Kalinga – The Flavours That Built a Kingdom Comes to Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel

Kalinga – The Flavours That Built a Kingdom Comes to Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel

Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel brings the rich culinary heritage of Odisha to the city with “Kalinga – The Flavours That Built a Kingdom,” a specially curated food experience celebrating the flavours, traditions and royal legacy of ancient Kalinga.

Curated by Chef Arjun Sahoo, the showcase takes diners on a journey through Odisha’s diverse culinary landscape, reviving time-honoured recipes and traditional cooking techniques that have been passed down through generations. From distinctive regional flavours to recipes inspired by the royal kitchens of Kalinga, the experience offers an opportunity to discover the lesser-explored culinary heritage of Odisha. Some of the mouthwatering dishes part of the menu would include Mutton Kosha, Kukkad Johl, Dahi Baigan, Chenna Poda, Patra Chingodi and more. 

Hosted at Feast, Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel, the pop-up brings together the warmth of traditional Odia cuisine and the contemporary dining experience of the hotel. Guests can look forward to an immersive spread that celebrates the simplicity, depth and distinctive character of Odisha’s food traditions.

Event Details:
Venue: Feast, Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel
Date: Lunch & Dinner | Until 23rd August 2026 
Reservations: 91 7337358581

India, Mauritius Deepen Energy Partnership with Long-Term Fuel Supply Agreement

New Delhi, August 22, 2026: India and Mauritius have taken steps to strengthen bilateral energy cooperation following an official visit by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Singh Puri to Mauritius from August 20 to 21. The visit resulted in agreements aimed at ensuring reliable petroleum supplies to Mauritius while expanding cooperation in oil, gas and biofuels.

During the visit, Shri Puri met Mauritius Prime Minister Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam on August 20. In their presence, India and Mauritius exchanged a Government-to-Government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on oil and gas cooperation. A separate five-year Sales and Purchase Agreement was signed between Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and the State Trading Corporation (STC) of Mauritius for the supply of petroleum products.

Under the long-term agreement, IOCL will meet Mauritius’ entire import requirement for Motor Spirit (MS), High Speed Diesel (HSD) and Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). The arrangement is expected to provide Mauritius with greater certainty of supply and reduce its exposure to international price volatility. It also represents one of the first long-term overseas supply arrangements by an Indian public-sector oil marketing company outside South Asia in recent years.

The broader oil and gas MoU establishes an institutional framework for continued cooperation between the two countries. It covers petroleum product supplies, capacity building and training for Mauritian officials, as well as collaboration in biofuels. The agreements are intended to reinforce the longstanding energy relationship between India and Mauritius and create opportunities for deeper technical and commercial cooperation.

During his visit, Shri Puri held bilateral discussions with Mauritius’ Minister of Energy and Public Utilities Patrick Gervais Assirvaden, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection John Michaël Tzoun Sao Yeung Sik Yuen, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Dhananjay Ramful. He also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a 27.5 thousand metric tonne (TMT) bunker marine fuel storage facility being developed by India Oil (Mauritius) Ltd. at Mer Rouge in Port Louis.

The agreements further enhance India’s position as a reliable energy partner in the Indian Ocean region. With 23 refineries and annual refined petroleum product output of around 267 million tonnes (MMT), India has emerged as a major global refining centre and a net exporter of refined petroleum products. The country already supplies petroleum products to neighbouring countries including Nepal and Bhutan, and has continued to meet its regional supply commitments despite disruptions arising from the West Asia crisis.

Biofuels form another important component of the strengthened partnership. Mauritius is a founding member of the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA), an initiative launched during India’s G20 Presidency. The GBA Secretariat has been working with Mauritius’ Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities on a Biofuels Country Landscape Policy framework to support the country’s energy transition.

Shri Puri and Minister Assirvaden jointly witnessed the launch of the Biofuels Country Landscape Policy framework on August 21. The initiative is expected to provide a foundation for Mauritius to explore the wider use of biofuels while benefiting from knowledge sharing, research, training and technical cooperation with India.

The latest agreements are expected to give a new dimension to India-Mauritius energy relations, positioning India as a dependable long-term fuel supplier while expanding cooperation in emerging areas such as biofuels and strengthening India’s strategic and economic engagement across the Indian Ocean.

NBA Releases Rs.2.82 Crore to States, UTs and ICAR Institute Under Biodiversity Benefit-Sharing Mechanism

New Delhi, August 22, 2026: The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released ₹2.82 crore under India’s Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) framework, directing funds towards biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource use and community-oriented activities. The latest disbursement includes ₹2.80 crore for 27 State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and three Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs), along with ₹2.01 lakh for the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR), Karnataka.

The funds have been generated from ABS payments linked to the commercial use of India’s biological resources. NBA received ₹2.94 crore from Advanta Enterprises Ltd., formerly UPL Limited, for the utilisation of genetic resources associated with several horticultural hybrids, including eight cauliflower hybrids, five hot pepper hybrids, five okra hybrids and six tomato hybrids. Since the biological resources had been obtained through the acquisition of another company and could not be linked to specific farmers, communities or a single geographical origin, an expert committee was constituted to recommend an appropriate benefit-sharing mechanism.

