AAPI: March 2021

DELHI, 20th MARCH 2021

Index of this Newsletter

INDIA

INDIA & THE WORLD

21.1. Indian IT sector can double in 4-5 yrs: HCL Tech CEO
21.2. IoT spending in Asia-Pacific to reach $288B in 2021: IDC
22.1. 'We see a lot of promise in India and will keep exploring investment options'
22.2. AMD launches 'Milan' chip for data centers as battle with Intel intensifies
23.1. Russia's Sputnik V vaccine: Dr Reddy's starts process for emergency use approval in India
23.2. Whisky guide: 3 Indian single malts that are a huge hit in the international spirits market
24. Biden administration introduces ambitious immigration bill in Congress; Indian IT professionals to be benefited
25. ABB's robots to meet post pandemic demand for workforce that never gets sick

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DELHI, 20th MARCH 2021

NEWSLETTER, 20-III-2021

INDIA

– GENERAL POLICY, INFRASTRUCTURES, COUNTRY FINANCES, ETC.

1.1. The rising trend of women in the field of philanthropy

Mint, 07 Mar 2021, Pushpa Sundar

Philanthropic endeavours by Indian business families are increasingly being led by women

Constrained as they are by inheritance laws, limited educational opportunities, and a patriarchal culture, Indian women have been under-represented as givers of wealth for the benefit of society, i.e. in philanthropy. Fortunately, this is changing: women are playing an increasing role in the use of wealth, owned or otherwise, for social impact. In line with global trends, many leading business foundations in India are led by women. Either, they have created the wealth for endowing the foundations themselves, or are playing critical roles in deploying the philanthropic capital of their families or companies.

By the Kotak Wealth Hurun Leading Wealthy Women List of 2020, Roshni Nadar Malhotra of HCL Technologies is the richest Indian woman with a wealth of ₹54,850 crore. Others on the list are Leena Gandhi Tewari of USV, and Anu Aga and Meher Padamjee of Thermax. Of the 31 women on Hurun’s list, six are professional managers and 25 are entrepreneurs.

What’s even more noteworthy is that most of these women also figure on Hurun India’s Philanthropy List, both in their individual capacity and through joint donations from their family concerns. Topping the list is Roshni Nadar, who helped grow the family business, HCL Technologies, but is also passionate about the family’s two educational foundations, the Shiv Nadar Foundation and Vidyagyan.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw of Biocon has set up and manages her own Biocon Foundation for cancer prevention and treatment. Rajashree Birla, mother of Kumarmangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, set up and is the driving force behind the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives & Rural Development; she also oversees two family foundations. Then, Sudha Murthy runs the Infosys Foundation, while Rohini Nilekani, wife of another founder of Infosys, has used her personal wealth to set up and manage the Arghyam Foundation for water conservation and management, and the Akshara Foundation. Nandini Piramal, Tanya Dubash and Nisaba Godrej are deeply involved in their family businesses, but are equally involved in philanthropy. Nita Ambani is the founder and chairperson of Reliance Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, while the Edelgive Foundation of the Edelgive group is run by Vidya Shah.

While larger numbers at the head of foundations is a new phenomena, women’s philanthropy has deep roots in India. Women have made significant contributions to social progress, even as they remained outside the formal power and profit structure. Motlibai Wadia of the Wadia family was a philanthropist in her own right. Lady Ratan Tata assumed leadership and administration of the Sir Dorab Tata and Sir Ratan Tata Trusts in the 1920s. Women of the Sarabhai family of Ahmedabad all set up philanthropic organizations and managed them. These examples can be multiplied.

What accounts for this growing participation of women in philanthropy? The answer is education and greater business opportunities on account of faster economic growth from the 1990s onwards. Also, while sons were earlier seen as heirs, many business magnates are now open to having daughters succeed them.

Ironically, social and cultural practices that militate against women in the workforce also tend to make them natural philanthropists. Ideals of social welfare and charity often rest on religious practices and joint-family values, especially in business families, and it is the family women who are responsible for inculcating these. Two of India’s foremost philanthropists, Azim Premji and Shiv Nadar, are on record as having been inspired to give by their mothers.

Second, women seem to be very good at managing finances for the larger good of all. Traditionally, women had to manage household budgets, stretching them so that all members were satisfied and family objectives met. Moreover, tradition has socialized women to be carers, and the empathy involved is invaluable in philanthropic work, the basis of which is compassion and a desire to bring about change for the greater good.

In the world of business today, women are most successful in the fields of banking, finance, human resources, and hospitality, retail and technological services. These are areas where persuasion, empathy, intuition and other ‘soft’ skills are equally valuable in determining performance. Here, women excel themselves. Philanthropy requires such soft power.

Another explanation that has been offered for so many women of business families managing these families’ philanthropic concerns is that this is a way of compensating them for being denied a direct role in the family business, both financially and in terms of decision-making.

According to Rajiv Aggarwal (bit.ly/3uYFdjU ), with greater education and percolation of progressive ideas, women began to be given more opportunities and roles in Indian family businesses, but usually in subsidiary business units or in ‘softer’ functions such as marketing. Managing the family philanthropy was seen as another such soft option.

The trend of an increasing number of women heading formal philanthropic concerns is not just clear, it raises an important question. Is the practice of philanthropy—in terms of the issues chosen for its focus, the instruments or methods deployed to address them, and the outcomes—different because women are at the helm? This is difficult to answer. But it is an area which certainly needs more systematic study.

Pushpa Sundar is the author of ‘The Changing Face of Indian Philanthropy’.

1.2. Google aims to support 1 million rural women entrepreneurs in India

ET Tech. Mar,08,2021

The initiative will offer community support, mentorship and accelerator programmes for rural women entrepreneurs.

On International Women's Day, Google has announced a new commitment to support 1 million rural women entrepreneurs in India as part of its 'Women Will' programme at a virtual event on Monday.

Based on the learnings from its Internet Saathi programme, the initiative will offer community support, mentorship and accelerator programmes for rural women entrepreneurs.

"The success of the Internet Saathi program has shown how digital access and digital literacy can help women to reach their full potential and improve their livelihoods. When women have equal access to opportunity, we all benefit from their perspectives, creativity and their expertise, and this is true all over the world," said Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai.

A new "Women Will" platform will provide guidance and support to women who want to earn income from an existing hobby or talent such as tailoring, beauty services, home tuition, and food processing among others. Available in English and Hindi, the platform will offer a "how-to" curriculum on turning an interest into a business, managing an enterprise, and promoting it for growth. At launch, Google said that it will work with 2,000 Internet Saathis to help other women gain from this resource.

During a special address at the event, Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India said the time is ripe for India and emerging economies to ensure that a level playing field is created for the economic advancement of women, especially with such great leaps in technology.

"I am of the firm belief, as is our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that women can act as great enablers of our growth story, creating tectonic shifts in society. Over the last few years, under Jan Dhan Yojana, we have supported 220 million women to become financially independent. Under the Mudra Yojana, we have dedicated Rs 27 crore worth of funds, accessed by 70% women," union minister Irani said.

Google's philanthropic arm Google.org is committing a $500,000 grant to Nasscom Foundation to support 100,000 women agri workers with digital and financial literacy training across six states including Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Nasscom Foundation will also set up a helpline for women agri workers to receive further counselling on their entrepreneurship related queries.

Apart from this, Google.org announced a $25 million global impact challenge for nonprofits and social organizations in India and around the world that are working to advance women and girls' economic empowerment. Selected firms will also receive mentoring from Googlers, and advertising grants, and additional support to bring their ideas to life, Google said in a statement.

"Women are almost twice as likely to lose their jobs during the pandemic and an estimated 20 million girls are at risk of not returning to school. We have the opportunity to build a future that is more equal and more inclusive—and we must take it," Pichai said.

The Internet giant also announced the completion of the Internet Saathi programme, its six-year-old joint effort with Tata Trusts to empower women across rural India with digital literacy skills. The pan-India programme has benefitted over 30 million women across India through training provided by over 80,000 Internet Saathis, Google said in a statement.

"Together, we embarked on training women trainers to familiarize other women on how to utilize the internet, all in the rural environment, that would otherwise never take place. In bringing today's technology, and perhaps tomorrow's technology, to bear for the benefit of rural women is a great move forward. Over time, these efforts will ensure that the true value of the internet can come into the fore" said Tata Trusts chairman Ratan Tata.

In addition, Google rolled out a series of feature enhancements across its products. Women entrepreneurs can now identify their business profiles as women-led ones on its local business product 'Google My Business'. This will enable users to search for women-led businesses on its search engine and maps product.

Besides this, Google Pay is launching business pages for homepreneurs, that will enable them to create easy catalogues of their products and services and attract people with a unique web address. Interested users can talk to these homepreneurs about their order and pay within the app's chat-based interface, the company said in a statement.

2.1. India launches PLI scheme to become hub of global telecom manufacturing

Press Information Bureau, Feb. 18, 2021

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has approved Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Telecom and Networking Products with a budgetary outlay of Rs. 12,195 crore (US$ 1.67 billion).

The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme intends to promote manufacture of Telecom and Networking Products in India and proposes a financial incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract investments in the target segments of telecom and networking products in order to encourage Make in India. The scheme will also encourage exports of telecom and networking products 'Made in India'.

Support under the Scheme will be provided to companies/entities engaged in manufacturing of specified telecom and networking products in India. Eligibility will be further subject to achievement of a minimum threshold of cumulative incremental investment over a period of four years and incremental sales of manufactured goods net of taxes (as distinct from traded goods) over the Base Year 2019-2020. The cumulative investment can be made at one go, subject to annual cumulative threshold as prescribed for four years being met.

Globally Telecom and Networking Products exports represent and US$ 100 billion market opportunity, which can be exploited by India. With support under the scheme, India will augment capacities by attracting large investments from global players and at the same time encourage promising domestic champion companies to seize the emerging opportunities and become big players in the export market.

In continuation of "Atmanirbhar Bharat-Strategies for enhancing India's Manufacturing capabilities and enhancing exports", this scheme is part of the umbrella scheme approved by the cabinet in November 2020 for implementation of PLI under various Ministries/ Departments including Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

There will be a minimum investment threshold of Rs. 10 crore (US$ 1.37 million) for MSME with incentives from 7% to 4 % and Rs. 100 crore (US$ 13.73 million) for others with incentives from 6% to 4 % over 5 year above Base Year. The applicants with higher investments than specified threshold under MSME and Non MSME categories will be selected through transparent process.

With this scheme, India will be well positioned as a global hub for manufacturing of Telecom and Networking Products. Incremental production around Rs. 2 Lakh crore (US$ 27.46 billion) is expected to be achieved over 5 years. India will improve its competitiveness in manufacturing with increased value addition.

It is expected that scheme will bring more than Rs. 3,000 crore (US$ 411.96 million) investment and generate huge direct and indirect employments.

Through this policy, India will move towards self-reliance. By incentivizing large scale manufacturing in India, domestic value addition will increase gradually. Provision of higher incentive to MSME will encourage domestic telecom manufacturers to become part of the global supply chain

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.

2.2. Approval accorded under PLI Scheme for Promotion of Domestic Manufacturing of critical Key Starting Materials (KSMs)/ Drug Intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in the country

IBEF, Mar. 01, 2021

With an objective to attain self-reliance and reduce import dependence in these critical Bulk Drugs - Key Starting Materials (KSMs)/ Drug Intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in the country, the Department of Pharmaceuticals had launched a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for promotion of their domestic manufacturing by setting up greenfield plants with minimum domestic value addition in four different Target Segments (In Two Fermentation based - at least 90% and in the Two Chemical Synthesis based – at least 70% ) with a total outlay of Rs. 6,940 crore (US$ 951.27 million) for the period 2020-21 to 2029-30.

The applications under four different Target Segments were invited with 30th November 2020 as the last date. In total, 215 applications have been received for the 36 products spread across the 4 Target Segments. The guidelines prescribed that the applications would be processed and decided within a period of 90 days, i.e., up to 28th February 2021. Five applications with a committed investment of Rs. 3,761 crore (US$ 515.52 million) have already been approved under Target Segment I.

Eligible products under Target Segment II (Fermentation Based Niche KSMs/Drug Intermediates/APIs) were considered as per the decided evaluation and selection criteria. The applications of following companies, which have committed minimum/more than the minimum proposed annual production capacities and fulfil the prescribed criteria have been approved, as under:

Eligible products under Target Segment III (Key Chemical Synthesis Based KSMs/Drug Intermediates) were considered as per the decided evaluation and selection criteria. The applications of following companies, which have committed minimum/more than the minimum proposed annual production capacities and fulfil the prescribed criteria have been approved, as under:

*Subject to outcome of Writ Petition.

The setting up of these plants will lead to total committed investment of Rs. 862.01 crore (US$ 118.16 million) by the companies and employment generation of about 1763. With this, a total of 19 applications with committed investment of Rs. 4623.01 crore (US$ 633.68 million) have been approved by the Government. The commercial production is projected to commence from 1st April, 2023 onwards and the disbursal of production linked incentive by the Government over the six years period would be up to a maximum of Rs.4,870 cr. Setting of these plants will make the country self-reliant to a large extent in respect of these Bulk drugs. Further, applications under the Target Segment-IV are proposed to be taken up for approval before 28th February 2021.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the 3rd largest in the world by volume. It has high market presence in several advanced economies such as the US and EU. The industry is well known for its production of affordable medicines, particularly in the generics space. However, the country is significantly dependent on the import of basic raw materials, viz., Bulk Drugs that are used to produce medicines. In some specific bulk drugs, the import dependence is 80 to 100%.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.

3.1. India will need nine times as many digital skilled workers by 2025, shows new research

ET Bureau, Feb. 25, 2021, Rica Bhattacharyya

The research reveals that digitally skilled workers currently represent 12% of India’s workforce and estimates that the number of workers in India requiring digital skills will need to increase nine times by 2025.

India will need nine times as many digital skilled workers by 2025, according to a new report commissioned by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The report titled “Unlocking APAC’s Digital Potential: Changing Digital Skill Needs and Policy Approaches”, prepared by strategy and economics consulting firm AlphaBeta, and commissioned by AWS, shows that the average worker in India will need to develop seven new digital skills by 2025 to keep pace with technology advancements and demand. This amounts to a total of 3.9 billion digital skill training from 2020 to 2025.

The report analyses the digital skills applied by workers in their jobs today, and projects the digital skills required by workforces over the next five years in six Asia Pacific countries – India, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.

The research, which surveyed more than 500 digital workers in India and interviewed technology experts, business leaders, and policymakers, reiterated that digital skills are important for non-technology sectors like manufacturing and education.

“The research highlights the demand for more digital workers even in the non-technology sectors such as manufacturing and education,” said Rahul Sharma, President, Public Sector – AISPL, AWS India and South Asia.

In the manufacturing sector, cloud architecture design and the ability to create original digital content such as software and web applications will be among the most in-demand digital skills by 2025, with more than 50% of digital workers in the manufacturing sector believing that they will require these skills to perform their jobs. In the education sector, the ability to develop digital security and cyber forensics tools and techniques will be an important skill. Given the increasing use of the internet in teaching and learning, especially with remote learning, it is becoming critical to ensure that schools, teachers, and students are able to protect against cyber-attacks.

