Mahindra and Zee Celebrate International Women’s Day by Empowering Women Farmers with Prerna

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd , part of the USD 20.7 billion Mahindra Group and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), a media and entertainment powerhouse today celebrated International Women’s Day with the release of a nationwide campaign on the Prerna initiative.

Designed to bring to light the challenges that women farmers face and empower them as change makers in agriculture, this campaign highlights how Prerna is a strong change catalyst. Conceived by Lowe Lintas and directed by National Award-winning director Paresh Mokashi, the story of this film is rendered through an innocent child and his mother who is a farmer.

Launched in October 2017, the Prerna initiative was shaped with the intention of transforming the lives of women farmers, providing them with a better social status and respect in society. The key constituents of the program include introduction of gender neutral farm tools for reducing farm drudgery, and dissemination of knowledge and capability for increasing farm productivity. The ultimate objective is to increase overall income, resulting in financial independence and empowerment for women farmers.

Speaking on the campaign, Rajesh Jejurikar, President, Farm Equipment Sector, M&M Ltd. said, “Women farmers are the unsung heroes of our agricultural landscape. They carry a great part of the burden of their family, playing a multidimensional role, despite limited resources and restricted access to knowledge. Through Prerna, we aim to empower them with the necessary opportunities, training and equipment to be better skilled and more productive in farming operations. I am thankful to ZEE for their support in this unique initiative which aims to bring awareness about the role of women farmers through Prerna”.

Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEEL said, “Agriculture is one of the most important sectors for the Indian economy and in fact provides employment to almost 50% of the country’s workforce with women being at the forefront. There is an emerging need to recognise their contribution and to bring these women into the mainstream, empowering them with direct access to knowledge of improved agricultural practices. We at ZEE Entertainment are proud to join hands with Mahindra to launch Prerna – an initiative to recognize, appreciate and empower women farmers”.

The first phase of Prerna was executed over the last 18 months, in over 40 villages in Odisha positively impacting the lives of over 2,000 women farmers. This phase was executed in partnership with the Central Institution for Women in Agriculture (CIWA), a department of the Government of India’s Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the NGO Pradan (Professional Assistance for Development Action), with the introduction of 14 farm implements, reducing drudgery in farming operations.

Currently Prerna has forayed into 60 villages across the key states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka in partnership with the BAIF Institute for Sustainable Livelihoods and Development (BISLD) with the aim of empowering & reaching out to over 6,000 women farmers, as change makers in agriculture. The plan is to work closely with women farmers to improve agricultural practices, introduce farm mechanisation and facilitate peer learning among the women farmer community.

India Saves Rs.149 Cr During ‘The Great Indian Restaurant Fest 2019’

India is a food loving country with each state offering different cuisines to match the preferences of a billion-strong population. Indians were never big on dining out but the scenario is fast changing now.

Based on its recently concluded third edition of the annual food festival – the ‘Great Indian Restaurant Festival’ (GIRF) dineout – India’s leading dining out platform, has released interesting findings which showed that dining out isn’t just for special occasions, it has become a way of life for India’s food connoisseurs. The month long food carnival kick-started on January 28 and offered close to 65% savings on bills, buffet, drinks (including alcohol) at 6000+ restaurants across 11 cities.

This year, GIRF saw an overwhelming response from consumers wherein approximately 2.5 million diners participated, which was 2.5 times more as compared to its previous edition. The restaurant partners generated a total GMV worth of Rs. 350 crores during the month-long festival. Out of these, over 80% diners turned out to be between the age group of 18-34 years, which clearly showcases that Indian millennials are utilizing dining out as a popular form of socializing and are open to experiencing various cuisines & deals.

Following the theme #MonthofMore, dineout’s GIRF invited consumers to indulge in binge eating by offering more food, more discounts and more incredible dining out experiences. The festival also saw other interesting trends wherein close to 13% of consumers preferred dining out at café’s over a pub or a bar and over 4.2 lakh people dined out on 24th February alone, which is more than the population of Iceland!

In terms of cities, Delhi topped the charts where around 30% of the total diners enjoyed meals & deals at GIRF, Mumbai & Bengaluru came a close second and third respectively. Some of the other interesting findings from the festival were –

Delhi had more appetite for pizza than paranthas
Bengaluru leveraged happy hour deals the most during GIRF
Mumbai & Kolkata had the maximum consumption of noodles during GIRF
Delhiites saved around  Rs. 50 Cr. during GIRF, which is the spend of a big fat Indian wedding

“This year, GIRF has captured the imagination of millions of Indian foodies,” Ankit Mehrotra, Founder & CEO - dineout said. “Indian millennials are increasingly discovering the pleasures of dining out and exploring cuisines from all over the world, and we are glad to play a pivotal role in this.  We see a shift towards dining out experiences that bring them closer to friends and family. We look forward to offering foodies across the country more opportunities to combine their love for great deals with their passion for unique quality food and drinks.”

During the festival, dineout also ran several contests to offer foodies a chance to win free prizes and goodies and invited its consumers to share their best GIRF memories on Instagram and stand a chance to win OnePlus 6T every day.

