Goa advances AI Mission under Rohan Khaunte as policy draft takes shape

HNGIL Appoints Bharathi Mangaiahgari as CHRO to Drive HR Transformation and Growth

  India’s leading container glass manufacturer Hindusthan National Glass & Industries Limited (HNGIL) has brought on Bharathi Mangaiahgari as its Chief Human Resources Officer.

Bharathi, who has spent close to three decades in HR roles, will be working alongside the leadership team on the company’s people strategy and workforce planning. The appointment comes at a point where HNGIL is pushing hard on transformation and operational priorities following a change in ownership last year.

Bharathi’s background cuts across a wide spread of industries. She has done stints in tech, manufacturing, renewables, infrastructure, biotech, pharma, and EPC. She has also worked outside India, in the US, the UK, Israel, and Malaysia. Much of her career has revolved around tying together HR operations across borders, rolling out digital systems, and getting leadership pipelines in order.

She was most recently at Mahathi Infra Services as VP of Human Resources. Before that, she held the CHRO role at Patil Rail Infrastructure, a company with over 8,000 employees and several manufacturing sites. That job had her handling everything from compliance and governance to digitising HR processes from the ground up.

Kumar Krishnan, MD, HNGIL, commenting on the move, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Bharathi to HNGIL at a pivotal time in our journey. Her deep expertise in building high-performance organizations and leading HR transformation across diverse industries will be instrumental as we strengthen our people strategy and accelerate our next phase of growth.”

Bharthi’s hiring is one among a string of marquee appointments since HNGIL’s acquisition by Independent Sugar Corporation Ltd (INSCO), part of the Uganda-based Madhvani–Turner Group. The deal went through the IBC process and closed in September 2025. Kamlesh Madhvani and Shrai Madhvani led the acquisition, backed by funding from Cerberus Capital Management and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Under the new owners, HNGIL is seeing a ground-up overhaul. The Madhvani Group has put money into modernising plants, tightening operations, and building out sustainability initiatives. There is also a clear push to grow volumes — both within India and in export markets. Six plants are currently up and running: Rishra, Bahadurgarh, Rishikesh, Neemrana, Naidupeta, and Puducherry.

Founded in 1946, HNGIL was behind India’s first fully automated glass manufacturing plant. Today it has a presence across seven locations in India and serves customers in more than 23 countries.

Abhishek Jain Joins TransBnk as Group Business Head – Government Banking

India, Apr 8: A seasoned banker with experience across leading institutions, including HDFC Bank, IDFC FIRST Bank, IndusInd Bank, and Bandhan Bank, Abhishek Jain has joined TransBnk as Group Business Head for Government Banking. In this role, Abhishek will drive transaction banking solutions across Government, PSU, TASC, and Transit segments. The appointment strengthens TransBnk’s leadership team as the company scles its Government Banking portfolio.

Abhishek brings over 18 years of experience in payments, cash management, and transaction banking, having held senior roles across leading banks and fintechs, including Cashfree. Across his career, he has straddled both product and sales leadership, giving him a rare end-to-end perspective on building and scaling transaction banking businesses.

Most recently, he served as Product Head for Toll & Transit at IDFC FIRST Bank, where he led cash management and transit initiatives for large corporates and government institutions.

Commenting on his appointment, Abhishek said: “Government business remains the most demanding, but also the most rewarding segment in financial services, and democratizing access to such segments is core to what TransBnk is built for.”

Vaibhav Tambe, Co-founder and CEO of TransBnk, added: “Abhishek brings proven expertise in Government Business and a deep understanding of how State and Central bodies operate across business lines. His leadership will be instrumental as we deepen our presence across Corporate and Government segments.”

TransBnk is building a unified operating system for banks and enterprises, a scalable, innovative infrastructure that bridges traditional banking with emerging fintech ecosystems. 

Critical Manufacturing to Demonstrate MES-Powered Industrial Operations Platform for AI-Driven Manufacturing at Hannover Messe 2026

PORTO, Portugal, 08.04.2026 – Critical Manufacturing, the Industrial Operations Platform company that unites execution, connectivity, analytics and trusted AI, will exhibit at Hannover Messe 2026, demonstrating how manufacturers can transform production complexity into confident, intelligent operations.

At the event, the company will showcase more than MES. As the execution core, the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is the foundation of a broader Industrial Operations Platform where execution, data, and intelligence are continuously connected. This creates a closed feedback loop in which data captured on the shopfloor is transformed into insights and actions that are fed back into operations in real time. 

