You Can Buy Nestle's Maggi Noodles Now Only On Snapdeal

Maggi was back on the shelves on Monday five months after the popular instant noodles were banned in the country for higher than permissible levels of lead in one of the biggest crises to hit Nestle.

The Swiss food giant’s best-seller in India, Maggi noodles returned in the same bright yellow packaging and at a price of Rs 12 for a single pack as was before June 5 when the country’s food regulator ordered their recall for unsafe levels of lead and failing to mention monosodium glutamate, or MSG, a chemical flavour enhancer.

“The return of Maggi Noodles on the auspicious eve of Deepawali and on the day of Dhanteras is a moment of celebration for all of us,” said Nestle India chairman and managing director Suresh Nayaranan.

It will be few months before the popular snack will be available across the country, as the ‘masala’ version has been relaunched in 100 cities towns, including Delhi.

All samples of Maggi Noodles Masala were cleared by three food-testing labs as mandated by the Bombay high court, Nestle India said. The tests were ordered by the court as it overturned the ban, calling it “arbitrary”.

“The rollout has begun today. It has been a challenging period for the Nestle Organisation, and therefore, there is a feeling of satisfaction at bringing back Maggi noodles,” Nestle India said in a regulatory filing. The company took a hit of Rs 450 crore and was forced to destroy more than 30,000 tonnes of the quick-cooking noodles. “It’s just a few hours of launch, but the response of consumer is overwhelming,” said Narayanan.

The noodles will not be available in Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Punjab and Uttrakhand, as local governments are yet to lift the ban after the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a recall in May, triggering a chain reaction across the country.

Nestle has also entered into an exclusive arrangement with Snapdeal, an ecommerce platform, to sell Maggi from November 12 though “registration” began on Monday. Maggie is presently available on Snapdeal in carton. A carton contains 100 packets.

Nestle India still faces Rs 640 crore class action suit filed by the government for allegedly misleading the public and indulging in unfair trade practices.

PayPal Invites Customers to Recharge and Get #BackToCode

PayPal, the global leader in online payments, today announced the launch of ‘Recharge’, a unique six-week program to empower women technologists to return to work after a personal career break. The program is designed to increase diversity in technology, while also giving individuals who want to return to work an opportunity to expand their experience and network.

Today in India, close to 50% of women drop-out of work before they reach mid-career, many of which are for personal reasons or to start a family. Studies have found that about 90% of them do want to return to work after a break, but on top of societal expectations, many are unsure of where to start and worry about whether they’ve fallen behind the industry in their time away from work. This is especially so in the fast-paced, dynamic technology industry, where the gender ratios fall far behind other sectors in the country.   

PayPal’s Recharge program is designed to put some of these concerns to rest, and help women technologists in India jumpstart their return to the workplace with the confidence and skills that will make them trailblazers in the industry. 

Recharge will be rolled out in three phases, beginning with a half-day launch in Chennai on November 19, 2015. Up to 100 women will have a chance to network with leaders from PayPal and the industry. They will also learn about the key first steps of getting back into the workforce, from updating their resumes to interviewing effectively for jobs.

After the launch, PayPal will interview these technologists and shortlist 30 of them for a three-week technology boot camp at the PayPal India’s Technology Center in Chennai from December 1 to 18, 2015. The boot camp will include technology and business-oriented training to help the participants get up to speed with the latest in the industry. This includes introductions to mobile app development and Node.js, as well as mentorship sessions with PayPal leaders in the center. 

PayPal will then offer full-time jobs and internships to up to 10 of the women for the following roles (in Chennai or Bangalore):

• Software Development Engineer
• Software Development – Test Engineer
• Scrum Master
• Release Engineer
• Risk Analyst Team Leader
• Customer Service Operations

“Recharge is a one-of-its-kind initiative that demonstrates PayPal’s commitment to building a strong and diverse organization, and to support women in India to pursue technical careers to their full potential.” Jayanthi Vaidyanathan, Director, Human Resources, PayPal India. “Women are a driving force for the economy in India. Recharge is another programme that PayPal has launched to help bridge the gender gap at work, which if we can address as an industry would create $2.9 trillion dollars in additional annual GDP in India by 2025.”

Recharge is open to women who have taken a personal career break for a period of 1-3 years, with at least 5 years of work experience in product development and analytics, with backgrounds in Java, J2EE, PEGA, scrum master, test automation, release engineering, risk analytics or operations. Interested applicants can submit their resumes to recharge@paypal.com .

