New book by JM Financial Services, “Investories-Anecdotes from the Financial World” is Packed with Timeless Investment Advice

JM Financial Services Ltd. the dedicated financial services arm of the JM Financial Group, today unveiled its newest offering, titled “Investories-Anecdotes from the Financial World”

The book was launched with great fanfare in Bangalore by Mr. Hari K, Chief Business Officer, National Stock Exchange at Sapna Book Store on Nov 29, 2019.

“Investories” is a collection of bite-sized learnings in understanding the capital markets especially as investors are being increasingly exposed to multiple avenues for investments as well as multiple intermediaries, platforms and regulations.

In its constant endeavour towards investor education, JM Financial Services has lent paper to the thoughts and words of Mr. Amit Trivedi the author of Investories.

Mr. Subodh Shinkar, the CEO & Managing Director, JM Financial Servicessaid” We were considering a book that would be an assortment of timeless principles that just doesn’t bury the reader under charts, stats or graphs, but talks about the subject in an engaging and simplistic manner. We couldn’t have asked for a better collaborator than Mr. Amit Trivedi. His thoughts and approach resonated with the firm’s philosophy of investor education awareness and transparency.”

Mr. Amit Trivedi said, "I have been interacting with investors and investment advisors across the country for quite some time now. I have realized that investors have many questions and doubts when it comes to investing. The need was felt to put things in perspective and bring out various lessons that would help take smart investment decisions. It was no surprise that the experience of JM Financial Services was also quite similar. It is then that we decided to collaborate on this project. I believe that such initiatives by large firms like JM Financial Services go a long way in empowering the investors, by spreading the right message."

Mr. Trivedi is a well acclaimed author, financial products and sales trainer and has conducted several distributor training workshops and investor education seminars. He has painstakingly researched every story and brought them to life in his simple and lucid words.

The book reveals the common mistakes that many investors make, the pitfalls and traps to avoid and the modus operandi that goes in selecting the right investment vehicle. With real life anecdotes, Mr. Trivedi prepares the reader for the reality of the world of investing whether they are beginners or veterans of the markets.

The book will be available in all major bookstores and can also be ordered online on Amazon.

India & Sweden Come Together to Establish the SITIS for Road Safety Platform Using Digital Technologies

Indian & Swedish companies and institutes partner in platform to build understanding and frame solutions for road safety platform aims to become a prominent platform for applied research and innovation in the area of safe & sustainable transport. SITS aims to harness technology to bring down the more than 150,000 road fatalities in India each year.

Leading Indian companies and institutes with expertise in safety have come together to form the Sweden-India Transport Innovation & Safety Platform (SITIS) as a long-term platform for innovation and a centre for excellence on traffic safety research. The SITIS partnership will build deeper understanding of traffic safety in India, and provide insights into the core challenges facing many fast-growing economies with similar challenges and their potential solutions. This will provide a unique ability to inform and evaluate policy and technology priorities.

Members of this platform are companies and institutes who lead in the safety area in their respective domains. These include partners such as; Volvo Group, Autoliv, Ericsson, Manipal Hospitals, Altair, Saab and Tech Mahindra, as well as universities and research institutes; India Institute of Science (IISc), Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Program, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (TRIPP, IITD), Chalmers University of Technology, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden; and the technical authorities ARAI, and the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI). The platform will also engage the Vision Zero Academy at the Swedish Transport Administration and Niti Aayog.

SITIS has already embarked upon its first project which will now be the first example of a concrete bilateral collaboration between India and Sweden – “Safe and Secure Transport corridors in India”.

The partnership has a unique ability to leverage the potential of big data, AI and deep learning in a transport system context and create broad and scalable safety data analytics assets, as well as establish testbeds and capacity to develop, test and deploy safety solutions. The platform will place high focus on smart and affordable safe and secure connectivity solutions by deploying the latest technologies in connectivity and co-operative and intelligent transport systems.

SITIS vision is “to leverage the know-how of India and Sweden to accelerate progress and deployment of safe & sustainable transport solutions and actionable policies, contributing to significant progress of Indian transport system”. The ambition is also to create a partnership that fosters innovation, develops competence and assets that creates the capacity to address complex challenges and make a significant impact. The platform aims to become a prominent platform for applied research and innovation in the area of safe & sustainable transport.

