Almost 80% of Early-Stage Startups Looking to Increase their Workforce in 2023: FICCI–Randstad Startup Hiring Trends Survey

• 80.49% of the total startups surveyed stated that they plan to increase their manpower hiring in 2023, while 15.78% plan to maintain their existing headcount, majority being early stage.
• 54.38% of startups attribute the high attrition rate to factors such as better pay packages offered by larger corporations, as well as concerns over job security in a startup.
• The sectors depicting the highest hiring intent include the healthcare sector, IT/ITes, agri/agritech, AI/ML/DeepTech, Fintech and Manufacturing; while Hyderabad and Pune are emerging as regions exhibiting strong intent to hire for senior-level positions.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in partnership with Randstad India, one of the leading organizations in the HR services industry, has launched their exclusive survey on startup hiring trends. Over 300 startups participated in the survey.

Despite the current trend of layoffs among larger corporations, the survey highlights that a significant proportion (80%) of early-stage startups, those with a current workforce of fewer than 20 employees, are actively seeking to expand their workforce in 2023. Notably, these startups have secured Series A and Series B funding, are well-capitalized, and are actively seeking to hire new talent. 92% of these startups stated that their hiring decisions will primarily be driven by new project orders, additional funding raised from investors and expansion strategies.

While startups are planning to expand their workforce, a substantial portion, 31.92% anticipate an increase in hiring by over 30%. 28.08% of companies plan to expand their teams in the 11-20% range. Sectors like Agri/Agritech, AI/ML/Deeptech, Automotive, and E-commerce/delivery services are expected to increase hiring in the 11-20% range, while Aerospace & Defense, Energy, and Healthcare startups are expected to increase their hiring activities by over 30%. Overall, sectors depicting the highest intent to hire include healthcare (13%), IT/ITes (10%), agri/agritech (8%), AI/ML/DeepTech (7%), Fintech (7%) and Manufacturing (7%).

The study also states that hiring will primarily occur at the junior and mid-levels. Approximately 37.97% of startups have indicated that they intend to recruit more junior-level employees, while 27.27% of respondents are planning to focus on mid-level hiring. However, the Agri/agritech and automotive sectors will focus more on senior level C-suite hiring.

The survey further indicates that 54.38% of startups attribute the high attrition rate in the industry to factors such as better pay packages offered by larger corporations, as well as concerns over job security in a startup. Other factors contributing to attrition in startups include a lack of clarity around career progression and credibility.

Interestingly, 57.28% of the surveyed startups believe that ESOPs (Employee Stock Option Pool) have the potential to serve as an effective instrument for retaining employees. Furthermore, 41.49% of surveyed startups have already implemented ESOPs as a retention strategy.

In terms of hiring challenges faced by startups, the primary factors include a deficit in requisite skills, mismatches in salary expectations, and a reluctance among potential candidates to join a startup due to concerns over risk perception.

Mr Rohit Bansal, Chairman - FICCI Start-up Committee, and Co-founder, AceVector Group & Titan Capital said, “Startups create a large range of jobs as they grow and mature. As this report highlights, the initial opportunities arise as founders onboard the early team to help establish the business. A multiplier impact on job creation is seen in the growth and expansion stage when operations expand, and various initiatives mature. The dynamic working environment in startups provides the ideal training ground for aspiring entrepreneurs who then move on to create their own startups. This creates a virtuous cycle of growth, with each successive cohort adding jobs and enterprises. With their pan-India footprint, startups create jobs and economic opportunities beyond just the top cities and are key partners in India’s growth story.”

Presenting insights from the startup hiring trends survey, Mr Viswanath PS, MD & CEO, Randstad India said, “Every large corporation once started as an early-stage company and navigated its way through several challenges to reach where they are today. It gives me immense pleasure to quote that startups are rapidly emerging as significant players in India's employment landscape. With the emergence of several new-age innovative organizations across sectors, the Indian start-up ecosystem will be a significant contributor to India’s economic growth over the next few years. More importantly, these startups will eventually go on to create unique employment opportunities and career paths, innovation and competitive dynamics in the world of work.

Randstad’s exclusive survey in association with FICCI reveals that the majority of early-stage startups are exhibiting strong hiring intentions, which is a testament to the strength of India’s diverse talent pool that’s available in the job market today. I believe these early-stage startups and their growth ambitions will fuel the next phase of India Inc.’s emergence as the world’s most attractive employment hub. I am confident that the Randstad-FICCI Start-Up Hiring Trends Survey will provide unique insights into the country’s evolving startup ecosystem, ​key ​trends and its immense contribution to socio-economic development and transformation.”

Startup Recruitment Trends 

a. Permanent vs Gig Workforce

• 57.76% of startups are looking for permanent recruits
• Only 42.24% are looking to hire temporary and gig workers

b. Geography in Focus

• Hyderabad and Pune are emerging as the frontrunners in senior-level hiring, reflecting strong intent among startups in these regions.
• Additionally, middle-level hiring is expected to be prominent across cities such as Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, and Delhi/NCR.
• A considerable proportion of hiring activity across startups is expected to occur at the junior level, with Delhi/NCR, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad being the prominent cities in this category.

C. Qualifications in Demand

• 45.21% of startups are looking to hire semi-skilled employees, while 41.49% of startups are seeking highly skilled professionals.
• In terms of campus placements, a majority of startups, (67.55%) are focusing on private MBA and engineering colleges, as well as state universities, as these institutes offer quality talent at affordable salary packages.
• Only a small proportion (9.16%) of startups are opting for premier institutions such as IITs and IIMs for their campus placements.

India Internet Governance Forum IIGF’22 to be held from 9th Dec-11th Dec, 2022

IIGF’22 is a multistakeholder platform that provides a forum to debate on issues related to Internet Governance.

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multistakeholder platform bringing together representatives from various groups, considering all to be at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet. IIGF-2022 is a three-day hybrid event starting from 9th Dec till 11th Dec 2022.

The closing ceremony is scheduled on 11th December. To participate - Register at http://indiaigf.in. The event aims to discuss the roadmap to digitization and reaffirm India as an essential participant on the global stage by highlighting its role and importance in the international policy development on internet governance.

The event is a joint initiative of Multistakeholder Group. Through an open and inclusive process, IIGF brings together all stakeholders in the Global Internet governance ecosystem including government, industry, civil society, academia – as equal participants of the larger Internet Governance discourse. India is a big consumer of the internet with millions of people using it every day for a long duration. The digital drive in India is in full swing to bring 100% of the population on the internet network. This event will focus on the digitization roadmap, opportunities and possibilities, and challenges in India, besides positioning it as the global leader in the domain by highlighting its role and importance in the International Policy development on Internet Governance.

During the opening ceremony, the IIGF2022 was inaugurated by Ms. Tripti Sinha, Chair ICANN Board who attended the session from United States.

Speaking at opening session Ms. Tripti Sinha, Board Chair, ICANN said “It is an honor to be here today and speak at IGF India, my birth country. It is a great platform for bringing together a variety of stakeholders and discussing public policy issues related to the internet. ICANN's mission is to ensure the stable and secure operation of the internet. The technical pillar of ICANN helps makes it possible for your device or platform to connect to any other device or platform of the internet globally. Next, policy development is the technical aspect of the internet's unique identification governed through the ICANN multiple-state model. Here, model individuals, non-commercial stakeholder groups, industry, and government play important roles in formulating policies. The ICANN organization monitors and enforces compliance with the obligations if the policies are developed by the global multiple stakeholders of the community. ICANN appreciates the Indian government's support for the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance. We acknowledge the growth of the broader internet ecosystem of India (currently 800 million USPs) projected to grow to over 900 million by 2023 in comparison to just 400 million users in 2018. Developments of platforms UPI and Aadhar are now also worth it. Thus, it will allow rural India to benefit from the Internet and make it a truly digital economy.”