Do Big Symposium 2015 Confluence Discusses IOT, M2M, LBS Technologies

Tata Docomo, the unified telecom brand of Tata Teleservices Ltd. (TTL), underscored digital disruption as the key to enable the Indian businesses with next generation connectivity, at its annual multi-city industry confluence ‘Do Big Symposium’. With more than 250 participants, consisting of CEOs, industry experts, entrepreneurs and CIOs, Tata Docomo led the discussion around the technologies powering digital disruption - Internet of Things, Location Based Services, M2M solutions, Mobile Device Management and many more.

Industry stalwarts like Vinita Bali - Former MD, Britannia; Greg Moran - Co-Founder & CEO, Zoomcar; Dr Rathan Kelkar, CEO of Excellence of eGovernance Center of Government of Karnataka; Ashvin Vellody - Partner - Digital Advisory, KPMG and several others came together to highlight the increasing momentum of business transformation through digital technology.

Tata Docomo provides the complete gamut of digital technologies including Marketing solutions, Enterprise Collaboration, Asset Connectivity and Enterprise Connectivity to its customers in India. Some of the specific solutions showcased during the symposium highlighted the pioneering role of Tata Docomo in driving innovation and industry disruption:

1.       Mobile Applications for Business: The integration of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) that enables critical aspects of business such as field transactions, information gathering, onsite services, connecting to company systems, real time updates, integrated dashboards, route tracking and resource control. All of this can be done through the web and mobile interface

 2.       Call Register Service: Call Register Service enables televoting, lead generation, market surveys, field force reporting, constant customer interaction and crucial customer interactions. This service enables seamless connectivity via a toll free number, with three sub-services – SMS, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and call back. These three services are supported by the cloud storage system, where the user will also have assurance of data security through a username and password. Some user cases for this are televoting through the television, call back option from banks and feedback for restaurants

3.       Internet of Things (IoT): IoT is a major revenue generator for businesses across various industry sectors, as it increases operational performance directly. IoT can be applied to many aspects of business services such as device detecting presence, self-diagnosing through a smart device, sensors that capture data, real time meter reading, end-to-end solutions and location based services.

 Commenting on the event, Harjit Singh Chauhan, Senior Vice President and Head - B2B Operations, Tata Teleservicesstated, “Tata Docomo, has been playing a pivotal role in the nationwide digital revolution, which is transforming businesses across industry sectors. We are witnessing aggressive innovation in the field of mobile, cloud and connectivity, which have thus become the key growth drivers of businesses in India. Trends like IoT, M2M, LBS, etc are creating new business avenues and disrupting the industry at a rapid pace. Companies that adopt and embrace this digital disruption will become the leaders of the future.”

The key point of discussion at the event was of technology being an enabler between the business and consumer, thereby leading to business transformation. Realizing the impact that technology has on the consumer, businesses, with the help of technology, can rethink business models, by positioning the consumer as the most important aspect. Another theme discussed at the event was the vision of the Digital India initiative being using technology-driven business transformation for advancement of rural and urban India.

After Bengaluru, the multi-city symposium, will move onto Pune, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad respectively, over the period of next three months. 

6.4 Billion Connected Things Will be in Use in 2016, Up 30% from 2015

Gartner, Inc. forecasts that 6.4 billion connected things will be in use worldwide in 2016, up 30 percent from 2015, and will reach 20.8 billion by 2020. In 2016, 5.5 million new things will get connected every day.

Gartner estimates that the Internet of Things (IoT) will support total services spending of $235 billion in 2016, up 22 percent from 2015. Services are dominated by the professional category (in which businesses contract with external providers in order to design, install and operate IoT systems), however connectivity services (through communications service providers) and consumer services will grow at a faster pace.

"IoT services are the real driver of value in IoT, and increasing attention is being focused on new services by end-user organisations and vendors," said Jim Tully, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

Enterprises to Bolster IoT Revenue

"Aside from connected cars, consumer uses will continue to account for the greatest number of connected things, while enterprise will account for the largest spending," said Mr. Tully. Gartner estimates that 4 billion connected things will be in use in the consumer sector in 2016, and will reach 13.5 billion in 2020.

In terms of hardware spending, consumer applications will amount to $546 billion in 2016, while the use of connected things in the enterprise will drive $868 billion in 2016.

In the enterprise, Gartner considers two classes of connected things. The first class consists of generic or cross-industry devices that are used in multiple industries, and vertical-specific devices that are found in particular industries.

