Archives March 2025

NEW DELHI, INDIA 31 March 2025– The International Education group at Cambridge University Press & Assessment (Cambridge) hosted its second annual South Asia Cambridge Schools Conference, bringing together 400 educators, school and thought leaders from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives. As demand for Cambridge qualifications grows across the region, the conference reinforced Cambridge’s commitment to supporting schools, teachers and learners in navigating the rapidly evolving education landscape.

The conference is set against the backdrop of a global demand for 44 million new teachers by 2030. In recognition of this need, Cambridge highlighted its commitment to empowering the region’s educators through new professional development programmes and qualifications, upskilling courses, pre-service teacher training, and short-term e-learning modules to grow the region’s teaching capacity.

In his opening address, Rod Smith, Group Managing Director of International Education at Cambridge, praised school leaders across the region for working with Cambridge to shape curricula and resources, and introduce new innovative programmes that prepare learners to be ready for the world. He said: “At Cambridge, we are committed to preparing learners for a fast-changing world. To achieve this, we support teachers with professional development, we’re introducing digital exams to advance assessment, and we’re integrating AI to enhance learning. South Asia is becoming a hub of educational excellence, and we’re proud to collaborate with schools to build new programmes such as Cambridge Early Years and Climate Quest that will shape the future of education in this region and beyond.”

Vinay Sharma, Senior Vice President, International Education, South Asia, said: “Our commitment to making international education accessible while maintaining the highest standards of quality is unwavering. We empower our schools to build a strong foundation around learning, teaching and assessment. Through this conference, our aim is to explore new ways in which we can work together to equip learners—not just to adapt but to excel in an era marked by rapid technological, societal, and economic shifts.”

Cambridge’s other key initiatives for learners in India include Climate Quest for shaping climate resilience, Cambridge Connect, a programme to meet the needs of national high-stakes examinations, the March exam series to align with local admission needs, Integrated Learning & Assessment for developing English as a skill, and Young Pioneers to foster an entrepreneurial mindset.

Panel discussions featured eminent speakers including Mark Winterbottom, Professor of Education, University of Cambridge, Sarah Hughes, Head of Research, International Education, Cambridge, Sanjay Jain, Head of Google for Education, India, Lindsay Nadin, Director of Digital Products and Services, International Education, Dr Sue Brindley, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Abigail Barnett, Director of Cambridge 3-19 Curriculum, Aynur Ismayilli Karakoc, Senior Impact Evaluator, CUPA, Kevin Ebenezer, Director, University Pathways and Progression, International Education, to name a few. Other key initiatives including Climate Quest, Cambridge Connect for national high-stake examinations, March exam series, Integrated Learning & Assessment for developing English as skill, Young Pioneers for entrepreneurial mindset from the region were highlighted.

Sessions centred on the use of AI in the classroom, digital high-stakes examinations and career pathways of the future. Key topics discussed also included shaping mindfulness in the classroom, rethinking college-readiness for evolving career pathways, and equity in access to quality education. Several schools were recognised for their academic excellence through the Cambridge School Recognition Awards given out during the conference.

Bangalore, India—March 31, 2025—New Relic, the Intelligent Observability company, published its State of Observability for Media and Entertainment report, which offers insights into the adoption and business value of observability for the media and entertainment industry. The report, based on insights from media and entertainment professionals surveyed as part of New Relic’s 2024 Observability Forecast, illustrates that AI is core to their observability practices, with 35% of respondents reporting that AI adoption is a core driver of observability.

“Media and entertainment organizations rely on observability to keep content streaming and audiences engaged,” said New Relic Chief Technical Strategist Nic Benders. “They face the burden of maintaining perfect uptime and reliability to support positive viewing experiences amidst often convoluted and complicated tech stacks. The report’s findings demonstrate they are steadily adopting AI as part of their observability practice and look to observability as a key enabler for more AI adoption. On top of that, their strategic investments in observability provide them with 4x ROI.”

