MAHE And KOREAMMR Forge Partnership To Pioneer 3D Bioprinted Medical Solutions

The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), a premier institution of higher learning and research, and Kore Additive Manufacturing and Medical Reconstruction Pvt. Ltd. (KOREAMMR), a leading startup in 3D bioprinting and biomedical research, are thrilled to announce their newly formed partnership. This strategic alliance, formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed on March 30, 2024, aims to accelerate advancements in the development of three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue regeneration.

The collaborative research efforts will be conducted at the state-of-the-art Manipal Centre for Biotherapeutics Research (MCBR) and KOREAMMR facilities. This partnership seeks to leverage and augment the existing capabilities of both organizations, promising significant breakthroughs in the biomedical field. "Through this collaboration, we are setting a new precedent for the integration of academic research and industry innovation. The combined expertise and resources of MAHE and KOREAMMR will undoubtedly propel us toward remarkable achievements in biomedical research and product development," said Dr. P Giridhar Kini, MAHE Registrar.

KOREAMMR, renowned for its pioneering work in developing 3D Bioprinted products, organ on chip systems, and research in stem cell-based tissue grafts, views this partnership as a critical step towards streamlining product development. "Our collaboration with MAHE is a game-changer, significantly reducing the time to market for our innovative solutions," remarked Mr. Chaitanya Doshi, CEO of KOREAMMR.

The GMP compliant facilities at MCBR are designated as the initial manufacturing sites for new product development, with potential pilot clinical studies to be conducted at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. "This collaboration not only brings together leading minds in the field of biotechnology but also sets the stage for future medical breakthroughs that could transform patient care. We are especially excited about the possibilities this partnership opens up for creating real-world applications that address critical health challenges," said Professor and Coordinator of MCBR, Dr. Raviraja NS.

Facilitated by Prof. (Dr.) Harish Kumar, Director of Corporate Relations at MAHE, the partnership will primarily involve collaboration with Dr. S. V. Kirthanashri, Associate Professor at MCBR, and Dr. S. Varadharajan, Coordinator Intellectual Property & Technology Transfer Office at MAHE, who will lead the efforts towards technology transfer and commercialization.

MAHE and KOREAMMR are committed to harnessing the power of 3D bioprinting and biomaterials research to pave the way for innovative medical treatments and technologies, reflecting their shared vision for improving healthcare outcomes worldwide.

Tinkesh Kaushik, Triple Amputee, Plans Trek To Everest Base Camp To Set World Record

* Bharat Prerna Awardee, Limca Record holder, Rubaru Mr. India & Fitness Consultan

Bharat Prerna Awardee, Tinkesh Kaushik from Carmona, Salcete lost both his lower limbs below the knee and his left upper limb above the shoulder in an electrocution accident when he was 9 years old. He started running marathons using the Jaipur foot. His passion for fitness grew and so did his list of feats. With sponsorship he was able to get advanced prosthetics and went on to win many awards and set several records.

In 2018 he set a record as the First Triple Amputee to Bungy Jump at Nepal for which he received a mention in the Limca Book of records.

In 2021 he was the First Triple Amputee to scuba dive in open waters at Puducherry.

In 2022 he won the FITTR transformation challenge and was one of five winners from a total of 24000 participants.

In 2022 he also did the 60 kms Goa Liberation Day ride with Xasti Riders, where RAdm Philipose Pynumootil FOGA pinned his Wings of Gold on Tinkesh.

In 2024 Jan, at The International Purple Fest in Goa, he won the Award for Changing Narratives from Enable India Foundation.

With several awards in his kitty, in 2024 he started his Not for Profit called the Tinkesh Ability Foundation in Goa which aims to provide mental health support, prosthetics, and inclusive fitness to People with Disabilities.

To help create awareness and raise funds for the mental health initiative, Tinkesh decided to attempt a new record. This is by far the toughest and most dangerous feat he has attempted to date. Where many non-disabled individuals fear to tread, he has decided to pay his respects to the Great Mount Everest in May 2024 by trekking to Everest Base Camp.

Speaking about the approaching trek, Tinkesh said – By attempting this feat I wish to bring to the notice of the world that people with disabilities are also humans with aspirations and dreams. We are warriors but like all humans we need help from our communities to thrive. Mental health is a very big issue among the world population today, but for PwDs it is double fold. I want them to have access to the help they need to become productive citizens. I aim to raise enough funds to provide support to amputees, their care-givers and families to overcome their limitations and get integrated back into the mainstream by trekking to EBC.

