INDIA BRAND EQUITY FOUNDATION
Flipkart opens experience centre in Kolkata. Walmart-owned e-commerce major Flipkart has set up a ‘Furniture Experience Center’ in Kolkata, marking its first offline presence in eastern India.
The centre has been opened in collaboration with Emami Realty at its township project and is spread across around 2,200 sq ft. The aim is to lessen the gap between customers as they prefer for ‘touch and feel’ before buying furniture online. The experience centre will be showcasing Flipkart’s certified products at strategic locations across cities, the company said in a release. There is home furniture available at the centre from 11 brands including @home by Nilkamal, Royal Oak, House of Pataudi and Perfect Homes.
This is in line with the increasing importance of the East as a market for Flipkart Furniture, said the release. Digital India: Power To Empower. The global economy is presently going through the fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as the Digital Revolution.
This revolution is changing not only the way we interact with machines, but also how we live, work and interact with each other. Thus, for surviving this revolution, businesses around the world are opting for the digital road. India too, has witnessed the need for this transformation. Thus, the use of digital technology is continuously being promoted by the government and has seen a rise lately. The digital technology has an important role in increasing the pace of India’s economic growth. The Digital India program was launched by the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi on July 1, 2015 and since then has made significant progress with various initiatives launched under this initiative.
The Digital Infrastructure is characterised as the ability to store and exchange data across a centralised communication system. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Rolls Out Red Carpet for Japanese Steel Industry. Union Minister for Steel and Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan participated in a workshop on ‘Enabling Procedures for increase of steel usage for the growth of Economy’ here today.
The aim of the workshop was to hold deliberations among key stakeholders to further increase the steel usage in sectors such as construction & infrastructure for the growth of economy. The workshop is organised by Ministry of Steel in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Govt. of Japan and the Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships of Japan.
His Excellency, the Ambassador of Japan to India Mr Satoshi Suzuki also participated in the workshop. Addressing the inaugural session, Shri Pradhan focussed on collaborations of India and Japan to increase steel usage. Shri Pradhan also stated that in the next 20 years, India is set to be the largest energy market in the world. Power demand up 7.5 per cent in February. India witnessed an increase in electricity demand by 7.5 per cent in the first 18 days of February with early onset of summer in the South and West, providing some relief to the stressed thermal power sector which can now operate at higher capacities.
Presently, thermal power projects are operating at 58 per cent capacity, a senior government official said. Power demand had grown 3.7 per cent in January, turning around after five months of decline. The electricity demand stood at 1,05,289 megawatt (mw) in January as against 1,01,570 mw in December 2019. According to the data available with Central Electricity Authority, the demand was also 3.5 per cent higher than the 1,01,713 mw in January 2019. In February so far, demand was 15–20 gigawatt (gw) higher than peak-hour demand for the same period last year. During April-January period of the current financial year, the power demand was 10.7 per cent higher than in the same period last fiscal year.
Vistara ties up with Nelco, Panasonic arm to start in-flight broadband services. Tata Group’s airline carrier Vistara announced its partnership with Nelco (another firm belonging to the Tata Group) and Panasonic Avionics to provide in-flight broadband in its flights from next month.
According to the company, the airline intends to offer broadband services on certain international routes by March-end after inducting Dreamliners and Airbus 321 planes. Vistara would also be the first domestic carrier to provide in-flight broadband for passengers. “We have ordered Dreamliners and A321 which will be delivered by March-end. We will start their commercial operations on international routes by April with in-flight services on-board. In the next two weeks, we will sit with Nelco and Panasonic to decide on the price (tariffs),” said Mr Vinod Kannan, Chief Strategy Officer, Vistara.
Union Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar unveils India/Bharat 2020. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar today unveiled Annual Reference India/Bharat 2020.
Speaking on the occasion the Minister said, “the book is a complete reference manual for all people including those appearing for competitive examinations.” The Minister congratulated Publications Division for coming out with this publication. He said the book has become a tradition and is becoming popular by the day. Shri Javadekar also released the e-version of the publication during the occasion. The e-version can be accessed on a variety of devices such as tablets, computers, e-readers and smart phones. The book will be priced at Rs 300 (US$ 4.29) and the e-book will be available at Rs 225 (US$ 3.21). The books can also be brought from Amazon and Google Play Store.
