Manipal Institute of Communication Celebrates Their 25th Anniversary

~ Over 3000 students added to the workforce since 1997~

Manipal Institute of Communication - MIC, Manipal, a constituent arm of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), a premier institute in the field of communication is set to celebrate its silver anniversary. Founded in 1997, the institute has completed 25 glorious years as a part of MAHE, an institute of eminence.

Scheduled for the 28th of January 2023 on the lawns of the Hotel Fortune Valley View Inn, Manipal, the event will be inaugurated by Chief Guest Mr. Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru and Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. The event will be presided over by Dr. H.S. Ballal, Pro Chancellor, MAHE, Manipal and will be attended by a host of dignitaries such as Lt. Gen (Dr.) M D Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor, MAHE, Manipal; Dr. Ranjan R Pai, Chairman, MEMG, Bengaluru and Mrs. Vasanthi R Pai, Trustee, MAHE Trust, Manipal. 

Speaking about the event, Dr Padma Rani, Director, MIC, Manipal said, “With great pride, we are celebrating 25 years of glorious journey at MIC Manipal. Over the years, our primary goal has been to provide industry focused learning to student aspiring for a career in media and communications. With our multidisciplinary curriculum, MIC has played an instrumental role in creating a talented pipeline of skilled talent for the industry. In the coming years, we will be take further steps to augment our curriculum and strengthen our alumni network”.

Commemorating the Silver Anniversary event, MIC will be hosting its alumni meet as a part of the event, where the first ever batch of students will be felicitated. Additionally, the college plans to honour all its former directors for their contribution in nurturing MIC from its grassroots to a time where it currently stands to be one of the leading communication colleges in India. The event will also feature an address by the Chief Guest as well as Guest of Honour, Lt. Gen (Dr.) M D Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor, MAHE, Manipal. Following the address, the former faculty and staff will be recognised for their work during their time at MIC. The event will conclude with cultural programme and dinner.

About Manipal Academy of Higher Education: Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal an Institution of Eminence, Deemed to be University, is a self-financing Higher Educational institution which started its operations in 1953 by establishing the first self-financing medical college, KMC Manipal, as Public Private collaboration model. Over the years various institutions have been added and finally in 1993 June, these group of institutions have been declared as a Deemed to be University by the Govt. of India. The excellent track record in academics, infrastructure and research contributions and its standing in the national and international rankings, culminated in it being declared as an Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University (IoE) by the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India, in October 2020. Presently MAHE Manipal offers 300+ programmes in 30+ streams which includes undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels at its four campuses in India and one overseas campus. It has about 35000 students on its rolls. MAHE Manipal, as an IoE, is committed to provide quality higher education at affordable cost and contribute in increasing the gross enrolment rate ratio in higher education.

WebXpress Launches ‘GREENXPRESS’ Converting Emissions Into Profits

* A Cloud based tool, for dashboards for real time control on carbon emissions

WebXpress., the Global Transportation & Logistics SaaS provider today, launched a new sustainable initiative – GREENXPRESS with the aim of leveraging technology to help companies accurately measure Greenhouse Gas (GHG) footprint and find opportunities to reduce and replace the same.

Transportation accounts for over 17% of GHG emissions in world, in which the logistics and supply chain sector alone accounts for over 80% of emissions. It is tough to strike a balance between growth of the company and GHG reduction in many industries such as construction, FMCG, steel, thermal power. WebXpress, being pioneers in supply chain SaaS , has pioneered the need to reduce emissions. Launch of GREENXPRESS is the result of its deep domain understanding and its intention to take a step towards sustainability and help have a reduced CO2 emission.

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) recently published detailed guidelines for compliance with Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) for Top 1000 companies of India. In line with this announcement, the brand also launched a BRSR tool to record and automate ESG data across departments and compliance sections of FedEx, Toll Logistics, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, Skechers, DTDC, Patanjali, Thermo Fisher among others. This tool will in turn help regulators and investors to check the performance of companies against ESG standards.

GREENEXPRESS focuses on technology that would share a real–time dashboard that helps brands Measure, Reduce and Replace CHG emissions in transportation and warehouse network operated by them and their partners. While reduction in carbon footprint helps Transporters and shippers both profit immensely, without tools such as GreenXpress attaining emission goals and profits cannot be monitored and measured.

