Archive: October 1, 2022

PFRDA to observe NPS Diwas on Oct 1

Hyderabad, 30th September 2022- The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has kick started a campaign under ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. The Pension Regulator will be observing 1st October as the National Pension System Diwas (NPS Diwas) to promote pension and retirement planning among the citizens of India, and enjoy financial independence post retirement. PFRDA is promoting this campaign on its social media platforms.

The pension regulator aims to encourage every citizen (working professionals and self-employed professionals) to plan towards creating a pension corpus to ensure for onself a financially sound future after retirement. NPS subscribers will enjoy the benefits of tax deduction on contribution, power of compounding and reap the benefits of regular income after retirement.

PFRDA Chairperson Shri Supratim Bandyopadhyay said: “We are happy to continue our celebration of October 1st as “NPS Diwas – A Day for Pension Planning”. Through this campaign, we reiterate our commitment towards creating awareness about pension planning among the public. As a regulatory body, our foremost aim is to cover all eligible citizens under a pension scheme to fulfil the vision of a pensioned society for India.”

As on 24th September, 2022, total number of subscribers under NPS is 571.86 lakhs (5.72 crores) and total Assets Under Management (AUM) is 7,99,467 crore (7.99 trillion).

Gillco Group celebrates Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Ji Diwas

Gillco International School in Kharar organised a cultural event in memory of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Ji. The Gillconians got an opportunity to participate in a cultural event organised by Municipal Corporation, where they presented a patriotic medley to pay tribute to the brave soul. The event was sponsored by Gillco Group, taking yet another initiative to contribute their bit to society.

“They may kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas. They can crush my body, but they will not be able to crush my spirit.” To celebrate the spirit and resonance of these marvellous words by Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Ji, Gillco International School celebrates the birth anniversary with full enthusiasm and respect by MC Kharar. They received a memento as a token of appreciation for their performance. This was followed by a warm and heart-touching celebration at school where all the staff members bowed their heads in reverence and remembered the prodigious thoughts of the legend.

MS. Ruchi Sharma, Principal, Gillco International School, congratulated the students and added that Bhagat Singh’s personality attracted youth as an ideal leader and a hero. He had envisioned a post-independence society sans any difference and discrimination, where every citizen has an equal opportunity to grow. She commented that it is the need of the hour to make the youth aware of his sacrifices and his vision and encourage them to extract the ideals from his life and lead an honest and respectful life ahead.

Sitaram Yechury, National General Secretary, CPI(M) unveils statue of Former Union Cabinet Minister Sri S. Jaipal Reddy at Madgul, his native place

Hyderabad/ Madgul Village, September 30, 2022…. Sitaram Yechury, National General Secretary, CPI(M) unveils statue of Former Union Cabinet Minister Sri S. Jaipal Reddy at Madgul, his native place in Ranga Reddy District.

Jaipal Reddy was a man of good democratic values: Sitaram Yechury

Four strong pillars of democracy are under attack in India today: Sitaram Yechury

Jaipal Reddy was the best Parliamentarian awardee in his lifetime and a well known politicians from Telangana.

In his living memory a Statue was unveiled on Friday morning. Jaipal Reddy’s wife Lakshmi, Daughter Aruna, Sons Arvind and Anand graced the occasion.

The unveiling function was organised by S. Jaipal Reddy Statue Unveiling Committee, Madgul Mandal, Ranga Reddy District.

Shri Sitaram Yechury, National General Secretary, CPI(M) was the Chief Guest.

Followed by the unveiling of the Statue, a public meeting was held at Vasavi Function Hall, in the Madgul village.

Speaking on the occasion Sitaram Yechury said his association with Mr Reddy was three decades old. He was a man of good democratic values. But unfortunately those values are deteriorating in the current politics.

Today the four strong pillars of democracy are under attack now a days, the constitution of India guarantees equality to all the citizens of this great nation. But is that practiced and ensured he asked his audience.

Recalling his long term Association Mr Yechury said his demise was a great loss to the nation.

R. Subhash Reddy, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India was the special guest.

Speaking on the occasion Justice Subhash Reddy recalled that Jaipal Reddy was a principled politicians. He had lot of conviction. He was a politician of good integrity. Further he said politics doesn’t mean a money making system. It is a service.

Shri A. Revanth Reddy President of TPCC and Member of Parliament said political leaders are least respected soon after they loose power, but Jaipal Reddy is admired, followed and respected irrespective party lines and ideologies even long after he left us. It is a true reflection of his leadership skills.

He assured 2000 plus gathering that he would take up the matter with Hyderabad Metro to name after Shri S. Jaipal Reddy. It was during his tenure as Union Urban Development Minister Hyderabad Metro was sanctioned. He sought one year time to take up the matter.

G. Sukhender Reddy Chairman, Telangana Legislative Council said they shared good working relationship in the Parliament. He was a staunch supporter of Telangana moment.

The other distinguished Guests who graced unveiling function include Dr. M. Jagannath, Special Representative, Government of Telangana, Delhi; P. Ramulu, Members of Parliament, Lok Sabha; Shri Syed Aziz Pasha, Former Members of Parliament; Shri G. Jaipal Yadav, MLA, Kalvakurthy; Shri Mallu Ravi, