Archive: December 6, 2020

News

Chess Boxing going to be a part of KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES 2021

Dec 6, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Chess Boxers, #Chess Boxing, #Chess Boxing Organisation

CHESSBOXING has included in KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES 2021 which is going to be scheduled to be held at Haryana in the year of 2021 under the supervision of SPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA.

CHESSBOXING a young sport in the world with the combination of Chess & Boxing, playing in alternating rounds of Chess, then Boxing, one minute break between each round. Maximum 11 rounds, winner can be decided by the Checkmate in Chess round, KO in Boxing rounds, TKO in Boxing rounds, Time exceeds in Chess rounds or walkover.

Mr. Montu Das, a pioneer of Martial Artist since his childhood in the year of 1989 he brought the sport in India in the year of 2011 and Found the first Chessboxing Club in India at Kolkata as Chessboxing Club of Kolkata, then form the National Federation in Chessboxing, i.e. Chess Boxing Organisation of India (CBOI).

CBOI as the National Federation is run from Kolkata and established more than 20 State Chessboxing Association in all over the country and already organised 8 times National Championships various parts of the country and two times World Championship (Amateur) at India, Kolkata.

CHESSBOXING included in KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES 2021 on 4th November 2020 by the Sports Authority of India, under Department of the Sports and Youth Affairs, Govt. of India, it will be help a lot to all the Chess Boxers of the country to promote this intellectual sport and bright future of the Chess Boxers in our country too.

Few days before Mr. Montu Das had been elected as the President of the World Chess Boxing Organisation, Germany again he made this sport under Govt. projects like KHELO INDIA.its means definitely it is a good sign for all the Chess Boxers of our country.

News

Numbers Speak: FC Goa vs Kerala Blasters, Statistical Preview

Dec 6, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #ATK Mohun Bagan, #FC Goa, #Kerala Blasters

Mumbai: Sunday night at Fatorda will see FC Goa go up against Kerala Blasters in a fixture which will see both sides looking to get their first win of the campaign. Tied on points at the bottom half of the table, three points in the game will not act as a shot in the arm for the winning team but also see them head into the top 4. 

Juan Ferrando’s men have impressed all and sundry with their ability to keep possession of the ball and rule over the midfield. The start of the season, however, has seen the Gaurs not at their precise best in the final third. 

“Am I happy about the situation at the moment? No, 2 points from 3 games are not something to be happy about. Is there pressure? There is pressure every day in the life, whether it be in a game or a training session.” remarked FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando ahead of the game when asked if there was any pressure on him to deliver in terms of points this early in the season. 

“There are many positives to take from the games we have played. I would have been more worried if we were being overwhelmed in games or if the defense was a disaster or if we were not able to create opportunities at all. That would have been a bigger concern. 

“Right now we all know how we want to play. We are all putting our honest efforts and looking at the details. There are many things we are doing well and we have to see make some finer adjustments and the results, I feel are sure to come.” 

The challenge ahead

Like the Gaurs, the Blaster has a new squad under a new boss as well. Kibu Vicuna took over the reins at Kerala earlier this year after leading Mohun Bagan to triumph in the I-League last season. The Spaniard, though, is yet to taste success as head coach of the Blasters. 

The two-time finalists lost their season-opener 1-0 to ATK Mohun Bagan before letting a 2-goal cushion slip away against NorthEast in the dying moments to record a draw. Their last game against Chennaiyin produced many thrilling moments. Both teams, though, were unable to find the back of the net. 

The Blasters are likely to miss their skipper Sergio Cidoncha on Sunday. The Spaniard was reportedly ruled out for a lengthy spell after sustaining an injury to his ankle in his last game against Chennaiyin. 

Kibu Vicuna’s men have looked solid at the back and industrious in the middle. They are yet to see the best from their striker Gary Hooper and their faithful will be hoping that both his as well as the team’s best days lie in front of them this season. 

Speaking on the Blasters and the game on Sunday, Juan Ferrando held the Blasters in high regard. 

“Our game against Kerala on Sunday is going to be a good game, I feel,” stated Ferrando. “It’s a game between two teams who like to attack and play a passing style. Very similar to us, they have a lot of positives to take from their games. I felt they were the superior team in their game against NorthEast and could have easily won as well against Chennaiyin. They are an excellent team, and I feel they are one that will certainly rise up the table in the days to come.” 

