Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said that India's aviation sector is one of the fastest growing in the world and would need as many as 100 airports in the next 10-15 years
India plans to construct 100 airports at an estimated cost of USD 60 billion (about Rs 4.2 lakh crore) in the next 10 to 15 years, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said Today. The country's aviation sector is one of the fastest-growing in the world and has recorded 50 months of double-digit traffic growth.
As many as 100 new airports would be built in the next 10 to 15 years for about USD 60 billion. These airports are to be constructed through public private partnership, Prabhu said. He said the government is also working on a cargo policy.
According to global airlines' grouping IATA, India is expected to overtake Germany, Japan, Spain and the UK within the next ten years to become the world's third largest air passenger market.
The wings of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jets will be produced in India, the American security and aerospace giant announced on Tuesday, in a major boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Maryland-based Lockheed Martin has entered into an agreement with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for the production of the wings. Lockheed officials insisted that the planned F-16 wing production to India is not contingent on India selecting the F-16 for the Indian Air Force. Lockheed has offered to move its entire F-16 manufacturing base to India. India is yet to make a decision on it.
Producing F-16 wings in India will strengthen Lockheed Martin’s strategic partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited and support the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government, officials of the company said. “Building F-16 wings in India is a natural next step that builds on our successful partnerships with Tata on the C-130J [Super Hercules airlifter] and S-92 [helicopter],” said Vivek Lall, VP of Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. “This is a strategic business decision that reflects the value of our partnerships with India and the confidence we have in Tata to perform advanced defence manufacturing work,” Lall said.
HDFC ERGO, General Insurance Company, India’s third largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector, announced the Talent Development Program, a one-year General Insurance training program for graduates, in partnership with Manipal Global Education Services (MaGE). The customised training program will involve on campus training, internship; which will be delivered at the Manipal Global Academy of BFSI Campus in Bangalore and on-the-job training at HDFC ERGO’s branches.
The course has been designed in association with Manipal Global Education Services to bring quality education, training and skills to aspirants looking for a rewarding career in the general insurance sector. This one-year full time training program will comprise of four months of training on-campus and two months of internship followed by six months of on-the job training at the branch offices of HDFC ERGO. Designed to up-skill prospective employees with the right domain knowledge in general Insurance, the course aims at enhancing the student’s business development skills enabling them to implement growth opportunities for HDFC ERGO. The first part of the HDFC ERGO General Insurance Training Program commenced on September 3rd, 2018.
Speaking about the launch, Parthanil Ghosh, Member of Executive Management & Group Head - Retail Business, HDFC ERGO General said, “As a company, we strongly believe in nurturing talent and providing growth opportunities. Our partnership with Manipal Global Education Services is a step in this direction and to build a talent pool in the insurance sector. Our Graduate Training Program is aimed at attracting aspirant graduates and training them for an excellent opportunity for a successful career with HDFC ERGO.”
Bimaljeet Bhasin, Vice President, Enterprise Business, Manipal Global Education Services (MaGE) said, “We are happy to partner with HDFC ERGO and glad that the company has the vision to continue investing in talent. Over the years, we have been supporting large number of organizations in the BFSI space helping them on-board highly skilled workforce. This engagement with HDFC ERGO extends our footprint in the insurance industry.”
On the successful completion of the program, students will be awarded a Post-Graduate Diploma in General Insurance and will be offered employment with HDFC ERGO. The aim of the General Insurance Training Program is to build sales officers of high calibre and create a workforce that matches the Company’s expectations and culture.
Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt. Ltd. (AISATS), India’s premier airport services company, has launched a new shipment tracking platform that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for its cargo handling operations at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. AISATS will now be the first and only air cargo terminal operator in India to bring this RFID technology to the country for real-time and improved cargo tracking. This technological initiative is a collaboration between AISATS and its Singapore-listed joint venture stakeholder, SATS Ltd., which operates an unrivalled network of Gateway Services and Food Solutions in over 60 cities across Asia.
AISATS’ air cargo operations at Kempegowda International Airport have increased substantially, with a new peak of 97,486 tones being reached in the 1st quarter of the current financial year. This is a growth of 16.6% over the same period in the previous financial year. As more airlines commence operations and increase their flight frequencies at Bengaluru, air cargo volumes and movement at Kempegowda International Airport are expected to surge significantly in the near future.
With AISATS being the biggest ground handler at Kempegowda International Airport and managing two dedicated cargo handling centers, namely the AISATS Air Freight Terminal and the AISATS COOLPORT, the introduction of RFID technology will enable AISATS to undertake real-time cargo tracking for end-to-end visibility and faster turnaround. The RFID tracking system, capable of processing large quantities of cargo, will further bolster speed and accuracy, thereby making the cargo handling process more secure.
