiatives to bridge the rural-urban digital divide in the ICT sector in India. Through its wide and unmatched network, BSNL will enable IoT projects through solutions designed to meet various end uses such as improving supply chain efficiency, enhancing customer experience, tracking and monitoring assets, improving logistics and empowering smart cities through a bouquet of solutions.

How Omnicomm helps fuel monitoring across various segments of logistics

Fleet Industry of India is undergoing a lot of difficulties ranging from lack of data for fleet utilization and management, to lack of vehicle safety and most importantly, the fuel theft. Fleet operators of all scale are facing difficulties in preventing fuel thefts. Siphoning and high consumption of fuel due to overspeed are compelling issues in the transportation industry in India. Finding reliable ways to monitor actual fuel consumption requires automation without human intervention.

Aeris added fuel monitoring feature from Omnicomm in its portfolio of packaged IoT solutions to address fuel pilferage across segments like logistics & transportation, construction equipment, locomotives, etc.

Altizon delivers Industrial Internet of Things Solutions for the Manufacturing Sector in India

With a global footprint of more than 100 enterprise users, Altizon is a leading Industrial IoT platform provider and its proven technology helps enterprises accelerate their Smart Manufacturing initiatives, modernize Asset Performance Management services and launch new business models for service delivery, among other processes. To provide end-to-end connected  technology and smart solutions for the  manufacturing sector,  Aeris and Altizon have integrated Altizon’s machine learning and IoT Edge technologies with Aeris’ IoT Services platform. Altizon’s proven technology is successfully being used in a number of industries, including the automotive, tire, steel, chemical, energy and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) markets.

Utilize the Complete IIoT Ecosystem with Aeris

Aeris provides IIoT solutions that allow businesses to set up customized and automated processes within factories, warehouses, and in the field, leading to more efficient and cost-effective processes and procedures. Our purpose-built infrastructure provides real-time business data regarding operational inefficiencies and monitors machinery to see exactly what would happen if an accident or hold up on the line occurred.

Netmagic Launches SaaS Based Application Performance Monitoring Services Based on the AppDynamics Platform

Netmagic  (An NTT Company), and a leading managed hosting, security and multi-cloud hybrid IT solution provider in India, today announced its partnership with AppDynamics, a Cisco company, to provide Application Performance Monitoring (APM) as a service to enterprises in India to ensure deep visibility into their customers’ critical applications and end user experience.

This service enables businesses to deliver flawless digital experiences consistently by connecting end-user experience and application performance to business outcomes. APMaaS is intuitive to configure and deploy, automatically discovers business transaction, consumes little production overhead, monitors every line of code, and dynamically baselines performance to proactively identify and resolve application performance issues before they impact customers and the business.

Contemporary businesses rely heavily on digital technology to deliver a superior customer experience. Technology today includes a complex fabric of multi-cloud, IOT, distributed services, microservices, containers, APIs and much more that need to work in harmony to ensure that the application performance as experienced by the end user is of high quality.

Speaking about this, Nitin Mishra, Senior Executive Vice President, and Chief Product Officer, Netmagic (An NTT Company) said, “We are extremely pleased to partner with AppDynamics to offer Application Performance Monitoring Service (APMaaS) empowering businesses to navigate this turbulent pandemic period and emerge stronger and more scalable. With the business transaction-centric management of most complex and distributed applications, the APM service will bring value and enhance customer experience by providing clear visibility on the underlying components of the application. Apart from narrowing down to the source of the problem in the entire application flow, it will also provide deep user insights and analytics that will help the customer deliver significantly improved end user experience”

Adding further, Abhilash Purushothaman, Managing Director, India & SAARC, AppDynamics, said, “Our partnership and joint solution offering with Netmagic is a significant milestone for the AppDynamics India business. In India, adoption of online application-led services has sky-rocketed across all industry verticals in recent years. Now with the recent pandemic and increased reliance on remote working, our customers have shared that managing digital user experience in real time is no longer nice to have but a necessity. This strategic partnership will help us scale and deliver APM as a service across all business and industry segments.” 

The modules of this tool that will help in delivering the APM services include Application Performance Management – Core, Performance Management – Microservices Application Performance Management – SAP, Synthetic Transactions Monitoring, Browser Real User Monitoring, Mobile Real User Monitoring, Database Visibility, Infrastructure Visibility, and Business Analytics.

The benefits of the service that would add value to customers’ applications management are –

* Uptime and availability of the applications.

* Slowness in response in terms of time and database can be identified using this service.

* Application performance monitoring for end-users who use browsers and mobiles, tablets etc. to access the applications.

The modules will be wrapped under different packages and offered to customers. The APM solution is based on the package and can be scaled up depending on business requirements. This service can be delivered as a standalone offering or as an enhancement integrated with Netmagic’s Infra Manage Services.

About Netmagic (An NTT Company)

Netmagic, an NTT Company, is India’s leading Managed Hosting and Multi-Cloud Hybrid IT solution provider serving more than 2000 enterprises globally. Headquartered in Mumbai, Netmagic also delivers Remote Infrastructure Management (RIM) services to various enterprise customers globally across Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific region. The Company was the first in India to launch services – Cloud Computing, Managed Security, Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) and Software-Defined Storage. Netmagic has been recognized with 8 awards at the CIO Choice 2020, and 2 awards at the Datacenter Dynamics India 2019.

Siemens and SAP Join Forces to Accelerate Industrial Transformation

End-to-End Software  

* Together, industry leaders Siemens and SAP will deliver integrated end-to-end software solutions across product lifecycle, supply chain and asset management.

* Partnership leverages expertise and technology of both companies to provide a true digital thread that helps enterprises eliminate process and information siloes, drives digitalization and delivers a comprehensive solution for the 4th industrial revolution (Industry 4.0).

* SAP will offer Siemens’ Teamcenter software as the core foundation for product lifecycle collaboration and product data management. Siemens will offer SAP® Intelligent Asset Management solutions and SAP Portfolio and Project Management applications to maximize business value for customers over the entire product and service lifecycle and enable new collaborative processes between manufacturers and operators.

