Kotak Mahindra Bank Extends Support To Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences By Providing A Fully Equipped Cardiac Ambulance

* The Cardiac Ambulance will play a vital role in delivering necessary oxygen and respiratory assistance to critically ill patients in Gulbarga, Karnataka

Under its Corporate Social Responsibility commitment, Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (“KMBL”/“Bank”) has extended support to Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Karnataka, by providing a fully equipped Cardiac Ambulance for critical healthcare emergencies. The Cardiac Ambulance was inaugurated by Dr. Sharanaparakash Rudrappa Patil, Hon Minister of Medical Education and Skill Development, Karnataka; along with Dr. Umesh S R, Director & Dean, GIMS and R Vardharajan, Business Head - Government Business, Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Through this CSR association with GIMS, Kotak aims to strengthen access to healthcare for local communities. The fully equipped Cardiac Ambulance will provide initial emergency treatments such as cardiac and respiratory ailments. On average, it is anticipated to support close to 500 patients each month, contributing significantly to the healthcare needs of the community in Gulbarga.

R Vardharajan, Business Head - Government Business, Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited, said,"We are committed to support the healthcare needs of local communities. Through our CSR association with Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences we will provide critical support to patients with cardiac and respiratory ailments and contribute to the need for superior healthcare services in the state."

Dr. Umesh S R, Director & Dean, GIMS said, “We are delighted to witness yet another feat which resembles the commitment of Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences and is in line with the service-oriented tradition of the hospital. This latest addition of Cardiac Ambulance to serve the underserved will prove to be a blessing for cardiac patients. We thank Kotak Mahindra Bank to have supported us in fulfilling our mission to serve the poor and enhance the quality of treatment.”

Kotak Karma is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) identity of the Kotak Mahindra Group of companies.

About Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited

Established in 1985, Kotak Mahindra Group is one of India's leading financial services conglomerates. In February 2003, Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd. (KMFL), the Group's flagship company, received banking licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), becoming the first non-banking finance company in India to convert into a bank - Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited.

The Bank has four Strategic Business Units – Consumer Banking, Corporate Banking, Commercial Banking, and Treasury, which cater to retail and corporate customers across urban and rural India. The premise of Kotak Mahindra Group’s business model is concentrated India, diversified financial services. The bold vision that underscores the Group’s growth is an inclusive one, with a host of products and services designed to address the needs of the unbanked and insufficiently banked. As on 31st December, 2023, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd has a national footprint of 1,869 branches and 3,239 ATMs, and branches in GIFT City and DIFC (Dubai).

For more information, please visit the company’s website at https://www.kotak.com/.

About Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences:

Established in 2014, affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences and Governed by National Medical Council, Gulbarga Institute of Medical College (GIMS), Kalaburagi seeks to be a centre of excellence in Medical education, training, health care and research imbued with scientific culture, compassion for the sick and commitment to serve the underserved.

GIMS aims at providing quality and affordable medical education, ensure availability of adequate and high quality medical professionals and promote equitable and universal health care. Kalaburagi being the divisional headquarters of Kalyan Karnataka region, receives patients from various parts of the region with unique concerns and demands. GIMS, with a dedicated team of health care professionals is committed to deliver an optimal health care to the patients. GIMS offers a wide range of medical specialties including Medicine & it’s allied with super specialty, Surgery & it’s allied with super specialty, Maternity and Child health care, Trauma care services etc.

Clinisys Ramps Hiring In India By Over 50%, Creating Opportunities For Skilled Professionals To Showcase Their Expertise

* Clinisys will add to the 350+ professionals in India who develop smart, agile technology solutions dedicated to enabling healthier and safer communities through its intelligent diagnostic solutions.

* To support this, Clinisys has elevated Karthik Reddy as the new Vice President of Clinisys India to lead its operations in the country.

Clinisys, a global leader of intelligent diagnostic informatics solutions, announces its plan to ramp up hiring in India by over 50% in 2024 calendar year to support its 3,500+ lab customers around the world and further expand its global operations. The organization has elevated Karthik Reddy, as the new Vice President to lead its technology front in India.

Clinisys has consolidated its market position through strategic acquisitions and aggressive pursuit of its vision to move to cloud computing. Over the last two decades, the organization has grown its global operations and expanded its workforce in India across technology and other business services segments. Focused on enriching its dynamic, globally connected workforce which operates in offices across 10 countries including India, Clinisys recognizes the significance of its goal to add over 50% of its workforce from India in 2024. These professionals will support Clinisys’ pioneering lab informatics products and cloud transition initiative.

