Aster DM Healthcare Acquires 5 percent Stake in Quality Care India via Share Swap

Kochi 30-04-2025: Aster DM Healthcare, one of the country’s leading integrated healthcare service providers, has today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of 5% stake in Quality Care India Ltd (QCIL) from BCP Asia II TopCo IV Pte. Ltd (BCP) and Centella Mauritius Holdings Limited (Centella) through a share swap ahead of QCIL’s merger with Aster DM Healthcare, as announced in November 2024.

The transaction was completed by acquiring 1,90,46,028 equity shares of QCIL by Aster DM Healthcare from BCP and TPG for a value of INR 849.13 crores. As discharge of the total purchase consideration payable, Aster DM Healthcare has allotted 1,86,07,969 equity shares (face value ₹10 each) to BCP and Centella.

The share swap has been undertaken pursuant to receipt of necessary approvals, including shareholder consent, in-principle approval from BSE Limited (BSE) and National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE), and CCI approval and is subject to the final listing and trading approval from BSE and NSE for the new equity shares allotted to BCP and Centella by Aster.

Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman, Aster DM Healthcare said, “Today marks a transformative step in our journey to become India’s most formidable integrated healthcare network. The acquisition of 5% stake in QCIL through a share swap is the first step toward the strategic merger between Aster DM Healthcare and QCIL. This move lays the foundation for a unified, future-ready healthcare network with a strengthened pan-India presence. As we progress toward full integration, our focus remains firm towards creating significant long-term value for all our stakeholders.”

The newly issued shares will have equal rights (pari passu) with existing equity shares of Aster.

The merged entity (subject to approvals) ‘Aster DM Quality Care’ will be jointly controlled by Aster Promoters and BCP and brings together the strengths of two leading healthcare providers with a common vision of expanding access to high-quality medical care across the country. The merger is expected to be completed this year.

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Mumbai Hits Decade-High April Home Sales, Demand Peaks

By: Mr. Dhaval Ajmera, Director, Ajmera Realty & Infra India Ltd on Mumbai Home sales- April 2025

Mumbai has witnessed one of the best-performing months of April in the decade as the city records over 12000 home sales, showcasing a stellar rise for the month both on a y-o-y and a long-term basis. This is a robust testimony to the growing demand for quality homes in the financial capital, driven by the strengthening of purchasing power among the buyers’ fraternity, along with the desire to upgrade to a better lifestyle. With the redevelopment boom at its peak, the preferential categories attracting major sales continue to be luxury and mid-segment housing and micro-markets like Versova, Borivali, and Ghatkopar are witnessing a multi-fold growth.

This demand looks promising to be sustained in the long run, given that the maximum city is undergoing a massive infrastructural facelift that is attracting the attention of buyers and investors from both within and beyond the national geography.

Navrachana University Hosts 7th Entrepreneurship Summit to Boost Startup Culture

Vadodara, April 30, 2025

The School of Business and Law at Navrachana University Vadodara (NUV), in collaboration with the Student Startup and Innovation Policy (SSIP), Government of Gujarat, and the Navrachana Innovation Foundation, successfully hosted the 7th edition of its flagship Entrepreneurship Summit on April 22 to April 25, 2025.

The summit brought together a vibrant mix of young innovators, startup founders, industry leaders, and students from across the country. It served as a dynamic platform for learning, networking, and collaboration.

The summit began with an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Manish Jain, Director of the Creativity Lab at IIT Gandhinagar, who spoke on The Role of Education in Driving Entrepreneurship. He highlighted the importance of experiential learning in fostering entrepreneurial mindsets and urged students to explore production-based business models over conventional app-based aggregators.

A series of engaging speaker sessions followed, featuring key industry voices. Mr. Karan Tanna (Blinkit) discussed the growth of dark stores and the evolution of quick commerce. Dr. Deep Lodhari (BeChef) reflected on the powerful lessons learned from entrepreneurial failures. Ms. Akansha Gandhi (Vadilal) spoke about the unique challenges of sustaining legacy brands in a rapidly changing market. Mr. Naitik Chotai, founder of Fundoolabs, provided an honest account of the lesser-known struggles of startup life, sharing insights from his Shark Tank journey.

In a focused technical session, Mr. Apoorva Vora, CEO of Finolutions, demystified how investors evaluate startups and outlined common red flags to avoid. Participants also benefited from hands-on workshops on Design Thinking by Mr. David P. Isaac (Co-founder, IRIS Training & Consulting, Mumbai) and Performance Marketing by Ms. Pranali Buch (COO, Bestow), gaining practical tools to enhance innovation and brand strategy.

