Tork Motors gears up for launch with the installation of their first EV fast-charging station

●        With the launch of its first charging station, TORK Motors supports the government's vision of promoting e-mobility in India.

●        TORK charging stations are 100% compliant to the standardized Bharat EV Specifications and can support any electric vehicle in the city that features a GB/T plug.

Pune, September 30, 2019: Tork Motors, the Pune based high-performance electric vehicle manufacturer laid the groundwork for their upcoming launch by installing the first unit of their EV fast-charging station at Cafe Peter’s Bund Garden Road outlet in Pune, Maharashtra.

The new EV charging station is in line with the government’s vision to ensure seamless and faster adoption of electric vehicles and is the first of many that the company plans to install in the coming years.

The state-of-the-art stations will incorporate smart EV chargers with secure connectors, to provide a fast charging facility and ensure a seamless payment experience for the users as well. 

These chargers are developed in line with the standardized Bharat EV specifications and will have the capability of providing up to 100V battery capacity. In the coming months, the company seeks to create a variety of chargers to its charging network that would easily facilitate e-charging for vehicles that are already present or yet to be launched in the market.

Launching the first charging station, Kapil Shelke, Founder and CEO of TORK Motors said, “With the launch of our first EV charging station, we seek to drive the adoption of e-vehicles and especially electric motorcycles in India. We are excited to unveil the first public fast-charging station in our home city of Pune and consider it to be a step towards creating an easy to discover and accessible TORK Charging Network, reflecting our company’s vision. This move is also in line with our growth plans of offering a holistic and hassle-free experience to the consumer.”

To address this, the company has taken a potent step towards fuelling the growth of electric bikes in India and plans to set up a dense charging network with a variety of chargers to boost compatibility and accessibility for EV users across all cities that Tork Motors plan to operate in.

For All Questions on Diamonds, There Is Only One Answer – FOREVERMARK

-#TRUSTFOREVERMARK, the latest campaign launched by the brand-

Mumbai, 20^th September,2019: Forevermark, the diamond brand from the De Beers Group, has launched its latest consumer campaign #TrustForevermark to help all prospective buyers allay their doubts, fears and questions that arise when buying diamonds.

The campaign reaffirms the trust the brand, Forevermark inspires. It highlights the essence of the brand and the apprehensions consumers face when purchasing a diamond. The campaign was formulated after extensive research conducted by the brand through agency Greycells. It showed that when buying a diamond, consumers are constantly looking for reassurance that they have indeed bought a genuine and natural diamond. The diamond “Question mark” seen across the campaign encapsulates all the concerns of a consumer, establishing Forevermark as the final destination to put at rest, all their diamond-buying anxieties.

“A diamond is an emotional purchase to mark a special occasion, however, there are so many anxieties attached to the purchase, that consumers often lose out on the experience. As Forevermark, we want our customer to embrace the festivity behind the purchase and not worry about the genuineness of the product. Through the #TrustForevermark campaign, we aim to reassure the consumer about the assurance the brand provides, being among the world’s most beautiful, natural, rare and responsibly sourced diamonds.,” said Sachin Jain, President, Forevermark India, while speaking about the campaign.

The print campaign created by the London-based creative agency Hatched, highlights a uniquely designed question mark, which follows the journey of a diamond from rough to polished, then into beautiful jewelry and finally a Forevermark box at the end of the question mark representing the answer to all queries on diamonds. This pathway of diamonds in the question mark also signifies the journey of responsible sourcing where particular care has been taken to ensure the integrity of each Forevermark diamond.

The campaign elucidates the Forevermark promise of being natural, beautiful, rare and responsibly sourced. With only less than 1% of the world’s diamonds being eligible to become a Forevermark diamond that comes with a unique inscription number, consumers can trust that they are buying one of the world’s most beautiful diamonds. Forevermark is the only diamond brand in India that provides an inscription card with each diamond corresponding to the unique inscription number on the table, which validates the purchase. A further assurance is provided with the Forevermark Grading Certificate.

Forevermark is a testament to the fact that the brilliance of the diamond goes beyond the standard 4Cs. The campaign also brings back three TVC’s initially launched in 2017 and conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson India.

