Manipal Hospitals Bengaluru Pledges For A ‘Cancer Less Future’

In an attempt to raise awareness and build cancer care capacity for a future without cancer, Manipal Hospitals Bengaluru today launched “Centre of Excellence for Immunotherapy, Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC)” at its premises today.

Aimed at educating people on early screening to detect and defect cancer, the hospital also unveiled a Dream Catcher, which is a positive element to signify Good Health on World Cancer Day. The Centre of Excellence for Immunotherapy and the campaign were launched by Ms. Manisha Koirala, Actress, Model and Cancer Survivor in the presence of Dr. H. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman Manipal Hospitals, Dr. Somashekhar S.P, Chairman & HOD Surgical Oncology, Manipal Hospitals Bengaluru & Dr. Amit Rauthan, Medical Oncologist, Manipal Hospitals Bengaluru.

Cancer is a disease caused primarily due to environmental and genetic factors. It can affect almost any part of the body. According to National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), an estimated number of around 2.25 million people are living with cancer.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. H. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman Manipal Hospitals said, “The reason behind the alarming statistics of cancer is the ignorance and denial of people, which often leads to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Nevertheless, problem lies in management of cancer and not the disease. In order to resolve the issue, Manipal Hospitals aim is to invest in best of technology in terms of treatment and create opportunities to make them accessible to public thereby reducing the burden of transportation. In fact, we have been supporting the cause of cancer awareness for years now with various initiatives. This year in order to take control of one’s health with the latest in cancer care; Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Centre has launched the Centre of Excellence for Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) as well as Centre of Excellence for Immunotherapy which are game changers in management of cancer.”

Speaking on the occasion renowned Model, Actress and Cancer Survivor Ms. Manisha Koirala said, “Cancer is deadly and very traumatizing. However, we can overcome it by adapting a positive attitude and healthy lifestyle. Being a cancer survivor myself, I learnt that having a positive mind and attitude towards could help us overcome our fears. However, there is need for creating awareness on cancer, early detection and working towards preventing the disease. I am glad to be a part of this initiative by Manipal Hospitals where I can encourage people and contribute towards the cause to some extent.”

Though cancer is a major cause of mortality, it can be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle. Consumption of tobacco, alcohol and junk food can also enhance risk of cancer. It is important to follow a regular fitness regime. Significant proportion of cancers can be cured by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy and immunotherapy, especially if they are detected early.

Elaborating on Immunotherapy and HIPEC & PIPEC, Dr. Somashekhar S.P, Chairman & HOD Surgical Oncology, Manipal Hospitals Bengaluru said, “Ensuring the availability of and access to, early detection programs for cancer can significantly reduce the cancer burden in all countries. For many low- and middle-income countries, the provision of a skilled cancer workforce to diagnose and manage cancer is a key barrier to the delivery of early detection. However, with advancements in cancer treatments like Immunotherapy and Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC), the burden of cancer care has reduced. In fact, Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Center at Manipal Hospital is the referral Center for HIPEC and PIPAC across Asia for advanced ovarian cancer and GI peritoneal cancers and highest number of HIPEC and PIPAC in entire Asia are done here”.

Considering this year’s theme for World Cancer Day, “I am and I will”, Manipal Hospitals have also launched a campaign called ‘Cancer Can Be Defeated’ as a personal positive commitment. The rationale behind this campaign is to raise awareness about cancer and encourage public to lead a healthy lifestyle, which is signified by unveiling a Dream Catcher in the premises of Hospital & other public places across the city.

In addition, a cancer troop created by Manipal Hospitals has been initiated with NGOs across 31 districts in Karnataka in order to promote the fight against cancer. The hospital even plans to organize a series of events for the next 6-7 months.

