Archives May 2023

India, May 13, 2023: Equitas Small Finance Bank, one of the leading SFBs in India, is celebrating Mother’s Day by sharing the inspiring story of Revathi, a mother who overcame numerous challenges to create a better life for her and her mute daughter.

In the heartwarming video from the ‘Circle of Life’ series, Revathi’s journey of resilience and determination is portrayed. After being abandoned by her husband, Revathi found herself and her daughter on the streets without proper food or shelter. Equitas stepped in and provided her with a home and a job that paid Rs. 5,000 per month. With the bank’s help, she learned tailoring and started her own business to provide for her family. Furthermore, despite being told that her daughter was not fit for school, Revathi was determined to give her daughter a better life and education. Today, her daughter is going to school, learning new things and receiving multiple awards and recognitions for her excellence.

Commenting on the release of the video, Vignesh Murali, Senior Vice President & Head – Marketing, Equitas SFB said, “Our ‘Circle of Life’ series signifies a way of giving back to the society and showcases the lives of people like Revathi and Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the strength, resilience, and love of all mothers like her. We are proud to share the inspiring story of Revathi, a mother who never gave up on her dreams and fought against all odds to create a better life for her family. Her story is a reminder that mothers are the true champions of our society, and we must celebrate and honor them every day.”

Equitas Small Finance Bank’s ‘Circle of Life’ series features inspiring stories of bravery, sacrifice, and compassion, which the bank aims to share with a wider audience to inspire and give hope. The bank is committed to creating a sustainable tomorrow for India together, and supporting mothers like Revathi is one of the ways it is working towards achieving this goal.

Watch the inspiring story of Revathi creating an identity while facing the harsh comments of naysayers. The video is available on the social media platforms of Equitas Small Finance Bank.

India, 13th May 2023: India’s leading innovation ecosystem, T-Hub, has announced a collaboration with Collins Aerospace, a leader in the aerospace and defense industry. The collaboration is part of the Powered by Collins initiative, which aims to foster technology innovation with Deep Tech small- to medium-sized enterprises. As part of the collaboration, T-Hub has been named the inaugural Activation Site, a designation given annually by the program for a leading global startup accelerator to support outreach and engagement within a targeted ecosystem.

Through this initiative, world-class startups and scaleups will benefit from funding and collaboration opportunities with Collins Aerospace and T-Hub’s expertise as the world’s largest innovation campus to drive the project’s objective. The goal is to create and field new products and services by combining Collins’ expertise with the innovative solutions of startups.

T-Hub will assist in outreach to top global startups and scaleups with expertise in the four open Collaboration Opportunities: Extravehicular Space Mobility, High-Performance Batteries, Autonomy for Small UAS, and Composites Recycling. Shortlisted companies will be invited to a Collaboration Day with program leadership from Collins, which could result in funding to execute a rapid proof-of-concept project with one of the Collins Aerospace program teams.

Mahankali Srinivas Rao (MSR), CEO, T-Hub stated “We are excited to collaborate with Collins Aerospace to drive innovation in the aerospace industry. This initiative presents an excellent opportunity for Indian startups to work alongside an industry leader and showcase their capabilities. It is a testimony to the talent and potential of Indian startups, and we are committed to sourcing the best startups to participate in this initiative.”

“T-Hub was a natural choice to be the inaugural Activation Site for our Powered by Collins initiative,” said Mary Lombardo, Vice President, Advanced Technology for Collins Aerospace. “Their proven track record of supporting the rapidly growing startup ecosystem in India and the Asia Pacific region fully aligned with our mission of identifying advanced technologies and solutions with direct applicability to Collins’ products and customers. As we expand our engagement with Deep Tech innovators, we look forward to T-Hub serving a continuing role in that outreach.”

T-Hub is dedicated to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, and this collaboration with Collins Aerospace is an excellent opportunity for Indian startups to showcase their capabilities and contribute to the future of aerospace technology.

Shriram Housing Finance Limited (SHFL), a leading affordable housing finance company, marked Mother’s Day by offering a 50% waiver on processing fees for home loans for mothers. The special offer is available to our potential customers who apply for the Home Loan via our Direct2Customer app – SHFL ACE which is available on the android platform. The special offer aims to make home loans from SHFL more accessible to women, especially mothers.

