Chief Commissioner of Income Tax Hon. A C Shukla had an interactive sessions with the CA fraternity of Pune

Pune, 23 November 2017 :-  Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax Hon. Shri A C Shukla had an interactive sessions with the Chartered Accountants fraternity of Pune at Pune Branch of ICAI wherein he presented the views of the department’s expectations from the CA fraternity in Widening and deepening of the tax base. This could be achieved only if the fraternity helps the department in achieving this objective for the overall development of the nation.

He also stated that the CA fraternity are the most important characteristics in the trust they enjoy both of their clients and the government. His emphasis was on being truthful in your thoughts and action which will go a long way in achieving the objective of paying good & honest taxes. He further stated that Direct Taxes are progressive and not regressive as indirect taxes. He narrated the importance in the various historical books written on the subject namely the Vedas and Bhagwat Geeta.

The Principal CCIT also involved the fraternity in busting stress by meditation for which he took efforts.

The interactive seminar was attended by renowned CAs & Principal Commissioners of Income Tax namely Shri.Satyakam Mishra, Pr.CIT-1, Smt. Hemlatha Devi G.V, Pr. CIT-2, Shri Ravindra Patel, Pr. CIT-3, Smt.Bhanumathi M.V, Pr. CIT-4, Shri Ashok Kumar Pandey, Pr. CIT-6.

On the subject of the new Direct Tax code which is in the offing he stated that the new legislation should not only be simple to understand but should also be less compliant.

As far as, Direct tax collection growth in concerned, Pune region stood second in the Nation for which he praised the efforts put in by the CA fraternity and thanked the office bearers of the Pune Branch & Vice –Chairman CA Anand Jakhotiya of WIRC of ICAI for enabling this interactive meet.

India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) and Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEEMA) collaborated by organizing masterclass to develop advanced energy storage manufacturing in India

• Two day masterclass witnessed 37 participants from leading conglomerates making it first of its
  kind in India
• Due to demand from potential participants, the second edition of the workshop is scheduled in
  April 2018 in Mumbai

Pune, India: India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) along with Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEEMA) recently conducted a two day Masterclass on Energy Storage Technology, Applications & Manufacturing Process at Mumbai making it first of its kind in India. This unique program was aimed to help companies entering into or diversifying in advanced energy storage manufacturing. The two day workshop witnessed participants from India’s leading conglomerates.

The focus of Master classes on Energy Storage Technology, Applications & Manufacturing process was to help the industry answer questions like:

• What are the emerging energy storage technologies?
• What is the status of energy storage deployments for stationary and EV applications?
• Where does India fit in the global supply chain?
• How to enter the market i.e. strategizing the business in storage, micro grids and EVs?

To answer all this and more with an unconstrained flow of queries from participants the eminent speakers shared their insights during the workshop.

The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. Shreegopal Kabra (President, IEEMA) while Dr. Rahul Walawalkar (Executive Director, IESA) explained different types of energy storage technologies available across the world along with the technologies which are underdeveloped yet at the commercial scale. Mr. Rajarshi Sen (Technical Advisor, Customized Energy Solutions) provided insights on designing energy storage for different applications using the experience of more than 40 years working in the field of Lead-acid batteries & Renewable Energy. Then Mr. Manjunath Rao (Standards & Program Manager, UL Inc.) shared the different types of standards for stationary energy storage that need and the draft BIS standards that will be adopted in India in next 6 months. Debi Prasad Dash (Director, IESA) provided insights on grid applications of energy storage and also an overview of regulatory initiatives for the adoption of energy storage in India. Mr. Sivaguru Paramasivam (Manager – Energy Storage Solutions at Delta Electronics) explained in-detail the battery manufacturing from cells to modules to the container, issues, and solutions. Dr. H. Purushotham (Chairman and MD, National Research Development Corporation, an Enterprise of DSIR, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India) explained how government can support new technologies and help new entrepreneurs achieve their dream through technology acquisition and IP protection. Mr. Manuj Khurrana (Invest India) opened the doors to the most important aspect of getting the technology running i.e. money and how to get connected to government. Mr. Shyam Ragupathy (Director- Strategy, Customized Energy Solutions), shared his views on the market entry strategy for energy storage and related business.

