All posts by Rabindra

Gurugram, February 8, 2023 – Ecom Express Limited, one of India’s leading technology-enabled full-stack logistics service providers to the e-commerce industry, today announced the launch of its Warehouse Management Solutions (WMS) and Order Management Solutions (OMS), Ecom Magnum as a service offering for sellersaf

This new SaaS offering is suitable for online sellers seeking order and warehouse management solutions to integrate with e-marketplaces. The scalable, cloud-based WMS system is designed to plug-and-play with integration channels, tracking orders and handling large SKUs and tech-led inbound & outbound processes, resulting in high accuracy and cost efficiencies for sellers.

The feature-rich WMS platform complements and integrates into warehousing and shipping stacks of Ecom Express or can be utilised as a stand-alone solution. Online businesses that utilise the platform can access Ecom Express’ robust network of 60+ fulfilment centres and shipping services across 27000+ PIN codes in India. Most of the company’s fulfilment centres are strategically located sites in proximity to urban centers and beyond. Ecom Fulfilment Services (EFS) is powered with automated warehousing, order management and fulfillment center service and the launch of Ecom Magnum will further establish its position as one-partner logistics solution provider to the e-commerce industry.

K. Satyanarayana, Co-founder & Director, Ecom Express Limited said, “As an industry leader, we are constantly working to bring more value to small and medium sellers in a cost-effective manner, and are proud to bring state-of-the-art WMS and OMS system built on usage experience and learnings from 100K+ sellers who engage with us. With this new platform, we are trying to remove the pain points for small sellers in the standard OMS and WMS available in the market by offering a feature-rich ecosystem. In order to fulfil the orders seamlessly, we provide sellers with a one-stop order-to-deliver set-up resulting in scale, efficiency, and control over both their inventory and customer experience.”

Ecom Express has been actively catalysing towards simplifying the SMB e-commerce companies’ journey. The company recently launched ExpressPlus as air dominant multi-modal logistics solution for faster transit time users in D2C and SMB space. Last year, the company announced that it is in an advanced stage of integration with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and had launched its easy sign up portal, E-zippie thereby, making the sellers’ journey easy, convenient, and rewarding with 30-minutes onboarding.

New Delhi, February 8, 2022 – Denodo, a leader in data management, today announced that it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Data and Analytics ISV Competency status. Attaining this status differentiates Denodo as an AWS Partner that has successfully demonstrated deep expertise in data integration, management, and delivery of distributed data for business intelligence and advanced analytics for enterprise and medium-sized companies using AWS services.

As cloud adoption continues its rapid climb, driven by pandemic-induced changes in data consumption — users can no longer wait for weeks for data to be delivered. Taking advantage of Denodo’s native connectivity to Amazon Redshift, Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS), Amazon EMR, and Amazon Athena, companies can integrate petabyte-scale data in real time to gain a unified view of the business. The Denodo Platform for AWS accelerates time-to-insight and data services with ready-to-use logical data management powered by data virtualization, accelerating the cloud migration journey.

“Denodo is thrilled to achieve the AWS Data and Analytics ISV Competency status,” said Suresh Chandrasekaran, executive vice president at Denodo. “Our AWS footprint is enormous — hundreds of our customers run the Denodo Platform on AWS, access various AWS services through Denodo, and purchase the Denodo Platform in AWS Marketplace. This competency distinction recognizes the work we have done with AWS over several years.”

A complex data landscape, consisting of cloud data lakes, Internet of things (IoT) architectures, NoSQL, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) fuel the needs of modern hybrid cloud analytics, machine language (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI). However, it can be time-consuming, and at times practically impossible, to explore and understand all of the available data within a company, as has been found in Denodo’s Global Cloud Survey 2022. Denodo’s advanced data catalog can easily document existing datasets and quickly surface them to business users in a self-service manner.

