Archive: February 26, 2021

Business World

FarmERP bags spot as one of the top 3 finalists in ‘Innovation in AgTech’ category of Aegis Graham Bell Awards

Feb 26, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #and Co-Founder of FarmERP, #CEO and Co-Founder of FarmERP, #COO, #Sanjay Borkar, #Santosh Shinde

The Jury of the 11th Aegis Graham Bell Awards (AGBA) along with the Ministry of Electronics & IT, NITI Aayog, Skill India, National Informatics Centres Service & Maharashtra State Innovation Society has selected FarmERP to be one of the top three finalists of the 11th edition of the awards.

The Aegis Graham Bell Awards is a tribute to the father of innovation, Alexander Graham Bell. The Aegis School of Business, Data Science, and Cyber Security had initiated this award to promote innovations and recognize the outstanding contributions by various innovators in different fields of interest. This award is supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India; NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India is a policy think tank of the Government of India); Skill India (campaign launched by Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, the campaign is under Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship); National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated (NICSI), a Government of India enterprise.

The ‘Innovation in AgTech’ Category of these awards aims to motivate and recognize innovations in the field of Agriculture interspersed with Technology. These include, but are not restricted to, innovations in the field of Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Farm Management, End-to-End supply chain management, etc. The top finalists are selected based on the 5 critical comparisons of the innovation and jury decision matrix.

Founded in 1996, Shivrai Technologies was a tech firm that was the brainchild of two young first-generation entrepreneurs, Sanjay Borkar and Santosh Shinde. Owing to their agricultural background, a young Sanjay and Santosh passionately worked their way with a vision to revolutionize agriculture using Information Technology solutions, in a time when the amalgamation of agriculture with technology was unheard of. They incepted FarmERP as a technology platform more than a decade ago and have been ardently working towards its implementation in various streams coinciding with Agriculture & Agribusinesses.

Today with its presence deployed in 25+ countries globally, FarmERP aims to add 2 million agriculture stakeholders to their platform. It is best described as a ‘product’ or ‘platform’ which is a full-fledged and comprehensive technology platform and tool for agribusinesses assisting them in increasing their profitability and productivity. It caters to various domains within the Agricultural Value Chain and has multiple different uses. It is a product that can be
implemented at all stages within the value chain where its comprehensive nature comes
into play. FarmERP’s solutions cater to multiple sub-verticals like Contract Farming, Farm Management, Plantation and Farm, Biotech or Tissue Culture, R&D, Organic Farming, Greenhouse, Hydroponics, Floriculture, among a host of others, with stakeholders from Government Institutions, FPOs, and FPCs, Agribusinesses, Agriculture Consultants, etc.

The winners for the awards would be announced on 26th February 2021 in the form of a virtual event.

When asked for a comment, Sanjay Borkar, CEO and Co-Founder of FarmERP, said, “We are thrilled to be chosen as one of the finalists for the Aegis Graham Bell Awards. I want to thank the Jury of 11th Aegis Graham Bell Awards, along with the Ministry of Electronics & IT, NITI Aayog, Skill India, National Informatics Centres Service & Maharashtra State Innovation Society for considering us to be one of the 3 finalists.”

Santosh Shinde, COO, and Co-Founder of FarmERP added, “Sanjay and I are always on the lookout for new technology breakthroughs and innovations, and how they could be adapted and enhanced for the betterment of agriculture, and all the stakeholders involved in it. We want to wish and congratulate the other two finalists for their participation and innovation and look forward to the announcement of the winners.”

News

Ministry of Tribal Affairs trains Jharkhand tribal women to become truly `Aatmanirbhar’

Feb 26, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments

New Delhi: Under a joint initiative by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and the national industry body, ASSOCHAM, around 1000 tribal artisans from all across the country would be trained under the Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Programme

The training program for the tribal master trainers under the Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Program (TEDP) initiative has begun with 20 tribal artisans getting trained in Jharkhand. These master trainers would then be training the other tribal artisans.

Launched on February 2, this is a 21-day training program at Jharkhand, where the women are learning to professionally paint Khovar and Sohrai forms of paintings.