The participants were pleased with the insights provided by the industry experts about complete range of energy storage technologies including advanced lead acid, Li-ion batteries, flow batteries, flywheels, ultra- capacitors and other emerging technologies. They also shared insights on the manufacturing and various government programs that can help Indian companies in setting up manufacturing as well as acquiring technology and intellectual property rights. In the concluding session business entry and strategy to highlight key decision factors and risks for venturing into this new market segment was covered. The 2nd edition of the workshop will take place in April 2018.

About India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA):

The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) was launched in 2012 to assess the market potential of Energy Storage Technologies in India, through an active dialogue and subsequent analysis among the various stakeholders to make the Indian industry and power sector aware of the tremendous need for Energy Storage in the very near future. IESA aims to make India a Global Hub for research and manufacturing of advanced energy storage technologies by 2020. IESA website: http://indiaesa.info/about-iesa

Press Contact – India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA):

Debi Prasad Das (Director- IESA)

Tel- 9699719818 and Email- ddash@ces-ltd.com

Swati Gantellu (Assistant Manager- IESA)

Tel- 9168429492 and Email- sgantellu@ces-ltd.com

About IEEMA:

IEEMA is the apex association of manufacturers of electrical, industrial electronics and allied equipment in India. Founded in 1948, IEEMA is the first ISO certified industry association with 800+ member organisations encompassing the complete value chain in power generation, transmission and distribution equipment. IEEMA members contribute to more than 90% of the power equipment installed in India. IEEMA plays a crucial policy advocacy role with government and its agencies. It works closely with standardisation bodies, R&D organisations and testing institutes for formulating Indian standards for developing energy efficient products. IEEMA evolves and operates equitable and uniform PVC Clause and due to its unbiased approach, IEEMA PVCs have gained recognition and credibility over last 3 decades. IEEMA holds product specific conferences, seminars and large exhibitions like ELECRAMA which is world’s largest event for T&D equipment industry.

Beer for 50 paisa at All Rounder Shots

No need to burn a hole in your pocket to impress your bae! All you need is 50 paisa to sweep her off her feet! Yeah, you read it right. AllRounder Shots is offering beer pints for just 50 paisa throughout this weekend, where you can indulge in some high octane gaming activities, finger-licking food and lots of beer banter. We’ve got you a paisa vasool deal date for the first 250 couples who walk in, so come along and grab it before anyone else does!

 

When: November 24, 25 & 26, 6 pm onwards

Where: All Rounder Shots, Level 3, Phoenix Market City

ESAF kicks off operations in Mumbai

• Crosses 1000 crore deposit
• Plans to open 145 new branches by March 2018

Mumbai, Nov 22, 2017: ESAF Small Finance Bank, the first bank from Kerala to win a banking license since independence, is all set to open its first branch in the metro city of Mumbai, on Nov 22, 2017.  With an aim to build a pan India presence, ESAF bank will open 145 new banking outlets by March next year.

Speaking at a press conference organised, Mr. K. Paul Thomas, Managing Director and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank said, “The banking outlet at Mumbai, Andheri East is the 60th outlet opened by ESAF, since it started operations in March this year. He also said that ESAF has presence in Maharashtra since 2004, with 33 micro banking outlets, especially in the Vidharbha region.”

Currently, ESAF Small Finance Bank has 370 banking outlets including the 60 new retail banking outlets covering 10 states in India. In the coming months, the bank plans to open more number of outlets in the states where we already have presence and will be soon expanding to the North East as well.

“We need to brand as a pan India bank and hence we have decided to open branches in all metro cities in India. A few more branches are coming in Mumbai soon along with other metros like Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi, followed by Calcutta”, Mr. Thomas added.

So far, the bank has crossed Rs 1000 crore deposit within seven months of operations. It hopes to garner a total of Rs 2500 crore deposit by the end of this fiscal. At the end of the second quarter, ESAF has a cumulative business of over 6,000 crore.

