All posts by Neel Achary

Noida, February 27, 2023: To further enhance the customer experience of commuters availing petrol/diesel from petrol pumps, energy major Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has announced the commencement of this year’s grand Scan & Win sales promotion campaign for its customers at 203 petrol bunks in Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Hapur, and Muzaffarnagar districts. The commencement of this year’s mega campaign was announced during an event organized by IOCL at the energy Maharatna’s Uttar Pradesh State Office II (Noida Division).

The event, a part of IOCL’s New Year Bonanza, was graced by the presence of the Director (HR), IOCL, Mr Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, and other dignitaries from Indian Oil. During the event, a brand new Maruti Alto was awarded to the last year’s lucky winner of the campaign. Mr. Mohapatra also announced the initiation of the enrollment of the daughters of customer attendants at the retail outlets in the Noida division of Indian Oil under the government’s ambitious project, Sukanya Samridhi Yojna, launched under the “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” campaign.

“The core ideology of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited has always been to create the largest customer interface in the country and reach precious petroleum fuels to every nook and corner of the country. Our mega Scan & Win sales promotion campaign is intended to further engage with the consumers of IOCL. The campaign indeed showcases the quality of services IOCL has been providing and that is also a testament of how the energy major has always kept customers at its utmost priority,” said Mr. Ranjan Mohapatra.

Any consumers, except employees of IOCL and their family members, can participate in the Scan & Win sales promotion campaign. Customers can participate in the event by filling petrol / XP95 / XP100 of Rs 500 and above for two-wheelers and Rs 1500 and above for four-wheelers. Customers can redeem the e-coupon code by visiting https://pgshop.in/exclusive- deals/.

The exciting offers that customers can avail of through the lucky draw include one Maruti Alto, 8 Bajaj CT 110X bikes, 8 Lenovo detachable laptops, and 100 electric kettles. The campaign also includes instant gifts like Prolyte Energy Drinks, Hand Wash & Energy Drink Sachet on the purchase of fuels.

Chennai, 27 February 2023: IIM Raipur is collaborating with Veranda Learning Solutions Limited (“Veranda”), a publicly listed education company (BSE: 543514, NSE: VERANDA), represented by its brand Edureka Higher Ed, to launch an Executive Development Programme (EDP) in General Management. This one-year programme will be offered through a combination of on-the-campus immersion modules and live online sessions.

This programme has been designed to upskill working professionals to foresee and take advantage of business opportunities, as well as, confront challenges in this world of uncertainty. Learners in this programme will become the managers of tomorrow, agile and capable of handling ambiguity. The programme is uniquely designed with a structured academic curriculum that will be taught by experienced IIM faculty. The programme will help professionals secure in-depth exposure to emerging themes, acquire a 360-degree approach to Management, gain access to an exclusive Startup Bootcamp and personalized Career Support Services, etc.

Elucidating on the association, Prof Ram Kumar Kakani – Director of IIM Raipur said, “At IIM Raipur, our endeavour has always been to create a niche with our industry partnerships, and this is another step on that path. We are looking forward to providing an excellent learning experience for students in partnership with Veranda.”

Speaking about the partnership, Aditya Malik, CEO– of Higher Ed, Veranda Learning Solutions said, “We are pleased to be teaming up with IIM Raipur and launching this Executive Development Programme in General Management. We are very confident that this course will help our students to become agile and take on challenges in the business environment head-on.”

February 2023: Healthy cooking has become a part of everyone’s life be it regular cooking or for special occasions. This Valentine’sthose who are looking for baking yummy cookies, cakes and other savouries now have an option of making a healthier variant of these.

This is when a Cooking Sheet comes to rescue where one can bake various types of dishes using the product. Best part is that no butter or oil is required before baking/cooking. The silicone coating sheet does not allow food to stick to the sheet and also does not affect the taste of the food. The best part, there is no need to grease the pans before baking/cooking and this makes it so convenient to use as there is no need to wash utensils after use. It is a multipurpose product as it can be used in Microwave and is Oven safe as well.

A must use for health-conscious people as by using Asahi KaseiCooking Sheet for oil free cooking, reduction in oil intake can reduce their calories intake.