As Jim Mellon, head of Architecture at Syngenta points out, “We brought in the Denodo Platform to build a self-service data platform on AWS for our data consumers. With data spread across different geographical boundaries, leveraging Denodo’s data virtualization solution helped us quickly connect multiple disparate sources at least 4x faster than with traditional data integration technologies and centralized data authorization and protection. Across the enterprise, we have seen a 35x jump in the number of users accessing the data platform, leading to wide adoption of data-driven decision-making.”

The Denodo Platform for AWS is available in AWS Marketplace, and Denodo offers a free trial of Denodo Professional for AWS, for 30 days.

India, 08th February 2023: Radio City, India’s leading radio network, along with Mid-day, Mumbai’s leading daily, is back with Season 4 of the most credible ‘Hitlist OTT Awards’. The objective of Hitlist OTT Awards is to acclaim and recognize the game changers of the OTT industry for their innate talent and content innovation. Hitlist OTT Awards debuted in 2020 and became the first egalitarian OTT awards to reward the stalwarts of the industry. Recognized as the original people’s choice awards, the first three seasons were deemed spectacular owing to the overwhelmingly positive response from the audience who showered millions of votes to choose their favorite talent.

India’s OTT sector has become a true game-changer in the entertainment industry and therefore it became essential that its brilliance be recognized. Season 4 of the Hitlist OTT Awards is an endeavor to commemorate the OTT artists who toil diligently to deliver the world’s finest entertainment. The voting lines for the 4th edition of Hitlist OTT Awards will be live from 5th February until 22nd February for audiences to nominate their favorite talent across 16 categories. The digizens can log on to the URL – https://www.radiocity.in/hitlistott available on Radio City and Mid-day’s social media channels to cast their vote (Janta ka faisla). The award finale is scheduled for March 2023 on a virtual platform in the presence of the nominees and prominent personalities from the OTT entertainment world.

The renowned in-house jury to shortlist the nominees consists of Mayank Shekhar, a well-known film critic & Mid-day’s entertainment editor along with Radio City RJ Salil Acharya, India’s recognized star influencer. The 16 categories include Best New Series, Best New Season, Best Adaptation (Book/Series), Best Direct-to-Web Film, Best Actor (Male): Series, Best Actor (Female): Series, Best Supporting Actor (Male): Series, Best Supporting Actor (Female): Series, Best Actor (Male): Film, Best Actor (Female): Film, Best Supporting Actor (Male): Film, Best Supporting Actor (Female): Film, Best Ensemble Cast (Series), Best Non-Fiction, Best Creator/Showrunner, and Top Internet Sensation.

Speaking on the launch of season 4 of Hitlist OTT awards, Mr. Ashit Kukian, Chief Executive Officer, Radio City said, “Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the growth of the OTT industry has resulted in the establishment of a cutting-edge hub for the consumption of exceptional media. The Indian OTT industry is thriving and has become one of the most premium mediums for content consumption with small, medium and large production houses harping on the popularity of OTT platforms to launch films and series. It, therefore, became the prerogative of Radio City and Mid-day to honour and celebrate the innovative content creators and talented artists from the OTT industry through the original and credible Hitlist OTT Awards. We are elated to launch the 4th season of Hitlist OTT awards as the preceding three editions received massive public support in the form of millions of audience votes. We are confident that the 4th edition will be more glorious and glamourous as Hitlist OTT is the most distinctive and plausible people’s choice award that honors the finest talent and content of the Indian OTT platform.”

Hitlist OTT Awards season 4 is being promoted by Radio City & Mid-day on their respective social media platforms along with cross-promotions from OTT actors sharing shoutout videos on their social media handles. Radio City RJs will also build buzz for the awards with features including interviews with the jury, speeches from industry leaders, quizzes and much more. Listeners will also get an opportunity to get up close and personal with some of their favorite OTT performers by participating in various contests. Tinsel town is set to take over radio this time around, with prominent OTT actors giving capsuled bytes to the broadcasts to maintain the adrenaline rush and entice listeners. The popular tabloid will also publish engaging interviews of the nominees who will share their journey, insights about the industry, etc.

