21-22 August 2015 Hindi

R Gandhi panel recommended conversion of UCBs into Regular Banks

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) High Powered Committee on Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) headed by RBI Deputy Governor R Gandhi in its report has recommended conversion of UCBs with business size of 20000 crore rupees or more into regular banks. This will allow them to grow and proliferate further for financial inclusion.
RBI on 20 August 2015 placed the panel’s report on its website and invited suggestions and comments from public on this report by 18 September 2015.

The important recommendations made by the HPC are briefly as under:
1. Business Size and Conversion of Multi-State UCBs into joint stock bank: A business size of 20000 crore rupees or more may be the threshold limit beyond which a UCB may be expected to convert itself into a commercial bank. The conversion need not be de jure compulsory. However, the types of businesses to be undertaken by those choosing not to convert may remain within the limits of plain vanilla products and services and hence, growth will be at a much slower pace. Their expansion in terms of branches, area of operations and business lines may thus be carefully calibrated.
2. Conversion of UCBs into Small Finance Banks (SFBs): Smaller UCBs with business size of less than 20000 crore rupees willing to convert to SFBs can apply to the Reserve Bank for conversion provided they fulfil all the eligibility criteria and selection processes prescribed by the Reserve Bank and further provided that the licensing window for SFBs is open.
3. Issue of fresh licences: Licenses may be issued to financially sound and well-managed co-operative credit societies having a minimum track record of 5 years which satisfy the regulatory prescriptions set by the Reserve Bank as licensing conditions. For providing banking access in unbanked areas, the Reserve Bank may put in place an appropriate set of incentives for existing banks to open branches there.
4. Board of Management (BoM) in addition to Board of Directors (BoDs): Putting in place a BoM as suggested by the Malegam Committee has to be one of the mandatory licensing conditions for licensing of new UCBs and expansion of existing ones.
5. Entry Point Norms: The new Entry Point Norms (EPNs) may be as under:
• To operate as a Multi-State Urban Co-operative Bank- 100 crore rupees
• To operate beyond two districts and as a State level UCB - 50 crore rupees
• To operate as District level UCB (upto 2 districts) - 25 crore rupees
• In case of conversion of co-operative credit societies in unbanked areas and in the north-east, suitable relaxation may be made by the Reserve Bank.
6. Depositors as voting members: The depositors ought to have a say on the Boards of UCBs. For this, a majority of the board seats may be reserved for depositors by making suitable provisions in the bye-laws.

Background
The High Powered Committee on Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) under the chairmanship of RBI Deputy Governor R Gandhi was constituted on 30 January 2015. The committee was formed to examine and recommend permissible business lines and appropriate size, and examine the issues with regard to conversion of UCBs into commercial banks besides determining whether the time is opportune to issue new licenses to UCBs as recommended by the Expert Committee on Licensing of New UCBs (Malegam Committee).
The committee was formed in accordance to the recommendation made by the Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) on UCBs in its meeting held on 20 October 2014.

Lahore High Court banned film ‘Phantom’ from release in Pakistan

Pakistan’s Lahore High Court on 20 August 2015 banned the release of Bollywood movie ‘Phantom’ in Pakistan. It also banned its airing on the cable networks and its sale in the form of CDs.
The order to ban the release of the Saif Ali Khan-starrer film in the theaters in Pakistan was issued by Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan of the Lahore High Court.

The decision was taken on a plea of by Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The petitioner in his plea argued that the film set on post-26/11 attacks contains filthy propaganda against him and his outfit. The film could be a direct threat to his life as the dialogues of the film could poison the minds of the public.
Before issuing a short-order on the film, which was scheduled to release on 28 August 2015, the judge asked that if the film is banned in cinemas what the government could do to stop it from being available in the markets in CDs.
It questioned the government after it observed that Indian and other movies are easily available after their release in the market
The film based on crime author Hussain Zaidi’s novel ‘Mumbai Avengers’ is set in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and deals with global terrorism.
In the past, Saif Ali Khan's 'Agent Vinod' and Salman Khan's 'Ek Tha Tiger' were also banned from being screened in cinema halls in the country although they are freely available on CDs and DVDs in Pakistan.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Value Added Tax (Amendment) Regulation 2015 promulgation approved

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 20 August 2015 approved the promulgation of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Value Added Tax (Amendment) Regulation, 2005. The amendment was promulgated by the President under article 240 of the Constitution of India.
This will substitute the clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 4 of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Value Added Tax Regulation, 2005 with the amendment, namely “(b) in respect of goods specified in the Third Schedule, at the rate of five percent.”

