6th Feb 2025: People are moving just outside India’s two major population centres of Delhi and Mumbai, pushing up house prices upwards in the process.

The research comes from eXp Realty India, which analysed annual property growth across 50 regions of India, and found that in five regions prices have risen by double digits since the start of last year.

Gurugram near Delhi was the fastest growing region of India in 2024, where prices increased by a staggering 16.5% since Q1 of last year. They far outstripped price growth in Delhi itself, which stood at just 1.1% over the same period.

It’s similar to Navi Mumbai, a planned city next to Mumbai, which is the second fastest growing city in all of India, at 14.7%. Mumbai itself has only seen prices rise by 2.0%.

Prices filter out from Mumbai

Prices in Mumbai are roughly double its Navi Mumbai counterpart, at 26,364 rupees per square feet versus 13,808, so it’s more affordable for people to buy in the latter area.

The cost of property broadly reduces as you venture further from Mumbai, as the second highest price in India is in nearby Thane (18,008), followed by Navi Mumbai (13,808).

Other regions close to Mumbai, like Mira Bhayander (13,753), Panvel (12,591) and Kalyan Dombivali (10,042) also have far lower house prices than Mumbai.

Gurugram pricier than Delhi

The situation is different when it comes to Delhi, as the neighbouring Gurugram is more expensive, at 13,808 rupees per square feet, compared to 10,187 in Delhi.

Gurugram is oustripping Delhi due to its growing status as a major corporate and financial hub, attracting a large number of multinational companies as well as high-income earners.

New Delhi, 6th January, 2025 – Today, Space Matrix announced its commitment to joining the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) membership program as a Cornerstone member. Space Matrix joins like-minded companies from across the globe that are committed to enhancing buildings and communities to help people thrive.

The membership program at IWBI convenes, celebrates, and fosters collaboration with companies and organizations who are leading the movement to advance human health in buildings and communities around the world. This dynamic framework allows Space Matrix to tap into IWBI’s expansive resources and knowledge and demonstrates Space Matrix’s alignment with IWBI’s mission.

“Joining the IWBI membership program as a Cornerstone member signifies our unwavering commitment to our people and the Space Matric community. This program strengthens our resolve to integrate health and well-being at the core of our design solutions, driving us to deliver spaces that not only inspire productivity but also nurture the well-being of those who use them,” said Arsh Chaudhry, CEO of Space Matrix.

“The IWBI membership community’s steady growth complements a growing global commitment to people-first places,” said Rachel Hodgdon, president & CEO of IWBI. “Health and well-being are investments that we know pay dividends in times of struggle and of success. We’re excited and humbled to work alongside these global leaders to advance this movement toward a better and healthier future for everyone, everywhere.”

As a Cornerstone member, Space Matrix will leverage IWBI’s programs to enhance its design approach and integrate WELL principles into its projects worldwide. This membership will enable Space Matrix to access IWBI’s comprehensive resources, collaborate with global thought leaders, and further its mission to create people-first spaces that contribute to healthier and more sustainable communities.

Space Matrix has certified over 2.1 million square feet of projects for WELL Certification and employs over four WELL AP accredited professionals. Further demonstrating its leadership in the field, Space Matrix recently signed the International Healthy Building Accord at the IWBI RECHARGE Summit 2024 in Bangalore, India. Notable achievements include the Space Matrix Gurugram Office (Beta Lab) Platinum WELL certification and precertification of Space Matrix Bangalore, Chennai offices, a testament to the company’s commitment to creating healthier, people-first workplaces.

Mumbai, 6th February, 2025 – Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today released the third edition of its consumer survey in a white paper titled Evolving home energy consumption: Intentions, actions and hurdles to greater home energy efficiency. It surveyed 13,000 people from 11 countries across the world, with 1,000 respondents from India, uncovering global attitudes toward household energy efficiency, sustainability and smart home technology.

Gap between awareness and action

Home energy consumption is the main driver of home emissions and has increased steadily over recent years with the spread of energy-consuming devices and appliances. This trend, coupled with skyrocketing energy costs and dramatic real-life impacts of climate change, has driven awareness of home energy consumption.