By Dr. Aditya Gupta, Director, Neurosurgery and Cyberknife Centre, Agrim institute for neurosciences, Artemis Hospital

Tumors of the spinal cord, due to its hard-to-access locations, pose a major threat to life. And as the tumor grows, it affects the spinal cord, gradually. Depending on the location and the type of tumor, the severity may vary from person to person. The usual symptoms include back pain, loss of sensation especially in legs and arms, difficulty in walking, decrease in body immunity and sensitivity to pain, increase in heat and cold sensitivity, loss of bowel movement control, muscle weakness and paralysis of limbs in extreme cases. Back pain is the early and foremost symptom in both cancerous and noncancerous tumors.

Treatment for spinal tumors remains a challenge in India, due to the reason that only limited technology is available, and also the fact that the spine is sensitive. While surgery is the treatment of choice for such tumors and the prognosis is excellent. Patients show signs of recovery very soon and are able to get back to their normal life quite effectively. With the advanced technology that is available and the advent of the latest cyberknife radiation surgery, treating such complicated tumors has become completely safe and highly effective.

Spinal tumor types

It is the growth of tumour that develops within the bones of spine. It can be Benign or malignant.

There are three common types of tumors that may affect the spinal cord.

1. Intra-medullary Tumors – It develops in cells that are present within the spinal cord. Examples are Astrocytoma and Ependymoma.
2. Extra-medullary Tumors – It develops within the supporting network of cells that are around the spinal cord. This type of tumor affects spinal cord function. Examples are Meningiomas, Schwannomas, Neurofibromas.
3. Vertebral Column Tumors

· Primary Tumors – It occurs in the vertebral column and develops either from the bone or disc of spine. Osteogenic Sarcoma is the bone tumour which comes under this category. These are very rare and grow slowly and typically occur from the age group 21-50.

· Metastatic Tumors – This Tumor spread from one area to another area of the body. The pain is worse and is accompanied by other signs of serious illness such as weight loss, fever, chills, nausea and vomiting.

The growth of any kind of spinal tumor can lead to pain, neurological problems and sometimes, it can be life-threatening and can even cause permanent disability.

In women, spinal tumor spread from cancer cells that originate from breasts or lungs whereas in, in case of Men, it spreads from tumor cells that originate from lungs or prostate.

What are the symptoms?

As the tumor grows, it affects the spinal cord, gradually. Depending on the location and the type of tumor, the severity may vary from person to person. The usual symptoms include back pain, loss of sensation especially in legs and arms, difficulty in walking, decrease in body immunity and sensitivity to pain, increase in heat and cold sensitivity, loss of bowel movement control and muscle weakness. Back pain is the early and the foremost symptom in both cancerous and noncancerous tumors.

Why cyberknife is preferred over other methods of treatment?

Though many other treatment methods may be available for treating spinal tumors but due to the advantage of being totally non-invasive and eliminates the requirement of any kind of anesthetics, cyberknife is a very useful tool saving the patient’s time and helping in better and quicker recovery. Cyberknife radiation surgery is a form of radio surgery that uses precisely targeted radiation to destroy tumors. This system is non-invasive and prevents any kind of blood loss eliminating the need for anesthesia.

Cyberknife radiosurgery is typically not useful in intramedullary tumors (the first type mentioned above) as these are located inside the spinal cord. For extramedullary tumor, Cyberknife is a good option for small tumors that are not causing any compression of the spinal cord, including small residual tumors after surgery. Vertebral column tumors, specially cancer deposits can be successfully treated with Cyberknife unless they are very big, very numerous, or cause spinal cord compression or spinal column instability.

The cyberknife system is unique designed robotic system that delivers high-precision surgical procedures and is flexible in producing radiations is one of the best options for treatment of spinal tumor.