Apart from the traditional media routes, this diverse multi-media campaign covers rich media innovative banners, video ads on multiple OTT platforms, polygon mapping in catchment areas, engaging content and contests across social media channels including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. PHD media worldwide is the digital agency supporting this campaign.

With on ground events, PR, digital, print, television, radio, outdoor and social media, the #TrustForevermark Campaign by the brand is the largest one yet.  It will be rolled out nationally over the next three months targeting 9 Tier I and 41 Tier II cities.

TiE Mumbai partners with New Jersey to Help Fast Track High-growth Startups from India

TiE Mumbai hosts Meet and Greet in honour of New Jersey Governor, Philip Murphy

Mumbai, 20 September 2019: Over the years, TiE Mumbai plays a significant role in promoting, mentoring, helping, and funding startups in this region. TiE Mumbai, New Jersey City University (NJCU), and Choose New Jersey, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purpose of promoting technology and technology-based investment exchange between New Jersey and India. To advance these strategies, the organizations will collaborate to support research and in the areas of common interest.

Atul Nishar, President of TiE Mumbai, Tamara Cunningham, Assistant Vice President for Global Initiatives, New Jersey City University, and Margie Piliere, Chief Economic Development Officer at Choose New Jersey, signed the MoU in the presence of Governor Murphy.

“I am thrilled to welcome TiE Mumbai to New Jersey,” said New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy. “As our state continues to build a world-class innovation ecosystem, we remain rooted in making the right investments for New Jersey’s economy. These investments emphasize our state’s history as the place where the modern world was invented and building upon that to be the place where tomorrow’s world will come to life. New Jersey is ready to have TiE Mumbai join us so we can lead the innovation economy together.”

“We are pleased to announce New Jersey City University’s partnership with TiE Mumbai,” said Jose Lozano, President  & CEO of Choose New Jersey. “We are excited by the way our Indian community is joining us in helping to grow and reinvent New Jersey’s economy. There is no better environment for businesses looking to grow than New Jersey, and we are confident that TiE Mumbai will be a key partner to help support and attract the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

“It is an absolute honour to have Governor Philip Murphy with us today. This MoU presents excellent growth opportunities for our member startups and will enable us to offer them an access to knowledge, markets, funds and talent in the state of New Jersey,” said Atul Nishar, President, TiE Mumbai.

“New Jersey City University (NJCU) is honored to be part of Governor Murphy’s Delegation Trip to India,” said Dr. Sue Henderson, President, NJCU. “The Governor’s vision to strengthen ties between India and New Jersey affords NJCU the opportunity to enter into a timely partnership with TiEMumbai and Choose New Jersey to promote cross-border innovation and technological exchange.   This international collaboration with NJCU’s School of Business will support startup companies and enterprises as they extend their footprints into North America.  It will also give our faculty and students a chance to work closely with these startups as they integrate into the ecosystem of the United States.  NJCU looks forward to being the conduit of access to opportunities and investments, specifically in the financial technology sector, for our new partner and its members.”

NJCU will offer the following services to the TiE Mumbai members (both pre-revenue and post-revenue stage technology start-ups) who are interested in exploring business and investment opportunities in New Jersey:

● Soft-landing platform, co-working space, and private office space within the NJCU campus will be available for TiE Mumbai members to use as an initial base or launchpad to explore and develop business opportunities in New Jersey;

● Guidance and mentorship will be offered to learn about the market, regulatory, commercial, and technological aspects of conducting business in New Jersey;

● Introductions to potential business partners, clients, and investors; and

●Joint workshops and projects for collaboration between TiE Mumbai members and NJCU members to collaborate on developing new technologies, products and solutions.

TiE Mumbai will actively seek to educate and inform its members on New Jersey’s economy and its business eco-system, as well as the government policies and initiatives of the state with respect to various sectors of common interest and the different opportunities for business and investment available in the various technology-driven sectors of the state. Additionally, TiE Mumbai will organize webinars, discussions, and talks to enable interactions between NJCU and TiE Mumbai members.

