Bharat Petroleum selects Accenture to Digitally Transform Its

Bharat Petroleum selects Accenture to Digitally Transform Its
Sales and Distribution Network

AI-powered digital nerve centre, called IRIS, to increase operational efficiency and service quality for its customers across India

 

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), the second largest Indian Oil Marketing Company, a ‘Maharatna’ and a Fortune Global 500 Company and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) are collaborating to transform India’s second largest oil and gas company digitally through reimagining its extensive sales and distribution network. Accenture will use its capabilities in data, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technologies to build, design and implement a digital platform, called IRIS.

IRIS will integrate real-time data from across BPCL’s countrywide network, including more than 18,000 fuel retail outlets, 25,000 tank trucks, 75 oil installations and depots, 52 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plants and 250 additional industrial and commercial locations, to provide a consolidated view of BPCL’s sales and distribution network.

Driven by analytics based on AI and machine learning (ML) technologies, digital nerve center, which is called IRIS, can subsequently trigger automated alerts and actions, including rapid response to equipment failures or hazardous situations. It will also empower the BPCL workforce of more than 100,000 across the country to make faster and more accurate decisions, including preventative maintenance. This will increase sales at fuel retail outlets by minimizing infrastructure downtime, ensuring consistent fuel quality and quantity for retail customers.

By embedding intelligence in BPCL’s sales & distribution operations, Accenture is helping BPCL optimize its operational performance and efficiency, enhance security and safety and deliver a superior experience for more than 10 million retail and commercial customers.

Arun Kumar Singh, Director (Marketing) and Director (Refineries), BPCL, said, “Digital transformation opens up new opportunities for the oil and gas industry. As an organisation passionate about embracing change and leading the charge, we look forward to leveraging technology to unlock tremendous value, sustainable growth, and improved efficiency.”

“With the deployment of this highly automated command & control platform, we are not only bolstering our digital capabilities significantly, but also improving customer experience and transforming operations at scale. It further ensures consistent and uniform delivery of BPCL’s brand promises of innovation, care and reliability to our customers,” said Rahul Tandon, Head, Digital Transformation, BPCL.

“The future will belong to companies that purposefully combine advanced digital technologies with human skills and creativity,” said Piyush N. Singh, Senior Managing Director, India Market Unit Lead, Accenture. “We believe our industry expertise and extensive digital capabilities will help BPCL unlock the next wave of growth and gain a distinct advantage in the market. The powerful combination of human and applied intelligence will facilitate transformative change to ensure BPCL’s operations are safer, more secure and more efficient.”

The new platform is capable of accepting more than three million inputs per second from automated sensors, cameras and Internet of Things (IoT) devices deployed at all key locations, tracking performance based on key parameters such as fuel stock, safety, compliance, equipment health and boosting asset uptime. BPCL’s field workforce and partner network will have a seamless experience thanks to support from a portal, mobile app and call centers in Noida and Chennai. The digital sales and distribution platform will use BPCL’s cloud infrastructure, making it more agile and scalable.

 

Chennai’s renowned Socialite and Fashion Icon

                                Chennai’s renowned Socialite and Fashion Icon
                        Bunty Mukesh celebrated his Birthday at Sin and Tonic

The hub of shopping, Tnagar was filled with all the elite audience from Fashion, Film and Music Industry. Bunty does it in Style

Bunty Mukesh is a successful Chennai based Businessman dealing with Spices. Being a cricket fanatic, he not only keeps the score but also plays the sport. He is a well-known state level cricket player. Amidst being a fitness enthusiast, Bunty does have a soft spot. He enjoys writing poetry and singing during his leisure time. Being known for exploring new things, he landed in the fashion industry running beauty pageants and made them a grand success.

 

 

 

Bunty being a renowned socialite himself, his party was graced by other socialites like Esha Goel, Designer Chaithanya Rao, Sulekha Dhaiya, Chandini Khanna , Ananya Rao , Priya Nachiyar and many more.

The party was filled with glitz and glamour and was the talk of the town.

