Vedanta Inaugurates its 1700th NandGhar in Karnataka To Transform Lives in Rural India

Vedanta’s Flagship CSR Project NandGhar has rolled out its 1700th centre in Dharwad district in Karnataka today, thus moving closer to the vision of setting up 4000 NandGhars across India.

Hon’ble Minister of Mines and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Pralhad Joshi inaugurated the new centre at Dharwad, and handed over the 50 NandGhars developed in Dharwad to the community as part of ‘Vedanta Cares’, the CSR platform which focuses on enhancing the lives of local communities.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pralhad Joshi, appreciated the efforts put in by the company and said, “I am pleased to see the community and industry leaders come together for a noble cause that focuses on the overall well-being of children and women. With NandGhar, a key component of holistic development has made its entry in Dharwad, Karnataka. It is heartening to see that corporates like Vedanta are coming forward to support the government in its endeavor to enhance the development of women and children. We hope that we will continue receiving such support and do more for women and children from underprivileged sections across the length and breadth of the country and realize Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s dream of a self-reliant New India.".

The NandGhar journey began in 2015 with a vision to transform the lives of 8.5 crore children and 2 crore women across 13.7 lakh anganwadis. A dream project of Vedanta Chairman, Shri Anil Agarwal, NandGhar is a network of model anganwadis where the thrust is on inclusive development of children, women andlocal communities. The NandGhars are set up in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development.

Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal said: “It gives me immense pride to see Vedanta’s flagship project, NandGhar, making a big difference at the grassroot level.  This project is dedicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of providing quality education to children and facilitating skill development to rural women. We are delighted that the 1700th NandGhar in Dharwad Karnataka is being inaugurated by Minister Shri. Prahlad Joshi. These modern NandGhars will be the catalyst for change which will empower women and children and change the rural landscape and create self- reliant communities.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Krishna Reddy, Director, Vedanta Iron Ore Karnataka commented, “We have strongly believed in forming strong partnerships with government and other stakeholders for the growth and future development of the nation. These NandGhars are a testimony to Vedanta's commitment towards the welfare of our communities. Inauguration of each NandGhar brings us one step closer to our dream of changing the anganwadi landscape across India”.”

With the rollout of over 1700 centres, the NandGharproject is now spread across 7 states – Rajasthan, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. The project aims to touch the lives of 4 million community members while directly impacting around 2lakh children and 1.8 lakh women on an annual basis.NandGhars are equipped with solar panels to ensure 24X7 electricity, water purifiers, clean toilets and smart television sets, and have become a model resource centre for the local communities.Pre-school education is provided to children in the age group of 3-6 years. Nutritious meals and take-home rations are being provided for children, pregnant and lactating women.

NMIMS School of Business Management Opens Admissions For Dual Degree MBA Decision Science program with Purdue University

NMIMS School of Business Management (SBM) opened admissions to its very prestigious dual degree program - MBA in Decision Science & Analytics and MS in Business Analytics & Information Management (BAIM) in collaboration with Krannert School of Management, Purdue University, a leading public research university of USA. Admissions are open till December 14, 2020 for its Mumbai campus. With this degree, students will get an opportunity to study in two of the world’s most renowned institutions. The 2 year program is split into 3 terms at SBM and 2 terms at Krannert School of Management, followed by 1 term of internship in India under a faculty guide. The thoughtfully designed program follows a research-based and industry-focused pedagogy. 

The dual degree program offers a unique opportunity to study dual, but complementary courses, management and decision science. In the third year of its launch, the program is addressing the current need for highly specialised skills in decision analysis, data sciences, and business analytics. The program fulfills the requirement for a multidisciplinary approach in management graduates. This carefully-designed curriculum is developed by SBM’s academic council in collaboration with Purdue University and industry leaders. At Krannert, Purdue University,  curriculum is focused on developing proficiencies in a variety of big data technologies and analytical techniques and prepares graduates for a business analytics career on a global stage. The experiential learning of the MBA program is aimed at improving application of learning through mind-set change in students while boosting their problem solving skills. The program includes intense industry and corporate involvement with capstone projects and 3 month spring internship at an industry partner firm. 

