Nexxbase Marketing Pvt Ltd-owned Noise, a wearables technology company, has roped in cricketer Virat Kohli as its new brand ambassador for its smartwatch range. Over the tenure, the cricketer will be involved in a campaign that entails all touchpoints, the company said.

 

* Gaurav Khatri, the company’s co-founder said, “We are thrilled to welcome the Indian cricketing legend Virat Kohli as a ‘Noisemaker’. With our zeal to listen to the noise within, coupled with the need to deliver a power-packed performance, we are certain that his association with Kohli will further bolster our connection with the young audience in India and overseas. 

 

* Kohli has also always prided himself on his fitness levels, having been a key influence behind ushering in the era of super-athletes, he makes an ideal fit for the brand."

Source : Mint

Amara Raja Batteries Limited (ARBL) will be setting up a state-of-the-art research and manufacturing facility for lithium-ion batteries in Mahbubnagar district, Telangana.

The company intends to invest over ₹9,500 crore over the next 10 years in the lithium cell gigafactory with an ultimate capacity up to 16 GWh and a battery pack assembly unit up to 5 GWh.

 

This was announced by Jayadev Galla, Chairman and MD, Amara Raja Batteries, in the presence of KT Rama Rao, State’s Minister for Industries, after signing a formal MoU here on Friday(2nd Dec 2022).

“This strategic partnership with the Government of Telangana is a giant leap for Amara Raja and will bring in the impetus for innovations in sustainable technologies for the whole region, in addition to generating employment opportunities.

 

Advanced centre : Amara Raja Batteries had chosen Telangana to house the Amara Raja Giga Corridor, he said adding that the initial facilities would include a first-of-its kind advanced energy research and innovation centre in Hyderabad, dubbed the Amara Raja E-hub.

The proposed facility will be equipped with advanced laboratories and testing infrastructure for material research, prototyping, product life cycle analysis and proof of concept demonstration. It would also cater to the development needs of the Amara Raja as well as to provide a range of facilities open to other players in the energy and mobility ecosystem..

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Odisha Govt announced to transform the SHGs into Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and turn them into vibrant financial hubs.

 

* It is to be noted that six lakh SHGs are working in Odisha. 

 

* Mission Shakti intiative started in 2001  has now become a huge force of 70 lakh empowered women in Odisha.

 

* To encourage entrepreneurship among women, micro and mini industrial parks will be set up in all 30 districts of Odisha and a revolving fund to the tune of ₹1 crore each will be made available to every district-level federation, ₹50 lakh for block-level federation and special market and office space for panchayat-level federation, the Odisha CM announced.

 

* The Odisha State government has already announced to provide interest-free loan up to ₹5 lakh to women and procure of ₹5,000 crore worth of goods and services from SHGs in five years.

 

* Women have a huge role to play in the transformation story of Odisha. Our government will always work for the holistic empowerment of women.

* The strength of SHGs lies in federating or coming together. Our goal is to strengthen the federations further and turn them into vibrant financial hubs, the Odisha CM said..

Source : The Hindu

* India will assume the chairmanship of the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) on 1 January 2023, for a period of one year.

* Wassenaar Arrangement is a multilateral technology control agreement. 

* The primary goal of the organisation is to restrict access to sensitive technologies for terrorist outfits.

* The Wassenaar Arrangement came into being in 1996 and has 42 members. 

* India joined the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) in 2017 and became its 42nd member.

Source : Mint

The Institute conducted the election of President and Vice-President of the Institute on Nov 28, 2022 at New Delhi.

Institute of Cost Accountants(CMA) Vijender Sharma has been elected as the President and Institute of Cost Accountants(CMA) Rakesh Bhalla has been elected as the Vice-President of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India for the year 2022-23.  

 

CMA Vijender Sharma is a Fellow Member of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India and a Law Graduate. He is a leading Practising Cost Accountant since 1998 and Insolvency Professional since Jan’ 2017. His dynamism is embedded with rich experience of over 22 years in diversified areas of Financial, Cost and Management Accounting, Internal Audit, Management Consultancy, Forensic Audit, Insolvency and Liquidation, etc. He was elected as a member of Council of the Institute for the term 2015-19 and re-elected for the term 2019-23. He has served as the Vice President of Institute (2021-22), Chairman of Professional Development Committee (2020-21 & 2021-22), Chairman of International Affairs Committee (2020-21) and Chairman of NIRC (2012-13 & 2014-15). 

