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]]>The post WWE goes online in India appeared first on FII News.
]]>• Breaking Ground
– Breaking Ground, WWE Network’s newest original series, gives viewers access to the WWE Performance Center, chronicling what it takes to become a WWE Superstar.• Swerved
– Directed by Jeff Tremaine (Jackass, Bad Grandpa), Swerved combines the worlds of comedy and sports entertainment as WWE Superstars and Divas play hilarious pranks on one another.• The Monday Night War
– WWE Network’s 20-episode original series documents the epic television ratings battle between entertainment icons Vince McMahon and Ted Turner.• Stone Cold® Podcast Live! – WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin® sits down with the biggest names in WWE and the world of sports and entertainment for a no-holds-barred, in-your-face, exclusive interview.
• NXT TAKEOVER LIVE! – The future is here. WWE’s hottest up-and-coming Superstars compete to prove they’ve got what it takes. More than just evolution, it’s a revolution. Witness these WWE Superstars of tomorrow as they take over WWE Network with live two-hour specials.
• WWE® 24 – The acclaimed 30-minute docu-series that takes viewers on a lightning-fast journey through a day in the life of WWE’s most intriguing Superstars and groundbreaking events.
• Total Divas
(Seasons 1-3) – Total Divas gives viewers an exclusive, outside-the-ring look at WWE’s top Divas with an inside glimpse into their personal lives as they balance their own drama and the non-stop action of their professional careers.WWE, a US publicly traded company, is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. fii-news.com
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Mr Nitish Jain
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]]>The post Kronos named best work place appeared first on FII News.
]]>Kronos, which employs more than 500 staff in India at its locations in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Noida (Delhi), was named in “India’s 50 Best IT and IT-BPM Companies to Work for” which is compiled by Great Place to Work® Institute India based on its Trust Index© survey.
The survey is based on responses from a random selection of employees, as well as an in-depth Culture Audit© review of the organization’s culture, including an evaluation of HR policies and procedures.
Kronos has recently opened a new office at Okaya Blue Silicon Business Park in Noida to focus on continued growth in India, with space to accommodate 800 employees, primarily software engineers and services professionals.
Kronos has also recently been rated an employer of choice by Boston Business Journal, The Boston Globe, Forbes, and Canada’s The Globe and Mail.
Nearly one-third of Kronos hires in the past 12 months have been from employee referrals.
Kronos employs more than 4,000 worldwide, expects to hire 1,000 employees in 2015, and is actively hiring with more than 300 Kronos job openings worldwide.
Aron Ain, chief executive officer, Kronos, said “This award is of great personal importance to me as our employees and culture are integral to the ongoing success of Kronos. Achieving this accolade in India will help us attract and retain the best talent as we continue to expand our presence in the region.”
Preeti Malhotra, practice head, Great Place to Work® Institute added “This year, in India, more than 550 organizations and more than 135 organizations from IT & IT-BPM underwent a Great Place to Work assessment providing these organizations with actionable insights and recommendations to help them create and sustain a great workplace. Kronos is among the elite 50 IT organizations that secured a ranking in India as a result of the assessment.”
Kronos is the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud
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]]>The post KKR introduces ATG to Green Portfolio appeared first on FII News.
]]>ATG is a global tire maker that specializes in producing off-highway tires and caters primarily to the agricultural, forestry and construction industries.
ATG’s entrance into the GPP enhances its existing sustainability efforts which have been an area of focus since ATG’s inception. These initiatives center on reducing energy consumption, minimizing scrap waste and environmental impact at its tire manufacturing facilities in India and Israel. The factories in India have been built to high environmental standards, with zero liquid discharge and rainwater harvesting. ATG’s facilities in India and Israel have already received or are in the process of obtaining ISO 140001 environmental management systems certifications.
Since August 2013, ATG’s management worked with KKR and members of KKR Capstone, an independent team of operational executives who work exclusively with KKR portfolio companies, to measure its coal consumption energy usage and its scrap losses.