This will help the Union territory to generate additional gross revenue and net tax generation that is estimated to be 120 crore rupees and seven crore rupees per annum respectively.
Article 240 in the Constitution of India
Article 240 of the Constitution, empowers the President to make regulations for the peace, progress and good government of the Union territory namely the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Lakshadweep; Dadra and Nagar Haveli; Daman and Diu and Pondicherry.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Value Added Tax (Amendment) Regulation 2015 promulgation approved

Ashwani Lohani appointed as CMD of Air India Limited

Ashwani Lohani was on 20 August 2015 appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of state owned national carrier Air India Limited. His appointment was approved by the Appointment Cabinet Committee (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He succeeded senior IAS officer Rohit Nandan whose tenure ended on 21 August 2015. He will have a tenure of three years. Presently, he is working as Managing Director (MD) of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) in Bhopal.
Lohani is a 1980 batch Indian Railway Service officer of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME). He is a qualified mechanical engineer and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).
He is the founder member of the Indian Steam Railway Society (ISRS) and member of CII National Council on Tourism. He is also life member of Museums Associations of India and Institute of Rolling Stock Engineers.
He has written two books, these are Winning at work against all odds’ and a coffee table book Smoking Beauties.

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras resigned and called for snap polls

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in a televised address to the nation announced his resignation on 20 August 2015. He submitted his resignation to President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and asked for the earliest possible election date.
41-year-old Tsipras, who was elected as the Prime Minister in January 2015, said that he felt a deep moral obligation to lay his action before the judgement of the Greek people.

Tsipras resigned with an aim to defend the massive bailout of 86 billion-euro (96 billion dollars), which Greece received from the creditors. This third bailout to the country since 2010, led to rebellion within his left-wing Syriza party.
Earlier in the day, Greece received its first 14.5 billion dollars tranche, allowing it to repay a debt to the European Central Bank and avoid a default.
Tsipras's announcement leaves Greece in the hands of a caretaker government until the vote. According to the Greek news agency ANA, the election is expected to be held on 20 September 2015.

ASA and Exchange of Information with respect to Taxes between India, Seychelles approved

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 20 August 2015 gave its approval for the signing of the revised Air Services Agreement (ASA) and exchange of information with respect to taxes between India and Seychelles.
Revised Air Services Agreement (ASA)
The ASA will modernize and update the existing ASA signed on 30 October 1978, and signifies an important landmark in the civil aviation relations between India and Seychelles. Further, it has the potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

As a result of this agreement, the number of flights between India and Seychelles has been increased from three per week to seven per week.
Exchange of information with respect to taxes between India and Seychelles
• It will enable the Competent Authorities of India and Seychelles to provide assistance through exchange of information that is foreseeably relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of two countries concerning taxes covered by this agreement.
• Information received under the agreement shall be treated as confidential and may be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts or administrative bodies) concerned with assessment, collection, enforcement, prosecution or determination of appeals, in relation to taxes covered under the agreement.
• Information may be disclosed to any other person or entity or authority or jurisdiction with the prior written consent of the country sending the information.
• The agreement also provides for a Mutual Agreement Procedure for resolving any difference or for agreeing on procedures under the agreement.
• The agreement will enter into force on the date of notification of completion of procedures required by the respective laws of the two countries, for entry into force of the agreement.
As such, the agreement does not have any financial implications. Only in the event of extraordinary costs exceeding 500 US Dollar, the Government of India will bear the same, as per Article 9 of the agreement. India has similar provisions in other such tax information exchange agreements.