The RFID technology uses radio waves to transfer data from an electronic reader to an RFID tag and vice-versa. The ground handling staff can use a hand held RFID scanner to scan the shipment pieces at various stages of the cargo handling process. Once the RFID-tagged shipment is scanned, the RFID-enabled device will send Airway Bill (AWB)-related information to a tracking platform, enabling all stakeholders to undertake real-time, end-to-end cargo tracking. The platform is capable of tracking shipments at two levels- the shipment piece level and the ULD/container level. Furthermore, this technology can be leveraged for a gamut of cargo services such as express cargo, valuables and perishables amongst others.
“With cargo volumes burgeoning in Bengaluru, it is imperative that we embrace innovation and technological advancements to create an efficient cargo handling environment. The RFID technology has a unique advantage of tracking shipments at piece level, which brings transparency to the supply chain and helps AISATS manage large volumes of cargo seamlessly. We are excited to be the first air cargo terminal operator company to implement this technology in India at Kempegowda International Airport. The new system will help reduce cargo turnaround time and improve handling efficiency, thus promising a hassle-free experience for all stakeholders. AISATS will continue to collaborate with SATS to harness its technological and operational expertise in developing new capabilities that will add value to cargo and ground handling operations at the airports we operate in India.” said Mike Chew, CEO, AISATS.
Apart from this latest RFID tracking system, AISATS has previously introduced many other firsts to the cargo handling system at Kempegowda International Airport such as the Automated Storage & Retrieval System (ASRS), the Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) and High Rise Racking System at its Air Freighter Terminal. AISATS has also developed India’s 1st integrated on-airport perishable cargo handling center, the AISATS COOLPORT. AISATS is also the first air cargo operator in Bengaluru to launch its very own ‘AISATS Cargo App’, which furnishes its customers with comprehensive cargo tracking solutions. In addition, AISATS has also became the first Indian air cargo terminal operator to achieve TAPA ( Transport Asset Protection Association) FSR 2017 Class A certification which ensures highest security standards at the cargo facility.
Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS), (listed in BSE & NSE), a global leader in business process management, has announced the hiring of Tom Hricik, a new member of its executive leadership team, to focus on the topline growth of the business.
Tom brings with him more than 30 years of experience in sales, client management, P&L management, operations and consulting. He will join the North American team in helping to meet growth objectives, working with both existing accounts as well as with the new logo team to build a healthy pipeline and win new business that is profitable and sustainable.
“With a healthy P&L, HGS is able to make the essential investments in technology and our people to help our clients be more competitive by solving their industry business problems,” Hricik said. “As a growing global company we have remarkable client retention resulting from being brilliant at providing core services while helping customers adopt automation and analytics-based innovation to meet their present and future needs. HGS is a formidable Business Process Services player with our current and expanding portfolio of offerings.”
For the past 17 years, Tom has served in a variety of business and sales leadership roles at Conduent, a business process services companies, where he drove collaboration with internal and external partners to maximize the value of the BPO, consulting and technology services for clients. Tom is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with undergraduate and graduate degrees focused in in information systems and industrial relations.
“We are excited that leaders the caliber of Tom are seeing the value in the vision, capability and client portfolio of HGS and investing their careers in helping to grow the business,” said Partha DeSarkar, Global Chief Executive Officer, HGS. “Tom will play a critical role in raising client, employee and shareholder value by consistently delivering innovation and deep domain expertise to grow traditional and transformational business.”
Aeris, a technology leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), announced today its partnership with Hello Tractor in Africa to launch “Tractors-as-a-Service” in India and the ASEAN region in the session “India - Africa – ASEAN: Internet of Things (IoT) in Agriculture” organized in association with The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi. Industry leaders and diplomats from Indian, ASEAN and African embassies in New Delhi were part of this event.
With the Aeris IoT platform, called Aeris Mobility Platform, (also known as AMP), tractor tracking, utilization time and billing is simplified, based on time in the field and area covered. Our partnership enables the pay-as-you-use model for small holding farmers to use tractors with innovative commercial models. Hello Tractor's innovative use of IoT simplifies complex data to ensure transparency, profitability, and accountability across the ecosystem of farmers, tractor owners, tractor dealers, original equipment manufacturers, banks, and governments. The Tractor Owner App includes tools such as, service request management, tractor and fleet management, operator performance, and activity tracking. Using the technology to their advantage, the farmers are able to plant 40 times faster at one-third the cost. The digital IoT platform is making it easy and profitable for tractor owners to monetize their machines as business assets whilst improving the livelihood of rural farmers.
