All posts by Neel Achary

Mumbai(S.N): Gallabox, a conversational commerce platform that helps Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) increase their sales through WhatsApp reported phenomenal growth in the last 6 months. Gallabox is being used by over 1,000 organizations in various sectors such as travel, education, healthcare, product commerce, and real estate. Gallabox’s customers include companies such as Pickyourtrail, GoIreland, Vakilsearch, ZuPay, KauveryMeds, NxtWave, ShipRocket, and Illusion Aligners. The company is currently operational in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata and plans to expand to tier-2 cities by the end of 2023. Gallabox has customers from over 20 countries apart from India and is focused on expanding to Brazil, Middle East, and APAC in the next 6 months.

Gallabox enables businesses to interact with their customers instantly on WhatsApp, understand their requirements and offer a collaborative experience. The multi-agent team inbox and campaign features are layered with a sophisticated but simple-to-use, no-code bot, thereby marrying the ease of messaging with the power of automation. The company has recently introduced several game-changing features, including WhatsApp Drip Campaigns, WhatsApp Marketing Automation, a No-Code WhatsApp Bot Builder, and WhatsApp Catalog & Orders. It is also currently beta testing WhatsApp Payments, which is sure to make a deep impact for businesses looking to streamline their payment processes. In addition to its new features, Gallabox has also introduced several new tools to help businesses streamline their customer engagement efforts. These include WhatsApp Reminders, a WhatsApp Widget, a QR Code Generator, and a WhatsApp Link Generator. These tools are designed to make it easier than ever for businesses to engage with customers on WhatsApp, driving increased engagement and sales.

Founded by Karthik Jagannathan, Yogesh Narayanan & Yathin Panchanathan, Gallabox empowers SMBs to manage their sales conversions on WhatsApp, putting an end to poor conversions and broken customer experience using legacy tools. The no-code conversational commerce platform leverages WhatsApp Business API to help SMBs improve their sales conversions and offer a full mobile experience to their customers without the need for a mobile app.

India is home to 75 million SMBs with 20 million of them digitally influenced, according to a report by Zinnov. With more than two billion users on WhatsApp and more than 500 million in India alone, coupled with SMS becoming increasingly spam-prone, businesses are fast discovering WhatsApp to be the best way to connect with their customers. While enterprises have the resources to build interactive tools to communicate and transact with their customers on WhatsApp, small & medium-sized businesses do not have the budget or skill sets to build these sophisticated tools. Gallabox makes it easy for such businesses to be up and running in a matter of minutes and leverage a pre-built library of templates to deliver a world-class experience to clients, turning customer conversations into sales.

Supporting Quotes

Karthik Jagannathan, CEO & Co-founder, Gallabox

“Small and mid-sized companies face challenges in converting prospects into customers using traditional tools like SMS, email, and call centers. Sophisticated conversation commerce tools used by larger companies can improve conversion rates, but they are too expensive or complex for smaller businesses to build. In our mission to ‘democratize’ such tools, Gallabox leverages WhatsApp to help fast-growing businesses overcome these obstacles and experience rapid growth in their sales. Our endeavor is to ensure such tools are made available to businesses at an affordable cost and are a delight to use.”

Ilaya Bharathi, Founder, GoIreland

“Ever since we started using Gallabox, the conversation rate for whatsapp has increased by nearly 20%. It has helped us interact with customers at a faster pace which in turn helps in lead generation. We are now able to interact with students quickly and efficiently without any hassle.”

Chennai, 01 May 2023 Dettol Banega Swasth India (DBSI) launched hygiene focused Tamil music album- ‘Folk Music for a Swasth India’ in collaboration with Hindu Tamil Thisai and Gramalaya in Chennai. Composed by James Vasanthan, the album has 5 songs and will be available to Spotify users across the globe starting today.

The music album was launched by Thiru. Ma. Subramanian, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Sh. Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt- South Asia, Shankar V Subramaniam, Chief Operating Officer, Hindu Tamil Thisai, James Vasanthan, Music Composer, Hygiene Music Album, Padma Shri Sai Damodaran, Founder & CEO Gramalaya in the presence of students, teachers, doctors, and parents.

With an aim to encourage a healthy self-care hygiene routine among children, the Tamil Hygiene Music Album has been created emphasizing the best hygiene habits through folk music of Tamil Nadu. The song, ‘Let’s make Tamil Nadu healthy’ is sung by Asal Kolar, ‘Hygiene at School’ is sung by Velmurugan, ‘Hygiene at neighbourhood’ is sung by Antony Dasan, ‘Significance of Handwashing’ is sung by Isaivani and ‘Hygiene at Home’ is sung by Krishaang. Each song is composed to tunes that everyone can hum along to and the lyrics are meaningful. The composition is such that these songs will appeal to audiences across all age groups, including Gen Z and millennials. The songs focus on the key highlights from the Dettol School Hygiene Curriculum which are culturally adaptive.

