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Archive: February 1, 2022

PDS Limited Reported 9M FY22 Revenue of INR 6,053cr (with 36% growth) and PAT of INR 207cr (growth of 162%)

New_Mr. Sanjay Jain, CEO, PDS Multinational Fashions Limited

Mumbai, 1st Feb 2022: PDS Limited (erstwhile PDS Multinational Fashions Limited), a leading global plug and play design-led platform offering product development, sourcing, virtual manufacturing & supply chain platforms catering to leading brands and retailers globally, has announced its financial results for the quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2021.

Key performance highlights (Q3 FY22 vs Q3 FY21) (Consolidated):

  • Income from operations stood at ₹2,232cr as compared to ₹1,626cr in Q3 FY21; y-o-y growth of 37%
  • Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) was ₹101cr vs ₹76cr in Q3 FY21
  • Reported Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) of ₹89cr against ₹67cr in Q3 FY21 (growth of 33%)
  • Profit After Tax (PAT) of ₹81cr vs ₹59cr in Q3 FY21 (38% growth), with a margin of 3.6%
  • The Company clocked ROCE’s of 38% and ROE’s of 33% in Q3 FY221

Key performance highlights (9M FY22 vs 9M FY21) (Consolidated):

  •  Revenues from operations stood at ₹6,053cr as compared to ₹4,448cr in 9M FY21; y-o-y growth of 36%
  •  EBITDA was ₹220cr vs ₹133cr in 9M FY21 and margin stood at 3.6% vs 3.0% in 9M FY21
  •  Reported EBIT of ₹234cr against ₹113cr in 9M FY21 (growth of 107%)
  •  PAT stood at ₹207cr vs ₹79cr in 9M FY21. The Company’s PAT margin expanded to 3.4% vs 1.8% in 9M FY21
  •  Basic EPS during 9M FY22 stood at ₹65.76 (vs full year FY21 EPS of ₹32.37)

Mr. Pallak Seth, Vice Chairman, PDS Limited commented “We are seeing good traction with leading brands and retailers who are exploring options to outsource the sourcing function. In order to tap into this opportunity, we are offering “Sourcing as a Service” to large brands and retailers and operate as a sole and exclusive partner for pre-agreed territories. We recently concluded two strategic agreements, the first being Techno Design, our Germany-based group company, which has become the exclusive sourcing partner of s.Oliver for India and Sri Lanka region. Secondly, we have become the sole & exclusive vendor to Hanes Brands in Bangladesh. We are thrilled to partner with leading brands and retailers for their sourcing & manufacturing requirements.”

Commenting on the results, Mr. Sanjay Jain, Group CEO, PDS Limited said, “We are pleased to share that in the last 9 months, we have nearly achieved our full-year numbers of last fiscal. Our plans of expanding our footprint in the North American market continue to gain further momentum. We had ended last financial year with the contribution from North America at 8% of our topline which has now increased to 19% in the third quarter this year. The recent arrangement with Hanes Brands will further bolster our North American operations. We are excited about the opportunities that are unfolding in this geography.”

The sourcing segment which accounts for ~96% of the Company’s topline has clocked 34% growth in nine months ended December 2021, with a topline of ₹5,807cr. This segment reported an EBIT of ₹213cr with a ROCE of 51%.

The manufacturing segment has doubled its topline to ₹382cr in nine months ended FY22 because of near full capacity utilization of the facilities. A strong focus on execution and higher efficiencies has enabled the Company to significantly reduce losses by 74% compared to last year. This segment is at the cusp of achieving profitability, with a Loss Before Tax of less than c.₹5cr in Q3 FY22. The Company is targeting this segment to be in the green in the next quarter.

Further, the Company has successfully achieved negative working capital of 2 days vs 10 days in the previous quarter. This along with the Company’s strong operating performance has resulted in net debt reduction by ₹206cr in Q3 FY22 to ₹26cr. The combination of all the above has resulted in the Company achieving strong leverage ratios; with Net Debt/Equity of 0.03x, Net Debt/EBITDA of 0.08x. This further translated into robust return ratios with a ROCE of 38% and ROE of 33%.