Siemens and SAP SE has announced a new partnership that will leverage their industry expertise and bring together their complementary software solutions for product lifecycle, supply chain and asset management so their customers can deliver new innovation and collaborative business models that will accelerate industry transformation globally. Through this agreement, both SAP and Siemens will be able to complement and integrate their respective offerings in order to offer customers the first truly integrated and enhanced solutions for product lifecycle management (PLM), supply chain, service and asset management. This will enable customers to form a true digital thread integrating all virtual models and simulations of a product or asset with real-time business information, feedback and performance data over the entire lifecycle.

"Digital transformation will be critical for the manufacturing industries to increase productivity, flexibility and accelerate innovation, so companies must come together in new ways to enable the digital enterprise,” said Klaus Helmrich, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries. “This exciting collaboration between two industry leaders is about more than just interoperability and interfaces; it is about creating a truly integrated digital thread that unites product and asset lifecycle management with the business that enables customers to optimize production of products.”

Silos between engineering and business have existed in enterprises for decades. This new partnership will help customers to break down these siloes so manufacturers, product design teams and service managers have the information needed to quickly create and manage customer-centric product and service offerings.

“As manufacturers design and deliver smarter products and assets, access to real-time business information across networks is critical to bring new and improved innovations to market faster,” said Thomas Saueressig, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE and responsible for SAP Product Engineering. “Bringing together expertise from SAP and Siemens to offer Industry 4.0-enabled business processes allows enterprises to create a digital thread for the entire product and asset lifecycle. With this end-to-end solution, teams across the business network can efficiently work together to design and deliver innovative products productively, profitably and sustainably.”

Going forward, both SAP and Siemens will be able to offer new solutions that combine their technologies in order to help companies shorten time to market by leveraging Industry 4.0-enabled data using intelligent assets and products. This will also give organizations the benefit of incorporating customer insights into product development through a comprehensive solution, from product design to service and asset management. As a first step in the partnership, SAP will offer Siemens’ Teamcenter®  software as the core foundation for product lifecycle collaboration and data management and Siemens will offer SAP® Intelligent Asset Management and SAP Portfolio and Project Management software to maximize the business value for manufacturers and operators across networks. Both companies will collaborate to develop applications from an end-to-end lifecycle perspective to help customers achieve a seamless digital thread that improves overall business performance.

“Combining Siemens’ Teamcenter and SAP S/4HANA® software provides companies an end-to-end process capability from product design to decommission,” said Bob Parker, Senior VP of Industry Research at IDC. “The IT benefits of pre-integration of PLM, ERP, asset management and supply chain applications and the business benefits from having a more resilient response to changing market demand make this a compelling consideration for companies seeking a competitive advantage in the digital economy.”

Five Sanitization Products for Hospitality and Aviation Industry

In a bid to revive traveler reliance in the tourism and hospitality industry which is badly struck by coronavirus outbreak, cleaning standards have been greatly enhanced for every facet of the hotels, resorts, and flights.

The quality, hygiene, and safety are one of the most critical success factors in tourism. Following weeks of ceased operations that permitted time for extensive planning the hotel, tourism, and hospitality industry along with the aviation sector have elevated safety and sanitization protocols.

As we have already passed the first phase of Unlock-1, contactless procedures and safe removing measures are turning into the new typical basics because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Safety and sanitation protocols are being applied in maintenance and operational areas, with the use of upgraded disinfecting products and increased frequency.

Here are 5 sanitization products essential for safe tourism:

The UVD Robot

The UVD Robots stands for UV Disinfection Robots The UVD Robot is used as part of the regular cleaning cycle, and aims at preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases, viral, bacteria, and other types of harmful organic microorganisms in the environment by breaking down their DNA-structure. The robot is safe, reliable, and eliminates human error. Furthermore, it is user friendly and is designed to be operated by every-day cleaning staff. UVD Robots' inventive arrangement, which joins profound microbiological know-how, self-ruling robot innovation, and bright light to make the world's best UV-C based sanitization arrangement, has been demonstrated to kill pathogens like coronavirus and microscopic organisms.

Milagrow imap9

Milagrow Humantech has deployed imap9, a floor disinfecting robot that can navigate and sanitize the floors without any human intervention at various places, including hotels, airports, museums, hospitals, offices, etc. The robot moves around autonomously without falling, avoiding obstruction while planning its own path, guided by LIDAR and advanced SLAM technology. Milagrow’s patented Real Time Terrain Recognition Technology (RT2RT) scans at 3600, 6 times per second to make a floor map in real-time with an accuracy of upto 8mm over a 16m distance. This enables the iMap 9 to perform successfully in the first attempt, whereas other robots can take twice or thrice the time. Additionally, the robot can do zoning, virtual blocking of avoidable areas, and sequential cleaning of zones based on specific needs.

Zesta

Launched for the first time in India by Zestaindia.com, Wall Mounted Automatic Thermometer is exactly the product you need for safe tourism in hotels and airports. Gone are the times when you see a person standing with a handheld thermometer to check the temperatures. With Zesta’s Wall Mounted Automatic Thermometer, you can just install it at the entrances of hospitals, hotels, airports and other public areas and let everyone scan themselves with zero physical contact. This thermometer is easy to install anywhere and comes with color code alarm, fast and accurate detection. Priced at 10,999, it is available at all leading online platforms like Flipkart and Amazon.

Plasma Air Purifiers

Plasma air purifiers are equipped with very small filters that have the capability to catch small particles that other types of filters easily miss. This means that Plasma Air Purifier is able to reduce/eliminate the amount of not only bacteria and viruses but other harmful particles, such as dust, smoke, and pollen.

While respiratory droplets are considered the primary transmission route, experts strongly suspect some form of aerosol transmission may be occurring. Plasma Air’s HVAC-mounted ionizers use proactive air purification technologies to deactivate airborne viruses safely. The air purifiers are available on their official website Plasma Air.

PCE Instrument Thermal Scanner

PCE-TC 34 is a thermal imaging camera used for visual inspection and non-contact infrared (IR) temperature measurement. It is ideal for industrial use in electrical, mechanical, and building installations (such as in the auditing of machines, engines, or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems).

This can be used to monitor the temperatures of people entering a particular public place and record all the data.

This is a high-definition, high-resolution thermal imager that captures and saves 640 x 480 pixel IR resolution images to the included SD card memory at a refresh rate of 50.

