Dalmia Bharat Wins The Prestigious “CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2022”

 ~Committed to powering positive transformation for People, Planet and Plant~ 

India’s leading cement company and 4th largest cement manufacturer, Dalmia Bharat Ltd. has been conferred with the prestigious CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2022 for commendation in “Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility”. The recognition underlines the company’s strong and intrinsic benchmarks for the welfare of communities and best sustainable practices in cement manufacturing. The CII-ITC Sustainability Awards are conferred by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the ITC Ltd. to companies that demonstrate outstanding performance in sustainability and inclusivity in their operations and community initiatives. Under the aegis of Dalmia Bharat Foundation (DBF), the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of the group has linkages with various social and livelihood schemes. Dr. Arvind Bodhankar, Executive Director and Head – ESG & Chief Risk Officer, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. received the esteemed award on behalf of the cement major from Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Road Transport & Highways, Govt of India.  

Dalmia Bharat’s community initiatives focus on key areas of Sustainable Livelihoods, Climate Action (Water and Energy) and Social Infrastructure. Their flagship programme Dalmia Institute of Knowledge and Skill Harnessing (DIKSHa) with its 15 centers provides placement-linked, short-term skill training to youth and women adding them to skilled workforce for enhanced income. Till date over 10,500 trainees have completed their training earning an average monthly income of Rs. 12,000. The company also promotes livelihood promotion through farm based and non-farm-based skilling programmes for farmers and women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) at the village level. By focusing on water harvesting techniques and renewable energy solutions like solar power, Dalmia Bharat has been helping communities to become more self-sufficient, reduce their environmental impact, and improve their overall quality of life.  

Commenting on this achievement, Dr Arvind Bodhankar said, “It’s a huge honour for us to receive the CII ITC Sustainability Award industry once again this year. Dalmia Bharat is committed to the sustainable development of the community and its people. Each one of us at Dalmia is conscious of our responsibility towards leaving behind a planet that is safe and can meet the need of our future generations. We follow all processes to ensure positive impacts and SRoI of our projects and measure them too. He further added, as a corporate citizen, we are committed to integrating economic, environmental and social objectives to foster inclusive growth in the regions we operate in. We aim to continue on this path to achieve bigger milestones and this recognition is a great encouragement for us.” 

The coveted CII-ITC sustainability awards were constituted by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and have been in existence since 2006. The awards recognize India’s most sustainable companies that have been successful in embedding sustainability in their business models.  

Bank of Baroda Launches “Electronic Bank Guarantee On Its Digital Platform”

* Entirely automated process resulting in faster turnaround time, ease of authentication & accessibility and prevention of fraud 

Bank of Baroda (Bank), one of India’s leading public sector banks, announced the launch of “Electronic Bank Guarantee” (e-BG) on its BarodaINSTA platform, in partnership with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL), which offers a platform for the issuance of Inland BGs through electronic mode. NeSL is India’s first and only Information Utility and is regulated by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) under the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC). With this launch, Bank of Baroda joins a select group of banks to issue Electronic Bank Guarantees – a start-to-end digital process across the complete lifecycle of a BG including issuance, amendment and closure resulting in substantial reduction in the turnaround time in issuing a BG, while at the same time bringing in greater security and accessibility.  

The conventional paper-based process of issuing inland Bank Guarantees normally takes a few days to execute from BG issuance to receipt by the beneficiary. Further in the absence of a central repository, it is difficult to verify the BG status and there is also scope for misuse.   

In an e-BG, physical stamping is replaced by e-stamping by NeSL, preventing fraud. The e-BGs are stored in a central repository resulting in complete transparency and accessibility for all stakeholders, as well as ease of authentication and verification. Also, as against the average 2-3 days TAT in case of a conventional BG, an Electronic Bank Guarantee gets processed and delivered in a matter of minutes.  

Shri T. N. Suresh, General Manager, Head – Forex & Fee Income, Bank of Baroda said, “Electronic Bank Guarantee is a transformational reform as we endeavour to make banking simpler, more secure and easily accessible for our customers. Individual contractors, SMEs and large corporates are major applicants for bank guarantees and the move to e-BGs - a quick, seamless, transparent and completely secure process - will benefit them all.”  