The bank offers a host of modern banking services like ATMs, Debit Card, Safe Deposit Lockers, Internet banking, and mobile banking, SMS banking, RTGS, NEFT and CTS etc. The door step delivery services, SKYPE facility at branches and Hrudaya Deposit Scheme are some of the exclusive features offered by ESAF Small Finance Bank.

Hrudaya deposit scheme, as the name suggests, stands for a social cause, through which, ESAF Bank provides the customers an opportunity to be a part in economic development of the bottom of the pyramid, which is a unique offering from ESAF Small Finance Bank.

Since 1992, ESAF as a financial institution has transformed the lives of 1.8 million families spreading across ten states in India covering the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Pondicherry and Jharkhand. It received an in-principle approval from the RBI in Oct 2015 for setting up a Small Finance Bank and the bank was launched on March 10, 2017.

 The 350 plus outlets of the bank is spread across almost 100 districts with a significant and dedicated workforce. The developmental activities of the bank is spread across the areas of education, health, environment, sustainable energy and various other channels for rural empowerment.

About ESAF Small Finance Bank 

The journey of ESAF began in a small house named ‘Little’ at Thrissur in 1992. Contrary to what the name sounds, ESAF Society was launched with a bigger vision of sustainable holistic transformation of the poor and the marginalized. The success of Grameen bank in Bangladesh reinforced the vision of K. Paul Thomas the Founder and Managing Director of ESAF. In1995, he launched Micro Enterprises Development (MED) services and it resulted in the formation of ESAF Microfinance and Investments Pvt. Ltd., in 2008. The increased focus on microfinance was inevitable as the founder was clear in his understanding of the importance of financial component in holistic economic development of the poor. Gradually, ESAFMicrofinance earned its place among the top ten Microfinance institutions in India.

In 2015, the Reserve Bank of India, the financial regulator in the country has granted in-principle license to ESAF to launch a Small Finance bank. ESAF Small Finance Bank was one amongst the ten NBFCs to receive an ‘in principle’ approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a Small Finance Bank in the private sector. In November 2016, the final license was issued by the RBI. ESAF Small Finance Bank was incorporated on May 05, 2016, with its registered office in Thrissur.

Forever 21 brings Vidya Vox, Global YouTube Sensation to Pune

~Vidya Vox launches the new store at The Pavillion Mall, Pune~

Pune, November 21, 2017:  Forever 21, one of the most loved international fast fashion brands from Los Angeles, California, and part of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. partners with Vidya Vox, global YouTube phenomenon in India.  The sensational singer launched the new store of Forever 21 at The Pavillion Mall, Pune, today.  Popular for her ingenious mashups, Vidya Vox has been creating successful hybrids by mixing the music of leading global artists and has nearly 300 million views on YouTube with more than 3.5 million subscribers on her Vidya Vox channel.

Forever 21 is the title sponsor of ‘Vidya Vox Kuthu Fire Tour’ which will have Vidya Vox performing live across six cities. She will be performing in Pune on 17th November at Namora Rounds.

Speaking about this initiative, Rahul Jhamb, Brand Head, Forever 21 said, “We are proud to partner with Vidya Vox and Radio Mirchi for ‘Vidya Vox Kuthu Fire Tour’. As an exciting fast-fashion brand from Los Angeles (USA), which has brought new collections in association with budding music stars like Justin Skye, Khaled etc. and music events like Coachella, this association helps us take our consumer engagement a notch higher. Forever 21 is loved worldwide by the young fashionistas, and through this event we provide our consumers with this fantastic opportunity of meeting Vidya Vox in person. Forever21 believes in providing endearing experiences that resonate with the young audiences and this partnership further reinforces our position as the gen-next brand. At Forever 21, we aspire to make the latest global runway trends accessible to fashion-conscious millennials by introducing new styles every week, thus ensuring that we are the most preferred fashion destination in India”.  

 Vidya Vox, added, “I am super excited to be touring with Forever 21 Mirchi Live. A big shout out to my fans in Pune, I look forward meeting you at Forever 21 store in Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata.  I do hope you enjoy my concert. I love you all and thank you for all your love and support so far, I’m truly grateful.”

