Beginning December 2018, Jet Airways, India’s premier, full-service international airline, is all set to strengthen its network by introducing 18 additional frequencies on domestic as well as international routes to meet growing demand from travellers.
Earlier this month, Jet Airways launched the country’s first non-stop service between Mumbai and Manchester, UK. Come 01st December, the airline will further enhance connectivity to Singapore with its new, non-stop service from Pune. Pune recorded the highest number of arrivals into Singapore from an upcoming Indian metro and Jet Airways’ new service will complement its current operations to Singapore via its hubs in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. For Pune, a growing business and corporate centre and a leading centre of education, the new service will be the airline’s second international destination from the city.
The airline’s new service from Pune will even benefit guests who are travelling to onward destinations in the Far East, Asia-Pacific and Australia via Singapore, as they can now seamlessly connect onwards using the services of the airline’s codeshare and interline partners such as Garuda Indonesia, Jetstar Asia, and Qantas. For guests travelling to India, the new service will offer greater convenience and save valuable time.
Effective early December, Jet Airways is also adding new frequencies on other select destinations such as Bangkok, Kathmandu and Singapore in ASEAN as well as Doha and Dubai in the Gulf, in view of the growing demand. The airline will soon add a 3rd daily frequency to Bangkok and Singapore each from Delhi and a 3rd daily service to Singapore from Mumbai, complementing its existing services and as a direct outcome to the increase in air traffic between India and the ASEAN region. Industry air passenger traffic between Singapore – India itself increased by 17% through 2017.
Additional frequencies will also be introduced to the Gulf, strengthening the airline’s status as one of the largest carriers to/ from the region. December will see the introduction of 2nd daily services connecting Mumbai and Delhi with Doha respectively. The addition of a 7th daily frequency between Mumbai and Dubai will also make Jet Airways the only airline to offer unparalleled 24 hour connectivity to the Gulf’s favorite destination - for business and leisure travellers alike - with maximum number of daily services.
Jet Airways will also offer a 4th daily frequency between Delhi and Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
These additional services are the result of a comprehensive network review by the airline, with the objective of strengthening its network at its hubs at Mumbai and Delhi, as part of its initiative of deploying assets on more productive and economically efficient routes instead of uneconomic ones. The extensive connectivity via these centre points to its domestic and international network will enable the airline to undertake denser operations, introduce these additional frequencies offering greater choice and connectivity to its guests. The measures will also help align capacity with the demand characteristics of specific markets.
Jet Airways also continues to augment its domestic connectivity at these hubs, and will increase operations between Mumbai and Amritsar to daily frequencies, and add a 4th daily frequency on the Delhi – Amritsar route in December. These steps are in addition to new services already introduced at the beginning of Winter Schedule, including new flights on the Delhi & Bangalore – Vadodara routes, increased frequencies in the Mumbai – Guwahati and Mumbai – Patna markets and an enhancement of capacity from ATR to 737 operations on the Delhi – Jodhpur route.
Raj Sivakumar, Senior Vice-President – Worldwide Sales & Distribution, Jet Airways, said, “The strategy will enable Jet Airways to offer extensive connectivity via Mumbai to most its network in South and West India. Similarly, new services to Delhi will offer seamless connectivity to the North and East of India. Both hubs will also supplement wide ranging domestic India access with connections to its growing international network, as the airline takes a further step towards developing connecting pathways between East and West, and growing as a regional hub in Asia.”
The above services based on the recent network review will help the airline improve yields and fully leverage the advantages of its new, fuel-efficient B737 MAX fleet, 6 more of which are expected to join the fleet this fiscal. Together, the new, aircraft will help the airline to not only improve revenues, but also reduce costs simultaneously.
Several Indian companies and a few individuals from the country have been barred by the World Bank from its various projects across the globe, the multilateral lending agency said in its first report on its efforts to fight corruption and safeguard donor resources.
The World bank Group Sanctions System Annual Report for the year 2018 said Olive Health Care and Jay Modi from India have been debarred from for their fraudulent and corrupt practices. They were working on a World Bank project in Bangladesh.
While Olive Health has been debarred for 10 years and six months, Modi has been debarred for seven years and six months, the report said. In all 78 companies and individuals have been debarred by the World Bank.
The inaugural report, the bank said, is the result of efforts by the Integrity Vice Presidency (INT), the Office of Suspension and Debarment (OSD) and the Sanctions Board to prepare a joint overview of the Bank Group Sanctions System and its activities over the past year.
India-based Angelique International Limited has been debarred by the World Bank for four years and six months for their fraudulent and corrupt practices. The company had a World Bank project in Ethiopia and Nepal. Family Care from India too has been debarred by the World Bank for four years on similar grounds. They had projects in Argentina and Bangladesh.