51.4% of MSMEs Assessed were First Time Borrowers, Says NeoGrowth Research

An exhaustive study by NeoGrowth Credit on a base of over 17,000 MSMEs across cities including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad, revealed some interesting insights about the MSME industry.

Credit bureau scores have been traditionally used as a report card of one's credit history and repayment behavior. The lack of sufficient credit history or no credit history usually makes it difficult for the borrower to get loan approvals. According to NeoGrowth Research, over 51.4% of the MSMEs assessed were first-time borrowers

According to the Sixth Economic Census released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in 2018, womenconstitute around 14% of the total entrepreneur base in India i.e. 8.05 million out of the total 58.5 million entrepreneurs.  10.8% of the total disbursements of the 17,000 MSMEs assessed for FY2019-20 were towards businesses that were run by women either as sole proprietors, partners, or directors.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem in India has been conventionally led by experienced players that have been reigning in their respective markets for generations. While first generation entrepreneurs are finally emerging in the scenario, they are starved of growth opportunities majorly due to a lack of credit. NeoGrowth Research establishes that about 77.6% of the MSMEs assessed were revealed to be first-generation entrepreneurs.

With digital connectivity growing rapidly and emergence of smart cities, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are the new business hubs, employment centres and consumer markets of the country. About 19% of the MSMEs assessed in the study, were originating from Tier-2 cities.

The Indian Government considers MSMEs and entrepreneurship as key to driving economic growth, innovation, job creation and social upliftment across the nation. By generating 120 million employment opportunities, MSMEs boast of being the second largest job creators in the country. As per the study, 28% of the MSMEs assessed showed an increase in the number of their employees’ post availing a business loan.

These insights form part of an annual assessment conducted by NeoGrowth. Over these years, NeoGrowth the company has successfully maintained its unique product proposition by providing collateral free, short-term, quick, and customized business loans on flexible repayment terms. Having disbursed loans amounting to more than INR 5,500 crores, NeoGrowth has been funding and enabling MSMEs to grow and sustain their businesses while continuing to tread on its initial journey of achieving inclusive growth.

Mr. Dhruv Khaitan, Founder and Chairman, NeoGrowth said, “We are happy to share our Sixth Social Impact Report, an annual effort to engage with our key stakeholders – MSMEs, to understand their financial needs, challenges faced by them and assess the impact of lending activities on their lives. At NeoGrowth, we have always focused on creating strong positive social impact on MSMEs by lending to first generation entrepreneurs, assisting women entrepreneurs and enabling our customers in job creation and improvement of credit scores via our loans.”

NeoGrowth Research is the in-house research team of NeoGrowth that keeps a continuous track on the emerging trends in the payments, fintech and MSME sectors and publishes insights.

ASSOCOHAM Launches Illness to Wellness, a Awareness Programme Aimed at Promoting Healthy Living in Association with SAVLON

Healthy Living

* Programme to promote healthy living with focus on wellness and preventive health through healthy habits, diet, exercise, and holistic health

* Programme kicked off with a webinar titled ‘Illness to Wellness – The Yoga Way’ with discussion on the role of yoga in fighting the COVID-19 health crisis

* Webinar revealed that the Delhi Government has deployed 30 yoga instructors in COVID centres to help the patients; and yoga therapy is being extended to the contact chain like family members, police personnel, medical professionals among others 

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India has started a national health & wellness awareness program called ‘Illness to Wellness’ to promote healthy living and preventive health through holistic measures. 

Supported by the hygiene brand SAVLON, the programme was kicked off with a webinar on the topic “Illness to Wellness – The Yoga Way” which saw leading health and yoga experts and recognized industry leaders deliberate on how Yoga could be the answer for mitigating threats caused by viruses and other ailments like the COVID 19.

A key speaker at the session Dr Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, director, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, revealed that, “we have deployed 30 instructors in COVID centres run by the Delhi government, who would teach patients yoga for three hours in the morning. Additionally, we have undertaken yoga lessons for COVID patients in the neighbouring 11 districts. We received 500 applications from Department of Science & Technology to understand the beneficial aspects of yoga especially for COVID patients and so are working on three projects with renowned yoga institutes to arrive at findings.” The programme is being expanded to cover people who have come in contact with COVID patients like family members, police personnel, medical professionals etc. 

For centuries yoga has proven to be a tool for mental and physical well-being. As the focus on boosting immunity grows due to the widespread adverse health effects caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, the role of this ancient and spiritual practice has become prominent in the journey from illness to wellness. Other eminent speakers emphasised the importance of wellness, not just in challenging times, but in general as a way of life.

While sharing his perspective, Mr Rajiv Chandran, director and office-in-charge, UN Information Centre emphatically stated that United Nations embraced the Yoga and 175 out of 193 countries unanimously agreed to celebrate Yoga as an annual International Day. The COVID–19 pandemic has completely transformed the concept of wellness. Now, wellness is not merely an individual's concern rather a community strategy and is being viewed in a very broader perspective of people's relationship with planet and the society.”

Promoting adoption of correct lifestyle and wellness strategy, (Padma Shri) Guruji Dr. H. R. Nagendra, Chancellor, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana & President, Indian Yoga Association said, “During the present COVID pandemic situations, Yoga – A Way of Life – can bring wellness for people at large. Coronavirus has the potential to infect and affect the human lives, however our immune system is also very strong as WBC (white blood cells) acts a gigantic robust army to defend from many viruses including corona. Stress weakens our immunity system and thus it becomes a victim of virus (corona) attack. He further stated that although one can cure through medicines, vaccinations and other supplements, the solution to strengthen our immunity is Yoga only.” 

Sharing his views, Mr Anil Rajput, Chairman, ASSOCHAM CSR Council said, “COVID pandemic has taught human race the hard lesson that medical science may not have readymade answers to emerging health crises. Therefore, we need to go back to the basics by putting focus on preventive measures and healthy living. Illness to Wellness has been timely conceived to bring the spotlight back on aspects we perhaps know at the back of our mind, but many are not able to practice in the rush of a busy life, such as the importance of healthy diet, exercise, hygienic habits, timely preventive practices among others.”

