The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) released Vehicle Retail Data for March’23 for the State of Karnataka.
Commenting on how March’23 performed, FADA Karnataka State Chairperson, Mr Dharma Teja G said,
“The month of March has continued the good start Karnataka has had to the calendar year 2023 for Auto retail. All the categories barring tractors have seen a strong growth with 2 W at 14%, PV at 29% , 3W at 137% , and CV at 19%”
The upcoming range of Acer large appliances will be available across two series: Quad and Halo. The Quad series Air Conditioners and Washing Machines will be feature-rich yet available at affordable prices, while the Halo series Acer Air Conditioners and Washing Machines will cater to customers who are looking for top-of-the-line products with premium features and services.
Air Conditioners will be available in three split variants of 1.0 ton, 1.5 ton, and 2.0 ton in Quad and Halo series with many high-end features like the Super Chill Mode, InverterTec, 4-Way Convertible, AiSense and many other features. The split type will be available at a special limited-time launch price of INR 27,999. Acer Washing machines will be available in 6.5 Kg, 7.0 Kg, 7.5 Kg, and 8.0 Kg capacities and will again sport some premium functionalities such as CareTec Wash, Built-in Heater, AiSense and will be starting from INR 13,499 for a limited-time promotional price at launch. Both the ranges in Air Conditioners and Washing Machines will be available at both e-commerce and offline retail from 08 April onwards.
Acer Halo series Air Conditioners and Washing Machines, which are the high-end flagship products will come with an industry-leading warranty and service terms to customers as a highlight of quality and reliability and will only be retailed through selected channels and strategic partners.
Jade Zhou, Vice President, Acer Incorporated said, “We are very excited to extend our partnership with Indkal Technologies to large appliances. Indkal has developed a compelling line-up of Air Conditioners and Washing Machines that include innovative features and technology; yet are easy to use and provide great value to users. These products are an excellent example of breaking the barrier between people and technology.”
Commenting on the launch, Anand Dubey, CEO, Indkal Technologies said, “Since introducing Acer televisions in India in 2021, we have received an overwhelming response from our customers and that has enhanced our expectations from the Acer large appliances business. Indian consumer of electronics and appliances has progressively become more conscious about the value derivation from the product, both in terms of quality and features. This phenomenon makes us very excited as it plays into our strength of building great product-market fit with focus on offerings which are high on technology, loaded with category defining features, and most importantly have superior build and design quality.”
Atul Lall, Managing Director, Dixon Technologies, expressed his excitement as the strategic manufacturing partner for Acer Televisions and Washing Machines. “Dixon Technologies is thrilled to work with Indkal Technologies as the manufacturing partner for Acer Televisions and Washing Machines. Indkal’s uncompromising pursuit of delivering cutting edge and innovative products in the Acer brand with top-notch quality aligns perfectly with ours. We are excited about the launch and look forward to extending this partnership to more products in the future.”
Daljit Singh, Managing Director, Amber Enterprises said, “We thank Indkal for selecting Amber as their partner for Air Conditioners. We are excited to work with Indkal Technologies as the manufacturing partner and see a great opportunity in delivering the best energy-efficient and innovative products in the Acer brand.”
During the summit, Smriti Irani participated in a fireside chat with Antigone Davis, Meta’s Vice President Global Head of Safety and Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President for Meta in India.
It is important that companies like Meta align with the government’s vision to keep people, especially women and youth, safe online. I would urge them to expand this important discussion to smaller cities of India – ensuring women and youth from every corner of the country feel safe to express themselves online and reap the benefits of the digital revolution that is sweeping the country today. I would also encourage companies like Meta to come forward and partner with the government agencies directly and responsibly on issues of women and child safety and mental health.
Smriti Z Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development
Take It Down Tackles Non-Consensual Images of Young People
As part of Meta’s support to NCMEC, Take It Down will soon be available in Hindi and several other Indian languages. Take It Down is a new platform to prevent young people’s intimate images from being posted online in the future.
When someone is subjected to the spread of their non-consensual images, their experience online can be scary and overwhelming. This can be even more traumatizing for young people when someone tries to misuse those images. To battle this issue and take back control of their intimate images, young people can go to TakeitDown.NCMEC.org to submit a case that will proactively search for their intimate images on participating apps.
