Archive: October 15, 2022

Authentic Meghalaya Handicraft Expo at Nizamuddin, Delhi

New Delhi/15th October 2022 – A special Meghalaya handicrafts exhibition will be held at Sunder Nursery, Nizamuddin, National Zoological Park, in the city on 16th October. The exhibition has been organised by AROH Foundation in collaboration with The Earth Collective organic/natural lifestyle market.

Many Self-Help group women artisans from Meghalaya will be participating in this special one–day handicraft event. It provides underprivileged women artisans with a good platform to showcase their craftsmanship, sell handicraft products and make a decent sum of money.

The items include a range of bamboo crafts and home décor products comprising trays, plates, baskets, bangles, and stools, among others.

Dr. Neelam Gupta, Founder President & CEO of AROH foundation said, “The main purpose of the exhibition is to provide a market for Meghalaya handicraft products and ensure survival of these skilled underprivileged women artisans.”

The exhibition will start from 9 am to 2 pm.

Ayurveda Day celebrations in NMDC – Ayurveda for Mental Wellbeing

Hyderabad, 15 October 2022: Navratna PSE NMDC in association with Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual movement that originated in Hyderabad, organized a Talk on “Stress Management” at its Head Office in Hyderabad on Friday.

Participating in the Government’s ‘Har Din, Har Ghar Ayurveda’ initiative, a six-week long programme from September 12 to October 23, 2022, NMDC is organizing various programmes ensuring Jan Bhagidari at its Head Office and major Projects. Promoting ‘Ayurveda for Mental Health’, NMDC Head Office invited Sister B.K. Anitha from the Brahma Kumaris organization to deliver talk on “Stress Management” on Friday 14.10.2022.

Speaking on the occasion, Sister B.K. Anitha emphasized on the power of positivity in dealing with stressful situations and said, “One must face problems with an empathetic approach, mindful of other people’s journey as well. We need to appreciate the present and value ourselves in order to grow and lead a peaceful life.”

A session on Yoga and Pranayam for Mental well-being was also organized on 13th October 2022 in association with Namaste India Foundation. Shri Brijbhushan Purohit, President, Namaste Yoga Foundation delivered a lecture on Ayurveda for Mental well-being and demonstrated Yoga and Pranayam at Head Office, Hyderabad.

An essay writing competition on Ayurveda for Mental Wellbeing and benefits of Ayurveda was also conducted today on 15th October 2022 for employees, executives and apprentices at Head Office, Hyderabad.

COWE’s “PAU”SHE”TIK Cooking competition” finals to be held in the city tomorrow

Hyderabad, October 15, 2022…-The finals of the unique Cooking Contest called “PAU”SHE”TIK Cooking competition” will be held in the city on Sunday at the Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition at DD Colony, Vidyanagar in Hyderabad.

It is a two-month-long contest. The preliminary rounds of the competitions were held in four cities each of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Three toppers and five consolation prize winners of each city are selected to compete in the finals. On the whole, about 75 women winners of the preliminary rounds from various cities of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will vie for top honours.

It will have a workshop for the participants in the morning and afternoon. They have a live kitchen where they cook their food. The top winners will be given away prizes in a separate awards function to be held at Tourism Plaza on Monday.

It is a unique Cookery Contest with the purpose to spot rural women with entrepreneurial aspirations. The route chosen was a cookery contest. Through these contests, COWE and its partners tried to spot talent in rural women with entrepreneurial aspirations and subsequently, COWE will put in efforts to turn those rural women into food entrepreneurs.

The Hyderabad-based, home-grown national body of women entrepreneurs, the Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs of India (COWE) aims to turn 150 rural women into food entrepreneurs through their novel initiative called “PAU”SHE”TIK Cooking competition”, titled “Mera Swad Mera Swaasth”.

The contest is an initiative of COWE and the Hands in Hospitality Chef’s Association.

About 500 rural women participated in these contests. 35% of these women will be converted into women entrepreneurs, COWE informed.