The Cooking Sheet is now available in stores like Big Bazaar, Spencers, Le Marche, Foodhall in Delhi NCR, Reliance stores and many general trade stores in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kerala, Punjab and also online at Big Basket, Amazon and Flipkartat a price point of INR249/-

Exams seasons are round the corner. Many students right now are busy contemplating- What’s next? What to study further? What degree to choose to study abroad?. Students post commencing well in their exams will be occupied researching their favorite institutes to their favorite destination for pursuing their studies abroad. Well, before anything else it’s important to research and find the best education partners who will help fulfill their dreams to touch the sky.

Here are some recommendations for parents to consider as education loan partners for their children:

Unicreds -by Unischolars

UniCreds, by UniScholars follows reliability is key quotient. UniCreds harnesses the power of technology and data science to help secure education loans for students. They have successfully disbursed 700cr+ loan amount to help students achieve their study abroad dream. They have a striking partnership with some of the leading education loan providers or student finance provider in the country that guarantees students the best rates on their education loans.

Leverage Edu

Leverage Edu has tie-ups with several top universities from around the world. So far, they have sent more than 8,000 students to various foreign universities. Recently Levarage Edu has launched Fly Finance which aims to create a suite of products that students can pay to access, including more hands-on advisor consultations or personalised banking features. They also help students navigate & assess their journey thus far, matches them to personalised mentors, counsels them towards their higher education dream with an employability lens, and makes sure that everyone punched way above their weight to make dreams come alive and truly be able to level up.

Traditional Banks

The students can also explore traditional bank to get their loan advancements done, Foe example Bank of Baroda has diverse education loan schemes tailored to meet the needs of students wanting to pursue higher education in India or Abroad. In which Baroda Scholar particularly provides an opportunity to avail education loan for the students going abroad for Professional / Technical studies.

Leap Scholar

Leap scholar is one of the top abroad education consultants in India. This abroad education consultant aims to support their students in their quest to study at the best schools. They also provide the best IELTS coaching and have already mentored 1,000+ students for the same. Their services include course recommendation, counseling, application assistance, admission, study visas, education loans, and job search. This study abroad consultant’s team of global education experts is there to guide at every step of the way from picking the right universities. Under the partnership, as a part of Leap Advantage, LeapScholar aims to bring Case School of Engineering’s programme MS in Computer Science from universities to Indian students aspiring to earn a US degree in a hybrid format.

NOIDA, India, Feb. 27, 2023 – HCL Foundation today announced the NGOs selected for the 2023 edition of its flagship program HCL Grant – which supports pioneering work in sustainable rural development in India. HCL Foundation delivers the corporate social responsibility agenda of HCLTech.

Three NGOs—Planatearth, Innovators in Health (IIH) India and Meghshala Trust will receive ₹5 crore (appx. $620,000) each for their projects under the HCL Grant endowment. This year’s winners were chosen from submissions from more than 15,000 entities, an increase of 80% versus last year.

According to Ms. Robin Ann Abrams, Chairperson of the HCL Grant Jury and Board Member, HCLTech: “These organizations and their projects – aligned to the HCL Foundation’s core areas of focus in environment, health and education – will bring a visible and inclusive change to the ‘last mile.’ We believe their work will provide an important lifeline to rural communities by bridging inequality in healthcare, helping in freshwater conservation and more readily bringing education to underserved populations.”

In addition, six NGO finalists will receive grants of ₹25 lakh (appx. $30,000) each in the following categories:

Environment: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune (IISER); North-East Initiative Development Agency (NEIDA)

Health: MAHAN Trust, Sri Sri Rural Development Programme Trust (SSRDPT)

Education: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan (GSSS)

HCL Foundation has funded more than ₹130 crore (appx. $16 million) to NGOs since the HCL Grant program’s onset eight years ago, reaching over 1.8 million beneficiaries in more than 25,000 villages in remote districts across 19 states and two Union Territories of India.

Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Vice President, Global CSR, HCL Foundation, bestowed the recipients with their awards in a virtual ceremony attended by representatives of NGOs, HCL, HCLTech and the media fraternity. The ceremony was the culmination of a thorough, Grant Thornton-audited process, which earlier in the year involved a series of pan-India symposiums bringing together more than 2,000 representatives from NGOs, government and corporates.

“We are delighted at the volume of applications received for this year’s selection process. HCL Grant partners with these NGOs to strengthen their governance and help scale their innovative ideas for sustainable rural development. We look forward to working with this year’s selected NGO partners to scale innovative interventions that will supercharge progress for rural communities,” Dr. Pundhir said.

