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NMDC Mines awarded 5 Star Rating by IBM

Hyderabad, 03 March 2023: NMDC’s iron ore mines – Kirandul Deposit – 14 MZ, Kirandul Deposit – 14 NMZ, and Bacheli Deposit – 5 have been awarded 5 Star Ratings by the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) in Nagpur on Wednesday. Honourable Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Shri Pralhad Joshi presented the award to NMDC’s Director Production Shri Dilip Kumar Mohanty.

NMDC’s mines consistently feature in the best-performing mining leases of the country and receive 5 Star Rating in the Star Rating System of IBM, Ministry of Mines. The mines are assessed based on their efforts and initiatives taken for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Framework (SDF). Assessment parameters include impact management through scientific and efficient mining; addressing social impacts of resettlement and rehabilitation; local community engagements and welfare programmes; progressive and final mine enclosure; and adoption of international standards.

Congratulating the team, Shri Dilip Kumar Mohanty said, “As India’s largest producer of iron ore, it is NMDC’s responsibility to adopt mining practices that are sustainable, efficient, and environment friendly. We will continue to innovate and digitalize our production processes while being an eco-friendly miner to the nation.”

NMDC participated in the Special Mining Exhibition celebrating the 75th Foundation Day of the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) in Nagpur. Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Mines inaugurated the NMDC Pavilion highlighting the strides and recent initiatives of the company and India’s mining sector.

ICICI Bank launches digital solutions for participants of capital market and custody services

Mumbai: ICICI Bank today announced the launch an array of digital solutions for parti cipants of the capital market and clients of custody services. The solutions enable various participants in the sector including stock brokers, Portfolio Management Service (PMS) providers, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs), Foreign Direct Investors (FDIs), and Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) to seamlessly meet all their banking requirements. The Bank has launched these solutions to offer expeditious onboarding and convenience to all participants of the Indian capital market which has seen significant growth in the last few years.

The newly launched ‘3-in-1’ account enables the clients of stock brokers to digitally open online trading, demat and savings account in few hours from anywhere across the country. The facility empowers stock brokers to integrate their trading and depository systems with the Bank through API, providing them with the advantage of real time information on availability of investor funds.

The Bank has also enabled providers of PMS services to digitally open savings account and demat account in a single working day, significantly reducing onboarding and activation time.

Additionally, the Bank has launched a digital platform for onboarding and registration of FPIs/FDIs from any country across the globe. The platform helps FPIs/FDIs to upload documents and information seamlessly for pre-verification, thereby paring the registration and onboarding time down to a few days.

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Sumit Sanghai, Head- Large Clients Group, ICICI Bank said, “Indian capital market has witnessed significant growth over the last few years which can be gauged from the increase in number of demat accounts, rise in AUM of the mutual fund industry and surge in capital flows into the country. The market capitalisation of listed Indian corporates has increased from ~ INR 148 trillion to ~ INR 257 trillion over last five years. We believe that the market will continue to experience robust growth and provide impetus to India’s journey towards becoming a USD 5 trillion economy by 2025. The digital set of solutions launched by the Bank will help the participants of the capital market and custody services meet regulatory requirements, significantly decongest manual processes, thereby improving their operational efficiency and scalability in business.”

The key services and offerings of the digital solutions for entities in Capital Markets and Custody Services:

· ‘3-in-1’ account facility for stock brokers and clients: The facility enables investors to open a demat, savings bank and trading account simultaneously in a completely digital manner, within few hours. This facility enables the investors to simply block funds in the account towards a particular transaction, instead of transferring the funds to the brokers. This gives the investors the flexibility to pay only when the trades are executed. Additionally, the brokers can integrate their systems with the Bank to get real-time information on availability of investors’ funds.

· Digital account opening for PMS clients: As a custodian, the Bank offers first-of-its-kind solution to open digital demat and bank account for end clients of PMS. The account is opened with a simple digital journey in a single day as against the physical account opening process which takes 7 to 10 days.