 Marking a new chapter in India’s fashion scene, Forever 21’s store at The Pavillion mall, Pune houses the latest Holiday Collection. Complementing Forever 21 apparel and accessories, the store will also feature its in-house brands, including 21MEN™, a line of fresh, fast fashion for men; and Forever 21’s lingerie and shoe line.

Forever 21 hosted an exclusive Meet & Greet with Vidya Vox for the top 10 best dressed customers as well as its digital amplification contest “ Scream Kuthufire “, while the first 200 customers received gift cards worth Rs 500 each. Forever 21 also created a special section called the ‘Happy Queue’ where consumers were entertained with exciting giveaways and games.

About Forever 21

Forever 21 is a California-based fast fashion brand that entered the Indian market in 2010 and has considerably grown since then. With 18 stores in major cities in the country, it has built a strong market for itself and has already become a brand of choice for many fashion conscious women.

 In July 2016, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited acquired the exclusive online and offline rights to Forever 21’s India network. The partnership between Forever 21 and ABFRL marks a milestone in the creation of the largest integrated branded fashion player in India, with a strong foothold in the women’s wear segment, given the growing popularity of fast fashion and the young demographics of the country.

Forever 21 in India offers clothes and accessories for Men, Women and Girls. With growing demand for its trendy street wear and subtle contemporary pieces, the brand launched its exclusive website (www.Forever21.com/In) for the Indian market in June 2014, and now reaches out to its customers in over 300 towns and cities of the country.

About Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. (ABFRL) was formed after the consolidation of the branded apparel businesses of Aditya Birla Group comprising Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd.’s (ABNL) Madura Fashion division and ABNL’s subsidiaries Pantaloons Fashion & Retail Limited (PFRL) and Madura Garments Lifestyle Retail Company Limited (MGLRCL) in May 2015. Post the consolidation, PFRL was renamed as Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. ABFRL is India’s No 1. Fashion Lifestyle entity, growing at a rate in excess of 20 percent over the last 5 years. ABFRL altogether hosts India’s largest fashion network with over 7,000 points of sale across over 375 cities and towns, which include more than 2,000 exclusive ABFRL brand outlets.

Stallion Riders reigns supreme in the fourth edition of Pune Invitational Supercross League 2017

• Debutants bag the title with a total tally of 438 points 
• Team Greeshm & defending champions Bhalla Royale bag second & third position
• Harith Noah lives up to his reputation as the best rider of the league
• Pune lad Yuvraj Konde Deshmukh wins hearts of the audiences by breaking taking racing
• Only female rider Tanika Shangbhag makes an impression by winning the junior category

Pune:  Riding on a stellar performance of their rider’s debutants Stallion Riders bagged the fourth edition of the Pune Invitational Supercross League 2017 held at Royal Palms, Mundhwa, Pune.

MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR

The three-day supercross extravaganza witnessed quality racing and thrilling performance by top notch international and national. The event which witnessed overwhelming response from the crowd was thoroughly entertained by the riders with some breathtaking action. For Stallion Riders the major contribution came from their riders of SX2 category. The SX2 category fetched them 178 points. Prithvi Singh was the X factor for the team as he contributed with a total of91 points. Out of the six motos, the Chandigarh-based rider bagged the second position in two motos and bagged first position in one moto.

Prithvi was given a tough fight in the category by Javed Shaikh of Goa. Javed represented Team Greeshm which ended up in the second position with a total tally of 424 points. The Goa-based rider was the major contributor to the team’s tally as he contributed with 117 points and emerged victorious in five out of thesix motos and ended in the second position in one moto. Javed was adjudged as the best rider in the category.

HARITH ALL THE WAY

In the SX1 category, Harith Noah of INK Racing dominated the proceedings as he finished first in the five out of the six motos and bagged third position in one moto. Harith was adjudged as the best rider in the category. The current national champion lived up to his reputation as he bagged the best rider of the category for the second time in the league.

NATRAJ LIVES UPTO REPUTATION

The SX3 category, once again witnessed sheer brute force of R. Natraj from Team Bhalla Royale. The Bangalore-based rider won four out six motos and secured second position one moto.

