First Advantage Releases Q32022 India Employment Screening Trends Report

* Manufacturing Sector Shows Major Discrepancy Trends in Q3-22.

First Advantage Corporation (NASDAQ: FA), a leading global provider of HR technology solutions for screening, verifications, safety, and compliance, announced the publication of its India Employment Screening Trends Report. The 35-page document is a compilation of anonymized data and analytics from the Company’s background screenings performed for its customers in the Indian market in Q2-22.

In Q3-22, industries such as IT, Manufacturing, Healthcare & Pharma, Education, and Retail showed substantially greater discrepancy percentages than the overall average of 10.8%.

Other notable findings include:

·         Discrepancy percentage in the Manufacturing sector increased from 7.5 % in Q2-22 to 9.51 % in Q3-22.

·         Out of every 100 education checks verified in the BFSI sector, 15 were discrepant in Q3-22.

·         For Employment Verifications: IT, Manufacturing, and FMCG sectors have shown a higher inclination towards alternative modes of verification.

·         In Q3-22 sectors like IT, Consulting, Manufacturing, and Staffing are accepting a higher percentage of alternative modes for conducting address verifications.

“Since businesses are pursuing a variety of expansion strategies, organizations all around the globe have chosen digital transformations to increase the agility and speed of their operational processes.Businesses are looking beyond macro trends like managing company risk and assuring compliance in the recruiting process and focusing on micro-trends.,” Amit Singh, Head of Commercial at First Advantage said.

Further, he continued, “the importance of background verification, therefore, stands more pertinent than before in the light of the current market conditions where several large organizations have made employee KYC mandatory for hiring.”

About First Advantage:

First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA) is a leading global provider of HR technology solutions for screening, verifications, safety, and compliance. The Company delivers innovative solutions and insights that help customers manage risk and hire the best talent. Enabled by its proprietary technology, First Advantage’s products and solutions help companies protect their brands and provide safer environments for their customers and their most important resources: employees, contractors, contingent workers, tenants, and drivers. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, First Advantage performs screens in over 200 countries and territories on behalf of its more than 33,000 customers. For more information about First Advantage, visit the company’s website at https://fadv.com/. 

GRG-ELGi Digital Innovation Dojo Felicitates First Batch of Young Women Students

Elgi Equipments Limited (BSE: 522074 NSE: ELGIEQUIP), one of the world's leading air-compressor manufacturers, along with PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, felicitated the first batch of thirty-two girl students who completed their three months internship at GRG-ELGi Digital Innovation Dojo at the valedictory ceremony held at Chandra Seminar Hall, PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore.

The event was presided over by Anvar Jay Varadaraj, Executive Director, Elgi Equipments Limited, in the presence of Dr. R. Nandini, Chairperson of the GRG Institutions. The students have worked on various projects across functions at ELGi, using the agile scrum framework. 

About ELGi: Elgi Equipments Limited is a global air compressor manufacturer with a broad line of innovative and technologically superior compressed air systems. ELGi has consistently ensured that its customers achieve their productivity goals while keeping the cost of ownership low. ELGi offers a complete range of compressed air solutions, from oil-lubricated and oil-free rotary screw compressors, oil-lubricated and oil-free reciprocating compressors, and centrifugal compressors to dryers, filters, and downstream accessories. The company's portfolio of over 400 products has wide applications across industries. For further information on the organisation and its products, visit http://www.elgi.com

Deliveries For The New Range Rover Sport Begin In Indian Market

* Dynamic Luxury: The New Range Rover Sport combines dramatic modernity and distinctive character with enhanced levels of sophistication

* Pioneering drive: Dynamic Air Suspension with switchable volume air springs and twin-valve active dampers provide new levels of agility, control and composure

* Improved row 2 package: The New Range Rover Sport offers 21 mm of added leg room in row 2 along with front passenger seat away feature further enhancing rear seat comfort

* Seamless connectivity: 33.27 cm (13.1) floating Pivi Pro haptic touchscreen is complemented by 34.80 cm (13.7) Interactive Driver Display

* Powertrains: Available in 3.0 l diesel and 3.0 l petrol engines that deliver impressive performance coupled with outstanding refinement and efficiency

* Configure yours: The New Range Rover Sport is available to order with prices starting from ?164.29 Lakh, ex-showroom India, and can be configured by visiting www.landrover.in

Jaguar Land Rover India today announced that it has begun deliveries of the all-New Range Rover Sport. The New Range Rover Sport is available with a 3.0 l diesel engine, delivering power of 258 kW and torque of 700 Nm and a 3.0 l petrol engine, delivering power of 294 kW and torque of 550 Nm. The New Range Rover Sport is available in Dynamic SE, Dynamic HSE and Autobiography specifications, with a First Edition available throughout the first year of production.