For fraudulent practices, Madhucon Projects Ltd from India has been debarred by the World Bank for two years. It had World Bank projects in India. R KD Construction Pvt Ltd has been debarred for one year and six months for the same reason. It has projects in India.
Among other Indian companies debarred by the World Bank for less than a year are Tatve Global Environment Pvt Ltd, SMEC (India) Pvt Ltd, and Macleods Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
In addition to the 78 debarments, five firms were sanctioned with conditional non-debarment, which means they remain eligible to participate in World Bank-financed projects but will be debarred if they do not meet certain agreed-upon conditions.
Each of the sanctions related to a finding that the firm or individual engaged in one of the institution’s five sanctionable practices — fraud, corruption, collusion, coercion or obstruction — while participating in a Bank Group-funded project, the bank said. The institution also recognised 73 cross-debarments from other multilateral development banks.
In addition to evaluating allegations of fraud and corruption, INT works to prevent corruption in ongoing Bank Group projects. INT staff identified and worked to mitigate integrity risks in 390 projects, steps that made progress in safeguarding the equivalent of USD 2.2 billion in project commitments, it said.
As the Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched the GSAT-29 satellite from Sriharikota, Godrej Aerospace was one among the many corporates waiting with bated breath as the country’s heaviest satellite took to the skies.
SM Vaidya, EVP & Business Head, Godrej Aerospace, said the company had participated “in manufacturing the Vikas engine for the core liquid stage and cryogenic fuel engine (CE20) for the cryogenic upper stage of the rocket, and also thrusters for the satellite. This contribution stands as a glowing testimony to India and Godrej’s potential in the space arena.”
The launch was made possible using the heavy-lift 43.5-meter Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III – D2 (GSLV Mk III-D2). GSAT-29 is a high-throughput communication satellite, and the first orbit raising operation was successfully carried out on November 15, by firing the Liquid Apogee Motor engine of the satellite.
For over three decades, Godrej Aerospace has been associated with ISRO for manufacturing complex systems such as liquid propulsion engines for PSLV and GSLV rockets, thrusters for satellites and antenna systems.
The company has also played an integral part in the prestigious Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions.
CSS Corp, a new-age IT services and technology-support company, has announced that its customer ALE International operating under the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise brand (ALE) has been awarded Certified Support Staff Excellence Center status for operational excellence in their support operations, a fourth year in a row. The recognition was awarded by the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA).
CSS Corp has been providing technical support to ALE for over 16 years in order to enable the company to deepen client engagements and bring exemplary customer service. Leveraging CSS Corp’s technology support platforms, ALE was able to bring down recurring ticket incidents by nearly 20%, while fully resolving customer queries, thus improving customer satisfaction across four regions and global support centers.
CSS Corp works with 30 out of the top 50 major global telecom service provider/telecom operator companies globally, enabling them to deliver seamless customer engagement while creating additional revenue generation avenues. CSS Corp’s comprehensive enterprise support offerings span all aspects from establishing a Welcome Centre to Automated Customer Care Support to Field Training, support and maintenance. It enables enterprises to move from a reactive support model to a pre-emptive and proactive support model by leveraging the automation and high-end data analytics.
Sunil Mittal, EVP & Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, CSS Corp said, “Delivering seamless CX is a critical imperative for telecom companies in today’s digital age, and they are looking for the right experts who can partner with them in their digital transformation journey. As a trusted partner for major telecom players globally, CSS Corp is committed to delivering tangible, measurable outcomes and exemplary customer engagement through a unique combination of technology and expertise.”
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) in continuation to its sustainable efforts towards Skill Development, inaugurated the Toyota Centre of Excellence at Global Academy of Technology located in Bengaluru. The concept of establishing Toyota Centre of Excellence at various colleges and institutes are well aligned to enhance the skilled workforce to meet the growing industry requirements.
To aid far reaching knowledge-base of engine composition at the grass-root level, Toyota handed over one cut section of the vehicle engine and an assembled engine. The key focus is to enable comprehensive learning opportunities for the students, offering them a first-hand experience of the vehicle engine. The engine cut section will showcase the component set-up in an engine and its related functioning. While the engine assembly section enables the students to gain an insight of the real orientation of the assembled engine including the dismantling and re-assembling techniques, thus achieving high quality skill sets in engine operating mechanism.
This initiative is basically incorporated to pursue Toyota’s main objectives to promote, setup, monitor, govern and regulate institutions and academies for skills excellence for development of core employability skills, competency standards and for promoting technology that meets the demands of various industries globally.