Madhu Malhotra joins Edelweiss General Insurance as

Madhu Malhotra joins Edelweiss General Insurance as Chief Technology Officer

Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI), one of the fastest growing digital insurance companies in India, has appointed Madhu Malhotra, as its Chief Technology Officer. 

Madhu will spearhead the Technology function at EGI and drive digital innovation in line with the brand’s strategy of transforming the insurance landscape in India through tech driven solutions and offerings.

Madhu is an eminent Technology leader who brings with her two decades of rich experience across FinTech and Telecom domains. She has a proven track-record in leading digital innovations, engineering modernisations & transformations and streamlining cloud initiatives. Madhu most recently served as head of Technology at Spectra. She was also associated with Airtel for 10 years and held many leadership positions there. While at Airtel Bank, she led the launch of the first payments bank of India, headed the financial inclusion vertical to deliver large scale customer impact and drove Agile adoption and transformation. 

 Welcoming Madhu, Shanai Ghosh, Executive Director & CEO, Edelweiss General Insurance, said, “Technology has proved to be a game changer for the Insurance industry, with the potential to transform the entire service ecosystem and enhance customer experience. At EGI, we are well placed to leverage this transformation, given our digital operating model. I am excited to welcome Madhu to be part of our digital journey and lead this strategic business function for us. Her experience and expertise will help build a robust technology function that will help drive our business strategy. I wish her the very best for an enriching career with us.”

Taking charge as CTO, Madhu Malhotra said, “Edelweiss General Insurance is one of India’s emerging technology-led non-life Insurance organisations which keeps customers at its core. Digital technology has a pivotal role to play in deepening of this relationship between the insurer and its customer. Thereby as CTO my focus will be to create future ready digital platform and products offering state of the art digital experience and capabilities to our customers. I will strive for a culture of innovation to make the customer experience simple and transparent. I am incredibly excited to play a key role in accelerating this digital journey in the growth of EGI that Shanai has envisioned.”

Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI) is India’s first cloud native insurer, which started operations in February 2018, with a digital operating model and a vision to help people lead happier, safer and healthier lives. The company aims to deliver innovative solutions to customers through a digital operating model leveraging data and analytics. EGI is creating an ‘Insurance as a service’ platform with a plug and play API gateway that enables easy integration with third parties. It provides customer insights and paperless experience with technology-powered execution and AI & ML driven processes. This is what differentiates EGI in the Indian Insurance Market.

Visit us: www.edelweissinsurance.com

Social handles: @EdelweissGI |  EdelweissGeneralInsurance |Linkedin.com/company/edelweiss-general-insurance/

 

லம்பக் கலையில் சிறந்து விளங்கும்

            லம்பக் கலையில் சிறந்து  விளங்கும் வேலம்மாள் பள்ளி மாணவர்  

 
முகப்பேர் வளாகத்தில் உள்ள வேலம்மாள் முதன்மைப் பள்ளியின் 7 ஆம் வகுப்பு மாணவர் செல்வன் ரோஹித். வி,அண்மையில் சென்னை ஃபாரெக்ஸ் மைதானத்தில் நடைபெற்ற தமிழகத்தின் பரம்பரிய வீர விளையாட்டுப் போட்டி -2021 இல் கலந்து கொண்டு சிலம்பட்டத்திற்கான "மகாகுரு ஜம்பு ஆசான்" நினைவுப் பரிசை வென்றார்.

 இப்போட்டியினை சென்னை மாவட்ட சிலம்பாட்டக் கழகம்   ஏற்பாடு செய்திருந்தது. இது தமிழ்நாட்டின் பாரம்பரிய தற்காப்புக் கலையின் வளமான பாரம்பரியத்தை மீண்டும் மக்களிடம் கொண்டு சேர்ப்பதாக அமைந்திருந்தது.
தமிழ்ப் பாரம்பரியத்தின் நுட்பத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தும் சிலம்பாட்டத்தில்
மாணவரின் மகத்தான இச்சாதனையைப்  சாதனையைப் பள்ளி நிர்வாகம்  வியந்து பாராட்டியுள்ளது.

