Saudi Arabia Says 1.497 Million Pilgrims Arrive For Hajj

The Kingdom is expecting to welcome around two million international pilgrims in total

Jeddah, August 26 – Saudi Arabia has to date welcomed 1.497 million pilgrims who have flocked to the country in preparation for the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, which is due to begin on August 30, 2017.

In total, around two million people from across the globe are expected to visit the Holy City of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, making it the largest annual international gathering, and which, for many Muslims, is the highlight of their spiritual lives.

As one of the five pillars of Islam, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, is mandatory for physically and financially capable Muslims to perform at least once in their lives. The rituals involved are intended to cleanse the soul and demonstrate the equality and solidarity of all Muslims, in their submission to God.

The responsibility for organizing the pilgrimage falls on the government of Saudi Arabia, under direct supervision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman; a huge logistical undertaking that will run until Hajj ends on the 4th of September, 2017.

International pilgrims continue to travel to Hajj 2017

The number of foreign pilgrims has multiplied exponentially over the years, from as few as 24,000 in 1941 to 1.325 million in 2016. Including local pilgrims that reside in Saudi Arabia, a total of 1.86 million Muslims performed the Hajj last year.

Over 80 Countries

Saudi officials have prepared to receive the massive influx of pilgrims, many of whom also visit the second Holy City of Madinah. The Hajj team deployed on the ground speaks over a dozen languages to ensure that the needs of pilgrims are met.

Vast tent city in Mina

Mina is also known as the City of Tents as it hosts tens of thousands of air-conditioned tents as temporary accommodation for a significant portion of the pilgrims expected to take part in Hajj this year. Mina is located between Mount Arafat and Makkah's Grand Mosque. The tents are neatly arranged in rows and grouped into areas labeled with numbers and colors according to nationality. Every pilgrim is given a badge with an assigned number and color to help them find the way back to their tent if they get lost. To prevent fires, the tents are constructed of Teflon-coated fiberglass, and are fitted with sprinklers and fire extinguishers.

More than 17,000 Civil Defense personnel deployed to serve Hajj pilgrims

More than 17,000 highly trained personnel, supported by 3,000 advanced vehicles, are in position to guarantee pilgrims the highest level of safety.

300 ground ambulances, 30 motorbikes, 113 ambulance centers and 8 air ambulances

Over 2,000 Saudi Red Crescent Authority personnel deployed in Makkah, Madinah and other holy sites to provide ambulance services to pilgrims during Hajj.

Eisai introduces first-in-Class Epilepsy Treatment Fycompa® (Perampanel) in India

Mumbai: 29th August, 2017 Eisai Pharmaceuticals India Pvt. Ltd, a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company today announced the launch of Fycompa (perampanel), a new anti-epileptic drug.

Approved in more than 55 countries worldwide, Fycompa is indicated as an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures (POS) with or without secondarily generalized seizures in patients with epilepsy aged 12 and older.

Fycompa is first in class in-house developed anti-epileptic drug, available in tablet form as a once-daily oral dose.

“Nearly 12 million patients in India suffer from epilepsy and 95% of these patients do not receive adequate treatment. Abiding by our core philosophy of human health care we strive to change this by developing a drug that can significantly improve the quality of life of epileptic patients and give them hope to live a seizure free-life,” said Mr. Sanjit Singh Lamba, Managing Director, Eisai Pharmaceuticals India.”

He further added, “Epilepsy has been a therapeutic focus area for Eisai and we will continue to use our strengths in research and development to create drugs that will improve and enhance the quality of life.”

Adding to this Dr. Manoj Malhotra – Head of Medical Affairs, Americas Region, Global Head of Epilepsy Medical Affairs, Neurology Business Group, Eisai Inc. said “With the launch of many anti-epileptic drugs in the last decade we have seen a significant improvement in seizure freedom rate. However, almost 30-40% of the seizures remain poorly controlled leading to low compliance. Fycompa will help to address these key therapeutic challenges and improve patient outcomes”.

