Latest news with #KalyanKumar
The Hindu
01-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Telangana Sheep Distribution Scheme funds transferred to individuals without prior history in livestock trade: ED
The funds meant for beneficiaries under Telangana government's Sheep Rearing Development Scheme (SRDS) were transferred to individuals who, prior to the launch of the scheme, had no history of involvement in the livestock trade. This was one of the findings of the Directorate of Enforcement's (ED) probe into the large-scale financial irregularities in the scheme. The ED teams carried out search operations at eight locations across Hyderabad on Wednesday (July 30, 2025) as part of its investigation. The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Among the premises searched was that of G. Kalyan Kumar, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivasa Yadav. The agency also searched locations linked to several beneficiaries and middlemen flagged during the investigation. The raids yielded evidence, including documents suggesting illegal kickbacks to public officials. Seized items included blank chequebooks, passbooks, debit cards linked to over 200 suspected mule accounts, and documents tied to an illegal online betting application. Investigators also recovered 31 used mobile phones and more than 20 SIM cards believed to have been used in the operations. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report for the financial year ending March 2021 further exposed a litany of irregularities in the scheme's implementation. These included the absence of beneficiary records, fake invoices, payments made against non-transport vehicle registration numbers, allocation of sheep units to deceased or non-existent individuals, and instances of sheep units being recycled to fraudulently claim government subsidies. The audit, limited to just seven of Telangana's 33 districts, pegged the loss at ₹253.93 crore. The ED noted that if extrapolated across the state, the total loss could exceed ₹1,000 crore. The ED's probe stems from multiple FIRs registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Hyderabad. One of them alleged that following the change in government, the OSD to the ex-minister forcibly removed records from the department's office. Another complaint, filed by a sheep merchant, claimed that ₹2.1 crore owed for the supply of sheep was siphoned off by departmental officials and diverted to unrelated accounts. Further investigation is ongoing.
Forbes
31-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
XaaS To SaS: The Evolution Of The Service Model
Kalyan Kumar is Chief Product Officer at HCLSoftware. The technology landscape has been redefined by the rise of XaaS ('anything as a service'). Initially built on the promise of the cloud, XaaS has revolutionized business by making IT services flexible, scalable and consumption-based. Today, this paradigm is evolving: The industry is witnessing the emergence of Service as Software (SaS), which harnesses the power of agentic AI to drive further transformation. Understanding this shift is essential for businesses aiming to stay ahead in a world of economic uncertainty, technological disruption and rapid innovation. The XaaS Foundation XaaS allows organizations to access infrastructure, platforms and applications via the cloud with flexible pay-as-you-go models. This has eliminated hefty upfront costs and made it easy to scale operations and speed up innovation cycles. In addition, XaaS has transformed large capital expenditures into predictable operational costs, freeing businesses to focus more on growth than on maintaining IT assets. However, as the number of services expanded, many organizations have faced challenges as far as managing and integrating an increasingly complex patchwork of solutions. As we like to say, 'God made the world in seven days because there was no installed base.' The Need For Evolution As digital transformation deepened, traditional XaaS began to show its limits. The explosion of cloud services resulted in a fragmented environment where integration and governance proved difficult. Businesses started focusing less on acquiring more services and more on creating orchestrated, seamless experiences across customer, data and operational touchpoints. With the growing value and complexity of data, especially regarding privacy and actionable intelligence, organizations demanded greater data control and clearer alignment between technology and business outcomes. This shift has fueled the evolution toward service models that embed automation, intelligence and measurable value. Emergence Of Service As Software The emergence of SaS signifies an evolution wherein services move from being enabled by software to becoming the software itself. Routine, people-driven services are automated and embedded as highly functional, intelligent software modules—powered primarily by AI agents. This transformational shift has made the role of agents of action crucial, as they drive automation, orchestrate workflows and deliver tangible results within enterprises, moving far beyond mere software-enabled service models. As with any model, SaS brings its own advantages and disadvantages: 1. Integration Of Agentic AI: SaS leverages advanced AI agents—referred to as agents of action—capable of handling everything from basic workflow automation to autonomous multistep reasoning and execution. 2. Outcome-Driven Delivery: While XaaS was about access and process involved, SaS shifts the focus to results. Customers pay based on actual business outcomes, not just usage or features. 