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A Heart-warming Tale of Hope and Inspiration on Friendship Day: Stem Cell Donation Saves a Bangladeshi Youth from Blood Cancer

Posted on July 27, 2023 by City Today News (City today.media)

JULY 27, 2023: A heartwarming tale of hope and kindness unfolded when a 29-year-old man from Kerala stepped forward to save the life of a complete stranger. Atanu Kishor, a resilient 22-year-old youth from Bangladesh, has been locked in an unwavering battle with blood cancer since 2017. His teenage years were full of immense difficulty as he endured countless rounds of chemotherapy, each moment leading to uncertainty.

Atanu was initially getting treated in Bangladesh; however, his family was searching for better treatment options. The local doctors advised them to seek medical care in India. With determination and faith, Atanu and his family arrived at the Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata, where he got a ray of hope that he could be treated. He underwent a stem cell transplantation under the expert supervision of Dr. Reghu K S, a senior consultant in the Department of Paediatric Hematology Oncology & Cellular Therapies.
Atanu Kishor underwent a lifesaving stem cell transplantation in Kolkata. He received stem cells from an unrelated donor and his namesake, Kishor, from India. DKMS BMST Foundation India, a non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against blood cancer, was pivotal in finding a matching stem cell donor for Atanu from their vast registry of over 90,000 potential donors in India. Kishor registered as a potential blood stem cell donor in 2017, and after a year, he came as a life-saving match for Atanu Kishor in Bangladesh.
Atanu successfully underwent stem cell transplantation in 2018 at the Tata Medical Centre. Adhering to the international guidelines that keep the donor and recipient’s identity anonymous for two years, Atanu got a chance to meet his lifesaver Kishor for the first time in February 2021 in Kolkata.
Donor Kishor said, ‘’In 2017, I registered as a potential stem cell donor, and after a year, I received the news that I was a match. At the time, I didn’t know any details about the patient. But now, after all these years, I finally met him. The meeting left me speechless. Saving a life is an indescribable feeling that can only be experienced. I am grateful that organizations like DKMS-BMST are tirelessly working to offer patients suffering from blood cancer and other blood disorders a second chance at life. Being part of this noble cause fills me with pride.”
A year has passed since their life-changing encounter, and Kishor and Kishor remain connected. They share common interests, such as sports, particularly cricket, and they both like reading books. Their connection has grown stronger, and they cherish the profound effect on each other’s lives. They both share a deep passion for encouraging more people to register as stem cell donors, recognizing the life-saving impact it can have on patients like Atanu Kishor.
Recipient, Atanu Kishor, said, “Finding my genetic twin through stem cell donation created an everlasting friendship. We share a special bond that goes beyond ordinary friendships, knowing he selflessly donated his stem cells to save my life. Thanks to DKMS-BMST for giving me a second chance at both friendship and life.”
Patrick Paul, CEO, DKMS BMST Foundation India, emphasized the urgent need to address the shortage of blood stem cell donors. He encouraged the youth to register as potential donors, stating, ‘’On this Friendship Day, we celebrate the true essence of friendship that goes beyond borders and transcends time. Witnessing the heartwarming bond between stem cell donors and recipients fills our hearts with joy. At DKMS-BMST, we are humbled to witness the life-changing power of friendship through stem cell donation. Together, we build a community that stands united in the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders such as Thalassemia and Aplastic Anemia. Let’s continue spreading hope and friendship, inspiring more acts of kindness that save lives and create lifelong connections.”
Since its inception in 2019, DKMS-BMST has helped 95 patients find a matching stem cell donor and undergo a lifesaving transplant. The organization aims to register numerous donors in India and worldwide to give as many patients a second chance at life as possible.

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Religare-nasscom CoE Collaborate to Drive Tech Innovation

Posted on July 27, 2023 by City Today News (City today.media)

• REL will leverage nasscom CoE’s expertise on co-creation and extensive access to innovation solutions from startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the tech sector for industry transformation.
• The partnership will enable startups to address real business challenges and gain access to strategic investments.