 For team Bhalla Royale the biggest setback was R Natraj not being able to finish the race due to crash in other two motos.  Imran Pasha from Pashankar Racing secured the second position with 96 points from six motos.

YUVRAJ SHINES BRIGHT

The SX junior category witnessed a close three-way fight between Pune lads Yuvraj Konde Deshmukh (Pashankar Racing), Karan Karle (PB Racing) & Devraj Kolhara of Sri Lanka representing Team Greeshm. But there was no stopping the talented and daredevil Yuvraj who topped the category by winning five out ofsix motos and secured the fourth position in one moto.

INTENSE FIGHT

The most sought after category, SX International category saw international riders competing against each other. The category which turned out to be most exciting and intense affair, also witnessed a triangular fight between two South Africans – Anthony Raynard (PB Racing), Kerim Fitz Gerald (Team Greeshm) and rider from USA – Justin Muscutt (Stallion Riders). But the unstoppable Kerim Fitz Gerald bagged glory in the segment with a total of 110 points as he won four out six motos and secured second and fourth position in the other two motos. Anthony secured the second position with 99 points followed by Justin Muscutt with 82 points. Points won by the riders were not considered in the final team’s points tally since it was demo class category.

TANIKA WINS HEARTS

Satara lass Tanika Shanbhag the only female rider in the league won the SX Junior category (Privateer) as she bagged 114 points from six motos. Tanika won four motos, whereas secured the second spot second position in the other two motos.  She was given a tough fight by Satara kid Shlok Ghorpade who secured second position in the category with 108 points.

OVERWHELMING RESPONSE

Speaking about the league, Eeshan Lokhande, Event Director & Partner, Vilo Events said, “As a sport, Supercross is surely gaining in a lot of popularity inIndia. The kind of response we got was overwhelming. The quality of racing throughout the league was fantastic. The league has taken Supercross as a sport tothe next level and has given the sport a huge push. With sold out crowds thronging the venue and leading to an increase in participation and growing involvement and support from the Supercross fraternity. The league has set a new bench mark and has revolutionized the sport in India.”

Eeshan Lokhande further added, “We are really thankful to Panchshil Realty, all other sponsors and team owners for their support. I am confident that next yearthe league will become bigger and better with increase in participation from various corporates across India.”

POINTS AS PER POSITION

First Position	20 Points
Second Position	17 Points
Third Position	15 Points

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

Sr. No	Name of Team	Total Points
1	Stallion Riders	438
2	Team Greesham	424
3	Bhalla Royale	414
4	Pasahnkar Racing	380
5	PB Racing	351
6	INK Racing	300
7	Lilleria Motorsports	158

TEAM POINTS AS PART CATEGORY

Sr. No	Name of Team	SX -1	SX-2	SX-3	SX-J	Total
1	Stallion Riders	64	178	129	67	438
2	Team Greesham	76	139	124	85	424
3	Bhalla Royale	90	86	173	65	414
4	Pashankar Racing	58	81	128	113	380
5	PB Racing	103	122	36	90	351
6	INK Racing	115	78	48	59	300
7	Lilleria Motorsports	0	62	42	54	158

“Jashn-E-Bachpan”, A happy street where childhood blossoms

Pune, 21 November, 2017: Childhood is always special for  everyone. Innocent smiles on their face conquers the heart of mankind. Children are the real glitters of the world.

To build up the talented generation, this year Sunderji’s Institution in collaboration with  Mind Venture International organised a unique event, “Jashn E Bachpan“, held at Shankar seth road.

Special guests for the event were Shrinath Bhimale and Kavita Vairagi, both corporators in support of MLA Madhuri Misal and also “Jashn–E–Bachpan” was attended by the Tv celebrities ‘Tarun Nihalani and Shivani’ of Dance plus 3 Reality show.

“Jashn–E–bachpan“, a unique event gave  kids and their guardians an Unforgettable fun filled experience which they will remember forever with a smile. As part of the event, numerous activities were planned to keep young ones and their guardians occupied. Jashn e bachpan encompassed art, adventure, play fitness, creative expressions.

