MyGate Receives Accolades from the Karnataka State Police for the KSP Clear e-Pass System

Karnataka State Police today honoured MyGate, the country's leading player in the community management space, for their contribution towards the efforts of the state police department during the lockdown. MyGate had, on a pro-bono basis, provided their technical expertise to build and manage the KSP Clear Pass, which issued over 2 lakh e-passes to Bengaluru citizens during Phase 1 & 2 of the lockdown.

Shri. Praveen Sood, Director General of Police, Karnataka, along with Shri. Pratap Reddy, Additional Director General of Police, Karnataka,  acknowledged MyGate's efforts by handing over a certificate of appreciation to Mr. Vijay Arisetty, Co-founder & CEO, MyGate and Mr. Shreyans Daga, Co-founder & CTO, MyGate.

“Our gratitude to Team MyGate for providing citizens (through Karnataka State Police), a user-friendly epass system during COVID-19 lockdown. An exemplary Public Private Partnership,”  said  Shri. Praveen Sood, Director General of Police, Karnataka.

About MyGate- Founded in 2016, MyGate is the largest security and community management app in the country, simplifying urban living of over two million homes in 10,000+ housing societies. It was ranked #4 on YourStory’s list of India’s Most Disruptive Start-ups in December 2019 and one of India’s coolest start-ups by Business Today in 2019. MyGate was founded by Vijay Arisetty, an ex- IAF pilot (Shaurya Chakra awardee), Abhishek K, former VP at Goldman Sachs, and Shreyans Daga, former project head at Oracle and Digit.

From left to Right - Mr. Shreyans Daga, Co-founder & CTO, MyGate, Mr. Vijay Arisetty, Co-founder & CEO, MyGate, Shri. Praveen Sood, Director General of Police, Karnataka and Shri. Pratap Reddy, Additional Director General of Police, Karnataka.

Jaguar Land Rover Inaugurates New 3S Retailer Facility in Bengaluru

 New 3S in the city

* Jaguar Land Rover unveils new state-of-the-art 3S (Sales, Service and Spare parts) Retailer Facility on New Airport Road

* Spread over a total area of over 4 160 m2, the facility offers a showroom display of a wide range of products from Jaguar and Land Rover’s portfolio, and a fully equipped service workshop with 19 service bays. 

* Jaguar Land Rover India distribution network is spread across 27 outlets in 24 major cities across India.

Jaguar Land Rover India today announced the opening of a new 3S Retailer facility in Bengaluru by Marqland in a fast developing area on New Airport Road.

This new 3S Retailer facility in the prominent location of New Airport Road complements the Boutique showroom in City Centre on Cunningham Road to offer exceptional Customer Experience and Convenience. Marqland previously operated its 3S facility on Hosur Road.

This Retailer facility is spread over 4 160 m2 and is designed to provide the highest quality of sales and after-sales service. It provides an enhanced premium customer experience, displaying a wide range of products from the Jaguar and Land Rover portfolio, and has an impressive handover bay for delivering vehicles to customers. 

This facility also has a Jaguar Land Rover approved pre-owned car section and showcases a wide range of Jaguar Land Rover branded accessories and merchandise for its discerning customers. It also has a fully equipped workshop, with state-of-the-art tools and equipment and highly trained technicians and staff to provide the highest quality after-sales experience. 

Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL), said, “Post the opening of the Boutique Showroom in City Centre in  2019, this new, ultra-modern integrated 3S facility on New Airport Road will further strengthen JLR’s presence in the Bengaluru area. It will ensure that our customers are able to enjoy world-class sales, service, and spares under-one-roof from a location that is convenient and easily accessible.”

Customers can even book their cars by visiting the online booking platform at www.findmeacar.in for Jaguar and www.findmeasuv.in for Land Rover..

Affordability Driving Consumer Demand for Residential Real Estate in Peripheral Areas of Bengaluru: Magicbricks Data

* Home buyers are retaining size preference but reducing budgets

* Security, proximity to school, local markets and offices are key deciding  factors

* Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Electronic City and Bellary Road most preferred localities

With India intermittently unlocking, new encouraging trends are now visible in the real estate sector after a period stagnancy. The sector is witnessing a tectonic shift and according to Magicbricks data, consumer preference in Benglauru is shifting towards peripheral areas due to affordability.

The shift in consumer demand towards Bengaluru’s peripheral areas has been accentuated by the demand-supply mismatch in the less than Rs.5000/sqft price category. Magicbricks data also suggests that Bengaluru’s consumer demand for BHKs and size hardly remain unchanged pre-COVID vis-à-vis post-COVID indicating that home buyers are retaining size preference but reducing budgets to move to the peripheries of the city in search of larger houses at lower cost.

Magicbricks data suggests that peripheral areas near employment hubs like Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Electronic City and Bellary Road were the most preferred localities for home buyers during the April-May-June period of 2020. The consumer demand in these localities are driven by factors like affordability, better access to IT hubs and sound connectivity to the airport. The extension of metro lines from Baiyappanahalli – Whitefield and RV Road – Bommasandra is likely to boost the demand for the economic hubs of Whitefield and Electronic City in the future.

Commenting on the changing consumer behaviour, Mr. Sudhir Pai, CEO, Magicbricks, said: “We are experiencing a strong recovery in demand after searches dipped by 50% in April. Buyers are back in the market and our data suggests that Bengaluru’s recovery rate is faster than the national average. There is an emerging trend towards larger homes; but with budgets which are lower than earlier, buyers are searching more towards peripheral areas of the city. Our recent survey suggests that around 33% of home buyers in Bengaluru prefer under construction properties, which is significantly higher than the national average, reflecting their trust in branded developers. We are also witnessing an uptick in demand for plots and from NRIs.”

Bengaluru’s home buyers also displayed increasing propensity towards ready-to-move in properties with as many as 67% respondents suggesting that they want to cut down risk factors by opting for ready-to-move in units. Overall, 74% users are planning to reduce their budget preference and around 50% have cut it by 10-30%. Factors like gated community and proximity to schools and colleges remain the two main priorities for home buyers while selecting a property while amenities such as clubs, gyms and open areas have lost their sheen since COVID-19. Our survey also suggests that in Bengaluru, 55% of the respondents said that they would choose any developer (Tier 1/2) who can give the most economical option/best deal.

About Magicbricks: India's no 1 property site

Magicbricks is India’s No.1 property site. With monthly traffic exceeding 20 million visits and with an active base of over 1.4 million+ property listings, Magicbricks provides the largest platform for buyers and sellers of property to connect with each other in a clear, transparent manner.

Phoenix Marketcity Introduces Curbside Service & Phoenix @Doorsteps for Seamless Shopping Experience

Embracing the ‘new normal’, Bengaluru’s favourite shopping and lifestyle destination, Phoenix Marketcity has introduced Curbside service for its customers who may want to shop at the mall at the comfort of their homes. Curbside service ensures comfort and convenience to consumers by offering a seamless retail experience designed with safety in mind. The mall has set up a Curbside pickup desk keeping in mind minimal interaction and trouble-free experience to get the shopping orders picked. Another modest initiative is Phoenix @ Doorsteps which is basically a home delivery service where customers will get their shopped bags delivered at their doorsteps.  

