Month: April 2023

 

Urged people to join the movement to support the fight against tobacco

 

 

Bangalore, India: Milann Fertility Specialists, a leading fertility clinic, successfully concluded their “Walk of Good Health – Say No To Tobacco” event on 30th April. The walk was organized to spread awareness about the harmful impact of tobacco consumption on fertility and promote healthy habits for a healthy pregnancy.

 

The event began at 6:30 AM from Milann fertility clinic, Whitefield and concluded at Decathlon Whitefield. The walk was open to all and saw participation from individuals of all ages who came together to support the cause.

 

Lakshman TL, CEO-Milann Fertility Specialists, expressed his thoughts on the event, saying, “We are overwhelmed by the response we have received for our Walk of Good Health event. Through this initiative, we aimed to educate people about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption on fertility and promote healthy practices to embrace parenthood. We hope that this event has helped in breaking the taboo surrounding infertility and will inspire people to make positive changes in their lives.”

 

Milann Fertility Specialists appreciates the collective effort made by participants in eradicating tobacco addiction for a brighter future. At the end of the event, participants were awarded certificates and exciting goodies.

 

Milann – The fertility specialists is committed to providing the highest quality care to its patients, and the “Walk of Good Health – Say No To Tobacco” event was a step towards spreading awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco on fertility.

 

KLH Global Business School of KL Deemed to be University -one of India’s leading private universities, organized the Arka Management Fest on April 27th & 28th, 2023 at its Kondapur campus. This an inter-college competition, aimed to bring together the brightest minds from various colleges to compete in a series of management-related events. The two-day event includes engaging activities such as debate competitions, Ideathons, town meeting, brand race, quizzes, product photography, solo and group dance performances, singing competitions, and more.

 

The inaugural ceremony was conducted by the chief guest Dr. Shanta Thoutam, Chief Innovation Officer, Government of Telangana, Mrs. Radhika Choudary, Co-Founder & Director, FreyrEnergy, and Ms. Mythreyi Kondapi, Founder, Startoon Labs. Over a spread of two day eminent guests including Mrs.Srujana Raghupatruni, Founding CEO of Cellerite Systems Hyderabad, will visit the campus to become part of the festival. Around 100 students from various schools are expected to participate in the event.

 

Speaking on this occasion, Dr. G. Pardha Saradhi Varma, Vice Chancellor, KL Deemed to be University said, “I am happy to see that the event was ideated, managed, and executed entirely by students and is a testament to their creativity, leadership skills, and ability to work as a team.  Fest like this helps students explore and bring out their intellectual and creative side, motivating them to be a better version of themselves daily. KLH Global business school strongly believes in providing engaging events for students to enhance their learning experience and inspire them in their academic pursuits. This event is just one of many successful ones to come for our students”.

 

“The objective was to provide a platform for students to showcase their management skills and creativity, Dr. B. Balanagalakshmi, HoD, KLH Global Business School, Hyderabad. A well-curated schedule of cultural activities and contests will be performed enabling students to showcase their talent in various fields and compete against each other while enjoying the togetherness. The two-day event will provide students a platform to meet new minds and learning.”

 

The event also witnessed the presence of Dr. L Koteswarao, Principal, Bowrampet campus, Dr. A Ramakrishna, Principal Engineering, KLH Hyderabad Campus, Convener, Dr. P. Hima Jagati, Associate Professor, Mrs. Meenakshi Sharma, Head PR, senior faculty members, staff and students.

 

Enabling Solar transformation through instant financing solutions. With EMIs not more than the savings from Solar, there is no extra burden on customers to install Solar. 

 

Aims to grow total AUM to Rs.1000 crore by FY25 and scale up the share of green financing loan portfolio to Rs.400 crores.

 

With faster digital on-boarding facility, the financing solutions for roof-top solar will be rolled out across the country including tier 2 and 3 cities and rural areas. 