The session was presided over by Ambrish Bakaya, Co-Chair of FICCI ICT and Digital Economy Initiative. Tractors form an integral part of farm mechanization and have a crucial role to play in increasing agricultural productivity. In ASEAN, per capita arable land area is 0.12 hectare, among the smallest in the world. Across the regions, the small landholdings make it unviable for farmers to own agri-machinery and implements like tractors, rotary and power tillers, rotators, seed drillers and other efficient farm equipment. In India less than 30 percent of farmers use the necessary equipment that facilitates productive and profitable work. Farmers can barely afford high-cap equipment and often take loans to buy them. This often adds onto the financial burden in a bad crop yield season. Also, small farmers often lack knowledge about modern farming practices or struggle to finance farm operations.
India, Africa and ASEAN has its roots in agrarian societies and agriculture occupies a special role in the socioeconomic development. It is an important driver for social, inclusive growth; an essential source of export earnings; a guarantor of food availability to its citizens; and a source of employment directly and through agriculture-related, value adding activities. Leveraging the partnership with Hello Tractor in the African region, Aeris India brings on-demand farming capabilities to the predominantly agrarian economies of India and ASEAN.
Jehiel Oliver, Founder & CEO, Hello Tractor says, "There is no doubt agricultural mechanization is having an impact on Indian, African and ASEAN farmers' efficiency, resource management, and productivity. The magnitude of that impact moving forward will largely depend on the private sector, government, and the public working together. Hello Tractor and Aeris have partnered to make a significant step toward amplifying this positive impact in India, Africa and the APAC region. This alliance will help farmers access more affordable, dependable, and transparent tractor services that can make a real difference in shaping the future of agriculture.”
Dr. Rishi Mohan Bhatnagar, President, Aeris India said, "Our world has many challenges to solve and we at Aeris are committed to delivering innovative technology solutions to serve the unserved. Majority of the farmers in the predominantly agrarian societies, such as India and ASEAN countries, have less than five acres of land and can barely afford high-cap equipment. We wanted to help the farmer by offering accessible and affordable farm mechanized equipment service and enable economic advancement. After successful alliance with Hello Tractor to enable “Tractor-as-a-Service” in Africa, we are now launching this in India and the ASEAN region. The service eliminates the need to invest upfront and brings down the operational costs with the pay-as-you-use model for small holding farmers.”
Bangalore-based LegalTech Startup, LegalDesk.com, launches a new Online Rental Agreement Service in collaboration with BangaloreOne. Residents of the city can now create Rental Agreements and other legal documents at BangaloreOne centres across the city.
Customers can visit their nearest BangaloreOne centre, provide the details required to draft the agreement, make the payment, and provide a delivery address. The technology developed by LegalDesk will help create the agreement, make Stamp Duty payment and deliver the agreement to customers’ doorstep. The service was launched by Kannada film actor Diganth Manchale and Dr. C.N. Ashwathnarayan, MLA of Malleshwaram at the BangaloreOne centre in Malleshwaram. Karthik KS from iSpirit and Officials from the Directorate of Electronic Delivery of Citizen Services (EDCS), Govt. of Karnataka were also present in the event.
The LegalTech startup aspires to make legal documentation easily accessible to common man, and the introduction of this new service marks another milestone in its journey. Krupesh Bhat, the Founder of LegalDesk says, “Our Rental Agreement service is the first of many other documentation services that will be provided across BangaloreOne centres. We are also going to introduce many other online documentation services such as Aadhaar-based eSign, Will, Power of Attorney, Name Change, general agreements, etc. We will extend these services to Citizen Service Centres in other cities in the coming days.”
Speaking about this new service, Dr. C.N. Ashwathnarayan said, “With this service being made available through BangaloreOne centres, citizens from all sections of the community will have access to well-drafted rental agreements and legal documents that are made available at an affordable price.” Actor Diganth Manchale expressed, “this is a wonderful initiative by LegalDesk. I look forward to such services being introduced in other towns and cities across India.”
BangaloreOne is a Citizen Service Centre (CSC) that provides services and information between the Government, Businesses and Customers. Some of the services provided are payment of property tax, utility bills, traffic fines, transport bookings, government job recruitment, skill development, voter card issuance, etc. The Rental Agreement service will be the newest service that is offered at BangaloreOne.
LeaglDesk.com is a technology platform that helps digitise documentation processes. The startup offers a DIY platform that helps consumers and corporates draft over 100 types of legal documents online and digitally sign them using Aadhaar. The legal-tech company is headquartered in Bengaluru with offices in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi. The startup’s efforts to digitize legal documentation has been recognized by Bloomberg Television, Google Launchpad, Forbes Asia, and India Today amongst others. The documents that are most widely ordered include Loan Documents, Rental Agreements, Will, Gift Deed, Name Change Documents, etc.
