Archive: November 4, 2021

ANYWAVES confirms its leadership

Toulouse (France), 2021, November the 4th

ANYWAVES confirms its leadership as European space antennas manufacturer and heads towards Artic alongside with OHB Sweden for a weather forecast mission

Artic Weather Satellite », here is the name of the next mission onboarding ANYWAVES’ antennas by 2024. Part of the ESA’s Earth Watch programme, Artic Weather Satellite aims at demonstrating the usefulness of radiometric measurements in improving weather predictions globally and specifically in the Arctic region.

OHB Sweden has been appointed as the prime contractor for the development of this program by the European Space Agency and will use ANYWAVES’ antennas for its satellite telemetry, telecommand, geolocation and also for the data downlink.

By providing global measurements of atmospheric temperature and humidity with frequent revisit times, the polar-orbiting Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS) mission will complement the European MetOp and its counterpart US NOAA Joint Polar Satellite System. Its launch is scheduled for 2024 and a constellation may follow this prototype mission aiming to allow very short-range weather forecasting, or ‘nowcasting’, in the Arctic.

In this context, antennas are then key equipment regarding the success of the mission. Artic Weather Satellite will onboard three different types of antennas delivered by ANYWAVES no later than December 2022. Regarding the telemetry and the telecommand, S-Band TT&C antennas will be supplied. Orbiting at a 600 km altitude, AWS’ geolocation will be able thanks to an L1/E1 band antenna designed via ANYWAVES’ secrete sauce based on additive manufacturing.

Last but not least, the payload antenna ensuring real-time data downlink will be an L-Band antenna; key equipment for the mission success.

So far, this first order from the European prime contractor OHB Sweden amounts to a deal to tens of thousands of Euros for the French antennas manufacturer. It could reach several hundred of thousands if the decision is made to continue to build the constellation. According to Nicolas Capet, ANYWAVES’ CEO: ‘This order from OHB Sweden is very significative.

First, because being once again selected by a historical European satellites manufacturer is a true recognition of our know-how. Then, because Artic Weather Satellite‘s mission perfectly pictures what space can bring to humanity: a better understanding of Earth as well as a major benefit for citizens thanks to better weather forecasting.’

According to Benoit Mathieu, OHB Sweden’s CEO: ‘OHB Sweden is happy to collaborate with the well-established antenna manufacturer ANYWAVES as their products fit the full range of antennas needed for this mission.’ When ESA launched the Artic Weather Satellite project, its objective was to embrace a New Space approach by proving new concepts in a cost-effective and timely manner.

By 2024, OHB Sweden, as prime contractor, as well as ANYWAVES as payload antennas provider, will both try the challenge to demonstrate the usefulness of radiometric measurements in improving weather predictions. Teams are already at work to achieve their mission and to pave the way to a new European satellite constellation.

TV9 Bangla lit up ‘Praner Alo’ this Kali pujo and Diwali

TV9 Bangla commemorates the Indian Singer, Pannalal Bhattacharya, a trendsetter in Bengali Shyama Sangeet

Kolkata 3rd Nov: TV9 Bangla’s ‘Praner Alo’ aims to mesmerize the viewers by presenting a whole set of new experience. The program line-ups comprise of ‘Banglar Satipith’, ‘Oth Na Phutey Mon’, ‘Motth-er Kotha’ and ‘Kolkatar Kali’. The concept of this program has been derived from the heart of Bengal, the sentiments that has been carried since decades, the lifelong desires, the flame in the soul of every Bengalis that has been kept illuminating in their hearts throughout years. Touching the sensations and the beliefs of religious sentiments of every Bengalis, TV9 Bangla aims to deliver to the viewers illuminating their lamps in their heart and that is what ‘Praner Alo’ denotes.

‘Banglar Satipeeth’ unfolds tales from Hindu Mythology where various legends bring out the existence of the Satipeeths. The story of Dakhsha Yagna appears to be significant to establish the formation of ShaktiPeethas, the temples of the Hindu Divine Mother, referring to the legend in the Hindu scriptures where after the yagna (sacrifice) organized by Daksha, his daughter Sati immolated herself and the wrath of Lord Shiva, Sati’s husband destroyed the sacrifice. TV9 Bangla broadcasts the history, formation, and significance of the Satipeethas in Bengal in some 7 blazing episodes of 30 mins each from 28th Oct to 3rd Nov from 9.30 pm to 10 pm IST.

With special reference to TV9 Bangla’s tagline ‘Prothom Thekei Prothome’, the never-seen-before exclusive broadcasts from TV9 Bangla, ‘Oth Na Phutey Mon’ is a one hour telecast where ‘Praner Alo’ pays tribute to the legend of Bengali Shyama sangeet (songs dedicated to goddess Kali), Pannalal Bhattacharya. This program embodies the kind of music he sang, his lifestyle, his outlook towards life, and the way he ended his life. TV9 Bangla will telecast this program on 4th Nov from 2pm onwards.

