Tata Motors Rolls Out the 1st ALTROZ from its Pune Plant

Tata Motors has rolled out the 1st unit of ALTROZ from its plant in Pune. With this, the company is all set for the launch of the highly anticipated, premium hatchback in Jan 2020. The ALTROZ is the second vehicle designed under the Impact design 2.0 language and first one to be developed on the new ALFA architecture. The ALTROZ promises to redefine the category and set the GOLD Standard of hatchbacks with its futuristic design, advanced platform, thrilling performance and smart technology.

Commenting on the roll-out, Mr. Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit (PVBU), Tata Motors said, “We are thrilled to roll-out  yet another class defining product from the plant today. The ALTROZ is our first product that will be launched on the all-new ALFA platform and we believe that it will raise the bar for vehicles across the premium hatchback segment, come 2020. Since the unveiling of the concept in 2018, the anticipation for ALTROZ has always been high. We hope that customers will appreciate the new futuristic design with host of smart features, many of which are one segment above.”

Tata Motors first showcased the 45X concept at the Auto Expo in February 2018, followed by a display at the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) in March 2018. The 45X concept stunned the audience with its futuristic design and stunning profile at both the shows. Bringing concept to reality, Tata Motors unveiled the ALTROZ to the world at GIMS in March 2019. The excitement around the product is overwhelming and grows by the day.

Exclusive Deals @ Brigade Year End Bonanza Expo – till December, 15

The Brigade Year End Bonanza is back. This month long bonanza ends on 15 December 2019. Customers can avail exciting offers on the  widest choices of homes. The offer includes 0% Interest on Ready homes, No Pre- EMI on Ongoing homes and Complimentary stay at Star hotels for new launches.

The offers are applicable on more than 30 projects across different cities including Bengaluru, Mysuru, Chennai, Hyderabad & Mangaluru.

With the choice of Apartments, Integrated Townships, Penthouses, Senior Living, Townhouses & Villas, Brigade has a home to suit everyone’s need. Now, there is no reason to delay owning your dream home.

Helpmesee Gets $25,000 Grant from Goldmamn Sachs to Help Address Cataract Blindness in India

HelpMeSee, an international nonprofit focused on eliminating cataract-caused blindness and vision impairment, will receive a India-targeted $25,000 grant from Goldman Sachs, a leading global investment bank and active investor in India.  The funding comes as a result of the Goldman Sachs India team securing a grant through the annual, global Goldman Sachs Gives Analyst Impact Fund competition.  Goldman Sachs Gives is a donor-advised fund through which Goldman Sachs and its current and retired senior employees provide grants to qualifying non-profit organizations globally. The grant will be used to provide cost-effective cataract surgery training for eye surgeons in India.

According to World Health Organisation, approximately 2.2 billion people globally are visually impaired or are affected by blindness worldwide. The leading cause of this global health crisis are uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts, which are treatable 80 percent of the time.  This holds true in India too, which has the largest population of blind people in the world and over 20 million people who are blind due to cataracts.  According to the National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey India from 2015 - 2019, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in people above 50 years of age. In that age group, cataracts are the cause of 66 percent cases of blindness, 81 percent severe visual impairment cases and 70 percent moderate visual impairment.  Today, the majority of cataract-afflicted Indians live in low-income settings and poverty that lack of access to healthcare services, which leads to low awareness about eye health and increased susceptibility to eye diseases. 

HelpMeSee focuses on this problem by providing training to eye surgeons to treat cataracts.  Through a cost-effective surgical training simulator, specialist are taught manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS). The simulations teach specialists to handle diverse cases of cataracts, including hundreds of pre-existing conditions and complications, that may be experienced during a live surgery.  This replaces traditional MSICS training which previously was performed on live patients with associated risks and higher economic cost, which are drastically reduced through this process.

James T. Ueltschi, Chairman and Treasurer of HelpMeSee, said: “The bright, young professionals of Goldman Sachs have brought this important cause to the forefront of their firm’s global leadership and secured funding to help eradicate a national crisis in our country which is suffered by the poorest among us.  Today, throughout our communities, cataract blindness is a burden on families, reduces life expectancy and is a cause for loss in economic productivity.  This grant will ultimately allow us to provide greater access to affordable, high-quality surgery and restore the life and dignity of each person this initiative touches and cures.”

The funding for this cause was made possible by the efforts of a five-person analyst team in India that qualified to become one of six teams to advance to the finals of the global Goldman Sachs Gives Analyst Impact Fund competition.  An analyst is the entry level position at Goldman Sachs. The annual Analyst Impact Fund is an initiative that provides Goldman Sachs employees with the opportunity to collaborate with peers across global offices to win a grant for a non-profit organization of their choice and impact the communities where they live and work.