Rohit Suri, President and Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India, said: “The New Range Rover Sport builds on seventeen years of unparalleled sporting luxury by offering newer levels of sophistication and refinement to our highly discerning clients. The third-generation model is the most desirable, advanced and dynamically capable yet.”

Assertive, confident and muscular, the New Range Rover Sport delivers unparalleled road presence through its short overhangs, large wheels and unmistakable, dramatic profile. Range Rover Sport is built on the state-of-the-art MLA-Flex platform, which enables next-level capability, performance and handling, as well as greater efficiency.

Dynamic Air Suspension delivers unprecedented refinement while elements like Pre-emptive Air Suspension, Electronic Active Differential with Torque Vectoring by Braking and Adaptive Off-Road Cruise Control, collectively increase all-round capability.

The interior of the New Range Rover Sport is modernist, reductive and sophisticated, creating an impression of lightness, strength and space. With additional space, seamlessly integrated and intuitive technology, plus intelligent connectivity, occupants enjoy exceptional levels of comfort, style and wellbeing. High-performance visibility is guaranteed with the new Digital LED Headlights featuring Adaptive Front Lighting, while new Low Speed Manoeuvring Lights provide ultimate convenience.

The award-winning Pivi Pro infotainment features a high resolution floating 33.27 cm (13.1) haptic touchscreen positioned at the centre of the modernist dashboard. Controlling everything from navigation to media and vehicle settings, it learns the user’s habits and intelligently personalises the onboard experience, becoming a truly intuitive personal assistant. Next-generation Cabin Air Purification Pro is available to create and maintain the perfect driving environment and ensures well-being of everyone on board.

For more details, visit www.landrover.in

Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Network in India

Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are available in India in 21 cities, through 25 authorized outlets in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru (3), Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai (2), Coimbatore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kochi, Karnal, Lucknow, Mumbai (2), Noida, Pune, Raipur, Surat and Vijayawada.

Tata Motors Signs An MoU With Everest Fleet Private Limited For Delivering 5000 XPRES-T EVs

~As a part of this contract, 100 cars were handed over to the company for its cab services~

Keeping the vision of a clean & green environment alive, Tata Motors, India’s leading automobile manufacturer and the pioneer of the EV evolution in India, today signed an MoU with Everest Fleet Private Limited for the delivery of 5000 XPRES-T EVs. Moving forward in its journey towards accelerating the transition to sustainable transportation, the company handed over 100 cars today, to mark this celebration.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ramesh Dorairajan, Senior General Manager, Network Management and EV Sales, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicle Ltd. said, “We are delighted to associate with Everest Fleet Private Limited for the deployment of 5000 XPRES-T EVs electric sedans in their fleet. With enhanced safety, fast charging solution, a premium interior theme, and dynamic performance at an affordable price, the XPRES-T EV has created a new benchmark in India’s EV fleet segment with a market share of more than 90%. Through such partnerships, we are successfully moving towards enhancing EV adoption in India, thereby helping the country #EvolveToElectric.”

According to Mr. Siddharth Ladsariya, Founder, Everest Fleet Private Limited, “Everest Fleet is a purpose-led organisation with a deep focus on sustainable mobility solutions. At Everest Fleet, we are paving the way for a better India, one kilometer at a time. Time has come to now take our 100% CNG cars' fleet towards a greener and cleaner alternative - Electric Vehicle. We are really looking forward for this EV journey together with Tata Motors as a strategic partner.”

In July 2021, Tata Motors launched the ‘XPRES’ brand exclusively for fleet customers, and the XPRES-T EV is the first vehicle under this brand. The new XPRES-T electric sedan comes with 2 range options – 213km and 165km (ARAI certified range under test conditions). It packs a high energy density battery of 21.5 kWh and 16.5 kWh and be charged from 0- 80% in 90 mins and 110 mins, respectively, using fast charging or can also be normally charged from any 15 A plug point, which is easily available and convenient. It comes with zero tail-pipe emission, single speed automatic transmission, dual airbags, and ABS with EBD as standard across variants. The premium black theme interior with standard automatic climate control and Electric Blue accents across its interior and exterior will give it a differentiated presence from other Tata cars.