As Vice President of Clinisys India, Karthik will be responsible for leading all aspects of the Clinisys India development expansion, including partnering with cross-functional teams to increase overall product delivery efficiencies, grow lab expertise locally, drive innovation and enhance customer support response time. Karthik will also provide leadership around organization structure, budget controls, recruiting, training, and other business imperatives within Clinisys India. Karthik has been a senior healthcare technology, product and operations leader in North America for the last 12 years and has relocated to Bangalore with his family to lead India operations.

“As the global leader in lab informatics, with over 40 years’ domain experience, Clinisys has a clear strategy to create and deliver the next evolution of cloud-based laboratory solutions. To deliver our plans at the appropriate velocity and scale, expanding our workforce in India is the obvious decision. The next evolution of the Clinisys Laboratory Solutions will unite the laboratory industry, facilitate change, and help enable healthier and safer communities.” said Clinisys CEO Michael Simpson.

Karthik Reddy, VP, Clinisys India adds, “I am excited to be leading our Clinisys India team as we accelerate growing talented and diverse technology professionals at all levels. Our global footprint as a software leader in the lab informatics space offers our team members first-hand experience in the latest tech stacks and the ability to grow domain expertise across multiple countries and continents. Our expansion in India will offer many interesting, complex and mission critical endeavors both in our cloud transformation and in our cutting-edge discipline software products. Clinisys India offers a collaborative learning environment, an incredibly fulfilling domain to work in, an opportunity to work with the best and brightest tech talent and ultimately a hugely rewarding career with tremendous growth potential.

As an organisation, we will continue to invest in expanding our workforce in India and nurture our tech talent by providing the right opportunities. Our talent acquisition strategy will pursue a balanced mix of freshers and experienced professionals which effectively means we will be recruiting 40% freshers and remaining 60% positions will be experienced and senior positions with a proven technology background.”

Clinisys is also pleased to announce that it has recently won a ‘Silver’ award in ‘Best Digital Application in Diagnostics’ category at 3rd edition of IHW Digital Health Summit & Awards 2024, organized by Integrated Health & Wellbeing Council of India.

Clinisys recognizes the essential contribution global professionals bring to its mission as it continues to develop and deliver the next evolution of laboratory informatics.

About Clinisys 

Clinisys enables healthier and safer communities as a global provider of intelligent diagnostic informatics solutions and expertise that redefine the modern laboratory across healthcare, life sciences, public health and safety. Millions of laboratory results and data insights are generated every day using Clinisys’ platform and cloud-based solutions in over 3,500 laboratories across 34 countries.

Find out more at www.clinisys.com

Karnataka’s KITVEN Launches Pioneering Rs. 20 Crore Venture Capital Fund For AVGC Sector

* Karnataka is the first state in India to have a dedicated AVGC Policy Since2012 and the only state in the country to launch a policy for a third period.

Investments sectors will be in the areas of early sector, SME’s engaged in Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and comics with an investment size between Rs. 0.50 cr to Rs 2 cr per startup

Start-ups can apply for funds at: http://www.kitven.in/

In a groundbreaking move, Karnataka Information Technology Venture Capital Fund (KITVEN) has unveiled a dedicated Venture Capital (VC) fund of Rs. 20 crores for the Animation, VFX, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) sector during a session at the Fifth Edition of Bengaluru GAFX, 2024. Shri P V Harikrishnan, CEO of Karnataka Information Technology Venture Capital (KITVEN) Fund, made the announcement during the "Investor Speak - Strategies for Staying Relevant and Resilient in the Indian Gaming Startup Ecosystem" panel. This pioneering initiative, under the Department of IT, Bt & ST, Government of Karnataka, is designed to invest in companies within the state contributing to Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics.

Srivastav, Secretary General at the Skill Online Games Institute said “Karnataka has always been a pioneer and with this launch the state has become the first in India to set-up a fund to encourage the AVGC sector. This is a recognition of the potential in the AVGC sector and especially the enormous potential of online games for innovation and employment generation. Students and aspirants in the AVGC sector can make use of this opportunity to make their start-up dreams a reality!”

Attending the session at Bengaluru GAFX2024, Mr. Kislay Shashwat, Principal VC at Lumikai, expressed his appreciation for the Government of Karnataka's active role in nurturing the AVGC sector. He stated, "The launch of the KITVEN Fund-4 AVGC represents a significant step towards fostering innovation and development in this field. This initiative not only highlights the government's commitment but also paves the way for potential growth and advancement in the sector."