Pune, 08 Feb 2023: Zinrelo, the leading provider of loyalty software in the world, announced today that it has been recognized as a category leader in Loyalty Management Software for 2023 by G2, the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace. This is the third time in a row that Zinrelo has received this honour.

G2 recognitions are based on customer satisfaction scores derived directly from user reviews and market presence, which includes consideration for seller size and social impact.

Samir Palnitkar, COO of Zinrelo, said, “We are delighted to be recognized as a category leader in loyalty management software again this year. This recognition by G2 is based on several parameters, including market presence, adoption, and overall customer satisfaction. It is a testament to Zinrelo’s commitment to delivering a best-in-class solution for large businesses looking to enhance their customer loyalty programs. It also underlines Zinrelo’s ability to help our clients significantly boost their customer engagement, increase customer retention and drive revenue growth.”

Samir credited the teams at Zinrelo for having made this achievement possible. “This recognition reminds Zinrelo to keep raising the bar to empower businesses to achieve their loyalty goals efficiently.”

Zinrelo has also been named a leader in loyalty management solutions by other leading B2B technology review platforms, including GetApp and SourceForge. It was also recently named the ‘Top Customer Loyalty Platform’ by Select Software Reviews.

Chennai, 08.02.2023: The Government on announced the appointment of Shri K Satyanarayana Raju as Managing Director and CEO of Canara Bank. He has replaced Shri L V Prabhakar who demitted office on 31 December 2022. The Government of India appointed Shri. K Satyanarayana Raju as MD and CEO with effect from 07.02.2023.

Shri. K Satyanarayana Raju has also served Canara Bank as Executive Director since 10th March 2021.

Shri. K Satyanarayana Raju is a Physics Graduate, Post Graduate in Business Administration (Banking and Finance), and CAIIB.

He joined the erstwhile Vijaya Bank in 1988 and has risen to the level of Chief General Manager in the Bank of Baroda. During his 33 years of long banking career, he has headed various Branches for 12 years including the Specialised Corporate Banking Branch. He was the Regional head of Shimoga, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. He was also the Zonal Head of the Mumbai Zone which is the Biggest Zone of the Bank. He has also headed Operations and Services Department at Head Officeead He.

He has a very rich and vast experience in all Segments of Banking including Branch Banking, Corporate Credit, Retail Credit, Agri Financing, Credit Monitoring, Credit Recovery, Compliance, etc. Also, his rich experience and exposure led to the digital transformation of Banking products and services.

Bengaluru, 08th February 2023: Being close to nature has become an important parameter for homebuyers in Bengaluru. Preferences indicated home purchases are influenced on the basis of proximity to open spaces, green cover, and nature reserves. The study revealed that the majority of people residing in the Silicon Valley of India are making conscious efforts to connect with nature in and around their homes wherein 84% of respondents from Bengaluru prefer their homes surrounded by greenery.

52% of respondents stated that they have plants at home that makes them happy. Another 32% of respondents are of the view that plants are fundamentally important for them both inside and outside their homes.

The recently launched, Godrej Properties study, Home Livability Factors underscores the fundamental shift in homebuyers’ preferences with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the significant alterations that it has brought about in their preference for residential apartments.

Homes surrounded by trees and greenery also help people to stay healthy and maintain mental well-being. This seems to be a major reason for 3 out of 4 respondents in Bengaluru are of the view that home is a place to maintain health and mental well-being.

The survey also revealed that residents of Bengaluru prioritize family living as 51% of respondents feel that a home is a place to live well as a family unit. They are second next to Kolkata wherein 59% echoed similar preferences. Around 71% of respondents from Bengaluru have also placed hobbies and passions as a fundamental aspect of their lifestyle change post the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pramod Bisht, CEO of South Zone, Godrej Properties, said, “People have become environmentally conscious. They aspire to live in homes that are surrounded by open spaces, complimented by ample greenery and serene surroundings. At Godrej Properties, we understand the native needs of our homebuyers and craft bespoke residential spaces surrounded by greenery and paved access to open spaces. We design smart homes that are not only technologically evolved but offer contemporary facilities in terms of safety, security, and well-being thus enhancing the overall livability quotient.”

