AWS Extends Cloud Computing Curriculum To Students Across 21 Higher Education Institutions In India

* Institutions across nine states will deliver cloud curriculum developed with AWS through more than 100 trained faculty members

After successfully integrating cloud computing curriculum in programs of study at seven education institutions in 2020, Amazon Web Services (AWS) will add another 21 higher education institutions* across India offering cloud computing curriculum as part of their undergraduate and post-graduate programs starting in the 2021-22 academic year. The cloud computing curriculum will be included in engineering programs for computer science and information technology, degree programs such as Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Computer Applications, and post-graduate degree programs in technology and management offered by these institutions in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.

Students in these institutions will learn about cloud architecture, data analytics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). In addition to AWS training and learning resources, students will have access to the AWS Management Console, a simple web interface that that provides them real-world, hands-on experience in using and experimenting with AWS cloud services and building applications. To ensure that students have access to trained educators, more than 100 faculty members at the institutions have been trained to deliver the cloud computing curriculum to students.

This new approach by education institutions aligns with India’s National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) recommendations and highlights the importance of advancing technical education at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels, enhancing institutional capabilities in technology and providing students enhanced experiential learning opportunities.

“We know that technology is redefining India’s workforce and the skills needed to remain competitive. AWS is committed to building the future technology workforce in India by introducing students to cloud computing skills early in their learning path. With AWS training and learning resources, students benefit from the practical skills they gain to immediately add value in high value technology roles, and accelerate their careers,” said Sunil PP, Lead – Education, Space and Non-Profits, AISPL, AWS India and South Asia said. He added, “We are delighted to see more higher education institutions take the initiative to integrate cloud computing curriculum in their education programs to develop the next-generation of cloud computing professionals.”

The report ‘Unlocking APAC’s Digital Potential: Changing Digital Skill Needs and Policy Approaches’ prepared by AlphaBeta and commissioned by AWS found that India will need nine times as many digital skilled workers by 2025. The study found that 76% of India’s digital workers – defined as individuals who have the ability to apply digital technologies on work-related tasks – are not applying cloud computing skills today, but believe it will be a requirement to perform their jobs by 2025. Cloud architecture design, software operations support, website and game software development, large-scale data modelling, and cybersecurity skills are cited as the top five in-demand digital skills in India.

About Amazon Web Services

For over 15 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud offering. AWS has been continually expanding its services to support virtually any cloud workload, and it now has more than 200 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), media, and application development, deployment, and management from 81 Availability Zones within 25 geographic regions, with announced plans for 21 more Availability Zones and seven more AWS Regions in Australia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. 

Facebook Launches New Campaign To Encourage People To Follow COVID-Appropriate Behaviour

* The #MyStory campaign – made in collaboration with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Population Foundation of India and Love Matters India – aims to normalize the need to vaccinate and follow COVID-19 protocols

Facebook, in partnership with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Population Foundation of India and Love Matters India, has launched #MyStory, a campaign that spotlights the importance of taking continued precautions to curb the spread of the COVID-19.

The campaign, conceptualized and created by Weber Shandwick India, includes 10 short films, each focusing on narrating personal and relatable stories about the impact of COVID-19 on our lives. The campaign furthermore asks users to share their stories from the pandemic to build a sense of community from shared experiences. The films were conceptualized as part of a behavioural change campaign with the insight that personal and relatable stories lead to “normalization” and, in turn, greater acceptance of COVID-appropriate behaviours and vaccination.

Commenting on the campaign, Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships, Facebook, said, “Ever since the start of the pandemic, we have been working closely with health experts and governments worldwide to direct users to authentic resources on health and encourage them to follow appropriate behaviours that can help curb the pandemic. Conceptualized in collaboration with other leading health organisations, this campaign builds on how content can be leveraged to communicate the need for following COVID-19 norms and encourages people to opt for vaccines. Each of these videos has an element of human truth, mirroring day-to-day instances in a relatable manner.

People have undergone different experiences in the past year-and-a-half, and every experience is a story in itself. The idea behind #MyStory is also to encourage these people to come forward and share their stories. At a larger level, through this campaign we want to ‘normalize’ COVID-19 safety protocols and the need to get vaccinated.” 

All the films in the campaign are 15-20 seconds long with impactful storytelling and a strong reveal at the end. For example, one of the videos showcases a friend who is keen to visit Goa over an upcoming long weekend but is taken to task by his friend who reminds him of the importance of observing safeguards against a possible third wave. In another video, released on Raksha Bandhan, a brother books a vaccination slot for his sister in order to showcase his love for his sister. 

