De Beers Forevermark Launches An Exclusive Boutique With Abaran Timeless Jewellery In Bangalore

* Renowned Bollywood Filmstar Karisma Kapoor graces the occasion

De Beers Forevermark, the diamond brand from the De Beers Group, launched its’ second exclusive boutique in Bangalore in partnership with Abaran Timeless Jewellery. This boutique was inaugurated by renowned Bollywood actor Karisma Kapoor.

De Beers Forevermark holds the promise of transparency, trust and a high level of confidence, which the patrons of Bangalore strongly deserve when buying diamonds. The brand provides the world’s most carefully selected natural diamonds, each with its unique inscription number to guarantee the most beautiful, rare and responsibly sourced diamonds.

Adorned with beautiful De Beers Forevermark jewellery, Actor Karisma Kapoor, said: “It is an honor to associate with De Beers Forevermark and Abaran Timeless Jewellery to launch their exclusive boutique in Bangalore. Diamonds hold a very special place in every woman’s life, hence, choosing the right one is very important. It makes me feel extraordinary and extra special today to wear a piece of jewellery that conveys a unique identity, is natural, hand selected and comes with the promise of being beautiful, rare and responsibly sourced. Their unique designs and superior finish are unmatched. A diamond is forever, is an eternal promise by De Beers Forevermark. I am sure all the women of Bangalore will love to adorn these natural, genuine and sparkling diamonds.”

The boutique exclusively retails De Beers Forevermark diamonds in a wide variety of elegant cuts, designer jewellery and loose diamonds. Collections available include the Avaanti Collection, the Icon collection, the Traditional Setting collection, the stackable ring Tribute collection among others.

Highlighting the partnership, Mr. Pratap Kamath, Managing Director, Abaran Timeless Jewellery said: “We have been associated with De Beers Forevermark since the past 10 years and the launch of this exclusive boutique has further strengthened our partnership. In fact, when we opened our new Abaran store, the trust we have developed with our customers for De Beers Forevermark diamonds, encouraged us to open an exclusive boutique adjacent to our new store offering customers a unique diamond shopping experience. Every De Beers Forevermark diamond is inscribed with a unique identity number as a promise that the diamond is natural, beautiful and responsibly sourced. At the boutique we have all the latest collections and jewellery that can be worn every day. We consider the launch of the boutique an important landmark in our relationship, and we are sure our association would go a long way in the future.”

Amit Pratihari, Retail Director, De Beers Forevermark said: “Opening a Boutique with Abaran Timeless Jewellery was a natural progression to our decade long association. Consumers in Bangalore are discerning and knowledgeable about luxury and the value and place diamonds hold in their life. Trust and quality are the two most valuable attributes when buying diamonds and the boutique would offer nothing short of such expectation given the 133-year-old legacy of De Beers. We only collaborate with retailers who are passionate about diamonds, but also meet the brand’s stringent criteria of business, social and environmental integrity. Customers can purchase only the best diamonds that are on offer in terms of design, authenticity, beauty, rarity and craftsmanship at this boutique. We share the same brand value and ethos and we enhance the retail experience by offering among the world’s most beautiful diamonds.”

De Beers Forevermark diamonds are the world’s most carefully selected diamonds. Each diamond undergoes a journey of rigorous selection and bears a unique inscription at its heart, which is an assurance that every De Beers Forevermark diamond is beautiful, rare, natural and responsibly sourced. Less than 1% of the world’s diamonds are worthy of this inscription which is a promise that the diamond has been carefully selected to match Forevermark’s standards of quality and integrity.

Visit the De Beers Forevermark boutique at 15th Cross, 5th Phase, Outer Ring Road, J P Nagar, Bengaluru or call 8029908600/01 for details. To view the collections, click on www.forevermark.com

Medtronic India Is Now Great Place To Work-Certified From November 2021 To November 2022

* Certification reflects High-Trust, High-Performance Culture™ within the organization

India Medtronic Private Limited, wholly-owned subsidiary of Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT), today announced that they have been a Great Place to Work – Certified™. India Medtronic Pvt Ltd earned this acknowledgement by surpassing the threshold of Trust Index© under the category of ‘Large Organizations’ (more than 500 employees). The certification is valid from November 2021 – November 2022.