Choose New Jersey will act as an interface between TiE Mumbai and NJCU, facilitating interactions and engagements between the two organizations. Furthermore, Choose New Jersey shall provide guidance and assistance, either in partnership with NJCU or separately, to TiE Mumbai members planning to set up business activities in India, in the matters of  business incorporation, choice or legal form, office location, government regulations and initiatives/incentives, tax planning, investment and fund-raising opportunities, among others. New Jersey is a preferred location because of its proximity to New York and offers attractive tax regime.

About TiE Mumbai

The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus region. Since 1992. TiE has been supporting entrepreneurs by offering education, mentorship, networking and funding opportunities. The mission of TiE is to foster entrepreneurship globally through the 5 pillars of TiE : mentoring, networking and education, funding and incubation. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community. TiE’s focus area is to generate enable the next generation of entrepreneurs. There are currently 11,000 members, including over 2,500 charter members in 60 chapters across 17 countries. TiE’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education.

NXP Introduces Secure UWB Fine Ranging Chipset to Allow Broad Deployment in Mobile Devices

                 World’s first all-in-one solution to combine Secure Element (SE), Near Field Communications (NFC) and Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) fine-ranging technology

                 Delivers unparalleled precision sensing, including 360 degrees positioning

                 Leverages NXP’s leading end-to-end security architecture for secure localization capabilities in a variety of security applications

                 Provides ±10 cm range and ±3° angle accuracy

New Delhi, India, Sept. 19, 2019 -- NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) today officially announced its secure fine ranging chipset, SR100T – designed to bring remarkably precise positioning performance tailored for next-generation UWB-enabled mobile devices. With the SR100T, mobile devices will be able to communicate with connected doors, points of entry, and cars to open them once approaching. Lights, audio speakers, and any other connected device with UWB sensing capability will be able to follow users from one room to another, and smart connected technology will intuitively be embedded in people’s lives.

The new UWB-based chipset, SR100T, amplifies and builds on NXP’s connectivity, security ecosystem expertise, and proven security architecture found in many of today’s popular mobile payment-enabled devices featuring NFC and SE hardware. Adding UWB brings the use case of spatial awareness and relative positioning among multiple devices, whether indoor or outdoor, with little to no interference. Additionally, the UWB implementation delivers unprecedented accuracy, even in crowded, multipath signal environments with numerous walls, people, and other obstacles. The technology also uses angle-of-arrival (AoA) technology to accurately indicate the direction of a signal for added precision.

Furthermore, the SR100T expands NXP’s mobile wallet solution to include spatial awareness for new handsfree access applications.

“The use cases that UWB enables is one of the most highly anticipated developments and NXP is the first out of the gate to bring seamless, interoperable experiences with an all-in-one solution for mobile devices,” said Rafael Sotomayor, senior vice president of Mobile. “Today, NXP’s mobile wallet solutions already impact millions of consumers around the world. The SR100T is an evolution of our secure connected offerings and is designed to complement existing standards like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. This is a major step forward in allowing developers to deliver ubiquitous UWB experiences to people around the globe.”

Setting the Benchmark on Robust Wireless Accuracy and Localization

                6 to 9 GHz; 500 MHz bandwidth per channel

                High accuracy of AoA estimates with dual-Rx for AoA functionality

                Exceptional range accuracy in non-line-of-sight (nLOS): ±10 cm with angle accuracy (LoS): ±3°

Multi-layered Security Approach

                Best-in-class RF security provided through the security extension currently being specified in IEEE 802.15.4z Multiple integrated security mechanisms for both the protection of keys and software security

                Unified security architecture with NFC and Secure Element

Leading a UWB Revolution

NXP is a co-founder of the FiRa Consortium, a community of industry experts dedicated to the development and widespread adoption of seamless user experiences based on the secure fine-ranging and positioning capabilities of interoperable UWB technologies.