Shri Debajyoti Ray Chaudhuri, MD & CEO of NeSL said, “Over the past few years, India has built a robust digital infrastructure and this is driving growth across all sectors in the economy. The banking industry in general and BOB in particular has been at the forefront in making its products and processes available through the digital mode. NeSL’s e-BG meets a long-standing requirement of the banking industry for a digital product that addresses the challenges in the physical process of issuance of e-BGs. We are grateful to the Indian Banks’ Association for their support in conceptualising this product and coordinating the numerous consultations with their members till the time the product was ready for launch.” 

National E-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL) offers a platform for the issuance of Inland BGs through electronic mode. The digital steps in an e-BG include BG application, preview and confirm, paperless e-stamping, e-signing, hosting of the final electronic BG on the NeSL portal and intimation of final BG to the beneficiary. The beneficiary can view the final digital BG on the NeSL portal immediately on issuance. Such an e-BG eliminates the need for a separate authentication from the BG issuing Bank. 

VMSIIHE Students Conclude “Switzerland And France” Study Tour; Portugal Next

Fifteen students from Goa’s V.M.Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE) visited Europe as part of a 15-day international study tour to “Switzerland and France”.  

During the study tour, students from the Raia-based institute had the opportunity to visit the iconic MaisonCailler chocolate factory and Feldschlösschen, a brewing company, both in Switzerland and participate in an immersive cheese-tasting experience, apart from visiting popular locations like Zurich, Alsace and Lucerne.  

In addition, students had the opportunity to learn about the hospitality industry at the renowned Cesar Ritz colleges, interact with reputed Swiss Chef Anton Mosimann and tour his culinary museum which includes the iconic Chef’s achievements. During the duration of the tour, the students were accompanied by Director and Principal of the Institute Prof Irfan Mirza and Head of the Food Production department Chef Sebastian Breitinger. 

Meanwhile, 12 students of the VMSIIHE are also scheduled to arrive to participate in the return leg of an international student exchange programme in collaboration with Portugal’s federal tourism agency Turismo de Portugal. The exchange programme is part of a broader cultural exchange framework between India and Portugal.  

During their visit to Portugal, VMSIIHE’s students will learn about Portuguese culture, cuisine, beverages and heritage through the cultural exchange programme. A delegation of Portuguese students were recently treated to Goan hospitality as part of the first leg of the international exchange programme during which delegates were exposed to the various prominent cultural and culinary institutions and practices in Goa. 

According to Director and Principal of VMSIIHE,ProfIrfan Mirza study tours and student exchange programs provide students with the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and experience in the industry. “Cross-cultural experiences help aspiring young students develop the skill set required to compete with the best in today's highly competitive world. Such activities allow students to confront their presuppositions about what culture is and what culture is supposed to mean. Thus broadening their awareness and appreciation of diverse cultures. This is consistent with our institution's commitment to providing its students with high-quality education and global exposure,” he said.  

17-Year-Old Agastya Sinha’s The Cloud Canvas Is Now Available To Online Creators On Knorish Academy

Knorish Academy, the leading learning platform for online course creators, is excited to announce its partnership with The Cloud Canvas, an online learning platform powered by Adobe and a partner of the Global N50 Alliance. The partnership will offer design courses to Knorish Academy's online course creators, enabling them to create better landing pages, websites, logos, and other design elements for their businesses.

"We are ecstatic to partner with Knorish Academy to help online creators enhance their design skills," said Agastya Sinha, Founder of The Cloud Canvas. "Design plays a critical role in the success of online ventures, and we believe that our courses will equip entrepreneurs with the tools they need to create beautiful and meaningful designs."

The online education industry has seen exponential growth in recent years, and the demand for quality design has never been higher. With this partnership, Knorish Academy and The Cloud Canvas aim to equip online course creators with the skills they need to create professional and effective designs for their businesses.

"We are thrilled to partner with The Cloud Canvas to offer design courses to our online course creators," said Kinner N Sacchdev, CEO of Knorish. "Our mission is to empower entrepreneurs to succeed in the online education industry. This partnership will help us achieve that by providing them with the design skills they need to create visually stunning and engaging courses."

The Cloud Canvas is an online learning platform powered by Adobe that offers a range of programs to help individuals start, transition, or upgrade their creative skills in the design world. The platform provides learners with the tools and resources they need to develop their skills and become proficient in design principles, color theory, typography, and user experience.

