Emirates Group Invites IT Talent In Bengaluru To Join Its Digital Revolution In Aviation

Emirates Group, which comprises Emirates airline and global air services provider dnata, is looking for IT specialists who are ambitious, service-driven and eager to help drive the future of the digital revolution in aviation. Successful candidates can look forward to a high-flying career with exciting opportunities in an open and agile environment, while being part of a global aviation and travel company that has innovation at the core of its culture. 

Aside from its own internal programmes, the Group also invests in industry partnerships, and transformative technology programmes such as the Aviation X-Lab in partnership with GE, Airbus, Thales, and Collins Aerospace; and Intelak in partnership with Accenture, Microsoft, Dubai Tourism and Amadeus. The company is based in Dubai, a city known for its entrepreneurial spirit and forward-thinking policies that is laying the ground to become the next global tech hub.

Prospective candidates interested to join the Group’s dynamic technology team can view and apply for a range of roles on its careers website https://www.emiratesgroupcareers.com/search-and-apply/?jobcategory=information-technology , and shortlisted applicants will be invited to assessment days which are planned in Bengaluru in July. The aviation and travel company is seeking IT professionals who have experience in designing, developing, and integrating systems and business solutions across a range of disciplines including: Agile Delivery, Software and Quality Engineering and Cybersecurity among others. 

The Emirates Group offers candidates outstanding career opportunities, with excellent training facilities and a broad range of development programmes. Employees enjoy a competitive employment package which includes a variety of benefits such as a tax-free salary, accommodation allowance, excellent medical cover as well role-specific benefits such as eligibility for the Emirates Group Profit Share scheme, education support and pension scheme among others. Emirates’ growing global network offers many travel opportunities across the airline’s six continents-spanning network. The staff enjoys attractive concessional travel benefits for themselves as well as their families to all destinations that the airline flies to.  

About Emirates

Emirates’ 36 years in India have been defined by progressive investment, partnership and growth. In October 1985, Emirates launched flights from Dubai to Delhi and Mumbai which formed the base of its initial route network. Since then, Emirates has grown its India operations to serve a total of nine destinations across India – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Thiruvananthapuram. For more information on Emirates’ current operations, network, travel support, guidance, customer and employee safety, visit www.emirates.com

NDDB & KOF Inks MoU With University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore For Sunflower Seed Production In Karnataka

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) & Karnataka Cooperative Oilseeds Growers’ Federation Ltd (KOF) inked an MoU with University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore (UAS-Bangalore) and Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad for large scale sunflower hybrid seed production in Karnataka. This agreement is aimed at paving the way for licensing sunflower hybrid KBSH-41 for commercialisation.

Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Hon'ble Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India graced the occasion as Chief Guest. Shri BC Patil, Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture, Govt of Karnataka was the Guest of Honour. Shri Annasaheb Shankar Jolle, MP (Lok Sabha) & Chairman, KOF, Shri Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB and Dr S Rajendra Prasad, Vice-Chancellor, UAS-Bangalore were also present.

In her address, Sushri Karandlaje said that this momentous occasion is a right step towards Atmanirbharta in edible oil. She sought NDDB’s intervention in reducing country’s reliance on imported edible oil and applauded Board’s intent to help the oilseed sector. The Hon’ble Union Minister said that availability of credible sources of hybrid seeds has become a big lacuna. She appreciated the joint efforts of NDDB and KOF to take up commercial production of successful sunflower hybrid seeds so that farmers get superior seeds.

Shri Patil said that that increase in MSP by the Government of India has enthused farmers towards sunflower production in Karnataka. The compulsion to rapidly increase domestic edible oil production is an opportunity to improve livelihoods of small and marginal farmers.

Chairman, NDDB said that in the 80s, NDDB was involved in setting up edible oil cooperatives under Operation Golden Flow. The Dairy Board is re-engaging itself. This is a small but critical first step towards supporting the Government’s initiative in attaining self-sufficiency, Atmanirbharta in edible oils. NDDB and KOF will encourage farmers to take up sunflower as a preferred crop by making available high-quality seeds at reasonable prices. NDDB will work with KOF for production of 5000 quintals of hybrid sunflower seeds in Rabi 2022 – enough for sowing in about one lakh hectare. This will be further scaled up in Karnataka and also replicated in other states.