The platform allows people to only submit a hash — rather than the intimate image or video itself — to NCMEC. Hashing turns images or videos into a coded form that can no longer be viewed, producing hashes that are secure digital fingerprints. Once the hash is generated, we can use those hashes to find any copies or the images or videos, take them down and prevent them from being posted on our apps in the future.
Keeping women and teens safe online is an industry-wide challenge, and we are committed to being a part of the solution. We take comprehensive steps to ensure the safety of women and teens not just on our platform, but online. We have policies and technology in place to safeguard women and teens, we offer tools to users, like blocking, comment filters and reporting. We also offer industry-leading resources developed with experts, and we helped found and support both StopNCII.org and NCMEC’s Take It Down — two programs that help adults and teens prevent the non-consensual sharing of intimate images not only on our platform but on all participating companies’ platforms.
Antigone Davis, Vice President, Global Head of Safety, Meta
Enabling Free and Safe Expression with Tools and Partnerships
As more youth take to our platforms to express themselves, we have partnered with Ministry of Women and Child Development to launch the #AmritGeneration campaign, which will encourage young people, many of whom are aspiring creators, to freely express their vision for the future.
Meta remains committed to driving digital inclusion in India through various programs and initiatives. Today, millions of women-led businesses and teens use our apps to express their authentic selves. For these women and teens to continue experiencing a platform that is enabling and empowering, there is a need to make online spaces safer. We are committed to building tools and resources that will make our apps and the internet more safe and inclusive.
Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President & Head (India), Meta
Over the years, we have launched several tools while building various age-appropriate measures and tools to ensure young people, women, parents and children continue to feel safe online. We now default teens under 18 into private accounts when they first join Facebook and Instagram. We launched a Family Centre to access supervision tools which contains educational resources curated by leading youth as safety, privacy and well-being experts for parents and guardians. Teens can restrict unwanted interactions on their accounts which hides comments on their posts from a person that has been restricted.
And we’ve partnered with third-party experts to keep people safe:
· G20 Stay Safe Online campaign with MeitY: We have created various assets and resources on online safety in more than five Indian languages. These resources have already reached more than 11 million people across India.
· Delhi Police: We provide digital literacy to 10,000 students and youth across various schools and colleges.
· UnGap: In partnership with Yuvaa, UnGap encourages parents and teens to have more meaningful conversations around online safety and wellbeing. The campaign has reached more than 44 million people.
· Digital Nagrik Pledge :Building on our partnership with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), we provide a digital citizenship course to 10 million students and 1 million teachers. So far, more than 15,000 people in India have taken a pledge to become responsible digital citizens (Nagriks).
The order is for license plus engineering, procurement and construction (L - EPC) of a Technical Ammonium Nitrate (TAN) plant along with Weak Nitric Acid (WNA) plant at Gadepan, Kota, Rajasthan from Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited (CFCL), a leading fertilizer company in India.
The TAN and WNA plants, having capacities of approximately 240,000 Metric Tons (MT) p.a. and 2,10,000 MT p.a. respectively, will be built under a technology license from CASALE S.A., a privately owned Swiss Company headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland.
Organised under Offshore, Onshore, Construction Services, Modular Fabrication and AdVENT & Asset Management verticals, LTEH offers integrated design-to-build solutions across the hydrocarbon sector to domestic and international customers. With over three decades of rich experience, the Business has been setting global benchmarks in all aspects of project management, corporate governance, quality, HSE and operational excellence.
Background:
Larsen & Toubro is an Indian multinational engaged in EPC Projects, Hi-Tech Manufacturing and Services. It operates in over 50 countries worldwide. A strong, customer–focused approach and the constant quest for top-class quality has enabled L&T to attain and sustain leadership in its major lines of business for eight decades.
* Top 20 students will be given workplace experiences and internships at ABFRL and an opportunity to present at the annual 1M1B Youth summit at the United Nations, New York
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL), one of India’s leading fashion company, in partnership with 1M1B (One Million for One Billion)—India’s largest organization that is developing and mobilizing the future technology workforces, has announced the launch and implementation of the Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator program in Climate Change. The program aims to create awareness and encourage the participation of young minds in the fight against climate change. ABFRL partners with 1M1B to mobilize youth for Climate Change action.
