Nasscom along with the Government of Karnataka on Thursday launched the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for data science and artificial Intelligence (CoE – DSAI), in Bengaluru.
Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries, IT & BT, Science & Technology K J George, who inaugurated the centre, said the government of Karnataka aims to transform the state economy through innovation.
"It can be possible through technology, productivity, healthy enterprises and better citizen services. Building robust and versatile technology capabilities, the state can spearhead the way to new business opportunities," he said.
Nasscom also signed an MoU with Niti Aayog to collaboratively foster applied research, accelerating adoption and ethics, privacy and security.
The opening of CoE comes at a time when NITI Aayog is coming up with draft policy on AI, realising its disruption across all sectors. Nasscom will facilitate collaboration between NITI Aayog and CoEs and will include NITI Aayog as a knowledge partner.
Nasscom has partnered with Intel and IBM as its founding members and technology advisors for augmenting and accelerating the data science and AI ecosystem in the country.
Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh said Karnataka has led the IT revolution in India and has always been at the forefront of science and technology.
"The Centre is the next logical step required to provide the right fillip to areas of data sciences and AI and give a head start to, not just the state, but India as a destination to develop global product solutions," she said.
She said the vision behind the CoE is to act as a catalyst for developing the emerging technology startup ecosystem of the country.
The Indian film industry has the potential to emerge as a global content exporter for Netflix, a top company executive said.
India churns out more than 1,000 films a year. Netflix thinks content made in India will be a good addition to the streaming service’s varied global offering.
“There are great stories everywhere, but there are really four or five centers of TV and film (globally). Mumbai (Bollywood) is certainly one of them, and it is important for us, because we are going to be actively invested in India,” Erik Barmack, VP for International Originals at Netflix, told Reuters in an interview. The first of its original series in India is “Sacred Games”, based on author Vikram Chandra’s eponymous book, which streams on Netflix this Friday.
Bollywood has rarely moved beyond its comfort zone, content in making films that suit its home audience, but Netflix is hoping that the mix of kitsch and melodrama will appeal to its global audience too.
“The potential is huge. The simple one is just the diaspora, which is if you added up all the users in our global markets outside India, it would be bigger than many European countries. But there is craft and skill in the film market here, and we strongly believe that what is happening in places like Spain, where that content is traveling, will happen in India too,” Barmack said. Netflix has commissioned several more shows in India, including an adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s Man Booker-winning novel, “The White Tiger”, as well as Prayaag Akbar’s “Leila”.
Subscriber base
In February, CEO Reed Hastings said Netflix’s next 100 million subscribers would come from India, citing rising mobile penetration and falling data costs.
Since launching in 2016, Netflix has been slower in India than rival Amazon, which has already aired much more local content. But Barmack says the company is scaling up faster in India.
American aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing is taking over the commercial jet business of Brazil’s Embraer, valued at $4.75 billion in a move that will allow it to compete more effectively in the medium-range aircraft market.
It follows a similar strategic partnership by arch-rival Airbus with Canada’s Bombardier last October.
Boeing to hold 80%
Under the terms of the deal, Boeing will hold an 80% stake valued at $3.8 billion, the companies said in a release on Thursday, while Embraer will hold the remaining 20%.
The proposed partnership is expected to be accretive to Boeing’s earnings per share beginning in 2020 and to generate estimated annual pre-tax cost synergies of approximately $150 million by the third year.
“By forging this strategic partnership, we will be ideally positioned to generate significant value for both companies’ customers, employees and shareholders - and for Brazil and the United States,” said Dennis Muilenburg Boeing Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Embraer Chief Executive Officer and President Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva added that the tie-up would create a “virtuous cycle” for Brazilian aerospace, increasing sales potential and production and consequently adding value for shareholders and employees.
The statement gave no indication of any payment Boeing was making under the deal.
The statement said that financial and operational details were still being finalised, a process which would continue over several months, after which the deal would be subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, including by the government of Brazil.