Speaking about the second edition of IIGF, Sh. Anil Kumar Jain, CEO, NIXI, said, “Through, India Internet Governance Forum, we strive to ensure the participation of all stakeholders in harnessing the power of the Internet for economic growth. This event is expected to help the participants to understand the opportunities and challenges in the sector and provide very efficacious insights for the future courses of action.”

About IIGF

The India Internet Government Forum is an initiative associated with the UN Internet Governance Forum (UN-IGF). The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder platform bringing representatives together from various groups, all at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet.

https://www.indiaigf.in

Space Travel at a cost of air ticket travel is not too far away: Skyroot Co-founder Pawan Kumar Chandana

Space Travel at a cost of air ticket travel is not too far away: Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-founder, Skyroot Aerospace--the Hyderabad start-up behind India's first privately designed and built rocket that was launched recently

Hyderabad is India’s Rocket City, says Pawan Chandana, at FLO session

Indian tourists travelling into space is not far away and will become reality in the next 10 years

Telugu states' contribution to Indian space technology is immense

Hyderabad is the rocket city. Most of the recently launched India’s first private rocket was entirely built in Hyderabad. The supply chain is very critical. Hyderabad is the best city in India for the supply chain for building rockets. It is also the best in the world said Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace--the Hyderabad start-up behind India's first privately designed and built rocket that was launched recently.

Talking to FICCI Ladies Organisation(FLO) Members at Hotel Radisson Blu in Banjara Hills on “THE METTLE AND THE MANTLE” Indian Business Growth Trajectories, he said only a few countries in the world have the capabilities of building satellites on their own. India is far ahead in space technology. And Hyderabad is becoming a hub.

The talk was organised by FLO Hyderabad. Welcoming the gatherings Shubhraa Maheshwari, Chairperson of FLO Hyderabad said ‘be a solution to the problem, nobody can stop being a unicorn’.

150 FLO members attended the session. 

Alok Bansal seen lighting the lamp to inaugurate the session The Mattle & The Mantle--The Indian Business Growth Trajectories

Shubhraa Maheshwari, Alok Bansal, Pawan Kumar Chandana, Pavan Guntupalli

Pawan Kumar Chandana participated and spoke along with two other startup co-founders—Alok Bansal Co-founder & Executive Vice Chairman, Policy Bazaar---a one-stop destination online for all types of insurance products and Pavan Guntupalli, Co-founder of Rapido--India's first and fastest-growing Bike taxi app with a whopping 25 Million+ app downloads.

Space technology is exciting. Only 10% of the universe is covered by mobile technology. The rest of the 90% is space. It is very challenging and exciting. We would like to focus on building smaller satellites of less than 500 kg, he shared

Around 100 to 150 satellites are launched every year over the world and well over 1000 satellites are launched every year. In the next ten years, this number is likely to go up to 40, 000. So we will focus on how we can launch small satellites most cost-effectively.

Replying to a question whether they have any plans to take tourists into space he said that is already happening in the west. As far as India is concerned it might take about ten years. And we are not focusing much on that now. Our focus is on building smaller rockets. The future is not far away see Indian tourists going into space. The future is not far away to see the cost of travelling to space will come down as reasonable as an air ticket said Pawan

Speaking about their plans he said they are working on Vikrant 1. It will be a bigger one that will put satellites into orbit. We are planning to launch it next year, Pawan, the Indian Elon Musk in the making revealed.

Space will be democratized. Everyone can dream of going into space in future he said. Until now Rockets can take a maximum of ten people. But the research is on that an aircraft load of passengers is likely to go into space in future.

Earth is overpopulated. Now outer space is being explored for human habitation. Internet through satellite will become as common as the internet we are using in the next five years, Pawan informed.

Telugu states have contributed immensely to space technology. We have two promising space technology startups — Dhruva Space and Skyroot Aerosoacelocated in Hyderabad. We have ISRO’s spaceport in Sriharikota which is in the Telugu states. Hyderabad is the Rocket building aerospace hub, informed Pawan.

Women do a lot and can contribute more to space technology. This sector has less than 10% women Pawan said. He wants more Kalpana Chawlas in aerospace technology.

Alok Bansal, Co-founder & Executive Vice Chairman, Policy Bazaar---a one-stop destination online for all types of insurance products and Pavan Guntupalli, Co-founder of Rapido--India's first and fastest-growing Bike taxi app with a whopping 25 Million+ app downloads have shared their journey.

Most people were sceptical that women would not use Rapido, but it was proved wrong. 22 to 40% of users are women shared Pavan Guntupalli

Our journey was tough in the initial few years. But, we never looked back since 2014, shared Alok Bansal.

The FLO session was addressed by three Co-founder of three Indian promising companies that have disrupted their respective domains

Startups backed by MS Dhoni, Anushka-Virat Congregate at Smart Protein Summit 2022 in New Delhi Alongside Policymakers, Scientists, Investors, & Other Future Food Stakeholders

Dr. Ravishankar CN (Director, VC ICAR-CIFE, Mumbai) at the opening of Day 2 of the Smart Protein Summit 2022 by the Good Food Institute India and FICCI

Organized by the Good Food Institute India and FICCI, the Summit saw participation from representatives of the embassies of the Netherlands, Israel, Canada, educational institutions, companies such as Licious, Blue Tribe Foods, pioneering investors, and others

Yesterday marked the conclusion of the Smart Protein Summit 2022, organized by the Good Food Institute India (GFI India), the central expert organization and convening body in the ‘smart protein’ sector, in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). The Summit was supported by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), and India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Eat Right India initiative.

For five years now, the Smart Protein Summit has served as a platform to bring together a wide range of stakeholders, all committed to transforming our protein supply by focusing on creating an enabling environment for smart protein. The 2022 Summit spanned two days, with 80+ speakers, 13 panel discussions, 8 curated roundtables, a plant-based tasting tour, an ecosystem networking event, and much more.

With the dual intention of building partnerships and propelling the industry forward, the Summit saw over 550 participants attend. It had every major player in the room - from Blue Tribe Foods, Shaka Harry, Licious, Greenest and other pioneering smart protein companies to leading investors including Magnetic, Brinc, CIIE.CO, Beyond Impact, and more.

Heads of research institutions, government and industry bodies such as The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), The National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Food Industry Capacity & Skill Initiative (FICSI), The Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) as well as young changemakers, students, and innovators took center stage at the Summit.

L-R- Nicole Rocque, Senior Innovation Specialist, GFI India , Chair Arun Seth, Advisor to GFI India, Board Member Narayana Health & Jubilant Group, HE Marten van den Berg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Hagar Spiro-Tal, Political Counselor, Embassy of Israel in New Delhi, HE Cameron MacKay, High Commissioner of Canada, High Commission of Canada in New Delhi and Varun Deshpande, President, GFI

The Smart Protein Summit 2022 was designed by GFI India and FICCI to propel India to the forefront of the global race for smart protein innovation. Following the inaugural address, Deloitte India partner, Anand Ramanathan and Varun Deshpande unveiled topline numbers on the market size and export potential of smart protein from a rigorous study by GFI India and Deloitte India. The study projects that smart protein’s total economic opportunity (both domestic market size and exports) in 2030 is estimated to be INR 33,194 crore (USD 4.2 billion) in a high growth scenario.

Building on this, Varun Desphande, President, GFI Asia emphasized the need to become Aatma Nirbhar in smart protein and said, “India has crop diversity, a globally competitive talent pool, and hundreds of people working on this opportunity - which can create immense job opportunities across the value chain, and GFI India and Deloitte India’s modeling shows that the total number of jobs created by smart protein industry in 2030 ranges from 1,51,025 in a low growth scenario to 4, 27,985 jobs in a high growth scenario.”

All stakeholders present recognized the work to be done in order to actualize these targets. Focusing on the immense opportunity, leading entrepreneurs and investors both emphasized the importance of building high-fidelity smart protein products - plant-based or cultivated meats that look, cook, taste, and sizzle like conventional animal-derived protein.