Tinkesh is a Certified Fitness & Nutrition Consultant & Yoga Teacher. He is a body builder and is training hard for this approaching feat. On successfully completing it, Tinkesh will be the First Triple Amputee to trek to Everest Base Camp, thus setting a world record. We wish him luck on his journey and success for his cause.

AWARDS & FELICITATIONS:

1. Bharat Prerna Award:  April, 2018

2. The DNA Winners in Life, Achievers Award: February, 2019

3. Award for Vocational Excellence: April, 2019

4. The Limca Book of Records: December 2019

5. CavinKare Ability Mastery Award: February 2020

6. Tedx Speaker: September 2022

7. Rubaru Mr. India Brand Ambassador:  October 2022

Socomec Greater India Appoints Nida Khanam As New HR Head

Socomec, a leading global specialist in Low Voltage (LV) power management, announced the appointment of Nida Khanam, an accomplished HR professional with two decades of experience, as the HR Head for Greater India region (India, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan & Nepal). Nisha Gupta Malhotra, who previously held this role, will now support the mission of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) in the APAC region.

Khanam brings a wealth of expertise in developing and leading HR strategy and processes, with a proven track record of driving HR transformation in diverse cultures and change management. Prior to joining Socomec India, Khanam served as the Chief People Officer for Omega Seiki Mobility Pvt Ltd. With extensive experience across various industries, including automotive, manufacturing, and technology, Nida has demonstrated her ability to lead organizational development initiatives, talent management, talent acquisition, and employee lifecycle management. Her previous employers include GROHE, Lixil Water Technology, and Rockwell Automation.

At Socomec India, Khanam will be responsible for driving HR functions across commercial and plant operations, as well as spearheading initiatives to enhance employee engagement, talent development, and organizational effectiveness. Her strategic vision and hands-on approach will further strengthen Socomec India's position as an employer of choice in the power solutions industry.

In her statement, Khanam expressed her pleasure in assuming the new role, saying, “As I embark on this exciting journey with Socomec India, I'm deeply moved by the dynamic and passionate people who underpins Socomec's achievements. My vision is to uphold this culture of excellence through people-centric initiatives and values-driven practices. My immediate focus will be on fortifying our HR function to align with our business objectives. Collaborating closely with the India Management team, I am committed to evangelise & lead transformative changes in our people processes, enhancing capabilities, and nurturing talent retention. I wish to drive and establish Socomec India as the preferred employer and a beacon of workplace excellence.”

Upon her appointment, Meenu Singhal, Regional Managing Director, Socomec Greater India, commented, "We are delighted to welcome Nida Khanam to Lead Socomec Greater India team. Her extensive experience and leadership in HR will be invaluable as we continue to expand our operations and strengthen our position in the market. We look forward to her contributions in driving our HR strategy and supporting our employees in achieving their full potential.

I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Nisha Gupta for her dedicated services so far. Her contributions have been invaluable, and we wish her all the best for her new role and enabling us to meet our ESG goals set for the organization."

Khanam holds an ACC (Associate Certified Coach) from the International Coaching Federation and has received numerous awards and accolades throughout her career. She is also a graduate of the Senior Management Program from IIM-Calcutta and holds an MBA in Human Resources & Agribusiness from A.M.U.

Premium Intercity Electric Bus Brand “NueGo” Expands Its Pan-India Footprint

* NueGo Now Serves 100+ cities across India with launch of multiple new routes

GreenCell Mobility, a pioneer in sustainable mass mobility solutions, is elated to announce a significant expansion of its operations for its electric intercity bus brand “NueGo”. In a strategic move to cater to the growing demand for its eco-friendly and comfortable services, NueGo now serves 100+ cities and multiple routes across India, further solidifying its leadership position in the intercity travel segment.

The newly launched routes across India include: Delhi – Shimla - Delhi, Gurgaon - Chandigarh – Gurgaon, Delhi - Rishikesh - Delhi, Delhi - Amritsar – Delhi, Chandigarh - Amritsar – Chandigarh, Chandigarh - Dehradun – Chandigarh, Vijayawada - Vizag – Vijayawada, Bangalore - Salem – Bangalore, Bangalore – Trichy – Bangalore.

Devndra Chawla, MD & CEO of GreenCell Mobility, said, "We are thrilled to announce extensive expansion of NueGo’s services across the country. This strategic move aligns with our mission to improve intercity travel by providing eco-friendly, convenient, and technology driven mobility solutions. With the introduction of new routes and amenities, we aim to elevate the travel experience for our guests while actively contributing to reducing tailpipe emission and ensuring greener future for all."

