Young Minds Display Innovative Ideas at Intel’s Innovation Festival

To encourage experiential learning and inspire young minds to innovate, Intel brings Innovation Festival, a 2-day celebration at the Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bengaluru on April 16^t and 17, 2016. Drawing participation from over thirteen states in India, the Innovation Festival is a showcase of bright new ideas – featuring 70+ real time projects, ideation and DIY workshops.

The primary objectives behind this two-day festival were to provide a national level platform to students at K12 and higher education levels to showcase their projects and prototypes, and capacity building for students through workshops. The Innovation Festival is a collection of innovation from all across the country that aims to encourage discussion and deliberation on how to nurture innovation in India’s education space. The projects covered a variety of areas such as Healthcare, Women Safety, solutions for different kinds of disabilities, and Internet of Things. Apart from these projects, there was a separate showcasing of some bright futuristic ideas from school students, and a special showcasing by girls from governments schools from 4 different states.

The rapid developments in technology over the past few years have created a fertile ground for bright innovative ideas to flourish. With the rising imperative to prepare young future citizens and empower them with essential “Future World skills” such as computational thinking, design mind set, tinkering, coding etc., Intel has been working over the years with children starting right from grades 6 to college going young adults. There have been a series of programs aimed for this next generation; a host of platforms created over the past couple of years – all with an aim to motivate students to become solution providers and technology creators.

The Innovation Festival draws from ideas that were intensely fostered over the last year through a series of Ideathons – or design thinking workshops with the objective to encourage students to develop innovative ideas and detail the process of execution. Each and every child who participates in the Ideathon submits an idea. These ideas are then evaluated and shortlisted by a group of mentors to participate in Makeathons – hands-on workshop where students with the help of mentors are enabled to convert their ideas into a prototype, using microcontroller boards with appropriate sensors, connectors and SD cards. In a special emphasis to encourage girls to become technology creators, Intel supported the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan, an initiative of the Government of India, to inspire the girl child to develop interest in design, coding and think ‘out-of-the-box’. The ideathons and makeathons were thus conducted specifically for girls from government schools.

For the college going students, Intel has been running specific programs, with the key objective to develop IoT related skills and spur innovations in a variety of application areas. Students selected under this program have been working on projects from areas of social relevance like healthcare, environmental monitoring, large scale monitoring of valuable data, agriculture etc. and are being mentored by faculty from reputed science colleges and institutes.

Burger King Now Operates 50 QSRs Across 9 Indian Cities; Unveil Angriest Whopper Sandwich Customized for Indian Customers’

Burger King Restaurants just got better with the roll out of its 50^th restaurant in India and also subsequently announce the unveiling the Angriest Whopper, a furiously delicious sandwich atop a fiery red bun baked with hot spices. 

The Miami-based QSR chain Burger King entered India in November 2014, as against its American rival McDonald’s foray in 1996. Other players in the QSR space include KFC and Dunkin’ Donuts. Burger King India opened its first restaurant in India in 2014 and now operate 50 restaurants across Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh and Punjab.

Burger King India Private Limited is the master franchisee for Burger King in India, operating restaurants nationwide. Burger King India opened its first restaurant in India in 2014 and operates 50 restaurants across Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh and Punjab.

Founded in 1954, the Burger King brand is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world.  The original Home of the Whopper, the Burger King system operates more than 15,000 locations in approximately 100 countries and U.S. territories. Almost 100 percent of Burger King restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. The parent company Burger King brand is owned by Restaurant Brands International Inc., one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies with more than $23 billion in system sales and over 19,000 restaurants.

The company has customized all the global products being rolled out. Like, the Angriest Burger is a flame-grilled beef patty topped with bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, crispy onions, jalapenos, mayonnaise and "spicy angry sauce. Since these kinds of foods are not consumed much in India, the research team had to customize the products to suit the Indian taste buds. 

Commenting on the launch of the Angriest Whopper sandwich in India, Rajeev Varman, Chief Executive Officer of the Burger King brand in India, said, “Consumer tastes in India are evolving and they are now ready for experimenting with new tastes and experiences and we as a brand are committed to introduce a whole new experience in burgers in India. After the hugely successful response to the Big Boss Whopper sandwich and Chicken Fries from the consumers, we decided that it was time to introduce another innovative product in India, this time with a red bun. The Angriest Whopper sandwich is a furiously delicious sandwich atop a fiery red bun, baked with hot spices, added angry onions, angry sauce and jalapenos. Each bite packs a fiery punch and that makes it a ‘Must Have’ burger of the year”.

