New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) has recommended the name of Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as the Chairman of the State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender.

Setty, currently the senior-most Managing Director of SBI, will replace Dinesh Kumar Khara as the Chairman when the latter’s tenure ends in August 2024.

The other two MDs who were interviewed are Ashwini Kumar Tewari and Vinay M Tonse.

“Keeping in view their performance in the interface, their overall experience and the extant parameters, the Bureau recommends Challa Sreenivasulu Setty for the position of Chairman in SBI,” FSIB said.

The SBI Chairman is appointed from a pool of serving managing directors of the bank. After FSIB makes a recommendation, the proposal has to be finally approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

FSIB is headed by Bhanu Pratap Sharma, Former Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). The members include the Financial Services Secretary, the Department of Public Enterprises Secretary and a Deputy Governor of the RBI.

New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) Meta said that it took down over 15.6 million pieces of bad content across 13 policies for Facebook and more than 5.8 million pieces of objectionable content across 12 policies for Instagram in India in May.

In May, Facebook received 22,251 reports through the Indian grievance mechanism and said that it provided tools for users to resolve their issues in 13,982 cases.

These include pre-established channels to report content for specific violations, self-remediation flows where they can download their data, avenues to address account hacked issues, etc, Meta said in its monthly report in compliance with the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

“Of the other 8,269 reports where specialised review was needed, we analysed content as per our policies and took action on 5,583 complaints in total. The remaining 2,686 grievances were reviewed but may not have been actioned,” Meta added.

On Instagram, the company received 14,373 reports through the Indian grievance mechanism.

“Of these, we provided tools for users to resolve their issues in 7,300 cases,” it said.

Of the other 7,073 reports where the specialised review was needed, Meta analysed the content and took action on 4,172 complaints in total.

The remaining 2,901 reports were reviewed but may not have been actioned.

Under the new IT Rules 2021, big digital and social media platforms, with more than 5 million users, have to publish monthly compliance reports.

“We measure the number of pieces of content (such as posts, photos, videos or comments) we take action for going against our standards. Taking action could include removing a piece of content from Facebook or Instagram or covering photos or videos that may be disturbing to some audiences with a warning,” said Meta.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) on Saturday launched an eSankhyiki portal with the objective of establishing a comprehensive data management and sharing system for ease of dissemination of official statistics in the country.

The portal (https://esankhyiki.mospi.gov.in) aims to provide timely inputs for planners, policy-makers, researchers and the public at large. The eSankhyiki Portal has two sections facilitating easy access and re-use of data, the Ministry said.

The first section is a Data Catalogue that lists the National Accounts Statistics, Consumer Price Index, Index of Industrial Production, Annual Survey of Industries, Periodic Labour Force Survey and Household Consumption Expenditure Survey in one place.

The second covers Macro Indicators. The section includes time series data of key macro indicators with features for filtering and visualisation. It also allows users to download custom datasets, and visualisations and enables access to them through APIs, thereby increasing the re-usability of data. At present, this section includes National Accounts Statistics, Consumer Price Index, Index of Industrial Production, and Annual Survey of Industries, encompassing the data of the last 10 years.

Statistics Day is celebrated in the country In recognition of the notable contributions made by Professor (late) Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in the fields of statistics and economic planning.

The main objective of celebrating Statistics Day is the creation of public awareness, especially among the younger generation, on the role and importance of statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation for the development of the country.

The theme for Statistics Day, 2024 is “Use of data for decision-making”. The concept of data-driven decision-making is important for making informed decisions in any field.

The Chief Guest on the occasion, Arvind Panagariya, Chairman, of the 16th Finance Commission highlighted the role of Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis in shaping the Indian Statistical System. He also urged that India should continue its data-driven policy-making in order to move along its development trajectory.

Prof. Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar, Chairman of the National Statistical Commission emphasized the need to make the data more accessible and usable. He also stressed the need for the interoperability and linking of databases generated by various agencies through coordination among stakeholders.

Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI while addressing the audience highlighted the recent initiatives of the Ministry for reducing time-lag in survey data like Computer-Aided Personal Interview (CAPI), new surveys, user engagement exercise and the newly launched eSankhyiki portal.

Luis Felipe Lopez-Calva, Global Director for the World Bank Group’s poverty and equity global practice made a presentation on the global experience of using data for decision-making. He emphasised that data is an essential infrastructure for effective policy-making while sharing prevalent global practices.

Based on the updated Sustainable Development Goals – National Indicator Framework (SDGs- NIF), MoSPI released three progress reports on SDGs with time series data. These reports can be accessed at the MoSPI’s website (www.mospi.gov.in).

–IANS

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Manila, June 29 (IANS) The World Bank said that it has approved a $750 million loan to strengthen the Philippine economy’s recovery.

The Philippines Second Sustainable Recovery Development Policy Loan supports reforms that increase investment in public service sectors, attract private investment in public infrastructure, particularly in domestic shipping, promote renewable energy, protect the environment and improve climate resilience, reports Xinhua news agency.

