Category business

Bhopal, February 2023: Godawari Electric Motors, maker of Eblu range of products inaugurated its first showroom in Madhya Pradesh. Jaya Automobile has come up in the capital city of Bhopal. Backed by world-class technology, the showroom offers customers a differentiating EV buying experience and enhances awareness about EV adoption in the region.

The showroom is spread across 1400 sq. ft., equipped with a service center facility, and is located at Plot No.13, Near Indian Oil Depo, Vidisha Road, Bhanpur, Bhopal-462001.

The showroom offers enhanced customer experience, along with experienced staff members with good EV knowledge. The showroom will also showcase the journey of the brand and become a single touch point for the end-to-end EV needs of the customers.

Mr. Hyder Khan, CEO, Godawari Electric Motors, said, “We have come a long way since the inauguration of the first showroom. Madhya Pradesh is the key part of our retail network expansion strategy and with our presence in Bhopal, the showroom will play a vital part in tapping the EV potential and meeting the customer demands in the state.”

Mr. Chandra Shekhar Yadav, Owner of Jaya Automobile, said, “We are happy to partner with Godawari Electric Motors and Bhopal being an important hub for the state, it is important to have presence and understand the EV demands. We are ready to lead the customers into the future of sustainable mobility with a wide-range of products.”

The showroom will showcase the recently launched e-auto (L5M) Eblu Rozee and e-bicycle range Eblu Spin which is available in three variants. Customers can walk in, experience the products and complete their bookings at the showroom. Godawari also has tied up with leading banks and NBFCs to provide loan facilities to customers. The deliveries for both the products will commence from the end of this month.

Mumbai, 27 February 2023: Chef Vikas Khanna shared the journey of his life while discussing the topic of “Master of Spices – Cooking up a storm,” at the second edition of ‘The ideas of India’ Summit. He mentioned growing up in a not-so-affluent family in Amritsar and discovering his passion for cooking and deciding to pursue it as a career.

Speaking at the session, he said, “Amritsar, or ‘Ambarsar,’ as we call it. I did not come from a wealthy household. We were all the same. That was the state of the economy in the 1970s. I began cooking at a young age. I was an expert at tandoor. I put it very well and another thing that got me into food and a better understanding of food is Golden Temple, it made me understand on a much different scale and magnitude. People from all walks of come and sit together,” he added.

While talking about his journey, Vikas discussed his accomplishments over the years. He said, “From Rs 10 to A Michelin Star, I prepared dinner the most expensive meal, 39,000 dollars for a person. When you work internationally, you are judged by your origin, color, and background. We were advised not to ask questions, and that we would be working under the white chef, but I questioned why. Why can’t I take the initiative? But look how the transition has transpired.”

Talking about his experience on serving as Prime Minister of India, he said, “When he was traveling to the UN General Assembly, I said, I want to do a dine-in food. The Prime Minister was throwing a dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York for some of the world’s most powerful CEOs and I was in command. The whole event proceeded smoothly and PM seemed really happy.”

Against the backdrop of global change and evolving dynamics, the summit has convened a diverse group of stakeholders including policymakers, cultural leaders, industry experts, celebrities, and business executives to deliberate on India’s critical role. With its extensive reach of 535 million viewers in India, ABP Network serves as a major platform for accomplished professionals across multiple fields to share their perspectives.

Delhi, February 27 , 2023: Keka, leading HR tech platform based out of Hyderabad, conducted the fourth chapter of its HR Conclave in Delhi on February 23. Through this conclave, Keka has voiced the impact and challenges of digital HR on HR-business alignment.

Technology has revolutionised every sector, and HR is no different. Today, traditional HR services and processes are being replaced with digital HR through mobile, analytics and cloud technologies. The challenges faced by organisations due to digital HR and their solutions formed the backdrop of Keka’s intriguing HR Conclave in Delhi.

The overarching goal of the conclave was to voice the challenges organisations face while efficiently adapting digital HR and connecting with their people. Experts in the HR sector gathered together to voice the challenges like misaligned goals, lack of integration, lack of data-driven divisions and inadequate resources while assimilating digital HR in an organisation.