10 things to know: 

Heading into the game on Sunday between two hungry packs in FC Goa and Kerala Blasters, here are 10 things, you should know: 

1. Everything points to goals on Sunday at the Fatorda when Goa takes on Kerala. There have simply been no goalless draws between these two teams out of the 12 times that they have faced off against each other in the ISL. The last 10 games have in fact seen the two teams score 3 or more goals on each occasion.

2. The Gaurs are yet to take the lead in any of the games so far. The Men In Orange, have in fact been the first to concede in 4 of their last 5 ISL games and haven’t kept a clean sheet in those 5 games as well. 

3. FC Goa were the only side last season to have not conceded a penalty. The Gaurs’ fortune has turned quite drastically this season, conceding 2 penalties in the first 3 games of the season. 

4. FC Goa have been synonymous with goals in the ISL. The Gaurs have found the back of the net 3 or more times in 8 of their last 10 games. They are yet to hit 3 this time around. 

5. The Gaurs have been the dominant force in the history of this fixture. The last three seasons have been seen the Gaurs go unbeaten in games against the Blasters. This includes 5 wins and a draw. Blaster’s last win against Goa came on November 8, 2016, when goals from CK Vineeth and Kervens Belfort helped Kerala to a 2-1 win. 

6. FC Goa have had the upper hand on most occasions that these two teams have come across. The Gaurs have been the dominant team in this tie by a long way, winning 8 of the 12 matches that the two ISL sides have played against each other.

7. Great goal scoring or some poor defending? FC Goa vs Kerala Blasters in the ISL has seen both teams scoring in nine of the last nine games played against each other. The only exception in this regard was the 3-0 win for the Men in Orange in February last year. 

8. The Blasters haven’t kept a clean sheet against the Gaurs in any of their last 11 meetings. Their only clean sheet in the fixture came in their very first meeting on November 6, 2014. In goal, that day for the Blasters was David James.

9. Igor Angulo currently leads the standings for the ISL Golden Boot. The Spaniard has scored 3 in as many games – the same as Adam Le Fondre, Roy Krishna and Nerijus Valskis. The Spaniard, however, leads the standing owing to a better goal per minutes record, scoring a goal every 81 minutes.

10.Edu Bedia continues to lead the league in terms of passes. The Spaniard has been the lynchpin of the Gaurs this season ever since taking over the captaincy. The midfielder has sprayed around 239 passes so far in only 3 games –  an average of nearly 80 passes a game.

News

Nitin Gadkari’s inspiring speech on leadership at 2nd Dr. Rajaram Jaipuria Memorial Lecture has many takeaways

Dec 6, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Dr. Rajaram Jaipuria Memorial Lecture, #Nitin Gadkari, #Saket Jaipuria, #Union Minister Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari delivered a motivating speech on the ‘Role of Leadership in Turbulent Times’ at the 2nd Dr. Rajaram Jaipuria Memorial Lecture held virtually on December 5, Saturday, at 5.30 pm.

The lecture was organized by Jaipuria Group of Educational Institutions and had a pertinent topic: Role of Leadership In Turbulent Times. Appearing virtually on the Facebook page and YouTube channel of Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Gadkari stressed, in his speech, the importance of strong and visionary leaders to show the way forward in times of crisis.

The increased relevance of decisive leadership in a world disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic was apparent throughout the minister’s speech, but the lecture had a much broader range, and the takeaways from it can be applicable to turbulent situations for people from all walks of life, be it politics, business, sports, or entertainment.

The event began with a soulful rendition of the invocation song by the Padma Shri award-winning folk singer, Malini Awasthi. The song was followed by a welcome address by Shishir Jaipuria, Chairman of Seth Anandram Jaipuria Educational Society (SAJES).

Feting Gadkari, the Chairman said, “Our nation is indeed blessed to have leaders like you when every citizen is concerned for his own self and his family and is looking up to leaders for reprieve and protection. Your dynamic vision and decisive leadership…are leading our country towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

In his speech, the Chairman also reminisced about his father, Dr. Rajaram Jaipuria, an industrialist and educationist, in whose honour the memorial lecture has been conceptualized. He described Dr. Rajaram as a ‘Karma yogi in every sense of the word’.