Given the strong performance in the last nine months and with the visibility of the next quarter, PDS is currently on track to achieve $1bn in topline.

The Company has received requisite approvals and has changed its name from PDS Multinational Fashions Limited to PDS Limited.

Curated Living

Expectations from Union Budget 2022-23

Jaikishan Challa, Founder & CEO, Curated Living Solutions

“The upcoming budget brings high hopes for the realty sector as well as rebates in taxes. We expect the budget will have a renewed focus on rental housing so that the current financial system can be strengthened to provide liquidity to the already stuck real estate projects. The government is expected to continue the promotion of affordable rental housing schemes followed by tax exemptions to notified rental housing products. It will further enhance the pace of investments in this scheme in order to achieve the ‘Housing for all’ mission.”

Mr. Milind Gowardhan

Budget Expectation: Mr. Milind Gowardhan, MD and CEO at Leaf Fintech

Mr. Milind Gowardhan, MD and CEO at Leaf Fintech

“We expect the government to keep focusing on the affordable housing segment as we saw demand for housing bounce back strongly after the first and second waves, driven mainly by historically low-interest rates on home loans. The cap of Rs 2 lakh per annum against interest rate deduction under section 24(b) of the Act needs to be hiked to at least Rs 5 lakh along with removing the Rs 45 lakh cap from affordable housing, which will boost the affordable and mid-segment housing in a big way.

Also, we expect the government to continue promoting the affordable rental housing schemes by announcing tax reliefs for rental housing projects, which will fast track the pace of investments in these schemes. The existing tax exemption on housing loans should be raised. The personal income tax could be made easier in terms of heads and filing in the budget.”

LIC of India Modifies LIC’s Jeevan Akshay VII (Plan No. 857) and New Jeevan Shanti (Plan No.858)

LIC image 1

LIC of India has revised annuity rates in respect of its annuity plans LIC’s Jeevan Akshay VII (Plan 857) and LIC’s New Jeevan Shanti(Plan 858) with effect from 1st Feb 2022. The modified version of these plans with revised annuity rates shall be available for sale from 1st Feb 2022. The annuity amount under both annuity options of New Jeevan Shanti can be calculated through the calculator provided on LIC’s website as well as through various LIC Apps.

In addition to the revision of annuity rates, LIC’s Jeevan Akshay VII (Plan no 857) can be purchased from the new distribution channel Common Public Service Centres (CPSC – SPV) along with other existing distribution channels.

The plans are available both online and offline.

Greg Moran, CEO and Co-Founder of Zoomcar

Pre-budget expectations -2022 – 1

Mr Greg Moran, CEO & Co-Founder, Zoomcar

The economy is on the road to recovery and the Union Budget 2022-2023 will be crucial for the Auto sector as it can facilitate the industry’s effective revival. We are confident that with the right policies and support, the sector is poised for growth. One of the key areas for both the government as well as the Auto sector is Electric Mobility. With several Indian and international groups keen to invest in the Electric Vehicle (EV) segment, the government should focus on bolstering the infrastructure to enable easy manufacturing and usage of EVs and EV-related elements such as charging kiosks to boost demand. With regards to technology, we are in the midst of one of the biggest tech-led transitions in India and the world and we expect that this year’s Union Budget will focus more on tech-led developments in the Auto sector. It presents the perfect opportunity for the industry to capitalize on and boost growth. We also look forward to more tax incentives for the travel and trade industry”

Mr Dhruv Sawhney_COO_nurture.farm
Mr Dhruv Sawhney_COO_nurture.farm

Dhruv Sawhney, Business Head and COO, nurture.farm 

Farmers in India still work on Agri models that are input-intensive, which affects their overall profitability. Enabling a lean agribusiness model should be a priority by developing shared economy platforms through which farmers can access farm equipment and machinery at substantially lower costs. Mechanisation in agriculture would improve productivity and yield, and India needs significant improvements in both these spheres. An impetus towards shared economy models and digitisation of Agri ecosystems in India would induce transparency into the entire sector – empowering farmers to make informed decisions and improve their output and incomes.

