Essar appoints Jayantha Prabhu as group CIO

Jayantha Prabhu has been elevated to the position of the Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Essar.
In his new role as the Group CIO, he will be responsible for the Group IT strategy, enterprise architecture, information security, project delivery and Green IT and Sustainability amongst others, Essar said in a statement.
Prabhu was earlier designated as the CTO.
Prabhu has been associated with Essar since 1999 and has been responsible for both formulating and implementing Essar's IT roadmap, Essar said in a statement.
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Medi Assist invests $1 mn in mobile fitness start-up MobieFit * Medi Assist, a managed healthcare company, today said it has invested USD one million in MobieFit, a Goa-based mobile fitness firm.

The partnership will further strengthen Medi Assist's presence in the corporate segment and allow the company to make deeper inroads into the Indian consumer health and fitness market, it said in a statement.

Currently, Pick Mi is available across 597 cities in India.
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Xiaomi launches after sales service 'Pick Mi' * Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi today said its Pick Mi service will be available in India to allow users to get home pickup, repair and drop-off after sales service.
Users can give a missed call to book Pick Mi's service which users can avail for Rs 189, Xiaomi said in a statement.

Currently, Pick Mi is available across 597 cities in India.
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Diamond Power Infra bags order worth 44 cr from Powergrid * Diamond Power Infrastructure today said that it has bagged order worth Rs 44 crore from Powergrid NM Transmission for supply of conductors.
Reliance Life announces launch of 'Lifelong Savings Plan'
* Private sector Reliance Life Insurance today announced the launch of non-unit linked 'Lifelong Savings Plan'.
The plan is a non-linked, endowment-cum-whole life plan aimed to offer goal based saving and protection to policy holders, the company said in a statement.
The scheme is available in two options - Standard and Extended Cover.

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EESL distributes 4 crore LED bulbs under its DELP scheme * Power PSUs promoted Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) has distributed over four crore energy efficient-LED bulbs so far.
"EESL...Has crossed the 4 crore mark of distributing LED bulbs in India within a span of 25 days since its 3 crore mark last month," a press statement said.
EESL is procuring LED bulbs for distribution under the DELP scheme.
In addition to Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, the DELP scheme has now reached Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Karnataka.
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Apollo, HEE inks pact to promote healthcare education * Apollo Hospitals Group and Health Education England (HEE) have signed a pact to promote co-operation and interaction in healthcare education.
"At Apollo, it has always been our endeavour to partner with prestigious institutions globally, and this collaboration with HEE is a significant step in addressing the growing concern of shortage of quality medical talent that the world is facing," Apollo Hospitals Group, Chairman, Dr Prathap C Reddy said in a statement.
With this collaboration, the entities will be establishing one of the foremost platforms to train the healthcare workforce of the world, he added.

"Through this collaboration we will be not only delivering our high quality medical education programs to the workforce in India but also in future, to workforce in other low and middle income countries of the region," Sir Keith Pearson, Chair, HEE said.
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JN Prasanna Kumar completes its tenure as PFC Director * Power Finance Corporation Ltd today said J N Prasanna Kumar ceases to be the Director on its board w.E.F from yesterday.
NTPC, Midhani sign MoU for research & development
* State-run NTPC today said it has entered into a pact with Hyderabad-based Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd for research and development.

"NTPC Ltd and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) have signed an umbrella Memorandum of Understanding for Research and Development in the areas of mutual interest mainly materials and components development critical to existing power plants recently in Hyderabad," NTPC said in a statement.
Under the pact, joint research and development (R&D) projects will be taken up for development and testing of wear resistant, erosion resistant and corrosion resistant components for performance improvement and increased product life-cycle, the statement said.
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L&T's business unit to make Jaipur India's first smart city * Larsen & Toubro's business unit Smart World & Communication is leading the way to make Jaipur India's first smart city by creating a host of smart solutions like Wi-Fi hotspots, citizen interactive information kiosks and surveillance cameras at select locations in the city.

"L&T has received the mandate from Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), which is leading the initiative to equip Jaipur with world-class digital facilities targeted primarily at the heavy tourist traffic that the city attracts," the company said in a statement.
All kind of information about the city, its rich heritage and history, locations, directions, distances, etc will all now be available at the click of a button to tourists and citizens, it added.
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IIT-Madras inks pact with Railways
* Indian Institute of Technology, Madras has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Railways to develop a long-term framework on research collaboration and advancement of railway technology.

Under the new initiative, a centre for railway research would be set up at the IIT-Madras campus besides a programme advisory committee comprising officials from Railways and IIT Madras, a press release said.
SBI launches mobile app on banking services information
* State Bank of India today said it has launched a mobile phone application that will enable its customers avail a range of services without visiting the branch.
"State Bank of India launched a mobile app 'State Bank Samadhaan' on Google Play Store. This is a Self-Service app and will enable SBI customers to avail a range of services and obtain commonly sought information, without visiting the branch," the state-run lender said in a statement.

The app will provide information about deposits, advances, internet banking, mobile banking, EMI calculation, SBI branch and ATM locations, SBI Holidays and give direct access to various mobile apps viz SBI Freedom, SBI Anywhere, SBI Buddy, SBI Quick.
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Amazon, NIESBUD sign MoU to promote SMEs * Amazon Seller Services today said it has signed an MoU with the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) to encourage more and more SMEs to grow their business profitably online.
Under the memorandum, Amazon.In and NIESBUD will work towards spreading awareness on the enormous potential of e-commerce for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and empower them to leverage the numerous opportunities that India's growing digital economy offers, the company said in a statement.

As part of the MoU, Amazon Seller Services and NIESBUD will jointly undertake the exercise of training SMEs on understanding the e-commerce industry in India and its potential for growth.
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DailyObjects partners Turner Intl India for Batman range * Mobile accessories maker DailyObjects today said it has partnered Turner International India to sell over 80 authorised artworks of Batman-Arkham.
As part of the tie-up, DailyObjects will have national rights to manufacture a collection of smartphone cases and laptop sleeves for the action-adventure video game series based on the DC Comics character, Batman, a statement said.

Tech Mahindra new framework to drive business efficiency
* IT services major Tech Mahindra today launched its automation framework - AQT - to help companies increase business efficiency.
"The AQT (Automation, Quality, Time) framework is powered by technologies based on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Tech Mahindra applies the principles of AQT in its projects, platforms and products across its service lines," Tech Mahindra said in a statement.
Apart from increased employee, the framework will also enable faster and cheaper deliveries resulting in reduced time-to-market, it added.
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YourNest leads $750K Pre-Series A funding for Arya.Ai * Arya.Ai, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) start-up, has raised pre-Series A funding of USD 7,50,000 from YourNest Angel Fund and VentureNursery members.

Arya.Ai offers its deep learning algorithms for developers to build intelligent AI systems.
The funds will be used to accelerate product development and to grow the AI eco-system, a statement said.
Started by two IIT Mumbai researchers Vinay Kumar Sankarapu and Deekshith Marla, the Arya.Ai as a platform provides advanced AI tools offered as modules in 'Language', 'Vision', 'Speech' and 'Reasoning' for developers.
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SBricks acquires Melway
* Hyderabad-based on-demand home cleaning and laundry player SBricks today said it has acquired Melway for an undisclosed amount.
The acquisition will bring in 200 professionals to SBricks fold, along with brand equity and clientele portfolio, a statement said.

"We are currently clocking 125 orders per day and expect to touch the 300 orders per day mark in the next few months. Now, we also have access to 6,000 services touch points that Melway brings to our table," SBricks founder and CEO Nithin Reddy said.