BROXO Introduces Brand Update Across Water Treatment Markets
 

BROXO salt is produced from high-purity vacuum salt extracted from underground salt caverns in the Netherlands and Denmark. In the Netherlands, the salt is compacted into briquettes and tablets, as well as specialized grades for water softening applications. With a sodium chloride purity of 99.9% and extremely low calcium and magnesium content, BROXO is among the highest quality salts available on the market.
 

The salt plays a critical role in regenerating ion exchange resins in water softening systems, effectively removing calcium and magnesium from water. By preventing limescale formation, BROXO helps protect pipes, heating systems, dishwashers, and industrial installations. In industrial environments, effective water softening reduces energy consumption, minimizes maintenance requirements, and safeguards operational efficiency.
 

The brand refresh focuses on strengthening BROXO’s core identity, reinforcing the recognizable brand assets, colors, and visual language that customers have trusted for decades. The updated look reflects both BROXO’s heritage and its forward-looking approach to the global market.
 

“BROXO has been a leader in its segment for over 100 years. This refresh is about returning to our core strengths: quality, reliability, and consistency while modernizing how we present ourselves to the market,” says Nico Basson, Segment Marketing Manager Water & Retail Products. “We are building on a strong foundation and preparing the brand for continued growth.”
 

Today, BROXO continues to serve a wide range of customers, including restaurants, hotels, commercial facilities, and industrial operators that rely on high-performance water softening systems.
 

About

BROXO is a brand of Salt Specialties which is a part of Groupe Salins, one of the largest salt producers in Europe. The French group has existed for more than 160 years and currently employs approximately 2,200 people worldwide.
 

For more information, please contact:

Nico Basson

broxo@salins.com

Segment Marketing Manager – Water & Retail Products

www.broxosalt.com

Amar Seva Sangam, a premier organization in the field of disability management recently launched one of India's largest Sensory Park at its Ayikudi Center, in Tenkasi District, Tamil Nadu. Developed across five acres with the support of the Australian Consulate in Tamil Nadu, the sensory park integrates nature-based therapeutic interventions, universal accessibility, and dignity-centred rehabilitation, strengthening inclusive, community-based support systems for persons with disabilities. This initiative marks a significant milestone in advancing inclusive, community-based rehabilitation in the State and reflects a shared commitment of Amar Seva Sangam and the Australian Government towards inclusive development, dignity, and empowerment of persons with disabilities.

Amar Seva Sangam Launches, One of India’s Largest Sensory Parks in Tamil Nadu

Supported under the Australian Government’s Direct Aid Program (DAP), funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and administered through the Australian Consulate-General in Chennai, the Sensory Park, with a grant of INR 8 lakhs was inaugurated by Mr. Cameron Noble, Deputy Consul General, Australian Consulate-General, Chennai.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Cameron Noble reaffirmed the Australian Government’s strong commitment to building inclusive societies where persons with disabilities can fulfil their potential. He highlighted that the support to Amar Seva Sangam aligns with Australia’s International Disability Equity and Rights Strategy, integrating disability inclusion across foreign policy, international development, and humanitarian programs. He noted that strengthening the therapeutic and vocational components of the Rehab Orchard would support sensory integration, early intervention, and agricultural-based vocational training for children and adults with disabilities."

Thanking the Australian Government for its valuable support, Mr. S. Sankara Raman, Promoter, Co-Chairman and Secretary of Amar Seva Sangam, said, "The sensory park serves as a sanctuary for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, offering a range of therapeutic and vocational activities such as planting, watering and harvesting, sensory engagement through herbs and soil, tactile pathways, rope bridges, water-based play, and skill training in composting and solar drying. This initiative reinforces Amar Seva Sangam’s long-standing commitment to holistic rehabilitation and social inclusion. Support through the Australian Government’s Direct Aid Program will further strengthen our efforts focused on inclusive development, dignity, and the empowerment of persons with disabilities. We firmly believe that such initiatives highlight the critical role of international partnerships in advancing sustainable, locally driven, disability-inclusive development."

Chief Guest Mr. Kamal Kishore, IAS, District Collector, Tenkasi, special invitees - Padma Shri Mr. D.R. Karthikeyan, Former Director of CBI, Mr. T.S. Krishnamurthy, former Chief Election Commissioner of India (Virtual presence), CA. Mahadevan, Samruddhi Trust, Chennai, and Padma Shri Shri S. Ramakrishnan, Founder Chairman & President of Amar Seva Sangam were present during the inauguration.

Other distinguished guests included: Dr. Murugaiah, Vice President, Amar Seva Sangam; Mr. T. V. Subramanian, Treasurer; Mrs. Pattammal, Committee Member; Mrs. Sulochana Krishnamoorthy, President, Handicare International, Canada; Mr. V. Mahadevan, Samruddhi Trust, Chennai; Dr. T. A. P. Valathakutti, President, Udavikkaram Tamil Nadu Association; Professor Chidambaram, State President, Pondicherry Udavikkaram Association; Dr. Rema Chandramohan, Deputy CEO, Centre of Excellence for Autism, Chennai; Dr. Karpagam, Gynaecologist, Chennai; Mr. S. Raman, Premier Industries; Mr Muralidharan, from Australia, along with government officials, panchayat leaders, and representatives from civil society.

About the Sensory Park 
A symbol of dignity, independence & inclusion, Amar Abdul Kalam Rehab Orchard sensory park is spread across five acres and is located in Amar Seva Sangam, Ayikudi, Tenkasi. It is designed as a multi-functional therapeutic environment amidst 600 amla trees and 200+ native fruit varieties to support a higher-order rehabilitation ecosystem. The Park integrates structured sensory pathways, play-based therapeutic equipment, motor-planning zones, and vocational elements, which collectively supports enhanced sensory processing, improved motor coordination, strengthened social interaction, better employability outcomes, and the overall well-being of the children and adults with intellectual and developmental delays.

For more details, please visit: www.amarseva.org.

About Amar Seva Sangam
Founded in 1981, Amar Seva Sangam is a pioneer in disability management and inclusive development, offering services such as early intervention, education, vocational training, and community rehabilitation. The organization remains committed to the mission of integrating differently-abled individuals into mainstream society, fostering self-reliance, and advocating for sustainable, inclusive growth.

Signify and BharatCares partners to illuminate 58 Gram Panchayats in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh

The project will see the installation of 2,000 streetlights. By supporting local infrastructure and rural development, the project will create a well-lit environment for residents, while fostering economic opportunities and improving daily life.

The letter of commitment was exchanged between District Administration, Ayodhya and Signify in the presence of Smt. Anandiben Patel, the Hon’ble Governor of Uttar Pradesh, to further the sustainable development and community empowerment through innovative lighting solutions.

Commenting on the partnership, Vikas Malhotra, Head of Connected Professional Business - Signify, Greater India, said, “At Signify, we believe in bringing the best of innovations to the communities across India, through our Har Gaon Roshan CSR initiative. For this project, we are thankful for the support of BharatCares and the Hon’ble Governor of Uttar Pradesh for aiding our collective mission to strengthen rural communities. By illuminating these Gram Panchayats and installing 2,000 streetlights, we are enhancing the safety and visibility for people around these areas. This partnership reflects our commitment to using light to positively impact lives in the most underserved regions of India, fostering sustainable growth and community empowerment.”

BharatCares representative Adarsh Trivedi, added, “This partnership with Signify marks a significant step toward realizing our collective vision of transforming rural infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh. Providing lighting to these 58 Gram Panchayats will not only improve safety and infrastructure but also unlock new avenues for community development, economic growth, and enhance livelihood activities, especially during evening hours. This initiative will empower local communities and improve the overall well-being of its residents.”

As Signify continues to expand its efforts across India, the initiative stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to lighting up lives, building a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow through innovation that matters.

About Signify

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact systems and data-enabled services deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2024, we had sales of EUR 6.1 billion, approximately 29,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for eight consecutive years and have achieved the EcoVadis Platinum rating for five consecutive years, placing Signify in the top one percent of companies assessed. News from Signify can be found in the Newsroom, on X, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors is located on the Investor Relations page.

(L-R): Anirban Chaudhury, Head, KCDT; Anu Prasad, Founder and CEO, ILSS; Shankar Maruwada, Co-Founder and CEO, EkStep Foundation
 

The initiative aims to bridge the digital divide in the development ecosystem by offering structured leadership training, practical toolkits, and a vibrant ecosystem that enables mission-driven organisations to adopt technology and data more effectively.
 

“At ILSS, we’ve long recognised that leadership in the social sector must evolve to meet the challenges of a digital world,” said Anu Prasad, Founder and CEO of ILSS. “This partnership with EkStep Foundation and Koita Foundation through KCDT is our collective response to a deeply felt need across the ecosystem—non-profits need support, not just with tools, but with the mindset and skillsets to lead digital transformation meaningfully.”
 

KCDT, housed within ILSS, has been operating since early 2025 under the leadership of Anirban Chaudhury. As a centre of excellence, it has already begun serving as a hub for experimentation, co-creation, and capacity-building for non-profits across the country.
 

“Through KCDT, we are creating a space that enables social impact organisations to learn, adapt, and innovate using digital means—without losing sight of the human mission at the core,” said Anirban Chaudhury, Head of KCDT. “We believe the digital transformation of the sector must be inclusive, intentional, and guided by real-world insights from changemakers on the ground.”

“Digital transformation is no longer optional for social organisations—it is essential. At Koita Foundation, we are committed to enabling long-term capacity in the sector by supporting initiatives like KCDT that provide structured guidance, peer learning, and real-world application. It’s about building digital confidence, not just digital systems,” said Rekha Koita, Co-founder and Director of Koita Foundation.
 

A key component of the partnership is the Digital Transformation for Social Impact (DTSI) program—a curated learning journey for non-profit leaders to strengthen digital strategy and implementation. Complementing this is the upcoming Digital Toolbook for Social Impact (DiTSI)—an open-access guide featuring frameworks, case studies, and actionable resources for integrating digital tools across operations, program delivery, fundraising, and impact measurement.
 

“Digital transformation in the social sector isn’t about just digitising existing processes—it’s about reimagining how we learn, interact, work, and deliver value to communities,” said Shankar Maruwada, CEO and Co-founder of EkStep Foundation. “This collaboration is a commitment to building that capacity in a way that is open, accessible, and community-led.”
 

By bringing together nonprofits, funders, technology partners, and knowledge experts, this initiative seeks to build a long-term foundation for systemic digital transformation—one that strengthens India’s development sector from the inside out.

About ILSS
India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS) is a leadership and capacity-building organisation that nurtures talent, skills, and vision within India’s development ecosystem. Through its programs, ILSS builds future-ready leaders capable of driving scalable and sustainable social impact.
 

About EkStep Foundation
EkStep Foundation is a philanthropy that works on technology-enabled, population scale digital transformation. Its work intersects Digital Public Infrastructure, AI and Open Networks. The organisation’s works focuses on the ‘Learning to Earning’ journey, with a specialised focus on school education, jobs and agriculture.
 

About Koita Centre for Digital Transformation (KCDT)
KCDT is a strategic initiative established by ILSS and The Koita Foundation to accelerate digital transformation in India’s social sector by enabling knowledge, tools, and collaborative learning opportunities for non-profits and sector leaders.

Halonix Lighting at Krishna Park Extension Metro Station of Delhi

Halonix’s advanced lighting solutions deployed at this state-of-the-art metro station has significantly enhanced the aesthetics of the station by creating a welcoming and visually appealing ambiance and elevating the overall travel experience of commuters. At the same time it has ensured that all areas at the station are extremely well lit keeping in mind commuter safety and well-being. Last but not the least, it has deployed highly energy efficienct LED lights thereby reducing adverse environmental impact.

Halonix lighting at  Krishna Park Extension Metro Station Platform

“Halonix has always been committed to delivering cutting-edge lighting technology that aligns with the nation's progress and sustainability goals. Our lighting solutions at Krishna Park Extension Metro Station are designed to provide superior illumination while reducing energy consumption, reinforcing our commitment to a greener and brighter future,” said Mr Rakesh Zutshi, Managing Director, Halonix Technologies Private Limited.

Krishna Park Extension Metro Station marks another milestone in Halonix’s journey to revolutionize public infrastructure lighting in India which include lighting some of the busiest airports, railway stations and highways across the country. The company remains dedicated to contributing to nation-building by partnering with iconic projects and transforming urban spaces into well-lit, secure, and modern environments.

Webiste: www.halonix.co.in.

The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), a pivotal urban local body (ULB) in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), remains unwavering in its commitment to the safety and wellbeing of its citizens, particularly its students. Governing 366 schools that cater to approximately 1,37,000 students within a population of 12 lakh, MBMC has been proactive in enhancing student safety. In alignment with the Government Resolution (GR) issued by the Government of Maharashtra on August 24, 2024, the MBMC has undertaken significant measures to ensure not just safety but also a palpable sense of security.
 

L to R: Dr. Bangar, Dy. Comm, Shri. Manorkar, Addl Comm, Madhukar Pandey, IPS, Comm, Pratap Sarnaik, MLA, Shri. Sanjay Katkar, IAS Comm, Shri. Khambit, City Engineer, Shri. Dhonde, Dy  Com, Smt. Pimpale, Dy Com, Shri. Shirvalkar, Mun. Secretary

As part of these efforts, MBMC has installed 200 CCTV cameras across 36 municipal schools, covering around 10,000 students. Continuous monitoring ensures prompt action in case of incidents. Additionally, MBMC has been conducting character & aptitude tests of staff to further safeguard student wellbeing.

The facility was officially inaugurated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde via video conferencing during an event at the Bharatratna Gansamradni Lata Mangeshkar Natyagruha Auditorium. MBMC Commissioner Sanjay Katkar, Police Commissioner Madhukar Pandey, and legislators Pratap Sarnaik and Geeta Jain were also in attendance.

A crucial message from the Hon’ble Chief Minister was that safety is not only to be ensured but must be genuinely felt. He emphasised that it is the responsibility of the entire government, including local bodies, to implement both preventive measures and create an emotional sense of security. The Chief Minister’s vision goes beyond mere protection, aiming to cultivate an environment where safety is deeply experienced by every student and parent. Municipal Commissioner Shri Sanjay Shripatrao Katkar expressed his gratitude to the Hon'ble Chief Minister for his support in realising this holistic approach to student welfare.

A proactive, rather than reactive, approach is at the core of MBMC’s school safety strategy. Instead of waiting for incidents to occur, the corporation has implemented preventive measures to ensure student safety across its schools. This includes the installation of 200 CCTV cameras in 36 municipal schools, providing real-time monitoring for 10,000 students. Regular oversight allows for immediate response to any potential threats. Additionally, MBMC has introduced staff character and aptitude tests to further safeguard the wellbeing of the 1,37,000 students it serves. This forward-thinking strategy underscores MBMC's commitment to preventing issues before they arise, ensuring a safer educational environment.

What makes MBMC’s safety initiative truly unique is its emphasis on real-time monitoring, an innovation made possible by the newly established Central School Command Centre (CSCC). The facility is capable of overseeing 1,000 cameras at once, ensuring continuous surveillance and immediate responses to safety concerns. The CSCC operates daily with a dedicated team from 7 AM to 5 PM, ensuring constant vigilance. This real-time capability is a standout feature that sets MBMC apart from other urban local bodies (ULBs), and with plans to extend coverage to private schools in the future, it marks a significant leap forward in school safety measures.

The event, held online with the main ceremony at the Bharatratna Gansamradni Lata Mangeshkar Natyagruha Auditorium, Mira Road (E), was attended by distinguished dignitaries including Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Shri Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra; and Shri Shambhuraj Desai, Minister of State Excise and Guardian Minister for Thane and Satara Districts, the event was further graced by special guests Shri Naresh Mhaske, Member of Parliament (Thane); Shri Niranjan Davkhare, Member of Legislative Council; Shri Janneshwar Mhatre, Member of Legislative Council; Shri Pratap Sarnaik, Member of Legislative Assembly (Ovala Majiwada); and Mrs. Geeta Jain, Member of Legislative Assembly (Mira-Bhayandar), attended through an online medium.

