Sterlite Power Secures INR 580 Crore Funding From REC For Udupi Kasargode Transmission Project

Sterlite Power, a global developer of power transmission infrastructure, announced the successful financial closure of the project set up by Udupi-Kasargode Transmission Project Ltd (UKTL). It has secured the entire debt funding of INR 580 crores from one of India’s largest power sector lenders, REC Limited  (REC.).  

The project set up by UKTL is an Inter-State Transmission System project spanning across the southern states of Karnataka and Kerala.  It is made up of two critical elements including a 1000MVA 400/220 kV Gas Insulated Substation (GIS),  one of the first GIS substations to be built at Kasargode in Kerala. In accordance with the Letter of Award received from RECTPCL (REC Transmission Projects Company Ltd.), the project involves construction of a 400kV (Quad) D/c  transmission line, extending over ~240 ckm, from Udupi in Karnataka to Kasaragode in Kerala. The project scope also includes supply and installation of two 400kV line bays and bus bar extension at Udupi switchyard. 

Commenting on the development, Anuraag Srivastava, Group CFO, Sterlite Power said, “Sterlite Power has been successful in concluding a number of financial deals with global and national investors in the past. We are pleased to secure funding from REC - one of India’s largest financial institutions in the power sector, for this project.”  

Recently, the company announced an equal partnership with global investment manager AMP Capital, to develop greenfield power transmission projects in India which includes the UKTL project as well. It has also raised project finance from both private as well as public sector financial institutions like IndusInd Bank and PFC Ltd., for its transmission projects. In March 2021, Sterlite Power successfully completed its transmission project NER-II and subsequently sold it to IndiGrid. 

About Sterlite Power 

Sterlite Power is a global developer of power transmission infrastructure with projects of over 13,700 circuit kms and 26,100 MVA in India and Brazil. With a portfolio of power conductors, EHV cables and OPGW, Sterlite Power also offers solutions for upgrading, uprating and strengthening existing networks. Sterlite Power is the sponsor of IndiGrid, India’s first power sector Infrastructure Investment Trust (“InvIT”), listed on the BSE and NSE. Sterlite Power has been recognised with The Economic Times Innovation Awards 2020 and is a recipient of global awards from S&P Global Platts and International Project Management Association (IPMA).  

GiveIndia To Invest In Scaling Giving Culture Further With Generous Grant From Mackenzie Scott

* One among the 286 organisations globally that together received $2.7bn gift 

In recognition of its mission of scaling the giving culture to alleviate poverty in India, Bangalore-based non profit GiveIndia has been awarded a generous grant by US author and philanthropist Mackenzie Scott. India’s largest and most trusted giving platform is one among 286 beneficiaries globally of Scott’s largesse.

The gift comes with no restrictions, which is extremely rare in the world of philanthropy, and signals strong confidence in the team at GiveIndia to effectively carry out its mission. 

On the announcement, Founder 2.0 and CEO of GiveIndia Atul Satija said: "This is a big moment for us as much as it is a big moment for philanthropy. Mackenzie Scott has left it to the organisations receiving the awards to decide on the most impactful way of spending them. This puts a huge onus on us to use the contribution responsibly to further scale our poverty alleviation work. As an organisation enabling giving back, this would mean enhancing our platform and technology to enable our 2,000+ NGO partners to scale their crowdfunding, and partnering with corporates and foundations to support their giving. We are extremely honoured and humbled by the trust placed in GiveIndia as an organisation."

Developing simple and diverse giving choices has been at the heart of GiveIndia’s mission to scale up charitable giving. It has built a giving ecosystem - including crowdfunding, corporate giving, cause marketing and philanthropy consulting - that enables individuals and organizations to donate to various causes and has grown its base of donors to 2M+. 

Over the last two years, GiveIndia has also received grants from A.T.E. Chandra Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Omidyar Network India, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and philanthropist Vikrant Bhargava. 