The WHO estimates more than 150 000 deaths per year on roads in India and notes that progress has stagnated in Sweden. At the same time there is great potential provided by the new technology paradigms:  connectivity, electromobility, automation, and digitization and AI – where India stand to leap frog in implementing effective technology and system-level measures to improve traffic safety. Of course, this demands an integrated approach where mobilizing stakeholders and implementing cost effective measures is a key challenge. SITIS aims to achieve just that by bringing together organizations leading in the safety arena from Sweden & India.

Road safety is critical in delivering the 2030 Global Goals for sustainable development (SDG) and enable an efficient transport system, and thus remove obstacles for societal growth and prosperity. Strong action for road safety is essential to support India’s ambition to cut fatalities by half in the next 10 years.

Tata Motors Bags Orders to Supply Over 2300 Buses to Various State Transport Undertakings During 2020

Highlights

• Buses designed to offer efficiency and flexibility for various inter-city mobility needs
• Designed after performing extensive trials in different geographies of the country
• Supply to be completed before February 2020

Reaffirming its commitment to provide best-in-class solutions for public transportation, India’s leading bus brand Tata Motors today announced that it has bagged a huge order of over 2300 buses from various State Transport Undertakings, namely Rajasthan (RSRTC), Karnataka (KSRTC/ BMTC/ NWKRTC), Uttar Pradesh (UPSRTC), Tamil Nadu (IRT), and Andhra Pradesh (APSRTC). Tata Motors is working towards completing this order by February 2020. 

Being the country’s largest bus manufacturer, Tata Motors today offers a comprehensive range of buses catering to an entire gamut of day-to-day travelling needs – from luxurious intercity travel options, to safe transport and driver-friendly choices. The Company leads in this segment by not only setting technological benchmarks but also by adapting innovations effectively to suit travel conditions in Indian cities and rural areas.

 According to Mr. Rohit Srivastava, Product Line Head, Buses, Tata Motors, “With the governments continued thrust towards providing smart safe and convenient alternatives of public transport, we at Tata Motors acknowledge the proactive approach of various STU’s to maintain a sustainable mass public transportation system. We take great pride in having the opportunity to provide best-in-class mobility solutions. Our in-depth understanding of sustainable public transport for different markets and customers is what differentiates us from our competitors. With an order size of over 2300 Tata Motors buses across, we look forward to a continued partnership with all the STUs, in their endeavor to reinforce the public transportation system in their respective cities.”

Tata Motors currently designs, develops and manufacturers its buses in Pune, Dharwad, Pantnagar and Lucknow. Besides its partnership with ACGL of Goa for bus bodies, Tata Motors also has a joint venture with Marcopolo S.A. of Brazil, one of the largest bus body manufactures’ in the world, for fully built bus (FBV) solutions. Tata Motors’ approach of manufacturing FBVs (Fully Building Vehicles), meets the government’s new norms in terms of safety, fuel efficiency, wider bus gangways, with the flexibility to be powered by both CNG and Diesel. With an extensive product portfolio of future ready buses, Tata Motors will continue to play an active role in mass public transportation, with a commitment towards striking the right balance between sustainable growth and profitability.

NICE Introduces e-TMS, a Fully Integrated Digital Toll Transaction Platform wef December 1, 2019

 

Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Limited (NICEL) which is the implementing agency of the NICE Peripheral Road, Link Road and Expressway has introduced a fully integrated e-platform to collect Toll as a part of the prestigious BMIC Project wef December 1, 2019.

The state of the art NICE e-TMS platform uses multi-level and cross integrated systems to collect Toll in a seamless manner.

Primarily keeping in mind the time convenience of the Toll Road users along with the nationwide push to convert conventional transactions into digital payments for user convenience, the NICE e-TMS allows for payment through various options like FastTag, Tap Debit card or Credit Card and a prepaid RFID NICE Tap Card, which will allow the users to pay for using the NICE Toll Road.

The plethora of Cameras along with infra scanners provides instant recognition of the type of vehicle and capture of registration number saving precious time at the Toll Plaza.