While the industry is still a sunrise sector in India, Anand Nagarajan, Co-Founder, Shaka Harry, the smart protein startup that just signed on MS Dhoni as an investor and ambassador, encouraged the sector to play on the front foot. He said, “We're in it for the long haul even if there are blips or market corrections. Technology stocks also lost 40% of their valuations this year, but nobody said the internet is dead. We need to be bold and break out into the mainstream.”

Speaking at a panel on nurturing biotech to mega-scale, Shubhankar Takle, Co-founder, MyoWorks expressed, “I'm very excited and bullish about cultivated meat - I think it will be a paradigm shift.” Incidentally, in 2019, MyoWorks had participated in the Innovators Showcase at GFI India’s flagship event, pitching to a panel of investors that featured Shreyansh Singhal, VP of Investments, Ankur Capital. Three years in, as Ankur Capital invests seed capital in MyoWorks, it is heartening to see them both return to the Summit and lead the conversation on the need for deep science funding.

In a similar vein, Dr. Ravishankar CN, Director, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education in his key address, underscored that cultivated meat is a future food technology that can serve as a viable alternative to animal-derived protein. “Land is shrinking. Resources are limited,” he said, highlighting the urgency of transitioning to more sustainable sources of proteins. Dr. Ravishankar also touched upon the regulatory pathways that need to be created for new food tech innovations.

On day one of the Summit we heard both Siraj Hussain, FICCI Advisor and former Secretary, MoFPI & Agriculture, Government of India and Siraj Azmat Chaudhry, Past Chair, National Committee on Food Processing, FICCI, Former Chairman, Cargill India, and MD & CEO, NCML iterate the need to localize the supply chain. Quoting a popular idiom, Siraj A Chaudhary quipped, “They say 'ghar ki murgi dal barabar' and now we have dals and pulses coming back to compete with meat!”

While the smart protein ecosystem has grown at a remarkable rate over the last five years, very little has happened in the direction of building the necessary talent in this area. To address this, the Summit hosted dedicated roundtables and sessions on building the talent pool, with heads of universities such as NIFTEM, Gujarat Biotechnology University, TransDisciplinary University (TDU), and skilling bodies such as the Food Industry Capacity & Skill Initiative (FICSI) coming together to deliberate how to bridge the gap between industry and academia.

The Summit also celebrated the progress made in fostering an ecosystem for building talent over the last year. In a first for India, students in collaboration with GFI India set up the ‘Delhi University Smart Protein Project’, a chapter of the global Alt Protein Project, dedicated to turning universities into engines for smart protein education, research, and innovation.

Introducing the project, Devika Suresh, Innovation Associate, GFI India said, “Indian talent powers the global smart protein sector just as it does other strategically important industries, and we’re delighted to continue seeding the talent landscape through the Delhi Smart Protein Project. These student leaders will strengthen the ecosystem of education, incubation, and technology transfer in smart protein, and be propelled forward as the drivers of a more secure, sustainable, and just future of food.” 

While felicitating the student organizers of the project, Dr. Chindi Vasudevappa, Director-VC at NIFTEM, added, “Plant-based food is where we are headed, and I’m delighted to see Delhi University students taking charge and innovating.”

The Summit concluded with the ‘Smart Protein Corridors’ session that hosted HE Cameron MacKay, High Commissioner of Canada, High Commission of Canada in New Delhi, HE Marten van den Berg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New Delhi, and Ms. Hagar Spiro-Tal, Political Counselor, Embassy of Israel in New Delhi with inputs from session chair Arun Seth, Advisor to GFI India, Board Member Narayana Health & Jubilant Group. The dignitaries discussed opportunities for bilateral and multilateral partnerships within the smart protein ecosystem and how smart protein hubs like Canada, Israel, and the Netherlands can work with India for mutual gains in this sector. Speaking to these complementary advantages, High Commissioner of Canada to India, HE Cameron MacKay said “Canada has technology around preventing post-harvest loss that Indian farmers could use, and in the same way, we can learn from Indian traditional knowledge and how farmers in India deal with climatic conditions."

Varun Deshpande, President, GFI Asia closed the Summit with reflections on the two days and said, “I firmly believe that what we do about meat, will be the principal challenge of our lifetimes. Over the last five years, we’ve talked about the promise of this sector. What’s changed since then is the fact that 50+ companies have launched their smart protein products in markets across India. The sector has launched, and the conversations we’re having now have matured and have become a lot more sophisticated. But we still have a long way to go in order to create a world where alternative proteins are no longer alternative.”

The Good Food Institute India (GFI India) is the central expert organization, thought leader, and convening body in the Indian ‘alternative protein’ or ‘smart protein’ sector. As part of an international network of nonprofits with partners in Brazil, Israel, U.S., Europe, and Asia Pacific, GFI India is on a mission to build a healthy, sustainable, and just global food system. Since our establishment in 2017, GFI India serves as the central thought leader and convening body in the space of plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-based meat, eggs, and dairy that are collectively known as the ‘alternative protein’ or the ‘smart protein’ sector. With unique insight across the scientific, policy, industry, and investment landscapes, we are using the power of food innovation and markets to accelerate the transition of the world’s food system toward alternative proteins. In building the sector from the ground up in India, we’re aiming to establish a model for its growth all across the developing world.

For further information on GFI India, visit www.gfi.org.in

FICCI Gaming Committee Urges Govt - "Time to Bring Progressive Law, Not Ban Online Games"

Reacting to the recent statement made by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu about bringing an end to online gaming in the state, the FICCI Gaming Committee (FGC) urges the government to adopt an enabling gaming policy protecting players while ensuring a secure, and responsible gaming environment.

In February 2021 the state government amended the Tamil Nadu Gaming Act, 1930, banning online games subsequently the Madras High Court struck down the law in August 2021 basis multiple Supreme Court decisions taken in the past. Reiterating the protection afforded under the constitution to games of skill.

The FICCI Gaming Committee is committed to supporting the government in establishing a safe gaming environment. However, we would like to reiterate that blanket bans do not ensure player protection but instead, benefits unscrupulous fly-by-night operators and encourages illicit and underground gaming activities leading to detrimental impacts on the very populations the government seeks to protect.

FICCI Gaming Committee believes that the need of the hour is a stable regulatory mechanism capturing clear requirements that protects consumers and operations of lawful operators. The government should consider regulating this new form of entertainment thereby addressing several issues – most importantly protecting players by providing access to responsible entertainment choices.

Mr Arun Chawla, Director General, FICCI said, “While we appreciate the intent of the govt to protect the users, a wide-ranging ban seems excessive and disproportionate in meeting its objectives. It shall also severely impact these new technology-driven legitimate businesses that are generating much need jobs and revenues for the state.”

Mr Sameer Barde, Convener FGC & CEO, E-Gaming Federation said, “Around 420 million players across the country enjoy online gaming as a form of entertainment. To ensure that these players’ experiences are safe, we request the government consider regulating this industry, which would allow only legitimate, legal operators to operate while adhering to strict protocols. At EGF, we have set up a self-regulatory framework in the form of a Code of Conduct ensuring a safe, transparent, and responsible environment for players by our certified members. We look forward to collaborating with the government and offering our expertise to help the state establish a well-regulated and sustainable industry."

Mr Roland Landers, Convenor, FGC & CEO, All India Gaming Federation said, “The growth of 27% CAGR generated by the online skill gaming industry in 2020 has made it the fastest-growing segment within the Indian M&E sector. The sunrise online skill gaming industry is responsible for facilitating 400+ Start-ups in this sector and attracted 400+ million gamers - young Indians providing them viable alternate job opportunities in Esports and other gaming businesses.”

