Category business

Kolkata, 25th February, 2023:Emami Art, one of India’s leading contemporary art galleries, presents Soliloquy, a solo exhibition of noted Indian artist Indrapramit Roy. The show, which consists of over fifty watercolours and prints, will open on February 24, 2023, on Gallery’s fifth floor, and is on view through April 15, 2023.

Done in 2020 during the covid-19 –induced lockdowns, the works – a solitary conversation of the artist with himself – bear the marks of the time. Locked at home and separated from the outside world, the lockdown phases offered the artist a space for introspection, contemplation, and inspiration for creating new kinds of work. Soliloquy is a unique body of work in Indrapramit Roy’s entire artistic oeuvre.

The exhibition has three watercolour series– quarantine diary, quarantine drawings and cacti – and large independent watercolours and prints. They show how remarkably ordinary objects and phenomena like rippling water, clouds, unfinished building construction and cacti turn into extraordinary, powerful visual images, revealing evocative and poetic use of the medium. Instead of painting ideas, Indrapramit Roy depicts what is visible and present before us. But, unlike realistic paintings, his work aims to capture psychological and spatial transient moments. For this, he finds watercolour more suitable than other mediums. Many of the pieces emerged from his daily habit of drawing and reading.

Text used in the painting is often used as the works’ titles. But they do not signify the content. They instead run parallel to the visual image creating third meanings or texts. Therefore, the image-text dialogue is one crucial aspect of the works in the exhibition.

“The works in Soliloquy were mostly done or at least started during a time when the whole world was in the throes of a cataclysmic contagion. A time that forced me to contemplate the human condition in the relative safety and isolation of my studio. The bombardment of terrible news punctuated with laughable political shenanigans, the steady stream of information mixed with disinformation created a peculiar mental state that veered from anxiety to panic and swung between clarity and clutter alternatively.

I cannot paint ideas but only what is ‘paintable’. Perhaps, that is one of the reasons why text plays such an important role in this body of work – creating a third text when seen together with the visuals. There are 54 watercolours belonging to three different suits of different sizes and two prints in this exhibition. The show has traveled from Baroda to Delhi and now at  Emami Art Kolkata in its third and final iteration. I am very excited to show my most recent works in the city of my birth after a hiatus of six years.” Indrapramit Roy, Artist

“I am delighted that we are presenting renowned contemporary artist Indrapramit Roy’s solo exhibition, which consists of over fifty watercolours and prints done chiefly during the pandemic in 2020. The works, the artist’s solitary conversation with himself, bear the marks of the hard times, revealing a sense of silence, solitude and keen observation of water, cacti and twilight scenes of the city limits. What attracted me is the intense gaze that transforms what is ordinary into something extraordinary and the evocative use of the watercolour medium. I hope the city’s art lovers will enjoy the exhibition.” Richa Agarwal, CEO Emami Art.

Mumbai, February 25, 2023: India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has rated UGRO Capital Limited’s bank

loans ‘IND A’/Stable. This rating reflects UGRO Capital’s diverse product offering for MSMEs, as well as its geographic and sectoral diversification, strong analytics and usage of data science, adequate capital buffering, and diversified borrowing profile.

UGRO Capital has invested in technology infrastructure, data analytics, human resources, and systems and processes in order to expand the franchisee in the short to medium term. The company has an experienced management team with lending and technology expertise and employs a hybrid of physical and digital frameworks for sourcing, underwriting, disbursements, and collections. On the underwriting side, UGRO Capital uses a data science-based credit decisioning model which underwrites loan proposals using bureau data, banking data and GST data.

Mr. Shachindra Nath, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of UGRO Capital said, “At UGRO Capital, we have already assisted over 38,000 MSMEs and disbursed over INR 10,500 crores. This rating reaffirms the strength of the organization and its leadership along with its financial and operational excellence. This is an important step in our journey to become a leader in the MSME lending space, and it demonstrates our commitment to building a strong institution.”

UGRO Capital is a DataTech NBFC and pioneer of LaaS in India. It continued its growth momentum in the third quarter of FY23 and crossed INR 5,000 Cr AUM market. UGRO Capital’s AUM stood at INR 5,095 Cr (as on Dec’22), up 97% compared to Dec’21. The company’s Total Income for Q3’23 stood at INR 189.6 Cr (up 123% YoY and 22% QoQ) and INR 466.6 Cr for 9M’23 (up 134% compared to 9M’FY22).