Phoenix Marketcity is now offering these concierge services for its patrons where they can place their shopping orders through the Whatsapp application platform, which will direct customers to select merchandise and products from their catalogues or through assisted virtual shopping. Customers can shop from the favourite brands and make payments online while easily enquiring about, timings and delivery with a chatbot to respond to frequently asked questions and connect with individual stores for brand related queries at the same time. The orders would be ready for contactless a Curbside pickup at an allotted time. 

Speaking on the launch of Curbside service, Mr. Gajendra Singh Rathore said “Curbside service is being introduced to keep the interest of customers alive with a hassle-free experience and smart shopping. The initiative has been introduced with an understanding towards the needs of the consumer and the changing scenario. We intend to offer seamless access to products and a process with minimal human interaction ensuring safety”. 

Other than this, the mall is taking utmost care of the safety of all with mandatory temperature checks at entry points, sanitisation, social distancing and limiting the number of people on the escalator to four at a time.  

Curbside Service: Steps to Follow  

SHOP ON THE GO – CURBSIDE PICK-UP 

Step 1- Send a Hi message on our WhatsApp number +916366940002. You will be assigned a Personal Shopping Assistance  

Step2: Select Merchandise/products from the Catalogue we share with you, or through assisted virtual shopping. 

Step 3: confirm your order and pay online securely 

Step 4: Choose a time slot to collect your safely packaged items from Curbside Pick-up 

Step 5: Drive to the curbside Pick-up point at your designated time. Your shopping bags will be placed in your car or Opt for home delivery  

Manipal Hospitals Salutes Mamtaz Begum’s Unflinching Approach in Fighting Covid19

As India celebrates its 74 years of Independence on August 15, as a patient centric organization, Manipal Hospitals will showcase its patriotism in a responsible way. Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road will grace this occasion along with its COVID warriors who are fighting to get freedom from the invisible enemy.

Ms. Mamtaz Begum from Manipal Hospitals Nursing team is a real COVID Warrior and recognizing her valiant efforts, the hospital has given her the privilege to hoist the flag along with all other COVID warriors and the management team. 

Ms. Mamtaz Begum is a living proof of a responsible and sensible citizen. She is a frontline warrior with 26 years of experience. She has gone through tough times in her life as well as during this pandemic.

Ms. Begum was a student of Manipal and started her career at Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road. Her personal journey started when she fell in love with a Muslim boy and was trying to convince her parents. Fortunately, her parents have agreed and she married her love of life in 1996 and changed her name as well. Her life took a complete twist in 2016 when she was diagnosed with high Creatinine. The news came as a shock to everyone in her family as both her renals were damaged.

Dr. Viswanath S, HOD & Consultant - Nephrology, Transplant Physician, Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road advised her that she had to undergo renal transplant. Mamtaz has had an immense support from Manipal Hospitals financially as well as professionally. Her husband and her two sons stood like a pillar during this journey. Her renal transplant done at Manipal Hospitals, Salem was successful and she was recuperating well. She was aware of the plight of her health conditions; yet continued to lead a cheerful life by staying positive.

Destiny had something else in store and life took a U-turn once again in her life during these unprecedented times. She was serving all the vulnerable amongst us and performing her duty professionally as a Nurse. She was diagnosed as a COVID Positive and her family was shattered as she also had underlying disease.

Mamtaz once again stood the test of times and fought this battle positively and came out as a COVID SURVIVOR.

Mr. Deepak Venugopalan, Regional COO, Bengaluru & TNN Cluster, MHEPL said, “Colleagues like Mamtaz are a huge inspiration for all of us. They put their duty and patients before themselves. Glad that she got her independence from Covid and who better than her to hoist the flag on 15th August.”

She would like to thank Manipal Hospital’s entire Management for being with her during all odd times and giving her moral support. Her mantra in life is to stay strong and to be positive for any tough battle. She has joined back her duty and has stepped up to help others, putting the country’s needs before everything else, even her family members.

Ms. Mamtaz Begum has stood tall against all odds and is indeed a great role model for others to follow.

 

ŠKODA Auto India Partners with PPS Motors to Expand its Footprint in Karnataka

 Summary

* ŠKODA AUTO’s new state of the art dealership facility in Bengaluru: PPS Motors boasts 4,500 sq. ft. of a modern showroom and 18,000 sq. ft. of premium service space, 70 plus technicians and staff members, 10 mechanical stations and body shop bays, and service capacity of 5,500 plus ŠKODA AUTO vehicles per annum

* The new dealership facility is the third outlet of the Czech marque, in Bengaluru, and aims to enhance the overall purchase and ownership experience for the ŠKODA AUTO customers in the region

* Under the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, ŠKODA AUTO India will double its network penetration, and expand to 50 new cities, over the next three years

* ŠKODA AUTO celebrates 125 years of its glorious history and heritage the world over

With the inauguration of PPS Motors in Bengaluru, ŠKODA AUTO India aims to strengthen its position in Karnataka and push forward its campaign of establishing a strong foothold in the southern markets of our nation. The new state of the art dealership facility sports the new Corporate Identity and Design as a part of ŠKODA AUTO global redesigning process. The Czech auto manufacturer, under the purview of the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, will have at least twice as many sales and service touchpoints, as it does today, by 2022.

PPS Motors is strategically located at 219/11, Ramana Maharishi Road, Palace Orchards, Sadashivanagar, Bellary Road and offers utmost ease and convenience across the region. The sales facility sprawls over an area of 4,500 square feet and accommodates at least four cars on display. A dedicated service workshop, located at 35, Kranthikavi Sarvagna Road, Sreerampuram, Okaluipuram, is spread across 18,000 square feet and houses ten mechanical stations and body shop bays. With 75 trained personnel, PPS Motors has a capacity to service 5,500 plus ŠKODA AUTO vehicles per annum.

Commenting on the inauguration of the new facility, Mr. Zac Hollis, Brand Director, ŠKODA AUTO India said, “To ensure preparedness for INDIA 2.0 launches, we at ŠKODA AUTO India are continually striving to expand our network reach, across the nation, so that not only more and more customers can experience our products but also enjoy easy access to our customer centric aftersales solutions. Bangalore is a key market for us in South India, and we are confident that our

partnership with PPS Motors will be pivotal for the brand and will further strengthen our foothold in Karnataka.”

Mr. Rajiv Sanghvi, Dealer Principal, PPS Motors Private Limited said, “We are delighted to partner with ŠKODA AUTO India and introduce a new dealership facility in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The modern architecture and streamlined business processes will provide the ideal backdrop for the presentation of ŠKODA AUTO products. With the global best practices and processes of Skoda Auto India and adapting them to suit our customers in the region we endeavour to create a lot of value for all our stake holder’s especially our customers to offer world service and customer care”

MODERN DEALERSHIP FACILITIES WITH STREAMLINED BUSINESS PROCESSES

With the highest priority given to functionality, clear orientation, and transparency, ŠKODA AUTO India has successfully rebranded its entire network of 83 sales and 58 service touchpoints across 69 cities across the nation. The Czech brand has invested over INR 1,200 million, along with its dealer partners, in the biggest rebranding campaign in its history in India.

In line with the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, the corporate architecture, functional interiors, and rationalized business processes, aim to enhance the overall customer experience. The new dealership design architectural concept reflects ŠKODA AUTO’s philosophy expressed in the slogan: “Simply Clever with a human touch”.