The program has already led to quantifiable environmental results. Between the second quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015, ATG’s calculations have shown:
• Coal consumption per ton of production has been reduced by ~90 kg/ton;
• Steam consumption has been reduced by 10 per cent per ton; and
• Scrap waste has been reduced by 4.3 per cent.
ATG expects the collective environmental savings from the gas project alone to equate to US$450,000 of annualized cost savings at ATG’s Israeli plant. ATG will continue to calculate the financial return on its other initiatives and will report the results next year.
“ATG’s core principles include being mindful of our environmental impacts. For example, waste-reduction has been a long-term goal for our business. KKR’s assistance in introducing new metrics and analytics to our initiatives helps us measure and improve upon our sustainability performance,” said Yogesh Mahansaria, Founder & CEO of ATG.
“We believe ATG is world-class in terms of its environmental sustainability efforts. We are thrilled that KKR and KKR Capstone could contribute analytical tools to complement ATG’s ongoing sustainability efforts. The ability to measure environmental impact while producing tangible cost savings highlights is the foundation of the Green Portfolio Program,” said Sanjay Nayar, Member & CEO of KKR India.
The GPP, which began in 2008 as a partnership between KKR and the environmental non-profit organization Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), applies KKR’s approach of assessing, measuring, and optimizing performance in order to help portfolio companies manage their environmental impacts while also improving their bottom line. KKR works with members of participating private equity portfolio companies to enhance existing sustainability initiatives by providing a set of analytic tools to help company management teams assess and track improvements across several key performance areas, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water, waste, priority chemicals, and forest resources while adding to the company’s bottom line.
As of October 2014, 21 private equity portfolio companies worldwide participating in the GPP reported achieving nearly US$1.2 billion in avoided costs and added revenue. The companies reported having avoided more than 2.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 2008 and 2013, equivalent to powering 217,000 homes; avoided 27 million cubic meters of water use, enough water to fill nearly 11,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools; and avoided 6.3 million tons of waste while also recycling more than 1.6 million tons, enough to fill approximately 450,000 garbage trucks.
KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages investments across multiple asset classes including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit and hedge funds.
ATG serves customers in 120 countries, across 6 continents.
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]]>The post Special Report: Modi’s Mongolian Strategy appeared first on FII News.
]]>Mr Modi has pursued his foreign policy objectives with exceptional dynamism. Mr Modi’s visit to Mongolia in May 2015 was aimed at amplifying India’s “strategic access” to Chinese periphery, and boosting India’s soft-power diplomacy.
Executive itinerary across the globe has both symbolic signalling and strategic compulsions, which “often reflects changing national priorities and power dynamics, of countries that matter more and those that matter less”.3 Mr Modi is the first Prime Minister of India to have visited Mongolia in the six decades after the two countries formally established bilateral ties. India and Mongolia are “trusted partners”, and the leaders of both countries have decided “to elevate the level of their relations from comprehensive partnership to strategic partnership”.
Mr Modi’s visit has added a new chapter to the relationship between these two ‘spiritual’ interlocutors and democratic communities. Around two thousand years ago, monks from India spread the message of Buddhism in Mongolia, and many Mongolians visited India in search of spiritual knowledge. Over a period of time, Indian and Mongolian cultures, literature and art became interconnected.
Speaking at the banquet in Ulan Bator (also spelt as Ulaanbaatar) on 17 May 2015, Prime Minister Modi remarked: “Ours is a relationship that is not measured on the scale of commerce or driven by competition against others. It is a relationship of immeasurable positive energy that comes from our spiritual links and shared ideals. It is the energy that seeks the well-being of our two nations and the common good of the world”.
The fact of the matter, however, is that India is signalling something vital to the Chinese that the country can reach out to its backyard for apparent strategic considerations.
Mongolia offers enormous opportunities for India due to its strategic location and vast natural resources.