This initiative highlights MBMC’s dedication to not only ensuring but also making safety genuinely felt by students and parents, reinforcing its commitment to creating empowered and responsible citizens for tomorrow.

Digilogic Systems CEO Mr. Shashank Varma and SPHEREA CEO Mr. Christian DABASSE concluded the partnership formalities

The MoU solidifies a partnership aimed at advancing the capabilities of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and PSUs by providing state-of-the-art test benches and solutions across a spectrum of applications.

Key takeaways from the MoU include:

(a) Sale of new Test Benches to DRDO and PSUs:

The collaboration will facilitate the procurement and deployment of advanced test benches tailored to the specific needs of DRDO and various PSUs, ensuring enhanced testing capabilities and efficiency in their operations.

(b) Test Solutions development for Various Labs, DRDO, HAL, and Other PSUs:

SPHEREA France and Digilogic Systems India will jointly develop and offer comprehensive test solutions to laboratories, DRDO establishments, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and other PSUs, catering to their diverse testing requirements across multiple domains.

(c) Test Solutions development in Electronics and Signal Processing:

Leveraging the combined expertise, SPHEREA France and Digilogic Systems India will deliver innovative test solutions focusing on electronics and signal processing, enabling thorough testing and validation of critical systems and components.

(d) Solutions for Power Electronics:

The collaboration will extend the provision of specialized solutions for power electronics, addressing the evolving needs of DRDO, PSUs, and other stakeholders in the defense and industrial sectors.

(e) Build-to-Print Activities Catering for the Requirement of Various OEMs: SPHEREA France and Digilogic Systems India will undertake build-to-print activities, aligning with the specifications and requirements of various Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to ensure seamless integration and interoperability of systems.

(f) Development of Capacity for Training and Audit:

The partnership will focus on developing training programs and conducting audits to enhance the skill sets of personnel involved in testing processes, thereby fostering a culture of continuous improvement and quality assurance.

Commenting on the collaboration, Mr. Christian DABASSE, President and CEO of SPHEREA France, remarked, "We are excited to embark on this strategic partnership with Digilogic Systems India. By combining our strengths and resources, we aim to deliver unparalleled value to our customers in the defense and PSU sectors, empowering them with cutting-edge test solutions and services."

Mr. Shashank Varma, CEO of Digilogic Systems India, echoed similar sentiments, stating, "This collaboration represents a significant milestone in our commitment to providing best-in-class test and measurement solutions. Together with SPHEREA France, we are poised to address the evolving needs of our customers and contribute to the advancement of critical sectors."

The MoU between SPHEREA and Digilogic Systems India underscores the shared vision to drive innovation, efficiency, and reliability in defense and industrial testing environments. Through collaborative efforts, the partners aim to fortify the technological capabilities of organizations entrusted with safeguarding national security and advancing industrial excellence.

The technology deployed at an SWD leading to Bellandur Lake 

Being floating devices, these barriers adjust to water levels during dry season and in monsoons. This helps prevent choking of storm water drains.

The team from NGO That’s Eco Foundation, CGI and AlphaMERS 

Bengaluru has been facing flooding issues every year and this measure will help minimize the compounding effect of clogging and reduction in drainage capacity. 

Dr. Subramanya Kusnur, Founder Chairman & CEO of AquaKraft Group Ventures
 

The first prong constitutes a real-time IOT based system for monitoring the rain water harvesting structures to understand their efficiency, capture and recharge readings. 
 

The second prong envelopes the treatment of sewage and effluents by employing AquaKraft’s nature based, time tested, green & sustainable sewage treatment plants that consume no power, use a bio process with no usage of any chemicals, no odour, recovering over 95 percent of the water that is fit for recharging the underground aquifers. 

The third prong stems from an understanding of the capital intensive nature of the STPs. To this effect AquaKraft has structured a sustainable financing model to fund sewage treatment and water recycling wherein the stakeholders enter a water purchase agreement akin to power purchase agreement, address their captive needs and offer the excess water for groundwater recharge or other consumption. 

All initiators of rain water harvesting, STPs and groundwater recharge will be monitored using real-time IOTs and the data will be used for integrated water risk management and policy making. This good behaviour in water will be incentivised by issuing AquaKredits – Water Credits after monitoring water use and efficiency on AquaKraft’s digital innovation, AqVerium – World’s 1^st Digital Water Bank.

With about a staggering 86 percent of the water needs of the urban areas being met by extracting groundwater, the centrality of groundwater to the existing crisis cannot be denied. With an estimated 1000 million litres of sewage being discharged into the city’s lakes and reservoirs that once functioned efficiently as sites for rainwater capture and groundwater recharge, it has also become clear that sewage treatment and water recycling form a complementary piece of the puzzle that is the Bangalore water crisis. 

The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board in the past had taken proactive measures to pass a regulation making rainwater harvesting compulsory for houses having an area of 1200 square feet or more to reduce the stress on groundwater. However, the implementation of this resolution has not yielded the desired results. Additionally, there is no central or local system to keep a track of the harvesting structures, their capture measurements, efficiency readings, recharge rates etc. The same also applies to the rules regarding the mandatory installation of sewage-treatment plants (STPs) in residential, commercial and educational institutions that has been revised a few days back owing to the economic infeasibility for smaller sized stakeholders. 

Speaking on the occasion, C Sridhar – Governor, AquaKraft group Ventures said, “One of the most important strategies to mitigate the crisis is roof top harvesting. We have been able to make water bereft villages depending on tanker water, tanker free with simple roof top harvesting. Though rainwater harvesting has been made mandatory, its implementation has been poor. AquaKraft will embark on “Jal Pe Charcha” an extensive advocacy programme engaging all stakeholders to catch the rain and recharge the ground water table.”

Carrying an experience of over a decade and a half in evaluating, monitoring and mitigating crises by implementing green & sustainable solutions surrounding the resource that is highly undervalued despite being the planet’s lifeline - water, AquaKraft Group Ventures has taken a focussed initiative as one of the first responders to help resolve the labyrinth of crisis facing the city of Bengaluru. 

“Monsoon is seasonal, sewage is perpetual. Our vision is to leverage the sewage generated daily in Bengaluru City and use the excess treated sewage to recharge the dry borewells and augment the ground water table irrespective of rain. Added to that, incentives for rain water harvesting will complement this efforts leading Bengaluru to water positivity. A multifaceted problem requires a multifaceted solution through multi stakeholder initiatives. We take this opportunity to invite all stakeholders including citizens, corporates, CSR and administrative bodies to come together and make the city of Bangalore ‘Water Positive’ through collective efforts',” said Dr. Subramanya Kusnur, Founder Chairman & CEO, AquaKraft Group Ventures and New Water Man of India.

About AquaKraft Group Ventures

AquaKraft Group Ventures, (www.aquakraft.net) is a water sustainability and impact group, focused on providing actionable solutions on ground in the area of drinking water and sanitation. AquaKraft has innovated technologies for drinking water, sewage treatment & recycling & bio digesters for sanitation, all of them which are energy efficient, green, sustainable & water +ve. AquaKraft has been advocating sustainability since inception in 2010, and has treated 11 billion+ litres, recycled 36 billion+ litres, harvested & saved 126 trillion+ litres of water across India. AquaKraft has partnered with eminent institutions like IIT Bombay and Institute of Chemical technology (formerly known as UDCT) in innovating green, natures based & sustainable solutions for complex problems in water quality and quantity.
 

AquaKraft’s Digital Innovation, AqVerium - World’s 1st Digital Water Bank, (www.aqverium.com) is fast emerging as a platform for monitoring water use & efficiency, incentivising good behaviour with AquaKredits - Water Credits and Water Sustainability Score developed jointly with leading global advertising firm, Leo Burnett. AqVerium has partnered with a a globally renowned consulting firm Frost & Sullivan UK to develop comprehensive “Blue Taxonomy” encompassing economic, social and environmental factors.

Located in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, Thirumazhisai is a hub for various companies and communities due to the close proximity to important areas such as the Chennai Outer Ring Road, Chennai-Bangalore Highway, Kuthambakkam Bus Terminus, and Pattabiram New Tidel Park -3 to name a few.

Tirumazhisai is popularly known as the gateway to Southern Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka. It is also a place that is easily accessible from any part of Chennai. The Tamil Nadu Housing Board has commenced work on the acquired land of around 311 acres bordering the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway. Rs. 245 crore worth of work has been completed. This satellite town is trying to receive Rs. 1,000 crore in funding from the Union Government’s 15th Finance Commission which is planning to allocate funds to build new cities and renovate old ones.

To facilitate comfortable living, the town is to be furnished with state-of-the-art infrastructure such as storm water drains, solar-powered street lamps, sustainable energy solutions, road markers, earthquake-proof concrete roads, and more.

The town’s important features are hospitals, office spaces, schools, malls, entertainment facilities, parks, pavements, gymnasiums, public restrooms, a fire station, ambulance services, and a secure security system complete with CCTVs.

In addition, there is a proposal for the Metro Rail to be extended to Tirumazhisai and a Kuthambakkam Bus Terminus to soon open for services by August 2023. This provides an efficient transport system for the residents of Tirumazhisai.

A “15-minute city”

In December 2022, it was noted that the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) had plans of developing a “15-minute city” at Tirumazhisai around the Kuthambakkam Bus Terminus. The “15-minute city” concept is where residents of that city can get to shops, their workplaces, and other convenient places, within 15 minutes by car, public transport, or on foot.

Proximity to exceptional facilities and major developments

Tirumazhisai: A Flourishing Hub Amidst Rapid Development

1. Nature's Haven: Tirumazhisai's green surroundings, is complete with a serene lake that hosts migratory birds, and caters to people of all ages.

2. Strategic Connectivity: Located near India's first greenfield expressway, the Chennai-Bangalore Highway, Tirumazhisai facilitates convenient travel across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.

3. Key Transportation Links: Close proximity to Chennai Outer Ring Road and upcoming Kuthambakkam bus terminus ensures seamless commuting facilities and future metro accessibility.

4. Future Prospects: Anticipated developments including the proposed Parandur Airport and metro extension to Parandur Airport via Tirumazhisai promise enhanced connectivity and convenience.

5. Business Expansion: Pattabiram's upcoming Tidel Park, expected to employ over 5000 people upon completion in 2023, will significantly impact Tirumazhisai's landscape, located just 13 km away.

With such amenities being planned to grace the areas in and around the town of Thirumazhisai, it sure is on the path to becoming a prosperous city sometime in the future.

Garbage Eater
 

So, how can garbage eater solve this problem?

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is one of the most renowned projects of the Indian government. They are putting a lot of effort into making India a cleaner place. However, an important question arises: How can we facilitate a hygienic method for our sanitation workers?

Inspired by the Clean India Green India theme and the idea of liberating our workers from this massive problem, Amit Bhatia, from BNB Yagya Machines Pvt. Ltd., decided to create The Garbage Eater that would make the job of our sanitation workers easier. The Garbage Eater is a patented, made-in-India, vacuum-less litter picking machine that quickly and easily picks up garbage from roads and other surfaces. It is currently being developed in Jaipur, Rajasthan in India, expected to help with the Clean India initiative and will benefit more than 5 million health workers. It can be utilized by public and government authorities for our sanitation workers. In addition, private property and business owners looking for more efficient sanitation and garbage management systems can also purchase it.

How does the Garbage Eater have a significant impact on our Environment?

The current market only provides options for machines that are meant for cleaning wider roads and highways. What about the smaller streets and roads in villages? The methods used to pick up garbage are still done by hand, which is not hygienic. Therefore, five different size models of machines have been designed that can clean small streets and roads in villages. These machines will help provide a clean and hygienic environment for the country's people.

By deploying garbage eater, female and male workers will also have substantial employment opportunities.

This machine is not only cost-efficient, but it also requires less maintenance. Plus, there is no fuel cost since it runs on a battery and no vacuum technology is used. In addition, it also controls pollution and plastic waste.
 

The best part about the Garbage Eater is that it can be customized to fit the needs of different locations, which means that no matter where it's needed, the machine can be designed to work well in that particular area.

We all focus on enhancing environmental health; let's also take a step toward improving processes for the ones that contribute the most to it. Take a pledge to give our sanitation workers freedom from the unhygienic processes they have been following for ages. By providing them with The Garbage Eater, we can change their Jamadar Imagery to Machine Operator and help keep our surroundings clean.

NEC has already successfully implemented similar smart city projects in Kalyan Dombivli, Hubballi Dharwad, Ahmedabad, Surat and many other cities. 

During the signing, Ms. Charmie Parekh, CEO, Silvassa Smart City Limited said, “NEC India’s expertise and long-standing experience in innovating cutting edge tech-solutions across various industries is well known. We have already seen them contribute to various Indian and global smart city projects, and the impact of their public safety features have created safer and smarter spaces. It’s our endeavour to make Silvassa one of the most promising cities in India, and this smart city project will help bring our vision within reach.”
 

As one of the most important manufacturing hubs in western India, Silvassa has grown rapidly and seen an influx of talent from across India. The smart city project will facilitate convenience in accessing public services and civic amenities, supporting efficient traffic control and management, public safety, and strengthening the city’s preparedness for natural disasters. The scope for NEC India includes: 

• An Integrated Command and Control Centre, which will bring civic amenities under a unified platform, accessible to residents of Silvassa through a mobile application. As a way to further enhance ease of operations within the city, NEC India will also be establishing a ​​Data Centre with capabilities of Data Recovery on the Cloud. 

• A robust and strategic observation system with more than 400 cameras across the city to understand general conditions, enable effective law enforcement, and ensure citizen safety. 

• Two environment sensors, fitted with AI technology. These are designed to help monitor the weather, water, irradiation, and soil moisture levels, in order to help farmers optimise their operations by improving field management and prevent crop diseases. Further, environment sensors can significantly improve capabilities in predicting environmental or natural disasters, and far enhance the city’s disaster readiness. 

• 5 smart parking systems, fitted with smart cameras/sensors, will be positioned across the city to help ease mobility and the day-to-day commute for residents.

• As part of the traffic management system, the city will be equipped with more than 20 Adaptive Traffic Control Systems (ACTS) which make use of cameras and sensors for monitoring traffic. The system enables the synchronisation of traffic lights based on real-time traffic conditions to optimise the flow and density of traffic. Further, the system will be fitted with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and Red Light Violation Detection (RLVD) technologies to ensure the timely detection and follow-up on traffic violations in order to promote driver safety. 

“For over 70 years, NEC has positively impacted the lives of the people of India by making society and communities smarter, more inclusive and safer. We are proud to have been entrusted with this project by the central government and Silvassa Smart City Limited. We look forward to working in collaboration with them, and witnessing first-hand the transformative effect of technology in making the daily lives of people seamless and safe,” said Mr. Aalok Kumar, President & CEO, NEC Corporation India. 
 

NEC's pioneering role in fuelling India's digital transformation and creating a truly connected nation has been instrumental in making the company a trusted partner for the government of India for over seven decades now. This long-standing partnership was further cemented during the Hon'ble prime minister, Shri Narendra Modi's recent visit to Tokyo, wherein he met with the Chairman of NEC Corporation, Mr. Nobuhiro Endo. They both exchanged views on the application of emerging technologies for building opportunities in areas such as digital learning, FinTech, infrastructure, smart cities, and logistics. NEC remains invested in powering a billion dreams through its cutting-edge technologies especially customized for the Indian market. 

About NEC Corporation India (NEC India)
NEC is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies and brings more than 121 years of expertise in technological innovation to provide solutions for empowering people, businesses, and society. Headquartered in Japan, NEC started operations in India in the 1950s, accelerating its growth through the expansion of business to global markets. NEC in India expanded its business from telecommunications to public safety, logistics, transportation, retail, finance, unified communication, and IT platforms, serving across governments, businesses as well as individuals. With its Centre of Excellence for analytics platform solutions, big data, biometrics, mobile and retail, NEC in India offers innovative new services and solutions for India and global markets. 
 