“Home to a diverse and rich landscape of local media and entertainment industries, Asia Pacific is set to witness continued rapid growth as consumers demand high quality, digital content,” said New Relic Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific and Japan Simon Lee. “Media and entertainment companies need a comprehensive view of the entire system in one platform to ensure uninterrupted, optimal user experiences, particularly when scaling to meet the demands of users during key events or moments.”

AI and containerization are core drivers for observability and improve digital operations

AI adoption was the second-highest technology strategy driving observability adoption, with 35% of media and entertainment respondents indicating this was the case. This trend reflects the sector’s commitment to leveraging AI for enhanced decision-making, customer insights, and operational efficiencies. In addition to AI, security, governance, risk and compliance (39%), migration to a multi-cloud environment (35%) and the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies (33%) are pivotal strategies shaping the observability landscape.

In terms of how AI can support observability adoption, more than a third (35%) of respondents believe the AI-assisted generation of runbooks would improve their organization’s observability practice most, followed by AI-assisted remediation actions like rollbacks or configuration updates (33%), automatic root cause analysis (32%), and forecasting and predictive analytics (32%). Furthermore, the media and entertainment industries adopted AI monitoring (60%) at the highest rate among all other industries, highlighting their need to rely on observability to ensure speed, uptime, and reliability.

Compared to all other sectors surveyed, the media and entertainment industry has unique technology adoption priorities. Organizations are 34% more likely to cite containerization of applications and workloads as a key driver for observability adoption (30% compared to 23% overall and the second highest of all industries) and were 23% more likely to say that adopting IoT technologies was a catalyst for observability adoption (33% versus 27% overall).

Media and entertainment lags other sectors in detecting outages

Outages can devastate these organizations’ brand reputation, especially during peak streaming periods like major sporting events or high-budget show premieres. Beyond brand reputation, downtime can cost these providers millions of dollars. However, only 43% of those surveyed rely on observability tools to unearth software and system interruptions, instead relying on incident tickets and manual methods for detecting and resolving problems.

Consequently, media and entertainment companies lag behind other sectors in addressing outages, with a median mean-time-to-detection (MTTD) of 56 minutes, 51% higher than the median and the highest of any industry. As the media and entertainment industry has the most high-business-impact outages occurring each week (63% compared to the 38% industry average) and the highest median hourly outage cost across all industries ($2.2 million per hour), observability investments should focus on improvements to bring incident response efficiency closer to the industry average.

A single, consolidated observability platform connects IT performance data to business outcomes

In a push to enhance operational efficiency and drive business value, media and entertainment organizations are aiming to achieve full-stack observability. While only 20% of organizations have reached this milestone, lower than the 25% rate overall, the sector is making strategic strides to overcome barriers like tech stack complexity, which 39% identified as the major hurdle.

As media and entertainment organizations prioritize their observability strategies, the focus is on selecting platforms that offer comprehensive capabilities, affordability, and real-time linkage of business outcomes to telemetry data. An overwhelming 56% favor a single, integrated observability platform, but just 27% planned to consolidate tools in the next year to get the most value out of their observability spend — the lowest of all industries.

Delhi, March 2025 – The Optometry Department at ITM Institute of Health Sciences successfully organized a Low Vision Workshop, offering students a comprehensive hands-on training session on various low vision aids. The workshop provided an in-depth understanding of assistive devices designed to help individuals with low vision and blindness navigate their daily lives with greater independence.

The session was structured to ensure an interactive and experiential learning environment, where students actively participated in real-world case studies and practical activities. Discussions focused on how individuals with low vision manage routine tasks using specialized aids and adaptive techniques. Through engaging demonstrations, students explored different types of low vision devices, including magnifiers, telescopic glasses, electronic aids, and contrast-enhancing tools, which play a critical role in improving visual accessibility.