Given this, the report focuses on behaviors, barriers and readiness to adopt energy-saving solutions. Notably, this year’s results highlight a wide gap between awareness and action. 82% of respondents consider energy efficiency “somewhat important” or “very important,” whilst 84% said energy efficiency is the top desired home improvement, and 70% responded that reducing their carbon footprint is ‘important’ to them.

However, only a few are taking the most impactful actions to reduce their energy consumption; just 44% regularly adjust their ambient temperatures, despite this being one of the highest-impact actions. At the same time, 58% of homeowners turn off lights as their primary strategy for saving energy, while lighting only comprising around 5% of electricity bills. The second-most popular method, unplugging unused chargers (48%), also has minimal impact — saving only $0.26 per charger annually.

Home energy technology

The report reveals another overemphasis on lighting when it comes to the types of home energy technology consumers have in their homes, with 52% of consumers believing that smart lighting enhances energy efficiency. While 24% own smart lighting, only 21% have a smart thermostat, with less than half (46%) acknowledging its energy-saving benefits, despite evidence showing it could reduce bills by up to 30% annually.

For the first time, the survey explored attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI). Despite predictions that AI and automation could help mitigate up to 10% of global GHG emissions, 44% of respondents said they would never rely on AI for household tasks, 35% don’t fully understand it, and 41% want to actively avoid it. In addition, 52% believe smart home technology is too expensive, even though connected homes can achieve energy savings of up to 22%.

The survey also shows an awareness gap for more traditional home technology: 30% of respondents don’t know what their electrical panel does, and 16% don’t know its location. The electrical panel is at the heart of the home’s power system and acts as the gatekeeper for ensuring the safety of electrical devices and appliances, therefore this lack of knowledge poses potential serious safety risks if the condition of the panel is ignored as homes become more electrified.

Ms. Sumati Sahgal, Vice President, Retail, Schneider Electric India, said, “While there is an intent from consumer for increase energy efficiency, there is a crucial gap between awareness and action. While a majority of consumers recognize the importance of energy efficiency, the most impactful solutions remain underutilized. As India moves towards a more sustainable and electrified future, it is imperative to empower homeowners with the right knowledge of how to bring efficiency in their energy consumption. At Schneider Electric, we are committed to bridging this gap by offering innovative, connected solutions like WISER that offers easy and scalable automation for enhanced comfort and convenience along with advanced energy management capabilities.”

India – Feb. 6, 2025 — Appdome, the leader in protecting mobile businesses, today announced a platform upgrade that includes 24 new dynamic defense plugins targeting hundreds of Banking Trojans, Trojan Spyware, and Remote Access Trojan malware across Android and iOS apps. The new plugins for Appdome’s patented AI-Native XTM Platform are designed to use in-app behavioral analysis to combat the prolific rise in trojan malware targeting mobile banking, fintech, trading, mCommerce, and other Android and iOS apps. Like all Appdome defenses, each of the 24 new dynamic defense plugins targeting trojan attacks is available by choice using the Appdome platform without the need to integrate code, perform manual coding, implement SDKs, or deploy servers.

“The surge of trojan malware and fraud is top of mind in the mobile economy,” said Tom Tovar, co-creator and CEO of Appdome. “We study more than 5 billion data points every week to understand how polymorphic trojan malware behaves and design defenses that are purpose-built for the job of defeating each type of trojan threat.”

The rise of Mobile Banking Trojans, Trojan Spyware, and Remote Access Trojans (RATs) has become a significant threat to the mobile economy. Attackers are developing increasingly sophisticated trojan malware to exploit users of Android and iOS applications. These attacks are no longer limited by geographic boundaries. In addition, AI-powered attack generation and mutations have arrived in full force. Banking Trojans like Xenomorph and SharkBot target mobile banking apps, overlaying fake login screens to steal credentials and bypass multi-factor authentication. Meanwhile, Trojan spyware such as Pegasus has demonstrated how nation-state-grade surveillance tools can infiltrate mobile devices, exfiltrate sensitive data and track users. RATs, like BRATA, take the threat further by granting attackers full control over infected devices, allowing them to siphon funds, intercept communications, and even perform factory resets of devices to erase attack residue. As AI-driven automation, on-device fraud (ODF) tactics, and sophisticated evasion techniques proliferate, mobile commerce, fintech, and mobile banking platforms are at increasing risk of exploitation and compromise.

