Hero Motocorp Hands Over Unique First Responder Vehicles to Community Health Centres in Alwar

As part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives towards the COVID-19 relief efforts, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, today handed over two first-responder vehicles to authorities at the Community Health Centres in Neemrana and Mundawar, in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. 

These unique and utilitarian vehicles will be useful for reaching out to patients in rural and remote areas and comfortably moving them to the nearest hospitals.  First Responder has been custom-built as an accessory on the powerful Xtreme 200R motorcycles of Hero MotoCorp.

The First Responder has been equipped with a full stretcher with a foldable hood mounted on the side, essential medical equipment such as a detachable first-aid kit, oxygen cylinder, fire extinguisher and other safety features such as LED Flasher Lights, foldable beacon light, emergency wireless public announcement system and siren.

The two First Responders vehicles from Hero MotoCorp were handed over to Shri Manjeet Dharampal Choudhary, Member of the State Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan, Mundawar (Neemrana), Alwar.

They have been designed and developed through a collaborative initiative by the engineers at Hero’s Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur and the New Model Centre (NMC) at the Company’s manufacturing facility in Gurgaon.

Hero MotoCorp is in the process of manufacturing several more of these First Responders, which will be handed over to local health authorities in other parts of the country.

ZEE Says #BanegiBaatSaathSaath in Partnership with Marquee CPG Brands to Announce its Fresh Content Comeback

Summary 

* #13thkiTaiyyari poori with Zee TV’s ‘Naye Kisse, Naye Episodes’ of viewers' favourite shows starting 13th, July 8 PM.

* 4 other ZEE network channels, & TV, Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi and Zee Yuva also re-start daily new episodes on the 13th, prime time.

* Over 5000 people & partners at ZEE come together to bring 100+ fresh stories every day in 11 languages

Celebrating the spirit of solidarity and the joy of being back, Media & Entertainment powerhouse Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) has announced its content comeback via an innovative partnership with leading CPG brands. ZEE collaborated with leading brands - Nestle Maggi, Amul Lassi, PepsiCo, Red Label, Cadbury Dairy Milk, ITC Dark Fantasy to gear up the nation for the 13th of July, the date of its daily content comeback on Zee TV. 4 other HSM channels, & TV(HGEC), Zee Marathi, Zee Yuva (MGEC) and Zee Punjabi (PGEC) are also making their daily content comeback on the same day.

With a massive outdoor teaser campaign, people took to social media channels wondering what the #13thkitTaiyyari was about. The banter between the brands on Twitter left people even more curious on why they should be stocking up for the 13th with many more brands and companies jumping into the fray building up the excitement for the D-Day. TV has always been the Greatest Common Unifier and with this teaser campaign, ZEE has again brought together some of India’s most loved brands in an extraordinary partnership celebrating the coming together of viewers, partners and our fresh episodes with the promise, #BanegiBaatSaathSaath.

The #BanegiBaatSaathSaath promise has been rolled out across media and to all of ZEE’s partners along with a film, which is an ode to the entire TV industry coming together to entertain its viewers. ZEE strongly believes that the challenges we all faced in the first half of 2020 are just like a twist in the tale before the interval and when we all rally together we can achieve the impossible and create an extraordinary second half. 

“Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Consumer Officer, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited said, “With the resumption of production, we are excited to bring fresh content for our consumers. The last three months have caused a significant stir amongst the mood of the nation. People are increasingly investing time in entertainment to cope with the uncertainty prevailing around. TV has been the greatest common unifier and respite in this lockdown and as content creators, we acknowledge that it is a huge responsibility we carry. For us, understanding the pulse of our consumers and customers and delivering delight is an obsession, which is what we are attempting to do both with this campaign and in crafting all our stories for the second half 2020. The stories we bring will aim to uplift the mood of the nation and provide our viewers respite through all that they are going through. Zee has and will always stand by its viewers and all its partners and is looking forward to holding hands and turning on the light at the end of this tunnel and are confident that we will once again provide valuable experiences to our partners and viewers.”

