Latest news with #KapilArora
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Buddha Dariya pollution: PAC files plea against PPCB & CETP directors in NGT
Ludhiana: The Public Action Committee (PAC) filed a contempt petition against the concerned PPCB officials and directors of the Bahadur Ke Road Common Effluent Treatment Plant for intentionally violating National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders on effluent discharge into Buddha Dariya. The original petition was filed against three CETPs: Bahadur K Road, Tajpur Road, and Focal Point. However, PAC members have now filed a contempt petition against Bahadur Ke Road CETP members because it received a separate environment compensation in 2014, which mandated Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) — a condition it consistently failed to meet. All three CETPs were funded by central and state govts yet failed to honour mandatory conditions due to the active connivance of PPCB officials. PAC members Jaskirat Singh and Kapil Arora shared that Ludhiana's dyeing industry clusters have been illegally discharging effluent into Buddha Dariya for decades. After sustained citizen efforts, three CETPs were constructed, but PPCB failed to place their Environmental Clearance (EC) documents in the public domain. It also allowed three unauthorized outlets to discharge into the waterbody. Even after CPCB directions, PPCB gave undue time for clusters to appeal closure orders instead of enforcing environmental compliance. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo The PAC filed three separate cases against each CETP, following which NGT directed PPCB to act strictly in line with EC conditions. They also pointed out that the state govt has repeatedly changed its lawyers before the Tribunal to stall proceedings and protect violators. PAC members Kuldeep Singh Khaira and Preet Dhanoa said that despite the NGT's clear orders in November 2024, the PPCB and state govt misread the directions and permitted continued effluent discharge into Buddha Dariya. This amounts to contempt of court and reflects how public health has been sidelined in favour of polluters. Dr Amandeep Singh Bains and Gurpreet Singh said that the NGT reiterated that EC conditions are binding and ruled that no coercive action would be taken against the CETP only if it fully complied with environmental norms. It further clarified that violating the zero discharge condition amounts to non-compliance with the law. They shared that despite these clear directions, PPCB officials continued to allow the illegal discharge of toxic waste into Buddha Dariya. They alleged that even after giving official undertakings, the state govt has not submitted a compliance report to the NGT, while pollution continues unchecked under official protection. The members claimed that it is on these grounds that they filed this contempt petition under the NGT Act, which allows for up to ₹10 crore in fines or three years' imprisonment, or both. PAC called on the Chief Minister of Punjab to break official silence, stop shielding violators, and take meaningful action to restore public faith in governance and environmental justice. However, when contacted, the PPCB Chief Engineer RK Ratra said, "The matter is pending in the tribunal, so it is difficult to comment on the same, and moreover, I am unaware of any such contempt petition. I can only comment after verifying things." April 2024 - NGT took suo moto notice of media reports about Buddha Dariya pollution and failure of samples collected from the drain. August 2024 - A team from the Central Pollution Control Board conducted an inspection, and as per the environment clearance granted to the CETPs, the treated water shall not be discharged into Buddha Nullah, so it ordered PPCB to take appropriate action. September 2024 - PPCB issued orders to CETPs to close their outlets, but when they did not follow the directions, PPCB also filed three criminal cases against directors of three CETPs at a local court. November 2024 - NGT issued orders to CETPs to comply with EC conditions. December 2024 - Kale Pani Morcha activists staged a massive protest at Ferozepur Road. December 2024 - NGT clarified its own orders that it is not a blanket stay and compliance with EC is a must. After that, multiple orders were issued, but no action was taken by the govt or CETPs; therefore, now contempt is filed.