UGRO Capital has effectively leveraged the co-lending partnerships with off-book AUM at 35%, up from 29% as of September 2022. It has achieved its FY23 guidance of 35% off book AUM mix a quarter in advance. UGRO Capital has collaborated with ten co-lending partners, over 65 lenders, 25 fintech, and 1,000 GRO partners to provide data-backed customized credit solutions to a large number of borrowers in the

Mumbai, 25 February 2023: “The arrival of OTT is not a demise of Bollywood, if we see the content on OTT platforms, it is similar to Bollywood. So, the content should be on the right platform and address the target audience. The consumer is on OTT platforms as it can be adjusted as per their comfort” Indian film actor, Ayushmann Khurrana said here today.

He added, “When you are unconventional, you don’t have an option and you need to do something different with your character and the movie you choose. My father always supported me and pushed me to take these tough decisions. I can’t leave my staple genre, I am living until I am taking risks and that has always been my USP.”

Speaking at the second edition of the “Ideas of India” Summit, actress Sara Ali Khan said, “Truth is important for me while taking up any stories but I want to take up a variety of films. I don’t care what people say about my personal beliefs and trolling me on social media but yes if my fans don’t like the work that affects me. ”

The ABP Network’s “Ideas of India” Summit 2023 was discussing the topic of “Mr. Original Changing Bollywood, One Film at a Time” & Representing the New Gen, Movies, and Stardom in the age of Social Media. The summit has brought together policymakers, cultural ambassadors, industry experts, celebrities, and business leaders to discuss the critical role of India during the global churn and changing dynamics. ABP Network is a leading multi-language channel reaching 535 million individuals in India therefore this summit provides one of the biggest platforms for the brightest minds across various sectors to express their views.

Hyderabad, February 25, 2023….A fashion show was organized at T-Hub-2 on Thursday night with the theme ‘convert passion into a business and to highlight the importance of passion

Ms Manasa Varansi, Miss India World-2020 and Mr. Jayesh Ranjan Principal Secretary, Dept of IT, Govt of Telangana graced it

Speaking on the occasion Mr Jayesh Ranjan said today’s entrepreneurs are younger and younger than ever before. The reason for that is today they have younger role models than before.

Many tech wizards left top-class B-schools to pursue their passion. Everyone can have a dream but convert that into a reality, Mr. Ranjan said.

Curiosity is the mother of passion. Find your passion said beauty pageant Mansa.

The host of this fashion Denaurlen is a beautiful name, Dena (giving) aur lena (taking). Giving and taking are super important. Giving is more important than receiving. Give love, give attention, and give a hand to lift others, she said.

Denaurlen is a first-of-its-kind gamified social media company being incubated at T-Hub said Sowmya Ravula, COO of the Denaurlen Startup.

The Fashion Show curated by Mr Srikanth Gatla of SG Fashion was organized as part of the 3C (Create, Collaborate, Conquer) Festival. The show had three sequences and eight models walking on the ramp. They sported, Pret & Indo western, and ethnic Bridal collections

Denaurlen is a dream venture of Mr. Tagore Sr, CEO; Mr. Tagore Jr, MD, Founders if Denaurlen and Ms. Sowmya Ravula, CEO, Denaurlen. They have all dreamt of it and made it into a reality. The startup has gained a firm foothold and going places.

February 25, 2023, | Gurugram- Mamaearth, the fastest-growing FMCG brand from the House of Honasa Consumer, launched its latest campaign, #Shaadiwaalagloweveryday, with celebrated actor and Brand Ambassador Shilpa Shetty Kundra. The TV Commercial highlights the goodness of natural ingredients in the Ubtan Face Wash that gives #ShaadiWalaGlowEveryday, naturally.

Everyone desires glowing skin every day and mostly relates to the glow they or their friends had during their wedding Haldi ceremony. Mamaearth Ubtan Facewash has been crafted with the goodness of natural ingredients like turmeric and saffron which are key ingredients in the haldi ceremony ubtan as well. Hence, using Ubtan Face Wash can give you the Haldi ceremony glow, without hosting an elaborate haldi ceremony.