Tata Motors has been revolutionizing the Indian automotive market with its pioneering efforts and is leading the e-mobility wave in India with a commanding market share of 87% in FY’22 and over 50,000 Tata EVs rolled out from the plant to date in the personal and fleet segment. Furthermore, in an effort to make EVs even more accessible to all, Tata Motors is closely working with other Tata Group companies including Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Auto Components, Tata Motors Finance, and Croma, to contribute to the faster adoption of EVs in India through its EV ecosystem called the ‘Tata uniEVerse’.

For more information on the product, visit – https://xprest.tatamotors.com/electric/

Bangalore Among Top 3 India Cities With Highest Crypto Adoption

India’s Portfolio 2022, an annual investor report by CoinSwitch, also show Bitcoin, the largest crypto asset by market capitalization, continue to be the most popular coin for retail investors in 2022.

Bangalore among top 3 India cities with the highest crypto adoption in India, measured in terms of value invested, an annual investor report by CoinSwitch, India’s largest crypto investing platform with over 19 million registered users.

The report, India’s Portfolio 2022, published on Wednesday, analyses the actual investing patterns of India’s crypto users, providing an insight into how the country responded to a year of rising inflation, market downturns, and landmark events such as the Ethereum Merge, the company said.

Highlights from India’s Portfolio 2022:

* Metros with the highest crypto adoption: Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad

* Tier-2 cities with the highest crypto adoption: Jaipur, Lucknow, Pune

* Coins that India holds the most: Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum

* Share of women crypto investors in India: 7%

“2022 has had its share of economic, geopolitical, and market difficulties. It is important to understand how India’s investors responded to the changed circumstances. Did they diversify their portfolio? Were they reactive? India’s Portfolio 2022 provides a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of the investing patterns India followed in the year,” said Ashish Singhal, CEO and Co-Founder, CoinSwitch.

A unique insight from the report was that investing patterns followed by men and women were largely similar in India, though at 7%, women represent a small albeit growing pie of India’s crypto investors.

“At CoinSwitch, our mission is to make money equal for all—to give every Indian an equal opportunity to invest and create wealth. That India’s men and women follow broadly the same investing pattern shows we are on the right path: There is no information asymmetry; access to knowledge and tools to make wise investment decisions are equal for everyone on CoinSwitch,” Singhal added.

CRE8 or Crypto Rupee Index (CRE8) is India’s first benchmark index to measure the performance of the Indian Rupee-based crypto market. CRE8 comprises the top eight crypto assets with over 85% of the total market capitalization, and includes bitcoin and Ethereum. Decentralized Finance or DeFi utility tokens include Maker (MKR) and Sushi (SUSHI). Metaverse coins include Decentraland (MANA) and Axie Infinity (AXS). Ethereum Alternatives are Cardano (ADA), Cosmos (ATOM), Solana (SOL), among others. Shiba Inu and Dogecoin are Meme coins.

About CoinSwitch

CoinSwitch is on a mission to Make Money Equal for All. India’s largest Crypto investing app and a Great Place to Work®, CoinSwitch is creating an ecosystem that simplifies Crypto and is trusted by over 19 million registered users. Founded in 2017 by Ashish Singhal, Govind Soni, and Vimal Sagar Tiwari, and backed by blue-chip investors including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital India, Ribbit Capital, Paradigm, and Coinbase Ventures, the company is evolving into a wealth-tech destination for every Indian. For more information, visit: www.coinswitch.co

Blackberrys, India’s Leading Premium Menswear Brand Enters Nepal

Nepal:Blackberrys - India’s Leading Menswear Brand with a legacy of 30+ years of existence in partnering Men in their success journey, is now all set to enter the Nepal market.  Blackberrys held a grand opening press conference announcing the launch of two new stores Durbarmarg and Civil Mall  . The event marked the celebration of this special moment and was honoured by the presence of the Corporate Icon of Nepal, Anil Keshary Shah

Spread across 2000 sqft and 2700 sqft, both stores offer a wide assortment of Blackberrys range across suits, jackets, formalwear, casual wear, ethnic wear, footwear, accessories and much more.