For more information visit: https://www.nxp.com/UWB or Watch the video about NXP UWB technology

SHM Shipcare Celebrates ‘Women in Maritime’ – CWIM 2019

SHM Shipcare Celebrates ‘Women in Maritime’ – CWIM 2019 on the occasion of ‘World Maritime Day 2019’

Theme for this year is to focus on ‘Empowering Women in the Maritime Community’

Stressing the need for increasing participation of women seafarers in maritime

Mumbai, September 13, 2019: SHM Shipcare, leading manufacturer of safety & survival systems for Indian Navy, Merchant Navy, Oil & Gas in the country, organised “Celebrating Women in Maritime” – CWIM2019 on the occasion of ‘World Maritime Day” with a vision to honour the contribution of women seafarers to this fraternity and motivate young women to take up seafaring as their career.

‘Empowering Women in the Maritime Community’ is theme for World Maritime Day, 2019. This provides SHM, an opportunity to raise awareness about gender parity in Maritime and other allied sectors.

The event witnessed the presence of dignitaries like Mr. Amitabh Kumar (IRS), Director General of Shipping, Mrs. HK Joshi, Director (Finance), SCI, Mr. Suresh Jandial, Executive Director ONGC, Mr. David Birwadkar - VP Great Eastern Shipping, Capt. Raj Razdan - Provost - Tolani Maritime Institute, Capt. Suneha Gadpande, Seasoned Seafarer and Ms. Sanndhya Pillai - Maritime Lawyer.  The panel tabled a healthy discussion around the idea of ‘Making seafaring accessible to Women’ and concrete ideas emerged from the same.

According to IMO, today, women represent only 2% of the world’s 1.2 million seafarers and 94% of the female seafarers are working in the cruise industry. The maritime industry has been traditionally male-centric. This year the IMO has made it their prime mission in line with the UN SDG 5 of Gender Equality, to bring in more inclusivity in the fraternity from a socio-cultural point of view.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Saifuddin H. Hajee, Chairman, SHM Group of Companies said that, “We are extremely delighted to organize this event where we are celebrating women in maritime. Empowering women fuels thriving economies across the world, spurs growth and development and benefits everyone working in the global maritime community in the drive towards safe, secure, clean and sustainable shipping. We are proud to say that 20% of our workforce is women.”

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Amitabh Kumar, Directorate General of Shipping said that, “In 1990’s women’s participation in employment was 40% which in 2017 went down to 26% and further decreasing. If the work force is diverse with women, overall productivity of the company increases.  There is a need to attract more women for shipping industry. Globally, around 2% women are in maritime industry and in India it is less than 1%.

On the occasion of World Maritime Day, our first strategy should be to encourage women to join maritime industry. Then manage to get them to training institutes and retain them by providing on-the-job training. Going further, the seafarers should be supported during breaks in their career like maternity, by providing them with alternative career options like ship managers, lawyers or recruiters.” 

गोदरेज इंटेरिओ के 'मेक स्पेस फॉर लाइफ' सर्वेक्षण के अनुसार 61% भारतीय अपने जूनून को पूरा नहीं कर पाते

नई दिल्ली में अभियान के उद्घाटन में लोकप्रिय टीवी अभिनेत्री दिव्यांका त्रिपाठी ने लोगों से अपने काम और जीवन के बीच स्वस्थ संतुलन बनाए रखने के लिए प्रोत्साहित किया।

नई दिल्ली,  सितंबर, 2019:  भारत का सबसे अग्रणी फर्नीचर और इंटीरियर उत्पादों और सुविधाओं का ब्रांड गोदरेज इंटेरिओ ने आज अपने नए अभियान - 'मेक स्पेस फॉर लाइफ' का शुभारंभ किया। लोकप्रिय टीवी अभिनेत्री दिव्यांका त्रिपाठी ने इसका उद्घाटन किया। 'मेक स्पेस फॉर लाइफ' अभियान इस वास्तव पर रोशनी डालना चाहता है कि व्यवसाय, नौकरी में ज्यादा से ज्यादा अच्छे प्रदर्शन की दौड़ में लोगों को अपने पारिवारिक संबंध और दोस्तों के साथ अच्छा समय बिताने के मौके पीछे छोड़ने पड़ रहे हैं।

गोदरेज इंटेरिओ ने हाल ही में किए गए एक सर्वे के नतीजों ने यह दिखा दिया है कि कई भारतियों के लिए कई भारतियों के लिए व्यावहारिकता जूनून से बढ़ कर हो गई है।  सर्वे में यह भी पता चला है कि कई भारतियों ने उनके परिवार, दोस्तों और जूनून के बीच संतुलन और समय पाने में असफलता को स्वीकार किया है।