A major highlight of the summit was the Business Plan Competition, which attracted 95 participants across 40 teams from premier institutions such as IIT Hyderabad, Symbiosis, and Christ University, and School students also confidently showcased a range of creative and innovative ideas.

Judged by a panel of startup mentors, venture capitalists, and academic experts, the competition offered valuable feedback and real-world perspectives to budding entrepreneurs. The price of 1 lakh rupees is distributed among the winning teams to take their ideas further.

Some standout ideas included a hyper-local event discovery app, a pet-on-rent service, an anti-dandruff cap, agricultural robots, herbal bandages, self-lacing shoes, a safe pesticide spraying device (Dripsafe), vaccine transport solutions, and a smart financial analysis platform.

Prof. Sandeep Vasant, Registrar, Navrachana University Vadodara, expressed, “The 7th Entrepreneurship Summit reflects our commitment to fostering creativity and innovation. It provided a dynamic platform for students to engage with industry leaders, exchange ideas, and gain real-world insights. Through collaborations with SSIP and the Navrachana Innovation Foundation (Incubation Centre), we continue to empower students to scale their entrepreneurial ventures.”

Dr. Hitesh Bhatia, Dean, School of Business and Law, remarked, “The 7th Entrepreneurship Summit reaffirmed our dedication to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship. The summit’s interactive format, practical insights, and real-world mentorship left participants inspired and better equipped to make a meaningful impact.”

Hindustan Zinc Named India’s Largest Integrated Silver Manufacturer at 2025 Conference

New Delhi, 30th April 2025: Hindustan Zinc Limited, India’s only and amongst the top five silver producers globally, was awarded with the prestigious title of India’s Largest Integrated Silver Manufacturer 2024 at the 3rd edition of the India Silver Conference 2025, held in Udaipur, Rajasthan. This recognition is a testament to Hindustan Zinc’s strategic focus and operational excellence, empowering the company to meet the rising demand for this precious metal driving the clean energy transition. Alongside receiving the honor, the company’s exhibit included London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) certified 99.99% purity marked 30 kg and 1 kg silver bars, alongside a few pieces of galena – the ore from which silver is produced, sourced from the company’s Sindesar Khurd Mine in Rajasthan. Sindesar Khurd Mine has the distinction of being among the top five silver-producing mines globally. The conference commenced with a keynote address by Arun Misra, CEO – Hindustan Zinc, setting the tone for high-caliber deliberations on demand resilience and future-forward strategies.

Silver, a key energy transition metal, is indispensable across a broad spectrum of industries, from solar energy and high-end electronics to Artificial Intelligence, nanotechnology, biotechnology, jewelry and silverware. With superior conductivity and innate antimicrobial attributes, silver is at the heart of next-generation technologies spanning solar photovoltaics, electric mobility, medical diagnostics and smart consumer devices. Hindustan Zinc is primed to meet this escalating global demand. Since the company’s disinvestment by the government in 2002 and subsequent acquisition by Vedanta, the company has achieved a phenomenal 20-fold increase in silver production, recognizing it as one of India’s most successful disinvestment stories. Before Vedanta’s acquisition, Hindustan Zinc was producing only a miniscule amount of silver and India was primarily dependent on imports for silver.

In his keynote address, Arun Misra, CEO – Hindustan Zinc Limited, said “At Hindustan Zinc, we take immense pride in being a global frontrunner in silver production. Our strategic positioning allows us to cater to the rising demand for this versatile metal. With silver prices touching historic heights, the metal has emerged as a pivotal enabler in the clean energy transition. Our silver, refined at our Pantnagar facility in Uttarakhand, is produced using 100% renewable energy, reinforcing our commitment to sustainable and responsible production.”

This year’s conference brought industry leaders and stakeholders to deliberate on the evolving macroeconomic currents shaping the silver ecosystem. Speaking at one of the panel discussions, Vijay Murthy, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer at Hindustan Zinc highlighted silver’s expanding relevance across critical sectors.

Hindustan Zinc’s pavilion, themed ‘At the C’ORE’ of the Clean Energy Transition’, emerged as a centerpiece of the event, attracting widespread acclaim for its innovative presentation. Delegates were particularly drawn to the immersive 3D augmented reality experience booth, which offered a virtual tour of the world’s largest underground zinc mining operations in Bhilwara, Rajasthan and the world’s largest zinc-lead smelting facility in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan.