A pilot conducted by ABFRL and 1M1B in January 2023 saw participation from over 545 CBSE schools. Starting from April 20, 2023, the program will be scaled and will be operational in over 25,000 schools and colleges. The goal of the program is to mobilize 1 million youth by 2030 to be valuable contributors to climate change action.
Traditionally, school curriculums have focused on business theories, valuation, mergers and acquisitions etc. However, currently, social entrepreneurship, impact investing, and climate change financing have changed the business dynamics significantly. Schools around the world have recognized the significance of ESG, Climate Change action and consistently prioritized their inclusion in the classroom.
ABFRL and 1M1B have embarked on an initiative to institutionalize the entire ecosystem towards Climate Change Action. As part of this initiative, Sustainability Accelerator will encourage the youth to be valuable contributors to climate change action and introduce them to the role of technology in shaping a greener planet, provide top students with an in-person workplace experience and internship at ABFRL to learn about the sustainable practices they follow and get them mentored by global leaders to build prototypes that will lead to a sustainable planet and pitch their innovations. Keeping this in mind, the curriculum has been designed by 1M1B to provide students with a holistic learning experience, focusing on Climate Change Action and aiming to equip students with valuable perspectives and skills that can be applied in the workplace, enabling them to make a positive impact on the environment.
By incorporating Climate Change Action into the curriculum, ABFRL and 1M1B are taking a significant step towards promoting sustainability and social responsibility, both of which are crucial for the long-term success of any organization.
As a part of this initiative, ABFRL will give 20 students internships and workplace experience. The Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator by ABFRL and 1M1B is a seven-day programme, and students from various schools and colleges will be invited to participate. Various industry partners will engage the students to provide them with internships, workplace experience, and project opportunities in the sustainability space. The top student team will be invited to present their work at UN headquarters in New York this year at the 1M1B Activate Impact Youth Summit.
Speaking about the partnership Mr. Ashish Dikshit, Managing Director, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd, said, “Education has undergone a sea of change in the last five years, this period has seen more uncertainty in the business world than in the past 50 year and is not immune to the effects of the changing world order, which has significant implications for curriculum and coverage. Hence the focus has shifted towards new areas and cultures, necessitating the development of new theories and case studies. This partnership with 1M1B (One Million for one Billion) will enable the students to understand the evolution of socioeconomics and the needs to new skills and knowledge to understand the Climate Change action. Aditya Birla Fashion and retail will be able to support 20 students and give workplace experiences and internship and mobilize the youth to be valuable contributors to climate change action.”
Dr Naresh Tyagi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd and Co-Chair of the Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator said, “The future of work is green, and the future of workplaces is the youth of today. The Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator is based on the 3 pillars of Sustainability – the purpose of large structures and systems, the purpose of individuals and the purpose of future generations. ABFRL is the first industry partner to host the top 20 students for various workplace experiences and internships, creating long-term value for our stakeholders.”
Manav Subodh- Founder of 1M1B (One Million for One Billion) and Co-Chair of Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator said “For the past 7 years 1M1B has been training youth on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with over 150 students given the opportunity to present their projects on Sustainability at the 1M1B youth summit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The partnership with ABFRL will support scaling this effort across India. We believe that education and first-hand experiences are critical in developing a sustainability mindset and effecting change in today’s youth, who will be part of the future workforce. Recent research shows that if only 16% of high school students received climate change education, we could see a nearly 19 gigaton reduction of carbon dioxide by 2050. According to these estimates, harnessing the power of education could be more effective than just increasing investments in onshore wind turbines or concentrated solar power.”
“India is a vast country with enormous talent that can be steered towards green jobs right now through programmes like Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator,” said Erik Solheim, Advisor to 1M1B ( One Million for one Billion) and former UN Environment Executive Director and Under Secretary General of the United Nations “I’m confident that by 2035, we will have a ready green workforce to address climate change-related issues.”
ABFRL will be making a meaningful impact in the lives of the students and at the end of the programme, the student will get exposed to the world of green jobs.