India has signed similar bilateral agreements for Exchange of Tax Information with Argentina, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Macao, Monaco and San Marino.

Union Cabinet approved signing of MoU between India and Australia on education and research

The Union Cabinet on 20 August 2015 approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Australia on cooperation in the fields of education, training and research. The costs of the cooperative activities under this MoU will be funded on mutually agreed terms.

The MoU will help deepen the existing partnership between India and Australia in higher education and research, including technical and professional education, schools, vocational education and it will now open up new and innovative areas of cooperation.
Objectives of this MoU
• Expansion of Australia India Education Council membership from time to time to ensure appropriate representation from academia, policy makers and industry.
• Strengthening of the policy dialogue and exchange in areas of mutual benefit, including qualification and quality frameworks and standards for education, research and training.
• It will support mobility of students and faculty members through formal exchange programs, internships and other modalities.
• It will improve credit transfer arrangements and work towards qualifications recognition between Australia and India.
• Supporting and organizing professional development programmes for subject experts, educational administrators, faculty members and teachers.
• Encouraging twinning arrangements between institutions of higher learning and organisation of joint research programmes and publications.
• Sharing best practice education materials including research materials, publications, and educational literature.
• Supporting skills development through joint conferences, seminars, policy dialogue and technical cooperation in national standards development.
• It will develop bilateral programmes between institutions of educational excellence in technical, vocational, schools and higher education, subject to availability of funds.

Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. He was administered the oath of office by President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
Wickremesinghe, a lawmaker since 1977, had served the country as its Prime Minister on three occasions. He held the post from 1993-94, 2002-2004 and since January 2015.
Apart from this, immediately after the swearing-in, the General Secretaries of the two main parties in the country, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in the parliament and form a National Government.

The ‘historic’ MoU was signed by SLFP’s Acting General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake and UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim. The SLFP Central Committee on 20 August 2015 agreed to the proposal of Wickremesinghe to join the National Government to be formed by the UNP.
Earlier on 18 August 2015, Wickremesinghe’s United National Party won 106 seats, seven short of a majority in the 225-member parliament.This agreement between the UNP and Sirisena’s SLFP will enable Wickremesighe to secure a majority in Parliament.

Union Government launched web portal Vidya Lakshmi for Students Seeking Educational Loans

The Union Government on 15 August 2015 launched a web portal named Vidya Lakshmi (www.vidyalakshmi.co.in) for the benefit of students seeking Educational Loans.

It is the first portal of its kind that provides single window for students to access information and make application for educational loans provided by banks as well as for government scholarships.
The Portal was developed by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited (NSDL e-Gov) under the guidance of Department of Financial Services under Union Ministry of Finance, Department of Higher Education under Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).

Highlights of the Portal
• It provides information about educational loan schemes of banks
• Common educational loan application form for students
• It has facility to apply to multiple banks for educational loans
• It allows banks to download students’ loan applications and upload loan processing status
• It offers students to email grievances/queries relating to educational loans to banks
• It has dashboard facility for students to view status of their loan application
• It provides linkage to national scholarship portal for information and application for government scholarships.
So far, 13 Banks have registered 22 Educational Loan Schemes on the Vidya Lakshmi Portal and 5 Banks including SBI, IDBI Bank, Bank of India, Canara Bank and Union Bank of India have integrated their system with the Portal for providing loan processing status to students.
This initiative aims to bring on board all Banks providing Educational Loans.

Making India Awesome authored by Chetan Bhagat released

Making India Awesome: New Essays and Columns: Chetan Bhagat

The book titled Making India Awesome authored by Chetan Bhagat was released by Rupa Publications on 19 August 2015.

This is the second non-fiction book written by the country’s biggest-selling writer Chetan Bhagat. His first non-fiction book was What Young India Wantswhich was well received by the readers.

In this book of essays the author analyses and provides inspired solutions to the country's most intractable problems—poverty, unemployment, corruption, violence against women, communal violence, religious fundamentalism, illiteracy and more.