According to one of the trainers who have been identified to provide the training programs to paint professionally explains that most of the women artisans have never held a brush in their lives, but are well versed in the techniques of painting. “These tribal artisans used to paint pictures on the mud walls of their villages. In the workshop, we assess their painting capability and ensure that the same is replicated on handmade paper and fabric. These trainers can then train other talented artisans of their villages,” he said.

The trainer also explained that once the training is complete, these artisans can upskill their talent and the products that they are developing can be displayed and sold at newer markets using digital technology.

The initiative was formulated under a three-year project agreement through which apex industry body, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) would act as a Centre of Excellence for Tribal Entrepreneurship Development with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, to work for the upliftment of the tribal communities.

Khovar and Sohrai are well-known tribal art forms from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand and are recognized abroad as well. These are murals painted on mud walls. While Khovar is painted by married women during the marriage ceremony, Sohrai is associated with the harvest festival held on the next day of Diwali.

Women paint these murals on houses using broken combs, four fingers, used datuns (tooth sticks). The paintings are made using four natural earth colors – black (manganese), white (Kaolin), red ochre, and yellow ochre. These paintings received GI (geographical indication) tag from the Geographical Indications Registry, India in May 2020.

Of these 20 selected women artists for training, eight are from – Oraon, six are from Munda, and six are from Santhal tribes. And they belong to Dipugadha, Isco, Nano, and Lukaiya villages from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand. These villages have over 400 tribal households.

Jharkhand has a rich heritage of tribal art and abundant forest produce. The area is known for its Pitkar paintings, bamboo craft, stone craft, Dhokra craft and tribal jewelry, wooden craft, and musical instruments. The delicious and exotic produce like Rugra mushrooms, bamboo shoots, etc is popular organic products of the area. “We have begun the training program with the painting art form. Post this training program, we would also be providing training on other art forms as well,” says the trainer.

Business World

HAP begins commercial production at its new Maharashtra plant

Feb 26, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Chairman, #Hatsun Agro Product Ltd, #RG Chandramogan

Mumbai: Hatsun Agro Product Ltd. (HAP), a leading private sector dairy company in India, with brands ‘Arokya’, ‘Hatsun’, ‘Arun Icecreams’, “Ibaco” has announced commercial production at its newly set up modern greenfield dairy processing plant in Solapur, Maharashtra.

The plant is the 19th manufacturing location for HAP that has a network of plants in four states of Tamil Nadu, AP, Telangana and Karnataka. The fully automated dairy plant, one of the technologically superior plants in the country is set up in 72 acres land at a cost of 130 Crores in Solapur district in Maharashtra. The plant follows latest design philosophy and has specialized imported equipment from Germany to process 6 lakh litres milk per day (LLPD). The emphasis of the design is on employee safety, product hygiene and making products of finest quality. HAP has also set up a water pond inside the factory premises for harvesting rain water to the tune of 1.25 crore litres. This is a first in the region and the water saved can be fully treated and utilized for multiple purposes.

Hatsun Agro Products Ltd will manufacture Milk, Curd, Butter Milk, Chaas, Lassi, yoghurt and Shrikhand at the new plant. HAP will market them under prestigious household brand names – ‘Arokya’ and ‘Hatsun’. The total milk processing capacity of HAP now stands at 52.50 LLPD across all its manufacturing locations in 5 states.

HAP intends to manufacture a variety of products at this Solapur facility and will provide over 3,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities in the state. Additionally, the setting up of this plant will help onboard dairy farmers to the mainstream network and will boost income of over 75000 to 90000 dairy farmers in Maharashtra. HAP aims to provide greater support to farmers with access to the best technology, farm inputs, animal husbandry services, specialized cattle feed and direct credit to their bank accounts for their milk supply.

HAP has a robust logistics network for supply of dairy products pan-India. This plant provides logistic and strategic advantages to reach the doorstep of the customers in quick time. With the commencement of production at the facility, HAP further intends to expand its retail network through launch of more ‘HAP Daily’ outlets in various towns of Maharashtra & Goa.