In addition, both companies will create another joint venture to promote and develop new markets and applications for defense products and services, especially the KC-390 multi-mission aircraft, based on jointly-identified opportunities, they said.
Close of transaction
The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2019.
Embraer, the third largest aircraft manufacturer in the world, was founded as a state group in 1969 before being privatised in 1994, although the Brazilian government retained the right to make strategic decisions for the company.
Shares in Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer crashed seven percent on the Sao Paulo stock market on Thursday, following the announcement of an agreement with US giant Boeing.
Agencies
The country's largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), plans to add another 7.5 lakh units manufacturing capacity from three production lines in its Gujarat plant by 2020, taking the total capacity to over 22.5 lakh units a year.
The company, which already has a market share of over 50% in the domestic passenger vehicle segment, is also initiating process to study ways to further expand production capacity beyond 22.5 lakh units per annum after 2020.
The first assembly line of Suzuki-owned Hansalpur (Gujarat) plant has already started rolling out products. It has a production capacity of 2.5 lakh units per annum.
The second production line with similar 2.5 lakh production capacity, is expected to be complete by this year-end, MSI Managing Director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa told reporters here.
After that we are planning a third factory. Maybe, it is coming around 2020, he added.
Ayukawa said the company plans to have around 5,000-6,000 workforce at three units.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the passing out of the first batch of Japan-India Institute for Manufacturing (JIM) at Ganpat Vidyanagar, Mehsana.
MSI already has a production capacity of 15 lakh units per annum across its two plants at Gurugram and Manesar.
"First, we will try 20 lakh total sales, including exports. After that we will target 20 lakh unit sales in the domestic market only," Ayukawa said, elaborating on the 2020 sales plan.
On capacity expansion beyond 2020, he added, "I believe that 22.5 lakh capacity could be enough, but after 2020 and 2021, how are we going to manage our business expansion; that we have to start a study for a long-term plan."
Over 250 students passed out of Japan-India Institute for Manufacturing (JIM) at Ganpat Vidyanagar, Mehsana, on Wednesday.
The institute is part of Maruti Suzuki’s corporate social responsibility initiatives for skill development.
JIM is a result of the collaboration between India and Japan to create a pool of 30,000 skilled manpower for manufacturing in India.
MSI has invested over Rs 6 crore in setting up and running the JIM.
"Blessed by the Prime Ministers of India and Japan, JIM at Mehsana is a step to equip youngsters in Gujarat with skills that are directly connected with the growing manufacturing industry," Ayukawa said.
Ujjivan Financial Services in partnership with Piramal Swasthya, an initiative under the aegis of Piramal Foundation announced the launch of Mobile Primary Healthcare Programme in Bangalore. The Programme targets the unserved and under-served, and endeavors to make quality primary healthcare services available, accessible and affordable for all.
In India, basic healthcare is a critical challenge for the unserved and underserved populace, due to lack of resources, lack of adequate medical centres and steep costs of treatments. Karnataka has made significant progress in providing healthcare facilities to the residents over the last few decades. However, despite the progress, the State has a long way to go in achieving the desired health goals. Inequity in access to healthcare services, as evidenced by health outcomes in Karnataka, makes it imperative to come up with supportive programmes to provide available, accessible and affordable healthcare to the underprivileged communities.
Commenting on the initiative, Ittira Davis, MD & CEO, Ujjivan Financial Services said, “Ujjivan has always conducted self-sustained social development programmes for the benefit of the community at large, and has believed in its CSR well before it was made mandatory under the Companies Act, 2013. Ujjivan has partnered with Piramal Foundation for executing various CSR Programs in the Healthcare space, and on behalf of Ujjivan and in collaboration with Piramal Swasthya, we endeavor to provide technology enabled health services to the community at large, specifically the unserved and underserved.”