Based on the committee’s recommendations approved by the NBA, ₹2.80 crore has now been distributed among states and UTs. The allocation was determined with reference to the cultivation of the relevant horticultural crops across different parts of the country. Gujarat received the highest allocation at ₹44.59 lakh, followed by West Bengal with ₹41.24 lakh and Madhya Pradesh with ₹32.73 lakh. Odisha received ₹32.57 lakh, while Bihar was allocated ₹30.86 lakh. Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were among the other major recipients.

The State Biodiversity Boards and UT Biodiversity Councils are expected to use the funds for a range of biodiversity-related initiatives. These include updating and documenting People’s Biodiversity Registers, conserving biological resources in natural and controlled settings, restoring degraded ecosystems, strengthening Biodiversity Heritage Sites, building the capacity of Biodiversity Management Committees and supporting livelihood opportunities for local communities. The recipient bodies are required to submit utilisation certificates and expenditure statements within one year.

In a separate transaction, the NBA received ₹7.15 lakh from Sumitomo Chemical India Ltd., Mumbai, formerly Excel Crop Care, as ABS payment for access to two microbial strains developed at ICAR-IIHR: Pseudomonas fluorescens 1% WP (strain IIHR-Pf-2) and Trichoderma harzianum 1% WP (strain IIHR-Th-2). As these biological resources originated from a public research institution and were used for research and commercial purposes, 30% of the ABS amount, equivalent to ₹2.01 lakh, is being transferred to ICAR-IIHR. The institute will utilise the funds for repository maintenance, research, biodiversity surveys, taxonomy capacity building and conservation activities.

The latest release forms part of the NBA’s broader effort to strengthen implementation of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and ensure that economic benefits generated through the use of biological resources are channelled towards conservation, sustainable utilisation and socio-economic development. According to the NBA, cumulative ABS disbursements have now reached ₹185 crore, equivalent to about USD 19.34 million.

The initiative also supports India’s international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing. It is aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly Target 13, which promotes fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources and relevant digital sequence information.

World Entrepreneurs’ Day: Industry Leaders Share Insights on Building, Learning and Taking the First Step

Manas Pal, Co-Founder, PedalStart

To be honest, I’ve stopped believing entrepreneurship starts with a great idea. If anything, it starts on some ordinary day when someone decides to stop waiting for permission and just try. That’s the part I find myself thinking about most on a day like this, more than the funding numbers or the milestones we usually celebrate.

We get to these founders early, while the idea is still rough and unproven, and help them figure out what actually works instead of what sounds good in a deck. A lot of good ideas don’t fail because they were wrong to begin with. They failed because nobody around the founder had done this before and could point that out in time, while it was still cheap to fix. If I had to give one piece of advice today, it would be this. Don’t wait to feel ready, because that feeling rarely comes on schedule. Find people who’ve already made the mistakes you’re about to make, and let that save you some time and some heartbreak. Jagdish Sharma, Co-Founder & CEO, Cedro 

Entrepreneurship was never About Having All the Answers, but Instead  it is About the Courage to Keep Learning Entrepreneurship is often associated with big ideas, bold decisions and taking risks. But over the years, I have realised that building a business is equally about learning, adapting and staying relevant. When you start, you rarely have all the answers. The market changes, customers evolve, technology upgrades, and sometimes even your best-laid plans don’t work. Rather than fixating on each one of these caveats, what matters is how quickly you learn from these moments and turn that learning into action.

 

For me, entrepreneurship has always been about taking calculated risks. Much like MTB trail riding, one of my most precious hobbies, you cannot predict every turn ahead. Rather you assess the terrain, trust your experience, make a decision and keep moving. Sometimes you accelerate, sometimes you slow down, and sometimes you have to change the trail altogether.

 

The same is true in business. As entrepreneurs, we need the courage to take risks, but also the humility to continuously learn from our customers, our teams, our competitors, and most importantly from our failures. Harshvardhan Chauhan, Founder & CEO, Mountaintribe Foods Pvt Ltd

Indian Bank organises MEGA Retail, Agri & MSME Credit Campaign in Chennai

National, August 22, 2026: Indian Bank’s Field General Manager’s Office (FGMO), Chennai, led by Smt. Padmavathy Srikant, FGM, successfully organised a Mega Retail, Agri & MSME Credit Campaign on August 21, 2026, in the gracious presence of Shri Binod Kumar, MD and CEO, along with Shri Sujay Mallik, CGM – Retail & MSME.

As part of the campaign, Shri Binod Kumar presented sanction letters to beneficiaries across diverse sectors, reaffirming Indian Bank’s commitment to empowering customers and supporting the growth of the Retail, Agriculture and MSME segments, in line with the national vision of Viksit Bharat.

The campaign received an overwhelming response, with credit proposals mobilised amounting to ₹2,080 crore, of which ₹1,125 crore was sanctioned and ₹575 crore disbursed.

On the occasion, Shri Binod Kumar also handed over sanction letters to 46 beneficiaries, representing a total credit exposure of ₹207 crore across diverse Retail, Agriculture and MSME segments.

The campaign saw active participation of FGMO Chennai span zones Chennai North, Chennai South, Poonamallee, Kancheepuram, Puducherry, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Cuddalore zonal teams.