Another way to improve farmer incomes is to focus on adopting sustainable agricultural practices. Incentivising this for Indian farmers will have a two-pronged impact – on the one hand, it will improve the carbon footprint of agriculture, making it climate-friendly, and on the other, by leveraging carbon credits, farmers will have a scope to earn higher incomes. With the second-largest arable land in the world, India can be a world leader in establishing the potential impact on climate and farmer incomes by adopting sustainable agriculture practices. Enabling public private partnerships in this domain can help Indian farmers leapfrog towards a climate friendly, sustainable and profitable agriculture.

Mr Pranav Dangi, Founder of Hosteller
Mr Pranav Dangi, Founder of Hosteller

Mr Pranav Dangi, Founder of Hosteller 

The prolonged effect of Covid-19 pandemic on the overall hospitality sector has created a burden on small to medium scale players to service their debt obligations. Ongoing pressure on such players to maintain high operational standards, as required in the hospitality industry, has pushed them towards higher operational costs and thereby leading to inability to service their debts. We feel, in the 2022-23 budget, the GoI shall create provisions to create liquidity for the travel & tourism industry, provide directions to the central bank to roll out low interest working capital loan schemes and expedite the paperwork process. This shall navigate the industry through the difficulties imposed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Roshan Farhan- Founder and CEO, Gobillion
Mr Roshan Farhan- Founder and CEO, Gobillion

Mr Roshan Farhan- Founder and CEO, Gobillion 

“This year’s budget will be an important one to watch out for – given the Government’s focus in promoting startups and entrepreneurship in the country. We look forward to a startup friendly budget – with focus on making starting a company easier, streamlined compliance mechanisms and avenues for access to capital for early stage startups. We look forward to the Budget providing incentives to startups in tier 2+ towns to promote a more inclusive startup ecosystem. Startups in India will contribute strongly to realize our vision of a $5 trillion economy in the next few years.”

Prithviraj Sen Sharma, Managing Director & Country Head, Agoro Carbon Alliance, India 

India is today in a unique position to drive long-range change towards building climate resilient mechanisms for agriculture and the food industry, and we expect the union budget to reflect some of these priorities very strongly for the coming year.

Indian growers are poised to benefit greatly from the fresh thinking the administrative bodies have around building newer, smarter, more digitally-connected ways of producing more food with less resources. With initiatives like More Crop Per Drop, we are taking the first steps towards building longer term resiliency towards more and more frequent climate swings & shifts in the geo-political scenario to cement India’s place as one of the most important node points ensuring food security globally. The upcoming union budget should reflect the shift in attitude towards being more grower-centric, building highly resilient food distribution mechanisms and ensuring our farmers are adequately compensated for their work.

Mr Siddharth Kukatlapalli, Co-Founder and CBO, Syntizen
Mr Siddharth Kukatlapalli, Co-Founder and CBO, Syntizen

Mr Siddharth Kukatlapalli, Co-Founder and CBO, Syntizen 

India, together, has moved towards the ‘e’ world. Whether it is commerce, finance, agriculture, education and learning, corporate, or any other industry you pick, technology and the Internet have reached all households in the country, in some way or the other. With the pandemic hitting the economy, the Internet and technology infrastructure held the country and its people up and functioning. Keeping all this in mind, we must acknowledge that the ‘Digital Way’ is the way for the present and the future. As we move closer to the budget announcements, we are eagerly waiting to know what is new and upcoming for this year for all digital businesses – big, medium and small. With the adequate infrastructure, right audience (which already exists in the country), and ample support, Digital Businesses can flourish and support the people and the economy in all ways possible.

While we talk about our expectations from the budget, as the founder of a digital startup, we are always looking forward to the support that the government brings for us every year. Today, India stands third globally, after China and the USA, with the most number of unicorn startups. We are the future and we are making a better future. The startup ecosystem together has always been supported by the government and looks forward to the same in the year that is waiting ahead of us.