After the successful response to the Big Boss Whopper sandwich and Chicken Fries from the consumers, the company decided that it was time to introduce another innovative product in India, this time with a red bun.  The Angriest Whopper sandwich packs a local punch in every infuriating bite with crispy angry onion petals, spicy angry Habanero sauce and zesty jalapenos piled high atop the patty and layered with a slice of cheese, lettuce, ripe tomatoes, and creamy spicy mayonnaise between the red-hot buns. The Whopper sandwich is available starting Rs 159 in vegetarian, chicken and mutton is sold for a limited time only and will be available from April 15, 2016 to May 30, 2016 across all Burger King restaurants in India.

Tucson Electric Power Seeks to Elevate Engineering Efficiency by Augmenting Enterprise GIS Systems

Tucson Electric Power (TEP), the largest corporation headquartered in southern Arizona, are enhancing their engineering design capability by integrating best-in-breed network design software with their existing enterprise GIS. TEP is completing deployment of Bentley OpenUtilities to complement their Smallworld GIS with on-the-fly cost estimation and engineering workflow management.

TEP expects to save time with the ability to refine designs for cost savings more rapidly. Automatic compatible unit assignment and comprehensive unit data support in Bentley OpenUtilities will enable TEP to produce detailed labor and material cost breakdowns faster without time-consuming cycles between their GIS and enterprise work management system (WMS). This provides the ability to explore options quickly, find the least-cost design, and to submit designs within budget the first time.

TEP also expects to reduce project delays with the ability to better manage work requests from directly inside their GIS design environment. The configurable design workflow engine in Bentley OpenUtilities will work in concert with TEP’s WMS, enabling managers to assign, manage, and approve work orders. This will allow TEP to avoid open-loop processes with status notifications, approval requests, and e-mail integration as well as track project status and progress using dashboards and reports.

Jeff McConnell, GIS supervisor, Tucson Electric Power, stated, “The ability to integrate Bentley OpenUtilities with our existing enterprise GIS made it possible to upgrade key components of our engineering design process. We found the cost estimation and design workflow management capabilities in Bentley OpenUtilities designer to be best suited for our demanding environment and anticipate these capabilities will advance our design efficiency.” 

Nasscom Opposes State Government Entry Level Tax on E-commerce Transactions

National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has expressed its discontentment on a bill by Government of Gujarat to levy entry tax on consumers for interstate ecommerce transactions. NASSCOM believes that such a move will pose significant commercial challenges for e-commerce and logistics companies and to retailers from outside of Gujarat, selling goods to customers in the state. A similar levy is being enforced in Assam, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Mizoram and is proposed to be levied in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

This tax, payable by the consumers, will be collected and deposited by entities that bring specified goods to the state from any other part of the country, for consumption and sale. This levy of entry tax poses significant challenges both commercially and operationally for the ecommerce companies, logistics companies and the outside state sellers selling goods to customers in the state. Sharing his thoughts on the issue, R. Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM said, “The e-commerce sector aspires to unify the country digitally into a single entity. Providing un-restricted cross border access to sellers as well as buyers is the prerogative of the government and is an important driver towards creating an ease of doing business. Such tax structures will lead to additional burden on SME traders, enhanced litigation, and also reduce business efficiencies. It will also restrict choice of the customer.”

The entry tax levy is flawed for the following reasons

1.  This is akin to introducing trade barriers to free interstate trade thereby restricting market access within the country.

2. The growth of manufacturing in India cannot be contemplated without the growth in the SMEs across the country.  The ecommerce sector has offered seamless access to the SMEs across the country to sell goods to customers notwithstanding their location. Discouraging inter-state sales by imposition of the proposed special tax would be akin to going backwards and discouraging SMEs to manufacture.

3. The proposed levy will have a short life in light of the impending GST reform.  For collecting and depositing the tax, the deemed tax payer would be required to significantly re-vamp the IT systems to track the tax charged on inter-state sale of goods to Gujarat and determine the differential tax which has to be paid in the form of entry tax.. Disputes on classification are also inevitable and considering huge number of Sellers operating through marketplaces. The proposal will therefore be burdening the Service industry with sale of goods related compliances, administrative costs and unwarranted disputes for a short term making it completely infeasible. Cost of complying with this entry tax for thousands of sellers outside the state will be much higher than the expected outcome.