Commenting on the low awareness on epilepsy, Mr. Saumil Mody- Vice President, Commercial Operations, Eisai India Ltd. said “Treatment outcomes for epilepsy are very low because we are dealing with very challenging circumstances, a majority of epilepsy cases go undiagnosed because of numerous factors like the social stigma associated with the disease, lack of awareness of the symptoms particularly in rural India. Our aim is to address these challenges and enable epileptic patients and their families to live a seizure-free life.”

Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain and causes repeated seizures. Approximately 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases globally.

‘Australia Business Week in India’ attracts more than 150 businesses, Aug 28- Sept 1

Australian Business Delegation to visit India

Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Steven Ciobo, will lead a major mission to India this month focused on deepening collaboration between the two nations in the fields of agribusiness and food, higher education and research, smart cities and infrastructure, innovation and resources and mining technology and services.

The second Australia Business Week in India (ABWI) arranged by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission will also attract business leaders and Australia’s Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Keith Pitt, the Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Luke Hartsuyker, and the Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, Karen Andrews.

More than 50 business events and activities such as seminars, roundtables and site visits with Indian businesses, industry and government will take place across six cities: New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhopal, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Leonie Muldoon, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner – South Asia at the Australian Trade & Investment Commission, says Australia Business Week in India is a significant platform which can be leveraged by Australian businesses to take a closer look at what India has to offer and to engage with potential partners and customers in specific areas of mutual business opportunity.

“The sheer size and breadth of the delegation across multiple industry sectors makes it an important step in Australia’s ongoing efforts to further enhance the trade, investment and education relationship with India,” says Leonie Muldoon.

ABWI 2017 builds on the success of the inaugural event in 2015, which created lasting relationships and generated business worth millions of dollars.

India is Australia’s 9th largest partner with two-way trade and services of A$20.7 billion and its fifth largest export market, with total exports of A$11.1 billion. Total Indian investment in Australia is near A$13.5 billion (up from A$600 million in 2006), while total Australian investment in India is over A$ 10.3 billion.

"Australia has strong capabilities which can help India better utilise its natural resources, increase food and energy security, and cater to the aspirations of its demography and increasingly affluent population,” says Leonie Muldoon. “India is looking for ways to address its growth challenges, and improve its innovation output. Australia’s smart infrastructure capabilities, world-class services sector & education system and strong innovation credentials can support India’s economic growth.”

Royal Enfield embarks on its first ride to the Land of the Gods – Tour of Uttarakhand

~ First edition of Tour of Uttarakhand begins September 15^th, 2017

~ Register here

Mumbai, 24 August, 2017: Royal Enfield, the world’s fastest growing motorcycle brand has opened registrations for the first ever edition of the Tour of Uttarakhandfor its customers and aficionados. Leisure motorcycling enthusiasts can register for the most recent addition to Royal Enfield’s coveted line-up of rides athttps://royalenfield.com/tou/register/. Commencing on the 15th of September from Dehradun, the Royal Enfield cavalcade will traverse across one of India’s most picturesque regions, the home of the Himalayas before culminating at Dehradun itself on the 24th of September.

The ride to the land of the gods will be a journey like never before for the participants, taking them through the lesser explored regions of the Himalayas, forest reserves, wildlife and to Mana, the last village on the Tibetan border. The ride terrain will give them a scenic view of landscapes, barren snow-capped mountains and frozen water bodies while allowing for an intriguing pure motorcycling experience. Whether appealing to the explorer in oneself or alluring the ones looking to break out of the monotony of everyday life, The Tour of Uttrakhand will be an experience worth cherishing for one and all.

Flagging off from the capital city of Uttarakhand, the convoy will make its way to Harsil, Nelang Valley, Niti Pass, Auli, Kausani, Jim Corbett and back, covering a distance of close to 1,500 kms for over 10 days. Royal Enfield has been pioneering leisure motorcycling in India and with the Tour of Uttarakhand, it aims to provide a novel riding experience by chartering into an unexplored yet fascinating territory.

