Hero MotoCorp Launched The New 110cc Scooter –Xoom In Bangalore, Karnataka

* XOOM COMES WITH THE INDUSTRY-FIRST – CORNER BENDING LIGHTS

* SEGMENT FIRST – BIGGER AND WIDER TYRES

* FUTURISTIC DESIGN, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, UNMATCHED AGILITY & SUPREME COMFORT

Redefining the scooter category and charting the next phase of its tech-enabled journey in the scooter segment, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, today launched the new 110cc scooter –Xoom in Bangalore, Karnataka.

Meticulously designed and developed to appeal to the generation of perceptive customers who seek adventure and excitement in their everyday ride, the Xoom scooter delivers a contemporary design, supreme maneuverability, unmatched agility and extra ordinary performance.

The Hero Xoom embodies a fresh new take in the 110cc category. With an industry-first feature – the Corner Bending Lights,and segment-first features – bigger and wider tyres and zippy acceleration in the 110cc segment, it guarantees an unparalleledmobility experience to the owners.

The Corner BendingLightsTM makes its debut inthe 110cc segment with Hero Xoom, providing enhanced safety for the customers. The Corner Bending Lights illuminates the dark corner areas with an unrivalled bright, clear light when the rider is taking a turn or heading into curves. The rider benefits from the illumination of the corners on the road, thereby ensuring safer riding at night. 

The Xoomcomes with a powerful BS-VI compliant engine that features Hero MotoCorp’s revolutionary i3S technology (Idle Stop-Start System). The new Digital Speedometer with Bluetooth connectivity and Side-Stand Engine-cut-off add to the tech profile of the scooter.

Launched in three variants – Sheet Drum, Cast Drum and Cast Disc, Hero Xoom scooteris available at Hero MotoCorp dealerships across the country at an Introductory price of

INR 73,099 (LX -Sheet Drum), INR 76,299 (VX - Cast Drum) and INR 81,299 (ZX - Cast Drum)

*(Ex-Showroom, Bangalore).

Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Growth Officer (CGO), Hero MotoCorp, said, “Over the years, Hero MotoCorp has introduced iconic brands that have captivated the nation and continue to enjoy a strong consumer connect. With the unmatched style and performance of Hero Xoom, we are turning a new leaf in our journey to redefine the scooter segment. The new Hero XOOM is an outcome of our deep understanding of the needs of young India & our commitment to introduce future-oriented technologies which will help strengthen our scooter portfolio. The ones who are looking for an exciting ride, and are at the forefront of innovation will definitely be drawn to the dynamic character of the Hero Xoom.”

Dr. Arun Jaura, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) said, “The new Hero Xoom reinstates our commitment to drive in the future of mobility. The scooter segment has witnessed an increasing preference for two-wheelers with a sporty character, and Hero Xoom hits the sweet spot with its futuristic structure, engineering play and performance. In addition to bringing the first-in-industry ‘Corner Bending Lights’, the new scooter ups the tech quotient with the revolutionary i3S technology, LED Headlamps & Tail Lamp and Bluetooth connectivity. The Hero Xoom is a strong addition to our attractive and comprehensive portfolio of scooters.”

FUTURISTIC DESIGN WITH ‘ADVANCED LIGHTING’ PACKAGE

The all-new Hero Xoom introduces a radical new futuristic design language. Nimble and agile in traffic, yet supremely robust over tough terrain, its agility opens up a whole new world of riding experience. Extremely sporty, yet mature and comfortable, it is the perfect companion for adventures of daily riding.

The exciting lighting package - including LED Projector Headlamp, LED Tail Lamps, and industry-first “Corner Bending Lights”- provides an unmistakable presence to the scooter. The signature H position head and tail lamps ensure distinct character, uniform illumination and enhanced rider safety. Bigger and Wider Tyres, Diamond Cut Alloy Wheels, Integrated Rear grip add to the distinct character of the scooter.

TECHNOLOGY AT THE CORE

Embodying the culture of innovation at Hero MotoCorp, the all-new Hero Xoomhas been developed with as many as 25+ patent applications.The new scooter brings a host of exciting technologies to the category. The industry-first “Corner Bending Lights” adds to the safety aspect by illuminating the blind spots while turning. Hero Xoom is programmed with ‘XSens Technology’ which helps in improving the performance, durability, safety, reliability and fuel economy.In addition, the full digital speedometer with Bluetooth Connectivity provides call (Caller ID) and SMS updates, and key alerts, such as Low Fuel Indicator, (RTMI), Phone Battery etc. Features such as the Side Stand Engine Cut Off, Boot Light and Mobile Chargerin front glove boxadd to the safety and convenience aspects.