This month the finalists addressed their pitches and presentations to Goldman Sachs Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David Solomon and the firm’s Partnership Committee in New York where the India team was able to secure a $25,000 grant for HelpMeSee India with a fourth place finish.  Overall, the India team competed against 975 other analysts from around the world, who participated on behalf of 360 nonprofits globally. These projects were assessed on the impact, scalability and uniqueness of the proposed project; the team’s analysis of the project goals and financials; and the strength of the organization’s leadership and partnerships. The first-place grant of $250,000 was awarded to a London-based analyst team representing Days for Girls, an organization that aims to increase access to menstrual care and education for girls and women.

Commenting on the annual initiative, Sonjoy Chatterjee, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs in India, said: “The Analyst Impact Fund brings the very best of Goldman Sachs to our communities. This platform builds on our firm’s commitment to philanthropy and longstanding culture of teamwork.  For our analysts the Fund presents a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact on issues they are passionate about at an early stage of their career.  We are proud that year after year, we receive innovative and inspiring ideas from our talented analysts in our efforts to give back to society.”

In the previous years of the global Goldman Sachs Gives Analyst Impact Fund competition, India employees also successfully secured grants for Educate Girls, a non-profit organization that improves enrolment, retention and learning outcomes for girls in the most remote and marginalized communities in India and for Digital Green Foundation, a non-profit integrating technology to improve knowledge sharing for improved agricultural practices, health and nutrition.

E-commerce Enterprise - Buyandship Brings Black Friday to India Shoppers

‘Tis the season to go shopping and Indian shoppers can now do their window shopping online – with the window stretched across borders! Buyandship, the Hong Kong-based cross-border e-commerce service provider that raised US$2.2 million in a pre-series B round earlier this year, offers parcel forwarding services so that customers can shop from overseas while paying a minimum on shipping costs. Buyandship has now extended its services to India – and the timing could never be better! With Xmas shopping and the coveted Black Friday just around the corner, Buyandship will now allow Indian shoppers to steal deals straight from the US.

To make sure that shoppers from India don’t miss out on deals that they might be looking for, they can visit www.buyandship.in for Black Friday shopping tips. Founded in November 2014, Buyandship is offering special promo codes and free shipping credits from 14 October 2019 to 30 November 2019 thus celebrating its 5th anniversary.

Black Friday is the day that comes right after Thanksgiving Day in the US. Marking the beginning of the Xmas shopping season in the US, Black Friday is, without a doubt, the best day in the whole of the US to go on a shopping spree. It was reported that shoppers spent a total of $58.3 billion during Black Friday sale last year in the US alone. Thanksgiving being one of the biggest festive and shopping seasons in the US, now online stores all over the world including the UK, Japan, Australia, and the European Union offer Black Friday sales.

With retail chains and e-commerce stores across these countries offering huge discounts on a wide range of products, Black Friday is widely regarded as the best time to grab deals on products ranging from electronic gadgets to lifestyle and designer goods from a number of countries.

According to Buyandship, 80 percent of its Indian users are male. Indian shoppers buy products mainly from the US (78.4%), followed by the UK (10%) and Australia (8.6%). Supplements, clothes and accessories, stationery, and consumer electronics are the top categories that Indian users buy from.

With Buyandship, Indian shoppers can freely hunt for bargains and Black Friday deals on sites across all these countries, and enjoy international shipping on their orders for only $6 per pound in shipping fees, and leave high shipping costs behind. Moreover, with Buyandship Indian shoppers can access deals from overseas online shops that usually offer only domestic shipping. 

InfrasoftTech introduces Mixed Reality for Customer Authentication at Indian Banks

Customer authentication process is all set to get reduced drastically with the launch of Infrasoft Technologies’ (InfrasoftTech) Mixed Reality (MR) technology for banks. The extensive process of performing thorough background checks on customers which earlier used to take over 4-5 days can now be done in just three minutes. Intermingling technology with banking, this first-of-its-kind solution aims to revolutionize banking thereby improving security, curbing frauds and enhancing the digital customer experience.

The MR-enabled eye gears will simulate the bank branch experience wherein banking executives will be able to scan the face of a customer and after authentication, get access to their banking portfolio in one sight.

InfrasoftTech has also introduced a host of other solutions with the launch of its Mixed Reality Channel within its Kiya.ai Omnichannel & Open Banking solution which enables a user to access information in 3D view with the use of touch, speech, or hand gestures, anytime and anywhere. These latest tech-solutions from the company will act as a game-changer for banks and financial institutions to deliver enhanced customer experience by leveraging Artificial Intelligence, IoT and analytics.