Business Wire
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Seismic Advances AI Vision With Spring 2025 Product Release, Bringing AI to Every Stage of Enablement, From Insight to Action
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Seismic, the global leader in AI-powered enablement, today announced its Spring 2025 Product Release, advancing its vision to bring AI into every stage of enablement. The latest updates transform how revenue teams operate with AI, allowing them to prepare faster, coach smarter, and create content more efficiently. With Seismic's Aura AI agents embedded throughout the Go-to-Market tech stack, enablement professionals, marketers, and sellers are empowered to confidently own every customer interaction. "Seismic is helping us move faster, elevate every interaction, and deepen relationships with our investors while driving growth across the business." - Kapil Arora, SVP, Head of Digital, AllianceBernstein Share According to Gartner®, 'sellers with skills in leveraging technology to automate and augment key tasks and responsibilities are 3.7 times more likely to meet quota than sellers with less AI competency. Yet, they represent only 7% of the sales force.' As buying journeys grow more complex and expectations rise, teams need intuitive AI-powered tools embedded in their workflows to be better prepared for every customer engagement. Seismic's latest innovations meet that need by infusing automation, real-time insights, and coaching directly into the tools sellers use every day. 'We've long relied on Seismic to bridge the gap between marketing and sales, but with these new AI-driven capabilities, we're truly stepping into the future of enablement,' said Kapil Arora, SVP, Head of Digital, AllianceBernstein. 'AI in Seismic is helping our sales teams find and understand our content better. By combining that with strategic automation, engagement insights, and up-to-date assets directly into our sales team's workflows, Seismic is helping us move faster, elevate every interaction, and deepen relationships with our investors while driving growth across the business.' Key innovations from the Spring 2025 Release include: Role-Play Agent: Seismic's new Role-Play Agent uses generative AI to simulate customer conversations informed by the content within Seismic, and provides instant feedback to the rep – along with rich post-practice insights, scoring, and recommendations for the enablement and sales leadership teams to address any knowledge and skill gaps. With Role-Play Agent, reps can practice and build confidence at scale, and managers can deliver more personalized, one-to-one coaching. Aura AI ecosystem updates: Aura AI is now embedded across Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot, Slack and Salesforce Agentforce, bringing trusted AI-powered answers and content into every seller's workflow. Aura Chat: Aura Chat enables users to engage in multi-turn conversations with Seismic, such as asking questions, getting answers, researching topics, generating summaries, and taking action, all while respecting permissions and governance policies. Seismic for Meetings templates: Enablement teams can now create reusable meeting templates tailored to common selling scenarios. Sellers can apply these templates in seconds, saving time and ensuring every meeting is backed by the right agenda, content, and notes. Customer Stories Orchestrator: Customer Stories Orchestrator automates the creation of case studies and logo slides, transforming a once time-consuming task into a seamless workflow in a matter of seconds. Self-Service Reports: Enablement teams can now access real-time reporting without relying on analysts or admins. These intuitive, self-service tools allow users to run one-off analyses, explore engagement data, and share insights quickly —driving smarter, faster decisions across the organization. 'New data proves that AI-powered salespeople are outperforming their peers who are not effectively using AI,' said Krish Mantripragada, Chief Product Officer, Seismic. 'We also know that when seller preparation falls short, pipeline slows, win rates drop, and customer trust erodes. This release accelerates our mission to equip organizations with scalable AI-powered capabilities to drive consistent performance, maximize seller productivity, and deliver business impact at every stage of the revenue cycle.' To explore all the innovations included in the Spring 2025 Product Release, visit the Seismic Blog. About Seismic Seismic is the global leader in AI-powered enablement, empowering go-to-market leaders to drive strategic growth and deliver exceptional customer experiences at scale. The Seismic Enablement Cloud™ is the only unified AI-powered platform that prepares customer-facing teams with the skills, content, tools, and insights needed to maximize every buyer interaction and strengthen client relationships. Trusted by more than 2,000 organizations worldwide, Seismic helps businesses achieve measurable outcomes and accelerate revenue growth. Seismic is headquartered in San Diego with offices across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Learn more at
Business Wire
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Seismic Unveils AI-powered Role-Play Agent to Drive Smarter Coaching for Revenue Teams