POWER-PACKED PERFORMANCE

The Hero Xoom comes with a 110cc BS-VI compliant engine producing a maximum power output of 8.05 BHP @ 7250 RPM and torque of 8.7 Nm @5750 RPM for a high-performance ride. Delivering the brand promise of performance and comfort, the new Hero Xoomcomes with the i3S patented technology for enhanced convenience and higher fuel efficiency.The scooter provides instantaneous acceleration and power-on-demand at all times.

EYE-CATCHING COLOR THEMES

The Hero Xoom is available infive sporty, striking, and impressive color options. While the Sheet Drum variant is available in Polestar Blue, the Cast Drum variant is available in Polestar Blue, Black &Pearl Silver White. The Cast Disc variant is available in Polestar Blue, Black, Sports Red and Matt AbraxOrange color schemes.

Ministry Of Rural Development And Meesho Sign MoU To Onboard Rural Women As Online Sellers

* Ministry of Rural Development and Meesho sign MoU to onboard rural women as online sellers

The Ministry of Rural Development and Meesho, India’s only true online marketplace, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to drive digital inclusion of all women registered under State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) and enable them to sell online. The partnership will give impetus to Meesho’s ongoing efforts to onboard rural women entrepreneurs in various states and enable them to launch and grow their businesses online. Over the last few months, Meesho has tied up with several government-run self-help groups (SHGs), such as Sanjeevini - Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Mission and UMEED - Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission.

Meesho will now work with the central government to facilitate this digitisation at scale, organising rural women as community institutions, ensuring their financial inclusion and helping them with market access. The Ministry of Rural Development will support Meesho's engagement with state-owned and SRLM-promoted enterprises to bring local artisans, weavers and craft producers into the e-commerce fold.

Giriraj Singh, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, said, “Uplifting rural women across India by unlocking livelihood opportunities for them has been our key objective. Our constant endeavour has been to support the growth and development of rural communities and the collaboration with Meesho will be instrumental in driving financial inclusion for them. Through market insights and training on product cataloging and packaging, women from these self-help groups will be able to leverage the power of technology in making their products visible and accessible to a wider customer base, thereby increasing their earning potential.

With more than 40% of the women population into non-farming, it is our collective responsibility to build capabilities and unlock wider opportunities for them through online selling platforms. We are hopeful to empower 10 crore women financially through this partnership, thereby making them an integral part of India’s vision of becoming a $5 trillion economy.”

Meesho’s continued commitment towards creating a level playing field for the smallest of sellers and its industry-first initiatives like zero commission will encourage women from across the country to embrace internet commerce and allow them to access a wider market.  Aligned with Meesho’s vision to enable 100 million small businesses to succeed online, the move will allow them to become self-employed entrepreneurs and fulfill their aspirations of achieving financial independence.

Sanjeev Barnwal, Co-founder and CTO, Meesho, said, “We are honoured to partner with the Ministry of Rural Development on our mission to democratise internet commerce for everyone. Women entrepreneurship is key to India's vision of becoming a $5 trillion economy and, over the years, Meesho has empowered lakhs of them to succeed in the online world and achieve financial independence. This partnership will amplify our efforts in that direction, unlocking the power of internet commerce for their social and economic growth. We will provide them with all the tools and guidance they need to grow their business online with Meesho.”

Meesho will provide end-to-end support to SHGs, training them on the various facets of running an online business. From guidance on identifying the right products and creating a seller account to uploading catalogues and packaging, Meesho will organise a host of in-person training workshops in several regional languages. Further, Meesho will impart education and training on features like product and pricing recommendations, besides facilitating logistics tie-ups in the respective states.

Photo Caption - Sanjeev Barnwal, Co-founder and CTO, Meesho and the Ministry of Rural Development signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today in Delhi in the presence of Giriraj Singh, the minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj to onboard women registered under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission and enable them to sell on Meesho.

Blockedge Technologies Inc And Suvik Technologies FZE Inks JV Deal To Accelerate Web3 Adoption

Blockedge Technologies Inc., a leading enterprise blockchain technology platform, and Suvik Technologies FZE, a UAE-based public blockchain technology company, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture in Dubai, aimed at creating tools that empower organizations globally migrate to WEB3 technologies.