First, Mr Modi’s visit to Mongolia took place at a time when the two countries are celebrating 60 years of their diplomatic relations, and Mongolia is completing 25 years of democracy. More importantly, this is the first recent instance where the visit by India’s Prime Minister to China has been combined with visits to China’s periphery, perhaps an attempt to emulate China by developing a network of countervailing relationships. Certainly, this visit has imparted fresh momentum to the relationship of Delhi and Ulaanbaatar. It is important to note here that while Mongolia appeared peripheral to India’s interests, it was never ignored by the Indian foreign policy makers. In fact, as the spokesperson of the Government of India suggests “India and Mongolia have interacted through history over a period of 2600 years. Following the emergence of Mongolia as a modern nation state in the 20th century, the two countries have continued to build relations based on shared historical and cultural legacy”.
Second, Mongolia has some of the world’s richest reserves of coal, petroleum and uranium.
Hence, Mr Modi’s visit was designed to improve India’s strategic access to the Chinese periphery. Both Ulaanbaatar and Delhi face the challenge of a rising China. Outlining the objectives and future directions of their strategic partnership, the joint statement, issued after Mr Modi’s talks with his Mongolian leadership, underscores that “India and Mongolia support the evolution of open, balanced and inclusive security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region based on collective efforts, considering legitimate interests of all states of the region guided by respect for norms and principles of international law”.
This seems to reflect their concerns about Chinese ‘assertiveness’, and can be read as an indirect message to Beijing, ties with which pose a big challenge for both these countries. This may also be seen as underlining their non-confrontational approach towards regional issues. Furthermore, Mr Modi’s Mongolia trip emphasised India’s instincts for independent foreign policy and strong partnership with democratic countries.
Third, Mr Modi seems to endorse India’s soft power diplomacy consistently in his foreign policy orientation, mainly touching upon religion, culture and the power of democracy. Buddhism and Yoga figure at the centre of Mr Modi’s Asian outreach. In fact, he has been pitching for making Yoga a mass movement. In his first address to the UN General Assembly in September 2014, he proposed the observance of an International Yoga Day. Recognising that yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being, the UN decided to proclaim 21 June the International Day of Yoga. No wonder then, Mr Modi opted to become the first Prime Minister of India to visit Mongolia, which has historic Buddhist connections. In his remarks to the Mongolian Parliament, Mr Modi said: “The convergence of Buddhism and democracy provides us a path to build an Asia of peace and cooperation, harmony and equality… Today Indians and Mongolians are telling the world that the bonds of hearts and minds have the strength to overcome the barriers of distances”.
Fourth, Mr Modi’s style shows that he believes in the power of personal diplomacy of cultivating rapport with his foreign counterparts. He has displayed this during his foreign visits – embracing his interlocutors, making phone calls to them ahead of his visits, or his much-talked-about ‘selfie’ moments. The personal ‘chemistry’ between Mr Modi and Mongolian Prime Minister Chimediin Saikhanbileg could prove useful in injecting fresh momentum to India-Mongolia relations.
Laying down the framework for future cooperation, both the countries signed 13 agreements during Mr Modi’s visit; these covered political and security partnership, defence and security cooperation, economic cooperation, health sector cooperation, scientific, cultural and people-to-people contacts. Delhi and Ulaanbaatar have agreed to enhance their cooperation on border guarding, policing and surveillance, and cyber security. The joint statement aptly sums up the significance of Mr Modi’s diplomatic outreach to Mongolia: “The State Visit of the Prime Minister of India has consolidated the longstanding, cordial and cooperative ties between Mongolia and India, and contributed greatly to further developing the newly established bilateral partnership.” This visit was a thoughtful choice and a meaningful foreign policy move. It was also an indication of India’s more active engagement in Asia.
Mr Chaturvedy is Research Associate at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) and can be contacted at [email protected].
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]]>The MoU allows BIS to designate, adopt and translate IEEE standards as Indian national standards.
BIS said standards ensure not only the availability of quality product, but also provide methods for their evaluation to assure compliance to requirements.
The standards also provide guidelines for proper selection, safe installation and efficient utilization and thereafter proper maintenance. Standards help in fostering innovation and technology transfer, in increasing productivity and in international competitiveness all of which are essential for industrial development and economic growth.