Rajesh Mirjankar Managing Director & CEO, InfrasoftTech said, “We are extremely thrilled to introduce our ‘Made in India’ futuristic Mixed Reality channel for banks and financial institutions worldwide. The world of Omnichannel will move beyond mobiles, tablets and desktops to wearables where one wouldn’t need to carry devices to click and browse. Our journey of Omnichannel with Kiya.ai does not stop at mobiles and tablets. It extends to IoT, Immersive UX, Open APIs and Voice Commerce. With the launch of our new Mixed Reality Channel, we aim to offer the blend of the real world and digital objects such as data and workflows in a UX that renders a different experience. Over the last few years, we have truly embraced the wave of these futuristic technologies and tried to weave in them the daily chores of banking.”

In this ever-evolving and fast-changing fintech world, customer expectations and demands are continuously growing and creating challenges for traditional banks and financial institutions. InfrasoftTech’s Mixed Reality channel within its Kiya.ai Omnichannel & Open Banking solution can be deployed across various functions of banks such as Customer Contact Management & Reporting, Compliance & Risk Management, CRM Analytics and much more. It also provides gamification of processes thus eliminating the need for specific training on new products.

L&T Technology Services Recognized as a ‘Leader’ Among IoT Services Providers in Zinnov Zones 2019

L&T Technology Services, a leading global pure play engineering services company, has been recognized among the top service providers in innovation and capability for Internet of Things (IoT) Technology and Services in the Zinnov Zones IoT Services Rating for 2019. Zinnov has also positioned LTTS as ‘Leader’ across 7 other unique expertise areas.

The areas of expertise for which LTTS has been ranked as Leader include IoT Engineering, Industry 4.0, Connected Worker, Connected Logistics, Connected Assets, Energy and Utilities and Telecom.

Over 3,800 engineers from LTTS’ IoT engineering and managed services provide application and services platform that caters to asset management, energy management, digital factory, smart homes, connected products, connected transportation and smart healthcare.

LTTS’ IoT platform allows holistic end-to-end integration of the best products and solutions that assist in product engineering, sensor engineering, narrow band IoT framework for communication IPs, Edge analytics at sensor level, system integration and managed services. The platform also supports services such as advisory & consulting, cyber security, integrated analytics, gateways and controllers and end-to-end application development involving mobility applications, image processing and data analytics. These services have grown 48% year-over-year.

Zinnov rated LTTS’ advanced capabilities in offering IoT services to a global clientele of over 150 clients across its five verticals, with its offerings having been deployed in 1,067 projects across the globe.

Mr. Shashidhara Dongre, Global Head, Smart Products and Services at L&T Technology Services commented: “LTTS’ positioning as a ‘Leader’ in Zinnov Zones for IoT Technology Services for the third time in succession, is a reaffirmation of LTTS’ technological capabilities and expertise across the spectrum of IoT services. This important industry recognition inspires us to further push the digital transformation envelope for our customers. With our proprietary IoT platforms and solutions we enable enterprises to tap newer revenue streams by creating the next generation of smart products and services”.

Mr. Sidhant Rastogi, Partner & Practice Head, Zinnov said: LTTS has been rated ‘Leader’ in the Zinnov Zones IoT Services Rating 2019. The company has witnessed high growth in the last couple of years. It’s investments towards building horizontal platform capabilities (UBIQWeise and AiKno™) and vertical specific IoT solutions (i-BEMS, mCARE, WAGES, etc.) and new wins across multiple areas such as connected assets, autonomous vehicles, and industry 4.0 led engagements have helped fortify its positioning. LTTS’ deep-rooted domain capabilities and expertise in the space of industrial automation has helped build connected factories for its global clientele. Its framework-driven approach to identify use-cases and enhance RoI from client investments has helped LTTS take industry 4.0 initiatives and establish a successful track record across multiple geographies.

SBI Card and Vistara Come Together to Launch “Premium Co-Branded Credit Cards”

SBI Card and Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier, have joined hands to launch a one-of-its-kind premium credit card for travel savvy urban Indians. Launched in two variants, Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME and Club Vistara SBI Card, the new card has been designed to offer a rewarding travel experience to cardholders, through unique benefits and unmatched value proposition, on domestic and international travel spends.