Commenting on the launch of the home loan special offer for mothers, Ravi Subramanian, MD & CEO, Shriram Housing Finance said, “We are pleased to announce this special home loan processing fee waiver scheme for mothers on the occasion of Mother’s Day for the entire month of May. It’s a tribute to the mothers who efficiently balance various responsibilities and their role in nurturing and shaping lives. This initiative is a part of our commitment to empowering women to invest in their dream homes and secure their family’s futures. We hope to see more mothers availing of our special home loan scheme.”

This initiative is part of SHFL’s ongoing efforts to provide affordable and accessible housing finance solutions to its customers, especially women who have a strong credit track record. Currently, the company has close to 2000 loans outstanding amounting to around 5% of the loan book worth of loans taken by self-employed mother-son or mother-daughter duos. The company has a strong presence in the self-employed segment across tier 3 and beyond regions and a wide range of home loan products. SHFL is committed to helping every Indian family realize their dream of owning a home.

“At SHFL, we are committed to making homeownership accessible and affordable for everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances. This scheme is a small step towards achieving that goal,” added Mr. Subramanian.

Star Sports, the official television broadcaster of the TATA IPL 2023, is showcasing the highly anticipated ‘Rivalry Week’, from 6th to 13th May 2023. We are entering the final day of the Rivalry Week, which lived up to the hype. It has delivered some of the most intense and exciting matches between the greatest rivals in the history of TATA IPL.

Fans are also getting to witness the rivalry between teams from different regions of the country, thus adding up to some more spice. The final match of the Rivalry Week will be between two teams from the West of India i.e. Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans.

Most of the teams are still within reach of the playoffs spot, making this edition one of the most closely fought contests in the 15 years of the tournament. The rivalry week kick-started on May 6th with one of the ‘Greatest Rivalries’ of TATA IPL and will culminate with a high-profile battle between five-time champions and defending champions.

Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri reckons it will be an emotional homecoming for Gujarat Titans’ skipper Hardik Pandya who achieved stardom playing at Wankhede but defeating Mumbai Indians here is always tough for visiting teams.

Speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Live, Ravi Shastri said, “Hardik’s homecoming will be emotional. He will play a crucial match against the team at the ground where he rose to stardom. Hardik would like to prove a lot by leading his team to victory. This match will be really interesting as it will not be easy for GT to beat MI at their home and then MI would like to equalize the defeat in Ahmedabad and take a strong step towards the playoffs.”

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh cautioned Mumbai Indians to bring their A-Game against a strong Gujarat side which looks pretty balanced and a superior bowling attack.

Speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Live, Harbhajan Singh said, “MI will have to bring their A-Game against GT because the latter’s bowling lineup is very strong. GT has Rashid, Shami and other quality bowlers. Mumbai’s bowling attack, on the other hand, is weaker and they are leaking 200-plus runs. Yes, MI have chased down three consecutive 200-plus totals, but the law of averages might catch up. Also, toss is going to be very crucial in that game, if MI lose the toss, it will be tough.”

Former India cricketer S Sreesanth believes the match between the two heavyweights will be interesting but commended the way Gujarat Titans management is taking care of the players.

Speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Live, S Sreesanth said, “This match between MI and GT will be very exciting. MI are playing at Wankhede. They will enter this match on the back of a big win. Hardik, on the other hand, is captaining GT brilliantly. Also, the team management of GT puts the team on the field with very good preparation. This team lives in a family ecosystem and it is easy to win in this situation.”

Kajal Chauhan, the talented actress from the popular TV show on ‘Star Bharat’ recently shared a heartwarming bond with her co-star from “Meri Saas Bhoot Hai”, Sushmita Mukherjee. Despite playing the roles of a Saas-Bahu duo on the show, the offscreen relationship between the two is nothing short of a mother-daughter bond.

Kajal expressed her admiration for Sushmita and talked about the motherly love and care that Sushmita Mukherjee showers upon her and everyone on the sets. Kajal said, “Although we play Saas-Bahu on screen, but Sushmita Ji is like a mother to me. She takes care of me and always guides me whenever it’s needed. In fact, she considers each and every one on set as her child and treats them the same way. Her aura and her presence automatically fill up the set with good energy. I really adore and get inspired by her.”