The report also reveals that 76% of the digital workers in India today expect cloud computing will be a required competency for digital workers to perform their jobs proficiently by 2025. Cloud architecture design, software operations support, website/game/software development, large-scale data modelling, and cybersecurity skills are the top five in-demand digital skills in India.

“AWS is committed to equipping more students and workers with cloud skills that will help drive digital transformation across all sectors. We look forward to expanding our collaboration with more education institutions and industry organisations to grow cloud-skilled talent,” said Sharma.

3.2. Amazon India inks MoU with the Directorate General Resettlement for hiring ex-service personnel

ET Bureau, Feb. 20, 2021, Sreeradha Basu

The association with DGR will further enable Amazon India to mobilise the untapped potential of veterans, giving it access to a greater talent pipeline.

The MoU was signed between Liju Thomas, HR Director, Customer Fulfillment & Corporate, Amazon India Operations and Maj Gen MK Sagoch, Director General, DGR. Amazon India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Directorate General Resettlement (DGR), to provide ex-service personnel with work opportunities across its growing operations network in India. With this partnership, Amazon India will continue to create alternate career opportunities for ex-service personnel who have served the country.

The MoU was signed between Liju Thomas, HR Director, Customer Fulfillment & Corporate, Amazon India Operations and Maj Gen MK Sagoch, Director General, DGR.

The association with DGR will further enable Amazon India to mobilise the untapped potential of veterans, giving it access to a greater talent pipeline. Veterans will have access to various work opportunities including a mix of individual contribution and managerial roles across its Fulfilment Centres, Sort Centres, and Delivery Stations. This collaborative effort further expands Amazon India’s existing Military Veterans Employment program.

“We, at Amazon, are consistently working towards strengthening Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity in our workforce. Our long-term vision for inclusivity is to develop a balanced workforce and this MoU is a significant step in that direction” said Swati Rustagi, HR Director, Amazon India Operations.

She further added, “In alignment with Amazon’s global vision of hiring 25,000 military veterans by 2025, we will continue to hire remarkable talent and provide them with opportunities to leverage their strengths and capabilities in the future.”

Maj Gen MK Sagoch, Director General, DGR, said, “Our military veterans bring a wealth of experience, with huge growth potential in various industries and businesses. With the signing of this MoU, we look forward to working towards a common goal of creating meaningful career opportunities for a wider range of ex-service personnel.”

Amazon already has several military veterans working across functions in its operations network in leadership and managerial roles. These include Transportation, Customer Fulfilment, Facilities Management, and Security Operations, amongst others.

4.1. Employment generation rebounds sharply with 12 million new addition in January

ET Bureau, Feb. 18, 2021, Yogima Seth Sharma

According to CMIE weekly data on the labour market, this is the biggest addition to the workforce in a single month, more than double the average addition of five lakh in a month before the lockdown.

Even the total unemployed people who were willing to work but did not have any employment in January 2021 was lowest in over two years to 40 million, it said.Employment generation in India rebounded sharply in January with nearly 12 million people getting employed last month thus significantly reducing the country’s unemployment rate from 9.1% in December to 6.5% in January, said the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.

According to CMIE weekly data on the labour market, this is the biggest addition to the workforce in a single month, more than double the average addition of five lakh in a month before the lockdown.

This has increased the number of employed people from 388.8 million in December to 400.7 million in January, highest since the lockdown began in March 2020, resulting in an increase in employment rate to 37.9% from 36.9% in December.

“Employment in India is still lower than it was before the lockdown, but there are lesser unemployed people willing to work as well. The recovery is still incomplete but we made good progress in January 2021,” CMIE said in its report.

As per the report, the increase in employment in January has reduced the number of unemployed to 27.9 million compared to an average of 33 million. “This is an exceptionally low number of unemployed persons who were willing to work and were looking for work when compared to 2019-20,” it said.

Even the total unemployed people who were willing to work but did not have any employment in January 2021 was lowest in over two years to 40 million, it said.

According to CMIE, the unemployment rate has been volatile in the past six months ranging from a low of 6.5% in November 2020 to a high of 9.1% in December 2020 with the average unemployment rate during this six-month period at about 7.4%.

“The high monthly volatility of unemployment in normal times reflects the high proportion of informal employment in India,” it said. “Most employed persons in India do not have regular jobs. Their employment on any given day depends upon the state of the economy, upon the local environment, business conditions at large and a fair degree of luck,” it added.

4.2. Labour in post-pandemic India

ET Cont. Mar. 16, 2021

There are significant challenges that will remain long after the coronavirus has been eradicated. The first step should be ensuring there are adequate jobs in the economy. And history has shown that growth alone cannot guarantee job or wage growth. The Indian economy needs growth in sectors that are especially labour-intensive. And a lot of it.

Each year about 10 million new entrants also join the workforce.As the Covid-19 vaccination drive gains momentum in India, the health crisis of the pandemic will soon begin to subside. But the economic fallout from the lockdowns is here to stay. The biggest challenge facing India on this front is that of unemployment. While the problem is not new for the country, the impact of Covid-19 pandemic has further accentuated it.

Estimates by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, which provides the most frequent unemployment statistics in India, show that around 403.5 million Indians were a part of the workforce and about 35 million were unemployed before the Covid-19 crisis. Each year about 10 million new entrants also join the workforce. However, by January 2021, only 400 million Indians were employed. Thus, not only has the market been dismal for the new job seekers, but millions of people have lost employment as well.

It can be estimated that somewhere between 40 to 45 million people today must be unemployed in India. And this number does not capture the true extent of unemployment in the country. Given India’s level of economic development and lack of social security benefits, relatively few people can afford to stay unemployed. So, there is bound to be a significant prevalence of disguised unemployment, that is, people are working below their potential.

Further, people are only termed unemployed if they are looking for a job and cannot find one. But not everyone who enters the working age population seeks a job. There could be a variety of reasons why this could be the case, but cultural norms and safety in general dictate that women participation in labour force is quite low in India. In fact, ILO estimates show that India’s female labour force participation is not only lower than the world average but has declined by 6.9 percentage points between 1990 and 2016.[1]

Similarly, even men can become discouraged to look for jobs, albeit to a lesser extent, if prospects are too bleak. In 2018-19, the overall labour force participation rate for India stood at 37.5 per cent. It was much lower for the 15-24 age group at 27.39 per cent. So, the unemployment statistics do not reflect the true extent of people who are unable to work at their full potential. The Covid-19 pandemic has only added to the concern.

The pandemic is expected to have lasting consequences for the labour markets. A straightforward impact will arise from an increase in pool of unemployed workers, which will reduce their bargaining power and, thus, wages. In India, the introduction of the new labour codes will work to further diminish the bargaining power of labour as they give employers the flexibility to hire and fire workers and restricts the right to strike. Even though these were long-pending and necessary reforms, their introduction in a period of economic downturn will hurt the most as the outside options for workers are low.

These factors will add to the long-term decline in the labour share of national income. The data from Annual Survey of Industries shows that between 2000-01 to 2015-16, labour productivity had an average growth rate of 2.8 per cent while real wage grew at an average of 0.9 per cent.[2] The decoupling of productivity and wages will further widen due to the pandemic. A recent study by Princeton’s Steven Strauss has argued how industry concentration will increase in the post-pandemic economies.[3] The higher returns to e-commerce, automation, and technology will allow a few big companies to replace small businesses and leave various markets with few competitors. Such trends will further dampen the labour’s ability to demand higher wages (or at least commensurate with their productivity contributions) and better working conditions.

The Indian state has to step in to boost the bargaining power of workers by ensuring decent minimum wage and adequate social security. The new labour codes incorporate these safety cushions, but everything will boil down to implementation. The Code on Wages, for instance, sets a national floor wage but the amounts are yet to be notified. Setting a uniform minimum wage soon can provide significant economic security to Indian workers, especially those working at low-paying jobs. Another notable move is that the Code on Social Security allows the government to extend social security benefits to unorganised, platform, and gig workers. However, there are fears that companies might end up passing on these costs to workers themselves by reducing in-hand income.

So, despite the best efforts, there are significant challenges that will remain within the Indian labour markets long after the coronavirus has been eradicated. The first step should be ensuring there are adequate jobs in the economy. And history has shown that growth alone cannot guarantee job or wage growth. The Indian economy needs growth in sectors that are especially labour-intensive. And a lot of it.

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[1] Li, C. (March 28, 2019). Falling Female Labor Force Participation in China and India. Pacific Exchange Blog, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

[2] Jain, H. (2019). Wage–Productivity Relationship in Indian Manufacturing Industries: Evidences from State-level Panel Data. Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, 13(3), 277–305. doi:10.1177/0973801019841258

[3] Strauss, S. (2020). Some Emerging Hypotheses on the Economic Opportunities and Challenges of the Post-Pandemic World.

Amit Kapoor is chair, Institute for Competitiveness, India and visiting scholar, Stanford University. Chirag Yadav is researcher, Institute for Competitiveness, India.

5.1. In the biggest-ever UP budget, Yogi government focuses on strengthening education sector

ET Gov. Feb, 22, 2021

As part of various provisions to strengthen the education sector, the government allocated ₹18,172 crore for the basic education department, ₹110 crore for the composite education campaign, and ₹40 crore for providing free school bags and uniforms to all students of class 1-8 every year.

The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government Monday presented ₹5,50,270.78 crore budget for 2021-22 presented in the state Assembly. This is also Uttar Pradesh's .

Adopting the digital mode to present the budget as was done by the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the state finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna read out the budget from his laptop.

As part of various provisions to strengthen the education sector, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government allocated ₹18,172 crore for the Basic Education Department, ₹110 crore for the composite education campaign, and ₹40 crore for providing free school bags and uniforms to all students of class 1-8 every year.

In addition to this, ₹3,406 crore has been allotted for the mid-day meal program and ₹300 crore for providing shoe-stocking and sweaters to all children.

In a bid to improve secondary education, a budget of ₹200 crore has been allocated for development of infrastructure facilities in aided private secondary schools. ₹100 crore to complete the residual works of the government inter colleges under construction, ₹90 crore for construction of one new Sainik School in Gorakhpur and completion of the residual work at Sainik Schools in Mainpuri, Jhansi and Amethi.

The budget earmarked ₹15 crore for development and construction of a girls’ hostel and an auditorium in the Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey Sainik School in Sarojini Nagar. Another ₹5 crore has been allotted for the formation of Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Education Directorate and an office of Uttar Pradesh Secondary Sanskrit Education Council and construction of aided non-government secondary schools.

For higher education, budgetary provisions of ₹200 crore has been proposed for the development of Rajkiya Mahavidyalaya and one state university will be set up in each of the divisions of the state.

5.2. e-Courts to clear traffic violation cases in UP

ET Gov. Feb. 24, 2021

As per the new digital system once a violator receives intimation on his mobile phone, he would have the option to pay fine by visiting a government authorised portal.

Allahabad high courtIn another digitisation drive, the Allahabad high court has launched a virtual court at the Allahabad district court to clear cases related to road traffic violation, Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) and Integration of Civil Court with Land Records (Bhulekh) through online mode.

The new ICJS will facilitate speedy justice through data-exchange between the courts, police/prosecution, jails and the forensic labs while the integration of civil court with land records will help resolve property disputes quickly.

Similar virtual court scheme will be launched in other districts by March 31. The virtual court digitally deals with ‘on-spot traffic challans’ generated by the traffic police. As per scheme, digital challans captured for the given day will reflect in the dashboard of the virtual court judge, who shall issue special summons to the violator via his mobile phone, under the Motor Vehicles Act.

As per the new digital system once a violator receives intimation on his mobile phone, he would have the option to either contest the summons or pay by visiting the web portal https://vcourts.gov.in

Fine can be paid through online mode on the same day or at the time of his choice within the stipulated period.

The digitisation will also help the litigants to pursue cases without visiting the courts for traffic-related violations and deposit the fine through on-line mode. Besides, the revenue generated via new e-courts will go to the treasury of the state government. As a result, there will be speedy disposal of traffic related challans.

Further, the initiative also involves integration of data and documents of Traffic challan, Police department, revenue department with District Court (CIS) which will help stakeholders including litigants and promote transparency and speedy disposal of cases. With the new system in place now huge number cases will be handled with the aid of technology with accuracy.

The eChallans of the traffic department has been integrated with court for speedy disposal of cases ensuring improvement in road safety and timely revenue generation for the state.

Further, through the Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICIS) project, the court will be able to access the records eFlR and eChargesheet and prosecution records on a real time basis. In addition to above, the land records have been integrated successfully with the court.

- AGRICULTURE, FISHING & RURAL DEVELOPMENT

6.1. Hiranandani Group to set up industrial, logistics and data center park in West Bengal

ET Bureau, Feb 16, 2021, Kailash Babar

The integrated logistics and hyperscale data center park will be set up by Hiranandani group companies GreenBase and Yotta, respectively. The combined investment by the group and its customers is estimated to cross Rs 10,000 crore.

MUMBAI: The Hiranandani Group, has entered into a pact with the government of West Bengal to set up logistics and hyperscale data center park in the state and has signed an agreement to acquire a 100-acre land parcel at Kolkata’s Uttarpara locality from Hindustan Motors for the same.

The integrated logistics and hyperscale data center park will be set up by Hiranandani group companies GreenBase and Yotta, respectively.

The combined investment by the group and its customers is estimated to cross Rs 10,000 crore.

Greenbase, a joint venture between Hiranandani and global private equity firm Blackstone Group, will deliver a modern and self-sustainable ecosystem consisting of 3-million sq ft industrial and warehousing space along with support infrastructure.

Yotta, Hiranandani’s hyperscale data center division, will execute a development of 6 hyper-connected data center buildings bringing in 250MW data centre capacity over the next several years to West Bengal.

“West Bengal is the gateway to the east. It is an ideal hub for logistics and industrial development with excellent road, rail and riverine connectivity. Simultaneously, the data centre business will benefit from the digitization revolution, the upcoming Silicon Valley at New Town at Rajarhat and excellent fibre connectivity on land and the new submarine cable coming up at Tajpur,” said Darshan Hiranandani, Group CEO – Hiranandani Group. “The first facility of industrial and logistics park will be ready by June 2022 and the first data centre building will be ready by 2023.”

By setting up a data center park in Kolkata, Hiranandani Group is not only looking to cater to the customers in West Bengal but the entire eastern region including neighbouring countries.

As India aims to be a $5 trillion economy by 2025, the logistic sector is expected to play a crucial role in connecting producers with consumers.

Greenbase Industrial & Logistics Park will not just help manufacturing and warehousing units build last mile connectivity, it will also give a huge boost to development of the logistics sector and create employment opportunities for the region, Hiranandani said in a release

In 2020, Yotta inaugurated its Asia’s largest and world’s second-largest uptime institute tier IV certified data center in Navi Mumbai. It most recently announced its Greater Noida data center park and Chennai data center park.

Greenbase is developing industrial and logistics parks across Mumbai MMR region, Pune, Nashik, Chennai and Bangalore with a plan to deliver 15 million sq ft space across India in the next five years with an investment outlay of $500 million. It also has expansion plans to enter into other tier I and tier II markets.

6.2. Flipkart plans to expand grocery services to over 70 cities in six months

IBEF, Mar. 03, 2021

Flipkart stated on Tuesday that it plans to expand its grocery services to > 70 cities in the next six months in order to capitalize on the country's booming e-grocery market.

The company has expanded its grocery services to > 50 Indian cities, including Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Vellore.