Conceptualized by Korra Worldwide, the new TVC showcases the unique proposition of Mamaearth’s Ubtan Face Wash, which gives a glow similar to the one from the Haldi ceremony during weddings. The film captures a delightful banter at a Haldi ceremony, where the bride’s radiant glow after wiping away the

haldi catches everyone’s attention. Even the younger sister of the bride is amazed by the bride’s glowing skin and is staring at her in awe. Shilpa notices this and playfully nudges the sister, asking if she also feels like getting married after seeing the bride’s glow. The sister responds by complimenting Shilpa’s flawless skin and expresses her desire to have the same glow every day without getting married. Shilpa then reveals her secret to glowing skin – Mamaearth’s Ubtan Face Wash. The film effectively communicates the unique benefits of the product, making it a must-try for those seeking flawless and radiant skin.

The 35-sec film closes with the ingredient benefits of Mamaearth Ubtan facewash in a no-toxin proposition giving the perfect #ShaadiWalaGlowEveryday.

Commenting on the campaign, Ghazal Alagh, Co-Founder and CIO at MamaEarth said “Ubtan has been treasured for generations as the secret to glowing and radiant skin. Typically used in Indian ceremonies, such as the haldi ceremony during weddings, Ubtan has been known to detain and lend a radiant glow. For our customers to experience the Ubtan glow every day, we’ve taken the best of traditional Ubtan ingredients and crafted them into a hassle-free formula in a facewash so that the benefits of Ubtan can be achieved every day. Our new TV commercial establishes the Ubtan range as synonymous with achieving the ShaadiWalaGlowEveryDay, naturally with Mamaearth Ubtan Facewash. I hope this resonates with our consumers and they choose the goodness of natural ingredients with us.”

Gaurav Nabh, Founder & Director, of Korra, said “Indian wedding preparations are incomplete without the grand Ubtan ceremony, thanks to the radiant glow it brings to the bride and groom’s skin. Our latest work on Mamaearth’s Ubtan Facewash is built on the same insight and answers one simple question – How do you get this shaadi waala glow every day? The campaign features Shilpa Shetty, who’s known for her timeless beauty and glow. We are proud of this work by Korra and are looking forward to continuing the great work together and helping Mamaearth build a deeper connection with the consumers.”

Mamaearth is a brand built on the principles of Honesty, Natural, and Safety, and believes that goodness starts with the small things that each of us can do daily! The brand continues to live up to its promise of using the best of nature, with no toxins and no harmful chemicals, while being cruelty-free and plastic positive.

Kochi: Leading electric and electronic manufacturer V-Guard Industries has bagged the ‘Best Green Office award’ constituted by a leading Magazine in association with the RPG Group. The award promotes creating a positive work atmosphere conducive to happiness and satisfaction among the workforce in companies and corporations. The award also celebrates the culture of happiness at the workplace.

V-Guard as an organization has always focused on green and sustainable practices in everything we embark on. This in turn has helped the organization maintain a very energy-efficient and ‘green’ workspace over the years. Mr. P T George, Vice President, HR and Administration, V-Guard Industries received the award from Mr. Uday Samant, Minister of Industries, Government of Maharashtra at the first ever Happiness@Workplace Summit and Awards held in Mumbai.

“The achievement is a recognition of our efforts and commitment to ensure an employee-friendly workplace that puts a premium of happiness in the workforce,” said Mr. P T George. He also added that V-Guard’s headquarters is built on the concept of green building to create a positive work environment as well as prove its commitment to sustainability

The impending challenge employees or workers may face in India, is the risk of inadequate pension arrangements after retirement from work. As a fallout, individuals may either be required to put severe curbs on their post-retiral expenses or continue working beyond retirement age. Therefore, it is essential that one should take early and active steps toward planning, saving, and investing for retirement.

Towards this, National Pension System (NPS) offers multiple benefits of systematic retirement planning, creating a pension corpus along with tax benefits. NPS is one of the most customer-friendly and flexible pension plans in today’s time. It is a Regulated, Professionally managed, Low cost, Transparent, and Portable pension plan well suited for any individual.

Here are some of the compelling reasons to opt for NPS :

Tax benefits on investment of Rs 1.5 lakhs u/s 80C – NPS is one of the listed investment options which is eligible for deductions u/s 80C. The total deduction limit u/s 80C is Rs 1.50 lakhs and the amount contributed towards NPS can be claimed as a deduction subject to a ceiling of 10% of salary (20% of gross income for non-salaried).