Highlighting the significance of the workshop, Dr. Sankalp Rao, Director at ITM Institute of Health Sciences, stated, “Understanding the challenges faced by individuals with visual impairments is essential for future optometrists. This workshop provided students with the opportunity to work with assistive devices and gain practical insights into how they can improve the quality of life for people with low vision. At ITM, we are committed to offering a hands-on, patient-centric approach to optometry education.”

The workshop also included interactive problem-solving sessions, where students analyzed case studies and discussed effective solutions for managing different degrees of visual impairment. These exercises allowed participants to think critically and apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios, preparing them to offer comprehensive care to patients in their future careers.

The event was a valuable learning experience, reinforcing ITM’s commitment to providing high-quality, experiential education in optometry. By bridging the gap between theoretical learning and clinical practice, ITM Institute of Health Sciences continues to equip students with the skills necessary to make a meaningful impact in the field of vision care and rehabilitation.

Chandigarh, 31th March 2025: Ashok Leyland, the Indian flagship of the Hinduja Group, and the largest supplier of logistics vehicles to the Indian Army, today announced that its Defence business has won multiple orders valued more than Rs. 700 Cr. The vehicles to be supplied under these orders are to fulfil Defence sector needs of troop transportation, logistics, and other specialised mobility requirements under the Close-in Weapon Systems (CIWS) program. With these new orders, Ashok Leyland further solidifies its position as a leader in advanced land mobility solutions for the Armed and Paramilitary Forces.

The recently awarded contracts encompass a diverse range of specialized vehicles, including the Stallion 4×4, Stallion 6×6, Short Chassis Bus, and Mobility System Travelling Platform. These vehicles combine superior reliability with exceptional off-road capability, ensuring seamless manoeuvrability across country’s most demanding terrains, meeting a variety of operational requirements.

Mr. Shenu Agarwal, MD & CEO, Ashok Leyland said, “For decades, Ashok Leyland has been a trusted partner in Defence mobility. We are immensely proud to have secured these new orders, which reinforce Ashok Leyland’s leadership in the sector and reaffirms our commitment to deliver cutting-edge solutions for the armed forces. The defence business remains a key pillar of Ashok Leyland’s future growth.”

Mr. Amandeep Singh, President – Defence Business, Ashok Leyland said, “As a proud proponent of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat,’ we are committed to strengthening India’s defence capabilities through indigenous design and manufacturing in the Defence mobility sector. Our vehicle platforms ranging from 4×4 to 12×12, packed with contemporary Defence specific requirements, including armouring, known for their versatility and durability, remain the backbone of logistics and specialist needs of Armed Forces. As the largest supplier of logistics vehicles to the Indian Army, we take immense pride in supporting our forces and remain committed to delivering these orders on time. Our future Defence order and tender pipeline is also quite robust.”

Ashok Leyland remains committed to developing indigenous mobility solutions that not only fulfill the operational needs of the armed forces but also advance India’s self-reliance in defence. With a legacy of excellence and a spirit of innovation, the company continues to power the Indian Army’s logistics backbone, reinforcing its position as a trusted partner in strengthening the nation’s defence capabilities.

Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, known for his flamboyant strokes on the field and his charismatic personality off it, became the center of attention at the Times Now Summit 2025—but not just for his cricketing insights. While his interactions with former teammates delighted fans, it was his presence alongside a mystery woman that set social media abuzz. Identified as Sophie Shine from Ireland, the viral pictures and online chatter fueled speculation about Dhawan’s love life.

The cricketer, who has been noticeably avoiding the topic, finally broke his silence when asked about moving on from his past relationship. In a candid and heartfelt response, Dhawan said,

“Yes, I have moved on. I wouldn’t say I was unlucky in love—rather, my choices came from inexperience. But now, I have experience, and that will come in handy. It was a learning curve for me. There were good moments, there were bad moments, and I am grateful for all of them.”

As the conversation got more playful, Dhawan was asked the million-dollar question—is he ready to love again?

With his signature smile, he quipped, “I am always in love!”