· Digital on-boarding and pre-verification of FPI/FDI clients: The Bank offers state-of-art digital platform for onboarding of FPIs/FDIs. The digital process does away with longer turn-around time required for dealing with multiple time zones. The clients can fill the application form online and upload the supporting KYC documents such as Certificate of Incorporation, Memorandum of Association, Regulatory Licenses, etc. for pre-verification process. Once queries, if any, are resolved through the interactive query resolution mechanism on the platform, the clients are required to send the physical documents to the Bank, as required by the regulator. The digital process simplifies the on-boarding journey and reduces the time taken to open custody account, to few days from industry practice of 2 to 3 weeks and eliminates exchange of documents over email.

· Self-service portal: The Bank offers a self-service portal to clients of Custody Services including PMS, AIF and Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) that provides 24*7 digital access to custody holdings, transactions and various reports through ‘Web Custody’, a new feature of Corporate Internet Banking. The Bank also provides access to ‘E-Protector’ application, a digital dashboard for real time monitoring of margin utilisation, margin per script and authorisation of trades for clients availing derivative clearing services.

· Value added services for AIFs: The Bank offers solutions to AIFs including services such as fund accounting, forex, escrow arrangement, digital collection and payment solutions. The Bank’s latest fund accounting software has the capability to manage all asset classes including regulatory reporting apart from web based access to AIF and its investors. The Bank also extends customised escrow services for diverse requirements of AIF portfolio companies such as share purchase agreement, share buyback, merger, demat escrow, RERA accounts and credit linked arrangements.

· Digital collection solutions: The Bank offers customised solutions to collect funds and margin money from investors. The list of collection solutions include digital channels such as e-collections, e-mandates, e-NACH and UPI interfaces. These channels are integrated with the client’s systems through state-of-art APIs. It helps them for automated reconciliations and efficient cash flow management.

· Digital payment solutions: The Bank offers tailor-made solutions to participants of capital market and custody services to carry out various payments such as exchange pay-in, investor payment, expense payment to vendors and statutory payout. The participants can directly integrate with the Bank’s systems and UPI stack, and embed the payment solutions within their ERP systems. This can be done with API integration with the Bank in a secured and speedy manner. The integration helps the participants with real time status update, faster credits and automated reconciliation and validations with the client systems.

Air India relaunches non-stop flight service between Delhi and Copenhagen

Bangalore, 03, March 2023: Spreading wings to further expand its global reach, Air India, India’s flagship airline and a Star Alliance member, resumed its non-stop service on the Delhi-Copenhagen-Delhi sector from 1st March 2023.

Air India Flight AI157 now operates on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from Delhi, taking off at 1330 Hrs and arriving in Copenhagen at 1750 Hrs (local time). The CPH-DEL flight AI158 will depart at 1950 Hrs (local time) and arrive in Delhi at 0740 Hrs, next day (local time). The flight will be operated by Air India’s state-of-the-art Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, featuring a two-class cabin configuration, comprising 18 Business Class and 236 Economy Class seats. With this service, Air India’s India-Europe frequency has increased to 79 non-stop flights per week.

Recommencing after a hiatus of almost three years, since global flight operations were restricted due to the outbreak of the pandemic, this service will further strengthen Air India’s foothold in Europe, after the recently resumed flights to Vienna and Milan. Passengers can now conveniently fly non-stop to Copenhagen, a popular tourism and business centre and an educational hub of Europe. It is one of the most alluring Scandinavian destinations, known for its scenic beauty, architecture, and cultural history.

This service will provide Indian travellers with convenient access to not only Copenhagen but also to several popular destinations around Copenhagen, including Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland Besides catering to the demand of the corporate travellers, the student community and the Indian diaspora, in general, will benefit from this service.

Mr Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer, Air India, said, “A key element of Air India’s Vihaan.AI transformation is considerably improving connectivity between India’s major cities and major global destinations. Resuming this non-stop service from Delhi to Copenhagen, following the relaunch of the flights between Delhi and Vienna, affirms our commitment to develop a major international hub in India’s capital.”

Earlier, at a simple ceremony to mark the resumption of the flight, Mr Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience & Global Head, Ground Handling, Air India, lit the ceremonial lamp and cut the ribbon at IGI Airport, Delhi, on March 1, 2023, along with senior officials from GMR and AISATS. A specially curated menu was also offered to guests on this flight which went full.

AI 157 was accorded a warm welcome at the Copenhagen airport with dignitaries from the Indian Embassy passengers and local trade partners and Corporates gracing the occasion organised at the airport to commemorate the event.  The return flight AI 158 landed back at Delhi this morning with 242 passengers.