Nickelodeon partners with Smile Foundation to celebrate Motu Patlu’s 10th birthday in Mumbai

National, 15th October 2022: In a decade, Motu Patlu, India’s most-loved kids entertainment show, has created an indelible mark in the hearts and screens of every household.  Inspired by the famous characters in Lotpot Comics, Motu Patlu are the awesome twosome of Nickelodeon. Being the first-ever Indian animated characters to have statues at Madame Tussauds, their popularity has been simply spectacular. Today, Motu Patlu enthrall kids with their hilarious antics and rib-tickling adventures across OTT platforms, games, and wide range of consumer products. Celebrating the ten years of every Indian household’s favorite duo, Nickelodeon – the leading kids’ entertainment franchise has gone all out to celebrate Motu Patlu’s 10th birthday. Smile Foundation, India’s most trusted NGO for underprivileged kids, joined to duo to celebrate their special day.

The birthday bash was an absolute riot of fun and games. Straight out of the television screens, Motu and Patlu engaged with the young kids with their silly antics while clicking a lot of selfies. The event witnessed Motu Patlu and the kids shaking a leg on the title track while some others also showcased their recitation skills. Making the day special was everyone and Motu Patlu’s favourite snack – Samosas! And because it was for their 10th birthday, the celebrations were taken to a whole new level. The highlight of the event was a gigantic pyramid, made of over 1000 samosas, which the kids and the volunteers totally gorged on along with loads of cake.

Mr. John Thattil, Vice President, Sustainability and Resources said, “We are happy that the children from this school Smile supports (SHED Primary School), have the opportunity to fulfil their dream of meeting Motu and Patlu and be a part of this milestone celebration. The show, thanks to Nickelodeon, has brought a smile on many a children’s face in the past 10 years. To add to it the parents and adults watching the show along with their children, also were able to Smile and forget their troubles for some time. Each episode of show, while being entertaining always had a very relevant message which was well received by the children. 

On behalf of Smile Foundation and its partner SHED Primary School we thank Nickelodeon for the joy they have bought to the children especially today by including them in this celebration and we wish Nickelodeon all the very best in continuing to put Smiles on more children’s faces through Motu Patlu!” 

The celebrations will continue across cities promising a week filled with fun activities.

Bank of Baroda signs MoU with the Indian Army for Agniveers

The MoU extends the Baroda Military Salary Package offerings to Agniveers recruited under the Agnipath Scheme

New Delhi, October 15, 2022: Bank of Baroda (Bank), one of India’s leading public sector banks, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army to extend the Baroda Military Salary Package to Agniveers recruited under the Agnipath Scheme. The MoU covers special benefits including enhanced free comprehensive Personal Accident Insurance Cover (PAI), attractive offers on Debit and Credit Cards and a host of other offers.

The ceremony for the exchange of MoUs was held at the Indian Army Headquarters, New Delhi. Lt. Gen. Bansi Ponappa, AVSM, VSM, Adjutant General of the Indian Army chaired the ceremony. The event was also attended by Lt. Gen. V Sreehari, SC, SM, DG (MP & PS); Major Gen. Ashok Singh, ADG PS and Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh Salaria, PVSM, VSM (Retd.), Chief Defence Banking Advisor, Bank of Baroda.

Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh Salaria, PVSM, VSM (Retd.), Chief Defence Banking Advisor, Bank of Baroda said, “We are proud to be associated with the Indian Army. Today, we are delighted to expand our collaboration by extending the benefits of the Baroda Military Salary Package to Agniveers. We promise to serve them with the best banking products and customer service, supported by state-of-the-art digital infrastructure and welcome them to the Bank of Baroda family.”

Benefits of the Baroda Military Salary Package for Agniveers*:

• Free Personal Accident Insurance Death Cover – On-duty up to ₹105 Lakh and Off-duty up to ₹90 Lakh

• Salary account cover: On-duty up to ₹75 Lakh and Off-duty up to ₹60 Lakh
• Additional PAI cover: ₹10 Lakh on RuPay Debit Card
• Additional PAI cover: ₹ 20 Lakh on Yoddha Credit Card

• Permanent Total Disability cover up to ₹60 Lakh
• Permanent Partial Disability cover up to ₹30 Lakh
• Air Accident Insurance Cover up to ₹100 Lakh
• Inclusion of death in active operations in PAI offerings
• Yoddha Credit Card with special offerings
• Baroda Radiance Premier Banking Programme extended to Gallantry Award Winners irrespective of relationship value
• Other benefits such as Unlimited free transactions at all Bank ATMs and waiver of issuance/ annual fee on Debit Card, 50% waiver on Locker Rentals, Free Remittances through all modes etc.