As a result of the planned expansion, customers in seven major cities and > 40 neighbouring cities will now have access to high-quality grocery items, deals, fast deliveries, and the most seamless grocery shopping experience.

Millions of people have switched to e-commerce for their grocery purchases as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, which has fuelled rapid growth in e-grocery in metros, tier II and tier III cities.

As per RedSeer, a consulting firm, the e-grocery is projected to reach ~ US$ 24 billion in terms of GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) by 2025 from ~ US$ 3.3 billion in 2020. In India, key players in the segment include BigBasket, Grofers, Flipkart, Amazon and Reliance.

Flipkart stated that over the years the company invested heavily to rapidly expand in the grocery market in India and in 2020 the company scale up ‘exponentially’. With the support of Flipkart's dedicated grocery fulfilment centres, consumers in metro cities namely Kolkata, Pune, and Ahmedabad can now enjoy the convenience of Flipkart's grocery service. In the last year, Flipkart Grocery has expanded threefold.

Through a satellite-expansion marketplace model, Flipkart has extended its services to cities outside of metros such as Mysore, Kanpur, Warangal, Allahabad, Aligarh, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Rajkot, Vadodara, Vellore, Tirupati, and Daman.

Flipkart Senior Vice President - Grocery, General Merchandise and Furniture, Mr. Manish Kumar said, “Grocery remains one of the fastest-growing segments, owing to the rising customer demand for high-quality food and household supplies. As a result, we've invested in extending our grocery operations around the country while also bolstering ecosystem partnerships.”

He said, “In the last year, the business has seen a rise in demand for groceries from tier II cities, fuelled by consumers' rising preference for contactless shopping.” The preference for contactless shopping is expected to continue and would set the course of e-grocery space in India, he further added.

Flipkart Grocery has more than 7,000 products available across over 200 categories.

Flipkart’s grocery operations will boost the local food processing industry by connecting farmers to lakhs of consumers through the tech-enabled ecosystem.

Flipkart Group CEO, Mr. Kalyan Krishnamurthy said, “As part of its (Flipkart Group) efforts to improve its role in the growing Indian e-commerce industry, the company is planning to scale up its loyalty program, grocery, and apparel businesses.”

He said, “We want to establish our value proposition in the grocery category, particularly by partnering with the nearly million kirana partners we already have in our community.”

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.

7.1. UP Budget makes Rs 10 crore provision towards promoting art, artisans; to generate 25K jobs in textile sector

PTI, Feb. 22, 2021

In the handloom and textile industries' sector, a target has been made to generate 25,000 employment in the field of textiles in the financial year 2021-2022.

The budget has also proposed power supply to power loom weavers by the state government at a subsidized rate.

Lucknow: In a bid to preserve and promote the art and artisans of traditional 'matikala', the UP Government has made a provision of Rs 10 crore in its Budget 2021-22. An arrangement of interest-free loans of up to Rs 10 lakh has been made for reserved category beneficiaries and general category women and the same at 4 per cent annual interest for male beneficiaries of general category under the Mukhyamantri Gramodyog Rozgar Yojana.

In the handloom and textile industries' sector, a target has been made to generate 25,000 employment in the field of textiles in the financial year 2021-2022.

The budget has also proposed power supply to power loom weavers by the state government at a subsidized rate.

In the sector of IT and electronics, there will be establishment of electronic city on Yamuna Expressway near Jewar Airport and Defence Electronics Manufacturing Cluster in Bundelkhand.

PPP model-based construction of 'Advanced Information Technology Complex' in a 40-acre area at Nadarganj near Lucknow Airport is proposed.

8.1. Telangana government to issue coordinates for agriculture lands after conducting statewide digital survey

ET Gov. Feb. 22,2021

Several problems and issues with regard to the agriculture lands in the state have been resolved due to the comprehensive land records survey, issue of new passbooks, Dharani portal and other such reforms.

The Telangana government has decided to conduct a digital survey of the agriculture lands very soon. Disclosing this at a review meeting on the working of Dharani portal with top level officials last week, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao said coordinates will be provided for every unit of the land after the digital survey.

The CM has instructed the officials concerned to invite tenders for the proposed survey. Expressing satisfaction over the success of Dharani portal, KCR said the initiative was the result of a lot of efforts, planning and with an aim to do transparent registrations and mutations. The CM said that due to the new Revenue Act that was brought in, complete changes have taken place in the revenue department. In this backdrop, a Job Chart would be prepared for the officials about their duties and responsibilities.

The CM held discussions with government’s chief advisor Rajiv Sharma, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Secretary S. Narsing Rao, Secretaries Smita Sabharwal and Bhoopal Reddy.

“Thanks to Dharani portal, corruption has been eradicated in the revenue department. Justice has been done to farmers who otherwise have no voice and are helpless. The anarchic way of registering one person’s land on another name came to an end. The bad tradition of having land litigations and skirmishes over them also ended. The evil trend of swindling the documents and the hardships faced by people in the name of revenue courts also came to an end.

"The state government, for the first time in the country, did three years of detailed exercise and brought in the new Revenue Act. Registrations and mutations are being made in a very transparent way, without giving any scope for corruption. The entire sale and purchase of land is being done smoothly without any confusion or inconvenience. Registrations are done only based on the seller and purchaser’s biometric and Aadhar identification.

"Only those lands registered in Dharani portal can be sold or purchased. Only those lands can be given to others through hereditary rights or by gift deeds. Due to stringent methods put in place by the government, no one can even manipulate the records and make changes. Even the CCLA or CS cannot tamper with the records. Everything is done on a system-driven method and without any human interface and registrations are being done. Farmers are very happy with the new system," the CM said.

“Several problems and issues with regard to the agriculture lands in the state have been solved due to the comprehensive land records survey, issue of new passbooks, Dharani portal and other such reforms. The remaining few problems will also be solved after the digital survey," Rao said.

The digital survey will be conducted throughout the state. We will give coordinates to each land parcel. Nobody can alter these coordinates nor tamper or can create confusion with the records anymore. In fact, the digital survey should have taken place by now. It was stopped due to the Corona pandemic. The digital survey will begin very soon. Once the survey is done, clarity will come on all the issues. The boundary disputes among farmers’ lands, between government and forestlands, between forestlands and private lands, will be resolved.

Since the coordinates will not change there will not be any future boundary disputes. In countries where the land records are proper, they have achieved 3 to 4 percent GDP growth. The government is ready to have such revolutionary change,” KCR said.

Big changes in revenue department

“Changes came in the revenue department’s duties and responsibilities. In the past, the term revenue and the department came into being while collecting the taxes. Now there is no collection of tax and moreover, the government is giving ₹10,000 per acre under Rythu Bandhu scheme every year. Hence the name revenue has no meaning now. There is a chance of changing the name. Due to Dharani portal, digital survey and other such factors, maintenance of the land records, registrations and mutations will be done easily without the involvement of the officials. Farmers who are busy with their cultivation need not run around the Tahsildar offices. This is the main aim of the Dharani portal," the CM said while sharing his views with the top bureaucrats.

In view of the changed circumstances, there is a need to bring in changes in the revenue department. A job card will be prepared shortly on who should do what job in the revenue department. The duties of the revenue inspector, Tahsildar and RDO are clearly defined in the chart. The government will utilize the services of revenue officials in other duties,” the CM said.

“If farmers have any problems and doubts, they can apply to the collectors. The collectors should accept the applications and examine them and solve them based on the guidelines given by the chief secretary,” the CM added.

8.2. Our Food, Telangana govt to setup micro food processing units, to create around 100,000 jobs

TNN, Mar. 13, 2021, Swati Rathor

As part of this agreement, Our Food will collaborate with the state government to set up these units to cover all the major crops such as rice, pulses, groundnut, millets, turmeric and chilli. The food processing equipment would be manufactured at Our Food’s manufacturing facility in Zaheerabad.

The collaboration is expected to generate direct employment for at least 40,000 rural youth and indirect employment for at least 60,000 people.

HYDERABAD: Our Food, a Hyderabad-based agri-tech startup, on Friday announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Telangana government to setup over 20,000 micro food processing units at farm level across the state.

According to the startup, these units will generate rural employment and also increase opportunities to improve farmer’s incomes. The startup has also partnered with financial institutions for this initiative, which will help the rural youth meet their finance requirements.

The collaboration is expected to generate direct employment for at least 40,000 rural youth and indirect employment for at least 60,000 people.

Commenting on the development, Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary, IT and Industries said “It is our constant endeavour to promote startups in agri-tech space. This MoU will enable farm level processing, thereby benefiting farmers and unemployed youth. Our Food’s proven track record, technical advisory expertise, and the support they have brought to this project made them our partner of choice in this journey.”

Balareddy, CEO, Our Food, said that currently more than 1,000 units have been set up by startup across nine states including Telangana.

. Why hydroponic farms are trending

Mint, 26 Feb 2021, Preeti Zachariah

Urban farmers are taking to hydroponics, a water-smart solution to grow pesticide-free produce on rooftops and terraces

India’s hydroponics market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.53% between 2020 and 2027, says a February report

It started with a casual conversation. Sriram Gopal, the founder-chief executive of Chennai’s hydroponics tech firm Future Farms, was at the house of a friend who had just become a father. “I had gone to congratulate him," recalls Gopal, 38, who ran an IT company then. They got talking about food and its impact on health. “I felt strongly about this (food quality) too," says Gopal, adding that the friend, who worked in the food industry, introduced him to a documentary on hydroponics.

The film piqued Gopal’s interest, and he began reading about the method to grow plants without soil. “We started working with hydroponics as a project in 2012. At that time, we didn’t know much about the plight of farmers and how a technology like this could add value," he says. The idea was to create awareness among the right audience and sell “through prototypes and hobby kits."

Two years later, Future Farms was born. It went on to set up its first commercial hydroponic lettuce farm in the Nilgiris THAT SUPPLIED TO a multinational quick service restaurant chain, the first of its kind in the country. Over the next six years, the company established varisized projects across India, even a few outside it. Hydroponics can make farming more sustainable, says Gopal. “We think of hydroponics as a tool for change."

The start journey

Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in a nutrient-rich solution, skipping the soil. “It has been practised for centuries, so it is not a new technology," points out Akhila Vijayaraghavan, the founder-director of Coimbatore’s Parna Farms, adding the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are believed to have been hydroponically grown. “The Aztecs created vast hydroponic systems using rafts called chinampas," she says.

The first modern book discussing growing plants without soil seems to be Francis Bacon’s Sylva Sylvarum: Or A Natural History In Ten Centuries, published in 1627. Over the next few centuries, experiments involving plants grown in nutrient solutions took place mostly in lab settings. However, modern hydroponics evolved in the 1930s thanks to William Frederick Gericke of UC Berkeley. A March 1937 article, published in Time magazine, documents the christening of the technology. “Last week a new science was given a new name, Hydroponics, by its foremost U.S. practitioner, Dr William Frederick Gericke," says the article, going on to describe the experiment station in Berkeley: shallow tanks made of wood, concrete or metal, sprouting lush crops of tomato, potato, begonia and tobacco. “The roots of the plants are not in soil but in chemically treated water," states the article.

By most records, hydroponic farming transmuted from being an exciting lab experiment to a new way to grow food during World War II, when Pan American Airways decided to establish a hydroponic farm on Wake Island. “In the 90s NASA used hydroponics to experiment with growing food in space," says Vijayaraghavan.

Today, hydroponics is thriving worldwide. Research shows the global hydroponics market is expected to reach $17.9 billion by 2026. Although the technology is still in a nascent stage in India, there are signs it is on the upswing. A February report by DataM Intelligence, a Hyderabad-based market research and business intelligence firm, predicts the Indian hydroponics market is likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.53% between 2020 and 2027.

The covid-19 crisis seems to have catalysed the interest in hydroponics. Syed Nadeem, proprietor of Chennai-based Shaaz Agriculture Solutions, confirms this. “There has been a sudden increase in enquiries about hydroponics after the pandemic hit," says Nadeem, adding that many people now want to grow their own vegetables organically. “Anyone passionate about farming or gardening can do it," he says.

Let’s talk sustainability

Rahul Dhoka, the founder of Acqua Farms, headquartered in Chennai, turned to hydroponics after Cyclone Vardah flattened his organic farm in 2016. “I began looking for more sustainable practices," says Dhoka, 33, who has a background in biotechnology. He began growing vegetables on his Egmore home’s terrace hydroponically, reserving the produce for his personal consumption or offering it to extended family.

Soon, people began reaching out to him, asking for help in establishing their own farms. Dhoka launched his company in 2019, creating and offering different sorts of hydroponic systems. “There are six major systems," he says, running through the list: Wick System, Water Culture, Ebb and Flow, Drip, NFT (Nutrient Film Technology) and Aeroponic System. NFT is excellent for growing small plants and greens, he says. “Also, it is easy to scale up vertically."

Pointing to several NFT systems stacked in the corner of his office, he explains how they work. A reservoir tank containing a water and nutrient solution has a submersible pump leading up a tube that branches into a network of smaller tubes or channels. Grow trays containing plants are placed in these tubes, their roots dangling into the nutrient solution. Used water flows back into the tank, so there is no wastage of water. “Hydroponics uses up to 90% less water than traditional farming," Dhoka adds.

Sustainability has always been a word bandied about by hydroponic farmers: the promise that what you do today will not endanger future generations. “Hydroponics addresses several issues within the food system—water scarcity and land shortages predominantly," says Vijayaraghavan. Additionally, the crop, untouched by pests and weather vagaries and offered controlled nutrition, ends up being high-yielding. “Urban hydroponic farms reduce the carbon footprint of food and ensure a supply of fresh food throughout the year," she adds. “It puts food producers closer to a customer base and shortens the supply chain."

Liselle Simcock, an HR professional, is a recent entrant into the hydroponics world. She began subscribing to Freshlings, a Future Farm venture, that offers vegetables grown this way. “It stays fresh, does not have a bitter taste and doesn’t feel like anything is added to it," she says.

Hydroponically grown food has the potential to be more nutritious than soil-grown. Future Farm’s Gopal offers an example to explain. Amaranth, a short-lived perennial plant, is eaten for its high levels of essential micronutrient, selenium. But its selenium levels depend on the amount present in the soil. If grown using hydroponic technology, you will get amaranth filled with the right micronutrients, he claims. “Hydroponics could be a great way to address lifestyle disorders."

Despite the many benefits of hydroponics, one thing that hampers its growth is capital cost. “There is a significant capital expenditure involved," says Inder Raheja, 33, technical lead at Talegaon-based Stemwater Farms. Setting up a three-acre farm could add up to a couple of crores. What’s more, the target audience for salad vegetables is somewhat limited, often restricted to younger, health-conscious people. “The average Indian household isn’t going to be excited about hydroponics," he says, pointing out that lettuce is not a staple item for many Indians.

Vijayaraghavan, too, agrees cost is a prohibitive factor that will not change soon. “Set-up costs are high and depending on how the farm is run, operational costs are high too," she says, adding that “a hydroponic product is an artisanal product at the end of the day." She, however, believes the market will only grow as “more and more people become aware of its benefits. It is still a very new way of growing food, and just like anything else, it takes time to build awareness."

Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com

9.2. Gujarat women power dairy sector growth

TNN, Mar.08,2021, Prasant Rupera

A 2018 report by the National Cooperative Union of India, 4.98 million women members contributed to 30% of the total membership in cooperative societies. In Gujarat alone, out of 34.94 lakh milk producer members, 36% (12.5 lakh) members are women.

Women dairy entrepreneurs like Mittal are the backbone of the dairy industry in Gujarat – the cradle of India’s White Revolution. Vadodara/Anand: In 2012, Mittal Patel of Borsad taluka’s Kavitha village ventured into dairy business with just one cow. She along with her husband and brother-in-law increased cattle holding by taking loans. Now, this 38-year-old is a proud owner of Sargam dairy farm, having nearly 200 cows including 75 calves. The farm alone supplies around 1,700 litres milk directly to Amul Dairy on a daily basis.

Women dairy entrepreneurs like Mittal are the backbone of the dairy industry in Gujarat – the cradle of India’s White Revolution . A study carried out by research scholars of the Verghese Kurien Centre of Excellence (VKCoE) of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) highlights women’s pivotal role in growth of Gujarat’s dairy sector.

“Involvement of women in dairy business has enabled them to become financially independent and self-driven micro-entrepreneurs,” said VKCoE’s chairman Dr J B Prajapati, whose students — Shweta Krishnan, Ankit Sontakke and Pankaj Parmar — carried out the study.

Mittal provides employment to 17 people while engaging three women full time on her farm.

In Motipura DCS of Kapadvanj taluka, all the 400 dairy farmer members are females.

This ‘mandali’ which had started with around 400 litres of milk daily in 2006 crossed the 10,000 litres mark in 2019 when its turnover touched Rs 24 crore per annum.

“Every dairy household in our village has a minimum of 10 cattle. NABARD has provided subsidies worth Rs one crore to women farmers for purchasing cattle. This has improved milk pouring capacity,” said Sharda Patel, who is also a member in the board of Kaira District Milk Union.

Forty-year-old Gayatri Patel from Ajarpura village of Anand, had just five calves in 2016. She and her husband are now owners of Vansh dairy farm with 75 cattle and a turnover of around Rs 34 lakh per annum.

“Dairy farming has made me ‘atmanirbhar’,” said Gayatri, who sells 400 litres of milk daily to the Ajarpura dairy cooperative society (DCS) which has 30 female members.

10.1. Noida gets Addverb's Rs 75 crore robot-making facility, to employ 450 people

IANS, Mar. 04, 2021

The facility called "Bot Valley" has a capacity to manufacture more than 50,000 robots of varied types in a year, and is equipped with best-in-class electronics and mechanical machines, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

The 2.5-acre manufacturing unit will house cutting-edge robotics and digitalisation technologies.

Noida: Automation and robotics firm Addverb Technologies has inaugurated its Rs 75 crore manufacturing facility in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, that will employ 450 people and enable rapid innovation, adaption, optimisation and agile delivery of made-to-order robotics.

"We have entered a nascent paradigm shift (industry 4.0) where technology will help Addverb meet the growing needs and demand of the present business ecosystem. Robotics holds huge potential in streamlining the processes across industries right from retail to healthcare and from warehousing to supply chain," said Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, who inaugurated the Addverb facility.

The 2.5-acre manufacturing unit will house cutting-edge robotics and digitalisation technologies.

Even with increased demand for automation, the penetration of robotics, especially in the small and medium enterprises, is still low in India compared to the global average.

"With the establishment of this world-class facility, we will be able to project India as a R&D epicentre of the world and share knowledge and encourage Indian manufacturers to embrace our game changing technologies and become best-in-class manufacturers for local and global markets," said Sangeet Kumar, Founder & CEO, Addverb Technologies.

Established in 2016 and mentored by Jalaj Dani, Addverb Technologies have streamlined the process for many retail giants of the country through its innovative products and solutions.

It has established a global footprint by acquiring customers in Europe, South-East Asia and Australia, and established 100 per cent subsidiary companies in Singapore, Australia and The Netherlands.

10. Online + Offline retail can help add 12 million new jobs, up to $125bn exports: Report

PTI, Mar. 09, 2021

"COVID-19 has been a litmus test for resilience and adaptability, and the Indian retail sector has been largely successful in navigating the crisis by accelerating digital adoption and the shift to online in the country," it said.

The 'Online + Offline' model - resulting from convergence of retail channels and evolution of capabilities via tech-enabled collaborations - is expected to help in addition of 12 million new jobs and USD 125 billion in retail exports, a report by Nasscom-Technopak said. The report titled, 'Retail 4.0: India story - Unlocking Value through Online and Offline Collaborations' said the Indian retail market has witnessed a massive growth of 3X over the last decade. The retail sector contributed about 10 per cent to India's GDP in financial year 2019-20 and 8 per cent to the total workforce with more than 35 million employees.

The convergence of retail channels and the collective evolution of their capabilities via tech-enabled collaborations will define the 'Retail 4.0' evolution in India, it added.

Retail 4.0 will result in a significant rise in the size of the domestic market, job creation, and exports.

The changing demand and supply drivers are likely to accelerate the growth momentum, with the India retail market reaching up-to USD 1.5 trillion by financial year 2030 and add more than 25 million new jobs by financial year 2030, the report said.

"Of this, a lion's share will be the 'Offline + Online' model which will account for 50 per cent of the total retail employment addition - almost 12 million, enable USD 125 billion worth of exports and account for 37 per cent of total retail tax contribution amounting to approximately USD 8 billion incremental GST contribution by 2030," it added.

With the increasing rise in 'Digital Natives' and tech-savvy customers, retailers are embracing the use of data-driven advanced analytics, and prediction technology to tailor customer-centric product/service offerings leading to enhanced personalisation experience.

Further, to minimise and alter cost structures effectively, retailers both traditional and online are increasingly digitising point-of-sale (PoS), in-store operations, and inventory tracking in face of evolving demand, the report said.

"Retail sector is one of the growth engines for the nation's economy, with a double-digit contribution to the GDP, and employment to nearly 35 million individuals in financial year 2020. The COVID 19 pandemic backed by ever-changing consumer preference has accelerated the adoption of online and offline play that will define the next phase of retail growth in the country," NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant said.

This will create enormous potential in terms of job growth, exports, and an inclusive retail ecosystem with great participation of MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), he added.

"Going forward, technology will be the key driver of retail evolution in the future. The Government of India is in process of formulating the National Retail Trade Policy which will not only create a conducive environment for retail trade but will also simplify policies hindering the growth of the sector in the country," he said.

Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh said Retail 4.0 is rapidly evolving to Online + Offline (O+O) retail models that will bring incremental economic contribution, job growth, and exports.

To achieve this, a greater need for collaboration among retail stakeholders, policymakers, and supporting sectors for tech-awareness will be the key, which will accelerate the sector's growth in the years to come, she added.

As per the NASSCOM-Technopak survey of over 360 retail stakeholders, 79 per cent respondents strongly felt that technology will play a pivotal role in the growth of Indian retail.

There has been a rising awareness and willingness to embrace online with 70 per cent respondents having a positive outlook towards Online+Offline collaborations.

- INDUSTRY & MANUFACTURE

11.1. Aequs to set up India's first toy cluster in Karnataka, to create around 125,000 jobs

PTI, Feb. 27, 2021

"The toy manufacturing ecosystem will house over 100 units with a potential to generate over 25,000 direct jobs apart from 1,00,000 indirect jobs," Chairman Aravind Melligeri said.

Work on the toy cluster started in January this year. The integrated manufacturing facility will support plastic and electronic toy manufacturers in design, moulding, assembly, painting, and packaging.It is Foxconn of the toy world, manufacturing some of the most popular superhero figures and toy dart guns at a factory in Karnataka for some of the biggest names in the global toy industry. And it is now setting up India's first toy manufacturing cluster to boost domestic industry.

Aequs Private Limited is developing a 400-acre toy manufacturing cluster at Koppal in Karnataka at an investment of USD 500 million, its Chairman Aravind Melligeri said.

"Toy industry globally is a USD 90 billion-market and Indian market size is about USD 1.7 billion," he said.

India imports USD 1.2 billion worth of toys annually, mostly from China and the toy cluster being developed is to raise domestic manufacturing.

"China exports USD 20 billion worth of toys and recreation goods annually," he said.

Aequs, which has two units operating at its Belagavi SEZ, is a contract manufacturer just like Foxconn, which makes iPhones for Apple Inc. It caters to some of the largest North American and European toy brands.

The company exported USD 100 million worth of toys last year to nations spread from Russia to Brazil, he said. Aequs exports products across the world, primarily to USA, Latin America, and Europe.

"Six marquee toy manufacturers and suppliers have already signed up for setting up factories in the toy cluster," he said without disclosing their names.

Out of the 400 acres of the cluster, 300 acres will be a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) dedicated for exports and the rest would cater to the domestic market, he said.

Aequs makes toys for some of the known names but Melligeri did not reveal their identities due to the confidentiality clause.

"India has the required skill sets as well as material and so we thought why not set up a toy cluster and bring them all in one place," he said.

"The toy manufacturing ecosystem will house over 100 units with a potential to generate over 25,000 direct jobs apart from 1,00,000 indirect jobs," he said.

Koppal is already famous for its Kinhal toys and has an artistic heritage. This gives an easy access to a huge pool of affordable skilled and semi-skilled labour.

Presence of 52 industrial training institutes and 5 polytechnic institutes in Koppal along with design and R&D institutes such as NID Bengaluru, IIT Dharwad, further serve the need for skilled human resources for this labour-intensive industry.

There exists a good number of small and large-scale industries in the district which will also support the raw material requirement of the cluster.

Aequs has the advantage of creating a unique manufacturing ecosystem facilitating easy access to manpower and other logistics incentives, among others.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a vocal supporter of expanding domestic toy manufacturing. He had last year spoken of the nation becoming self-reliant in every field, including in toys.

He will inaugurate 'The India Toy Fair 2021' on February 27, bringing together all stakeholders including buyers, sellers and designers on a virtual platform to create sustainable linkages and encourage dialogue for the overall development of the industry.

11.2. MediaTek unveils new AI-based 4K smart TV chip

IANS, Mar. 03, 2021

Chipmaker company MediaTek on Wednesday unveiled its new 4K smart TV chip -- MT9638 -- with an integrated high-performance Artificial Intelligence (AI) processing unit (APU).

Taiwan, Chipmaker company MediaTek on Wednesday unveiled its new 4K smart TV chip -- MT9638 -- with an integrated high-performance Artificial Intelligence (AI) processing unit (APU).

The new chip supports cutting edge AI-enhancement technologies such as AI super resolution, AI picture quality and AI voice assistants, plus variable refresh rate (VRR) and MEMC (motion estimation and motion compensation) so graphics appear smoother.

"The new MT9638 continues our legacy as the number 1 chip provider of smart TVs, bringing consumers incredible AI, multimedia, gaming and entertainment experiences in theatre-quality 4K," Alex Chen, General Manager of the TV Business Unit at MediaTek, said in a statement.

With its high performance processing for optimized visual quality, MT9638 gives global TV makers premium features to design competitive 4K smart TVs.

With built-in AI picture quality technology, the chip enables real-time content and scene recognition, automatically adjusting colour saturation, brightness, sharpness, dynamic motion compensation and smart noise reduction to improve overall image quality.

The chip supports the latest connectivity technologies including Wi-Fi 6 for fast, reliable connectivity and HDMI 2.1, which integrates support for VRR to match movies or console gaming frame-rates in order to avoid screen tearing.

The MT9638 also supports applications powered by AI voice recognition and AI-enabled video calls, opening up new ways for consumers to interact with their smart TV and connect with their family and friends.

MT9638-powered 4K smart TVs are expected to reach the consumer market in the second quarter of 2021, the company said.

12.1. Hyundai to invest Rs 3,200 crore in India

TNN, Feb. 18, 2021, Pankaj Doval

The South Korean carmaker, which completes 25 years in India, has over 17% share of the domestic passenger vehicles market, but clearly feels that electric mobility will be a critical component for growth in future, according to MD S S Kim.

Hyundai Motor will invest more than Rs 3,200 crore in India in four years to expand product portfolio.

NEW DELHI: Hyundai Motor will invest more than Rs 3,200 crore in India in four years to expand product portfolio and launch cars, including a series of electric vehicles, as the company bets on green mobility to strengthen its local operations.

The future product lineup will comprise an ‘affordable’ locally-made electric car that involves an investment of Rs 1,000 crore. The company is finalising localisation plans for electrics and may explore a partnership with group company Kia as the latter is also looking at domestic production of greens to make them affordable and competitive.

Hyundai currently sells the Kona e-SUV in India, but this is more of a showcase model with a price of nearly Rs 24 lakh (ex-showroom).

Kim told TOI that while the company has options to drive in “global EVs” into India, it now wants models that are more appealing in price and driving range to have a wider appeal. “We should offer solutions that are affordable and reasonable. We are working on various studies in this aspect as we feel that electrification will be the main pillar of our operations in the future.”

Work is on to develop the first electric that will be locally produced, but Kim did not disclose the body style that the vehicle will have. Company insiders, though, hinted that “it should be a mini SUV in all probability, in line with the current trends in the market”.

India offers a host of benefits for electrics, both at the central and state levels. While the GST on greens is at 5%, against the 28%-plus stipulated for petrol and diesel cars, the deal is further sweetened as many state governments do not charge road and registration charges on electrics.

12.2. Samsung begins production of power-efficient SSD for data centres

IANS, Feb. 24, 2021

Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday it has started mass-production of a power-efficient solid state drive (SSD) for data centres that also boasts enhanced security solutions.

The South Korean tech giant said that "PM9A3E1.S" is the industry's first data centre-use SSD product based on sixth-generation V-NAND chips.

It supports the standards of Open Compute Project (OCP), an organisation that sets hardware and software standards in data centres.

Samsung, the world's leading memory chip producer, said its latest SSD has the industry's top class power efficiency that will help data centres to reduce operation costs, reports Yonhap news agency.

Based on its sequential write speed, PM9A3E1.S supports 283 megabyte per second (MB/s) per 1 watt, which is a 50 percent improvement from its predecessor PM983aM.2, according to Samsung.

If all hard disk drives shipped worldwide last year are switched to the PM9A3 E1.S 4TB product, the total power savings could reach 1,484 gigawatt hours, Samsung said.

Samsung said the latest SSD also comes with enhanced security solutions, including anti-rollback, which prevents downloading firmware with a lower security version, and secure boot that verifies the digital signature during the boot pro

13.1. IKEA gets about 50,000 sqm land for facility in Noida, to create 2K jobs

PTI, Feb. 20, 2021

The company is expected to invest Rs 5,000 crore in Noida in seven years, Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari said that officials estimate job creation for 2,000 persons due to the project.
Chief Minister Adityanath expressed happiness over IKEA starting work in Noida, and projected Uttar Pradesh as a state full of young crowd and a big market.

Noida: IKEA was on Friday handed over a land parcel measuring nearly 50,000 sq metres in Noida where the Swedish furniture giant is set to start its first retail outlet in Uttar Pradesh, according to officials.

The allotment, which has been made in Sector 51, was transferred by the Noida Authority that received Rs 850 crore from IKEA for the commercial land, they said.

The transfer was made during a programme held here in the presence of top Noida Authority and IKEA officials, while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minisiter Yogi Adityanath and UP Cabinet Minister Satish Mahana joined the event virtually from Lucknow.