The event also saw the unveiling of the season’s new arrivals for every occasion and to celebrate new beginnings. The new stores will showcase Blackberrys newest range of wedding collection, which is tailored to make men look impeccable and leave a lasting impression on their special days.  The exclusive range of suits, tuxedos, blazers, and ethnic wear is the perfect blend of sophistication and modernity. With a wide range of colors, fabrics, and styles to choose from, we have something for everyone – whether you're an ethnic wear enthusiast or a western lover. From two-piece and three-piece suits to bandhgalas and jackets, the range has something for every occasion.

From formal wear like trousers, suits, jackets and blazers, the brand also offers semi-formal and casualwear offerings such as khakis, shirts, denim, T-shirts and innerwear, and even shoes and accessories.  The store also offers Brand’s newest category, Tech-Pro, an all-new range which offers unrestricted movement that keeps men effortlessly stylish and comfortable through its stretchability, smarty dry and wrinkle resistant features

With the launch of its two stores in Nepal, Blackberrys is poised to become one of the leading Menswear brands in the country.

Speaking about the occasion, Mr. Nitin Mohan, Co-founder & Director – Blackberrys said, “We are excited to announce the launch of our new stores in Nepal. Blackberrys is committed to partnering Men to be loved by all and our new stores will truly enable this journey to make men look sharp & confident. Our consumers’ consider us as their ‘fit-experts’ as our products offer the perfect fit which have been loved for over three decades in India. Also, our customer-centric approach, unparalleled store experience make us unique and we are confident that our new stores will provide Nepal with world-class products and experience”.

The expansion into Nepal is a natural extension of Blackberrys' growth strategy. With two strong store openings in key locations, Blackberrys is well-positioned to capture a significant share of the growing menswear market in Nepal.

About Blackberrys

It has been 30 years since the brand's humble beginnings in the narrow streets of ChandniChowk, Delhi - 6. Since then, Blackberrys has risen by leaps and bounds to successfully redefine men's fashion.

The brand has adapted, evolved and innovated with the times to provide the best wardrobe choice for Men. Blackberrys identity ‘ the rising firebird’ symbolizes its role as the catalyst for success, fitting perfectly into the role of every man's partner in rising, as he sprints towards his ambitions with a burning desire to keep winning. The brand encourages its customers to celebrate new beginnings, break new grounds and stretch their wings along with the new tagline "Keep Rising".

With its deep understanding of modern Men, the brand promises to enable its consumer in writing his unique success story while keeping his look immaculately sharp and stylish. From formal wear like trousers, suits, jackets and blazers, the brand later added semi-formal and casual offerings such as khakis, shirts, denim, T-shirts and innerwear, and even shoes and accessories.

NITIN MOHAN, CO-FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR

Mr. Mohan hails from a family with a proud history of over 130 years in the clothing industry and is connected with Sri Ram & Sons. Growing up around various kinds of fabrics piqued his interest in exploring the world of garments. An alumnus of the National Institute of Fashion Technology Delhi, Mohan specialised in Garment & Textile Manufacturing.

In 1991, Nitin Mohan co-founded Blackberrys, India's leading men's fashion brand, along with his brother Mr. Nikhil Mohan. Today, more than 30 years after its inception, Blackberrys is set to rewrite the Menswear fashion industry in Nepal.

One of the reasons for its rising success is that he believes in delivering product excellence and to actualize that belief, he actively drives the operation strategy of the brand - right from the crafting of the product, to designing strategy, to ensuring smooth supply chain management. His active involvement is the reason the brand could progress from wholesale to retail, and finally, to the leading men's fashion brand it is today. The measure of his success is realized in his roles as an entrepreneur and a visionary. The Mohan brothers are committed to giving back through the multiple centres they have established under the Mohan Clothing Pvt. Ltd. roof, including NayiUmang in association with Sakshi -NGO, Pardada - Pardadi Educational Society. He is an avid traveller who loves spending time outdoors and is passionate about biking

5G In Healthcare: Airtel, Apollo Hospitals, AWS Carry Out India’s First 5G Driven, Artificial Intelligence Guided Colonoscopy Trial

Bharti Airtel, India’s premier communications solutions provider and Apollo Hospitals, Asia’s foremost trusted integrated healthcare group today announced that they have carried out India’s first 5G driven, Artificial Intelligence (AI) guided Colonoscopy trial.