3. Human + AI Collaboration: The model supports "human in the loop," maximizing efficiency while retaining essential oversight and governance. How XaaS Is Shifting Toward SaS Increasingly, we're seeing a blurred line between solutions we'd think of as XaaS and those we'd label SaS. Some examples: 1. From Orchestration To Hyper-Automation XaaS laid the groundwork by connecting diverse applications and infrastructure; SaS now adds an intelligent, agent-driven orchestration layer. This means businesses can automate tasks, integrate data flows and deliver tailored customer experiences at scale, powered by agents of action working within a unified orchestration framework. 2. The Role Of Agents Of Action We utilize a paradigm that sorts AI agents into three categories: For every role, there are now agents that simplify, streamline and expedite processes. Take, for example, a person in marketing. Could there be an AI agent for them? Of course. By utilizing various agents, marketers can quickly build reports that previously did not exist or approach problems at an unprecedentedly granular level. The true power of the agents of action comes in collating, organizing and making sense of first, second and even third-party data (D), orchestrating the flow of information between these sources (O) and finally delivering hyper-personalized experiences (X) to the users. 3. Outcome-Driven Consumption With SaS, pricing is reimagined: Customers subscribe based on realized results, reducing risk and incentivizing genuine value creation, unlike traditional license or seat-based models. This focus on outcome-driven consumption aligns with the shift facilitated by agentic platforms. Real-World Implications So what does the shift from XaaS to SaS ultimately deliver to customers? We see three main benefits from this evolution of service as software solutions: 1. Faster Innovation: Automation of routine functions by agents of action allows enterprises to focus on strategic growth. 2. Silo-Free Operations: Unified platforms break down barriers between functions, partners and providers. 3. Data As A Strategic Asset: Businesses gain deeper insights, improved compliance and better decision-making. The journey from XaaS to SaS represents a pivotal moment for the technology sector. By evolving the service model to embed intelligence, embracing automation through agents of action and focusing on outcomes via different strategies and paradigms, organizations can realize new efficiencies and deliver greater value to customers. The SaS model is not just the future—it's a necessary response to the demands of modern digital enterprises, standing as a natural evolution of the XaaS revolution. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
New Indian Express
31-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Talasani OSD questioned in Rs 700 crore sheep scam
HYDERABAD: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Wednesday carried out searches at eight locations in connection with the alleged Rs 700 crore sheep distribution scam, first flagged by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The ED questioned G Kalyan Kumar, who was then Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, and is named as Accused No. 10 (A-10) in the ACB's case. Eight ED teams comprising around 50 officials, with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security, searched the residences and offices of key individuals, including Kalyan Kumar and Telangana State Sheep and Goat Development Cooperative Federation (TSSGDCF) CEO Sabavath Ramchander. Several documents were seized, and large sums of unaccounted cash were reportedly found during the raids. Later in the day, Kalyan Kumar was summoned to the ED office, where his statement was recorded. Sources said he was questioned regarding financial allocations made under the sheep distribution scheme during the BRS regime.
Hans India
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
ED raids former Minister's OSD in sheep distribution scam
Hyderabad: Former minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav's former OSD G Kalyan Kumar was taken into custody by ED officials based on the FIR registered by the ACB alleging a Rs 700 crore scam in the Sheep Rearing Development Scheme (SRDS) in December 2023. ED officials conducted searches in eight locations of Hyderabad, including Kalyan's residence. Several key documents and a huge amount of cash were seized in these searches. Kalyan was reportedly questioned for about 7 hours. This case related to financial irregularities in the sheep distribution scheme implemented during the previous government's tenure. As per ACB, misuse of Rs 700 crore took place in this scheme. Kalyan Kumar, along with Telangana Livestock Development Agency CEO Sabavat Ramchander, are accused of diverting huge funds in the name of fake beneficiaries. Several officials and middlemen have already been arrested in this case. The ED has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is probing the financial transactions. The ACB has found that huge funds were transferred to fake accounts in this scheme. At least eight locations in the city related to beneficiaries and alleged middlemen involved in the scam, including the premises of Kalyan, were covered as part of the operation conducted under the PMLA Act. The SRDS was launched by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi government in April 2017 to provide a sustainable livelihood to shepherd families and boost their income.