The new architecture of the dealership facility is characterized by clear and simple shapes, a harmonious colour concept, modular design features, and a modern lighting concept. The new exteriors of the ŠKODA AUTO dealerships will be the brand’s powerful statement during both day and night - clear, transparent, modern, and open.

In addition to sustaining ŠKODA AUTO’s proven strengths, the company is placing an increasing emphasis on enhancing the emotional appeal of the brand. It is conveyed by the sophisticated and logical arrangement of all the key elements, business areas, customer zones, and the use of cutting edge technology.

The high quality materials, new design features, effective lighting solutions, architectural graphic elements, and warm wooden tones create an inviting atmosphere. Fresh hues, clarity, openness, and transparency - are the highlights of the new interiors of ŠKODA AUTO showrooms.

ABB India Opens a New Robotics Facility to Support the Digital Transformation of Manufacturing in India

The new ABB Robotics solutions delivery facility will enable Indian customers to reap the benefits of Industry 4.0 including cutting-edge robotics and digitalization technologies, going at the heart of helping India become a resilient high-tech manufacturing economy in the world.

Spread over 3,600 sq.m at the ABB Nelamangala factory premises in Bengaluru, the new facility will enable ABB India to deliver robotic applications and digital solutions for a variety of Indian industries, including automotive, food & beverage, electronics and other upcoming sectors. The facility houses a state-of-the-art shop floor that can run proof of concepts and factory acceptance tests for 1000 ABB robots every year, which doubles the company’s capacity. This enables rapid innovation, adaption, optimisation and agile delivery of made-to-order robotics applications for Indian customers.

“The new facility harnesses the powers of ABB’s deep global expertise and knowledge of the Indian industrial landscape to support our customer base,” said Sanjeev Sharma, Managing Director of ABB India. “Even with increased demand for automation, the penetration of robotics, especially in small and medium enterprises is still low in India compared to the global average. With the help of the new and improved robotics facility, we will be able to share our knowledge and encourage Indian manufacturers to embrace our game changing technologies and become best-in-class manufacturers for local and global markets.”

The facility includes a demonstration center where the latest technologies in robotic welding, gluing and material handling will be showcased and can be used to carry out joint prove-out sessions with customers. ABB will also integrate an ABB AbilityTM Connected Services team that can remotely monitor an installed base of ABB robots to conduct predictive maintenance and high uptime.

A new Customer Experience Center is being set up for customers to learn about the latest in robotics technology and applications, including ABB’s dedicated robot simulation and programming software, RobotStudio. Additionally, the facility will host a paint lab where customers can run simulations of a broad range of industrial painting applications.

ABB is one the leading suppliers of robot, robot systems and machine & factory automation solutions, having shipped over 400,000 robot solutions across the globe. Designed as a complete digital ecosystem, ABB’s factory of the future concept will cater to the growing demand of collaborative automation solutions, by enabling innovation of new robot applications tailor-made to the Indian market.

About ABB Group

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 110,000 talented employees in over 100 countries.

Experience Contactless Dining at Phoenix Marketcity, Whitefield

Phoenix Marketcity, Bengaluru’s ultimate Shopping & Lifestyle destination has reopened its food court by implementing ‘Contactless Dining’ – a unique and safe dining experience to its patrons. The initiative of contactless dining and ordering solution at the food court aims to offer a hygienic dining experience for the visitors. Contactless dining has minimised human contact by eliminating the use of high-touch elements at restaurants in the food court. Phoenix Marketcity has deployed this technology to make the entire process, from ordering to payment seamlessly digital.

With business activities resuming earlier this month, Phoenix Marketcity has reoriented its focus towards health and safety of its patrons and partners. Anticipating the challenges in food service, specifically the dining segment, Phoenix Marketcity has taken a major step to reinvent eating out experience through contactless dining to curtail contamination risk.

"The present situation demands all of us to prioritize safety and hygiene standards at all times. At Phoenix Marketcity we have set stringent SOPs that are constantly monitored. The contactless dining at our food court will ensure our patrons have minimal human contact to place their order or pay the bill. By deploying technology, we have eliminated the need for menu cards and bills that are often touched and could potentially be a source of concern. Thus, making the entire experience seamless, safe and convenient for our customers. We believe a proactive approach as this towards safety and hygiene will go a long way in building customer confidence and creating a safe environment all around” said, Mr. Gajendra Singh Rathore, Senior Centre Director, Phoenix Marketcity.

Introducing Contactless Dining at Phoenix Marketcity

Contactless Menu: Scan the QR code placed on the table / or from anywhere inside the mall to land on the home page of the Food Court to explore restaurant menu and pairing recommendations for digital orders. The user lands on the landing page of the food court where all the food court brands are visible.

Contactless ordering – order through the app (eliminates contact with the waiter/ staff to place an order or modify an order).

The order is then authenticated by the merchant and the User gets real time order status in his phone via WhatsApp

Contactless payment – Pay the bill via the app & leave the restaurant premises

 

4 Simple Steps for contactless dining/ordering

1 SCAN THE QR CODE WITH YOUR MOBILE CAMERA   

2 TAP ON THE NOTIFICATION LINK

3. ORDER FOOD (DINE-IN/TAKEAWAY)                                                                                         

4. Pay Online

Contactless Dining is a step forward in the right direction for the Food courts and we are sure this will provide for a safe and hassle-free dining experience for customers and improve the economics of the restaurant industry.

Our Food Court brands include : Wow Momo, Naga's, Subway, Eat Fit, Purani Delhi, Kababji, Shiv Sagar, Kailash Parbat, Squeeze Juice Bar, Bao & Grills, Smoke The Sizzler House, Hunan Express, Gongura, Marhaba, Keventers, Gelato, Asia 7 Express, Papa Roti.

ABB’s New Analytics and AI Software Helps Producers Optimize Operations in Demanding Market Conditions

The ABB Ability Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite is a scalable advanced analytics platform with pre-built, easy-to-use applications and services. It collects, contextualizes and converts operational, engineering and information technology data into actionable insights that help industries improve operations, optimize asset management and streamline business processes safely and sustainably.

Analyst studies suggest that industrial companies typically are able to use only 20 percent¹ of the data generated, which severely limits their ability to apply data analytics meaningfully. ABB’s new solution operates as a digital data convergence point where streams of information from diverse sources across the plant and enterprise are put into context through a unified analytics model. Application of artificial intelligence on this data produces meaningful insights for prediction and optimization that improve business performance.

“We believe that the place to start a data analytics journey in the process, energy and hybrid industries is by building on the existing digital technology – the automation that controls the production processes,” said Peter Terwiesch, President of ABB Industrial Automation. “We see a huge opportunity for our customers to use their data from operations better, by combining it with engineering and information technology data for multi-dimensional decision making. This new approach will help our customers make literally billions of better decisions.”

ABB Ability™ Genix is composed of a data analytics platform and applications, supplemented by ABB services, that help customers decide which assets, processes and risk profiles can be improved, and assists customers in designing and applying those analytics. Featuring a library of applications, customers can subscribe to a variety of analytics on demand, as business needs dictate, speeding up the traditional process of requesting and scheduling support from suppliers.