Shri Jolle conveyed that NDDB has already initiated a number of measures to support KOF. He further said that considering the Ukraine crisis, there is a huge shortage of sunflower oil. This has led to higher prices of sunflower seeds. Our farmers can restart sunflower seed production to earn profits.

Dr Prasad said that NDDB and KOF have approached UAS-B for commercial production of successful sunflower hybrid seeds. Thus, the agreement will re-initiate large scale Sunflower hybrid seed production.

Wion To LaunchNnew Docu-Series ‘Inside Xi’s China’ - The Great Game Plan Shortly

* With its fact-led and objective approach, the first-of-its-kind 10-episode series will highlight the struggles and global aspirations of Modern China

WION, India’s international news channel is scheduled to launch its first-of-its-kind ten-episode documentary series ‘ Inside Xi’s China’ which charts the rise of China as a Global Superpower. Each of the 30-minute episodes will not only highlight the struggles of the country, but is also a visual journey of the global aspirations, its flourishing economy, lifestyle changes of its population, the world’s perception of China, etc. The teaser of the upcoming docu-series is LIVE on Youtube.

Wion’s ‘Inside Xi’s China’, will be accessible, on linear as well as digital platforms, on Indian and Global feeds. Each of the episodes is written keeping in mind the dictatorship pattern and the historic relevance of ‘The People’s Republic of China’ and aims to become a reliable source of facts. The docu-series is being promoted across its electronics channel, print, social and digital platforms.

As WION is well-known for its in-depth analysis of global issues, this docu-series will not only highlight the global aspirations but will allow viewers to experience the journey of China from the times of Mao Zedong to China in modern terms. This well-researched approach will boost the curiosity amongst trade unions, potential stakeholders as well as viewers spread across globe. 

Speaking of the launch of this unique documentary series with a fact-led approach, Sudhir Chaudhary, CEO & Editor in Chief of WION, says, "Wion has been neutral and non-biased towards the reportage of politics and other relevant news across the globe. As our audience look up to us as a trustworthy news source partner, we aim to present the facts of China’s struggle and economic success through a visual series that could cater to all age groups. “ 

“The news consumption and communication patterns have been evolving with time. We, at WION strongly believe that facts can be presented by adopting a new innovative approach, which can further be an eye-opener to the end consumers. This visual journey divided into 10 episodes will help in ensuring the right information reaches a wider range of audiences who are unaware of the reality of China,” highlighted Palki Sharma Upadhyay, Managing Editor, WION news. 

The YouTube channel of WION News has received over 352 million views, surpassing international media channels such as CNN, BBC, and Aljazeera. The channel has also way ahead of many Indian English News channels such as India Today, NDTV, and Times Now. 

About Zee Media corporation limited

About Zee Media Corporation Limited: Zee Media Corporation Limited (formerly Zee News Ltd.) is India's one of the largest News Network with 14 news channels in 8 different languages touching more than 410 Million viewers and digital properties like Zeenews.com, dnaindia.com, India.com and others catering to over 220Million users.

Worldline 'India Digital Payments Report’ Q1 Frorm Jan–Mar 2022

Worldline has released the ‘India Digital Payments Report’ Q1 2022 wherein they have analyzed the transactions available in public databases as well as transactions processed by them in the first quarter (January – March 2022) and derived some unique insights.

How India Pays?

In Q1 2022, 9.36 billion transactions amounting to INR 10.25 trillion were processed through payment modes like Debit and Credit cards, Prepaid Payment Instruments like mobile wallets and prepaid cards, and UPI P2M (Person to Merchant). UPI P2M transactions emerged as the most preferred payment mode among consumers with a market share of 64% in volume and 50% in terms of value. This is not altogether surprising given the growth of UPI. However, 2 points of note. Credit cards accounted 7% of transactions but 26% of value indicating that customers still prefer to use their credit cards for high value transactions. Debit cards account for 10% of transactions but 18% in value – the volume and volume has shrunk from previous years and is likely because of the rise of UPI.

Unified Payments Interface

In Q1 2022, UPI clocked over 14.55 billion transactions in volume and INR 26.19 trillion in terms of value. Its transactions volume and value has almost doubled since last year recording about 99% increase in volume and over 90% increase in value compared to Q1 2021. In Q1 2022, the top remitter banks were State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank and Paytm Payments Bank while the top Beneficiary Banks were Paytm Payments Bank, State Bank of India, YES Bank, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank.

As of Q1 2022, the top UPI Apps in terms of volume were PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm Payments Bank App, Amazon Pay, Axis banks App while top PSP UPI Players were YES Bank, Axis Bank, State Bank of India, HDFC Bank and Paytm Payments Bank. Among the top UPI Apps, Phone Pe, Google Pay and Paytm accounted for 94.8% of UPI transactions volume and 93% of UPI transactions value as of March 2022.

The Average Ticket Size (ATS) for UPI P2P transactions was INR 2455 and INR 860 for P2M transactions as of March 2022.

With merchant adoption for UPI growing swiftly, the ATS of UPI P2M is witnessing a steady upward growth while ATS for P2P transactions in inching down but that is an effect of the volume of transactions as well as a move to P2M transactions. P2M transactions recorded a 24% increase in Q1 2022 as compared to Q1 2021. In Q1 2022, out of total UPI volumes, 56% transactions were P2P while 44% were P2M; in terms of value, P2M transactions generally contributed to about 19% of UPI transactions.

Merchant Acquiring

As of March 2022, the total number of POS terminal deployed by merchant acquiring banks were 6.07 million with over half a million POS terminals deployed during Q1 2022. POS deployment witnessed over 28% growth in Q1 2022 compared to a year before.

As of March 2022, the total number of Bharat QRs were 4.97 million, a 39% rise as compared to March 2021 while UPI QRs stood at 172.73 million, registering an increase of 87% as compared to March 2021.

Overall, Private sector banks represented about 70% of the POS terminal market while Public sector banks accounted for 22%. Payments banks accounted for 7% market share, and foreign banks continue to represent a 1% share.

Top POS deployers: HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, RBL Bank, Paytm Payments Bank, IndusInd Bank, Union Bank of India are the top acquiring banks with significant market share in terms of POS deployment. In terms of POS market share, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank witnessed a growth of over 68% and 52% respectively in Q1 2022 when compared to Q1 2021. Paytm Payments Bank too registered a growth of 66% to be amongst the top banks deploying POS terminals.

Worldline in India Insights

In Q1 2022, frequently visited physical merchant categories like grocery stores, restaurants, clothing and apparel, pharmacy and medical, hotels, jewellery retail, specialty retail, household appliances and departmental stores together accounted for over 60% in terms of volume and about 58% in terms value. In the online space, e-commerce (shopping for goods and services), gaming, utility & financial services contributed to over 85% transaction in terms of volume and 47% in terms of value.

States and cities with the highest number of transactions at physical touch points in Q1 2022 for Worldline India

Top 10 States: 1. Maharashtra 2. Tamil Nadu 3. Karnataka 4. Andhra Pradesh 5. Kerala 6. Gujarat 7. Delhi 8. Uttar Pradesh 9. Telangana 10. West Bengal

Top 10 Cities: 1. Hyderabad 2. Bengaluru 3. Chennai 4. Mumbai 5. Pune 6. Delhi 7. Kolkata 8. Coimbatore 9. Ahmedabad 10. Vadodara

Card Issuance

The total number of credit and debit cards in circulation by end of Q1 2022 was 991.28 million. While the number of outstanding credit cards increased by 19% from 62.04 million in March 2021 to 73.6 million in March 2022, outstanding debit cards increased by only 2% from 898.20 million to 917.66 million during the same period. In fact, during Q2 2022, about 23 million debit cards were withdrawn from circulation which could possibly be a correction in reported numbers by banks or the closure of inactive accounts.

As of March 2022, the top credit card issuing banks were HDFC Bank, SBI, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and RBL Bank while the top debit card issuing banks were SBI, BOB, Union Bank, Canara Bank and Punjab National Bank. On April 21, 2022, the RBI issued a Master Direction on Credit Card and Debit Card Issuance and Conduct Directions, 2022. Reserve Bank of India - Master Directions (rbi.org.in) On June 16, 2022, the RBI lifted business restrictions imposed on Mastercard Asia / Pacific Pte. Ltd thereby allowing them to on-board new domestic customers. It will be interesting to note how soon this development will impact overall debit and credit card issuance numbers.

Transaction analysis of Credit cards

In Q1 2022, Credit cards volume and value stood at 2.02 billion and INR 8.77 trillion respectively. The number of credit card transactions at POS accounted for 305.83 million while e-commerce was 302.13 million. In terms of value, consumers transacted INR 1040.03 billion at POS and INR 1770 billion at ecommerce via credit cards in Q1 2022. Even though credit cards volume at POS and ecommerce are nearly equal, value of ecommerce transactions is significantly higher as compared with value of transactions at POS. This is in line with the general trend of transactions moving from the physical to the digital space.