Yes Bank Set for Major Comeback with Additional Fund Raising Through the FPO Offer from July 15

Yes Bank's Rs 15,000 crore follow-on public offer (FPO) is set to hit the markets on 15 July. The bank has announced the floor price to be Rs 12 with a cap of Rs 13 per share, which is half of Friday's closing price of Rs 25.50. The pricing is attractive for new investors but there's more to understand before one invests in it.

Details on FPO The issue price is placed at Rs 12-13 per equity share. The FPO will open for anchor investors on 14 July and for all other categories of investors, the offer period will be July 15-17, 2020. Yes Bank's Capital Raising Committee (CRC) of the Board of Directors will meet on 14 July to allot shares to successful anchor investors who have pursued the offer and also determine an allocation price. A discount of one rupee per equity share will be given to the eligible employees of Yes Bank bidding in employee reservation portion. 

A maximum of Rs 200 crore worth of shares has been reserved for the employees of the bank. Interested investors can place bids in lots of 1,000 equity shares. The FPO is by the issue of fresh equity. State Bank of India (SBI), the largest stakeholder in Yes Bank, said last week that its central board has given approval for a maximum investment of up to Rs 1,760 crore in the FPO of Yes Bank. Background on Yes Bank and the FPO Amid rising debt and management issues, the government had approved RBI's (Reserve Bank of India) bailout plan for Yes Bank on 13 March 2020. 

Under the plan, Yes Bank received around Rs 10,000 crore from eight Indian financial institutions, including SBI, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC, Axis Bank, Bandhan Bank, Federal Bank and IDFC First Bank, via the equity route. Back in March, the reconstructed bank's board had approved plan to raise funds up to Rs 15,000 crore, by way of issuance of securities.   To boost capital levels in line with regulatory norms, Yes Bank's board is going to launch the FPO. The attractive discount given in the FPO will attract more market investors and reduce the burden on the consortium of banks that are the stakeholders. 

Further, experts say that Yes Bank chose the FPO route as it allows freedom in pricing the issue when compared to a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) route which requires pricing around recent market prices as per a formula set by SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India). Due to a rise in NPAs (non-performing assets) and subsequent provisioning for the same, Yes Bank could not meet RBI's capital adequacy requirements. 

At the end of March 2020, the Tier 1 capital ratio for the bank was 6.5 percent, much below RBI's requirement of 8.875 percent, calling for the newly formed board to approve a fundraising plan. For the March ended quarter, Yes Bank reported a net profit of Rs 2,629 crore after the private lender wrote down additional tier-1 bonds as part of its reconstruction scheme. If the write-down was excluded, the bank's loss for the quarter was at Rs 3,668 crore, against a loss of Rs 1,507 crore in the same period of last year. 

After reporting a record loss of Rs 18,564 crore for the December-ended quarter, Yes Bank said that it is deemed to be "non-viable or approaching non-viability and accordingly the triggers for a write-down of certain Basel III AT-1 bonds have been triggered". As part of its reconstruction plan, its additional tier (AT-1) bonds worth Rs 8,415 crore of the Rs 8,695 crore issued, were written down in March, affecting mutual funds and other investors who had invested in them for the high-interest rates.

Skill India Launches AI-Based ASEEM Digital Platform to Bridge Demand-Supply Gap of Skilled Workforce

Digital Platform 

* The portal will map details of workers based on regions and local industry demands

* Database of labour migrants in Indian states and overseas citizens who returned to India under the Vande Bharat Mission and filled SWADES Skill Card has been integrated with the ASEEM portal

* Candidate data coming to Skill India Portal from various state and central skilling schemes will be integrated including PMKVY, Fee-based Programs, National Urban Livelihoods Mission, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana and Seekho aur Kamao

In an endeavour to improve the information flow and bridge the demand-supply gap in the skilled workforce market, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) today launched ‘Aatmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM)’ portal to help skilled people find sustainable livelihood opportunities. Apart from recruiting a skilled workforce that spurs business competitiveness and economic growth, the Artificial Intelligence- based platform has been envisioned to strengthen their career pathways by handholding them through their journeys to attain industry-relevant skills and explore emerging job opportunities especially in the post COVID era.

Envisaging the rapidly changing nature of work and how it impacts the workforce is crucial in restructuring the skilling ecosystem with the new normal settling post-pandemic. Besides identifying major skills gap in the sectors and providing review of global best practices, ASEEM will provide employers a platform to assess the availability of skilled workforce and formulate their hiring plans. Aatmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM) refers to all the data, trends and analytics which describe the workforce market and map demand of skilled workforce to supply. It will provide real-time granular information by identifying relevant skilling requirements and employment prospects.

Announcing the launch of the ASEEM portal, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, said “Driven by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and his assertion of ‘India as a talent powerhouse’ at the India Global Week 2020 Summit,, the ASEEM portal has been envisioned to give a huge impetus to our persistent efforts to bridge the demand-supply gap for skilled workforce across sectors, bringing limitless and infinite opportunities for the nation’s youth. The initiative aims to accelerate India’s journey towards recovery by mapping skilled workforce and connecting them with relevant livelihood opportunities in their local communities especially in the post COVID era. With the increasing use of technology and e-management systems which assist in bringing in processes and intelligent tools to drive demand driven and outcome-based skill development programs, this platform will ensure we bring in close convergence and coordination across various schemes and programs operating in the skill ecosystem. This will also ensure that we monitor any sort of duplication of data and further re-engineer the vocational training landscape in the country ensuring a skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling in a more organised set up.”

Highlighting how ASEEM will bridge the demand supply gap in the skilled workforce market, Shri AM Naik, Chairman, NSDC and Group Chairman, Larsen & Toubro Limited said, “Migrant labour has been severely impacted by the socio-economic fallout of the COVID pandemic. In the current context, NSDC has taken up the responsibility of mapping the dispersed migrant population around the country and providing them the means to re-build their livelihood by matching their skill-sets to available employment opportunities. The launch of ASEEM is the first step on that journey. I am confident that the real-time information ASEEM provides to both employer and employee will add value to the labour ecosystem and contribute to building the trust among the workforce, which is essential for the recovery of the economy.”