‘Motth-er Kotha’ is an hour-long journey that enumerates the origin and establishment of Ramkrishna Mission. In 1897, 1st May, scholar and disciple of Lord Sri Ramkrishna, Swami Vivekananda had established the institution dedicated to the Lord Sri Ramkrishna. Inspired from the new beginnings of nationalism, religious and castes for the nurture of human beings, this institution has come into being. Amidst of all the challenges, this religious institution stands tall. TV9 Bangla showcase glimpse of the narrations on the factual based content on a special News Series, ‘Motth-er Kotha’. Praner Alo takes the viewers through some 60 mins ecstatic program on 30th Oct with original telecast from 10am to 11am and repeat on 4th Nov from 10 am-11 am.

Watch the ongoing episodes of the bumper-to-bumper episodic programs of ‘Praner Alo’ from 28th Oct onwards on TV9 Bangla exclusively.

Safexpress launches its 66th ultra-modern Logistics Park in Cuttack, Odisha

-New facility intends to enhance connectivity & end-to-end logistics in Odisha and nearby areas-

Cuttack, Odisha, 3 Nov 2021: Safexpress, India’s largest supply chain & logistics company, has launched its ultra-modern Logistics Park in Cuttack. This state-of-the-art facility is strategically located near to Kolkata – Chennai National Highway 16. On this occasion, senior dignitaries from Safexpress were present to launch the Safexpress Logistics Park at Cuttack. These included Mr. S.K Jain, Vice President, Mr. Vijay Vashisth, AVP – Business, Mr. Ravi Malhotra, AGM, Operations, Mr. Manoj Mittal, Corporate Head, Cargo Relationship Management, Mr. Amit Choudhary, Regional Manager – Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Mr. Monish Pradhan, Area Manager, Cuttack, and including others were present.

Cuttack has been a thriving hub of traditional Sculptures & handicraft based small & medium scale enterprises. This new Logistics Park will serve as a nodal point for logistics and to provide for the transitional connective facility with all Indian states, especially with nearby districts and manufacturing hubs.

Safexpress Logistics facility in Cuttack is spread over a land area of 1 Lack square feet, enabled with ultra-modern transshipment and 3PL facilities, which will boost storage & warehousing needs of this region while providing for faster connectivity. The new Logistics Park is cross-dock, equipped with loading and unloading of over 40 vehicles simultaneously. It has a column-less span of over 80 feet, which facilitates uninterrupted movement of goods within the facility. To enable all-weather loading & unloading of goods, the facility is equipped with 16 feet wide Cantilever Shed.

The Logistics facility has the required firefighting equipment and trained manpower to deal with such emergencies. This facility is a perfect mix of nature-friendly initiatives and technology. The facility is equipped with an integrated rainwater harvesting system, has a dedicated green zone and will be using sunlight during the daytime to conserve energy. Operations at the Logistics facility is highly streamlined, which ensures the countrys fastest transit-time from Cuttack to all destinations across India. The physical infrastructure will be backed by a robust IT infrastructure and a very efficient warehouse management system.

Supply chain & Logistics has a very crucial role to play in the growing demand of numerous industries and manufacturers spread over the entire region. Safexpress Logistics Park at Cuttack intends to help greatly in minimizing the infrastructural gaps and serve their supply chain & logistics requirements needs effectively and efficiently.

U GRO Capital disburses INR 790 cr in Q2 FY22, with highest ever advances of INR 288 cr in September 2021

The Board of Directors of UGRO Capital Limited approved the financial results for the quarter and half year ended 30th September 2021 at its meeting held through video conference on Tuesday, 2nd November 2021.

Key updates for the quarter

• Disbursements for the quarter stood at INR 790Cr registering a Q-o-Q Growth of 139%. Also, the company clocked its highest ever disbursements in Sep’21 (INR 288Cr)
• AUM stood at INR 1,933 Cr as of Sep-21 growth 98% YoY and 41% Q-o-Q
• Total cumulative disbursements crossed INR 3,636Cr since inception
• Customer base crossed 10,000 mark
• Company continued to expand its physical footprint. Branch count increased to 55 as compared to 34 in last quarter
• Company has added 23 new lenders in the last twelve months taking the total active lender base to 37 as of Sep-21
• Total Income at INR 62.7Cr increased 80% YoY and 22% Q-o-Q
• The Company continued to hire additional manpower on the business side in line with its growth plans. Total employee base at the end of the quarter stood at 580 vs 194 employees a year ago The total employee base as of today (October end) has crossed the 700 mark