Using simple language and concepts, this book presents the most complex of problems facing the nation today and gives practical solutions to solve them.

Historian Babasaheb Purandare bestowed with Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2015

Historian and writer Babasaheb Purandare was on 19 August 2015 awarded with Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2015. He was bestowed this award in literature category by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at a function held at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai.

He was credited with writing the first historical work on 16th century Great Maratha king Chattrapati Shivaji. Babasaheb Purandare is famously known as Shiv Shahir, Shivaji’s poet.
He is best known for his book Raja Shiv Chhatrapati and popular play Janata Raja. His book Raja Shiv Chhatrapati has more than 16 editions and is widely read across the state. While the Janata Raja play has been performed more than 850 times, it has been staged in India as well as in United States.
About Maharashtra Bhushan Award
• Instituted in 1995, it is a highest civilian award of Maharashtra state and is presented annually by the state government.
• It was initially conferred in the fields of Art, Science, Literature and Sport. Later, it encompassed Journalism, Social Work, Public Administration and Health Services.
• Eminent Marathi writer and humorist Purushottam Laxman Deshpande was first recipient of this prestigious award in 1996.

NASA spacecraft LADEE found presence of neon gas in Moon’s atmosphere

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spacecraft LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) confirmed the presence of Neon gas in Moon’s atmosphere.
The research paper describing observations from LADEE’s Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS) instrument was published in Geophysical Research Letters. The lead author of the research paper is Mehdi Benna.

This is the first time that the availability of the gas in the atmosphere was confirmed. Since Apollo missions, it was always a subject of speculation that the gas is present in the exosphere of the Moon.
Main findings
• The neon gas that is commonly used in electric signs on Earth because of its intense glow was found to be in abundance in the exosphere of the moon.
• The Moon’s exosphere is made up of mostly helium, argon and neon. Their relative abundance is dependent on the time of day on the Moon — argon peaks at sunrise, with neon at 4 am and helium at 1 am.
• The study helped the team to find that way through which these gases are supplied to the exosphere and how they ultimately lost. While most of the lunar exosphere comes from the solar wind, NMS showed that some gas comes from lunar rocks.
• NMS also found an unexpected source of some of the helium in the lunar exosphere. About 20% of the helium is coming from the Moon itself, most likely as the result from the decay of radioactive thorium and uranium, also found in lunar rocks.

About LADEE
Launched in September 2013 from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, LADEE began orbiting the moon from 6 October 2013 and started gathering science data from 10 November 2013. The spacecraft entered its science orbit around the moon’s equator on 20 November 2013. In March 2014, LADEE extended its mission operations following a highly successful 100-day primary science phase and impacted the moon on 17 April 2014.

Himachal Pradesh Government launched RISHTA project

Himachal Pradesh Government on 20 August 2015 launched theRajiv Gandhi Illuminating Scheme for Hill Town Advancement (RISHTA) project, an efficient smart LED based street lighting project. With this, Himachal Pradesh became the first state in North India to do so.

The scheme is also known as Centralized Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) Smart Street Lighting Scheme for Urban Local bodies which implements LED based street lighting project. This project is being implemented by collaboration of state Urban Development Department and EESL.
EESL (Energy Efficient Services Limited) is a joint venture company formed by four power sectors i.e. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL), Power Finance Corporation Ltd. (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC).
For this project, EESL will invest all the capital upfront for implementation of Project. Municipalities will pay back this investment to EESL over a period of 7 years from energy and cost savings that will accrue as a result of installation of energy efficient LED lights.
In this project, a total of 63484 street lights will be replaced with LEDs in all the Urban Local Bodies to achieve 45 to 55 percent energy savings. The total savings within a year in terms of operation and maintenance will be 6.5 crore rupees.
The scheme will be immediately implemented in Shimla, Dharamsala, Sundernagar, Paonta Sahib, Ghumarwin and Manali. While, the rest of the towns of Himachal Pradesh would be lighted well before 31 March 2016.