Zafar Imam, CEO, FinShell

Technological and Digital disruption have impacted and led to the growth of all industries – the financial sector is at the top of that list. With the growing smartphone users and internet penetration, FinTech has become an invaluable part of each user’s life. The increasing users of digital financial platforms have brought in strong competition in the financial services industry. It goes without saying that with the access and usage of financial platforms online, the benefit has reached users irrespective of geographies, time and socio-economic boundaries. The consistent growth in the number of UPI users showcases and establishes the digital penetration in the payments business. There is also a significant growth in the investments and insurance sectors that has been led by this enhancing digital footprint.

At this time, with this growth, it is important for us as part of the larger industry to support and enable digital finances and its infrastructure to make each user’s life easier and smoother.

Tata Motors Q3 FY22 Financial Results

Mumbai, Feb 1st,  2022: Tata Motors Ltd announced its results for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. 

2

Y

F

Conso (Cr Ind AS) 

FY’22 Vs. PY 

JLR (£m, IFRS) 

FY’22 Vs. PY 

TML (S) (₹Cr, Ind AS) FY’22 Vs. PY
Net Revenue 

EBITDA (%) 

EBIT (%) 

PBT (bei) 

72,229 (4.5) % 

10.2 (460) bps 1.7 (470) bps (698) – 

4,716 (21.2) % 

12.0 (380) bps 

1.4 (530) bps 

(9) – 

20,959 43.3 % 

3.3 (350) bps (1.7) (200) bps (834)

2

Y

9

F

Net Revenue  200,015 24.1 %  13,553 2.7 %  51,302 90.1 %
EBITDA (%) 

EBIT (%) 

9.0 (200) bps (0.3) (32) bps  9.6 (200) bps 

(1.2) (140) bps 

3.2 150 bps (2.7) 570 bps
PBT (bei)  (6,747) –  (421) –  (2,942)

 

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR)  TATA MOTORS (STANDALONE, INCL JO)
Retails for Q3 down 38% to 80.1K units; 

Investments: £0.5 b in products and technologies Free Cash Flows of £164m in Q3 FY22 

Retails (Domestic): Q3 retails up 33% to 202.2K units Investments: ₹0.9 KCr in products and technologies Free Cash Flows of ₹ 2.0 KCr in Q3 FY22

 

JLR: Sales remain constrained by chip shortages with retail sales of 80,126 vehicles, down 37.6% over Q3 FY21. The chip supply situation is gradually improving with production volumes of 72,184 units up 41% over Q2 FY22 and wholesales of 69,182 units up 8% on Q2 FY22. For Q3, revenue was £4.7 billion, up 22% from Q2 FY22. EBIT margin was 1.4% and free cash flow was positive at £164 million in Q3 FY 22, demonstrating the progress JLR made in reducing the breakeven point in the business through mix optimisation and cost efficiencies. 

TML: India operations showed significant revenue improvement as compared to Q3 a year ago, however commodity inflation impacted the margins. As a result, TML reported EBIT of (1.7)% and pre-tax loss (before exceptional items) of ₹ 0.8K Cr for Q3 FY22. PV business continued its turnaround journey and strengthened its double-digit market share with the highest sales in any calendar year since inception. EV sales witnessed a new peak of 5,592 units in Q3 FY22. 

Outlook: The demand remains strong despite near term concerns from Omicron spread. The semiconductor supply situation is improving gradually whilst inflation worries persist. Over the last two years, the resilience of the business has improved, and it is now intrinsically stronger. With concerted actions in place to address the near-term supply and cost challenges, we expect performance to improve further in Q4 FY22 and beyond.