The newly launched Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME will further address the evolving needs of the Indian travellers who aspire to travel in style and luxury. The card offers benefits such as, one-way Premium Economy tickets on joining and achieving spends-based milestone(s), complimentary Club Vistara Silver tier membership, up to six free cancellation of flight tickets booked on Vistara channels viz. website, app and helpline, and also complimentary lounge access- up to four international and eight domestic, among host of other benefits.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Hardayal Prasad, MD & CEO, SBI Card, said, “SBI Card has always strived to bring products for its customers that are customised as per their diverse lifestyle and preferences, offering maximum value and enhanced experience. Travel is one of the key spend categories for our cardholders. Through our partnership with Vistara, India’s best airline, we aim to address unique requirements of our customers, especially urban millennials, whose spend on travel has increased over a period of time and are looking for related privileged benefits. This launch, has increased our travel credit card portfolio that we have built over the years, targeted at fulfilling varied needs of our customers.”

Mr. Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “Our endeavour is to enhance the value proposition of Club Vistara and elevate its position from a frequent flyer program to a more attractive, comprehensive lifestyle program that makes an essential part of everyday lives of our customers. As travel spends continue to significantly rise among today’s urban consumers, we wish to provide more options to the ever-increasing number of our loyal customers to join Club Vistara and enjoy the privileges of their Club Vistara membership.”

The two variants of the Club Vistara SBI Card come with several benefits and privileges, such as complimentary Club Vistara Silver/Base tier membership, welcome tickets on Vistara’s domestic network, One-Class Upgrade voucher, free cancellation on Vistara bookings, travel insurance protection, lounge access vouchers, complimentary membership to Priority Pass Program, and attractive rewards on reaching milestone spends.

Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME holders earn nine Club Vistara (CV) Points for every INR 100 spent on flight ticket bookings with Vistara.

Club Vistara SBI Card holders earn up to four CV Points for every INR 200 on eligible spends on the card. These CV Points can be redeemed for domestic and international flights on Vistara and its partner airlines.

The joining fees for Club Vistara SBI Card and Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME are INR 1499 plus GST and INR 2999 plus GST, respectively, renewed annually at the same charges.

Highlights of Club Vistara SBI Card PRIME:

Complimentary Club Vistara Silver tier membership every year
9 CV Points for every INR 100 spent on Vistara flight ticket bookings
1 Lounge Access voucher & 1 One-Class Upgrade voucher
Priority waitlist clearance
Priority airport check-in at Premium Economy Counter
Increased check-in baggage allowance (+ 5kgs)
Increased check-in baggage allowance for Economy Lite fares (+1 Piece)
A one-way Premium Economy class ticket on Vistara’s domestic network as welcome benefit and on renewal each year
Up to 4 additional one-way Premium Economy class tickets on Vistara’s domestic network upon reaching key milestones in spends
Hotel gift voucher of worth INR 10,000 upon reaching key milestones in spends
Up to 6 free cancellation of flight tickets booked on Vistara channels viz. website, app and helpline through the card
Up to 8 complimentary visits to domestic lounges per year (subject to maximum 2 per quarter)
Complimentary membership to Priority Pass program (worth USD 99) for the entire duration of the product; Up to 4 complimentary international lounge visits per year (subject to maximum 2 per quarter)
3000 bonus CV Points on spending INR 75,000 within 90 days of card issuance
4 CV Points per eligible spend of INR 200 on the card
Comprehensive travel insurance cover
Air accident cover of up to INR 1 crore, lost baggage and personal documents, baggage delay, loss of passport, baggage damage, flight cancellation
Fraud liability cover of up to INR 1 lakh
Joining and annual renewal fee is INR 2999 plus GST

Highlights of Club Vistara SBI Card:

Complimentary Club Vistara Base membership
8 CV Points for every INR 100 spent on Vistara flight ticket bookings
A one-way Economy Class ticket on Vistara’s domestic network as welcome benefit and on renewal each year
Up to 3 additional one-way Economy Class tickets on Vistara’s domestic network upon reaching key milestones in spends
Hotel gift voucher of worth INR 5,000 upon reaching key milestones in spends
Up to 4 free cancellation of flight tickets booked on Vistara channels viz. website, app and helpline through the card
Complimentary membership to Priority Pass program (worth USD 99) for the entire duration of the product
Up to 4 complimentary visits to domestic lounges per year (maximum 1 per quarter)
1000 bonus CV Points on spending INR 50,000 within 90 days of card issuance
3 CV Points per eligible spend of INR 200 on the card
Comprehensive travel insurance cover
Air accident cover of up to INR 50 lakh, lost baggage and personal documents, baggage delay, loss of passport, baggage damage, flight cancellation
Fraud liability cover of up to INR 1 lakh
Joining and annual renewal fee is INR 1499 plus GST