गोदरेज इंटेरिओ के बी2सी के सीनियर वाईस प्रेसिडेंट श्री. सुबोध मेहता ने बताया, "मेक स्पेस फॉर लाइफ अभियान भारतियों के जीवन में काम और जिंदगी के बीच संतुलन के महत्त्व पर आधारित है।  जिंदगी जीने की जगह बनाना यह संकल्पना भारतियों के लिए केवल भौतिक रूप से नहीं बल्कि हम जिन तनावों और बंधनों को हर दिन झेलते हैं उनकी दृष्टी से भी बहुत मायने रखती है।  हमारे सर्वे के नतीजों के अनुसार काम, प्रौद्योगिकी और दैनंदिन जीवन की भागदौड़ और तनावों के बीच भारतीय लोग अपने पारिवारिक रिश्तों-संबंधों और जूनून के लिए बहुत ही कम समय निकाल पाते हैं।  आधुनिक प्रौद्योगिकी के गलत इस्तेमाल से यह ट्रेंड बढ़ता जा रहा है।  भारतियों के जीवन में काम और जिंदगी के बीच संतुलन रख पाना कितना मुश्किल है यह इन जानकारियों से पता चलता है।  एक ब्रांड होने के नाते गोदरेज इंटेरिओ अपने अभिनव फर्नीचर डिजाइन्स से घरों में खुशियां, उत्साह लाने के प्रयास करता है और भारतियों को प्रोत्साहित करता है ताकि वे अपने परिवार, दोस्तों के लिए, अपने दिल पसंद कामों के लिए ज्यादा समय निकाले।"   

सर्वे के नतीजों से सहमति दर्शाते हुए और अभियान को समर्थन देते हुए लोकप्रिय टीवी अभिनेत्री दिव्यांका त्रिपाठी ने कहा, "आम तौर पर लोगों को किसी भी सेलिब्रेटी की चकाचौंध दिखती है लेकिन उसके पीछे की कड़ी मेहनत और भागदौड़ को नजरअंदाज किया जाता है।  काम के सिलसिले में यहां-वहां भागना, हमेशा व्यस्त रहना इसकी वजह से मेरे लिए काम और नीजि जीवन के बीच संतुलन बनाए रखना एक चुनौती है।  परिवार और दोस्तों के साथ सुकून से मिलने-जुलने के लिए समय निकाल पाना बहुत ही कठिन है, कितना भी दिल करें लेकिन मैं अपने दिल पसंद काम पूरे करने के लिए समय ही निकाल पाती हूँ।  लेकिन अब मैं मेरी जिंदगी, मेरे जूनून और मेरे परिवार के लिए जगह बनाने के लिए जानबूझ कर प्रयास करती हूँ।  मैं आप सभी से भी अनुरोध करती हूँ कि अपने काम और जीवन के बीच स्वस्थ संतुलन बनाए रखने की कोशिश कीजिए।"

गोदरेज इंटेरिओ के सर्वे में पाया गया है कि इसमें शामिल 61% लोगों के पास अपने जूनून पूरे कर पाने के लिए समय नहीं है और कई लोग मानते हैं कि वे पारिवारिक जिम्मेदारियों की वजह से अपने पसंदीदा कामों के लिए पर्याप्त समय नहीं दे पाते।

साथ ही, सर्वे में सहभागी 40% लोगों का मानना है कि वे पैसों की तंगी की वजह से अपने पसंद के काम नहीं कर पाते।  वास्तव में सबसे चिंताजनक बात यह सामने आई है कि सर्वे में सहभागी 56.7% से ज्यादा लोग कहते हैं कि उनके जीवन में काम और जीवन के बीच संतुलन बिगड़ गया है और 68.2% लोग कहते हैं वे अपने हिसाब से जिंदगी जी नहीं सकते, जब कि, 56.5% लोगों का कहना है वे अपने व्यवसाय, नौकरी की वजह से दिल पसंद कामों के लिए समय निकाल नहीं पाते।  चौका देने वाली बात है कि 72% लोगों को लगता है कि उनके जीवनसाथी उनसे ज्यादा स्मार्ट डिवाइसेस की और ध्यान देते हैं।  

