PayPal Leadership Volunteers Unveiling The Plaque At “Lake Chikka Thimmasandara In Bengaluru

* PayPal joins Forests by Heartfulness in the plantation drive along the restored lake to enhance biodiversity  

Forests by Heartfulness inaugurated yet another restored lake at Chikka Thimmasandra village in Bangalore suburbs in association with multinational financial technology company PayPal. The event began with a stone laying ceremony and inauguration on by Padma Smt. Saalumarada Timakka – Indian environmentalist as the Chief Guest. Witnessed the presence and participation of Kannada film - Mr. Diganth during the event, employees and leadership from PayPal and Heartfulness representatives and volunteers. The plantation area covers 11.5 acres of land with the aim of creating an ecosystem of endangered, local and indigenous plant species with main objective of attracting migratory birds and local wildlife. The initiative is supported by the Government of Karnataka in terms of granting the necessary approvals and frameworks.  

The Chikka Thimmasandra lake is rainwater fed, however over a period of time, the lake turned shallow owing to formation of sediment and silt. Forests by Heartfulness began its work by first desilting and making bunds on the lake banks in 45 days-time. The water holding capacity has almost doubled by this intervention and we are expecting to see the lake filled up during the rainy season. Several saplings were sourced from Heartfulness nurseries encompassing a variety of species ranging from Limonia acidissima (Wood apple), Aegle marmelos (Stone apple), Ficus racemose (Atti mara), Arjuna terminalia (Matti tree), Ficus religiosa (Peepal tree), Prosopis Cineraria (Shami tree), Artocarpus heterophyllus (Jackfruit), Psidium guajava (Guava), Syzygium cumini (Jamun tree), Gasa gasa (Jamaican jerry) etc and planting along the bund side 

At the stone laying ceremony Smt. Saalumarada Timakka said, “I have always found solace in planting trees. And so, I feel very honoured to inaugurate this beautiful project by Heartfulness. It is also special as it also plants the endangered species. The fact that corporates like PayPal are also coming forward to join plantation drives as this, shows how there is a collective thought on saving plants and saving the planet.” 

This is the third plantation project taken up by Forests by Heartfulness in Bangalore. Last year corporates such as Zscaler and Bosch had joined hands with Heartfulness to create two mini-forests of 5000 saplings each. The program focusses not only on planting but providing after care for 3-years to ensure high level of survivability of saplings.    

Garuda Aerospace And Narayana Health Join Hands To Transport Biomedical Samples Using ‘Sanjeevani’ Drones

Garuda Aerospace, a leading provider of drone technology solutions, today announced a partnership with Narayana Health, one of India's leading healthcare providers, for transporting bio medical samples using drones called ‘Sanjeevani’, the name as suggested by Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman & Executive Director, Narayana Health. The partnership aims to revolutionize the delivery of critical and emergency medical supplies-including samples for diagnosis in times of high traffic and other challenging conditions.

The use of drones in the healthcare industry has proven to be a game changer, saving valuable time and improving patient outcomes. The technology and expertise of Garuda Aerospace in the health sector have been leveraged in recent times, and with this Narayana Health will be able to transport bio medical samples quickly ensuring that patients receive timely diagnoses and treatments. This will also ensure to help the ones in remote and underserved areas too. During the pandemic, Garuda Aerospace used its emergency drones to deliver medicine and vaccinations to hospitals in partnership with Swiggy. The company's White Knight drones delivered essential medicines and vaccinations to Bengaluru hospitals for ISRO in 2021, demonstrating their capability in providing timely and efficient medical delivery.

Speaking on the partnership, Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO, Garuda Aerospace said, "We are delighted to partner with Narayana Health and bring innovation to India's healthcare sector by using Garuda Aerospace drones. Our aim is to improve access to critical medical supplies and support the delivery of high-quality healthcare to patients in need and in times of emergency. With this partnership, we are confident that we will be able to make a real difference in the lives of patients and communities across India. We are proud to be a part of this exciting journey.”

Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman & Executive Director, Narayana Health, said, "We are committed to delivering the best possible care to our patients. The use of drones to transport bio medical samples is a critical step in achieving that goal. By partnering with Garuda Aerospace, we are able to leverage their expertise to improve the delivery of medical supplies and enhance the quality of care we provide across. In the first phase, drones will be deployed in Bengaluru to transfer bio medical samples from Narayana Health City and HSR Layout on a daily basis. In the next 1 year, our network of 21 hospitals will have these services. "

Honorable PM Narendra Modi Ji simultaneously flagged 100 Kisan drones in 100 villages across India with live tracking, data collection, and processing. Garuda Aerospace has been the preferred drone partner for NDRF since the pandemic. Equipped with 400 drones and over 500 pilots across 84 cities, Garuda Aerospace is equipped to support different emergencies. Former captain of India's national cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni unveiled a camera drone called Droni at The Global Drone Expo in Chennai and became the firm’s Brand Ambassador as well.

About Garuda Aerospace

Garuda Aerospace is India’s leading Drone tech startup focused on disrupting two major multi-billion-dollar sectors, Precision Agri Tech and Industry 4.0 upgradation. Garuda Aerospace is asset-light, recession-proof, agnostic, and focuses on eliminating labours in the agricultural field with drones focusing on the design, building, and customization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Founded in 2015 with a team of 5, Garuda has scaled to 200+ member team having the largest drone fleet in India with over 400 drones and 500 pilots operating in 84 cities. Garuda Aerospace manufactures 30 types of drones and offers 50 types of services. Having served over 750 clients including TATA, Godrej, Adani, Reliance, Swiggy, Flipkart, Delhivery, L&T, Survey of India, SAIL, NTPC, IOCL, Smart cities, Intel, Amazon, Wipro, IISC, MIT Boston, NHAI for various projects, the company recently partnered with global giants such as Lockheed Martin, Cognizant and Elbit Systems. Garuda Aerospace is the first drone company to get DGCA approvals for Type Certification and Remote Pilot Training Organisation. Garuda is on a mission to impact 1 billion lives positively using affordable precision Drone Technology. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has invested in the company and is the Brand Ambassador. (For details, visit www.garudaaerospace.com)  

About Narayana Health:

With all super-speciality tertiary care facilities that the medical world offers, Narayana Health is a one-stop healthcare destination for all. Founded by Dr. Devi Shetty and headquartered in Bengaluru, Narayana Health group is the second largest health care provider in the country in terms of operational bed count. The first facility was established with approximately 225 operational beds in year 2000 at NH Health City in Bengaluru.  The Company today operates a chain of multispecialty tertiary and primary healthcare facilities across a network of 21 hospitals and 4 heart centres in India and single hospital overseas at Cayman Islands with nearly 6145 operational beds across all its centres and potential to reach a capacity of over 6,490 beds (For details, visit www.narayanahealth.org  

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Exchanges MoU With Indian Sugar Mills Association To Promote Ethanol

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today announced the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) to create awareness and promote the use of ethanol as a sustainable biofuel in India. The MoU exchange took place in the gracious presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri. Yogi Adityanath ji, along with the other key Government officials and dignitaries, at an event that marked the 120 years of establishment of first Sugar Mill* in the state of Uttar Pradesh. From Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Mr. Sudeep S. Dalvi - Senior Vice President & Chief Communication Officer was present during this occasion. At the said event, TKM demonstrated its Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle along with an experiential drive.

ISMA, the interface between Indian Government and the Sugar Industry in the country is instrumental in production of ethanol and plays an important role, including enabling requisite ethanol fuel availability in the country. Through this MoU, TKM and ISMA aims to accelerate the adoption of ethanol as an indigenous alternate clean fuel, thereby contributing to our nation’s goal to lower its dependence on fossil fuels as well as its carbon footprints.