“Banking Trojans, Trojan Spyware, and Remote Access Trojans present multiple threats to a mobile business and user,” said Richard Stiennon, Chief Research Analyst at IT-Harvest. “Appdome’s model of using defense plugins gives mobile brands and businesses the power to choose which threat to detect and how to defend against that threat.”

The Appdome platform generates dynamic defense plugins to protect mobile applications based on business needs. Once added to a mobile application, these plugins analyze mobile application behavior, user interactions, and network and system operations at runtime, enabling proactive detection and prevention of attacks. Where SDKs deliver static defense checks or route traffic to attestation servers, Appdome’s dynamic defense plugins do the work inside Android & iOS applications to provide an inherently self-adaptive, self-intelligent detection scheme capable of detecting even the most sophisticated and polymorphic Trojan malware. These dynamic defense plugins can also inform, instruct and take instruction from the mobile application or mobile backend, providing seamless defense to any class of attack.

February 6th, Mumbai: Climbing unimaginable peaks is a test of endurance, courage, and sheer determination, pushing adventurers to their limits as they navigate breathtaking yet untamed landscapes. With the rich legacy of 137 years of powerful and inspiring storytelling, National Geographic’s thrilling documentary ‘The Devil’s Climb’ is all set to premiere on February 9th at 10 PM on the National Geographic Channel. From Plimsoll Productions, The Devil’s Climb follows world-class rock climbers Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell on an epic expedition to tackle one of the most daunting challenges of their careers: summiting the infamous Devil’s Thumb, a sinister tower and legendary 9,000-foot peak in the Alaskan wilderness surrounded by old-growth rainforest and known as one of the most dangerous mountains in North America.

Alex and Tommy are two of the greatest rock climbers of all time — and best friends. Together, they set off on an emotional and physical journey, traveling 2,600 miles by bicycle, sailboat, and on foot through the American West, Canada, and Alaska to a daring climb of the Devil’s Thumb. Tommy makes a heroic comeback to climbing from a career-threatening Achilles injury, while Alex expresses his commitment to Tommy’s return to climbing as he joins the greatest adventures of his life. The 74-minute film sheds light on the rich shared history of adventurous speed climbing and a record-setting partnership between the two friends.

Directed by fellow climber Renan Ozturk, the film will take viewers on a breathtaking extraordinary adventure as Alex and Tommy attempt to accomplish the first-ever single-day traverse of all five peaks of the Devil’s Thumb massif, pushing their bodies and bond to the absolute limit.

6th February 2025, Ahmedabad: Textile major, Vishal Fabrics Limited (VFL), has appointed Suketu Shah as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Suketu will lead the next phase of growth agenda at VFL. Erstwhile CEO Mr. Vinay Thadani has now been elevated to lead a broader management role within the Chiripal Group. Vinay is the Director & CEO of GREW Solar, the renewable energy arm of the Chiripal group.

Suketu Shah, a highly accomplished professional and gold medallist from MS University in Vadodara, holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree along with a Diploma in Textile Chemistry (DTC), showcasing a strong academic foundation that complements his extensive experience.

His experience spans more than 40 years in the textile industry including key roles at renowned organizations such as LNJ Denim, part of the RSWM Group, Mafatlal Industries Limited, Aarvee Denims & Exports Ltd., APAC Inti Corpora in Bawen, Indonesia, and Raymond UCO Denim Pvt. Ltd. He has also contributed to the growth of Modern Denim Ltd. and Arvind Limited, where his strategic acumen was pivotal in driving significant advancements within these firms.

Commenting on his new role, Suketu Shah said, “I am truly honored to be part of Vishal Fabrics Limited, a company renowned for top quality denim fabric. I am excited about embarking on our journey to chart out the next phase of growth in Vishal Fabrics. We are dedicated to enhancing stakeholder value through sustainable business practices”

Brijmohan D. Chiripal, Managing Director, Vishal Fabrics Limited (VFL) said “We are delighted to welcome Suketu to the Chiripal family. VFL is at an inflection point and Suketu’s strong business acumen coupled with his vast knowledge of the sector will help us to navigate the growth journey. We look forward to greater success ahead.”