Speaking on the course, Dr. Ramesh Bhat, Officiating Vice Chancellor, SVKM’s NMIMS, Provost and Dean School of Business Management said, “Recent studies suggest that we need a multidisciplinary approach for management students. In a multipolar world with a rising demand for technology-proficient workforce, managers can no longer afford to think unilaterally. With the current unpredictability in the global economy, we need managers who are trained in decision science and data handling. The field of decision sciences will see more than 2.7 million jobs in the coming year. Our dual program is designed to meet this rising demand for decision analysts in managerial positions.”

“Higher education is evolving rapidly and on a global scale,” says David Hummels, Dean of the Krannert School. “At Purdue we believe an important part of this evolution is great universities partnering to offer their students the best of what each has to offer. So we are thrilled by this opportunity to work with NMIMS to attract their excellent students into our elite MS program in Business Analytics and Information Management.”

Commenting on their partnership with Purdue University, Dr. Shailaja Rego, Associate Professor, Chairperson, MBA-DSA(NMIMS), further added, “Purdue University is known for its world-class research programs. Our association with Krannert School of Management opens up opportunities for our students to study in one of the world’s premier institutions. The 2 Term stint for MS BAIM will introduce them to cutting-edge developments in the field under the expert guidance of the best in the field, both from academia and the industry. This exposure will be critical in our multipolar and hyper-connected world. The program also lays heavy emphasis on application. Post their Purdue term, the students will complete an intensive 3 month spring internship program in India under faculty supervision.”

The compulsory spring internship carries 6 credit units. The internship acts as an essential training ground as well as a valuable opportunity for students to impress industry professionals. Students get to apply their classroom learning in the real world, gaining valuable first-hand experience. Most importantly, the internships have been a valuable ground for industry recruitments in the past few years. Chosen students are offered a Pre-Placement Offer or a Pre-Placement Interview. Career opportunities include data science jobs at new age industries in some of the most in-demand profiles. These include data analysis, data science, business intelligence, risk analysis, and digital integration management. 

Eligibility: Since this is a dual degree program, applicants are required to qualify for both the NMIM SBM and Krannert School of Management, Purdue University. For SBM, they need a Bachelor's Degree in any discipline from a recognized University with minimum 50% marks in aggregate (of all years). They must have taken Mathematics at the pre university level - (10+2) or equivalent examination/s. Once selected for SBM, the applicants will apply to Krannert School of Management. They will need a minimum TOEFL score of 93 or IELTS score at 7.0 or higher with minimum subsections scores. Preference will be given to those with relevant work experience.

Admission Process: The admission process is split in two parts. Applicants will first apply to SBM, followed by a separate admission process for Krannert School of Management, Purdue University. Eligible students can apply for SBM through NMAT by GMAC/GMAT/GRE. For registration and details, visit: https://nmat.nmims.edu. Selected candidates must then apply online for Krannert School of Management. This will be followed by an online interview after which a final decision will be taken. 

Accreditation: SBM and Krannert both Business School’s  have the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation, which represents the highest standards in business schools worldwide. AACSB accreditation requires high-quality faculty along with a cutting-edge curriculum and a stellar placement program. SBM also has NAAC accreditation with Grade A+ (3.59 CGPA), Mumbai Campus and is recognized as Category-I University by MHRD/UGC Grant of Graded Autonomy Regulation, 2018.

About SBM, NMIMS and Krannert School of Management, Purdue University:SBM of SVKM’s NMIMS, Deemed-to-be-University, is  one of India’s leading business schools with a legacy of world-renowned faculty and excellent placement program. NMIMS which began as a business school 40 years ago, is known for its trailblazing curriculum. The school has consistently ranked among the top 10 B-Schools in the country since 1998, in various such published surveys. 

Purdue University is one of the top Public Universities ranked # 53 in USA and in the top 100 Universities worldwide. Krannert School of Management, Analytics program is ranked # 1 in US and in the top 15 worldwide.

About NMAT by GMAC

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) owns and administers the NMAT by GMAC™ exam. The NMAT by GMAC™ is accepted by 38 leading institutions in India for securing admissions to their flagship MBA and other management programmes in India. Besides India, the NMAT by GMAC™ exam today is delivered across 12 countries namely, South Africa, Philippines, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Nepal, Sri Lanka, UAE, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. 

This year GMAC has introduced two types of testing modes for the exam. One is online proctored exam that can be taken from home and the second is the centre-based online exam. Candidates have the option to take the test either at test centre that follows all the social distancing protocols or take the online proctored exam from the comfort of their homes.