The company is expected to invest Rs 5,000 crore in Noida in seven years, Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari said that officials estimate job creation for 2,000 persons due to the project.

"In dignified presence of CM Yogi Adityanath and Minister Satish Mahana, the Noida Authority handed over land for commercial development to IKEA.

"The Authority received Rs 850 crore against the land and IKEA shall invest around 5,000 crore in the project in coming seven years and generate employment for many," Maheshwari tweeted.

IKEA India CEO Peter Betzel, CFO Preet Dhupar and UP Chief Secretary R K Tiwari, among others, also joined the programme, according to the Noida Authority.

Chief Minister Adityanath expressed happiness over IKEA starting work in Noida, and projected Uttar Pradesh as a state full of young crowd and a big market.

"IKEA will make a shopping mall, hotel, office, retail outlet, etc, in Noida for the common man. Besides creating many jobs in the region, the step will prove beneficial towards 'ease of living' concept," he tweeted.

In another tweet, he said, "Heartfelt congratulations to IKEA and the Noida Authority for the memorandum of understanding. I am confident that IKEA's decision to invest in Noida, UP will prove to be a decisive factor in their investment and growth."

13.2. Three-wheelers emerge as top EV choice

TNN, Feb. 22, 2021, Alok K. Mishra

Since the launch of the Delhi electric vehicle policy in August last year, three-wheelers have emerged as the highest-selling electric vehicles in the capital. A total of 5,534 new electric three-wheelers have been registered and more users are coming forward to make the switch.

Delhi government is, meanwhile, running ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign focused on generating awareness on the benefits of electric three-wheelers along with the benefits offered under the Delhi EV policy for those who want to make a switch from ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles to electric. In the second week of the campaign, many users, environmentalists, celebrities and industry leaders have come forward to express their support to the campaign.

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said: “We are constantly receiving positive feedback from original equipment manufacturers that a lot of people have expressed interest to make the switch from ICE to electric vehicles. Delhi government has led the way in promoting e-rickshaws for the last few years by giving a subsidy of Rs 30,000.”

The transport minister said that under the electric vehicle policy, the same subsidy was extended to e-carts/loaders and electric-autos too. “Scrapping incentives of up to Rs 7,500 are also available. E-autos can complement e-rickshaws in providing zero pollution last-mile connectivity in Delhi. Delhi government will soon bring out a scheme to facilitate easy registration of e-autos,” he added.

Subsidies provided by the Delhi government on electric autos reduce the total cost of ownership of the electric three-wheeler by up to 26%. “By switching to electric autos, an individual buyer can save approximately Rs 29,000 annually. Similarly, the subsidies provided on an electric e-rickshaw reduce the total cost of ownership by up to 33%,” Gahlot said.

Under the Delhi electric vehicle policy, 177 three-wheeler models are available and eligible for purchase and scrapping incentives across 68 manufacturers.

Sunil Kumar who recently switched to EV said, “The e-rickshaw earns me my livelihood. I received a subsidy of Rs 30,000, and the registration fee and road tax were waived off under the EV policy. I would urge three-wheeler owners in Delhi to switch to an e-rickshaw as it would reduce pollution levels while helping you save money.” Another person, Ravi, said “the e-rickshaw is very easy to charge and has a plug-and-charge mechanism.”

14.1. Triton Electric registers unit in India; to employ around 21,000 people

PTI, Mar. 12, 2021

Without sharing details about the investment or location, the company said its manufacturing facility in the country would cater to the Indian market and other countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Middle East region and Africa.
The newly formed entity will work towards building the country as one of the biggest markets for Triton EV outside the US, the company said in a statement.

New Delhi: US-based Triton Electric Vehicle LLC on Thursday said it has registered a subsidiary in India as part of setting up a business in the country. New Jersey-headquartered Triton Electric Vehicle LLC has registered the unit by the name of Triton Electric Vehicles India Pvt Ltd.

The newly formed entity will work towards building the country as one of the biggest markets for Triton EV outside the US, the company said in a statement.

Without sharing details about the investment or location, the company said its manufacturing facility in the country would cater to the Indian market and other countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Middle East region and Africa.

The company further claimed that around 21,000 people will be employed through its manufacturing plant over the next three years.

"We are considering India entry very critical and important for the company as well as for the entire industry. EV has a very strong future for Indian roads as well as for many parts of the world. The government authorities are also working very seriously in pushing the culture of EVs in India," Triton EV founder and CEO Himanshu B Patel said.

The company is committed to producing best in class EVs for India, he added.

"We expect a substantial amount of export revenue from this manufacturing set up. We aim to cater to the needs of many countries for electric vehicles from the Indian manufacturing base," Patel said.

The company's manufacturing facility will not only be an assembly line for the cars, but also produce EV components, he added.

Triton Electric Vehicle is a subsidiary of Cherry Hill (New Jersey) based Triton Solar, a leader in solar panel and battery engineering.

14.2. Bharat Forge, paramount to produce armoured vehicles in India

IBEF, Feb. 23, 2021

On Monday, the engineering and technology company Bharat Forge Ltd. and the multinational aerospace and technology corporation Paramount Group entered into a partnership to merge technologies, skills and expertise for the development of armoured vehicles in India.

The contract was signed in the International Defence Expo (IDEX 2021) in Abu Dhabi.

Mr. Amit Kalyani, Deputy Managing Director of Bharat Forge said, “The Kalyani M4 is an incredible new-generation vehicle and we want to market it in all global markets as the future of defence. This partnership brings together two leading corporations' manufacturing and technology excellence, who have compatible synergies and complementary capacities.”

Mr. Ivor Ichikowitz, Chairman of Paramount Group, stated that this model of world-beating revolutionary technology is vital to strengthening the defence and technology capabilities of any country.

He added, “The Kalyani M4 is based on one of our signature armoured vehicles designed specifically for in-country manufacturing in India with the Kalyani Group. We are excited that it is going to be manufactured in India. The Kalyani M4 is a multi-role platform designed to meet unique Armed Forces requirements for rapid mobility in rugged terrain and mine-affected and IED-affected areas.”

Due to its configuration mounted on a flat-floor monocoque hull, it provides ballistic and blast protection of up to 50 kg TNT side blast or IED/roadside bombs.

Bharat Forge said in the statement that the Kalyani M4 successfully completed a series of intense vehicle tests in some of India's toughest environments.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.

15.1. How AI-powered predictions are transforming companies and future of work

ET CIO, Mar. 16, 2021, Deepak Pargoankar

The pandemic proved that we’re at an inflection point with AI adoption, and many companies have made it clear that AI is here to stay.

2020 was a catalysing moment for enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) as the pandemic forced companies to go digital faster and use AI not only to adapt but to emerge stronger. This shift has accelerated the use of AI to help companies sell smarter, drive stronger engagement, scale customer support and personalise commerce experiences.

In 2021, AI-powered predictions will be more important than ever. Based on historical data and adoption, AI and automated machines are learning to provide forward-looking estimates and answers that map to specific business outcomes. Every day, these technologies are delivering more than 80 billion predictions for customers.

This scale of adoption is massive, and particularly benefits those that adopt AI as a core business strategy and means to better understand and engage customers. In fact, International Data Corp (IDC) found that global spending on AI will double over the next four years – reaching $110 billion in 2024 (up from $50 billion in 2020).

Working invisibly behind the scenes, AI technologies are better equipping companies to predict customer behaviours and preferences at scale, transforming the world of work as we know it. Here are four ways that AI-powered predictions are helping businesses to operate and support their customers more effectively.

1. Highly personalised conversations with customers

As the pandemic hit, many companies needed to drive stronger engagement as a greater percentage of customers began shopping online. For businesses of all sizes, personalised communications had never been more important to meeting their customers’ expectations and sales growth. With predictions, companies have been able to shift their focus on the right customer conversation with targeted email campaigns, increase traffic to their online platforms, and respond many times faster to trends customers are interested in.

2. Improved forecast accuracy of cash flow

Where industries such as financial services have experienced growing delays in customer payments and difficulty to forecast short- and long-term cash flow, AI technologies have helped keep businesses running while being empathetic to the challenges their customers were facing. With AI technologies, organisations have been able to more accurately predict cash flow, faster, as well as respond to customer queries quicker.

3. Keeping customers happy

In the context of lockdowns and social distancing, meal delivery services have faced huge spikes in customer requests. In this instance, AI has assured businesses and customers alike - helping businesses to deal with rising case volumes, and helping customers track their orders or packages, report any issues with delays or damage, and get a credit or refund. As well as keeping customers happy, this has also boosted customer service scores.

4. Empowering sales teams to be more effective

The value of a good salesperson, as an informed and empathetic advisor, has only grown during the pandemic, yet the time they’re able to dedicate to gathering helpful insights is decreasing. This explains why more teams are automating repetitive tasks to enable reps to spend more time developing trusting relationships with customers and selling. With predictions, sales teams are becoming more empowered to effectively prioritise leads, determine what action to be taken on accounts, and more rapidly log sales data and customer notes.

The rise of automation

The pandemic proved that we’re at an inflection point with AI adoption, and many companies have made it clear that AI is here to stay. Just as these technologies are helping organisations to be more efficient and better serve their customers, automation of routine tasks is allowing employees to focus on more strategic work. With the best AI tools, employees don’t have to be a data scientist to take advantage of these capabilities – they can implement quickly and begin innovating fast using clicks, not code.

At a time when many businesses are doing more with less, investing in AI tools can boost resilience. By creating new products, services, and jobs, their potential to transform our lives and economies is enormous. By encouraging employees to learn about and train these technologies, we can cultivate a workforce culture of continual development in line with business needs.

The author is VP Solution Engineering, Salesforce India.

15.2. Super Plastronics to invest Rs 300 cr to strengthen its capabilities in IoT Technologies

PTI, Mar. 16, 2021

Phased over three years, the investment will focus on building intelligent TVs that are intuitive and meet the demands of the 'new Indian customer', the Noida-based company said in a statement.

Avneet Singh Marwah, Director & CEO, Super Plastronics, a brand licensee for Kodak HD LED TVs for India, on Tuesday said it will invest Rs 300 crore to strengthen its capabilities in IoT technologies to tap emerging opportunities in the smart home devices market.

Phased over three years, the investment will focus on building intelligent TVs that are intuitive and meet the demands of the 'new Indian customer', the Noida-based company said in a statement.

The investment will help Kodak HD LED TV to be a one-stop platform for work-from-home needs for the new customer, it added.

Equipped with large screens, Kodak Android TVs will also connect all the smart home devices in the house.

"We are committed to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, and Kodak TV will have a first-mover advantage, not only for the domestic market but also to compete globally. Kodak TV is offering aggressive pricing at better technology and expanding its infrastructure in India," Super Plastronics Director and CEO Avneet Singh Marwah said.

According to him, a "new Indian customer" has evolved during the pandemic and the definition of TV has changed.

"It is estimated that by the end of 2023 there will be more than 1 million smart home devices in the Indian market," he added.

Kodak HD LED TVs is developing a mobile application that would integrate the TV and appliances by voice command.

In 2020, Super Plastronics had announced expansion of its manufacturing capacity with an investment of Rs 500 crore.

"Now, we will be expanding our IoT investment so we can continue to give competition to phone brands which are entering into the TV category," Marwah said.

- SERVICES (Education, Healthcare, IT, R&D, Tourism, etc.)

16.1. Tata Communications partners with Google Cloud in India

IBEF, Feb. 17, 2021

On Tuesday, Tata Communications announced a collaboration with Google Cloud in India to accelerate cloud adoption and transform businesses in India. Tata Communications has also extended their managed portfolio of public cloud services with this alliance to include Google Cloud capabilities.

As part of this alliance, Tata Communications and Google Cloud India will help firms through the IZO Managed Cloud of Tata Communications to implement and access Google Cloud services while providing them with ease-of-use paired with end-to-end services. Such resources include cloud infrastructure preparation, relocation of workloads and ongoing operational support.

It offers resources, technology, and support services to drive business growth and boost performance in order to give users a brief overview of Tata Communications' IZO Managed Cloud service. Its IZO Cloud Command portal provides a single-pane glass orchestration platform that incorporates into a single dashboard various enterprise IT environments and simplifies the management and orchestration of the IT estate.

Tata Communications stated that as a partner of Google Cloud India, it will help organisations with technology modernization, transformation of data centres, modernization of apps, smart analytics, multi-cloud deployments and more services.

Mr. Amitabh Jacob, Head of Partners and Alliances at Google Cloud India said, “How organisations embrace a cloud-first strategy would be the true test of 2021. We will be able to provide our clients with a unified, end-to-end solution through our collaboration with Tata Communications, which will eliminate the complexities of cloud management and help them transition at speed and scale.”

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.

16.2. IT hiring records strong comeback with 33% month-on-month growth in February: Naukri JobSpeak

ET Bureau, Mar. 04, 2021, Rica Bhattacharyya

Hiring in the IT-software/software services industry registered a record growth of 33% in February compared to a month ago on the back of increased adoption of digital technologies in India, according to the latest edition of Naukri JobSpeak.

At an overall level, the Naukri JobSpeak Index for February, at 2,356, witnessed an uptick of 22% in hiring activity as compared to January at 1,925. At a year-on-year (y-o-y) level, the overall hiring remains flat at -2%.

The survey showed that the majority of the industries saw a positive sequential uptick in recruitment activities for the first time after the Covid-19 outbreak led by the countrywide vaccine roll out, gradual return to offices and an overall pick up in economic activity. The telecom sector has registered a sequential jump of 24% in February. Other key sectors such as medical/healthcare (28%), education/teaching (25%), FMCG (20%), and BFSI (17%) too have shown growth in month-on-month (m-o-m) hiring in February while the insurance sector saw a flat (-1%) hiring trend.

“Record growth in sequential hiring of +33% and a significant Y-O-Y growth of +12% in the IT sector indicate that the wave of digital transformation will make India the epicentre of the next tech boom,” said Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com. “Around 88% IT recruiters have confirmed that new jobs will be created in the coming few months as per the latest Naukri Hiring Outlook survey, further confirming that the wave of digitization will spread rapidly.”

The Naukri JobSpeak is a monthly Index that calculates and records hiring activity based on the job listings on Naukri.com website month on month. The data is compiled from the website where jobs posted by clients on Naukri.com are considered. More than 76,000 clients use Naukri.com.

All six metros and key tier-2 cities witnessed positive hiring activities in February. Hiring in metros showed double digit growth led by Bangalore (31%), Hyderabad (28%) and Pune (24%). Tier-2 cities such as Ahmedabad (31%) and Vadodara (20%) also grew in February sequentially.

With the opening of schools and colleges/universities, demand for professionals in Teaching/Education (49%) has shot up in February from a month ago. Job roles in IT-software (31%), HR/Recruitment (28%) and Travel/Ticketing (27%) domains also see an increase in hiring sequentially. Hiring across experience bands saw an average increase of 23% with 8-12 years band being at the top of the table with 27% m-o-m increase in hiring activities.

On a y-o-y basis, hiring activity in February remained flat at (-2%) versus last year. Key industries such as IT-software (12%), real estate (6%) and medical/healthcare (3%) were least impacted at a y-o-y level while hospitality/travel continues to be the most impacted with 51% decline in hiring. Other industries such as oil/gas (-47%), retail (-32%) and auto/auto Ancillary (-22%) attributed to the overall decline in hiring trends.