Vivek Ramachandran, a VC from Matrix Partners and visiting faculty at the National Institute of Design said, “I welcome the move and encouraged aspiring students and ideators to utilize this opportunity to pursue their startup dreams.”

The KITVEN Fund-4 (AVGC) is poised to play a transformative role in supporting startups and fostering innovation in Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics, further solidifying Karnataka's position as a leader in the AVGC sector. Investments in firms will be in the form of equity, preferred capital (convertible/redeemable), debentures, or a combination, following the rules published by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The fund considers shorter time frames while maintaining a normal investment horizon of three to five years.

Photo Caption: Dr M C Sudhakar, Hon’ble Minister for Higher Education, Govt. of Karnataka addressing the audience as a keynote speaker at a Panel Discussion on “The Future of Education for AVGC” at the Day 2 of the Bengaluru GAFX 2024 today at The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru.

Atlassian Appoints Shamik Sharma As New Head of Engineering, India

* Shamik will also lead Commerce & Enterprise Agility

* The appointment is part of Atlassian's endeavor to build a robust India leadership team

Atlassian Corporation (NASDAQ: TEAM), a leading provider of team collaboration and productivity software including Jira Software, Confluence and Jira Service Management, has announced the appointment of Shamik Sharma to Head of Engineering, Commerce and Enterprise Agility. Shamik will report directly to Rajeev Rajan, CTO of Atlassian.

Shamik joins Atlassian with close to three decades of experience in the field of technology and engineering. He spent the past 5+ years at Cure.fit/Cult.sport, a company he co-founded, and prior to that he served as CTO and CPO at Myntra (a company in the Flipkart group). Across his career, he has held multiple senior leadership positions at Lytro Inc., RockYou, StumbleUpon, Yahoo!, Confluent Software and HP, among others. Having scaled organizations and processes from small founding teams to large & specialized teams, he has also built innovative products in e-commerce, digital advertising, gaming, digital media, social networks, enterprise software, and consumer electronics. Shamik has completed an M.S., Computer Science from the University of Maryland and B.Tech, Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

Speaking on the appointment, Rajeev Rajan, Chief Technology Officer, Atlassian, said, “Shamik’s experience in technology and e-commerce will add much value to Atlassian, both globally and in India. We want to become a 100-year company at Atlassian and the meaningful work that our teams are contributing to in India is critical to this trajectory. As India is our fastest-growing R&D site globally, we’re confident that Shamik will only help accelerate our path to building a world-class engineering team.”

Shamik Sharma adds, “With a great passion for building products and combined technical expertise, I’m excited to be joining Atlassian in its mission to unleash the potential of every team. I look forward to leveraging the potential of Atlassian engineering talent to build innovative new products that enhance workplace collaboration.”

Shamik’s appointment comes at the back of Atlassian’s recent hiring of Paranth Thiruvengadam for the role of India Site Leader and Head of Engineering IT Service Management. Among notable accolades, Atlassian was recently positioned #8 in the top 25 Best Workplaces in India this year by the Great Place to Work Institute and was recognised in India's top 50 Best Workplaces for Women 2023 in the Large Organisations category for the third consecutive year. Atlassian’s presence in India continues to grow rapidly. The company started with just over 60 employees in India 5 years ago and now has over 1,800 employees in 17 states across the country.

About Atlassian

Atlassian unleashes the potential of every team. Our agile & DevOps, IT service management and work management software helps teams organize, discuss, and complete shared work. The majority of the Fortune 500 and over 265,000 companies of all sizes worldwide - including NASA, Audi, Kiva, Deutsche Bank and Dropbox - rely on our solutions to help their teams work better together and deliver quality results on time. Learn more about our products, including Jira Software, Confluence and Jira Service Management at https://atlassian.com.

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Achieves Carbon Neutrality In Its Karnataka Plant

* First Coca-Cola Bottling Facility In India To Secure The Prestigious Carbon Neutral Certification

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverage Pvt Ltd (HCCB), one of India’s leading FMCG companies, announces that, its bottling plant in the Bidadi Industrial Area, Ramanagara Karnataka has been certified as carbon neutral. This is the 1st bottling plant of Coca- Cola in India and Southwest Asia region, to achieve this significant milestone according to the international standard PAS 2060. The prestigious certification by DNV, the globally accredited registrar and classification society, will be issued to HCCB  in May 2024. and marks a significant step in the company’s journey towards sustainability.