Commenting on the launch, Thiru. Ma. Subramanian Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Tamil Nadu said, “Hindu Tamil Thisai and Dettol Banega Swasth India joined hands and produced an online series – ‘Sutham Sugatharam’ last year. The program sensitised thousands of students, teachers, and parents across Tamil Nadu on the importance of sustained hygiene behaviour for healthy living. In the prevailing situation, there is a need to stress the importance of hygiene behaviour to the people of Tamil Nadu. I sincerely believe that these songs in the hygiene music album will invoke and educate the masses on the significance of hygiene behaviour. My best wishes to everyone who have been a part of this initiative.”

Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, Reckitt South Asia said “Art and Music are powerful tools that can bring about massive societal change and move people to adapt good practices. We are looking at music as a medium to connect with audiences and effectively deliver social messages on health and hygiene. With the Tamil Hygiene Music Album, we are taking hygiene habits through folk music to the children of Tamil Nadu. In our endeavor to create a healthy country by bringing focus on self-care hygiene practices, this initiative is another step from Reckitt towards the mission of ‘Leave No One Behind’.”

Ravi Bhatnagar, Director- External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt- South Asia, said, “Music is one of the mediums that has the power to connect with audiences and deliver social messages effectively. With the growing popularity of folk music and the rich culture of Tamil Nadu, we believe this Tamil Hygiene Music Album is a great step towards our vision of bringing behavioral changes across the state. With Dettol Banega Swasth India, we are constantly on the lookout for unique opportunities and partnerships which can deliver impactful changes at the grassroot level to create a ‘Swasth India”

Dettol Banega Swasth India’s deep-rooted commitment to drive behaviour change by inculcating the right hygiene practices makes for an important narrative that has been brought through with this album. ‘Folk Music for a Swasth India’ produced by Dettol and composed by James Vasanthan, will reach listeners on Spotify globally, educating the younger generation on best health and hygiene practices rooted in art and heritage. Its uniquely curated songs focus on five key themes: Making Tamil Nadu Healthy, Significance of Handwashing, Hygiene at Home, Hygiene at School, Hygiene in Neighborhood. The lyrics of every song have been composed to emphasize significant messages from the Dettol School Hygiene Curriculum. It is thoughtfully organized with the intention to create hygiene nudges through folk music and build a deeper connection between health & hygiene in a fun way.

Padma Shri Sai Damodaran Founder & CEO Gramalaya said, “The Hygiene songs play an important role in educating the children and students studying in schools to learn good hygiene behaviours and motivate children to observe better hygiene practices. Children act as ambassadors of change to transform hehygiene messages to others through child-to-child approach. This will ensure long lasting behavioural changes among the communities in ensuring better health and environment. Dettol Banega Swasth India program inculcates good hygiene practices among the school students through its School Hygiene Education program in Tamil Nadu and South India.”

Shankar V Subramaniam Chief Operating Officer Hindu Tamil Thisai said, “Objective of Dettol Banega Swasth India is to build a healthy future generation of India with good hygiene habits. Towards that, several activities are being executed by DBSI to create awareness amongst children on the need to practice hygiene habits in their daily life, for it to become a way of healthy living. Hindu Tamil Thisai is happy to be associated with DBSI in this endeavor. This hygiene music album will definitely help in driving this message deeper among children and adults.”

James Vasanthan, Music Composer, Hygiene Music Album said, “India, which is a fast-developing nation, needs to pull up its socks on various fronts. Hygiene is, of course, one. Dettol Banega Swasth India, with its record of creating hygiene awareness among the masses up north, has now come down to the south with its effective media campaigns. The one releasing now in Tamil is a big leap that will take this land to the next level, where it already excels in primary health and hygiene.”

In March 2022, Dettol Banega Swasth India (DBSI) launched India’s first hygiene-focused music album- ‘Folk Music for a Swasth India’ in collaboration with renowned folk music band, Rais Khan Project. With this initiative, Dettol X Rais Khan Project, encouraged people to inculcate the best health and hygiene practices through folk art with a mission to create a ‘Swasth India’.

Dettol’s flagship Banega Swasth India program has been instrumental in creating awareness around hygiene and sanitation while empowering citizens with better health outcomes across the country. The campaign with its dedicated work in school education and nutrition interventions has improved the lives of more than 20 million school kids in India till date, continuing to drive behaviour change leading to a healthier India.

Jaipuria Institute of Management, Ghaziabad, hosted an International Conference on “Role of Sustainable Development Goals in Business and Economic Transformation” on 29th April 2023. The conference was a great success, with more than 100 researchers presenting their papers from across the globe.

The Chief Guest for the event was Mr. Rajiv Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Capital, who gave an inspiring speech on the importance of sustainable development in business and economic transformation. The Keynote Speaker was Prof. Tamar Almor, Dean of the Faculty of Business, The College of Management Academic Studies, Rishon LeZion, Israel, who shared valuable insights into the role of sustainable development goals in shaping the future of business and economy.