Royal Enfield aims to provide “pure motorcycling” experience, wherein the man, machine and terrain come together as one. In its constant endeavour to support and encourage the riders to explore the unexplored terrains, Tour of Uttarakhand is one such initiative that will bring them closer to fulfilling their need for exploration in the home of the Himalayas.

Schedule of the ride or Ride Schedule

DAY	DATE	FROM	TO	KMS
Day 1	15th Sep	Dehradun	-	-
Day 2	16th Sep	Dehradun	Harsil	240
Day 3	17th Sep	Harsil	Uttarkashi	160
Day 4	18th Sep	Uttarkashi	Auli	300
Day 5	19th Sep	Auli	Mana	180
Day 6	20th Sep	Auli	Niti Pass	190
Day 7	21st Sep	Auli	Kausani	210
Day 8	22nd Sep	Kausani	Jim Corbett	230
Day 9	23rd Sep	Jim Corbett	Dehradun	200
Day 10	24th Sep	Check-Out	-	-

To know more about #TOU2017 visit: https://royalenfield.com/tou/

Be a part of one of the largest communities of motorcycling enthusiasts; like Royal Enfield on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/RoyalEnfield Follow Royal Enfield on Twitter https://twitter.com/royalenfield

INORBIT MALL PROMOTES ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN WOMEN – PINK POWER WINNERS ANNOUNCED

~ Indian actress author and producer, Tisca Chopra felicitates winners of Pink Power at a grand felicitation ceremony @ Inorbit mall Malad ~

Mumbai, 24 August 2017 - Inorbit mall today concluded its third edition of Pink Power Campaign – an initiative to support women entrepreneurs with great business Ideas. The multi-city campaign that was hosted across 5 locations and 4 cities, culminated today at Inorbit mall, Malad with a grand felicitation ceremony. Winners were felicitated by versatile actress, author and producer Tisca Chopra, Mr. Puneet Varma, Associate Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Inorbit malls and Mr Satish Mukte from Central Bank of India. Inorbit mall rewarded the winners with a free kiosk space to operate their business for a period of 9 months. In addition to this the winners will be offered financial assistance by Central Bank of India as per the prevailing bank norms and exposure for business through partners like Shop CJ.

The third edition of Pink Power had garnered close to 1411 entries across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Vadodara. After close to a two-month long screening process based on criteria like innovation, scalability and future potential Inorbit had found 10 promising winners this season. This year’s winners are:

·         NAVI MUMBAI: Anuradha Alurkar (Founder of A Big Indian Story) which is into cruelty free vegan leather bags and wallets & Aradhana Nagpal (Founder of Dhoop) that offers ethnic handicrafts like décor accents, lighting and handmade bath products.

·         MUMBAI (MALAD): Nidhi Deshmukh (Founder of Tat Twam Asi) that offers wide range of western wear that caters to the plus size category. The second winner from Malad is Nehal Raicha (Founder of Kites Clothing Co.), which offers ethnic wear for kids.

·         BANGALORE: Bangalore has three winners this year which include Pooja Sukhija (Founder of Recode) which is into pre-owned fashion like salwar suits and wedding dresses. The other winner is Usha Sivaramakrishnan (Founder of Astra Designs) that offers quirky jute bags. The third winner from Bangalore is Simeran Bhesin and Ivy Chin (Founder of Brag) which is into Teen Lingerie.

·         HYDERABAD: Varsha Mahendra (Founder of Dsgyn Idys) that curates customized designer blouses.

·         VADODARA: Manveen Kaur (Founder of Hobby in a box) which is a do yourself concept with an art and craft kit. The second winners is Rakesha Shah (Founder of Whola) that is into Food Confectionaries.

Over a few years, Pink Power has evolved as one of the most popular campaigns. Pink Power has won recognition at advertising and marketing awards like Effies and Abbys. The campaign was recognized in the gold category at the DMA Asia award too. The earlier editions of Pink Power were supported by prestigious organizations like The Indian School of business, Hyderabad; Goldman Sachs program and Your Story.