Being agriculture based and domestically produced fuel-source, higher use of ethanol will increase farmer incomes and create new jobs, thereby boosting the agrarian economy besides reducing the fossil fuel imports. The Government also recently launched second-generation technologies for producing ethanol from agricultural residues like Agriculture waste (parali), which is currently otherwise burnt.

The Government of India has been actively promoting the use of ethanol as a biofuel and has set an ambitious target to achieve 20% ethanol blending in gasoline by 2025. By 2025–2026, it is expected that 86 million barrels of gasoline will be replaced by 20% ethanol, saving India Rs. 30,000 crores in foreign exchange and reducing carbon emissions by 10 million tonnes. These benefits can be enhanced significantly with the advent of Flexi Fuel Vehicle technologies, which can flexibly use higher ethanol blends from 20% to 85%, given the enormous potential of ethanol production that exists beyond capacity for E20 blends.

Commenting on this initiative, Mr. Sudeep S. Dalvi, Senior Vice President & Chief Communication Officer of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “In our constant endeavor to promote the adoption of sustainable mobility solutions across regions, we at Toyota believe that it is crucial to amplify in-depth understanding about ways and means to combat carbon emissions, beyond providing technologically advanced solutions, while achieving goals of Carbon Neutrality.

Today, we are proud to collaborate with ISMA to popularize the use of ethanol being a clean and sustainable biofuel source, for the automotive industry in India. TKM is continuously studying various advanced powertrains that promote green technologies as well as energy self-reliance. The Flexi-fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle being an electrified technology combines the best of both the worlds - electrified as well as alternate fuel ethanol pathways. To elaborate, the electrified flexi fuel vehicle has both the flexi-fuel engine and electric powertrain, thereby will enable the demand creation for alternate fuel & electric vehicle parts manufacturing ecosystem. The FFV-SHEV technology enables better fuel efficiency with faster reduction of fossil fuel consumption & CO2 emissions.”

Expressing his thoughts on the MoU exchange, Mr. Aditya Jhunjhunwala, President of Indian Sugar Mills Association, said, “ISMA is delighted to collaborate with Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. on this significant initiative. We look forward to working together to enhance the Ethanol awareness and encourage its wider adoption as a fuel in India. Ethanol is a vital part of India's energy mix, and with this joint effort, we are hopeful to contribute better to the larger goal of achieving self-reliance in energy. This will go a long way in contributing to a cleaner, greener environment.”

Towards realising a carbon-neutral mobility society, TKM continues to emphasis the multiple energy pathway approach, wherein different electrified and alternative fuel technologies can provide choice for the customers to select the best low carbon solutions that have the greatest potential to achieve carbon neutrality at speed. In this regard, a Brazil-based study indicates that the ‘Well-to-Wheel’ carbon emission of Flexi-fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle in Brazil is 29 grams/km, which is the lowest globally.  Thus, promoting the use of ethanol as a substitute clean fuel in India through the adoption of Flexi-Fuel Vehicles and Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles remains one of the key focus areas to create a cleaner, more sustainable energy landscape in India.

*UP Sugar Industry - Member of Uttar Pradesh Sugar Mills Association/UPSMA and Indian Sugar Mills Association/ISMA).

Manipal Academy of Higher Education Unveils 6th Edition of Entrepreneurship Summit 2023

Key Speakers and Venture Capitalists to Attend MES 2023

The theme of the event is “Let your Innovation be heard."

Manipal Academy of Higher Education's (MAHE) E-Cell MIT  unveiled the sixth edition of  Manipal Entrepreneurship Summit (MES) starting today from 17th to 25th Feb 2023. The theme for this year’s summit  is “Let your Innovation be heard." The aim of the summit is to empower and support student entrepreneurs by providing mentorship, guidance, and a vibrant start-up ecosystem to help turn their ideas into successful ventures.

E-Cell MIT, formed two years ago, has already assisted over 100+ startups in establishing a solid foundation, raising extensive funding, and showcasing their products to the market. The summit will feature events, workshops, webinars, competitions, and other activities to cater to the needs of every student, from people with ideas to students running their ventures, from students looking for motivation to those looking to achieve. The activities spanned out covers everything.