Expressing his views Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer, Advertisement Revenue, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) said, “With the resurgence of fresh dose of content, we would like to celebrate the spirit of camaraderie with all our stakeholders – cherished viewers & advertisers - to brighten and cheer up with engaging content. Brands will once again have the opportunity to resonate and pave their way into the minds of their consumers in this new environment. At ZEE, we have not only seamlessly weaved stories for brands with relevant influencers & have been at the forefront in creating an integrated platform agnostic solution for our advertisers/brands but ensured that they are part of our communication as well. This has led us to partner with our brands in unique ways and create value for them and #13kitaiyyari is another testimony to the power of partnerships, more importantly brand partners are integral part of the communication when we are reconnecting with our consumer.” 

With a three-month long wait, viewers have been eager to see some of their cherished stories and characters coming back with their daily dose of fresh episodes. A lot of the storylines will come back to induce a sense of positivity and bring back strong heroes that people turn to for companionship. A collective force of 5000+ people have come together to bring 100+ fresh stories, every day in 11 languages, which take inspiration from the consumer sentiment and echo their anticipations. While channels like Zee Bangla, Zee Kannada, Zee Sarthak, Zee Keralam, Zee Telugu have already started and are entertaining viewers in regional markets delivering around 100+ hours of content per week, the 4 HSM channels – Zee TV, &TV, Zee Marathi and Zee Punjabi go live on 13th July. With a strong understanding of the entertainment preferences of the consumer and keeping their evolving needs at the fore, the channels are returning with a diverse mix of content which caters to the entire family.

Through the power of storytelling, the strength of the characters, the depth of emotions, and the delight of the plots, ZEE has aligned its content strategy to instil a fresh sense of positivity as the country slowly unlocks its operations. ‘Cos this is just an interval and the story is far from over!

TradeIndia Announces India’s First Virtual B2B Event "COVID 19 Essentials Expo India 2020

B2B Event

* The pioneering virtual tradeshow will be held during August 5-7, 2020

* The event is set to boost trade and commerce between different brands across the country by showcasing their products

As several small and medium industries have been adversely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 contagion in the country, the business community is roping in all efforts to stabilize the situation and rejuvenate the ailing economy. While government-sponsored relief, and financial relaxations are helping industries regain lost ground, inch by inch, there is also a new lease of hope dawning upon the market that every hurdle that is crossed is a step closer to the victory lap.

In a bid to transform the black swan Covid-19 pandemic into a lucrative business opportunity, TradeIndia, India’s largest B2B marketplace offering global buyers and sellers a reliable platform to identify trustworthily business partners shall be organizing the country’s first virtual tradeshow titled, “COVID-19 Essentials Expo India between August 5-7,2020. The trade expo that is targeted will be in the same lines as of a traditional the exhibition, but due to the pandemic concerns will be conducted via the virtual medium.  

The event will be targeted towards reviving the various SMEs and MSMEs of the country whose operations have been affected due to the dire effect of the corona virus crisis and helping them maintain business continuity in such turbulent times. As the pandemic has vehemently increased the demand for essential products, the market is amuck with a plethora of companies selling all kinds of essential wares, but only those companies will triumph who couple their essential product offerings with innovation. Besides revealing and brainstorming on the various innovative guidelines that companies can instill in their product development, the expo will also aim to discover alternate channels of revenue for companies that are suitable for the current market dynamics.

The trade expo will feature a multitude of brands, their products through a virtual exhibition solution that enables exhibitors to showcase their products at a very low cost but with high scalability. The tradeshow will also feature 3D stalls or immersive virtual spaces that enable attendees to sift through the various product lineups, access business catalogues while interacting with exhibitors via chat or video conference.