A connected platform for complex manufacturing

As manufacturing environments become more complex, companies across industries such as industrial equipment, semiconductors, electronics, and medical devices are under increasing pressure to manage variability, maintain strict quality standards, and respond quickly to operational changes. Critical Manufacturing addresses these challenges with a a unified system that captures and contextualizes production data at the source, creating the trusted operational foundation needed for visibility, analytics, and continuous improvement.

At Hannover Messe, visitors will see how this foundation powers the Critical Manufacturing Industrial Operations Platform, which combines MES with a built-in Enterprise Data Platform and a growing native ecosystem of applications. Together, these capabilities enable manufacturers to connect machines, processes, and operational data across the factory while extending insight and intelligence across plants and enterprise systems. More importantly, it enables a continuous feedback loop between data and execution, where insights generated from the data platform can directly trigger and optimize actions within MES.

From coffee to copilots: experience the platform in action

Live demonstrations at the booth will bring this vision to life through a connected journey. Visitors will see how MES coordinates shopfloor execution, experiencing a coffee machine scenario that highlights execution and connectivity, while the Enterprise Data Platform structures and organizes manufacturing data across systems and sites. Built on the operational layer, applications and analytics tools provide teams with the visibility needed to monitor performance, identify trends, and respond more quickly to operational challenges. Additionally, visitors will experience AI Copilots within the MES environment, allowing users to ask questions about manufacturing data in natural language and instantly generate charts, dashboards, and insights that make operational decision-making faster and more intuitive. From execution to intelligence, visitors will discover how Critical Manufacturing goes beyond MES providing a unique and connected Industrial Operations Platform.

Extending the partner ecosystem

The journey at the booth extends into the partner area to explore Critical Manufacturing’s global partner ecosystem, including FrontWell, Athena, Regenesia, LTTS and Manufacture Next. These partners deliver and integrate the Industrial Operations Platform worldwide. This space also features Twinzo, a digital twin application that integrates seamlessly with Critical Manufacturing MES, reinforcing the value of connectivity and real-time operational insight.

“Our industry has reached a point where execution, data, and analytics can no longer operate in isolation,” said Francisco Almada Lobo, CEO and Co-founder of Critical Manufacturing. “Manufacturers need a system that connects what happens on the shopfloor with the intelligence needed to improve performance across the organization. MES provides that operational backbone by capturing and contextualizing production data at its source. At Hannover Messe, we are demonstrating how this platform enables manufacturers to turn operational data into actionable intelligence that drives better decisions and continuous improvement.”

Ask Jeff: conversations on the future of manufacturing

Visitors will also have the opportunity to join the “Ask Jeff” area on April 20 and 21^st, where Jeff Winter will attend as a Strategic Advisor to Critical Manufacturing. During those days, attendees can engage in informal conversations about manufacturing leadership, digital transformation, and the evolving role of software platforms in modern production environments.

Visit Critical Manufacturing at Hall 15, Booth C14 to experience the platform in action. Attendees can claim a complimentary Hannover Messe ticket through the company’s event page and book a meeting or live demonstration with Critical Manufacturing experts to explore how MES-driven operations help manufacturers connect systems, gain clearer operational insight, and improve performance across their factories.

To book a meeting or demo in advance, visit: https://www.criticalmanufacturing.com/campaign/hannover-messe-2026/

Veolia celebrates 25 years at Hoskote in Bangalore: a world-class hub for advanced water technologies and global innovation

Veolia celebrated a landmark moment in its India journey on 1st April with the inauguration of its new Customer Experience Center at the company’s Hoskote plant in Bangalore, a world-class hub for membrane manufacturing, specialty chemicals and advanced water technologies. The event also marked the 25th anniversary of the Hoskote manufacturing and technology facility and the launch of a solar panel decarbonization initiative — underscoring Veolia’s long-term commitment to India as a global hub for water technology, innovation, and sustainable operations.

Anne Le Guennec, CEO of Veolia’s water technologies activities, said: “India holds a unique place in Veolia’s global strategy, not only as a dynamic market, but as a true center of excellence for engineering, digital innovation and manufacturing. Today’s milestones at Hoskote reflect 25 years of dedication, talent and ambition, in line with our GreenUp strategic program. Water is at the heart of environmental security, and as India faces growing water challenges, we are committed to delivering the technologies and solutions that will help cities and industries become more resilient, more efficient and more sustainable.”