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Seismic, the global leader in AI-powered enablement, today announced its Spring 2025 Product Release, unveiling new capabilities such as its Role-Play Agent which simulates realistic customer conversations and delivers instant feedback with AI. It features alongside a series of new innovations to help revenue teams prepare faster, coach smarter, and create content more efficiently. 'We've long relied on Seismic to bridge the gap between marketing and sales, but with these new AI-driven capabilities, we're truly stepping into the future of enablement,' said Kapil Arora, SVP, Head of Digital, AllianceBernstein. With Seismic's Aura Copilot embedded throughout the Go-to-Market tech stack, enablement professionals, marketers, and sellers are empowered to confidently own every customer interaction. According to Gartner®, 'sellers with skills in leveraging technology to automate and augment key tasks and responsibilities are 3.7 times more likely to meet quota than sellers with less AI competency. Yet, they represent only 7% of the sales force.' As buying journeys grow more complex and expectations rise, teams need intuitive AI-powered tools embedded in their workflows to be better prepared for every customer engagement. Seismic's latest innovations meet that need by infusing automation, real-time insights, and coaching directly into the tools sellers use every day. Key innovations from the Spring 2025 Release include: Role-Play Agent: Seismic's new Role-Play Agent uses generative AI to simulate customer conversations informed by the content within Seismic, and provides instant feedback to the rep – along with rich post-practice insights, scoring, and recommendations for the enablement and sales leadership teams to address any knowledge and skill gaps. With Role-Play Agent, reps can practise and build confidence at scale, and managers can deliver more personalised, one-to-one coaching. Aura ecosystem updates: Aura Copilot, Seismic's AI assistant that lives across the Seismic Enablement Cloud, is now embedded across Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot, Slack and Salesforce Agentforce, bringing trusted AI-powered answers and content into every seller's workflow. Aura Chat: Aura Chat enables users to engage in multi-turn conversations with Seismic, such as asking questions, getting answers, researching topics, generating summaries, and taking action, all while respecting permissions and governance policies. Seismic for Meetings templates: Enablement teams can now create reusable meeting templates tailored to common selling scenarios. Sellers can apply these templates in seconds, saving time and ensuring every meeting is backed by the right agenda, content, and notes. Customer Stories Orchestrator: Customer Stories Orchestrator automates the creation of case studies and logo slides, transforming a once time-consuming task into a seamless workflow in a matter of seconds. Self-Service Reports: Enablement teams can now access real-time reporting without relying on analysts or admins. These intuitive, self-service tools allow users to run one-off analyses, explore engagement data, and share insights quickly — driving smarter, faster decisions across the organisation. 'We've long relied on Seismic to bridge the gap between marketing and sales, but with these new AI-driven capabilities, we're truly stepping into the future of enablement,' said Kapil Arora, SVP, Head of Digital, AllianceBernstein. 'AI in Seismic is helping our sales teams find and understand our content better. By combining that with strategic automation, engagement insights, and up-to-date assets directly into our sales team's workflows, Seismic is helping us move faster, elevate every interaction, and deepen relationships with our investors while driving growth across the business.' 'New data proves that AI-powered salespeople are outperforming their peers who are not effectively using AI,' said Krish Mantripragada, Chief Product Officer, Seismic. 'We also know that when seller preparation falls short, pipeline slows, win rates drop, and customer trust erodes. This release equips organisations with scalable AI-powered capabilities to drive consistent performance, maximise seller productivity, and deliver business impact at every stage of the revenue cycle.' To explore all the innovations included in the Spring 2025 Product Release, visit the Seismic Blog. About Seismic Seismic is the global leader in AI-powered enablement, empowering go-to-market leaders to drive strategic growth and deliver exceptional customer experiences at scale. The Seismic Enablement Cloud™ is the only unified AI-powered platform that prepares customer-facing teams with the skills, content, tools, and insights needed to maximise every buyer interaction and strengthen client relationships. Trusted by more than 2,000 organisations worldwide, Seismic helps businesses achieve measurable outcomes and accelerate revenue growth. Seismic is headquartered in San Diego with offices across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Learn more at
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Seismic Advances AI Vision With Spring 2025 Product Release, Bringing AI to Every Stage of Enablement, From Insight to Action