Mounting Cloud Email Threats to Office 365 Require Second Layer of Defense

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, today announced that its Cloud App Security tool blocked nearly nine million high-risk email threats in 2018 as attackers continued to evolve their tactics, highlighting the importance of investing in multi-layered protection for online platforms like Office 365.

The findings from Trend Micro’s Cloud App Security report detail how escalating email threat levels are exposing organizations to an increased risk of fraud, spying, information theft, and spoofing. As email remains a staple communication and collaboration tool globally, it is convenient for cybercriminals to leverage this integral, trusted platform for compromising attacks.

“Organizations are increasingly looking to cloud email services to boost productivity and agility, but the Cloud App Security report reveals that—from credential phishing to business email compromise (BEC) and the use of unusual file types—hackers are employing a variety of new tactics to evade built-in controls, making it critical to invest in a second layer of defense,” said Kevin Simzer, chief operating officer at Trend Micro.

As the report reveals, email remains one of the most popular threat vectors. In total, the solution detected and blocked nearly 9 million high-risk email threats in 2018. This number was even after Cloud App Security was used as a second filter for emails that passed through Office 365. A Trend Micro customers’ detection result is available in the report.

This underscores that sophisticated, multi-layered security is imperative for cloud-based email security as part of the shared responsibility model.

Simzer continued, “Microsoft is a valued partner of ours and by no means the only provider targeted by these evolving tactics. While its internal controls are a great starting point, organizations must take shared responsibility for security in the cloud. Think of third-party email protection as the tires of your favorite car — an essential add-on.”

To improve the tool’s detection rates even further, Trend Micro has added new capabilities that combine Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence technology to “see” fake websites. This additional technique is applied to suspected phishing emails after filtering based on sender, content, and URL reputation.

The new capabilities sit alongside other Trend Micro email security features. These strategic offerings include AI-powered Writing Style DNA to combat BEC attacks, machine learning-based detection of suspicious email content, sandbox malware analysis, document exploit detection, and file, email, and web reputation technologies. Cloud App Security also leverages the power of the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network, which blocked more than 41 billion email threats in 2018.

Equifax Analytics Joins with SysArc Infomatix to Enable Seamless Digital Lending

Equifax Analytics Pvt. Ltd, a global information solutions provider of predictive analytics, today announced a union with SysArc Infomatix, a world-class lending solutions provider to drive digital transformation in financial institutions across India via their bundled LENDperfect and Interconnect platforms.

Equifax Interconnect is a cloud based modular, agile and secure decision management system that is designed to help Indian financial institutions to transform complex data and decision strategies into actionable insights.

Equifax InterConnect enables institutions to manage decision policies, data sources, models and analytics effectively, and to respond to market needs swiftly. InterConnect empowers business users through comprehensive management of business strategies and policy rules with limited technical involvement.

SysArc’s LENDperfect is a world-class solution designed by banking experts and seasoned IT professionals to manage and gain visibility over entire loan life cycle.

LENDperfect Retail, Agri and MSME are market-leading solutions that understand the needs of multiple lending institutions. The products have an automated workflow engine to ensure quick TAT and meticulous BPM standards across the entire lending operation.

“Today, the Indian market is travelling through digital transformation and a seamlessly integrate able solution to set up a straight through process is very important” said KM Nanaiah, managing director, Equifax Credit Information services Ltd. and Country Leader, Equifax India and MEA. “This complimentary partnership will bring to Indian financial institutions an integrated flexible platform combining Loan management system and Decision management system with ability to integrate multiple data sources and analytical tools seamlessly.”

Customer satisfaction lies in the ability to process a loan requirement and dispense it within a matter of minutes. The ability to process and sanction an increasing number of loan requests can help garner more applicants looking for quicker credit approval. People are in constant search of new innovative ideas that can ease complex tasks. The need to stay updated and inventive is essential to outgrow competition and earn loyalty of customers, said Mr. Sundar Garg, CEO SysArc. “Partnering with Equifax Analytics takes SysArc one step closer to making lending easy for both borrower and the lender. Data capturing and instant verification is crucial to any loan processing. Much of this vision is fulfilled through the partnership by improving decision support through extensive yet instant underwriting process.

Medvarsity Online and Lecturio.com Sign a Partnership to Enable Digital Education for Medical Colleges in India

Medvarsity, a pioneer in online medical training partnered with Lecturio.com to provide enhanced technology based healthcare learning for medical students. The partnership enables Medvarsity to offer Lecturio’s world class medical content to medical colleges in India. The association aims to provide medical students the opportunity to learn more effectively, improve board performance and become better healthcare professionals.

Lecturio’s platform and learning content complement the learning needs of every medical student and combines modules from some of the best faculty around the world. This allows the institutions to make assignments matching their curricula and learning paths. Medvarsity’s established leadership in medical education in the region and access to a large pool of healthcare focused educational institutions can help drive considerable traction in the region.

Talking about the partnership, Mr. Gerald Jaideep, CEO, Medvarsity Online Ltd. said “The Medical Council of India had mandated all medical education to leverage at least 30% digital learning methodologies. Partnering with Lecturio allows us to introduce an exceptionally innovative platform, combined with extensive content across pre-clinical, para-clinical and clinical subjects that can supplement the existing teaching tools used by colleges in India.”

To come across as credible & reliable professionals, the doctors need to remember numerous medical facts. Therefore, Lecturio’s learning methodology ensures the use of increasing time intervals between subsequent reviews (spaced repetition) of previously learned material in order to achieve long term memorization.

This tie up is done keeping in mind the growing needs of the digital learning and critical healthcare trends & requirements. Digital learning is the new age learning methodology that enables students to grasp concepts quickly, which in turn connects theoretical and practical learning more easily. This also engages in learning more readily, along with enhancing the instructional techniques, leveraging instructor time, and ensuring widespread sharing of knowledge. Digital technologies therefore, permits this through new and better ways, which helps create possibilities beyond the limits of ones imagination.

Commenting on the partnership, Stefan Wisbauer, CEO, Lecturio Gmbh said “We are pleased to be working with such an established player in the Indian market where student predisposition to mobile and online learning as well as the needs of institutions to stay connected to their student’s learning provide fertile ground. Faculty will gain great efficiency in their teaching to help them juggle the mix of teaching, care delivery, research and administration many of them have to handle.”

Medvarsity currently offers online courses for a range of healthcare related subjects, which are designed for medical professionals who are looking to enhance their knowledge and expertise in a chosen field. By partnering with Lecturio, Medvarsity hopes to bring the e-learning content and platform by offering it to MBBS students in India. This is aligned with our strategy to expand medical education beyond professional education and enter the pre-med space through strategic partnerships.

Innovative Metals Recycler, Cosmos Green’s Plans 8 Large Warehouses across India to Store and Recycle Metal

Cosmos Green FZE, a UAE based metals recycler is opening 8 new warehouses in Mumbai, Gujarat, and Chennai at which it will store and recycle metals. From its base in NCR, Cosmos Green is expanding across India. The innovative firm is already recycling 10,000 tons of metal scrap every year and will open warehouses in the mentioned cities because they provide easy access to ports and have ample space.

The vision behind the metal scrap warehouses stems from the realization that metal manufacturers in India extract metal from iron ore leading to pollution and depletion of natural resources. By creating large metal scrap warehouses, Cosmos Green expects to preserve natural resources, conserve energy, and deliver high-quality metal to Indian manufacturers at low cost. The metal scarp Cosmos Green will recycle will be bought from the US and Europe. By 2024 Cosmos Green expects to recycle 1,80,000 tons of metal scrap each month; a significant proportion of the 5,00,000 tons of metal scrap demanded each month by Indian industry.

Funding of $3 million for the Indian arm of Cosmos Green was provided by the promoters and the company is in discussions with private equity firms to raise $120 million in 4 tranches. The planned warehouses will measure 50,000 square feet in area and be equipped with mini furnaces, shredders, and will have ample storage space. Investment in each warehouse will be 2 crores and the remaining capital will be used to purchase machinery and procure scrap. 

Speaking about its expansion across India, Mr. Rajat Kapur, CEO & Founder said “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in India in such a short time span. By expanding and creating large warehouses in key parts of India we will be able to recycle metals imported from overseas efficiently and supply metal to manufacturers at a low cost. Our strength lies in our innovative model that’s a win-win for manufacturers, society, the environment, and Cosmos Green. Within a few short years, we expect to supply large quantities of metal to domestic manufacturers through our warehouses and in the process help preserve resources and better the environment.”

Skullcandy Unveils Push Truly Wireless Earphones in India at Rs. 9,999

Utah-based Skullcandy is a young company in the audio space as compared to many of the established names, having been founded in 2003 in the United States. The brand's positioning and design language indicates a modern approach to personal audio products, with unique colours and pop culture-inspired styling. Skullcandy has now launched its latest product in India, the Skullcandy Push. The Push is a pair of truly wireless earphones that come with its own charging case, and is priced at Rs. 9,999. The earphones are available at various offline and online retailers across the country starting today.

The Skullcandy Push is the company's first truly wireless audio product, and is the latest in a trend that is seeing various headphone makers get into the truly wireless product segment. The segment was popularised by the Apple AirPods, which although not the first such product, brought the concept to widespread attention. Skullcandy has been in the wireless headphone space for a while now, and the Push is among the most affordable options from a top audio brand.

The earbuds of the Skullcandy Push are water resistant, and run on Bluetooth version 4.2. The frequency response range is listed as 20-20,000Hz, and battery life is claimed to be up to 12 hours between both the earbuds and the charging case. The earbuds are said to run for 6 hours on a single charge, and the case can top up the battery of both buds once over, providing an additional six hours of charge. You also get Skullcandy's FitFin ear gel fittings for a more secure fit.

Skullcandy also recently launched the Riff Wireless headphones in India, which is priced at Rs. 5,999. We will be bringing you the review of the Skullcandy Push very soon, so stay tuned.

HIGHLIGHTS
* The Skullcandy Push is priced at Rs. 9,999
* These are the first truly wireless earphones from Skullcandy
* Up to 12 hours of battery life is promised with both case and earphones