 

Credit Fair, a consumer lending fintech startup, has partnered with Tata Power Solar Systems Limited (TPSSL), a 100% subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) to offer collateral-free affordable financing solutions with low cost for both individuals as well as MSMEs planning to reduce their carbon footprint and electricity bills. The association is in line with the mission of Credit Fair to play an enabling role in the green energy transformation by offering easy financing options to households and enterprises gearing up to switch to renewable or alternative energy.

 

Under the arrangement, Credit Fair will offer its financing solutions to customers through the channel partners of TPSSL.  The financing solutions come with flexible tenures up to 60 months. In the initial phase, Credit Fair will finance loans with the ticket size of up to Rs. 50 lakh which helps customers install up to 100 kW of solar power systems. Credit Fair will offer financing to all types of solar rooftop installations – residential, housing societies, trusts and MSMEs. 

 

Leveraging its simplified digital customer on-boarding backbone, Credit Fair will offer quicker application process on its merchant portal to its customers. The financing solutions will be rolled out across the country including tier 2 and 3 cities and rural areas. 

 

Commenting on the association, Vikas Agarwal, Co-Founder & CBO, Credit Fair said, “We are pleased to partner with Tata Power Solar Systems Limited as it gives us an opportunity to us also contribute to strengthen solar power adoption in India with easy financing options. With TPSSL’s extensive reach including the remote areas of the country, we aim to broad-base solar power adoption on the back of growing awareness and government’s efforts to incentivise the rooftop solar solutions adoption through subsidies. We have plans to further increase credit limit from Rs.50 lakh to Rs. 200 Lakhs, based on the demand. India, being a tropical country, receives 3,000 hours of sunshine a year and that presents a great opportunity to boost the solar power generation and initiate green energy y transformation. We are focusing on financing solar power needs aggressively as there is a growing appetite for solar energy adoption and consummation in the market. Our goal is to increase the share of green financing in the loan book to 40 percent resulting in reduction of carbon emission. We are aiming to grow our total assets under management (AUM) to Rs.1000 crore by FY25 and scale up the share of green financing loan portfolio to Rs.400 crore.  

Offers customers value with premiums starting from less than Rs.15/day*

 

 

KEY FEATURES OF THE POLICY:

●      Single Comprehensive Plan variant with 9 Basic Indemnity Covers and 18 Optional covers

●      Premiums starting from less than Rs.15/day

●      Entry age: 18-65 years (Adults), and 91 days to 30 years (Children)

●      Multiple Sum Insured ranges from INR 3 Lacs to 25 lacs

●      Long-term Policy options are available for up to 3 years

●      Attractive optional Covers and discount options available

●      Seamless digital-only customer journey

●      Provides customers flexibility to customise and design their healthcare policy

 

 

SBI General Insurance, one of India’s leading general insurers today announced the launch of a fully customizable digital-only health product ‘Health Edge Insurance’. The policy offers a single comprehensive plan with 9 basic indemnity covers and 18 optional covers, allowing customers to design a tailor-made health insurance policy as per their requirements. It offers customers a convenient and hassle-free experience.

 

The policy provides multiple sum insured options ranging between INR 3 Lacs to INR 25 Lacs, with long-term policy options available for up to 3 years. The entry age to purchase the Health Edge plan is 18 years to 65 years for adults and 91 days to 30 years for children.

 

Health Edge Insurance is a truly digital-only product from SBI General that makes buying health insurance a user-friendly experience. The entire process right from purchase to claims will be completely digital and shall require minimal paperwork. Customers can avail services such as downloading the policy document, premium payment, policy renewal, making a claim and more, from the comfort of their homes.

 

The Heath Edge plan comprises of nine in-built covers: In-Patient Hospitalization, Pre-Hospitalization Medical Expenses, Post-Hospitalization Medical Expenses, Day-Care Treatment, Emergency Road Ambulance Cover, Bariatric Surgery Cover, Modern Treatment/ Advance Procedures, AYUSH Treatment and Stay Fit Health Checkup. Insured individuals can also avail of a health check-up for various preventive tests under the Stay Fit Health Check-up.