Tata Motors Group Results-Q3 FY22 January 31, 2022 

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR)0

HIGHLIGHTS 

∙ The Q3 FY22 revenue of £4.7 billion up 22% from Q2, with wholesales up 8% from Q2 but down year on year 

Q3 EBIT margin of 1.4% and free cash flow £164 million reflecting improvements in wholesales, mix and cost efficiency, while PBT was (9)m 

Order book hits new record of c. 155,000 units, up to c. 30,000, reflecting strong demand for the New Range Rover 

Refocus transformation programme delivers £1 billion of value year to date and is now expected to achieve £1.4 billion of value in FY22, beating our £1 billion target 

Liquidity of £6.5 billion at quarter-end, including £4.5 billion of cash and a £2 billion undrawn revolving credit facility, after new £625 million amortising 5-year loans 80% guaranteed by UK Export Finance and syndicated to 12 banks 

FINANCIALS 

Wholesales to dealers in Q3 were 69,182 units, up 8% on Q2 FY22 with production volumes up 41% to 72,184 units. Overall,  however, sales remain significantly constrained by chip shortages and low inventories with retail sales in Q3 of 80,126 vehicles,  down 13.6% from Q2 FY22 and 37.6% from Q3 FY21. The mix of electrified retail sales (BEV, PHEV and MHEV) increased to  69% in Q3 compared to 53% a year ago. While regional sales broadly followed total sales, the model mix was stronger with wholesales of the Range Rover model family up 30%. Demand remains strong with a record order book of almost 155,000  vehicles, up 30,000 units from Q2 reflecting strong demand for the New Range Rover, with deliveries for the model to start later in Q4 FY22. 

For Q3, revenue was £4.7 billion, up 22% from Q2 FY22. EBIT margin improved from Q2 to 1.4% and free cash flow improved to £164 million, reflecting the increased wholesale volume, more favourable mix, pricing and FX, partially offset by a provision for quality campaigns. PBT was a £(9) million loss in the quarter. 

The Refocus transformation programme has delivered £1 billion of value in the first three-quarters of FY22 through digital initiatives, market performance, cost efficiency and investment. The programme is now expected to achieve £1.4 billion of value in FY22, beating the original £1 billion target. 

LOOKING AHEAD 

The semiconductor shortage is expected to continue through 2022 but is expected to gradually improve as capacity within the supply base increases, while the Company is also engaging with first-tier suppliers and directly with the chip manufacturers to secure supply longer-term. With this gradual expected improvement, Jaguar Land Rover expects Q4 profits to improve from  Q3 with positive cash flow. 

JLR’s medium- and longer-term financial targets under the Reimagine strategy, underpinned by the Refocus transformation programme, remain unchanged, including increasing EBIT margins to 10% or more by FY26. 

Thierry Bolloré, Jaguar Land Rover’s Chief Executive Officer, said: 

Whilst semiconductor supplies have continued to constrain sales this quarter, we continue to see very strong demand for our products underlining the desirability of our vehicles. The global order book is at record levels and has grown an incredible 30,000 units for the New Range Rover before deliveries even start this Quarter. We continue to execute our Reimagine strategy to realise the full potential of the business and create the next generation of the most desirable luxury vehicles for the most discerning of customers.” 

Tata Motors Group Results-Q3 FY22 January 31, 2022 

TATA MOTORS (STANDALONE INCL. JOINT OPERATIONS)

HIGHLIGHTS 

Q3 revenue at ₹ 21.0KCr, (+ 43% YoY, + 14% QoQ), strong recovery YoY 

EBITDA 3.3% (-350 bps), EBIT at (1.7) % (-200bps), margins impacted by commodity inflation (430bps) and subsidiarization related one-off costs (80bps) 

Free Cash Flow at ₹ 2.0 KCr. 

CV retails: 93.1K up 24%. Market share at 45.4%. All segments in CV’s gained market share in FY22 CV EBITDA at 2.6% decline by 540 bps Y-o-Y due to commodity inflation 

PV retails 109.1K up 41%; market share strengthened further to 13% in Q3. Company posed highest ever calendar year sales, since the inception of PV business. 