The Hoskote plant: a quarter century of innovation

Established in 2001, the Hoskote plant has evolved into a world-class hub for membrane manufacturing, specialty chemicals and technology development, exporting to more than 20 countries. Its co-located Technology Center stands as a unique asset for global innovation, having generated over 100 patents. Located in a region renowned for its strong engineering expertise and talent pool, the site is driven by a highly skilled team of engineers and scientists developing innovative water solutions that advance environmental security for communities and industries worldwide.

As part of Veolia’s GreenUp strategy and its broader commitment to ecological transformation, the Hoskote plant has also inaugurated a new solar panel installation, marking a significant step in its decarbonization journey. The installation is expected to avoid more than 600 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, a tangible demonstration of Veolia’s determination to reduce the carbon footprint of its own operations while guiding customers towards the same goal: transforming sustainability pledges into measurable results.

Inauguration of the Veolia Customer Experience Center

The newly inaugurated Customer Experience Center at Hoskote is designed to bring Veolia’s technological capabilities, innovations and customer solutions to life in an immersive, interactive environment. It will serve as a hub for collaboration, knowledge exchange and joint innovation with customers across South Asia and beyond.

The center brings together an interactive technology showcase spotlighting Veolia’s smart water solutions with live demonstrations of remote monitoring, data analytics and digital systems. Visitors can engage directly with industry experts, explore service and support capabilities — from onsite engineering to remote inspection, auditing and operator training — and experience firsthand the innovations that are shaping the future of water management. A dedicated training facility accommodating up to 50 participants further cements the center’s role as a place for learning and capability-building.

Veolia in India: a track record of excellence in water technologies

As the largest industrial water company in South Asia, Veolia has delivered more than 500 projects for municipalities and industries across the region, spanning drinking water, sewage treatment and zero liquid discharge (ZLD). Recent municipal contracts in Mumbai — including the Bandra wastewater treatment project, one of India’s largest greenfield sewage treatment plants using advanced membrane bioreactor technology, and the Bhandup drinking water plant upgrade integrating smart clarifier technology and real-time monitoring — further demonstrate Veolia’s growing footprint in India’s urban water infrastructure.

Irshaad Hakim, Executive Vice President of Veolia’s water technologies activities in Asia Pacific, said: “South Asia faces a pivotal moment in its pursuit of water security. The magnitude of the challenge, from declining groundwater to undertreated municipal wastewater, demands bold, scalable solutions. Veolia’s track record in India proves that we have both the expertise and commitment to make a lasting difference. Our goal is clear: to deliver performance and sustainability while supporting safe, healthy communities across the region.”

Gartner Forecasts Worldwide Semiconductor Revenue to Exceed USD 1.3 Trillion in 2026

STAMFORD, Conn., April 8: Global semiconductor revenue is projected to exceed $1.3 trillion in 2026, exhibiting the highest growth in the last two decades, according to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.

“Amid high demand for AI processing, data center networking and power, and memory price inflation (memflation), the semiconductor industry is projected to achieve a third consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2026 – a milestone that underscores the sector’s pivotal role in the AI technology stack,” said Rajeev Rajput, Senior Principal Analyst at Gartner.

 Gartner forecasts semiconductor revenue will grow 64% in 2026, with memory revenue expected to increase threefold amid memflation (see Table 1). Gartner analysts said that memflation is profound, but it is not perennial. Gartner estimates DRAM and NAND flash annual prices in 2026 will increase by 125% and 234%, respectively, and any meaningful pricing relief is not expected until late 2027.

Table 1. Semiconductor Revenue Forecast, Worldwide, 2025-2027 (Billions in U.S. Dollars)

Source: Gartner (April 2026)

 AI Semiconductors Will Represent 30% of Total Semiconductor Revenue in 2026

AI semiconductors are expected to account for approximately 30% of total semiconductor revenue in 2026 and will remain the driving force behind the overall industry growth. Hyperscaler investment in AI infrastructure buildouts remains strong with spending expected to increase by more than 50% in 2026, driving demand for AI accelerators, including GPUs and custom non‑GPU chips.

 “Memflation will destroy, or at least delay, non-AI demand into 2028, to varying degrees depending on the application,” said Rajput. “Technology suppliers should prepare for higher prices during the first half of 2026, followed by persistent but moderating price increases throughout the rest of the year. CIOs and IT leaders should be cautious about signing supply agreements with unfavourable pricing terms that extend beyond 2027.”

 Gartner clients can read more in Forecast: Semiconductors and Electronics, Worldwide, 2024-2030, 1Q26 and How Long Will AI Demand Sustain Memory Prices.

A complimentary webinar on 1Q26 Semiconductor Reset: Who Wins in a Constrained Market? will take place on April 22 at 11:00 AM ET.

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