Speaking on the same, RG Chandramogan, Chairman, Hatsun Agro Product Ltd, “HAP is glad to commence production in the state of Maharashtra. Maharashtra is a versatile state that offers excellent growth opportunities for the dairy industry and HAP envisages the plant to strengthen its foothold and provide a gateway of further growth in the western region. HAP’s strength is superior quality dairy products that are trusted by millions of Indian households. We see a robust demand for dairy products and we are glad to bring our quality dairy products to lakhs of households in Maharashtra. HAP stays ahead of the curve in terms of automation, quality & hygiene standards and always sets new benchmark for dairy products”

Business World, News

SPH Engineering, Velos Rotors partnership augments the first single rotor helicopter taking off, surveying

Feb 26, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Bart Zondag, #GeoInspect Founder

Riga, Latvia  – SPH Engineering announced that the Velos UAV helicopter has passed field tests to become the first single rotor helicopter supported by UgCS software. UgCS now enables Velos helicopter professionals to use Velos for photogrammetry and LiDAR drone surveying missions.

UgCS is now able to support the twin engine telemetry providing input for a UAV. The newly created Telemetry Viewer can handle extensive telemetry from such complex drones. This allows for optimal flying of the Velos helicopter, the safest UAV in its class, with a fully redundant twin-motor design and double key components.
UgCS makes piloting easier and safer, allowing for the control and monitoring of one or multiple Velos helicopters on a single mission in both single and multi-operator modes.

The field tests were initiated and conducted by Irish GeoInspect, the first company to use UgCS with its Velos helicopter. The new solution allows professionals to finetune projects, resulting in maximum performance and very high usability. One of the projects was a fully autonomous test flight with UgCS.

Bart Zondag, GeoInspect Founder, explains: “GeoInspect has been performing LiDAR surveys successfully with UgCS for many years. Having started with the M600 model, UgCS is now used to support single rotor UAVs. We have already delivered a Velos V2 with UgCS to one of our customers to the EU Nordics to perform LiDAR forestry
surveys”.

Business World, News

FarEye Appoints Suvrat Joshi as Chief Product Officer

Feb 26, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #CEO & Co-Founder, #Chief Product Officer, #FarEye, #Kushal Nahata, #Suvrat Joshi

Mumbai – Leading logistics SaaS platform, FarEye has announced the appointment of Suvrat Joshi as its Chief Product Officer (CPO). Based in Seattle, Suvrat brings with him over 20 years of experience of handling product leadership roles at Yahoo, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and most recently Dropbox. Suvrat will drive the product vision and accelerate FarEye’s global product expansion with key focus on the customer’s needs.

He has an MBA degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an MS in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York. Suvrat is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

“Suvrat is a product-visionary and has an impressive background with some of the biggest product organizations across the globe. I am excited to have him on board as the Chief Product Officer,” said Kushal Nahata, CEO & Co-founder, FarEye.“With his passion and talent, he is the right fit to be a part of our mission to make logistics better for everyone with a robust technology platform. The goal is to enrich lives globally and make a significant difference together” adds Nahata.

As FarEye continues to gain popularity and accelerates its expansion in the Americas and EMEA, the company is aiming to recruit and retain the best talent. FarEye recently announced that in order to capitalize on unprecedented demand from Retailers, Manufacturers, and Logistics & Transportation organizations for the company’s platform, the emerging SaaS unicorn will hire 100 technology professionals globally in 2021.

“I am a strong believer in the power of technology for building solutions that can solve the real-world problems,” said Suvrat Joshi, Chief Product Officer, FarEye. “Logistics forms the backbone of any economy and FarEye stands at the forefront – driving innovation in the industry by solving the complex challenges that cost the supply chain and logistics industry trillions of dollars. I am impressed with the team’s passion and energy to build this world-class product and excited about the opportunity ahead of us.”

Health, News

Egypt grants emergency use authorization for Sputnik V

Feb 26, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, #Kirill Dmitriev

Moscow – The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) announces the approval of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus by the Egyptian Drug Authority.

Egypt is the 35th country in the world to approve Sputnik V. It is also the most populated country in the Middle East with over 100 million people.