Citing instances of leadership and its role in turbulent times during his illustrious political career, Chief Guest Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari pointed out that leadership plays a key role not just in politics, but also in other fields of life, such as education, business, social work, and even religions. Good leaders take lessons from history. It is often said ‘Old is Gold’. I say we should give the maxim its due. The inspiration and motivation that leaders derive come from history, education and reading the biographies of the great leaders that have come before.”

He further added, “Have a vision, you can donate eyes, but you can’t donate vision. The vision comes from books, history, educational institutions, family, workplaces. Positivity and self-confidence are the crux of decisive leadership. True leaders inspire teamwork and collective team spirit is very important. My learning comes from 3 Cs: cooperation, coordination, and communication.

During the event, a Green Certificate was handed out to Gadkari by Yash Jaipuria, a member of SAJES. The lecture concluded with a vote of thanks by Saket Jaipuria, Vice Chairman, Seth Anandram Jaipuria Group of Educational Institutions.

Thanking Gadkari, Saket Jaipuria said, “The purpose behind organizing this lecture-series is to draw attention to some important subjects of topical nature that have national or international significance. I am glad that the topic of the lecture today has generated considerable interest, and your words of wisdom will stimulate further discussion in different forums.”

Livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, the event was attended virtually by more than 10,000 people.

Nitin Gadkari is Minister for Road Transport & Highways, and Minister for MSMEs in the Government of India.

Business World

What about our immediately available clean air solutions?

Dec 5, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Director General, #Indian Auto LPG Coalition, #Mr. Suyash Gupta, #National Pollution Control Day

New Delhi: As poor air quality coupled with hazardous smog continues to perpetually choke the capital and other Indian cities, lack of urgency to respond is both frustrating and appalling. With an overwhelming policy thrust on EVs and a complete dearth of focus on immediate clean air solutions, millions of Indians are likely to continue breathing toxic air for years.

As we observe National Pollution Control Day, it is pertinent to note that by banking totally on long term solutions like the EVs, India is missing out on low hanging fruits that can help bring about an immediate difference in air quality. Clean gaseous fuels such as Auto LPG are one such under-utilised solution that can bring about immense benefits to urban air quality by controlling hazardous vehicular tailpipe emissions.

Indian Auto LPG Coalition, the apex body of Auto LPG suppliers in the country, is underlining the need for the government to incentivise vehicle conversions to Auto LPG to be able to leverage an immediate air quality benefit.

“Even though the annual stubble burning process impacts Delhi’s air quality most seriously at the onset of winters, truth is that residents of the capital breathe toxic air for most part of the year. Hazardous vehicular emissions continue to be a major source of poor air quality in urban India. Yet, the fact that policymakers do not display any urgency in addressing the above and focus only on long-term deployment of EVs is frustrating. Lack of use of immediate clean energy solutions such as Auto LPG implies that millions of people have no hope of breathing clean air any time in the near future,” said Mr. Suyash Gupta, Director General, Indian Auto LPG Coalition.

With a bulk of Delhi’s and most Indian cities’ air pollution woes emanating from the transport sector, it is important that well calibrated near and long term measures are initiated to address this problem. The capital and other polluted Indian cities need to shift a substantial part of their private vehicles to cleaner fuels like Auto LPG in the short term until EVs become widely viable. Much like the capital undertook a major transformation drive by converting its DTC buses fleet to CNG 20 years back, another similar transformation drive is needed on personal vehicles and cars.

Tailpipe emissions resulting from vehicles include oxides of nitrogen (NOx), hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO 2) as well as particulate matter.

“We already have readily available and clean alternative fuels that can help us achieve significant gain in air quality in a short span of time. With much lower emissions of not only carbon but also nitrogen oxides and particulate matters, Auto LPG is such a readily available alternative to petrol and diesel. What we need is a clear policy tilt towards clean alternative fuels and a plan to incentivise vehicle conversions to Auto LPG.  The government must do this by subsidising conversion costs, reducing GST on Auto LPG as well as on Auto LPG/CNG conversion kits to encourage use of the eco-friendly fuel”, added Mr Gupta.

A policy thrust towards cleaner fuels will also push OEMs towards investing in more Auto LPG variants, offering greater options for consumers.

