Author: News Desk

https://youtu.be/7SPSuc-18wk Mensa Brands has acquired a D2C, home-grown denim brand, High Star.This is as part of a series of acquisitions that the company has done this year.Digital-first consumersAs per an official handout, High Star caters to fashion-forward and digital-first consumers.High Star has evolved into a leading denim brand in the digital space.It offers a wide range of denim products across categories.Its products are available in Myntra, Ajio, Flipkart, among others. Mensa has focused on acquiring and scaling up digital-first brands across diverse categories.

https://youtu.be/WUFVEj1mItQ Kerala Startup Mission is inviting applications for prototype-level projects. This is done under the NIDHI-PRAYAS scheme of the Department of Science &Technology, Government of India.For aspiring innovatorsPRAYAS is a pre-incubation programme run by DST-NIDHI. It helps young inventors develop their ideas into Proof of Concepts. The grant will primarily be utilised by aspiring innovators to convert their ideas into a prototype.EligibilityIndian hardware solution providers above the age of 18 are eligible to apply. The last date for submission is January 10, 2022. Details are available at startupmission.kerala.gov.in/nidhiprayaas

https://youtu.be/JnLXbpawacI Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said that all vehicles will soon be able to run on ethanol.There will be more ethanol pumps in the country in future, Gadkari said.Go-green initiativeSince petrol costs more than bio-ethanol, ethanol will let the public save more and is good for the environment. Gadkari has always backed the country’s need for increasing the scale of ethanol production.Gadkari had issued an advisory to carmakers to introduce flexible-fuel engines in vehicles. The central government is working to encourage the use of green and alternative fuels. TVS Motors and Bajaj Auto have already started manufacturing flex-fuel engines.

https://youtu.be/oyFSGEYTirs Tata Motors is readying a major upgrade to the Nexon EV early next year. It will include a larger battery and increased range.Tata’s EV visionThe longer range Nexon is expected to come with a bigger 40kWh battery. Its weight is expected to have increased by an estimated 100kg. It will be sold with the current Nexon EV, which has cornered the nascent EV market in India.The key to the Nexon EV’s success has been the car’s finely judged ‘price-to-range’ ratio. Tata Motors has aggressive plans to build on the early lead it has taken in the EV race.

https://youtu.be/p8p4g14nTcs India will become the third-largest economy in 2031, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has predicted.GDP risingCEBR said India will regain the sixth position from France next year, a year later than previously predicted. Further, India will see an improvement in its ranking in the World Economic League Table (WELT). The COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of devastating for the country, the report said.The GDP in the second quarter of 2020 grew by 20.1% year-on-year. Overall, the economy is estimated to have grown by 8.5% in 2021.

https://youtu.be/LdRLRfCgHpI Onsurity, an employee healthcare benefits platform, has launched the Onsurity Edge Credits Programme. Health insuranceIt is a first of its kind health benefits credit programme for startups. It is designed to empower startups by offering their employees HealthCare and wellness benefits.Startups who opt-in for the credits programme will receive up to Rs 25,000 credits.It can be redeemed to buy comprehensive healthcare plans for employees. Security has firmed up plans to reach more than 10,000 small businesses through this.

https://youtu.be/7DjqP9W6dr0 Biryani, has reigned supreme in 2021 in many cities, a Swiggy report said. Indians ordered 115 Biryani per minute which means around 2 biryanis per second.Biriyani, samosa loversChicken biriyani, according to the report, was the queen of biriyanis. It had 4.3 times more orders than its humble vegetable equivalent.Around 4.25 lakh customers made their Swiggy debut by ordering a chicken biriyani. People in Chennai, Lucknow, Kolkata and Hyderabad preferred Biriyani most. Samosas were the most binged snack of the year with around 5 million orders on Swiggy.

https://youtu.be/GX6NxFJi_Jk The government is likely to tweak its draft ‘Humans in Space Policy 2021’ document. It may include private space-tech startups in the programme, according to industry experts.Space-tech startupsIndian space policy in 2022 will define the role that private startups will play an important role, an expert said. The new policy may come at the juncture of the two uncrewed Gaganyaan test missions, another expert said.Union minister Jitendra Singh had said Gaganyaan, India’s manned space mission will launch in 2023. India’s own space station, meanwhile, is being earmarked for the year 2030.

https://youtu.be/enHIvEBajO0 Tata Motors has established a wholly-owned subsidiary for electric vehicles. It is called Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEML).Tata’s TPEMLTPEML will exclusively look into passenger electric and hybrid vehicles. It has been formed with an initial capital of Rs 700 crore.Tata Motors will hold 100 percent shares of TPEML. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has issued the Certificate of Incorporation. TPEML plans to have 10 products by FY26 which will be a mix of different body styles and drive ranges.

https://youtu.be/cY-_0ijRlps Amazon India has proposed to take full control of Cloudtail. The e-commerce giant has approached the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for approval to acquire Catamaran Ventures stake in Prione.Waiting for approvalPrione operates Cloudtail, the largest and longest-serving seller on the Amazon platform. The decision comes months after Catamaran and Amazon decided to end the joint venture. If CCI approves the deal, Amazon will fully own Prione. Amazon’s move comes at a time India is looking to tighten rules for e-commerce.