The theme address was delivered by Mr. Shishir Jaipuria, Chairman, Seth Anandram Jaipuria Education Society, who emphasized the need for businesses to embrace sustainable practices to ensure long-term success. He said, “Today, in view of the global challenges earmarked in SDGs, businesses are increasingly rethinking strategies, redefining their vision and adopting the practices and business behavior that are aligned with the new and emerging sustainability paradigm.”

Prof. (Dr) Daviender Narang, Director, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Ghaziabad, gave the welcome address, setting the tone for the conference. The conference comprised six technical sessions, where researchers presented their papers on various topics related to sustainable development goals and their impact on business and economic transformation. The conference provided an excellent platform for the exchange of ideas nd knowledge sharing among researchers, academicians, and industry experts. The conference concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr. Vinod Malhotra, Director Corporate Relations, Jaipuria Group of Educational Institutions, who expressed his gratitude to the dignitaries, participants, and sponsors for their support in making the conference a success. The International Conference on “Role of Sustainable Development Goals in Business and Economic Transformation” highlighted the importance of sustainable development in shaping the future of businesses and economies. The conference was a significant step towards creating awareness and promoting sustainable practices in businesses, and it is hoped that it will inspire businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable practices for a better future.
The conference was well organized by faculty members Dr. Ashwani Varshney, Dean (Students welfare), Dr. Ajay Tripathi, Associate Professor, Dr. Nidhi Mathur, Associate Professor, and Ms. Sanandi Sachdeva, Assistant Professor of Jaipuria Institute of Management, Ghaziabad.

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Welcome to the city of dreams, Mumbai, where many people come to fulfill their dreams and live their best life. Among them is Dr Pratik Rajan Mungekar, a shining star who has made a name for himself in the fields of education, research, arts, and social services across the country and the world.

Born into a typical Maharashtrian family in Mumbai, Pratik’s upbringing was not without struggles. His father Rajan Mungekar, a Kabaddi player and textile mill worker, had to leave his education to support his family and ensure his children’s education. Pratik’s mother, Mrs Manisha Mungekar, took on various jobs in small scale companies to help support the family’s financial needs while also nurturing and caring for her children’s education.

Despite the hardships, Pratik’s parents never gave up on their dream of giving their children a good education. They encouraged their children to learn and participate in various activities such as singing, playing instruments, dance, oratory, storytelling, painting, writing, poetry/verse reading, and competitions. The mother’s constant support and guidance helped shape Pratik’s early ambition to become a great scientist in India.

Growing up under the tutelage of such parents and being aware of the real situation, Pratik took decisive steps to fulfill his dreams. He excelled in education, research, arts, and social services, making a name for himself in a short period across the country and the world.

Pratik Rajan Mungekar’s journey from a humble beginning to becoming a celebrated name in education and research is truly inspiring. Starting from his early education in R.M. Bhatt High School to completing his Engineering in Biotechnology and PhD in Spectroscopy, Pratik has achieved remarkable success in a short period. His academic excellence and passion for teaching led him to work as lecturer at the same college from where he completed his diploma, V.J.T.I. college. He was also guided by a renowned person, Dr Raghunath Mashelkar. Considering Mashelkar’s ideology as an ideal, he continued his journey on the path of progress. At the age of sixteen, he started taking coaching classes in Mumbai from class five to ten, so that his parents would not have to bear the cost of his education. Since he was interested in teaching from the beginning, he continued his education for the sake of teaching.

Pratik’s journey towards success did not stop here. He has made significant contributions to more than three hundred and fifty international conferences, showcasing his expertise as a keynote speaker on topics ranging from Global, Cultural, Ideological and Scientific. He has authored several books, including Introduction to Sustainable Development Goals, which won several international awards and is now a part of the Atlantean Education Program. His other books, Education An Eternal Asset and Leadership & Change Superintendence, are highly acclaimed and available on leading platforms like Amazon.

Pratik’s academic pursuits and contributions don’t end here. He has also published over 45 research papers and articles in various international and national journals, magazines, and newspapers. In addition to his academic achievements, Pratik is also taking Indian Classical Vocal Music training of the Jaipur Atrauli Gharana, showcasing his artistic side. With his relentless pursuit of knowledge and excellence, Pratik Rajan Mungekar is undoubtedly a name to reckon with in the fields of education, research, arts, and social services, not just in India but across the world.

Prof. Dr. Pratik Rajan Mungekar’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. He has achieved numerous milestones in his career and has become a true inspiration for many. Prof. Dr. Mungekar has made history by becoming the first Indian to be appointed as the Planetary Minister of Sustainable Development of the newly emerging Kingdom of Atlantis, a decentralized sovereign kingdom. His dedication to sustainable development has been recognized by the Kingdom of Atlantis, and he is now working towards creating a more sustainable future for all.