Book titled Mrs Funnybones authored by Twinkle Khanna released

Mrs Funnybones: She’s Just Like You and a Lot Like Me: Twinkle Khanna

The book titled Mrs Funnybones: She’s Just Like You and a Lot Like Me authored by former Bollywood actress Twinkle Khanna was released on 18 August 2015. Mrs. Funnybones is about how a modern woman looks at India and how India looks back at her.

Full of wit and delicious observations, Mrs Funnybones captures the life of the modern Indian woman who organizes dinner each evening, even as she goes to work all day, who runs her own life but has to listen to her Mummyji, who worries about her weight and the state of the country.
The book is the bigger version of Twinkle Khanna’s super-hit column Mrs Funnybones. She is a popular columnist and her contributions can be seen in The Times of India and DNA After Hrs.

About Twinkle Khanna
Married to actor Akhsay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna was a renowned actress who made her debut with the Barsaat movie in 1995, for which she even won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
After leaving the acting profession post her marriage, Twinkle Khanna chose to become an interior designer, columnist and film producer. When she is not engrossed into her design business or selling candles, Twinkle is seen crafting satirical stories and funny fables.
Currently, she is in the process of creating lame jokes like, Why do all Hindu boys worship their mother? Because their religion tells them to worship the cow. She firmly believes that nothing in life is sacred except laughter.

22 August

Union Government Issued Norms for Selection of CEOs and MDs of Smaller PSU Banks

The Union Government on 20 August 2015 issued norms for selection of Managing Directors (MDs) and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in Mid and Small Public Sector Banks (PSBs).

The guidelines were issued after the approval by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) for selection of MDs & CEOs in Public Sector Banks (PSBs) other than five large Public Sector Banks.
Guidelines for Selection of CEOs and MDs of Small PSBs
• The top post in the PSBs would be filled from the existing pool of executive directors (EDs) or deputy managing directors (DMDs) in state-owned banks with a remaining service period of 2 years. Henceforth the private sector executives would not be the part of the selection process of top management.
• The DMDs of IDBI Bank, the EDs of nationalised banks and MDs of associate banks of State Bank of India (SBI) who have one year of service experience as ED/DMD/MD and who have two years of service left are entitled for post of MD & CEO.
• Other than five large PSBs, for the remaining banks hiring will be conducted from the pool of executive directors of the public sector banks itself.
• For the five large banks viz. Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Canara Bank and IDBI Bank, there will be a separate procedure for selection.
Selection Methodology
• The selection will be done by the interaction of the candidates with three panels of the sub-committee of the Appointments Board, where the candidates will be rated out of 100 marks.
• 50 marks will be awarded for Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) of five years and 50 marks will be assigned on the basis of performance during interaction with the sub-committee.
• For the post of Executive Director, the General Managers of nationalized banks and CGMs of associate banks of SBI, who have two years of experience of service will be eligible.
The guidelines came following the irk raised due to appointment of two private sector bankers to head Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank. This selection process will be followed from September 2015.

Uber Cabs tied-up with Bharti Airtel to set up WiFi hotspots in each of its cabs

Bharti Airtel Limited on 21 August 2015 tied-up with the Uber Cabs, allowing Uber riders to pay using Airtel’s mobile wallet service Airtel Money. With this partnership, Uber will set up WiFi hotspots in each of its cabs. Uber will pay Airtel for the bandwidth consumed.

As part of this partnership, Uber riders across India can now pay for their trips using Airtel's mobile wallet service Airtel Money. Mumbai will be the first city in India to enjoy free high-speed internet from Uber, powered by Airtel 4G. The service will soon be rolled out for Uber riders pan-India.
Under the terms, Bharti Airtel will offer its 4G MiFi (mobile WiFi) devices to Uber vehicles, while drivers will get subsidised mobile devices and data plans. While, Uber will offer discounts to Airtel customers, including 500 rupees off on their first ride using Airtel Money.
Uber has its operations in more than 60 countries and about 330 cities, of which 18 are in India. The company had launched operations in India less than two years ago and now has about 150000 driver partners.

