◆Google to assist Modi to develop Varanasi as national hub for culture and heritage
【New Delhi】Narendra Modi won his Varanasi Lok Sabha seat with a massive majority and now the prime minister has kicked off the process of developing the temple town as a national hub for culture and heritage.
Among those said to be working on the project is Google, apart from professionals and consultants engaged in identifying tourism hotspots in and around Varanasi, beautification, landscaping, mapping the city for better movement and security. The PM himself discussed the prospects of using social media for projects on cleanliness and governance with Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg during her visit to India last month.
Google declined to comment on whether it's undertaken any work specific to Varanasi but a spokesperson said, "As part of our ongoing initiative with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to bring India's national monuments online, we continue to explore opportunities to collaborate further. We have nothing more to share at this point."
○Snapdeal, Amazon to partner Karnataka for SME marketplace
【Bangalore】The Karnataka government is partnering with two leading e-retailing companies, Snapdeal and Amazon, to create a platform where the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of the state can sell their products.
While the timeline for setting up of the platform is not yet known, the state government’s Information Technology (IT) Secretary Srivatsa Krishna said the platform would have several thousands of SMEs as part of it. "In one step, they (SMEs of Karnataka) can reach the whole world from wherever they are in Karnataka; and we have to take connectivity to every district, going down to every taluk," he added.
○Microsoft Ventures, iSPIRT to help startups become attractive
【Bangalore】Microsoft Ventures has taken its next step with iSPIRT to tackle the low valuations Indian startups’ products are attracting.
The valuations are ten times lower than their global counterparts.
As a part of this initiative, Microsoft Ventures and iSPIRT have started educating startups to build awareness and figure out ways in which they can come under the radar of big technology companies and get acquired. Microsoft and iSPIRT have spoken to around 100 startups and have talked about marketing, understanding their own business rather than solely focussing on technology.
【News source】
Google to assist Narendra Modi to develop Varanasi as national hub for culture and heritage
Snapdeal, Amazon to partner Karnataka for SME marketplace
Microsoft Ventures, iSPIRT to help startups become attractive
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