World Bank Senior Economist Ralph van Doorn on Saturday said the Philippine economy remains resilient despite ongoing global and domestic challenges. “The reforms supported by this lending program, if implemented, will encourage private investment, innovation, and sustained growth,” he said.

Through these reforms, Van Doorn said the Philippines can transition faster to a greener economy and achieve its environmental and climate objectives.

Given the Philippines’ archipelagic nature, he added that marine transport is critical for trade and connecting its numerous islands and destinations, enabling efficient movement of goods and products.

Van Doorn said attracting more local and foreign investments in domestic shipping can significantly boost the country’s competitiveness.

The loan also supports reforms that aim to enhance plastic waste reduction, recovery, and recycling, promote green transportation, and encourage the production and consumption of environment-friendly goods and services through public procurement.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) Myntra collaborates with Masaba Gupta – the acclaimed fashion designer, beauty entrepreneur and actor as the brand ambassador for Myntra Home.

In this role, she will bring her creative vision to the platform, curating an inspiration-driving home selection that caters to trend-first customers who are building homes that best reflect their personalities. As part of this association, she will also be seen in the ‘Curated by Masaba’ campaign that shines a spotlight on Myntra’s premium home selection.

“Home is where we freely express ourselves, adorned with our roots, beliefs, and culture. Becoming the brand ambassador for Myntra’s Home Category is about transforming home decor into a bold statement of self-expression. For me, this collaboration is an opportunity to merge the intimate journey of home-making with inspiring aesthetics,” said Gupta.

Masaba Gupta is a formidable creative force, who has proven her prowess by resonating with diverse demographics through her distinctive aesthetics and design sensibilities across fashion and beauty. Now, she brings her signature quirk and creative brilliance to Myntra Home.

Myntra Home’s portfolio includes fine and elegant home furnishing, trendy art & decor pieces, lamps & lighting, kitchen & dining, bath, and bed linen and appliances from leading brands including M&S Homes, H&M Homes, India Circus, My Trident, Urban Space, Elementary, D’Decor and Nestasia.

Since recently intensifying its focus on the home category, Myntra has significantly expanded its offerings, boasting a rich catalogue of over 4 lakh styles from more than 1,500 renowned domestic and global brands.

Over the years, the rise in time spent by individuals at home, with a notable increase in hybrid work and work-from-home becoming norms, has instilled practices of aesthetics that have resulted in consumers investing more in their home furnishings and decor. Some of the sub categories like kitchen, wall clocks and serverware are clocking over 100% year-on-year (YoY) growth in demand.

“We are delighted to welcome the creative force, Masaba Gupta, as the brand ambassador for Myntra Home. Home is an important part of one’s lifestyle and hence the category expansion fits well into Myntra’s commitment of democratising fashion and lifestyle. Masaba’s distinctive design acumen is well-known globally, and we are thrilled to bring her keen sense of aesthetics by way of her curated collections, themes and looks, to inspire our customers,” said Sunder Balasubramanian – CMO, Myntra.

Like fashion, home decor is a natural extension of one’s distinct taste. Focused on design and aesthetics, the curated collection on Myntra aims to transform homes into chic havens of comfort by offering mood-boosting, theme-based decor inspirations, also reflected in the premium catalogue imagery.

For example, the ‘Cozy Bedroom’ selection features ceramic diffusers, minimalist lamps, and neutral-shaded furnishings. Similarly, the ‘Lovely Living Room’ offers tropical cushions, ceramic planters, textured ottomans and woven hangings.

The ‘Curated by Masaba’ campaign will showcase the tasteful ‘Myntra Home’ selection. It emphasizes the core proposition of top-notch design aesthetics, enabling customers to seamlessly discover handpicked products and brands to elevate their homes.

“We felt that the ‘Home Decor’ category needed fresh storytelling and when it was for Myntra, it had to be fashionable too. Featuring Masaba as the brand ambassador, we’ve created super fun films where the creative take is ‘curated home decor products & themes so good, you’ll be tempted to lie about it’ – both films showcasing the width of inspiring themes and unique products one can choose from on Myntra Home,” said Ira Gupta, Chief Creative Officer, Toaster India.

The ad film stars Masaba Gupta, as well as popular content creator Kusha Kapila, showcasing curated home and living looks and products as the focal point. Set against the backdrop of a lively party, Kapila, the hostess, revels in the admiration her meticulously curated home decor receives from guests.

She improvises her responses to suggest that her decor is personally sourced from exclusive crafts worldwide. However, Gupta appears in the scene, knowing the truth about the home decor Kapila is happily showing off is from Myntra’s extensive home selection.

Playfully pointing to a small vase, she questions Kapila about that purchase, prompting Kapila to awkwardly admit it’s from Myntra before hastily excusing herself mid-conversation. The campaign thus puts the spotlight on Myntra’s handpicked, unique and trendy home selection to refresh every corner of the house and let the homes do the talking.

Link to film: 

–IANS

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