The 19th NCPEDP- Mindtree Helen Keller Awards of 2018 took place at the India International Centre Auditorium. The Awards were given away to twelve exceptional individuals and organizations who are role models in furthering employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
In their nineteenth year now, the Awards have, over the years, emerged as a credible way to map the progress being made year by year towards greater dignity and empowerment of India’s 70 million disabled citizens.
This year, twelve awards have been announced under three different categories. Speaking at the occasion, Arman Ali, Executive Director, NCPEDP said “It is so heartening to see the kind of applications we have received this year. Typically most applications received are from the IT industry and this year it was refreshing to see that most applications received were from organisations and people working in the retail sector. We do look forward to seeing this work percolate to smaller towns and even villages”.
Congratulating the Awardees, the Chief Guest on this occasion, Dr Satya Pal Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State for Human Resource Development said “It is so heartening to be here today and learn about the amazing work being done for and by people with disabilities. All that is required is some support and equal opportunities. In my capacity as Minister for Higher Education I commit all my support to ensure accessibility, in all respects across all our institutes of higher education, so that more and more people with disabilities will break the glass ceiling as employees, employers and entrepreneurs.”
Giving an acceptance speech on behalf of all Awardees, Mr. Shishir Rambhau Gorle, Founder, SquareMeal Foods Pvt Limited reiterated that “disability is rarely the challenge - people are disabled due to a hostile environment around them and that is the change we hope to bring about”.
Speaking on this occasion, N. S. Parthasarthy, Executive Vice Chairman and COO, Mindtree Limited said, “The visibility brought about by these awards is very encouraging and more importantly, this is the result of more organizations changing their attitudes and perceptions on having people with disabilities as part of their workforce – though more needs to be done. We congratulate all the Awardees and also NCPEDP for this very unique initiative to promote equal opportunities for people with disabilities.”
ACT Fibernet (Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd.) India’s largest fiber-focused wired broadband ISP (Internet Service Provider)[i], joined hands with the Government of Tamil Nadu to introduce Digital accessible information system (DAISY) for the visually impaired students of 11th and 12th Standards for both CBSE and State board syllabus in partnership with Karna Vidya foundation for the first time in India. The collaboration intends to empower students and enable them to overcome challenges through smart technology-oriented education.
Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) Software is a globally recognized format that converts text from regular books into computerized content which can be easily accessed by the visually impaired students. It allows students to read full text independently, effortlessly navigate between sentences, thereby making it easy for the students to learn the subject more efficiently.
Commenting on the initiative, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Chief Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu, said, “Government of Tamil Nadu has always furthered the cause for education of students across society using technology. It's for first time the 11th and 12th std. syllabus of State Board and CBSE is converted in this format and is a welcome initiative by ACT Fibernet. With their support, we are extremely happy to bring advanced digital learning technology to our visually challenged students. This will certainly enable them to study effortlessly, nourish their knowledge, help them keep pace with the present-day advancement and overall make them self-reliable.”
Speaking on the association, Bala Malladi, CEO, ACT Fibernet said, “In today’s world, it is important for every child to have access to digital education to make the best use of opportunities that the modern economy offers. We are deeply committed to provide the same in every possible manner. It is our honor that the Government of Tamil Nadu has shown trust upon us and gave us the opportunity to empower the visually challenged students with digital education. This modern method of e-learning will certainly help our students to enhance their knowledge and give them the courage to explore new opportunities.”
Further, to acknowledge the hard work and success of one such student who has overcome all the challenges of disability, ACT Fibernet will reward Master. Sabari Venkat a 15-year-old student studying in 11th standard with DAISY installed laptop and printer, that will help him complete his education with ease. Also, as a responsible corporate with a constant endeavor to improve people’s lives, ACT Fibernet will be contributing over Rs.10 Lakhs to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the unidentified damage caused to the state during the Gaja cyclone.
The country’s manufacturing sector activity improved in November and touched an 11-month high as new order flows encouraged companies to lift production amid strong demand conditions, a monthly survey said on Monday.
The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index strengthened from 53.1 in October to 54.0 in November, signalling the strongest improvement in the health of the sector in almost one year.
This is the 16th consecutive month that the manufacturing PMI remained above the 50-point mark.
In PMI parlance, a print above 50 means expansion, while a score below that denotes contraction.
Manufacturers increased production at the second-quickest pace since October 2016, buoyed by stronger demand conditions and greater sales.
“The Indian manufacturing sector continued to recover from ground lost in August, with November seeing the headline PMI climb to an 11-month high,” said Pollyanna De Lima, Principal Economist at IHS Markit and author of the report.
The expansion in total new orders was supported by greater sales to international markets as producers reportedly received bulk orders from clients in key export destinations.
“Signs of rising confidence in the upturn were also provided by the trend for employment, which continued to grow at one of the quickest rates seen in six years,” Lima added.
On the employment front, goods producers created jobs in November. Though the increase in employment softened slightly since October, but was among the fastest seen in six years, the survey noted.
Going ahead, business sentiment improved from October’s 20-month low, with Indian manufacturers forecasting better market conditions in the coming 12 months.
Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover has launched a special edition of its Jaguar XJ model for Rs 1.11 crore in India to commemorate 50 years of the company’s flagship luxury saloon, as per a reports from New Delhi.