Scalable from plant to enterprise, ABB Ability™ Genix supports a variety of deployments including cloud, hybrid and on-premise. ABB Ability™ Genix leverages Microsoft Azure for integrated cloud connectivity and services through ABB’s strategic partnership with Microsoft.

“The ABB Ability™ Genix Suite brings unique value by unlocking the combined power of diverse data, domain knowledge, technology and AI,” said Rajesh Ramachandran, Chief Digital Officer for ABB Industrial Automation. “ABB Ability™ Genix helps asset-intensive producers with complex processes to make timely and accurate decisions through deep analytics and optimization across the plant and enterprise.

“We have designed this modular and flexible suite so that customers at different stages in their digitalization journey can adopt ABB Ability™ Genix to accelerate business outcomes while protecting existing investments.”

A key component of ABB Ability™ Genix is the ABB Ability™ Edgenius Operations Data Manager that connects, collects, and analyzes operational technology data at the point of production. ABB Ability™ Edgenius uses data generated by operational technology such as DCS and devices to produce analytics that improve production processes and asset utilization. ABB Ability™ Edgenius can be deployed on its own, or integrated with ABB Ability™ Genix so that operational data is combined with other data for strategic business analytics.

“There is great value in data generated by automation that controls real-time production,” said Bernhard Eschermann, Chief Technology Officer for ABB Industrial Automation. “With ABB Ability™ Edgenius, we can pull data from these real-time control systems and make it available to predict issues and prescribe actions that help us use assets better and fine-tune production processes.”

Zoomcar, ETO Motors Partner to Announce a Platform of Services to Boost Shared EV Mobility

Zoomcar, India’s largest personal mobility platform, signed an agreement this week with Hyderabad based ETO Motors, a full-fledged electric mobility solutions & services company, to provide a diverse array of platform services for ETO’s electric, shared 3-wheeler business. As part of this agreement, Zoomcar will provide access to its state-of-the-art, proprietary tech stack which emphasizes security and maintenance of vehicles, thereby building a consumer base for electric vehicles and improving the overall customer experience. In the partnership, ETO Motors will own and operate electric three-wheelers for shared first-mile and last-mile passenger commute as well as goods movement within the cities. 

Zoomcar’s tie-up with ETO Motors entails the development of an innovative platform to address the vast opportunities across India in the first mile, last mile, and Intracity passengers as well as goods movement space using electric vehicles. The strategic partnership will help create the necessary competency and technology for building the future of the mobility market in India. 

Commenting on the latest development, Greg Moran, CEO & Co-Founder Zoomcar said, ‘’The mobility industry is going through a transformational phase globally due to the pandemic. At Zoomcar, we strive to be at the forefront of creating innovative solutions that can help shape this transformative shift. From the beginning, we set out to build a software solution that helps reduce accidents and improves asset longevity.  Through this partnership with ETO Motors, we aim to leverage our AI based platform to enable large fleet operators to better manage their assets through greater vehicle safety and lower total operating cost. We are delighted to partner with ETO Motors on the next phase of their growth journey in India’s rapidly expanding EV market.” 

Commenting on the development which will boost ETO Motors efforts to drive the sustainable EV revolution, Mr. Biju Mathew, CEO, ETO Motors said, “The coming together of both companies marks a significant beginning in boosting the shared EV mobility space. Zoomcar’s contribution will be in the form of its technology, including apps for customers and drivers combined with the experience of managing large scale mobility solutions.ETO will own and operate state of the art electric vehicles to deliver seamless mobility to customers. The next phase of collaboration between our respective companies with respect to the development of the co-branded digital platform will undoubtedly mark a significant step forward for the industry.” 

Zoomcar’s previously announced driver score tech stack is an AI powered algorithm with machine learning capabilities that rates the driver’s performance on a scale of 0-100.  The driver score tracks the condition of the vehicle, the driving style of the customer, and the real-time critical events impacting the vehicle health. The scoring system possesses capabilities to give real-time feedback to drivers in the advent of rash driving to help them adjust their behavior accordingly. The platform is agnostic to the vehicle type and the telematics device installed.  Moreover, the platform works for both traditional internal combustion vehicles as well as electric vehicles. 

This signing of the MoU for the co-branded platform is part of ETO Motors plan to introduce a fleet of smart electric vehicles and strengthen its clean mobility solution offering. The platform will focus on the deployment of electric vehicles in the three-wheelers, four-wheelers, and two-wheelers segment for first-mile, last-mile, intracity passenger, and goods movement across India. The platform will help in the discovery of the vehicle and will ensure a safe commute for the passengers. The smart vehicles can be geo-fenced and disabled remotely in case of any emergency. ETO has already introduced its smart vehicles for first and last-mile connectivity service in Noida Metro and is poised to expand its presence in the coming times. 

About Zoomcar 

Zoomcar holds the distinction of being India’s first personal mobility platform, with the introduction of car-sharing services in 2013 and today is the market leader in the self-drive space with over 10,000 cars in its fleet. With a strong focus on the mobile experience, Zoomcar allows users to rent cars by the hour, day, week, or month. Headquartered in Bangalore, Zoomcar is over 250 people strong and operates in 45+ cities across India. In 2018, Zoomcar introduced India’s first peer2peer based marketplace for cars with the launch of its shared subscription mobility model and currently commands over 90% market share in this space. 

About ETO Motors PVT Ltd. 

ETO-is a full-fledged electric mobility solutions and services company into large-scale deployment of multi-brand shared electric diverse fleet for cleaner cities that provides clean, safe, noise free public transportation for first mile, last mile and intracity operations. ETO-addresses issues of Clean shared Public Mobility Traffic Congestion Reduce co2 emissions Direct transfers Efficient use of capacity Public Parking Space. Cheaper Journey Price – 2W,3W, 4W, Bus, Cargo. 

Swasthvayu - India's Indigenous Ventilator Soon to Start Human Clinical Trails at Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru

The invention of ventilators has saved the lives of numerous patients, suffering from respiratory failure-a medical emergency characterized by low oxygen and high carbon-dioxide levels in the body due to the inability to breathe appropriately as compared to a normal healthy person.

‘SwasthVayu’ is the first “Made in India” non-invasive ventilator being developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru in scientific and medical knowledge collaboration with Dr Satyanarayana Mysore HOD, Pulmonology Respiratory & Sleep Medicine, Lung Transplant Physician at Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru and Dr Anurag Agarwal, Director of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB).

At the beginning of the pandemic, foreseeing the large outbreak of COVID 19 cases in India, there was a clarion call by the Honorable Prime Minister to all the entrepreneurs and scientists, to innovate and ramp up health care systems, including increasing the number of ventilators. The number of people who would require such ventilators was expected to be high and this was not going to be met with the existing numbers in India, nor would it be met through imports. Hence there was a compelling need for indigenous ventilators to mitigate the acute shortage of ventilators. Apart from COVID patients, these ventilators could also benefit and support patients suffering from other respiratory disorders like complex sleep-disordered breathing such as the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), central sleep apnea (CSA) and heart failure (HF).

The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), a constituent of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, swung into action and took the challenge to develop SwasthVayu - an indigenous, non-invasive, portable ventilator with clinical inputs from well-known pulmonologist Dr. Satyanarayana and Dr. Anurag Agarwal. SwasthVayu is equipped with advanced features like Bi-level mode (BiPAP), Continuous Positive Airway Mode (CPAP), Spontaneous modes and 3D printed HEPA-T filter adapter connected directly to the non-ventilated mask. “This is of paramount importance in minimizing the risk of virus spread. The device also has a special provision to connect to the oxygen concentrator externally”, added Dr. Satyanarayana.