Key performance highlights for Q2FY22

a) Loan Portfolio:

• The Company’s AUM as of the end of September 30, 2021, stood at INR 1,933Cr compared to INR 978 Cr as of Sep-20 registering a 98% increase on a Y-o-Y basis
• With contribution from all the distribution channels, the company clocked its highest ever disbursements in Sep’21 (INR 288Cr)
• The loan book is 78% secured with a well-diversified portfolio across sectors and geographies (3,250+ pin codes)
• Portfolio GNPA stands at 1.9% as of September 30, 2021

b) Liability and Liquidity Position

• The Company further widened its active lender base to 37 lenders testifying the strength of U GRO’s business model
• The Company’s overall liability book rose to INR 1,096Cr in Q2FY22, with overall debt equity ratio still at 1.14x indicating a long runway for growth
• Co-lending partnerships – The company entered into a co-lending partnership with IDBI bank during the quarter thus expanding its co-lending relationships with multiple banks for various product categories
• The company’s credit rating outlook during the quarter improved from Stable to Positive
• The company maintains a CRAR of 47%, indicating a comfortable capital position

c) Financial Performance

• The company’s total income increased to INR 62.7Cr in Q2FY22, as compared to INR 34.8 Cr in Q2FY21 an increase of 80% on a Y-o-Y basis
• The Net Interest Income (NII) for Q2FY22 stood at INR 31.7Cr compared to INR 20.7Cr in Q2FY21. 53% increase on Y-o-Y basis. Net interest margins improved 40bp QoQ to 7.7% largely due to reduction in the borrowing cost
• The total provisioning as of Sep-21 stood at INR 24.2Cr vs the regulatory requirement of INR 22.1Cr
• The Company declared a PBT of INR 4.7Cr, as compared to INR 2.7Cr in Q2 FY21
• The net worth of the Company stands at INR 958 Cr as on September 30, 2021

Commenting on the results, Mr. Shachindra Nath, Executive Chairman and Managing Director of U GRO Capital stated, “We started our operational journey in January 2019 and completed our first full year of operational run from April 2019 – March 2020 which was one of the most turbulent time for NBFC industry post IL&FS crisis. As we were coming out of the after effect of the same, the business was completely halted from April 2020 – September 2020 and again in April 2021 to June 2021 due to the impact of covid pandemic. Our Q2 FY22 results are testimony to our long-term commitment to solve the credit problem of MSMEs through our sectoral approach, digital platform combined with both multi-channel asset engine and collaborative partnership on liability side.

Within our defined sector we have now built capabilities to serve small business customers with borrowing need of Rs. 1 Lac to Rs. 3 Crores through our four-pronged asset channel and we have been successful in building India’s first fully data driven underwriting platform which has embraced the Data Tripod of GST, Banking & Bureau.

We continue to expand our distribution reach through our GRO Micro branches, and their relative contribution would start getting reflected in next few quarters, our Prime Branches have reached maturity and we are adding people to improve the throughput, our Eco System Channel, both SCF & Machinery is benefiting from the digital and physical footprint we have created. In last two quarters our GRO – Xstream platform has on boarded more than fifteen FinTech / NBFC partners on asset side and Banks on liability side. We will carry on the momentum and traction which is now coming because the infrastructure we have built over last one year and we have a clear path of achieving our mission of serving 1mn customers and take 1% market share of outstanding MSME Credit of India.

Get ready to eat your heart out, because the iconic Mahesh Lunch Home is coming back to Thane!

Mumbai, November 2021: There are various categories of restaurants you’ll come across in your lifetime—some that are good for a one-time visit, some you can’t get enough of, and some that are so iconic that you should never get enough of. Lending itself a much deserved place in that last category of trailblazers is the newly opened Mahesh Lunch Home in Thane—now offering the best of both authentic Mangalorean Seafood and global continental cuisine all day long!

Ever since its inception in the late 70s, Mahesh Lunch Home has often been referred to as the ‘Seafood institution of Mumbai’, and rightly so. The eatery is not only synonymous with great quality, fresh Mangalorean seafood cooked home style, but also has a reputation for knowing what its patrons want, even before they know they want it. What began as a humble menu with a limited number of items soon started incorporating other coastal foods and more, to ensure that the eatery evolved with time too.

Keeping in line with the same belief, the all-new outlet in Thane promises to offer both: A delicious Seafood fare that will leave you gobsmacked and global continental cuisine—Indian, Italian and Asian to please your contemporary taste buds. And that’s not all! The new restaurant will also be open from 12 PM to 12 AM unlike any other counterparts, so you can satiate your cravings at any point of time without having to pick one cuisine or time, hassle-free.