The special edition, XJ50 will be available in long wheelbase with 3 litre diesel engine option, the company said.
The anniversary edition will have unique intaglio branding and XJ50-badged illuminated treadplates, alongside anodised gearshift paddles and bright metal pedals.
“The Jaguar XJ has always been the epitome of Jaguar’s focus on luxury and excellence. With the XJ50, we have raised the bar once again, paying homage to one of the world’s most stylish sporting saloons.” said Rohit Suri, Jaguar Land Rover India President and MD.
As a part of its management restructuring in India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) today announced the repatriation of Akito Tachibana, present Managing Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor and proposed appointment of Mr. Masakazu Yoshimura as Managing Director. The formal appointment of the new Managing Director will be made at the meeting of Board of Directors scheduled on 22nd January 2019.
Masakazu Yoshimura will be responsible for broad leadership and strategic direction of Toyota’s business operations in India. He comes with over 25 years of rich automobile experience in diverse areas covering Product Planning, Pricing, Sales & Marketing, etc., and is equipped to further contribute to the overall success of Toyota’s brand in the region.
Prior to this appointment, Yoshimura was General Manager at Toyota Motor Corporation [East Asia & Oceania Division].
As a keen follower of Toyota’s global best practices and continuous improvement of operations, Yoshimura will continue to guide the company’s vision and values of building the brand synonymous with Quality, Dependability and Reliability - QDR Philosophy.
Commenting on the leadership change, Akito Tachibana, Managing Director – Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said “Thank you very much for the support & cooperation extended to me during my tenure in Toyota Kirloskar Motor. Together as Team Toyota, we have defined Vision 2025 which enabled us to grow India & grow with India. I also sincerely appreciate the TKM Team in India for their active participation in realizing a Safe and Clean company. Efforts related to continuous improvement & people development initiatives will help in Business Sustainability. It would be appreciated, if you could extend the same level of support to Mr. Yoshimura.
I am really happy to be in India during the phase of evolving changes, but with no change in the warmness of peoples’ heart in India.”
During his India stint, Tachibana was responsible for steering Toyota’s long-term vision for India”, leading to the overall growth prospects through his strategic drive. While setting very high standards with his work, Mr. Tachibana was instrumental in carving out a strong future for Toyota in India.
Speaking on his new appointment as Managing Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor – Masakazu Yoshimura, said “I am excited to work in the much challenging Indian market. Customers are at the heart of everything we do and we Toyota Team will enhance our efforts to enrich the society further, thus improve the lives of the people. Taking forward Toyota’s core values, I look forward to everyone’s continued support and co-operation, to build on the growing momentum of sustainable operations in the region.”
Fincare Small Finance Bank, poised for a sustained growth with improved fundamentals, has registered a Rs. 42.3 crore profit after tax (PAT) in H1 FY19. The Bank’s gross loans portfolio grew at 99 per cent during the year, to close at Rs. 2,899 Crore, as on September 30, 2018. The Bank has also garnered deposits worth Rs. 1,455 Crore as on September 30, 2018, a growth of 383 per cent y-o-y, with retail deposits comprising 34 per cent of the total deposits.
The Bank has successfully diversified into new asset segments, with secured loans such as loans against property, loans against gold and institutional finance growing at 252 per cent on a y-o-y basis. Secured loans now account for 15 per cent of the gross loans portfolio, significantly above the 8 per cent a year ago. The micro loans portfolio also demonstrated an 85 percent growth during the same period. Asset quality indicators have also shown improvement, with net NPA down to 0.35 per cent from 1.4 percent and gross NPA down to 1.4 percent from 1.9 percent on a y-o-y basis.
Keyur Doshi, CFO of Fincare Small Finance Bank, said, “The H1 results are a reflection of our continued efforts on growth and diversification. We have made considerable progress during this year in growing our secured business, and in building a strong liabilities franchise, as is evident from the growth in both the businesses. We are confident of sustaining this performance in the second half of this financial year as well”.
The Bank has a network of over 500 banking outlets catering to over 12.5 lakh customers across 10 states and 1 Union Territory.
Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions (RBEI) has launched an intelligent ecosystem platform, with an aim to assist Indian SMEs transition on Industry 4.0 journey. The platform named as Phantom was launched at the Bengaluru Tech Summit.
RBEI President and Managing Director Vijay Ratnaparkhe said Phantom platform will support SMEs to prepare a digital transformation roadmap for their manufacturing plants, machine intelligence and energy analytics.
"Bosch Phantom stands behind the Indian SME sector by significantly improving their machine efficiency which is the cornerstone to secure India's digital future," Ratnaparkhe said.
According to a company statement, it is a retrofit solution that can set up in a few minutes. Phantom gathers machine usage and production patterns for extensive analytics and provides valuable insights on benchmarks, trends, losses and best practices.
RBEI Sales and Marketing Vice-President K Swaminathan said Phantom platform is a powerful ecosystem on the cloud and on-premise that delivers manufacturing efficiency, real time alert and timely actionable insights.
Ratnaparkhe also added that Phantom will help SMEs to kick-start their digital journey, across multiple industries. The German technology giant also plans customised advisory sessions, consulting workshop and a portal for the speedy adoption Phantom platform among Indian SMEs.