Tax benefits on additional investment of Rs 50,000 u/s 80CCD (1B)- This additional tax benefit is exclusively available to NPS subscribers to claim tax deductions upto Rs 50,000 over and above the deduction u/s 80C. Effectively this translates into a total deduction of Rs.2.00 lakh for NPS subscribers i.e. Rs.1.50 lakh u/s 80C & Rs.50,000 u/s 80CCD (1B).

Tax benefits under Section 80CCD(2) – If an Employer contributes towards the NPS Account of an employee (subscriber), the employee can avail deductions u/s 80 CCD(2) in addition to the tax benefits available u/s Sec. 80C, subject to a ceiling of 10% of salary or Rs 7.50 lakh.

Tax benefits on returns and maturity amount – NPS belongs to a covetous category of financial products that offers a tax treatment of EEE- exempt-exempt-exempt. Not only on investment but the returns and maturity proceeds of NPS are effectively tax exempt. This EEE tax treatment is available only to a selected few financial products.

Low-cost product – NPS is the lowest-cost pension scheme in the world. The compounding effect achieved through regular investment and low-cost advantage provides an opportunity to accumulate a higher pension corpus during working life.

In conclusion, it can be said that investing in NPS helps reduce one’s taxable income apart from building a pension corpus for post-retirement life. Investing in NPS is easy and a subscriber has the flexibility to contribute any amount above Rs 500 anytime and there are no restrictions on the number of transactions one can undertake during a year.

New Delhi, 25 February 2023: A new breakthrough by sustainable plastic innovator Polymateria in partnership with Indian plastic manufacturer Toppan Specialty Films (TSP), has seen plastics commonly used in the packaging industry biotransform in under 4 months and return to nature in just 176 days, leaving no microplastics or toxins behind. It’s the fastest-ever full biodegradation of biaxially oriented (flexible) polypropylene which is used in food and cosmetic packaging. The result was achieved using Polymateria’s innovative biotransformation technology, which is set to play a significant part in reducing plastic pollution in India and around the world.

Polymateria also worked with one of the world’s largest confectionery manufacturers to create rigid plastic packaging armed with biotransformation technology, which was measured to fully biodegrade in 230 days, breaking a previous record of 310 days. These twin breakthroughs mean that common packaging from candy wrappers to cigarette packaging could be made biodegradable – with important impacts on the 11 million tons of plastic waste which reach the ocean every year[1].

The first prototypes of biotransformed plastics developed through the partnership between Polymateria and Toppan were verified by the fully accredited AIMPLAS Technological Institute of Plastic laboratory in Spain, which tested the plastics under the ISO 17556 standard for biodegradability.

Mr Niall Dunne, CEO of Polymateria said, “I’m delighted to be announcing our record-speed biodegradation here in India given the leadership role the country is playing on tackling plastic pollution. In a market the size of India, multiple solutions will be needed and our technology provides an additional route by making plastic fully biodegradable in the ambient environment. Working with sustainability champions like Toppan gives me great hope that by coming together the industry will rise to the challenge.”

Mr Manohar Kumar, CEO of Toppan Speciality Films said, “We are delighted to see the record-speed biodegradation achieved by combining our plastic packaging with Polymateria’s technology. We are already seeing huge interest in our sustainable biodegradable packaging in India and look forward to working with some of the country’s most well-known brands as it gets widely rolled out.”

Products using Polymateria’s technology can be recycled, but if they escape into nature, they will biotransform into a bioavailable wax. The wax then attracts microorganisms like bacteria and fungi, which safely digest it and return it to nature without harm.

Biotransformation technology will be part of the solution to the global problem of plastic pollution, and Toppan is leading the way in adopting innovative technologies which can be brought to scale rapidly. This technology has the potential to significantly boost the sustainability of the packaging industry, in conjunction with other measures including improved waste management systems, consumer education and further innovative ideas from both government and the private sector. Time is running out to tackle plastic pollution, with some projections suggesting there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050[2]. Governments and businesses across many sectors need to work together to create a cleaner future.

Mumbai, 25 February 2023: India will benefit from the changed globalization as the interest rates will come down, said Surjit Singh Bhalla, Former Executive Director, IMF, at ABP Network’s second edition of ‘Ideas of India’ summit. Speaking at the summit, he highlighted that the Monetary Tightening Policy has been India’s response to inflation for the past 30-40 years.

Elaborating on the topic, ‘Crisis in the Global Economy – India’s Survival Guide’, Surjit Singh Bhalla said, “Monetary Policy has precious little to do with supply shocks and I would say now the monetary policy has precious little to do with inflation”.