ASEEM https://smis.nsdcindia.org/, also available as an APP, is developed and managed by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in collaboration with Bengaluru-based company Betterplace specialising in blue collar employee management.. ASEEM portal aims at supporting decision and policymaking via trends and analytics generated by the system for programmatic purposes. ASEEM is shall help in providing real-time data analytics to NSDC and its Sector Skill Councils about the demand and supply patterns including - industry requirements, skill gap analysis, demand per district/ state/cluster​​, key workforce suppliers, key consumers​, migration patterns​ and multiple potential career prospects for candidates.​ The portal consists of three IT based interfaces -

●        Employer Portal – Employer onboarding, Demand Aggregation, candidate selection ​

●        Dashboard – Reports, Trends, analytics, and highlight gaps ​

●        Candidate Application – Create & Track candidate profile, share job suggestion ​

ASEEM will be used as a match-making engine to map skilled workers with the jobs available. The portal and App will have provision for registration and data upload for workers across job roles, sectors and geographies. The skilled workforce can register their profiles on the app and can search for employment opportunities in their neighbourhood. Through ASEEM, employers, agencies and job aggregators looking for skilled workforce in specific sectors will also have the required details at their fingertips. It will also enable policymakers take more objective view of various sectors.

Covestro and Google Cooperate on Research for Novel Computer Technology

Benefits

* How Quantum Computing Can Benefit Chemistry

* Milestone in digital research and development

* Expand innovation leadership with quantum computing

Significantly less time, less use of resources, more efficient and environmentally friendly processes, completely new materials – this is the future potential of the novel technology Quantum Computing in research and development for the chemical industry. In order to achieve long-term innovation leadership in this still developing field of digital chemistry, Covestro builds up resources and expands partnerships. With so-called quantum computing, the materials manufacturer is going one step further to investigate new possibilities in the field of chemical simulations. Therefore, Covestro and Google have signed a research partnership agreement. The current research focuses on the development of fundamental algorithms, while the future vision is to solve certain complex simulations in a fraction of the time compared to classical computers.

“Quantum computing opens up groundbreaking new perspectives for our industry. We therefore want to invest specifically in the further development of this technology and build up expertise”, said Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of Covestro. “The partnership with Google gives us the opportunity to do so and is so far unique in the chemical industry.”

Quantum Computing opens up new dimensions

Covestro has already been investing extensively in digital research and development for around three years. The novel quantum computing is another important milestone in the search for new, digitized research processes. This forward-looking computer technology is the key to knowledge that is needed, for example, to successfully advance the circular economy. With the help of quantum computing, details of highly complex chemical reaction processes can be digitally simulated and evaluated in a very short time.

Hartmut Neven, head of the Google AI Quantum group states: “We are advancing quantum computing by developing quantum processors and novel quantum algorithms to help industry researcher partners solve problems. We are looking forward to the collaboration with the very strong team of scientists at Covestro.”

Quantum computing will help Google to develop the innovations of tomorrow, including AI. That’s why the company is committed to building dedicated quantum hardware and software today.

Quantum computing is a new paradigm that will play a big role in accelerating tasks for new computing capabilities. Google wants to offer researchers and developers access to open source frameworks and computing power that can operate beyond classical capabilities.

With quantum computing, Covestro intends to build on the success of previous investments and further deepen its global competencies in computational chemistry. In the long term, the technology can go far beyond the possibilities of high-performance computing. With the expansion of a classic high-performance computer at the Leverkusen site for computer simulations and a new, global platform for research data for more than a year, Covestro has been tapping into the value-added potential that the digital transformation of the chemical industry is opening up.

20200702-Covestro-Google-Quantum-en

Covestro and Google cooperate on research how quantum computing can benefit chemistry

Access to technology and know-how

The partnership on quantum computing between Google and Covestro forms the basis for joint scientific cooperation. The main goal is the further development of quantum computing technology and how it can be used to solve chemical problems in the future. Google provides the hardware and access to its technology experts. Thus, Covestro takes a pioneering role in digital research and development to test and further develop the new methods of quantum computing for the chemical industry.

About Covestro:

With 2019 sales of EUR 12.4 billion, Covestro is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 17,200 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2019.

The New Mantra: Future of SMEs Post COVID 19 in Indian Market

By Sandip Chhettri,COO,TradeIndia

While the novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc upon the organized world, it has also ushered an opportunity for the new tides of transformation to emerge. This evidently bleak situation where businesses and institutions have suffered substantial losses on account of the global pandemic also holds the potential for heralding a profound paradigm shift in the way businesses are imagined and defined, namely the shift from offline to the online digital medium. While most organisations in the world have sanctioned their employees to work from the safety of their homes, there is still a lot of ground left to cover. There is an overwhelming gamut of businesses belonging to sectors, which have hitherto operated in a conventionally offline manner.

Industry types such as the manufacturing industries, retail operations, hospitality, mobility, etc have always existed along the physical contours of operation. While the big multinational corporations have the advantage of vast capital and resource to their disposal, small and medium enterprises benefit from their agile and more compact nature of working. Therefore, opportunities exist for both David and Goliath in this new world order to streamline their operational mediums to achieve seamless objectivity.

The lockdown has taught the entire business world a lesson in the survival of the fittest tactics and how best to leverage seemingly adverse conditions to one’s own gain. The Government of India has brought in a surfeit of bailout packages, amended fiscal policies, rate cuts, loans and waivers to rescue the ailing industries in the country. It has also unequivocally championed the need for the nation to become self-reliant, besides heralding a slew of ingenious schemes such as the ‘vocal for local’, financial aid and an INR 20,000 crore security reprieve. The centre is also endorsing the immediate need for businesses, academic institutions, and public sector units to immediately and effectively shift to online means of business to maintain market relevance.