"What makes this campaign stand out is its powerful storytelling and that many of these stories feature or are focused on women, which is important since women are critical decision makers for health and wellbeing in their families. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted women and girls in many different ways," said Poonam Muttreja, Population Foundation of India.

The mobile-first approach of the campaign is also something that makes it easily consumable, especially for the youth. Vithika Yadav from Love Matters India - an organisation that provides critical health and development information to a community of 20 million young people said, “It is essential to get the youth involved in the conversation around Covid-appropriate behaviours - they are one of the groups most likely to be stepping out of the house. We need to acknowledge their concerns and frustrations, while simultaneously helping them understand the importance of protecting themselves. This campaign manages to do that effectively, and the format of the films makes them highly engaging for this age group.”

EVRE Partners With MoEVing To Add 1000+ EV Charging Stations Across India

* First-of-its kind partnership of a fleet operator and EV charging company

* Better demand assessment by MoEVing will ensure higher utilization of EVRE chargers

* Offers overall saving of 5.4 MT CO2 emissions and 2.4 million litres of fossil fuel annually

EVRE, India’s leading EV Charging Infrastructure player, announced today its partnership with MoEVing, India’s leading tech enabled electric fleet startup for urban mobility.  Under the partnership, EVRE will set-up 1,000 EV charging stations across India within the next six months, which will be utilised by MoEVing and other EV fleet owners.  The long-term partnership will also be based on an innovative business model, where charging stations can be cross utilised. For example, currently in Bengaluru, MoEVing is using EVRE public charging stations and parallelly, EVRE is also using MoEVing charging stations at Bangalore.  

EVRE will conceptualise designing, manufacturing, establishing, operating and maintaining this EV charging infrastructure.  The technology for all the chargers, existing and upcoming, is owned and operated by EVRE.  Taking an integrated approach to demand aggregation, supply optimization, connecting with charging infrastructure and financing, in this partnership MoEVing will help in demand assessment of where EVRE should set up charging stations for higher utilization. This network expansion and usage is equivalent to the telecom industry such that one can cross utilise the charging infrastructure network similar to the telecom industry, boosting overall usage and adoption.

Vikash Mishra, Founder and CEO of MoEVing said, “Charging Infrastructure expansion should follow the telecom network expansion route. Accessibility to charging infrastructure is key to accelerating India’s electrical vehicle adoption. This partnership with EVRE is an exciting endeavor in the larger Electric Vehicle space where both partners will be cross utilizing the charging infrastructure built by us and EVRE. The partnership also helps us in expanding our fleet more optimally and ensuring access for drivers to charging infrastructure at the same time. This partnership would go long way in being the role model for building the EV ecosystem in India”

Commenting on this partnership, Krishna K Jasti, Co-Founder and CEO of EVRE said, “Electrification of logistics must form a priority for our mobility with the segment contributing a significant market share in the overall mobility sector in the country.  With one-of-its-kind partnership across the country, MoEVing and EVRE will be able to establish an ideal EV charging ecosystem that will eventually help bring down the CO2 emissions by 5.4 MT and save 2.4 Million litres of fossil fuel annually.  Through such partnership, we at EVRE, are working towards helping EV players with solutions that help them leverage technologies with automation and increased efficiency for end-users”.

The phase-wise implementation will include EVRE setting-up 200 charging stations in Bengaluru, 200 in Hyderabad and the rest in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Chandigarh, Pune and Mumbai.  Over the next six months, EVRE and MoEVing will work together to strengthen charging infrastructure across the cities mentioned and ensure access to this infrastructure to support MoEVing’s expanding commercial EV fleet across urban communities.

About MoEVing:

MoEVing is a technology led company with a vision to transform the EV ecosystem to accelerate EV adoption in India. With an integrated approach to demand aggregation, supply optimization, connecting with charging infrastructure and financing, it aims to on board 1 million EV by 2030, have 50% of India’s charging stations on its app, finance large proportion of EV fleet and facilitate financing of the same through other partners, and abate 5 Billion MT of carbon. Leading a team having experience of completing 100 million e-km deployments across multiple cities in India, Vikash Mishra, founder of moEVing has extensive experience in the consulting, energy and mobility industry both in India and abroad. moEVing is currently operating in 9 cities with the plan to expand to 100+ cities in the next 3-5 years. Our mission is to drive sustainable mobility along with sustainable livelihoods for drivers by providing them increased earnings in a respectful manner.