Such moves will fragment the India market, severely jeopardizing business case for many entrepreneurs both manufacturers and service providers, and is not in the interest of consumers. The levy therefore is not aligned with the reform and growth initiatives like Digital India , Make in India and Start-up India – Standup India.” 

ITC’s Sustainability Solution for Fashion Retail Organizations to Reduce Adverse Impact on the Environment

ITC Infotech, a specialized global full service technology solutions provider, today announced the launch of “Sustainability solution” for the fashion retail industry. This innovative solution will address the fashion retail industry’s increasing demand for sustainable offerings while reducing their adverse impact on the environment.

Developed by ITC Infotech’s expert Product lifecycle management (PLM) team, the product is built on the PLM platform and designed to make the entire process of sustainability scoring seamless – right from product design to commercialization. It will enable fashion retail organizations standardize sustainability measurements for brands, products and facilities, and provide visibility into product designs and developmental processes with corresponding measurable sustainability scores.

Commenting on the need for this solution, Sushma Rajagopalan, CEO and MD, ITC Infotech, said, “By measuring sustainability performance, fashion retailers can address inefficiencies, resolve damaging practices, and prove to investors and customers that they are a green business. Through this solution, we will enable our partners to measure their environmental impact and meet important sustainability challenges through strategic responses that result in business optimization.”

While talking about the value preposition, V. Sreenivasan, President - Lines of Business, ITC Infotech, said, “Our solution can help fashion retailers make greener decisions at every stage of product development. By choosing more sustainable material, processes and working with the right suppliers to create environment friendly products, we are positive that the solution will immensely benefit our clients.”

Being a strategic partner to the Fortune 500 companies, ITC Infotech realizes its customers need an effective tool to measure their environmental impact; and sustainable solutions are increasingly becoming an important business strategy for the retail industry. Built over a period of four months, the solution will provide real time comparison of target vs actual sustainability score, identify product sustainability levels through colour codes, and filter the products based on compliance to targets.

Micromax Invest Rs 100 Crore for New Manufacturing Plant in Telangana for Mobile Handsets, LED TVs, LED Lights

Taking ahead Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, Micromax, India’s leading handset manufacturer, inaugurated its newest manufacturing facility in Telangana. The plant was inaugurated by  K T Rama Rao, Hon’ble Minister for IT and P Mahendra Reddy, Minister for Transport in the presence of other senior State dignitaries. The Telangana manufacturing facility has been made operational from scratch in flat six months and will have the capacity to manufacture one million Mobile Phone devices per month. The facility currently employs 700 people and will increase the number to 1000 employees in the next two months, boosting employment opportunities in the State.

K T Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Panchayat Raj and Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Telangana said, “Telangana Government strongly believes in the vision of ‘Make in India’ and has always encouraged corporates to establish their factories and R&D centres in the state. We are very happy that Micromax who has been a front runner in demonstrating technological prowess by bringing future disruptions at affordable price points and has chosen Telangana as the destination for setting up its manufacturing facility. We believe this partnership will provide new opportunities to youth of the state and develop an electronics manufacturing ecosystem of global standards in Telangana.”

The minister added that the government has always encouraged corporates to establish their units in the state. The government has enacted TS ISPASS act which has been appreciated by the industry. A total of 1691 units have been sanctioned with an investment of Rs 20,347 crores creating 36691 jobs. Of these about 840 units have already commissioned production. The fact that more than 50% of the approvals have already commissioned production in less than a year speaks about the ease of doing business.

Elaborating the salient features of the ease of doing business under the TS ISPASS, the minister said that all the line department portals have been integrated with TSSIPASS under a single portal. The registration, renewal and inspection module is being done online. Least possible turnaround time for consent of establishment and consent for operation anywhere in the country. Single helpline number (7306600600) has been introduced. Reduction in number of mandatory documents by combining common features across departments has been introduced in the act, the minister added.

Referring to the labour and factories reforms, the minister said inspection schedules have been computerized and the inspection report to be uploaded by the inspecting officer within 48 hours. Joint inspections will be carried under 10 acts which is a major relief to industries. Licenses for factories can be renewed in one go with a validity up to 10 years which is a major relief to units. Voluntary self certification scheme has been introduced in the act, the minister added.