Featuring more than 60 booths and with an experience spanning over 20 years in online marketing space and event promotion, TradeIndia enjoys the largest industry database in the country that holds countless prospective visitors and investor’s for one’s brand. the essential range products that will be the central to the trade show are Surgical dressing and Disposable; Personal safety equipment; Personal care products; Common medicines and drugs; Temperature instruments; Medical, diagnostic & hospital supplies; Home cleaning appliances, etc.

Commenting on this highly enterprising initiative, the spokesperson for Trade India said, ”While the pandemic has wreaked havoc upon industries and the resultant economy, it has also opened up hitherto unlocked vistas of promising opportunities, As businesses across the world are united in their transition from the offline mode to the online mode of presuming their operations, We, at TradeIndia, endearingly strive to tap into the exuberant potential of the digital business model and also extend a much-needed lift-up to the struggling factions of SMEs and MSMEs and help them shift to the online medium of  commencing business through this first of its kind landmark virtual tradeshow. We welcome everyone to participate and grace this novel event as together we can adapt and thrive in this new normal, no matter how great the challenge.”  

About TradeIndia:

TradeIndia.com is an online Business to Business (B2B) portal for small businesses based in India and around the globe. The portal was started in 1996 by Bikky Khosla and is maintained and promoted under the flagship company, Infocom Network Ltd. The company is headquartered in New Delhi, India, and has branch offices in more than 42 cities across India.

SBI General Insurance Unveils New Brand Identity with Redesigned Logo and Tagline

New Logo & Tagline

* Cues the digitized and future- ready service approach

* Marks SBIG 2.0 Version, a new milestone post a decade long journey

* Appeals to masses and reinforces trust and security in SBIG

 

SBI General Insurance (SBIG) today announced the launch of its new corporate brand identity with redesigned logo and the tagline ‘Suraksha aur Bharosa dono’. Digitization has been always at core at SBIG, hence, at this stage the company has amalgamated focus and strategy in the new brand identity, with a swipe-able and fresh-looking logo.

The new purple colour logo conveys SBIG’s future readiness with services to its customers consisting traditionalists and modernists across India. The traditionalist customers are those who value trust, loyalty, value for money and integrity, whereas modernist look for flexibility and future readiness. Purple colour denotes youthfulness, wisdom and devotion.

Shri Dinesh Kumar Khara, Managing Director Global Banking & Subsidiaries, State Bank of India said, “SBI has always strived to ensure that our business is more than just banking as we touch the lives of people across India in many ways. Our commitment to nation building is complete and comprehensive.

With the new brand identity, we are delighted that SBI General is reinventing, and while contributing in insuring the nation, it is taking forward our legacy of trust. We are sure with enhanced digital capabilities, it is better positioned to serve its patrons and continue to provide positive and better customer experience.”

Pushan Mahapatra, MD & CEO, SBI General Insurance said, “We take pride in having the parentage of SBI, and indeed, it is our privilege to carry forward the strong legacy of trust and security.

The insurance category in India is riddled with fear and insecurity. To address this well and live up to our brand that resonates with “trust”, we have derived the tagline - Security and Trust, both which in Hindi reads as – Suraksha and Bharosa, Dono.”

He added, “We are honoured with the faith that our customers have shown in us. With our new logo, we reinstate and reassure them that we are ready to serve their growing needs of services with new-age processes and services.”

In a decade long journey, SBIG has crossed multiple milestones like fastest company to cross Gross Written Premium of Rs.1000 crores in its 4th year, top private insurer to enter the industry post de-tariffication in Jan 2007, broke even and reported profits consistently since FY18, and from 17 branches in 2011. Over a decade, SBI General has been increasing its reach with 120+ branches & 253 locations pan-India. Its strong distribution partners add up to its reach to every nook and corner of India, with SBI’s over 22000 branch network, other financial and digital partners.

While having the strong foundation of these milestones, with new identity, SBI General Insurance has taken next step in the journey to become the first choice for every Indian’s general insurance needs. 