*Terms & Conditions Apply

Indian teams win off-track awards at Shell Eco-marathon Indonesia 2022

India, October 15, 2022 – Indonesia student teams won the most number of awards at the Shell Eco-marathon Indonesia 2022 competition, which came to a close on Saturday.

The five-day showcase of bright ideas and innovation saw 47 student teams from nine countries put their self-built energy-efficient cars to the test at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The competition was held in Indonesia for the first time, with student teams competing in two main categories: Prototype and UrbanConcept vehicles and three main energy sources per category.

A total of 23 awards were given for both on-track and off-track categories. Off-track prizes are given for the recognition of skills outside of the teams’ track performance.

The best mileage for Shell Eco-marathon Indonesia 2022 was achieved by Nakoela Team from Universitas Indonesia in the prototype, internal combustion engine (ICE) category at 905.2 kilometres per litre (km/l), which is equivalent to driving from Lombok to Semarang in Central Java.

Other winners include SEMAR PROTO UGM from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) with a result of 586.9 kilometres per kilowatts hour (km/kWh) in the battery-electric category, and Apatte Elang Perkasa Team 2 from Universitas Brawijaya with a result of 361.2 kilometres per cubic metres (km/m3) in the hydrogen fuel cell category.

For UrbanConcept, the best mileage record for the ICE category was 544.2 km/l by Garuda UNY Eco Team from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta in Indonesia.

Other winners include Arjuna team from Universitas Indonesia, with a result of 194.2 km/kWh in the battery-electric category, and TP ECO FLASH from Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore with a result of 137 km/m3 in the hydrogen fuel cell category.

“It’s been a fun, challenging and special experience to win the competition. We worked five hours every day, six days a week, for the whole year to prepare for this event,” said Adzim Mardiansjah, general manager of SEMAR PROTO UGM team, winner of the Prototype battery-electric category and first runner-up in the Urban Concept ICE category. “We’re happy that it paid off and we hope to achieve even greater things next year.”

The off-track competition crowned winners in five categories including travel safety, vehicle design for both Prototype and UrbanConcept, technical innovation, safety and Spirit of Shell Eco-marathon award. The winners include teams from Singapore, the Philippines, India and Indonesia.

Shell Eco-marathon Indonesia 2022 not only provides an opportunity for young people to showcase their talents in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), but also challenges them, especially at the student level around the world, to design and develop ultra-energy-efficient vehicles to realize the mobility of a smarter and more sustainable future.

Norman Koch, global general manager of Shell Eco-marathon said, “These students have worked tirelessly to develop sustainable and cleaner energy solutions to tackle the energy challenges we face today. Through Shell Eco-marathon, it was great to see students pushing their design, technology and engineering skills to the limit, both on and off the track, to cross the finish line.”

Shell Eco-marathon Indonesia 2022

Final Awards

Off-track awards

UrbanConcept

Internal Combustion Engine Award

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Award

Battery-Electric Award

Prototype

Internal Combustion Engine Award

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Award

Battery-Electric Award

NXTDIGITAL launches “ONEDigital” – it’s premier integrated offering

Bangalore, 15th October 2022: NXT DIGITAL Ltd., the media and communications vertical of the global Hinduja Group announced the launch of “one digital” – its premier integrated offering today. The bespoke solution for customers offers a myriad of digital services ranging from broadband, digital TV, OTT, and Voice/Intercom to WIFI and CCTV. Whilst broadband packages start from just 10Mbps and go all the way to 1Gbps, the TV solution gives customers up to 650 TV channels in Standard & High Definition. ONEDigital gives customers access to over 300,000 hours of OTT content on any device – from leading international and regional platforms.

With the VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solution from its partners, customers can have a personalized landline number and still be contactable over an IP or telecom network anywhere in the country. As part of the solution, ONEDigital can provide Wi-Fi-enabled internet access in common areas and CCTV solutions, customized for individual customers.