The outlet features a brightly lit and hugely inviting ambience that retains the age-old family style seating, but accentuates it through modern wooden furniture and plenty of flora and fauna inside and out. There are cosy nooks as well as large family tables, ensuring that there’s something for everyone.

All the dishes are based on family recipes and cooked with a whole lotta love and care. Some of the crowd-favourites include the beautifully pan seared Bombay Duck Fry & Silver Fish Fry, Lobster Kerala Chilli, Frutti de Mare Seafood Salad, Crab Tandoori or the Squid Fry for those who prefer Shellfishes; Fish Pulimunchi— a Bunt style Mangalorean dish in hot and sour gravy and Fish pollichathu that champions Banana leaf cooking for those who love authentic flavors or the Prawns Tender Coconut Curry, Gingree Malai Curry and Mahesh Special Prawns exclusively for Prawn lovers. If you’re like us and can’t decide what to order, MLH Special Non-Veg platter is the way to go!

No matter what you order at Mahesh Lunch Home, be rest assured that you’ll sigh with joy and happiness at each bite and be greeted by their courteous and loyal staff. If we haven’t convinced you already, we don’t know what will. Prepare to be pampered with the most amazing food at the all-new Mahesh Lunch Home in Thane. Visit now!

Address: Mahesh Lunch Home, Vihang’s Garden, Pokharan Rd Number 1, opposite Raymonds, Thane, Maharashtra 400606

Phone number: 8591916344

Timings: 12 PM-3:30 PM and 7 PM-12 AM

Zomato:https://www.zomato.com/mumbai/mahesh-lunch-home-khopat-thane-west-thane/info

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/maheshlunchhomeofficial/

Top OTT platforms in India

The OTT industry is currently on a boom all over the Indian subcontinent. India is presently one of the fastest-growing markets for OTT video, at a CAGR of 28.6%, and is expected to become the 6th largest OTT market by 2024 as per a PWC report.

The growing popularity of OTT platforms has shown that entertainment has given rise to a new era. Indian audience has varied choices to explore content as per their taste and preference. Affordability is another hindrance that OTT platforms are crossing with pocket-friendly packs and cashback offers. Here is a list of top subscription-driven OTT platforms making waves in the country and their growth trajectory over the years despite affordable subscriptions.

ALTBalaji

India’s homegrown OTT platform offers its audience 87+ Hindi original, multiple movies and music videos spanning various languages and genres. The platform talks of expanding the reaches of OTT to the farthest hinterlands of the country, with numbers of cumulative downloads at 100+ million. ALTBalaji is one of the most reasonable OTT platforms in the country, catering to almost all sections of society. Girgit, Pavitra Rishta 2, are some of the upcoming shows on the platform. Various packs available include Rs. 300 for a year, Rs. 199 for six months, and 100 for two months.

Voot

Voot is an Indian subscription video-on-demand and over-the-top streaming service owned by Viacom18. Voot offers web series in various genres ranging from drama, romance, and comedy, amongst others. The platform has grown to 1 million paying subscribers, and 100 million monthly active users. The subscriptions costs are as affordable as Rs. 299/- a year, making it a pocket-friendly option for the audience. upcoming shows of voot are Dexter: New Blood, The Game, Yellowjackets, and many more.

Disney Hotstar

Disney+ Hotstar dominates a large section of the market with more than 100000 hours of movies and shows. With the IPL, the platform received a cumulative reach of approximately 352 million, displaying major growth from the past year. The platform offers plans starting from as little as Rs. 399/- per year. The major attraction is the continued live streaming of major sporting events in the world. Upcoming shows on the platform include Special Ops 1.5, Those Pricey Thakur Girls, and Six Suspects.

ZEE5

ZEE5 of Zee entertainment enterprises is another Indian OTT platform that is here to stay, offering its audience one-of-a-kind entertainment with a host of original shows. The platform has about 65 million monthly users currently . The content caters to viewers of 12 different languages and has competitive pricing of Rs. 499/- per year and 299 for 3 months. Naxalbari, Silence.. Can you hear it, are a few of the upcoming shows on the platform.

Sony Liv

Sony Liv, known for being the first Indian OTT platform with content ranging from popular TV shows and movies to sports. The platform currently claims 130 million MAUs. Subscriptions start at Rs. 299/- per year with options to upgrade to Rs. 399/- or Rs. 999/- per year for more widespread content. New shows to look out for include, Scam 2003: The Curious Case of Abdul Kareem Telgi, Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam, etc.

With the growing number of smartphones and better internet connectivity, India has become a battleground for streaming services. It is now on the streaming platforms to conjure interesting and relatable content to ensure audiences’ attention and loyalty.