CHENNAI PLUS

 In a historic moment for Indian agricultural science, PI Industries unveiled Pioxaniliprole, India's first indigenously discovered insecticide molecule, developed through more than a decade of original research, sustained investment and scientific innovation. The achievement marks a defining milestone for PI and India's crop-protection industry. Pioxaniliprole demonstrates the country’s growing capability to originate novel scientific discoveries and create proprietary intellectual property. India is home to one of the world's largest and most diverse agricultural ecosystems, spanning a wide range of crops, agro-climatic conditions and evolving pest pressures. For over eight decades, PI has worked alongside Indian agricultural universities and scientists, building a deep understanding of these complexities through generations of engagement with farmers. Pioxaniliprole brings together this understanding of Indian farming realities with PI's advanced scientific dis...

Neo Wealth and Asset Management announced that its alternative asset management business, Neo Alternative Asset Managers (NAAM), has successfully completed the final close of its second Special Credit Opportunities strategy, raising ₹6,200 Crore against an initial target of ₹5,000 Crore. The fundraise marks a significant milestone for Neo's private credit business, reflecting investor confidence in the platform's investment capabilities, disciplined underwriting and approach to managing risk. The strategy, which includes Neo Special Credit Opportunities Fund-II (NSCOF-II), a SEBI-registered Category II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF), focuses on providing structured and flexible financing solutions to established Indian businesses. These include acquisition financing, refinancing, growth capital and special situations where conventional lending structures may not adequately address business requirements. The investment approach prioritises businesses with established op...

Hinduja Housing Finance Limited (HHF), a subsidiary of Hinduja Leyland Finance Limited, has announced the appointment of Vivek Kannan as Chief Executive Officer, effective October 30, 2026. He succeeds Sachin Pillai, Managing Director of Hinduja Leyland Finance Limited, who steps down as Managing Director of HHF effective October 29, 2026, and will continue to serve on Hinduja Housing Finance's Board as a Non-Executive Director. Vivek, who joined Hinduja Housing Finance as Chief Operating Officer in 2020, has played a key role in the Company's growth and transformation, contributing to the strengthening of its business and operational capabilities. With over two decades of experience in the financial services sector, Vivek has held leadership positions across organisations including Motilal Oswal, DHFL, Citibank, Barclays and GE Capital. His experience spans various aspects of financial services, bringing a comprehensive understanding of the lending business and its evolvin...

The Security Solutions business of Godrej Enterprises Group has launched ‘Your Face Is Key’, a new campaign introducing the Godrej NX Pro Ncrypt, a next-generation home locker powered by advanced face recognition technology. Through the campaign, the business brings alive how facial recognition, already used to unlock smartphones, workplaces and travel experiences, can now become the key to securing what matters most at home. The campaign reflects the growing consumer preference for intelligent, convenient and personalized security solutions. The campaign reflects a broader evolution in the security category, where protection is increasingly defined not just by physical strength, but by intelligent, intuitive and frictionless access. Through a powerful human insight, the campaign demonstrates how a person’s face has become one of the most trusted forms of authentication in modern life, and how the same technology can now redefine security at home. At the heart of the campaign is a ...

Nearly seven in ten Indian businesses plan to increase spending on AI over the next 12 months, while 30% report broad or strong returns from their AI initiatives, according to Dun & Bradstreet’s latest AI Momentum Survey. Only 3% of surveyed Indian businesses describe their enterprise data as fully ready to support AI at scale, compared with 8% globally, highlighting a five percentage-point readiness gap. A further 44% of Indian businesses describe their data as partially ready.   For Indian businesses seeking to scale AI and generate consistent returns, closing this data-readiness gap is essential as AI investment and implementations accelerate. Businesses in India with fully AI-ready data report broad or strong AI ROI at 6.3x the rate of businesses whose data is partially ready, underscoring the strong relationship between data readiness and AI returns. “India has reached an exciting inflection point in its AI journey. The ambition is clearly visible, and businesses are i...

Building on its continued association with Ayodhya Ram Mandir, ITC Mangaldeep’s Har Bhakt Shri Ram Tak brings together technology and collective faith to make devotion more inclusive and accessible for visually impaired devotees. The thought draws inspiration from Mangaldeep’s Sixth Sense initiative, which seeks to enable people with visual impairments to experience the world beyond sight. Extending this philosophy to the devotional space, Mangaldeep has conceptualised a Digital initiative inspired by the Ram Setu, which uses Contour Detection Technology, inviting devotees across India to write “Ram” in their respective vernacular languages. Each participation becomes a symbolic contribution towards a collective effort to create a tactile and Braille-enabled navigation pathway at Ayodhya Ram Mandir, helping visually impaired devotees experience darshan with greater ease and independence. The digital initiative will translate into tangible on-ground experiences at Ayodhya, with every ...