For further information, please visit in.nec.com

Launch Event of 112 ERV and 104 Chhattisgarh
 

These new 112 emergency response vehicles will act in similar lines to that of a PCR van. But to manage the tasks more efficiently these new vans have been equipped with modern systems such as GIS and GPS. With these additions, assistance will be provided promptly and effectively at the time of emergency situations such as crime, mob acts or accidents. The aim of this new service, is to address the distress calls by the citizens in a more coordinated manner. Shri Sunil Kumar Bansal, IPS, Director General of Police flagged off 106 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) at an event organized at OSAP 6tn Battalion ground, Cuttack.

Speaking on the occasion, Sri Sabyasachi Biswal, State Head, Ziqitza Healthcare Limited, the managing company operating agency for 112 ERVs in the state said, "Earlier Odisha Govt. has launched an all-encompassing-encompassing emergency helpline number '112' to bring police, fire brigade, ambulance and other services under the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS). The launch of these new 61 ERVs out of 106 ERVs, are in line with state govt's effort in strengthening the 112 service. This initiative will be a key enabler to ensure timely response in case of any emergency and a boom to the 4.3 crore population of the state."

ZHL is experienced in managing 104 Health Helpline services with existing projects in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and have experienced and trained staff that addresses the callers. Ziqitza has the experience of handling over 20,000 calls in a day and ensuring trained team to manage different type of queries. The caller’s problems are generally related to common ailments cough, cold, fever, diet, skin problems, nutrition and hygiene related are addressed as a part of the helpline’s medical advice given by qualified doctors. Trained psychologists are also part of this service and offers telephonic support and counselling to people suffering from stress, depression, anxiety, post trauma recovery, HIV, AIDS, STI and adolescent age-related problems. A 30-seater Call Center to be setup in Raipur, from where the entire state of Chhattisgarh will be served. Algorithm based application technology along with Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS) and Grievance Redressal system with advance technology will be used in the system.

The 104-helpline number offers all round medical assistance to people in four major areas. These are Medical Advice, Medical Information, Counselling and Complaint Registration. Under the medical information section, queries by people about hospitals, other institutions, diagnostic services etc. are resolved.
 

Speaking about the development, Mr. Chandan Datta, Business Head, Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd. said, “With the help of 112 ERV in Odisha & 104 helpline in Chhattisgarh, we are committed to helping people in distress. We deeply appreciate of the support and cooperation we have received from the State Government agencies & NHM - Both Odisha & Chhattisgarh that given us the opportunity to serve the people of the states. The 112 initiatives will be a key enabler to ensure timely response in case of any emergency. Also 104 helpline aims to provide people one stop solution for any advice or information relating to their health and we would like to urge people to avail this service to get solutions for their health-related queries.”

About Ziqitza Healthcare Limited

Ziqitza Health Care Limited (ZHL), has been one of the leading players in India’s Emergency Medical Services industry since 2005. Ziqitza is a “one-stop integrated healthcare solution” for corporate or government that include Integrated Emergency Services and Corporate Health Solutions. The service network includes 3,600 ambulances across 16 states with state-of-art Helpline centres ZHL services 2 beneficiaries every second in India. Ziqitza Health Care Limited is a professional company supported by reputed investors like Acumen Fund, HDFC, IDFC and India Value Fund on board. We work with multiple state governments and 75 corporate clients in India and Gulf. Ziqitza is winner of Global Real impact Awards and Times Social Impact Award.

Harpic Mission Paani launched India’s first-ever ‘Sanitation for All Pledge and Preamble: Clean Water, Sustainable Sanitation’ with Honourable Minister of Jal Shakti - Mr. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and five prominent women leaders - Kausar Munir (Lyricist), Savita Punia (Indian Hockey Player), Smriti Mandhana (Indian Cricketer), Bhavina Patel (Indian par athlete and table tennis player) and Lovlina Borgohain (Indian Boxer, Olympian) at the Mission Paani Sanitation Forum on World Toilet Day.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Dy. Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh unveil India's first-ever Sanitation for All Pledge and Preamble on World Toilet Day at Rashtriya Swachhta Kendra, New Delhi

The event also witnessed the unveiling of a first-of-its-kind Coffee Table Book ‘101 Stories of Inspiration’ endorsed by Honourable Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu. The book is a showcase of hope and inspiration stories of sanitation workers in India. The book compiled by the Integrated Health and Wellbeing Council is a tribute to these workers who have risked their lives to create a cleaner and more hygienic environment by taking care of our cleanliness and sanitation needs. The stories are of individuals who have transformed their lives from manual scavenging to a more dignified livelihood.

"I congratulate News18 and Mission Paani for connecting the entire country with this important mission. Access to clean water and toilets are not just necessities but also a basic right of citizens. It is extremely important that after 75 years of Independence, we work together to give safe water and toilets to every home in the country. India will only be healthy if it has clean drinking water and clean air to breathe. The government has launched several missions to achieve these goals but larger public participation and collaborations are must to achieve success. The government has adopted the mission of Mahatma Gandhi and all public representatives should collectively campaign for clean cities and clean India," Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla said.

Speaking on the occasion, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti said, "The Prime Minister of India had set a target of making the country open defecation-free and we are proud that we achieved the target 11 years ahead of the target set by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This is just a step that we have reached towards our mission of a clean and healthy India. A lot of work is being done in rural areas in liquid and solid waste management. Every citizen should pledge to work towards sanitation and access to safe water so that we can walk together towards making a new India."

Aligned to Swachh Bharat Mission and UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Harpic Mission Paani is committed to work towards raising awareness and mobilizing action that ensures ‘Leaving No One Behind’. India’s first-ever preamble for inclusive sanitation is a step towards collectively promoting an inclusive ecosystem that reinforces our need to come together to create a cleaner and healthier world.

Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, South Asia, Reckitt commented, “Reckitt’s fight, is to make access to the highest quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment a right, and not a privilege. Today, on World Toilet Day, we are reinforcing our commitment to create an ecosystem to enable access to water supply and sanitation provision which are essential to eradicate poverty. We are bringing the country together to take a pledge to uphold India’s first-ever Preamble for safe water and sanitation. Safe water and safer toilets mean a healthier nation; this must emerge as one of the most critical human rights components in the country’s development narrative.”

The Sanitation Pledge written by renowned lyricist Kausar Munir aims to bring together people from all walks of life to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all. The pledge is endorsed by Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission.

Akshay Kumar, Actor and Campaign Ambassador for Mission Paani added, “In the last few years, India has made rapid progress in improving sanitation and ending open defecation across the country. But still a significant population does not have access to toilets and clean drinking water. I am glad that through the Mission Paani initiative, Reckitt and Network18 Group are trying to push for a behavioural change by making us take the sanitation pledge. A lack of sanitation not only impacts health but also holds back economic growth. It is imminent for all of us to support this initiative and take the message to a larger number of people, especially in rural India.”

Avinash Kaul, Chief Executive Officer, Network18 and Managing Director, A + E Networks, TV18 said, “With the sanitation for all pledge, we aim to bring together people from all walks of life, including policy makers and celebrities, to join the campaign for improving sanitation and access to clean water and toilets across the country. Being the largest news network in India, it’s also our responsibility to drive action led conversations around this very critical subject that impacts the health of millions.”

The World Toilet Day event witnessed participation from prominent public figures from India and across the globe. The conversations were stirred towards advocating access to sustainable sanitation and safe water as one of the most critical human rights. The forum also called for the Indian citizens to collectively undertake efforts to promote inclusion systems, keeping in mind the concerns of under-resourced genders, castes, classes, and abilities. Live reports from Harpic World Toilet Colleges in Rishikesh and Patiala, special interviews and journeys of achievers, were also featured during the event.

Harpic Mission Paani aims to reach out to over 20 million Indians to drive behaviour change on toilet use and maintenance across India through on-ground partners and Network18 by 2022. The program will focus on WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) to help enable safe and clean toilets for all and ‘leaving no one behind’ and the success of the program will be measured through Swachh Sarvekshan rankings. From six World Toilet Colleges in 2021, Harpic plans to have 15 colleges spread across India. These World Toilet Colleges will benefit over 2 lakh sanitation workers and their extended families.

The pledge was taken at the Rashtriya Swachhta Kendra, a centre that has been built as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, to drive focus on access to clean drinking water and toilets for all, cleanliness, safe sanitation cycle (build, use, maintain, treat and reuse), to maintain the integrity of groundwater and surface water, safer toilets for healthier lives, and a clean, green life.

Continuous Contour Trenches

These projects involve construction of recharging and storage structures, renovation of existing defunct and underutilized water bodies, soil conservation measures, introduction of efficient irrigation practices and institutions building for long-term sustainability. 

Impact

The work has significantly impacted the availability of water at surface and sub-surface level, which has led to increased irrigated area and improved crop productivity resulting in better economic conditions of the communities in the intervention areas. So far The Group has built and renovated around 627 water conservation/harvesting structures, which have created a cumulative storage capacity of more than 44 Lakh Cubic Meter leading to about 1,27,000 cubic meter of soil conservation. The focused interventions have increased the water table in the region by 5-10 mtrs. The availability of water has led to more than 1300 hectare of area being brought under irrigation, which has increased the crop intensity by 1.5 times, benefitting more than 60,000 rural and tribal people.

Solar Powered Lift Irrigation System

Case Study - Creation of Water Economic Zones through Integrated Watershed Development in Kurabad block of Udaipur.

Anicut

Two Anicuts were constructed to harvest runaway rain water in Village Gudli and village Khajuriya of Gudli Gram Panchayat in district Udaipur on the main drain of micro 16/03 in 2019. The surface water body created by the structure enabled the nearby farmers to grow Rabi crops in additional 4.30 ha at Gudli and in 5.4 ha at Khajuriya. The farmers directly lifted water through pipelines for irrigation and also use water from wells, which are recharged due to the structure.

The water level in wells also increased by nearly 1.5 meters on average owing to the percolation of harvested rainwater, which was utilized for irrigation, drinking and livestock. This has resulted in the farmers earning cumulative additional income of more than Rs. 2,50,000.

Community based Lift irrigation scheme-Alsigarh

The judicious use of the stored water for irrigation through Solar lifting & Micro irrigation System at Alsigarh Watershed is an example of how the 150 local farmers not only reduced the carbon footprint, but also minimized the expenditure of around Rs. 2.60 lakh on irrigation in a one season for 38.50 ha of land. These Farmers are expected to produce around 1040 Quintal of wheat this season worth Rs. 18.50 lakh. Additionally, the farmers of the region have cultivated Moong, a summer crop for the first time, which has been possible through the solar based lift irrigation scheme.

According to a NITI Ayog report, nearly half of India’s population face an extreme water crisis as the country has a severe water imbalance with 18 percent of the world’s population having only 4 percent of the global water resources. Further, a nation that depends heavily on agriculture, consumes over 85 percent of the available water. The farmers of our country have only 40 per cent of water available for assured irrigation and the rest depend either on rains or on groundwater for their needs.

The DS Group has been working on customized programs based on the understanding of water availability and the consumption pattern of the local communities of the region. The efforts are directed to improve water security in the areas identified as water critical by encouraging proactive participation of local communities for using & reviving traditional methods of water conservation. The Group believes in building sustainable communities that are economically, environmentally and socially healthy and resilient in partnership with like-minded grassroots level organizations.

About DS Group

The DS Group is a Multi-Business Corporation and one of the Leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) conglomerate with a strong Indian and international presence. Founded in the year 1929, it is an inspiring and successful business story that blends a remarkable history and legacy with visionary growth and innovation. DS Group is present in Mouth Freshener, Food and Beverage, Confectionery, Agri, Luxury Retail and Tobacco business and also has other Investments. Catch salt and spices, Catch Beverages, Pulse, FRU, Maze, Ksheer, Pass Pass, Rajnigandha, Rajnigandha Pearls, Pulse, BABA, Tulsi, The Manu Maharani and Namah are some of the leading brands, the Group proudly shelters today.

Guided by a clear set of values and built on a strong foundation of philanthropy, corporate social responsibility is an integral part of the Group’s business objectives to enhance livelihoods and build sustainable communities. Future-focused, the Group has been steadily expanding its ‘green’ initiatives, including Energy and Water Conservation, to reflect its response to what the world needs and its own role as a committed corporate citizen.

Ms. Chintan Mehta

The proposal, which involves AI-based solutions for mapping of artificial groundwater recharge structures, revitalizing existing ponds and creating a database of all water bodies in the country by geo-tagging them, was submitted to Hon. Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

Meanwhile, GSEF will be hosting a webinar on September 15, in collaboration with the National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, on “The Melting Peaks”, which will focus on the use of AI and innovation for better understanding and predicting of Glacial Lake Floods.

During the seminar, to be held next month, GSEF experts will speak about how they can offer AI-based solutions to overcome the challenges faced in the water sector. The keynote speaker will be Shri G. Asok Kumar, Additional Secretary & Mission Director, National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti along with the profound team of GSEF.

In its presentation to the Ministry, GSEF has said that water shortages may be a reality soon and could even lead to conflicts.

It has pointed out that there is increased demand for water due to the rise in population and change in lifestyles, which have become more water-intensive, at a time when the supplies are shrinking.

"Our population has quadrupled while water extraction has increased six-fold. Twelve per cent of India's population is already living the 'Day Zero' scenario, thanks to excessive groundwater pumping, an inefficient and wasteful water management system and years of deficient rains," says Ms. Chintan Mehta, Founder and Chairperson, Green Sheen Environment Foundation, and President of the Chicago-based Scad Consultants.

Ms. Mehta said that GSEF's Technology Lab, in collaboration with AI-based organizations like SCAD-AI, research-based organizations and academic programs, would help to analyze data and introduce new approaches for stronger conservation efforts.

"We drive Smarter Conservation decisions using data, technology and local insights," she said. "The mission of our foundation is to leverage emerging technologies for smarter conservation decisions."

Other founder members of the Foundation include Mr. Niraj Swami, a US-based technologist and innovator, and Mr. Hemant Shah, an Industrialist & Safety Professional in Vadodara, Gujarat. Ms. R Patel, a management professional, is the Global CIO of the Foundation.

GSEF has proposed that rainwater harvesting structures (RHS) could be set up along India's national highways, which stretch over thousands of kilometers across the length and breadth of the country.

Taken together, India's national highways, state highways, major district roads and other roads add up to about 33,00,000 km. Of these, the national highways are about 67,000 km.

"This huge connectivity of solid surface gives us an opportunity to utilize every single drop of rain for reuse. Apart from harvesting rainwater, which would help increase agricultural production, the project would also help reduce the maintenance costs of the roads themselves," Mehta said.

According to GSEF, by connecting the roadside channels, about 400,000 liters of water can be collected from one km of a four-lane highway in an hour where there is average rainfall. It involves diverting, filtering, storing and artificial recharge.

It says the rainwater could be diverted to storage points at every 10 km along the highways. After filtering the water in a filtering tank, it can be stored in deep wells.

Artificial recharge would help augment the underground water tables by artificial infiltration of rainwater and the surface run-off, it said.

Among various benefits of such a project, there would be green belts along the highways, higher groundwater tables, lower temperatures along the highways due to heavy plantation, and commercial use of the plantation in future years.

"Structured rainwater harvesting will help to overcome water scarcity, reduce road maintenance costs, increase soil moisture content and fertility of roadside soil, add green cover and increase the scenic beauty of highways, and ensure growth of flora and fauna, including birds and animals, affected by pollution," Ms. Mehta said.

Solar - The future

Mr. Rajendra Gandhi, MD, Stovekraft Ltd., inaugurated this project. At the inauguration, he said, “We believe in sustainability as a key driver of growth. Futuristic businesses across the globe have started a movement towards renewable energy. Our solar rooftop project is one such initiative. Eventually, we envisage, we will be able to commission renewable energy assets to generate 80% of our annual requirement.”

Stovekraft estimates that this project will reduce their carbon footprint by 5000 MT and will reduce the company’s dependency on non-renewable energy. Since this will be a captive unit, the cost of power will reduce significantly. It will also help the company to capitalize the roof of the factory which was unutilized till now. The company is expecting power generation of 50 lakh units in a year.