Vedanta Felicitates 22 NGOs and Partners Awarded for Contribution Towards COVID Relief Efforts

Vedanta Cares, a unique digital initiative was launched and the first e-townhall with partners was hosted by Chairman Anil Agrawal recently to acknowledge & encourage the COVID warriors, who collaborated with the company in combating COVID 19 through community initiatives across 7 locations. Vedanta instituted a special Chairman’s Award to honour its partners, where Mr. Agarwal personally acknowledged each partner company and NGO which contributed significantly to Vedanta’s efforts in reaching out to beneficiaries like daily-wage earners and migrant workers who were worst affected by the pandemic. In this acknowledgment session, participants from partner companies and NGOs were awarded. Mr. Nand Kishore Bhatt, Chief Security officer, Vedanta, Value Added Business at Goa and Dr. Krishnamurthy, Resident Medical Officer at Vedanta- Iron Ore Karnataka Business were felicitated for their selfless and relentless efforts to combat unprecedented situation due to COVID-19 at Goa and Karnataka respectively.

Addressing the participants, Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal said “We have been fighting this crisis together with the nation. By going all out in serving the communities we have reiterated Vedanta’s philosophy of giving back. Our team has left no stone unturned in supporting the communities, working round-the-clock. I am grateful for the support and would like to acknowledge our partners, NGOs and each member of the Vedanta team, who battled this crisis as a family. We will continue working with the communities and the government administration which I am sure will inspire others in serving our communities, and I am hopeful that together we can survive this situation.

NGOs who were felicitated for their extensive contributions are Akshaya Patra Foundation,  DNR Foundation, Manjari Foundation, Barmer Jana Sewa Swanthan, and Social Revival Group of Urban and Rural Tribal (SROUT) and YODA.

Vedanta’s partner companies which were also awarded for their contributions are Tann Singh Chouhan & Company, Barmer, Schlumberger, Rajendra Mechanical Private Limited, Chennai Radha Engineering Works, M/s ISS Facility Services, M/s Western Carriers , M/s STEAG , M/s Wellspring Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Lemon tree Hospitality Services, M/s Dinesh Kumar, NVJK, Drishti Foundation, Unilift Cargo Systems Pvt Ltd, Operational Energy Group India Pvt Ltd, Shrinath Travel Agency , Teknomin Construction Limited TCL.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Nand Kishore Bhatt, Chief Security Officer at Vedanta, Value Added Business said" I am honored and equally pleased to receive this award from Our Chairman. It gives me immense pride to be a part of Vedanta Family who consistently work for the betterment of communities around, with a broader vision of nation building and giving back to society"

Dr. Krishnamurthy, Resident Medical Officer at Vedanta Iron Ore Karnataka Business said" I am very happy to be recognized by our Chairman, who is the inspiration for me. At Vedanta holistic community development and culture of care, being the top priorities, all my colleagues at Vedanta try to contribute towards community welfare all the time through all possible means."

Speaking on the occasion, Sundeep Talwar, Chief Marketing Officer, The Akshaya Patra Foundation said “Akshaya Patra is privileged to be associated and recognized by our esteemed partners such as Vedanta. Our efforts and outcomes on the ground wouldn’t have been possible without critical and timely support from Vedanta. We believe in collaborative impact and hope that we sustain our efforts to minimize the impact of COVID outbreak on marginalized communities. “

Manjari Foundation, which runs Hindustan Zinc Limited’s flagship CSR initiative Sakhi Project which mobilizes rural women into self-help groups (SHGs) had actively participated in COVID relief efforts by HZL.  Speaking on the partnership, Sanjay Sharma, Executive-Director, Manjari Foundation said “Under HZL’s leadership, Sakhi SHG women have risen as strong community leaders. With the objective of ensuring “No One Sleeps Hungry” in our project villages, Sakhi federations, a woman-led institution came up with a food bank initiative. Sakhi members collected 10,000 kilograms of food grains in a short span of time, aiding the community to fight the pandemic. We acknowledge the timely and quick support of HZL for helping the community during troubled times”

Speaking on partnering with Vedanta for COVID relief efforts, Abhishek Kumar, General Secretary DNR Foundation said “I am truly honored to receive the Chairman’s Award for COVID-19. It is an incredible honour to be acknowledged for the work done for the communities in these distressing times. DNR Foundation feels humbled, but at the same time incredibly proud too. We will always try to achieve the vision of Hon. Chairman Sri Anil Agarwalji for the welfare of the community. Thanks to the Vedanta Team for giving us the opportunity to serve the daily wagers during this COVID crisis at Patna and Mumbai.”

