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Jorhat, 13 February 2023: Re-emphasizing the need for road safety awareness among the people to build a collision-free India, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India’s (HMSI) National Road Safety Awareness Campaign reaches Jorhat in Assam.

The two-day camp (10 – 11 February 2023) at Bahona College witnessed spirited participation from over 2000 college students and staff members who set out to imbibe safe riding practices. H MSI’s road safety instructors utilized age-appropriate road safety learning programs to enhance the retention of road safety awareness among all.

Speaking on HMSI’s commitment towards sensitizing India on road safety, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Officer – Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle, and Scooter India said, “Road safety education is essential for developing a road safety mindset. HMSI has been conducting a Road safety awareness campaign to develop more responsible road users across the country. With this campaign, we aim to cultivate the right road safety habits amongst the new and upcoming riders as well as help them in understanding the importance of using the roads safely.”

H MSI’s National Road Safety Awareness program made learning fun yet scientific through:

•  SCIENTIFICALLY DEVISED LEARNING MODULE: Honda’s skilled instructors set the foundation with theory sessions on road signs & markings, driver’s duties on the road, riding gear & posture explanation, and safe riding etiquette.
•  PRACTICAL LEARNING: A special training activity on Honda’s virtual riding simulator was executed for all to experience over 100 possible dangers on road before actual riding.
•  INTERACTIVE SESSION: Participants were given danger prediction training known as Kiken Yosoku Training (KYT) which helps in enhancing rider/driver’s sensitivity to danger and ensures safe driving behavior on roads.
•  EXISTING DRIVERS HONING RIDING SKILLS: Students & school staff members who are already existing riders tested & honed their riding skills through slow riding activities and riding on narrow planks.
•  LEARNING IN A FUN WAY: To ensure that the young students could learn more about road safety, Honda also conducted fun educational activities like road safety games and quizzes on daily basis.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India’s CSR commitment towards Road Safety:

For Honda globally, road safety comes first. As announced in April 2021, “Honda will strive for zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles globally by 2050”. Fulfilling its corporate social responsibility (CSR), HMSI has been promoting road safety in India since its start in 2001. Working towards the realization of Honda’s global safety vision, today HMS I’s road safety awareness initiative has already spread to more than 50 lac Indians. Its team of skilled safety instructors conducts daily programs at its 10 adopted traffic parks across India and 7 Safety Driving Education Centers (SDEC).

Not only this, all HMS I’s 1000+ dealerships across India spread road safety awareness. H MSI’s proprietary virtual riding simulator increases the risk-prediction ability of riders; while new customers to are given predelivery safety advice (PDSA) before they start riding at every dealership across India.

Additionally, to ensure that learning does not stop in the new normal, HMSI started the digital road safety education initiative – Honda Road Safety E-Gurukul. Since its start in May’20, this initiative has sensitized more than 8 Lac Indians on the importance of being aware & responsible road users.

New Delhi, 13th February 2023: Dilli Durbar 2023 is being organized by Dilli Gharana on 10th, 11th & 12th February 2023 (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) at Kartavya Path, Central Vista, New Delhi (India Gate Lawns). Dilli Durbar 2023, the biggest celebration of Indian Classical Music in India (basis the stature and varied congregation of the Musical Maestros and exponents participating), is aimed solely towards the renaissance of age-old Indian Culture and Hindustani Classical Music in the country. Renowned Singer Malini Awasthi and Creator of the Mohan Veena Grammy Awardee Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Captivate the audience on the opening day of Dilli Darbar 2023

Dilli Gharana, Delhi’s own Music Conservatory and arguably India’s oldest Music Gharana has been promoting Indian Classical Music in every possible way so as to preserve and showcase India’s rich cultural legacy for our next generation.

Late Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan saheb, the last Khalifa (Doyen) of Dilli Gharana had seen an open-eyed dream of creating a bridge that will connect the present generation, especially the Youth, with our country’s rich and age-old Indian culture and Hindustani Classical Music. Dilli Durbar is the culmination of that dream.