MES 2023 will welcome leading entrepreneurs of India, including Vikas Gupta (Co-Founder & CEO, Creatara), Jyothi Bharadwaj (Founder, Teafit), Abhinav Arora (Co-Founder, Avalon Scenes), Vinod Aravindakshan (CEO and Co-Founder, Careerboat), Arvind Sasikumar (CTO, Quinn), Dhruva Goyal (Co-Founder, BugBase), Anirudh Arun (Co-Founder, Formi), Rishabh Gupta (CEO and Co-Founder, Redwings), and Smitha Rao (Co-Founder, Utthunga). The summit will also feature notable venture capital funds like Campus Fund, 10KSI, and Bharat Innovation Fund to back the startups that create a market potential and are ready to disrupt with their innovation.

Vice Chancellor, Lt Gen (Dr.) M.D. Venkatesh, MAHE, stated, "MAHE has always encouraged its students to think beyond the ordinary and innovate. MES 2023 is an excellent platform to showcase the entrepreneurial spirit of our students and the support provided by the us towards nurturing this spirit."

Dr. H S Ballal, Pro Chancellor, MAHE, added, "We are confident that MES 2023 will continue to inspire and create successful entrepreneurs who will make a difference in the world. We are thrilled to witness how so many young people are stepping up to make a difference and excited to see the startup ideas which will emerge from this summit."

Cdr. Dr. Anil Rana, Director, MIT, Manipal, "MES 2023 is an incredible opportunity for the student community at MAHE to gain knowledge, experience, and connections in the field of entrepreneurship. This summit is a unique platform to inspire and enable young entrepreneurs to take their ideas to the next level and turn them into successful ventures."

This summit is an opportunity for students to connect with like-minded individuals, validate their ideas, and gain knowledge, experience, and connections in the field of entrepreneurship. Through MES, E-Cell MIT aims to create a sustainable and innovative startup ecosystem that nurtures and supports student entrepreneurs.

The flagship event of MES, The Innovation Mela, is a startup expo where 100+ startups and projects put up their stalls to showcase their ideas and products to a highly diverse student crowd, mentors, and investors. It is a perfect platform for Founders to validate their vision and connect with the right mentors and investors that can back them in their journey. The summit will also include other events, such as Pitch Tank and Panel Discussion, accompanied by a Product Management Conclave comprising highly skilled and experienced individuals from top firms like Microsoft and Blue Learn.

Renault India Has Made Significant Inroads In Rural Markets With Customer-Centric Initiatives

* The contribution of rural sales to Renault’s overall sales has gone up from 7% in 2019 to more than 37% in 2022 

* Increased ease of access through expansion of physical network infrastructure, customer engagement initiatives, recruitment of trained local representatives and last mile e-governance  

With an innovative and comprehensive customer-centric efforts, Renault, the leading European brand in the country, has made significant inroads in the rural markets. The rural journey for Renault started in 2019, with the identification of new low-cost formats for showrooms, followed by the expansion of network infrastructure under the “Project Vistaar”. 

Under the ‘Project Vistaar’, Renault through its network, recruited, trained, and deployed close to 500 specialised sales consultants called Resident Dealer Sales Executives (RDSE). These RDSEs ensured a better connect with the customers, enhancing Renault’s reach within the country and creating a strong network in the rural markets. With an aim to make further inroads into the rural market, Renault adopted a customer centric approach with extensive target audience engagement through Grameen Mahotsavs. Organised in 200+ villages so far, these Mahotsavs garnered great response from the customers. To keep the momentum high, Renault adopted a digital format during the last few challenging years, creating the first of its kinds ‘Digital Grameen Mohatsav’. 

Moving closer to the customers in rural areas, Renault became the first passenger car OEM to join hands with the CSC Grameen e-store, in early 2021, ensuring easy access to Renault’s products and services. CSC, as a network of local stores run by a massive network of 4 lakh+ Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) trained by Renault teams, are successfully addressing queries from potential customers, and delivering last mile e-governance services.  

Renault’s partnership with CSC commissioned 400 Renault Booking Centres last year, providing rural customers an opportunity to book their favourite Renault car within their locality with ease and convenience. With this the customers are able to book their Renault car with minimum documentation formalities, by scanning the QR Code available at the nearest Renault Booking Centre, making digital inclusion of rural India a reality 

Further widening its reach, Renault recently engaged with more than 50 villages across the country to develop them as ‘Model Villages’. Renault India has designed and developed a dedicated plan on sustainable development of these villages in partnership with the CSC Grameen eStore. The company has also announced a monetary aid to foster education in rural areas - “Renault Scholarship Programme” under which the students of certain age groups from these villages will be awarded with a scholarship every year basis merit. The objective of the programme is to promote the higher education, further empowering the population in rural areas and build sustainable communities. Local competitions and sports events like ‘Renault Kabaddi’ and ‘Renault Run’ have also been organized in order to offer robust platform to budding athletes at the grassroot level to develop their talents. 

‘Rural Float’ is yet another annual initiative that the company has been undertaking in order to provide a Renault vehicle ownership experience in rural areas, enabling them to touch and feel the cars, next to their neighbourhood. The company has so far engaged with more than 25,000 customers in 500+ towns across 15 States through this initiative. Additionally, a mobile workshop providing door-step service facility - ‘Workshop on Wheels’ (WOW) and ‘Workshop on Wheels-Lite’ helps in facilitating the servicing of Renault vehicles even in the remotest areas. It offers hassle-free car ownership experience to the customers in rural and far-flung locations. 

Together with its product portfolio expansion strategy to drive volumes in India, Renault has substantially increased its reach in India. It has created a strong connect and presence in the rural areas with the introduction of several unique and pioneering initiatives, ensuring that customers’ have an unparalleled association with the Renault brand.  

Bisleri International Unveils Its 2025 Sustainability Goals For Plastic Recycling And Water Conservation

~Aim to collect 12,500MT of plastic from 20 cities across India through Bottles For Change~

~Restore and build 350 Check Dams, providing water security and supporting agriculture~

~Reduce carbon footprint by 10%~

Bisleri International Pvt Ltd, India’s leading mineral water company, has strengthened its sustainability strategy by launching ‘Bisleri Greener Promise.’ The sustainability philosophy focuses on creating a greener future by reinforcing and implementing programs in recycling, water conservation and sustainability.

Under the aegis of this philosophy, Bisleri International has become one of the first consumer goods companies to be plastic-neutral and water positive. It further emphasizes its promise to the sustainable development of the country by announcing bold initiatives under plastic recycling and water conservation.

The company has outlined its vision to connect with 20 major cities to collect and recycle 12,500 tonnes of plastic by 2025 through its Bottles for Change initiative. Additionally, it has also announced restoration or building of 350 dams in Maharashtra and Gujarat to provide water security and enhance crop production. Under the initiative, Project Nayi Umeed, more than 35,000 million liters of water will be harvested, and it will help irrigate more than 23,000 acres of land. The company aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 10% and lower the use of virgin plastic by over 7%.

Furthermore, Bisleri International released its sustainability report defining its progress in environment, social, and governance (ESG) practices. The report has been developed by TERI School of Advanced Studies. It highlights Bisleri International’s efforts in building a circular economy, utilizing resources efficiently, reducing GHG emissions, replenishing water, and recollecting packaging material.

Speaking about the organization’s commitment towards sustainability and Bisleri Greener Promise, Angelo George, CEO, Bisleri International Pvt Ltd, said, “At Bisleri International, we develop solutions that fuel business growth and, at the same time, address environmental challenges. We are in constant pursuit of creating a positive impact, and continue to integrate our business strategy with sustainability goals. Thus, ensuring that we operate purposefully and responsibly. Innovations in packaging will continue to be our focus for the next three years and we aim to be ready for the guidelines on reuse targets stipulated by the Government.”