The RFID based transaction – technology provides for making toll payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it. It is affixed on the windscreen of your vehicle and enables you to drive through toll plazas, without stopping for cash transactions. The tag can be purchased from Tag Issuer Banks or at Toll Plazas. It saves Time, Fuel and Money.

The transformations at the Toll Plazas are at an advanced stage.

One of a kind NICE e-TMS system

Mr. Ashok Kheny, Managing Director, NICEL states “NICE Peripheral Road and Link Road paved the way for proud Bangaloreans to use an international class expressway and grade separated road, and now with the introduction of the NICE e-TMS, they will experience seamless interactivity and user comfort through the use of technology in Toll Collection”

He further said “This is just the beginning, we are also in the final stages of tying up with network providers to provide high speed internet for Bus and Car passengers who want to be connected to the web and do not want to waste any useful minutes on the Travel time on roads”

Mr. Mahadev, Vice President, NICEL and man in-charge of implementing the NICE e-TMS states “It gives an immense pleasure to unveil fully revamped Toll Plazas with advance technology enabled Tolling experience. Unlike other Toll Plazas, NICE Toll Plazas has 100% RFID enabled lanes to speed up the toll transactions and to give better experience to the commuters. NICE has engaged one of the world leaders in Toll integration technologies and the outcome can be considered one of the best e-Toll System in this part of the world”.

Overall the NICE Toll Team is busy in the training and integration of the newest technology in Toll Collection system and they are looking forward to the change which will ensure faster and comfortable experience of the Toll Road users while passing through the Toll Plazas on NICE Toll Road.

IIT Kanpur Celebrates 60 Years of Excellence with Symposium on ‘Transforming India: The Next Innovation Powerhouse’

IIT Kanpur, one of the first Indian Institutes of Technology and a globally acclaimed Institute of National Importance, continued its Diamond Jubilee celebrations with a unique event in Bengaluru hosted by IIT Kanpur Alumni Association, Bangalore Chapter. The symposium on ‘Transforming India: The Next Innovation Powerhouse’ was the first of a series of events that are being organized by the Alumni Association of IIT Kanpur across the country and abroad.

The event saw eminent IIT Kanpur alumni and other luminaries from various walks of life participating including Dr Koppillil Radhakrishnan, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur, and Honorary Distinguished Advisor in the Department of Space (ISRO), Prof Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur, and Umesh C Joshi, Co-Founder Hush, President IITK Alumni Association Bangalore.

The all-day event with the theme ‘Connect, Collaborate and Celebrate’ was packed with in-depth panel discussions covering academia, industry and entrepreneurial innovations. The discussions on topics such as scientific research and development and Mission Nobel Prize through building a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship saw enthusiastic participation from the audience. Industry-specific roundtables saw deliberations on how IIT Kanpur and its alumni could shape the future of India. A nostalgic session on the inception of IIT Kanpur took the alumni down memory lane and a trivia quiz had them reminiscing about their time at the institute.

Mr. Pradeep Bhargava, President, Alumni Association, IIT Kanpur said, “The idea behind organizing such conferences across the country and overseas is to get the alumni under one roof and deliberate over various important issues that are critical to the growth of India’s economy. With so many thinking minds putting their heads together, we are sure to generate innovative ideas to ensure India stays ahead in business and science! The conference in Bengaluru focused on conversations and debates around making India a global R&D hub, an examination of the challenges and ways to address these with the involvement of academia.”

During the event, Institute signed MoUs for research collaboration with various R&D centres in Bangalore. Adding to that, SIIC (Incubation Centre) and Technopark from IIT Kanpur showcased various startups being incubated at IIT Kanpur.

The event saw the participation of more than 800 alumni along with industry leaders. Events are further planned to be held across Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune in India, and abroad in San Francisco, New York, Ottawa, and Zurich to reach out to the over 10000 alumni of the institute and bring about productive interaction with ideas for India’s growth. The themes identified include India as a Global R&D hub, transforming India through technology and Innovation, touching the grassroots and building a $5 trillion economy, powering the future with AI & IOT, engagement with government departments and building Centres of Excellence, methods to attract world-class faculty; growth with manufacturing and SMEs, and innovation and funding for growth and collaboration with Universities and Industry.

State Bank of India and Livspace were the main sponsors of the event.