About GiveIndia

GiveIndia exists to alleviate poverty by enabling the world to give. Established in 2000, we are the largest and the most trusted giving platform in India today. We enable individuals and organisations to raise and donate funds conveniently to any cause they care about, with offerings including crowdfunding, corporate giving, cause marketing and philanthropy consulting. Our community of 2M+ donors and 250+ partners have supported 2,000+ verified nonprofits, serving 15M+ people across the country.

Women In Tech To Come Together For WITI’s Annual Global Summit From June 22-24, 2021

●   As part of Women in Technology International’s (WITI) expansion into South Asia, women technologists from APAC regions will participate in the Annual Global Summit 2021

●  50% of all the proceeds from APAC registrations for the summit will go towards covid relief funds in India.

●  The summit will be held virtually from June 22-June 24

●  APAC students from technology background will receive 100% scholarship to attend the Summit

WITI (Women in Technology International), the leading advocate for innovation, inclusivity and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Maths) has announced its expansion into South Asia with a special APAC program on ‘Stories of Resilience’ during its virtual Annual Global Summit from June 22-24, 2021.

The keynote speakers include Ms K K Shailaja, Former Health Minister of Kerala, India and Ms. Tessy Thomas, Distinguished Scientist and Director General (Aeronautical Systems), DRDO, India, popularly known as the Missile Woman of India. The APAC sessions will focus on topics including - future of APAC women in tech, thriving in post pandemic workplace, harnessing technology to create an inclusive future, well-being and empathetic leadership, women leaders rewriting traditional views of entrepreneurship and many more.

“WITI’s 2021 Global Summit is the first to feature a dedicated APAC track. The designated APAC track at our Summit celebrates the growth and acceleration of WITI’s regional expansion efforts across the Asia-Pacific. We hope that by highlighting Stories of Resilience, we can shine a light on how individuals and organizations have been withstanding the challenges thrown their way, especially during these unprecedented times,” says David Leighton, President of WITI. 

Some of the speakers include Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson and CEO – Salesforce India, Gargi Dasgupta, Director - IBM Research/India & CTO, IBM India & South Asia, Rucha Nanavati, CIO - Mahindra Group, Rohini Srivathsa, National Technology Officer (CTO) - Microsoft India, Aditi Banerjee, MD – Accenture India, Annie Mathew, Director, Developer Relations - Microsoft APAC, Supriya Dhanda, Country Manager - Western Digital and others.

“Our APAC Track at the WITI Global Summit is a huge opportunity to address the gender and seniority gap for women in tech roles. We’re excited to showcase our multifaceted approach of skill development, networking and leadership with this event and discuss what corporations and women in APAC can do to achieve gender equity. Also, we are happy to extend the Carolyn Leighton Scholarship to students in APAC, both male & female, to honour the vision of Carolyn Leighton, founder of WITI and her work in building out this global sisterhood over the last 30 years,” said Arya Murali, Vice President, WITI India.

The Carolyn Leighton Scholarship is extended to students in tech of all genders in the APAC region to attend the WITI APAC summit, at a 100% scholarship. The scholarship includes an opportunity to attend 3 days of the global summit, a certificate of participation in WITI’s 27th Annual Global Summit and 1-year WITI membership. Undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students who are currently enrolled in any technical university within India and the rest of APAC are eligible to apply for the scholarship.

Salesforce, Microsoft and Mediatek are sponsors for the APAC Track. WITI has also partnered with GiveIndia to donate 50% of all the proceeds from APAC registrations for the summit to go towards covid relief funds in India. Last year, WITI’s Global Summit witnessed participation from over 4000 women technologists from across the globe.

About WITI - WITI’s global reach surpasses 3 million professionals across North America, South America, EMEA, Asia Pacific, Southeast Asia, and Australia, through more than 300 partners, 50 domestic and 13 global networks. WITI delivers to its members leading edge, best practice tools, programs and platforms designed to increase innovation, competitiveness, and revenue. WITI is a unique organization which has spent 30 years developing digital platforms & partnerships designed to spotlight its partners and members, access to a global audience that is not available in other organizations. It would take joining/participating in many organizations to reach this audience.