Present at the event Dr. Amit Rauthan, Medical Oncologist, Manipal Hospitals Bengaluru said, “Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps body’s immune system to fight cancer which now is expanding in many kinds of cancers. It not only helps cancer patients survive longer with good quality of life but also potentially cures some advanced cancer patients. On the other hand, while Pressurized IntraPeritoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a minimally invasive therapy, Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a treatment option for people who have advanced surface spread of cancer within the abdomen, without disease involvement outside of the abdomen. Both of which have lot of advantages like reducing chemotherapy side effects, improving chemotherapy absorption and susceptibility of cancer cells and so on.”

“Immunotherapy is the most recent advance in cancer management and is now being used in the treatment of many cancers. It works by allowing the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer cells. The major advantage is that it does not have the side effects of chemotherapy; and in patients who respond, the response can last for very long. Thus it not only helps cancer patients survive longer with good quality of life, but can also potentially cure some advanced cancer patients. “ Dr. Amit added.

Manipal Hospitals has always been on the forefront in providing world-class oncology treatment. Be it Digital Mammography with Tomosynthesis technology used in breast cancer care or Linear Accelerator (LINAC) used in general cancer management or robotic minimal invasive cancer surgeries, its endeavor to make a difference in cancer treatments has enabled the hospital to emerge as one of the prominent healthcare providers in the country. Now with Immunotherapy in unleashing the power of the immune system against cancer, Manipal Hospitals has added one more feather in cap of Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Employee Volunteers Drive the Clean-Up & Beautification of Bangalore City

In line with the philosophy of “Respect for the planet”, the employees of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) volunteered for a cleanliness drive under its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative to beautify Bangalore city and make public places cleaner.

In an endeavor to create better surroundings, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today conducted its sixth activity under ‘ICARE’, an employee voluntary initiative to paint the Nayandahalli flyover and spruce up the junction. Toyota aims to spread awareness on the importance of clean environment and undertake clean-up activity in one of the busiest and largest junctions in Bengaluru. More than 150 Toyota employees jointly participated towards making Bangalore city cleaner and beautiful. This CSR move by TKM has been in partnership with The Ugly Indian group to bring out a larger gathering [a total of 300 volunteers including Toyota employees and Ugly Indian volunteers] for a common social cause, transforming the select city junction into a clean environment.

The activity was divided into two phases. Firstly, beautification of the flyover walls and pillars through painting and designing murals and secondly repairing of the space below the flyover which is mainly used as parking space. In order to provide a feel-good factor to the road users, the volunteers also blocked the visibility of the drains around to ensure clean space around.

With a view to scale-up the active implementation contributing to nation’s mission of “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”, TKM concerted efforts enhances the spirit of cleanliness in the community around and provides optimum developmental benefits from such initiatives.

Speaking on this initiative, Naveen Soni, Vice President - Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “At Toyota, we believe in giving back to the society we live in through integrated strength. Our objective is not only manufacturing ever better cars, but also enrich community lives.

As a responsible corporate citizen, we want to instill cleanliness as a mindset among the citizens of Bengaluru through this fun-filled activity. Cleaner public places and a beautiful city is desirable to all and we are trying to achieve that in our own ways. We believe in the philosophy ‘Grow together’ and thus focus on the community around us. We at Toyota would like to further enhance the Beauty of the Garden City which Bengaluru is known as, to its true sense.

‘ICARE’ is driven solely by the passion of our employees and shared responsibility to make a big difference in the society we live in. These kinds of activities empower our employees to be the change makers in the community and support them grow as individuals with real understanding of the social issues around them. Our employees have been actively involved to drive many CSR interventions in the areas of health, environment and education.” He added.

One of Toyota’s global CSR priorities is to protect the environment and reduce the amount of harm done to it, by instilling eco-mindsets in children and the community. Under its Environment initiatives, Toyota has developed an Eco Zone to create a biodiversity zone where children can observe and learn about the environment beyond classroom, while communities will evidence the environment conservation in person. With Eco Zone, Toyota Kirloskar is promoting “Harmonious co-existence” of humans and nature through various eco-activities.