ASM Technologies Announces Acquisition of the Semcon’s India Delivery Centre

ASM Technologies Limited (ASM) (BSE: ASMTEC), a global Engineering and Product R&D company, today announced its acquisition of Semcon’s offshore delivery centre in India. Semcon headquartered in Sweden is an international technology company that help their customers in transforming technology into excellent user experiences by uniting premium physical and digital solutions.

ASM has over two decades built expertise in the semiconductor, hi-tech, automotive and medical industries while Semcon works with a large number of clients in the automotive industry, energy and life science sectors. With the acquisition, ASM Technologies will benefit from a combined talent pool with domain expertise in diverse industry verticals. In particular, ASM will build both scale and competence, relevant to the automotive industry as it transitions to new propulsion systems and ever-increasing levels of driver assistance and autonomy.

ASM and Semcon have also entered into a Global Cooperation Agreement to provide Semcon continued access to India’s unrivalled scale and capability base for Engineering Services. Pursuant to the agreement, ASM will also deliver services to the Scandinavian market leveraging Semcon’s customer-facing team. Both the companies will collaborate to scale by reciprocal access to a combined talent pool and strong capabilities in key areas such as Product Design and R&D, Embedded and Electronics, Value Engineering, Digital Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering.

Talking about the announcements, Rabindra Srikantan, Managing Director, ASM Technologies Limited, said, “The acquisition further strengthens our proposition for our clients while providing us with the additional scale and growth. We want to take this opportunity to welcome Semcon India employees into our fold and supporting us in our growth. The global agreement is a win-win deal since both the companies complement each other well in terms of respective capabilities and market leadership. We are eager to be joining forces with Semcon to accelerate innovation at scale for customers in existing and new markets.”

“Our activities in India need to be scaled up in order to ensure delivery capacity and long-term profitability. We have reviewed different options to strengthen the operations in India. Instead of doing so organically, we have chosen to divest the operations to ASM Technologies, which already has a strong presence in India. At the same time, we have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement. This enhances value for our customers while allowing us to create the conditions to focus on other prioritized growth areas,” says Markus Granlund, President and CEO of Semcon.

About ASM Technologies

ASM Technologies Limited is a publicly listed company in India. With over two decades of experience, ASM has been supporting customers in the areas of Engineering Services, Product R&D and Manufacturing engineering. ASM has multiple delivery locations in India with a global presence in USA, Singapore, UK, Canada, Japan, Thailand, China and Mexico. 

About Semcon

Semcon is an international technology company that develops products based on human needs and behaviours. We strengthen our customers’ competitiveness by always starting from the end user, because the person who knows most about the user’s needs creates the best products and the clearest benefits to humans. Semcon collaborates mainly with companies in the automotive, industry, energy and life science sectors. With more than 1,800 specialised employees, Semcon has the ability to take care of the entire product development cycle, from strategy and technology development to design and product information. Semcon was founded in Sweden in 1980 and has offices in over 30 locations in seven different countries. In 2019, the Group reported annual sales of SEK 1.9 billion. 

Ratan Tata: Entrepreneurial Creativity Needs to Adapt to Changing Needs of the Country & Globe

Ratan Tata, at the backdrop of TechSparks 2020 today, addressed entrepreneurs on the changing needs and times of a developing nation. Shining a spotlight on key issues in India and the world must contend with including humanitarian crises, hunger and global food shortage as well as advancements in space-age technologies and advanced electronics. 

“We know we're not doing it for ourselves, we're doing it for the enjoyment of doing something that hasn't been done before, but more importantly, meeting the needs of either the country or the planet as a whole,” Mr. Ratan Tata via video said, signing off the event. “While innovation and creativity are the corner stones of entrepreneurship, guiding entrepreneurs to the changing needs of the country is critical,” he added.

Mr. Tata ended his address by making a call for humility among entrepreneurs and asked them to introspect on how they can make a difference, not just in valuation but also to humanity and the human population.

Appended below is the link to Mr. Ratan Tata’s entire address at Tech Sparks 2020:

Keynote: Ratan Tata | TechSparks 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQhb1g9WgWU

Elkem Selects Icertis to Reduce Risk and Stay Out in Front with Contract Intelligence

Icertis, the contract intelligence company that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with contract lifecycle management (CLM), announced today that Elkem, a global leader in fully integrated silicone manufacturing, has selected the Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform to digitally transform its global commercial and supply chain contracting processes and ensure compliance. By unifying and connecting vital contract information with other enterprise systems, Elkem will gain critical insights into its supplier and customer relationships in order to accelerate its business and reduce risk.

Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Elkem is one of the world’s leading companies in the environmentally responsible of metals and materials. With over 6,700 employees located at 31 productions sites and an extensive network of sales offices around the world, the company was looking for contract management software that could support both its process and discrete manufacturing businesses. Elkem needed a system that could connect vital contract information to its people and processes in order to increase the quality of insight and decision making while reducing risk and ensuring compliance.

“Our mission at Elkem is to contribute to a sustainable future by providing advanced silicon, silicones and carbon solutions, and adoption of new digital capabilities is a central part of our strategy,” said Marg Goldberg, General Counsel, Elkem. “We saw significant opportunity to compete more effectively in our global markets by connecting the data in our contracts to commercial and supply chain systems. Icertis’ advanced capabilities will drive analytic-based decision making and additional commercial opportunities as we continue to grow.”

Elkem selected Icertis for its ability to integrate with core business platforms including Salesforce, SAP ECC, Infor M3 and the company’s supplier relationship management system. To provide a seamless lead-to-contract process for its commercial organization, Elkem has added the ICI Experience for Salesforce so that its teams can create, view, approve, and collaborate on contracts within the customer relationship management (CRM) environment their sales teams use every day.

To reduce risk and improve agility in its supplier onboarding process, Elkem will use the ICI Sourcing application as well as the recently launched ICI Supplier Onboarding and Diversity Compliance application. The ICI Sourcing application places contracts at the center of the sourcing process to ensure compliance, minimize risk, and to get a complete view of supplier relationships. The Supplier Onboarding and Diversity Compliance application will enable Elkem to quickly evaluate suppliers and rapidly onboard them, while providing collaboration capabilities to ensure suppliers are compliant with organizational and customer policies, including supplier diversity initiatives.

“We are excited to empower Elkem with the high-value contract insights they need to develop the advanced materials that will shape our future,” said Samir Bodas, CEO and Co-founder of Icertis. “Manufacturing companies around the world are recognizing the need for a contract intelligence platform that allows them to act on all their contracts organization-wide, so the intent of every contract is fully realized. The ICI platform structures and connects contracts to business processes to create substantial strategic advantage now and into the future.”

The recent disruption to global trade caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing manufacturers to reevaluate their commercial and supply chain systems to meet changing customer and marketplace demands. Icertis is the trusted partner for global manufacturing corporations embracing the need for real-time visibility into the relationships defined by their contracts. Elkem joins the growing roster of manufacturers including Airbus, BASF, Daimler AG, Rheem, Saint Gobain, Vertiv, and others that have deployed the ICI platform.

For more information about Icertis, visit www.icertis.com.

About Icertis

With unmatched technology and category-defining innovation, Icertis pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with contract lifecycle management (CLM). The AI-powered, analyst-validated Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform turns contracts from static documents into strategic advantage by structuring and connecting the critical contract information that defines how an organization runs. Today, the world’s most iconic brands and disruptive innovators trust Icertis to fully realize the intent of their combined 7.5 million+ contracts worth more than $1 trillion, in 40+ languages and 90+ countries.

ASM Technologies Limited Announces Acquisition of Semcon’s India Delivery Centre

ASM Technologies Limited (ASM) (BSE: ASMTEC), a global Engineering and Product R&D company, today announced its acquisition of Semcon’s offshore delivery centre in India. Semcon headquartered in Sweden is an international technology company that help their customers in transforming technology into excellent user experiences by uniting premium physical and digital solutions.

ASM has over two decades built expertise in the semiconductor, hi-tech, automotive and medical industries while Semcon works with a large number of clients in the automotive industry, energy and life science sectors. With the acquisition, ASM Technologies will benefit from a combined talent pool with domain expertise in diverse industry verticals. In particular, ASM will build both scale and competence, relevant to the automotive industry as it transitions to new propulsion systems and ever-increasing levels of driver assistance and autonomy.