Cross-industry devices include connected light bulbs, HVAC and building management systems that are mainly deployed for purposes of cost saving. The second class includes vertical-specific devices, such as specialised equipment used in hospital operating theatres, tracking devices in container ships, and many others.

"Connected things for specialised use are currently the largest category, however, this is quickly changing with the increased use of generic devices. By 2020, cross-industry devices will dominate the number of connected things used in the enterprise," said Tully.

Bangalore ITE.biz 2015 Focus on Disruptive Innovation in ICTE Sector

Bangalore ITE.biz - Karnataka’s flagship ICT event that has, over the years, evolved into a premier ICT as well as electronics forum, is set to take off this December. This year marks the 18th edition of the forum.

Organized by the Department of IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka, along with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Bangalore, Bangalore ITE.biz will take place from December 8-10, 2015 at the Lalit Ashok, Bangalore.

India to move up the value chain ICTE Sector will have to deliver cutting edge products and services. Focus on Disruptive innovation will help India take a quantum leap in furthering its vision of global leadership. Bangalore - the Innovation Capital of India would continue to lead the way in this endeavor. Hence, this year the focal theme is aptly chosen as ‘Fuelling Growth through Disruptive Innovation’.

With the new policy initiatives on the anvil by the state to boost the IT and communication sector, along with added focus on electronics design and manufacturing, as the next growth driver, the event has attracted strong participation by ICT and electronics majors.

Bangalore ITE.biz 2015 would be a unique blend of over 1000 participants which will include Policy makers, C-Level Executives, Young Innovators, Technocrats, Investors, MSMEs, Start Ups, Scientists, Social Entrepreneurs, Students and Media from India and Overseas. This is a clear indication of Bangalore ITE.biz shaping up as the leading knowledge and thought leadership forum in India.

The three day event would comprise of International Conference, International Tradeshow, Keynote Talks, CEO Conclave, Secretary Conclave, YESSS for Start-ups, IT Export Awards, Skill Conclave and many more.

Bangalore ITE.biz is a unique forum where all the key IT and Electronics Industry associations like NASSCOM, MAIT, IESA, ELCIA, CLIK, ABAI, Isprit partner with the event and play a pivotal role in structuring the theme, content as well as steering conference sessions and exhibition.

This year’s International Conference is expected to bring together top technology experts, policy makers, research heads, consultants and industry captains. Eminent personalities will focus on thought leadership while expert speakers will give insights into the latest industry trends and innovations.

Day 1 will include inauguration, keynote address, a leadership series entitled ‘Innovate and Inspire’; Secretaries Conclave with a panel discussion – ‘Building Innovation and Start-Up Culture through Pro-Active Policies’; and CEO conclave

Day 2 and 3 would feature Sessions on smart cities, big data and analytics, incubation, and skill development, making India an electronics manufacturing hub, YESSS for start-ups, emerging trends in animation gaming visual effects, Ease of Doing Business as well as an #app hackathon.

The CEO Conclave with theme ‘Fuelling Growth Through Disruptive Innovation’ would be addressed by leaders of the country, industry captains, and policy makers. It will be a power-packed evening with Leading industry captains engaging in thought-provoking discussions and throwing light on the challenges ahead, uncover potential opportunities and discuss the means to achieve exponential growth.

More than 100 exhibitors including IT majors, start-ups, STPI pavilion, NSIC pavilion, ELCIA, CLIK pavilion with focus on software services (Healthcare, Education, Finance), Electronics, Embedded Systems, Cloud Computing, Big Data, Mobility, Security, e-Governance, ERP are expected to participate in the tradeshow. This is an excellent platform to showcase technologies, solutions, products, services and innovations providing ample opportunity to gain ultimate business exposure within the IT and electronics fraternity. It is the interactive arm of the event, offering an appropriate platform for new businesses, tie-ups and collaborations and attracting investments. The tradeshow is also expected to attract up to 5000 visitors

STPI IT Export Awards are given to the Leading companies in the industry based on their export performance in the last financial year.The award categories are designed in such a way so that we can also recognize MSME Units from Tier II & Tier III Cities along with large companies.

YESSS Programme (Young Entrepreneurs Start-Ups in Soaring Spirits) is a forum for start-ups with business ideas who are looking for partnerships, collaboration, investments. This feature is a must-attend for investors and business companies looking for innovative products and technologies.