The 2023 edition of Dilli Durbar is being organized under the aegis of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and powered by IndianOil. It promises to be the most melodious musical extravaganza ever in the city, bringing together the greatest exponents of Indian Classical Arts on one platform to present a grand spectacle, one like never experienced before.

Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, the Founder of Dilli Durbar and the Doyen (or Khalifa) of Dilli Gharana used to say, “I had the great privilege to learn music under the tutelage of great maestros of Indian Classical Arts; they not only taught us the art but also imbibed in us the great culture and traditions of India. I being the flag-bearer of Dilli Gharana feel that it is my responsibility that I now pass on my learnings to the younger generation to refine their sensibilities and to cultivate their taste for these finer things in life.”

This second edition of Dilli Durbar will witness the participation of renowned Music Maestros and Culture proponents including Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, Shri Hansraj Hans, Ustad Saeed Zafar Khan, Guru Shovana Narayan, Smt Malini Awasthi, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt; Arts Entrepreneur Sanjoy Roy; and Hindi Film Industry’s personalities like Shyam Benegal, Piyush Mishra & Yashpal Sharma.

Apart from the established personalities, we would also have the younger torch-bearers of Indian Cultural traditions like Antara Nandy, Jayateerth Mevundi, Vusat Iqbal Khan, Pandit Naveen Sharma, Vidya Shah,

Pandit Anantha Krishnan, Shahid, Saami Niyazi Qawwals, and many more. This year we would also see the performance of American citizen Stephanie Gravelle performing Western Classical vocals.

Dilli Durbar 2023 will also be a reflection of Indian Cultural tradition, Music, and its ethos. We are sure this year too our efforts will help in attracting music connoisseurs and the general public from far and wide. The main attractions of our Festival include typical Indian Cultural elements of Music and Dance; and Seminars, Panel Discussions and Performances on them, all led by world-renowned personalities.

Sursagar Society (an NGO which works for the legacy of Dilli Gharana) has instituted the “Sangeet Martand Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Achievement Award” which this year will be conferred upon Shri Shyam Benegal, the legendary octogenarian Indian film director, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker, He is the pioneer of parallel cinema who is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers India has ever produced.

Ustad Chand Khan was a legendary Indian classical vocal maestro of the 19th Century of the Dilli Gharana of Classical Music and so far the award has been conferred on towering personalities like Pandit Jasraj, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Abdul Haleem Jaffer Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, and Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

Shri Shyam Benegal is the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, eighteen National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, and a V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award. He made his first Documentary film in Gujarati, Gher Betha Ganga in 1962 and his first feature film in 1973 – Ankur. Since then he has made 23 Feature Films, 41 Documentaries, 4 Short Films, and 6 Television Series. He is still busy and directing a biopic on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman named Mujib: The Making of a Nation which will presumably be released this year.

Vusat Iqbal Khan, Co-Founder of Dilli Durbar says, “The idea of Dilli Durbar originated from the fact that many youngsters in the country today are being fed a deadly cocktail of cacophony in the name of Music which is as far removed from true Music as chalk is from cheese. It does not adhere to the basic tenets of music – whether Indian, Western nor any other. Hence, we wanted to reintroduce the young people of India once again with true Indian Music. We hope we will be able to at least make a small change with this initiative of ours.”

New Delhi, Saturday, Feb 13, 2022: Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI), joined hands with Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) for the first time ever, to host a special sporting event of equals at its annual Public Relations Premier Cricket League (PRPCL).

PRPCL 2023 is a celebration of teamwork, and industry camaraderie, and brings everyone together for one of India’s favorite sporting games of cricket. Through this special collaboration, PRCAI welcomes diversity and inclusion of the specially-abled cricketers who are today mainstream players and making a mark on a global stage.