Commenting on the launch of two groundbreaking tools, Mr. Apurva Mankad, CEO & Founder, WebXpress said, “India is on its way to become the largest consumer of fossil fuels by 2040. GreenXpress can be integrated with an ERP, Transportation or Warehouse software to accurately measure emissions and help taking better board room decisions that could help capacity optimisation and route planning. GreenXpress has also created Software Tools to record and automate ESG data across departments and compliance sections. This launch also ensures our commitment to net zero, while enabling real action towards a greener future.”

About WebXpress:

Founded in 2004, WebXpress is a Global Transportation and Logistics SaaS provider, headquartered in Mumbai. WebXpress serves over 100 leading supply chain companies and 10,000 users. It is a globally proven solution with deployment in 8 countries in SE Asia, Middle East, and Africa. WebXpress essentially has two lines of offerings - Transportation as a service and LogiCloud: Supply chain visibility platform. WebXpress is founded by Apurva Mankad, Founder & CEO. WebXpress is a cloud-native digital logistics platform. Some of their customers are leading names such as Linfox, Agility, Madura, Toll Logistics, Snowman, Future Supply Chains, DTDC, Coldex among others. To know more, visit webxpress.in

YRF’s Pathaan Is A Humongous Historic Hit, Crosses 313 Crore Gross Worldwide In Just 3 Days!

Yash Raj Films’ Pathaan, directed by Siddharth Anand, has recorded the biggest opening weekend in the history of Hindi cinema, which it set on Day 3 of its release, by collecting an incredible 313 crore gross worldwide in just 3 days! With this feat, Pathaan also created two new records – the fastest Hindi film to breach 300 crore worldwide barrier and secondly, becoming the first Hindi film to collect over 300 crore gross on its opening weekend!  

On Day 3, a normal working day, Pathaan collected 38 crore nett in Hindi format, while dubbed formats earned 1.25 crore nett. The total India collection on Day 2 was 39.25 crore nett (47 crore gross). Meanwhile, overseas collection was also astronomical as it collected 43 crore gross ($5.3M). The total worldwide collection on Day 3 was an insane 90 crore worldwide gross box office.

The total India GBOC after 3 days stands at 201 crore gross and total overseas collection is at 112 crore gross ($13.66M).

Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films, says, “It is incredible that Pathaan has registered the biggest all-time opening in India and overseas, considering the collections of the film in the first 3 days of release which is dubbed as the opening weekend for any film. Pathaan has been blessed by Indians across the globe and what is happening with this film is unprecedented and historic.”

Pathaan has become a must watch theatrical entertainer which is being celebrated across the nation. Pathaan, is part of Aditya Chopra’s ambitious spy universe and has the biggest superstars of the country Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in it.

Air India To Induct Coruson For End-To-End Safety Management Across Operations

* Software application to facilitate real-time reporting of in-flight incidents

Air India, India’s leading airline and a Star Alliance member, has selected UK headquartered Ideagen’s enterprise cloud software application, Coruson, to further enhance end-to-end safety management, including real time intelligence, reporting and status of in-flight incidents.

The safety data software application, which will be online with effect from May 1, 2023, will weed out the requirement of paperwork to a large extent and ensure automated processes relay critical information to key personnel and authorities without delay. This will also lead to timely action. Air India is separately engaged in procuring iPads for pilots and crew members and when introduced, Coruson will also be available on these devices as well.

Air India has always been according top priority to safety of its passengers and crew, and this tie-up with Coruson is another step in that direction.

Ideagen software covers all aspects of risk, giving the airline full visibility of safety data from maintenance of the aircraft through to cabin crew checks on board. It will provide Air India complete visibility across the airline’s entire organisation, allowing it to access the latest data and use this to spot and mitigate potential risks, thereby enhancing safety of operations.

Commenting on the development, Henry Donohoe, Head of Safety, Security and Quality, Air India, said, “We are going for a significant and substantial upgrade of our existing systems and processes to ensure seamless flow of intelligence and data on a real time basis. Coruson is trusted by aviation industry globally for risk mitigation, auditing and training. Its induction will go a long way in enhancing our capabilities for the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew, particularly at a time when Air India is rapidly expanding its network on both national and international routes.”

Ideagen’s customer base of more than 11,400 includes more than 250 airlines and all of the top aerospace and defence companies including respected brands such as British Airways, Emirates, Boeing, Airbus, BAE and the US Navy.