As Mother’s Day is around the corner, Kajal took this opportunity to extend her heartfelt wishes to Sushmita, saying “And I really want to take this opportunity of wishing her a Happy Mother’s Day for being a motherly figure for me on sets and treating me like her own daughter.” Kajal also recently shared a picture on her Instagram with the caption Saasu ‘Maa’ with a heart.

Kajal and Sushmita’s beautiful offscreen relationship are a testament to the strong bond that actors can share beyond their roles. We wish the two actresses a very happy Mother’s Day.

India, 13th May 2023: Zee 234 TAAS, one of the leading Marathi news channels of Maharashtra, successfully hosted its first edition of Maharashtra Infra Conclave in Mumbai. The Conclave concluded with a commitment towards addressing the issue of solving potholes issue, boosting employment opportunities through upskilling, use of digital technologies for social and economic development, promoting tourism, the need for sustainable investments, etc.

The Maharashtra Infra Conclave 2023 inaugural edition was graced by Government dignitaries like Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, Shri Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of Tourism & Skill Development, Govt. of Maharashtra, Shri Uday Samant, Minister of Industries, Govt. of Maharashtra, Shri Ravindra Chavan, Minister of Public Works (Excluding Public Undertakings), Govt. of Maharashtra and many other prominent policymakers.

Shri. Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Government of India said, “In the next 5 years, India is expected to be the No.1 manufacturing hub of automobiles in the world. India has the potential to be one of the leaders in the world in the field of automobiles in the coming years. We will soon provide water taxi facilities/services between Mumbai and the suburban region of the city.”

Shri Ravindra Chavan, Minister of Public Works (Excluding Public Undertakings), Govt. of Maharashtra

further highlighted “We are launching a new app for the common people where one use the GPS facility and share the details of the potholes on any roads and within 72 hours of this complaint the potholes will be filled.”

Shri. Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of Tourism & Skill Development, Govt. of Maharashtra, discussed the roadmap to boost upskilling, and employment opportunities by investing 4000 Crore to upgrade the ITI’s in Maharashtra and the goal of this Institution will be to modernize the workforce and provide a competing workforce against the engineering talent.

Shri. Uday Samant, Minister of Industries, Govt. of Maharashtra said “1 lakh 37 thousand crore project MOU has been signed for the Maharashtra State in DAVOS earlier this year. The state government has allotted space to the projects worth 57 thousand crores till now and for 47 thousand crores the project space is estimated to be given in the coming days. We are also working on a special act that will be introduced for the growth of industry in the state and under this act Every industrialist will get the necessary Permissions within 30 days.”

Speaking about the success of the Maharashtra Infrastructure Conclave, Abhay Ojha, Chief Executive Officer, of Zee Media Corporation Limited, highlighted, “It gives our team immense joy to witness the success of the inaugural edition of this conclave. This further encourages us to continue building a public forum that encourages such in-depth discussions on the latest developments in policy in infrastructure, upskilling, employment and tourism”

Dr. Nilesh Khare, Editor, Zee 24 TAAS, further added, “Through Zee 24 TAAS’ Maharashtra Maharashtra Infrastructure Conclave, Govt. dignitaries were able to reveal the challenges faced by the state and also articulate how Infra-development projects can enable a better standard of living for the people of Maharashtra. Zee 24 TAAS will continue to take a stand strong, supporting the Maharashtra official bodies who envision a brighter future in terms of social and economic development.”

Zee24 TAAS Maharashtra Infra Conclave 2023 was Powered by Varad Property Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Energy Partner- Mahagenco, Environment Partner – Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Tourism Partner – Directorate Of Maharashtra Tourism, Associate Partners – Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, Sanjay Ghodawat University, Sudhan Gold Loan, Rajyog Paints, Nyati Group, Profitwala.com by RRA & Mascot Infra – Projects LLP

Zee Media Corporation Ltd, one of India’s leading media and entertainment companies, has a strong presence in the news and regional entertainment genres, with 13 news channels in seven different languages, reaching more than 528+ million viewers through its linear and digital properties.