Speaking at the launch of ONEDigital at SCAT 2022 in Mumbai earlier today, Sanjeev Agarwal, Chief Operating Officer at OneOTT Intertainment, the broadband subsidiary of NXT DIGITAL and Project Lead for ONEDigital said “Consumer preferences are radically changing in the way they not only consume but also access and engage digital services at home or at work. ONEDigital has been designed specifically based on that premise – to give customers access to all digital solutions for their home and office through a single business conduit – facilitating true digital convergence and much-needed convenience. The USP is is a bespoke end-to-end solution and can be tailored based on a customer’s specific needs – whether for a home or a small, medium, or large business. This is the start and we will, of course, continue to add more products to the one digital portfolio over time”.

The company also unveiled it’s soon-to-be-launched OTT content aggregator app – giving customers access to OTT content from leading international and regional platforms. The app, to be available online shortly, will give customers access to over 300,000 hours of global and local content initially and will pave the way for education, gaming, and other apps to be integrated within the solution.

The company has already built an ecosystem of partners for providing quality VOIP and CCTV hardware and software solutions. In parallel, NXT DIGITAL has initiated training of its digital franchisees across its TV and broadband businesses to support customer needs – from pre-sales and installation to service support and troubleshooting. OneDigital is being rolled out in Mumbai initially and will be launched in other key cities by the end of the year.

Adds NK Rouse, Chief Operating Officer at NXT DIGITAL, “We have over the years built a robust infrastructure, a strong subscriber base, and a national network of franchisees, all backed by best-in-class technology including our HITS platform and our award-winning NXTHUBs. one digital and NXTPLAY are extensions of our solutions portfolio, focusing on emerging technologies and the need to develop solutions with an eye on the future. We have also commenced training our franchisee partners to make the paradigm shift to Digital Solutions Providers, ready for the next decade of growth that will also include Broadband over Satellite.”

NXT DIGITAL will look to offer the ONEDigital solution at its award-winning and owned-and-operated NXTHUBs, which crossed 100 locations last month and already offer digital TV, broadband, and OTT solutions in most locations. In markets where terrestrial connectivity may be a challenge, NXT DIGITAL is looking to harness the power of its scheduled broadband-over-satellite service to complement the solution.

Photopolymer film for next-generation AR displays

Bayfol® HX is used in Sony’s prototype 360-degree holographic display

The Bayfol® HX photopolymer film of Covestro helps the R&D of Sony Group Corporation to realize the prototype of a transparent display. This display delivers novel and fascinating visual experiences, as the images holographically generated within it appear to float freely in a transparent cylindrical column. Viewers can walk around the 360-degree display and look at the displayed image from all angles. Since the holographically evoked image is very bright – but the display is transparent at the same time – the image and background merge almost seamlessly. In the spirit of the augmented reality (AR) system, this transparent 360° holographic display expands reality. Because whatever is displayed in it seems to actually be there for the observer. Covestro is presenting this application of Bayfol® HX at the K 2022 plastics trade fair, which will be held in Düsseldorf from October 19 to 26.

Bayfol® HX consists of a transparent film as a substrate and a photoreactive layer that is optimized for specific customer requirements. Bayfol® HX gives designers the greatest possible design freedom. For example, it is flexible enough to be bent – as in the Sony application – so that it can completely enclose a cylinder. It has tailor-made optical properties to produce high-quality holographic images. Both the very high transparency of the photopolymer film and the image brightness it enables were key factors in Sony’s decision to use Bayfol® HX for its development project.

“We spent a long time looking for the right material to realize our idea,” said Sony’s Yutaka Imai. The R&D General manager continues, “The project showed that Bayfol® HX has excellent performance for AR applications.” It is imaginable that the prototype display technology will be used, for example, in museum showrooms and corporate presentation rooms – or in the home, for example, to accompany the music with 360-degree videos.

“We are pleased that digital image information can now be presented floating in space rather than just presented in a frame, as it were, thanks to Bayfol® HX and Sony’s innovative screen concept. In addition to automotive head-up displays (HUD) and head-mounted displays (HMD), this is another extremely promising AR application for our holographic films,” says Yuen-Ling Lok, Head of Commercial Operations Holographic Light guiding at Covestro.