“We also recognize that standards are a major tool for protection of consumer interests. They set a framework where people can feel safe and confident in using a product,” it said.
BIS traditionally has been adopting standards of ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission).
However, stakeholders have at times expressed that it may be necessary to adopt standards of other international standards-development organizations (SDO) for taking care of Indian interests.
BIS has, thus, decided to adopt Standards from other SDOs in specific areas based on the need.
IEEE is one such organization that has developed standards with wide, global acceptance.
Accordingly, BIS has signed an MoU with IEEE. The MoU besides facilitating adoption of IEEE standards as Indian standards also envisages cooperation between BIS and IEEE for standards development in emerging areas like smart grid systems, power quality, information and communication tools, cloud computing, low-voltage direct current, etc.
BIS, India’s national standards body, has had the mandate of promoting and nurturing standards movement within India since 1947. Under terms of its MoU with the IEEE-SA, BIS can publish, market and distribute adopted IEEE standards either without change or as modified to adapt the standard to the technical, natural or regulatory environment of India.
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]]>The post Eros launches dedicated portal appeared first on FII News.
]]>As host to the largest library of films, as well as premium television programs, music videos and audio tracks, ErosNow already has over 19 million registered users able to watch what they want, when they want on any internet-connected device such as laptops, tablets or mobile smartphones.
The official launch of ErosNow comes during a renaissance in India’s digital landscape.
According to a recent KPMG FICCI report India will have over one billion mobile subscribers by 2017 with the market for 3G and 4G expected to grow 3.5 times to over 247 million.
To capitalize on this growing market Eros is announcing a series of game-changing initiatives to the ErosNow platform, including releasing films immediately after theatrical release and prior to their television release.
Commenting on the official launch, Jyoti Deshpande, Group CEO & Managing Director, Eros International Plc said, “Having conquered the big screen, we have now set our sights on something even bigger and newer with the official launch of ErosNow.
“We are poised to take advantage of the rapidly expanding broadband penetration and the imminent launch of 4G technology in India to reach out to the potential audience offered by close to a billion mobile connections. As consumption patterns change globally, Internet entertainment networks have begun to quickly replace traditional, linear television. It’s our turn now and I believe that Eros has the leading advantage in this space with the strength of its vast content library and dominant market share. Through the ErosNow platform, we can further consolidate our leadership position and reinvent ourselves from a film studio to a more consumer facing content and digital company in the next phase of our growth.”
ErosNow will also be producing its very own in-house flagship original programming to deliver high-quality, cutting-edge shows with film-like production values aimed towards young Indians, the largest demographic of the Indian population. Consumers can expect never-seen-before content across several genres that include reality shows, adaptations of hit international series, and original productions spanning drama, comedy and thrillers.
Full seasons of these shows and series will be available for viewing exclusively on ErosNow. The Company will roll out its original content strategy with three ground-breaking programs:
• Khel, a wicked, dark drama featuring an insider’s perspective on the twisted characters that populate the world of cricket and the Indian Premier League, directed by Karan Anshuman.
• The Client, a stylish, edgy, action-packed thriller starring Bipasha Basu as the main protagonist, due to be directed by Rohan Sippy.
• Ponniyin Selvan, an epic period drama based on a massively popular Tamil historical novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy, which is an in-house production by Eros South.
ErosNow will also co-produce the Indian adaptation of a popular international sitcom with Anil Kapoor Film Company (AKFC), which already has the hit Hollywood series, 24, under its belt.
Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital added, “I am thrilled that ErosNow has already garnered over 19 million registered users during just its pre-launch phase, a testament to the strength of the platform. With the launch of our official marketing campaign, we are uniquely focused on driving continued subscriber growth through our unique windowing premieres and distinctive quality of our original shows. With an in-house, state-of-the-art technological platform that offers a world-class consumer experience along with exclusive and compelling content, I am confident there is vast opportunity for ErosNow going forward.”