Discon Masih, Director SROUT, who partnered with BALCO on its COVID relief efforts said “It is a matter of great honour to get recognition for the awareness and relief work done by SROUT during COVID -19. SROUT has always been a close partner of BALCO and we are thankful for the opportunities given to us. Hoping for more such collaborations in the future.”

Barmer Jan Sewa Sansthan, which partnered with Cairn in its efforts to aid communities in combating COVID was also felicitated. Speaking on the occasion Ramesh Mangal, Managing Trustee, BJSS said “I would like to express our deep gratitude for awarding us the prestigious Chairman’s Award and personally making the time to appreciate our hard work and sincere efforts undertaken during this critical situation of COVID-19 pandemic in Barmer district. We assure you that with your vision, constant support and able guidance from Cairn Oil & Gas team, we will keep on making a transformational and sustainable impact among local communities and generate shared value as well as goodwill for the company.”

YODA, the Maharashtra based animal welfare organization, which partnered with Vedanta in a unique initiative to feed stray animals during the lockdown was also acknowledged for its immense contribution. Speaking on the initiative, Pooja Sakpal, Co-Founder, YODA said “We are grateful to Vedanta for helping both people and animals in need during these times of crisis. Lots of blessings to the entire organization. We were able to feed 16,000 hungry animals each day, all thanks to this project and opportunity”

Vedanta had contributed Rs 201 crores to PM CARES Fund, State funds, and providing relief measures across the country. To support the Government’s efforts, Vedanta employees had contributed one day’s salary to the PM CARES Fund. Under its flagship “Meal-for-all” program Vedanta has so far provided more than 13 lakh meals to less privileged communities across the country. Vedanta has also taken up the initiative to feed more than 50,000 stray animals every day. Under this initiative, Vedanta has so far provided more than 12.70 lakh feedings to stray animals in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, and Pune.

In Vedanta’s effort to enhance preventive healthcare, 7 lakh masks and 1 lakh soaps & sanitizers were manufactured and distributed across India. 23 PPE machines were imported in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles, enabling the production of 40,000+ PPEs per week. A dedicated 24x7 helpline had been set up for employees and families for medical advice, in collaboration with Apollo Hospital.

India publishing BPO industry to cross $ 1.2 billion, says ValueNotes

A recently released report by ValueNotes estimates that the Indian publishing BPO industry is expected to grow to a value of $ 1.2 billion by 2012.

This growth is expected to come from rise in the number of publishing companies that will outsource - which include traditional segments such as STM/Academic, Educational & Legal Publishing, as well as new segments such as magazines, corporate and B2B publishing.

India continues to remain the favored publishing BPO hub - with 35,550 people in direct employment, and revenues worth $ 660 million as of end-2008. While revenues are expected to cross $ 1.2 billion by 2012, the total employee strength is estimated to cross 55,000 by 2012.

Publishing outsourcing includes a wide range of services. The four broad heads include content, design, technology and 'other' services.

Content continues to drive the industry and contributes to 72 per cent of the total industry revenues.

Over the last couple of years, services offshored have undergone a transition - from low value services such as tagging, editing existing designs, copy editing to high value services such as original designs, testing and assessment and e-learning tools.

There has been an influx of technology in the industry that has enhanced productivity, workflow management and most importantly reduced costs and turnaround time.

According to Arun Jethmalani, CEO, ValueNotes, "Most providers have access to similar technology, however the differentiator has really been the capabilities developed around workflow and innovation. Today's technology will become tomorrow's standard and constant innovation will differentiate the winners."