With the right complementary ingredients to facilitate the movement towards a large-scale secure Web3 adoption, Blockedge brings its infrastructure automation platform, expertise to develop decentralized applications and interoperable blockchain solutions. At the same time, Suvik group brings its proprietary trading system for crypto assets and Plugin - a Decentralized Oracle Platform built on XDC Network.

"Web3 is all about building system-backed trust to facilitate trusted peer-to-peer transactions," said Srinivas Mahankali, Chief Business Officer of Blockedge Technologies Inc. "To accelerate the adoption of Web3 technologies globally, we have come together to leverage each other’s strengths to create the required infrastructure layer to encourage and empower over 1000 organizations in the next three years" he added.

Vinod Khurana, Co-Founder of Plugin Decentralized Oracle on XDC Network and CEO of Suvik Group added, "The creation of the joint venture between Blockedge and Suvik has come at the right time and place and has the potential to add immense value to the blockchain ecosystem. With this venture, we aim to launch decentralized applications across industries, with an initial focus on Agriculture, Healthcare, Supply chain, and E-commerce".

The partnership will be converted into a 55:45 joint venture based in Dubai, specifically focusing on the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and North America.

About Blockedge Technologies Inc.: Blockedge is a blockchain technology platform fully dedicated to accelerating blockchain transformations. Offering a host of products, solutions, and services, Blockedge brings the power of automation for enterprises to build and adopt global scale blockchain networks to transform their businesses. Headquartered in Pleasanton, California, USA, Blockedge has its knowledge center based out of Chennai, India. For more information, please visit: www.blockedge.io.

About Suvik Group: The group is headquartered in United Arab Emirates, a Country which offers ample opportunities of growth in a stable and vibrant economy. In UAE, Suvik provides expertise in Management Consultancy, Business setup, Blockchain Technology solutions, IT & Software service, Distributed Ledger Technology Services & Corporate Advisory Services.

Mahindra Last Mile Mobility And SLA Mobility Sign Distribution Agreement Of Electric 3-Wheelers In Sri Lanka

The Last Mile Mobility (LMM) division of Mahindra and Mahindra Limited, has signed a Distribution Agreement with SLA Mobility (SLAML) for electric 3-wheelers in Sri Lanka. The agreement was signed on January 18, 2023, and will involve distribution, and service support. LMM will export the highly lauded electric Treo range and the Zor Grand. These vehicles, based on the Sri Lankan government’s approval, will be imported into Sri Lanka. LMM is also exploring localisation or CKD operations in Sri Lanka. SLA Mobility is a part of the Sino Lanka Group and is focussed on introducing EVs to Sri Lanka.

Suman Mishra, CEO of Last Mile Mobility, said, “India’s No.1 electric 3-wheeler company, Mahindra, is pleased to carry the message of sustainability as well as EV propagation to our neighbours. Sri Lanka’s ecosystem will vastly gain from the introduction of Mahindra EVs and together with SLA Mobility, we aim to enhance the lives of our customers.”

Bob Kundanmal, Chairman of SLA Mobility, said "We are proud to be partnered with Mahindra and look forward to untap the manufacturing potential of Sri Lanka. We believe that development in the electric mobility industry is essential for Sri Lanka's transportation eco system."

LMM currently exports its products to Nepal and the UK. There are also ongoing talks with few other countries for exports, which will be announced in due course.

About Last Mile Mobility

The Last Mile Mobility (LMM) division of M&M is responsible for the company’s widely acclaimed mix of petrol, CNG, diesel and electric last mile mobility 3- and 4-wheelers – passenger and cargo vehicles. These include the Mahindra Jeeto 4-wheeler, Alfa range of 3-wheelers, and the electric-only Zor Grand and Treo range.

Learn more about LMM on www.mahindralastmilemobility.com / Twitter/LinkedIn (@mahindralmm), and Facebook (@MahindraLastMileMobility).

About Mahindra

Founded in 1945, the Mahindra Group is one of the largest and most admired multinational federation of companies with 260000 employees in over 100 countries. It enjoys a leadership position in farm equipment, utility vehicles, information technology and financial services in India and is the world’s largest tractor company by volume. It has a strong presence in renewable energy, agriculture, logistics, hospitality and real estate. 

The Mahindra Group has a clear focus on leading ESG globally, enabling rural prosperity and enhancing urban living, with a goal to drive positive change in the lives of communities and stakeholders to enable them to Rise.

Learn more about Mahindra on www.mahindra.com / Twitter and Facebook: @MahindraRise/ For updates subscribe to https://www.mahindra.com/news-room

About SLA Mobility

SLA Mobility is a fully owned subsidiary of Sino Lanka Pvt Ltd focusing on introducing electric vehicles in Sri Lanka. The vision of the company is to be the pioneer in electric vehicles in Sri Lanka.

