Archives 2026

Mumbai India Feb 26: Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the world’s leading diver training organisation, has announced that the globally recognised PADI Open Water Diver course eLearning is now available in Hindi. With this initiative, PADI aims to ensure that language is no longer a barrier for Indians who wish to explore the underwater world. 

India, with its vast coastline and growing interest in adventure tourism, is rapidly emerging as one of Asia’s most promising scuba diving markets. Popular diving destinations such as Andaman Islands, Lakshadweep, Goa, and Puducherry are witnessing a steady rise in domestic travellers seeking immersive ocean experiences. However, for many aspiring divers, understanding technical concepts and safety procedures in English used to be a challenge.

With the PADI Open Water course material now available in Hindi, learners can study key diving principles—including safety procedures, equipment usage, dive planning, underwater communication, and skill techniques—in a language they are most comfortable with. Students can complete their theory through eLearning at their convenience before undertaking confined water and open water training sessions with certified PADI Instructors at authorised dive centres across the country. 

“Scuba diving is for everyone, and language should never limit someone’s ability to learn or explore. By offering the PADI Open Water course in Hindi, we are making dive education more inclusive and accessible. This will empower more Indians to confidently take their first step into the underwater world,” said Vinod Bondi, Regional Manager – India, PADI. 

This milestone reflects PADI’s broader commitment to inclusivity, sustainable tourism, and marine conservation awareness. By breaking language barriers, PADI continues to inspire a new generation of divers while strengthening India’s growing ocean community.

Iora’s Nature Day at Delhi Climate Innovation Week brings Multi-sectoral Stakeholder Perspective on Scaling Nature-based Solutions in India

New Delhi, Feb 26: Iora Ecological Solutions marked its Nature Day at the Delhi Climate Innovation Week with a day-long series of high-level dialogues focused on accelerating credible, bankable Nature- based Solutions (NbS) across India. The convening brought together more than 65 representatives from government leadership, multilateral institutions, financial sector representatives, technology innovators and community practitioners to articulate a coordinated pathway for embedding nature within India’s development and economic architecture.

Delivering the Keynote Address, Shri Tanmay Kumar, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), underscored the need to balance development aspirations with ecological responsibility and cultural stewardship. “Our development must be in harmony with ecological balance. We must ask whether we can reverse the damage caused by unsustainable growth. We need a development paradigm inspired by nature’s wisdom, one that integrates ecological health into economics without reducing nature to just a number,” he said.

Mr. Swapan Mehra, Founder and CEO of Iora Ecological Solutions, emphasised the scale of the opportunity before India. “Nature is not a liability but the biggest investment opportunity. India is in a strong position to build on our legacy of regenerative relationships with nature. We have scale, markets, and communities close to nature. The question is, why are we not actively investing?” he stated, framing Nature Day as a call to shift from fragmented restoration efforts to structured, finance-ready NbS portfolios.

Dr Amitabh Kundu (Senior Fellow, IORA), Mr. Ankit Todi (Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group) and Mr. Gaurav Sarup (Chief Sustainability Officer and Deputy Head – HSE, Vedanta Group), underscored the importance of institutional alignment, private sector participation and innovation-led partnerships in mainstreaming nature within India’s growth strategy.

Four Thematic Sessions Identify Pathways to Scale

To address structural barriers and enabling mechanisms for scaling NbS, expert discussions were curated across four key themes of Economics, Financing, Technology and Community.

Economics of Nature Conservation

Moderated by Dr Madhu Verma, the session examined valuation, incentives and evidence frameworks required for scaling NbS. Experts including Mr. Pyush Dogra, Mr. Reuben Gergan, Dr Ritesh Kumar and Shri Soumitra Dasgupta IFS (Retd.) emphasised the urgent need for credible valuation frameworks, incentive design and landscape-level approaches. Discussions reinforced that measurable ecological restoration and climate resilience must replace narrow metrics such as tree counts.

Financing Nature-based Solutions: Pathways, Instruments and Scale

Moderated by Mr. Varghese Paul, this session addressed persistent barriers to capital mobilisation. Panelists Mr. Kirtiman Awasthi, Mr. Manoj Dabas, Ms Neha Kumar and Ms Nidhi Batra examined why capital flows remain fragmented despite clear socio-economic returns from NbS. The session identified the need for bankable project pipelines, viable revenue models and de-risking instruments to unlock institutional finance at scale.