Prof. Dr. Mungekar has also authored a book, Introduction to Sustainable Development Goals, which has become a part of Atlantean Education Program, making him the first youngest Indian to achieve this. His contribution to the field of education and research is immeasurable. He has taught to more than 9000+ students and has career-guided 27000+ students till date. He has received 300+ Honorary Doctorates from all over the world, making him the first youngest Indian to achieve this feat.

Prof. Dr. Mungekar has received 950+ International, National & State Awards, 8 National Patents, and 15 World Records for his contribution to Teaching & Research. His exceptional work has been recognized by various international organizations, and he has been appointed to 65+ high positions by them. Not only has he been appointed as an ambassador by 56 organizations across many countries, but he has also been appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of four different universities – Unified Theological Seminary USA, University of Kingdom of Atlantis, Singapore, Webiston University, Zimbabwe, and Wisdom University Gombe, Nigeria.

Prof. Dr. Mungekar has received many prestigious titles throughout his career, including Lecturus Magnificus (L.M.), H.R.H. 5* Duke, and H.R.H. SIR. He is the first youngest Indian to receive Mendeleev’s Fellowship, which is the United Kingdom’s highest academic honor. His work has also been recognized by Institución Cultural Colombiana Casa Poética Magia y Plumas, Colombia South America, where he received the distinguished title “Professor Wisdom”.

Prof. Dr. Mungekar is a visiting faculty member in many national and foreign universities. He is the Director of Research & Innovation at OXFAA University, Lighthouse Leadership University, Dominion of Impact International Bible University, Global Ministry & Discipleship Institute, and the Dean of International Development at Theophany University. Despite all of these achievements, he remains humble and continues to inspire many. He is the first youngest Indian to start teaching at the age of sixteen, and now, at the age of twenty-seven, he has completed twelve years of teaching. His hard work, dedication, and passion for education have made him the first youngest Pro-Chancellor & Founder of The University of Expertise.

Prof. Dr. Mungekar is also an author of four books, including Introduction to Sustainable Development Goals, Education an Eternal Asset, Leadership & Superintendence, and Best Seller Author Stem Cell Science. His contributions to the field of education and research have made him an exceptional scientist, professor, counselor, global educator, published author, and international speaker. Pratik’s story is a testament to the power of determination, hard work, and parental support.

So come, be a part of this dream city, where the possibilities are endless, and dreams do come true.

TATA IPL 2023 has entered its second phase of the league stage and in the first half of the biggest T20 league, we witnessed some spectacular individual performances. In the first 35 games in TATA IPL 2023, the fans enjoyed some nail-biting encounters.

There are players who set the stage on fire with their consistent and flamboyant performances, midway through the TATA IPL 2023.

While RCB Captain Faf du Plessis has been the most successful overseas batsman in the TATA IPL 2023. At the end of the first half, the former South Africa cricketer is the top run-getter in TATA IPL 2023 with 407 runs in 7 games. Du Plessis has been striking at 165.3 in this edition and continues to prove age is just a number.

Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has lauded the former Protea captain for his athleticism in the field and quick running between the wickets which is helping his opening partner Virat Kohli at the other end.

Speaking on Star Sports Cricket Live, Mohammed Kaif said, “Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli are very good runners-between-the-wickets. AB de Villiers may not be there but in Faf, Kohli has a partner who is capable of playing big knocks and string long partnerships.”

Afghanistan star spinner Rashid Khan is amongst the most successful overseas bowlers in the ongoing competition with 14 wickets under his belt in the first seven games for Gujarat Titans. Rashid has been picking up a wicket every 12 balls for the defending champions in TATA IPL 2023.

When it comes to the Uncapped Players who made their mark in TATA IPL 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh has been the best batter. The left-handed middle-order batter from Uttar Pradesh has accumulated 233 runs in the first seven games this season.

Speaking highly of Rinku’s performance in the ongoing competition for KKR, former Australia cricketer David Hussey backed him to play for the Indian cricket team.

Speaking on Star Sports Cricket Live, David Hussey said, “Rinku Singh is a phenomenal talent. He has been doing well in domestic cricket and the KKR franchise has backed him well. He’s grown in his confidence and taking his game to the next level. Hopefully, he gets to play for India soon.”

Promising young Rajasthan Royals’ batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has also taken his game to the next level in TATA IPL 2023 and the left-handed batter from Mumbai has amassed 227 runs in the first seven games.

While Chennai Super Kings’ right-arm pacer Tushar Deshpande has been the best-uncapped bowler so far with 12 scalps in seven games. Deshpande may be slightly expensive but he’s picking up a wicket every 12.7 deliveries.