VELAMMAL STUDENT EXCELS IN

                            VELAMMAL STUDENT EXCELS IN SILAMBAM

Master Rohit V, Class 7 of Velammal Main School, Mogappair Campus, bagged the 2nd place in the zonal level, winning the Mahaguru Jambu Aasan Memorial Prize for Silambattam  in the  Tamil Nadu Parambariya Veera Vilaiyattu Competition 2021 held at Chennai Farex Ground, recently. 

This event was organised by Chennai District Silambattak Kalagam festival to bring back to people the rich heritage of traditional martial art of Tamil Nadu.

The School Management appreciates his brilliant achievement.

காதல், காமெடி கலந்த ஆக்ஷன் படமாக உருவாகும்

காதல், காமெடி கலந்த ஆக்ஷன் படமாக உருவாகும் 'கும்பாரி'..!

ராயல் எண்டர்ப்ரைசஸ் சார்பில் 'பறம்பு' குமாரதாஸ் தயாரிக்கும் தமிழ் மலையாளம் என இரு மொழிகளில் உருவாகும் திரைப்படம் 'கும்பாரி'. யோகிபாபு நடிப்பில் 'எங்கடா இருந்தீங்க இவ்வளவு நாளா' எனும் திரைப்படத்தை இயக்கிய கெவின் இரண்டாவதாக இந்த படத்தை இயக்குகிறார். இப்படத்தின் படப்பிடிப்பு கடந்த  30 நாட்களாக நடைபெற்று முடிந்தது. இதனை கும்பாரி படக்குழுவினர் கேக் வெட்டி கொண்டினர்.

நாயகனாக அபி சரவணன், நாயகியாக மஹானா ஆகியோர் நடிக்கும் இப்படத்தில் ஜான் விஜய், பருத்திவீரன் சரவணன், மதுமிதா, சாம்ஸ் & காதல் சுகுமார் ஆகியோர் முக்கிய வேடத்தில் நடிக்கிறார்கள்.

படம் பற்றி இயக்குனர் கெவின் கூறியதாவது ...

இந்த படம் காதல், காமெடி கலந்த ஆக்ஷன் படமாக உருவாகியுள்ளது. நாயகனின் காதலை சேர்த்து வைத்த பால்ய மீனவ நண்பன் தீடிரென காணாமல் போகிறான். காணாமல் போன நண்பனை நாயகன் காப்பாற்றினாரா இல்லையா என்பதுதான் இப்படத்தின் கதை.

இப்படத்தின் படப்பிடிப்பு கன்னியாகுமாரி, நாகர்கோவில், பூவாறு,  முட்டம், பறம்பு மற்றும் கேரளாவின் அடர்ந்த காட்டுப்பகுதி ஆகிய இடங்களில் 30 நாட்களாக  ஒரே கட்டமாக  நடைபெற்று முடித்துள்ளோம்.

பிரசாத் இப்படத்திற்கு ஒளிப்பதிவு செய்துள்ளார். ஜெயப்ரகாஷ் & ஜெய்தன் ஆகியோர் இசையமைக்கிறார்கள்.
 
ஜெய் படத்தொகுப்பு செய்ய,ராஜு முருகன் நடனம் அமைத்துள்ளார். மைக்கல் சண்டைக்காட்சிகளை அமைக்க, கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி டிஐ செய்கிறார்.

JSPL to divest its coal fired power business to

 JSPL to divest its coal fired power business to reduce emissions, debt

To significantly reduce JSPL carbon footprint by almost 50%

Key Highlights

● Cash Proceeds of Rs.3,015 crores to be received at closing

● Transaction in line with ESG objectives and debt reduction strategy of JSPL to create a robust balance sheet

● Enhanced Focus on India Steel business and upcoming Angul plant expansion from 6 MTPA to 12 MTPA

Chennai,  27th April 2021: Pursuant to Regulation 30 read with Para A of Part A of Schedule III of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 ("Listing Regulations"), we wish to inform you that Jindal Steel & Power Limited ("JSPL" or "the Company") has accepted a binding offer from Worldone Private Limited ("Acquirer"), to divest its 96.42% stake in Jindal Power Limited ("JPL"), a material subsidiary of the Company. The divestment is in line with JSPL’s strategic objective to continuously reduce its debt, focus on its India Steel business and significantly reduce its carbon footprint by almost half as part of its ESG objectives. The equity value is an all-cash offer of Rs. 3,015 crores for 96.42% stake in JPL including 3,400 MW Coal fired power plants in State of Chhattisgarh and other non-core assets owned by JPL.