ASM and Semcon have also entered into a Global Cooperation Agreement to provide Semcon continued access to India’s unrivalled scale and capability base for Engineering Services. Pursuant to the agreement, ASM will also deliver services to the Scandinavian market leveraging Semcon’s customer-facing team. Both the companies will collaborate to scale by reciprocal access to a combined talent pool and strong capabilities in key areas such as Product Design and R&D, Embedded and Electronics, Value Engineering, Digital Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering.

Talking about the announcements, Rabindra Srikantan, Managing Director, ASM Technologies Limited, said, “The acquisition further strengthens our proposition for our clients while providing us with the additional scale and growth. We want to take this opportunity to welcome Semcon India employees into our fold and supporting us in our growth. The global agreement is a win-win deal since both the companies complement each other well in terms of respective capabilities and market leadership. We are eager to be joining forces with Semcon to accelerate innovation at scale for customers in existing and new markets.”

“Our activities in India need to be scaled up in order to ensure delivery capacity and long-term profitability. We have reviewed different options to strengthen the operations in India. Instead of doing so organically, we have chosen to divest the operations to ASM Technologies, which already has a strong presence in India. At the same time, we have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement. This enhances value for our customers while allowing us to create the conditions to focus on other prioritized growth areas,” says Markus Granlund, President and CEO of Semcon.

About ASM Technologies

ASM Technologies Limited is a publicly listed company in India. With over two decades of experience, ASM has been supporting customers in the areas of Engineering Services, Product R&D and Manufacturing engineering. ASM has multiple delivery locations in India with a global presence in USA, Singapore, UK, Canada, Japan, Thailand, China and Mexico. For more information, please visit www.asmltd.com and read more.

About Semcon

Semcon is an international technology company that develops products based on human needs and behaviours. We strengthen our customers’ competitiveness by always starting from the end user, because the person who knows most about the user’s needs creates the best products and the clearest benefits to humans. Semcon collaborates mainly with companies in the automotive, industry, energy and life science sectors. With more than 1,800 specialised employees, Semcon has the ability to take care of the entire product development cycle, from strategy and technology development to design and product information. Semcon was founded in Sweden in 1980 and has offices in over 30 locations in seven different countries. In 2019, the Group reported annual sales of SEK 1.9 billion. 

GIGAnet From Vi Is The Most Consistent And Fastest 4G Network In India: Ookla

Close on the heels of the launch of GIGAnet from Vi, Ookla - the global leader in broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications, has verified it as the most consistent and fastest 4G network across India. As per Ookla, Vi delivered the fastest 4G Download and Upload speeds compared to all other operators for the July to September 2020 period.

The most consistent and fastest 4G network verification is based on analysis by Ookla of tests taken with Speedtest by 4G users across the country.

GIGAnet from Vi has been verified as the fastest 4G network, with the highest download and upload speeds in some of the top states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Assam and other states of North East. GIGAnet has topped the speed charts in 120 key cities across the country including major cities of Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Indore, Rajkot, Agra, Kochi as well as the metros of Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Kolkata, among others.

Speaking about the accomplishment, Ravinder Takkar, MD & CEO, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “Our network helps us be a champion of Digital India, enabling us to power the hyper-connected needs of the digital consumers. GIGAnet from Vi is a world-class network with the largest spectrum portfolio, huge capacity, and built on many principles of 5G architecture, enabling the delivery of a superior network connectivity and digital experience for individual and enterprise customers. This recognition by Ookla is a validation of our concentrated efforts to build a future ready network with investments in latest technology deployments and the world’s largest network consolidation.”

VIL has done one of the largest AI-powered ma-MIMO deployments in India with 12,000+ installations and the world’s largest DSR deployment across key markets doubling capacities and substantially increasing speeds despite higher usage in recent times. 

Vodafone Idea’s 4G population coverage now reaches nearly 1 billion Indians. GIGAnet is the result of the largest network integration completed in record time and the first-of-its-kind spectrum reframing exercise in the world. GIGAnet has India’s largest deployment of universal cloud, making it the strongest, future-ready, new-age, dynamic network of these times, to accommodate the enormous amount of data traffic that the post Covid world has seen.

The latest verification by Ookla comes on the back of fastest 4G network verifications for GIGAnet across various circles over the preceding quarters.

About Vodafone Idea Limited

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is India’s leading telecom service provider. The Company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G and 4G platform. With the large spectrum portfolio to support the growing demand for data and voice, the company is committed to deliver delightful customer experiences and contribute towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The Company is listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.