NueGo, renowned for its emphasis on guest centricity and comfort, ensures a reliable and delightful experience for both corporate and leisure travellers. With a wide schedule of buses operating around the clock and multiple boarding points across cities, NueGo offers unrivalled flexibility and convenience to its guests. Commuters on these new routes can expect an exceptional journey, where they are assisted to their seats, provided with clean, disinfected tissues and water bottles, and can indulge in a serene ride aboard NueGo's noiseless AC electric buses.

NueGo has further enhanced its in-bus travel amenities for the guests where the brand has started pilot testing the provision of food boxes to ensure a comfortable and worry-free experience. NueGo is also providing an additional discount on return ticket bookings for all its guests this holiday season.

Positioned as the preferred choice for safe and sustainable travel, NueGo sets the bar high with an array of safety features. These include robust measures such as CCTV surveillance, driver breath analyzers, driver monitoring systems, and speed limit checks. To ensure utmost safety, NueGo's coaches undergo 25 meticulous safety checks, encompassing both mechanical and electrical inspections. This focus on safety makes NueGo a trusted travel companion, especially for female passengers seeking a secure journey.

Tickets for travel on these new routes can be conveniently booked through NueGo's official website (https://nuego.in/) or via NueGo app available on iOS and Playstore

About NueGo:

NueGo is India’s leading premium electric bus coach brand from GreenCell Mobility. A guest centric brand, NueGo coaches go through 25 stringent safety checks including mechanical and electrical inspections. These electric coaches can run 250 kilometers in a single charge, with the air conditioners on, in traffic conditions. NueGo coaches are fitted with innovative technology and offer end to end convenience for inter-city travellers with focus on Safety, Punctuality, and seamless guest experience. NueGo has well trained and courteous staff, offers airport-like premium lounges in selective cities. These lounge offers guest assist, luggage management services and curated F&B menu and on board with on-time performance. https://nuego.in/

Meta Expands Third-Party Fact Checking Program In India With Press Trust of India

Today, we are expanding our third-party fact-checking program in India to include Press Trust of India (PTI), a dedicated fact-checking unit within the newswire’s editorial department. The partnership will enable PTI to identify, review and rate content as misinformation across Meta platforms.

To fight the spread of misinformation and provide people with more reliable information, Meta partners with independent third-party fact-checkers that are certified through the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) who identify, review and rate viral misinformation across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Globally, we’ve also built the largest independent fact-checking network of any platform, with nearly 100 partners around the world to review and rate viral misinformation in more than 60 languages.

With this partnership with PTI, we now have 12 fact-checking partners in India, making it the country with the most third-party fact-checking partners globally across Meta. Our Indian language coverage stands at 16 through our existing fact-checking partners to include Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, Punjabi, Assamese, Manipuri/ Meitei, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Kashmiri, Bhojpuri, Oriya and Nepali, besides English.

Each time a fact-checker rates a piece of content as false, altered or partly false, we reduce its distribution so that fewer people see it. We notify people who try to share the content – or who previously shared it – that the information was rated by a fact-checker, and we add a warning label that links to the fact-checker’s article with more information about the claim.

Since 2016, our fact-checking program has expanded to include nearly 100 organizations globally. The focus of the program is to address viral misinformation – particularly clear hoaxes that have no basis in fact. Fact-checking partners prioritize provably false claims that are timely, trending and consequential.

About Meta

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Records Its Best-Ever Financial Year And Monthly Wholesales By Clocking 2,63,512 And 27,180 Units

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has maintained its sales momentum, achieving new milestones in both fiscal year performance and monthly wholesales. During FY23-24, the company reached a record sales volume of 2,63,512 units, marking a double digit growth of 48% compared to the preceding year's 1,77,683 units (FY22-23).

Additionally, TKM in the month of March’2024 recorded a 25% growth by selling 27,180 units compared to 21,783 units in March’2023.  Domestic sales accounted for 25,119 units while exports totalled 2061 units during the same month.

Reflecting on the growth momentum, Mr. Sabari Manohar – Vice President, Sales-Service-Used Car Business, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “We are thrilled to close both our wholesales for 2023-24 fiscal year and March 2024 by recording the highest ever units of 2,63,512 and 27,180 respectively. With a customer-oriented approach, we have always remained ahead in assessing and understanding the diverse needs of our varied customers and market trends, serving them the best with our wider range of quality products and services. We will continue to do so with an emphasis to meet the rising consumer demands across segments. Further, energizing our customer centricity will be our focus to move even more closer to our customers on both product as well as service fronts by enhancing customer touchpoints, creating delightful ownership experience.