The event was graced by Lepaksha S, Secretary – National Education Foundation, Venkatappa, Additional Secretary – National Education Foundation and D.K. S. Aishwarya, Secretary - National Education Foundation. Also, present at the event were B. Padmanabha, Vice President and Naveen Soni - Vice President representing the senior management team of Toyota Kirloskar Motor.
Commenting on this initiative, Dr. N. Ranapratap Reddy, Principal – Global Academy of Technology [GAT] said, “Toyota has always stood for Quality and Excellence through the years, pioneering in manufacturing cars with global standards. We are delighted to partner with Toyota through for this great initiative in imparting quality education amongst engineering students. Through this program, we are confident that the students would gain a better insight of the high-level skill techniques associated with the engine, which is an essential part of a vehicle, while enriching their learning experience at our Academy of Technology.”
Speaking on the occasion, Naveen Soni - Vice President - Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said “Through our established Centre of Excellence in association with various colleges and institutes across the country, we are striving to aid comprehensive learning among the students at the base classroom levels in our mission to provide India an highly skilled workforce to match with evolving skill demands of the automotive industry. As a responsible corporate citizen, we at Toyota design to aid the students to be industry ready with desired skill sets while contributing to the nations’ growth and Industry’s employability scenario.
We believe such practical exposure would enable the students to cope with different levels of operations associated with functional mechanisms.”
The company has been tirelessly working towards enhancing the employability quotient in the automobile manufacturing industry across India, by promoting unique skill sets.
As a part of its commitment towards developing world class skilled workforce for the emerging Indian Auto Industry, Toyota in 2007 established the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) which offers a three-year rigorous full-time training in – Automobile Assembly, Automobile Paint, Automobile Weld and Mechatronics (a combination of mechanical and industrial electronics) to financially challenged students hailing from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families from across Karnataka. This institute exclusively emphasizes on over all development of the trainees as per industry requirements & towards “Perfecting people” and there by contributing young multi skilled, energetic, ideal students to the nation. Training Curriculum is a unique blend which focuses on the holistic development of Knowledge (16%), Skill (34%), Body and Mind (50%) of the students. Last year Toyota’s TTTI institute accomplished a key milestone of being selected for “Manufacturing Skill Transfer Promotion Programme” under the MoU signed by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan (METI) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Government of India (MSDE).
Some of the key highlights of TKM’s other skill initiatives follows:
· Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) offers a three-year rigorous full-time training in – Automobile Assembly, Automobile Paint, Automobile Weld and Mechatronics (a combination of mechanical and industrial electronics) TTTI has also been selected as a part of this partnership between Japan and India for the “Manufacturing Skill Transfer Promotion Programme.’’
· Gurukul is a well-equipped learning center at TKM imparts diverse training to employees at all levels which helps them to improve their abilities and thoroughly fulfill their roles. Everyone who works in Toyota experiences 70% of their development through the job itself; and the experience serves as a driving force in developing the next generation.
· Toyota Technical Education Program (T-TEP) provides technical know-how training to ITI students across India along with providing hands-on real-time experience within Toyota dealerships.
· Toyota Tantrajna is a unique skill development project initiated in association with the Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC). A comprehensive year and a month plus [Program duration - 13.5 months] training module consists of an induction and fundamental skill training, On the Job development and class room training and trade knowledge training [including Language - English speaking skills, Computer soft skills, Interview etiquettes, etc.,]. After completion of course evaluation and certification by ASDC, TKM synergizes to connect the trainees with prospective employers through “Job Fair”. Toyota provides an attractive stipend, free commutation and canteen facility for the trainees during the training period.
· Toyota Apprentice Scheme (TAS) – Under TAS, TKM has trained over 12,000 Apprentice Members (ITI, Diploma and Engineer) since 2002, which makes it one of the largest sources of providing such manpower to the industry.
· National Skill Contest – Launched in 2014, National Sales & Service Skill Contest is an initiative that provides Toyota’s dealer sales & service personnel to showcase their skill levels with a view to identify gaps and improvise. Held at three levels – across dealership, regional and national levels, the contestants are evaluated on various parameters such as knowledge, process demonstration, soft skills and role plays among others. Continuous training skills are imparted to hone the dealer personnel skill sets to meet the growing expectations and deliver Toyota’s best-of-all Quality, Durability & Reliability for ultimate customer delight.
Nutanix, a leader in enterprise cloud computing has announced the findings of its first ever global Enterprise Cloud Index, measuring enterprise plans for adopting private, hybrid and public clouds.* The new report found enterprises plan to increase hybrid cloud usage, with 91% stating hybrid cloud as the ideal IT model, but only 18% stating they have that model today. The findings also revealed that application mobility across any cloud is a top priority for 97% of respondents – with 88% of respondents saying it would “solve a lot of my problems.” Additionally, the report found public cloud is not a panacea; IT decision makers ranked matching applications to the right cloud environment as a critical capability, and 35% of organizations using public clouds overspent their annual budget. When asked to rank the primary benefits of hybrid cloud, interoperability between cloud types (23%) and the ability to move applications back and forth between clouds (16%) outranked cost (6%) and security (5%) as the primary benefits.