Auto LPG is the third most widely used automotive fuel used globally after petrol and diesel. It has almost 50% lesser PM emissions than CNG and Petrol and 80% lower PM emissions than Diesel. Vehicles using Auto LPG as fuel also emit much lower CO2, making Auto LPG one of the most eco-friendly fuels on the block. Also, LPG has been classified by United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) for having a global warming potential of zero, implying that is not a greenhouse gas.

About IAC:

Indian Auto LPG Coalition (IAC) is the nodal body for the promotion of Auto LPG in India. Members of the Coalition include the Oil Sector PSUs, Private Auto LPG marketers, Kit Suppliers and Equipment Manufacturers. The Coalition works closely with the World LPG Association and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

IAC is also a member of “Central Motor Vehicle Rules – Technical Standing Committee” (CMVR-TSC) & “Standing Committee on Emission Legislation” (SCOE), TED26 (Bureau of Indian Standards), Government of India.

Business World

FICCI FLO, Kolkata Chapter, organizes workshop on positivity and stress management

Dec 5, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #FICCI FLO, #Kolkata Chapter, #organized a workshop on POSITIVITY

Kolkata: FICCI FLO, Kolkata Chapter, organized a workshop on POSITIVITY where Avik Chanda, an entrepreneur and is the founder and CEO at Nuvah Elint, presented ‘diseased Model’ which is aimed at identifying what’s wrong with people, in order to ‘fix’ them, and “The good life” is achieved by “using your signature strengths every day to produce authentic.

The session was introduced by FLO Chairperson Sunira Chamaria, who was of the view that “Enthusiasm is common but Endurance is rare.”

Avik gave a presentation on understanding how Positivity depends on personality, culture, and circumstances. On how members could understand their own status by participating in a short and effective psychometric test by Dr Ellen Langer, The ‘Mother’ of Mindfulness, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, he said, “Certain situations and circumstances can influence a person’s day in a positive or negative way by explaining 4 tangible factors of Mindfulness which are Novelty Seeking, novelty producing, engagement and flexibility.”

Talking about stress, he explained that coping with stress is the process by which a person consciously attempts to master, minimize, or tolerate stressors and problems in life. It is critical for people to understand the triggers to stress, identify symptoms, and know the science of meditation while dealing with it. Elaborating on the same, Avik explained the classifications which are included in the stress factors such as External stressors, Internal stressors, typical reactivity to stress and mindful response to stress.

Ms Neeta Boochra, Past National President from Jaipur complimented Mr Avik Chanda on his workshop and invited him to create part 2 of this workshop for all the members.

The workshop came to an end answering the questions by FLO members and discussing talk points on Resilience which is the psychological quality that allows some people to be knocked down by the adversities of life and come back at least as strong as before. After measuring our own resilience through a psychometric test, Avik discussed ways and means to build on it so that we could all deal with our stress points in more mindful way.

Ending up the session with a thankful quote by Ms. Sunira Chamaria, Chairperson, FICCO FLO, Kolkata to the organizer, the FICCI FLO members and all the management saying that the session went very well and they have learnt a lot. We are not just ready when we get punched on the face and fall down and stand up but we are going to be ready for the punches for life as well, says Chamaria.

Business World

5 homegrown digital content companies to watch out for in 2021

Dec 5, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #digital content, #Digital marketing

The surge in devices capable of supporting digital media along with increasing internet access speed has provided consumers with an option to access the media content of their choice, be it information or entertainment. Take the example of the COVID lockdown which created a drastic shift of users from offline to online content due to various precautionary reasons.

Stroll into any foundation today, and it’s practically sure that you will see a lot of individuals taking a glance at their smartphones. This has led to easy access to the content personalized as per one’s choice and interest. The expansion in smartphone utilization is straightforwardly impacting consumer content consumption habits as people spend about 8.8 hours a day on their smartphones. These factors have given a major boost to various digital content generation platforms.

Here are 5 digital content companies which are headed towards growth in 2021:

Awaaz.com

Awaaz.com is India’s one of the largest platforms with a great range of spoken word content. The content ranges from English to various other vernacular languages as well. The platform offers a diverse variety of podcasts, stories, audios, and more. It is a highly engaging platform that is gaining the ears of the audience in recent times with a range of topics like current affairs, meditation, health, inspirational, and devotional.