Hindustan Zinc’s silver offerings, including 30 kg and 1 kg bars as well as silver powder, are internationally certified and adhere to the highest global standards. The company’s Pantnagar Metal Plant is accredited under the Responsible Silver Guidance framework by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) demonstrating Hindustan Zinc’s commitment to ethical sourcing, advanced production techniques, and a sustainable value chain.

Along with being one of the world leaders in silver production, Hindustan Zinc is also well regarded for its sustainability practices. Recognized as the World’s Most Sustainable Metals and Mining Company by S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2024, Hindustan Zinc has set industry benchmarks for environmental and social stewardship. As silver demand grows in critical industries, Hindustan Zinc is actively leading India’s economic growth and the global energy transition while leading the way with innovation, responsibility and purpose.

Hindustan Zinc Limited, a Vedanta Group company, is the world’s largest integrated zinc producer and amongst the top 5 silver producers globally. The company supplies to more than 40 countries and holds a market share of about 77% of the primary zinc market in India. The company also launched EcoZen, Asia’s first low carbon ‘green’ zinc brand, produced using renewable energy. Hindustan Zinc is also a certified 2.41 times Water-Positive company and is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. As an energy transition metals company, Hindustan Zinc is pivotal in providing critical metals essential for a sustainable future.

Alembic Pharma Gets US FDA EIR for Oncology Plant

30 April 2025, Mumbai: Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited has announced that it has received the Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) from the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for its Oncology Formulation Facility (Injectable and Oral Solid), located at Panelav.

This follows the successful completion of a US FDA inspection conducted at the facility from October 7 to October 8, 2024, as communicated in earlier intimation.

The receipt of the EIR signifies the closure of the inspection process and reinforces Alembic’s commitment to global regulatory compliance and high-quality manufacturing standards.

Ode Spa Unveils 3rd Flagship at RGIA, Elevates Wellness Travel

Hyderabad, April 30, 2025 – In a landmark moment for wellness travel, Ode Spa, part of the visionary Ridhira Group, proudly announces the launch of its outlet at the departure terminal of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad. This marks Ode Spa’s third outlet within the airport premises and it’s ninth in Hyderabad city, reinforcing the brand’s presence in one of India’s fastest-growing hubs for travel and wellness. True to its evolving philosophy—Pause. Recharge. Fly.—Ode Spa reimagines the travel experience, offering flyers a purposeful respite to reconnect with themselves before continuing their journeys. With this opening, the brand reinforces its commitment to making wellness an essential and accessible part of the travel experience.

With a strong presence in over 15 cities across India, Ode Spa remains committed to bringing transformative wellness experiences closer to travellers and urban communities alike.

According to GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL)’s official Annual Report 2023–24, Hyderabad International Airport handled over 25 million passengers in the last fiscal year, with a significant proportion comprising transit and frequent flyers. Recognising the growing need for intentional wellness amidst today’s fast-paced travel, Ode Spa offers a much-needed sanctuary for travellers to pause, breathe, and recharge—transforming layovers into moments of meaningful rest, rejuvenation, and holistic care.

Thoughtfully curated for today’s relentless pace of life, Ode Spa at Hyderabad International Airport offers travellers a rare chance to pause and reconnect with themselves before their next journey begins. Blending the wisdom of traditional healing practices with the precision of modern innovation, the spa invites guests to experience therapies that are more than indulgence—they are essential acts of self-care. Whether it’s a Swedish or Balinese massage to ease the strain of long hours, a natural facial to refresh travel-weary skin, or an AI-personalised treatment tailored to immediate needs, every offering is designed to restore balance from within. With hydrating body wraps, therapeutic scrubs, aromatherapy, and reflexology, Ode Spa transforms layovers into a retreat—reminding travellers that in a world where constant movement is inevitable, true wellness must be intentional. It’s not just a spa stop—it’s a holiday before the holiday, a moment to recharge body, mind, and spirit, when it’s needed most.

“This isn’t just a spa launch—it’s the start of a new way to travel. We have always believed that wellness should not be a luxury but a lifestyle. With this launch, we are bringing that philosophy to the traveller in transit—delivering balance, comfort, and a sense of calm, even amidst the rush of chaotic terminals and demanding travel schedules.” said Ritesh Mastipuram, Founder and Managing Director, Ridhira Group.