New AI-powered tools, including Role-Play Agent, help revenue teams prepare faster, coach smarter, and create content at scale, right in the flow of work SAN DIEGO, June 12, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seismic, the global leader in AI-powered enablement, today announced its Spring 2025 Product Release, advancing its vision to bring AI into every stage of enablement. The latest updates transform how revenue teams operate with AI, allowing them to prepare faster, coach smarter, and create content more efficiently. With Seismic's Aura AI agents embedded throughout the Go-to-Market tech stack, enablement professionals, marketers, and sellers are empowered to confidently own every customer interaction. According to Gartner®, "sellers with skills in leveraging technology to automate and augment key tasks and responsibilities are 3.7 times more likely to meet quota than sellers with less AI competency. Yet, they represent only 7% of the sales force." As buying journeys grow more complex and expectations rise, teams need intuitive AI-powered tools embedded in their workflows to be better prepared for every customer engagement. Seismic's latest innovations meet that need by infusing automation, real-time insights, and coaching directly into the tools sellers use every day. "We've long relied on Seismic to bridge the gap between marketing and sales, but with these new AI-driven capabilities, we're truly stepping into the future of enablement," said Kapil Arora, SVP, Head of Digital, AllianceBernstein. "AI in Seismic is helping our sales teams find and understand our content better. By combining that with strategic automation, engagement insights, and up-to-date assets directly into our sales team's workflows, Seismic is helping us move faster, elevate every interaction, and deepen relationships with our investors while driving growth across the business." Key innovations from the Spring 2025 Release include: Role-Play Agent: Seismic's new Role-Play Agent uses generative AI to simulate customer conversations informed by the content within Seismic, and provides instant feedback to the rep – along with rich post-practice insights, scoring, and recommendations for the enablement and sales leadership teams to address any knowledge and skill gaps. With Role-Play Agent, reps can practice and build confidence at scale, and managers can deliver more personalized, one-to-one coaching. Aura AI ecosystem updates: Aura AI is now embedded across Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot, Slack and Salesforce Agentforce, bringing trusted AI-powered answers and content into every seller's workflow. Aura Chat: Aura Chat enables users to engage in multi-turn conversations with Seismic, such as asking questions, getting answers, researching topics, generating summaries, and taking action, all while respecting permissions and governance policies. Seismic for Meetings templates: Enablement teams can now create reusable meeting templates tailored to common selling scenarios. Sellers can apply these templates in seconds, saving time and ensuring every meeting is backed by the right agenda, content, and notes. Customer Stories Orchestrator: Customer Stories Orchestrator automates the creation of case studies and logo slides, transforming a once time-consuming task into a seamless workflow in a matter of seconds. Self-Service Reports: Enablement teams can now access real-time reporting without relying on analysts or admins. These intuitive, self-service tools allow users to run one-off analyses, explore engagement data, and share insights quickly —driving smarter, faster decisions across the organization. "New data proves that AI-powered salespeople are outperforming their peers who are not effectively using AI," said Krish Mantripragada, Chief Product Officer, Seismic. "We also know that when seller preparation falls short, pipeline slows, win rates drop, and customer trust erodes. This release accelerates our mission to equip organizations with scalable AI-powered capabilities to drive consistent performance, maximize seller productivity, and deliver business impact at every stage of the revenue cycle." To explore all the innovations included in the Spring 2025 Product Release, visit the Seismic Blog. About Seismic Seismic is the global leader in AI-powered enablement, empowering go-to-market leaders to drive strategic growth and deliver exceptional customer experiences at scale. The Seismic Enablement Cloud™ is the only unified AI-powered platform that prepares customer-facing teams with the skills, content, tools, and insights needed to maximize every buyer interaction and strengthen client relationships. Trusted by more than 2,000 organizations worldwide, Seismic helps businesses achieve measurable outcomes and accelerate revenue growth. Seismic is headquartered in San Diego with offices across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Learn more at View source version on Contacts Media Contact Natalie BeaulieuNbeaulieu@
Time of India
11-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Public Action Committee cracks whip over green norms violations on Ludhiana-Kharar stretch of National Highway-5.