Nature and AI: Data, MRV and Decision Systems

Moderated by Shri RK Srivastava IFS (Retd.), the discussion focused on monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), interoperable data systems and technological innovation. With contributions from Mr. Mohammad Aatish Khan, Ms Saranya M, Dr Subhash Ashutosh IFS (Retd.) and Mr. Swapan Mehra, the discussion highlighted the central role of data integrity, monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems, and interoperable platforms. Speakers stressed that trust, scientific rigour and governance frameworks will determine whether AI becomes a credible enabler of large-scale nature finance.

Empowering Communities: Institutions, Incentives and Inclusion

Moderated by Ms. Chhaya Bhanti, the session highlighted the institutional and behavioural dimensions of NbS. Speakers including Ms Anjali Makhija, Ms Jaskiran Warrik, Dr Mrigen Barua AFS (Retd.), Dr Nabaneeta Rudra and Mr. Ramanshu Ganguly emphasised that scaling NbS is ultimately an institutional and behavioural challenge, not merely a financial one. NbS scale when institutions are trusted, incentives are aligned, markets are accessible, and communities are architects rather than beneficiaries.

Clear Call for Integrated Action

The closing session featured a synthesis by Dr Aakriti Wanchoo, outlining integrated recommendations across finance, governance and technology. Reflections from Mr. Jagjeet Sareen and Shri Rajbir Singh Panwar, IFS (Retd.) reinforced the need to align national strategy with on-ground implementation.

Delivering the valedictory address, Shri Sushil Kumar Awasthi, IFS, reinforced the importance of institutional accountability and leadership in embedding nature within India’s growth trajectory.

Participants concluded that nature finance must scale, but it must scale with science, transparency and accountability at its core.

This Nature Day convening organised in partnership with Iora Ecological Trust and Vertiver, positioned investment in nature at the heart of climate innovation and economic planning.

Hyderabad, Feb 26: Florian Hurel Hair Couture & Spa announces the opening of its newest flagship in Jubilee Hills, introducing a 15,000 sq. ft. private bungalow designed as a dedicated destination for immersive, experience-led luxury. Conceived as more than a salon, the space represents a significant evolution for the brand — transforming its couture philosophy into a fully realised architectural and experiential environment.

Founded by Florian Hurel, the brand has become synonymous with precision-led craftsmanship and high-glamour sophistication. The Hyderabad opening marks one of its most ambitious milestones to date, reinforcing Hurel’s position as a leading luxury beauty entrepreneur in India while expanding the brand beyond the traditional salon model into a layered, design-forward beauty residence.

At its core, Florian Hurel Hair Couture & Spa approaches beauty as couture — meticulous, intentional, and deeply personal. The Hyderabad flagship extends this ethos across multiple levels, integrating technical mastery, advanced diagnostics, and restorative rituals within a setting defined by scale, glamour, and refinement. Every detail, from spatial flow to service design, is curated to create a seamless and immersive guest journey.

The expansive main hair floor houses 14 couture hair stations dedicated to bespoke cuts, colour, and styling, alongside a private nail atelier featuring four immersive hand-and-foot ritual stations. An in-house coffee bar encourages an unhurried, elevated experience, while a glass garden introduces natural light into the interiors, softening the architectural lines. A suspended lounge overlooks the main floor, offering a tranquil pause between services — distinct zones that remain visually and spatially connected.

The spa occupies dedicated levels within the bungalow and is anchored by three couples’ suites, each centred around distinct rituals. The sanctuary also features two steam rooms, a red-light sauna, a hammam, an ice bath, two skin treatment rooms, two Korean scalp therapy rooms, and an exclusive VIP suite. An internal lift ensures fluid movement between floors, reinforcing the sense of cohesion throughout the residence.

Signature offerings include the Florian Hurel Hair Couture & Spa Signature Skin Treatment and Couture Haircut And Colour , AI-powered Korean Scalp Rituals, AI-based skin analysis and Hydrafacial, Red Light Therapy, Bamboo Massage, Potli Massage, Hot Stone Massage, and the fHair Signature Hair Spa & Ritual. The integration of advanced AI diagnostics reflects the brand’s commitment to merging technological innovation with couture-level precision and personalisation.

Set in Jubilee Hills — widely regarded as Hyderabad’s cultural nucleus — the bungalow balances creative vibrancy with discreet privacy. Designed by RII Arc, the space reinterprets Florian Hurel’s signature cement textures through a restrained monochromatic palette and hand-finished surfaces. Soft curves and sculpted niches replace rigid geometry, lending the interiors a fluid, almost organic quality. Indirect lighting enhances depth and warmth, creating an atmosphere that feels composed, intimate, and quietly luxurious without relying on high-gloss finishes.

