Omidyar Network Partners with Neelesh Misra and BIG FM to Launch New Radio Show ‘Zindagi Mobile’

Omidyar Network India, an investment firm focused on social impact, today launched a radio show, ‘Zindagi Mobile’, in partnership with one of India’s largest radio networks with 58 stations - BIG FM and renowned radio storyteller Neelesh Misra. Through powerful storytelling, the show will aim to raise awareness around key aspects of engaging in the digital world: the benefits of technology, the risks it creates, recourse in the case of harms and the concept and importance of privacy.

Narrated by India’s favorite storyteller Neelesh Misra, each episode of the show will talk about themes that both empower as well as protect the ‘next half billion’ population from harms of technology. The episodes will cover topics like the importance of consent (e.g. the right to know what a company does with your phone number), the empowerment that technology provides (e.g. adopting new forms of payment), and measures for protection from harms (e.g. guarding against banking fraud). The show will also seek to underline the value of as well as nuances around privacy. Aired over a period of 10 weeks with a weekly episode of 15 minutes at a primetime slot every Tuesday, each episode will rebroadcast thrice, at different time bands, to reach the widest possible audience. Each episode will be aired in five languages- Hindi, English Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil in relevant markets.

By 2022, half a billion Indians are expected to come online through their mobile phones. Despite being the driver of change for the next half billion (NHB), mobile phones also make these users vulnerable to financial fraud, identity theft and illegal usage of personal data among other things. With ‘Zindagi Mobile’, the creators will underline that privacy is an individual’s fundamental right while focusing on educating audiences about the two aspects of what constitutes Good Tech – using ‘Tech for Good’ and helping create ‘Responsible Tech’ that focuses on building tech that protects its audience from potential risks and harms.

Commenting on this first of its kind initiative by the firm, Rohan Vyavaharkar, Director, Marketing and Communication, Omidyar Network India said, “At Omidyar Network India, we believe technology must serve the society at the broadest level. As India’s “next half billion” comes online, this show seeks to inform, sensitize and help equip them to better understand how tech can help improve their lives, the vulnerabilities it creates and how to exercise their right to privacy. We believe this awareness building effort will contribute to helping them participate effectively in the digital economy.”

Commenting on the partnership, Neelesh Misra said "The digital surge has revolutionized our lives and connected us like never before - my parents don’t feel that far from their grandchildren now thanks to video calls - but there are things one has to be careful of. Digital means can also be used to harm or hassle others. Also, there is a huge issue of the Right to Privacy - a fundamental right - that we often don’t value enough it realize that it’s being violated every time we give away our phone number, our address, our email ID, and for the vulnerable millions, their ATM Pins. We need to raise awareness on this with millions of Indians. I am glad to be a part of a new show that brings to the fore and addresses a critical issue and will help us in raising awareness through strong and impactful storytelling. I don’t think anywhere in the world would audio storytelling have been used to raise awareness around privacy.”

After having worked on purpose-driven initiatives, Mr. Sunil Kumaran, Country Head – Product, Marketing and Thwink BIG, BIG FM speaks about the need for Zindagi Mobile in today’s world, “Staying true to our philosophy, ‘Change Starts With You’, BIG FM has been at the forefront in spearheading some of the most impactful and innovative purpose-driven initiatives. Our partnership with Omidyar Network India mirrors our philosophy and seeks to aid us in reaching out to a wider set of an audience while appraising them on the perils of technology. With more than 564 million of the Indian population expected to become Internet users by 2020, this conversation is the need of the hour and we are proud to host a show like Zindagi Mobile. Through the show, we seek to provide a platform that acts as a guiding light for billions of people in a bid to save them from falling into any tech trap.”

Omidyar Network India will also be studying the impact of these stories on its audience in a few markets and will be releasing its findings at the end of this season.

About 56 Percent of Online Sales are by First Time Shoppers: Nielsen

The e-commerce industry in India is seeing a huge uptick in customer growth with every second shopper in the online space a new shopper, according to a report. The report by market research firm Nielsen also says that the online consumer looks forward to deals and festival offers with both periods seeing a huge jump in sales at the start of a festive sale.

According to the report in the September to October festive sales period, a whopping 84% sales came from this period of ‘Big Billion Days sale’ as against just 16% during non-sales days. High ticket categories such as electronics, large appliances, and home decor saw a 3-4X jump in sales this year.