Speaking on the occasion, Deeptie Sethi, Chief Executive Officer, PRCAI, said, “PRCAI’s cricket premier league has become one of the most awaited member events of the year and demonstrates high team spirits, great energy and brings the industry together to celebrate equality and oneness. This new collaboration with the Indian Deaf Cricket Association is ultra-special and an inspiration to see the world of equals. We thank the IDCA team for their enthusiastic and competitive spirit that made this weekend a great sporting event for our PR industry.”

PRCAI’s Vice President, Kunal Kishore added, “We are excited to see the enthusiasm shown by all member firms for this league. Our endeavor through all such activities are to bring the industry together on a fun platform. We have seen growing competitiveness for the tournament and it only reflects how this event is gaining massive traction.”

The sixth edition of PRPCL 2023 (North) was held this weekend on February 18 & 19, 2023 and the Semi-finals and Finals will be held between 14 participating PR consultancies on Saturday, Feb 25. On Saturday, one of the most humbling experiences on the field was witnessing the two benefit matches played between the players from IDCA and Team Archetype and BIU Warriors from Concept BIU on the other side, showcasing the true spirit of sportsmanship in this world-class sport.

Reena Jain Malhotra, Patron of IDCA, Sumit Jain, President of IDCA, Coach Devdutt Baghel, and other committee members joined to motivate and encourage the players.

Roma Balwani, CEO & Brand Custodian, IDCA commented, “This special collaboration of PRCAI – IDCA to promote specially-abled cricket is a testimony to social & diversity inclusion. Thank you team PRCAI for this partnership that truly envisions an equitable world and provides a unique platform to demonstrate & provide equal opportunities for specially-abled cricketing talent. ‘Cricket for a Cause’ is an endeavor to celebrate IDCA’s journey in India & globally to create awareness & mainstream Deaf Cricket. We are thankful to IDC’s ‘Cause Partner’ Hero Motocorp for supporting the PRPCL 2023 Benefit Match & motivating our team.”

PRPCL 2023 matches were streamed live for the first time and cricket fans, consultancy employees can watch online by downloading the MyySport app.

This is the only cricket league in the PR community that encourages both men and women to participate in the games. Each playing team includes a minimum of 2 women players amongst eleven payers. The consultancies are also eligible to invite 2 corporate communications professionals from their respective clients to join the tournament.

Tata Motors, the title sponsor of PRPCL 2023, displayed onsite India’s bestselling Nexon EV at the Gymkhana Club, Delhi, with vehicle walkarounds and test drives. Hero Motocorp and Godrej have been extending continued support to PRCAI for this event. Select category team prizes are sponsored by PR Consultancies including Kaizzen PR, MSL, and Avian We.

Hero Motocorp sponsored cash prizes to IDCA players that were handed over by the dignitaries.

PRPCL was started 6 years ago and is held annually in North and West regions and serves as a platform to interact, network, and enjoy a game that is an active lifestyle today. Stay tuned for matches in Mumbai in March 2023.

For more information about PRPCL and to access the complete list of participating teams and winners subsequently, visit www.prcai.org

Bengaluru, February 11th: In their first encounter against Mumbai Meteors, Calicut Heroes were stunned by the RuPay Prime Volleyball League debutants in the first set. As Mumbai won the set with ease, it seemed like Calicut might not be able to get back to the contest. But with hundreds of fans cheering on at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru, Calicut Heroes went on to win the remaining sets with ease and picked up a comeback victory.

Speaking ahead of Calicut’s second encounter against Hyderabad Black Hawks, which is set to take place at the same venue on Saturday, star playmaker Jerome Vinith explained how his team managed to get the win despite losing the first set.

“When we entered the match and lost the first set, we were a little bit nervous. Our passes were not going right in the first 10 minutes. But we settled down and spoke to each other after the first set and rectified our errors to come back and win the match,” the attacker said.

Now, set to face off against the young and dynamic Hyderabad side led by SV Guru Prashanth, who have won one of their two games, Vinith said that his squad has made their strategies keeping the opposition’s strengths in mind.