Pressed further on whether he is seeing someone, Dhawan expertly dodged the question like a well-pitched bouncer.

“See, I know how to dodge bouncers in cricket, and I know you’re throwing one at me now. But I won’t get caught!” he laughed, refusing to drop any names.

When nudged with the Punjabi phrase, “Changi kudi hai?” (Is she a good girl?), Dhawan responded with a cryptic, “For the wise, a hint is enough.”

Despite multiple attempts to get a name out of him, the cricketer remained tight-lipped, playfully declaring, “The most beautiful girl in this room is my girlfriend. Now, you figure it out!”

And when asked the big question—is there a wedding on the cards?—Dhawan remained unfazed.

“When I feel like it, I’ll do it. What’s the rush?” he shrugged, before confirming that there is no wedding date fixed for now.

Vishal Salvi, CEO of Quick Heal Technologies Limited.

 “In today’s digital-first world, data is the backbone of our lives and businesses. Its loss—whether from cyberattacks, system failures, or human error—can be catastrophic. Globally, ransomware attacks have been rising alarmingly, with the 2024 Seqrite India Threat Report, prepared by our researchers at India’s largest malware analysis facility, revealing ransomware now accounts for 1 in every 595 detected threats. Modern ransomware isn’t just about locking systems—it’s increasingly designed to steal sensitive data, amplifying the risks of financial losses, operational paralysis, and irreversible damage to customer trust. This dual threat of data theft and system lockdown calls for a robust backup strategy reinforced by data encryption, access controls and regular updates for optimum cyber resilience.

 At Quick Heal and Seqrite, we are committed to making cyber safety a fundamental right. With innovations like AntiFraud.AI which alerts consumers if their data is breached and guides them on next steps, and as well as our enterprise solutions like Seqrite ZTNA, Seqrite Data Privacy, and Seqrite EPP range, we empower both individuals and organizations to stay secure. This World Backup Day let’s prioritize multi-layered protection and a security-first mindset—because preparation today prevents disruption tomorrow,”

Shankar Iyer, Director – Business Strategy, India, Infobip

 “In today’s digital-first world, data is the backbone of business success. At Infobip, we champion privacy-first solutions that enable businesses to protect, manage, and recover data seamlessly. On World Backup Day, we emphasize the critical role of secure data management — regular backups, end-to-end encryption, and AI-powered fraud prevention are essential strategies to safeguard sensitive information.

 In India, with the implementation of the DPDP Act, organizations must adopt a proactive approach to data protection, ensuring compliance while strengthening customer trust. By investing in resilient infrastructure and robust cybersecurity frameworks, companies can not only mitigate risks but also drive long-term growth. Data protection is not just a regulatory necessity but a strategic advantage in an evolving digital ecosystem. As businesses scale, ensuring data integrity will be key to building a secure and transparent future.”

Zaiba Sarang, Co-founder, iThink Logistics

 Data isn’t just information—it’s the backbone of operations. Losing it means losing control over supply chains, customer trust, and business continuity. On World Backup Day, let’s reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding digital memories with intelligent storage and proactive backups, ensuring resilience against cyber threats and downtime. A strong backup today secures a seamless tomorrow.

Parag Khurana, Country Manager, India at Barracuda Networks

 “World Backup Day is an annual reminder of the importance of backing up and protecting data from loss and theft. The universal messages of making regular backups, keeping offline copies and more are as important as ever – but in India’s increasingly digital landscape, there are other aspects of effective backup that are worth thinking about on World Backup Day. They may not be as obvious, but they are just as important.

 “This includes backing up identity and access management systems like Microsoft Entra ID. Without proper Entra ID backup, employees may lose access to essential applications, severely compromising operational efficiency.

 “Organisations should also avoid ‘restoring blind’ in case this introduces previously undetected malware into the network, by having a solution in place that can scan backups for malware before restoration. Additionally, regular testing of backup systems is crucial. The worst time to discover that there is an error in your configuration, or that a setting is incorrect, is right after a ransomware event or when you really need to restore something and can’t. Even with easy-to-use systems, companies need to be familiar with how their backup works and should be comfortable with restores – before the pressure is on.”