Ludhiana: The Public Action Committee (PAC) on Wednesday served notice to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the forest department, and others for "blatant violation" of National Green Tribunal (NGT) norms regarding development of green areas along the national highway from Ludhiana to Kharar (NH-5). Besides NHAI and the state forest department, PAC also served a legal notice to the ministry of road transport and highways (MORTH) and the chief town planner of the department of country and town planning, Punjab, against such violations of NGT directions, the Green Highway Policy of 2015, and the IRC Code for the development of green areas along the same national highway, also known as Chandigarh Road. Engineer Kapil Arora and Dr Amandeep Singh Bains of PAC said the development of the 4-6 lane Chandigarh Road started in 2016-17, and a major portion was completed by 2021-22 with a capital cost of more than Rs 2000 crore. They added that there was no construction zone of 30 metres along the national highway outside MC limits and five metres within MC limits in Punjab since 1995, and such areas were to be developed as greenbelts by planting saplings. "However, many commercial outlets near Kohara, Morinda, and Khamano have come up in the recent past without leaving adequate space for plantation, and the NHAI as well as the forest department, both allowed 100% wide access to such commercial and industrial buildings. Further, many buildings have come up within 30 metres in active connivance with NHAI and the forest department," they alleged. Kuldeep Singh Khaira and Engineer Jaskirat Singh said the NGT had already directed the NHAI to plant trees within 30 metres from the end of the right of way along all national highways, and the forest department had been made the nodal agency to maintain green areas. "It was mandatory for the NHAI to acquire land for necessary plantation, but failed to do so, resulting in a gross violation of green norms. Though the NHAI planted saplings in some stretches, the width of the strip is also much less than 30 metres," they added. They also alleged that new projects were being developed on this national highway, and a 5.50-metre-wide service lane was to be developed along the national highway, for which a large number of old trees and newly planted saplings by the NHAI had been felled. The PAC members further alleged that the entire front width of such projects had been cleared of existing trees, and the areas were being developed as lawns, which is also against the directions of the National Green Tribunal. Preet Dhanoa and Colonel Jasjit Singh Gill alleged that despite knowing about the directions by the NGT, the Green Highway Policy, and the provisions of the IRC Code, the town planning department of Punjab was deliberately approving plans with service lanes within 30 metres, whereas there was ample space available outside the change of land use (CLU) boundary of these projects, which could have been used for the development of the service road. They claimed that with more projects in the future, saplings planted by the NHAI and the forest department would be axed too for the service road. "Thus, the NHAI and the forest departments are giving permission for the construction of service lanes by going against the NGT directions and green norms," they alleged. The PAC members added that as per Clause 1.4 of IRC-SP-21:2009, to ensure the availability of sufficient width for avenue plantation, the requirement of land for tree plantation should be assessed and included in the land acquisition plans prepared for a highway widening project. They added that the NHAI failed to acquire the land for plantation, which was mandatory as per IRC norms. "Accordingly, we have served notice upon all authorities to act within the next 15 days to clear the encroachments done by commercial outlets/eatery points within a 30-metre distance from the NH and start planting saplings of native trees thereafter. Further, as a precautionary principle, the town planning department must act and redesign the service lane to protect the remaining trees as well as the saplings planted by the NHAI," PAC said, adding that in case no action was initiated in the next 15 days, it would move the NGT with a plea to impose environment compensation on the NHAI as well as for sustainable development.