The function was attended by Shri Ravi Mittal, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and other senior officers of the Ministry. KALA KUMBH - Handicrafts Exhibitions for promotion of GI Crafts. With an objective to promote Geographical Indication (GI) crafts and heritage of India the Ministry of Textiles is organising Kala Kumbh - Handicrafts Thematic Exhibition in various parts of the country through the Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts).
The exhibitions are planned in various major cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. The exhibitions sponsored by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) started on 14th February 2020 and will continue till 23rd February 2020 at Bengaluru and Mumbai and will also be organized in Kolkata and Chennai in March 2020. The GI tag is used on handicrafts which correspond to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). As on August 2019, 178 GI handicraft products were registered from all over India. The artisans are the backbone of Indian handicraft sector and possess inherent skill, technical and traditional craftsmanship. India's leapfrog strategy from BS-IV to BS-VI. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued a draft notification of Bharat Stage (BS) VI emission standards in 2016 for all major on-road vehicle categories in India.
The standards will be applied to light and heavy vehicles, as well as two and three wheeled vehicles. As per the notification, the standards will go into effect for the vehicles manufactured on or after April 1, 2020. The draft proposal specified mass emission standards, type approval requirements, and on-board diagnostic (OBD) system and durability levels for each vehicle category. The proposed BS-VI standards have wide applicable scope and include substantial changes to existing emission standards - Bharat Stage III and IV.
Shri Nitin Gadkari Flags off Apiary on Wheels. ‘Apiary on Wheels’, a unique concept designed by KVIC for the easy upkeep and migration of Bee Boxes having live Bee colonies, was flagged off today by the Union Minister of MSME Shri Nitin Gadkari in Delhi, in the presence of Shri V.K.
Saxena, Chairman KVIC. Congratulating the Chairman KVIC, Shri Nitin Gadkari said, “Bee Keeping looks easy but has many intricate difficulties which only a beekeeper would understand. Apiary on Wheels will make the migration easy; the maintenance easy, easy feeding of bees and it will also help the bees to sustain even in extreme summers.” Aligned with the vision of Prime Minister, KVIC launched Honey Mission in 2017 and has been training beekeepers, distributing Bee Boxes and helping rural, educated but unemployed youth to earn extra income through beekeeping activities, at their doorstep. Panasonic India makes its big bet on connected devices. Panasonic India expects to close the current fiscal ending March 2020, with gross revenues of Rs 12,000 crore (US$ 1.72 billion) on the back of six per cent growth, regardless of challenging macro-economic conditions.
The Japanese major recently announced one of its “most ambitious projects” by foraying into the connected devices space, with the launch of its IoT and AI-enabled platform Miraie. The platform launch is backed with the launch of connected inverter air-conditioners, smart doorbells and plugs and switches. Mr Manish Sharma, President & CEO, Panasonic India and South East Asia, said, “In financial year 2020-21, we expect nearly 25 per cent of our total consumer appliances revenues to come from our range of connected devices.”
The company plans to expand the connected devices range to smart refrigerators and washing machines, besides geysers, fans and televisions in the coming months to provide the full range of Connected Living Solutions. FASTag to be available free of charge for 15 days. Infosys to buy US-based Salesforce partner Simplus. Infosys has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Simplus, a Salesforce Platinum Partner in the USA and Australia, for about US$ 200 million in cash, in order to accelerate its enterprise cloud capabilities. Moreover, employee incentives and retention payments amounting of up to US$ 50 million are there for meeting certain performance conditions over three years. The acquisition will be done through its wholly owned subsidiary Infosys Nova Holdings and the deal is expected to close during the fourth quarter of FY20, according to the Infosys regulatory filing.
The intent is to enhance company’s position as an end-to-end Salesforce enterprise cloud solutions and services provider, offering clients capabilities for cloud-first digital transformation through this acquisition, along with the acquisition of Fluido announced in September 2018. The company has offices across North America, Sydney, Melbourne, London, and a large delivery centre in Manila. Web Portal Launched for Star Rating of Mines in India. In order to promote green, safe and sustainable mining practices using technology as a tool, Ministry of Coal (MoC) has launched a web portal for star rating of coal mines. Union Minister for Coal & Mines Shri Pralhad Joshi launched this portal in New Delhi today which enables all operational coal mines across India for self-rating, their subsequent validation by Coal Controller’s Organization (CCO), further evaluation and finally award of star rating.