The Event was open for all children, and was packed with a wide range of activities such as Jawaharlal Nehru Art and Painting zone, Military Adventure Activities, Bachpan Gully Arena, Drum Circle, Live Music, and so many more activities happened and also food court with number of stalls had been arranged for all hungry tummies.

The main Idea behind “Jashn – E –Bachpan” was for parents, the kids and people of all ages to simply get out and take the street to sing, dance, bicycle, skate or play different games and celebrate happiness.

The heads of Sunderji’s Institutions – Ms Masarrat Tavawala and Mind Ventures International – Mr Lucky Surana said, “the whole purpose of this event is for parents to bond with their kids over activities in a safe environment and for all of us to come together as a community.”

Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani’s call, “Creation is one family. Our creator is the same. Birds and animals are man’s brothers and sisters in this one family of creation. Let us not kill our own brothers and sisters.”

As a part of Sadhu Vaswani’s 138th birthday celebrations, The Peace Rally in the city of Pune was held on Tuesday, November 21th 2017 at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, from 8AM-10AM.

About 5,000 students from schools and colleges of Pune gathered in the Mission campus. RJ Rahul from Radio Mirchi engaged the children in an interactive session educating them about the benefits of vegetarianism. Several audio visuals were shown to the students.

Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani, the Spiritual Head of Sadhu Vaswani Mission delivered his message of Peace. This was followed by a Question Answer session. “The 18thcentury gave rights to man. The 19th century gave rights to slaves. The 20th century gave rights to women. And the 21st century, I believe, will give rights to animals.And the very first right of every animal is the Right to Live. We cannot take way that which we cannot give. Since we cannot give life to a dead creature, we have to right to take away the life of a living one.” said Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani in his message.

There was a nice musical performance by St. Mira’s college students. Through music and dance students conveyed the message of compassion and peace. The entire crowd promised to be vegetarian on November 25th.

Many schools and colleges, including St. Helena’s, St. Paul, Jaihind High School, Sun Grace High School, A W Sindhu Vidya Bhavan,  J.N. Petit Technical High School, St. Joseph’s and St. Mira’s participated in the Peace Rally in large numbers to spread the message of reverence for all life as the first step towards world peace.

Several dignitaries graced the occasion. Dr. Gangwal, an eminent cardiologist, commented, “We propagate vegetarianism on medical grounds too. Today, medical science has confirmed that lacto vegetarian diet is ideal and healthy. Also, Global Warming and Water Scarcity can be avoided by a vegetarian diet.”

A student from St. Mira’s said, “It was an eye-opener.”

Another student, Ninad Borkar from J. N. Petit school said, “It was a very informative and inspiring session. I will try to reduce my non vegetarian food intake from today.”

The Peace Rally is a platform raised by Sadhu Vaswani Mission for animal and peace lovers and its supporters to awaken the feeling of compassion for birds andanimals which is held not only in the city of Pune but also in many other cities of India.

 About SAK Association:

SAK Peace March, is a ‘Save Animals’ campaign by ‘Stop All Killing’ (SAK) Association of the Mission. The purpose of the campaign is to promote compassion, non – violence & reverence for all life as a first step towards World Peace, said Sadhu Vaswani – whose birthday, November 25th, is now celebrated all over as International Meatless Day & Animal Rights Day. 

Websites:

www.sak.org.in

www.facebook.com/vegpledge

Pune, it’s time to call the shots

How do you define the union between entertainment and sports?

Spread across 30,000 square feet and home to a massive sports zone, gaming arena, bar & restaurant; All Rounder Shots is re-defining how Pune plays!

The man behind the idea, Sharad Sharan has been a pioneer for the South East Asian media. Thriving on pure innovation, Sharad sets foot in India again, after weighing the potential of the Indian entertainment market. His main focus lies in the introduction of innovative entertainment centers, making it economical for everyone.

Sharad’s first Indian endeavour into sports began back in 2010, with the launch of Dream Sports Fields, Mumbai. Since then, the arena has seen success in the form of fully booked days and major events conducted by Vodafone, JP Morgan and Citibank to name a few.