With over 50 lakh clients serviced and a thriving community of 1.2 lakh members across India, Ode Spa has firmly established itself as a trusted name in luxury wellness. Rooted in a holistic philosophy, the brand blends globally celebrated healing techniques with cutting-edge wellness technologies to create transformative experiences that nurture physical vitality, emotional balance, and spiritual harmony. Committed to making wellness an essential part of everyday living, Ode Spa champions accessibility through thoughtfully priced luxury offerings, while maintaining environmental responsibility with non-chemical, natural products. As it continues its rapid expansion, Ode Spa is redefining modern wellness—seamlessly merging ancient traditions with forward-thinking innovation—setting new benchmarks for the industry and ensuring that mindful living is within reach for today’s travellers and urban communities alike. Building on this momentum, Ridhira Group is all set to expand its footprint across major international airports, bringing its vision of accessible luxury wellness to a global audience.

India Codes the Future: Microsoft Backs Agentic AI at Pinnacle 2025

Hyderabad, April 30, 2025 : With over 17 million developers currently on GitHub and an aim of becoming the world’s largest developer community on the platform by 2028, India is rapidly emerging as a global AI and tech talent powerhouse. Microsoft, through its India Development Center (IDC), is proud to be home to some of the country’s best engineering talent that is shaping the future of AI. This was evident at the IDC Pinnacle Summit 2025 held at Microsoft IDC campus in Hyderabad. In its third year, the annual summit brings together Microsoft leaders, IDC teams, leading Microsoft customers and AI innovators to build community, celebrate latest innovation in AI and emerging technologies, and foster a culture of continuous learning. The theme for Pinnacle 2025 was “Unlock the Agentic Future – Where AI Agents Meet Human Ingenuity”.

Reflecting on what makes IDC a great place to work for aspiring and established developers from across India, Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director and President, Microsoft IDC, said, “At Microsoft, we are proud to drive AI innovations that help India grow, strengthen our global leadership by creating planet scale product impact. We have the responsibility to nurture India’s growing AI talent, enabling them to build cutting-edge AI solutions for the country and the world. At Microsoft IDC, we believe India’s developers will lead the next wave of breakthrough technologies — and we are committed to being a trusted partner to the country’s aspiration to be a global leader in AI.”

At the summit, Rajiv was in a fireside chat with Jay Parikh, Executive Vice President, CoreAI. This was Jay’s first India visit since taking on his Microsoft role in October 2024. During their chat, Jay and Rajiv shared insights into Microsoft’s end-to-end AI stack, platform strategy, and India’s growing influence in the global AI ecosystem.

While addressing the audience, Jay remarked, “Our mission is ambitious but simple: to empower every developer, and eventually everyone, to shape the future with AI. Achieving that means moving fast, because AI is transforming everything: how industries operate, how we work, how data is stored, how companies are built and managed. It’s a global shift, and it’s accelerating rapidly—faster than most of us can comprehend.” He added, “This isn’t theoretical—Azure AI Foundry is live, serving over 60,000 customers globally, including several in India. It’s been exciting to see local enthusiasm and hear feedback—from support to demands for more capabilities.”

India at the Heart of Global AI Innovation

Puneet Chandok, President, Microsoft India and South Asia, while addressing the audience on the evolution of AI and how India is leading the latest platform shift, said, “Microsoft is now home for India to build AI. AI is reshaping the entire technology landscape – Agents and Copilot are the UI of AI, complemented with human ambition. Our Copilots now come with IQ, EQ, AQ (agency), and memory. That’s when the magic happens.”

Puneet also invited leaders from key Microsoft customers from across sectors, namely Physics Wallah, Wipro, Fractal, Infosys, and Kore.ai, who shared how Microsoft’s AI solutions are helping them unlock business impact at scale and putting AI in the hands of everyone.

From GPT-4o to GitHub Copilot: AI in Action

  • Physics Wallah shared how they are transforming education through Alakh AI, an AI-powered learning suite built using OpenAI’s GPT-4o model on Microsoft Azure. Its flagship tools, AI Guru and the Smart Doubt Engine, are designed to enhance learning inside and outside the classroom.
  • Wipro discussed its journey toward becoming an “AI Organization” by embedding Microsoft technologies across workflows.
  • Fractal discussed building a unified agentic platform for enterprises, leveraging Microsoft’s AI stack, and how AI solutions are now powering human decisions in an enterprise.
  • Infosys highlighted that agents built on the Azure OpenAI ecosystem are driving significant cost efficiencies, with developers already generating over 14 million lines of code using GitHub Copilot.
  • Kore.ai illustrated how they are reimagining work, service, and process automation with the help of Microsoft’s AI innovation.