The minister also spoke about the reforms relating to fire, registration, commercial tax and pollution control board departments which include stamp duty payment for property registrations have been made online and through eSTAMP. A single Tax ID for filing of returns, of all the taxes, registrations can be done online and returns can be filed online through e-payment. Exemptions to green industries from any inspections. Renewal perios increased from 1 year to 5 years through auto renewal mode. Third party certification introduced for medium risk industries and self certification for low risk industries.

The minister thanked Micromax who has been a front runner in demonstrating technological prowess and has chosen Telangana as the destination for setting up its manufacturing facility. He said this partnership will provide new opportunities to the youth of the state and develeop and electronics manufacturing ecosystem of global standards in Telangana.

P Mahendra Reddy, Minister of Transport, Telangana mentioned that, “In a very short span of time since its formation, Telangana has emerged as one of the fastest growing states with immense focus by the Government on public-private partnership for the growth and prosperity of the state. With inception of Micromax plant, the company will focus on integrating product design capabilities with efficient manufacturing processes which will help in economic development of the state.” Telangana has the advantage of having good connectivity with rest of the country and major global hubs. Government of Telangana is also focused to provide trained manpower to various sectors including electronic sector through the newly constituted Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK). A large number of ITI, diploma and degree institutes are already functional in the state which provide requisite manpower to the sector.

Commenting on inauguration, Rajesh Agarwal, Co-Founder, Micromax said, “By 2017, we aim to be India’s first and largest indigenous phone manufacturer. We have been the front runners for the 'Make in India' initiative, by assembling the products locally and quickly ramping up and building capacity of complete manufacturing in close partnership with the Government. We are grateful for the support of government of Telangana for providing a slew of incentives, provisioning of all approvals and compliances in a time bound manner and providing necessary infrastructure and conducive ecosystem for conduct of business. It is primarily due to the industry friendly approach and forward thinking policies of Government of Telangana, that we could set up the plant here in a record time of six months.

The latest plant at Hyderabad promises not just state-of-the-art manufacturing unit of high-tech products but will also bring in the much needed employment and economic growth to the region creating thousands of jobs for the local citizens. The company has already invested over 100 crores in the project in the first phase.

The ESDM sector is receiving highest attention by Government of India and Government of Telangana is also supporting this effort by manufacturing this import substitution product thereby reducing outflow of forex from the Country. 

IPL Franchise ‘Gujarat Lions’ Ropes in Astral Poly Technik as Associate Sponsor

Astral Poly Technik Ltd. has taken another significant step by partnering with IPL 2016’s newest entrant, the ‘Gujarat Lions’, as their Associate sponsor. The new giants of this year’s IPL will be a team to reckon with and will feature swashbuckling Indian and foreign players from the world of cricket.

Astral is gearing up as it extends its support to the Gujarat Lions as they tread a journey to claim victory in their debut run this IPL season. With this association, the company looks to boost its image and reach out to the cricket lovers of Gujarat. Astral has been the king of the plumbing industry with its continuous novelty and consumer-oriented services. Being one of the premiere Indian companies in the plumbing industry, it has become a game changer by introducing CPVC and lead-free UPVC pipe fittings. Conferred with the title of India’s most trusted brand in the pipe category this year, the company deems this a remarkable feat.

On partnering with Gujarat Lions for the 9th edition of the Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL), Kairav Engineer, Sr. Business Development Manager, Astral Poly Technik Ltd. says, "We are elated to be the Associate sponsors for the Gujarat Lions franchise at this year’s IPL. The Gujarat Lions comprehend the significance of cricket in India and they believe, as we do, the commitment and support that the sport requires. We are ready for a great head-start as the team debuts and hope that it is a great season for them.”

“We are happy to have Astral Poly Technik as our associate sponsor. The support of a Gujarati brand such as Astral makes our association with the state and the fans stronger. We are thrilled about the partnership and are sure that it will help both brands expand our reach across the country”, said Keshav Bansal, Owner, Gujarat Lions and Director, Intex Technologies.

Gujarat Lions will feature world-renowned players like Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, and Brendon McCullum, among others and will be led by our very own Suresh Raina.

The 9th edition of the Vivo Indian Premier League begins on 9th April 2016 in Mumbai. Gujarat Lions will play their first match against Kings XI Punjab at PCA Cricket Stadium, Mohali on 11th April 2016.