On the event’s success, Vijay Yalamanchili, CEO of Keka said,” With this fourth conclave in Delhi, we have concluded four series of HR Conclave that was started with a goal to revolutionise how organisations interact with their people. We started Keka HR Conclave to offer a platform to HR professionals wherein they can come together as peers and learn and grow to the next level. I firmly believe community building is what keeps businesses alive. For us, employees’ experience is everything. We strongly believe that CX plus EX equals 10X Growth.”

He added,” I would like to thank my entire team for their constant support and for making Keka’s three series HR Conclave a huge success. It has been an enthralling experience to witness the HR community converge and engage in conversations that will help it grow and thrive.”

The Delhi chapter of Keka’s HR Conclave was attended by more than 150 people. It included a panel discussion that was graced by panelists and moderators like Sunny Verma- Group Head – Learning & OD – JBM Group, Renu Bohra – Chief People Officer – India & Indian Subcontinent Schenker India Pvt. Ltd, Divya Dang- Global HR Head – Cloud Analogy and Kshitiz Sachan – Lead process strategist -Keka HR. The last chapter of Keka’s HR Conclave ended positively, with HR leaders’ insightful interactions on digital HR. The other chapters of the conclave were held in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru earlier this year.

New Delhi, 27 February 2023: Day 3 of Arth – A Culture Fest being held at New Delhi’s Sunder Nursery witnessed one of the most captivating sessions titled ‘Gender (in)equality: Creating Balance in an Uncertain World where Honourable Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani was in conversation with Anuraag Saxena.

Commenting on the broad theme of the session, she said, “Indians have quintessentially never used gender to operate. And women especially aren’t defined by gender alone. They’re defined by their relationships, denoted by their responsibilities. I have never represented myself as a female party member. I’m proud of the religion I am born in, the region I am born to. I cannot be restricted to a pronoun.”

“Today we have a PM who not only looks at responding to the needs of a country but also infuse enthusiasm in today’s generation. He helps us envision how the world will look like twenty-five years later. I’m very glad that today Amrit Kaal is part of the conversation in a cultural festival like Arth. It shows that it is the people’s movement. There is a partnership between the people and the PM. One of greatest joys is the vibrancy of our culture,” she added.

She also talked about how reservation was an attempt to bring about equal opportunity. She said, “I became the upadhyaksh of BJP because my party made reservation for women within the sangathan so that we could have a greater say. Until we create equal opportunity, how can we deny even one citizen an opportunity. To just simply put one question or one answer, we’re doing great injustice even if we leave one woman or one child behind.”

Commenting on women’s representation in the Indian government she said, “Recently when we computed how many women are in administration, we have 1.9 crore women serving in various administrative capacity in the country. That’s a huge number and they’re all decision makers. These women are sitting as District Magistrates, women who are running fast track courts, women who are running pani samitis deciding which village gets how much water, women who are sitting as swachagrihis who decide which house does not have a toilet and looks into the allocation of funds that’s needed to build that toilet. That’s a huge number and I’m hoping that will grow. My biggest desire is to see number of young girls grow in the field of maths and science.”

The timeless Taj Mahal, New Delhi presented an exquisite evening with leading voices celebrating the spirit of women. The panel was graced by distinguished leaders from various walks of life – H.E. Ms. Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Ambassador of Finland to India, Ms. Satyavati Berera, Partner, PwC India, Dr. Sanjukta Parasor, Indian Police Service, Dr. Ritu Garg, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer Fortis Healthcare and Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director & CEO, IHCL.

Panelists from Right to Left – Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director & CEO, IHCL, Dr. Sanjukta Parasor, Indian Police Service, H.E. Ms. Ritva Koukku-Ronde Ambassador of Finland to India, Dr. Ritu Garg, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer Fortis Healthcare, Ms. Satyavati Berera, Partner, PwC India and moderator Mr. Nikunj Dalmia

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/-

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.”