For more information and to book tickets, please visit www.airindia.in.

Last Call to Cruise the Maldives Aboard Four Seasons Explorer

Mumbai, March 2023: Last call! The stunning Four Seasons Explorer will be cruising through the sun-drenched turquoise atolls until May 1, 2023 – leaving intrepid explorers just a few months to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime Maldivian odyssey between the two Four Seasons resorts of Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru before the boat relocates to thrilling new waters.

This is an incredible final opportunity to escape on an all-inclusive 3-, 4-, or 7-night Winter of Wonders cruise on board the luxurious three-deck, 11-cabin catamaran, experiencing multiple bucket-list encounters each day.
Guests can dive and snorkel isolated reefs, encounter rare marine animals up close, dine under the stars in the middle of nowhere and indulge in spa treatments on remote, uninhabited islands. Retiring to 10 spacious cabins or the unrivalled Explorer Suite to reenergise and rejuvenate, each cruise fluidly adapts to the needs of onboard guests and the best of the surrounding waters on any given day.

Secure one of the last remaining places on Four Seasons Explorer – Four Seasons only “floating resort” – before she bids farewell to the Maldives for the last time.

To be one of the last guests to experience a Maldivian atoll cruise aboard Four Seasons Explorer, contact the Central Reservations Department team at tel: (960) 66 00 888 or email reservations.mal@fourseasons.com.

Men, Look your festive best to slay this Holi Season

The first joyous celebration of the year – Holi is around the corner.

Holi is one the most vibrant of festivals. With colour and music at its heart, it creates an atmosphere of festivity, but to complete the picture, you need the perfect attire.

To maximize enjoyment through the festival, you need to marry fashion with comfort while looking smart and dapper.
Here are some tips from Mr Kabir Karan, Director, KARAN & MOIN, with some tips to make the most of your Holi celebrations.

ETHNIC TOUCH WITH KURTA-PYJAMA
A comfortable all-time favourite. But can it also be the attire to make you stand out? Yes, it can!
Let’s see how you can style up depending on the occasion.

Holika Dahan Get Together

If you plan to sit close to the pyre or dance around it, all cotton is our recommendation.

Add a touch of style with a standard Kurta pyjama by throwing on a Sadri or a Vasket.
Finding the weather too warm to support a jacket style up the Kurta, choose from an achkan style, asymmetric high-low cuts, or a long Chikankari with a stole for a formal set-up requiring a style statement.

Holi Day

With the promise of rain and the temperatures likely to drop, and if kurta pyjama feels a bit of a misfit, let’s go contemporary.

Get out your old jeans and pair them with a short kurta with big or floral prints to set the mood or a nice white T-shirt to let the colours stand and do the talking, or if that is not quite your style, a nice stylish Chikankari Kurta can set off the look.

Jeans, not your style? Well, we have something for you as well.

Pick a traditional print like Bandhani Kurta or a printed kurta, and pair it with subtle hue bottoms. Club the Kurta with straight-cut pants, churidars, or loose-fit pyjama pants to keep the comfort and claim the style.

Celebrity Cricket League clarifies title debate & Malayalam Artists Association (AMMA) Controversy

This is in reference to recent reports regarding the title debate on Kerala Strikers in a few media reports. The management & team of Celebrity Cricket League would like to clearly state that Mr. Mohan Lal is still the Co-Owner of Kerala Strikers and the team has entered the league with an amazing lineup of talent from the entertainment world. The contract with AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) for Kerala Strikers had expired. CCL did not renew the contract, instead decided to move ahead with C3 – a Celebrity Cricket Club whose members are predominantly Malayalam Actors, who are also members of AMMA. It has been noticed that a few miscreants are spreading false rumors to pull down Kerala Strikers and the spirit of the game and we would not let that happen. CCL 2023 is not just about cricket, it is also a celebration of the spirit of sportsmanship, camaraderie, and entertainment and we would appreciate that it prevails over politics.