Metro cities like Hyderabad (8%), Bangalore (9%), and Pune (2%) saw a positive growth in February versus last year. Within metros, Mumbai (-22%) remained the most impacted possibly due to recent spurt in Covid-19 cases and lockdown enforcement in few areas. Tier-2 cities like Coimbatore (-25%) and Kochi (-21%) saw a sharper decline in February versus last year.

The demand for professionals in the banking/insurance domain grew remarkably by 44% in February. However, roles like sales/business development (-23%) and production/maintenance (-25%) remained impacted at a y-o-y level. The hiring activity for professionals with over eight years of experience saw a positive uptick of 11% on an average. With reduced campus hiring, the demand for professionals with 0-3 years’ experience was most impacted at -13% in February versus a year ago.

17.1. IBM, Tech Mahindra team up for $2 billion opportunity

ET Bureau, Feb. 17, 2021

Tech Mahindra expects 40% of the joint work to be on 5G, a domain it is strong as half of its business comes from telecom customers such as AT&T and BT Plc.

IBM and Tech Mahindra have partnered to generate $1 billion business each over the next three years by jointly offering solutions in 5G, cyber security and cloud services to customers globally, IBM Chairman Arvind Krishna and Tech Mahindra CEO C P Gurnani said on Tuesday.

Krishna, who is betting big on IBM’s hybrid cloud business after he announced carving of the services and infrastructure business separately, will personally drive the partnership that entails IBM collaborating with Tech Mahindra to set up centres of excellence in the latter’s campuses, first in Bengaluru and expand into other cities, and build use cases that they can take to customers globally.

Tech Mahindra expects 40% of the joint work to be on 5G, a domain it is strong as half of its business comes from telecom customers such as AT&T and BT Plc.

“It's a win for the client, because they get access to more technology and more capability and more expertise. It's a win for the partner because their business expands. And it's a win for us because our business expands,” Krishna told a virtual conference. “If you're getting a billion dollars of revenue (each), look at our profit margins, even at a 20% margin, that means you're spending 80% of that each year on employees”.

Indian IT firms are partnering cloud providers such as Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and IBM, to help shift client applications to the cloud. This also helps clients shift their IT expenses to an operational model, and be more flexible to deal with shifts such as remote working that has been accelerated due to the pandemic. The shift to cloud also enables IT firms to use tools such as Artificial Intelligence and analytics to improve their clients business.

“We will be adding a lot of value to each other as we build almost a billion-dollar ecosystem for each other. We are building this on the success of the customers by solving some of their critical challenges,” said C P Gurnani, CEO of Tech Mahindra.

Both executives said that the pandemic accelerated the adoption of technology by companies, individuals and countries and is set to continue as technology enables improvement in the quality of life in people.

“My belief is that the future of technology, the future of businesses, the future of governments have now got a lot more intertwined. And that is where I think you would see a bigger thirst from companies like us because we believe it is no longer IBM's old rally cry smart plan and it has now become a smart home, smart individual and smart city,” Gurnani said.

Krishna said that technology can be a great equalizer to bridge social inequality.

“By providing great access to markets to people where otherwise such access may be almost impossible to get. And it keeps you up because you have to solve glaring inequality in access at a global level in order to further progress GDP and the standard of living,” he said.

17.2. Apple starts iPhone 12 assembly in India

Reuters, Mar. 11, 2021

"We are proud to be starting production of iPhone 12 in India for our local customers," Apple said in a statement on Thursday, without naming the supplier making the smartphone.

Apple is also planning to bring the assembly of its iPad tablet to India, Reuters reported last month. Apple Inc has started the assembly of iPhone 12 in India, the US tech giant said, as the company ramps up manufacturing operations in the world's second-biggest smartphone market.

"We are proud to be starting production of iPhone 12 in India for our local customers," Apple said in a statement on Thursday, without naming the supplier making the smartphone.

The Indian unit of Apple's Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn will assemble the device in its plant in southern Tamil Nadu state, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Foxconn did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has previously said it does not comment on client-specific work.

Apple has been shifting some areas of production from China to other markets as it navigates the trade war between Washington and Beijing. A person familiar with the matter said in November Foxconn is moving some iPad and MacBook assembly to Vietnam from China at its request.

Cupertino, California-headquartered Apple has bet big on India since it begin iPhone assembly in the country in 2017 via another Taiwanese supplier, Wistron.

Foxconn, Wistron and a third supplier Pegatron have together committed roughly $900 million over five years to make iPhones in India, leveraging New Delhi's $6.7 billion plan to boost smartphone exports.

Apple is also planning to bring the assembly of its iPad tablet to India, Reuters reported last month.

"Nice to see our efforts to make India a big hub of mobile and components manufacturing is attracting global attention," India's technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted following news of iPhone 12 production in India.

"This will create jobs in large numbers."

18.1. NTT India shift focus to data centres; to invest $1.5 billion to nearly double capacity in 3 years

PTI, Mar. 15, 2021

NTT had also said announced a $2-billion capex to drive the data centres, networks and solar projects in the country over the next three years.

Mumbai: NTT that has integrated its three India units into one entity from this January, is focusing more on the data centre space where it leads the market, getting three-fourths of the committed $ 2 billion capex, which will see it nearly double the capacity to 2.5 million sqft, says a senior official of the Japanese technology services major. NTT in India was created on January 1, 2021, by merging the three businesses --NTT India, NTT Communications India, and NTT-Netmagic under the leadership of Sharad Sanghi as the chief executive, following an announcement to this effect in last November.

NTT had also said announced a $2-billion capex to drive the data centres, networks and solar projects in the country over the next three years.

Before the new role, Sanghi was chief executive of Global Data Centres and Cloud Infrastructure India, known more as NTT-Netmagic.

NTT's association with India began when in 2012 it bought a controlling stake in Netmagic, the country's first independent data centre provider launched by Sanghi for a reported Rs 900 crore. Later in 2018 he fully exited the company selling the remaining 19 per cent stake to NTT.

Sanghi was the pioneer in the data centre space having set up the country's maiden company in the space Netmagic way back in July 1998.

With over 1.5 million sqft across 10 data centres operational already in four cities, NTT is the largest operator in this segment and Sanghi says this will more than double to 2.5 million sqft over the next three years and will be entering four more cities.

Going forward our focus will be the data centre space. Accordingly, we're launching six more data centre parks over the next three years. Of them, currently three parks are under construction in Mhape and Airoli (both Navi Mumbai) and Chandivali in Mumbai; and one each will be come up in Chennai, Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru.

This expansion will see up investing almost $1.5 billion of the committed $ 2 billion capex over the next three years, and will early double our capacity to over 2.5 million sqt from 1.5 million sqft now, Sanghi told in a weekend interaction.

The company is also keen to enter Hyderabad and Pune but will wait for demand to really firm up, he said.

NTT also runs the first and the largest operational hyperscale data center park in the country in Navi Mumbai.

Sanghi said the rest of the capex will go into power and managed services spaces. The renewal power sector will get the second biggest capex to the tune of $ 400 million to scale up our green power generation capacity 150 mw now and to 250 mw.

The remaining $100 million will go into building new undersea cable landing ports in Chennai, Mumbai and Khandala in Gujarat, he said.

Sanghi said the domestic data centre market is growing at an annual rate of 20 per cent and will continue to clip at this level for the next few years more. Currently, India is the fifth largest data centre market in the world that is led by China, but the India capacity is only a sixth of China's.

Refusing to share any revenue figure, pointing to the fact that they are privately held, Sanghi said as of now, data centre business is the second largest in terms of revenue but has the highest margin and is also the fastest growing business for them, after the managed services business in the technology infra space, and the network unit the last.

But with after the expansion, data centre will be the biggest business unit both in term of topline as well as bottomline, he said.

NTT in India employs over 6,500, he said, and added that the business integration did not lead to any firing.

18.2. Adani Group forms equal JV with US firm to build data centre parks in 6 Indian cities

ETtech, Feb. 23, 2021

AdaniConneX JV has begun development of hyperscale facilities in Chennai, Navi Mumbai, Noida, Vizag and Hyderabad and will also develop edge data centres pan-India.

New Delhi: The Adani Group has forayed in the data centre business by forming a 50:50 joint venture with US-based EdgeConneX to build hyperscale data centre parks in the six cities.

“We are pleased to inform that Adani Enterprises Limited has signed Joint Venture agreement with – a) EdgeConneX, Inc., a leading Global Data Centre Operator through its affiliate EdgeConneX Europe B.V. (“ECX Europe BV”); and b) DC Development Chennai Private Limited (“DCDCPL”), a wholly owned subsidiary Company which was formed to set up Data Centre Business of the Company in Chennai, for the purpose of strategic partnership for Data Center business in India between AEL and ECX (the “Transaction”) and 50% equity stake dilution of DCDCPL by the Company to ECX Europe BV on fulfillment of certain terms and conditions linked with the Transaction,” the company said in an exchange filing on Tuesday.

AdaniConneX JV has begun development of hyperscale facilities in Chennai, Navi Mumbai, Noida, Vizag and Hyderabad and will also develop edge data centres pan-India.

“These Edge sites are designed and planned to easily scale with demand and become full scale data center campuses. Importantly, this pan-Indian platform of hyperscale and hyperlocal data centers will largely be powered by renewable energy,” the company said.

EdgeConneX, the leading data centre operator with 50 facilities in 30 markets around the world, will bring expertise and technology solutions to the venture and leverage Adani’s expertise in full-stack energy management, renewable power and real estate development, as well as its experience in building and managing large infrastructure projects throughout India.

19.1. McKinsey says Indian IT industry to touch $300-350 billion in five years

ETTech, Feb. 19, 2021

This growth of the Indian IT industry will come primarily on the back of digital services.

The Indian IT industry is expected to touch the $300-$350 billion revenue mark over the next five years growing 10% a year. This will mean that the $194 billion Indian tech industry will be growing at a much faster clip than the 7.5% growth rate registered over the last five years, according to a soon-to-be-released report by McKinsey & Company.

This growth of the Indian IT industry will come primarily on the back of digital services, which currently accounts for 30% of the industry’s revenue, but its share is expected to go up to 50% over the five years totalling to around $170 to $200 billion of revenue for the industry, said the report the highlights of which were presented on Thursday at the Nasscom annual Technology and Leadership Forum.

UB Pravin Rao, chairman of Nasscom said, “One thing is very clear, we are pivoting into a hyper digital world and it has implications for technology service providers…” Rao who is also chief operating officer of Infosys added, “Today around 20 to 30% of our revenue is coming from digital. Obviously we have seen quite a bit of acceleration and this will only go further given the current pandemic situation.”

The report said that to achieve the expected growth, there will have to be “multiple concerted actions” by the industry which will include investment by the Indian service providers in building and scaling digital technologies to create differentiated and scalable offerings at a global level. It will also include accelerating investments in reskilling the talent in new growth areas such as enterprise SAS ecosystem, Cybersecurity, data, artificial intelligence, 5G, IoT, product engineering etc.

Noshir Kaka, senior partner at McKinsey & Company said that clients are of the view that technology is leading their recovery from the COVID pandemic. “We believe that technology spending is going to bounce back far faster than it has ever done from previous crises, and as a result we're seeing again that acceleration and spending.” He added that the bounce back was visible in the order book of the actual work coming to all the industry participants lately.

The report highlights also said that one of the biggest trends that will shape the future of technology will be that tech intensity will increase from 3% of revenue to 5% of revenue. This means that digital natives or reinventors will account for 75% of enterprise tech spending in the next five years. To capture this growth, service providers will have to consider changing their focus to new opportunity sets. Also, tech is accelerating fundamental shifts and business models worldwide. First is direct to consumer or direct to stakeholders and the second is ecosystems. These new business models are expected to account for about $150 billion opportunity for service providers going forward. Also, cloud, AI, and cybersecurity will accelerate the pivot to digital.

19.2. How AI is transforming healthcare in India

ET CIO, Mar. 02, 2021, Karan Chopra

Mobile technology and AI give tremendous opportunity to healthcare services. COVID-19 has laid bare the need for infrastructure to be ready for the next crisis. AI is changing the role of doctors as well as the role of patients

The milestones achieved by artificial intelligence (AI) have literally brought the world on its toes. Just like other industries, AI has been a gamechanger for the healthcare industry as well. It has lent incredible support to physicians and is drastically changing doctors’ roles. Research has shown that the healthcare AI market is most likely to witness a 40% CAGR in 2021, and it inherently has the potential to transform healthcare outcomes by 30-40% and slash treatment costs by half.

One of the biggest benefits of AI is it can help people stay healthy without needing a doctor, or at least not very often. Using AI and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) in consumer health applications is proving to be very helpful to people. Technology applications and mobile apps are encouraging healthier habits among individuals as they can proactively maintain a healthy lifestyle. These apps are giving consumers a greater control over their health and wellbeing.

In addition, AI is increasing the ability of healthcare professionals to better understand the daily patterns and needs of their patients. This knowledge enables them to provide improved feedback, support and guidance for staying healthy.

How AI and Mobile Tech are Transforming Healthcare

AI has introduced several benefits in healthcare with having speedy processing of patient records, cost reduction, and timely & precise diagnosis of serious illnesses. Covid-19 pandemic gave a boost to telemedicine as people were pushed indoors and visiting doctors in person was not a safe option. Telemedicine technology has made it possible to monitor patients virtually.

The quarantine measures completely changed the usual way of visiting and consulting doctors. Thus, remote diagnosis and storage of patient data records have gained popularity and become easier with more efficient health monitoring measures. AI is primarily being used in 3 kinds of telemedicine – tele diagnosis, patient monitoring and healthcare information technology.

Electronic Health Records (EHR) is another advantage introduced by AI. The transition to maintaining EHRs was not smooth but with AI it’s improving. Clinical documentation is a very time-consuming area but voice recognition and dictation, coupled with natural language processing, help save a lot of time and efforts.

This has proven to be a major boon for doctors because AI makes information retrieval possible and intuitive UI makes it easy to store patient information and other important data. AI has further changed how patients are treated. Healthcare professionals now need not worry about a drug overdose, prescribing wrong medications, or allergies erupting as all this information will be saved in the cloud, which can be relied and acted upon when needed.

Artificial intelligence also plays a role in enabling intelligence in the radiologically obtained images through X-rays, CT scanners and MRI machines. These devices give glimpses of the body’s internal working but they are not always foolproof as they can’t give accurate diagnosis by themselves. But AI has helped eliminate these drawbacks by providing precise inputs of the body, enabling the diagnostic imaging team, doctors and pathologists to arrive at a unanimous decision on which treatment to be given.

The AI-powered diagnostic system helps medical practitioners identify the early-stage signs of chronic illnesses such as cancer. It further reduces the economic burden by mitigating human error margin and controls overall health progression.

AI-empowered virtual health assistants have raised patient engagement to the next level as they help patients not just manage their health goals but actually look after their health. Some ways in which assistants help include reminding patients to take their medicines on time, provide medical advice for common ailments, allow virtual interaction with doctors, and so on.

National Digital Health Mission – What to Expect?

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the glaring shortcomings and faults of Indian healthcare in protecting the health of its population in times of health emergencies. Soon, the government and healthcare organisations realised there was a need to act fast and bring about substantial changes in the healthcare system. Following this realization, National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) was launched in 2020 with a lot of hopes that this technology-based initiative will revolutionise the health sector.