Dublin Gets Accenture's New Global AI Capabilities and R&D Centre

 Accenture is accelerating its research and development agenda in artificial intelligence across its global network of Accenture Technology Labs, by opening the newest lab in Dublin and committing a significant portion of its global RnD capabilities, to help clients across industries integrate intelligent systems to improve operations and create new growth opportunities.

The expanded RnD agenda will play a significant part in fueling Accenture’s approach to artificial intelligence across the company and will draw the best technology solutions from a broad ecosystem. The new Technology Lab is central to Accenture’s commitment to Dublin as a Centre for Innovation, established to capitalize on Ireland’s role as a technology hub in Europe and to access highly skilled talent in science, technology and engineering in the region.

“Artificial intelligence will disrupt businesses and industries on a global scale, and we see this shift going well beyond deploying analytics, cognitive computing or machine learning systems in isolation,” said Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology officer. “We are investing early to drive more innovation at Accenture, recruit top talent in every location we operate in, and infuse more intelligence across our global business to help clients accelerate the integration of intelligence and automation to transform their businesses.”

As part of today’s announcement, Accenture has also established the Accenture Technology Labs University Grant on Artificial Intelligence; awarding the inaugural grant to an academic research team at the Insight Centre for Data Analytics at University College Dublin. The research team will explore the interface between humans and machines, using cognitive analysis to better understand how both can collaborate and interact effectively. In order to advance the development of emerging technologies Accenture has long established strong relationships with many leading academic institutions; including the Accenture and MIT Alliance in Business Analytics which explores artificial intelligence technologies.

Artificial Intelligence – the broad field of new technologies that enable software to sense, comprehend, act and learn – is disrupting how businesses operate and compete while also accelerating the delivery of business outcomes in the “As-a-Service” economy. Analyst firm IDC predicts that the worldwide content analytics, discovery and cognitive systems software market will grow from US$4.5 billion in 2014 to $9.2 billion in 2019, with others citing these systems as catalyst to have a $5 trillion – $7 trillion potential economic impact by 2025.

Given the newly accelerated RnD agenda, Accenture has committed to infuse artificial intelligence across the Technology Labs network, actively collaborating with other Accenture teams and new partners in the startup ecosystem to:

• Create more intelligent tools by teaming with Accenture Digital to advance capabilities in cognitive computing, machine and deep learning, natural language processing, data augmentation and predictive analytics to help clients become an insight-driven enterprise;
• Integrate and apply artificial intelligence into Accenture Operations solutions that improve both front- and back-office operations, such as customer support, procurement, supply chain and warrantee services;
• Embed artificial intelligence capabilities into architectures, tooling and service management analysis conducted by Accenture Technology; and
• Design and scale artificial intelligence capabilities for Accenture Consulting around the world across multiple industries, including healthcare, public safety and financial services.

The global network of Accenture Technology Labs includes locations in: San Jose, California and Arlington, Virginia, in the United States; Sophia Antipolis, France; Beijing, China; Bangalore, India; and Dublin, Ireland. The Tech Labs are part of Accenture’s broader network of innovation centers—more than 80 around the world – which focus on helping clients develop innovative solutions based on new and emerging technologies.

GoCoop & EXIM Bank Sign MOC for Export Market Development

GoCoop, a leader in social marketplace for easy and transparent sourcing of craft products has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank). Under the MOC, both Exim Bank and GoCoop will work on export market development and share their knowledge and connect each other to promising social enterprises for further support, including financial and advisory.

On the occasion, Siva Devireddy, Founder and Managing Director, GoCoop said “Handloom and Handicraft sector has a big export market which continues to grow. GoCoop’s objective is to provide great service to our international buyers and make import of craft products a much more easy and transparent online experience while the benefits of exports are shared with the actual weaver and artisans. GoCoop would work closely with EXIM Bank in capacity building and global market development initiatives for weaver and artisan co-operatives and other grassroots enterprises. It is a great privilege to partner with EXIM Bank, one of the key financial institutions of the country.  “

Debasish Mallick, Deputy Managing Director, EXIM Bank said “EXIM Bank has been striving towards promotion of exports of products from rural grassroots business enterprises, by providing them with an array of services including those related to financial support, capacity building, and export marketing. The underlying objective is to augment sustainable employment opportunities and exports from the disadvantaged sections of rural India by widening their market beyond the domestic shores.”

Mallick emphasized that this partnership with GoCoop was a part of EXIM Bank's outreach strategy to target a wider spectrum of grassroots organizations and would supplement the Bank's efforts towards boosting exports of handloom and handicraft products from India. EXIM Bank has supported various grassroots enterprises across different parts of the country.