 

Additionally, customers are free to select from 18 optional covers including Domestic Help/ Staff Indemnity, Hospital Daily Cash, Accidental Death Cover, Unlimited Refill, Critical Illness Cover and more.

Speaking on the launch, Anand Pejawar, Whole-time Director, SBI General Insurance said, “At SBI General, we have always been at the forefront of providing customers with simplified and innovative risk solutions that address the evolving needs of the customers. We launched Health Edge Insurance with an objective to make health care affordable and available across the length and breadth of the country. With this product, we are taking a step forward in our journey of innovation, providing individuals with a comprehensive yet flexible health insurance cover. This empowers our customers to design a plan of their choice as per their requirements.”

  

The Health Edge insurance plan includes some noteworthy covers such as the Global Treatment cover which takes care of the medical expenses incurred towards inpatient care outside India, and OPD cover which guarantees the medical expenses incurred for allopathic OPD expenses including Diagnostics and Pharmacy, for both floater and individual policies. 

 

●        Astrotalk witnessed a 99.65% call success rate and regular live broadcasts to 10,000+ users with Agora’s Real Time Engagement

 

 Agora Inc. (NASDAQ: API), a pioneer and leading platform for real-time engagement APIs, has tied up with Astrotalk, an online astrology platform. This partnership will enable Astrotalk to provide easy and hassle-free astrology consultations through live chats and calls, creating an engaging and interactive ecosystem of astrology.

Astrotalk chose Agora for a smooth and seamless interface and communication channel in order to deliver a heightened digital experience via large-scale live streams, chat, and one-on-one video or voice calls. By leveraging Agora's expertise, Astrotalk was able to introduce astrologer live sessions, allowing popular astrologers to showcase their skills and knowledge. Agora's worldwide streaming network algorithms also reduced packet loss and latency to deliver uninterrupted live streaming which helped establish trustworthiness and reliability of the website. These live sessions also enabled customers to choose their preferred astrologers, leading to a significant increase in attendance. With this partnership, Astrotalk was able to deliver a smooth streaming experience with an average call success rate of 99.65% since implementation.

“In the last three years, a large part of India’s younger population has been keen on learning more about astrology, especially via online platforms which they are more comfortable with. Hence, digitization of astrology services through apps with live chats and calls became the need of the hour. We considered building our own real time communication (RTC) service in addition to evaluating other RTC providers before deciding that Agora was the best choice due to its superior capabilities. Agora has played a crucial role in helping our company drive revenue by boosting user engagement and retention while reducing app uninstalls,” said Puneet Gupta, Founder & CEO of Astrotalk.

“In India, astrology holds significant historical and cultural significance and is a booming business in India. Our partnership with Astrotalk is an exciting opportunity to cater to this growing market and offer new and technologically advanced digital capabilities for a sector that was primarily offline,” said Ranga Jagannath, Senior Director-Growth, Agora. “Real-time engagement (RTE) has become a critical component for any business now to help them engage with consumers effortlessly and efficiently in the virtual world. We hope to continue to create more immersive and compelling experiences for customers across industries.”

With confidence in its platform and Agora as a partner, Astrotalk is planning to expand its reach in India and in international markets such as the USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and others. Astrotalk believes that Agora can help them continue to scale and offer their exceptional streaming experience to a million more users worldwide in the future.

Global designation evolves to shape today’s investment profession and the professionals who operate within it

CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, announces significant enhancements to the CFA Program as part of its continual efforts to evolve the Program. These changes address the way today’s candidates learn and prepare them for successful careers as investment professionals, while also supplying the industry with the well-trained, ethical professionals it so requires.

Margaret Franklin, CFA, President and CEO, CFA Institute, commented “These enhancements represent an important milestone for our candidates and employers in the industry. In fact, they constitute the most significant changes we have ever made to the CFA Program since its inception in 1963. We conducted extensive research to get feedback directly from employers, candidates, prospective candidates, and the industry at large to inform how best to advance the knowledge and skills we provide to the investment professionals of the future.