Speaking about the initiative, Puneet Varma, Associate Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Communications Inorbit Malls Pvt Ltd, said, “Inorbit mall salutes the spirit of women. Pink Power is a platform for budding women entrepreneurs to realize their business dreams. We are delighted by the overwhelming response the campaign receives every year with exceptional business ideas. The Inorbit family wishes luck to this year’s winners. We hope to promote more and more talent with such campaigns every year.”

PhonePe achieves $2.5 Billion runrate in July

Mumbai, 24^th August, 2017: PhonePe, India’s fastest growing digital payments company, today announced that it achieved a phenomenal $2.5 Billion total payment volume (TPV) annual runrate. This is the fastest ramp up seen in India’s digital payments market to date. PhonePe’s monthly transactions have grown 800% since December last year, fueled largely by exponential growth in online merchant, mobile recharge and bill payment transactions. The PhonePe mobile app has been downloaded by over 40 million Indians in the past 10 months.

Sameer Nigam, Co-founder & CEO, PhonePe said, “We are excited by the rapid adoption of PhonePe across India. The $2.5 billion TPV milestone further validates that our efforts to make digital payments really easy, safe and universally accepted are starting to bear fruit. We want every Indian - whether urban or rural - to feel comfortable joining the cashless economy.”

Next Generation of Infor CloudSuite™ Industrial Machinery Now Available

New Updates Include Enhanced Mobile, Procurement and Production Capabilities

MUMBAI -  Aug 24, 2017 - Infor, a leading provider of beautiful business applications specialized by industry and built for the cloud, today announced the availability of the next generation of Infor CloudSuite Industrial Machinery.  Infor CloudSuite Industrial Machinery is a scalable, secure platform built for machinery and equipment manufacturers, and provides deep visibility into the details of a business, helping users to easily configure and price unique products, manage complex projects, streamline production, coordinate with global suppliers, manage factory floor activities, deliver quality products, and manage service operations. The solution is designed to boost performance and efficiency in areas that are essential to the industrial machinery and equipment business-including global financial management, and key manufacturing and service processes.

The next generation Infor CloudSuite Industrial Machinery delivers new capabilities to better support service, production, procurement and pricing. Specifically, users have access to a new workbench for supplier claims, the ability to use kits in service orders to quickly and easily enter a list of items, and new mobile enhancements to synchronize and send visit reports to customers in real-time. In addition, organizations have access to new revision controls and tracking for purchase contracts, job shop orders, and contracts.

Updates to Infor CloudSuite Industrial Machinery also include:

• Role Based Home Pages. Built for critical roles in the company, these home pages allow quick access to KPI's, alerts, work flows and data. Users also have the ability to personalize these pages and configure and create their own home pages.
• Extended Authorization Framework. This update allows control of user access based on business process authorization and data authorization. This helps an organization with the correct segregation of duties, set-up accurate information access, better handle exceptions, and accomplish audits.
• New Functionalities in Mobile Field Service.  Enhanced mobile capabilities deliver tools for service engineers to have better interactions with customers. New functionalities include creating calls from a mobile device for new requests from the customers during a visit, the ability to send e-mails with the visit reports approved by the customer, and review inventory on their service truck or others when necessary. This helps save time, reduce administrative work, and boost efficiency.
• Enhanced Resource Management. By allowing a company to assign skills to employees and to different tasks, organizations have better control and visibility into work load. The assignments can be done based on projects, service orders, work orders activities, job shop orders, inspection orders, non-conformance, and corrective action plans.