PV EBITDA at 4.2%; (+40 bps); impacted by ~200 bps due to one-off subsidization related costs EV sales hit a new peak of 5,592 units in Q3 FY22 (+345% vs Q3 FY21); Penetration at 5.6% of PV Sales Strong liquidity position as on 31st December 2021 amounting to ₹ 6.4KCr 

FINANCIALS 

In Q3FY22 wholesales (including exports) increased 30.4% to 200,212 units. The volumes across all segments significantly grew as compared to Q3 FY21, despite supply challenges whilst there were all-around market share gains in both CV and PV. Revenue for the quarter increased 43.3% to ₹21.0KCr and pre-tax loss before exceptional was ₹ 834Cr (vs loss of ₹ 542Cr in Q3FY21). PBT  decline was mainly caused due to commodity inflation despite improved volumes and mix. EBIT margin was (1.7) % (-200 bps) in the quarter. Free cash flow for the quarter was ₹ 2.0 KCr. 

LOOKING AHEAD 

The demand situation continues to remain strong despite near term concerns from Omicron spread. The supply situation is gradually improving. Sharp commodity inflation continues to remain a challenge. The sequential improvement in overall performance is expected to continue in Q4 FY22 and beyond, and we target to be EBIT and free cash flow positive in Q4 FY22. We continue with our efforts to unlock the supply bottlenecks by working proactively with our vendor partners. Additionally, in Commercial  Vehicles, the focus remains to grow the market share across segments and restore margins as commodity inflation stabilizes. In  Passenger Vehicles, the company will continue to accelerate sales further whilst improving profitability and managing supply bottlenecks. In Electric Vehicles, the Company will drive up penetration accelerates sales further and complete the conditions precedent for securing closure of the TPG Rise Climate investment and drawdown Tranche 1. 

Girish Wagh, Executive Director Tata Motors Ltd said: 

“The auto industry continued to witness rising demand in most segments even as the supply of semiconductors remained restricted resulting in an adverse impact on production. At Tata Motors, our agility in both planning and execution helped optimize production to deliver another strong quarter with accelerated sales. We continue to increase market share in every segment of commercial vehicles and set several new milestones in passenger vehicles with decade-high sales for both the quarter as well as the calendar year 2021. We also recorded the highest ever EV sales during the quarter and sold  10,000 EVs in 9MFY22, crossing new milestones. At the time of publishing results, we have operationalized two subsidiaries Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd. focusing on passenger vehicles powered by IC engines and Tata Passenger Electric  Mobility Limited to accelerate the development of the passenger EV business and its enabling ecosystem.  

Looking ahead, we expect the demand for commercial, passenger and electric vehicles to sustain even as concerns related to the supply of semiconductors, high input costs and rising instances of covid keep the overall situation fluid. We will remain  agile, address supply bottlenecks proactively, drive our savings program harder, take prudent pricing actions while  continuing to make good progress in our future-fit initiatives of transforming customer experience digitally and  strengthening our leadership in sustainable mobility.”  

Tata Motors Group Results-Q3 FY22 January 31, 2022 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY ON FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(CONSOLIDATED NUMBERS, IND AS) 

FINANCE COSTS  

Finance costs increased by 275Cr to 2,401Cr during Q3FY’22 vs the prior year due to higher gross borrowings as compared to Q3’FY21. 

JOINT VENTURES, ASSOCIATES AND OTHER INCOME  

For the quarter, net loss from joint ventures and associates amounted to 113Cr compared with a loss of 281Cr in the prior year. Other income (excluding grants) was 197Cr versus 166Cr in the prior year 

Passenger Vehicle (PV) division revenues and expenses (including FIAPL) is presented as “Discontinued Operations”  in the standalone financials (SEBI results) with the net result of PV division being disclosed as a single amount as profit or loss from Discontinued Operations. After the rollback of depreciation of PV assets of Rs. 527 cr, the profit before tax  (after exceptional item) from Discontinued Operations was Rs. 835 cr (as compared to Rs. -381 cr in Q3FY21). 