About EVRE: EVRE is India’s leading integrated charging infrastructure company that follows EAAS (Energy-as-a-Service) model, offering public charging infrastructure in a pay-per-use model in nine cities across India.  EVRE is working towards enabling EV-ready communities and cities with sustainable Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure that are not only convenient but prompt consumers to make the switch with ease.  Founded in 2017, EVRE aims to enhance the experience of the EV users with smart and connected infrastructure for seamless and immersive consumer experience while ensuring sustainability through its solar-powered Intellipoles. 

EVRE is focussed on establishing and maintaining 50,000 EV charging stations by 2023.

Fisdom forays Into Tech-Led HNI Wealth Space; Appoints Abhijit Bhave As The CEO Of Fisdom Private Wealth

Fisdom, India's leading wealth-tech company, has announced the launch of its new venture Fisdom Private Wealth. The company has entered the technology led wealth management space to cater to the investment needs of HNIs. It has roped in wealth management industry veteran, Abhijit Bhave as the Chief Executive Officer to head Fisdom Private Wealth.

Fisdom Private Wealth will be offering differentiated investment products to its clients - Mutual Funds, PMS, AIFs, Unlisted private equity, Bonds, FDs, Structured products, Insurance as well as international products. This new arm of Fisdom under the aegis of Abhijit Bhave, also plans to launch various other proprietary products in the due course. Fisdom Private Wealth aims to bridge the gap of underserved HNI markets in the country with a robust tech-platform augmented with dedicated support by experienced wealth managers.

Over two and a half decades across the financial services industry in India, UAE and Vietnam, Abhijit has held leadership roles in large global organizations like Deutsche Bank & HSBC. He has also had stints with Karvy Private Wealth, ICICI Bank and Unit Trust of India in various roles and functions across diverse verticals such as asset management, cash management, corporate and retail banking.

Fisdom has pioneered a unique bank partnership led wealth management model that provides access to high quality services to customers in tier 2 and tier 3 locations. In the near future Fisdom Private Wealth will also look to extend its services to the HNI customers of Fisdoms partner banks as well.

Fisdom Private Wealth has started-off its business with 50 people at 10 locations in India including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Lucknow, Chandspan>garh Kolkata, Bangalore, Surat, Pune, Baroda and Bhopal, with an objective of widening its reach to serve HNIs across the country and even overseas. This new venture plans to further provide a new dimension to wealth management offerings through technology and empower HNIs to take superior decisions in their investment journey.

Fisdom Private Wealth also has a dedicated application (App) that provides fast and secure transactions with a user-friendly interface. Apart from the app, clients also have the choice to have in-person consultations thereby offering a mix of digital and physical solutions and making it a Phygital wealth management business proposition for HNIs.

Subramanya SV, Co-Founder and CEO, Fisdom said, We are delighted to venture into private wealth segment and welcome Abhijit to lead this business with his proven expertise and experience. With Fisdom Private Wealth, which is one of our major strategic initiatives, we aim to transform the way HNIs experience their wealth management journey. Through our robust and secure technology infrastructure, we endeavour to provide best-in-class wealth management solutions backed by comprehensive research and capabilities. With Abhijits experience in multiple facets of the financial services sector in different geographies, we are confident that he will help this create an impactful business, assisting our HNI clients in achieving their investment goals.

Abhijit Bhave, CEO, Fisdom Private Wealth said, I am excited to embark on a new journey with a dynamic brand like Fisdom. India is a relatively under-penetrated market for private wealth segment, especially in tier 2 and 3 cities. This gives us an opportunity to expand the reach of our technology-led products and services, thereby making Fisdom Private Wealth accessible to the Indian affluent class not only in the untapped domestic markets but also internationally.

About Fisdom:

Fisdom, co-founded by Anand Dalmia and Subramanya SV is Indias leading digital wealth management platform providing solutions across investments, savings and protection. Fisdom blends technology with financial knowledge to bring simplicity, accessibility and trust in financial products for the vastly underserved population in India.  Several banks and financial institutions have partnered with Fisdom to provide access to financial products to their customers. Fisdoms partners include Oriental Bank of Commerce, Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank, UCO Bank, Karnataka Bank, City Union Bank, Bajaj Finserv and several more.

Clinical Research Organization SIRO Clinpharm And JRF Join Hands To Offer End To End Drug Development Solution

SIRO Clinpharm Private Limited, India’s oldest clinical research organization has announced an agreement with JRF, a 45-year-old India based contract research organization, with an expansive portfolio of non-clinical regulatory research services to provide pre-clinical offerings. With this second strategic partnership, SIRO has now expanded its offering portfolio by providing end-to-end services. Last year in June 2020, the company had announced its first strategic partnership with Azidus to expand combined services offerings and avail access to an expanded client base for technical requisites of pharma and biotech industries.