As part of its commitment to protect the environment and mitigate the effects of irresponsible disposal of used plastic, Bisleri International’s Bottle For Change initiative works towards bringing behavioural change and raising awareness about the importance of post-consumer plastic. Through the programme, Bisleri International has brought a behavioural change amongst 600,000 citizens by organizing sensitization workshops and collection drives. These workshops and drives were conducted at over 3500 housing societies, 680 educational institutions, 790 corporates, and 600 hotels & restaurants across seven cities. The efforts have resulted in collecting and recycling over 4000MT of used plastic.

For Project Nayi Umeed, Bisleri International focuses on building or restoring Check Dams, rainwater harvesting and empowering communities. It provides access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, benefiting farmers and their families. Through the programme, it has built or restored over 200 Check Dams in Gujarat and Maharashtra. These Check Dams have helped harvest approximately 22Bn litres of water, covering more than 124 villages and benefiting almost 40,000 family members of farmers. Over 13,000 acres of land have been irrigated through the project, turning barren lands into fertile farms. Also, for every litre of water drawn, eight litres of water is replenished from the ground.

“We at TERI School of Advanced Studies believe that resource efficiency and waste management are the keys to smart, sustainable and inclusive development.  We work together internally and externally to maximize shared knowledge and impact. Bisleri International Private Limited has been practicing triple bottom line as an approach.  We are happy to partner with them to develop their first Sustainability report. Hope this aligns all their stakeholders to their work towards sustainable development.” said Dr. Shruti Sharma, Assistant Professor, TERI, SAS

The initiatives and priorities cited in the report are aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Further, Bisleri International aims to set ambitious sustainability goals based on innovative business models. These goals will strengthen Bisleri International’s efforts to tackle climate change, ensure safe and healthy water for all, build behavioural changes and create an effective circular economy for post-use packaging.

Federal Bank Bridges The Physical And The Digital Market Places

·         Its latest 360- degree brand campaign brings alive the ethos of the bank - Digital at the Fore, Human at the Core

Federal Bank today announced the launch of a mint fresh brand campaign, "Rishta Aap Se Hai, Sirf App Se Nahi TM." The campaign brings alive the Bank's work ethic - Digital at the Fore, Human at the Core.

This captures many a day that Customers experience in the Bank. In markets of dominance employees of the Bank are a part of celebrations as well as moments of grief of their clients. There are many instances where Customers have experienced the technological ease of transactions as well as the service with sensitivity at branches. 

The campaign is inspired by real life events and that is transposed on to the communication. The ad has been launched in seven languages – Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam to ensure reach across the country.

The multiple narratives of the campaign are representative of the Bank's robust franchise. On an average a client clocks in above 10 years of relationship, giving the Bank the benefit of a high life-time value of the Customers. And during this phase the Bank will be able to participate in the various life stages of both its retail as well as corporate banking customers. Besides, having one of the lowest attrition rates in the industry, enhances the customer confidence in the Brand.

M V S Murthy, Chief Marketing Officer, Federal Bank said, "Businesses across the globe need the digital chutzpah, or customer experience as it is known. However, increasingly, efficiency in technology needs to be reinforced by go to people, whom you can reach out to at all points in time. The core idea of Rishta Aap Se Hai, Sirf App Se Nahi TM comes from our secret sauce which includes Commitment, Agility, Relationship orientation, Ethics and Sustainability. It is imperative that we need to be ‘Digital At The Fore, Human At The Core’. This campaign is representative of how we conduct ourselves as a team. We have unified our physical and digital spaces with this approach." 

The campaign will be rolled out across a variety of platforms, including television, digital, radio, outdoor and social media. Community events will bring the campaign closer to the branches. 

For more information about the campaign and its "Rishta Aap Se Hai, Sirf App Se Nahi" campaign, please visit https://www.federalbank.co.in/rishta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw-a9cHEzLQ