COMEDK- Uni-GAUGE Entrance Exam For UGET 2023 : Application Dates Announced

* Expects over 1,00,000 students to appear for the examination across 400 centers

COMEDK UGET and Uni-GAUGE entrance examinations will be held on  Sunday, 28 May 2023, as a combined examination for admissions to over 150 Engineering colleges and 50+ reputed private and deemed universities, respectively. The entrance exam will be conducted for colleges affiliated with the Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges Association (KUPECA)  and Uni-GAUGE member universities offering B.E/B.Tech programmes. The exam will be conducted online in over 150 cities across India, with over 400 test centers. This year, it expects over 1,00,000 students to appear for the examination.

Applicants can register at www.comedk.org or  www.unigauge.com. The application process is open online from February 15, 2023 to April 24, 2023. 

For the past 50 years, Karnataka has been a leader in higher education. It is the top choice for those seeking a career in engineering due to its diverse range of colleges, exceptional education, and high job placement rate after graduation. The state's focus on higher education has resulted in the development of a large pool of skilled professionals who are in high demand globally.

This year ComedK has also launched COMED KARES, an initiative that will assist students from participating institutions in becoming job-ready through skill enhancement courses. COMEDKARES has set up eight  Innovation Hubs in Karnataka 4 of which are in Bengaluru and the rest are located at Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Mangalore, Belgaum. Each hub is housed in a 5000 sq-ft state-of-the-art center. The hubs are equipped with high end equipment (Wood routing, Laser cutting, 3D printers, AR-VR equipment, Hand tools, Computer SW, UI –UX tools etc). Programs like Rapid Prototyping, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Internet of Things (IOT) are offered at the Innovation Hubs.  With this initiative, Karnataka has also become the first state to introduce skill-based training to private engineering colleges.

“We are delighted to welcome students from around India to seek admissions to leading Engineering Institutions in Karnataka.” said Dr. Kumar, Executive Secretary at COMEDK. “Over 150 premier colleges accept students through UGET, and we’re proud to provide a fair, inclusive and non-exploitative platform to connect them with young talent.”

Adds Mr P. Muralidhar, CEO, ERA Foundation: “We believe that merit and aptitude should be the only criteria that determine where a student should pursue further studies. Uni-GAUGE has been rigorously designed to meet the highest standards of fairness and objectivity as a testing platform, and we’re proud of our part towards the holistic development of tomorrow’s workforce.”

The entire application and exam process will be online. A detailed process guideline on the online exam and application process has been made available to students on www.comedk.org or www.unigauge.com

Note: www.comedk.org is the only official website of COMEDK. Students, parents are requested to exercise utmost caution and use only the official website for information updates and the application process.

About COMED-K:

COMEDK is an evaluation test that has been initiated by the Associations of Medical, Dental, and Engineering private colleges for merit determination of students who seek admissions to the Member Institution. COMEDK (Consortium of Medical, Engineering, and Dental Colleges of Karnataka) is a fair, effective, non-exploitative, and transparent platform to determine the merit of students. Presently about 150 Engineering colleges, which offer around 20,000 seats, are affiliated to COMEDK and utilize its testing mechanism for effecting admission to UG Engineering Program during the academic year 2023-2024.    www.comedk.org

About Uni-GAUGE:

Uni-GAUGE is an online entrance exam platform for admission to undergraduate programs at leading private and deemed universities across India. Uni-GAUGE is powered by ERA Foundation, a not-for-profit organization. Since inception, ERA Foundation has been continuously working towards the holistic improvement of the education sector and skill development in the higher education sector in India.

Over the last three years, ERA Foundation has been offering a comprehensive aptitude assessment for entrants to professional/ higher education via its platform MARG. MARG is a comprehensive tool-based career counseling program in 6 Indian languages that combines subject knowledge and aptitude to help determine the most suited career for a student. MARG’s system generated reports are self-explanatory and has been designed by psychologists keeping in mind a child’s understanding of career options. ERA is making an effort to promote the program to every Senior secondary school in India.  

This affordable assessment costs only Rs. 1,000/- (Rupees One Thousand) per candidate, and Government institution students can get it free of charge with the support of CSR funds.

Vedanta Resources Reduces Net Debt By $2 Billion In FY23, Ahead Of Plans

Vedanta Resources Limited (Vedanta), the parent company of Vedanta Limited, India’s largest natural resources company, has deleveraged by $2 Bn in the past 11 months, thus achieving half of its $4 Bn 3-year debt reduction commitment in the first year alone.