Based on the star ratings obtained through a well-defined mechanism on this web portal, the highest scoring mines in the country will be awarded in a public ceremony. Besides, all the mines will be given an official certificate by the CCO mentioning their star rating and the particular reporting year. Cipla acquires 4 nutrition brands from Wanbury. Cipla, an Indian pharmaceutical firm, announced the acquisition of nutrition products portfolio from Wanbury Ltd. In order to strengthen its portfolio is women's health segment, the company has acquired four brands namely CPink, CDense, Productiv and Folinine. According to the Cipla regulatory filing, these nutraceutical products will be sold under the four umbrella brands, covering various health needs for conditions arising due to nutritional deficiencies or insufficiencies. This consist of supplements such as multivitamins, multimineral and antioxidants for adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, women going through menopause and for male and female reproductive health, it added.
It further added that through this newly acquired portfolio, the company shall be catering to a wide range of patient's needs including nutritional deficiencies, bone health and sexual health. Television Industry in India. Consumption of Petroleum Products in 2018-19 was 213.2 MMT. The consumption of petroleum products in the year 2018-19 was 213.2 MMT. The percentage of Import Dependency on Oil based on consumption of petroleum products during the 2018-19 was about 83.8 per cent. Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Limited (ISPRL), a Government of India Special Purpose Vehicle, has established Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) facilities with total capacity of 5.33 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) at 3 locations, namely (i) Vishakhapatnam, (ii) Mangaluru and (iii) Padur.
As per the consumption pattern of 2017-18, the total capacity is estimated to provide for about 9.5 days of crude oil requirement. APEDA organizes first ever awareness programme on Agri Exports in A&N Island. An awareness programme was organized by Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Government of India along with the Directorate of Industries of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (A&N Islands) in Port Blair on 31st January, 2020 to examine ways to promote the exports of agri products and implementation of the Agri Export Policy in the Islands.
APEDA has facilitated in developing the draft state Agri Export action plan, which is now being finalized. The Union Territory of A&N Islands has designated department of agriculture as the State nodal agency and deputed Joint Director Department of Agriculture as nodal officer for implementation of the Agri Export Policy in a focused manner. The programme held at Port Blair last week was attended by around 100 participants including concerned Government agencies and some exporters from other States. APEDA-CFTRI Sign MoU for Liason Office in Guwahati. Economic Survey 2019-20. Union Budget 2020-21. Shri Nitin Gadkari Launches Special Edition of Khadi Watches. On the occasion of Martyrs' Day, paying tribute on the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Union Minister for MSME, Shri Nitin Gadkari, launched the limited edition of Khadi wrist watches in New Delhi today. BattRE launches internet-connected e-scooter in India.
BattRE Electric Mobility, a Jaipur-based startup, has announced the launch of an e-scooter, priced at Rs 79,999 (US$ 1,144.64). Cargo traffic at non-major ports grew 4.8 per cent to 447.21 MT in Apr-Dec. Force Motors plans Rs 600-crore capex to develop two new models. Force Motors, which is the market leader in inter-city commuter vans, plans to invest Rs 600 crore (US$ 85.85 million) in order to develop two new models over the next two years. By the end of the year, company plans to launch these proposed new models in the shared mobility space from its soon-to-be-launched premium platform, under the code-name T1N, which is an export-focused premium van developed with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore (US$ 143.08 million).
Godrej Appliances forays into air-cooler segment. Godrej Appliances plans to enter into the air-cooler segment, in line with its strategy to expand its cooling product portfolio and expand the brands' penetration in smaller towns and rural region. Japan's NTT to invest estimated US$ 1.5 billion in data centres in India. Launch of Paperless Licensing for Petroleum Service Stations. Kia Motors eyes full capacity utilisation in India with slew of new models. IndianOil, OIL tie up for CO2-assisted enhanced oil recovery. Eastern Group to enter affordable housing. 31 start-ups picked for maiden T-Angel investment programme. ICSI to open 10 international offices next year. ISRO announces Chandrayaan-3 mission. HAL, Wipro 3D sign MoU for metal 3D printing adoption in aerospace. HAL, a Bengaluru-based aerospace & Defence company and Wipro 3D, the metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) business of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to design, develop, prove out, manufacture and repair of aerospace components by using metal additive technology.
