Hitachi and Hitachi India have formed Hitachi MGRM Net to expand its Social Innovation Business in India using digital technologies. Hitachi India acquired part of the shares in MGRM Net, which is involved in the IT service business in India. Consequent to this acquisition, the name of the company would be changed to Hitachi MGRM Net. In the future, by combining the expertise of MGRM Net’s platforms and applications related to e-Governance along with the digital solutions utilising technological strengths of Hitachi’s IoT platform ‘Lumada’.   The new company is about partnering with the government in digitally transforming the Indian society by providing citizen life-cycle e-Governance. The spectrum of e-Governance covers, among many, the fields of education, healthcare, agriculture, labour and insurance. Hitachi MGRM Net will enable to create a smart social environment in the future.   MGRM Net has a track record of developing service platforms and applications (eg, ‘M-Governance Platform’ and ‘M-Star Education Expert Systems’) for projects led by the Indian Government and targeting the digitalisation of administration services, as in the case of “e-Governance” and “e-Education”. MGRM Net has already provided services regarding educational guidance with data analytics for students and parents, as well as systems for the digital management and archiving of academic records and other personal data, to approximately 5 million users across India.   Meanwhile, Hitachi has positioned India as one of its strategic regions globally and has expanded its business in India by focusing on government service solutions such as Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and public security using IoT technologies, and on the railway system business, that contributes in strengthening social infrastructures.   Hitachi India and MGRM Net have been collaborating since 2015 for the digitalisation of e-Governance services in India. They have been offering solutions to the state governments for real-time governance that has been designed for promoting transparency and accountability across the government policies and beneficiaries. With the formation of Hitachi MGRM Net, they will develop and provide new solutions and services that contribute to “Digital India” by combining the experience and expertise of the two companies’, along with their respective IT and IoT technologies.   Said Toshiaki Higashihara, President & CEO of Hitachi, “Along with the acceleration of digitalisation all over the world, Hitachi is focusing on Social Innovation Business in order to solve social issues and customers’ challenges by utilizing IoT platform ‘Lumada’. I have great expectation for Hitachi MGRM Net to take important roles to develop innovative solutions with ‘Lumada’, and to expand them to the whole world starting from India.”   Bharat Kaushal, Managing Director, Hitachi India, said, “We are extremely pleased to announce the formation of Hitachi MGRM Net, as a result of a strong collaborative relationship with MGRM Net, we would be working on the e-Governance including administration services for the Indian government. We will undertake collaborative creation with partners to develop and provide solutions to the issues. India is facing in order to promote the ‘Digital India’ and ‘e-Governance’ programs being led by the Indian government, thereby contributing to the further growth of the Indian society”.   Dr Komandury Venkata Ramana Murthy, Chairman, MGRM Net, said, “I am very happy to have collaborated with Hitachi, a world-class conglomerate company. By combining our respective experience, expertise, and cutting-edge technologies, we will create innovations that will contribute to the digitalisation of the Indian society”. Outline of Hitachi MGRM Net Name Hitachi MGRM Head Office New Delhi, India Chairman Komandury Venkata Ramana Murthy Outline of business Development and sales of ERP solutions Established April 9, 2018 Capital Investment Ratio 26 per cent