“Hyderabad are a very good team and they can create pressure any moment. We have experienced players in our camp. So we are quite confident. We do not underestimate any opponents, and we have made our strategies keeping Hyderabad’s squad in mind,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Black Hawks were outplayed by the defending champions Kolkata Thunderbolts in their second encounter, as they lost the game 1-4. But attacker Varun GS insists that his team made the errors that cost them the game.

“Our team is quite strong. We picked an easy win in the first game as we played with confidence. In the second game, Kolkata Thunderbolts did not win points, we gave away points ourselves making unforced errors that cost us the game. We look to reduce these errors against Calicut Heroes,” he said.

It has already been seen several times in RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 that making too many unforced errors can prove to be costly. Bengaluru Torpedoes made 19 unforced errors in their first game against Kolkata and then continued a similar trend against Ahmedabad Defenders on Thursday, and ended up losing both games.

Vinith expands on why it is important to ensure players that they do not give away freebies in the 15-point format. “This is a 15-point match. It is very easy and very difficult to win the matches. If everyone makes one mistake, you have already lost six points. The team that makes fewer errors will win the matches,” he said.

For Hyderabad, two overseas players Trent O’Dea and Carlos Zamora have both proven to be quite effective and Varun opened up on how the two players communicate with the rest of the team during tough moments in a match.

“Trent O’Dea is quite experienced. He guides us a lot when we are going down in a match. He motivates us during the match and gives good advice. Carlos Zamora is also vastly experienced and a great presence on the field.”

While many would expect Hyderabad to get flustered seeing the level of support Calicut Heroes enjoy in the stadium, Varun made it clear that his team will focus on their own game and will not be affected by it.

“I don’t feel our team will get affected by the presence of Calicut fans. We are used to playing amid crowds. We just look to focus on our game. In fact, the stadium was empty last year – but crowds are back now, so it is quite thrilling to play in front of them.”

On the other hand, Vinith feels the fans are part of the Calicut army and he hopes to continue the winning momentum in front of them.

“We are excited to play in front of the fans again. Their presence really motivates us. They are a part of our army and we are eager to get another win against them,” he signed off.

The RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 will be telecast LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 1 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) & Sony Sports Ten 2 (Malayalam) channels in India and will be streamed on Volleyball World TV outside the Indian subcontinent, starting February 4, Saturday.

News18 Bihar Jharkhand announces the conclusion of its road safety campaign “हेलमेट लगाइये, सुरक्षित घर आइये.” The grand finale is scheduled for Saturday, 11th February at 5 pm. The special episode will include discussions with prominent guests, words of support from celebrities, and musical performances by folk artists.

Viewers will get a chance to see the impact of the road safety campaign through a segment showcasing the perspectives of citizens and traffic authorities of the twin states. The show will also feature a discussion panel including Champai Soren, Minister of Transport, Jharkhand; senior officers from the Transport Departments of Bihar & Jharkhand; Raghvendra Singh popularly known as Helmet Man of India and Satyendra Sangeet, Folk Artist.

Music has always been a powerful tool in spreading messages. To convey the importance of road safety, the finale will feature performances from folk artists who will entertain viewers while spreading the message of the campaign.

Road safety is of paramount importance. In recent years, road-related casualties have been on the rise in Bihar and Jharkhand. In order to spread awareness among the mass and initiate a behavioral change in them toward road safety, News18 Bihar/Jharkhand launched this campaign during road safety week this year.

The success of this month-long campaign is a proud testimony to the role of media in creating awareness and bringing about a positive impact in our society.

The finale of the News18 Bihar Jharkhand’s Road Safety Campaign will be an event to look forward to as it will bring together the collaborative efforts of the people, traffic authorities, celebrities, and folk artists to spread the message of road safety.

Bikaner, 10 February 2023: Re-emphasizing the need for road safety awareness among the people to build a collision-free India, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India’s (HMSI) National Road Safety Awareness Campaign reaches Bikaner in Rajasthan.

The three-day camp (7 – 9 February 2023) at Basic PG College witnessed spirited participation from over 2800 college students and staff members who set out to imbibe safe riding practices. H MSI’s road safety instructors utilized age-appropriate road safety learning programs to enhance the retention of road safety awareness among all.