The report captured digital shoppers behavior through an opt-in panel of 190k internet users spread across 52 cities in the country. It was released on Thursday and broadly covers the period from May to August this year.

Prasun Basu, South Asia Zone President, Nielsen Global Connect said, “Digital Retail has caused a paradigm shift when it comes to shopper trends among Indian consumers in the last decade. Every second person on the channel is a new shopper, and it is imperative for brand managers and marketers to get actionable insights into online shoppers.”

The report throws out a multitude of interesting data points.

It suggests that while mobiles continue to rule the roost in terms of share of online sales, cornering 48%, online shoppers are increasingly buying fashion apparel, footwear, luggage and accessories getting 16%, followed by FMCG at 11%. It states that within the fashion category, men’s clothing at 58% was the highest contributor. However, in terms of volumes of orders, FMCG dominated with 56% of the net orders.

Another interesting data point is that in the eight metros (cities with a population of 5 million and above), consumers seem to be moving to try out new baskets, with mobiles with 38%, followed by FMCG at 21% and fashion apparel at 16%. In smaller cities, mobiles contributed 50%, followed by fashion at 16% and FMCG at 9%.

The report suggests that more than 53% of new shoppers get mobiles as their first online purchase, followed by fashion 16% and Appliances at 9%.

Kunal Gupta, Head, E-Commerce, Nielsen, South Asia said, “The ecommerce channel is seen as a critical channel for the consumer, and is an extension of brick or mortar retail. There is a phenomenon of ‘prime time’ that is apparent in digital shopper today; with 23% sales happening from 8 pm-11 pm and a third of the sales coming through the course of the night.

This reinforces the quest for convenience with anytime anywhere access to the shopping cart.”

L&T Technology Services Opens Aerospace & Defense Engineering Design Center in Rockford, Illinois

L&T Technology Services Limited, a leading global pure-play engineering services company, announced it has opened a design engineering center in Rockford, Illinois (USA) to cater to the new age digital requirements of the aerospace and defense markets. The latest initiative will enable LTTS to further build on the momentum gained by the company in the aerospace sector across the globe.

This center of excellence will specialize in development of high-performance engineering solutions for global aerospace and defense technology players. The facility will have a team of over 100 engineers with expertise in digital engineering, systems engineering and avionics design.

The center was inaugurated by Mr. Stan Kottke, Vice President of Electric Power Systems, Collins Aerospace, Senator Dave Syverson  and Mr. Tom McNamara, Mayor, Rockford City, IL, in the presence of Dr. Keshab Panda, CEO & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services and other top industry officials. The 130-seater center of excellence is LTTS’ sixth design center in the United States.

In July this year, LTTS was selected by Collins Aerospace to provide advanced aerospace and defense service needs.

LTTS’ distinct advantages in the aerospace landscape include ITAR (International Traffic in Arms) Compliance, certified state-of-art facilities, strong global customer base, robust lab & testing infrastructure and strategic alliances with Fortune 500 companies.

The company’s offerings to the aerospace sector encompass a wide spectrum including aero engine, aero structure & systems, avionics, air traffic management and new-age disruptive digital transformation solutions which cater to all phases of the Aircraft Lifecycle- design, manufacturing and aftermarket services.

“The new center of excellence serves as a testament to LTTS’ commitment to continued innovation and advanced capabilities in the aerospace and defense realms,” said Dr Keshab Panda, CEO & Managing Director at L&T Technology Services Limited. Through this investment, we will leverage our expertise in systems engineering and deliver differentiated value to our customers,” he said.

Mr. Tom McNamara, Mayor, City of Rockford, said, “Rockford has always been at the forefront of manufacturing and aerospace. We’re thrilled that L&T Technology Services will continue to build on that legacy by creating a hub for new digital opportunities for the aero and defense industries and further bolstering the business environment in this region”.

Hero Motocorp's Premium Adventure Bike - Xpulse 200 - Awarded ‘2020 Indian Motorcycle of the Year’

XPulse 200 – the adventure motorcycle from Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, has received the most prestigious recognition of the Indian two-wheeler industry – ‘The Indian Motorcycle of the Year’ (IMOTY), thus strongly establishing the Company’s new modern premium brand appeal.

The flagship product of the Company’s premium portfolio, the XPulse 200 – a dynamic, on-road-off-road motorcycle – has redefined the Indian adventure motorcycle segment. Within just a few months of its launch, the XPulse 200 has grabbed the attention of thrill seekers, not just in India but also across countries in Asia, South America and the Middle East.