The partnership between Knorish Academy and The Cloud Canvas is a testament to their commitment to providing online course creators with the resources they need to succeed in the online education industry. With these design courses, entrepreneurs can create engaging and visually appealing courses that attract and retain students.

About The Agastya Sinha:

Agastya Sinha, a grade XII student and Head Boy at The Shri Ram School Moulsari is a Social Scientist at heart and a hands-on Education Entrepreneur! Agastya is deeply fascinated by the science of learning and focused on understanding how people learn, process, and retain information.

Over the last four years, Agastya has been actively working on the role of creativity in improving educational outcomes and the neuroscience behind learning. Agastya is the founder of The Cloud Canvas, a platform that puts the creative element of learning at the forefront.  The Cloud canvas is one of the most engaging ways to help students find joy, meaning and purpose in their education through the act of creation. It comes at a time when generative technologies have lowered the barrier of entry to the act of creation, enabling students to produce beautiful images, videos, and pieces of text that they never could’ve done before.

The platform simultaneously plays a critical role in the success of online creators. The broad range of courses on the platform empowers a vast range of entrepreneurs and creators with the tools required to create beautiful and meaningful designs.

The Cloud Canvas is now an official N50 partner, working towards championing digital creative literacy for the next 50% across the world!

About Knorish Academy:

Knorish Academy is a leading platform that empowers online course creators with a range of tools and resources to launch and scale their online courses, webinar, or membership businesses. The platform is designed to simplify the process of creating and selling online courses, equipping creators with the skills they need to create and monetise their content effectively.

With over 41,000 academies built by content creators from over 600 domains on the Knorish Platform, Knorish Academy has a vast and diverse audience of over 41000 creators from over 15 countries. These creators develop content across a wide range of domains, including business, health and wellness, education, and technology.

The platform's user-friendly interface and robust features enable creators to develop engaging and high-quality courses, webinars, and membership programs. Knorish Academy equips creators with the skills to create sustainable monetization models for their content businesses, making it an essential tool for online entrepreneurs looking to succeed in the competitive online education industry.

Polymatech Electronics Announces Successful Production Of High-Quality Sapphire Wafers For LED And Consumer Electronics Industries

* Polymatech Electronics has produced sapphire wafers to provide affordable wafers for Indian and global customers

* The company's ability to produce high-quality sapphire wafers is crucial in helping industries that use LEDs and require large volumes to support the consumer electronics and general lighting industry

Polymatech Electronics, India’s first semiconductor chips manufacturer, has introduced a complete range of high-quality sapphire substrates which includes two, three, and four-inch diameter sapphire wafers in the market. The Made in India wafers are being produced in the Oragadam facility in Tamil Nadu to ensure lower costs and stability. The recent augmentation of the company’s infrastructure has increased its ability to produce affordable, high-quality, large-diameter sapphire wafers in large volumes for customers worldwide. Polymatech's goal is to make high-quality sapphire wafers more accessible and affordable to Indian and global customers. The company's ability to produce large volumes of sapphire wafers is critical in supporting industries that manufacture LEDs for consumer electronics and general lighting companies. 

With the ability to affordably produce larger wafers, Polymatech is uniquely positioned to deliver the sapphire capacity necessary to support the growing demand for LEDs in the Indian consumer electronics and general lighting industries. Industries that will benefit include those producing smartphones, large displays, traffic lights, HDTVs, tablets, netbooks, and light bulbs that leverage LEDs. As a vertically integrated manufacturer with capabilities in crystal growth, Polymatech Electronics aims to be the provider of choice for high-quality, large-diameter sapphire wafers that have a heat resistance of materials up to 2,000 degree Celsius. 

Sapphire possesses exceptional physical and chemical characteristics that allow it to withstand high temperatures, erosion and thermal shock. Because of these properties, sapphire substrates are extensively utilised in the production of compounds like Gallium Nitride (GaN), which are used in the manufacture of laser diodes and blue LEDs. Sapphire wafers are most widely used for the production of high-power LED applications, high-brightness LEDs (HB-LEDs) and are also being increasingly integrated into the production of smartphones, among demand by a host of other sectors. In fact, as per Transparency Market Research, the sapphire substrate market is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6% on a global scale between 2020-2030. 