Dr. C.M. Ananda, Chief scientist and Head Electronics Division of NAL said that the device has been subjected to trials on artificial lung models and has successfully passed stringent electrical safety, performance, calibration, bio-compatibility tests at National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited laboratory. The device is registered with the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) regulatory authorities. The device is ideal to treat patients with respiratory failure in both COVID and non-COVID situations, either in the ICU or non-intensive medical conditions. Further, this provides an opportunity for scarce ICU beds not to be overburdened and to be used for severely affected patients.

Dr Satyanarayana further added, “Considering the nation’s endeavor of attaining self-reliance, indigenous production of this device, which for long had always been imported, is itself a mile stone.

The Ethics Committee, and the scientific committee at Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru has scrutinized and approved the device for clinical trials under Dr Satyanarayana, Head of Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine as the Principal Investigator. Dr. Satyanarayana further added that “the device will also be a bonanza post-pandemic for treating sleep-disordered breathing including Obstructive Sleep Apnea and other sleep apnea. The clinical trials will begin shortly and for now, the focus will be limited to the successful completion of the trials only.”

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. 

Survey Finds Low Levels of Awareness About Typhoid Prevalence and Ways to Prevent It

Summary 

* Nationwide survey of 1,337 respondents across eight cities shows low awareness on typhoid prevalence and ways to prevent it including vaccination

* More than one sixth (17%) of respondents in Bangalore who did not vaccinate their children considered typhoid to be ‘not at all serious’ or ‘mild/easily manageable’

* With 2.2 million cases of typhoid recorded in India in 2016, the country has one of the highest incidence rates in the world, with the disease affecting mainly children

* Typhoid symptoms are often non-distinguishable from other illnesses but early preventative treatment measures including education play a key role in protecting children

Abbott, one of India’s leading healthcare companies, partnered with Babygogo (part of the Sheroes Network), to conduct a nationwide survey across eight cities* to assess awareness around typhoid fever. With 2.2 million cases of typhoid being recorded in India alone in 2016,[1] typhoid fever poses a serious disease burden in the country. In fact, in Karnataka alone, there were 137,973 cases in 2017, contributing 6.21% to India’s total burden.[2]

Typhoid fever, which is a bacterial infection, tends to affect children most, with peak incidence occurring in children aged 5-15 years.[3] Currently available evidence shows that vaccination against typhoid is effective and tolerable.[4] The survey results highlighted that only 66% of respondents reported being aware of a typhoid vaccination.

Key Survey Findings

* There are higher levels of awareness for mandatory vaccines, i.e., vaccines given in National Immunization Program of the country (NIP) such as rotavirus (82%) compared to vaccines not given in NIP such as influenza (67%) and typhoid (66%).

* The survey revealed that more than one sixth of respondents in Bangalore who did not vaccinate their children (17%) considered typhoid to be ‘not at all serious’ or ‘mild/easily manageable’, unaware of the fact that the bacterial infection can lead to serious complications  if left untreated or treated with inappropriate medicines.

* Other findings suggest that key reasons for not vaccinating include absence of vaccine recommendation by the pediatrician (48%) and non-inclusion in the list of NIP vaccines (36%).

Misleading Symptoms and Delay in Treatment

Commenting on these findings, Dr. R. Kishore Kumar, Senior Neonatologist & Founder Chairman of Cloudnine group of hospitals said, “The Indian subcontinent has the highest incidence of typhoid worldwide.[5] The illness is characterized by prolonged fever, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, and constipation or sometimes diarrhoea[6]. Since these symptoms are often clinically non-distinguishable from other illnesses causing fever, typhoid is frequently not treated appropriately at the early stages when such treatment is most effective – which makes prevention all the more important. In a yet unpublished study carried out at Cloudnine, we found many children affected now a days are much younger – as young as 7 months in contrast to the olden days when children were school going age group. The findings of this survey carried out by Abbott indicate that physician recommendation can play a key role in ensuring higher immunization rates to protect children from this disease, as can efforts to educate patients. I encourage parents to seek guidance from their doctors about this vaccination.”

Myths on Causes for the Disease

Survey findings also show that myths about the disease are highly prevalent. As a bacterial bloodstream infection, typhoid fever spreads through contaminated water and food, often due to lack of hygiene and access to drinkable water. Yet 57% of survey respondents nationwide inaccurately attributed the cause of typhoid to a change of weather or season. Significantly, less than half of mothers from Bangalore identified close contact (37%), touching contaminated surfaces (20%) or eating food cooked by a typhoid patient (25%) as risky behaviours that could spread typhoid.

Prevention Helps Lessen Infections and Drug Resistance

Studies have shown that vaccinations can help lower the incidence of infection, but 13% of the respondents in Bangalore stated that they prefer to take the risk of getting a serious medical condition than to receive a vaccination for it.

Dr. Kishore Kumar added, “Prevention through vaccination will help reduce typhoid burden and mortality. IAP has recommended now the vaccine can be given to children as young as 6 months along with the influenza vaccine. Given the rising emergence of drug-resistant strains of typhoid, administration of typhoid vaccination to populations at high risk of infection is a public health priority. [7]  The survey findings indicate the vast majority of mothers have low levels of awareness about typhoid and the specific precautions that need to be taken to protect themselves and their families. Educating mothers about the benefits of getting their child vaccinated is the need of the hour.”

Dr. Srirupa Das, Medical Director, Abbott India, explains, “The findings shed light on awareness levels, motivation and behaviors around typhoid vaccination in India. They suggest that increased awareness on typhoid and ways to prevent it, such as improved hygiene levels and vaccination, can contribute to lessening India’s health burden due to typhoid infections. As part of our mission of helping people live healthier lives, we support educational initiatives on typhoid fever in India, especially amongst new mothers and parents in general.”

About the survey

Abbott India, in partnership with Babygogo (part of the Sheroes Network), conducted a survey across eight cities* namely Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune to understand the perceptions and barriers surrounding typhoid vaccination. A total of 1,337 respondents were surveyed online on awareness levels, motivation and behaviours surrounding vaccination against typhoid in India. 37% of caregivers surveyed had children aged 0 to 6 months, 39% had children aged 6 months to a year and 24% of people had children 1-2 years old.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 107,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. In India, Abbott was established in 1910, and is one of the country's oldest and most admired healthcare companies. With over 12,000 employees in the country, Abbott in India is helping to meet the healthcare needs of consumers, patients and doctors throughout urban and rural India.

Healthcare IT Leader Supports Medical Communities and Migrant Labourers During COVID-19

emids, a leader in digital engineering and transformation solutions to the healthcare industry, donated essential equipment to healthcare professionals leading the charge against COVID-19 at the Bangalore Medical College and Research Center.

The company’s Bangalore-based teams provided 300 PPE (personal protective equipment) kits, 300 N95 masks, and food for nearly 60 members of the hospital’s COVID-19 response team for 30 days, through a contribution of INR 8 lakhs.