"Manufacturers need to focus on meeting customer expectations and growing their business, which is why partnering with an organization that understands the specific needs of the machinery and equipment industry is paramount. Infor is honed in on what this industry requires, what updates need to be made to stay ahead of competitors, and is constantly listening to the needs of our customers to make those adjustments," said Ed Talerico, Industry Strategy Director, Infor. "This newest iteration of Infor CloudSuite Industrial Machinery has the power to manage a complex array of information long before a product is ever sold, and can help organizations execute quality control, keep track of components and configurations, production success, inventory, distribution, and procurement strategies, with the agility to shift with demand fluctuations."

For more information visit: http://www.infor.com/cloud/cloudsuite-industrial-machinery/.

HINDUJA VENTURES LIMITED (‘HVL’) AUDITED STANDALONE AND CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED MARCH 31, 2017

Revised Standalone total income for the year end Rs. 203.39 Crores and PAT Rs. 102.91 Crores.

Revised Consolidated total income for the year end Rs. 826.09 Crores and loss of Rs. 56.61 Crores.

The Board of HVL at its meeting held today approved the revised audited standalone and consolidated financial results for the financial year ended March 31, 2017 on the Scheme of Arrangement between Grant Investrade Limited (GIL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and IndusInd Media & Communications Limited (IMCL), a subsidiary of the Company having become effective pursuant to which Headend-in-the-Sky (HITS) business undertaking of GIL vested into IMCL effective from October 01, 2016, being the appointed date.

HVL Revised Standalone Results:-

• The net profit after tax stood at Rs. 102.91 Crores as against Rs. 100.59 Crores for the financial year ended March 31, 2016.

• HVL on standalone basis reported a total income of Rs. 203.39 Crores for the financial year ended March 31, 2017 as against Rs. 332.49 Crores for the financial year ended March 31, 2016.

Revised Consolidated Financial Results:-

• Consolidated total income for the financial year ended March 31, 2017 is Rs. 826.09 Crores as against to Rs. 679.98 Crores for financial year ended March 31, 2016.

Consolidated net loss after tax and minority interest stood at Rs. 56.61 Crores as against loss of                     Rs. 81.21 Crores for the financial year ended March 31, 2016.

Indian organizations are leading adoption of agile in Asia Pacific

Results of CA Technologies Study Shows India Embracing the Power of Agile and DevOps to Unleash Business Benefits

India, 22^nd August, 2017 – As digital transformation continues to redefine customer experience and brand loyalty, a CA Technologies global study reveals that India is a leader in the adoption of advanced agile (53%) and advanced DevOps (59%) practices across Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ). As a result, Indian decision makers are seeing up to a 63% increase in customer satisfaction and up to a 58% improvement in employee productivity, helping them create happier customers and employees. 

The survey also indicates that 88% of the Indian organizations that use agile and 92% that use DevOps have gained advantage in employee recruitment and retention – a key area that Indian leaders are focusing on to create a market differentiator and to succeed in their digital transformational journeys.

Not only is India amongst the leaders in the region in the adoption of advanced agile and advanced DevOps, local organizations also report greater benefits from these technologies than other businesses in the region.

India organizations are seeing the strongest improvements in the region for:

·        Quality of development since implementing agile (60%) or DevOps (56%)

·        Operational efficiency since implementing agile (58%) or DevOps (53%)

·        New business growth since implementing DevOps (56%)

In addition, 93% of organizations implementing agile (and 89% implementing DevOps) have seen an improvement in the customer experience.

“Today, customer experience is driving technology – specifically software – into the heart of every company’s business model,” says Abhilash Purushothaman, Country Director, Solution Sales, India & SAARC Region, CA Technologies. “CA Technologies is playing a key role in enabling customers with the right strategy and software solutions to win in the application economy.”

The study, Accelerating Velocity and Customer Value with Agile and DevOps, conducted in alliance with Coleman Parkes polled 1,770 senior business and IT executives worldwide, with 799 from across APJ, about their attitudes towards agile and DevOps practices and the impact they see it having on their business. The study shows a direct correlation between technology and tools to real business benefits and articulates the key benefits companies across APJ would gain from broadly implementing agile and DevOps – particularly if they went a step further to combine them by adding DevOps to an agile environment. 

Resources

· Agile and DevOps: Accelerating Digital Transformation Results Infographic

· Digitally Remastered: Building Software into your Business DNA

· DevOps for Digital Leaders: Reignite Business with a Modern DevOps-Enabled Software Factory

·A CIO's Guide: Five Steps to Business Agility

Enjoy spirit and joy of Ganesh Chaturthi with Aaji’s Modak Ice Cream!

Mumbai,22 August, 2017:In an attempt to woo Modak lovers, Havmor Ice Cream, a leading pure milk ice cream brand has come-up with Modak Ice Cream this year, too. This unique offering is exclusively available in select Havmor ice cream outlets across Maharashtra & Goa.

Last year Modak Ice Cream received overwhelming response. It is a perfect dessert for modak lovers, especially the health conscious minds. It is a concoction of churns of dried coconut shreds, almonds & pistachio nuts. With every layer of ice cream, one will experience a real taste of Modak.

Speaking about the flavor, Mr. Ankit Chona, Managing Director, Havmor Ice Creamsaid, “We had received overwhelming response for Modak Ice cream last Ganesh Chaturthi and therefore, to delight modak lovers this time as well, we have brought this exotic flavor to enjoy the celebration of festival with loads of modak in the form of ice cream.”

The new exotic variant ice cream, designed for Modak lovers,is available in the form of Modak, starting from INR 70/- per unit. This flavor is available till stocks last, so visit the nearest outlet and enjoy the modak melting in the mouth, with its delightful flavor.

SUNIL’S WAX MUSEUM LONAVALA AND DEVGAD WILL HAVE WAX SCULPTURES OF ANKUSH CHUADHARI AND AMRUTA KHANVILKAR!

We all know the famous Wax museum Madame Tussauds in London for its wax statues of some renowned personalities. This Museum has many branches all over the world and recently they opened their new branch in Delhi, India. But it’s not possible for everyone to visit Delhi to see fine wax sculpture of their favourite ones. So Sunil Kandaloor had glance at all this and he understood that this could be a great way to achieve his dreams. Sunil who is born and brought up in Kerla, is the most well-known wax sculpture artist in India and first one to have a Wax museum in Lonavala and Kochi. His museums have sculptures of many eminent personalities, e.g.  Adolf Hitler, Lionel Messi, Narendra Modi, Mahatma Gandhi etc. His museums have become one of the most visited tourist spots.

After having such a great response for his two ventures, recently he opened his third branch in Devgad, Ratnagiri with the help of MLA Mr. Nitish Rane, who is a renowned and a sensational leader. Coming from a political background Rane has done lot of work in Konkan region for its betterment. So he decided to make Konkan more charming and with this museum. Konkan is famous for mangos and beaches. Ganesh utsav and Holi, these two festivals are celebrated on a grand scale in Kokan. Most of the Mumbaikar’s who belongs to kokan visit their native places during these festivals. And hence this Ganesh Utsav Nitish Rane decided to give a pleasant surprise to them and the natives of Kokan and he brought wax sculptures of the leading actors of Marathi industry Ankush Chaudhri and glamorous actress Amruta Khanvilkar, which has increased excitement among their fans. Both the actors have always been a style icon for the younger generation and have been favourites of the audience for their brilliant performances and acting skills. Along with the wax sculptures of Narendra Modi, Indira Gandhi, Lionel Messi, and Superstar Rajnikant, now Ankush Chaudhari and Amruta Khanvilkar’s wax statue will also be a treat for the visitors, at Wax Museum Devgad. Wax museum having wax statues of Marathi Celebrities is something which we all can be proud of. In the next two months we can see the wax statues of Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Salman Khan as well as Marathi actors Swwapnil Joshi, Sai Tamhankar and Tejaswini Pandit. Sunil came with a great idea but it wouldn’t have be possible without Mr. Nitish Rane’s support. Nitesh Rane’s effort to establish this wax museum at Devgad is really appreciable.