Egyptian Drug Authority has approved the vaccine under the emergency use authorization procedure.

Sputnik is one of the world’s top three coronavirus vaccines in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators.

Sputnik V had been approved earlier in Russia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, UAE, Iran, Republic of Guinea, Tunisia, Armenia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Republika Srpska (entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bahrain, Montenegro, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Gabon, San-Marino, Ghana, Syria, Kyrgyzstan and Guyana.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said, “Egypt is the most populated country of the Middle East and the decision of the Egyptian Drug Authority to include Sputnik V in the national vaccine portfolio demonstrates the appreciation of safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Sputnik V is now approved in 35 countries around the world and the number of registrations will keep increasing in coming weeks as the Russian vaccine is widely recognized as one of the best in the world.”

Sputnik V has a number of key advantages:

  • Efficacy of Sputnik V is 91.6% as confirmed by the data published in the Lancet, one of the world’s oldest and most respected medical journals; it is one of only three vaccines in the world with efficacy of over 90%; Sputnik V provides full protection against severe cases of COVID-19.
  • The Sputnik V vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years.
  • Sputnik V uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.
  • The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades.
  • The developers of the Sputnik V vaccine are working collaboratively with AstraZeneca on a joint clinical trial to improve the efficacy of AstraZeneca vaccine.
  • There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.
  • The storage temperature of Sputnik V at +2+8 C means it can be stored in a conventional refrigerator without any need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure.
Business World, News, Technology

Science & Technology Policy for National Development Needed for New India – Kulpati Prof P B Sharma at IITDAA

Feb 26, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Prof P B Sharma

New Delhi: At a time when human kind is barely coming out of the devastating impact of COVID-19 pandemic and the process for rejuvenating of nation’s economic fabric has begun, the need for thought leadership in casting a new vision for the Science, Technology & Innovation policy for nation’s developmentcannot be over emphasized, said Kulpati Prof P B Sharma while delivering his keynote address at the National Science Day Celebration, virtually organized by IIT-Delhi Alumni Association today.

“We need altogether a new perspective of science and to necessarily learn from nature, what I have often called the ‘Science of Nature’. The scientists of the world that includes India have so far focused on physical sciences and that too in a largely compartmentalized scientific research environment. It must however be realized that the science of nature, which may also be referred as the ‘Science of Creation’ or ‘Science of Life’ is infact, an integrated science and thus reorganizes inter-disciplinary nature of science that culminates into the Science of Nature as an integration of all sciences”, says Prof Sharma an eminent academician and a leading science and technology professional who has headed the Delhi Technological University as its founding Vice Chancellor and currently is the Vice Chancellor of Amity University Haryana (AUH).

Engineering and technology are interdisciplinary and often work together in giving rise to “convergent technologies”, such as the once that are utilized for the most modern hi-tech gadgets like smart phones, smart artificial intelligence powered robotics etc. The integrative nature of technologies needs to be given a renewed emphasis in the new science, technology & innovation policy that Government of India is embarking upon at the present time. We need new energy technologies to develop solar cells of 98% efficiency, a major departure from currently available solar cells of 18% to 20% in order to make India a leader in solar energy technologies. Likewise new water technologies are required to solve the monumental problem of highly polluted waste water that continues to destroy the rivers and water bodies in India. The same way new battery technologies are required to make electric cars both affordable as well as truly environmental friendly says, Prof Sharma who along with his teams at DCE/DTU had the honor of designing and developing the ‘First hybrid car of India’ (2005), ‘First Unarmed Aerial Vehicle’ (2006), ‘First Solar Passenger Car’ (2012) that had brought immense pride for Mother India. During his IIT days as a professor in mechanical engineering, Prof Sharma besides teaching for almost 12 years, had demonstrated exemplary innovative genius in designing and developing the first prototype of a contra rotating aero compressor that earned him a global repute.