13th May, 2023: UnitedSMEs in association with Synersoft Technologies recently hosted a highly informative webinar on Thursday, 11th May 2023, aimed at assisting MSME Owners in transforming their innovative ideas into tangible results. The event focused on introducing MSME Buddy, a senior and highly qualified management professional, who can effectively collaborate with MSME Owners to overcome execution challenges. With its comprehensive agenda, the webinar highlighted the significance of MSME Buddy’s expertise in addressing key areas such as Organization Development, Business Development, and Digital Transformation.

Throughout the webinar, esteemed speakers shed light on the specific challenges faced by MSME owners in running their businesses. The webinar emphasized how MSME Buddy serves as a valuable ally, helping MSME Owners achieve critical objectives and surpass hurdles related to organizational growth and innovation. In the webinar, the speakers delved into the challenges associated with organization structure, role definition, KPI/KRA quantification, soft skill development, and performance appraisal systems. They showcased how MSME Buddy’s guidance can lead to the creation of clear deliverables in these areas. Attendees also learned how MSME Buddy can redefine business development strategies through essential components like basic market research, identification of product-market gaps, target definition, assessment and training for sales teams, and hands-on reporting with insightful Management Information Systems (MIS). The speakers as well explored the critical role of MSME Buddy in facilitating seamless communication and implementation between users and software vendors. They emphasized the importance of selecting and implementing software solutions such as ERP and CRM, accompanied by comprehensive process documentation and effective change management.

Jay Desai, Founder of White Lotus Consultants, expressed his enthusiasm about the webinar, saying, “We are thrilled to have partnered with UnitedSMEs and Synersoft Technologies to bring this impactful webinar to MSME Owners. We understand the immense potential and creative ideas that MSMEs possess, and through MSME Buddy, we aim to bridge the gap between ideas and execution, empowering MSMEs to achieve their business objectives.”

Vishal Shah, CEO and Co-founder of Synersoft Technologies, added, “At Synersoft Technologies, we believe in the power of collaboration and knowledge-sharing. This webinar provided an excellent platform to showcase the expertise of MSME Buddy and how they can assist MSME Owners in overcoming challenges and driving growth. We are delighted to have been part of this enlightening event. By introducing MSME Buddy, we aim to equip MSME Owners with a reliable partner who possesses the expertise and qualifications needed to execute their ideas successfully. This webinar served as a valuable resource for MSMEs seeking to overcome execution challenges and drive sustainable growth.”

New Delhi, 13 May 2023: SM Toys, the world’s largest manufacturer of small toys, is proud to announce its commitment to women’s empowerment and welfare by employing women in its packaging division. By offering sustainable job opportunities, SM Toys aims to support these women in their journey towards financial independence and self-sufficiency. More than 300 women benefit from this employment and earn INR 7,000 – INR 10,000 per month.

Recognising the importance of gender equality and economic empowerment, SM Toys has implemented a unique initiative to empower women between the ages of 24 years to 45 years of age by employing them in the packaging of small toys. The initiative aims to provide fair wages, a safe working environment, and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

As part of this program, women working around the manufacturing unit in Palda, Indore are enabled to provide for themselves and their families, contribute to household expenses, and enhance their overall quality of life.

Talking about the initiative, Mr Gaurav Mirchandani, Founder & CEO, of SM Toys said, “We firmly believe in the power of economic empowerment and creating equal opportunities for women. By employing women in our packaging division, we not only ensure the highest standards of product quality but also create an environment that positively impacts their personal and professional growth. We are committed to providing fair wages, job security, and a supportive workplace culture to empower these women in their pursuit of financial independence.”

SM Toys is excited about the impact this initiative will have on the lives of the women involved, their families, and the broader community. The company remains dedicated to fostering social responsibility and creating meaningful change through its operations. The goal of the company is to employ 500 more women by the end of the current financial year.

Bangalore, May 13, 2023 – Today at its flagship global conference, Relate, Zendesk, Inc. introduced Zendesk AI, an intelligence layer that makes personalized, efficient and more empathetic customer experiences (CX) accessible for all companies. The new offering combines decades of Zendesk’s unique data and insights with new AI technologies, including the company’s proprietary models, as well as large language models (LLMs).

Available today, Zendesk AI will help companies instantly improve service experiences, save time, better understand their customers, and create seamless interactions. The solution continues to learn over time, is fast to deploy, easy to use, and immediately adds value without the need for large teams of developers or months of implementation time.