Commending Tushar Deshpande for rising up to the challenge and bowling tight lines under pressure for CSK, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said on Cricket Live on Star Sports, “Tushar Deshpande has risen to the challenge of bowling in death and pressure situations for CSK. He keeps picking up wickets at crucial times for his team and not once he looked down after getting hit for six. His body language looks positive this year.”

01 May 2023  Bollywood director Karan Johar’s highly-acclaimed restaurant, Neuma, will be organizing the ‘Met Monday,’ inspired by the Met Gala, the world’s most prestigious and glamorous fashion event, on May 1. The Met Monday is being hosted in honor of Bollywood’s and especially Bollywood’s leading ladies, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, and Alia Bhatt, who will be turning heads with their iconic fashion outfits at this year’s Met Gala, where the theme this year is Karl Lagerfeld – A Line of Beauty.

For the Met Monday event, Neuma will be creating a specially curated menu that will feature some of their best culinary creations and drinks that will be named after some of the MET Gala’s iconic celebrities and design houses. Drinks named Lagerfeld Mist, Versace Bling, and The MET Mule are some of the offerings that will be available at Neuma and will be especially created for MET Monday. This special one-day limited edition dinner menu is surely unmissable considering that it is an homage to the MET Gala, a historic and landmark event for fashionista viewers from all over the world. Besides, the Met Monday is a way of commemorating our Bollywood celebs receiving recognition for their work and achievements on an international platform like the Met Gala. Let’s eat and watch as the magic unfolds on the pink carpet.

New Delhi,01 May 2023 On the occasion of the ninth birthday of Wishes and Blessings, the Delhi-based NGO is taking its birthday celebrations to new heights by launching a Skill Development Project- Sahas for underprivileged and abused women. As part of the celebrations, the NGO is organising a fundraising concert with the renowned “Nizami Bandhu”(Chand Nizami of Rockstar fame) from Delhi’s Nizamuddin Dargah. The two-and-a-half-hour concert will be held on the 30th of April at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi from 6:30 p.m.

The NGO aims to provide training to underprivileged women to empower them with the necessary skills and resources they need to build a better future. The Skill Development Centre will provide vocational training and education, equipping them with valuable skills to improve their livelihoods.

We are pleased to announce that Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest of our event. Additionally, we are honored to have Shree Shardul Shroff, Miss Dolly Singh, Mr Arjun Chopra, and several other esteemed guests joining us as Guests of Honour.

Speaking on the occasion, Founder and President of Wishes and Blessings, Dr Geetanjali Chopra commented, “It has been a long rewarding journey and as we celebrate our 9th birthday, we are also happy to announce the launch of our skill development initiative- Sahas. This initiative marks a crucial milestone in the direction of our objective to empower disadvantaged people through providing them the tools they require to improve their quality of lives. We hope that the Jashn-e-Qawwaliconcert will serve as an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate our commitment to making a difference in the lives of those in need .”

Our ticketing partner for this event is Book My Show. The admission tickets are priced at Rs 1500 and Rs 1000 plus GST. The NGO’s birthday celebrations and fundraising musical concert, are open to the public, and tickets can be purchased through the link https://in.bookmyshow.com/events/jashn-e-qawwali/ET00356539

New Delhi,01 May 2023: With the Government’s sharp focus on the prevention of disabilities like thalassemia, and sickle cell disease, and in the background of the Hon’ble Finance Minister’s recent announcement on eradication of sickle cell disease by 2047. The Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group (TPAG), in association with The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), today hosted a roundtable on the prevention of Hemoglobinopathies – Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia at Le Meridien, New Delhi. The event, which saw the participation of eminent policymakers, doctors, and patient bodies, discussed the current practices, challenges, and way forward for the prevention of hemoglobinopathies like thalassemia and sickle cell disease. TPAG, which is a patient body of Thalassemics India, would work with ASSOCHAM to develop a position paper on the topic.

Delivering his inaugural address, Dr. Anil Kumar, Additional Dy. Director General, Directorate General of Health Service, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India said, “Hemoglobinopathies continue to pose a significant burden on our healthcare system, with limited resources available to address the challenges they present. While DGHS is working on a National level thalassemia control programme, we are equally focused on the management of thalassemia and commit to blood safety through Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), voluntary blood donation, etc in a phased manner. We aim to release a manual on blood transfusion services and voluntary blood donation guidelines by 14th June which is World Blood Donor Day.”

Welcoming the announcement of Dr. Kumar, Ms. Anubha Taneja-Mukherjee, Member Secretary, Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group, said, “TPAG has been working for the case of thalassemia since 2017 and would continue to work with the policymakers and bodies like ASSOCHAM to ensure proper awareness about the disorders so prevention can be a reality. We must recognize the significant burden of haemoglobin disorders, including Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease, and work towards finding innovative solutions to combat them.”