At AUH too, Prof Sharma continues to mentor innovative teams of students and faculty and engage them in cutting edge innovations such as Gesture Controlled Bionic Arm, Mind to Mind Connectivity and Nano Particles Based Waste Water Treatment System that have bought immense visibility of AUH as a research & innovation driven university that has filed a number of high impact patents in the recent times during the last few years.
Theprogram was also addressed by Shri Ravindra Kumar, President IITDAA, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastava, National Coordinator I-STEM at IISc Bangalore. Dr Ejaz Ahmad of IIT Dhanbadand Dr Geetanjali Kashyap, Jt Secretary, IITDAA and was attended by a large number of IIT-Delhi alumni on the occasion of celebration of the discovery of Raman effect on 28th February, 1928 that marked the beginning of a more profound understanding of light and its intricate relationship with the science of nature.

Science and Technology Innovations do not require large sums of money nor highly sophisticated research infrastructure but require the high levels of innovative and imaginative power that India has in plenty in its 660 million young children of Mother India below the age of 25 years. As such great day are ahead for India’s innovative young and inspired students community. Let the new Science, Technology and Innovation policy of Govt. of India mark a radical departure in our approach to cultivation of Science, Technology and Innovation infinite, says Kulpati Prof P B Sharma, the Past President of Association of Indian Universities.

Business World, News

Gyan Dairy is eyeing aggressive expansion and growth through its product portfolio

Feb 26, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Gyan Dairy, #Mr. Venkataramani Santhanam, #Sales & Marketing, #VP

With a mission to deliver the purest and freshest dairy products to its consumers, Gyan Dairy, the Lucknow based dairy brand is bullish over expanding its markets and entering new regions.

Gyan Dairy has witnessed a sharp increase in the revenue from GHEE alone by 30% over the last year and is eyeing entering into eastern region. The brand is one of the most preferred and rapidly expanding fresh milk and dairy product brand in UP for 13 years that resonates with freshness and purity.

With their revenue-generating product, GHEE, the brand has given the product extensive retail push backed with wider visibility. The product is now available at new channels of modern trade and e-commerce (Flipkart,Amazon, bigbasket, easy day). Additionally, the brand is entering new markets with their product GHEE in Bihar, Jharkhand, parts of North East &West Bengal.

The strategy is to strengthen their presence and footprint grow gradually into new markets.

Commenting on the extension plan, Mr. Venkataramani Santhanam, VP, Sales & Marketing, Gyan Dairy, said, “Our expansion plan is very robust and we are aggressively moving eastwards, strategically entering Bihar, W. Bengal and North Eastern markets with our Desi Ghee and Cow Ghee. Our production plant at Gudamba, Lucknow is state of art production unit, having installed capacity 1000 tons per month. Our endeavor is to give the consumers a chance to try a wide range of quality ghee and our other dairy products”.

Gyan Desi Ghee is available in 3 types of packs- tetra, jar and tin while Gyan cow ghee is available in tetra packs of ½ and 1 ltr. All Gyan products are prepared and packaged in accordance with the highest standards of health and hygiene to ensure its freshness and most importantly, the safety of consumers.

The brand has witnessed a subsequent growth since its inception and has made a name for itself for fresh and pure dairy products. The seamless supply of fresh milk, product innovations and consumer centric services have all added up to the growing success of the brand. The products range boasts several USPs which altogether give it a distinct competitive edge over its counterparts. Ethically sourced from the farmers, Gyan Dairy products reaches from farm to table using advanced technology and it remains untouched by human hands even when it passes through multilevel quality checks. Such purity and freshness make the product range most favoured and a household name in UP.