The event underscored Microsoft’s commitment to empowering developers and organizations in India to lead the next wave of AI innovation.

Celebrating and rewarding innovation

The IDC Tech Fair and Innovation Showcase is a key highlight of the Summit every year. It is a platform for IDC teams to demonstrate their technical and product excellence and innovation. This year, more than 200 booths across four campuses were set up for IDC teams to show cutting-edge agentic innovations in areas such as Copilot & extensibility, developer experiences across Azure services & AI platform, applied research as well as securing our data & protecting from threats and enabling Responsible use of AI at scale. The fair served as a platform for collaboration, reuse, and cross-team learning, and showcased the best of IDC’s engineering talent.

The summit concluded with the IDC Pinnacle Awards, recognizing standout projects across three tracks—Agility & Productivity, User Delight & Customer Satisfaction, and Innovation.

Pinnacle 2025 reinforced Microsoft’s belief that India is not just participating in the AI revolution—it is leading it.

VDO.AI completes seven years of shaping the ‘Future of Video Advertising’

April 30, 2025, Gurugram: VDO.AI, a global advertising technology company empowering brands and publishers to leverage the potential of video content, recently marked seven years of being the frontrunners of the AdTech industry. With its proprietary tools and ad formats, VDO.AI has revolutionised video advertising to help its customers maximise their ad spends across OTT/CTV, desktop, and mobile devices.

Founded in 2018 by Amitt Sharma, Founder and CEO, and Arjit Sachdeva, Co-founder, VDO.AI has scaled massively to serve more than 2000 web publishers and over 10,000 premium brands across eight countries. Delivering over 20 billion impressions per month, VDO.AI has powered ad campaigns of iconic brands like Hyundai, Flipkart, TATA Taneira, Swiggy, Gujarat Tourism, WWE, Singapore Tourism, and more.

Speaking of the milestone, Amitt Sharma, Founder and CEO of VDO.AI, said, “In the last seven years, we have been driven by the bold mission of disrupting the video advertising landscape through our suite of tech-based video advertising solutions. This mission has helped us achieve a growth rate of 122% over the years, and we are proud of how far we have come in transforming ads into high-impact and meaningful interactions. Looking ahead, we’re focused on scaling our product portfolio, deepening our global footprint, and helping our clients generate more ROI from their ads through contextual intelligence and tech-driven solutions.”

On the occasion, Arjit Sachdeva, Co-founder, VDO.AI, said, “As the global digital advertising industry races toward the $870 billion mark, it is important for brands and publishers to roll out ads that are relevant, interactive, and monetizable. Over the past seven years, we’ve engineered VDO.AI to lead this evolution with the power of AI. Expanding our client base by 52% YOY across sectors, we’re excited to become one of the frontrunners in the AdTech space. Entering another pivotal year, our focus will remain on building and upgrading our tech stack to conquer advertising challenges and help our clients run high-impact ad campaigns.”

Stepping into the next chapter of growth, VDO.AI is committed to empowering brands and publishers with ads that capture attention, reach the right audience, and foster engagement.

Rockwell Automation, STEM Foundation Unite to Empower Youth Innovators

National, 30 April, 2025: Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, has partnered with the India STEM Foundation to establish Science Labs, Robo Siksha Kendra, and Atal Tinkering Labs at two schools in Bengaluru: Government High School, Cox Town, and VKO Government School, Shivaji Nagar.

The Robo Siksha Kendra and Tinkering Lab are equipped with the latest technologies to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning and communicate core STEM concepts to students in grades 7-10. Students engage in hands-on activities, plan and conduct simple experiments, build, test, and evaluate projects, and explore ideas to solve real-world problems using technology, reasoning, design thinking, conflict resolution, and collaboration under the mentorship of our qualified engineer facilitators.

Speaking about the initiative, Dilip Sawhney, managing director, Rockwell Automation India said, “we are deeply committed to promoting STEM education and empowering young minds. With these initiatives, we aim to inspire future innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders who will drive sustainable growth and technological advancement.”

By providing hands-on learning opportunities and access to modern technology, Rockwell Automation is committed to nurturing future talent and contributing to India’s growth as a technological hub.

Rockwell Automation’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives extend to Pune, where the company supports STEM education at Huzurpaga Girls’ English Medium School. An exhibition attended by dignitaries from the Maharashtra Girls’ Education Society showcased innovative student projects across multiple grade levels, highlighting the positive impact of tinkering labs on problem-solving and creativity.