**Sri Sanjeev Malhotra, CEO, NASSCOM CoE & Dr. Rashmi Saluja, Executive Chairperson, Religare Enterprises Ltd** **“signing the MoU to drive tech Innovation” at Bangalore today.**

Bengaluru, 27th July 2023 – Religare Enterprises Limited (REL), India’s leading diversified financial services group, and nasscom CoE for IoT & AI, have entered a strategic partnership to strengthen REL’s business processes & solution landscape, making it future-ready through the infusion of cutting-edge technology and innovation. The collaboration will harness the collective strengths of both organisations to enhance customer experience and drive operational efficiencies and data security while creating long-term value within the sector.

nasscom CoE’s expertise in co-creation and vast network of startups and SMEs specializing in emerging technologies such as AI,ML, AR/VR, Robotics, Blockchain, Drones, and IoT, will present Religare Group the access to relevant innovators and their technology. The Group will continue to explore potential business collaborations tailored to the company’s specific needs and seize possible opportunities to benefit the enterprise and BFSI sector.

With the announcement, nasscom CoE has also launched the Fifth version of the Healthcare Innovation Challenge (HIC), a one-of-its-kind initiative to tackle the challenges healthcare providers face in their journey to digital transformation. Religare Group’s Care Health Insurance Ltd, a leader in the health insurance space, will work with nasscom CoE in bringing digital technology solutions for the health insurance industry.

Announcing the partnership, Dr Rashmi Saluja, Executive Chairperson, Religare Enterprises Ltd said: “Our collaboration with nasscom CoE signifies a significant milestone in our journey towards becoming a 360-degree financial services provider by nurturing, adopting, and integrating technological innovations in our core and future businesses. By harnessing the power of emerging technologies, we aim to strengthen our business operations, enhance diligence, and deliver unparalleled value to our customers and shareholders. It is our vision that this partnership will not only accelerate our digital transformation but also enable us to support other players in the financial services sector to undertake this journey.”

“Furthermore, our vision is to support startups that are born in India and focused on India-specific solutions. In doing so, we are aligning ourselves with the government’s vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat – a self-reliant and economically strong nation. Nurturing these startups will enable us to retain talent and ownership of India-centric solutions, thereby strengthening our global leadership in technology and innovations.”

The strategic partnership between Religare and nasscom CoE encompasses several key initiatives that aim to shape the future of financial services. Religare will gain access to a curated pool of innovators through regular pitch sessions, opening doors for potential collaborations in the near future. Additionally, Religare will have an early advantage in identifying strategic investment opportunities in startups, fostering innovation, and driving growth.

Emphasizing the potential of this partnership Mr Sanjeev Malhotra, CEO, nasscom CoE said: “Religare and its entities will jointly work on use-cases and co-create solutions with the startup ecosystem that will promote homegrown tech innovation driving significant impact on enterprises and create business value.”

As part of this partnership, Religare will also have the opportunity to mentor two CoE-incubated startups, leading to the nurturing of entrepreneurial talent. This strategic partnership will propel Religare’s digital transformation journey and position the company at the forefront of the industry, delivering cutting-edge solutions and unprecedented value to its customers.

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Sustaining and Scaling New Heights

Posted on July 27, 2023 by City Today News (City today.media)

Highest-ever PAT at ₹324 crore for Q1FY24 driven by strong business momentum
Disbursed ₹5,284 crore for Q1FY24; Gross loan book up 30% Y-o-Y
Collections/ asset quality continues to be at industry best; PAR at 3.8%; GNPA/NNPA at 2.4%/0.06%
Deposits up 45% Y-o-Y; Retail TDs^ up 71% Y-o-Y

Bengaluru, Thursday 27 July, 2023: Ujjivan Small Finance Bank ltd. [BSE: 542904; NSE: UJJIVANSFB], today announced its financial performance for the quarter ended June 30, 2023

Summary of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Business Performance – Q1FY24
Assets
Disbursements were at ₹5,284 crore in Q1FY24 up 22% Y-o-Y
Continued strong quarterly disbursement in Housing and FIG; disbursed ₹418 crore/ ₹320 crore respectively – highest ever for both the segments
Gross loan book at ₹25,326* crore up 30%/5% Y-o-Y/Q-o-Q
Collection and Asset Quality
Continued traction on Collections with ~99% efficiency in Jun’23; NDA collection consistently at ~100%
Portfolio at risk at stable at 3.8% as of Jun’23*
GNPA declined to 2.4% as of Jun’23 vs 2.6% as of Mar’23; NNPA continues to be negligible at 0.06% as on Jun’23
Total of ₹ 60 crore written-off in Q1FY24; Provision coverage ratio as on Jun’23 is 97.6%#
Deposits
Deposits at ₹26,660 crore as of Jun’23 up by 45%/4% Y-o-Y/Q-o-Q
Retail TD grew 71%/8% Q-o-Q/Y-o-Y
CASA grew 27% Y-o-Y taking CASA ratio at 24.6% as on Jun’23
Healthy retail liability customer acquisition
Financials
Q1FY24 NII of ₹793 crores up 32% Y-o-Y; NIM at 9.2%* for Q1FY24
Cost to Income ratio at 52.8% in Q1FY24 vs 58.5% for Q1FY23
Q1FY24 PPoP at ₹458 crore up 52% Y-o-Y; PAT of ₹324 crore up 60% Y-o-Y
Capital and Liquidity
Capital adequacy ratio at 26.7% with Tier-1 capital at 23.7%
Provisional LCR at 189% as of Jun’23