Aradhana Kolhatkar, lead analyst, Publishing Services, ValueNotes, said: "Indian players are shifting focus from the matured STM segment to the more lucrative segments in the publishing market. We believe that educational, magazines, corporate/B2B, trade and e-books will be attractive segments over the next 3-4 years. Indian service providers can extend their current capabilities to service these upcoming opportunities."

Based on exhaustive primary research and analysis of this sector, ValueNotes has identified and established that there are over 140 vendors in the publishing offshoring industry. Of these we have identified SPi, Aptara, Integra and Laserwords as frontrunners in the industry.

ValueNotes Database is a leading provider of business intelligence and research, with expertise across selected domains and types of customer needs. Working with clients across the globe, we have significant understanding of international markets.

Agencies

Aviation giants still eye $300 bn India potential

Despite daily losses of Rs.100-150 million ($2-3 million) being incurred by some Indian carriers due to the general economic downturn, global aerospace giants continue to make a strong pitch for a share in the country's aviation pie, officially estimated at $300 billion by 2020, experts said.

"Much of the world is flat or declining. Only India is growing," said Daniel J. Magoon, director of Indian business development, transportation and security solutions with the US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin.

"We want to become the supplier of choice for air traffic control and security systems," Magoon told the media, adding his job was to change the company's business mix in India from major supplier of wares to the defence sector to gaining a foothold in the civil aviation space.

India's flight penetration is at a mere 0.2 per capita, compared to 2.2 in the US and 1.2 in China, and with only 40 busy airports serving a population of more than a billion, companies like Lockheed sees a huge growth potential here.

And it was none other than Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who said in Hyderabad recently during a major civil aviation show that India offered a $300 billion market by 2020 for new aircraft, infrastructure and air traffic control, navigation and security systems.

"The entire world now thinks India is the place to grow and we are very much focussed on the Indian market as our business here can grow to as much as $1 billion in the next few years," said Fred A. Treyz III of another US giant Raytheon.

"China may be growing too but most American aviation companies who also have a presence in the defence sector are not allowed to do business with Chinese companies, so we have to focus on India," said Treyz who is the company's director of business development and strategic planning.

As aviation infrastructure suppliers slug it out for the Indian market, aircraft makers, too, see India as the place to grow. Bell Helicopter, for example, took 52 years to sell its first 100 choppers in India, but now expects to sell the next 100 in less than five years.

"India is our fastest growing market," says Greg Hubbard, director of communications for Bell Helicopter, which claims a 52 percent market share in the chopper market, followed closely by Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter with 40 percent.

'We believe that the helicopter market in the country has the potential of doubling in the next few years,' said Norbert Ducrot, Eurocopter's senior vice president for sales and marketing in Asia.

India is also a hot market for corporate and business jets. Outside the US, India is the second-largest market after Brazil for Hawker Beechcraft, said Sean McGeough, the company's vice president of international sales.

Despite being a little slow to take off, Montreal-based Bombardier, another leading manufacturer of business jets, now has three sales representatives in India and will also set up a regional customer support office for the sub-continent next year.

"The potential for Bombardier as a regional carrier in this market is vast and it is our hope and expectation to build on that in the months and years to come," Bombardier's senior adviser John Arnone told recently.

But what about the current troubles of Indian carriers? The two major commercial aircraft manufacturing giants Airbus and Boeing think it is a temporary aberration and will soon correct itself.

"There is now too much overcapacity but the potential for growth in India is huge," says Kiran Rao, European aircraft giant Airbus's executive vice-president of sales and marketing.

"If the Indian economy is growing at 7-8 percent, then air traffic growth will be 14-15 percent. So we are very much focussed on India," he said. This perception is also shared by Dinesh A. Keskar, Boeing's senior vice president of sales of commercial airplanes.

"India is the growth story of the world and it is going to be the future," he said.