Business World

5 brands to look up to in order to amplify your personality

Feb 26, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #BestifyMe, #Toastmasters International, #toothsi, #Udemy, #Urban Company
  1. toothsi – The perfect solution for your smile makeover. Brand the toothsi, established in November 2018, is India’s first and largest at-home smile makeover service, helps you transform your smile. The company offers personalized dental aligners that are invisible, flexible, and do not hamper the mouth movement. They follow an end-to-end, full-stack, customer-oriented model that manages all processes – including at home first scanning session, counseling, customised treatment plan, and video consultation. The aligners are manufactured – in-house. The brand toothsi aligners are up to 70% more affordable than most other teeth crowding, crossbite, etc. options available. Since its inception, toothsi has expanded its operational footprint to 7 cities across India, including Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, and Ahmedabad. It is one of the best options for you if you are conscious about your teeth gap and feel hesitant because of traditional braces, crossbite . Go for it and get that smile which will be a head turner.
  2. Udemy – Confidence is Sexy! If you are confident, you will always attract people towards you. If you feel that you are lacking confidence, it is the correct time to join any personality development classes which will help you build confidence and enhance your personality even better. Udemy is one of the most popular and trusted platforms for the same. They have a “Transform your confidence and self – esteem complete course” which will actually help you to develop a winning mindset wherever you go.
  3. Toastmasters International – The way you speak reflects your personality to a large extent. If you don’t have good public speaking skills, then you will certainly create a bad impression. Working on one’s speaking skill to boost up your personality is a must. There are many programs and classes available which helps you to improve your communication skills. Worldwide famous Toastmasters International is a great platform to evolve yourself and your public speaking skills. Speaking in an assertive manner adds on to your personality and you never know whom you will impress which will add a great impact in your life.
  4. Urban Company – Self grooming is very important. When you look good, it automatically boosts up your self confidence and intensifies your personality. It is very crucial to look presentable, especially in the corporate world. While most of the people are still resisting themselves to visit a Salon and groom themselves up, Urban Company brings an instant solution to your doorstep. Urban Company provides on demand quality home services to all their customers. All their professionals are well trained and have on job expertise. Urban Company is hence one of the best go to options for getting groomed at your own comfort and shine out in the crowd.
  5. BestifyMe – If you are willing to work on your personality and don’t know where to start with, the easiest way is to download a personality development app. BestifyMe is the one of the best self-improvement apps that you shouldn’t miss. This personality development app has been designed to improve your personality through tons of useful tips, training, skill-sharing, and quotes. The app includes a personality development training guide along with expert advice to help you in real life. It also comes with personal development tools, Inspirational quotes, and more. It also has easy to understand content for several personal development tools.
News

Sunil Gangopadhyay Memorial Award conferred on Buddhadev Guha and Sanjib Chattopadhyay

Feb 26, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Chairman of The Bengal and the Managing Director of Shree Cement Ltd, #H M Bangur

 Kolkata: The Sunil Gangopadhyay Memorial Award, initiated by The Bengal in 2013, was recently conferred on Buddhadev Guha and Sanjib Chattopadhyay for the years 2018 and 2019 respectively.

The prestigious Award for `Excellence in literature’ is dedicated to the late President of The Bengal, Sunil Gangopadhyay, and consists of a citation and a cash prize of Rs 2 lacs sponsored by Shree Cement Ltd. The Honourable Governor of West Bengal, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, sent a written message to the recipients.

Due to the Covid pandemic and in a break from the past, this year the Award was handed over to the recipients at their residences by eminent film director, Goutam Ghose, Working President of The Bengal and Soumitra Mitra, Cultural Advisor to The Bengal. The award function is usually held at the Raj Bhawan.

“It is a matter of great pride and honour to be associated with this prestigious Award and recognise, appreciate and honour exemplary work in the field of literature each year in Bengal,” said H M Bangur, Chairman of The Bengal and the Managing Director of Shree Cement Ltd.

The earlier recipients of the Sunil Gangopadhyay Award include Nirendranath Chakraborty (2013), Sankha Ghosh (2014), Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay (2015), Joy Goswami (2016) and Prafulla Roy (2017).

The Bengal is a Kolkata-based not-for-profit organisation that brings together eminent citizens, thought leaders and achievers to promote various social welfare and cultural activities. The organisation, spearheaded by culturist Sundeep Bhutoria, has leading personalities from the fields of fine arts, performing arts, sports, academia and industry as its members. To name a few, Hari Mohan Bangur, Jogen Chowdhury, Goutam Ghose, Bickram Ghosh, Md. Mansoor Alam, Usha Uthup, Dona Ganguly, Nayantara Palchoudhuri, Arindam Sil, Anandi Ghose, K Jaweed Yusuf, Anniruddha Roy Chowdhury, June Malliah, Agnimitra Paul, Esha Dutta and others.