Transaction analysis of Debit Cards

In Q1 2022, debit card transactions volume and value stood at 942.7 million and INR 1.81 trillion, respectively. Out of the total debit card volume, transactions at POS were 585.11 million and ecommerce were 357.6 million. In terms of value, INR 1.15 trillion was processed at POS terminals while INR 667.23 billion was through e-commerce transactions.

The inference is that consumers are getting more comfortable to make online purchases via credit cards for big ticket size transactions while debit cards are more frequently used for small ticket size purchases at physical touchpoints. Value added services like EMI, BNPL are enabling customers to opt for high value products and services using their cards. Whitepaper titled ‘India taps into a Contactless future’ published by Visa and Worldline India highlights that during peak COVID-19 times, the number of domestic F2F transactions grew only by 6.25%, but contactless transactions in March 2021 grew by 28.5%, compared to March 2020. According to Worldline data, while 25% of all transactions at supermarkets were contactless in January 2020, these transactions rose to 31% by January 2022

Mobile and Internet Based Payments

As of January 2022, there were about 658 million internet users and about 1.2 billion mobile subscribers in India. In Q1 2022, consumers made 15.6 billion mobile based payments whereas Net Banking / Internet browser-based transactions were over 1 billion. In terms of value, INR 44.68 trillion was transacted through mobile while INR 163.53 trillion was transacted through the internet. It is to be noted that while internet browser-based payments comprised 6% in terms of volume, its share in value terms was 84% while mobile payments accounted for the rest. The takeaways are; mobile payments have become widespread and being used for small ticket transactions while internet browsers are the preferred mode for traditional shopping from e-commerce platforms.

National Electronic Toll Collection

In Q1 2022, NETC processed about 745 million transactions worth INR 113 billion. The transactions volume increased by 49% while value increased by 41% as compared to the Q1 2021. As of March 2022, total number of banks live with NETC FASTag were 36 while about 49.6 million NETC FASTags have been issued since the inception of the NETC program.

NETC FASTag continued to grow and facilitate electronic payments at parking plazas at malls, metro stations, hospitals, airports among others apart from acceptance across national and state highways.

Top issuer banks for FASTAgs as of March 2022 were ICICI Bank, Paytm Payments Bank, IDFC Bank, Airtel Payments Bank and HDFC Bank whereas the top acquirer banks were IDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Paytm Payments Bank, Axis Bank and State Bank of India. Currently, over 40 parking plazas across the country accept FASTags for parking fees in over 20 major cities.

About Worldline

Worldline [Euronext: WLN] is a global leader in the payments industry and the technology partner of choice for merchants, banks and acquirers. Powered by 20,000 employees in more than 50 countries, Worldline provides its clients with sustainable, trusted and innovative solutions fostering their growth. Services offered by Worldline include instore and online commercial acquiring, highly secure payment transaction processing and numerous digital services. In 2021, Worldline generated a proforma revenue close to 4 billion euros.

Worldline India Pvt. Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Worldline, is partner to over 40 banks and over 5000 marque clients comprising of ecommerce giants, leading insurance players, D2C players across sectors. In India, Worldline covers the whole payment value chain and end-to-end processes that facilitate services to over 1.5 million merchants across 5000 towns and cities in India, South Asia / Middle East. Services offered by Worldline in India are in the areas of Merchant Acquiring, VAS, Card Issuance, National Electronic Toll Collection, Risk Mitigation, Reconciliation, Loyalty solutions; and online solutions like NextGen Payment Gateway, Subscription Payments, Payment Orchestration Platform, Online Cross Border Solution, Tokenisation among others. Supported by over 2000 members team, Worldline India is constantly investing in its people and in the latest technologies to increase efficiencies, drive innovation and enhance digital payments adoption across the country.

How To Prevent Your Eyes From Infections During This Monsoon

By: Dr. Seshachalam Nitin MBBS, MS Cataract & Lasik Surgeon, MaxiVision Super Specialty Eye Hospital Hyderabad

The onset of the monsoon showers brings a lot of joy and a much-awaited respite from the scorching heat. However, this is also a season for the onset of eye infections commonly called the red eye.