Here is a slew of essential factors every SME and MSME must go through before recommencing their operations once the lockdown gets lifted:

Neutralize the scene

No matter the size, nature, or dimension, the primary concern for every business is to initiate an in-depth assessment of the existing company assets, its overall financial health and security aspects. As the pandemic has interrupted operations, productions and sales across frontiers, it is essential for companies to arrive at a realistic and holistic overview of the present situation in the face of the virulent pandemic. The company leadership must resolve the various deficits, prospective inflow and outflow of capital, latent expenditures and burdens. Obtaining dependable and actionable reports regarding the various respite from government, apex trade and commerce bodies, investors are important before undertaking critical decisions such as pay cuts, scrapping of potential future investments, growth and expansion plans, etc

Realigning your goals 

Re-appraisal of all business blueprints is of the utmost essence for SMEs in the event of such an industrial setback. The post-pandemic landscape is surely going to be different than the pre-COVID days and businesses have to revamp and realign their planning and strategy for the future accordingly. There is a need for a realistic and well-formed map for the road ahead while taking into consent the outlook of the various stakeholders of the company. The leadership should also reschedule the company objectives in accordance with the unprecedented coronavirus developments. Reforming the annual execution plan can constitute a spectrum of diverse business variables such as suspension of funding rounds, forging new partnerships, or discontinuing unfavorable ones.

Embracing the digital

The current environment dictates that SMEs as well as the smaller entities immediately switch to the digital pathways of business engagement and create a strong and veritable online presence. By tapping optimally into the potential of social media, businesses can even generate sales through interactions with peers and customers via online channels of communication. This is the age of digital media marketing and entrepreneurs must harness it now, more than ever. Those organizations that have hitherto operated through offline modes should etch out a transition layout for the imminent digital future without compromising on employee efficiency or data safety. 

The revolution must be live

The fourth industrial revolution is a well-timed boon indeed, a veritable blessing in disguise for businesses around the world. The latest technological disruptions such as the AI, ML, IoT, CRM, Cloud and other innovations must be leveraged by even the SMEs. Businesses should adapt to the fourth revolution of smart automation and invest appropriately to bestow a new-age tech-empowered operational facelift, thus thriving in the digital economy. Tech-empowered businesses have the edge over conventional competitors churning greater ROI and market performance even in the times of a pandemic.

Though the necessary investments for these overarching business augmentation and up-skilling may seem unfeasibly vast, it is an essential cost that must be undertaken considering the future consequences.  Businesses must execute optimum risk-mitigation strategies in the face of the pandemic and should also seek to acclimatize for any future crises.

Godrej Appliances Unveils New Refrigerator Ranges and New Age Semi-Automatic Washing Machine Godrej EDGE Ultima

New Range 

* Newest additions to the brand portfolio – all three models perfectly combine style with functionality

* The brand introduced models through a virtual event to trade, another first in the Indian Home Appliance industry

Godrej Appliances, a leading player in the Home Appliances with a rich legacy of 62 years, has always put forth products based on consumer insights, and the pillars of innovation and sustainability. Staying true to the brand philosophy ’Things made thoughtfully’, Godrej Appliances recently launched 3 new models - Godrej EDGE RIO Refrigerator, Godrej EDGE NEO Refrigerator and Godrej EDGE Ultima Semi-Automatic washing machine. These new models attest the brand’s unabated commitment toward enabling brighter living for its consumers, always.

The brand took the baton of innovation a step forward by opting for a virtual medium for the Pan India launch, engaging its entire trade network. This is yet another attempt at breaking the barriers by the brand in its series of trade partner engagement initiatives.

Godrej EDGE RIO and EDGE NEO

Godrej EDGE RIO and EDGE NEO are uniquely designed to cater to the underlying need for more storage for the discerning Indian consumers. With the lockdown and social distancing increasing the need to store more in the refrigerator and for longer durations, Godrej Appliances has launched ‘Godrej EDGE RIO’ and Godrej EDGE NEO, the tallest refrigerators in the 192 litres single door category, standing at 1192 mm, with maximum space utilisation. It offers the largest freezer in the category of 16.3 litres capacity, and the Largest Bottle Space of 13.5 litres - making it a perfect companion for the harsh summers. It also comes with a large vegetable tray of 16.4 litres which gives consumers enough space to store all their veggies and also keeps them Farm Fresh for longer.

The 5-star rating as per the 2020 energy rating norms coupled with advantages of the Advanced Inverter Technology, makes Godrej EDGE RIO and EDGE NEO refrigerators highly energy-efficient and power-saving. With the PUF thickness of 54mm, the refrigerator models provide best-in-class cooling retention, even during power cuts. 

The refrigerators are equipped with ‘Turbo Cooling Technology’ that ensures up to 20% Faster Ice Making and up to 20% Faster Bottle Cooling. Its ‘Hygiene+ Inverter Technology’ ensures no defrost water spillage, convenient cleaning and no germ and insect breeding. In line with Godrej’s commitment to environment and sustainability, the refrigerator uses the most eco - friendly refrigerant, R600a, with zero ozone depletion potential and thus helps in reducing its carbon footprint.

A Curved Door design, alluring transparent interiors and an array of attractive and fresh floral fascia/ pre-coats the refrigerators are a treat. Available in 192L capacity with 5-star, 4-star, 3-star and 2-star variants, the new Godrej EDGE RIO and EDGE NEO refrigerators are priced starting INR 14000.

The 190 – 195 litres capacity segment is 50% of the single door refrigerators which in turn forms ~77 % of the refrigerator industry.

Godrej EDGE Ultima – the new age Semi-Automatic

Godrej Edge Ultima ushers in the new-age high performing Semi-Automatic washing machines, with mesmerizing looks thanks to its borderless design. The 5 Star Rated washing machine optimizes electricity consumption and provides higher savings.

Redefining the concept of cleaning, the range of Godrej Edge Ultima semi-automatic washing machines are designed to deliver a thorough and better wash with the 460W Power Max Motor, making it easy to wash heavy laundry as well as everyday clothes, while its 1440 RPM Spin Motor ensures faster drying, making it a must-have for your homes, especially during monsoons. 

A superior wash experience is assured with many distinct useful features built into these machines.

* Unique Active Soak feature to create turbulence in the drum during soak time, which helps in loosen tough stains.

* Spin Shower program to rinse clothes with a rainfall mechanism for better detergent removal

* Tri-Roto Scrub Pulsator that combines 3 ridges and 3 mini-pulsators to generate turbulence and scrubbing for a better wash every time.

* In-built Cartridge Lint Filter that collects lint, fluff, and particles even at low water levels, so that clothes come out clean and fresh after every wash.