“As a healthcare IT leader, we understand how important it is for patients to access the right quality of care and at the right time. Doctors and medical professionals are working tirelessly to provide such care in the wake of COVID-19, while placing their own health at risk. Our contributions to Bangalore Medical College and Research Center are a way of thanking and empowering the healthcare community in their fight against this disease,” says Saurabh Sinha, Founder & CEO of emids.

emids also donated INR 20 lakhs to provide food and rations to 3,000 families of migrant labourers and daily wage workers, who were severely affected by the nation-wide lockdown. The company partnered with ‘Smiles for All’, an initiative by a group of volunteers to help the marginalized communities during the lockdown, and with Kaushalya Foundation, a non-profit working to empower the resource-poor in India, to reach out to those in dire need.

Sumit Gandhi, Chief Delivery Officer at emids, explains, “COVID-19 and the resulting lockdown in India created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. It affected lakhs of members from economically vulnerable communities. As a responsible corporate citizen, emids decided to help them by supporting food relief programs organized by Smiles for All and Kaushalya Foundation.”

emids has consistently supported community welfare programs in the area of healthcare and education, while pursuing business goals. The company has witnessed rapid growth in the last two decades, fueled by technology investments that are driving digital change in healthcare. emids’ teams based out of Bangalore and Hyderabad solve some of the toughest problems in global healthcare IT and augment the company’s digital engineering capabilities.

About emids

emids is a leading provider of digital transformation solutions to the healthcare industry, serving payers, providers, life sciences, and technology firms. Headquartered in Nashville, emids helps bridge critical gaps in providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality healthcare by providing digital transformation services, custom application development, data engineering, business intelligence solutions, and specialized consulting services to all parts of the healthcare ecosystem. With over 2,200 professionals globally, emids leverages strong domain expertise in healthcare-specific platforms, regulations, and standards to provide tailored, cutting-edge solutions and services to its clients. 

How women are Making it Big in Business Via WhatsApp-Based Social Commerce?

By Varun Khurana, Founder, Otipy ( India’s fastest growing social commerce venture)

 

Social commerce is not a new concept in the country major chunk of social commerce existed only in the fashion, beauty, and retail industries. Today, social commerce is gaining popularity for one of the fundamental aspects of life – fresh food. Fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables have become the most in-demand products as people switch to healthier ways of living and are eager to know the source.  

 

A USD 200 Billion fresh produce category is now witnessing major disruption through social commerce. It is garnering the attention of consumer, entrepreneurs, and investors, . In fact, consumers are increasingly preferring their food sourced through social commerce for various reasons such as higher credibility, rational price and most importantly, fresher produce (delivered within a day straight from the farms sometime within 12 hrs). For women looking to be a part of the business environment without monetary investment, social commerce within the food category is the ideal solution. Let us take a look at how social commerce is playing a key role in helping women make it big in business.

 

The rise of social commerce

Increasing internet penetration and social media usage have paved the way for the rise of social commerce. A majority of the population today uses and is in fact hooked onto social media and brands are leveraging this aspect. With the rise in demand for fresh produce, women are joining hands with brands to become resellers within their community to make a mark for themselves in their community by leveraging social commerce. Currently, fresh produce is a supply-led model and social commerce is flipping it to demand-led model that further helps in solving the problem of middlemen and wastage (since there is no inventory). Apart from this, it helps resellers connect with their customers-base efficiently and offer real-time feedback to the farmers regarding the quality of the produce.

 

The emergence of women as dominant sellers

 For the first time, women are taking the center stage in spurring the adoption of e-commerce and helping the industry as well as themselves progress. The advent of technology, rapid digitization of businesses, and easy access have helped drive this change. For women sellers, a slew of features aided by cutting-edge technology such as voice chats/chatbots, real-time updates and feedback to the farmers, and most importantly, WhatsApp-based marketing is coming handy to open more doors to become micro-entrepreneurs.         

Additionally, women sellers also have a higher average order value, better retention and repeat orders, making them more suitable. In fact, not just urban cities, but women resellers hail from tier-II and tier-III catchment areas are hopping on the fresh produce social commerce bandwagon to fulfil their goals and achieve financial independence with almost no investment. A whopping 68% of women in most platforms sell from tier-II and tier-III cities.

 

Women sellers also help customers gain the trust factor for unbranded products since they usually tend to lean towards known/established brands. In return, social commerce platforms offer easy access for women to build an entrepreneurial empire of their own through community engagement without hindrances. Particularly in vernacular language-led social commerce platforms, women are dominating the space, even though the concept is still at a very nascent stage. They are learning the tricks of the trade and are keen on flourishing in the competitive business environment.

 

Social commerce is quickly becoming a multi-million-dollar market in India. However, the country has a largely unorganized market, particularly in tier-II, tier-III and tier-IV cities, especially for the fresh produce category with millions of farmers scattered across the country. Additionally, shopping for fresh produce is a social concept of sorts. Since the pandemic has forced us to adhere to social distancing norms, social commerce is flourishing and women are leading the way. With technological advancements, greater digitization and the availability of regional languages providing easy access and seamless experience, the rise of women entrepreneurs through social commerce is inevitable.  

Infogain Recognized as 3rd Fastest Growing Company in Everest Group’s Engineering Services Top 50™ 2020

Infogain, a Silicon Valley based digital platform and software engineering company­, is pleased to announce that it ranked 3rd in revenue growth and 32nd overall in Everest Group’s Engineering Services Top 50™ 2020, a global list of the 50 largest providers of outsourced engineering services. In addition, ChrysCapital-backed Infogain’s buys of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Azure Expert MSP Silicus Technologies and strategy and design firm Revel Consulting featured in the report’s list of key acquisitions made by engineering companies in 2019.

Third-party providers were evaluated and ranked based on their CY 2019 engineering services revenue and year-on-year growth. This is the second year Everest Group has released an Engineering Services Top 50™ list, with this year’s Top 50™ accounting for $45.9 billion in revenue as compared to $40.5 billion in CY 2018.

Infogain was credited for offering key engineering services across select verticals, including Software Products, Computing Systems, Consumer Electronics, Healthcare & Medical Devices, Industrial & Energy, and Automotive.

Ayan Mukerji, President and Chief Operating Officer at Infogain, said, “We are pleased to make Everest Group’s Engineering Services Top 50™ 2020 list and to be recognized as 3rd for revenue growth. 2019 was a great year for us: we closed several large deals and joined hands with two outstanding companies offering niche, high-value-add services. This ranking is a great testament to Infogain’s software engineering expertise and relentless commitment to delivering value to our customers.”

The Top 50™ list helps enterprises get a better sense of the global third-party engineering services landscape, make more informed sourcing decisions, and identify new ways to leverage third-party engineering services providers. This list also helps service providers make better assessments of their competitive positions compared to their peers.

The Everest Group Engineering Services Top 50™ 2020 report can be viewed here.

About Infogain

Infogain is a Silicon Valley headquartered company with digital platform and software engineering expertise in the travel, retail, insurance, healthcare, and high technology industries. We accelerate design-led transformation and delivery of digital customer engagement systems and platforms. Infogain engineers business outcomes for Fortune 500 companies and digital natives using technologies such as cloud, microservices, robotic process automation, IoT, and artificial intelligence.

A ChrysCapital portfolio company, Infogain has offices in California, Washington, Texas, London, Dubai, India, and Singapore, with delivery centers in Austin, Kraków, New Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, and Mumbai.