"All AIGF stakeholders are governed by the skill games charter that ensure global best practices across responsible gaming and gamer protection. It is in the best interests of all concerned that the State Govt works with the skill gaming industry to build a robust regulatory framework to ensure all stakeholders across the ecosystem benefit economically and socially notably taxation revenues gaming and allowance for Indian registered gaming companies to operate in the state," Mr Landers added.

Mr Anwar Shirpurwala, Convener, FICCI Gaming Committee & CEO, Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports said, “India has emerged as the largest Fantasy Sports market in the world with over 13 cr Indian sports fans using fantasy sports. Fantasy Sports is contributing significantly to the growth of the sports ecosystem in India and also helping Tamil Nadu’s sports fans meaningfully engage with their favourite sports. Our government’s premier think-tank NITI Aayog has recognised fantasy sports as a sunrise sector. Renowned academic institutions such as IIM Bangalore and MIT have applied scientific methodology and concluded that participating in fantasy sports requires significant skill, even higher than the skill required by a mutual fund manager. 

In addition, various law commissions including the Uttar Pradesh Law Commission and the Law Commission of India have held that games of skill should be exempt from gambling laws. Various high courts including the Rajasthan High Court have said that fantasy sports is online sports and entitled to protection under Article 19(1)(g) of the constitution. The view has been further endorsed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court. Considering the above, the industry looks forward to working with the government of Tamil Nadu to create a safe experience for sports fans and enable responsible growth of the industry through regulation.”

Vedanta Jharsuguda Wins FICCI CSR Award for its Subhalaxmi Cooperative Project

Vedanta Jharsuguda's Subhalaxmi Co-operative

Vedanta Jharsuguda, India’s largest producer of aluminium and value-added products, has bagged the prestigious 19th FICCI CSR Award 2020 in the women empowerment category for its flagship community development project – Subhalaxmi Co-operative, a 4100+ member strong all-women co-op society operating in Jharsuguda, Odisha. The FICCI CSR award recognizes the efforts of companies in integrating and internalizing Corporate Social Responsibility in their operations.

Conceived in 2008, Subhalaxmi Co-op is engaged in promoting sustainable livelihood opportunities among rural women, creating avenues for entrepreneurship through skill development and providing financial assistance to the members for furthering their livelihood. Started with only 10 women and their initial contribution of INR 1000, Subhalaxmi Co-op has grown in strength over a decade to support more than 4100 women today, with a fund base of over INR 3.5 crores. With presence in 72 villages of Jharsuguda, it is one of India’s largest rural women’s cooperatives. At its core, Subhalaxmi Co-op has four basic components – Capacity Building and Livelihood Promotion, Financial Services (savings & credit facilities), Social Development, and Collaboration & Partnership.

Receiving the award, Mr. Deepak Prasad, Dy. CEO-Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda said, “Being India’s largest aluminium producer, Vedanta Jharsuguda is a proud contributor to India’s journey of self-reliance. We are equally proud partners in the progress of our local communities. Our Subhalaxmi Co-operative is a shining example of what corporate and community partnership can achieve. These trailblazing women are prime testaments of true empowerment, and we are humbled to have played a role in their success. We dedicate the prestigious FICCI CSR Award to all the members of Subhalaxmi Co-operative and we will continue to enable them to become an inspiration to women across the globe. Vedanta Jharsuguda continues to march on in its endeavours to include more women in the socio-economic mainstream through this co-op and enable them pursue their aspirations."

To ensure alternate means of livelihood for the women of the region, Subhalaxmi Co-op provides need-based financial services in terms of savings, credit and insurance; promotes micro enterprises through business development services; links potential entrepreneurs and enterprises with suitable market opportunities; trains and educates the members, elected representatives and managing committee to ensure effective functioning of the society; and works for the sustainable development of the members.

Expressing her delight, Mrs. Pushpanjali Seth, former President of Subhalaxmi Co-operative, said, “It is a matter of immense pride for us to see our Subhalaxmi Cooperative win the coveted FICCI CSR award. I am thankful to Vedanta Jharsuguda for providing this platform to thousands of women to grow and be empowered. Each one of our women members is a shining example of true empowerment that happens when one’s will to progress is enabled through skill development, financial literacy, financial inclusion and welfare schemes. This is just the beginning and we hope to evolve into a movement of great transformation that will stand as a beacon of empowerment for women all over the world.”

Highlights of Subhalaxmi Co-operative’s journey so far:

• Over 4100 women members associated with ~340 Self-Help Groups (SHG), hailing form 72 villages of Odisha
• Fund base of over INR 3.5 crores, including member savings and share capital, welfare fund, and profits earned by the co-op
• Supporting 1360+ micro entrepreneurs engaged in agriculture and allied sectors, service trades, petty business shop and vending, animal husbandry, etc., whose income levels have increased by 50%.
• Till date, the co-op has done business of over INR 30 crores through microfinance services alone.
• A unique social welfare fund ‘Subhalaxmi Mahila Kalyan Panthi’ has been created to provide financial support to expecting mothers, scholarships to meritorious students of matriculation, support in case of demise of spouse, etc.
• Nearly 94.7% of Jharsuguda’s population has been directly or indirectly positively impacted by Subhalaxmi Co-op.

Owned and governed by a Board of Directors, who are democratically elected members for a tenure.
Partnership with Government Line Departments, Research and Extension Institutions for various developmental initiatives.

Vedanta Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest manufacturer of aluminium, producing half of India’s aluminium at 1.96 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY21. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class Aluminium Smelters, Alumina Refinery and Power Plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.

To Promote 250 AI Startups in 5 Yrs, IIT-Kanpur Setting Up CoE for Artificial Intelligence in its Noida Campus

Soon a centre of excellence (CoE) in Artificial Intelligence and Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship (AIIDE) will come up at the Noida outreach campus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK).

Developed in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the AIIDE CoE will provide financial assistance to start-ups under the Start-up Policy 2020. It is planned to incubate 250 startups in 5 years (50 start-ups each year) on the cohort model from which 20 start-ups will be given follow-up funding.

IIT-Kanpur will give the technological expertise and incubation support, while FICCI India will provide industry tie-ups and business connect.

The aim of the centre is to create successful enterprises by offering guidance and mentorship to start-ups in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

Abhay Karandikar, Director of IIT Kanpur, said --

The center plans to foster entrepreneurship and facilitate usage of Technology. The main aim of the centre is to create successful enterprises by offering guidance and mentorship to startups in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

FICCI-FLO Announces 'Game Changers', An Award Show for Women Entrepreneurs, in Collaboration with India Network

MUMBAI, India, Feb. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Game Changers' is a pan India competition for women-led startups. This will offer women entrepreneurs the chance to get their dream project funded through an exclusive group of reputed VCs by pitching to them. Apart from a plaque, this includes mentorship, leadership training, and workshops from reputed organizations to help their business grow. The deadline for applications is Feb 15th, 2021, and the awards in March 2021.

Clockwise: Rahul Narvekar- Founder and CEO, India Angel Fund and India Network. Co-founder of fashionandyou.com and indianroots.com.; Jahnabi Phookan- National President, FICCI-FLO nd Maloo Natarajan- Chairperson, FICCI-FLO Mumbai

FICCI-FLO is a professional organization with over 8,000 women pan India, across 17 chapters who are either entrepreneurs, professionals, or family-managed businesswomen across industries. Through these awards, the organization aims to recognize & celebrate the zestful entrepreneurial spirit of women entrepreneurs whose ideas and innovations have positively impacted the business and social ecosystem.

"The Game Changer Awards will recognize women who have overcome all odds to build innovative and game-changing products that cater to the needs of the society. This is aligned with FICCI -FLO's mission to promote women entrepreneurs," said Maloo Natarajan - Chairperson FICCI-FLO, Mumbai.