SIRO focuses on patient studies and support trials from Phase II to Phase IV, whereas JRF offers GLP Compliant, Customer-focused, highly interactive services in the fields of Toxicology, Ecotoxicology, Chemistry, Environmental Fate, and Metabolism, and other regulatory testing requirements. JRF is well recognized for its expertise in Genetic Toxicology, repeat dose toxicology, (including the inhalation route), Reproductive toxicology, with strong bioanalytical support to assess not only systemic exposure but also product-specific immunotoxicity, biomarker assessment using HPLC-MS/MS, Flow Cytometry, and related state of the art equipment. This arrangement will help SIRO to expand their offerings with comprehensive services, to their expanded pool of clients.

Commenting on the agreement, Akshay Daftary, Director at SIRO Clinpharm said, “Strategic alliances are always mutually beneficial, fruitful and, in our case, both the alliances have been a strong testimony to it. The agreement with JRF resonates with the company's firm belief and vision of providing end-to-end solutions. The agreement would definitely boost SIRO’s presence across geographies like Japan, EU, LatAm countries, Canada, and the USA.”

“The Preclinical testing is akin to an engine for the safety assessment. The needs of their sponsors stand provided with well-calibrated scientific solutions, in respect of potential obstacles during clinical testing. The interpretation of the Preclinical trials at JRF could offer indications to SIRO, to build up additional endpoints during the clinical trials. JRF's reputed and well-received preclinical studies and interpretations will enable SIRO to stand benefitted in designing the trial protocols with a differentiation against the conventional service providers. With this agreement, both the companies stand to benefit, with their pooled mutual scientific talent and their capabilities to offer comprehensive solutions to their mutual sponsors”, said Dr. Sameer Navalgund, Director, JRF-Global.

Shriram City Union Finance Launches Express Two-Wheeler Loans

·         Shriram City is the largest two wheeler financer in the country

·         Empower users with on-the-go digital financing option 24x7

·         Offers loan approval of up to 100% on-road price of two-wheelers

Shriram City Union Finance Ltd. (Shriram City), India’s largest two-wheeler financer (number of 2W financed) and part of the Shriram Group, has launched an AI-enabled lending platform - Express Two-wheeler Loans (E2L). The platform will allow instant loan approval of up to 100 percent on-road price of the two-wheelers.

Customers can avail a fully digital and paperless two-wheeler loan facility round the clock in just a few minutes, without visiting a branch and submitting physical documents.

Speaking at the launch YS Chakravarti, MD & CEO, Shriram City Union Finance said, “India’s growing digital loan market is set to touch $1 trillion by 2024, and Shriram City being a leader in two-wheeler financing aims to further expand its market share through the newly launched E2L facility. This will enable customers to meet their financial requirements from the comfort of their homes. The platform will allow both existing and non-Shriram City customers to avail instant two-wheeler loans through our App or website in a completely paperless and digital manner. Technology is the backbone of all innovation at Shriram Group, and we are constantly working towards providing a superior customer experience.”

Salient Features of ‘Express Two-wheeler Loans – E2L’:

·         An Online Platform giving customers an In-principal approval for a loan in just a few minutes

·         Customers will have to upload bank statements and provide basic details

·         BRE supported AI-based tool calculates eligibility and generates an in-principal sanction letter/voucher

·         Customers can present the voucher number to the dealer 

·         Dealer can review all the relevant customer details on the handheld device 

·         The customer is given maximum eligibility, thereby allowing them to choose a costlier brand if needed

Here are the steps to avail of the loan in a few simple steps:

Log in to Shriram City Union Finance, click on two-wheeler loans - Apply now or download MyShriramCity App.

Step 1: Provide basic details

Step 2: Select Vehicle

Step 3: Provide financial details

Step 4: Upload documents

Step 5: Get an online voucher (in-principal sanction letter)

Step 6: Visit dealer for your bike delivery

About Shriram City Union Finance

Shriram City Union Finance (Shriram City; BSE: SHRMCITY, NSE: SHRIRAMCIT), a 35-year-old company and part of the Shriram Group, is one of India’s leading non-banking finance companies. Focused on the rural and semi-urban sector, the Company has over 4.15 Million customers and has an Asset Under Management of around USD 4 Billion. The Company is a leading Two wheeler financier, provides loans to SMEs, Gold loans and also has a Housing Finance Subsidiary, Shriram Housing Finance Ltd with an AUM of USD 525 Million. Shriram City has 926 branches and employee strength of 25,000 across India as of 30 June 2021. The companies Long term credit rating is at AA by CRISIL, ICRA, India Ratings and CARE. Shriram City has been named one of the Best Place to Work in India in 2021 by AmbitionBox, an Info Edge subsidiary.