Stovekraft has partnered with Integrum Energy, new age project management & EPC start up, for building its renewal assets. Stovekraft has installed one-of-its-kind high efficiency Mono PERC Module with 535Wp/540Wp from JA Solar and Inverters from Solis.

Worldwide, companies are switching to environment-friendly power generation and production methods. It is no longer an option – it is the need of the hour. If the recent floods in India, Nigeria, UK and Germany and the fires in the US and Australia have proven anything, it is the fact that no one is immune to climate changes, and the time to do something about it is now.

The Indian Government is actively encouraging the use of solar power. By tweaking energy policies and ensuring participation, the Government is helping industries, offices and homes adapt to the changing energy ethos. Moreover, the accelerated depreciation for solar installations allows the industrial users to depreciate their investments in a renewal power plant at a higher rate compared to their fixed assets to reduce tax liability.

A solar power system reduces the amount of heat reaching the roof by an incredible 30%, keeping a building’s roof five degrees cooler than portions of a roof exposed to sunlight directly.

Stovekraft has been one of the early adopters of environment friendly energy. In all its offices, energy conservation is promoted. By switching to LED lights, the organisation has cut down on electricity usage and bills.

The advantages of solar energy are many. From a company’s perspective, it makes commercial sense, as it protects against power cost increases. Along with reducing carbon emissions, solar power increases property value. With solar power, the company has the option to consume free power, transfer the excess to the grid, and net off against excess requirement during other time slots as per Government policies. And with solar panels, the roof remains cleaner and cooler, thereby driving down power usage even more. 

Chief Minister N Rangasamy launching online building permission system
 

The Online Building Permission System developed by NIC Puducherry Chapter was integrated with e-DCR (DIGIT DCR) of e-Gov Foundation, for issue of online building plan approval and now launched by the Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam Planning Authorities in the U.T. of Puducherry. 

Shri. N. Rangaswamy, the Puducherry Chief Minister, launched the eDCR. Effective collaboration between all the teams and visionary leadership from the Govt. of Puducherry led to a speedy rollout, in less than 9 months.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri. N. Rangaswamy said, “We are delighted to announce the launch of the first step in our strategy of driving e-governance across Planning Authorities in the Union Territory, Govt. of Puducherry."

"With the backdrop of the robust government efforts to deal with administrative roadblocks and to revive Indian real estate, the objective of DIGIT-eDCR is to minimize errors, improve value, amenity levels, build trust in public governance, while increasing citizen convenience.”

“It is vital to drive transparency, accountability and timely service for the public; and this is being carried out via India's largest open source platform DIGIT - Online Building Permission System. The Auto Scrutiny of Building plans will empower the Planning Authorities in the Union Territory of Puducherry, to facilitate easy online submission of applications, as well as verification and approval of building plans.This association will develop a much-needed state-citizen engagement and create a citizen-centric urban governance,” said Viraj Tyagi, CEO, eGov Foundation, while speaking at the function.

Through this initiative, the citizens of Puducherry are enabled to access the services of the Planning Authorities with a high level of ease and convenience. 

This effort will simplify the approval process for citizens who wish to process building approvals, and most importantly, will also remove middlemen from the system. It will enhance and augment the financial and technical capacity, in addition to the operating systems of all the Planning Authorities in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

About eGov Foundation

eGov Foundation was established in 2003 by Nandan Nilekani and Srikanth Nadhamuni to partner with city administrators in order to leverage the transformative power of technology for better quality of life in cities and to make them sustainable. 

The foundation is supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nilekani Philanthropies, Omidyar Network India, and Tata Trusts.

To ensure that every citizen in every city of India can access the services they need from their local governments with ease and transparency, eGov has built the DIGIT platform, a public digital good that can be used by governments, businesses, civil society, academia etc. to co-create locally-relevant solutions. Over the last 18 years, eGov has partnered with more than 1500+ towns and cities across India and more than 12 crore citizens have benefited from its platform.

Mangaluru Smart City
 

Among the major applications of ICCC are Intelligent Transport Management System, Solid Waste Management System, Unified Messaging System, Public Information System, and Disaster Management & Emergency Response. Comprising different layers and components, ICCC collects, integrates, and processes real time data from multiple types of sensors. Nearing completion is the development of One Touch Mangaluru, a web and mobile-enabled master platform for accessing all the services and operations management. 

Mangaluru becomes the first city in Karnataka to implement a QR code based solid waste management system, wherein each house is assigned a QR code. The collection staff can scan the code after collecting waste - they can also enter additional information - say, a house is closed, using a handheld device. The entire process can be tracked, monitored and managed with the help of data, map and reports that are displayed at the ICCC. Out of 60 wards in the city, 10 wards are already covered by the smart system of collecting solid waste - and the collection staff are trained. The final testing is in progress in three wards. The residents too can register complaints through One Touch Mangaluru mobile app from their smartphones.

Mangaluru also gets smart poles that have emerged as the core components of smart city infrastructure. A new feature on the urban landscape, these poles come with in-built surveillance systems, cameras, and leverage sensors and communication technologies to create an intelligent environment. The smart poles are connected to ICCC and help authorities in monitoring various services - including traffic, delivered in the city. Since the status of poles can be identified remotely, there is no need for physical examination of poles. 

The video surveillance system on these poles can help police maintain law and order, as the posts can help in detecting traffic violations, criminal activities, and in responding to emergency situations. With internet of things (IoT) connectivity and smart pole technology, emergency services and first responders have a powerful smart detection tool that can help them close the emergency response gap. Smart poles can help identify high pollution areas and help the administration take localized measures to tackle emission issues. 

Mangaluru is one of the leaders in ICCC implementation in Karnataka. The ICCC has come handy during the COVID pandemic as it is used as an emergency response centre for the Mangaluru City Corporation.

Madras Security Printer Private Limited (MSP), a 42-year old company specializing in e-governance solutions, IT & ICT based solution, smart card based solutions, identity management, biometric solutions, data center & high security printing, is the Local System Integrator of the ICCC in this port city. MSP is also the Master System Integrator (MSI) for the Centralized Data Center, being set up at Karnataka Municipal Data Society, Bengaluru, for connecting five smart cities in the State, and host data from the cities centrally.

Mayor Aijaz Dhebar 

Today, Raipur's face seems to have transformed due to the development and beautification work done in the last one year. Speaking about this, Mayor Dhebar said, “It is our wish to see Raipur counted among the developed capitals of other states. Along with this, the local city residents should not have any problems when it comes to civic amenities. We are dedicated in this direction and better results lie ahead.”

The Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh has completed two years. Aijaz Dhebar, who took oath as the Mayor of the capital Raipur, will complete his one-year term on January 10. Aijaz Dhebar, the young and energetic Mayor of Raipur, had told reporters on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony, “We will live up to the trust with which 12 Lakh people have chosen us, and will make the capital beautiful and clean in a year.” With the determination to better the lives of Raipur residents and ensure equal access to civic amenities, Mayor Dhebar made arrangements for the meals for hundreds of poor and laborers during the Corona period, whilst staying committed to making the dream of developed Raipur a reality. Often working 12-14 hours in a day, the youth leader took stock of development works, along with issuing necessary guidelines so work can be completed on time.

The beautification of the historic water body and Raipur's pride Swami Vivekanand Sarovar (Budha Talab) is testimony to the work of the Mayor. What was once a dirty pond, has been turned around in a spot where around five thousand people reach every day for a walk. Along with this, he completed the construction and beautification of the city's major landmarks: City Kotwali, Ghadi Chowk, Govind Chowk, Jaistambh Chowk, Global Chowk, Jawahar Market, Multilevel Parking, Oxyzone, and more in the last one year. Regularly visiting wards, markets and colonies, learning about the problems of the people there, and inspecting the development works is part of his routine.

Other development works include a green corridor, cycle track as well as the first international running track, reading space for youth, Wi-Fi, playgrounds, automatic smart parking in 17 places, 24-hour water supply, and laying new pipelines for water.

Mayor Aijaz Dhebar said, “I am always dedicated to serving the people of Raipur. I regularly hear complaints. I have appealed to the people of all 70 wards to lodge complaints on the Mayor Swachhata Helpline Number so that immediate complaints and grievances can be addressed."

He said, “The historic Budha Talab (Vivekananda Sarovar) located in the heart of the city has been cleaned and beautified. After this, the work of grooming other ponds in the city is also being done. Other ponds of the city will also look beautiful like Budha Talab. The ponds present in the city are the heritage of the capital. Preservation of ponds is necessary for the development of Raipur."

Dr. Parag Agarwal, Founder & CEO of JanaJal with  Water on Wheels (WOW)

The five technologies - three for drinking water and two for sanitation - were selected after a rigorous technical scrutiny from a total of 87 proposals received by the Ministry. These technological solutions would assist the implementing agencies in various States and Union Territories to deliver drinking water services to all rural communities by 2024. JanaJal WOW is the only technology among the five selected that deals with the last-mile delivery of safe water to people.

Said Dr. Parag Agarwal, Founder & CEO of JanaJal, India’s leading technology enabled safe-water services provider: “We are delighted and honoured that JanaJal WOW (Water on Wheels) has been recognized and recommended by the Ministry of Jal Shakti as an innovative field-level solution for delivery of safe water to the masses as part of the Jal Jeevan Mission. This unique technology driven innovation promises to not only deliver good health and wellness in India but also create jobs and provide social entrepreneurship opportunities to people.”

He added, “JanaJal WOW is a completely tech-managed, GPS-monitored, battery-operated, secure three-wheeler with zero carbon emissions. It mitigates the need for increased accessibility and reach by creating a ‘hub and spoke’ delivery model deep inside communities. We look forward to playing a crucial role in the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ mission of the Indian Government that aims to make safe drinking water available to every household. The widespread adoption of JanaJal WOW would also support the Government’s push to popularize the use of electric vehicles in India and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”

The design patent of JanaJal Wow has been approved and a CNG variant is presently under development. The compact vehicle has a water tank capacity of 500 litres. It can deliver up to 2,000 litres of safe water to people’s homes daily by making upto four trips per day. JanaJal WOW uses an innovative anti-counterfeiting technology based solution to prevent unauthorized refilling of water, thus ensuring delivery of safe drinking water according to BIS and WHO standards. The company has developed its own unified technology platform supported by proprietary IOT controllers and sensors that helps manage every decentralised water treatment plant through remote monitoring in real-time.

Added Dr. Parag Agarwal, “JanaJal WOW functions like a mobile water ATM that can easily penetrate deeper into communities for home-delivery of safe drinking water. Securing the daily dose of potable water for drinking and cooking by every household can be a challenge in large parts of India. The source of water is often found at significant distances away from habitations, especially in rural areas. JanaJal WOW, an environment friendly, battery operated vehicle, was developed with the objective of delivering water to peoples’ doorstep and increase the rate of adoption of safe water as an integral part of daily life of citizens.”

He added: “We are working in conjunction with existing Safe Water Enterprises to help utilise their existing spare capacity through deployment of JanaJal WOW within a radius of 5 kms around each of their water treatment plants. This technology based intervention promises to impact the lives of millions in the country by providing increased availability and access to safe water. It also reduces dependence on unsecured water sources and expensive packaged drinking water. After all, untreated water remains one of the biggest causes of COVID-19 as per a circular issued by the United Nations.”

JanaJal currently has more than 750 water ATMs and safe water points under its management in association with implementation partners such as Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation, Konkan Railways, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Indian Railways, Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

JanaJal Water ATMs and safe water points - spread across 7 States in India - have till now dispensed nearly 100 million litres of safe drinking water to people, eliminated 23 million single-use plastic bottles and helped conserve over 50 million litres of water.

The first phase of SWMS will cover 88,000 houses - so far 5,000 houses have been installed with the QR codes. The commissioning of QR codes for the rest of the houses is expected to be completed by the end of November. 

The smart garbage collection system will help the City Corporation track the movement of the garbage vehicles, monitor the status of the garbage collection, provide provisions for the public to record complaints about garbage collection. The door-to-door primary garbage vehicles will scan the QR codes displayed at the gates of the houses, while collecting the garbage. The vehicles will then transfer the garbage to the secondary garbage vehicles and from there the garbage will be sent to the dumping yard. 

The QR code installed at houses can also be extended for other public services such as payment of electricity bills, property tax, and phone bills, among others. 

Mangaluru Smart City will be one of the first smart cities in Karnataka to go live. Many major IoT and technology-enabled solutions like monitoring city bus transport with Intelligent Transport Management System, disaster management & emergency response, air quality of the city using environmental sensors, city surveillance, variable message system; public address system, geographical information system, and One Touch Mangaluru portal are already deployed and are functioning 24x7. The Integrated Command and Control Centers (ICCC) of Mangaluru Smart City, a major component of the smart city project, is already being used as a war room for the administrators to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

JSL Lifestyle, an absolute subsidiary of Jindal Stainless Ltd. (JSL) redefining the usage of stainless steel, participated in an exhibition organised by Indian Railways to highlight its contribution in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in New Delhi. The event was organised to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and further showcased JSLL’s noted association with Indian Railways. The event highlighted brand’s contribution towards the larger agenda of Swachh Bharat Mission by exhibiting modular and beach toilets in the presence of Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Commerce, Government of India and other corporate & social leaders.

Ms. Pushpa Chaudhary, Business Head, JSL Lifestyle

JSLL contributed significantly to the development of Indian Railways and provided stainless steel toilets to attain the objective of making India a cleaner nation. Extending its support to the department, the brand has created a separate facility to provide various products that further transform the image of Indian Railways into a premium transportation medium for the masses. Being one of the pioneers in the stainless steel products, the company is playing a key role in transforming urban development in the country which includes sanitation solutions in coastal areas. As a part of its contribution, JSLL installed portable stainless steel toilets (single & multi-units) in India. These stainless steel toilets boast state-of-the-art internationally acclaimed technology including various eco-friendly features like automatic cleaning of seat, limited water for flushing, energy-efficient, and biodigester for waste management.

Stainless Steel Modular Toilet by JSLL

Talking about the brand’s contribution, Mr. Mandeep Singh, CEO and Executive Director, JSL Lifestyle, says, “JSLL has been allied with Indian Railways and Government of India, taking up an initiative of installing stainless steel toilets across various routes of railways. Supporting PM's vision and venture of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and encouraging the overall growth of the society, JSLL intends to bring a change in the country.”

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Pushpa Chowdhary, Business Head, JSL Lifestyle says, “In line with our vision to improve lives with innovative stainless steel solutions, we have been making a mark in the industry and society with our differentiated range of products. Our association with the government has been valuable since the inception of our brand and transformed into stronger ties through various projects. Through this platform, we will be able to showcase our unique products and solutions to transform the ecosystem of Indian Railways. We are positive that our efforts combined with the government will enable us to make India a cleaner country, setting new benchmarks at the international level.”

About JSL Lifestyle

Established in 1970 by steel visionary Mr. OP Jindal, Jindal Group has panned across 50+ countries marking a global footprint and positioned as top 5 business conglomerates in India. The group is backed by a workforce of diverse professionals, churning business of over $19.2 billion annually. Jindal Stainless is an eminent part of the massive Jindal Group, contributing a staggering INR 2200 Crs annually through its varied businesses. It is one of the world’s largest integrated manufacturer of stainless steel. JSL Lifestyle (JSLL) is an absolute subsidiary of Jindal Stainless Ltd, founded 15 years ago, dedicated towards finished products of stainless steel. JSLL is committed towards creating an ‘aspirational stainless culture’ in India in both B2C and B2B domains. It strives to bring richer life experiences by infusing modern functionalities and designs into stainless steel. With its state-of-the-art massive manufacturing capabilities in Chennai, Rohad and Pathredi, the company delivers scale, quality and finish of global repute.

JSL Lifestyle (JSLL) is India’s largest integrated stainless solution provider proffering a range of products and services through its diversified verticals, JSLL Value Engineering (in OEM services), JSLL Mobility (public sector manufacturing projects specially Indian Railways), JSLL Infra (urban development projects), JSLL Plumbing (stainless plumbing solutions), Arc (masstige stainless kitchens and tableware brand), and Arttd’inox (a premium designer home fashion lifestyle brand extending kitchens and home-ware solutions).