The India Network, a platform for people from across the start-up spectrum to connect, collaborate, and co-create has tied-up with FICCI-FLO to host 'Game Changers'. "Through India Angel Fund, we are focused on investing in women-led startups, having invested in 6 startups with women entrepreneurs already. We are excited to collaborate with FICCI-FLO to help build the already flourishing Indian entrepreneurial community," says Rahul Narvekar - Founder & CEO, India Network.

Both parties are excited about this new partnership and the potential benefits it provides to the growing women's entrepreneurial community in India.

To be eligible, startups need to be led by a woman CEO or be women-founded/co-founded. Additionally, startups must be at least at the MVP phase or very close to launching (post-incubation & prior to series-A funding).

Register here now: forms.gle/kdja9qpRUzN7Ftht6

About FICCI-FLO :

The objective of the organization is to encourage and facilitate women to showcase their talents, skills, experiences, and energies across sectors and verticals of the economy, for a truly inclusive economic growth trajectory. With over 37 years of experience, FLO has been promoting entrepreneurship and professional excellence among women through workshops, seminars, conferences, training and capacity building programmers, etc.

 To know more, visit www.ficciflo.com

Under 'FICCI for Start-ups' Initiative, FICCI and IAN to Launch Social Venture Fund to Help Startups Financially

FICCI, on Thursday, launched India's first 'FICCI for Start-ups' initiative which will provide a wide range of services and benefits to the Indian start-ups. The prime aim of this initiative will be to provide a voice to start-ups in India.

Addressing the launch webinar of 'FICCI for Start-ups', Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI said, "Start-ups are immensely essential to the growth of a nation's economy. FICCI Start-ups is envisioned to help young Indian entrepreneurs to create a vibrant economy. This is the time to say Silicon Valley here we come."

Dr Reddy further said that these benefits will be offered to the FICCI Start-up members and the start-up membership is being offered free of cost till December 31, 2020. "Any start-up taking membership over the next three months can avail the benefit package without any cost for the next one year," she added.

Dr Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman, FICCI Start-up Committee & Founder, HCL said that FICCI is the first global chamber to create a special program for Start-ups. The 'FICCI Start-up' ecosystem will provide complete solution that any Start-up will require. 

Dr. Chowdhry further said --

We are Looking at a range of services to provide to all start-ups. We are working on existing and new Mentorships and a lot of these programs will be opened up for members. Entrepreneurs will help them in building relationships with accelerators, incubators, and angel funding. We will soon be launching FICCI-IAN social venture fund to financially support the Indian Start-ups,

Ms Aastha Grover, Head Startup India Hub said, "Today, 45 percent of start-ups are coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities with at least one start-up from each state and union territory in India. With the support of the State governments, industry association and stakeholders, India is the 3rd largest ecosystem when it comes to Start-ups.

Mr Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI said that over the last decade, even before start-ups was a common word in the lexicon in India, FICCI had been playing an important role in fostering the Indian Innovation and entrepreneurship system in the country. "We are currently implementing 14+ national and global programs through PPP to encourage and enable start-ups to grow and creating joint ventures of start-ups between India and countries in Africa and Latin America and more recently in Russia.

A comprehensive benefit package has been developed by FICCI under the said initiative which includes connecting start-ups to FICCI corporate members, mentorship by industry experts, direct connect to the Indian Angel Network, access to soon to be set up FICCI-IAN social venture fund, access to FICCI innovation and start-up programs, exhibitions, delegations, conferences at special costs, connect to the global investor community, policy advocacy with the government on behalf of start-up members among others.

These benefits will be offered to the FICCI Start-up members, membership for which is being offered free of cost till December 31, 2020. Any start-up taking membership over the next three months can avail the benefit package without any cost for the next one year.

The official logo for 'FICCI for Start-ups' was also unveiled during the launch event.

FICCI's start-up committee is backed by stalwarts including Mr Saurabh Srivastava, Ms Padmaja Ruparel, Mr Naganand Doraswamy, Mr Ullas Kamath, Mr Yogesh Andlay among others.

Since 2007, FICCI has been providing funding, capacity building and market access under several public-private programmes to the Indian start-ups. Having supported 1000+ startups/innovators till date with over Rs 125 Crores, FICCI has been an active player in the start-up ecosystem. Start-up enterprises supported by FICCI have been able to generate 140,000+ jobs and leverage over five times from external market sources. Over 100 companies have been provided access to global markets across US, South Asia and Africa.

Source - Ficci.in

Pune-based KPIT wins 'FICCI CSR Award' for Incubating Path-Breaking Innovations Addressing the Challenges of 'Real India'

• KPIT bagged the prestigious  award for its ‘KPIT Sparkle’ initiative, which connects thousands of entrepreneurs from small towns and rural areas every year with the incubation ecosystem

• The annual event nurtures innovation right from idea generation to product manufacture with a supportive incubation process

• In the last 5 years, 22000 ideas from 1500 institutions in T1, T2 and T3 cities have been supported by KPIT Sparkle

Pune-based KPIT Technologies Limited has emerged as the winner of this year’s ‘FICCI Corporate Social Responsibility Awards’ for incubating path-breaking innovations by young entrepreneurs from across the country which address the challenges of ‘Real India.’

FICCI Corporate Social Responsibility Awards – India’s first CSR award – was instituted in 1999 by FICCI. The aim of the award is to identify and recognize the efforts of companies in integrating and internalizing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). 

The award to KPIT recognised  its unique initiative ‘KPIT Sparkle’ which is unlocking the power of IPR in India by connecting thousands of budding entrepreneurs to the incubation ecosystem every year, especially those from small towns and rural areas. It helps them converge on the final objective of bringing innovative solutions to the society.  

Every year, faculty and students of undergraduate, post-graduate and PhD courses, from the Science, Engineering, Design and Management streams of colleges and universities across India get this opportunity to turn their ideas into working prototypes for industrial production. In the last 5 years, 22000 ideas from 1500 institutions in T1 and T2 cities have been supported by KPIT Sparkle.

KPIT won the award in the category of ‘Exemplary Innovation (irrespective of the turnover of the company)’ after a stringent evaluation process by an independent panel consisting of eminent experts and industry leaders. This year's jury was chaired by Mr. Amit Chandra, Chairman, Bain Capital-India,  and Jury Members comprised Ms. Nishi Vasudeva,  former CMD, HPCL, Ms. Ranjana Agarwal, founder Vaish Associates, Mr. Pranjal Sharma, Economic Analyst and Writer & Mr. Arumugam Kalimuthu, Director, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Institute. 

Elaborating about the achievement , Mr. Kedar Sapre, Senior Marketing Specialist, of KPIT, said: “I’m grateful to FICCI’s eminent panel of jurors who have understood and recognised the value that KPIT Sparkle is creating by promoting the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship right at the grassroots level. India is a land of brilliant ideas and many often the best ideas come not from top notch institutions from big cities but from students of smaller towns and rural areas. KPIT Sparkle nurtures such innovations from idea generation to product manufacture with a supportive incubation process.”

Prose Integrated, a new age communication firm specialising in digital outreach, has been trusted by KPIT with KPIT Sparkle's brand positioning and visibility. The firm also partnered with the core team of KPIT Sparkle for preparing its nomination for the FICCI CSR Awards.

According to Mr. Setu Shah, Founder & CEO, Prose Integrated, “While working on the KPIT’s entry for the FICCI CSR Award-2020, the challenge was to drive home the message that even IPR can be part of social projects if innovations are around solving the problems of Real India. We managed to successfully convey to the juries how and why KPIT Sparkle was about Innovation, IPR & Entrepreneurship for and by ‘Bharat’. KPIT winning this award, thus, is a proud moment for even us at Prose Integrated as we helped in nurturing and shaping ‘KPIT Sparkle’ and saw it grow year on year. I congratulate KPIT’s entire team for this huge win.”