The special focus of the event was the representation of States by prominent doctors like Dr. Mamta Manglani, Director (Academic & Research), MCGM – Comprehensive Thalassemia Care, Pediatric, Hematology- Oncology & BMT Centre, Mumbai, Dr. Seema Kapoor, Director & Professor, Division of Genetics, Genetic & Metabolic Lab, Lok Nayak Hospital & Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, Dr. Maitreyee Bhattacharyya, DM, Clinical Hematology (AIIMS) and Director, Institute of Haematology & Transfusion Medicine, West Bengal. The session was followed by a panel discussion on the current practices, challenges, and the need of the hour for the screening of Hemoglobinopathies in public and private settings. In the discussion, eminent doctors and healthcare experts like Dr. Ritika Sud, Prof of Medicine, LHMC & SSK Hospital, Delhi, Dr. K Madan Gopal, Sr. Consultant, Niti Aayog, Dr. Hrishikesh D. Pai, President, FOGSI, Dr. Anil Handoo, Lab Director, BLK Hospital, New Delhi, among others, shared their thoughts.

We are now faced with an urgent need to launch a national-level thalassemia programme on the lines of sickle cell disease but with a stricter timeline. In this regard, 2016 guidelines on hemoglobinopathies may need a revision to include novel technologies and unique methods of awareness.

About 10,000 babies with thalassemia major are born every year and over 1.5 lakh people are currently living with the disease in India. Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder that is prevalent among the tribal population in India. It has been observed that approximately 1 in 86 births among STs are affected by SCD. In this region where resources are scarce, it is crucial to prioritize disease prevention. The National Health Mission has introduced programs for controlling thalassemia and sickle cell disease, but they have not yet been fully implemented at the grassroots level.

Bangalore, 01 May 2023: Godrej Agrovet Limited (GAVL), one of India’s largest diversified agribusiness company, has been recognized as the winner at the India Risk Management Awards 2022-23, presented by CNBC-TV18 and ICICI Lombard. Received on behalf of the company by S Varadaraj, Chief Financial Officer and Head – Legal & IT, this accolade acknowledges GAVL’s unwavering commitment to excellence in risk management amid the challenges posed by a rapidly evolving global economy, geopolitical conflicts, technology acceleration, and shifting global value chains.

GAVL has established a comprehensive risk management program comprising of well-defined procedures, structures, and guidelines to identify, evaluate, monitor, and address business risks including any material changes to its risk profile. To achieve this, the organization has clearly defined and ensures proper risk management through a system-based approach, which is supported by solid internal control systems and processes. This strategy combines divisionally developed procedures with centrally issued policies to guarantee the creation of appropriate risk management policies and processes.

Balram Singh Yadav, Managing Director, GAVL said, “Effective risk management is paramount to the success and longevity of any business. With today’s business environment making it imperative for businesses to have updated strategies and cooperative efforts amongst the teams, we are honored and humbled to receive this recognition for our dedicated efforts in this area. We are proud of our team’s commitment to innovative thinking and proactive risk mitigation and thank India’s Premier Risk Management Awards for acknowledging the role of this vital business practice.”

Expressing his gratitude upon receiving the award, V Swaminathan, Head – Corporate Audit & Assurance, Godrej Industries Limited said, “Risk management is a very critical and intense process of how we run our business in Godrej. Each and every initiative of ours is well researched and discussed so as to ensure proper risk mitigation without impediments to our growth and meeting stakeholder expectations. Considering the volatility in our operating environment wherein climatic factors, government policies and business environment play a major role, it is herein that our strong risk management strategies help us provide farm to fork products at optimal price, consistent quality and timely deliveries to farmers or consumers. As we stay committed to superior standard of risk mitigation strategies to further our growth and meet our business targets, we are delighted to receive this award which reaffirms Godrej Groups’ commitment to implement Best Risk Management practices across all our businesses.”

Receiving the award on behalf of the company, S Varadaraj, Chief Financial Officer and Head – Legal & IT said, “We strongly believe that a robust and efficient risk management strategy is essential for any company’s growth and prosperity. As a leading diversified agribusiness, risk management is essential to our success and sustainability in the rapidly changing business landscape. On behalf of our entire team, I extend our sincere gratitude to the esteemed panel of judges for acknowledging our contributions and remain steadfast in our pursuit of excellence in risk management. We believe that our accomplishments will continue to pave the way for fresh ideas and solutions in the future, and we are thrilled to be a part of the journey towards a brighter tomorrow.”

The esteemed jury for the India Risk Management Awards comprised of Ashish Vora, President and Business Head of CRISIL Market Intelligence and Analytics, Dr Glory Swarupa, Director General of NIMSME under the Ministry of MSME, Dhanpal Jhaveri, CEO of Eversource Capital and Vice Chairman of Everstone Group, Hersh Shah, Chief Executive Officer of IRM India Affiliate, Dr CKG Nair, Director of the National Institute of Securities Markets (SEBI’s Educational Arm), and Saurabh Chakravarty, Head of Treasury at UltraTech Cement.

