nearbuy to help consumers turn 'Santa'

nearbuy, formerly known as Groupon India, today said it has launched an initiative under which customers can buy 'Winter Survival Kit' and donate it to impoverished and needy.
The kit, priced at Rs 250, consists of a woolen blanket, a pair of winter gloves and a winter cap.
"...Be it the neighborhood watchman braving the cold on chilly winter nights, or the milkman and newspaper boy delivering essentials to you in the wee hours of winter mornings, gifting them the Winter Survival Kit is a great way to celebrate the 'joy of giving' this festive season," nearbuy CEO and co-founder Ankur Warikoo said.

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Smart home mkt to grow 30% Y-o-Y: Survey * The smart home market is expected to grow at a rate of 30 per cent year-on-year with market revenue doubling every three years, a Schneider Electric (SE) survey today said.
The survey, conducted on by AZ Research Partners, was conducted among end customers of premium apartment complexes, duplex, triplex and villas within the range of Rs 50 lakh to over Rs 5 crore as well as builders of such complexes.

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Siemens Industry Software inaugurates software R&D centre * Siemens Industry Software India, a subsidiary of Siemens product lifecycle management (PLM) Software (US), today inaugurated its global R&D centre in Baner, Pune.

The centre will act as the Asia-Pacific infrastructure hub focused on software product development, it said in a statement.
Oman Housing Bank deploys TCS solution
* Country's largest IT firm TCS today said Oman Housing Bank (OHB) has selected its BaNCS Universal Banking solution to help deliver an enhanced end-customer experience.
The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
OHB will replace home-grown legacy systems with a comprehensive solution from TCS BaNCS covering loans, deposits, origination, payments, funds transfer and compliance, the software giant said in a statement.
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Sony Liv launches subscription-based movie service * Sony Liv, the digital platform of broadcast network Multi Screen Media (MSM), has launched a subscription-based movie service.

"Movies, which we have just added are going to be available on subscription to consumers.
India, South Korea sign pact to promote cross-border trade
* India and South Korea today signed a pact on suspension of collection of taxes during pendency of Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP).
"This MoU will relieve the burden of double taxation for the taxpayer in both the countries during the pendency of MAP proceedings," the Finance Ministry said in a statement.
Further, both sides noted that transfer pricing dispute cases will be taken up for MAP under the revised DTAA between India and Korea, it added.

The statement said this is a step towards ease of doing business in India for Korean companies as it will relieve economic double taxation and promote cross-border trade and investment.
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Bank of Baroda launches new term deposit scheme * State-run Bank of Baroda today launched a new non-callable term deposit scheme for over Rs 15 lakh and up to Rs 10 crore.
Under the product called Baroda Advantage Fixed Deposits, investors will get higher interest than normal fixed deposits rate for similar amount, the government lender said in a statement.
The rate of interest offered on this product is higher by 10 basis points for deposits over Rs 15 lakh but less than Rs 1 crore and 5 basis points for deposits of Rs 1 crore and above.

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* V-Guard Industries today said it has set up a manufacturing unit of voltage stabilisers in Sikkim to meet the growing demand of stabilisers in non-south markets.
"The unit is eligible for benefits under North East Industrial & Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP), 2007 which also covers the state of Sikkim," it said in a filing to BSE.
No financial details were disclosed.
"V-Guard is also exploring inorganic expansion opportunities in companies, with product range having synergy with V-Guard, and manufacturing capabilities," it said.
A consultant has been appointed to assist the company in identifying and evaluating potential opportunities, it added.

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* KEI Industries to set up setting up subsidiary in Australia
KEI Industries today said it will set up a wholly owned subsidiary in Australia to bid for cable supply tenders and turnkey projects.
"The purpose of setting up of the said subsidiary is to bid Cable Supply Tenders and Turnkey Cable Projects/Contracts and such other business opportunities as determined by the Company from time to time," it said in a filing.
Gaana appoints Prashan Agarwal as Chief Operating Officer
* Online music streaming app Gaana today said it has appointed PropTiger.Com co-founder Prashan Agarwal as its Chief Operating Officer.

Before joining the Times Internet-owned firm, Agarwal had co-founded multiple internet ventures. He has held senior leadership roles at Naukri.Com, GE Infrastructure and Sapient.
"I'm optimistic that with his entrepreneurial approach and strong consumer internet, business and product acumen, Gaana will further strengthen Gaana's position as the leading and most loved music streaming app," Times Internet CEO Gautam Sinha said.
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Snapdeal elevates Saurabh Bansal to head Category Management * E-commerce major Snapdeal today said it has elevated Saurabh Bansal as Vice President and Head of Category Management.
In his earlier role as VP (Merchandising Strategy), Bansal was leading analytics and merchandize planning at Snapdeal.

In his new role, he will be responsible for end-to-end category management and would focus on the continued expansion of product and brand assortment on Snapdeal through strategic partnerships, Snapdeal said in a statement.
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GirnarSoft ropes in Holidify co-founder Rohit Shroff * GirnarSoft, the parent company to CarDekho.Com, Gaadi.Com and Zigwheels.Com, today said it has appointed Rohit Shroff as the Associate Director - Product and Growth.
He was previously the CEO and co-founder of Holidify, a holiday discovery platform.
In his new role, Rohit will channelise his entrepreneurial experience in improving product and driving growth across multiple platforms owned by the company, GirnarSoft said in a statement.

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UrbanClap appoints ex-Housing.Com exec Amit Das as VP Design * UrbanClap, a mobile services marketplace, today said it appointed former Housing.Com executive Amit Das as its new Vice President - Design.
In his new role, Das will be responsible for leading the product development and design function within UrbanClap, it said in a statement.
Das, who started his career as a developer in Mumbai, had earlier worked at companies like Fab.Com and FusionCharts. Apart from starting his own web design startup -- Kria Interactive, he was an integral part of Housing.Com as the Head of its Design team in March 2015 and later as VP Design.
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* Ziox Mobiles appoints Deepak Kabu as CEO
Ziox Mobiles today said it has appointed Deepak Kabu as its Chief Executive Officer.
Gaurav Swarup takes over as AIOE President
* Gaurav Swarup, Managing Director of Paharpur Cooling Towers today took over as the President of All India Organisation of Employers (AIOE), an allied body of industry body Ficci.
Besides, Rohit Relan, MD of Bharat Seats Ltd has been named as AIOE's Vice President for 2016-17. Relan has 30 years of experience in manufacturing industry.
AIOE is a platform for Indian employers to raise their voice in formulating labour and social policies to promote business, trade and economy in the country.
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Fullerton invests Rs 4.6 cr towards clean energy adoption * Fullerton India has invested about Rs 4.6 crore towards adopting clean energy methods and will invest another Rs 97 lakh by July towards the same.
It projects to add solar energy systems at another 36 of its branches by the first half of 2016, saving a further 5, 14,000 litres of diesel in the next 5 years, the company said.
"Today, more than 56 per cent of our rural branches run on alternate sources of energy. We plan on generating 1,230 MWh of clean energy in the next 5 years", Rakesh Makkar, EVP and Head of Business and Marketing, Fullerton India, said.
As of December 2015, the company has installed wind and solar systems in 150 rural branches across 10 states thereby saving 1,16,000 litres of diesel, it said.
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Biz2Credit ties-up with Busy InfoTech for loan services * Biz2Credit, an online marketplace for consumer and SME loans has tied-up with Busy InfoTech Pvt Ltd to expand SME financing services.
"Biz2Credit announced their partnership with Busy InfoTech to launch 'BUSY Loan Finder' to expand SME financing in India," a company statement said today.
BUSY Loan Finder is an integrated business accounting software for small and medium-sized businesses, it added. The company recently had tied-up with Tata Capital.
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Inkel registers net profit of Rs 19.67 cr * Infrastructure development company of Kerala, Inkel Ltd, has registered a net profit of Rs 19.67 crore during the 2015-16 fiscal, up 25 per cent from Rs 15.8 crore a year ago.
Consolidated revenue for the year was pegged at Rs 39.99 crore with a net profit before tax of Rs 19.67 crore.
Deepak Nitrite Q4 net up by 35pc to Rs 20.56 cr
* Chemicals firm Deepak Nitrite today reported a 35 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 20.56 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, compared to a net profit of Rs 15.23 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal.
Total income from operations of the company rose to Rs 340.75 crore in the January-March period of the 2015-16 fiscal from Rs 332.48 crore in the same period a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing.
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Emami to relaunch 'Fair and Handsome' cream in May * Homegrown FMCG firm Emami is relaunching its decade old popular brand 'Fair and Handsome' fairness cream for men with 5 Action Fairness System.
"Targetted towards men in the age group of 18-24 years, who are in the process of transition both personally and professionally and are ready to take on the world, the new Fair and Handsome is a result of the pioneering research by skin care experts from India and Australia", Emami Director Mohan Goenka said.
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BoB, Star Health enter into Corporate Agency agreement * Star Health Insurance and Bank of Baroda (BoB) today entered into a Corporate Agency agreement to market Star Health products across the public sector bank's branches, across the country.
This tie-up is aimed to help BoB customers avail the health insurance cover and services from Star Health and Allied insurance, according to a release issued here.
The private health insurer achieved a premium of Rs 2,008 crore in the last financial year 2015-16.