Under NDHM, all citizens will be provided with an ID card that will have confidential medical data, like diagnostic reports, discharge summaries and prescriptions, stored digitally. Patients will be able to give their doctors one-time access to their data upon visiting hospital for consultation. For the sake of protecting data confidentiality, the government has allowed access to medical data separately on every visit to the doctors which they can access for a limited period of time.

Patients will also be able to use health services remotely through telemedicine and e-pharmacies. The primary objective of NDHM will be to strengthen the accessibility as well as equity of health services across India. It seeks to support the existing healthcare systems in a citizen-centric approach by leveraging the latest technologies.

AI is significantly changing healthcare. The technology is changing the role of doctors as well as the role of patients. There are some hurdles along the way that need to be addressed but the overall advantages far outweigh them, and AI is here to stay, grow and expand. It is bound to transform the medical world – with regard to diagnosis, treatment, disease detection, and treatment.

The author is Founder, Hospido

Disclaimer: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETCIO.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETCIO.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly.

20.1. Capegemini to hire 30,000 freshers and laterals, continue with WFH model

ETHR world, Mar. 02, 2021, Abhishek Sahu

During the pandemic, even before the lockdown last year, Capgemini enabled work from home for 95 per cent of its employees and they continue to work from home even today.

Anilkumar Singh, Talent Acquisition Head - India, CapgeminiDriven by the pandemic-led business disruption, IT major Capgemini has continued to hire and digitally onboard freshers and laterals all through the last year. In 2020, it recruited close to 24,000 people.

“In 2021, we plan to hire about 30,000 freshers and laterals. As businesses are shifting to cloud-based solutions and remote tech services, and thereby strengthening their cybersecurity solutions, the demand for new-age technology skills, like digital and cloud, has grown multi-fold,” Anilkumar Singh, Talent Acquisition Head - India, Capgemini, told ETHRWorld.

During the pandemic, even before the lockdown last year, Capgemini enabled work from home for 95 per cent of its employees and they continue to work from home even today.

“Safety of employees being the highest priority at Capgemini, we will continue to work from home until it is absolutely safe for our colleagues to return back to the office,” Singh said.

The company is working on a hybrid model, which will be a combination of both work from home and office. Based on the situation, city-wise, it will decide to return back to the office.

As work from home is likely to continue for most organisations, Singh said there is a need for employees to adapt to collaborative and time-tracking tools. “As businesses ramp up their digital transformation priorities, the demand for skilled professionals in new-age technologies, like cloud, cybersecurity and digital, will continue to rise,” he said.

Moreover, he said in this work from home culture, Emotional intelligence (EI) for line managers has assumed a new criticality.

“Managing a remote workforce will require empathy and authenticity in every communication. Therefore, one of the primary skills we will look for, especially in managers and above, is Emotional Intelligence and the ability to collaborate effectively with a remote workforce,” he said.

Speaking about the recognition and appraisal policies, Singh said, “At Capgemini in India, we follow the calendar year (January - December), as the main appraisal cycle. We went ahead with increments and promotions of all eligible employees last year as per our plan.”

The company also claims to be the first to announce salary increments and promotions during the lockdown last year. “In addition, we also concluded our Variable Pay assessment last year and the pay-out was made to all the eligible employees along with the March 2020 payroll,” added Singh.

20.2. Infosys is front-runner for $1.5 billion Pfizer deal

TNN, Feb. 18, 2021, Shilpa Phadnis

Infosys has emerged as the front-runner for a $1.5 billion Pfizer IT outsourcing deal, sources close to the development told TOI. The company is said to be in the last few laps of negotiation, and if it wins, it will add a significant amount to the existing large deals TCV (total contract value) of nearly $12 billion it won in the last nine months.

BENGALURU: Infosys has emerged as the front-runner for a $1.5 billion Pfizer IT outsourcing deal, sources close to the development told TOI. The company is said to be in the last few laps of negotiation, and if it wins, it will add a significant amount to the existing large deals TCV (total contract value) of nearly $12 billion it won in the last nine months. With one more quarter of order bookings left before it closes the financial year, Infosys's TCV for 2020-21 is expected to touch a historic high.

TCS is also in the race for the mega contract. Pfizer is looking to leverage solutions for digital transformation and modernising the application stack, sources told TOI.

Infosys has called out how winning large deals is a key pillar of its strategy. Recently, Infosys won the $3.2 billion Daimler contract involving a massive infrastructure overhaul and migration to a hybrid cloud environment. It won the $1.5-billion Vanguard deal in August.

In the 2020 fiscal, Infosys had a large deals TCV of more than $9 billion, which was 44% higher than in the previous year. Infosys has revved up its sales transformation agenda focused on strategic accounts, account expansion, new account openings. It has added experienced deal directors and refocused on strengthening the influencer team on strategic deals. Deal hunters' compensation has been linked to outcomes – opening priority accounts and increasing the net new on long-term revenue from clients.

Pfizer already has a long-standing relationship with Infosys. It has deployed Infosys's AI platform Nia to enhance the efficiency of its global operations including infrastructure operations, R&D and application management. Nia helped reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) by 10%, ensured 100% FDA compliance for automated tickets, and increased productivity related to critical operations by 20%.

Pfizer has worked with IBM for application development and maintenance and Salesforce, SAP and Microsoft for SaaS solutions. It has previously worked with TCS for clinical trial management and HCL Technologies for supply chain solutions. It works with Cognizant for clinical data management solutions.

When TOI contacted Pfizer, it said it does not comment on speculation or rumours. Infosys said it doesn’t have any comments to offer. Mrinal Rai, principal analyst in research & advisory firm ISG, said healthcare clients would invest in patient-centric approaches, value-based pricing and increasing cloud adoption. “Dealing with new regulations, supply chain optimisation with vaccines, clinical trial management and investments in new technologies such as AR/VR will drive demand for providers with relevant track records," Rai said.

India and the World

21.1. Indian IT sector can double in 4-5 yrs: HCL Tech CEO

PTI, Feb. 19, 2021

"If you look at all the projections, there is at least a trillion dollars of incremental spend in the next 4-5 years. I think, as an industry, we should get at least a 20 per cent share, which means that USD 200 billion growth over the next five years could potentially double the industry," said C Vijayakumar, CEO, HCL Technologies.

New Delhi: Indian IT players are well-positioned to capture at least 20 per cent share of the trillion-dollar incremental spend on technology over the next 4-5 years, potentially doubling the size of the industry, HCL Technologies CEO, C Vijayakumar said. Infosys Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Salil Parekh and Wipro CEO Thierry Delaporte expressed similar views saying the pandemic has accelerated digital adoption, and there is a need to continue upskilling people on latest technologies for driving the industry's growth.

He added that for scalability of the industry, it's very important to look at platform-based services as it will provide standardisation, the ability to scale and onboard multiple customers on a similar platform.

"I think that's definitely one trajectory in which we could look at growth...we should recognise that software products is the largest profit pool in the tech sector...I think that's an untapped opportunity for us as Indian heritage companies and I think there's a lot of potential there," Vijayakumar said.

He pointed out that while Indian IT services companies have a fair share in about 5-6 countries, there are many countries where the industry is underrepresented.

According to industry body Nasscom, Indian IT industry revenues are set to grow by 2.3 per cent to USD 194 billion in FY2020-21 and the exports will go up by 1.9 per cent to USD 150 billion.

The industry remained a net hirer in the fiscal year, which saw a major hit across the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1.38 lakh new jobs added to take overall employment to 44.7 lakh, it had said.

Parekh noted that localisation is a critical element of globalisation as clients, especially large global enterprises, are looking for delivery capabilities across multiple geographies.

"...that's the approach we think we should follow in making sure that we support them in those geographies and ensuring the consistency of that...We are also building up localisation to make sure that our business model resilience comes into all of our discussions and becomes part of what our future looks like," he added

The executives agreed that the industry players are engaging more closely with clients and working together towards business outcomes.

Parekh said the rich talent pool in India is a big advantage for the industry. "The skills of the people, the enthusiasm and ability to deliver for clients through all this turmoil is incredible... (this is a big advantage) for the IT industry to continue to do well, to continue to gain traction and be at the centre with what all our large clients are looking for," he added.

Wipro's Delaporte noted that one of the challenges to growth could be around how much talent is available that can cater to the burgeoning demand for digital services, and hence there is a need to invest in reskilling people to ensure employees are adapted to the evolution of technology.

"India has the most exceptional pool of talent in the entire world...this is the mother country of technology in the world...we need to bring creativity to drive innovation, for what can we do with cloud in a cloud environment when you combine 5G and Internet of Things, what can you do with sensors...," he said.

Delaporte added that a push on diversity is also essential as that would make the workforce stronger, more global and be able to think out of the box more and be more creative.

21.2. IoT spending in Asia-Pacific to reach $288B in 2021: IDC

IANS, 19 Feb.2021

The spending on Internet of Things (IoT) in the Asia-Pacific region will rebound in 2021 to reach $288.6 billion at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.7 per cent, according to a new IDC report.

Singapore: The spending on Internet of Things (IoT) in the Asia-Pacific region will rebound in 2021 to reach $288.6 billion at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.7 per cent, according to a new IDC report.

On a geographical perspective, China, Korea, and India will account for more than three quarters of overall IoT spending in the region in 2021, followed by Australia and Indonesia.

Countries that will see the fastest IoT spending are China, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

The Asia-Pacific spending on IoT was deeply impacted in 2020 due to the pandemic hitting major economies in the region, with spending growth descending to 7.1 per cent (YoY) -- down from the 12.5 per cent forecast prior to Covid-19.

Industries which were highly impacted by the pandemic (personal & consumer services, transportation, and discrete manufacturing resources) suffered reduced IoT investments in line to their reduction in overall IT spend.

With resumption of economic activities in the region due to better control of pandemic, these industries spend are expected to rebound back in 2021 and achieve double digit growth in the forecast period to 2024, according to IDC's 'Worldwide Semiannual Internet of Things Spending Guide.'

Driven by the pandemic in 2020, emphasis on overall health, work from home, safety, and need for better connectivity resulted in double-digit growth of healthcare, telecommunications, retail, and consumer industry.

"The current COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the growth of IoT spending in 2020 while, at the same time, highlighting the importance of public priorities to be rearranged in IoT for public healthcare and telemedicine, remote/online education, disaster management, automated manufacturing, online retail, food delivery, logistics and transportation and smart home services," explained Bill Rojas, Adjunct Research Director at IDC Asia/Pacific.

The use cases that will see the fastest spending growth are healthcare use-cases such as bedside telemetry, remote healthcare monitoring and use-cases which reduces human interactions like omni-channel operations, advanced payment/shopping etc.

Long term focus on environmental conservation will lead to use cases such as electric vehicle charging and environmental monitoring detection to grow by 17.8 per cent and 17.7 per cent, respectively, in the forecasted period.

"Although COVID-19 continues to impact the economies in Asia/Pacific, more than two thirds of the organizations intend to retain their IoT budgets at same or increased level -- 50 per cent of which will increase the IoT investments," said Sharad Kotagi, Associate Market Analyst at IDC Asia/Pacific.

22.1. 'We see a lot of promise in India and will keep exploring investment options'

Mint, 28 Feb 2021, Elizabeth Roche

PIF's transaction with Jio is one of the many that demonstrates its commitment to long-term investing and partnering with innovative businesses in India.

PIF is looking to invest in businesses and sectors with the potential to drive local, regional, and global growth.

Getting a successful vaccination campaign to coincide with economic stimulus measures that will ensure a smooth ‘return to normalcy’ is one risk factor facing emerging countries around the globe, said Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world. A second risk factor is the impact of covid on government budgets, deficits and currency valuations, he added. For India, a worry in the immediate post-covid context is maintaining the momentum of investments. The PIF governor however said that he sees a lot of promise in India–in its startups, digital economy and growing infrastructure. Edited excerpts from an interview.

What do you think is the biggest risk factor for emerging economies currently? What has your experience in India been like so far? Where does India sit among emerging market economies in terms of promise?

The impact of covid-19 has been unparalleled across the global economy. However, it has been most varied and remains the most uncertain in emerging economies. The first risk factor facing emerging economies is the successful roll-out of the vaccination programme, timed with economic stimulus that ensures a smooth ‘return to normal’ and not a stop–start experience that will delay growth and undermine business and investor confidence. Secondly, the impact covid-19 has and will continue to have on government budgets/deficits and indirectly currency valuations is a key risk too.

India like other BRICS nations is seeking to invest its way out of the covid-induced recession to stimulate growth—the capacity for other emerging markets to do so and sustain the investment required varies considerably. In the case of India, the government's focus on investments in healthcare with a 137% increase in spending, infrastructure and connectivity, such as the construction of 13,000-km of road and rail network are emblematic of a prudent national investment agenda that will boost productivity in the long-term while stimulating growth in the short-term. A further challenge in the immediate post-covid environment includes maintaining investment momentum in the face of fiscal concerns.

Attracting foreign investment is a key mitigator to these concerns but also a long-term accelerant to growth. We see a lot of promise in India, specifically with its innovative startups, the potential of the Indian digital economy and its growing infrastructure. We see likely future opportunities in traditional infrastructure that will harness and coalesce the growing population and talent through better connectivity and economic stimulus around new transportation and logistics. Throughout the last year, PIF has continued to invest in emerging markets both in accordance with its overall strategy and in opportunistic investments that have materialized as a result of the crisis.

As a long-term investor, the market fundamentals for many emerging economies such as India remain unchanged on a relative basis. Our outlook for India is very positive. To date, PIF, either directly, or indirectly through our partners, has invested in a broad array of Indian sectors including financial services, real estate, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and telecommunications—many of which, we believe, will benefit from the growth focus and which, in turn, can and should provide additional best practices to catalyze growth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

How was PIF's exposure in India prior to the pandemic and in which areas? Are you looking at any changes post-pandemic?

We see significant potential in India to recover post-covid and will continue to explore investing in several sectors in the country. In June 2020, we invested nearly $1.5 billion in Indian technology company Jio Platforms, which gives us access to the exciting Indian digital economy. And as recently as November 2020, we invested $1.3 billion in India’s Reliance Retail. We are pleased to further our trusted partnership with Reliance Industries Ltd, a leading player in some of India's most exciting sectors. The transaction is one of the many that demonstrates PIF's commitment to long-term investing and partnering with innovative businesses in India and around the world that lead and transform their sectors.

What are the prospects of investing in India’s infrastructure sector?

Infrastructure is a vital component of emerging economies, and we see a lot of potential in India’s infrastructure sector, particularly its digital infrastructure. We recently invested $500 million in the Digital Fiber Infrastructure Trust (DFIT), the infrastructure investment trust that holds Reliance Jio’s telecom fiber assets. Jio Platforms provides us with an excellent opportunity to support growth of the Indian digital economy. In Saudi Arabia, we are similarly focused around stimulating activity through the creation of economic or growth corridors. These enable connectivity, create new employment opportunities, including within manufacturing and logistics. Alongside our partners, we will seek to identify similar investments within India that may have broad synergies with our own endeavours while creating attractive long-term returns.

Given the pandemic and the current economic realities, what would be the factors that you would take into consideration while looking at investments?