The winners of the 18th FICCI CSR Awards-2020 were announced on July 27th, 2020. In the previous years, a number of companies including HPCL, ITC Limited, Mahindra & Mahindra, Cairn India, SAIL, Tata Tea, Infosys, Tata Chemicals, HINDALCO, TISCO, TELCO, Lupin, Gujarat Ambuja Cement, etc. have been recognised by the FICCI CSR Award for their exemplary work in the area of CSR. 

About KPIT 

KPIT is a global technology company with software solutions that will help mobility leapfrog towards an autonomous, clean, smart and connected future. With 6000+ Automobelievers across the globe, specialising in embedded software, AI & Digital solutions, KPIT enables customers to accelerate implementation of next generation mobility technologies. With development centers in Europe, USA, Japan, China, Thailand and India – KPIT works with leaders in mobility and is present where the ecosystem is transforming.

About Prose Integrated:

PROSE Integrated is a new generation communications firm offering integrated solutions in Digital & Social Media management, Public Relations (PR), Advocacy, Advertising & Events. With a completely self-owned latest infrastructure in Mumbai and branch offices in Bangalore, Delhi, Pune, Kolkata and Singapore, the firm has successfully completed over 80+ projects. Since 2014 the firm has an experience of partnering with clients across BFSI, Education, Healthcare, Startup Ecosystem, Trade associations, Think Tanks, Traditional manufacturing and New age service sectors. Its cloud-based 'PROSE Dashboard' is now used by India’s top corporates for deploying strategy and enhancing efficiency.

FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) Launches FMC-FLO Mentorship Cell in Hyderabad

A mentor is someone who looks at the business and gives objective inputs: Prof Ramesh Loganathan, IIIT-H

Good Mentor doesn’t give answers but challenges Mentee: Prof Ramesh Loganathan, Guest Speaker

93 per cent of startups admit mentorship is instrumental to success: Ms Usharani Manne, Chairperson, FLO Hyderabad.

FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) unveiled its ambitious initiative FMC-FLO Mentorship Cell here in the city in a Webinar on Monday evening.

The Mentorship Cell of FLO provides support to existing and new entrepreneurs, to establish a new business or enhance existing ones shared Ms Bindu Sastry, National Head, FMC speaking immediately after launching the initiative. It is a PAN India initiative being introduced across 17 Chapters all over India.

The vision of FMC is to be a self-reliant entrepreneurial ecosystem for FLO members by FLO members, shared Ms Bindu Sastry.

Addressing the online gathering, Guest Speaker Prof. Ramesh Loganathan, the veteran in this space shared his wisdom. He covered areas such as women representation in startup space, an overview of mentorship, what it takes to be a good mentor, mentor overload etc.

A good mentor shouldn’t give answers. Instead, he or she must challenge mentee. The Mentor shouldn’t share opinions, Mr Ramesh Loganathan, Professor Co-Innovation/ Outreach at IIIT-Hyderabad said.

Make sure the need of the community or society is understood well and served. Your solution should be a differentiator. The customers must be able to derive value from your solution, said Mr Ramesh, former HYSEA President

There is more to pivoting than many entrepreneurs understand. Pivoting in the startup space means shifting to a new strategy as marketing conditions, corporate environment, a pandemic like the current one may force. Sometimes it entails to drastically change the whole company and its plans, strategies. The mentor can bring in his experience in such scenario and help the best way to pivot, he shared.

Speaking about Mentor Overload, the Professor who heads Innovation at IIIT-H said in your entrepreneurial journey some of you may encounter Mentor Overload. In such a scenario, stay cool even if you get conflicting views and make an informed choice.

Concluding his talk, he observed that a mentor is someone who looks at the business and gives objective inputs

He also answered many questions facilitated by Ms Pooja Mitra asked by the participants and answered them and clarified their doubts.

According to Ms Bindu, FMC is a 1-on-1 Mentorship program, lasts for 3 to 6 months. It will facilitate Workshops in Entrepreneurial Areas. It is a voluntary based initiative. It will have two levels both at Chapter and National level. Mentors who volunteer will be trained formally and Certification will be provided. We will have useful collaborations and programs with premier organizations both national and international level.

The Mentorship cell will be a facilitation platform, connecting women entrepreneurs to experts who can guide, mentor and assist them in taking their business to the next level, added Ms Bindu.

Adding further she stated that this initiative is only for FLO women-women with an idea wanting to convert it into a business, existing women entrepreneurs wanting to grow their business, women who have been thrown into business due to unforeseen circumstances.

Welcoming the virtual gathering, Ms Usharani Manne Chairperson of FLO Hyderabad Chapter said we didn’t have such a luxury of Mentorship when I first ventured into my business 25 years ago. Today it is different. Mentorship is an organized service available on tap for entrepreneurs at every stage of their lifecycle.

And I have no hesitation in accepting, Ms. Usharani added that any degree of success one achieved during those times was through trial and error and sheer persistence.

Research and surveys prove that while growth matters, over 70% of startups fail because of premature scaling. Mentored startups grow 3.5 times faster and raise 7 times more money. 80 per cent of successful CEOs said that they had relied on some form of mentorship. In another research by Sage, 93 per cent of startups admit that mentorship is instrumental to success, the FLO Hyderabad Chairperson shared.

The FMC Hyderabad Chapter is comprised of three members -Ms. Nanda Rao, Uma Chigurupati and Pooja Mitra. Sharing the plan to take the initiative forward Ms. Nanda Rao said it will cover areas such as Marketing, Branding, Sales, Legal, Cyber Security, Finance, Digitization etc others. Several Biz Talks related to the subjects will be organized such as this one every month first Wednesday, she shared.

COVID-19 Resulted 12% Startups to Shut Operations, 10% Faced Investment Called Off - FICCI-IAN Study

• 70% of start-ups say their businesses impacted by Covid-19, 12% have shut operations
• 33% start-ups said that the investors have put the investment decision on hold and 10% stated that the deals have been called off

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the Indian businesses and more so for the SMEs and Start-ups. With uncertainty in the business environment and an unexpected shift in the priorities of the government as well as the corporates, many start-ups are struggling to keep the operations going.

As per a nationwide survey on the 'Impact of COVID-19 on Indian Start-ups' conducted by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), jointly with the Indian Angel Network (IAN) with 250 start-ups, 70% of start-ups stated that their businesses have impacted by Covid-19. 12% of the start-ups have shut operations and 60% are operating with disruptions.

The survey depicts that only 22% of the start-ups have cash reserves to meet the fixed cost expenses of their companies over the next 3-6 months. The findings show that 68% of the start-ups are majorly cutting down their operational and administrative expenses. Close to 30% of the companies stated that they will lay off employees if the lockdown was extended too long. 43% of the start-ups have already started salary cuts in the range of 20-40% over the period of April-June 2020.

On the investment front, 33% start-ups said that the investors have put the investment decision on hold and 10% stated that the deals have been called off. Only 8% start-ups received the funds as per the deals signed pre-COVID. The reduced funding has led start-ups to put a hold on their business development, manufacturing activities and has resulted in loss of projected orders. The survey highlights the need of an urgent relief package for start-ups including possible purchase orders from the government, tax relief and swifter tax refunds. Further immediate fiscal support measures including grants, soft loans and payroll grants need to be provided.

Besides 250 start-ups, 61 incubators and investors also participated in the survey.

96% of the investors stated that the investment in start-ups have been impacted by COVID-19. 92% of the investors maintained that the start-up investments will continue to be low over the next six months. 59% of the investors said they would prefer to work with their existing portfolio companies in the coming months and only 41% stated that they would consider new deals. A comparison of priority investment sectors pre and during COVID-19 shows that 35% of the investors are now looking at investments in healthcare start-ups followed by EdTech, AI/Deep Tech, FinTech and Agri.

44% of the incubators surveyed highlighted that their day-to-day operations have been considerably impacted by the COVID-19. Most of the incubators are now supporting their portfolio companies by providing them virtual platforms to interact with mentors, investors, and industries.