The trial was conducted using AI on Airtel’s 5G technology with ultra-low latency and high processing capabilities as a result of which the colon cancer got detected much faster and with greater accuracy. HealthNet Global, AWS and Avesha are the other three companies that collaborated in this trial.

As a result of AI guided colonoscopy procedure, the image processing happened in real time without any lag even when the physician moved the scope through the colon for it to be overlaid on top of the right element of the colon. The advent of this technology enables an “extra pair of eyes” for physicians and improves the detection rate of polyps, thus saving lives and vastly improving patient care. The data was processed by Avesha edge inferencing applications on AWS platforms on a real time resulting in much faster analysis. AI assisted Colonoscopy Polyp Detection trial will help doctors to improve quality of patient care, improve accuracy of detection rates by capturing information correctly and reducing errors. 5G, Edge computing and Artificial Intelligence can significantly improve patient outcomes by assisting in proper and timely diagnoses.

As per current protocol, colon cancer is detected through colonoscopy procedure which is manual and requires great attention and time from medical practitioners for accurate detection. Currently, the procedure is performed using a device comprising of flexible tube with light, camera and tools at one end, which are used to extract samples to identify an infected polyp. Not only is the procedure long, its discomforting for patients and for the doctors and nurses who perform the procedure which takes around 30 to 40 minutes.

Speaking about the trial, Ajay Chitkara, CEO and Director, Airtel Business said “Ultra-fast, low latency 5G networks will transform the Healthcare sector in the country. At Airtel, we are geared up to lead this transformation and have demonstrated this by conducting India’s first colonoscopy trials. Healthcare is one of the most promising use cases for 5G, and we are delighted to collaborate Apollo Hospitals, AWS, HealthNet Global and Avesha. This is just the beginning, and I am certain we will bring many more innovative use cases that will help redefine healthcare in the country."

“By augmenting doctor's ability to detect, AI has been proved to improve physician’s accuracy. Early detection and removal of polyps can easily avoid them becoming cancerous. Apollo has always been a fore runner in adoption of technology. Our patient centric approach keeps us on an outlook for technologies which can make outcomes better.” said Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group.

Vaishali Kasture, Head - Enterprise, Mid-Market & Global Businesses, India & South Asia – AWS India (Amazon Web Services India P Ltd) said “5G and edge technologies offer high speed and real-time data analysis that can help transform the delivery of healthcare. AI inference provides better insight and information to healthcare professionals to predict, diagnose, and treat patients more effectively. We are delighted to collaborate with Airtel and Apollo hospitals to bring AI-powered solutions with an aim to improve patient experience and healthcare service quality.”

Colonoscopy procedures for early detection and prevention of cancers is being advised for all men and women above 45 years of age. In India, where the target population is large in terms of numbers, solutions built on 5G and AI are key to assist doctors to bring quality care to the maximum population

About Bharti Airtel: Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 500 Mn customers in 17 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its networks cover over two billion people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider and the second largest mobile operator in Africa. Airtel’s retail portfolio includes high speed 4G/5G mobile broadband, Airtel Xstream Fiber that promises speeds up to 1 Gbps with convergence across linear and on-demand entertainment, streaming services spanning music and video, digital payments and financial services. For enterprise customers, Airtel offers a gamut of solutions that includes secure connectivity, cloud and data centre services, cyber security, IoT, Ad Tech and CPaaS (Airtel IQ).

For more details visit www.airtel.com

About Apollo Hospitals: Apollo revolutionized healthcare when Dr Prathap Reddy opened our first hospital in Chennai in 1983. Today Apollo is the world’s largest vertically integrated healthcare platform serving over 200 million patients through 10,000 beds across 71 hospitals, 5,000 pharmacies and over 400 clinics and diagnostic centers as well as 150 telemedicine centers. It is the world’s leading cardiac center with over 160,000 surgeries and the world’s largest private cancer care provider. Apollo continues to invest in research to bring the most cutting-edge technologies, equipment and treatment protocols to ensure our patients have the best available care in the world. Our 100,000 employees are dedicated to bringing you the best care on earth and leaving the world better than we found it.