Hyderabad, March 29, 2025 – Ankura Hospital, a leading healthcare provider dedicated to maternal and child wellness, successfully organized its inaugural Mega Baby Shower, an exclusive event celebrating the journey of parenthood. The event, held recently at the prestigious Hyderabad International Convention Centre(HICC), witnessed an overwhelming response, with over 150 expecting couples participating in a day filled with joy, learning, and community bonding.

Designed to support and empower expecting parents, the Mega Baby Shower provided an engaging platform for attendees to gain expert insights on pregnancy care, newborn wellness, and parenting. The event featured interactive health sessions led by experienced medical professionals, alongside an array of engaging activities, including rejuvenating yoga exercises, energetic Zumba sessions, relaxing nail art, and a professional photoshoot to capture these cherished moments.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Krishna Prasad Vunnam, Founder and Managing Director of Ankura Hospital, expressed his enthusiasm, “At Ankura Hospital, our goal is to make every stage of the pregnancy journey special and memorable for expecting families. This Mega Baby Shower was a testament to our commitment to holistic maternal care, offering parents-to-be a supportive environment filled with expert guidance, warmth, and encouragement. We believe such initiatives play a crucial role in empowering families and fostering a joyful transition into parenthood.”

Beyond informative sessions and engaging activities, the event also featured an exciting lucky draw, where select winners were awarded exclusive prizes, including a complimentary delivery package at Ankura Hospital and luxury room upgrades during their stay. This thoughtful initiative added an extra layer of excitement and joy, making the experience even more memorable for the participants.

Mumbai, 29th March 2025: Vogue India, the country’s leading fashion, beauty, luxury and lifestyle multi-media brand, presents an elevated evolution of its iconic Vogue Beauty Awards with the launch of the Vogue Beauty & Wellness Honours, in partnership with Tira Beauty. This revamped iteration expands beyond beauty to celebrate the finest in wellness, recognising standout products and innovations that are redefining the industry in India.

 At the first edition of the Vogue Beauty & Wellness Honours, excellence meets expertise. The journey begins with brands submitting their finest products, which are then meticulously shortlisted by Vogue India’s editors. Winners are selected by an expert jury, while readers will cast their votes to determine the Reader’s Choice Award winners across key categories: Makeup, Skincare, Hair Care, Fragrances and Wellness. The Vogue Beauty & Wellness Honours will culminate in a spectacular award ceremony on 29 April 2025, where winners will be unveiled and celebrated for their innovation, impact and excellence.

 “We decided to expand the beauty awards to include wellness, but not just the going-to-the-spa kind. We’re looking at wellness from an emotional, mental, sexual, even a social lens. You could be the kind of person eating organic food, working out five times a day, meditating before bedtime and still be in a rut due to social isolation, one of the major downsides of this digital age,” says Rochelle Pinto, Head of Editorial Content, Vogue India.

 “In this ever-expanding beauty landscape, the Vogue Beauty & Wellness Honours serves as a definitive guide by celebrating brands that push the boundaries of innovation, quality, and performance. These awards provide consumers with a trusted benchmark for excellence and helps them discover and invest in products that truly stand out,” says Bhakti Modi, Co-founder of Tira.

 Stay tuned as Vogue India embarks on this exciting new journey, spotlighting brands, products and professionals shaping the future of beauty and wellness.

Bengaluru / Delaware — March, 29, 2025 — Cropin, the world’s leading AI platform for food and agriculture, has joined forces with Walmart, one of the largest global retailers, to enhance scalable sourcing solutions across its U.S. and South American markets. Through this collaboration, Cropin’s advanced agri-intelligence platform is positioned to help optimize Walmart’s fresh produce supply chain by improving yield forecasting, monitoring crop health, and predicting seasonal transitions with greater accuracy. This collaboration aims to mitigate risks related to weather, market volatility, and supply chain disruptions. It helps ensure a steady supply of high-quality, perishable commodities, enhancing product availability, reducing waste, and delivering better quality produce to customers.