* Soft-shut lid of Edge Ultima lifts and shuts gently to prevent any injury to the user.

* Its 100% rust-proof polypropylene body ensures greater durability while the toughened glass lids provide enhanced strength.

The Edge Ultima keeps you worry-free with a 5-year warranty on wash motor, and a 2-year warranty on the entire washing machine.

Godrej Edge Ultima washing machines place convenience at the heart of its design philosophy, making them easy-to-use whilst also standing out from the competition.

Available in 3 colours of Crystal Red, Crystal Black and Crystal Blue in 8 kg and 8.5 kg variants, the washing machines are priced at Rs. 16,400 onwards.

Currently, the 8 – 8.5 kg washing machine variant contributes to 23% of the Semi-Automatic Washing Machine segment and this segment is growing at the rate of 11% for the industry.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Kamal Nandi – Business Head and Executive Vice President, Godrej Appliance said, “Godrej Appliances has always been known for providing high-quality home appliances. As Indian households fight the pandemic, home appliances can go a long way in reducing their burden and easing out their stress. Our newly introduced range of appliances – Godrej EDGE RIO, Godrej EDGE NEO and Godrej Edge Ultima, available in the high volume popular segments are meant to cater to consumers across the country. Placing convenience and efficiency at the heart of its human-centric design, these products are an embodiment of Godrej’s meticulous product quality and design, guided by ‘Soch Ke Banaya Hai’ philosophy at the highest level of craftsmanship. These are being manufactured at our state-of-the-art factories, yet another step towards supporting ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic placed restrictions on large scale gatherings, Godrej Appliances has been the first in the industry to swiftly adapt to launching new products in a virtual format. These zone wise segregated launches were designed to engage with 5000+ trade partners from the comfort of their home. For a more interactive approach, the virtual event had a live chat window wherein all the participants could share their views and received tremendous feedback from the trade network.

Mr. Sanjeev Jain, National Sales Head, Godrej Appliances, further added ‘’At the beginning of the lockdown, we took the herculean task of enabling our network of trade partners to reach customers digitally. We have been breaking barriers across all fronts – from product cataloging and showcasing, multiple cashless online payment facilities to initiation of video-assisted remote selling initiative. By exploring alternative ways to communicate and engage, we were able to offer fantastic opportunities to our trade partners. The launch of our new models - Godrej EDGE Rio, Godrej EDGE Neo and Godrej Edge Ultima – is in sync with our ongoing approach of breaking the barriers through innovation. We plan to launch new products across the year across different segments. These launches are a testament towards our commitment to a culture of strategic and innovative thinking across the organization which enables us to live up to our brand promise of ‘Soch Ke Banaya Hai.’“

11.9 m new Indian subscribers added in June

India's telecom industry continued its robust growth story in June by adding 11.91 million new subscribers to take the total subscription base to 464.82 million, said a government statement.

The number of total subscribers in the country as on June 30, 2008 was 325.78 million.

The wireless (GSM and CDMA) segment added 12 million new subscribers, while the wireline segment witnessed a dip of 134,000 connections, the statement said.

The overall tele-density reached 39.86 percent in June 2009 as compared to 28.33 percent in the like period last year.

Broadband connections reached 6.4 million at the end of May and the total number of licences issued for Internet service providers (ISPs) is 375, the statement added.

Under the Bharat Nirman programme, public telephones were provided to 264 villages in May.

Agencies

Now get your Mobile Web report from Opera

Opera’s popular mobile browser Opera Mini claims to enhance the mobile internet experience. The software organization has now broadcasted its State of the Mobile Web report that further ascends the browser. This report presents some fascinating data that offers a detailed description about the evolution of Web browsing on mobile phones.

Opera conducted a study of vital factors that influence the mobile Web globally and publishes it as the State of the Mobile Web, monthly. The report provides information about the most regularly visited sites. Moreover it also includes key data metrics from Opera Mini and a picture of a particular development selected by the analysis team for that month.

The company had introduced the Opera Mini and Opera Mobile which are premium software for mobile Web browsing on both feature phones and smartphones. Opera Mini offers faster Web services on the handset. Moreover even the page is viewed just as it appears on the desktop browser. The Opera Zoom feature articulates the contents so as to enhance the readability and interaction. Additionally, it also incorporates Opera Link that facilitates users to synchronize their bookmarks for free. It also offers a Speed Dial option and personal bar between all the Web browsers.

The report reveals that 25.4 million Opera Mini users have browsed over 9.6 billion pages, as per the records in the month of May, 2009. Further it claims that since April, 2009, page-views have risen by 11.0% and increased by a remarkable 227% from May, 2008. It also illustrates that users generated almost 160 million MB of data for global operators in May, 2009.

The content analysis is based on an assessment of the top 100 sites ranked based on page views in every country. The designation of sites to particular kind was devised by local content professionals by following Opera’s guidelines to exemplify each site.

Additionally, demographic data was also gathered from voluntary user surveys. The data was then provided to a random subset of Opera Mini users through their handsets, in English, Russian, Chinese, German and Polish. Survey responses were accumulated between February to June, 2008.

Agencies

Will the IT industry miss Nanadan Nilekani?

Infosys Technologies' Co-Chairman Nandan Nilekani was today appointed as Chairman of an Authority with Cabinet minister's rank to steer the ambitious scheme for creating a multi-purpose unique identification database of citizens.

54-year-old Nilekani, the co-founder of the leading IT firm along with N R Narayana Murthy 28 years ago, will head the Unique Identification Database Authority of India (UIDAI) under the aegis of the Planning Commission.

He will have the rank and status of the Cabinet minister, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.

The scheme is aimed at providing a unique identity to the targeted population of the flagship schemes to ensure that the benefits reach them, she said.

A visionary and a thinker, Nilekani, who gets an annual compensation of over USD 1.75 lakh and whose net worth is USD 1.3 billion, resigned his membership of Infosys Board of Directors following his appointment.

His colleagues in Infosys top management Mohandas Pai and Kris Gopalakrishnan said his exit from would be a loss to the organisation but a gain to the country.

Announcing his appointment, the PMO said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has invited Nilekani to chair an authority that will create a unique identification database of the country's citizens.