Bengaluru, IndiaMay 01 2023: eMudhra Limited (BSE: 543533, NSE: EMUDHRA), a digital trust, digital security and paperless transformation solution provider, today announced its financial results for Q4 FY23 and full Year FY23 ended on March 31, 2023, as approved by its Board of Directors.

Key Financial Highlights (Consolidated)

(All amounts are in INR million, unless otherwise specified)

Commenting on the full year results, V. Srinivasan, Executive Chairman, eMudhra Limited said, “We are pleased to report another quarter of consistent performance and a strong full year result with revenue growth of 38.3% y‐o‐y, EBITDA growth of 34.6 % y‐o‐y and PAT growth of 48.8% y‐o‐y.

As a solution provider focussed on securing enterprise transition to zero trust and going paperless, the importance of cryptographic identities cannot be overstated. These identities provide a secure and tamper‐proof method of verifying the identity of users and devices as part of digital data and document exchange, allowing for greater control and traceability within an organization’s security architecture.

Both the cybersecurity and paperless office segments of our solutions business over time will represent large addressable markets globally as they are sector agnostic. Given the relatively early stage at which the industry is, we anticipate demand for these lines of business to continue, driven by levers such as strong customer experience, cost savings and enabling stronger cyber security posture for enterprises.

Our Enterprise solutions saw healthy growth both in India and International markets driven by adoption of both our eSignature workflow platform for “Paperless Office” and our cybersecurity suite of offerings including emCA and emAS. Over the past year, our solutions have been deployed across a range of mission critical use cases from paperless transformation of various industries such as BFSI, Pharma, Manufacturing, eGovernment, etc. to enhancing cybersecurity for use cases in Government and Defence, Card Payments, ePassport implementation, and for securing Connected Vehicles, Smart Grids and Blockchains.

Our products have matured over the last several years as a result of significant R&D and implementations for several large‐scale marquee customers, positioning eMudhra as a one stop shop in the Identity, Authentication and eSignature space; providing us an edge when we go to global markets. As we continue to make investments into expanding the range of our solutions and the depth for specific industries such as BFSI and Pharma, we also continue to hire leaders and work with global IT research companies to expand our reach and coverage to address growth opportunities in key markets such as North America,  Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific.

On trust services, we enjoy a strong brand in India resulting in healthy growth and stickiness for our retail and direct to consumer sale of digital signature certificates. During Q4 FY23, to address the pricing pressure from master partners, we also broad based our sale of digital signature certificates to a much larger set of sub partners thereby broad basing our revenue and also improving its quality.

We also saw significant uptick in revenue for our new products such as eSign and SSL/TLS certificates which present significant growth opportunities going forward. As many emerging markets continue to look at the model built as part of Digital India to drive digital transformation, we continue to evaluate setting up trust services in other geographies to offer models similar to eSign which can be plugged into a digital identity framework for signing.

To summarize, we feel confident that our mature products, marquee reference customers and focus on R&D and strong leadership team has helped build a unique positioning in this space to tap opportunities as enterprises and governments embark on their transition to zero trust”.

Financial Highlights

•  Revenue for the year was INR 2,540.54 million, an increase of 38.3% from the previous year.
•  Gross profit for the year was INR 1,941.35 million, representing a gross margin of 76.4%.
•  EBITDA for the year was INR 926.09 million, with an EBITDA margin of 36.5%.
•  EBIT for the year was INR 767.64million, with an EBIT margin of 30.2%.
•  PAT for the year was INR 611.98 million, with a net margin of 24.1%.
•  Adjusted PAT (adjusted for ESOP benefit expenses) for the year was INR 643.62 million
•  Earnings per equity share (of face value Rs. 5) for the year was INR 8.35, an increase of 41.5% from the previous year.
•  The company had cash and cash equivalents (including deposit and liquid investments) of INR 1,193.25 million at the end of the year and is debt free.
•  Dividend recommended by the Board, 25% of face value.

Key Metrics

•  Enterprise Revenue split between India and International is 48.6% and 51.4% respectively.
•  Enterprise Revenue split between Partner and Direct is 25% and 75% respectively.
•  Enterprise Revenue split between Cyber Security and Paperless segments is 62% and 38%    respectively.
•  Trust Service Revenue split between Retail, Channel and New Products (eSign/SSL) is 35.3%, 48.2% and 16.5% respectively.
•  # of DSCs issued in FY 2023 is 2.9 million, representing a growth of 21.0%
•  # of Retail Customers in FY 2023 is 249,000, representing a growth of 30.4%
•  Employee headcount at 763, with a total R&D staff of 271
•  Operating Cash Flow at 67.9% of PBT.