Mr Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI said, "The start-up sector is stressed for survival at the moment. The investment sentiment is also subdued and is expected to remain so in the coming months. Lack of working capital and cash flows may lead to major layoffs over the next 3-6 months by start-ups. The survey indicates that the Indian start-ups need an enabling ecosystem and flow of funds to continue operations."

Mr Ajai Chowdhry, Chair, FICCI Start-up Committee and Founder, HCL said, "The start-up sector should be viewed as a propellent for the country's growth and a contributor to India's vision of being Atmanirbhar. Start-ups have a huge potential to innovate. However, in the current times, the start-up companies are reeling under huge pressure owing to lack of working capital. We need to act now to save a huge number of innovations created in the last few years. And government and industry need to reach out to support them through funding and business opportunities."

Ms Padmaja Ruparel, President, Indian Angel Network & Co-Chair FICCI Start-up Committee said, "In these uncertain times, as investors, we must play an important role to provide the Indian startups funding, mentoring and handholding support to stay afloat and come out at the other end of this crisis. To that end, IAN recently announced a Debt Fund to help IAN portfolio companies raise working capital and ensure business continuity, by partnering with Debt providers. This must be replicated on a wider scale, so a larger number of start-ups are provided the capital support to make it during these tough times."

Mr Ganesh Raju, Co-Chair, FICCI Start-up Committee and Founder, TurboStart said, "The survey results clearly indicate that the startups are struggling in this unprecedented time in our history. To navigate the evolving situation, startups must focus on cash preservation so sufficient capital is available to ride out the crisis. While some have been able to secure new funding, others might want to consider alternative sources of funding. We have also seen a number of startups, re-think their businesses and evolve as per the current situation. Startups must use their strengths in innovation to re-strategize and re-think their business."

SOURCE - FICCI.in

Data Science Congress 2020 Virtual Featuring World Leaders on June 6, 7

Aegis School of Data Science is organizing the 3rd edition of Data Science Congress (DSC) which will be a virtual event on 6 and 7 June 2020. The event is supported by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) as chamber partner along with mUni Campus as powered partner and also DSC supports Safe n Happy Periods which is creating awareness on shamefree and painfree menstruation time.

Data science Congress virtual on 6th and 7th June



DSC 2020 is a confluence of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Analytics, Big Data, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, Cognitive, and Cyber Security. Data Science Congress was initiated in 2017 with a vision of bringing India at the center stage of the world forum for AI, Data Science, Cyber Security research, education, and skill development as India is having the largest pool of talents exposed to math and coding skills which are essential for these exponential technologies.

In DSC 2020, the world authorities, leading researchers, AI experts, Data Scientists will be speaking and over 10,000 educators, engineers, CXOs, CTO, CEOs, students are likely to join the event.

Hon'ble Minister Shri Sanjay Dhotre, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India will be inaugurating the event.

The speakers and contributors enlightening the topics are the crme de la crme of the data industry:

• Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)


• Dr. Vint Cerf, Father of Internet


• Dr Juergen Schmidhuber, Father of Modern Artificial Intelligence


• Justice BN Srikrishna, Chief Architect of Indias 1st data protection bill


• Dr. Rohini Srivathsa, National Technology Officer (CTO) - Microsoft India


• Rama Akkiraju, Master Inventor and IBM Fellow


• Dr. Dina Zielinski will showcase how we can store digital data in DNA


• Mathangi Sri, Data Science Leader; Top 10 Data Scientists in India; 20 Patents

For more speakers list, please visit www.datasciencecongress.com.

Hon'ble Minister Shri Sanjay Dhotre, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India said, "New technologies like AI, Robotics, Machine Learning, and Data Analytics have tremendous potential waiting to be tapped. These could be the key components towards building economy that brings quantum jump. These are the building blocks of Atmanirbhar Bharat."

Dr. Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Dean, Aegis School of Data Science said, "Considering the current unprecedented situation around the world, Data Science Congress this year will be a virtual event and so the pivot was to get the best of the content. With the current assembly of speakers which are prime, pre-eminent and celebrated in their respective spheres, we are confident that this virtual event will be a treat to all the data admirers. Come join us on 6th and 7th June 2020."

Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman AICTE commented, "Data is the new oil in new digital economy. Hence people who know data science and data analytics will provide solutions to future challenges, be it pandemic, banking, insurance, education, agriculture or healthcare".

"We initiated Data Science Congress with a vision of making India as a world leader in research, education, and skill development in the fields of AI, Data Science, Analytics, IoT, and Cyber Security. India can lead as we are having the largest pool of talent with maths and coding skills which are essential for these exponential technologies," commented Mr. Bhupesh Daheria, Founder of Data Science Congress; Founder Director of mUni Campus.

"COVID-19 and the lock down has fast tracked the use and development on new uses cases for data analytics across industry and society. While the data science market will continue to grow in India, there will also be an emergence of industry/society -specific analytics use cases, and a need of skilled professionals in terms of technology, it's application and policy. FICCI will be delighted to engage with all stakeholders to establish India as a global hub of data science and analytics," said Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI.

Aegis School of Data Science

Aegis School of Business, Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecommunication was founded in the year 2002 with support from BhartiAirtel to develop cross functional technology leaders. In 2015, Aegis and IBM collaborated to launch, India's first Post Graduate Program (PGP) in Data Science, Business Analytics and Big Data and later in 2017 PGP in Cyber Security. These programs are jointly certified and delivered by Aegis School of Business in association with IBM. IBM has set up high-end Business Analytics and Cloud Computing Lab at Campus. Also, Aegis and NVIDIA partnered for Deep Learning and applied AI courses. Aegis is the no. 1 School of Data Science and among the top 5 in Business Analytics. Aegis takes up various industry projects, research and consulting assignments in the field of data science under its initiative 'Data Science Delivered' and 'Data Science for social good', and helping organizations for devolving skills on data science, ML, DL, Big Data, Analytics etc.

For further information, please visit: www.aegis.edu.in.

About mUni Campus

mUni Campus provides a cloud-based end to end robust digital infrastructure for improving learning outcomes, improving efficiency, and effectiveness of the entire education system. mUni Campus system works well for brick mortar classroom-based environment and online world. It offers various solutions under one platform which eliminates the problem of dealing with several vendors and their silo systems. It has virtual class for delivering live video lectures integrated with Learning Management System (LMS) for course creation, content dissemination, and knowledge management; Academic admin; online examination system; admission suite; and online job placement all in one cloud platform.

For more information please visit www.muniversity.mobi/ds/mUniIgnite.html.

About FICCI

Established in 1927, FICCI is the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India. Its history is closely interwoven with Indias struggle for independence, its industrialization, and its emergence as one of the most rapidly growing global economies. A non-government, not-for-profit organisation, FICCI is the voice of Indias business and industry. From influencing policy to encouraging debate, engaging with policymakers and civil society, FICCI articulates the views and concerns of industry. It serves its members from the Indian private and public corporate sectors and multinational companies, drawing its strength from diverse regional chambers of commerce and industry across states, reaching out to over 2,50,000 companies. FICCI provides a platform for networking and consensus building within and across sectors and is the first port of call for Indian industry, policymakers and the international business community.

FICCI and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas Release FICCI Frames Report on 'Entertainment Law Book 2020

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the oldest & largest apex business organization in India and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, India's largest & leading law firm are delighted to release its joint report 'Entertainment Law Book 2020'.

This report presents regulatory developments in the field of TV broadcasting and distribution, music, radio, filmed entertainment and other segments in the Media & Entertainment space. It also includes several thought provoking articles on diverse topics, dealing with the issues in the Media & Entertainment sector. The report was originally scheduled to launch at the FICCI Frames 2020, however due the given COVID-19 situation the conference was called off this year. A copy of the report is attached here.