Celebrity Cricket League 2023 is set to continue its action-packed journey from Bangalore to Kerala, with more exciting matches for cricket and movie fans alike. After 2 successful and thrilling weeks at Raipur, and Jaipur, CCL 2023, promises to dazzle the audience with its Reimagined, Refreshed, and Reloaded edition with matches at Thiruvananthapuram Greenfield International Stadium, on 5th March 2023 (Sunday)

Vishnu Vardan Induri

Founder

Celebrity Cricket League

After Successful Ceremonies in Pune and Mumbai, Quick Heal’s CSR Initiative Takes ‘Cyber ShikshaForCyber Suraksha Awards’ To Nagpur

Nagpur, 5th March 2023:Quick Heal, a global cybersecurity solutions provider, as part of its corporate social responsibility through its foundation hosted the ‘Cyber Shiksha for Cyber Suraksha Awards’ in Nagpur. The ceremony recognized the outstanding efforts of participating universities, teachers, and students in raising awareness of cyber safety, particularly among marginalized communitiesin the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. Ms. AnupamaKatkar, Chairperson of the Quick Heal Foundation, and academic representatives from the six participating institutions were present to distribute the awards.

The awards ceremony was organized at Priyadarshini College of Engineering, Nagpur. Volunteering institutions from the region include Government Institute of Forensic Science, Nagpur, Priyadarshini College of Engineering, Nagpur, Seth KesarimalPorwal College, Kamptee, ShankarlalKhandelwal College, Akola, SudhaSureshbhaiManiyar College, Nagpur, and J. M. Patel College, Bhandara. The ceremony was attended by more than 140volunteers from the participatinginstitutions.

Separate award categories were established to recognize the accomplishments of colleges, teachers, and students. The winners under each category were determined based on information provided by the colleges on their active involvement in the ‘Cyber Shiksha for Cyber Suraksha’ program, including their actions, activities, and outreach efforts. A dedicated voting page was set up on the Quick Heal Foundation website, featuring video clips of the nominated performances.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms.AnupamaKatkar, Chairperson, Quick Heal Foundation and Chief of Operational Excellence, Quick Heal Technologies Limited, said, “I would like to congratulate all the winners for taking a step towards securing many futures by spreading education on cyber safety. Theireagerness to learn, enhance and share knowledge is commendable. We, at Quick Heal through our foundation, believe that cyber education is critical in today’s world, and we are delighted to see the enthusiasm shown by the educational institutions, teachers and students to make ‘Cyber Shiksha for Cyber Suraksha’ initiative a grand success. We appreciate their commitment to making our digital world safer and more secure,and wholeheartedly thank all our partners for being a part of this crucial endeavor.”

The following editions of the felicitation ceremony will be organized in Solapur and Aurangabad in the month of March.

Ways blockchain gaming can survive the crypto winter

By Kameshwaran Elangovan, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of GuardianLink

Blockchain gaming is considered to be a stable asset, and the emerging sector has surpassed a total of $2.5 billion in investments globally, which could explain why it is still very much in demand.

The crypto winter was not a stranger to anyone following the news. Global crypto markets fell from $2.2 trillion at the start of 2022 to $796 million by the end of the year. These turbulent times were understandably a cause of concern for investors from across the world. However, despite the bear market, blockchain gaming managed to not just survive but thrive.

According to DappRadar, Blockchain gaming has grown by 48% in January 2023, compared to other blockchain activities, up from 45% in December. Although we cannot deny the fact that blockchain gaming is yet to witness mainstream adoption, it does have a significant advantage over crypto. For instance, take the fact that crypto markets are known for their volatility… Blockchain technology, on the other hand, has found multiple applications across various industries such as finance and healthcare. Similarly, gaming, too, is more tangible to the user. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the gaming industry is projected to reach revenues worth $365.6 billion in 2023.

Secondly, blockchain gaming allows users to monetize their winnings, presenting an opportunity to generate additional sources of revenue. With the advent of Web3 and the use of blockchain in gaming, Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) have grown in popularity, and the recent NFT market has registered a bullish trend, recording $941 million in trading volume and $9.2 million in sales count, reflecting what may be a promising quarter for NFTs. Crypto, on the whole, may have lost empathy, but gaming has empathy, patronage, and the admiration of scores of people all over the world.

One other thing to keep in mind is that gaming has never seen a dull market. Ever since games were launched, they have been sought after by a large and eager audience, ensuring popularity that stands the test of time. As technology evolves, it would stand to reason that the gaming industry would utilize these novel innovations. One such innovation is the blockchain. As an augmentation to the already burgeoning gaming sector, crypto has got nothing negative to do with altering the market landscape of games.