Eco-Zone has been developed in the premises of TKM manufacturing plant. It is an open-air learning center, designed for eco-experiential learning for students. It is spread across an area of 25 acres alongside 500KW solar park.

As a part of the water conservation and environment drive, TKM adopted a lake (Abbanakuppe) in the vicinity - a first of its kind project, with an objective to protect the natural resource. This Lake Rejuvenation project is planned to run in collaboration with local community to ensure the sustainability of the lake. The objective is for the community to take ownership of the lake to ensure they have a supply of safe drinking for years to come. Four villages in the vicinity will be benefitted by this lake.

With GreenMe initiative, TKM is working with students, teachers and community to create pro-environment behavior in terms of water, waste, climate change issues, using environment education as a tool. Children are engaged through activity-based module focusing on the change in the mindset.

Our CSR’s main objective is to nurture the young minds and to spread the awareness from child to community in various focus areas of Education, Sanitation, Health, Road Safety and Environment.

Through varied CSR projects, Toyota has touched more than 11,00,000 lives. Toyota will further continue its various CSR interventions from a longer-term perspective and development of socio-economic stature of the society, touching many more lives to make a difference in each one’s well-being.

Popular American Brand Cold Stone Creamery Opens in Forum Shantiniketan Mall

Tablez, the organised retail arm of LuLu Group International, is ringing in the summer season with the opening of a new outlet of Cold Stone Creamery at The Forum Shantiniketan Mall, in Whitefield Bengaluru, today. This is the 6th store of Cold Stone Creamery in Bengaluru, with expansion plans of adding 6 more outlets in the city by the end of 2019.

Completing 30 years in 2018 and a presence in over 30 countries worldwide, Cold Stone Creamery is a force to reckon within the ice-cream industry. A pioneer in fresh ice-cream with delicious ingredients and unique customer service, Cold Stone Creamery is well known for crafting the freshest and 100% vegetarian ice-cream products.

Speaking on the launch, Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director, Tablez said, “Since introducing Cold Stone Creamery three years back, this brand has set itself apart with unique flavours and unmatched experience to become a consumer favourite across India. We are delighted to start this new outlet in Forum Shantiniketan Mall and believe that it will bring ice cream lovers together in an interactive store experience unlike any other.”

Cold Stone Creamery has “Signature Creations” and “Create Your Own” concepts, with over 20 toppings, where the ice-cream is customised for each guest by combining a variety of mix-ins on a frozen granite stone. New flavours of the season are Rose Faluda, Dark Indulgence and Hazelnut Crunch. The chosen flavour-scoops are put on the slab and the mix-ins - which can be of a variety of nuts, chocolates, candies - depending on the choice of the customer, are mixed with the ice cream to create a blended treat. The store also offers signature ice cream cakes, shakes, smoothies and sorbets.

Cold Stone Creamery’s trained crew guide the customers through different aspects of the experience to help them give an ‘Ultimate ice-cream experience’. Crew members are trained in not just serving ice cream, but also break into songs, dance and sometimes juggle the ice-cream to entertain their guests. Cold Stone’s delicate ‘chop-chop-fold-fold’ process ensures quick and gentle mixing to prevent the escape of air from the ice-cream.

SAAP Partners with Tenvic Sports to Enhance the Sports Culture in Andhra Pradesh

With the inspiring vision of the Hon. Chief Minister, SAAP (Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh) which is an apex body for Promotion of Sports in the state, has created a comprehensive sports policy that covers various sports disciplines across all districts of A.P. with regards to coaching programs. To create “Sports culture” as a long-term project by investing in Knowledge, Infrastructure and Technical expertise is the goal. One of the Core Principles is to acknowledge that physical education along with recreational, competitive and high-performance sport should be developed simultaneously.

 SAAP has partnered with private sports management firms such as TENVIC to achieve their planned objectives and goals in a systematic manner long-term.