This achievement aligns with HCCB’s ambition to reach Net Zero by 2050 and to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its value chain by 25% by 2030 This target prioritises the reduction of   emissions across its value chain before investing in verified carbon offset projects.

Since 2020 the facility has significantly reduced its carbon footprint by sourcing over 90% of its power from renewable energy. This commitment to Energy Efficiency is evident in HCCB's efforts to optimize energy consumption for every litre of beverage produced. 

To address residual emissions at the Bidadi facility, HCCB plans to purchase the Gold Standard certified carbon credits project in India further solidifying its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2024. The company also remains dedicated to environmental stewardship through water replenishment initiatives, support for nature-based solutions, biodiversity enhancement, and promotion of regenerative agriculture in collaboration with suppliers and farmers.

In 2021, The Coca-Cola Company committed to a 25% absolute reduction in carbon emissions from its 2015 baseline and to achieving Net Zero GHG emissions by 2050 applicable across its operations globally.

Speaking about the achievement, Mr. Alok Sharma, Executive Director, Supply Chain at HCCB said,  “Achieving carbon neutrality in our plant is not only a major milestone for us but also sets new benchmarks for the industry. It’s a clear demonstration of our commitment to a sustainable future. This is just the beginning, and we are setting the stage for a greener tomorrow across our supply chain, through focused actions that can lead to impactful environmental progress.”

Mr. Enrique Ackermann, Vice President –Technical Innovation & Supply Chain Coca-Cola India & Southwest Asia said, “Taking well-informed, decisive action to help address climate change is a priority for our company, we are actively looking for sustainable solutions across our value chain to build climate resilience and reduce our carbon footprint. This certification obtained by HCCB underscores our steadfast commitment to  carbon neutrality, and the dedication to forging a more sustainable future.”

In line with the Government of India's vision of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, HCCB's initiatives reflect a shared commitment to sustainable development and environmental conservation. By aligning its goals with the national priorities, HCCB aims to not only adhere to governmental guidelines but also actively participate in a collective movement towards a more sustainable future.

About HCCB

HCCB was incorporated on 14th February 1997. Since then, HCCB has come a long way in being able to serve 25 lakh retailers, 3,500 distributors, and 6,000 employees. 250,000 farmers grow the agricultural produce that HCCB uses in making its products. The company is headquartered in Bangalore and its operations are spread in 22 states, 3 UTs, and 376 districts in South, West, and Eastern India. Through its 16 factories spread across India, it manufactures and sells 60 different products across 7 categories. Its products include some of India’s most loved beverages - Coca-Cola, Thums Up, Sprite, Minute Maid, Maaza, SmartWater, Kinley, Limca, Fanta, and a lot more.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Drives Sustainable Community Development Through Its 29th iCARE Initiative

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), today announced the successful execution of its 29th iCARE initiative, held at Government High School, Kengeri on 28th January’24, the activity is a testament to the company's unwavering commitment to sustainable community development thereby bringing about a positive change to the surrounding communities. In a synergistic celebration of National Road Safety Month and the International Day of Education, about 350 volunteers comprising of TKM employees and their families and students were engaged in two impactful activities at Government High School, Kengeri, one aimed at fostering  safe driving practices and the other, to provide a more inclusive learning environment for school children.

The National Road Safety Month serves as a dedicated period to instil and promote road safety awareness in young minds, ultimately contributing to life-saving measures and reducing road accidents. In this backdrop a mentoring session on road safety was held, where volunteers mentored school children on safety measures while driving and sensitized the meaning and importance of following road signs. Students were also provided with assessment sheets to test their knowledge on road safety, followed by a review and explanation by the volunteers.

Simultaneously, coinciding with International Day of Education, and recognizing the crucial role basic school infrastructure like benches, play in providing comfortable seating, promoting healthy posture, and enhancing overall student well-being, TKM organized a bench polishing & painting event where volunteers showcased their creativity and manual skills to refurbish school benches, creating versatile and inclusive learning spaces. The dual activities underscore TKM's commitment to creating a safer world and providing an enhanced learning environment for students, aligning with the company's core values and principles towards community development.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “We are thrilled to announce the successful execution of 29th iCARE initiative, a  testament to Toyota Kirloskar Motor's enduring commitment to sustainable community development. In a harmonious celebration of National Road Safety Month and the International Day of Education, our dedicated employees engaged in two exciting activities aimed at fostering a safer society and creating a more enriching learning environment. The initiative not only demonstrates our commitment to road safety and education but also reflects the collective efforts of our employees in making a positive impact on society. With 29 successful iCARE activities to date, TKM continues to drive transformation change and enrich the lives of individuals and communities.”