Furthermore, instrumental to our growth has been our strong product portfolio, tailormade value-added services such as enhanced digitalization, financial tie-ups, high value proposition, easy accessibility to our products/services that continue to deliver awesome experiences to our increasing customer base. Notably, the SUV and MUV segments were our biggest contributors with models like the Innova Crysta, Innova HyCross, Fortuner, Legender, Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Hilux and LC300. Other product offerings such as the Camry Hybrid, Glanza, Vellfire and the Rumion too have fuelled the company’s upward sales trend. Also in 2023, we expanded our annual production capacity by almost 32,000 units to meet the growing demand from our valued customers. Additionally, we made new investments of INR 3,300 crores, which will further enhanced us to gear up for our next phase of business expansion duly incorporating technological transformation in achieving carbon neutrality goals.

We are strongly motivated by good market acceptance for all our products that reflects the company’s multiple technology pathway and are truly grateful to our valued customers. Looking ahead, we are poised to leverage emerging opportunities in both metro and non-metro markets.”

Manipal Law School Organised Its 1st Edition Of Dr. TMA PAI International Technology Arbitration Moot

* Institute of Law, Nirma University emerged as the Winner and received cash prize of Rs. 1,50,000.

Manipal Law School, a constituent institute of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Bengaluru organised its 1st edition of Dr. TMA PAI INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY ARBITRATION MOOT, 2024. The engaging and intellectually enriching event was scheduled for March 30th and 31st, 2024.

The theme of the competition was based on the intersection of technology and international arbitration law. The relationship between technology and arbitration law is dynamic and continually evolving. The intersection between the two continues to shape the landscape of dispute resolution, offering opportunities for increased efficiency and transparency in the arbitration process.

The top 16 teams from India, Kenya, Bangladesh reported on 30th March, 2024 and competition started through a preliminary round. After a whole day of brainstorming sessions and arbitration in front of a panel of esteemed arbitrators from industry,  two teams finally went ahead for the  final round.

The final round was arbitrated by a distinguished panel of legal luminaries: Datuk Sundra Rajoo, President, AIADR, Kuala Lumpur, Hon’ble Justice Mr. Hemant Gupta, Former Supreme Court Judge and Chairman IIAC, New Delhi, Justice P Krishna Bhat, Former Judge, High Court of Karnataka and Mr. Ganesh Chandru, Partner, Dua Associates, Chennai. Their expertise and insights added immense value to the event, gave participants real-world perspectives on legal issues and procedures.

Manipal Law School also inaugurated its MOOT COURT HALL in the honour of Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah, Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India in the presence of Dr. Ranjan Pai, President, MAHE Trust, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor, MAHE, Prof. (Dr) Madhu Veeraraghavan, Pro- Vice Chancellor, MAHE Bengaluru, Dr. Raghavendra Prabhu P, Deputy Registrar, MAHE Bengaluru and the entire Manipal Law School Team. Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah graced the occasion virtually.

Addressing the audience while inaugurating the MOOT COURT HALL, Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah, said, “I’m deeply sensible of the honour of this invitation from the President of Manipal Academy of Higher Education. The landscape of legal institutions is not static, with the advent of AI and digital technologies our methods are evolving. Additionally, the changes and challenges brought about by the recent pandemic propelled the courts worldwide to embrace online hearings and electronic filing systems thereby, hazing the integration of technology into the legal sphere. Therefore, lawyers must uphold their core duties to the court ensuring that AI serves as an aid rather than a replacement in the pursuit of justice”.

Proud of the initiative, Dr. Ranjan Pai, President, MAHE Trust, said, "The swift advancement of technology makes its incorporation into the legal domain not merely foreseeable but imperative. Manipal Law School is committed to educating its students for the opportunities and challenges of the digital age, as evidenced by its initiative to host a moot court on the topic of technology integration into law. Through our embrace of innovation and cultivation of an adaptable culture, we are equipping our students to become visionary leaders who will influence the legal profession's future."

Additionally, Manipal Law School also launched its latest LL.M programme on International Investment and Commercial Arbitration during the valedictory ceremony. The programme will be offered in both offline and blended mode offering prospective students a more flexible approach to education from August 2024.

After two exciting days and a series of activities- the team from Institute of Law, Nirma University emerged as the Winner and received a cash prize of Rs. 1,50,000. Runners Up were SVKM NMIMS Kirit P. Mehta School of Law who received the cash prize of Rs. 50,000.  MNLU Nagpur won the Best Speaker and the Best Researcher award while University of Chittagong, Bangladesh was awarded the Best Memorial.