Speaking on HMSI’s commitment towards sensitizing India on road safety, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Officer – Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India said, “Road safety education is essential for developing a road safety mindset. HMSI has been conducting Road safety awareness campaign to develop more responsible road users across the country. With this campaign, we aim to cultivate the right road safety habits amongst the new and upcoming riders as well as help them in understanding the importance of using the roads safely.”

H MSI’s National Road Safety Awareness program made learning fun yet scientific through:

1. SCIENTIFICALLY DEVISED LEARNING MODULE: Honda’s skilled instructors set the foundation with theory sessions on road signs & markings, driver’s duties on the road, riding gear & posture explanation, and safe riding etiquette.

2. PRACTICAL LEARNING: A special training activity on Honda’s virtual riding simulator was executed for all to experience over 100 possible dangers on road before actual riding.

3. INTERACTIVE SESSION: Participants were given danger prediction training known as Kiken Yosoku Training (KYT) which helps in enhancing rider/driver’s sensitivity to danger and ensures safe driving behavior on roads.

4. EXISTING DRIVERS HONING RIDING SKILLS: Students & school staff members who are already existing riders tested & honed their riding skills through slow riding activities and riding on narrow planks.

5. LEARNING IN A FUN WAY: To ensure that the young students could learn more about road safety, Honda also conducted fun educational activities like road safety games and quizzes on daily basis.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India’s CSR commitment towards Road Safety:

For Honda globally, road safety comes first. As announced in April 2021, “Honda will strive for zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles globally by 2050”. Fulfilling its corporate social responsibility (CSR), HMSI has been promoting road safety in India since its start in 2001. Working towards the realization of Honda’s global safety vision, today HMS I’s road safety awareness initiative has already spread to more than 50 lac Indians. Its team of skilled safety instructors conducts daily programs at its 10 adopted traffic parks across India and 7 Safety Driving Education Centers (SDEC).

Not only this, all HMS I’s 1000+ dealerships across India spread road safety awareness. H MSI’s proprietary virtual riding simulator increases the risk-prediction ability of riders; while new customers to are given predelivery safety advice (PDSA) before they start riding at every dealership across India.

Additionally, to ensure that learning does not stop in the new normal, HMSI started the digital road safety education initiative – Honda Road Safety E-Gurukul. Since its start in May’20, this initiative has sensitized more than 8 Lac Indians on the importance of being aware & responsible road users.

AIMA is pleased to announce the 5th edition of one day workshop on Women’s Leadership scheduled on Friday, February 24th, 2023, which has been designed to enhance learning and leadership.

There is a renewed focus on women in leadership roles across the corporates. AIMA takes pride in curating, creating, and offering a platform especially aimed at women managers to hone them into becoming leaders. Drawn from UN International Women’s Day Social Media Campaign Theme 2021 – “Choose to Challenge”, AIMA’s Women Leadership Workshop aims to be a congregation of young women managers to be integrated into industry learning and skills to take up leadership positions in the future.

The one-day program-cum-workshop is designed to be a crash course on Leadership and learning through interactive learning means and the learning is aimed across all levels of management and is most suitable for current and potential leaders and decision-makers.

It would also have many interactive games in which the participants would learn while having fun and entertainment.

As always, I am writing to request you nominate relevant executives from your organization for the program.

Participation in these programs is limited to a small batch to enable the delegates to interact with the speakers and understand them better

Hindi play will feature Actor Anup Soni, Actor Vinay Jain and Monisha Singh Katial

India’s leading theatre group The Films and Theatre Society is all set to bring a new Hindi Comedy play “My Wife’s 8th Vachan” for the audience of Mumbai. Atul Satya Koushik is widely known for creating a brand value in grand Historical productions, Musicals, mythological, Social Satires and My Wife’s 8th Vachan is his first attempt in the genre of comedy and family entertainment at this scale.