Mr. Ittira Davis, MD & CEO, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank said, “FY24 has started on a very strong note as we hit another highest ever profit figure. The growth has come on the strong platform built during FY23. Our disbursement has been strong, despite Q1 being seasonally weakest quarter, taking our loan book past ₹25,000 crore mark. Among secured assets, Affordable Housing and FIG continues to show strong growth, while other products will start picking-up towards latter half of the year. During the quarter, we consciously reduced the excess liquidity which was driving negative carry and pulling our NIMs down. Deposits were up 45% Y-o-Y/ 4% Q-o-Q driven by retail focus. Our credit cost for the quarter was minimal on the back of strong collections. While, slippages continue to be under control, NPA recoveries have started to move towards normalization. Bad debt recoveries continue to be strong; we expect the same to be substantial this fiscal as well albeit lower than FY23. We remain confident of our sub-100 bps credit cost for FY24. We expanded our physical presence by 32 new branches during the quarter and look forward to add ~70 more branches during Jul’23-Mar’24. Our vvv* based mobile banking app – “Hello Ujjivan” targeting non-tech savvy customers continues to do well with 2.7+ lakh customer downloads. Customers are increasingly using the app to transact. We are hopeful that “Hello Ujjivan” will bring several long-term benefits to the business and the society as well.
We have been delivering sustained profitability with significant improvement Q-o-Q for last six consecutive quarters. With our strong financial performance and growing business momentum, we have launched a national brand campaign to further establish our image as a mass-market bank. The business is delivering on all-fronts and gives us immense confidence to re-assure our FY24 guidance shared at the beginning of the year.
On the merger with our promoter, the hearing of our application with the NCLT was completed on June 28, 2023 and we positively expect to receive the order soon, entailing directions for scheduling the meetings of the stakeholders and other directions as the NCLT may deem fit.”

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SAIL selects mjPRO from mjunction for all project buys

Posted on July 27, 2023 by City Today News (City today.media)

In order to support its project procurement, SAIL today signed a contract with mjunction services limited to roll out its e-procurement platform, mjPRO, across all the five ISPs for their project buys.

SAIL has selected mjPRO through an open tender for implementation of an e-tendering solution for its project buys on a digital platform providing easy access to its global vendors to quote.

The contract was signed in Bhilai today in presence of Shri Anirban Dasgupta, Director I/c (BSP), Shri RK Srivastava, Actg. ED (Projects), Shri Anurag Upadhyay, CGM (Projects-Commercial), Shri Unmesh Bhardwaj CGM(Projects), and Mr. Vinaya Varma, MD, mjunction.

According to mjunction Managing Director Mr. Vinaya Varma, “Through mjPRO, we expect to bring in speed to SAIL Project tenders, connect to vendors globally and efficiently address the challenging task of finalizing the Project tenders in short cycle times.” mjPRO will also help SAIL to make the necessary decisions leading to finalization of Purchase Orders for projects much easier, he added.

mjPRO is a Cloud-based platform and comes with wide configurability which ensures that every unique need of users is met; it is secure, scalable, modular and easy to use. It addresses key concerns of organisations such as access to new and credible suppliers, analytics and insights for decision-making, convenience of usage and integration with ERP systems. It can accommodate complex RFQ terms, multiple currencies and diverse evaluation criteria. It also provides access to registered vendors after due validation with procurement analytics and configurable dashboards that provide insights for timely decision making.

The project is expected to go-live within three months across five integrated steel plants of SAIL with connectivity with SAIL’s in-house consultant CET and Corporate Office.