The covid-19 pandemic changed the world’s investment priorities, demonstrating the importance of new sectors, highlighting the growing need for advanced digital infrastructure, and refocusing the world on key priorities, such as sustainability and healthcare. Consequently, we believe that there is an important role and opportunity for us to actively support markets, industries and businesses by deploying significant capital over a long-term horizon.

For example, in 2020, we identified opportunities created by the pandemic and invested in a range of public companies and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) across sectors that we believe are positioned to help lead global economic recovery. As a patient and long-term investor, we are able to invest and provide capital to the companies and sectors that we believe are best-positioned to lead the global economic recovery. These investments will generate long-term financial returns that help diversify the Saudi economy away from oil–which PIF is driving as part of its mandate–while localizing sustainable skills, investment and jobs of the future for Saudi citizens.

Has the pandemic provided any newer areas with an investment potential?

The pandemic has impacted all countries, industries and sectors. It has shown the importance of diversification for ensuring stability and generating sustainable growth. PIF is looking to invest in businesses and sectors with the potential to drive local, regional, and global growth. Globally, there are several industries that will lead economic recovery in a post-covid world. These “sectors of the future" include pharmaceuticals, renewables, technology, agriculture, and infrastructure, including digital infrastructure. It is also true that the pandemic is accelerating existing trends–most notably technologically driven changes in how people work and live. As the global economy looks to adapt to those changes, significant levels of capital, invested on a long-term basis, will play a vital role in enabling this transition.

The Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has announced the NEOM project. This is a really ambitious idea–combining the smart city and zero emission concepts. Could you share some details on how this will reach fruition?

THE LINE will be a 170-km belt of hyper-connected future communities within NEOM, without cars and roads, and built around walk ability and nature. It is a direct response to some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity today such as legacy infrastructure, pollution, traffic and human congestion. Through its implementation, THE LINE will set new global standards for living and urban development. Everyday needs such as schools, medical clinics, leisure facilities and green spaces, will be within a five-minute walk. This human-centric approach represents the first time modern cities have been designed for people, rather than cars.

THE LINE will rely entirely on clean energy, with zero carbon emissions and zero environmental, noise or visual pollution. In all, THE LINE takes the smart city concept to the next level—advanced technology, including artificial intelligence and robotics, enables the communities to continuously learn and predict ways to make life easier for residents and businesses. NEOM is a substantial project; it is not a real estate project, but a complex economic and social ecosystem that needs nurturing. PIF’s role is to provide oversight for NEOM as it develops, to make sure it receives the capital it needs when it needs it, and the financial muscle and influence to attract other investors. THE LINE will see a number of world-leading innovations realized, all focused on making it the world’s most effective urban development.

22.2. AMD launches 'Milan' chip for data centers as battle with Intel intensifies

Reuters, Mar. 16, 2021, Stephen Nellis

The company's "Milan" data center processor is faster than Intel's current best data center chips, the company said. Santa Clara, California-based AMD designs the chip but taps Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd to fabricate the chip using TSMC's 7-nanometer chipmaking process.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc on Monday released a new data center chip aimed at taking away more market share from rival Intel Corp.

The use of an outside manufacturing partner has helped AMD capitalize on problems at Intel, which has a different strategy of internally making its own chips and has struggled with delays in its most recent generation of factory technology. The "Milan" chip and its predecessor have both outperformed Intel's chips, helping AMD gain market share and land customers such as Alphabet Inc's Google.

Intel, however, plans to hit back. Analysts expect it to launch its newest "Ice Lake" server chip in the coming weeks, which will be the first one made on Intel's 10-nanometer manufacturing technology that is the performance equivalent of TSMC's 7-nanometer technology used for AMD's "Milan" chip.

Regardless of how the two chips stack up in terms of speed once both have been released, AMD is still expected to have some advantages, such as a higher number of computing cores on each chip, which lets the chip juggle more software applications at a time.

Dan McNamara, senior vice president and general manager of AMD's server business unit, said he believes the company can hang on to its lead if it continues to integrate feedback from customers into each new generation of chip.

"We're on our third generation of what we believe is a very solid value proposition and leading CPU for the data center. If we continue that cadence of execution, we think we'll stay competitive," he said during a press briefing.

23.1. Russia's Sputnik V vaccine: Dr Reddy's starts process for emergency use approval in India

Mint, 19 Feb 2021, Aparna Banerjea

Dr Reddy's said that it will present safety profile of phase 2 study, interim data of phase 3 study of Sputnik V covid vaccine, which is expected to complete by 21 February
Pharma company Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Friday said it has sought emergency use authorization for Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in India.

"Dr. Reddy's today announced that it has initiated the process with the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the well-studied human adenoviral vector-based platform vaccine candidate, Sputnik V," the company said in a regulatory filing.

As part of the review process, Dr Reddy's will present the safety profile of the phase 2 study, and interim data of the phase 3 study, which is expected to complete by 21 February 2021, it further stated.

On Friday, Dr Reddy's scrip on BSE was trading 1.51% higher in late trade at ₹4,687.75 apiece.

Small human trials of the Russian vaccine have been ongoing in India, conducted by Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd and supported by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Earlier this month, Russian news agency RIA cited India's ambassador to Moscow as saying that the country could Sputnik V vaccine within the next few weeks.

In September 2020, Dr Reddy's partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to conduct the clinical trials of the Sputnik V and for its distribution rights in India.

The vaccine is currently undergoing the phase 3 clinical trial in India. Sputnik V has demonstrated an efficacy rate of 91.6% in the interim analysis of phase 3 clinical trial, which included data on 19,866 volunteers in Russia, who received both the first and second doses of the vaccine. Sputnik V maintained a consistent efficacy at 91.8% even among the group of 2, 144 volunteers over 60 years old.

G V Prasad, Co-chairman and Managing Director, Dr Reddy's Laboratories said, "The initiation of the EUA process will be a critical step forward for us in ensuring speedy access to the Sputnik V vaccine in India."

Dr Reddy’s will supply around 250 million doses of the Sputnik vaccine, while Hetero Biopharma, which also has an agreement with RDIF, will manufacture about 100 million doses per year.

Sputnik V covid vaccine is developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and was registered by the Ministry of Health of Russia on 11th August 2020. It was also touted as the world's first registered vaccine candidate against COVID-19 based on the human adenoviral vector platform.

Unlike the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, Sputnik V can be stored in a fridge rather than a freezer, making it easier to transport and distribute in poorer and hotter countries. At around $20 for a two-shot vaccination, it’s also cheaper than most Western alternatives.

More than 250 clinical studies over two decades have proven the safety, efficacy, and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines. Sputnik V has been granted authorizations in 26 countries globally. The vaccine has already been administered to more than 2 million people worldwide, the company stated.

23.2. Whisky guide: 3 Indian single malts that are a huge hit in the international spirits market

GQ, India’s Men’s Magazine, 25 Feb. 2021, Shikha Talwar

India is the second largest consumer of spirits in the world, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, a London-based research firm. The nation’s favourite tipples include whisky, vodka, gin, rum, tequila and liqueurs. Per BBC, India consumes more than 663 million litres of alcohol – up 11 per cent from 2017. Which of course is a jaw dropping figure, but hardly surprising, as the republic is known to produce an ample amount of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) as well as whiskies, gins and wines in its pockets.

Many homegrown whisky brands, today, are even competing against whiskies from top whiskey producing countries in the world, amongst which three labels, below, have been able to make a huge mark in the global tipple market.

Best Indian Whiskies: 3 homegrown single malts that are making waves globally

Rampur Select Indian Single Malt Whisky

The beautiful, amber gold, Rampur Select Indian Single Malt Whisky, from Radico Khaitan Limited, has bagged many international laurels, including the Double Gold Medal San Francisco, USA, and is an extremely popular blend in foreign markets. The single malt is aged in the foothills of the Himalayas, and its fruity and floral notes overlap each other in every dram.

Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky

Crafted in Bengaluru by Amrut Distilleries, Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky is an award-winning bitter-sweet blend, matured in New American Oak and ex-bourbon before bottling. Its tasting notes include hints of orange citrus, cocoa and a smooth toffee.

Paul John Edited Single Malt Whisky

While this writer is biased towards all the heady blends produced by Goa’s Paul John Distillery, the Paul John Edited Single Malt Whisky has found many takers in the global market. Bottled at 46 per cent ABV, the amber hued whisky is made from Indian 6-row barley and peated Scottish barley. Spice and chocolate, almost coffee-like notes dominate a dram’s flavour profile.

24. Biden administration introduces ambitious immigration bill in Congress; Indian IT professionals to be benefited

PTI, Feb. 20,2021

The bill, if passed by both the chambers of the Congress - House of Representatives and the Senate - and signed into law by President Joe Biden would bring citizenship to millions of foreign nationals, including undocumented and those who came to the country legally.

The legislation would also benefit hundreds and thousands of Indian IT professionals and their families.In a major move that will benefit hundreds and thousands of Indian IT professionals in America, the Biden administration has introduced an ambitious immigration bill in Congress which among other things proposes to eliminate the per-country cap for employment-based green cards.

The US Citizenship Act of 2021 proposes a pathway to citizenship to 11 million undocumented workers, elimination of per country quota for employment-based green cards and work authorisation for dependents of H-1B foreign workers.

The bicameral immigration bill, if passed by both the chambers of the Congress – House of Representatives and the Senate – and signed into law by President Joe Biden, would bring citizenship to millions of foreign nationals, including undocumented workers and those who came to the country legally.

The legislation would also benefit hundreds and thousands of Indian IT professionals and their families.

Those waiting for a Green Card for more than 10 years, would get the legal permanent residency immediately as they would be exempted from the visa cap.

Indian IT professionals, waiting for more than a decade now, and whose number runs into thousands, are likely to be the biggest beneficiary of this provision of the bill.

Authors of the bill – Senator Bob Menendez and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez – told reporters that the US Citizenship Act of 2021 establishes a moral and economic imperative and a vision of immigration reform that is expansive and inclusive.

It grows the economy by making changes to the employment-based immigration system, eliminating per-country caps, making it easier for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) advanced degree holders from US universities to stay in the US and improving access to green cards for workers in lower-wage industries.

It would also give dependents of H-1B holders work authorisation, and prevent children of H-1B holders from "ageing out" of the system.

“I am the daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico. I have dedicated my career to building an immigration system that lets people live without fear, and a system that gives immigrants – like my parents – who sought a better life and contribute to our nation a fair opportunity to thrive,” Sanchez said.

“Immigrants contribute greatly to our country and society. They own businesses, pay taxes and teach our children. They are our coworkers, neighbours and friends,” said Menendez.

“We have a historic opportunity to finally enact bold immigration reform that leaves no one behind, addresses root causes of migration and safeguards our country's national security. We have a moral and economic imperative to get this done once and for all,” he said.

The ruling Democrats have a majority in both the House and Senate. However, in the upper chamber, they need the support of 10 Republicans to get the legislation through the Congress before it can be signed into law.

The Democratic leadership and the White House hope that they will get the necessary support in the interest of millions of non-citizens living in the country.

Supported by the White House, the bill creates an earned roadmap to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants, with an expedited three-year path to citizenship, and giving all other undocumented immigrants who pass background checks and pay taxes with an eight-year path to citizenship without fear of deportation.

It reforms the family-based immigration system to keep families together by recapturing visas from previous years to clear backlogs, including spouses and children of green card holders as immediate family members.

It also eliminates discrimination facing LGBTQ+ families, provides protection for orphans, widows and children, allows immigrants with approved family-sponsorship petitions to join the family in the US on a temporary basis while they wait for green cards to become available.

In a statement, President Biden said he looks forward to working with leaders in the House and Senate to address the wrongdoings of the past administration and restore justice, humanity and order to the immigration system.

“This is an important first step in pursuing immigration policies that unite families, grow and enhance our economy, and safeguard our security,” he said.

“The legislation I sent to Congress will bring about much-needed change to an immigration system where reform is long overdue. It will responsibly manage the border with smart investments.

"It will address the root causes of irregular migration from Central America. It will modernise our legal immigration pathways and create an earned path to citizenship for so many – including Dreamers, farm workers and TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders,” he said

“These are not Democratic or Republican priorities, but American ones. I have laid out my vision for what it will take to reform our immigration system and I look forward to working with leaders in Congress to get this done,” Biden added.

Commenting on the development, FWD.us president Todd Schulte said it is a critical moment for immigration policy in the US. FWD.us is a pro-immigration lobbying group based in the United State.

“This is a substantial step forward for major immigration legislation and would provide a desperately-needed pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants who have spent decades building their lives and families here," Schulte said.

25. ABB's robots to meet post pandemic demand for workforce that never gets sick

Reuters, Feb. 24, 2021, John Revill

More companies in pharmaceuticals, logistics, electronics and food and beverage manufacturing want to use robots, ABB said, with investment set to increase as companies emerge from lockdowns.
The big advantage of robots - they don't catch coronavirus - has led to ABB supplying Singapore with robots from its existing product line to carry out 50,000 coronavirus tests per day.

ZURICH: ABB unveiled two additions to its robot family on Wednesday which the Swiss engineering company expects will tap into increased demand for automated production after the COVID-19 crisis.

More companies in pharmaceuticals, logistics, electronics and food and beverage manufacturing want to use robots, ABB said, with investment set to increase as companies emerge from lockdowns.

ABB, which saw a 90% surge in robot sales in China at the end of 2020, hopes the GoFa and SWIFTI collaborative robots - or cobots - can win orders from customers who have been forced to shut down during lockdowns or have struggled with ill workers.

"Customers want to be independent of these fluctuations in future," said Sami Atiya, head of ABB's Robotics & Discrete Automation business.

"The question of resilience has become fundamental," he told Reuters. "The pandemic has accelerated the mind-shift."

The big advantage of robots - they don't catch coronavirus - has led to ABB supplying Singapore with robots from its existing product line to carry out 50,000 coronavirus tests per day.

Atiya said: "You cannot do this with humans, and with robots you are not exposing them to health hazards."

ABB expects robot demand to pick up after the pandemic, citing its survey which showed 84% of 1,650 businesses intending to introduce or increase their use of robots in the next decade.

Atiya said companies were looking to spend more to raise productivity levels after pausing investments last year.

The demand for collaborative robots is estimated to grow 17% per year, nearly double the rate for conventional robots, according to analysis by ABB and Interact Analysis, a market researcher.

ABB, which competes with Japan's Fanuc Corp and Germany's Kuka, also wants to reduce its reliance on the automotive industry, where it generates around 40% of its sales in robotics.

It hopes the new machines will be attractive to faster growing sectors like food and beverage, and balance the ups and downs of carmaker demand which caused its overall robot sales to drop 12% in 2020.

The new GoFa and SWIFTI cobots, which cost $25,000 to $35,000 each, are packed with sensors to prevent accidents and so do away with the need for protective cages. Both robots are faster than previous models, with the Swifti able to move its arm at up to 5 meters per second while carrying a load of 5 kg.

They could be used by smaller companies like bakeries which have never had a robot before, Atiya said, although they will never totally replace humans.

"I see our customers actually increasing their hiring," he said. "The companies get more productive and have more work to do, so people will do more rewarding and creative work while the robots do the dirty and dull jobs."

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AAPI

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Friday 19 March 2021

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– GENERAL POLICY, INFRASTRUCTURES, COUNTRY FINANCES, ETC.

- AGRICULTURE, FISHING & RURAL DEVELOPMENT

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