Additionally, in line with its commitment to the cause of road safety, the company recently announced the implementation of two impactful road safety programs, namely the Toyota Safety Education Program (TSEP) and the Toyota Hackathon, aimed to educate, create awareness, instil a sense of responsibility, and empower the youths to become advocates for road safety. While TSEP is an interactive program targeting school children from 5th – 9th grades, educating them on the importance of road safety through a phase-wise approach, this year, TSEP will be implemented across Bangalore & nearby districts, focusing to cover more than 20,000 students across 40+ schools. Toyota Hackathon activity will provide a platform for 11th – 12th graders to develop effective road safety solutions, for the academic year 2023-24, the program will cover youths from the existing TSEP implementing schools & pre-university colleges, targeting around 100 institutes, both from Bangalore and nearby districts.

Since its inception in 2017, the iCARE (I Community Action To Reach Everyone ) initiative has witnessed a resounding response, engaging over 1,760 employees in more than 28 diverse multifaceted endeavours. These initiatives span across areas like Education, Environment, Road Safety, Skill Development, Disaster Management, and aiding special children. This collaborative effort has facilitated profound experiences, making a positive impact on the lives of both employees and over 63,150 community members. This initiative epitomizes TKM's vision of empowering and motivating its workforce to actively participate in initiatives that underscore their dedication to uplifting communities through meaningful actions.

Photo caption - TKM successfully conducts its 29th iCARE Initiative at  Government High School, Kengeri.

Leadership For Sustainability And Climate Justice For Global Leaders At The World Sustainable Development Summit 2024

~ The Summit is expected to be inaugurated by the Hon'ble Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar

The 23rd edition of World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) will be held from February 7-9, 2024, at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

The Summit is expected to be inaugurated by the Vice President of India, Hon'ble Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, accompanied by H.E. Brigadier (Retd) Mark Phillips, Prime Minister of Guyana and Shri Bhupender Yadav, Hon'ble Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Distinguished speakers at the Summit include Hon'ble Vatimi Rayalu, Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, Fiji; H E Mr Willie Tokataake, Minister, Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy (MISE), Kiribati; Mr Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, Government of India; H E Ms Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, Minister, Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Spain;  Mr Martin Raiser, Vice President for South Asia Region, The World Bank; H E Dr Keheliya  Rambukwella, Minister of Environment, Sri Lanka; and Prof Hoesung Lee, Former Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Other notable speakers include H E Mr Eric Garcetti, United States Ambassador to the Republic of India; Ms Dia Mirza, Actor & Goodwill Ambassador – UNEP; Dr Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for ; and Prof Jim Skea, Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 

The annual flagship multi-stakeholder event organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is the only independently convened international Summit on sustainable development and environment based in the Global South, orchestrating impactful dialogues on a large scale.

In the backdrop of ever-growing conflict situation, planetary crisis, and sliding back of key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Summit is an endeavour to assemble thought leaders, policymakers, and experts to engage in meaningful discussions, share innovative solutions, and formulate strategies that prioritize not only environmental sustainability but also social equity.

The WSDS 2024 will be convened under the umbrella theme of ‘Leadership for Sustainable Development and Climate Justice’ and aims to highlight the crucial role visionary leadership plays in steering the world towards a path of sustainability.

In addition to the inaugural and valedictory, the Summit will have 11 plenary sessions. The Summit will also include high-level sessions on women leadership, businesses, and youth.

Emphasizing on the urgent need to amplify the voices of Global South, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, underscored, “As we get ready for the 23rd edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit, I look forward to witnessing the convergence of global leaders, policymakers, and visionaries at this unique platform. The theme for the Summit underscores the imperative for decisive action, visionary leadership, and collective responsibility. TERI is honoured to spearhead this dialogue, fostering innovative solutions and strategies for a sustainable and just future."

Highlighting the pivotal role of WSDS in advancing discussions on sustainable development and climate action Dr Shailly Kedia, Curator, WSDS, and Senior Fellow, TERI emphasised, “We are living in a time of Polycrisis. Key challenges confronting the world include planetary crises, sliding back of key sustainable development goals and the ever-growing conflict situation threatening world peace. It is more important than ever that environment stewardship is promoted at all levels and across all spheres. Today’s challenges for attaining sustainable development are complex and interconnected and will need everyone to work towards creating a more sustainable future. In this context, the World Sustainable Development Summit 2024 will be held under the umbrella theme of Leadership for Sustainable Development and Climate Justice.”