“More than 90% of our customers already use AI within Zendesk, and we are building on this great foundation with new solutions that any business can use immediately,” said Tom Eggemeier, CEO, Zendesk. “AI has significant benefits for agents, admins and businesses that want to deliver the best customer experience, and Zendesk AI will help them instantly see tangible value in cost savings and thousands of hours a month in gained productivity.”

New Advanced AI adds value from day one

According to the 2023 Zendesk CX Trends Report, customers have high expectations for AI; however, business leaders said their organizations have yet to achieve cost savings and improved efficiency. Zendesk AI allows companies to instantly infuse intelligence into every part of the service experience, resulting in smarter conversations that quickly resolve issues.

Built on the world’s largest CX-specific dataset, Zendesk AI continuously learns from every customer interaction and allows companies to better assist customers. By eliminating the work of manually assigning and routing inquiries, leaders can free up team capacity and reduce operating expenses. Additionally, by automatically solving more customer queries (especially during periods of high demand), businesses are in a better position to contain costs.

New capabilities announced today include*:

Advanced bots: Enhanced, pre-trained bots for messaging and email automatically solve issues and leverage the most extensive database of customer intents for more personalized, industry-specific and accurate responses.

Agent assistance: AI-powered insights and suggestions improve agent productivity by allowing agents to quickly solve customer issues and use AI-generated content to respond faster, with proper context.

Intelligent triage: Uses intent detection, language detection, and sentiment analysis to create powerful intelligent workflows that get smarter over time, classify incoming customer requests and allow teams to power workflows based on these insights.

In addition, Zendesk recently announced a partnership with OpenAI and today, unveiled new features that leverage the power of generative AI. This includes response rephrasing and tone shift, which helps agents craft clearer and thoughtful responses to customers. These updates save substantive time and effort for agents.

“While running and scaling a successful CX team is complex, using AI should be simple,” said Cristina Fonseca, Head of AI, Zendesk. “With Zendesk AI, our proprietary models are specifically trained for CX and designed to immediately deliver actionable customer insights. These foundational features are key to improving customer service quality and agent efficiency, with potential to be even more powerful when combined with LLMs.”

Trust and security is imperative to building responsible AI and safeguarding other critical CX features. Zendesk is also launching Advanced Data Protection** that is designed to help companies with more advanced security needs adapt to compliance regulations with additional functionality.

To hear more about the company’s vision for intelligent CX visit the Zendesk Newsroom.

*Advanced AI requires a Suite Professional plan or higher. AI-powered capabilities for agents require Zendesk Agent Workspace.

**Advanced Data Protection will be available for Enterprise and Enterprise plus customers next quarter, more information coming in June.

Bangalore, 13th May 2023: YES Securities, a leading financial services company, is thrilled to announce its Mother’s Day campaign, dedicated to honouring the incredible role of mothers as the biggest investors in our lives. The campaign aims to highlight the exceptional qualities of moms across its social media platforms through a series of engaging initiatives that capture the essence of their investment in us.

Phase one of the campaign is a teaser video featuring a collection of powerful adjectives, such as patient, forward-thinking, strategic, smart, resilient, etc., to define the indomitable spirit of mothers. This video serves as a heartfelt tribute, recognising the immense resilience exhibited by mothers in their relentless pursuit of nurturing and empowering their children.

As Mother’s Day approaches, YES Securities will also share inspiring stories on social media that showcase how mothers have served as remarkable investors in various aspects of their children’s lives.

“Motherhood is an extraordinary investment, and we are thrilled to celebrate Mother’s Day by recognising mothers as the biggest investors in our lives. Mothers possess an unparalleled ability to invest their love, time, and wisdom, shaping our lives and futures in profound ways. Through this campaign, we express our deepest gratitude and admiration for the remarkable role of mothers, who drive our growth and accomplishments.” said Mr Amit Bhandare, Head- Marketing, YES Securities.

The Mother’s Day campaign by YES Securities continues last year’s WizeMumpedia. This year, the aim is to inspire individuals to reflect on their mothers’ immeasurable impact on their growth and achievements. The campaign aims to reach around 30,000+ investors across social media platforms. It further encourages people to share their stories and messages of appreciation for their mothers using the hashtag #WizeMum and #WizeMumpedia fostering a sense of community and celebration.