Powered by robust domestic consumption in the fastest growing major economy, Vedanta is delivering healthy cash flows whilst maintaining disciplined capital allocation and has reduced net debt by $2 Bn, ahead of plans for this fiscal. During FY24/FY25, Vedanta will continue to deleverage from net debt of $7.7 Bn and plans to cover 50% of FY24 liquidity requirements internally and the balance through re-financing. Over the past 20 years, Vedanta has raised more than $35 billion through debt and equity and yielded highly attractive returns to shareholders, while maintaining an excellent track record of debt servicing.

Vedanta, a former FTSE 100 company, has an unparalleled portfolio encompassing: Zinc (world’s largest integrated producer), Aluminium (India’s largest producer of primary aluminium), Oil & Gas (India’s largest private producer of crude), Silver (6th largest producer globally), battery metals: Nickel (India’s sole nickel producer) & Cobalt, Copper, Iron Ore & Steel and Commercial Energy.

Vedanta’s next phase of growth will be fueled by its associated companies’ investments into Semiconductors (India’s first Semiconductor producer in collaboration with Foxconn), display glass (Avanstrate), renewables (through joint venture with KKR), optical fibre (fibre to home) and transmissions. Vedanta’s portfolio uniquely covers traditional and cutting-edge businesses.

Vedanta, a global organisation, is set to capitalize on India’s growth, stable governance, and the strength of 1.4 billion Indians increasing their reliance on domestic production. Vedanta Limited ranked 6th on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in 2022, a towering jump of 14 places, and is uniquely positioned to deliver sustainable value on the back of its strong ESG performance.

About Vedanta Resources Limited

Vedanta Resources Limited (“Vedanta”) is a diversified global natural resources company. Its portfolio includes Zinc (world’s largest integrated producer), Aluminium (India’s largest producer of primary aluminium), Oil & Gas (India’s largest private producer of crude), Silver (6th largest producer globally), Copper, Iron Ore & Steel, battery metals: Nickel (India’s sole nickel producer) & Cobalt and Commercial Energy. Vedanta is a former FTSE 100 company headquartered in London with operations in India, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa. The company uniquely covers traditional and leading-edge businesses. For more information on Vedanta Resources,  visit www.vedantaresources.com

BPCL Enables Zero Cost Child Heart Surgeries For Children With Congenital Heart Diseases

* Joins hands with Sri Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals to aid children in need

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ‘Maharatna’ & a Fortune Global 500 Company has partnered with Sri Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals and enabled free of cost child heart surgeries for needy children with Congenital Heart Disease. BPCL, under their CSR initiatives, carried out this annual campaign on Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day.

Over 4100+ children have benefited from the project and they are expected to treat 9000-12000 children by next year. BPCL has provided all critical medical equipment for the hospital in Mumbai and now pledged to treat 150 underprivileged children who would be treated totally free at Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals in Haryana and Chhattisgarh.

More than 24,000 children from the economically backward families have been treated by the hospitals, since they started.

To commemorate Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day, Shri Sukhmal Jain, Director (Marketing), BPCL, spent an entire day at Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, with children undergoing treatment at the hospital, and spoke to their families.

Purvi Udar, 7 years old from Buldhana Dist of Maharashtra who was discharged after her successful surgery, sang a poem for the guests and said that she wants to be a corporate professional, when she grows up. Parents of another patient, three and half years old Kriti Prabha from Orissa, had lost hope till they discovered this hospital who performed corrective surgery free.

A third party Impact Assessment conducted for the project was as well undertaken which observes the success rate of surgeries has improved up to 99% due to the new advanced surgical equipment provided by BPCL. BPCL has been proudly and actively supporting this noble cause since 2018 and continue to serve these little hearts till now.

BPCL undertakes its CSR Activities in Five core Thrust Areas like Health & Sanitation, Education, Community Development, Environmental Sustainability and Skill Development along with the items enlisted in the Schedule VII of the Companies Act 2013.

The company believes that it is important to return to society and that their finest achievements aren’t those found in balance sheets but those, undertaken through their CSR projects in small towns, villages thus benefitting the marginalized communities at large.

BPCL has significantly contributed towards the goal of achieving sustainable development in above mentioned thrust areas while also contributing in other Schedule VII sectors. The Company partners with several capable organizations, thereby supporting projects that benefit the underprivileged and marginalized sections of society. CSR initiatives are undertaken based on social, environmental and economic considerations.