Noted academician Amitabh Mattoo appointed as Advisor to J&K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

Noted academician and former Vice-Chancellor of the Jammu University Amitabh Mattoo was on 21 August 2015 appointed as Advisor to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister (CM) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Mattoo will have the status of a Cabinet Minister.

Born in Srinagar, Mattoo has been the Chief Executive Officer and inaugural Director of the Australia India Institute and Professor of International Relations at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
Currently, he is on leave from New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University where he serves as a Professor of Disarmament Studies at the School of International Studies. He is widely regarded as an inspiring and innovative builder of institutions and the foremost Indian intellectual seeking to build peace in the South Asian region.
Mattoo also serves on the Governing Council of the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), the Executive Committee and Governing Council of Pugwash and is a member of the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Well Being.
He has been a Member of the National Knowledge Commission, a high-level advisory group to the Prime Minister of India. He is also the President of the Indian Association of International Studies.

Eminent Sanskrit Scholar and Indologist NR Varhadpande passed away

Eminent Sanskrit Scholar and Indologist NR Varhadpande passed away on 21 August 2015 in Nagpur following age related issues. He was 94.

Varhadpande was famously known for his book titled Aryan Invasion: A Myth that exposes fallacy of Aryan invasion and is considered as one of the most profound works in changing the course of ancient Indian history.
An ardent student of Psychology, Varhadpande worked as the Chief Psychologist with the Ministry of Defence and was instrumental in devising various Psychological tests for the armed forces personnel.
He was also the President of Sanskrit Bhasha Pracharini Sabha for many years and the Founder Editor of the periodical Sanskrit Bhavitavyam. He championed the cause of providing education in mother language and promotion of Sanskrit language.

Puducherry CM N Rangasamy launched Free Laptop Scheme

Puducherry Chief Minister (CM) N Rangasamy on 21 August 2015 launched the much awaited Free Laptop Scheme. The scheme envisages to provide free laptops to all students who have passed Plus Two from Government Higher Secondary Schools in the last two academic years that is 2013-14 and 2014-15.

The state will give free laptops to 11 thousand odd students by incurring an expense of 20 Crore rupees. While launching the scheme, Rangasamy gave away laptops to 180 students who topped in Plus Two Examinations in their respective schools.
The scheme was launched on the occasion of Student's Day in Puducherry. During the launching ceremony, Rangasamy also distributed 5000 rupees each to 10 students who excelled in the National Talent Search Examination.
The cash award was also given to government schools which achieved 100 percent results in urban areas and 90 percent results in rural areas in plus-two board examinations.

Infosys launched three new services Aikido

India’s second largest IT services company Infosys on 20 August 2015 launched Aikido, three enhanced service offerings in design thinking, platforms and knowledge-based IT (KBIT).

AIkido services are aimed at helping its clients address three key aspects of their business. The three service offerings are Ki in Knowledge-Based IT, Do in Design Thinking, and Ai in Platforms.
Two out of the three new services will be offered by Infosys Consulting, headed by Sanjay Purohit.

Ki Service
• The first of the services is Ki, it is a large-scale, modular service to help renew enterprise landscapes.
• The services will include knowledge-based IT strategy, knowledge curation services, knowledge-based cost optimization.
• It aims to help enterprises renew their mainframe applications, support cost optimisation and drive automation in business operations.
Do Service
• The second service Do refers to the service offering on Design Thinking and design-led initiatives.
• Do service will provide Infosys the framework for finding, understanding and defining the problems that are most important to clients and their businesses.
Ai Service
• Ai refers to platform and platforms as a service to build intelligent solutions.
• This will include the Infosys-automation platform, Panaya and other offerings in the engineering services, BPO and testing space.
• Mobile platforms based on Skava also come under this new service.
Jointly, Ai, Ki and Do together form Aikido, the east Asian martial arts and just as Aikido aims to understand the forces, and redirect these it into a fundamental strength