The Great Place to Work® Certification is considered the gold standard in identifying and recognizing Great Workplace Cultures, and reflects High-Trust, High-Performance Culture™ within the organization. The certification process involves participation in the Trust Index© employee survey and meeting the required threshold score.

Some key highlights from the survey:

This is the third time Medtronic India has been certified as a great workplace.

91% employees feel they are treated fairly at work

90% employees feel proud to share with others that they work for Medtronic

90% employees feel they are treated fairly, regardless of their race, caste, or gender.

Other top areas of strength identified included-

Possessing management competence

Being able to make a difference

Making employees feel welcome

Delivering satisfactory customer service

“Medtronic has been consistently driven by a bold and impactful attitude, reflected both in our actions and our spirit. We are thrilled to receive the Great Place to Work certification, and it testifies to the enriching learning culture and vibrant employee communities that comprise our organization. This survey has enabled us to appreciate our strengths and identify focus areas for improvement. We will continue to work on actionable insights and recommendations, fostering a vibrant, healthy and cooperative culture in our workplace that is driven by innovation and purpose of saving lives,” said Madan Krishnan, vice president & managing director, Medtronic India.

The organizations that are Great Place to Work – Certified™ are further considered eligible for the Best Workplaces List.

About Great Place to Work®

As a global authority on workplace culture, Great Place to Work® has been studying employee experience and people practices across organizations for over three decades. Every year, more than 10,000 organizations from over 60 countries partner with Great Place to Work® Institute for assessment, benchmarking and planning of actions to strengthen their workplace culture. In India, the Institute partners with more than 1100 organizations annually, across over 22 industries, to help them build High-Trust, High-Performance Cultures™ designed to deliver sustained business results. Hundreds of CEOs and CXOs from India Inc. are part of the great place community that is committed to the vision of making India a great place to work FOR ALL

About Medtronic

Bold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life — unites a global team of 90,000+ passionate people across 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for all. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), visit www.Medtronic.com and follow @Medtronic on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

Tata Motors Reports 25% Increase In Total Sales In November 2021

Tata Motors said its total sales increased by 25 per cent to 62,192 units in November as compared to the same month last year.

The company had dispatched 49,650 units in November 2020.

The automaker posted a 21 per cent increase in its domestic wholesales at 58,073 as compared with 47,859 units in the year-ago period.

The auto major said its passenger vehicle sales in the domestic market stood at 29,778 units in November, as compared to 21,641 units in the same month last year.

Commercial vehicle sales in the domestic market stood at 32,245 units, up 15 per cent from 27,982 units in November 2020, it added. 

TKM Registers A 53% Growth In Domestic Sales In November 2021

* Sells over 13,000 units in the month of November 2021

Toyota Kirloskar Motor today announced that the company sold a total of 13,003 units in the month of November 2021, thereby registering a 53% growth over sales in the corresponding period last year. For reference, the company had sold a total of 8508 units in November 2020. TKM also registered a 5% growth over domestic sales when compared to October 2021. TKM had sold a total of 12,440 units in the month of October this year.

Commenting on the sales, Mr. V. Wiseline Sigamani, Associate General Manager(AGM), Sales and Strategic Marketing, TKM said, “Demand from the market continues to be strong which is duly reflected in our booking orders and we are trying our best to cater to these orders.

Spike in both demand & orders can be attributed to the popularity our products enjoy amongst our customers and has been further aided by the recent product refreshments, including the launch of the new Legender 4x4 and the Innova Crysta limited edition. Both the Fortuner and the Innova Crysta continue to lead their respective segments and we thank our customers for their trust in the brand. We are hopeful of closing the calendar year next month with growth to show in all segments including the Glanza and the Urban Cruiser where TKM’s presence is relatively new.  However, with the positive response that both the models have garnered, we are trying our best to reach out to customers even in remote locations by further penetrating our reach in such areas”.