My Wife’s 8th Vachan is an eighty-five-minute comedy and family play inspired by marriages. The play is about a mystery called “marriage” that has deepened with each effort of solving it. This play, at most, is another ambitious (read failed) attempt in doing so. Madhur and Mahak are no different from any married couple who have been co-existing in each other’s lives for fifteen years and have been quarrelling for reasons unknown. So much so that their little daughter has decided to study in a boarding school to avoid daily battles her parents invent out of nowhere. Mahak wants to address the elephant in the room and talk to Madhur about the state of their marriage. She is prepared even if some difficult decision needs to be made about it now. A reluctant Madhur finds himself in the uncanniness episode of his life when the eighth promise that Mahak made at the time of their marriage comes back to haunt her. What is that eight promise? Whom did she make it to? Is this the much-awaited break from their dilapidated marriage that they both needed? Come and discover in this laugh-a-minute comedy inspired from your marriage

Famous Film, TV and Theatre actors Anup Soni, Vinay Jain and Monisha Singh Katial take the audience through this episode of comedy drama. The production bears the stamp of a typical Atul Satya Koushik production i.e., lavish sets, costumes, music and a spectacular wholesome experience for the audience.

Atul Satya Koushik, writer & Director, said, “Each script comes with its own challenges and opportunities. I have done comedies in the past but more as experimental and workshop productions. This one is my first serious attempt at comedy at this scale. You see, comedy is difficult. You never know what the audience will find funny and what not. All we can do as makers of theatre is to be honest with our content and leave it for the audience to tell us if it struck a chord with them or not.”

Actor Anup Sonii says, ” Doing this new play was an opportunity for me to explore the comic side as an actor and every actor wants to explore all roles. I always have a very serious image so it’s always nice to keep breaking it and surprising the audience. I am trying to explore another side as an actor. It’s a brilliant script, very well written, contemporary modern couple drama. I am sure the audience is going to relate to this play because it has all the elements which we experience in our day-to-day life. I hope the audience likes my comic side as well.”

Actor Vinay Jain says, “Firstly, it’s exciting to be back on stage after a gap of almost 4 years! What’s really wonderful is that this play deals with the eternal theme of human relationships in a manner that is extremely contemporary and relevant. Atul has done a stellar job with this slice-of-life script which will bring many a laugh and many a tear in the eyes of the audience. All in all, I can assure you that it will be time well spent – for us, as well as for those who come to watch the show! “

Actor Monisha Singh Katial says, “For me this play is very special as it’s my first one as an actor, the character of Mehek has all the shades of today’s woman and what goes on in her mind. It’s inspired by situations and people around us making her someone you all feel you know. This play will make for a great watch as it’s not just a comedy but also has a strong message at the end of it.”

Date & Day: 12th February 2023 @5pm and 8 pm, (Sunday) St. Andrews Auditorium, Bandra, Mumbai

Tickets: Rs. 300 to 2000/- available online on bookmysMumbaihow.com or call 9873579796

for tele booking. Also available at the counter on show day.

Pune(S.N): Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) has launched its program to build the capacity of women entrepreneurs (Wes) to access finance and strengthen their enterprises. In October 2022, GAME formally signed an MOU with NRLM to launch a Women Entrepreneur Empowerment Program in 3 States of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan to support over 10,000 women entrepreneurs with access to credit across 15 districts in the 3 states.

The program will be initially supported by strengthening National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM) architecture through capacity building and augmentation, training existing field cadres called Vitta Sakhis. The program also entails supplementing the existing NRLM (National Rural Livelihood Mission) training protocol and using it to train 3000 Vitta Sakhis, who will support potential entrepreneurs from among women SHG members to take up viable business enterprises.

The trained Vittal Sakhis will review compliance and eligibility of NRLM and SRLM (State Rural Livelihood Mission) identified women entrepreneurs. They will also mentor and help develop business plans to formalize their enterprise, as well as secure financial linkages. This program will also enlarge the narrative to establish a comprehensive onboarding process for financial institutions such as Public Sector Banks and Regional Rural Banks to unlock formal credit for the identified women entrepreneurs in rural areas.