About Air India:

Founded by the legendary JRD Tata, Air India pioneered India’s aviation sector. Since its first flight on October 15, 1932, Air India has an extensive domestic network and has spread its wings beyond to become a major international airline with a network across USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Far-East, South-East Asia, Australia and the Gulf. Air India is a member of Star Alliance, the largest global airline consortium. After 69 years as a Government-owned enterprise, Air India and Air India Express were welcomed back into the Tata group in January 2022. The present management at Air India is driving the five year transformation roadmap under the aegis of Vihaan.AI to establish itself as a world-class global airline with an Indian heart.

Vihaan.AI is Air India’s transformational roadmap over five years with clear milestones.  It will be focussing on dramatically growing both its network and fleet, developing a completely revamped customer proposition, improving reliability and on-time performance. The airline will also be taking a leadership position in technology, sustainability, and innovation, while aggressively investing in the best industry talent. Vihaan.AI is aimed at putting Air India on a path to sustained growth, profitability and market leadership.

About the Tata Group:

Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising 30 companies across ten verticals. The group operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, with a mission 'To improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally, through long-term stakeholder value creation based on Leadership with Trust’.

Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies. Sixty-six percent of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation, and art and culture. In 2020-21, the revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $103 billion (INR 7.7 trillion). These companies collectively employ over 800,000 people. Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors. There are 29 publicly-listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalisation of $314 billion (INR 23.4 trillion) as on December 31, 2021. Companies include Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Chemicals, Tata Consumer Products, Titan, Tata Capital, Tata Power, Tata Communications, Indian Hotels, Tata Digital and Tata Electronics.

Zee Business' ‘Shining India’ Budget Show To Simplify The Jargons Of The Union Budget To Citizens Of India

· The channel has a targeted marketing plan to maximise the engagement of stakeholders   

Union Budget 2023 - The prime time of the year has arrived when there is an increased curiosity among the citizens of India on what’s next for the Indian economy?

The diversified Indian economy has grown steadily over the past 50 years, with strong trade relations with other countries. Expectations from Industry leaders of different sectors are sky-high for the upcoming Union Budget. In an endeavor to report timely updates and analysis on the budget, Zee Business’ ‘Shining India’ budget show aims at engaging the viewers on Budget Day’ on 1st February 2023 from 7 am to 11 pm, primarily focusing on a full-day analysis, with a breakdown and discussion on the Budget 2023-24. This will also further add extensive value to the advertisers, as it can create an impactful brand value among the target audience.

Through the Shining India news show, the channel has exclusively lined up guests and key leaders to simplify the budget / finance jargons for the common man. This will allow viewers to have an in-depth understanding of the impact of Union Budget proposals on their day-to-day life. From the business point of view, this strategized move also brings in revenue and creates opportunities for sponsorship on exclusive budget programming and special packages around this theme. 

Speaking on the launch, Anil Singhvi, Managing Editor, Zee Business, said, “The Indian economy has emerged as the world's fifth largest, with a GDP of $3.5 trillion in 2022 aspiring to achieve a $5 trillion milestone by 2024-25. We, at Zee Business, strongly believe in truth and fairness in reporting. Budget sessions have been progressive, to attain economic development. ‘Shinning India’ looks forward to providing a platform for key industry leaders to bring to light what can be expected in fiscal management, growth strategies that can be adopted for the manufacturing sector, infrastructural developments, etc.”

“Brands /clients have always been looking for innovative options to connect with their customers during budget season. That's where Zee Business and ZMCL present cross-platform avenues with multiple engagement tools which serve varied client needs that are beyond regular FCTs. With our credible and comprehensive programming line-up, we hope to see significantly higher number of eyeballs and better stakeholder management, thus broadening the scope of our business,” highlighted Madhu Soman, Chief Business Officer, Zee Business & WION.

The channel has a targeted marketing plan, including mailers, print ads and budget contests to maximise engagement of stakeholders. It also further aims to encourage the audiences to be involved in the budget coverage through the ongoing infotainment buzz via social media posts.  

About Zee Media Corporation Ltd: ZMCL is one of India's leading media and entertainment companies with a strong presence in the news and regional entertainment genres with 13 news channels in 7 different languages, touching more than 528+ Million viewers through its linear and digital properties like Zeenews.com, Zeebiz.com, dnaindia.com, india.com and others.