She also announced the release of the seventh volume of the compendium ‘Fifth Estate – NGOs Transforming Rural India in Environment, Health and Education,’ which chronicles the work done by past HCL Grant recipients. The book will be available in all national libraries and through international affiliates.

Planatearth was awarded HCL Grant in the environment category for its project on conservation of water bodies by cleaning plastics from oceans and invasive species like water hyacinth from ponds and backwaters. It is expected to directly benefit at least 170,000 fishermen across 45 villages in Kerala. The project aims to improve quality of water bodies along with positive impact on the livelihood of fisherfolk.

“The oceans of the world, and the coastal waters of Kerala in particular, are polluted by plastic, which seriously affects the livelihood of marine fishermen. The HCL Grant is the only way we could realize our goals of helping the rural fishermen of Kerala and conserving the planet,” said Sooraj Abraham, Founder, Planatearth.

Innovators in Health (IIH) India received the HCL Grant in the health category for a project on universal tuberculosis care in rural Bihar. The project aims to reduce tuberculosis burden through enabling public health system, improving diagnostics and treatment outcomes. It will reach out to more than 10,500 households in 1,260 villages in the Samastipur district of Bihar.

“I am deeply humbled by HCL Foundation’s trust in us. This grant will help us extend the services we are already providing to a wider audience and community and make Samastipur a unique district in tuberculosis care in India,” said Dr Manish Kumar, CEO, Innovators in Health (IIH) India.

Meghshala was awarded the HCL Grant in the education category for a project on technology-enabled teacher capacity building, with focus on local languages. It will directly benefit 2,700 primary and secondary teachers of government schools and 63,000 students from Grades 1-8 in 460 villages of Sikkim. The project will help in promoting digital literacy and encouraging the use of local languages among younger generation.

“We continue to keep languages at the center of all our development work and HCL Grant’s support will help us extend our services to more classrooms across the nation, especially those that teach local languages, where our intervention is most required,” said Jyoti Thyagarajan, Founder and CEO, Meghshala Trust.

Recipient NGOs were selected after screening and review of applications by an eminent jury, monitored and audited by HCL Grant governance partner Grant Thornton. Jury members include: Ms. Robin Ann Abrams, Chairperson of the Jury, Board Member, HCLTech; Mr. Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestle India Limited; Mr. B. S. Baswan, Former Director, Indian Institute of Public Administration and Former Secretary, Human Resource Development Ministry; Ms. Pallavi Shroff, Managing Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co; Dr. Richard Lariviere, Sanskrit Scholar & President Emeritus, Field Museum (Chicago); and Mr. Shiv Nadar, Founder, HCL Group and Chairman Emeritus, HCLTech.

Bengaluru, February 27, 2023: Explorex, a restaurant focused full-stack SAAS fintech start-up, has partnered with MSwipe, to facilitate streamlined payment solutions to their partner restaurants. This partnership will help the company in delivering one of its key USPs, which is auto settlement of tables and elimination of night audits. This helps in bringing a huge amount of relief to the restaurant staff because manual audits consume 2-3 hours of the staff’s time everyday post the restaurant closing operations for that day.

Explorex looks at disrupting the restaurant industry with its full-stack solution while also aiming at empowering business owners to nurture their dreams with care. Explorex does not only build software tools but also dedicates itself to creating an ecosystem for the restaurant industry that has never existed before. The company wants to empower restaurants to drive operational, financial and customer excellence to redefine the restaurant experience. The company has assisted more than 300 restaurants across India.

Sharing thoughts on the partnership with MSwipe, Mr. Mainak Sarkar, Co-Founder & CEO, Explorex, said, “At Explorex, our vision is to provide a holistic range of services to our clients, which will act as a one-stop solution to all their requirements. We understand the gap that is present in the larger hospitality industry and we try to integrate our software in a way that would help our clients streamline operations, making them hassle-free. In the two years of service, we have partnered with several restaurants across India. Our partnership with MSwipe is another step towards our goal, where we aim to make payment processes more swift and easy.”

Speaking about the partnership with Explorex, Mr. Ketan Patel, CEO, MSwipe, said, “Explorex is not just a software company, it believes in building products with empathy, just like us. Hence, the vision alignment process between both companies was super smooth. Streamlining an industry that has been operating with age-old methods is a huge task and the innovations that they have done for the restaurant industry are nothing short of spectacular. Building tools to eliminate night audits & auto settlement of tables is something no one in the industry is currently doing & we are happy to play a part in it. We believe in their vision and product as they are very unique, different from the market and new.”