Household Spends Increased For 62% Of The Families - According To Axis My India – CSI

* Increased spends majorly reflected in North, South and West regions

* Over 10552 people surveyed 64% is from rural India while 36% is from urban India

* Increase in essentials and non-essential spends for 49% and 15% of families respectively

* Consumption of health-related items has increased or remained the same for 83% of the families

* Unchanged media consumption for a majority of 52% families, regular media consumption habits settling in

* 81% families are going out the same for short vacations/mall/restaurants, consumption increased for 18YO-25YO

* Combined 27% prefer Hindi and regional websites and apps while 24% prefers English, reflecting 60% of the youth.

* 27% people watch OTT, Majority of the OTT viewers between the age of 18-35, prefer Hotstar, followed by Amazon Prime and Netflix

* 17% prefers Private Companies stocks while 12% prefers Government owned stocks

* Of those who watched the ICC T20 World Cup, 48% believe poor team selection purposed India’s average performance in the tournament

Axis My India, a leading consumer data intelligence company, released its latest findings of the India Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI), a monthly analysis of consumer perception on a wide range of issues. The month of November reveals an increase in household spends and mobility for a majority of the population. Consumption of health-related items has increased or remained the same for majority of the families

The December net CSI score, calculated by percentage increase minus percentage decrease in sentiment, was down to +8, from +9 last month and first time slight dip in the net score is observed since past 4 months, a reflection of the post-festive period sentiment.

The sentiment analysis delves into 5 relevant sub-indices – Overall household spending, spending on essential and non-essential items, spending on healthcare, media consumption habits & mobility trends.

This month, Axis My India’s Sentiment Index also delved deeper to understand consumer’s consumption in the digital ecosystem in terms of OTT platforms, language preferences. Consumer sentiment was also tracked to understand their expenses in terms of discretionary products and investment preferences. In addition, the survey tracked consumer’s opinion on India’s performance in the T20 Word Cup.

The surveys were carried out via Computer Aided Telephonic Interviews with a sample size of 10552 people across 36 states. 64% belonged from Rural India while 36% belonged from urban counterparts.

Commenting on the November report, Pradeep Gupta, CMD, Axis My India, said, “With the year approaching to an end, we witness consumer’s gradual return to normalcy though a slight drop in Net Promoter Score also demonstrates that the impact of festive spending is slowly tapering. While media consumptions remain standard for majority, our CSI Survey has further revealed that consumers from the north as well as the south favour vernacular languages when engaging with the digital mediums. This insight opens up opportunities for various local as well as national and international players in terms of where & in which form to place their brand content and advertisements.  Moreover it is interesting to note that inspite of a plethora of new age tech firms coming up with IPOs, Indian consumers still prefer to park their confidence in established companies and Government owned stocks and shares, providing a contrarian approach to the FOMO investing theory”

Key findings:

·          Overall household spending has increased for 62% of families which reflects a 1% decrease from the last month. This increase is majorly reflected in the northern part of India

·          The increase in spends on essentials like personal care & household items stands at 49% showcasing a surge in the north and south of India. The net score which was +27 last month remains the same for this month. Percentage of families whose consumption remain same as last month has increased by 2% from last month.

·          Spends on non-essential & discretionary products like AC, Car, Refrigerator has increased for 15% of families. While the increase in non-essential spends has decreased by an overall 3% from last month. The net score therefore which was at +9 last month has reduced to +6. The increase in spends is however identified in north and eastern part of India

·          Consumption on health-related items has increased for 42% of families which overall represents the lowest percentage in the last three months. The health score which has a negative connotation i.e., the lesser the spends on health items the better the sentiments, has a net score value of -25.

·          Consumption of media remains the same for a majority of 52% families which reflects the highest percentage since the last four months and is majorly from the south of India. Consumption has increased for 22% of the family, majorly from east and north, majorly amongst 18YO-25YO and 26YO-35YO. Overall, the Net score of this month is at -4 as compared to -2 for the previous month.