Bengaluru’s Residential Prices Fell by Almost 3% in Last Quarter: Magicbricks Propindex Report Q2 2020

COVID-19 Effect

* Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Bellary Road and Electronic City were the top 4 micromarkets in the city

* Strong demand for smaller size 2 & 3BHKs; together accounting for 88% of the property searches

* COVID-19 induced a price decline of 1-3% across most budget segment

Amidst COVID-19, Bengaluru’s residential prices have witnessed a QoQ decrease of approx. 3% in the second quarter of 2020, revealed the latest edition of Magicbricks’ PropIndex (Q2, 2020). Bengaluru residential market maintained a steady momentum in the last 5 years with 17.7% and 33.3% surges in ready to move and the under construction segment prices, respectively. However, the QoQ 2.8% price decline in the ready-to-move segment washed away the gains made during the previous six quarters.

The under-construction segment had a decent 33% growth in the last 5 years, but the recent pandemic brought a decline of 0.8% in Q2 2020.  Shortage of labour, supply chain disruption and extension in the RERA deadline by 3 months in Bengaluru is likely to shift delivery of some under construction projects by a few months.

According to the Propindex, Bengaluru thrives on a healthy mid-segment demand, with both 2 and 3 BHKs each accounting for more than 40% of the demand and supply. Together they account for 88% of the property searches and 92% of the supply. However the market is slowly shifting to the affordable segment, and a small demand-supply mismatch is emerging in the less than INR 5,000 per sqft price bucket. The demand for 1 BHK and 2 BHK configurations is likely to further increase due to the reduction of stamp duty between 3% to 5% for properties costing upto INR 35 lakh.

Commenting on the PropIndex, Sudhir Pai, CEO, Magicbricks, said, “India’s real sector is gradually adopting to the new normalcy. The economy had almost come to a stand-still in March but now hopefully we are on the road to recovery. At a pan-India level, the price decline has been just 1.5% QoQ while repo rates have been lowered by more than 100 points. This augurs well for the industry. Our data also suggests that consumer interest has not tapered off and developers have to grab the attention of the home buyers through attractive deals and offers. There is a pent-up demand for ready-to-move in properties as our data suggests that the 80% of searches are happening in this segment and the rest for under-construction.”

Post COVID-19 pandemic, government has allowed partial sales of plots In the layouts to ease the liquidity situation of developers and accelerate the layout development process. State government allows the regularization of over 75,000 land parcels, which were initially a part of the BDA development scheme but were under unauthorized possession for more than 12 years, by payment of penalty.

Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Bellary Road and Electronic City were the top 4 micromarkets in the city, supported by factors such as affordability, better access to IT hubs and sound connectivity to the airport. The extension of metro lines from Baiyappanahalli – Whitefield and RV Road – Bommasandra is likely to boost the demand for the economic hubs of Whitefield and Electronic City in the future

However, it will be interesting to see how these factors play out as the market recovers from the outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing national lockdown. Magicbricks data indicates that overall, consumers are back to the marketplace, albeit in lower numbers. Developers are running various schemes and promotions to entice home buyers and drive transactions. The next three to six months will remain key to determine any developing trend in prices and transaction volumes. It has become even more of a buyers’ market with the onus on sellers to make the right interventions to enable the real estate market bounce back.

About Magicbricks: India's no 1 property site

Magicbricks is India’s No.1 property site. With monthly traffic exceeding 20 million visits and with an active base of over 1.4 million+ property listings, Magicbricks provides the largest platform for buyers and sellers of property to connect with each other in a clear, transparent manner. With this in mind, Magicbricks has innovated several product features, content and research services, which have helped us, build the largest audience pool.

SAP Appoints Kulmeet Bawa as President and Managing Director of Indian Subcontinent

SAP SE has announced the appointment of Kulmeet Bawa as President and Managing Director for SAP Indian Subcontinent, effective July 20, 2020. Kulmeet will be responsible for driving and delivering an exceptional SAP experience for employees and customers across our ecosystem, as well as guide businesses in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to adopt a digital-first mindset. Based in Gurgaon, Kulmeet will report directly to Scott Russell, President of SAP Asia Pacific Japan (APJ).

“The current pandemic environment requires companies to take swift action and accelerate digital transformation to become intelligent enterprises. At SAP we are committed to support our customers and help them transform, scale and win,” said Scott Russell, President, SAP APJ. “We are confident that Kulmeet’s track record of a customer-centric approach, his focus on people and effective team-work, coupled with deep industry knowledge, will propel SAP India to continued success,” he added.

Most recently, Kulmeet was the Chief Operating Officer for Resulticks where he led the growth strategy and execution of go-to-market for the organization. With cross functional experience of more than 25 years, Kulmeet has served with the Indian Army in the Armored Corps, subsequently moving to the corporate side. He led the India & South Asia market for Adobe orchestrating businesses to digitally transform and drive excellence in customer experience, prior to that he was with Microsoft Corporation and Sun Microsystems, managing enterprise strategies across industries and portfolios. 

“As India acclimatizes to the new reality in the new normal, it is important for businesses to permeate digital technologies in every industry, institution, business process, and individual experience,” said Kulmeet. “I am excited to move from Singapore back to India working closely with local customers, helping them adopt innovative technologies to achieve successful business outcomes,” he added.

Under the guidance and leadership of Deb Deep Sengupta, current SAP India MD and SAP veteran of two decades, the organization achieved significant success with strong growth across several business areas. Deep will work closely with Kulmeet to ensure a smooth leadership transition for our customers and partners. Deep’s next position will be announced in due course.

About SAP

As the Experience Company powered by the Intelligent Enterprise, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software, helping companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world’s transaction revenue touches an SAP® system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want – without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables more than 440,000 business and public customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people’s lives. 

Office Leasing in Bengaluru Drops by 42% YoY; New Supply Declines by 48% YoY in H1 2020: Knight Frank India

Highlights

* Rent growth tapers to single digit, weighted average rents see 6% YoY growth in H1 2020

* Worst half-year in this decade, home sales in Bengaluru decline by 57% YoY in H1 2020; launches fall 48%: Knight Frank India

* Price environment weakens, home prices in Bengaluru see marginal 3.3% YoY increase to Rs 4,980 per sqft

Knight Frank India today launched the 13th edition of its flagship half-yearly report - India Real Estate: H1 2020 - which presents a comprehensive analysis of the office and residential market performance across eight major cities for the January-June 2020 (H1 2020) period. The report showed that the office transactions in Bengaluru saw a 42% YoY decline to 0.44 mnsq m (4.8 mnsq ft) in in H1 2020. The new office supply in the city also saw a decline of 48% YoY to 0.37 mnsq m (4.0 mnsq ft) due to the adverse impact of COVID-19. The city has experienced a tapered rent growth with H1 2020 recording 6% YoY growth in weighted average rent.

In Bengalururesidential market, which had prominence in the country’s residential landscape, the home sales have witnessed a decline of 57% YoY to 12,177 units in H1 2020. Whereas, the home launches in Bengaluru saw a 48% YoY decline to 10,806 units. With a weaker pricing environment in the wake of pandemic and consequent disturbance on home buyer sentiments, the city recorded a  marginal 3.3% Y-o-Y increase in weighted average price.