Bhubaneswar, 27.02.2023: Minister of Higher Education of Odisha, Shri Rohit Pujari on Saturday calls to make town planning more inclusive and sustainable which can accommodate all sections of society, specifically the urban poor.

Talking at the valedictory ceremony of the 71st National Town and Country Planners Conference organized by the Institute of Town Planners conference on the theme of “Challenges for Urban and Regional Planning towards sustainable development’ at Bhubaneswar, He said, “Cities need to be more inclusive and sustainable. We have to think about the poor section of the society like domestic bits of help, street vendors, laborers and slum dwellers in the city planning process. We need to focus on affordable housing and better amenities for them. While calling to use globally recognized best practices on city planning, he has also urged town planners to think from local perspective and said that challenges here are different from other parts of the world.

On this occasion, Commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Shri Vijay Amruta Kulange said that “Time has come to think about a small town and cities. We have to make these cities beautiful, inclusive, sustainable, and liveable. In Odisha our urban infrastructure is emerging like anything specifically in Bhubaneswar.”

He said that we are working on how to monitor Bhubaneswar through smart applications and Odisha through ITC centers. We have started from a sanitation point of view on how to monitor development activities. He added. Shri Pradeep Kumar Jena, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner, Government of Odisha, also addressed the need for the development of Small and Medium Towns, and also mentioned taking into consider the aspects of resilience, while planning of cities.

Other dignitaries present at the occasion were, Dr. L P Patnaik, Chairman, of Odisha Regional Chapter, Shri Milland B Patil, Former Vice President, of ITPI, Prof Dr D S Meeshram, President of ITPI, and lastly vote of thanks given by Shri S B Khodankar, Former Secretary General, ITPI. Earlier during the second day of conference several technical sessions were held on the theme of Reforms in Urban Governance, Innovative approaches to Planning education, and Experiences of Smart city’s missions in Odisha. Lastly, Prof V N Prasad National Best Thesis Awards and Prof Dr. D S Meshram National Best Thesis Awards were given by the dignitaries.

Mumbai, February 27, 2023 – SVKM’s CNM School, as a part of their 25th-anniversary celebration, organised a Mini Marathon Run on the morning of February 26, 2023. The event was a phenomenal success, with parents and students running for a cause, and successfully raising Rs 6,00,000 for the Tata Memorial Center to support cancer patients. With the theme “YES, WE CAN!” the event saw participation of 3,000 students, parents, and teachers of CNM School. The registration fee was Rs. 200 per participant, and all proceeds went towards the Tata Memorial Center.

“Our school has always believed in giving back to society, and this mini-marathon is a testament to that. With every step taken, we raise awareness and funds for a noble cause,” said Kavita Sanghvi, Principal of CNM School. She added: “The Management has organised this event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of SVKM’S CNM School and through this magnanimous gesture instilled lifelong values and learning within all.”

The event has raised Rs. 6,00,000 for the ImpaCCT Foundation, an acronym for “Improving Paediatric Cancer Care and Treatment.” It serves as the paediatric foundation of the Tata Memorial Hospital, which ensures that every child with cancer receives treatment and support regardless of their family background. It was established in October 2010 to ensure that every child with cancer coming to Tata Memorial Hospital, receives treatment and other
support regardless of the family background.

The cheque for the raised funds was presented to the Tata Memorial Center on the day of the event.

“We invite all parents and students to join us in this selfless initiative of sharing and giving. Your participation is crucial in showing that you care,” added Principal Sanghvi. It is said that charity begins at home. Running for a charity, whether the race is for one specific cause or the cause gets you into a specific race, gives an added purpose to the running. This event is in alignment with our credence as an institution, which has always believed in giving back to society. SVKM’s CNM School is committed to supporting young cancer patients. Join the CNM School community and take a step towards making a difference in someone’s life.

Hyderabad, 27th February 2023: NAR-India [National Association of Realtors India], India’s largest association for realtors has announced the 15th edition of its Annual Convention NARVIGATE 2023, to be held at Coimbatore in March this year. The Convention is a two-day event with 2000 + industry stakeholders.

The convention is named “NARVIGATE 11* 76*” based on the location coordinates of the city & PSG Convention Centre where it will be hosted by the Coimbatore Association of Realtors (COAREA). The event is held to showcase the available opportunity in different parts of the country in various aspects of real estate to all the stakeholders, thereby contributing to India’s goals of becoming a $ 10 trillion economy. Industry stalwarts will gather to discuss current and future trends in the Indian Real estate sector. The Convention is a much-awaited event and magnum opus for the real estate industry from India and abroad.