Apollo Hospitals Bannerghatta Road Bangalore,counts 150 Robotic Colorectal Surgeries and becomesonly one of few in India to Achieve This Breakthrough

Posted on July 27, 2023 by City Today News (City today.media)

Apollo Doctor is the First European Board Accredited Robotic Colorectal Surgeon in India

Bangalore, July 27, 2023– Apollo hospitals, Bangalore sets yet another new record and witnesses a moment of pride. Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore, is a leading healthcare provider in the country. It adds another feather to its hat and becomes one of the very few hospitals in India to complete 150-odd successful robotic colorectal surgeries. Not just that, Dr. Narasimhaiah Srinivasaiah, senior consultant at Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, and Head at Apollo Institute of colo-rectal Surgery in Bangalore is the first European Board accredited Robotic Colorectal Surgeon in India, further enhancing the hospital’s reputation for excellence.

Dr. Narasimhaiah shed light on the significant accomplishments and the intricacies of robotic colorectal surgery. He highlighted that the hospital has performed a wide range of colorectal robotic surgerieswith a yearly average of 50 operations. Robotic colorectal surgery involves utilising a human-assisted robot for complex operations on the colon and rectum, particularly for cancer cases. This advanc d form of laparoscopic or keyhole surgery has proven to be highly effective in treating various conditions such as colonic cancer, rectal cancer, anal cancer, recurrent colorectal cancers, and pelvic cancers.

To facilitate robotic colorectal surgery, a dedicated minimally invasive surgical theatre and a surgical robotic system arerequired. Here at Apollo hospitals, Bangalore we have an Intuitive Da Vinci XI system. Apollo Hospital Bannerghatta Road is one among very few hospitals in India to have ensured the availability of these essential infrastructural requirements. The hospital also prides itself on having skilled, robotically trained support staff and a supportive administration that nurtures and advances this program.

Discussing the precision and skill required for robotic colorectal surgery, Dr. Narasimhaiah emphasised that it demands expertise in minimally invasive surgery, along with a deep understanding of the technical aspects of robotics. “Surgeons must possess the right attributes and skills. Hand-eye coordination, spatial orientation, situational awareness, lateral thinking, and patience are only some of them. Robotic surgery provides a stable platform, increased depth perception, a wider range of movements, high visibility, smaller scars, quicker recovery, and faster return to daily activities. It is important that surgeons must have an artistic approach: as human anatomy serves as a canvas and the surgeons serve as artists, striving for the best possible patient care. Robotics adds more precision and enhanced outcome to it,” said Dr. Narasimhaiah.

Dr. Narasimhaiah’s accreditation as the first European Board accredited Robotic Colorectal Surgeon in India adds another accolade to his already impressive profile. Having undergone extensive training in Europe and America, Dr. Narasimhaiah has gained the competence required to undertake precision-based onco-surgery for the benefit of patients in India. He holds the position of Associate Professor of Surgery at Apollo Hospitals and is the Head of Colorectal Services in the Karnataka region. Dr. Narasimhaiah is also the Director of Health Sciences Park (HSP) in Bangalore and plays a vital role in advancing colorectal surgery at Apollo Institute of Colorectal Surgery (AICRS).

Speaking about the extensive training required for conducting robotic colorectal surgeries, Dr. Narasimhaiah said: “You need skill sets of a minimally invasive surgeon to become a highly skilled robotic colorectal surgeon. There is a need for good hand eye coordination, spatial orientation, situational awareness, lateral thinking and patience, for which adequate training is required. Most of the art of robotic surgery needs passion, patience and perseverance. There is a steep learning curve incorporating theoretical base, absorption of the principles of minimally invasive surgery, simulation on dry labs, hands on with wet cadaveric labs followed by immersion programs both in reach and outreach. He underwent his training at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, the Royal London Hospital in London, the Christie Hospital in Manchester, Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York and The Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon. These are mainly fellowships spanning between a few weeks to a couple of years with structured training and signing off. In India, industry and institutions are gradually driving the training.”

Dr. Narasimhaiah’s expertise spans various areas of colorectal surgical oncology, including cancer surgeries – colonic, rectal, anal, appendiceal, pelvic, and peritoneal.

He added: “The Apollo Hospital’s vision emphasising on a combination of human touch and technological precision, has been instrumental in the hospital’s success and in helping patients recover from complex conditions through the precision touch of robotics and skills of doctors matching the global standards.”

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