DB Digital

DB Digital is a digital product startup offering the best news products. It includes Divya Bhaskar, Divya Marathi, and Dainik Bhaskar. DB Digital provides people high-quality vernacular content delivered to them daily in an easy to consume way, personalized for their specific needs. The startup ensures that the content is completely authentic and valuable. Its core product offerings keep their users updated with the latest breaking news, analysis on political news, sports news, business news, entertainment news, and technology news.

Share chat

Developed by Mohalla Tech Pvt Ltd, Share chat is an Indian social networking service. It offers content consumption and sharing platform only in Indian vernacular languages to cater to over 1.17 billion digital users of India. With a plethora of content like romantic posts, jokes, fashion tips, and the latest news, the website is appealing and user friendly. It is a one-stop platform for all vernacular language lovers.

Inshorts

Inshorts is a news application that chooses the most recent and best news from numerous national and global sources and sums up them to introduce in a short and fresh 60 words or less configuration, customized for you, in both, English or Hindi. Regardless of whether it’s the most recent government approaches or purges in Bollywood, Inshorts gets them secured and conveyed too quickly. This is a go-to platform for on the go, crisp and catchy content.

Lokal – India needs to be informed in the right way and Lokal is a one-stop platform for life services and hyperlocal news interaction. Lokal carries news content from over 20 districts in the above region including Kurnool, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Chittoor, Mahabubabad, Khammam, and Warangal. The app aims to bring local news, classifieds to 900 million Indians in their regional languages. Lokal is also building a network of stringers and freelance reporters who produce original reporting around the issues and current affairs of local towns and cities.

Business World

Long Pending issue of Donimalai Iron ore Mine has been finally resolved

Dec 5, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #NMDC

Hyderabad: The long pending issue of Donimalai Iron ore mine (ML No.2396) of NMDC Ltd, which was suspended since November 2018, has finally concluded through the endeavor of the Government. The decision has not only paved way for operationalization of the mine but also is a timely decision taken in a situation when the steel companies are facing a shortage of supply of Iron ore.

Exercising the power conferred to GOI under section 31 of the MMDR Act, 1957, the Government of India reached at an agreement with Government of Karnataka and Ministry of Steel to extend Donimalai Iron ore lease.

Donimalai Iron ore mine, which has total concession area of 597.54 Ha and estimated resource of 149 MT shall increase the annual Iron ore production in the country by 7 MTPA. Based on the existing high price of ore, it is expected that Donimalai Iron ore mine will contribute around INR 400 crore to the State Exchequer, during the ongoing financial year.

The operationalization of the mine would contribute a total of around INR 1100 crore to the State exchequer per annum. It will also take the nation a step closer towards the vision of the Government to achieve 300 MTPA crude steel capacity by 2030-31. The mine shall offer direct Employment to thousands of people (including the contract labours) and create indirect employment opportunity for lakhs of people.

The operationalization of the mine shall bring a sense of security for more than two dozen SMEs (with 100s of employees) near Donimalai area that were directly or indirectly dependent on NMDC for supply of raw material. Further, the Local community dependent on NMDC CSR activities will not be deprived of benefits, like Hospital, Free Transport, RO water facilities etc.

Business World

RBI maintains status quo, realtors rely on increased demand

Dec 5, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #RBI, #real estate, #Repo Rate

The RBI maintained status quo as the MPC voted unanimously to hold rates steady. The repo rates have kept unchanged at 4%, and the RBI expects positive growth in Q3 and Q4. The real estate sector was expecting some additional announcements; however, the sector has to rely on the announcements made in the last few months only. Real estate experts feel that the demand is high, and the latest status quo of the RBI will not have any negative impact on it.
The announcements of repo rate cuts by the apex bank during the lockdown have helped the reeling sector of real estate. Apart from the rate cuts, RBI has also gone ahead with measures such as rationalization of risk-weightage norms, restructuring of loans based on the projects, linking home loans to LTV, the intensity of policy changes made within a span of few months reflect the positive intent of authorities to support major sectors like real estate. “The onus to lend continuous support lies entirely on banks’ quick disbursal of funds. Home loan interest rates are at their lowest, which has already shown a positive impact during the festive months in the residential segment. The upcoming quarter is likely to witness more of it and register a positive curve,” says Yash Miglani, MD Migsun Group.