The divestment is subject to receipt of requisite approvals including approval from shareholders of JSPL, approval from lenders of JPL and JSPL, and such other statutory approvals, consents, permissions and sanctions as may be necessary in line with the extant relevant guidelines. Grant Thornton acted as the Transaction Advisor and ran a comprehensive sale process, reaching out to numerous national & international investors for the asset. Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, India, acted as JSPL’s legal advisor for the transaction.

Shri V.R. Sharma, MD- JSPL said, “This divestment is in line with our ESG objectives to be amongst the top 10 lowest Co2 emitting steel companies of the world. It is yet another step towards our vision to reduce debt substantially and create a robust balance sheet for our investors and stakeholders. Looking to the future, JSPL will be a key growth driver in the Indian steel industry and will now focus on undertaking expansion of its Angul steel plant from Jindal Steel & Power Limited Corporate Office Jindal Centre, 12 Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi 110 066 6 MTPA to 12 MTPA. Infrastructure spending in India is bound to grow exponentially and JSPL is fully aligned with GoI’s vision of achieving 300 MTPA steel production by 2030. We firmly believe in the India growth story and its potential to be an engine of global growth.”

            India real estate sector attracts USD 922
            million of investments in Q1, 2021: JLL

Q1 2021 (January-March) registers 21% growth in investments Y-o-Y

• Commercial office assets dominated the deals with USD 864 million
• Hyderabad attracts 42% of total investments; Mumbai at 21%

Institutional investments^[1] continued the momentum during the first quarter (Jan-March) of 2021, registering 21% growth in volumes at USD 922 million, indicating sustained investor interest in India’s real estate market, according to JLL’s Capital Markets Update Q1 2021 released today.

Investments during the quarter were driven by more activity from funds and closed development stage deals and were further supported by external macroeconomic factors. However, the pandemic surge during the second half of March 2021 is expected to delay the investment pipeline in the second quarter, says JLL.

Significant recovery of investments in Q1 2021 at USD 922 million

“Institutional investment momentum continued during the first quarter of 2021, registering 21% growth in volume at USD 922 million, indicating the sustained investor interest in India’s real estate market,” said Dr. Samantak Das, Chief Economist and Head of Research & REIS (India), JLL.  “The remarkable resilience of the office market and confidence in its long-term growth led investors to chase quality assets available at the core and development stages. We also see the maturing listed REIT market providing an alternative to other asset classes, which lacked income stability,” he added.

Commercial office space drives investment momentum

Commercial office assets dominated deals with USD 864 million transacted, translating into 94% of the total value in the first quarter. Office space developers liquidated their portfolios to deleverage or raise growth capital for the next phase of expansion. In addition, investors are actively scouting for warehousing assets at present and deals are likely to be concluded in the coming quarters. The housing sector, meanwhile, continues to experience an infusion of last-mile funding for project completion.

Investments by asset class

		(USD million)
Asset class	Q1 2020	Q1 2021
Residential	74	58
Office	505	864
Warehousing	54	-
Hotels	130	-
Grand Total	763	922

Source: JLL Research

Hyderabad leads investments with 42% share, followed by Mumbai at 21%

Hyderabad witnessed the highest capital flows of USD 384 million, accounting for a 42% share of investments during the first quarter of 2021, due to the launch of new developments by the Phoenix Group. Mumbai accounted for 21% share of investments with USD 193 million deployed in its office and residential segments, supported by the reduction in stamp duty introduced by the State Government of Maharashtra.