OFFICE MARKET HIGHLIGHTS OF BENGALURU

* Bengaluru has been at the pinnacle of office demand in the country for each year during last decade. The city’s office market has grown each successive year since 2013 and with 1.42 mnsq m (15.3 mnsq ft) the city recorded its highest ever tally of office transactions, cited as an achievement milestone for any market in the country.

* Covid-19 induced tumultuous business environment has seen an influence on the transaction volumes in the market. Bengaluru saw office transactions decline by 42% YoY in H1 2020 to 0.44 mnsq m (4.8 mnsq ft),  The average deal size was reported at 5,130 sq m (55,214 sq ft), with number of deals at 86 in the analysis period of H1 2020.

* In terms of sector-wise share of transactions, IT/ITeSwas on top of the table with 30%, followed by Co-working (23%), Manufacturing (19%), BFSI (13%). A combination of other services industries contributed 14% to the overall share. Manufacturing and BFSI significantly improved their space take up. Information Technology sector, the most prominent occupier group of Bengaluru, has reduced its space take-up by 64% YoY in H1 2020.

* The vacancy level in Bengaluru office market has jumped to6.5% in H1 2020 from a much comfortable 4.1% level in H1 2019.

* Rent growth has been strong in Bengaluru for the last 5 years and the similar trend was observed in the beginning of 2020, until March 2020. Since April, rents have stagnated with occupiers also seen reaching out to landlords for partial rent or maintenance cost waiver for the lockdown period. In this background, H1 2020 recorded a rental growth of 6% YoY. Bengaluru’s PBD East market saw the highest rental growth of 9% YoY in 12- moth change, followed by SBD (8%) and ORR (6%).

Shantanu Mazumder, Senior Branch Director, Bangalore, Knight Frank India said, “Bengaluru office market was on a very strong footing with a robust momentum in demand, supply and rent until the first quarter of 2020. However, as businesses faced disruptions in the wake of the pandemic in second quarter of 2020, Bengaluru office market also felt the pain. Information Technology sector, the most prominent occupier group of the city, saw demand decline by 64% YoY in first half this year. Ongoing deals faced delays and new office enquiries were put on temporary hold. While we do recognise the potential of Bengaluru office market, recovery will depend on the trajectory of the pandemic itself.”

RESIDENTIAL MARKET HIGHLIGHTS OF BENGALURU

* Bengaluru residential market recorded a home sales decline of 57% YoY in H1 2020.While all micro-markets were adversely affected, notable decline was seen in North and West where sales declined by an even greater magnitude of 70% YoY and 66% YoY, respectively.

* The affordable housing segment, classified as house value up to INR 5 million, witnessed its share further shrink to 32% in H1 2020 compared to 38% in H1 2019.

The state government reduced the stamp duty rates from 5% to 2% for houses costing up to INR 2 million and from 5% to 3% for houses costing between INR 2.1 – 3.5 million. This was limited to first time registration of new apartment valued up to INR 3.5 million. 81% of sales in H1 2020 occurred in the segment of INR 2.5 - 10 million with 51% in INR 5 - 10 million segment. In this situation, we believe a broadersegment for stamp duty reduction would have helped the sector.

* In terms of launches, H1 2020 saw 48% YoY decline compared to 20,894 units in H1 2019. While all micro-markets witnessed a sharp fall in launches, West and North were the most hit markets with a decline of 78% and 69% respectively.

* In H1 2020, the pricing environment was strong until February 2020. However, prices have stagnated since the COVID-19 struck in March 2020. Overall, the city saw prices higher by 3.3% YoYin H1 2020. Whitefield and Hennur recorded a 5% price increase for 12-month period, till June 2020.  

* With restrained launches compared to housing sales over the past year, unsold inventory level has come down by 10% to 77,043 units in H1 2020.

Shantanu Mazumder, Senior Branch Director, Bangalore, Knight Frank India said,“Despite being affected during H1 2020, Bengaluruemerged as one of the quickermarkets to come out of the state-imposed lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. During this period, although at a much lower level compared to pre-lockdown, May and June 2020 saw the resumption of project sites and customer visits. With pandemic induced market disruptions, the pricing environment has become weak now. However, instead of a headline price reduction, customers are being offered a variety of indirect price benefit schemes. Price protection and free cancellation schemes are also offered to assuage homebuyer concerns on job security and pay cut.

While the inherent strength of Bengaluru housing market is intact, COVID-19 induced threat to lives and livelihoods and recurrence of lockdown will have an overbearing impact on market and going forward, the intensity of pandemic will define the recovery trajectory.”

EuroSchool Bangalore Students Secure 100% Results in CBSE Examination

All three Bangalore campuses of EuroSchool (Whitefield, Yelahanka and Chimney Hills), have announced great performance in the CBSE Class X results of 2020 having witnessed 100% results.

Miss Ariya Samir Wadekar from EuroSchool Whitefield scored 97%, topping the three campuses in Bangalore. Ten students of EuroSchool Whitefield scored above 90%. The highest marks in Maths was 100 and 99 in Second Language.

Ms. Shruthi Arun, Principal, EuroSchool, Whitefield, said “It is a proud moment for us at EuroSchool, Whitefield as our students once again, have excelled in the Class X results reflecting years of hard work. It is the deep commitment of our faculty that has helped our students to prepare not just for the board exams but also for their professional careers and life after school. 

Miss Ariya Samir Wadekar from EuroSchool Whitefield says about her success, “Enjoy your present and work hard towards your goals. I invested my time in reading curriculum books, reference books, getting extra information from the teachers and combining all these to ensure clear understanding about a topic before moving to next. Just remember, whatever you are going to do is in your hands.”

Ms. Shruti Sampoorna Mishra from EuroSchool, North Campus, Bangalore scored 95% topping her school. She scored 99% in Second Language, 98 in Maths and 93 in Science. Ms. Brunda M from EuroSchool, Chimney Hills scored 91.60%, topping her school, followed closely by Ms. Greeshma D Holeyannavar, with 90%.

The current academic module at EuroSchool lays emphasis on learning with technology. The virtual schooling programme runs on the proprietary Digital Learning Ecosystem (LMS) ARGUS ensuring effective Home Engagement with students to ensure #UninterruptedLearning.

EuroSchool currently has a presence of 11 Schools across six cities in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Surat.

About EuroSchool International:

EuroSchool, is a network of 11 K-12 Schools, across 6 cities in India. A division of EuroKids Group, the School Operates on the philosophy of ‘Discover Yourself’ wherein the core focus is to encourage children to realise latent talent, ascertain areas of interest, hone individual skills, thereby uncovering varied facets of their personality. The profound realisation that the skills that are required to face the challenges we will be up against in the future must be imparted from a young age evolved into the philosophy of ‘Discover Yourself’ which is delivered via the ‘Balanced Schooling’ pedagogy. Their Learn - Reinforce - Practice - Apply methodology, paves the way for the students to do well in academics, with the co-curricular activities helping children to develop their creative, sporting and musical aspirations. 

All EuroSchools are affiliated either to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or the Indian Council of Secondary Education (ICSE) and select EuroSchools also offer the CAIE, Cambridge Assessment International Education (IGCSE).  It is India’s 1st chain of Schools to receive the ‘Safe School’ certification from a global audit firm.