Commenting on the launch, Florian Hurel said: “Drawing inspiration from both France and India, I envisioned this space as an expression of a contemporary cultural dialogue. It harmonises the quiet restraint and structural elegance I inherited from France with the richness, warmth, and sensory depth I have come to cherish in India. To me, luxury today transcends the purely visual — it is profoundly emotional. It lies in crafting an environment that feels layered, immersive, and deeply intentional.”

The Hyderabad team has been largely recruited locally and supported by a structured training framework led by the brand’s Mumbai headquarters. A five-day foundational programme is followed by extended on-ground mentorship to ensure alignment with global luxury standards across haircutting, colouring, consultation protocols, hygiene practices, AI-based analysis, and specialised treatment rituals.

With this launch, Florian Hurel Hair Couture & Spa expands its national footprint with a flagship that embodies its signature blend of couture craftsmanship and contemporary luxury — establishing a new benchmark for immersive beauty experiences in Hyderabad.

Gurugram, Feb 26 : The Indian School of Hospitality has launched a four-year B.Sc. in Global Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership, expanding its academic portfolio beyond hospitality-focused pathways into integrated business leadership education aligned with India’s evolving economic structure.

India’s services sector contributes over half of the country’s GDP and is supported by complex networks of logistics, digital infrastructure, capital flows and consumer markets. As enterprises operate within increasingly interconnected environments, industry demand is shifting toward graduates who understand how pricing, supply chains, working capital and governance decisions influence one another.

The new program has been structured around that integrated view of business.

Rather than organising learning around isolated management functions, the B.Sc. in Global Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership (GBEL) is designed to help students understand how business decisions create consequences across an entire enterprise. Students will examine how consumer demand shapes revenue models, how operational design affects margins, how capital allocation influences growth and how governance frameworks shape long-term performance.

Academic progression moves from foundational business literacy in the first year to enterprise-level strategy and capstone integration in the final year. The curriculum includes structured internships and applied decision exercises across all four years.

The degree will be awarded by Gurugram University and operates under academic direction from Les Roches, part of the Sommet Education network.

Kunal Vasudeva, Managing Director and Co-founder of the Indian School of Hospitality, said the launch reflects a broader institutional alignment.

“India’s next phase of growth will be shaped by professionals who understand how complex enterprises function. Business is not a collection of subjects. It is a chain of consequences. Pricing affects demand. Demand affects operations. Operations affect cash. Cash affects growth. Education must prepare students to think in that interconnected way. This program extends our liberal hospitality philosophy into broader business leadership aligned with India’s economic direction.”

With this launch, ISH extends its academic framework beyond hospitality-focused pathways into integrated business leadership education while sustaining its liberal hospitality philosophy and allied services foundation.

Hyderabad, February 26th Feb: Indian Railways has launched RailParcel, a pilot initiative aimed at improving parcel movement through rail across seven cities — Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru and Chennai under the leadership of the South Central Railway (SCR) zone. The initiative is digitally enabled through ROQIT, a platform developed by AION-Tech Solutions Limited, which serves as the underlying digital layer for managing parcel workflows, enabling coordination across operational stakeholders, and integrating with existing railway systems during the pilot phase.

RailParcel is designed to enhance the efficiency of rail-based parcel logistics by introducing structured workflow digitization, improving shipment visibility, and enabling better coordination between railway operations and logistics participants.

Commenting on the development, Bhanutej Mallangi, Chief Product Officer, ROQIT, said, “RailParcel represents an important step toward structured, digitally enabled parcel operations within the rail ecosystem. Through ROQIT, AION-Tech Solutions is establishing a foundational technology layer that enhances operational visibility and standardizes workflows across touchpoints. As the pilot progresses, the insights generated can support scalable, data-driven logistics operations across the rail network.”

Under the current PoC deployment, ROQIT enables key capabilities including:

• Real-time parcel tracking across operational touchpoints

• Digitization of booking and operational workflows

• Integration readiness with third-party logistics service providers

• Interoperability with existing railway systems, including CRIS

The pilot focuses on establishing a reliable and interoperable digital foundation while maintaining compatibility with Indian Railways’ existing infrastructure. The initiative is aligned with Indian Railways’ broader focus on enhancing logistics efficiency through digitization, improving multimodal connectivity, and leveraging its predominantly electrified network to support more sustainable freight movement.

RailParcel is expected to support more efficient utilization of rail-based logistics capacity – particularly relevant given Indian Railways’ extensive electrified network and cost-efficient freight capabilities. 

Based on pilot outcomes, future phases may explore opportunities to further strengthen network optimization, enable data-driven decision support, and support broader multimodal logistics coordination across transport networks.

The RailParcel pilot reflects Indian Railways’ continued efforts to modernize logistics operations through targeted digitization while reinforcing rail as a scalable, cost-effective and sustainable mode for parcel transportation.