All Rounder Shots is equipped with advanced virtual reality, sports and gaming technologies. Visitors are spoilt with unmatchable choices and offers. It will introduce innovative games such as Neon Futsal, an invincible robo-keeper goalie and 21 other virtual reality games.

Keeping pace with the massive cricket fan following, the center connects enthusiasts to a world of virtual cricket. It will introduce nets with sensors for advanced statistics and live analysis for those seeking to fine tune their abilities.

The venue is your go-to destination for the most happening gigs, parties, gourmet delights by master-chefs and fancy drinks to sip on!

So, Pune, the exhilarating evolution of sports and entertainment is arriving, are you ready to get high on life?

Quess Corp to acquire a majority stake in Tata Business Support Services

Mumbai, 20 th November,2017: Quess Corp Limited (“Quess”), India’s leading integrated business services provider, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement withTata Sons and Tata Capital to acquire a 51% stake in Tata Business Support Services (“TBSS”). Tata Sons will hold the remaining 49%. The transaction is expected to close in the next few weeks, subject to the fulfilment of customary closing conditions. Shortly after closing, following the conclusion of the appropriate regulatory formalities, the company is also expected to rebrand itself to showcase its new corporate identity.

Tata Business Support Services is among India’s premier Customer Experience (CX) management companies, with over ten years of sectoral expertise. The company serves diverse third-party clients in the BFSI, Auto and Manufacturing, Telecom& Media, Retail and in emerging industries, in India and abroad, with an employee strength of ~27,000 employees, handling ~500 million customer transactions every year. Headquartered in Hyderabad, the company has a Unique “One India” model, comprising 27 delivery centres.

Mr. Ajit Isaac, Chairman and Managing Director of Quess Corp, said, “We are excited about our partnership with the Tata Group. This investment marks a significant milestone for Quess in its journey to build a world class business services platform. We are confident that TBSS’ digital capabilities and roster of marquee clients will help us further grow this platform. CX has been a key focus area for us and will continue to see further investments from our side. This acquisition is in line with our investment philosophy of backing great management teams and creating superior long-term value for our shareholders.”

Mr. Praveen Kadle, Chairman of TBSS and Managing Director of Tata Capital, said, “The Tata group has nurtured TBSS over the last ten years over which time, it has grown to become a significant CX solution provider in the Indian business process outsourcing industry. The addition of Quess will further expand the company and let it continue to grow from strength to strength.”

Mr. Srinivas Koppolu, Chief Executive Officer, and his team, will continue to lead the Company. Commenting on the transaction, Mr. Koppolu said, “We are excited to be part of this journey. With the additional support of Quess, we are confident that we can expand into newer markets, acquire the latest digital competencies and provide stronger career opportunities to our employees, all the while offering better value to our customers and stake

holders.”

Notes for the editor:

Quess Corp Limited

Quess, India’s leading integrated business services provider, was established in 2007. Headquartered in Bengaluru, the company has a pan-India presence with 65 offices across 34 cities along with overseas footprint in North America, the Middle East and South-East Asia. It serves over 1700+ customers across 4 segments namely, Global Technology Solutions, People and Services, Integrated Facility Management and Industrials. Quess has over 2,12,500 employees (including recent acquisitions) and market cap of over INR 11,551 Crores as on September 30,2017.

Tata Business Support Services (TBSS)

TBSS is a premier Customer Experience (CX) management company providing customer life cycle management and business process services with an annual revenue of approximately Rs. 700 Crores. Today TBSS serves 130+ marquee clients which includes Top 3/5 Telecom Clients, Top 7/10 Private Banks, & Top 3/5 Life Insurers. The company’s ~27000 employees manage ~500 million customer transactions annually from 27 delivery locations and 400 additional field centres. TBSS focuses and delivers business outcomes such as growing client revenues, enhancing CX, enabling efficiency through digital transformation, process re-  engineering and people skills. TBSS is positioned in the Leaders Quadrant in Nelson Hall NEAT Report for CMS in Telecom / Cable / Satellite (Mar 15), Mortgage and Loan Business Process.