·          81% families said that they are going out the same for short vacations, mall and restaurants as compared to last month. This represents a steady increase in movement from 78% in August to 3% increase in November. Increase in movement is majorly seen in the south of India and the least in the North. Increase in mobility is further seen concentrated among the 18YO-25YO. The overall mobility score is at -5.

On topics of current national interest:

·        Axis My India further gauged consumer’s sentiment on their digital behaviour. A combined 27% said that they prefer engaging with websites and mobile applications in Hindi and other regional languages while 24% preferred English. Moreover it was identified that 31% of the population that resides in the southern part of India prefers using apps and websites in the English language, whereas 27% in the northern belt prefers engaging with Hindi based apps and networks. In addition, regional language based apps and sites reflected the choice of southern India at 34%. In addition it was discovered that majority of the youngsters (60%) amongst 18-25 prefer digital interactions in English, whereas those above 51 prefer Hindi and other regional languages.   

·        When asked if they spend time watching content on OTT or video streaming platforms, only 27% said yes whereas 73% reflected their view otherwise demonstrating the scope of penetration. Majority of the viewers are of the age of 18-35. Of the people who prefer OTT content, a majority directed their choice towards Hotstar followed by Amazon Prime and Netflix.

·        In terms of investment choices in stock and shares, 17% and 12% showcased their preference towards Private Companies and Government owned respectively. Only 1% said they preferred to invest in IPOs, contrary to the euphoria around new generation IPO’s

·        Capturing consumer indulgence, Axis My India survey showcased that only 7% bought discretionary product this month like AC, TV, Fridge etc. Out of which 34% further claimed to have bought a 2-Wheeler, whereas a mighty 21%, 18% and 9% have spent on Television, Fridge and Car respectively.

·        Gauging views around Team India’s average performance in T20 World Cup 2021, the survey further discovered that out of those who have watched ICC T20 WC, 48% believe that it is due to the team selection while 23% believe it was a result of player fatigue.

Mars Hackathon Winners Announced Top 5 Projects For Filecoin x Polygon Led Hackathon To Win From A Collective Pool Of $30K

Filecoin, an open-source cloud storage network in association with the peer-to-peer storage protocol Interplanetary File System (IPFS), today announced the top 5 winners of their India-focused hackathon Mars Hackathon 2021 launched in partnership with Polygon and organised by Lumos Labs . The top 5 solutions, <BlockSpace Web, DScan, Avatar Metaverse, Digital Verse, Slick) >, stand to receive grants from a prize pool of $30K. Additionally  NTB (NFT.TopBest) received special recognition for their unique solution from program sponsor Huddle, a unique decentralized video conferencing platform, and will receive a grant prize worth $250. 

Launched in partnership with Polygon, an Indian layer 2 Ethereum scaling solution and organized by Lumos Labs, a leading technology innovation management firm,  this virtual hackathon spanning over two months is part of the larger Asia Hackathon Season 2021.  With over 1500+ pan-India registrations, this Hackathon successfully featured various innovative ideas across the decentralized sphere including storage, metaverse, entertainment, art, and more. From these, five creative blockchain-based solutions were selected to pitch their visions live at the Mars Hackathon Demo Day. The hackathon requisite solutions differentiated by two tracks including decentralized storage solutions integrating Filecoin/ IPFS to solve everyday problems and building dApps on Polygon using Filecoin and/or IPFS. With Filecoin, IPFS and Huddle’s solution, participants were able to reinvent the decentralized storage world whereas with the Filecoin and Polygon bridge, the participants enhanced their decentralized applications

“We are glad to see such an exciting response from the Indian developer ecosystem to create and be a part of a decentralized future. While the aim of the Hackathon was to empower budding and new developers, we have witnessed sophisticated ideas for a decentralized future filled with efficient storage solutions. These with the correct mentorship and guidance provided through the course of this Hackathon have emerged into relevant real-world solutions with great potential. This was our first initiative in the Indian ecosystem and after witnessing such a competent talent pool, we are very much looking forward to offering more opportunities in the near future ” Angie Maguire - Head Of Growth and Marketing, Filecoin 