New methodologies have been proposed to ensure sustainable and impactful delivery of sports coaching program from Grassroots to Centre of Excellence (CoE). The current sports coaching program has been designed across age-groups and skill levels in line with “A.P. State Sports Sunrise Model” which intends to improve participation of all children in the state of A.P and thereby enhance performance via Academies and CoE.

Speaking on the association, Mr. Anil Kumble says " TENVIC was started with the objective of identifying, nurturing and training talent at the grassroot level. This initiative by the govt of Andhra Pradesh and the Chief Minister Shri Nara Chandrababu Naidu touches upon all level of sports - from the grassroot to the center of excellence with additional focus on infrastructure development. TENVIC is proud to be associated with the sunrise state of Andhra Pradesh and look forward to a successful partnership in the upcoming year."

“The seed has been sown to realize the vision and promise of our Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu to develop sports culture in Sunrise state of Andhra Pradesh. TENVIC will play lead role in bringing state agencies, sponsors and sportspersons into a profitable relationship to realize vision in a steady manner”. As said by Mr. LV Subramaniam, Special Chief Secretary For Youth and Sports.

SAAP has created four-tier sports coaching program from Grassroots to Centre of Excellence (CoE) as Pinaka, Vijaya, Panchajanya and Gaandiva.

·         Pinaka – PLT Level (175 NTR Kreeda  Vikas Kendras)

·         Vijaya – Adopted Schools (Currently 32)

·         Panchajanya – Academies (Currently 9 regional centres)

·         Gaandiva – CoE (one center per sport)

The project outline includes facilitating a Center of Excellence which is a high performing training center for training and development of international class athletes and coaches with 5 international coaches at the CoE; 100 domestic coaches deployed across 13 A.P. districts at 100 training centers.

(1.1) Long-term Athlete Development :The LTAD model outlines a framework for the development of motor-skills and physical skills which run parallel to a chronological age profile of an athlete. This project attempts to explain the physiological development of a young athlete all the way to adulthood and has been ubiquitously implemented as a standard framework by national sporting bodies around the world

(1.2) Pinaka – PLT Level :Basic motor skills (walking, running, jumping) are fundamental to sports performance and form the basis from which more complex skills are acquired, through development of strength, balance, co-ordination. However, given that these qualities develop at different rates in each child, and interact in a complex way, the best we can probably say is that the ages of 6-12 seem to be a good time for basic motor and physical skills to develop.

The three different departments namely Education, Sports and Health will collaboratively develop a Sports Development based curriculum, which will be made mandatory part of Education System in Schools and in Higher Education. In all schools, recommendation is to have minimum one period daily for Sports and Physical literacy. State intends to

provide a playing area to every school kid in the school by 2020.

With this aim, SAAP is creating sports-based curriculum in 303 Adopted Schools across all districts in A.P. State. SAAP has awarded 32 of these school for TENVIC to manage and deliver the program. These would serve as feeding centres to the 6 regional sports academies to further progress the talent of the trainees.

(1.4) Panchajanya – Academies :A continuous, systematic sports training with scientific approach to the upcoming talented players is required to unearth sports talent and enable them to perform well at higher level competitions.

SAAP has created six regional sports Academies in the state. These centres will serve as a base for all junior athletes in the state. Key objectives are as follows:

- Specialized centres in select disciplines for individual and team games

-- Scientific Assessment and Training with modern tools and equipment

- Achieve High Performance Potential

- Prepare junior athletes to adopt pathways to grow into national and

  International reckoning.

SAAP has awarded TENVIC 9 of these academies to deliver the program.

(1.5) Gaandiva–Centre of Excellence :Centre of Excellence (CoE) for the training and development of international class athletes and coaches. This will follow a “Hub and Spoke” model, with a CoE high performance centre and 100 grassroots centres that will cover all of 13 A.P. districts.  The salient features of CoE are the following:

The project Is being delivered in a Hub and Spoke model. The COE or the Hub will train 75 elite athletes with the goal to bring Senior and Junior National medals by 2021 and International medals by 2028. Now, there are 36 athletes 10 more are expected to join by February 2019. The CoE is developed to promote the top talent in the state and ensure they receive the best in class training and opportunities to excel at the National and International levels. The spokes include 116 schools chosen by SAAP and each school will host 150 students from the school and neighboring schools to train athletes.  The second objective of Project Gaandiva for Athletics is deploying 116 athletics coaches at the grassroot level. These coaches will be responsible for developing interest and talent at the grassroot level.