Red eye or conjunctivitis as it is known medically, is a very common infection of the eye mostly caused by viruses and sometimes bacteria. It presents with symptoms of redness, watering and discharge from the eyes. Commonly the eyelids are stuck together upon waking due to the overnight discharge and crusting around the lashes. Occasionally it could be accompanied by symptoms of malaise or fever. This condition, though self-limiting, is highly contagious and spreads quite rapidly.

Following good hygiene practices could help you keep these infections at bay. A few tips that could help with same are listed below

* Avoid touching or rubbing the eye especially after touching probable contaminated surfaces such as door knobs, handles, countertops, faucets etc. Wash your hands or sanitize them before touching your eyes

* Avoid sharing towels, napkins as these may retain the infective organisms and are a major cause for rapid transmission of infections

* Use protective eyewear when going out in the rain. Avoid getting rainwater into your eyes.

* People using contact lenses need to be extra careful with regard to the cleaning and wearing of the same.

* Eat a healthy and balanced diet to keep your immunity strong. Though green leafy vegetables are very healthy, they have traditionally been avoided during the monsoons. These can be replaced with seasonal fruits and vegetables and grains and pulses. Also, avoid street or junk food.

* Self-medication is a strict NO. it is quite common for people to use medications bought over the counter in case of infections. This could cause more harm than good. Meet an experienced eye professional who could prescribe medication only, if necessary, after a proper examination.

So, follow these tips to have a healthy infection free monsoon.

SAP Leverages Metaverse To Accelerate Cloud Adoption In India

* Customers will now be able to experience the full range of SAP’s cloud solutions on a completely immersive Metaverse platform

SAP, the world leader of enterprise application software and cloud solutions, today announced its initiative on Metaverse, aimed at accelerating cloud adoption among Indian enterprises. Designed to engage ‘digital-first audiences,’ the interactive and immersive ‘cloud on wheels’ platform will enable customers across phases of their digital transformation to experience the full range of ‘Rise with SAP’ offerings and enable them to reimagine processes for improved business outcomes.

SAP has been applying digital twin technology — virtual replicas of existing structures, capital goods and industry processes — to help customers gain insight into and predict real scenarios. Now by expanding into Metaverse, SAP aims to introduce measures to support digital B2B services such as the state-of-art technologies like Rise with SAP, SAP’s Digital Core, Procurement, Customer and People Experience solutions.

Commenting on the occasion, Kulmeet Bawa, President & Managing Director, SAP Indian Subcontinent said, “Metaverse is a representation of the current experience economy that provides an experiential platform like never-before. By leveraging it, we hope to revolutionize various elements of our customer experience and build a network of sustainable cloud companies within a truly digital universe. Our ambition is to engage with thousands of organizations through this platform over the course of this year.”

On the Metaverse experience platform, users will be immersed into an outside-in view of SAP solutions based on their business profile, industry, and size. Existing and prospective customers can create their own digital avatars with a front row view of how they can speed-up their cloud migration and digital transformation initiatives. They will get a first-hand experience of relevant SAP cloud offerings to address their business requirements as well as facilitate interactions with other existing users on the platform.

Researcher From MAHE Developed Microfluidic Cancer-On-Chip Technology To Study Drug Response

Manipal Academy of Higher Education added yet another feather to its cap as Assistant Professor Dr. Sanjiban Chakrabarty, a young researcher from Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)  developed a novel Microfluidic Cancer-on-Chip technology that enables direct assessment of drug response in cancer patient-derived tumour biopsy material. This provides functional readouts to identify drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tumours.

These findings have immense prospects while managing various cancers in personalized cancer treatment. This research was done in collaboration with the lab of Dr. Dik C. van Gent at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The MAHE-Erasmus MC Centre on Genome Stability at Manipal School of Life Sciences, MAHE, Manipal, India, established collaboration between Dr. Sanjiban and Dr. Dik van Gent.

Speaking about the cancer-on-chip technology Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh, Vice-Chancellor, MAHE Manipal, said, “International collaboration with Erasmus MC will further facilitate the development of a state-of-the-art advanced microfluidic cancer-on-chip technology at MSLS and foster academia-industry collaboration for translational oncology. These findings have immense prospects while managing various cancers in personalized cancer treatment.”

Dr. B S Satish Rao, Director, MSLS, MAHE said, “Novel microfluidic cancer-on-chip technology has immense translational potential for studies predicting drug response, identification of novel drug targets, understanding of tumour evolution, and targeted drug delivery.”