Amity Skills join hands with Ministry of Rural Development under DDUGKY (Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushal Yojana) in Rajasthan and Bihar

Amity Skills to provide technical and non-technical skill training to 1085 students across Rajasthan and Bihar under this scheme

November 20, 2017, New Delhi: Amity Skills, recently joined hands with Deen Dayal Upadhyay- Grameen Kaushal Yojana  DDU – GKY Rajasthan and Bihar, a Central Government Projectunder Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). This association will focus on setting up training centers across Sirohi, Udaipur and Tonk in Rajasthan along with Patna and Danapur in Biharto provide short term training programmes in both technical and non-technical skill training. Around 700 students in Rajasthan and 385 students in Bihar will be benefitted under this project which will be of 4 to 9months of duration.

With a population of 1.2 billion, India is expected to rise to a population of 1.48 billion by 2030, making it the largest contributor to the global workforce, with the working-age population (aged 15-59) likely to swell from 749 million to 962 million over 2010 to 2030. However, out of this huge population, only a small fraction of Indian workforce has any formal skill training especially from smaller cities/ rural towns, which has lead to acute shortage of skilled manpower across various sectors, resulting in low productivity. Most of this section of workforce is only 10th pass, and are often unable to pursue higher studies due to weak financial conditions and family liabilities.

Addressing this very need, Amity-DDU-GKY association, under PM Narendra Modi’s aspirational Skill India Campaign is aiming to bridge the existing talent gap. Through this association, Amity Skills will be providing short term skilling courses and curriculum support to below poverty line youth within the age of 18 to 35 years who are minimum 10th pass and belong to the category of SC, ST, Women and Minority. Short courses with training under Apparel sector for Retail Sales Associate, Tourism & Hospitality sector for Food and Beverage services, IT-ITeS sector for Web Designing and Publishing Assistant and Automotive sector- in Basic Car Servicing will provided to the selected students by handpicked eminent trainers in both the states. Post completion of course, the certificate will be provided to the students from MoRD. Trainees will undergo a counseling session before joining the program. This will be followed by the validation of academic and social status records for ensuring that underprivileged youth from socio-economically backward sections only get enrolled for the training programs. Validation ofthe candidates will be done through checking of Aadhar Card, Voter ID, Ration Card, BPL Card, and Minority Category Card which are approved by Government Authorities. It is proposed that at least 25 per cent of the trainees should be female in order to emphasize women empowerment.

 The entry-gating and validation of the students will help to map the traits and skills of the youth and to understand their areas of interest and aspirations for job-oriented training programs. This will also help to reduce the drop-out ratio of trainees and improve the effectiveness of the overall training program.

Mr.Aishwarya Verma, National Head, Amity Skills- Amity Education Services Pvt. Ltd. said, “Through this association with DDU-GKY across Rajasthan and Bihar, we at Amity Skillswant to contribute towards establishing training centers in Sirohi, Udaipur and Tonkin Rajasthan along with Patna and Danapur in Bihar. We are committed to produce an industry ready workforce. Our aim is to train the underprivileged, unemployed, unskilled, semi skilled youth from smaller cities and towns using state-of-art technology, dynamic trainers to make them skilled and employable, hence work towards building a strong pool of skilled workforce in India. “

 About Amity Skills:

Amity Skills has been triggered as per the increasing demand of trained manpower for increasing jobs across various sectors in the country. Amity Skills is helping the youth to acquire the required livelihood and industry relevant skills to make them employable in the environment of learning and mentoring.  Amity Skills is committed to work towards entry-level skilldevelopment across the country to bridge the existing skill gaps across industries.

 Amity Skills is currently working on 12 projects namely UKSDM (Uttarakhand Skill Development Mission), SUDA (State Urban Development Agency), PMKVY (Pradhan Mantri KaushalVikas Yojana), ELSTD, APSSDC (Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation), NIFTEM (National Institute of Food Technology and Entrepreneurship Development) along withDDUGKY; spread across states such as Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Orissa, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Assam.

 About DDU-GKY:

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) announced the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) Antyodaya Diwas, on 25th September 2014. DDU-GKY is a part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), tasked with the dual objectives of adding diversity to the incomes of rural poor families and cater to the career aspirations of ruralyouth.

For further information, please visit http://www.amityskills.com/

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