About Shriram Group

Shriram Group is India’s leading financial conglomerate with a dominant presence in commercial vehicle (CV) financing, retail financing, chit fund, equipment financing, housing finance, life insurance, general insurance, stockbroking, distribution of financial products, and wealth advisory services. The Group focuses on serving the underserved and is driven by its Financial Inclusion agenda of bringing finance to low-income families and small businesses. Shriram Capital Limited is the holding company for the Financial Services (Shriram City Union Finance, Shriram Housing Finance Ltd. & Shriram Transport Finance Limited) and Insurance entities (Shriram General Insurance & Shriram Life Insurance) of the Shriram Group, created with the primary objective of optimizing the synergies across the Group’s entities.

Shriram Group together has an overall customer base in excess of 21.5 Million, around 74,500 employees across 3,950 branches. Net profit of INR 49 billion with Assets Under Management (AUM) of over INR 1.75 trillion (FY21).

Honeywell And ICT Academy Collaborate To Develop 50 Centres Of Excellence For Skilling In India

* To invest INR 10 crore (INR 100M) to build a future-ready workforce

Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), the philanthropic arm of Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company, has entered into a three-year partnership with ICT Academy to create centres of excellence for skill development in 50 colleges across the country. As part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, Honeywell has committed INR 10 crore (INR 100M) in the first year to develop these centres, which will offer certifications in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Big Data Analytics, and Nano technology. This upskilling program will empower 15,000 students – half of whom are women – through the project cycle and provide job placements.

The program offers a globally recognized certificate that will benefit bright students from marginalized sections of society who are enrolled in engineering, arts, and science colleges in tier-1 and tier-2 cities across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. HHSIF is also establishing centers for women students, demonstrating Honeywell’s commitment to promoting inclusion and diversity in the country’s workforce.

Ashish Gaikwad, President, Honeywell India, and Director, HHSIF, said, “As Industry 4.0 transforms the world of work to boost people productivity, asset effectiveness, and process efficiency, there is a growing need for a future-ready workforce that is equipped with the right skillsets. Digital fluency is necessary to gain employment in tech-related fields, and Honeywell is proud to partner with ICT Academy to contribute to this skilling initiative.”

The student learning pathway in the program includes 100 hours of classroom sessions, personal mentoring in select technologies, proficiency assessments, certification, and campus placements. Honeywell leaders will also volunteer personal time to evaluate content, deliver guest lectures, and mentor students.

Speaking about this partnership, Dr. Anbuthambi Bhojarajan, President, ICT Academy, said, “Technology has become part of every business. As technologies evolve, skilling will be key to employment and economic development. At ICT Academy, we continuously strive to develop a sustainable skill ecosystem right from the bottom of the pyramid by collaborating with corporates, government, and academia. Our partnership with Honeywell is a step forward to serve society and will enable needy students to get trained in technologies required in the fourth industrial revolution.”

ICT Academy, an initiative of the Government of India, collaborates with state governments and industries to equip teachers and students with skills that match industry requirements and generate employment in tier-2 and tier-3 cities and rural areas.

HHSIF’s programs are inspired by global and national priorities under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and related national policies. The Government of India’s Economic Survey of India 2020-21 identified “saving lives and livelihoods” as one of the top priorities in the post-pandemic period. Government policies reflect the need for setting up health infrastructure, awakening and empowering communities, and restoring livelihoods. Accordingly, HHSIF’s programs focus on education and skill development, gender equality, natural resources and the environment, holistic rural development, and disaster management.

About Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF)

Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF) is a not-for-profit organization that deploys Honeywell’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts in five critical areas: education and skill development, gender equality, natural resources and the environment, holistic rural development, and disaster management. HHSIF’s programs include Honeywell STEM Education for Youth, a skilling program for women and youth to build a future-ready workforce; Honeywell Model Village for holistic rural development; Honeywell Start-up Support Program for incubation in deep science; Honeywell Center for Advancing Girls in Science at Avasara Academy to promote STEM education among girls; and Honeywell COVID-19 relief.

About ICT Academy

ICT Academy (www.ictacademy.in) is an initiative of the Government of India in collaboration with the state Governments and Industries. ICT Academy is a not-for-profit society, the first of its kind pioneer venture under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model that endeavours to train the higher education teachers and students thereby exercises on developing the next generation teachers and industry ready students. ICT Academy was started to meet the skill requirements of the industry and generate more employment especially in tier 2 and 3 towns, the rural parts of the country. Through its various initiatives, ICT Academy has been part of strengthening the India’s four important visions on Skill India, Digital India, Startup India and Make in India.