Blockchain technology, therefore, has transformed aspects of the gaming industry. Ensuring transparent transactions, enhanced security, lowered transaction costs, verification of users, and improving overall user experience are some ways in which blockchain has been able to supplement the world of gaming to make it better. Blockchain also assures one the longevity of gaming assets, making gaming much more rewarding than previously envisioned.

Over the past few years, blockchaintechnology has found myriad applications and large-scale user adoption in areas apart from gaming. The winter, thus, is only related to crypto and not to blockchain or gaming. The landscape of gaming has remained undeterred for years, rapidly growing year after year. Even when the crypto winter hit hard, blockchain gaming remained in vogue, leaving no room for even the notion of a “gaming winter” or a “blockchain winter.”

The developments in the crypto market have become a source of worry for investors. However, blockchain gaming is weathering the crypto winter, continuing to garner popularity and appreciation for the unique benefits it is capable of providing to its users. Blockchain technology in gaming is enabling economic benefits for users, ensuring game sustainability, while also looking out for key stakeholders such as game developers. By leveraging blockchain capabilities to enable a digital economy where users are able to earn money as part of the in-game experience, blockchain gaming presents a significant upgrade from traditional gaming, allowing it to flourish come what may.

Rang Barse with RANGRITI

Add a touch of exuberance, playfulness and vibrancy just like Rangriti. Rangriti becomes one stop destination for fashion lovers where ensembles dive into a splash of dazzling bright shades along with a space for complimenting hues creating festive memories and mood has been launched. Rangriti plays with colours that uplifts the mood and create reminiscences. From light tones to dark shades all are available that creates an attractive contrast. The ensemble matches the aesthetic backdrop of the occasion.

One can get their hands graceful whites, crimson red and chirpy yellows. The collection brings the true essence feisty, quirky, bright and colourful. The exclusive collection of Kurtas, Palazzo set, Straight Suit, Dress, Anarkali suit , having mesmerising prints hugs your soul. These can be paired with beautiful pair of jeans, harem pants, palazzo. The intricate embroidery and digital prints hones the ensemble. These amazing designs and motifs ensembles are available across all the stores of Rangriti and Online E-Commerce sites.

Siddharath Bindra, MD Rangriti said when it’s the Festival of Colours; we assume the celebrations to add vigour and vitality into your look. That’s why our Holi Sets are subdued however they are elegant, chic, and comfortable. We offer a unique statement and so as to relish the festivities to the fullest. Lastly wishing everyone a safe and eco friendly Holi!

Scantist Joins OpenChain Partner Program to Enable Consistent Open Source Governance and Compliance

India, 4 March 2023: Scantist, a leading provider of open-source management platforms, has joined the OpenChain Partner Program.

Since spinning off from the security research lab in Nanyang Technological University in 2016, Scantist has applied its extensive research base and deep scientific expertise to automation around open source security, licensing and compliance risks across the software development lifecycle.

“Scantist represents another important stepping stone in ensuring OpenChain ISO/IEC 5230 has excellent support across critical geographies for the global supply chain,” says Shane Coughlan, OpenChain General Manager.

“We look forward to working closely with their team in promoting the ISO/IEC standard for open source license compliance, and also to collaborating around ensuring trust in the supply chain is also increased in other vital areas such as security.”

“Scantist has a goal of helping every developer and company to use open source securely while staying legally compliant.” says Prof Liu Yang, who is the co-founder of Scantist. “Our partnership with the OpenChain Project underscores this commitment and also indicates our commitment to community collaboration in this space.”

This innovative partnership with OpenChain accelerates Scantist plans to build a world-class solution for open-source governance. It will deliver outstanding experiences for organizations and ensure they benefit from the best practices.

Driven by a trusted and consistent compliance vision, both parties will collaborate and deeply align on technologies, and market activities, such as webinars, events & training.

OpenChain is always working to expand and enhance the value of its training, certification, and continuing education for the community, as well as premium tools and resources. Together with OpenChain， Scantist’s strong dedication to supporting requirements and our ongoing passion for research and development could achieve effective management of open source for software supply chain and contribute to the future of governance, risk and compliance.