The study also brought to the fore that the pandemic-induced lockdown has influenced 79% of respondents to lead a sustainable lifestyle. Of these, 49% of them stated that they have started laying an impetus on energy conservation, avoiding wastage of food and water. The remaining 30% of them claimed that they are absolutely conscious of their daily use of water and energy and have adopted recycling.

The study also posed reactions to how their work schedule reflected in their homes. At least 67% of respondents from Bengaluru claim that they have made some adjustments to work from home.

Data findings are a part of the research study Home Livability Factors unveiled by Godrej Properties Ltd. (GPL) which surveyed respondents from seven cities of Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Chennai.

New Delhi, February 08, 2023: To bridge the gap between India-specific public policy content and material, the Indian School of Public Policy today announced the opening of its new research center – The Case Study Centre. The center will serve as a hub for rigorous and cutting-edge policy research, driving innovation and thought leadership in the field of public policy with curated Indian content from the national, state, and local government levels. The research center will provide a platform for faculty, students, and policy practitioners to collaborate and tackle complex policy challenges in Indian contexts through data-driven and evidence-based research.

The Case Study Centre will produce case studies covering a wide range of issues in public policy, administration, and governance with a very Indian focus. By converting the tensions and dilemmas faced by policymakers into teaching material, the center provides public policy professionals with a rich repository of real-life policy problems they can analyze, solve, and learn from.

Additionally, ISPP has taken a step forward to enhance the school’s intellectual capital and support its vision to create impactful solutions for India’s most pressing policy challenges through the appointment of three senior faculty members across ‘Sarkar, Samaaj and Bazaar’ (Government, Academia and Corporates) respectively.

Dr. O P Agarwal, Professor Krishna K Ladha, and Mr. Ajay Khanna, who have over 130 years of combined experience, bring their diverse experiences and skill sets to take ISPP to higher levels across academic and research programs.

Dr. O P Agarwal joined as Professor of Practice and Advisor, Case Study Centre. He is teaching the Urban domain at ISPP, among others. Dr. O P Agarwal is one of India’s leading figures in urbanization, infrastructure, and urban transport. Till recently, he was CEO of World Resources Institute 2017-2022, after a 6-year stint with the World Bank. In his 28 years as an IAS officer from 1979-2007, he also served as Joint Secretary (Training) from 2000-2005 in the Government of India, Department of Personnel & Training. Dr. Agarwal has a Ph.D. in Transport Economics from IIT Delhi, a Master’s degree in Transportation and Technology Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Madras.

Professor Krishna Ladha joined as Professor at ISPP. He has been visiting faculty since 2020 and taught ISPP Scholars two courses on Game Theory, and Business and Government. Since 1980, he has been teaching Game Theory, Business and Government, Microeconomics, Public Policy, Social Choice Theory,

and Management of Societies at one or more of Washington University in St. Louis, New York University, University of Chicago, University of Mississippi, and Helsinki School of Business. In India, he has taught at IIM Calcutta, MDI, IIM Kozhikode, and Goa Institute of Management. He has published in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Social Choice and Welfare, and Public Choice. He is a recipient of the Duncan Black Prize for the best paper published in the Public Choice journal in 1991. Prof Ladha has a Ph.D. in Economics from Carnegie-Mellon University, an MBA from IIM Calcutta, and an MSc in Pure Mathematics from the University of Calcutta.