NueGo launches its first ever brand film, which primarily showcases the brand's commitment to providing the utmost safety and comfort to its customers. The film, that has been made by the students of Whistling Woods International, is a testament to the brand's determination to raise the industry standards and create something that has never been done before.
NueGo is India’s leading inter-city electric bus brand from GreenCell Mobility. The campaign skilfully highlights the modern customer requirements and exhibits how NueGo, as a customer-centric brand caters to all the demands of the travellers, safety being one of the most important aspects. The campaign envisages the message of how each traveller on NueGo is offered premium services such reclining seats, lounges in various cities, more leg space, trained staff such as coach hosts, CCTV surveillance, driver monitoring system, on – time departures, speed limit checks and the most important of all, a sustainable means of transport. Additionally, it displays how passengers are taken care of right from the boarding point until they reach their destination.
Whistling Woods International is Asia’s premier institute of Film, Communication & Creative Arts founded by renowned filmmaker, Subhash Ghai. The 2-minute brand campaign is filmed by 12 students from the institute. The campaign was shot in a record time of 2 days in Indore. The editing, voice-over and music was also created by these students, which was exclusively developed for NueGo, all this was done and delivered within 7 working days.
Commenting on NueGo’s first ever brand film, Mr. Devndra Chawla, CEO & MD of GreenCell Mobility said, "Our brand film is a fantastic reflection of the unparalleled services that NueGo is offering to our customers. Through this film, we aim to showcase how we go above and beyond to ensure a safe & comfortable travel experience for our customers. We are proud of our team for their unwavering commitment to providing exceptional services, and this film is a testament to their hard work and dedication. We hope that this film inspires our customers to choose NueGo for their future travel needs, knowing that they are in safe hands."
Speaking on the brand film, Mr. Subhash Ghai, Founder & Chairman, Whistling Woods International said, "Working on NueGo's brand film is an incredible opportunity for the students of Whistling Woods International. Such projects enable them to showcase their creativity and skills and put their education into practice in the real world. This collaboration with NueGo is not only a chance to learn from industry experts but also a reminder that as storytellers, we have the power to shape narratives that inspire positive change. I am proud of our students and thankful to the team at NueGo for offering them the opportunity to understand the nuances of creating impactful content that resonates with the audience.”
NueGo is the flagship inter-city pan India electric mobility coach brand of GreenCell Mobility which was launched last year. The brand is successfully plying its fleet currently across India primarily on the Bhopal-Indore, Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Dehradun, Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Agra, Agra-Jaipur, Bengaluru-Tirupati and Hyderabad-Vijayawada routes, with more routes launching soon. NueGo coaches are fitted with innovative technology and offer end-to-end convenience for inter-city travellers with focus on Safety, Punctuality, and seamless customer experience.
NueGo is today’s modern, comfortable and a safe way to travel as the brand offers host of safety features such as CCTV surveillance, driver breath analyzer, driver monitoring system and speed limit checks. NueGo coaches go through 25 stringent safety checks including mechanical and electrical inspections. Passengers traveling on NueGo coaches are provided with flight-like experience as each commuter is guided to the pre-allotted seat which has booked, presented with sanitized and fresh disposable rub, water & tissues when on-boarded, mobile charging points, more reclining seats and trained & courteous coach hosts.
NueGo has released the campaign film curated by the students across its digital platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Campaign Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVNPdRSx4mM
About GreenCell Mobility Pvt. Ltd:
GreenCell Mobility (GreenCell) has been set up to become a leading pan-India shared electric mobility player by leveraging proven global experience, developments in e-mobility technology, and the Government of India’s strong push for electrification of transportation in India.
Greencell Mobility has been promoted by Eversource Capital, India’s leading climate impact investor. Eversource Capital is an equal joint venture between Everstone Group (www.everstonegroup.com), one of Asia’s premier investment manager with assets in excess of US$7 billion across private equity, sustainability and climate impact, logistics, digital and venture capital; and Lightsource bp, a global leader in development and management of solar energy projects.
Eversource manages India's largest climate impact fund with anchor investments from India's National Investment & Infrastructure Fund and UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Prof. Ganesh. N Devy, a renowned literary critic, scholar, and recipient of Padma Shri Award, shed light on the perceived idea of the city and accommodating multiplicity of identities. He further spoke about how the idea of a “city” is older than and outlasts the idea of a “nation.”