The gathering is built on a singular premise, that Africa’s environmental challenges are, in fact, its greatest economic opportunities

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Feb 26– The Africa’s Green Economy Summit (AGES) 2026 opened its doors in Cape Town today, marking a pivotal moment in the continent’s economic trajectory. Convening a powerful coalition of policymakers, financiers and innovators, the summit signals a decisive shift from conceptual ambition to concrete, bankable action in the pursuit of a sustainable African future.

Under the banner of “From Ambition to Action: Scaling Opportunities in Africa’s Green and Blue Solutions,” AGES 2026, proudly sponsored by Sanlam Investments, is not merely a forum for discussion but a catalyst for deal-making and partnership. The gathering is built on a singular premise, that Africa’s environmental challenges are, in fact, its greatest economic opportunities.

“Ambition lights the path, but it does not pave it. To transform our economies and uplift our communities, we must move beyond rhetoric to robust execution,” said Lerato Mbele, Summit Moderator. “This summit is a marketplace of ideas where we connect visionaries with investors, ensuring that Africa’s green transition is not just sustainable, but also scalable and profitable.”

The strategic focus of this year’s agenda is underpinned by compelling data. The summit is shining a spotlight on the blue economy, a colossal yet often under-leveraged asset that already injects nearly $300 billion annually into the continent’s GDP and sustains 46 million livelihoods through fisheries, tourism and logistics. Simultaneously, the green economy, with agriculture and renewable energy at its core, is projected to unlock a staggering $10 trillion in global business value over the next decade, positioning Africa to generate an estimated 300 million new jobs for its burgeoning youth population.

These are not distant prospects, but immediate frontiers for investment and innovation.

Echoing this sentiment, the Honourable Naren Singh, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, addressed delegates with a call for holistic progress. “Our journey towards a low-carbon future must be defined by a fundamental truth: sustainability is a three-legged stool, balancing the health of our planet, the prosperity of our people and the creation of shared value,” he stated. “By investing in our natural capital, we are investing in the most resilient infrastructure of all our communities.”

Over the next two days, the summit floor will be a hive of activity. Attendees will engage in high-level interactive sessions, witness live project pitches from Africa’s most promising green entrepreneurs, and participate in curated networking forums designed to fast-track collaboration and knowledge transfer.

AGES 2026 is more than an event, it is a declaration that Africa is ready to build a future where economic resilience and environmental stewardship are the same.

Hyderabad, Feb 26: Indian Railways has launched RailParcel, a pilot initiative aimed at improving parcel movement through rail across seven cities — Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru and Chennai under the leadership of the South Central Railway (SCR) zone. The initiative is digitally enabled through ROQIT, a platform developed by AION-Tech Solutions Limited, which serves as the underlying digital layer for managing parcel workflows, enabling coordination across operational stakeholders, and integrating with existing railway systems during the pilot phase.

RailParcel is designed to enhance the efficiency of rail-based parcel logistics by introducing structured workflow digitization, improving shipment visibility, and enabling better coordination between railway operations and logistics participants.

Commenting on the development, Bhanutej Mallangi, Chief Product Officer, ROQIT, said,

 “RailParcel represents an important step toward structured, digitally enabled parcel operations within the rail ecosystem. Through ROQIT, AION-Tech Solutions is establishing a foundational technology layer that enhances operational visibility and standardizes workflows across touchpoints. As the pilot progresses, the insights generated can support scalable, data-driven logistics operations across the rail network.”

Under the current PoC deployment, ROQIT enables key capabilities including:

• Real-time parcel tracking across operational touchpoints

• Digitization of booking and operational workflows

• Integration readiness with third-party logistics service providers

• Interoperability with existing railway systems, including CRIS

The pilot focuses on establishing a reliable and interoperable digital foundation while maintaining compatibility with Indian Railways’ existing infrastructure. The initiative is aligned with Indian Railways’ broader focus on enhancing logistics efficiency through digitization, improving multimodal connectivity, and leveraging its predominantly electrified network to support more sustainable freight movement.

RailParcel is expected to support more efficient utilization of rail-based logistics capacity – particularly relevant given Indian Railways’ extensive electrified network and cost-efficient freight capabilities. 

Based on pilot outcomes, future phases may explore opportunities to further strengthen network optimization, enable data-driven decision support, and support broader multimodal logistics coordination across transport networks.

The RailParcel pilot reflects Indian Railways’ continued efforts to modernize logistics operations through targeted digitization while reinforcing rail as a scalable, cost-effective and sustainable mode for parcel transportation.