Maintaining that the RBI’s recent decision to maintain the status quo was expected due to the pace observed in the market around festive times, Vijay Verma, CEO, Sunworld Group, says, “Apex bank has also gone beyond the usual changes and introduced notable policy changes over the past few months, aiding both buyers and developers. This has brought a certain extent of vibrancy in the market, post the stillness in the market that lasted almost a quarter. The flexibility to cut rates if the economy needs support indicates a positive signal for the future. Residential real estate backed with festive offers and deferment payment plans has been fairing well post-unlock. We are hoping with GDP growth for 2021 projected at -7.5% the realty sector can contribute a significant share in the overall economic development.”

The sector is already optimistic, and the sales figures over the last few months are an indication that buyers are enjoying the low home loan interest rates. “Real estate sales have improved, especially after home loan interest, and it will further improve if other states reduce stamp duty after the announcements made by Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. The sector will benefit a lot as the demand is already high and reduction in stamp duty will provide a further boost,” says Ashok Gupta, CMD, Ajnara Group.

Talking about the commercial segment, Sagar Saxena, Project Head, Spectrum Metro, says, “We are happy that the RBI is optimistic about the GDP growth. The foremost beneficiary of such a positive outlook in real estate would be the retail segment as it depends on consumer spending and business expansions. The demand for office spaces and commercial places is already witnessing a significant jump, and people are coming out to spend in malls.”

Adds Ashish Bhutani, MD, Bhutani Infra, “For the commercial segment, we were expecting that the RBI would come up with specific announcements that could boost investment. However, we understand the status quo stance as there was limited possibility of changing the repo rate below 4%. Last substantial announcement for the commercial segment was in February when the RBI permitted an extension of date of commencement of commercial operations (DCCO) of project loans for commercial real estate. The segment is in dire need of liquidity, which also depends on the priority lending status, and we hope that the segment will get adequate liquidity as the RBI in this MPC announcement has said that it will maintain the liquidity in the market.”

Commenting on the latest stance of the RBI, Dhiraj Jain, Director, Mahagun Group, says, “The government and the bank have taken multiple steps in the last few months. If quick implementation takes place, then many problems will get resolved. One such announcement was the loan restructuring that will help stuck projects bringing in more projects in the market. The Apex bank has shown positive outlook for GDP growth in the coming quarters, and this would definitely have a healthy impact on the real estate sector too.”

In the last few months, the government and the RBI took decisions intended to move towards the path of economic recovery, and real estate was looking for packages that can help them speed up the pace. Ankur Bhatiani, Director, Urbainia Spaces says, “Though we understand the stance taken by the RBI, we still feel that real estate sector needed announcements that could have an immediate impact on delivery and sales. Now, the need is that RBI should ensure that the past announcement should get implemented with earnest. The sector has yet to see the major impact of those announcements. We hope the individual banks will take necessary steps and keep the real estate sector in their priority lending list.”

Realtors say that buyers are now back, and the sector will now depend on the delivery of the projects to instill more confidence in the market. Harvinder Singh Sikka, MD, Sikka Group, says, “We were following the various reports, and were ready for the status quo of the RBI. We feel that the sector, which contributes towards the economic growth of the country, should get special attention. The RBI should ensure that banks extend lending support to the sector.”

Dhiraj Bora, Head-Marketing and Communication, Paramount Group, adds, “We should praise the RBI for extending a helping hand to the real estate sector as it has taken care of the interest of buyers and developer in the last few announcements. Till the next announcement, the sector has to work on deliveries and employing marketing tools that can augment the increased demand.”

News

350 tribal artisans to be handpicked under ASSOCHAM TEDP program

Dec 4, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Arjun Munda, #ASSOCHAM, #Dr Niranjan Hiranandani, #Honourable Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, #President

New Delhi: With an aim to uplift the tribal community and instill the idea of entrepreneurship, the national industry body-The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India in association with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has kick-started their ‘Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Programme (TEDP), with a target to identify at least 350 tribal artists and help them expand their enterprises before 31st December 2020.
The tribal community comprises nearly 8 percent of India’s population. The central government initiated the program to get the tribal communities in the mainstream, leverage their strength, and to help them contribute to the process of Nation building. This is in line with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan announced by the central government to initiate self-sustenance and would help in creating employment-generating opportunities for the tribal community.