Prof. Ganesh N Devy said “the historical process of the formation of nations –the nation as a political institution—has been very different from the historical process of the formation of the city as a sociological institution” The nation is an expression of the human race to bring many under a single and well-defined space. The city, on the other hand, is the expression of the desire to bring one into many chronological orders” he added delivering the keynote address for the theme – In Conversation with Bengaluru: Spaces, Intersections, Transitions, and Imaginaries” (SITI) on the occasion.
Prof. Ganesh. N Devy, a renowned literary critic, scholar, and recipient of Padma Shri Award, shed light on the perceived idea of the city and accommodating multiplicity of identities. He further spoke about how the idea of a “city” is older than and outlasts the idea of a “nation”.
Prof. Madhu Veeraraghavan, Pro Vice Chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Bengaluru campus, in his Presidential address, remarked that Universities like Cities can grow only by accommodation of diversities and ideas. Universities stand the test of time only if it allows for multitude of voices heard, he added.
On this occasion, two books published by Manipal University Press (MUP) were released -Momo by Micheal Ende, translated by Jayashree Kasaravalli and Malekaadina Kathegalu - Stories of the Rainforest by Malvika Tewari.
Post the inaugural ceremony, various venues heralded the start of m.i.l.a.p with masterclasses, panel discussions, film screenings and workshops. Sharachchandra Lele brought the idea of climate change and cities closer, and spoke vibrantly of the contribution a city dweller makes to the changing landscapes of climate. In the panel discussion, “ Fidelity and Freedom,” the panelists spoke about the politics of language and translation. Meanwhile, Prithvi Konanur, the acclaimed director of Pinkeeli screened his 2022 movie Hadinelentu which was followed by an interactive masterclass. The first day of m.i.l.a.p. concluded with the performance of Desdemona Roopakam by Nalanda Arts Studio.
“We need to introduce visual education right from primary school if we want to build a culture of art appreciation” said Girish Kasaravalli during the Masterclass on Day two. He engaged in discussion with the film enthusiasts about how films play a critical role in exploring the socio-economic and cultural aspects and how the vision of the film maker is above the plot or actors. One must learn to read cinema beyond the plot and that necessitates visual education”, he added.
The Day witnessed a series of panel discussion - Ooru Suddi: Journalism of, for, by the City with veteran journalists Rasheed Kappan and Meera K discussing various issues related to journalism and its response to city matters. Panels discussions on Queer Bodies: Poetry and Politics; City Inscapes: A Conversation; and Imaging Cityscapes: A Conversation with Artists from Bengaluru initiated key conversations on multiple facets of the city spaces. Creative writing workshop – Kathaakammata by Vasudendra engaged budding writers on the art of storytelling through various activities. Day two culminated with the stage performance of the Play - The Caretaker, by Harold Pinter. The play had a magnified lens of understanding the humaneness around the three men, at the same time confronting their realities while engaging politically on the refugee crisis, hierarchical structures, mental health, and politics of space of 1960.
The final day of milap started with the performance-based session on - Dissemination of Bhakti Arts in Southern India: Past and Present by H. S. Shivaprakash and Dharmanna Mahaanth. This was one of the finest panels of all. The integration of performance into the discussion made it a holistic experience. This was followed by a Masterclass on Urban Life of Caste by Prof.Janaki Nair who gave scholarly insights into the urban life laced by caste through a historical perspective.
The panel on - Spatial, Social, and Economic Inclusion: Migrants in the City with Romal Singh, Prof.Madhu Veeraraghavan and Kalpana, initiated conversation around the question ‘who is a native/migrant? what does it mean to be a migrant in Bengaluru?”. This penultimate session - Weaving Words: Poetry and Performance and Slam Poetry Poets gave platform to young poets to recite in multiple languages. The three-day event concluded with Talamaddale - Padmavathi Kaalaga by Yaksha Durga Mahila Kala Balaga. The performance articulated a distinctly female experience rather than just imitating the male tradition of Yakshagana.
The three-day festival was attended by literary and art enthusiasts. It was one of the most intellectually stimulating festivals that the city has witnessed in recent times.