73% Expect Reduction In Prices Of Essential Items From Budget 2023- Axis My India Pre-Budget CSI Survey

* 54% want GST exemption on essential items

·         6100 people surveyed; 65% are from rural India while 35% are from urban India

·         26% wants lower personal income tax rates by 5% across all slabs

·         Overall household spending has increased for 59%, net score +52

·         Consumption of essentials products increased for 40%, net score +28

·         Consumption of discretionary products increased for 5%, net score +1

·         Consumption of health-related items has increased for 33%, net score -22

·         38% notice brand advertisements on TV while 32% notice ads on digital medium

·         Media consumption increased for 20%

·         Mobility has increased for 9% of the families, net score +2

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 pre-budget report highlighted that reduction in price of essentials is the biggest expectation from the 2023 budget. One of the major requests which comes out in this survey is reduction in income tax rates, which will give consumers more money in hand.

The Pre-Budget net CSI score, calculated by percentage increase minus percentage decrease in sentiment, is at +10, from +08 last month reflecting an increase by 02 points.

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

The survey was carried out via Computer-Aided Telephonic Interviews with a sample size of 6100 people across 27 states and UTs. 65% belonged to rural India, while 35% belonged to urban counterparts. In terms of regional spread, 23% belong to the Northern parts while 27% belong to the Eastern parts of India. Moreover, 28% and 22% belonged to Western and Southern parts of India respectively. 69% of the respondents were male, while 31% were female. In terms of the two majority sample groups, 33% reflect the age group 36YO to 50YO and 30% reflect the age group of 26YO to 35YO.

Commenting on the CSI report, Pradeep Gupta, Chairman & MD, Axis My India, said “Consumers are looking forward to the upcoming budget announcements as a ray of hope for better life and livelihood and there is a huge expectation in terms of price control. Consumers are also looking forward towards various measures that the government will take towards fuelling digitization in the Indian economy. Overall, despite global headwinds the Indian economy should be poised for further growth in 2023”.

On topics of current national interest ahead of the 2023 budget:

·        Deep diving deeper to understand citizens’ sentiments towards the Indian economy, the survey found out that 22% consider ‘oil prices’ to significantly impact the Indian economy this year. Moreover 16% each consider ‘inflation’ and ‘upcoming 2024 elections’ to also have a bearing this year on the economy. Government policies and Russia-Ukraine war continue to be the concern for 14% and 11% respectively.

·    The CSI survey also attempted to demystify consumer expectations from the budget. It revealed top issues that the upcoming budget needs to address:

-   A majority of 73% feels that the budget needs to address ‘reduction in prices of essential items like soap, detergent, cooking oil’.

-   54% believe that it should also look into GST exemption on essential items

-   44% wants reduction in GST % &

-   32% wants housing loan exemption limits to be re-looked at

·    The survey also highlighted that 26% believe that Finance Minister should lower personal income tax rates in the upcoming budget by 5%. In addition, 25% wants the exemption limit to be raised beyond 2.5 lacs.

·     The survey also threw light on factors that will help digitization in the Indian economy. Better banking network (view of 32%), better spread of telecom connectivity & 5G (view of 19%) and better Internet security (view of 18%) are considered important pillars of digitization.

·        According to Axis My India’s Survey 38% notice brand advertisements on TV while 32% notice ads on digital medium. In addition of those surveyed 51% have noticed advertisements atleast once (or more) on digital medium.

Key CSI findings:

·        Overall household spending has increased for 59% of families, increased by 4% compared to last month. The net score, which was +47, last month has increased by 5 to +52 this month.

·        Spends on essentials like personal care & household items has increased for 40% of the families, which reflects a dip by 1% from last month. The net score, which was at +26 last month, increased by two at +28 this month.

·        Spends on non-essential & discretionary products like AC, Car, and Refrigerator has increased for 5% of families, which reflects a decrease by 2% from last month. The net score, which was at +2 last month, has reduced to +1 this month. Sentiment towards discretionary spends highlight the lowest percentage increase in the last four months.

·        Expenses towards health-related items such as vitamins, tests, healthy food has surged for 33% of the families. This reflects a decrease in consumption by 6% from last month. The health score which has a negative connotation i.e., the lesser the spends on health items the better the sentiments, had a net score value of -28 last month, is at -22 this month. Sentiment towards health spends also showcase the lowest percentage increase in the last four months.

·        Consumption of media (TV, Internet, Radio etc.) has increased for 20% of the families, which reflects a decrease by 1% from last four months where it has been consistent at 21%. The overall, net score, which was at -2 last month, reflects 0 this month.

·        Mobility has increased for 9% of the families, which reflects an increase by 2% from last month. The overall mobility net indicator score, which was at +2 last month, has remained the same this month.