Brands4Purpose, in partnership with Volunteer4India, One Impression and Hubhopper, has initiated an impact project to aggregate diverse & powerful conversations on ‘Issues of the Urban Woman’. The initiative called #LooTalks, is a cause curated platform aimed at addressing the issues and concerns of the Urban Women.

#LooTalks - Issues of the Urban Woman

The project name #LooTalks came from a behavioural insight (predominantly female) - Women consider themselves safe and free in the loo to speak out and discuss any situation that makes them uncomfortable in public places - restaurant, pub, office, malls, during travel and so on. And she opens up to speak about things with other women present in the loo, or the friend or colleague who accompanies her to the loo'. The word Loo in #LooTalks is a metaphor for safe space for women.

LooTalks - Doodle

The project is bringing to the forefront the following key areas of conversations-

1. #LooTalksOnHealth: Physical and mental both, self-care and many more.

2. #LooTalksOnRelationships: Inter- personal, romantic, family, relatives, marriage, external family and many more.

3. #LooTalksOnCareer: Equality at workplace, glass ceiling, mansplaining and many more.

4. #LooTalksOnSafety: Safe spaces, solo travel, daily commuting, eve teasing, molestation, harassment-physical and mental, and many more.

The vision of this project is to convert every space into a safe space for women through this platform by making sure that the issues currently discussed only in the loos are brought out in the open and discussed freely. This will widen the reach of those discussions and will ensure that the conversations reach out to the men as well. The insecurities, irritations with the norms, rage about the way they're treated (or mistreated) by society or patriarchy or misogyny are all discussed here openly and fearlessly. The measure of success will be when the platform becomes self-sustained and the conversations are fuelled by the responses of fellow women-making every space a 'safe space' for discussions by women.

Volunteer4India has partnered with One Impression (world’s largest influencer marketing network) and Hubhopper (India's largest Podcast platform) and is putting together an ecosystem of experts, activists, NGOs, women support groups, Social organisations, government bodies, etc., working in each of the 4 areas of conversations to ensure the right intervention at every stage of the conversation and aid and support every outcome. The project will create an ecosystem of pop-up events; get-togethers; expert therapy sessions; guided group discussions, to get the conversations accessible by all.

The stories have started pouring in already and the project’s Instagram channel is active with some of these stories www.instagram.com/lootalks. Hubhopper has launched a podcast series on #LooTalks hubhopper.com/podcast/the-lootalks-podcast/9825. The first episode is live. We have also tied up with SHEROES and have started a CHAMPIONS Page on their platform: sheroes.com/champions/lootalks/NzE2NDYxMw, where these stories are getting published. The first pop-up first event was held last week, through a group discussion on the topic of discussion is 'How Mental Health Effects Career', attended by eminent women personalities.

“It is a powerful project to highlight conversations that need to get highlighted and to support positive and realistic action,” said Ranjoy Dey, Co-founder & CEO of Brands4Purpose & Volunteer4India. “The importance of bringing together all stakeholders to converse and inspire on this has never been greater. We can all do better. We must do better… and based on our robust conversations, we will. We all need to understand the issues Women face and take responsibility of our actions. Our initiatives & voices can create an equal & just society.”

“LooTalks is an impactful project aimed at ensuring women have access to a safe environment. As the largest network on influencers, we at One Impression have taken it as our responsibility to empower women and allow them a platform to discuss their issues about health, relationships, career & safety,” said Shreya Goel, who leads One Impact, the social-focused arm of One Impression. “Our goal at One Impact is to work on impact focused campaigns, with the objective of giving back to the society – we collaborate with organisations to promote causes through influencers.”

“It gives us immense pride to be associated with #LooTalks, discussing the issues of ‘The Urban Woman’. It is a monumental step in the right direction to bring to light the voices of women and the issues they face. It is only when such conversations are made mainstream, that we will all be a part of an equitable society. Hubhopper is proud to provide a platform to these conversations and voices in the form of audio.” - Gautam Raj Anand, CEO, Hubhopper.

About Volunteer4India

Volunteer4India is a Social Enterprise, building outreach, affinity and advocacy for Brands around social good - using an ecosystem of volunteers, social organisations and communication partners. It focuses exclusively on strategic cause marketing and corporate social responsibility. It supports organisations along their ‘purpose’ journey, helping them identify, amplify, and evolve purpose to become more powerful and central to their business and brand strategy.

About One Impression

One Impression is a global influencer marketing network, working with 120+ brands such as Bata, Bytedance, Meitu, Marico, Junglee Games, to name a few using their network of 8M+ influencers across social platforms which include inter-alia Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, ShareChat. One Impression works similar to an ad-network, as opposed to the typical agency approach followed by most companies operating in this lucrative space and currently manages client campaigns globally across US, NZ, AUS, India & SEA.

About Hubhopper

Hubhopper is the leading podcast and audio-on demand platform in India.It houses some of the best free audio content from podcasts, audiobooks and online radio, from India and around the world. It also has some of the best indie creator content under its banner of Hubhopper Originals. With its simple design, easily navigable interface and robust recommendation engine, Hubhopper is the go-to destination for all things audio.

NCRTC - India’s First Rapid Rail Project

The NCRTC team recently held a presentation under the chairmanship of UP Chief Secretary in Lucknow. The experts from UP Metro Rail Corporation and other officials were also present an occasion. The works related to the first corridor Delhi-Meerut corridor has already begun. For this, road widening from Duhai to Sahibabad in Ghaziabad is currently underway. Also, the tender process for various works is on a fast track. Meanwhile, the Central Government has taken cognizance of all such projects which can be started in the next few months. Under this, the preparation of Rapid Rail is also to be done this year.

In the NCR, traffic jam is a major problem, which affects the area economically as well as financially. About 46 million people live in 58 thousand square kilometres of NCR. 39 % of the NCR population lives in Delhi. The Rapid Rail will save time, environment and money of the commuters.

Rapid Rail network will be linked to all major airports, ISBT and Metro stations. Kashmiri Gate, Sarai Kale Kha, Anand Vihar, Airport, IFFCO Chowk, Mohan Nagar will be bigger interchange points. In the first phase of Rapid Rail, three corridors will be constructed, the very first at Meerut-Ghaziabad-Delhi Corridor. The next corridor will cover Delhi, Gurgaon, Rewari and Alwar. The third corridor will be covering Delhi, Sonipat and Panipat.

In the second phase, it has been decided to build five corridors. The first corridor will cover Delhi, Faridabad and Palwal. The second corridor will touch Ghaziabad and Khurja. In third, Delhi-Ballabhgarh-Rohtak. In fourth Ghaziabad-Hapur and in the last corridor Delhi, Shahdara and Barot will be covered.

National Capital Region Transport Corporation is a Joint Venture of Government of India and State Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi, is mandated to design, construct, operate & maintain rail based Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) in the National Capital Region. NCRTC is headed by Vinay Kumar Singh. Prior to this appointment, he was working with Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a railway PSU involved in the study of high speed rail corridors.

Singh was the first officer who started construction of Delhi Metro on ground, the first chief executive officer of the High Speed Rail Corporation of India and is now the first Managing Director of NCRTC. He has been Director on the Board of various SPVs and has been involved in planning and development of public-private partnership PPP projects.

Carzonrent, India’s largest corporate car rental network, today announced the integration of its car rental technology platform with SAP Concur, the leading provider of spend management solutions and services. Now available in the SAP Concur App Center, Carzonrent will provide SAP Concur clients seamless expense management for corporate car rental reservation. This solution will now be available to all SAP Concur clients travelling into India from across the globe.
 

COR - Business Travel

   
Carzonrent serves more than 600 corporate clients across 39 cities and 9 airports in India offering more than 10 million trips annually. They aim to pass on this experience to all SAP Concur clients to improve their expense management with respect to car rental. Corporate travellers and Travel facilitators need only link their SAP Concur profile with their Carzonrent app, to easily view, report and analyze all travel expenses in one place.

“Carzonrent is the first Indian corporate car rental service to associate with SAP Concur and we bring our considerable experience on board. Together we will facilitate expense management for all SAP Concur clients with our innovative technology platform that simplifies the whole travel expense process.” said Mr. Rajiv K Vij, Managing Director and CEO at Carzonrent, Pvt. Ltd. “This will provide a smart car rental solution to SAP Concur clients along with access to our large fleet of chauffeur driven cars.”

Launched in 2013, the SAP Concur App Center makes it easy for travellers to find and connect to apps that integrate with SAP Concur and provide additional value for individuals and businesses to SAP Concur clients.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Neeraj Dotel, MD India & SAARC, SAP Concur said, "We are always on the lookout to offer a holistic user experience. Now travelling for business will be much simpler with Carzonrent providing immediate access and availability to the company’s fleet of cars. We will be able to ensure more improved visibility into ground transportation spend and provide automated provisioning of business travel for Indian enterprises.”

For more information, please visit https://book.carzonrent.com/Concur/ConnectConcur.

About Carzonrent
Carzonrent (India) Pvt. Ltd. is the leader in shaping the personal ground transportation industry in India. Carzonrent with its fleet size of more than 8000 cars - from Maruti Dzire to Toyota, Camry, Mercedes & more offers a complete bouquet of travelling solutions to its customers. The services offered by Carzonrent are Corporate Chauffeur Drive, Self-Drive (Myles), Intra-city, and Outstation and Limousine service. The company was launched in the year 2000 with a short-term objective of offering a safe and reliable medium of travel to customers and a long-term vision of giving structure to the unorganized car rental sector. The company today has its presence in 65 locations, 9 Airports, Major Railway Stations and prominent hotels and malls. The company services 1000 plus corporate customers and is planning to expand its fleet size to 30,000 cars in the coming three years. The company services more than 25,000 travellers every day in different parts of the country having moved more than 10 million travellers last year. The company boasts of 30,000,000 satisfied customers till date with 20,000 trips and 1,00,000 kilometres daily.

About SAP Concur
For more than two decades, SAP Concur has taken companies of all sizes and stages beyond automation to a completely connected spend management solution encompassing travel, expense, invoice, compliance, and risk. SAP Concur’s global expertise and industry-leading innovation keep its customers a step ahead with time-saving tools, leading-edge technology, and connected data, in a dynamic ecosystem of diverse partners and applications. User-friendly and business-ready, SAP Concur unlocks powerful insights that help businesses reduce complexity and see spending clearly, so they can manage it proactively.

Learn more at concur.com or the SAP Concur blog.

Eastman Auto and Power Limited (EAPL), a leading company in energy storage and solar solutions, has embarked on a nationwide campaign to sensitize common populace about the benefits of e-rickshaw batteries. Conceptualized with the objective of creating awareness about the usage and maintenance of e-rickshaw batteries, the campaign was initiated in West Bengal in the first phase. In the second phase, the company is targeting to sensitize thousands of people across Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The intention of this campaign is to educate and empower the e-rickshaw sellers, battery sellers, spare part sellers and E Rickshaw owners so that they benefit in their day-to-day business.

EAPL conducted awareness meet on E-Ricksha

The campaign is titled as ‘Mobility Sales and Service Partner (MSSP) program’. It makes attendees aware of the technical know-how in handling an e-rickshaw battery, maintaining battery health and taking preventive actions to prolong battery life and performance. Under this campaign EAPL is providing the requisite training to trade partners and entrusting them to be the after-sales service point for E-Rickshaw batteries, as this is the most important need of this segment.

Eastman's E-Rickshaw Battery Service Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8i1lECTgvY

The company plans to take this campaign in its second phase to key cities that already have a growing e-rickshaw population. This campaign will be launched in Lucknow, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Dehradun, Udaipur, Indore, Patna, Bhagalpur, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Delhi, Gurgaon and Panipat in the second phase.

Urbanization is at its peak in India. The introduction of Metro in the last decade has made commuting easier for longer distances. E-Rickshaws dovetail beautifully as the last mile public conveyance with zero pollution in this entire equation.

“E-vehicles are the future of India’s transport roadmap. This one-of a-kind initiative will not only apprise relevant stakeholders about the benefits of using the e-rickshaw battery but also create awareness on the need to switch to cleaner mode of transport in the quest for a greener planet,” said Saurabh Srivastava – President, Marketing and Product Strategy - Eastman Auto & Power Limited.

The campaign is in line with the Indian government’s target to achieve 6-7 million EVs on Indian roads by 2020 and 100% electric mobility by 2030.

So far, cities such as Berhampur, Bardhaaman, Barasat, Howrah, Midnapur, Siliguri, Cooch Behar, Katwa and Nadia have witnessed the revolutionary wave of the campaign by EAPL. The campaign has received a heartening response and has touched the lives of over 400 people and sensitized them.

“This campaign is playing a significant role in educating us about the usage of tubular e-rickshaw batteries. It can be regarded as a step forward in the direction of ushering an electric vehicle revolution in India,” said Shamal Kumar Saha, a trade partner.

EAPL has also created a bespoke video that in a user-friendly manner demonstrates steps to be taken for the maintenance of e-rickshaw batteries.

About Eastman Auto and Power Limited

Eastman Auto & Power Limited is acknowledged globally for its innovative approach, quality and excellent services. Established in 2002, EAPL is the leading manufacturer, supplier and exporter of all kinds of energy storage and solar solutions with manufacturing and research units in India. The range of products offered by Eastman is known for its quality, durability and performance. The company provides batteries for vehicles, Inverters & UPS systems applications as well as E-rickshaw and solar solutions. EAPL also provides the most comprehensive portfolio of customized packages, solutions and services along the solar PV product line for SOHO, Rooftop, Residential and CSR applications. The company support and maintenance services across the world help to ensure efficient solar and energy storage installations.

Shriram Swachagrah Project

Pursuant to the above, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for implementation of Kota School Sanitation Project (Shriram Swachagrah, Swachh Vidhyalay Yojana, Kota) was signed on 23^rd May, 2018 by Mr. Gaurav Goyal, IAS, District Collector, Kota, Mr. Ramu Meena, District Education Officer (Primary), Ms. Anjilika Palat, District Education Officer (Secondary) and Mr. Vinoo Mehta, President & Business Head – Fertiliser and Cement, DCM Shriram Ltd.

The Project has also received approval from the State Project Director, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, Jaipur, Ms. Anandi, IAS in the month of April, 2018.

The objectives of the Project include achievement of functional toilets, regular use of school toilets, hand-wash before & after meals and using toilets. The objectives also include adoption of sanitation practices by village community in the nearby areas of Govt. Schools & discontinuing open defecation. 

The scope of the Project includes improvement of sanitation infrastructure by construction of new toilets & renovation of existing ones in all the Govt. Schools of Kota District along with operation & maintenance of the infrastructure developed as part of the Project. The Foundation shall make additional efforts towards achievement of behavior change of all stakeholders (students, parents, village community) in nearby areas where these schools are located and ensuring appropriate monitoring, evaluation/ impact assessment.

The signing of this MoU kick-starts one of the most ambitious CSR projects undertaken by any Organization towards Swachh Bharat Mission of the Govt. of India, particularly for improving sanitation infrastructure in the Govt. Schools. Also, the scope and extent of the above project is largest in comparison of the other CSR projects undertaken towards improvement of school sanitation in the entire State of Rajasthan. 

The District Collector, Mr. Gaurav Goyal emphasised the need of bringing in innovative ideas and measures for improvement of sanitation infrastructure & behavioural changes in the entire community.

Mr. Vinoo Mehta, DCM Shriram Foundation informed, “Shriram Swachagrah” Project is unique and un-precedented as for the first time any organization is taking care not only of the sanitation infrastructure in Govt. Schools but also their operation and maintenance coupled with efforts towards bringing in behaviour changes among the entire village community. 

As Gandhi ji initiated the public through a satyagrah we are doing it through a swachagrah for cleanliness, health and hygiene. Shriram Swachagrah will be a project for our “Swachh Vidyalaya Yojana”.

DCM Shriram Foundation has been actively involved in supporting social causes and has undertaken number of programs in the fields of education, healthcare and sanitation for the benefit of the community.