MoU also emphasizes the development, prove out and application of new material which will use in metal additive technology. This initiative will focus on MRO along with the development, prove out and production of aerospace applications by using metal additive technology. 14 scientists awarded Swarna Jayanti Fellowships for 2018-19. Ministry of Commerce and Industry Seeks to Promote India-Africa Trade. Rabi Crops Sowing area increases by 35.9 Lakh Hectare. Adani Ports acquires 40.25 per cent stake in Snowman Logistics. Reforms by boiler division for EoDB. Prime Minister Launches Atal Bhujal Yojana. L&T Technology Services bags multi-million-dollar project in Europe. STT GDC India inaugurates its 15th data centre in Bengaluru. Indian sugar exports poised to hit record 5 million tonnes this year. Cipla acquires brand, trademark for anti-diabetic drug Vysov in India. MG Motor bullish on India, to invest Rs 3,000 crore more. Star Labelling Programme for "Solar Water Heater" Launched.
Per Capita Steel Consumption in the Country. Walmart Inc launches supplier development programme in India. Government has introduced 33 tranches of Sovereign Gold Bonds. Promotion of AYUSH in Rural Areas. Setting up of Jute Manufacturing Unit to promote Jute. Wipro acquires South African personal care company. Apollo Tyres enters Saudi Arabia through tie-up with Al Jomaih Tyres.
India conducts 1st night trial of nuclear capable Agni-III missile. ONGC raises US$ 300 million under ECB route. Coal production in India up by 164.58 MT in 5 years. ICAI sign MoU with Kuwait auditors and accountant's association. IKEA to open three stores in Mumbai, recruit 1,000 people. NephroPlus gets Rs 323-crore funding from Bahrain's Investcorp.
Paytm raises a billion dollars at a valuation of US$ 16 billion, plans expansion. Cochin Port introduces chopper rides for cruise tourists. IFA Fund invests US$ 4 million in Telluris Biotech India. OneLife raises Rs 5 crore in Pre-Series A Funding. Tata Motors to supply 500 EVs to Lithium Urban Tech. TAJ opens new hotel in Tirupati. MELPL- Visionary Indo - French Collaboration (Largest FDI Project of Railways) Sachin Bansal puts Rs 888 crore in investment vehicle, renames it Navi Tech. MMTC Revenue from exports increased by 384% Amazon launches 'Project Zero' in India to block counterfeit goods. PVR Cinemas opens its first international property in Sri Lanka. India's service excellence to be showcased in GES 2019. India's service excellence to be showcased in GES 2019. India's service excellence to be showcased in GES 2019.
GeM Partners with Central Bank of India for Payment Related Services. Khadi gets separate unique HS code, export to get a boost. Indian Tourism Industry: An Insight. Xiaomi largest exclusive brand network in India's offline market: Study. Aditya Birla Group celebrates 50 years in Thailand. PepsiCo India wins US award for saving more than 17 billion litres of water. Indian Oil to open retail outlets in Saudi Arabia in JV with Al Jeri. India's marine exports to China heading for US$ 1 billion mark. NPCI expects UPI user base to expand to 500 million in next 3 years.
NPCI expects UPI user base to expand to 500 million in next 3 years. Indo-French Joint Exercise Shakti-2019. Techfin firm Crediwatch raises Rs 23 crore Series A funding. India 4th largest market for smartwater: Coca-Cola. PM exhorts film fraternity to work towards nation building. NITI Aayog launches India Innovation Index 2019. SEPC Launches India IP Guide at Cannes in MIPCOM 2019. Over 50 Lakh Benefit under Ayushman Bharat. KVIC bags fresh order worth Rs 5.88 crore from GAIL.
Growth of Quick Service Restaurant Industry in India. PUMA opens first interactive retail store in India. Rising mobile services market of India. Global solution provider, design industry, er&d industry, Engineering and research and development. Hospitality sector in India, hospitality industry, hotel industry in india, tourism industry in india. After FB, Netflix, more US tech giants turn to India for new apps release.
Joint inauguration of Metro Express and ENT hospital in Mauritius. NoBroker.com raises Rs 350 crore in Series-D funding led by Tiger Global. Indian Railways to get its first waste-to-energy conversion unit.