About Axis My India:

Axis My India is India’s foremost consumer data intelligence consultancy that has revolutionized the field of election polling in the country, with an accuracy rate of ~93% spread across 28 states and 8 union territories and 2 national elections. The company has a presence in over 737 districts and has touched 85 million Indian households. It counts some of India’s largest corporations, state governments as well as Union Government in its clientele and offers a repertoire of research related services, including consumer insights, product validation, market segmentation, on-ground brand activation, personalized media solutions and micro marketing. The company publishes an annual Consumer Trust Index – spread across 45 consumer and product categories, and 1 million respondents.

Tata Power Partners With Contour For Blockchain-Based Digital Trade Finance Network

·         Becomes the first Power Utility in India to implement end-to-end digital Letter of Credit settlement process  

Tata Power, one of India’s leading integrated power companies, has partnered with Contour, a leading digital trade finance network based out of Singapore, to make its financial management process more robust, transparent and efficient.

Contour’s network uses decentralised technology (blockchain) to bring together companies, banks and ecosystem partners, onto a trusted network, to help create a streamlined digital trade finance workflow. The integration enables trusted data flow across the world’s trade routes and current fragmented ecosystems.

Manual and paper-based processes in finance slow trade growth by creating additional complexity and costs. By joining Contour's network, Tata Power is implementing an end-to-end digital Letter of Credit (LC) settlement process. The company will gain from using a digital LC, since it will enable it to present documents in less than 24 hours, as opposed to the usual 5–10 days of a traditional process.

Mr. Sanjeev Churiwala, Chief Finance Officer, Tata Power  said, “Tata Power's collaboration with Contour will pave the way for a seamless trade finance process – one that can be made significantly efficient with the robust blockchain-based solution. The association is in line with the government's vision of transforming the country's financial ecosystem into a digital one, and is also consistent with our organization's ambition of being sustainability driven and future-ready.”

Carl Wegner, CEO at Contour said: “As a leading energy player in India with an expanding international footprint, Tata Power is fuelling its growth by digitally transforming its trade finance process. By joining our network of 130+ corporates, Tata Power will be able to unlock more value and drive greater efficiency in trade through our digital solution.”

Tata Power continues to not only build on one of India’s most comprehensive renewable energy platforms but also continues its transition to become a utility of the future by focussing on  sustainability, digitisation  and customer oriented smart energy businesses for a new energy world

About Contour: 

Contour is a leading digital trade finance network that is building?the?global standard for trade by bringing together the world's banks, corporates and ecosystem partners, onto a common, digital, and trusted network. Powered by innovation, trust and collaboration, Contour uses decentralised technology to offer seamless integration with market-leading digital document systems and other digital networks, enabling the instant flow of trusted data across the world’s trade routes and current fragmented ecosystems. Contour won the GTR Award for Best Fintech in Trade in 2022 and Leader in Trade for Digitalisation in 2021. It was also named Best Trade Finance Solution in 2021 by Treasury Management International.  

About Tata Power:

Tata Power (NSE: TATAPOWER; BSE:500400) is one of India’s largest integrated power companies and together with its subsidiaries and jointly controlled entities, has an installed / managed capacity of 14101 MW. The Company has a presence across the entire power value chain - generation of renewable as well as conventional power including hydro and thermal energy, transmission & distribution and trading.

The Company had developed the country’s first Ultra Mega Power Project at Mundra (Gujarat) based on super-critical technology. With 5241 MW of clean energy generation from solar, wind, hydro, and waste heat recovery accounting for 37% of the overall portfolio, the company is a leader in clean energy generation.

It has successful public-private partnerships in generation, transmission & distribution in India viz: Powerlinks Transmission Ltd. with Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. for evacuation of Power from Tala hydro plant in Bhutan to Delhi, Maithon Power Ltd. with Damodar Valley Corporation for a 1,050 MW Mega Power Project at Jharkhand.

Tata Power is currently serving more than 12 million consumers via its Discoms, under public-private partnership model viz Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd. with Government of Delhi in North Delhi, TP Northern Odisha Distribution Limited, TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited, TP Western Odisha Distribution Limited, and TP Southern Odisha Distribution Limited with Government of Odisha.

With a focus on sustainable and clean energy development, Tata Power is steering the transformation as an integrated solutions providers by looking at new business growth in distributed generation through rooftop solar and microgrids, storage solutions, EV charging infrastructure, ESCO, home automation & smart meters et al.

With its 107 years track record of technology advancements, project execution excellence, world-class safety processes, customer care and green initiatives, Tata Power is well poised for multi-fold growth and is committed to lighting up lives for generations to come. For more information visit us at: www.tatapower.com