Going by past year events, NARVIGATE 2023 will bring together dignitaries from the Government, regulatory bodies and real estate sector. Realtors, developers, investors and financial institutions from India and around the world will network, learn and forge valuable business relationships. A special step to that end will be the 18-18-18 digitization initiative , under which on 18th March at 18:18 hours, under a single NAR-India mandate 2000 + brokers, builders and bankers will come on-board a common technology platform to list, showcase and transact real estate under their own unique brands.

President-Elect Mr.C.R. Shiva Kumar has an ambitious vision to leverage state-of-the-art technology to create a level playing field for every NAR-INDIA Realtor with their own brand, tech, and network to compete with the latest and best in real estate and proptech. This 18:18:18 digitization initiative will be available for free over the next 12 months for all the convention attendees and will be facilitated by Arun.C.R, member COAREA.

In partnership with NAR-India, COAREA is hosting the event with Casagrand as title sponsor and GRD School of Business, Coimbatore as a knowledge partner. Also, in presence would be, keynote speakers including industry stalwarts like, (M.N. Arun, Dr Sumit Chowdhury, Pushyamitra Bhargav (Hon. Mayor Indore City), Sudharsan Lodha, P.C. Mustafa, Sumit Jain, Shalini Saraswathi, Sridhar Vembu, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and many others)

Speaking about the Event the President-Elect, of NAR India, Mr. C.R Shiva Kumar said, “Real estate brokerage has always been a profession that enables every home buyer, every industrialist, every institution, every investor to achieve their very own dream, to professionalize this industry and make it a knowledge-based service to the people will be NAR-INDIA’s objective this year.”

Hyderabad, 27th February 2023: Oakridge International School, Bachupally is proud to recognize its students as future leaders for their exceptional achievements on the national and global stage. These talented students have demonstrated excellence in various fields, including academics, arts, and community service. Due to their outstanding academic achievements and potential for future success, these Oakridgers from Grade 12 have now made it to some of the most prestigious universities around the world.

In addition, Oakridge like Ananya Jain (grade 12 student) have also excelled at the national level in JEE mains. She secured an impressive 95 percentile in JEE Mains while also serving as the Academic Head of her school and a member of the prefect council. She credits her success to the constant support of her teachers and the Oakridge community, which has made her journey to college admission a much easier one.

Dwihitha, another Oakridge student, is a talented artist, an accomplished MUN and UNICEF volunteer, and a born leader. Her skills and passion for change have earned her honorable mentions and outstanding delegate awards at MUN events, and her volunteering at UNICEF inspired her to pursue a career in law. With numerous dance competition wins and even a throwball tournament victory under her belt, Dwihitha credits her success to the incredible support of her school, teachers, and parents.

Dwihitha University Offers: The University of Manchester | University of Leeds

“My journey to becoming who I am today started at Oakridge, 7 years ago. The school encouraged my ambitions from 6th grade,” says Simran, an avid debater, TEDx speaker, and community service provider. She had offers from various universities with scholarships ranging from 28000 USD/year. With her passion for international relations and dedication, she makes a difference. She thanks Oakridge for encouraging her ambitions from a young age, allowing her to become the Perfect Head in the 12th grade.

Simran University Offers: University of San Francisco | Ohio University | University of Texas | Drake University | Bryant University | U Mass Amherst

Vaishnavi, with her passion for public speaking and debate, has been a natural leader since her primary years. She recently served as the event organizer for TEDx Oakridge Bachupally and has been a part of the MUN circuit and a UNICEF ambassador for over half a decade. Her segment head, Ms.Navneet, says, “Ms. Vaishnavi is a student with a flamboyant personality who, from a very young age, had a deep passion for experimenting with new endeavors.”

Vaishnavi University Offers: the University of Illinois Chicago | The University of Arizona | Indiana University Bloomington | University of Massachusetts Boston | The Ohio State University |Northeastern University

With offers from prestigious universities around the world, these students are ready to take on the world and make a difference.

Celebrating the student’s success, Ms. Baljeet Oberoi, Principal at Oakridge Bachupally, says, “Proud to see our students recognized and placed at top universities, these students are a shining example of an Oakridger who embodies our mission to inspire and equip the next generation for the future.”

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