FREE CASH FLOWS 

Free cash flow (automotive) in the quarter, was positive at 4.0 KCr (as compared to positive 7.9K Cr in Q3 FY 21) Notes: Joint Operations refers to Fiat Automobiles Pvt Ltd and Tata Cummins Pvt Ltd 

World Vision India Collaborates with Global Indian International School, Singapore to Conduct Community Virtual Class Learning

community virtual class learning

Chennai, 1st Feb 2022 – As our country braces itself to navigate through the third wave of COVID, World Vision India (WV India), the country’s largest child-focused humanitarian organization, focuses on ensuring that the education of vulnerable children does not suffer. As one of the ways to facilitate this- WV India collaborated with Global Indian International School (GIIS)-Singapore and conducted Community Virtual Class Learning (CVCL) for approximately 200 students of grade 4 to 5 level aged between 8 to 13 years from 10 schools across Chennai, Gurgaon, New Delhi, Kanpur and Agra.

CVCL is a virtual platform where vulnerable students from lesser-privileged communities, are taught practical concepts that will have a learning impact on their lives. GIIS students from the 11th grade facilitated CVCL and tutored the students in English and Mathematics. English topics ranged from alphabets, nouns, tenses to poems, letter writing and even storytelling. Mathematics topics ranged from simple addition, subtraction to profit & loss, area & perimeter, etc. As many as 2000 students from the various schools were analyzed during the baseline survey to select the most vulnerable who did not have age/grade appropriate learning outcomes. Then the best way to tutor and help them improve was outlined. Most sessions were in the children’s mother tongues, to begin with until they were able to comprehend the study material in English.

“The Pilot of the CVCL project was undertaken in October to December 2020 and owing to its success we decided to scale it up to more schools in 2021. Many of the students from the vulnerable sections did not have access to the internet, digital training or amenities to try to improve their academic skills. We are thrilled to collaborate with an institution such as GIIS Singapore, who share our philosophy of results through sustained efforts rather than resorting to ad hoc measures. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the students from GIIS Singapore who took time off from their schedule and makes CVCL a great success. We are keen to further expand this program to more schools in India this year,” said, Mr. Sanjay Bhattacharya, Strategic Lead- Education, World Vision India.

“With the pandemic not going away, we definitely see the need for programs such as CVCL to provide opportunities for children from vulnerable sections, to equip themselves with skill sets which will hone their learning abilities. The students chosen for the program were those which needed help academically in their respective batches,” said Mr. Ashwin Gite, CAS Coordinator & Department Head, Humanities, Global Indian International School. “As per the baseline assessment, we received great results after CVCL, as about 70% of the students were able to read and comprehend English language, 35% of them were able to read newspapers and 70% also improved their competencies in simple arithmetic. This goes a long way to show how the right platforms and guidance can help these students improve their skills,” Mr Gite added.

Apart from improving their overall competencies in English and Mathematics, students also learned how to study through a virtual medium, which was a first for many. The exposure to the students from GIIS Singapore also acted as a platform for cross-fertilizations of ideas and an opportunity to engage with students from an International school and to pick up some of the best educational practices from them. On the other hand, the students from GIIS Singapore also got an opportunity to improve their preparatory and facilitation skills as well as have a cultural connection with India.

GIIS is a premier international school based in Singapore, whose mission is to nurture young minds into global leaders and innovators of tomorrow through a skills-based approach to education. The school emphasizes entrepreneurship and character development as part of its holistic learning framework, which allows students to participate in programmes like CVCL.

Environment friendly and other sustainable technologies to be the focus for the Government in Union Budget 2022

Budget 2022 – Environment friendly and other sustainable technologies to be the focus for the Government in Union Budget 2022

The Finance Minister is expected to make a strong pitch for the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem owing to the Government’s commitment towards reducing the carbon footprint and green-house gas emissions. This is in line with the decisions taken at Paris and Glasglow to target net-zero emissions by 2070, and the Government’s pledge to target Zero Emission by vehicles by 2040. Whilst the country is caught up in the throes of the third wave of the pandemic, the Finance Minister is expected to come up with provisions for the economic revival, after two consecutive years of unimaginable loss of lives and livelihood.