Tata Motors Registered Domestic Sales of 38,057 Units in Nov 2019

Tata Motors Limited has announced its sales in the domestic & international market, for the month of November 2019, which stood at 41,124 vehicles, compared to 55,074 units during November 2018.

Domestic - Commercial Vehicles:

According to Mr. Girish Wagh, President, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors Ltd., “As we move closer towards BSVI transition, focus continues to be gradual stock reduction, with retail sale in November being higher than whole sale by over 10%. Medium and Heavy Commercial vehicle sales grew by 23.6% over previous month, as enquiries continue to increase gradually, with fleet owners realizing the economic benefits of replacement of their older vehicles. Overall system stocks being at a multi-quarter low, coupled with increasing enquiries for replacement demand, will help firm-up volumes and realizations in next few months.

Total M&HCVs sales in November including M&HCV Truck, Buses and International Business stood at 7,736 units compared to 13,162 units last year.

Domestic - Passenger Vehicles:

According to Mr. Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors Ltd., “After an encouraging festival period, in November, industry declined sharply. In addition, industry is also preparing for the BSVI transition.

In line with our strategy to focus on retails, we have further enhanced our network coverage.  Our retail sales were more than wholesales by 15%, which has helped us to reduce the network stock by 35% in this fiscal.  We will continue with these steps that make our network agile and profitable. We are ready for the transition to BSVI with enhanced models in both petrol and diesel options and have a slew of exciting new product launches in the coming months like Nexon EV, Altroz and Gravitas. These, along with the demand for the limited number of remaining BSIV diesel vehicles, coupled with an expected gradual improvement in consumer sentiment should help step change our growth trajectory in the coming months.”

Ather Signs MoU with TN Government for New Factory of 400,000 Sqft. in Hosur

Ather Energy has signed an MoU for a 400,000 sq ft electric vehicle manufacturing facility with the Government of Tamil Nadu at the Investment and Skill Development Conclave in Chennai. Ather Energy has already announced its plans to expand to 30 cities in the next few years and this MoU will help scale up production plans for the same. The built-up factory will be located in Hosur, Tamil Nadu and is supported by the government of Tamil Nadu under its EV Policy.

This MoU comes on the heels of a big push for electric two-wheelers by State & Central Governments with an updated FAME policy, GST reduction, and benefits for taxpayers on loans for electric two-wheeler purchase.

The facility will not only cater to the EV manufacturing demand but also for Ather’s lithium ion battery manufacturing which is a key area of focus for the company going ahead. The investment is an opportunity for value creation in the sector and will create job opportunities for the region. More than 4000 employees will be trained in requisite skills in the EV sector as a part of this initiative over the next 5 years.

Ather Energy opened pre-orders in July 2019 for Chennai and pre-orders till December are full. The third batch of Ather 450s are now available with deliveries expected in February - March '20. The company has been offering test rides at their experience centre, Ather Space in Wallace Garden Street, Chennai.

Ather has also been investing in setting up fast-charging infrastructure in Bengaluru & Chennai. Currently, Chennai has ten fast charging points and more will be added in the coming months. Post the success in the two cities, Ather is gearing up to launch in Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi and Mumbai in the coming year.

Quote by Tarun Mehta, Chief Executive Officer, Ather Energy:

Ather is rapidly scaling up and we need to expand our production capacity to meet the growing demand. The new unit will help us meet the demand for the next few years across the country. Tamil Nadu has been a hub for automobile manufacturing, and they have been working closely with us in their effort to build an EV ecosystem.  A manufacturing facility at Hosur was an ideal choice considering that, it is close to our R&D facilities in Bengaluru and most of the existing and potential future supply base is operating in the region. The availability of a built-up option of our desired scale and proximity helped in the decision making.

About Ather 450: The Ather 450 is designed for city riding conditions, with a top speed of 80 km/hr, a range of 75 km and one of the quickest accelerations of 3.9 seconds from 0-40 km/hr in the scooter category. Also, for the first time in the category, Ather 450 comes with parking assist, which allows riders to reverse into tight parking spots. The key differentiator of the Ather 450 is its intelligent features, seamless charging and ownership experience. The Ather 450 has a 7” touchscreen dashboard that allows onboard navigation with options of alternative routes and saved locations. It comes with the Ather app.