Among the range of sapphire wafers, Polymatech is focusing on the manufacturing of 4-inch diameter wafers with crystal orientation c side (0001), A-plane (11-20) and thickness of 430±15?m with GaN crystals for high-quality lighting and consumer electronics industries in India. This is in response to the current high demand for 4-inch sapphire wafers in the lighting and consumer electronics industries in India. The company also plans to scale up to make eight-inch diameter sapphire wafers in the future while maintaining the transparency of 200 to 7000 nm. 

GaN on Sapphire

Commenting on the new milestone, Eswara Rao Nandam, Polymatech President and CEO said “Polymatech has a top-notch R&D and engineering team that is making great strides in the development of high-quality sapphire including India’s first 4-inch diameter wafer. It takes unique technology with advanced processes to make high-quality, large-diameter sapphires at scale. The Polymatech team has built a specialised, end-to-end process to ensure the top quality of our full range of wafer products. As of now, our wafers are for captive consumption and we will supply them to the market later. Polymatech’s ability to produce larger sapphire wafers will be key to helping industries that make and use LEDs scale up to support the growth needed in general lighting and consumer electronics. It is also important for us that our customers are able to depend on us for uniform, particulate-free sapphire wafers as well as flat, stress-free wafers. High-quality sapphire wafers help our customers produce high-quality LED wafers at volumes to support the LED supply chain.” 

Polymatech Electronics sought experts in sapphire crystal formation and processing, as well as in the optoelectronics and semiconductor industries from around the world to redefine the end-to-end process for sapphire wafers manufacturing. The company’s upcoming facility in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu is also set to take advantage of the location to further lower costs and bring extensive experience in polishing large-diameter sapphire wafers closer to the LED, consumer electronics, and general lighting manufacturers in Asia. 

About Polymatech: 

Polymatech Electronics is an Opto-Semiconductor chips manufacturer and advanced electronic materials provider that is engaged in developing, manufacturing and selling monocrystalline sapphire and other crystalline products for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), blue laser diodes, optoelectronics and other optical applications. The Company applies its proprietary crystal growth technology to produce very high-quality sapphire in a form that allows for volume production of various sizes and orientations of substrates and windows. Polymatech is a vertically-integrated manufacturer with capabilities in crystal growth, which the company employs to convert bulk crystal into products with the quality and precision specified by its customers. The Company is actively developing larger diameter products to support next-generation LED, micro LED, and Nano LEDs for display technology for 8k and superior resolutions, RFIC and optical window applications.

ideaForge Launches Its Latest Upgraded NETRA V4 PRO At XPONENTIAL 2023

ideaForge Technology Limited, the pioneer and the pre-eminent market leader in the Indian unmanned aircraft systems industry, with a market share of approximately 50% as of Fiscal 2022, as per the 1Lattice Report, launched its latest upgraded UAV, NETRA V4 PRO at XPONENTIAL 2023. The NETRA V4 PRO has a flight time of over 90 minutes.

The NETRA V4 PRO is the latest addition to the NETRA series of UAVs developed by ideaForge. One of the key upgrades of the NETRA V4 PRO is its extended flight time of 90 minutes. It is operational up to a range of about 10 miles. NETRA V4 PRO is built to be used for a wide range of applications, including defense, public safety, emergency response and mapping.

“NETRA Series UAVs are designed for a wide range of mission-critical applications, and NETRA V4 PRO provides an extended flight time of over 90 minutes”, said Ankit Mehta, CEO of ideaForge. Further, he added, “XPONENTIAL is not just an event, rather it is a platform to showcase your technology across the global UAV industry. Launching NETRA V4 PRO at such a global level is an opportunity for ideaForge to present its innovations.”

Along with NETRA V4 PRO, ideaForge introduced its 'Early AdopterProgram (EAP) in the United States and Canada which allows the customers to Test and Try this ideaForge UAV without an initial investment. The Early Adopter Program allows customers to gain first-hand experience by testing ideaForge's upgraded UAV, NETRA V4 PRO, with 90 minutes of flying time. After completing this program, customers will be able to purchase the UAV at a discount. As an early user of the EAP, ideaForge provides its customers with early access to its features and dedicated customer support.