One such company looking at disrupting the traditional Power and Energy sector is Hygge Energy is committed towards creating a renewable energy trading and EV Charging marketplace for communities globally that will reduce energy prices for consumers, improve return for utilities, and increase RoI for Storage, Solar and other local generation owners. “The Union Budget 2022 is an opportunity to aggressively promote renewable energy driven rapid EV adoption as a mission. This is crucial for a cleaner environment and reducing India’s dependency on fossil fuel imports.

The goal of zero-emission e-mobility, powered by EV charging from renewable energy rooftop solar as well as wheeled energy requires a framework for harmonized pricing. This will open up a $7-8 billion carbon credit market for the EV ecosystem for deploying renewable energy sources for EV charging and reduction in tailpipe emissions and thereby drive rapid adoption”, said Mr. Atul Kunwar, Co-founder & Chairperson of Hygge Energy. 

India’s leading provider of electric mobility and EV Charging solutions company, ETO Motors have also carried out several high-impact EV charging infrastructure projects across the country, installing almost 4000 MW of charging stations. ETO Motors have also been instrumental in accelerating the initiative of creating India’s first 100% Electric Vehicle City in Kevadia, Gujarat. “The Union Budget 2022 must focus more on the institutional and mass adoption of EVs’, especially incentivizing fleet operators, logistics players and OEMs’ who are focused on commercial logistics application. The Indian EV sector is at a nascent stage but can be a fantastic combination of Auto and Electronics that contributes to almost 7% and 16% of the GDP. The Government should look at mandating all hyper local and last mile Ecommerce/non-Ecommerce deliveries through EVs’, rigorously deploying Carbon Credit system and encourage organization that pursue sustainable methods. Lastly, mandating Charging (slow/Infrastructure) to buildings and public places through amendment to law, and making land parcels easily available for charging station enthusiasts and business owners, will ensure that the development of the EV ecosystem is at full throttle”, said Mr. N.K. Rawal, Managing Director & CEO of ETO Motors.

CITIC Telecom

CITIC Telecom CPC Appointment of New Chief Executive Officer

HONG KONG, Feb 1, 2022 – (ACN Newswire) – CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (CITIC Telecom CPC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (“CITIC Telecom”, “the Group”, SEHK: 1883), is pleased to announce that Mr. Brook Wong (Ching Wa, WONG), Vice President of CITIC Telecom has been appointed to the additional role of Chief Executive Officer of CITIC Telecom CPC effective 1st February, 2022, succeeds Mr. Esmond Li who has decided to retire and step down from CEO of CITIC Telecom CPC after over 20 years of service in the Group.

“Mr. Wong has long been a visionary in telecommunications, applying his tremendous insight, depth of experience, and passion for technology to the cause of creating the innovative and intelligent future,” said Mr. Frank Cai, Vice Chairman of CITIC Telecom CPC. “We are delighted to welcome Mr. Wong to CITIC Telecom CPC, and I’m confident that he will lead the team to continue pursuing our motto “Innovation Never Stops” and to win in this fast changing, dynamic industry. I believe that all of us will benefit from his leadership and expertise.”

Mr. Wong is the Vice President of CITIC Telecom, overseeing China market since 2008. He has extensive leadership experience working with various telecommunications companies. An expert in developing and executing strategies for the Greater China market. His ability to see the big picture, from crucial market development to macro strategic perspectives, will be invaluable to CITIC Telecom CPC’s customers.

“I am honored and truly proud to be appointed to lead CITIC Telecom CPC. Under all the former managements’ leadership and accomplishments, together with its innovation, technology and talents, it lays a solid foundation for a leading DICT service partner around the globe. We are committed to delivering the most innovative and intelligent solutions to propel the ICT industry forward,” said Mr. Wong. “Over the 14 years I have worked at CITIC Telecom, I have seen the many ways in which our people, product and service creating a rapid growing and innovative company. I look forward to working closely with the management and the team, to continue promoting our company culture of “Unity, Collaboration, Tolerance and Caring”, to lead and accelerate CITIC Telecom CPC to be “Best-in-class Global-Local Intelligent DICT Service Partner”, to foster customer-oriented corporate culture, create win-win situation with our partners, and strive for new heights.”