Channel Post MEA
30-07-2025
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
HCLSoftware Deepens Its Commitment To Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 With XDO Blueprint
HCLSoftware is deepening its commitment to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 digital transformation agenda through strategic technology investments, positioning the Kingdom as the Middle East's leading digital powerhouse. At the recently concluded Executive Summit in Riyadh, attended by over 60+ senior executives from banking, insurance, fintech, cybersecurity, and GRC domains, HCLSoftware demonstrated how its Xperience-Data-Operations (XDO) Blueprint — a comprehensive framework integrating Experience, Data, and Operations serves as the foundational architecture enabling Saudi enterprises to leverage next-generation solutions for sustained market leadership. Emphasizing HCLSoftware's strategic commitment to Saudi Arabia's digital future, Kalyan Kumar, Chief Product Officer, HCLSoftware, said, 'Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 sets a global benchmark for digital transformation ambition. As organizations navigate this transformation, the integration of Experience, Data, and Operations becomes essential for sustainable growth. We're focused on supporting Saudi enterprises as they balance innovation with the compliance and operational requirements that are fundamental to their success.' Vikrant Chowdhary, Senior Vice President, Growth Markets at HCLSoftware, opened the forum by highlighting the company's expanding Riyadh delivery hub and growing Tier-one client portfolio. Diving into the XDO Blueprint, they emphasized how it delivers unified board-level governance across experience, operational efficiency, and data-driven growth—critical capabilities for the Kingdom's open-banking and digital-government transformation. Bernardo Rodrigues, Regional Solution Manager at Immersive Labs, addressed the critical human element in cybersecurity in his session on Vision 2030's Digital Shield: Harnessing Critical Skills for Cyber Resilience and Continuous Compliance. Through live cyber-range demonstrations, Rodrigues showcased how Saudi organizations can benchmark their security teams against Saudi Arabia Monetary Authority (SAMA's) stringent requirements while building the continuous skills validation capabilities essential for maintaining cyber resilience. As the Kingdom accelerates business transformation, cybersecurity practices must evolve to keep pace with real-world threat scenarios—an approach that dovetails with the XDO Blueprint's focus on operational excellence and risk-aware g A session on AI-powered Business Flow Observability showcased how HCL Hive on iObserve platform delivers end-to-end transaction visibility from mobile interfaces to core banking systems. Through machine-learning algorithms that correlate technical anomalies with business impact, Hive automates compliance reporting aligned with SAMA's monitoring and audit standards. This unified observability accelerates incident resolution and delivers audit-ready evidence, streamlining operations for Saudi financial institutions. Shining the spotlight on challenges in BFSI environments, Huda Albenmousa, Country President, PayTabs, Saudi Arabia, underscored the critical role of intelligent automation and unified business observability in driving faster, seamless customer experiences while ensuring operational efficiency within the highly regulated BFSI sector. During a panel discussion with HCLSoftware leaders, she highlighted how the convergence of XDO is transforming institutions from reactive responders to predictive, autonomous operators, setting a new standard for agility and compliance in banking. In a customer session with a prominent development fund in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, senior executives discussed how they are advancing digital transformation within Saudi Arabia's housing sector through the strategic use of HCL BigFix Workspace and HCL BigFix Enterprise. By collaborating with HCLSoftware and aligning with the XDO Blueprint, they are establishing a new standard for operational efficiency and service excellence in a vital sector. The summit concluded on a high note as HCLSoftware honoured three Saudi organizations with the Customer Success Awards and announced the winner of an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix experience, demonstrating the company's unwavering commitment to driving digital transformation excellence and celebrating customer achievements across the Middle East region.