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]]>The post Unlocking India’s rental market – New Act appeared first on FII News.
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By Ashwinder Raj Singh, CEO – Residential Services, JLL India
A change is in the air after almost 70 years as far as rental market is concerned. With the Draft Model Tenancy Act 2015, more of India’s budget-strong families can expect to have a roof over their heads at a cost that is affordable, and to live with dignity.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has finally started moving on the Draft Model Tenancy Act 2015. The previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government initiated it almost four years back, but did not complete the process. Housing is a major problem in India, and this Act looks forward to making an impact on it in the most constructive manner.
Will this Act will change the market dynamics and if so, how?
The Draft Model Tenancy Act, 2015, is an improvement on its obsolete predecessor, the Rent Control Act, 1948. The latest draft will make things much easier for the landlords who were short-changed by the previous law. The Rent Control Act was applicable only to tenancy of more than 12 months, had put a cap on rent and made it extremely difficult to evict a tenant who did not pay the revised rents despite living in the same premises for years. The new draft, on the other hand, will ensure that landlords are able to charge market rates for their residential or commercial properties, get the rents revised periodically and also get their premises vacated easily without getting into the long-drawn legal proceedings.
What is Draft Model Tenancy Act, 2015 responding to?
There was a need to unlock the greater potential of the housing sector. Property owners were sceptical about giving their house on rent, and most of them avoided it out of the fear that tenant will never vacate their property. With these changes, house owners can relax and a huge number of properties lying vacant can be used to not only generate additional income for them, but also solve the housing problem of millions.
Who will benefit from the new Act?
Apart from the benefits to landlords, the new draft Act also works well for tenants. As per the draft, rent ceiling will be fixed in consultation with the state government to avoid arbitrary hikes. Besides this, landlords won’t be able to evict tenant as per their whims and fancies, as there will be a written agreement. Also, the security deposit charged from the tenant will be capped at three times the monthly rent, which is currently charged more or less on an ad hoc basis. Another plus point for tenants is that they can claim a reduction in rent if the quality of services available to them deteriorates in any way. In short, it’s a win-win situation for both house owners and tenants if they play by the rule book.
Will the new Act succeed where the previous one failed?
Yes, it will. The new Act safeguards the interests of both the parties in a special court of law, so there is no reason to believe that it will fail to have an impact. Landlords can expect rent that their property deserve and tenants will be saved from unexpected rental raise and surprise evictions. The only thing to be considered here is the implementation of the Act in its right spirit.
The purpose of this Act is to help unlock the pent-up potential lying in the housing segment. While the UPA government’s avowed intention of constructing houses for millions will take a lot of time and regulatory approvals, unlocking the doors of houses already built but not utilized is a faster and comparatively easier process of addressing the goal of Housing For All.
Will there be an immediate impact?
The expected change – meaning the increased willingness for property owners to rent out their properties – might not happen overnight. House owners will first like to test the waters. However, with a long-term view, house owners have everything to gain by letting out their property without having to worry about seeing them vacated. A lot will depend on the execution of the rules mentioned in Act to help landlord raise rents and get trouble-making tenants evicted.
State-Level Applicability Of The Act
Since land is a subject of state, this Act is not binding on the states and therefore is called a draft. It is left on the states to decide whether to accept it or not. Given the vote-bank scenario, most state governments might not adopt this draft, but in the long run they would have to accept it since it is beneficial for tenants in a big way. Presently, the rent laws in most states have become archaic and are not serving the purpose of the current day and age. Additionally, lots of tenants have to undergo the harrowing experience of either giving in to arbitrary rent hikes or face eviction. This Act can help bring transparency as well as ease of doing business for both the parties involved.
A change is in the air after almost 70 years as far as rental market is concerned. With the Draft Model Tenancy Act 2015, more of India’s budget-strong families can expect to have a roof over their heads at a cost that is affordable, and to live with dignity. The sooner the respective state governments adopt the new Rental Act, the sooner they will be able to reap the benefits.
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