Nutanix commissioned Vanson Bourne to survey IT decision makers about where they are running their business applications today, where they plan to run them in the future, challenges in setting up their cloud environments and how their cloud initiatives stack up against other IT projects and priorities. The survey resulted in approximately 2,300 respondents from multiple industries, business sizes and geographies in the Americas; Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA); and Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) regions.
In roles centered on agility and digital transformation, IT teams understand that runtime environments for enterprise apps change constantly. Respondents indicated a need for greater orchestration and application mobility across cloud environments, as they seek flexibility to move apps to the “right” cloud on a more dynamic basis. In addition, shadow IT practices that circumvent enterprise IT teams are posing a significant challenge to forecasting and controlling public cloud spend with well over half of respondents (57%) reporting one or more incidents of shadow IT.
Other key findings of the report include:
Hybrid cloud better addresses business needs over single public cloud, including the price tag: 87% of respondents said that hybrid cloud as an IT trend is having a positive impact on their businesses, and more hybrid cloud users reported all their needs were being met (49%) compared to single public cloud users (37%). Furthermore, organizations that use public cloud spend 26% of their annual IT budget on public cloud. Perhaps most striking is the fact that only 6% using public cloud came in under budget, while nearly six times as many (35%) overspent in their use of public cloud resources
Security is top of mind for determining workloads: 71% of respondents surveyed for the report ranked data security and regulatory compliance as the top factor in determining where to provision their workloads. This was followed by performance at 62%, ease of management at 53%, and cost at 52%.
App developers today are circumventing IT: 57% of respondents said their developers are circumventing IT when it comes to deciding where applications run, putting the organization at potential risk.
Finding hybrid IT talent is difficult: With clear benefits to a hybrid model, respondents say scarcity of hybrid experts is a challenge, with 54% claiming talent retention is part of the problem.
EMEA is expected to surpass the Americas with hybrid cloud adoption:Regionally, the Americas reported greater use of hybrid clouds now (22%) and within 12 months’ time (31%). However, the two-year outlook has EMEA (43%) surpassing the Americas’ hybrid plans (39%) and APJ (39%) catching up.
“As enterprises demand stronger application mobility and interoperability, they are increasingly choosing hybrid cloud infrastructure,” said Ben Gibson, chief marketing officer for Nutanix. “While the advent of public cloud has increased IT efficiency in certain areas, hybrid cloud capabilities are the next step in providing the freedom to dynamically provision and manage applications based on business needs. However, the findings of this study reveal an important gap in the market: organizations need IT talent to manage their hybrid cloud models, especially in the next 12 to 24 months.”
iTC Infotech, a specialized global technology services provider and a fully-owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd, today announced the fourth edition of its flagship annual Co-creation and Technology Innovation Platform ‘iTech 2018’. The event will take place at the ITC Infotech corporate headquarters in Bengaluru on 8th and 9th of December, 2018.
Speaking about the initiative, Sushma Rajagopalan, MD & CEO, ITC Infotech said, “As a technology company and a differentiator in the digital era, it is imperative for us to collaborate with our employees, our clients, global technology platform majors & ISVs, and the world of startups, in order to identify and brainstorm innovative and fast solutions through new-age and superior digital technologies. Our flagship annual event iTech promotes this through co-creation, co-innovation and collaboration.”
Aimed at boosting digital talent amongst technology enthusiasts and providing a platform for aspiring startups, ITC Infotech will run two parallel tracks, a Startup ‘Showcase’ segment and a programing ‘Codeathon’.
The Startup ‘Showcase’ has been designed with the objective of providing innovative technology startups a platform to present their solutions directly to businesses. ITC Infotech will invite established and early-stage startups to demonstrate solutions leveraging emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Augment Virtual & Mixed Reality, Blockchain, IoT, etc across Industry 4.0, HealthTech and Fintech. ITC Infotech also seeks to partner with relevant startups to help develop the solution, create a joint go-to-market and provide market access.
The Codeathon segment will see teams solving programing challenges that includes - building interactive mobile UI component using platform specific SDK, offline analytics for mobile app, offline app sync, process automation, and labour matching for farming. An open innovation category has also been created for Blockchain Solution across select industry verticals. Three winning teams will get a chance to win a prize money of Rs. 2,00,000, Rs. 1,00,000 and Rs. 50,000.