QNET Funds Project CoHeal To Provide “Free Medical Care To Covid Patients" In Bangalore

* Hospital started by Bangalore tech firm Globals with support from QNET, Presidency University, and Rotary Manyata 

* 100-bed free Hospital with ICU Facilities  

QNET, Asia’s leading direct selling company, through its CSR arm, RYTHM Foundation has joined hands with a group of young entrepreneurs in Bangalore to convert a non-operational hospital into a free Covid Care Health Centre through Project CoHeal. The funding from QNET has helped transform the disused Rajiv Gandhi Medical Hospital building in R.T Nagar into a 100-bed Covid Care facility that provides free, round-the-clock care to those who need it the most.  

Project CoHeal is the brainchild of the young entrepreneurs behind Bangalore based technology firm Globals Inc who joined hands with the Rotary Club Manyata and Presidency University to launch this as a joint CSR initiative.   

Amruta Desai, the Executive Director of Globals explains how the project came into being.  

“It was very unfortunate and sad to see people around us losing their lives simply due to a lack of oxygen. We reached out through our resources to import oxygen concentrators and put them to use. We realised just by doing this we were helping a lot of people who needed the oxygen” says Desai.  

What began as efforts to import and provide oxygen concentrators for patients, soon evolved into the idea of adding to the healthcare infrastructure within the area. Project CoHeal was born with the aim of creating a more sustainable solution for the future while also addressing the urgent need of the hour – a healthcare facility for the community with skilled manpower. 

The support from QNET’s Indian business facilitated by the company’s CSR arm, the RYTHM Foundation has helped equip the hospital with Oxygen Concentrators, HFNC ICU Ventilators, and also covers the payroll for the doctors and nurses of the hospital for the next 6 months.  

This 24-hour COVID care hospital has zero cash counters, assuring patients that treatment is 100% free. It is also in the process of incorporating a dedicated paediatric wing as well as building intensive care unit (ICU) capabilities. Other facilities in the hospital include a clinic, elevators for stretchers, oxygen flow meters, pharmacy, lobby, X-Ray, washroom, AC, parking zone, and doctor’s lounge. 

“We are so thankful to RYTHM Foundation for this aid because one of the things we wanted to do was convert 15 high dependency units into ICUs. We are currently taking in mild to moderate cases of patients, but if these cases get critical, they may require ICU support and the use of ventilators. Now with this contribution, we have at least a minimum of 4 ICU beds that can be set up immediately.” 

The Project CoHeal facility opened its doors on May 24, 2021, and was set up at record speed in a space of barely 7 days through the joint efforts of the team at Globals, Presidency University, and the Rotary Club of Manyata. QNET stepped in to help in early June to support with scaling the facilities.  

Commenting on the initiative, Rishi Chandiok, Regional Director (South Asia) for QNET said, "Project CoHeal is a great example of organisations coming together to fight COVID. As the name of the project suggests, the objective is to redirect the fears of COVID and its consequences towards a more positive focus on ‘co-healing’ or healing together. Setting up a hospital, especially during this time, is not an easy task. But Project CoHeal is testament that if you have the will and the intention to do something good for the community, you will find the right partners and support to help you reach the goal. We commend the team at Globals for working tirelessly to pull this off in record time and help so many people in need.” 

Project CoHeal has also received the approval and support from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) which lists Project CoHeal as an option for people to avail of for its medical care services.  

About QNET  

QNET is one of Asia's leading e-commerce enabled direct selling companies offering a wide range of health, wellness, and lifestyle products. QNET's business model pivoting upon technology and e-commerce has helped empower millions of entrepreneurs in more than 100 countries worldwide. 

QNET is headquartered in Hong Kong and has a presence in more than 25 countries around the world through subsidiaries, branch offices, agency partnerships, and franchisees.  

QNET is a member of the Direct Selling Association in several countries, as well as the Hong Kong Health Food Association and the Health Supplements Industry Association of Singapore, among others. In India, QNET operates through its sub-franchisee Vihaan Direct Selling (India) Pvt. Ltd. and is a member of the Health Foods and Dietary Supplements Association (HADSA), ASSOCHAM, and CII. 