चंडीगढ़, मुंबई, जयपुर, पटना, कोईम्ब्तूर, पुणे, लखनऊ, हैदराबाद, कोलकाता, दिल्ली, चेन्नई, बेंगलुरु, अहमदाबाद, कानपूर इन 14 शहरों के 1300 लोगों को इस सर्वे में शामिल करवाया गया था। 

Amagi Announces 1,000-Channels Broadcast Monitoring Facility

BANGALORE — September 10, 2019 — Amagi, a global leader in cloud-based technology for TV and OTT broadcasters, today announced that it has launched a new broadcast monitoring facility in New Delhi, India. The state-of-the-art facility can monitor up to 1,000 channels with 24x7 support, and is powered by playout monitoring platform on the cloud, complete with ML-ready advanced automation capabilities.

“As large and traditional broadcasters are starting to make cloud as their primary playout and distribution platform, the need of the hour is a complete platform that can accommodate all operational needs of broadcasters on the cloud platform”, said Baskar Subramanian, co-founder, Amagi. “In this context, apart from cloud playout, it’s imperative that broadcasters also focus on comprehensive monitoring capabilities as well to manage broadcast operations on the cloud. Amagi’s new monitoring facility is a direct response to evolving needs of the industry”.

Being a cloud-first technology company, Amagi has invested in building automation across the workflow, starting from live and media ingest, pre-processing of content to explore automated delivery mechanisms and making operations monitoring efficient and automated. Amagi’s powerful monitoring platform runs on the cloud and is extensible as it is completely resource-unconstrained and can scale to hundreds of channels without any capital infrastructure. The platform is also AI/ML-ready in terms of embracing cutting-edge audio-video based machine-learning capabilities in driving automation further and reduce human costs and errors dramatically over time.  

“Amagi’s new monitoring facility allows global broadcasters across linear TV and OTT enhance their broadcast operations- be it for live sports, news or thematic content. The extended capability sets us apart in the market as we can scale operations in no time as per our client needs” added Srini, co-founder, Amagi.

Amagi has deployments in 40+ countries and delivers more than 200 channels to audiences worldwide. Amagi clients include industry heavyweights such as Turner Broadcasting, Viceland, Discovery, Viacom18, IMG, PBS America, Quest TV, Zee TV, and ‘digital first’ networks – Tastemade, Cinedigm, TYT, RoosterTeeth, PeopleTV and more. Amagi also offers content delivery and monetization solutions on platforms such as YouTube TV, Sony PlayStation Vue, SonyLIV, Twitch, Amazon Prime Video, Xumo, YuppTV among others.

For more information about Amagi and its cloud-based broadcast solutions, visit www.amagi.com. Amagi solutions will also be on display at IBC2019, Amsterdam from September 13-17, 2019, Booth #2.B19.

Government to improve Ease of Doing Business for OTT, VoD platforms: OSD to Maharashtra CM

MUMBAI, 6^th September 2019: Mr Kaustubh Dhavse, Joint Secretary designated as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra, yesterday said that the government will provide necessary support and improve Ease of Doing Business for over-the-top (OTT) and video on demand (VoD) media platforms.

Speaking at the fourth edition of FICCI Knowledge Series: ‘FAST TRACK INDIA – Maximizing the Content Value Chain’, Mr Dhavse said, “This event gives the government an understanding of the digital space very closely. It helps us create an enabling ecosystem so that people across value chain benefit from the incentives of the government.”

Mr Neeraj Roy, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Hungama Digital, Media Entertainment Ltd said, “When it comes to the broadcast market, an audience is being generated in both television as well as the internet which culminates the perfect storm of storyteller.” He further added, “An average Indian consumer, consumes 17 gigabyte data a day which means, never letting the content devices be away from the users.”