Ajay Khanna joined as Professor of Practice and Advisor, Careers recently. He would be teaching Scholars about Public Policy, Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement. He is a leader in Public Affairs & Public Policy, Advocacy, Corporate Affairs & Communications, Leadership, and Strategic advisory with a demonstrated history of working across industry sectors with strong global connections. Over a 43-year career, he spent 27 years with CII (Confederation of Indian Industry). As head of the IBEF (India Brand Equity Foundation 2002-2006), he led engagements with the World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos and has participated in the WEF Davos annual meetings for the last 35 years. After a stint with Accenture, he joined the Jubilant Bhartia Group in 2009 where he is currently Group’s Global Strategic Advisor & Ombudsperson. In 2008 he co-founded PAFI (Public Affairs Forum of India). He has been a member of several high-level Government delegations, committees, and task-forces of the World Economic Forum. Ajay graduated in Commerce from Shriram College of Commerce & has a Degree in Law from the University of Delhi

Bangalore, 08, February 2023: SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Impact awards USD 200,000 (approx. 1.63 Cr) grant to a consortium including Varthana, Global Schools Forum (GSF), Kaizenvest, and IDP Foundation. This grant is supported by Convergence Blended Finance.

The grant is to improve access to quality education across selected geographies in South Asia and Africa through impact-linked financing. This initiative would be funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, the Swiss Development Cooperation Agency SDC, the UBS Optimus Foundation, and the Credit Suisse Foundation.

The consortium of Varthana, Kaizenvest, IDP Foundation, and Global Schools Forum, proposes to set up a Global Finance for Education Fund to provide USD 35 million of catalytic and investment capital to financial institutions and intermediaries serving private ECD (Early Childhood Development), LCPS (Low-Cost Private Schools) and skill development providers, across 6 countries in South Asia, Africa, and potentially South America.

The consortium’s impact finance design idea was selected alongside six other winners from 76 applications for its potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of underprivileged children aged between 0-18 years. The final winners were chosen by a team from Convergence and SDG Impact Finance after reviewing impact finance design ideas from the four UN Sustainable Goals: SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

The consortium’s solution is designed to support Low-fee Private Schools to improve learning outcomes and equity in almost 520,000 low-middle-income learners enrolled in schools across the 6 identified countries (India, Pakistan, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria).

It also aims to accelerate progress toward learning recovery by facilitating access to more and better financial instruments through:

1.  Increasing the amount of debt capital and equity investments available for on-lending to LCPS;
2.  Scaling up and improving the pilot conducted by Varthana of tying financial loans for LCPS to clear rewards for improving access and learning outcomes for girls and marginalized groups, and for improving access to finance for women proprietors or LCPS

New Delhi, February 08, 2023: Eli Bitton, an Israel-origin fashion house, officially opened its first flagship store in Delhi, India, in December 2022. The showroom features one of the largest selections of ready-to-wear exquisitely embroidered evening gowns in the Delhi NCR.

Eli Bitton has stores and fashion houses in Haifa, Israel, and West Delhi, India. The brand, which has been present in Israel for over three decades, is now establishing its presence in India by offering unique designs and contemporary apparel selection with more size options for women. They believe that women need to feel at ease in whatever they want to wear. It is one of the first designer labels with a dedicated embroidery studio.

Yehuda Bitton, COO & Fashion Designer at Eli Bitton said, “2022 was indeed one of the best financial years in the past decade. We have received an amazing response from our customers since our launch in India. The majority of our clients are repeated customers who purchased online or those who follow us on social media and have been anticipating the store’s launch. The most satisfying aspect is that ninety percent of the women who tried our designs purchased them. We do not doubt that our brand has a place for new outlets in India, particularly in Delhi. As of now, our focus is to build a robust, professional, and skilled team in India.”

After facing a sudden slowdown during the pandemic, the fashion brand expanded its design departments to cater to a larger audience. Their casual-wear and leisure suit section saw considerable growth in sales. Eli Bitton intends to open its franchisee in the near future with a vision to preserve the quality and exclusivity of its designs.