On Global Handwashing Day, Sesame Workshop India to start hand hygiene campaign in partnership with the Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition (HBCC)

Hyderabad: October 15: Today on Global Handwashing Day, Sesame Workshop India, the non-profit educational media organization behind Sesame Street, is launching a campaign with support from the Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition, a collaboration between Unilever and the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), to drive awareness of good hygiene & disease prevention practices. The multi-media campaign supports the Global Handwashing Day theme of “H is for Handwashing”.

As part of the campaign, Sesame Workshop India has developed simple yet engaging online resources like videos, posters, and e-books in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, and Tamil. The materials will reach families via social media, YouTube, radio, and through direct services in communities. A new Hindi version of the Sesame Street “H for Handwashing” innovative digital games, originally supported by soap brand Lifebuoy will also be distributed in schools. At the heart of the campaign are the colorful, beloved Sesame Muppets, who model positive health and hygiene behaviors for young children and families.

The Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition (HBCC) was formed in 2020 by Unilever and the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). It was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to limit the spread of the virus in low and middle-income countries and has reached over 1 billion people with lifesaving behavior-change messaging, hygiene products, and access to training and education. Sesame Workshop, the parent organization of Sesame Workshop India, joined the HBCC coalition to support the physical and mental health of children and families amid the pandemic.

Talking about the organization’s work with children in the space of health and hygiene, Sonali Khan, Managing Director, of Sesame Workshop India said “Our goal is to promote hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and practices among children and families and meet the developmental needs of children. Through the Hygiene Behaviour Change Coalition, we’re scaling our efforts to reach more children and families with critical health and hygiene knowledge.”

The huge scope and the deployment of the HBCC program would not have been possible without the close collaboration of the public and private sectors. Unilever’s partnership with the FCDO, supported by academic experts in behavior change and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), represents the UK’s largest public-private partnership established to help slow the spread of the virus in vulnerable countries. The FCDO was well positioned to respond quickly through its network of embassies and high commissions, as well as existing partnerships. With resources and expertise in humanitarian program delivery, they could help to rapidly deploy a global program. Coupled with Unilever’s long history of promoting health hygiene practices and expertise in mass media and campaign delivery, this was an effective partnership to reach the lives of young children through Sesame Workshop India.

Over the last 16 years, Sesame Workshop India has been reaching children and families via community initiatives, the Doordarshan network on TV and YouTube, and other social media channels to have a measurable impact on the overall health and development of children.

AirAsia India commemorates the 90th anniversary of JRD Tata’s first commercial flight

National, 15th October 2022: AirAsia India is celebrating the 90th anniversary of JRD Tata’s first commercial flight by hosting a series of digital, on-ground, and in-flight engagement activities. An ardent aviator, JRD Tata was the longest-serving chairman of the Tata group and is regarded as the father of civil aviation in India. In addition to being a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, he was also conferred the rank of honorary Air Vice Marshal of the Indian Air Force.

JRD Tata piloted the inaugural flight of Tata Air Services, from Karachi to Bombay via Ahmedabad on 15th October 1932, in a single-engine de Havilland Puss Moth, paving the path for civil aviation in India. The inaugural flight is commemorated in the livery commissioned by AirAsia India on its aircraft VT-JRT, dubbed “The Pioneer”.

AirAsia India announced the engagement activities through its social media handles, including the ‘#SpotThePioneer’ contest. Participants stand a chance to win a free flight by sharing original photos of ‘The Pioneer’ aircraft on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, tagging @AirAsiaIndia, and using the hashtag #SpotThePioneer.

The airline is giving themed postcards to flyers, inviting them to write to their loved ones, and undertaking to mail the postcards on behalf of its guests, commemorating the airmail carried by JRD Tata on the inaugural flight. The postcard design pays tribute to JRD’s love for writing (he wrote over 40,000 letters in his lifetime), with an image from the Tata Central Archives of JRD at his writing desk and features the 90th-anniversary logo and the custom font “Jeh”, inspired by his flourishing handwriting.

Guests can also win exclusive merchandise by solving themed ‘Journey of Jeh’ crossword puzzles, using the hashtag #FlyLikeAPioneer and tagging @AirAsiaIndia. To mark the 90th anniversary of the pioneering flight, boarding passes issued on the anniversary also features the 90th-anniversary logo and ‘Jeh’ font while pilots will be paying tribute through announcements to the first licensed commercial pilot in India and the man who gave wings to the nation