HSIL Limited EBIDTA Jumps by 48% to Rs.109.15 Crore for Quarter Ending December 31, 2018

HSIL Limited today reported revenue of Rs.735.72 crore for quarter ending December 31, 2018 as against Rs.579.45 crore for the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The consumer business division of the Company grew 55% Y-o-Y in the quarter and the packaging business saw strong growth in revenue of 30% Y-o-Y.

Operating profit (EBIDTA) for the quarter stood at Rs.109.15 crore, and grew 48% Y-o-Y in the quarter. Profit before and after tax for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 was Rs.38.93 crore and Rs.25.50 crore, respectively, against the Profit before and after tax of Rs.24.80 crore (including exceptional loss of Rs.6.94 crore) and Rs.15.58 crore, for the corresponding quarter last year.

Sandip Somany, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, HSIL Limited said, “These solid sales gains, along with cost efficiencies generated Rs.25.50 crore profit for us this quarter. Our substantial investment in businesses outside of bathware space are yielding results, and this is visible from our initial success of plastic pipes and fittings business and profitability of consumer business. We have maximized our manufacturing capacity utilization and the same has aided us to achieve a strong result this quarter. “

He further said, “We expect sales and financial results across our businesses to further improve over the remainder of the current financial year driven by our investments in technology, digital tools and core innovation in products. We look forward to a strong FY 19-20.”

Financial highlights of the quarter ended December 31, 2018

Key Highlights of FY18-19 Q3:

·         Operating Revenue at Rs.735.72 crore up by 27%
·         EBIDTA at Rs.109.15 crore up by 48%
·         PBT at Rs.38.93 crore up by 57%

Tata Motors Bags Order to Supply Tigor EVs to Capgemini India

Tata Motors, has announced the next milestone on its journey of driving electrification, through its partnership with Capgemini, to deploy Tigor Electric Vehicles (EV) in three major cities. Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, will deploy the Tigor EVs at its Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad campus, reinforcing its commitment to a sustainable environment. Tata Motors has collaborated with Karthik Travels, a mobility solutions company to manage a smooth induction of the Tigor EV fleet into Capgemini’s transport ecosystem. The first batch of Tigor EVs was handed over by the Tata Motors team to Capgemini officials, at an event held at the company’s Bengaluru campus.

Commenting on the deployment of Tigor EVs, Shailesh Chandra, President – Electric Mobility Business and Corporate Strategy, Tata Motors, said, "We are delighted to partner with Capgemini on their thoughtful initiative of promoting zero-emission vehicles for the employee mobility needs. Tigor EV, recently awarded as the ‘Electric Car of the Year’ by Assocham India’, will join Capgemini’s existing fleet of cars. Tata Motors will continue to work towards bringing aspirational e-mobility solutions for the customers, leading the drive towards faster adoption of electric vehicles in the country. "

Tata Motors is playing a lead role in proactively driving the electric mobility in the country. To build a sustainable future for India, the company has been working collaboratively on various electric and hybrid vehicle solutions.

Urgent Need to Invest in R&D, Skill-Building, and Capacity Building for Skilled Individuals: Dr. Sriram Birudavolu.

Micro Focus Guides Enterprises into the Digital Transformation Era

Micro Focus has announced a critical milestone in a years-long effort to create and deliver solutions that help organizations transform their business in accordance with rapidly evolving IT requirements. By combining industry-leading software and domain expertise in four core areas – Enterprise DevOps, Hybrid IT Management, Predictive Analytics and Security Risk and Governance – the company is now uniquely positioned to deliver on all critical aspects of enterprise digital transformation to help customers innovate faster with less risk.