 

CMA Rakesh Bhalla is a Fellow Member of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India and a Commerce Graduate. He has rich experience of corporate world and currently he is the Chief Financial Officer of SML ISUZU Ltd. He has expertise in Direct and Indirect Taxation and written many articles which have been beneficial for the taxation experts. He has been elected as a member of Council of the Institute for the term 2019-23. He has served as the Chairman of Direct Taxation (2021-22) and Chairman of NIRC (2010-11 & 2013-14)..

Source : Tax Guru

Shri Sanjay Kumar took charge as Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy 1st Dec 2022 in Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.

 

Pursuant to assuming charge, Shri Kumar held a meeting with the senior officials of the Ministry in which he reviewed the functioning of the department, autonomous bodies and various schemes relating to school education. 

 

Discussions were held on implementation of National Education Policy 2020, capacity building of teachers, infrastructure in schools, and the upcoming Prime Minister’s interaction programme ‘Pariksha Pe Pariksha’.

 

Shri Kumar said that he looks forward to contributing towards providing quality, accessible and affordable education to every student of the country..

Source : PIB

The Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) on Friday(2nd Dec 2022) said that the Government of India had appointed Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar, Professor Emeritus at CMI, as the part-time chairperson of the National Statistical Commission (NSC) of India for a period of three years.

 

* Mr. Karandikar will take up this role as an additional responsibility while continuing as Professor Emeritus at CMI.

* He joined CMI as a visiting professor in 2010, and officiated as the Director of CMI from January 2011 to April 2021.

 

* NSC is an autonomous body formed in June 2005 under the recommendation of the Dr. C Rangarajan commission.

* The objective of its constitution was to reduce the problems faced by statistical agencies in the country with respect to the collection of data, and strengthen public trust in the numbers released by the Government of India.

 

* The chairperson of the Commission enjoys the status of a Minister of State, Government of India..

Source : The Hindu

Indian Naval Ships, Shivalik and Kamorta which are forward deployed in the South China Sea are in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh city.

 

* The ships will be undertaking numerous professional interactions with the Vietnamese Navy during the visit.

 

* The visit is part of the bilateral defence cooperation activities to further enhance the robust ties between the two navies and to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Vietnam.

* Earlier this year(2022), two Indian Naval Ships - Sahyadri and Kadmatt -  had also visited Ho Chi Minh City.

Source : AIR

India’s biggest Yoga Centre has been constructed in village Mantalai in the Chenani Tehsil of Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur.

 

The village, which is located on the Himalayas in the sal forests’ lap, the village, which has a peripheral view of both the plains as well as hills, which will serve the International Yoga Centre at the banks of the Tawi river.

 

This river, also known as Suryaputri, originates from the Kailash Kund glacier. It is believed that the river’s presence relieves the person from life’s maladies and Chenani town gives positivity, besides releasing energy that heals.

 

As the Tourism Ministry in the Government of India has sanctioned Rs 9,782 crore for this, the International Yoga Centre has been given a modern outlook with swimming pools, business convention centres, helipads, spas, cafeteria and dining halls, cottage-designed eco-lodge huts with solarium, gymnasium auditoriums, battery operated cars, meditation enclaves and a lot more. Notably, 90 per cent of the Centre’s construction has already been completed so far.

 

As many as Rs 52 crore have also been nominated for the infrastructural and other development of the Katra-Vaishno Devi under the scheme of the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)..

Source : The Print

India has assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of December. It is the second time in its two-year tenure as an elected member of the UN Security Council that India has assumed the Presidency of the Council. India had earlier assumed the Presidency of the UNSC in August 2021.

 

Briefing media in New York, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj said, during India’s December Presidency of the UN Security Council, two high-level signature events will take place on 14th and 15th December on ‘Reformed Multilateralism and Counter-Terrorism and it will be chaired by External Affairs Minister.

She said, a bust of Mahatma Gandhi will be inaugurated at the United Nations during India’s Presidency of the UN Security Council and it will be unveiled by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres..

Source : AIR