About ideaForge

ideaForge is the pioneer and the pre-eminent market leader in the Indian unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”) market, with a market share of ~50% in Fiscal 2022 in India. The company is ranked 7th globally in December 2022 in dual-use category (civil & defense) drone manufacturers by Drone Industry Insights. Its UAVs are equipped with industry leading specifications and capabilities, comparable to those of other established global players in the UAV industry. ideaForge customers have completed 300,000+ flights using ideaForge UAVs as of December 31, 2022. ideaForge has the largest operational deployment of indigenous UAVs across India, with an ideaForge manufactured drone taking off every five minutes during the nine months ended December 31, 2022. (Information source of this para: 1Lattice report). Visit www.ideaforgetech.com to know more!

‘The 1Lattice Report is subject to the following disclaimer: “The report has been prepared as a general summary of matters on the basis of our interpretation of the publicly available information, our experiences and the information provided to us, and should not be treated as a substitute for a specific business advice concerning individual matters, situations or concerns. The procedures we have performed do not constitute an audit of the Company’s historical financial statements nor do they constitute an examination of prospective financial statements. We have also not performed any procedures to ensure or evaluate the reliability or completeness of the information obtained from the Company. Accordingly, we express no opinion, warranty, representation or any other form of assurance on the historical or prospective financial statements, management representations, or other data of the Company included in or underlying the accompanying information. We have not carried out any financial, tax, environmental or accounting due diligence with respect to the Company.”’

From Bilingual To Digital-lingual: 80% Of Urban Indians Use Language Learning Apps And Digital Tools, Says Duolingo Survey

~ Duolingo's survey found that almost 50% of urban Indians learned a new language in the last 1-2 years. It also highlighted challenges, learning styles, and increased use of digital tools and gamification in language learning ~

Hold onto your hats, language lovers, because a recent survey by Duolingo has uncovered some juicy insights into the world of language learning in India!

New findings reveal that nearly half of urban Indians have picked up a new language in the last 1-2 years, making learning a new lingo the hottest trend in town!

But let's not sugarcoat it, learning a new language can be challenging. Over 60% of urban Indians surveyed find 'grammar and speaking' the toughest language skills to conquer. However, don't lose hope, because a whopping 83% of urban Indians agree that speaking and listening are effective techniques for learning a new language.

When it comes to preferred learning styles, a remarkable 58% of urban Indians choose to learn a new language through auditory (listening) and visual methods (like learning from images/videos). In contrast, 32% prefer to use reading and writing methods, and only 13% opt for kinesthetic learning. So, if you're looking to improve your language skills, it's time to seek out language-learning sources that cater to your auditory and visual learning preferences.

Tech is also a language learner's best friend, with 4 in 5 urban Indians using language learning apps, online courses, and other digital tools to master a new language at least once a week. According to the survey, 79% of urban Indians also agreed that incorporating gamification and reward elements, such as points, badges, and leaderboards, not only makes the language learning experience fun and engaging but also enhances its efficacy.

Last but not least, 75% of urban Indians say that watching movies or TV shows in the target language can help them with their language-learning journey. So why not cosy up with some popcorn and your favourite foreign flick?

“As a language learning platform, we are thrilled to see that nearly half of urban Indians are actively pursuing new languages, and that gamified learning methods are playing a key role in their success. At Duolingo, we are committed to making language learning accessible to all, and our innovative platform provides learners with a stimulating and engaging experience to help develop long-term study habits. The survey findings attest to the power of technology in language learning and inspires us to make language learning a fun and effective experience for learners in India and around the world” said Karandeep Singh Kapany, Country Marketing Manager, Duolingo.

All in all, it's clear that language learning is all the rage among urban Indians, and with the right techniques and tools, anyone can become a language-learning superstar.

About Duolingo: Duolingo is the most popular language-learning platform and the most downloaded education app worldwide. The app makes learning new languages fun with bite-sized lessons that feel like playing a game. The company's mission is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. Duolingo offers over 100 total courses across 40 distinct languages, from Spanish, French, German, and Japanese, to Klingon. www.duolingo.com

About the research by YouGov: The survey was conducted with 1052 respondents across multiple Indian cities. The age ranges taken into consideration were 18–65 years of age, and the gender distribution was almost 50:50.