Jaguar Land Rover India today announced that estimated price reduction post GST, in case it comes into effect from 1^st July 2017 onwards, will be up to 12% and will vary from state to state on a model-wise basis. Consequently, such price reduction linked benefits will be passed onto the customers with immediate effect on select stock of vehicles.

Rohit Suri, President and Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India, said, “Implementation of GST is a historical moment for India which will not only benefit consumers but is also expected to make the whole tax regime simpler and more transparent. In support of this initiative from the Government of India and in line with Jaguar Land Rover’s Customer First philosophy of also being transparent and dependable, we are pleased to proactively pass on benefits linked to the expected price reduction to our customers with immediate effect.” 

Jaguar Land Rover currently produces five name-plates in India – three Jaguar name-plates, XE, XF and XJ and two Land Rover name-plates, Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque. On select stock, Jaguar Land Rover has decided to pass-on the benefits to its customers in advance of the 1^st July 2017 roll-out date of GST. Such benefits, which will vary from state to state and will be in the range of Rs. 2 Lakh to Rs. 5.7 Lakh on Jaguar XE and will go up to Rs. 4 to Rs. 10.9 Lakh on Jaguar XJ. On Land Rover models i.e. Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, the benefits will vary from Rs. 3.3 Lakh to Rs. 7.5 Lakh.

More information on Jaguar and Land Rover product range in India can be found at www.jaguar.in  and www.landrover.in. 

Acer gained the top spotin the commercial desktop category with a Q-on-Q growth of 67.0% and accelerated the performance of the company. Along with sizeable wins from the Government projects, K12 and the education segment, BFSI, ITeS and large private corporates. Acer's commercial side of the business observed significant traction that helped it maintain its stronghold in the commercial desktop category.

Sudhir Goel, Head Of Commercial Business, Acer India said, “We are delighted to be positioned as a Leader in commercial Desktop space. Over the last couple of quarters, Acer has recorded a massive growth in the commercial desktop market in India. Our strong footholds in various sectors like BFSI, Government, Education and corporates has helped us achieve the top position”

Acer is also the fastest growing consumer notebook brand in India. Our success in consumer and commercial business segments highlights Acer’s continued commitment to lead in innovation globally and providing customized solutions to our customers to meet any PC needs. Acer’s passion for innovation and customer-centricity has taken the company to unprecedented levels and the company is well poised to change growth orbits and venture into new horizons.

OPPLE - 'Gold Eagle Club'

The club has been recently formed by Opple India. This is an immense effort to reward their top most channel partners from the country.

The Gold Eagle Club offers exclusive benefits for their selective distributors. They are as follows:

• It’s the highest level and respected club for Opple partners

• These members will be a part of the core strategy team of Opple India

• This will serve as an additional marketing support

• Products will reach them as a part of the ‘Priority delivery’

• Exclusively sharing new products in Pipeline

• New product training to channel partner’s sales team every quarter

• Quarterly meeting

• An yearly meeting with the global PM and senior management team

• Group working by Opple team in their areas

• Special festive greetings

This entire effort will serve as an additional marketing support to the corporate team. The associates can escalate consumer requirements along with new innovations and trends in the industry. This will further improve brand’s marketing flow in the target market.

Talking about the effort, Opple India Head, Mr. Rambo Zhang, said, “As we’ve seen our sales increasing at a decent pace, we thought of creating a niche platform for our channel partners with the highest return. So we created the ‘Gold Eagle Club’ that would cater to these top dealers. We also aim to make them a part of our core team by making them participate in our advertising strategies. This will give both us and them a strong hold in the industry and will encourage them to earn better profits which in turn will help us as well.”

The initial entry fees for the first time entrant will be Rs. 30,000/-.

About OPPLE

Opple Lighting is an Innovative, fast growing, Integrated Lighting Solutions Company. With sales & service operations in more than 50 countries around the world, Opple is known for its strong commitment to R&D and Innovation. Opple Lighting was founded in 1996 as home lighting company specializing in the manufacture of CFL and ceiling lights. Since then the company's portfolio has diversified to include electrical appliances, commercial lighting and LED lighting and is the largest home lighting company in the Chinese market. The company is headquartered in Shanghai, China and the global operations are driven by a team of committed 7000 employees, inclusive of 400 engineers in R&D.

The grant provided by The Foundation, aimed at benefitting 500,000 villagers over a period 5 years, will facilitate a planned, holistic development program. Some of the intended milestones of the program include running a skill development program to empower tribal youth, establishing a training center at Dharampuri village, and creating awareness and training of village youths for prosperity through conservation and enrichment of natural resources. Technical training, establishment of village libraries and investments in energy solutions are some of the other impactful initiatives that are part of the program.

Speaking about the initiative, Mrs. Sudha Murty, Chairperson, Infosys Foundation said, “It is in the heart of the villages that India lives. Development of our villages by creating sustainable livelihood opportunities is quintessential to accelerate the economic growth of India. The Foundation in collaboration with Shivganga Samagra Gramvikas Parishad hopes to play a catalytic role in the development of these villages, enable and raise the aspirations of those living in the villages of Jhabua - Alirajpur districts and provide them with the means to achieve dignified lives.” 

Jakson is one of India’s leading solar companies with an integrated solar portfolio that includes IPP plants, EPC, solar products and manufacturing. Jakson currently owns and operates three solar power plants in India that sell power to state utilities under long term power purchase agreements. It has a portfolio of more than 800 MW in Solar EPC that includes both land-based and rooftop solar projects in India and Africa. The company has a strong solar products portfolio and is also into manufacturing of solar modulesand module mounting structures.

“We look forward to our participation at Intersolar Europe for the second year. We believe it is an ideal platform for us to showcase Jakson’s innovate EPC expertise in the solar segment to a global audience” said Sundeep Gupta, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, Jakson Group.

“I am eagerly awaiting the results of the Intersolar Awards, where Jakson is one of the finalists in the “outstanding projects category”. We won the award last year and are confident of winning the award once again this year” said Ashish Sethi, Director – Solar Business, Jakson Group.

About Jakson Group

Jakson Group is a leading energy and engineering solutions company offering a range of products and services that help our customers effectively meet their diverse needs in a safe and sustainable manner. The company is driven by its core values of building enduring relationships and its vision to be a trendsetter in energy and EPC solutions. Jakson core businesses include Powergen & Distribution, Solar, EPC and Defence. It also has investments in Hospitality and Education sector. The group has an extensive presence in India with 2000 employees, 4 manufacturing facilities, 1 Global Training Centre, 22 Sales Offices, 2 Service centers and a wide network of channel partners and dealers. 

For more information, please visit www.jakson.com.

Globally, the healthcare sector uses mercury extensively in a number of medical equipment, including thermometers, sphygmomanometers, esophageal dilators and gastrointestinal tubes. Dentistry is also one of the major users of mercury.

Dental amalgam, used to fill cavity caused by tooth decay, contains about 50% of mercuryand other toxic metals such as silver, tin, copper, zinc, etc. Contact amalgam, generated during the process of amalgam restorations and residual non-contact amalgam, (the excess mix leftover) finds their way into air and water after their disposal, resulting in environmental pollution and health hazards. Children and pregnant women in particular are susceptible to mercury toxicity. It can pass through skin, blood and placental barrier and cause devastating effects on the functioning and growth of a developing fetus. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), globally, about 260 to 340 tonnes of mercury is annually released into the environment from the use of dental amalgam.

Emphasizing the need to create awareness about the harmful effects of mercury on health, Satish Sinha, Associate Director, Toxics Link said, “There is an urgent need to rollout a robust public awareness campaign to educate consumers and healthcare workers, including addressing disposal of mercury waste. Toxics Link urges the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to institute a blanket ban on the use of mercury in the health sector and to facilitate the movement towards safer alternatives.”

Many clinics and hospitals in Delhi practice mercury-free dentistry. However, dentists generally do not explain to their patients the impact of mercury filling on their health. This is despite the availability of safer alternatives like GIC and composites.

Besides dental fillings, people are also exposed to waste mercury through contaminated food - fish in particular - water and air. Dietary intake of methyl mercury through fish and other seafood products is the predominant non-occupational exposure source for the public.

Toxics Link has been working relentlessly to drive awareness about mercury toxicity and towards the goal of phasing out mercury and curbing mercury pollution. To this end, the organization works with various strategic partners, including European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG), International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, Asian School of Public Health, Dhaka and other Indian NGOs.

About Toxics Link (www.toxicslink.org)

Toxics Link is an environmental research and advocacy organization set up in 1996 by The Just Environment Charitable Trust. It lays a special emphasis on reaching out to numerous grassroots groups; community based organizations and the public at large through its empirical study-based information on Environmental issues. Toxics Link works closely with all other stakeholders who are working on similar issues and has played a seminal role in facilitating the development of several common platforms for them at the national, regional as well as international levels.

Health Camp in Mahudi organised by Adarsh Charitable Foundation

With a vision to create a model village, Mahudi, known for the famous Ghantakarna Mahavir temple, Adarsh Charitable Foundation started with a free health and eye check-up camp held at Smt. S. S. Rathod School. This health camp was supported by the Blind People’s Association and Bareja Hospital, Ahmedabad.

The health camp included distribution of medicines and spectacles. The villagers who needed surgery for cataract were taken to Bareja Hospital in Ahmedabad for free cataract operation. A total of 56 people underwent cataract as well as other eye-related surgeries.

Shri Mukesh Modi, Founder and Mentor, Adarsh Credit Co-operative Society Ltd., Shri Rahul Modi, MD, Adarsh Credit Co-operative Society Ltd., Mr. Biju Mathew, VP & CSR Head, Adarsh Charitable Foundation and Ms. Nandini Rawal, Director, Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad were present on this occasion.

Speaking on Adarsh Charitable Foundation initiatives, Mr. Rahul Modi, MD, Adarsh Credit Co-operative Society Ltd. said, “Adarsh Charitable Foundation has adopted Mahudi village and we are working towards providing all necessary facilities in the Mahudi village for its overall development. Adarsh Charitable Foundation will soon open library in the school and will also provide internet connectivity in the village. Adarsh Charitable Foundation is working closely with the villagers of Mahudi and will put all the efforts to make Mahudi, a model village of Gujarat.”

Mr. Biju Mathew, VP & CSR Head, Adarsh Charitable Foundation said, “Adarsh Charitable Foundation is a young and professional organisation that aims to work with some of the most under-privileged and vulnerable communities across India. In the coming years, we will provide health, education and livelihood opportunities to the poor both through our direct interventions and by partnering other organisations.”

Adarsh Charitable Foundation started a new chapter in its journey, when it opened its office in Ahmedabad, which now serves as its head office. Having begun work since 2015, Adarsh Charitable Foundation has been giving back to the society through various blood donation camps, blanket distribution, rainwater harvesting and many such measures in Sirohi, Rajasthan, the birthplace of Adarsh Credit Co-operative Society Ltd. This year, with an aim to expand to rest of the country, Adarsh Charitable Foundation has set up its headquarters in Ahmedabad with focus on working on the provision of health, livelihood and education opportunities to the underprivileged in the country.

About Adarsh Charitable Foundation (ACF)

Adarsh Charitable Foundation (ACF), backed by Adarsh Credit Cooperative Society Ltd, was established in 2015 as a Public Charitable Trust, to undertake social development activities across India. Our vision is to create a world where the underprivileged sections of the society have an opportunity to contribute towards an equitable society.

Our mission is to enable and facilitate the underprivileged sections of the society to break the cycle of poverty through access to quality education, health and livelihood opportunities. ACF aims to work towards empowering children and women with special emphasis on persons with disabilities across the country.

Mr. Jayaraj and Mr. Rafael Treguer with the new model of Duster

Mr. Rafael Treguer officially launched the Duster CVT Petrol with a cake cutting ceremony & the traditional auspicious lamp lighting along with Mr. Jatin Lakra, Mr. Ankur Khandelwal, Mr. Anshuman Choudhary (Renault Officials) & Mr. Nishant Morey (Marketing Manager - Gen Next Motors Ltd.), who emphasized on the fast growing Indian SUV Market.

• Duster now has the widest range which includes a Diesel Manual, Diesel AMT, Diesel AWD and the All New Petrol Manual and Petrol CVT.

• New Duster CVT  Powered by a new 1.5L H4K Petrol Powertrain, offers the Best Combination of Power, Convenience and Fuel Efficiency.

• New Duster CVT is equipped with the Efficient X-Tronic CVT Automatic Gearbox and New Styling, Safety and Comfort Features with Hill Start Assist and Creep Function.

• Easy selection of drive modes in CVT – P - ( Park )  R - ( Reverse )  N - ( Neutral )  D - ( Drive ) and a 6 speed manual mode option.

The new Duster is the best option that the SUV market was keenly awaiting for as this segment has huge potential.

The car has been priced for Rs 10,81,434 /- Ex-Showroom (Panvel – Non LBT).

Gen Next Motors Ltd. has dealerships at Vashi, Jogeshwari, Thane, Kalyan, Shil Phata and Panvel.

About Renault

Renault India Pvt. Ltd. is a fully owned subsidiary of Renault S.A.S. France. Renault India cars are manufactured in the manufacturing facility located in Oragadam, Chennai, with a capacity of 480,000 units per annum. Currently, Renault India also has a widespread presence of more than 270 sales and 230 service facilities across the country with benchmark sales and service quality.

Renault India’s product line up and services have seen strong recognition among customers and industry experts alike, winning more than 60 titles, including 31 accolades for Duster as well as awards for Pulse and Scala, making Renault India one of the most awarded automotive brands in a single year in India. The Renault KWID has already bagged 32 awards, which include 10 ‘Car of the Year’ Awards. 

Bangalore Light Lounge

Inaugurating the store, Mr. Harshavardhan Chitale, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Philips Lighting India said, “With its tech-savvy and young urban population, Bengaluru has fast evolved as one of the key markets for our Philips Hue range of connected home lighting systems. We have therefore chosen Bengaluru as the first city to launch our new Hue Premium Zone concept which emulates actual home settings with a Living room, a bedroom and a dining room enabling customers to experience different light recipes to suit different parts of the day.”

Spread across an area of 1,000 square feet, this latest LightLounge showcases an impressive display of over 600 world-class home decorative lighting products and concepts designed keeping in mind the lighting needs of Indian consumers, home décor trends in the country and the emerging concept of connected ambient lighting. The store extensively features Philips Hue - the world’s smartest web-enabled LED home lighting system with the new Hue Premium Zone concept. By emulating actual home settings of a Living room, bedroom and a dining room, customers can experience first-hand the light settings and recipes to suit different parts of the day.

Through their live demonstration zones, Philips LightLounges enable customers to get a first-hand experience and choose products that match their individual design tastes and requirements. The company differentiates its offerings through innovation in design, energy efficiency and its global lighting application expertise.

With the launch of the latest Philips LightLounge in Bengaluru, the company now has more than 180 LightLounges in India, in addition to LightSTUDIO’s in the country. This new Philips LightLounge is located at Sachin Light House, #9, 2^nd Cross, Kempegowda Road, Bangalore – 560009. 

The air pollution levels in India are worsening year over year. According to Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data, PM (2.5) contributed to 4.2 million deaths globally, 52% of which occurred in China and India. In 2015, ground level ozone caused, 106680 deaths in India.

In some metros like Delhi and Kolkata it has been reported that children may face permanent lungs damage due to rising air pollution levels. In the wake of this, an Australian firm AUZAIR is providing the fresh air stored in the bottles. The bottle comes in two sizes, one small bottle of 7.5 Liters and the bigger one of 15 Liters. The price of the bottle is expected to be in the range of INR 1300 to INR 3000 according to the sources from the company.

The air has been filled using medically approved processes and the quality of the air has passed the rigorous lab tests proving the air to be pure and free from pollution. The company claims that the air has been filled in the bottles from Blue Mountains in Australia where the Air Quality Index is below 25 which is considered very clean according to the world standards. In India, the Air Quality Index is as bad as 350 which is considered as hazardous and where everyone living in that area is prone to more serious health effects.

 

In the times where the clean potable water has become the basic necessity of life, the air which we breathe every moment also needs to be clean and fresh for the better and healthy lifestyle.