The demo day saw the top five winners of the two tracks pitching their cutting edge distinct blockchain-based solutions live. Of these five, there were three winners selected for the Filecoin track:

BlockSpace Web - a diverse decentralized data and photo storing and sharing platform

* DScan - an easy-to-use, quick decentralized information sharing protocol

* Avatar Metaverse - A metaverse NFT-based personalized avatar creation platform

The two innovative projects that bagged the title for the Polygon specific track included:

*  Digital Verse - a blockchain-based platform for the creation, licensing and sale of synthetic videos.

* Slick - a decentralized exclusive content sharing and storing platform

Additionally, NTB (Nft.TopBest), a customizable NFT-minting platform on Discord, was chosen by Huddle to win the Huddle grant bonus for this Hackathon. 

“The Indian blockchain industry has been an active and passionate demographic for the blockchain space with new innovative solutions being created every day. During the course of this Hackathon as well, we got to witness their potential and passion once again. Decentralization is becoming a pulsating sector with new innovations being churned out regularly. We are aiming to be a part of this space with more initiatives like Mars Hackathon and hope to see the same enthusiasm and creativity.” Sandeep Nailwal, COO and Co-Founder, Polygon

All five chosen winners stand to receive prizes from a pool of $30K. The two month long Hackathon was organized in partnership with Lumos Labs, a leading expert in running tech innovations programs in India. 

Infogain Named A Star Performer, Major Contender In Everest Group’s Enterprise Quality Assurance Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022

Infogain, a leading digital platform solutions provider, has been positioned as a Star Performer and Major Contender in Everest Group’s Enterprise Quality Assurance (QA) Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2022. Everest Group uses their PEAK Matrix to assess and classify service providers based on criteria that include market impact, vision and capability.  

Everest Group also makes assessments based on customer responses from surveys and interactions, including service provider performance, benchmarking, priorities, and best practices.

Nishith Mathur, Chief Strategy and Solutions Officer, Infogain said, “Being recognized as a “Star Performer” and “Major Contender” in Everest Group’s Enterprise Quality Assurance (QA) Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2022, asserts the leadership of our PAQman IP led modern QA services that drive transformational business outcomes for our customers and is what differentiates us.”

In a digital-first world, achieving a quality software product in an accelerated manner is a critical success factor, pushing enterprises to make QA-focused investments,” said Ankit Gupta, Practice Director, Everest Group. “Infogain’s responsiveness and commercial flexibility has helped it differentiate in the QA market and position as a Major Contender in Everest Group’s Enterprise QA Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2022. Its investments towards evolving its proprietary touchless testing solution to support next-generation technologies and domain-specific capabilities are helping Infogain address its clients’ evolving requirements.”

Infogain Quality Assurance solutions include a touchless automation service powered by its end-to-end PAQman framework. It supports a comprehensive range of test disciplines with a focus on continuous quality that ensures seamless integration with DevSecOps tools. Machine Learning enabled defect prediction ensures running of intelligent test procedures, reducing run time. PAQman also comes with a customizable console that allows clients to execute, monitor and measure using a single dashboard. 

Everest Group is a research firm focused on strategic IT, business services and engineering services. To request the custom report, contact Infogain here.

About Infogain

Infogain is a human-centered digital platform and software engineering company based out of Silicon Valley. We engineer business outcomes for Fortune 500 companies and digital natives in the technology, healthcare, insurance, travel, telecom, and retail/CPG industries using the cloud, microservices, automation, IoT, and artificial intelligence. We accelerate experience-led transformation in the delivery of digital platforms. Infogain is also a Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Gold Partner and Azure Expert Managed Services Provider (MSP).

Infogain, an Apax Funds portfolio company, has offices in California, Washington, Texas, the UK, the UAE, and Singapore, with delivery centers in Seattle, Houston, Austin, Kraków, Noida, Bengaluru, Pune, Gurgaon, and Mumbai. To learn more, visit www.infogain.com.