Nilekani, born in Sirsi in Uttara Kannada in northern Karnataka, did his early education in Bangalore and Dharwad before moving to Mumbai to study Electrical Engineering in IIT, Bombay.

The PMO said The functioning of the authority and activities to be performed by the UIA would serve multiple objectives.

The authority shall have the responsibility to lay down plans and policies to implement the unique identification scheme in the country.

It shall own and operate the unique identification number database and be responsible for its updation and maintenance on an ongoing basis.

Sonia said the Authority shall have responsibility to lay down plans and policies to implement the Unique Identification Scheme (UID), shall own and operate the Unique Identification number database and be responsible for its updation and maintenance on an ongoing basis," Soni said.

The Authority will identify the targeted groups for various flagship programmes, she added.

The flagship schemes of the UPA include the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, National Rural Health Mission and Bharat Nirman.

The unique identification number would ensure that any lacuna in these schemes is removed so that the benefits do not reach those they are not meant for.

The Government had earmarked Rs 100 crore in the interim Budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament on February 16 to kickstart its ambitious Unique Identification Project.

The government has been working on improving arrangements to ensure that development deliverables reach the intended beneficiaries, Mukherjee had said.

People may not be screaming his name out in offices, but he has his own fan following and enjoys rock star-like fame. Nandan M Nilekani has clearly emerged as the most famous of those who created India's widely idolised IT company - Infosys.

N R Narayana Murthy has probably had more media coverage but as the key people behind Infosys prepare to hand over control to the next generation of business leaders, it is Nilekani who looks all set to enjoy a great solo career.

Nilekani, 54, is already credited with repainting India's image globally and will now head an authority that will create a unique electronic database of the country's citizens - a project that many see as key to plugging loopholes in implementation of welfare schemes.

As chairperson of the country's Unique Identification Authority, Nilekani would enjoy the rank of Cabinet Minister.

The electrical engineer from IIT, Bombay, who is the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Infosys Technologies Limited, was named among Time magazine's world's 100 most influential people of 2009 - an honour he secured in 2006 too.

From March 2002 to June 22, 2007, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director and has previously held the posts of President and Chief Operating Officer of the company that he founded, along with Murthy and others, in 1981.

Economictimes & Agencies

Did Satyam turn small software cos into bn dollar industry?

Though blamed for tainting the image of the Indian IT sector now, Satyam Computer Services was indeed the first IT firm in the country to use communication technologies to turn pygmy software companies into a billion-dollar industry.

In his latest book 'Transcending Boundaries', author Deepak Chopra said that Satyam was one of the pioneers in using satellite-based data communication, which enabled the Indian software industry to take a quantum jump in the 1990s.

Satyam, which came under the scanner after its founder B Ramalinga Raju confessed to cooking the company's account books for years, was the first Indian software company to use dedicated satellite links in 1992.

In the 1990s, IT firms suffered due to lack of high-speed data links.

"A Hyderabad-based startup, Satyam Computer Services, which had signed up its first major offshore customer in June 1991, applied to VSNL for a dedicated satellite link in August that year," the book said.

Using this link, Satyam wanted to execute a re- engineering contract, worth one million dollars, for John Deere Corporation by remotely working on Deere's IBM mainframes located in Chicago.

Following this, many other IT firms started using the dedicated satellite links.

Agencies

Will the $15b-loan bail out help US auto industry?

Facing massive job losses, the White House and congressional Democrats are working to provide about $15 billion in loans to prevent Detroit’s weakened auto industry from collapsing. After yielding to President George W Bush on a key point, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House would consider legislation next week to provide “short-term and limited assistance” to the US auto industry while it undergoes “major restructuring.”

“Congress will insist that any legislation include rigorous and ongoing oversight to guarantee that taxpayers are protected and that resources are directed to ensure the longterm viability and competitiveness” of the industry, Pelosi said in a statement. The Senate is also scheduled to be in session next week. The legislation, which was being crafted this weekend, would act as a lifeline to General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC while meeting demands from many skeptical lawmakers that Congress refrain from writing a blank check for the beleaguered industry. Officials in both parties said a key breakthrough on the long-stalled bailout came when Pelosi bowed to Bush’s demand that the aid come from a fund set aside for the production of environmentally friendlier cars. The California Democrat spoke to White House chief of staff Josh Bolten during the day to signal her change in position, they added.

Pelosi said the billions of dollars that had been set aside to modernize plants to develop the green cars would be repaid “within a matter of weeks.” Democrats said her hope was to include the funds in an economic recovery bill that lawmakers are expected to prepare for President-elect Barack Obama’s signature shortly after he takes office. Officials in both parties also said the legislation would include creation of a trustee or group of industry overseers to make sure the bailout funds were used by automakers for their intended purpose. The funds are designed to last until March, giving the incoming Obama administration and the new Congress time to consider the issue anew.

A Democratic aide said Pelosi was seeking a provision that would bar the automakers from using any of the funds to pursue a legal challenge to states seeking to implement tougher auto emission standards. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the legislation was not yet drafted.

Source: Agencies

Industry welcomes Manmohan Singh taking FM charge

Industry on Sunday welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh taking charge of the Finance Ministry after P Chidambaram was appointed Home Minister, saying Singh as Finance Minister is known as architect of reforms that transformed the Indian economy.

Prime Minister directly involved himself in tackling the impact of the global credit crisis on the Indian economy. Amidst pressure on the exchange rate and crash in the stock market in the wake of the developments in Wall Street, Singh had appointed a committee under his charge to find a way out of the economic challenges.

"At the recent HT Leadership Summit, the Prime Minister had listed several initiatives under consideration of the government. These include fiscal measures like expenditure on infrastructure and monetary steps such as interest rates. All these relate to the Finance Ministry, which has come under his charge directly," Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Secretary General Amit Mitra said.

Mitra said Singh is the only one in the government who has served as Finance Minister, RBI Governor and Chief Economic Adviser.

Singh was also Secretary (Economic Affairs) and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.

Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said the "industrial confidence would get a boost" with the Prime Minister retaining the charge of the Finance Ministry.

Singh had gone to Washington to attend the G-20 meeting called by US President George W Bush, where he sought increased role of the developing countries in the new financial architecture after the global downturn.

Source:PTI