Key Project Wins

•  Rollout of eSignature workflow (emSigner) along with document vault capabilities for a mid‐ market electronic/appliance retailer in US as a replacement to their existing eSignature platform. emSigner will be used as an integrated offering to manage both document signature and document movement for securitization journey resulting in improved customer experience as well as operational efficiency.
•  Rollout of our Certificate Discovery product for a very large public sector Bank in India that will enable key and certificate lifecycle management across users, devices, etc. allowing the bank to secure their infrastructure using PKI technology.
•  Rollout of emAS identity and access management solution along with MFA and SSO for the defence forces. They are using the SSO and MFA capability to securely login into more than 300+ internal applications. PKI infrastructure is being leveraged to validate user credentials at scale.
•  Defence forces provided with end‐to‐end encryption of large data loads being communicated between the stations. Provided hybrid encryption approach of generating keys centrally in the HSM and made the same available for users through secure key exchange protocols.
•  emSigner workflow platform deployed for a large customer that is the primary electricity generation, transmission, and distribution company in one of the biggest kingdoms in the middle East. Integrated with ERP system, they are leveraging the solution to digitally sign invoices at scale among other workflows that have been digitized using emSigner.
•  Acquisition of a significant customer (a large State‐owned entity that is a Trust Service and eStamping provider) in the Indonesian market for driving eSignature and eStamping use cases with introduction of Mobile based digital signatures in the Indonesian market.
•  Deployed emSigner banking instance for a large bank in the middle east to drive paperless operations in both customer facing and internal banking workflows. Solution integrated with core banking application to digitize many departments including retail banking, loans, credit card,  corporate and investment banking, etc. Issuing organization certificates to digitally sign documents across the workflows for compliance and legal non‐repudiation.
•  Issuing Digital Certificates using emCA for Smart meters deployment in the Eastern Europe for a gas distribution company. This deployment showcases eMudhra’s reach and presence in the European market and demonstrates its capability to deploy PKI for high volume connected devices.
•  Expansion into the African market by setting up a root Certificate Authority (CA) in Kenya. This strategic move aims to bolster the digital landscape of the region by providing reliable, secure, and compliant digital identity solutions.
•  Implementation of CA solution (emCA) for payments and security for a Central Bank in the Middle East. This is helping the Central Bank establish a secure card payment infrastructure using PKI as the backbone and be compliant with global payment security standards.

Research and Innovation

•  Launched emDiscovery  ‐  a Certificate Lifecycle Management Platform providing a centralized dashboard for discovering, renewing and provisioning different types of digital certificates that organizations use. This product effectively strengthens eMudhra’s positioning as a one stop shop player in the space.
•  Continued focus on R&D of products across IoT certificate management as the awareness and need for cybersecurity increases in the context of identifying and securing devices, which are extensively used in Smart Cities, Smart Electric Vehicles, etc.
•  Launch of several new features in emSigner including unique capabilities for the Banking industry to manage complex eSignature workflows for corporate banking and integrations into systems such as Core Banking, Trade Finance, etc.
•  Integrations with leading ERP, CRM and HRMS systems allowing enterprises to quickly kickstart their journey of paperless transformation using digital signatures for cost reduction.
•  emAS has been significantly strengthened to offer strong user provisioning, and identity and access management capabilities allowing acquisition of customers in Defence, Smart Cities, Banking and eGovernance.
•  emCA’s capabilities have been enhanced to allow issuance of certificates to credit/debit cards for securing payments as part of POS terminal authentication and ePassports including modules for enhanced identity management with demographics, terminal authentication and acceptance of other country passports.

Other Business Highlights and Recognitions

•  IDC ranks eMudhra #1 in Digital Identity and Trust category ‐ India in 2022
•  Recognized as a vendor for eSignatures in the Gartner ‘Market Guide for Electronic Signature’.
• Also recognized as a vendor for PKI and Certificate Management in the Gartner Report Titled ‘How to Select DevSecOps Tools for Secure Software Delivery’ & mentioned as a Strong Performer in Gartner® Peer Insights™/Voice of Customer: Electronic Signature Report for the Asia/Pacific Region.
•  eMudhra Certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for FY 2023
•  Launch of trust services in Kenya and UAE with focus on driving adoption of digital signatures in initial set of use cases in eGovernance and BFSI
•  Expansion of Sales teams including leadership hires in North American market and on‐ground teams in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kenya and Indonesia.
•  eMudhra continues the Chairmanship of Asia PKI Consortium and actively engages in the advancements of PKI adoption and awareness. During the year, various MoUs have been signed with global organizations including African Alliance for e‐Commerce (Africa), Arab Information and Technologies Organization (AICTO, The League of Arab States) and European Telecommunication Standards institute (ETSI, Europe).
•  eMudhra continues its Board Member position in the European Cloud Signature Consortium. In March 2023, our nomination to the CSC Technical Committee was approved. The committee is in charge of taking strategic decisions for the technical work and takes the lead for specific topics aimed towards the advancement of Online Signature Specifications through CSC APIs.
•  eMudhra was elected to chair and convene the panel on Digital Signature Certificates in the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), in Oct 2022.