Many doctors in India have focused on the benefits of the intake of clean and fresh air and state the direct correlation of the better performance at work, studies and sports and intake of quality of fresh air. The similar kind of product has received a huge success in China where the air pollution levels are also declining.

The company is trying to create an opportunity where everyone can lead a healthy lifestyle and make the most out of life. The company is also planning to launch its range of health related products after the AUZAIR in India by the end of this year. 

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 60% of deaths in India each year. According to a WHO report, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, respiratory diseases, and diabetes constitute 82% of all NCD deaths globally. The burden of NCDs in India, particularly, has grown exponentially in the recent past. Expanding the health workforce is crucialfor achieving India’s public health goals and ensuring sustainable, comprehensive health across all sections of the country. In view of the inevitability of scaling up capacity building and training of the health workforce on NCDs, Project HOPE in association with Takeda Pharmaceutical organized a National Consultation on “Optimizing the Skills of Health Workforce to Tackle NCDs in India” recently in New Delhi at the India Habitat Centre.

Dr. Jitendra Kumar, Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Prime Minister Office

The Consultation drew experts from thegovernment, corporate, senior endocrinologists and diabetologists, civil society, academia, international donor agencies and more. It was aimed at providing a platform for presenting and discussing the most recent innovations, promising practices, trends, challenges and the solutions adopted to improve the skills of health workers working in the field of NCDs.

Addressing the Consultation, Dr. Laxmikant Palo, The Regional Director for Project HOPE South-East Asia, said, “The quality of NCDs related health outcomes is inextricably dependent on the availability of skilled, motivated and well supported health workforce; and adequate health infrastructure. The public and private sectors need to invest more for continuous improvement of the skills of health workforce to effectively respond to the growing burden of NCDs in India.”

Dr. Ambrish Mithal, Chairman- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Medanta, in the opening remarks called out for the need for a thrust in public-private partnership to address NCDs. Highlighting the rise in the burden of diabetes among the youth in the country, Dr. Mithal drew the attention to the need for skill enhancement of the health workforce and increased use of technology for prevention and management of disease, and for people to bring about behavioral changes in lifestyle.

“Youth energy is powering India’s development and growth story, to sustain which, we need a healthy youth,” said The Chief Guest at the Consultation, Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space in his address at the Consultation. He pointed towards the sudden upsurge in NCDs in the past few decades that have brought diseases like Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Heart Disease and Cancer into the mainstream, resulting in a massive socio-economic burden on our society which comprises of 65% of population below the age of 45. Further, he recommended the setting up of ‘Air Clinics’ in helicopters so as to widen the reach of healthcare services in the country such that even the inaccessible areas are not deprived of timely medical care.“There is great mismatch between the health delivery system in the rural and urban area. This needs to be addressed by a meaningful public-private partnership, to ensure effective, affordable and uniform healthcare which is a Constitutional right of the people of this country. Diabetes is no longer merely a health issue, but a national issue,” he added.

A few healthcare workers from the ground, trained through Project HOPE’s capacity building programmes for combating NCDs, were invited to share their experiences and understanding of the issues on the ground. Reflecting on the same, Ms.Renu Kumari, an ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) from Jharkhand said, “It is a misconception that diabetes is a rich people’s disease. There should be greater and continued reach of testing camps for the unreached, in the remotest parts of the country.”

The Consultation put forth some key recommendations that include

• a dedicated medical curriculum on NCDs at the Undergraduate level

• the introduction ofa government certified diabetes education course

• standardized training module that is uniform and used across the country

• effective use of technology for reach and e-learning for building capacity of frontline workers

• putting the public first in the public-private partnerships

• AYUSH collaboration for NCD training to expand reach

• integrating NCDs into the national healthcare plan

• multimodal skill development of the health workforce, including hands-on training

• frontline workers to be provided with information about referral pathways

• social media to be recognized as a key player in creating awareness, especially to address juvenile diabetes

Summarizing the consultation, Dr. D. Bachani, Director Professor in Community Medicine & Deputy Commissioner (NCD), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, said, “In the ever-transitioning health scenario, concerting efforts towards developing skills of the existing health workers will strengthen their capacity to provide effective healthcare to the people they serve. This is an era where multitasking is a cost-effective way of optimally utilizing available human resources for healthcare. This is possible only through in-service training of existing health workers and developing need-based curricula for producing human resources for the future.”

Call to Action

• Assure the projection of health workforce considerations based on the disease burden

• Improve quality and capacity of health workforce through skill and need based training

• Enhance intake capacity of the public and private medical and paramedical training institutes to address shortage of health workers

• Develop a comprehensive national HRH policy that addresses a list of health issues including NCDs

• Institutionalize performance and reward system for health workforce

About Project HOPE

Project HOPE is a global health development and disaster relief organization headquartered in Millwood, Virginia, USA. Our mission is to enable health workers to have the greatest positive impact on the health of the people they serve. For more than 50 years, Project HOPE has been transforming global health on the ground. In India, Project HOPE works closely with government and key stakeholders to achieve India’s public health goals and contribute to improve specific public health challenges related to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, cancer; women and child health; nutrition; infectious diseases and health system strengthening.

• MOUs with intent to invest INR. 5700 crores Jharkhand

• MOU for establishing Energy, Tourism, Road and Urban Infrastructure

• Expected to generate more than 1000 employment opportunities

• In addition, EIL will also invest towards CSR, training and development for youth and run ITI/Polytechnic institutes in the state

• MoU to be signed as part of Momentum Jharkhand Investors Summit

Essel Infraprojects Limited (EIL) an enterprise of Dr. Subhash Chandra led Essel Group, committed an investment of INR. 5,700 crore for development and enhancement of infrastructure in the state of Jharkhand. The announcement was made at the Momentum Jharkhand Investors Summit in Ranchi.

The Memorandum of Understanding for investment would be inked between Government of Jharkhand and Essel Infra Projects Ltd.

Essel with its futuristic objective to build smarter communities and world class infrastructure is targeting projects like roads & energy with an investment of INR. 4,000 crore & INR. 1100 crore respectively. The remaining INR. 600 crore will be pledged towards investments in Urban Infrastructure, Energy including Hydro Power and Tourism.  The projects are expected to generate employment to over 1000 locals in the state.

Mr. Punit Goenka of Essel Group said “Jharkhand has a huge potential to attract investments with its progressive policies and human resources in abundance. To realize these developmental goals, state will need an enabling infrastructure landscape for which our expertise will count in. We are eagerly looking forward to work closely with the Government of Jharkhand which is leaving no stone unturned in moving towards the country’s vision. With our expertise in handling complex infrastructure projects, this MoU provides a unique opportunity to enhance existing infrastructure and provide new transition to the development of Infrastructure in the State”.

According to the provisions of the MoU, EIL will also make investment towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) where the company will arrange training, run ITI/ Polytechnic institutes for developing skill-sets amongst the youth for changing economy.

The Government of Jharkhand would facilitate Essel Infraprojects Limited to obtain necessary permissions/ registrations/ approvals/ clearances etc. from the concerned departments of the State, as per the existing policies/rules and regulations of the State Government.

Essel Infraprojects Limited has prepared a vision document for the Smart City Governance Framework and Revenue Model for Integrated, Inclusive and Sustainable Smart Cities in India. Being thought leaders in this domain, the objective of the Group is to nurture and realize the Smart City dream while playing a vital role in implementing the convergence of smart physical infrastructure along with integrated utilities.

EIL has completed around 2100 kms of roads and are currently constructing another 2500 kms of roads, i.e. total 4600 kms of roads in various states of India such as Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

EIL presently manages power distribution franchise in Muzaffarpur (Bihar) and Nagpur (Maharashtra). The company also manages the Water distribution networks in Aurangabad (Maharashtra), Bhagalpur (Bihar) and Tonk (Rajasthan).

The company recently successfully commissioned its state-of-the-art waste to energy plant based on municipal solid waste inJabalpur (MP) and Ranchi (Jharkhand). It further intends to foray into various other verticals such as city gas distribution & cable & broadband in major cities of India.

About Essel Group

Essel Infraprojects Ltd (EIL) is the infrastructure arm of the Essel group, a 90 year old diversified conglomerate led by Dr. Subhash Chandra. EIL is one of the fastest growing companies having diversified interests in infrastructure projects with 3 SBUs & 6 business verticals comprising of an order book value of USD 5.06 billion and a national footprint of more than 17 states and across 100+ cities.

The Essel group ventured in infrastructure space in 2007 with an entry into the surface transport segment and today has presence in 3 strategic business units that includes Core Infra (Roads, Airport , Railways & Urban Development), Green Energy & Power Transmission (Solar, Hydro, Wind Energy and Power Transmission) and Smart Utilities (Utility Distribution and Environment). With its varied portfolio of projects and expertise across the infrastructure domain, EIL is India’s first and only Integrated Smart City Developer. The company aims to fulfil the smart city dream of India by creating integrated, inclusive & sustainable cities of tomorrow with green at its core focusing on transforming the quality of life of citizens.

EIL has been widely recognized and awarded by various prestigious industry bodies like Smart City Council of India, World CSR Congress, Golden Peacock Awards, Michael Porter prize, Economic Times Best Infrastructure Brand award, IMS Certification and IAMAI etc. for its innovative solutions, use of new technologies and excellence in projects. 

SPML Infra Limited in Joint Venture with Tata Projects Limited have received three major new orders for design and construction of Sewerage System with provision of treated wastewater reuse from Rajasthan Urban Drinking Water Sewerage & Infrastructure Corporation Limited (RUDSICO) for 11 cities in Rajasthan for a total value of INR 1275 Crores. These projects are envisaged as decentralized sewage treatment projects similar to the ones being proposed under Namami Gange program. The treated wastewater reuse can provide alternative source of water, reduce pollution to ground water sources thus improving health and economic productivity.

The first order of INR 480 Crore is for the development of sewer system in Bharatpur, Gangapur, Hinduan and Churu cities. The second order of INR 417 Crore is for the same in Udaipur, Nagaur, Sujangarh and Baran. The third order of INR 378 Crore is for the development of sewer system in Chittorgarh, Beawar and Bundi cities. The scope of work in all three packages is for the design, construction and commissioning of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and Sewage Pumping Stations (SPS) along with sewer networks that will be completed in 24 months’ time with 10 years of operation & maintenance. 34 number of sewage treatment plants with total capacity of 74.4 MLD will be constructed with latest technology for high-level treatment efficiency.

Mr. Rishabh Sethi, Executive Director, SPML Infra, commented, “It is significant that Govt. of Rajasthan has initiated the projects for wastewater treatment and reuse that will help in reducing the pollution in these cities. SPML is indeed proud to be part of this improvement plan to create wastewater treatment and reuse infrastructure which are vital to make fresh water available for drinking purposes. These orders reaffirm our expertise in water and wastewater infrastructure space and with the support of our JV partner we are confident of delivering as per the requirements of our client.”

About SPML Infra Ltd.

SPML Infra is a leading infrastructure development company of India. With over three decades of experience, SPML has executed almost 600 turnkey projects and created significant value for our country that have touched the lives of millions of people; be it provision of drinking water, improved sewerage facilities, better municipal waste management, building roads and highways and lighting up homes. An ISO–9001: 2008 certified company, SPML has established its leadership in urban infrastructure development on EPC, PPP and BOOT basis. The Project Management Systems includes conceptualization & implementation with SAP-Enterprise Resource Planning applications and Quality Management Systems to undertake all kinds of projects.

For more information, visit us at www.spml.co.in .

As the country reels under the brunt of heat and water scarcity, Believers Church has decided to set up tube wells and hand pumps to reach out to the worst affected areas and communities. As a part of the drive, they are installing hand pumps to benefit thousands of people in Uttar Pradesh.

“Due to heat and scarcity, villagers are struggling to even procure water for drinking let alone the daily chores. Take the example Dumirya village where members of 35 laborer families were walking many miles every day when water tankers did not arrive. Since they are daily wage laborers, this in turn was affecting their livelihood,”  Father Abhishek Sahai who leads the Lucknow Division said.

The hand pumps are being installed in 98 villages across various districts like Allahabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Sonbadra, Bareilly, Agra, Pilibhit, Kashganj, Kannauj and Sitapur.

Dr K P Yohannan, Metropolitan of Believers Church said, “Our brothers and sisters across the country are facing acute brunt of heat as well as water shortage. There is not much we can do to counter nature’s ways. But we can definitely stand by people and create resources to help people in every way that we can.”

Last month the Mumbai division of the church reached out to the drought victims of Latur by supplying water and food to the 12 most affected villages of the region. 

Earlier this month, the church had also built 20 toilets in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swacch Bharat Abhiyan. This will positively impact the lives of scrap sellers settled in the region.

About Believers Church

Believers Church is a Christian denomination with congregations and parishes worldwide and over 2.6 million followers in 10 countries. The Church at present has eleven Bishops who give spiritual and administrative leadership to the various activities of the Church. The current head of the Believers Church is Metropolitan Bishop, Dr K. P. Yohannan.

The church also undertakes various charitable programs including women empowerment, educational projects, community development programs, rehabilitation projects and relief works. 

Underlined below are some of initiatives undertaken by the Believers Church

• Believers Church has helped over 74,000 children by providing quality education and timely medical checkups under its Bridge for Hope Program.

• Believers Church has set up more than 28,000 toilets and has committed its resources to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help educate people on sanitation under the Swatch Bharat Program.

• Vocational Training and Health awareness programs have been organised for underprivileged communities.

• The church has conducted eight-month long free literacy programs, to teach the marginalised sections of society how to write and read.

• The church has provided water to communities where drinking water is scarce by constructing bore wells and community water tanks.

• The church has given sewing machines, livestock, carpentry tools, rickshaws and agricultural equipments to families to generate regular income.

• Through the Humanitarian Assistance project the Church has assisted in Nepal earthquake and Odisha Cyclone disaster relief operations through reconstruction of houses, providing food supplies, medicines, water, clothes, mosquito nets, plastic sheets for making tents, hygiene supplies and solar lights.

For more information kindly visit the links below

http://www.believerschurch.com/2016/03/diocese-delhi-supplies-15000-litres-water-world-water-day/

http://www.believerschurch.com/2016/03/diocese-gujarat-feeds-1000-hungry-people-international-womens-day/

http://www.believerschurch.com/2016/03/diocese-kathmandu-feeds-hungry-founders-day/

Established in Pune in 1965 by the Late Mr. K. K. Nag and the Late Mrs. Surabhi Nag, the company has a rich history of innovation and of pioneering new products / processes in India and was the first company to develop and introduce Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) and Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) in India. The company has a pan India foot print with operations in Pune, Chennai, Pondicherry and Bangalore and has leading corporates in India as its customers.

In 2015 K. K. Nag Pvt Ltd signed a Technology Transfer Agreement with DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Govt of India for manufacture of Bio-Digester Toilets. In line with this the Bacteria Generation Plant for manufacture of Inoculum, which is the heart of the Bio-Digester Toilet System was officially inaugurated by Dr Lokendra Singh, Director DRDE – Gwalior, Ministry of Defence, Govt of India on 08 April 2016. Dr Lokendra Singh has done pioneering work in the field of anaerobic digestion and is credited with the development and invention of the Bio-Toilet system. The ceremony was attended by numerous dignitaries, Dr. Dev Vrat Kamboj from DRDE Gwalior, Dr. Vijay Veer Retd. Director DRL Tezpur, Ms. Swati Sahai and Col. K. V. Kuber of FICCI and Dr. Hemant Sonawane of Indian Railways.

To ensure the success of the Bio-Toilet system, the company has also set up a full-fledged microbiological laboratory having the latest analytical equipment to ensure that only the best quality of Inoculum is supplied to the market. 

The planned plant capacity is 2.20 Million Litres of Inoculum per year with the first phase being inaugurated which has an installed capacity of 0.72 million litres. Apart from this the company has also developed a range of Bio-Tanks and Toilet Superstructures and is poised to manufacture 100,000 toilets per year.

Speaking at this occasion Dr. Lokendra Singh impressed upon the need to preserve our environment and improve the quality of human life, for which Bio-Toilets will play a major role and help in meeting the target of making India Open Defecation Free (ODF) before 02 October 2019, the target set by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi.