“We can say with certainty that candidates are exceptionally keen to get an edge in the market for employment, and they are willing to work very hard for the advantage that the CFA Program provides. These changes will meet their needs by helping them to understand how to put investing concepts into practice on the job and be desk-ready on day one. The CFA Program signals clearly that candidates are serious about a long and successful career in investment management.”

 

“CFA Institute is committed to developing a future-ready talent pool for the investment management industry through the CFA Program. The industry has experienced rapid change over the last few years and these enhancements are intended to keep investment management professionals a step ahead. With the enhancements, CFA Program candidates will be more job-ready, learn to leverage technology, and aligned to developments in specialised market segments. The changes have also incorporated new methods of learning to make the Program curriculum sharper and smarter.” said Arati Porwal, Country Head, India, CFA Institute.

 

The six changes are as follows:

1. Self-contained, digital practical skills modules will be introduced to the CFA Program to teach candidates on-the-job, practical applications. The initial practical skills modules include Financial Modelling for Level I; Analyst Skills at Level II; Python Programming Fundamentals (Level I or Level II) and Python, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (Level II). Additional practical skills modules are in development for Level III for the calendar 2025 exam series. Beginning in 2024, at least one practical skills module must be completed for each of Levels I and II but will not be graded as part of the exam.

 

2. Specialized pathways will be introduced at Level III beginning in 2025. A common core of study will exist for all three pathways at Level III, and candidates will be able to choose one of three job-role focused pathways:

                                I.            Portfolio Management (the traditional version of Level III)

                              II.            Private Wealth

                            III.            Private Markets

 

All three pathways will be equally rigorous and in pursuit of one credential: the CFA charter.

 

3. An improved digital badging strategy will reinforce the value of Level I and Level II achievements to candidates on their CFA Program journey. Candidate feedback suggests that a formal acknowledgement of completing Levels I and II would be beneficial in their search for internships and full-time positions as an indicator of the seriousness of their commitment to a career in the investment profession.

 

4. The volume of study materials will be reduced at each Level to ensure candidate preparation remains at around 300 hours for each exam. In our research, we found that today’s candidates are spending significantly more than 300 hours to study for each Level of the CFA Program. Best practices in instructional design are therefore being incorporated to ensure that the content is efficient, accessible, and relevant while maintaining the rigor and value-add of the CFA Program. Some introductory content that most candidates would have learned during undergraduate studies will remain available to registered candidates in the preparatory materials but will not be tested on the exams.

 

5. Additional practice materials: when registration opens for the February 2024 exams this May, Level I candidates will have the opportunity to purchase the CFA Program Practice Pack, a new product that includes 1000 new practice questions and six additional Level I mock exams. Candidates are currently granted access to two mock exams at no additional charge eight weeks before their exam window. Based on candidate surveys, it was determined that significant demand exists for more mock exams and practice questions from CFA Institute.

 

6. Level I CFA Exam eligibility has been extended by a year to those who are two years away from completing their undergraduate degree. This change was previously announced on 16 November, 2022.

 

Chris Wiese, CFA, Managing Director and Head of Credentialing, said “We spent years researching market needs while contemplating these changes. We spoke to candidates, students, employers, our members and societies, and others in the financial industry ecosystem. As the $10 trillion private markets continue to play a larger role in investment portfolios and as the $130 trillion^[1] wealth management segment requires more highly trained professionals, we landed on adding these two new pathways at Level III in addition to the traditional portfolio management route. We also know that the new Financial Modeling, Python, and Analyst Skills modules will be valuable to candidates and employers alike and dovetail with existing curriculum content.”

 

For further information on the CFA Program, please visit https://evolve.cfainstitute.org, where you can also watch a video explainer from Marg Franklin, accompanied by more detailed on the six changes by Chris Wiese.