On release of the report, Mr. Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas said, "It is an honour and a privilege to present this report on the legal and regulatory issues impacting the Media and Entertainment sector. This report gives a bird's eye view of all important and relevant developments in the past year, encompassing the entire gamut of the Media & Entertainment sector. I would like to thank FICCI and members of its Media & Entertainment Committee for choosing us as a knowledge partner for the second consecutive year and all those who have contributed their time and valuable insights in making this report a possibility."

Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Secretary-General, FICCI said, "The Report touches upon some vital aspects that are playing an influential role in charting the way for the future of the Media & Entertainment industry. The issues lay strong foundations of the possible framework and solutions to developing the laws that will in time, govern the Media & Entertainment industry, in our country. On behalf of FICCI, I express our appreciation to Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and the members of the FICCI Media & Entertainment Committee for presenting the 2020 edition of this Report."

Mr. Bharat Vasani, Partner (Head - Media & Entertainment) said, "I am very delighted at the release of FICCI Frames Entertainment Law Report 2020. It was great experience to meet the key players in this industry and get their practical insight into the future of different verticals of this industry and the impact of digital revolution."

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas takes forward the values going back 103 years, of the erstwhile Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co., whose pre-eminence, experience and reputation of almost a century has been unparalleled in the Indian legal fraternity. Tracing its professional lineage to 1917, the Firm of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas is now the largest full-service law firm in India, with over 750 lawyers including over 130 partners, and offices in India's key business centres at Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad. The Firm advises a large, and varied client base that includes domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity funds, venture capital funds, start-ups and governmental and regulatory bodies.

The firm, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, was awarded recently awarded with "Law Firm of the Year" & "India Deal Firm of the Year" at ALB India Law Awards 2020, "India - Firm of the Year" at the AsiaLaw Regional Awards 2019 and "India Deal Firm of the Year" at the In-House Community Counsels of the Year Awards 2019. The firm was also named as the "Most Innovative National Law Firm of the Year - India for 2018" at the IFLR Asia Awards, having also been successful in winning the prestigious & coveted "National Law Firm of the Year, 2018 for India" at the Chambers Asia-Pacific Awards. The firm was also voted as the "Employer of Choice for 2020" from India, by the Asian Legal Business, building upon the several awards that the erstwhile Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co. had won in the past.

Established in 1927, FICCI is the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India. Its history is closely interwoven with India's struggle for independence, its industrialization, and its emergence as one of the most rapidly growing global economies. A non-government, not-for-profit organisation, FICCI is the voice of India's business and industry. From influencing policy to encouraging debate, engaging with policy makers and civil society, FICCI articulates the views and concerns of industry. It serves its members from the Indian private and public corporate sectors and multinational companies, drawing its strength from diverse regional chambers of commerce and industry across states, reaching out to over 2,50,000 companies.

 

~ Newsvoir

Minister unveils FLO Report on Women Participation in Indian Agriculture

FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) Report on Women Participation in Indian Agriculture was released by Shri Parshottam Rupala, Hon’ble Union Minister of State, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India at a webinar held on May 7, 2020 in the Capital.

FLO has collated the report on Women Participation in Indian Agriculture to analyse the role of women in agriculture and provide solutions on how women in agriculture can get their due share and be recognised.



[caption id="attachment_145171" align="alignleft" width="300"] H'ble Minister Parshottam Rupala[/caption]

On this occasion Mr. Rupala congratulated the great initiative taken for the first time by any Chamber of Commerce and encouraged the President and the FLO members to develop a channel to connect women farmers directly to the households. “ We are willing to extend our support to the Chambers wherever required.  Citing the success story of Amul, he added that women can create so many more such stories in agriculture and allied sector, bee keeping is one such sector which has enormous potential”.

“The government is already giving special subsidies to women farmers and looks forward to supporting any viable project for the economic empowerment of women in agriculture. We are open for a 100% FPO (Farmer Producers Organisation) for women and for them there’s a 100 crore IT rebate which makes it very lucrative for the Food processing sector to get involved as well”, he added.

 “As the President of FLO and also as an individual, I am hugely passionate towards attaining economic empowerment and this has to begin with women in agriculture given the  statistics that over 75 percent economically active women in India are

[caption id="attachment_145169" align="alignright" width="200"] Harjinder Kaur talwar, President FLO[/caption]

associated with the Agriculture sector. I began my term by launching the Agriculture Initiative nationally and have done my best to work towards facilitating the growth of women in agriculture. Now, with in-depth research, state wise analysis was created and in this report,  we have come up with reasons as to what stops the growth of women in the field of agriculture and recommended solutions for the same.”, said Harjinder Kaur Talwar, President FLO. 

Women are of vital importance to rural economies and the agriculture sector. They are important for ensuring food security and preserving the local agro biodiversity. While the men mostly venture out of the villages in search of livelihood, the womenfolk are relegated into working in the fields from dawn to dusk, in addition to her traditional role of caregiver in the family. In spite of their vital contribution to the economy, these women are mostly invisible and unheard. Be it due to gender inequality or patriarchal society norms, they face a lot of discriminations.

With this though, FLO, led by President Harjinder Kaur Talwar, initiated the focus on this important sector of Indian economy and this report is a humble attempt in bringing out this set of analysis and recommendations on Women Participation in Indian Agriculture, with the objective of bringing women in this sector to the forefront.

Policy Recommendations by FLO are as follows : 

• Creating a proper database of women in agriculture sector


•  Improving Female Landholding Patterns


•  Putting an End to Forcible Land Relinquishment (Haq-Daan) by Women


• Improving the land leasing framework


•  Women only benefits


•  Enabling “Scientific & Climate Resilient” Smart Women Farmers


• Support the formation of Female Farmer Producer organisations (FPOs):


•  Implementation of SHG (Self Help Group) Model on national level 

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Drones: FICCI Asks Govt to Provide Exemptions from Restrictions during COVID-19

Government agencies and critical industries should be given blanket exemptions from restrictions regarding drones till December 31 so that these devices can be used freely during the COVID-19 pandemic, industry body FICCI stated in its recommendations to the central government on Saturday.

"Currently, drones are only allowed to legally fly using permission from Digital Sky (online platform) in six small green zones in remote rural areas of the country. This is insufficient to address the numerous challenges faced by our country in the time of this crisis," stated the FICCI's committee on drones.

The committee stated that a critical industry like the oil and gas sector has not been permitted till date for drone-based surveillance of cross-country pipeline networks, and its previous attempts to seek waiver from government regulations have proven to be unsuccessful.

Therefore, the FICCI said the law enforcement agencies, municipal corporations, fire departments, forest departments, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), critical industries, etc, should be given blanket exemptions from government restrictions till December 31, 2020, to "augment available manpower and prevent risk of human life" amid the pandemic.

The safety risk associated with the usage of drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), for the aforementioned purposes during the COVID-19 lockdown is miniscule as there are very few "civil manned aircraft" in operation, it said.

Moreover, there are very few people in public areas whose safety could be affected by drone flights, it noted.

India has been under a lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected around 40,000 people and killed more than 1,300 people in the country till now.

All commercial passenger flights have been suspended for the lockdown period. However, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights and special flights permitted by the aviation regulator DGCA are allowed to operate.

It is estimated that the number of commercial and recreational drones in India is around 2 lakh and therefore, the government should restart the voluntary registration of non-compliant drones, the FICCI committee recommended.

When the Civil Aviation Ministry opened a window from January 13 to January 31 to register non-compliant drones, only 19,553 of them were registered.

"Many companies and individuals were not able to register their drones on Digital Sky portal due to some technical issues on the website (between January 13 and January 31)," the FICCI noted.

The committee also recommended that drone services to government agencies and enterprises, which are involved in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, should be included by the Ministry of Home Affairs as "essential goods and services".

There has been a general reduction in available manpower for maintaining law and order situation during COVID-19 crisis, which has led to an increase in illegal activities, stated the FICCI.

"Drones have proven effective as a force multiplier in augmenting the reduced manpower to maintain security requirements," it noted. PTI DSP