Shri. Arjun Munda, Honourable Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Government of India stated that there is a huge amount of ignorance about the tribal heritage and products. “Skill development and training is the need of the hour, so as to make them confident, self-reliant, financially independent and to develop and build resilience in them,” he said.

The minister explained that the program designed to develop entrepreneurial skills in tribal artisans by the ASSOCHAM is a kind of value proposition that they were looking at. “Hopefully, it will alter the path towards growth and inclusiveness for the tribal community in the country,” he said.

The program would identify artisans engaged into segments like Tribal Textiles, Paintings and Wall art, Superfoods, Traditional Medicinal Plants and Products, and Forest Produce. The artisans would be selected for the program from all across the country.

Each selected one amongst the tribes’ pan-India will be assessed and the training module will be designed on the basis of this assessment. The training will be aimed at improving the skillset based on the area of their expertise and developing new designs for their products as per market demand. Skills such as how to market their products on various platforms, how to maintain checks and balances, better accounting practices for managing finances would be taught and emphasized upon.

Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani, President, ASSOCHAM said that the program will ensure that no one remains without the opportunity to progress and grow. “To support India’s vision of becoming Aatmanirbhar, the ‘Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Programme’ would try and optimize the contribution of tribal community to the growing economy of our country,” he said. The training that will be given at the CoE will make sure that the potential of approximately 8 percent of our population must be fully developed and leveraged,” added Dr. Hiranandani.

Mr. Deepak Sood, Secretary-General, ASSOCHAM, said that there are several challenges and bottlenecks that inhibit the growth process of creating self-sustainable enterprises. “These artisans face challenges such as lack of financial linkage and market access. At the center, we are trying to explore avenues of propelling the process and creation of robust tribal brand identity and in the process – build and enhance the entrepreneurial capabilities of the tribal artisans,” he explained.

The program is a sustained multi-stakeholder, multi-institutional collaborative initiative by the apex industry body ASSOCHAM to address the needs and to work for the upliftment of the tribal communities in the country.

Business World

Junoon – vocational training and job platform to help blue-collar workers

Dec 4, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Ahaan Aggarwal, #Founder & CEO, #Junoon

Gurugram: To help out the Indian economy get back on a growth path, Junoon, founded by a 17-year-old entrepreneur Ahaan Aggarwal, is a vocational training and Jobs search platform.

that is focused to upskill the unskilGurugramled and semi-skilled blue-collar workers in India.

During the pandemic, over 360 million informal jobs were impacted in India, resulting in an unemployment rate of over 23.5%. Junoon also released a research report on the informal jobs sector, that further talks about the eradication of livelihoods, and lack of training and opportunities to upskill for the 500 million labour force in India. Over 93% of the workers in this segment, had never received any vocational training.

To solve this problem, Ahaan Aggarwal conceptualized and developed Junoon which not only provides rich training and upskilling programs to workers in over 20 categories but also supports them in finding a sustainable livelihood as per their improved proficiency. The training programs come in both text and video format and, also incorporates an AI based algorithm to match the employer with the right set of skilled candidates.

Junoon has also raised seed round from reputed investors like Kunal Khattar, Sandeep Aggarwal, Chaim Freidman, Viren Rana and Vishesh Tandon. The deal size and company valuation are undisclosed, and the round is led by Kunal Khattar of AdvantEdge and Tech Entrepreneur and Investor Viren Rana.

Speaking on the opportunity Ahaan Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Junoon affirmed “India is the home for the largest number of blue collared workers in the world. During the lockdown, most of us normalized work-from-home very quickly, I could see that its wasn’t the same for the large majority of unskilled workers across the country. The mass exodus from the urban areas due to extinguished opportunities was horrifying on multiple aspects.

I created Junoon to support our workers to come back to the job market by being better trained and give them the ability to easily find opportunities. In many ways, we are creating digital community colleges for vocational training and placements. We are supported in this endeavor by corporates, individuals and government branches – and would like to invite more to work with us on this life and economy changing initiative.”

At junoon, we are creating digital community colleges for vocational training and placements. Currently, over 1500 people registered for the training. Also, 50+ Employers registered who created profile and started posting jobs. We have got 400+ jobs in 11 categories and requirements coming from 9 cities.