Mr Rishika Lulla Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Eros Digital, said that India is one of the fastest growing entertainment and media market globally and is expected to keep that momentum. “As data and digital infrastructure has become exceedingly accessible even in small cities of India, the market for OTT has widened enormously. At Eros Now, we strive to constantly engage the existing consumers and expand our reach by offering new and innovative services,” he added.

Defining the current VoD landscape which has evolved rapidly over the last few years, Mr Karan Bedi, Chief Executive Officer, MX Player said, “I am delighted to be sharing insights on the role of OTT and the rise of the digital medium at FICCI FAST TRACK INDIA 2019. Our first 6 months at MX Player has taught us so much about the varied preferences of the consumer palette; its only upward and beyond from here on.”

Ms Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, Zee5 Global said, “This is the best of times for both consumer and content creators. For those of us running an OTT business, the key priority remains monetization, but we increasingly see that consumer are willing to pay for great content and that remains a strong stimulus for the ecosystem.’’

Mr Alistair Jennings, Vice President, APAC Content Protection, Motion Picture Association said, “India is the fastest growing media and entertainment market globally and its video streaming industry has enormous growth prospects. Now is a vital time to build the right checks and balances to protect the legal dissemination of online content. I am delighted to join this year’s Fast Track to share more on MPA’s efforts and our recent site blocking successes in India.”

Mr Girish Menon, Partner & Head, Media & Entertainment, KPMG in India said, “The online video consumer in India has evolved in a significant way in the last couple of years. With consumption now going mass and viewers spending close to 8.5 hours a week on online video, we see a homogenous pattern of consumption emerging cutting across age groups, income levels and professions.”

ICAI Convocation 2019-20 (1st Round) held in Mumbai.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

ICAI Convocation 2019-20 (1^st Round)
at Yogi Sabha Gruha, Dadar (E), Mumbai on Saturday the 31-August, 2019.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India organized the ICAI Convocation 2019-20 (1^st Round) at Yogi Sabha Gruha, Dadar (E), Mumbai on Saturday the 31-Aug-19.

Shri Arvind G Sawant, Hon’ble Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Chief Guest and CA. Prafulla Premsukh Chhajed, Hon’ble President ICAI while congratulating the newly qualified Chartered Accountants exalted them to persistently strive for Excellence, Independence and Integrity.

CA. Durgesh Kumar Kabra, Convocation Co-ordinator for Mumbai and Vice-Chairman Board of Studies ICAI administered the professional oath to the newly qualified Chartered Accountants. CA. Dheeraj Kumar Khandelwal and CA. Shriniwas Joshi, Central Council Members addressed the members. CA. Priti Paras Savla, Chairperson WIRC introduced the Chief Guest.

Chief Guest, Shri Arvind G Sawant Hon’ble Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises congratulated the new successful Chartered Accountants being conferred Rank Certificates and Membership Certificates today, who have achieved this qualification  through Self Study and striving hard like the legendry Eklavya who mastered great archery skills through practice in front of his assumed Guru Dronacharyas’ statute.

Today in all sectors/ industry, there is a need of Chartered Accountant. He recalled his earlier visit to the Institute function wherein Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji had recognized the important role of Chartered Accountants in the critical issue of Black money being faced by the nation. He asked important questions - Who can search this out, who can prevent this, who support government initiative to curb black money? He noted that the ICAI and its Chartered Accountants play an important role in this.

He recalled the important statement of ICAI is Partner in Nation Building made by Hon’ble Shri A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Ex-President of India.  He noted that the ICAI is making earnest efforts in this regard.

He recalled that Shri Bal Thakarey Founder of Shiv Sena believed that to build the nation, there should not be any distinction based on Caste, Creed or Religion.  He expressed happiness that the ICAI gives equal opportunity without discretion. He also noted that the daughter of an Autorickshaw driver stood first in CA examination.  The Honorable Minister requested the Institute to provide details of hardships being faced by industry and business with remedial measures to boost the economy and suggest the way forward.

Shri Arvind G Sawant, Hon’ble Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Chief Guest and CA. Prafulla Premsukh Chhajed, Hon’ble President ICAI conferred Rank Certificates for CA Final Exam held in November-18 to 30 Rank holders. Over 1,000 newly qualified members enrolled from December-18 to April -19 were awarded Membership Certificates.