Having strong emphasis on performance, maneuverability and aesthetics, the motorcycle has been designed and developed at Hero MotoCorp’s world-class R&D set-up – The Centre for Innovation & Technology (CIT) in Jaipur.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Hero MotoCorp, said, “We are delighted to receive the most coveted honour of the Indian automotive industry. 2019 has been a milestone year for us in augmenting our brand appeal as the 'Premium Hero'. It has been our conscious effort to design and develop new premium motorcycles and scooters that will redefine these segments. Our new range of premium products have been completely designed and developed by our own in-house engineers at the CIT. Going forward, we will continue to bring new products for our customers around the world in this segment.”

The IMOTY award was adjudged by an esteemed jury panel that comprised of 12 of India’s most renowned automotive experts from prominent automotive publications and news websites. The nominees were evaluated on several stringent parameters, including, value proposition, performance, comfort, fuel-efficiency, suitability to the Indian roads etc.

Oh Fizz! Sudarshan Ramamurthy aka ‘Soda’ Wins Premiere Season of Sterling Reserve Comedy Project

Sterling Reserve Comedy Project in partnership with Comedy Central India took laughter-therapy to a whole new level, in its premiere season. The stand-up talent hunt that created an uproar of laughter in the nation, crowned Sudarshan Ramamurthy aka ‘Soda’ as the winner. Giving undiscovered comedians the opportunity of a lifetime, the show hosted by the humorous and witty Varun Thakur, received an overwhelming response.

Sterling Reserve Comedy Project (SRCP) is an extension of Sterling Reserve Project – an umbrella platform that looks to discover, enable and incubate emerging talent in the performing arts.

Aspiring comedians from across India participated in this talent hunt, to become the next comedy sensation. Over the course of seven long weeks, India voted to decide the Top 8 – Gurpreet Singh, Anny Thakkar, Snighdha Jain, Pooja Ruparel, Sarvesh CK, Sudarshan Ramamurthy, Kuriakose Saju Vaisan and Siddhartha Shetty that made it to the last round. Breaking the measures of our laugh-o-meter, the finalists went up against each other one last time in an epic grand-finale, judged by hilarious duo Cyrus Sahukar and Anu Menon. Garnering over 20,000 votes from audience bursting into peals of laughter, Sudarshan Ramamurthy emerged as the winner of the show.

Tata Motors Unveils India’s Own Electric SUV - The Nexon EV

Highlights

* First EV to be powered by the state-of-the-art Ziptron technology
* Promises zippy performance, acceleration from 0 to 100 kmph in just 9.9 seconds
* Delivers an anxiety free long range of more than 300 kms on a single full-charge
* Comes with 35 Mobile App based connected features
* Bookings will commence starting Dec 20, 2019 at NexonEV.tatamotors.com

Tata Motors has unveiled India’s Own Electric SUV – the Nexon EV, an aspirational SUV for personal car buyers looking for a thrilling, connected drive experience with zero emissions. Powered by the cutting-edge Ziptron technology, this vehicle promises an efficient high voltage system, zippy performance, long-range, fast charging capability, extended battery life and class leading safety features. Scheduled to be launched in January 2020, the Nexon EV is expected to be priced between INR 15 to 17 Lakhs.

Available in three variants – XZ+ LUX, XZ+ (both in 2 tone) and XM (in single tone), the NEXON EV will come in three exciting colour options – Signature Teal Blue colour, Moonlit Silver and Glacier White. The car will additionally come with a warranty of 8 years or 1,60,000 kms (whichever is earlier) on battery & motor.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Mr. Guenter Butschek, CEO & MD, Tata Motors said, “After introducing our cutting-edge EV technology, Ziptron, we are thrilled to unveil the first EV featuring this technology – The Nexon EV. This is a high performance, connected vehicle that is uniquely suited to address the aspirations of Indian customers and break all barriers for EV adoption. We are confident that this development will mark an important milestone in India’s electrification journey, and further reinforce our commitment towards developing sustainable and responsible mobility solutions for India.”

FUTURISTIC DESIGN INSPIRED BY INDIA’S SAFEST CAR - NEXON

The new Nexon EV sports a bold and confident design that brings into play the IMPACT DESIGN 2.0 language. The new design further accentuates the already strong and purposeful stance of the Nexon, resulting in a road presence that makes it stand out & apart. The slim, wide grille-cum-lamp entity is underscored by the Tata Motors Humanity Line running from lamp to lamp, adding a touch of premiumness through its chrome treatment and more three-dimensional form. Completing the new design of the front end is the bumper with its sporty central grille, detailed with the Tata Motors signature Tri-Arrows.

On the inside, the Nexon EV cabin comes with modern design, spacious interiors, and premium sound management to deliver a comfortable tranquil drive. The vehicle also comes with a 7 inch Harman infotainment system offering top-notch connectivity and unmatched acoustics. It also supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

DELIVERING A ZIPPY PERFORMANCE

Nexon EV is equipped with a powerful and high-efficiency 129 PS permanent-magnet AC motor powered by a high capacity 30.2 kWh lithium-ion battery. The motor produces 245 Nm of instant torque from a standstill, enabling Nexon EV to accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in just 9.9 seconds. The EV comes with a best-in-industry dust and water proof battery pack which meets IP67 standards. This high-density battery pack is liquid-cooled to excel in Indian conditions. The battery pack is placed underneath the vehicle body, giving the SUV a center of gravity more akin to that of a sedan or a hatchback, ensuring maximum stability and excellent dynamic performance on winding roads.

The vehicle comes with two drive mode options – DRIVE & SPORT. It utilizes smart drive tech features - Regenerative Braking to charge the battery while coasting, Hill Ascent & Descent Assist to make driving on slopes more convenient and Smart Regen with Creep feature allows user to tackle congested city traffic without fatigue.

ADDRESSING RANGE & CHARGING BARRIERS

Nexon EV delivers an anxiety free long range of more than 300 kms on a single charge with zero emissions. When plugged into a Fast DC Charger, the Nexon EV will replenish 80% battery capacity within 60 minutes. In addition, the Nexon EV can be charged from any 15 amp plug point.

ZCONNECT

Nexon EV offers 35 Mobile App based connected features, ranging from remote commands, vehicle tracking, driving behavior analytics, navigation and remote diagnostics. The ZConnect App enables owners to locate the nearby charging points, TML service stations, set-up speed alerts, track vehicle location and many more features.

LEVERAGING THE ‘INDIA’S SAFEST CAR’ PROMISE

The Nexon EV retains all its learnings from the Nexon Global NCAP rating and comes with class leading safety features. Proving its reliability, the car has been rigorously tested across 1 million kms across the toughest terrains in India, covering high altitudes, unpaved roads, steep gradients and under extreme weather conditions.

The all new Nexon EV can be pre-booked for an amount of Rs 21,000 starting December 20, 2019, either through company’s official website or through select authorized dealers. To know more about the Nexon EV, visit NexonEV.tatamotors.com.

Meditronic Celebrates Forty Years of Transforming Healthcare in India

India Medtronic Private Limited, wholly-owned subsidiary of Medtronic plc has celebrated 40 years of operations in India. The anniversary event held in New Delhi today was celebrated in the presence of key government officials, healthcare leaders, leading physicians, partners and employees of Medtronic India. A book celebrating Medtronic’s 40-year journey of transforming healthcare in India was unveiled by leading Physicians and Surgeons and Key Government Dignitaries at the event. The book showcases key milestones achieved by Medtronic in India in its efforts to improving access to quality healthcare in the country.

Healthcare practitioners from diverse fields convened to share their perspectives on the future of healthcare in India and the contribution of medical technology in improving patient outcomes.

“I am honored to be leading Medtronic India during this milestone anniversary which is the celebration of an inspiring period of service to health of India. We are proud of the innovative products and services launched in India and the outcomes that we’ve achieved,” said Madan Krishnan, vice president, Medtronic Indian Subcontinent. “Through our innovation-led, patient-centric and India-focused approach, we are confident of writing a golden chapter of WINNING INDIA in the history of Medtronic. And most importantly, we continue to advance our Mission and take healthcare Further, Together.”

The book, ‘Medtronic Story – 40 Years of Transforming Healthcare in India’ includes some of the major turning points in Medtronic India’s journey from humble beginnings in 1979 in Vadodara (Baroda) with only 30 employees to a robust family of 1700 employees spanning 14 locations across India. The book features two Therapy and Procedure Training Centers, two R&D centers and a Global Technology Centre; which are a testament of Medtronic’s ever-increasing footprint in India, apart from introducing many world class technologies and tailor-made solutions. The book chronicles stories of patients, who were recipients of Medtronic therapies and healthcare professionals, through whom many of the key technologies were introduced into the market. The e-book can be accessed here.