Vishal Phanse, CEO, Piramal Swasthya said, “Piramal Swasthya envisions transforming the primary health ecosystem in India by providing high impact solutions through thought leadership and partnerships. Mobile medical vans have made a positive impact on communities that we serve. This collaborative initiative will focus on providing accessible and affordable primary healthcare services to the unserved and underserved communities. Ujjivan Financial Services has been one of the proactive partners in this regard, and we are optimistic that our partnership will aid in improving the state’s health outcomes.”
With a motto ‘The world needs science and science needs women’, L’Oréal India invites applications from women students who have completed class XII in India for the 16th edition of its ‘For Young Women in Science Scholarship (FYWIS) Programme’. L’Oréal India will award scholarships worth INR 2.5 lakhs each to 50 promising but economically disadvantaged young women to help them complete their graduation in any scientific field from a recognised college/university in India.
Recognizing the importance of women in science, Snehhal Chitneni, Chief- Communications, Sustainability & Public Affairs at L’Oréal India said “L’Oréal strongly believes that science is the source of progress, and the contribution of women is vital. Our For Young Women in Science scholarship aims to provide aid and encouragement to young women who want to pursue an education and a career in science, but lack the means to do so. Entering our 16th year, we hope to reach out to many such deserving candidates in the future.”
Since its inception in 2003, L’Oreal India has given over 300 scholarships to girls across India. This programme forms a stepping stone for these young talented women to follow their dreams and aspirations and make a remarkable progress in their overall development.
The L’Oréal India ‘For Young Women in Science’ Scholarship Programme is an extension of the international L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science partnership. Last year, the Programme received more than 3000 entries from across the country. After a detailed evaluation process, 50 scholarships were awarded to the most deserving candidates
Eligibility criteria: Young women who have passed class XII exams from across India in the current academic year (ended March 2018), with a minimum of 85% in PCM/PCB and not over 19 years of age as on 31/05/2018, are eligible to apply for this scholarship.
This scholarship is open for study in any field of science: medicine, engineering, information technology, pharmacy, biotechnology, and other graduate courses pertaining to science (B.Sc.).
How to apply: Students can apply online at http://www.foryoungwomeninscience.com/ OR download application forms from the website and courier them to L’Oréal India Scholarship Cell, C/O Buddy4Study, Stellar IT Park C-25, No.8,9 & 10 Tower-I, Ground floor, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India 201301. Deadline for submitting forms along with the relevant documents 16th July 2018.
Interview locations: Mumbai, Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata
The app features Pre-School Rhymes, Rabindra Sangeet, Fairy Tales, Akbar Birbal stories, Aesop fables, Grand Maa and Grand Paa stories, Panchatantra and many more short and moral stories.
Ultra has thoroughly handpicked the content that entertains, educates and encourages kids to learn. The apps are targeted to children between the age group of 2 to 12 years.
July 2018, Mumbai: All these apps are easy to understand, user-friendly & have a seamless interface. This makes it a one stop platform for the parents to just download these apps so that the kids can learn and watch Pre-School Rhymes, stories and movies with fun and entertainment. To make it more interesting, all the apps are animated which shall interest kids and help them in gaining lot of knowledge. One can listen to the rhymes in Hindi, English, and Bengali Languages while stories are made available in English, Marathi and Bengali Languages. These apps are available on google play store for free. Ultra is also planning to introduce three more kids centric apps in new high-quality original story content in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi languages by July 2018.
Following are the app links:
Preschool & Nursery Rhymes: http://bit.ly/2AKPUxZ
Nursery Rhymes Top 70 : http://bit.ly/NurseryRhymesTop70
100 Marathi Balgoshti:. http://bit.ly/MarathiBalgoshti
Kids Stories English: http://bit.ly/EnglishKidsStories
Bangla Kids stories & Songs: http://bit.ly/BengaliKidsSongsStories
Rhyme Time: http://bit.ly/RhymeTimeforKids