QNET is also active in sports sponsorships around the world. Some of the more prominent partnerships include being the Direct Selling Partner of Manchester City Football Club and the African Club League Championships of CAF.  

Paytm Launches Vaccine Appointment Booking On The App, To Help Indians Search, Discover, And Also Book Vaccination Slot

* Enables Paytm users to book vaccine slots based on location, age, dose number, vaccine type, and choose between free or paid vaccines 

* Helps users from across the country to seamlessly book slots at the nearest vaccination center

India's leading digital financial services platform Paytm today announced the launch of vaccination slot booking in addition to its Vaccine Finder service on the app. Paytm users can now search, discover & also book their vaccination slots for both Covaxin and Covishield at the nearest center through the Paytm app.

The service would help Indians seamlessly book vaccination slots and gain immunity, helping in fighting the ongoing pandemic.

In May as vaccination opened for all in India, the company had launched Vaccine Finder on the app, with advanced filtering options that helped the user generate leads for vaccine booking, including information such as the type of vaccine available and the fee charged for it. The company said that over the last several weeks Paytm users have checked for the availability of vaccination slots via Paytm.

With the slot booking option now available on the app, users across the country can successfully complete their vaccination process.

Paytm spokesperson said, "It is our endeavour to help India come out of this pandemic a lot stronger. Our vaccine finder will help citizens seamlessly book slots at the nearest center and get vaccinated.”

The service is one of the many measures that Paytm has undertaken as part of its Covid-19 relief measures. Under its #OxygenForLife initiative, Paytm Foundation has donated Oxygen concentrators and is also setting up Oxygen Plants in government hospitals across the country. 

Recorded Future: Threat Activity Group RedFoxtrot Linked To Chinese Military

* Research Provides End-to-End Glimpse Into People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Cyber Operations

* Network Intrusions Detected Targeting Aerospace and Defense, Government, Telecommunications, Mining, and Research Organizations

Recorded Future, the world’s largest provider of intelligence for enterprise security, today revealed cyber espionage activity attributed to a suspected Chinese state-sponsored threat activity group, named RedFoxtrot by Recorded Future’s threat research arm Insikt Group, in a new report. Insikt Group identified specific ties between RedFoxtrot’s activity and the Chinese military intelligence apparatus, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Unit 69010 within the Strategic Support Force (SSF), offering a rare glimpse into SSF operations since the PLA’s restructuring in 2015. 

Recorded Future’s large-scale, automated network traffic analytics and expert analysis detected intrusions targeting sectors across bordering Asian countries. Key findings from the report include: 

Active since 2014, RedFoxtrot predominantly targets aerospace and defense, government, telecommunications, mining, and research organizations in Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, aligning with the operational remit of PLA Unit 69010. 

RedFoxtrot maintains large amounts of operational infrastructure and has likely employed both bespoke and publicly available malware families commonly used by Chinese cyber espionage groups.

RedFoxtrot activity overlaps with threat groups tracked by other security vendors such as Temp.Trident and Nomad Panda.

It is assessed with high confidence that RedFoxtrot is a Chinese state-sponsored threat activity group based on identified links to a specific PLA unit and the use of shared custom capabilities considered unique to Chinese cyber espionage groups.

“The recent activity of the People’s Liberation Army has largely been a black box for the intelligence community. Being able to provide this rare end-to-end glimpse into PLA activity and Chinese military tactics and motivations provides invaluable insight into the global threat landscape. The persistent and pervasive monitoring and collection of intelligence is crucial in order to disrupt adversaries and inform an organization or government’s security posture.” — Dr. Christopher Ahlberg, CEO and Co-Founder, Recorded Future

For additional resources on Chinese threat activity groups, visit: https://www.recordedfuture.com/resources/ 

About Insikt Group

Recorded Future’s Insikt Group, the company’s threat research division, comprises analysts and security researchers with deep government, law enforcement, military, and intelligence agency experience. Their mission is to produce intelligence that reduces risk for clients, enables tangible outcomes, and prevents business disruption.