Investments by city

		USD million
Cities	2020	2021
Hyderabad	100	384
Mumbai	54	193
Delhi NCR	171	107
Pune	8	7
Bengaluru	385	-
Chennai	35	-
Pan-India	10	231
Total	763	922

Source: JLL Research                                                  

Institutional investments to boost growth of India’s REIT market

The successful debut of three listed REITs further positioned India on the radar of institutional investors. The Brookfield India REIT issue of ~USD 521 million was successfully launched in February 2021 and was eight times oversubscribed, with domestic mutual funds being major anchor investors. The market capitalisation of India’s listed REITs stood at USD 6.6 billion as on 16^th April 2021, which is around 30% of the total market capitalisation of Nifty Realty Index companies.

Looking ahead

Though resurgence in the number of new Covid cases has caught the nation off guard, a swift response to the pandemic and lessons from the past are expected to guide our current actions.

Following broad trends are likely to emerge:

• Investors are likely to continue evaluating deals and concluding investment processes with relaxation in conditions
• JLL believes that the listing of more REITs will gather pace in 2021, also influencing the investment momentum
• Apart from commercial office space, recovery in the housing sector is expected to attract funds, especially for projects in the last stages of completion
• Residential sales in Q1 (January-March) 2021 recovered to more than 90% of the volumes witnessed in Q1 2020 (pre-Covid) across the top 7 cities. Smart recovery in demand in 2021 is expected to improve investment prospects. Opportunities for construction finance and last-mile funding would be available
• Entry of new data centre operators and expansion plans of major players supported by infrastructure and PE funds are expected to drive deals
• Platform deals in the logistics sector are likely to remain active as the segment benefitted from growing e-commerce demand as well as pandemic induced demand for cold storage facilities from pharma sector

Institutional investments have stayed on a firm wicket despite the pandemic in 2020 and are likely to gain further pace in 2021.

 

OPPO contributes in India for India

        OPPO contributes in India for India; Joins hands to fight the Covid-19 pandemic                                                                          #StayStrongIndia

Friends! Hope each of you is keeping safe and healthy.

We are living in precarious times but, it is a reminder for all of us to stand united and fight this together. Recognising the positives might seem a little difficult currently, but we can together power through this with courage, patience, and empathy towards each other. We are sure that in spite of the challenging circumstances, we will rise above all the struggles.

During this exceptionally difficult period, we at OPPO India are doing our best to support the community to overcome these testing times. As an organisation we believe in ‘Technology for Mankind, Kindness for the World’, and we pledge to donate 1000 oxygenators and 500 breathing machines worth INR 4.3 Crore to the Indian Red Cross Society & the Government of Uttar Pradesh to help in the fight against Covid. These machines will be delivered to the hospitals where the need is highest.

At the same time, our heart also goes to all the frontline warriors who are working tirelessly to keep all of us safe. As a small token of our gratitude, we are donating 5000 units of OPPO Band Style worth INR 1.5 Crore to front-line warriors of the Delhi Police and Greater Noida Authority to help them monitor their health as they serve others.

We urge you to mask up and stay safe so that together, we can overcome these trying times. Every step count, Every action matters.OPPO stands with India and will continue supporting it in overcoming this adversity. Together, we will win! Stay safe! OPPO India 

OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone - “Smiley Face” - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO provides its users with the ColorOS operating system and internet services like OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO operates in more than 40 countries and regions, with 6 Research Institutes and 5 R&D Centers worldwide, as well as an International Design Center in London. More than 40,000 of OPPO's employees are dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world. OPPO’s Hyderabad R&D center is the largest research center outside of China and is playing a pivotal role in innovation across fields including software, imaging, and communication network. Aimed at elevating global 5G experience, the brand also launched its first overseas 5G innovation lab in Hyderabad. In line with its commitment to Make in India, OPPO has a manufacturing plant at Greater Noida, established in 2016. As per Canalys February 2021 report, OPPO India witnessed the highest annual growth rate in 2020 among the top 5 players, with annual growth of +23% y-o-y.