In an increasingly climate-impacted world, agri-food stakeholders are grappling with extreme weather events, supply chain disruptions, and the ripple effects of macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges. To navigate these uncertainties, industry leaders must adopt innovative, future-ready solutions. Walmart, a pioneer in tech-driven transformation, continues to set new benchmarks in the food retail sector by embracing cutting-edge technologies. In a first-of-its-kind deployment, Cropin is rolling out advanced, custom-built AI-powered solutions to help transform Walmart’s sourcing strategies, enhance supply chain resilience, and optimize operational efficiency in the food retail sector.

In the era of AI-powered neural networks, Cropin is transforming how retailers and CPG companies around the world source, assess, and secure their supply chains with proactive intelligence. By leveraging crop readiness insights, quality forecasts, and risk assessments, Cropin enables a shift from guesswork to precision, helping businesses balance cost, quality, and sustainability in a dynamic market. The platform ensures a steady supply of high-quality produce with maximized shelf life at optimized rates. Its automated tools provide granular, localized insights into crop health, pest outbreaks, and extreme weather risks, making supply chains more climate resilient. Additionally, Cropin can help predict the future of crop yields and supply stability, allowing businesses to manage pricing strategies without compromising quality. Its sustainability impact dashboard further strengthens compliance by tracking greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water usage, and deforestation impact, offering digital validation for regulations like EUDR.

“Tech innovation is what drives real-world solutions to move forward a globally resilient supply chain.” said Kyle Carlyle, Vice President of Sourcing Innovation and Surety of Supply, Walmart, “By collaborating with Cropin, it enables Walmart to further streamline sourcing practices and better predict yields using their real-time Gen-AI technology. We are always looking for new ways to innovate and Cropin demonstrates our bold innovation goals in the agriculture space.”

Krishna Kumar, Founder and CEO of Cropin said, “I’m delighted to start 2025 on such a high note with this significant milestone in our journey. Collaborating with Walmart is both an honor and an invaluable learning for us at Cropin. We are deeply excited about delivering on our commitments to help shape a new era of agri-food sourcing. As a champion and role model in the retail sector, Walmart has consistently set the bar by evolving best practices, not just for the company but for the sector as a whole. In my 14 years of driving tech and AI-enabled transformations in the agri-food industry, the last few years have been particularly promising, as stakeholders in the agri-food space recognize that technology in upstream agriculture is no longer a luxury, but a necessity to future-proof business models. Our collaboration with Walmart reflects this ongoing shift, and we look forward to exceeding their expectations, strengthening our position as a trusted enabler of future growth.”

New Delhi, March 29th, 2025: Lava International Limited, the leading homegrown smartphone manufacturer, is celebrating a significant milestone as it completes 16 successful years of empowering consumers with innovative, affordable, and Made-in-India tech. To mark the occasion, Lava is rolling out the first edition of its Lava anniversary sale, a one-day shopping extravaganza featuring unbeatable discounts on smartphones, smartwatches, and audio gear.

The exclusive sale will be live from March 30th, 2025, on Lava’s official e-store, Amazon, and Flipkart, offering limited-time discounts on top-selling devices.

The highlight of the sale is Lava’s exclusive flash offer, giving the first 100 buyers a chance to own the flagship AGNI 3 smartphone and Prowatch V1 smartwatch for just Rs. 16. The AGNI 3 sale kicks off at 12:00 PM, followed by the Prowatch V1 sale at 7:00 PM. Beside this, here are some blockbuster deals you cannot miss.

Lava’s 16th-anniversary sale isn’t just about offers—it’s a celebration of its journey, a testament to its commitment to innovation, and a promise to continue delivering high-quality, Made-in-India technology at unbeatable prices.