According to two recent reports from Gartner, there are indications that Digital Transformation is a priority in 2019:

“Growth is the number one priority for CEOs, and many see digital business as the primary means of achieving its growth objectives. Only 33% of enterprises have managed to reach the scaling stage of digital business.” Getting to the Details of the Digital Platform: A Gartner Theme Insight Report, Bill Swanton, December 7, 2018 

“Only 4% of organizations have no digital initiative at all, which signals a shift from digital as an option to digital as a mainstream platform.” Smarter with Gartner, “CIO Agenda 2019: Digital Maturity Reaches a Tipping Point”, October 16, 2018

“Digital transformation is forcing organizations to look at IT from more perspectives than ever before, as an effective strategy spans many different - previously disconnected - technology disciplines and investments,” said Tom Goguen, Chief Product Officer at Micro Focus. “Leading organizations today are looking for complete sets of solutions to achieve greater speed and agility, supported by a high level of protection and an advanced analytics ecosystem, to balance managing the top and bottom lines without the added risk of starting from scratch. Through a concerted effort that combines M&A and an aggressive R&D agenda, Micro Focus is now in a position to deliver on this promise.”

Micro Focus has Built Solutions that Target the Four Areas Most Critical to Lasting Digital Transformation Success

Enterprise DevOps—Build and deliver better software faster
Winning the race to innovate requires a high-speed approach. Micro Focus solutions unleash the power of DevOps across the hybrid IT landscape, quickly bringing innovative ideas to life at the pace of business to securely deliver high quality software and services faster

Hybrid IT Management — Run and transform
IT Infrastructure, services and even purchasing models are rapidly evolving.  Maximizing business value and accelerating outcomes compels organizations to find new ways to extend existing investments and take advantage of new platforms – from containers to public clouds to IoT. Micro Focus solutions help organizations run ITOps at the speed of DevOps, delivering services on demand and generating operational and business insights, all while helping organizations address security, compliance and governance requirements

Predictive Analytics—Analyze in time to act
Data lakes are valuable only if the business can surface the insights hidden within its depths. Micro Focus helps leverage machine learning to transform unlimited volumes of data into accurate, actionable, automated insights at the speed of your business. Be in a position to make predictions and influence business outcomes quickly and efficiently with comprehensive and relevant real-time intelligence

Security, Risk, and Governance—Secure what matters most
Cyber threats are escalating. Aging apps and processes (along with new ones) are full of unforeseen risks. Privacy and compliance requirements are mounting. Micro Focus provides the industry’s broadest set of integrated security, risk, and governance solutions, with an analytics-driven approach to securing what matters most - identities, applications and data

By delivering a holistic set of solutions that can be integrated together and with existing legacy systems, Micro Focus has differentiated itself by better matching the current and future enterprise IT reality – all in a market largely dominated by point solutions that are often not interoperable and only address a specific portion of collective IT needs. The breadth of the portfolio, depth of enabling analytics and proven ability to protect the organization’s most important assets gives customers the confidence they need to transform their business on their own terms, no matter where they are in the IT lifecycle.  The end result is greater speed and flexibility with lower overall risk.

This announcement follows a number of deliberate steps over the past 24 months to round out Micro Focus’ digital transformation capabilities. In order to deliver on the wide-ranging and complex requirements, the company pursued a two-pronged strategy. One step has been to strengthen the company’s overall portfolio through M&A. The acquisition of HPE software was an important first step to strengthen the company’s overall bench, and subsequent acquisitions have added further depth while at the same time previously announced divestitures have allowed the company to stay focused on its core strategy without negatively impacting customers. At the same time, the company has been executing on an aggressive product development strategy – such as launching a modernization approach for core business systems and announcing new data protection solutions for virtualized and Hybrid IT environments – to evolve its offerings and align to this overall strategy.