About Recorded Future

Recorded Future is the world’s largest provider of intelligence for enterprise security. By combining persistent and pervasive automated data collection and analytics with human analysis, Recorded Future delivers intelligence that is timely, accurate, and actionable. In a world of ever-increasing chaos and uncertainty, Recorded Future empowers organizations with the visibility they need to identify and detect threats faster; take proactive action to disrupt adversaries; and protect their people, systems, and assets, so business can be conducted with confidence. Recorded Future is trusted by more than 1,000 businesses and government organizations around the world.

Meditronic Launches Micra AV, World's Smallest Pacemaker With Atrioventricular (AV) Synchrony To Treat Heart Block In Patients In India

* Device Is 93% Smaller Than Conventional Pacemakers[i]

* No Surgical Chest Incision Eliminates Any Visible Sign of Device and Reduces Potential Complications

India Medtronic Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), today announced the launch of Micra™ AV - a miniaturized, fully self-contained pacemaker that delivers advanced pacing technology to atrioventricular (AV) block patients via a minimally invasive approach. The device is the first pacemaker that can sense atrial activity without a lead or device in the upper chamber of the heart.

Bradycardia is a condition characterized by a slow or irregular heart rhythm, usually fewer than 60 beats per minute (normal heart rate is 60 – 100 bpm). At this rate, the heart is unable to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body during normal activity or exercise, causing dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath or fainting spells. Atrioventricular block (AV block) is a type of heart block in which the electrical signals between the chambers of the heart (the atria and the ventricles) are impaired. Pacemakers, the most common way to treat bradycardia and AV block, help restore the heart’s normal rhythm and relieve symptoms by sending electrical impulses to the heart to increase the heart rate.

Historically, patients with AV block have been treated with traditional dual-chamber pacemakers which are implanted in the upper chest, under the skin below the collar bone, and connected to the heart using thin wires called “leads.” Identical in size and shape to the original Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS), Micra AV is attached to the heart with small tines and delivers electrical impulses that pace the heart through an electrode at the end of the device. Micra AV has several additional internal atrial sensing algorithms which detect cardiac movement, allowing the device to adjust pacing in the ventricle to coordinate with the atrium, providing “AV synchronous” pacing therapy to patients with AV block.

“Medtronic is known to invent, innovate and disrupt – whether it was the first battery powered pacemaker in 1957 or the latest Micra AV pacemaker. Now with Micra AV, patients suffering from complete heart block have the option for a leadless device that is delivered through a minimally invasive procedure and is cosmetically invisible to the patient,” said Abhishek Bhargava, director, Cardiac Rhythm Management, Cardiac Ablation & Diagnostics at Medtronic India. “We remain firmly committed to introducing innovations that alleviate pain, restore health and extend lives of patients in India.”

Micra AV received United States Food and Drug Administration approval based on data from the MARVEL 2 (Micra Atrial Tracking Using A Ventricular accELerometer) study, which evaluated the safety and effectiveness of accelerometer-based atrial sensing algorithms. The study evaluated the ability of the Micra’s internal sensor to monitor and detect atrial contractions and enable coordinated pacing between the atrium and ventricle, thereby providing AV synchrony. Results from the study, presented at the American Heart Association 2019 Scientific Sessions and published simultaneously in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology, showed the primary efficacy objective was met, with a significantly greater percentage of complete heart block patients with normal sinus rhythm having =70% AV synchrony during algorithm-mediated AV synchronous pacing (38 of 40 patients, 95%) than VVI pacing (0 patients, P<0.001 for proportion of patients with =70% synchrony). The study’s primary safety objective was also met, with no pauses or episodes of pacing-induced tachycardia reported during algorithm mediated AV synchronous pacing.

About Medtronic

Medtronic plc (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world’s largest medical technology, services and solutions companies – alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

[i] Williams E, Whiting J. Micra Transcatheter Pacing System Size Comparison. November 2014. Medtronic data on file.