Speaking on rise of India as a strong, emerging economy, he said, “China, which was a threat to the global economy, is now diminishing. However, the decline of China comes at a time with the rise of India.” He also pointed out that the quality of education and how fast India deregulates its economy will determine how fast we rise.

The panel was further enlightened by the presence of Dharmakirti Joshi, Chief Economist, CRISIL. Commenting on the topic, he said, “The slowing down of Global economies will spill over to us. Our forecast is that the growth will come down from 7% in 2022-23 to around 6% next year.”

The CRISIL Chief Economist also said that the quality of labour was a constraint for India which needs to be addressed. He said, “50% of India’s labour force is below Secondary School and they don’t have any skills, so I think you can’t fire the economy with such low skills.”

He emphasized on climate change as one of the biggest risks to the Indian Economy, especially in the last 2-3 years. “From an agriculture perspective, India is probably one of the most vulnerable countries to this risk. We need to ensure that proper measures are in place to avert any supply shocks that may come our way due to climate change.”

India has been taking extensive measures towards the growth of the infrastructure and manufacturing industry. “As both these sectors are carbon intensive, the challenge for Indian economy is to leave less carbon footprint while industrializing,” he added.

The summit promises an invigorating line-up of speakers with prominent figures from the world of business, politics, artists from the Hindi Film Industry, authors and other eminent sectors. The two-day event primarily addresses India’s stand as a burgeoning economy and global leader in shaping the future.

New Delhi, 25th February 2023: Hindware Italian Tiles from the house of Hindware – India’s leading bathroom and tiles solutions provider, is proud to announce the launch of its new campaign, ‘BROKEN NOT WASTE’. Conceptualized and executed by Hindware Italian Tiles and Grapes, an integrated communications agency, the campaign aims to raise awareness about the wastage of tiles that occurs during construction and renovation projects. It encourages consumers to adopt a sustainable approach by reusing or recycling broken tiles. As part of the campaign, Hindware has partnered up with Delhi Street Art – DSA Foundation to create stunning mosaics using waste tiles and view broken tiles as a valuable resource that can be repurposed and used creatively.

The campaign involves creating vibrant mosaics of 32 square feet at Harcourt Butler Senior Secondary School and Surjit Wasu Memorial School in New Delhi. The mosaics were created by a team of talented artists, interior designers and architects who used their creativity and skills to transform waste tiles into beautiful works of art. The entire project is part of Hindware’s commitment to sustainable design and their efforts to reduce waste.

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Mr. Sudhanshu Pokhriyal, Chief Executive Officer, Bath & Tiles, Hindware Limited said “As the leader in the bathroom industry in India, we felt that we had a responsibility to address the issue of waste produced through renovation and construction. Our campaign ‘Broken Not Waste’ is another step towards raising awareness for the usage of the waste of tiles that occurs during construction and renovation projects and encourages people and industry leaders to adopt sustainable practices. With this campaign, we further strengthen our commitment to sustainability and our aim to reduce environmental impact through innovation and creativity.”

Charu Malhotra, Vice-President, Marketing, at Hindware Limited, said “At Hindware, we are committed to sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment. Art has the power to create awareness and therefore we have partnered with Delhi Street Art – DSA to transform waste tiles into one-of-a-kind artwork. These murals will be a symbol of our commitment to sustainable practices and encourage others to follow the same”

Speaking on the campaign, Shradha Agarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, Grapes commented, “Our main purpose with the ‘Broken Not Waste’ initiative is to promote a sustainable mindset, with the tile and construction industry at the center of it. So, the campaign communication focused on providing simple, practical solutions to combat the issue, while sensitizing the audience about it. Moreover, the mosaic art installations give a physical presence to the idea and serve as a tangible representation of the impact garnered by the initiative.”

The campaign launch coincides with National Tile Day on February 23, 2023. The brand will take this step further and looks forward to scaling it up in the future. Both mosaics created under the ‘Broken Not Waste’ campaign were unveiled in New Delhi, and more art pieces are expected to be created across the country. This innovative project is a testament to the power of creativity and innovation in promoting sustainable living and reducing waste. Additionally, Hindware has partnered up with dealers, interior designers, and architects for extending the efforts of the campaign to address the tile waste issue right from the design to end of construction of a building and adopt corrective measures to reduce the impact.