For more information please visit our website www.kknag.com

About OPPO

OPPO is a leading global technology brand dedicated to providing consumers across the Africa, Europe, Oceania, and Asia with pioneering products that never fail to inspire and excite. At OPPO we design, manufacture, and promote our own products, combining innovative technology with unique design, to ensure our customers always receive the best.

Founded in 2004, OPPO quickly proved itself in the market with its intense obsession to details. Each OPPO product encompasses a carefully selected array of attributes to specifically cater for users, combining impressive features with elegant designs. After entering the mobile phone market in 2008, OPPO quickly expanded into overseas markets a year later. OPPO mobile phones are currently available in over 20 markets and offered for online purchase in over 50 additional countries, with the brand already registered in 140 countries as of late 2015.

But OPPO doesn’t stop there. Using our passion for design and commitment to new technologies, OPPO has made a big impact in the audio-visual market by offering world-renowned, premium Blu-ray players in the United States and across Europe.

Copyright © 2016 OPPO. Any information contained in this press release may be subject to change without prior notice. For our products and services, the only provisions for guarantee are stated in the warranties that accompany those products and services. Content in this press release do not constitute additional warranties. OPPO shall not be liable for any technical and editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

For more information, please visit:

Website: http://www.oppomobile.in/

Twitter: @oppomobileindia

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oppomobileindia

The new VWS products are space and cost-efficient and distinguished by a 'Smart Monitoring’ feature that helps users to stay connected with the product. Users can monitor the system from any location, using the Voltas Water Smart Monitoring App, and through web access from PCs or tablets. VWS products provide real-time data of daily operations, and make servicing much easier. A further edge is the use of FILMTEC™ RO elements, that provide 20% higher flow rate and have lower lifetime costs.

Product Details

Water ATM

The Water ATM is a conveniently located coin or smart card-operated dispenser that can serve pure and safe drinking water, at a mere 10-20 paisa per litre. It aims to relieve men and women from spending hours daily in fetching water, often from ground-water sources which are contaminated, spreading water-borne diseases. The Water ATM can be put in place by a local entrepreneur or through a sponsorship model, and the low operating cost makes it self-sustainable.With its distinctive features – 8 stages of filtration including reverse osmosis, and reduction of bacteria and virus by 99.99% – Voltas Water ATM is a safe, durable and secure source of purified drinking water for communities and public places.

GET.SET.RO

The GET.SET.RO. rangeby VWS is one of the safest ways of obtaining purified drinking water, and is ideal for offices, schools/colleges and urban infrastructure. It is characterised by high recovery of water through FILMTEC™RO elements that results in low wastage as compared to home water purifiers, making it a much more efficient and eco-friendly solution. GET.SET.RO is intelligently designed to function in all weather, maintaining its rate of flow even in winter.

Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs)

Every STP is optimally designed to provide an economical solution for reuse of water. These plug-and-play systems are engineered with stringent physical, chemical and biological standards in mind, in order to obtain a water of a quality suitable for reuse for gardening, cleaning and washing. Features include compact design and durability, easy installations, economy and energy efficiency, and absence of odour.

About Voltas Limited

Voltas is India's largest air conditioning company, a premier engineering solutions provider and project specialist. A Tata enterprise founded in 1954, Voltas serves a wide spectrum of industries in areas such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, refrigeration, electro-mechanical solutions, water management & treatment, textile machinery, mining and construction equipment. Voltas is one of the top 10 companies in the Tata Group.

About DowChemical Pacific (Singapore) Pte Ltd

Dow Chemical Pacific (Singapore) Pte Ltd. a member of Dow Group, was established in 1992. Catering to customers in Asia Pacific, particularly South East Asia, Dow combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The company's integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemicals, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in high growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture.

- Top three winners to get over Rs 20 lakh of prize money

ICICI Bank today announced the launch of a virtual mobile app development challenge, India’s largest mobile app development initiative by a bank. Christened ‘ICICI Appathon’, the programme aims to attract developers, technology companies, startups, technopreneurs and students to create the next generation of banking applications on mobile.

Hosted on the IBM Bluemix cloud based platform, 'ICICI Appathon' will offer a diverse set of over 50 APIs (Application Programme Interface) from ICICI Bank and its group companies namely ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance and ICICI Securities. As a first, payment APIs from 'Visa' and the 'Unified Payment Interface' API from NPCI will also be available for the app development challenge. Visa and NPCI are the partners of 'ICICI Appathon.'

Using these APIs, participants will have to create innovative working prototypes of mobile applications that provides a superior customer experience.

Speaking about the initiative, Ms. Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank said, “At ICICI Bank, technology has been at the core of our strategy. In line with this vision, we have introduced the 'ICICI Appathon' that will allow us to foster innovation and tap into the minds of the most innovative developers. With India being among the top three internet users in the world, mobile banking is witnessing an exponential growth. It is also bringing about a shift in consumer preference wherein they want innovative solutions on the go. Through the 'ICICI Appathon', we want to broad base and leverage on the innovative ideas and the exceptional talent in our developers, technopreneurs and technology startups. We believe that programmes like these will encourage young developers to create world class banking applications on mobile and will strengthen the Government's 'Digital India' mission. We hope to get ideas for some exceptional apps at the end of this development challenge.”

Freelance developers, technology enthusiasts working in companies, startups and students from the technology space can participate in the ‘ICICI Appathon’ in the following way:

• Registration: Participants can register on www.iciciappathon.comfrom February 16 to March 01, 2016. The names of the shortlisted candidates will be announced on March 4, 2016. They will be given access to the APIs hosted on the IBM Bluemix platform on March 5, 2016

• Development: Participants will have to create minimum one innovative working prototype using the virtual banking and financial services APIs. These need to be submitted by March 27, 2016

• Evaluation: Finalists will be announced on April 7, 2016. They will be invited to the ICICI Bank headquarters in Mumbai to compete in the Grand Finale in mid of April 2016

Three 'ICICI Appathon' champions will be selected by a jury of eminent leaders from the BFSI segment and startups. All participants will be judged on five criteria that include uniqueness, functionality, business potential, user experience and scalability.

The top three winners will win prizes from a pool of over Rs 20 lakh along with a potential engagement opportunity with ICICI Bank. They will also be given a chance to be mentored by the event partners. Additionally, winners of the 'ICICI Appathon', who apply to the '10,000 Startups' of NASSCOM will get a fast tracked entry into it. Moreover, two members of the winning team shall also have access to the network and coworking community of 91springboard (a co-working community of freelancers, startups and established small to large businesses) across India.

ICICI Bank is the numero uno bank in the Indian mobile banking industry with over Rs 56,000 crore worth of transactions in April to November 2015. It is also the leading private sector bank in volume of transactions in mobile banking. ICICI Bank was the first to launch mobile banking app in India in 2008. iMobile, the app, has been recently revamped with over 140 services, the most in the Indian banking industry. The Bank also introduced India's first digital bank on mobile, 'Pockets'. This comprehensive application allows anyone, even those who are not customers of ICICI Bank to instantly download it, fund it from any bank account and use it. 'Pockets' is also the world's first mobile application to integrate mVISA payment solution that enables QR code based payments in the country. It also has a slew of solutions for peer-to-peer payments including on social profiles like whatsapp, email, phone and by tapping two smartphone using the near Field Communication (NFC) technology. In a short span of time, 'Pockets' has over 3 million downloads; over 70% of them are new-to-the Bank.

For technical queries on the ICICI Appathon, kindly write to developer@iciciappathon.com. Alternatively, you can also contact the support team on: +91-80-495-36-832

For queries related to the event format, please write to event@iciciappathon.com

To know more about ICICI Appathon please visit www.iciciappathon.com

For latest information on the Bank, visit www.icicibank.com and follow www.twitter.com/icicibank

About ICICI Bank Ltd:

ICICI Bank Ltd (NYSE:IBN) had consolidated total assets of US $ 132.17 billion at March 31, 2015. ICICI Bank's subsidiaries include India's leading private sector insurance companies and among its largest securities brokerage firms, mutual funds and private equity firms. ICICI Bank's presence currently spans 17 countries, including India.

For media queries, write to us at: corporate.communications@icicibank.com

Elaborating on EON’s achievement, Mr V P Mahendru, Chairman – Eon Electric Limited, said: “Achieving this tender showcases EON’s commitment towards their ever enhancing standards of LED Lights and encourages EON to continue meeting rising customers’ expectations. Our vision has always been to enhance LED Lighting efficiency per watt and provide cities with energy efficient and long life lighting solutions. We continue to maintain our focus on quality and consistency in our LED Lighting products, ensuring timely delivery. We wish to thank the authorities in consistency placing their faith in EON for delivering nothing but the best.  Winning this project reaffirms our progressive position in the LED Lighting industry and is a tribute to all our employees and other partners associated with EON, who contributed to the success of our previous project in Jodhpur.”

The project is a part of the Rajasthan Government’s initiative to conserve energy through replacement of conventional lights with LED Street Lights. Earlier this year, Eon Electric had secured over Rs.51 crore contract to install LED streetlights in Jodhpur and Aligarh through competitive bids involving other leading players. The Company is in the process of installing over 60,000 LED streetlights in Jodhpur.

About Eon Electric Limited

Established in 1989, the Noida-headquartered company manufactures a wide range of energy-efficient electrical products, transforming itself into a multi-product organisation. Its manufacturing plants at Haridwar and Noida produce world-class Fans, Wires & Cables, Lighting & Luminaries, Lithium Ion Batteries and other electrical items. Presently, the Company has 20 regional offices and more than 200 Sales/Marketing Executives and Engineers to support 500-plus Dealers/ Distributors across India. EON products are available in all major markets of India and enjoy National/International Certifications of BIS and ISO-9001. The Company’s vision is to be amongst the top five domestic leaders by FY 2020 in the LED lighting segment.

For more details, visit http://www.eonelectric.com/

- Project with a budget of Rs.1200 crore, focuses on providing over 8 lac toilets apart from inducing behavorial change in the rural folks

The Mission Swachh Punjab made a giant leap with 1015 Gram Panchayats across the state declaring themselves open defecation free. With a sum of Rs. 1200 Crore, this program was launched with a vision to make Punjab open defection free and provide toilets to all poor people in the villages.

Disclosing this, a spokesman of the Punjab Government said that while the primary focus of the program is to bring in behavioral change to prevent open defecation, 8 lakh individual households toilets will also be constructed during the process.  All rural households without toilets are being  encouraged to construct toilets of their own choice and an incentive of Rs 15000/- per toilet is being provided to the households. Work has been going on in more than 3000 villages simultaneously.

He said, “In a rapid survey done by the world bank  just before the launch of the project indicated that only 54% of those who have toilets use these regularly. So though the program envisage the construction of 8 lakh toilets, the  primary focus of the the program is to change the behavioral of the people and  create demand for toilets and safe sanitation. Also contractors have been eliminated from the toilet construction; now the individuals , on their own, are constructing the toilets of their own choice. and an incentive of Rs. 15000 is being credited to their bank account directly.”

“In the  last six months, 36000 households have been provided with the toilets of their choice and 1015 Gram panchayat have declared themselves open defection free. The program has motivated the people to such an extent that these villages have formed Nigran committees which goes around the villages every morning to ensure that nobody is going for open defecation." He added.

He stated that the department aims to provide 5 lac toilets by the end of this year. With this, It is estimated that approximately 6000 villages shall be made open defecation free by the end of the year. The DWSS has also embarked upon a ambitious plan of providing free of cost water supply connection in all the houses in the village. The cost connection shall also be borne by the department. So all the house hold shall have access to safe drinking water supply and safe sanitation services. He said that the department of water supply & sanitation has mobilized 1000 motivators, 200 master motivators and departmental staff to implement this programme in all the villages of state. The motivators are using Community Lead Total Sanitation methodology to trigger the rural communities .

The initiative is being rolled out at the smaller stations with basic water connection and an average footfall of 1000 passengers per day. Close to 50 such systems have been already installed across the Konkan region as of now. The project boasts of no reject water and minimal electricity consumption for water purification thus reinforcing the bank’s sustainability focus

While announcing the project, Namita Vikas, Group President and Country Head, Responsible Banking, YES Bank said “This initiative is in sync with the Government’s vision to make safe and clean drinking water accessible to everyone and its resolve to modernize railway stations. Our aim is to aid the existing efforts undertaken by the Government and ensure a high socio-economic impact through community led interventions.”

She further added “Larger stations have water sellers. The commuter coming to larger stations is better in terms of economic power as compared to those at ‘D’ & ‘E’ category railway stations. This initiative from YES BANK caters to population in the lower strata of the society.” In 2014-15, YES Bank had provided access to safe and clean drinking water to 62,500 individuals through household and community water purification systems across rural Maharashtra.

Going forward, YES BANK has committed to touch 100 million lives through its safe and clean drinking water program by 2020 at the prestigious COP 21 at Paris last year to achieve holistic impact.

About YES BANK LIMITED

YES BANK, India’s fifth largest private sector Bank with a pan India presence across all 29 states and 7 Union Territories of India, headquartered in the Lower Parel Innovation District (LPID) of Mumbai, is the outcome of the professional & entrepreneurial commitment of its Founder Rana Kapoor and its top management team, to establish a high quality, customer centric, service driven, private Indian Bank catering to the future businesses of India.

YES BANK has adopted international best practices, the highest standards of service quality and operational excellence, and offers comprehensive banking and financial solutions to all its valued customers.

YES BANK has a knowledge driven approach to banking, and offers a superior customer experience for its retail, corporate and emerging corporate banking clients. YES BANK is steadily evolving as the Professionals’ Bank of India with the long term mission of “Building the Finest Bank of the World in India” by 2020.

Google has committed to work with Indian Railways’ and RailTel to expand the network quickly to cover 100 of the busiest stations by end of this year and will eventually roll out the service in 400 railway stations across India. Even with just the first 100 stations online, this project will make Wi-Fi available to millions of Indians - who pass through railway stations every day, making it the largest public Wi-Fi project in India and among the largest in the world by number of potential users.

Designed to offer users the best Internet experience, Railwire Wi-Fi will be available  to any user who has a working mobile connection on a smartphone. Users will be able to easily stream a high definition video while they’re waiting, research their destination, or save some videos for offline viewing, download a book or a new game for the journey.

Commenting on the launch, Chairman and Managing Director of Railtel Shri R. K. Bahuguna of Railtel said, “Our intent was to fulfill Indian Railway’s vision of providing Railway passengers access to high speed Internet through our Optical fiber communication network. Affordable smartphones have made it possible for the common men to experience the power of Internet. With our partnership with Google, we are very confident of rolling out a robust, scalable service at Railway stations in the near future.”

Speaking at the launch, Rajan Anandan, VP & Managing Director, Google South East Asia and India said, “We’re delighted to launch India’s first high speed public Wi-Fi service in partnership with Indian Railways. Bringing affordable Internet access to millions of people is an important part of making the Internet both easily accessible and useful for more than 300 million Indians who are already online, and the nearly one billion more who are not. By end of this year over 10 million people will be able to enjoy this experience at 100 stations spread across the country.  I would like to thank the Indian Railways for their support and vision to provide a world class high speed public Wi-Fi network at the stations.”

“We’ve focussed on delivering a network that is at par with the high speed public Wi-Fi network that is available to users in developed countries. The network is built for wide coverage and high capacity usage unlike a typical Wi-Fi hotspot which offers connectivity in limited area and poor experience. This network will extend to cover both long distance train station and the local train station in Mumbai Central. The next four stations we’ll bring online will be Allahabad, Patna, Jaipur and Ranchi and others will follow very shortly, said, Gulzar Azad, Head of Access Project, Google India”

About Google Inc.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in September 1998. Since then, the company has grown to more than 50,000 employees worldwide, with a wide range of popular products and platforms like Search, Maps, Ads, Gmail, Android, Chrome, and YouTube.

For media queries:

Google India: - Gaurav Bhaskar / gauravbhaskar@google.com

Six Degrees PR: Priyama Pandey / priyamap@sixdegreespr.co.in / 09871075617