GAME has collaborated with Haqdarshak to roll out this program in the 3 States. The collaboration is for a year and aims to link 10,000 women entrepreneurs with format credit.

Madan Padaki, Co-founder, of GAME said, “Our mission is to build a mass entrepreneurship movement that focuses on women specifically through a series of focused interventions and ecosystem support. Our MoU with NRLM in three states seeks to create a local ecosystem that supports women, by addressing issues with access to financing and assisting in realizing maximum growth potential. With this initiative, we intend to co-create a model that can be used across the country, while also learning quickly with all of our partners”.

Nita Kejriwal, Joint Secretary (RL), DAY-NRLM said, “The ability of women entrepreneurs (WEs) to obtain formal credit and strengthen their businesses must be improved in order to inspire and drive more women on the path of entrepreneurship. Through our enterprise finance initiative in partnership with GAME, we will assist 10,000 women entrepreneurs with formal financing, show them how to apply for formal credit, avail of benefits of various government programs, and persuade them to adopt digital tools for expanding their businesses. We hope to encourage more women to start their own businesses, support those who are already doing so, and foster a larger ecosystem for women entrepreneurship to thrive.”

Bangalore, February 8, 2023: Illuminate, a joint initiative by L&T Technology Services (LTTS) and The National Institute of Engineering (NIE), is scheduled for Saturday, February 11, 2023, at the Karnataka State Open University Convocation Hall from 10.30 AM onwards. The event, a first-of-its-kind initiative by the leading global ER&D major and the premier engineering institute in Mysuru, will focus on nurturing engineering excellence among young students, engineering professionals, and the wider audience.

Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, Padma Shri awardee popularly known as the ‘Moon Man of India,’ and Shri Sudhanshu Mani, the innovator of the Vande Bharat Express, are scheduled to be the lead speakers at the inaugural edition. Illuminate will focus on shedding new light on exciting engineering scenarios, and is visualized as a shared platform for gathering, highlighting, and showcasing technical insights from some of the leading practitioners who are reshaping the global engineering landscape.

The National Institute of Engineering is ranked amongst the top engineering colleges in India. It has established 14 Centres of Excellence (CoE) in collaboration with the industry and alumni to enrich research and consultancy activities to make the course curriculum more meaningful with contemporary teaching methods. In its inaugural edition, Illuminate will be a collaboration between LTTS, a bellwether in engineering services, and NIE to foster the spirit of excellence that seeks to bring forth modern engineering advancements and provide a perspective from the industry and academia. This is a joint platform for sharing technical know-how, and expertise from some of the leading practitioners who are reshaping the global engineering landscape.

Abhishek Sinha, Chief Operating Officer and Board Member, L&T Technology Services said, “India has been redefining the global landscape with big-ticket infrastructure and development initiatives for the welfare of its citizens. Engineering is a key enabler for these transformative initiatives. Through our Illuminate series, we aim to draw home inspiring stories of grit and brilliance from the best engineering minds in India”.

Dr. Ganesh Prasad, Vice Principal, NIE commented, “Aspiring engineers need to gain exposure in form of such knowledge series from industry stalwarts. The Illuminate series, in association with LTTS, helps establish direct industry-academia connections and ensures knowledge transfer in an informal setting. It is an honor to host Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai and Sudhanshu Mani, and we look forward to more similar opportunities in the future.”

Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai is engaged with Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCST) as Vice President. He is credited with driving Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan, India’s venture to the Moon and Mars, respectively. He is an internationally acclaimed scientist with a career spanning over 36 years.

Sudhanshu Mani, the designing brain behind the recently rolled out Vande Bharat Express, was instrumental in ensuring delivery within a short duration of about 18 months. He has had an illustrious career of 38 years with Indian Railways.

Illuminate will be attended in person by a large section of people including scientists, engineers, industry leaders, government officials, academia, students, and journalists.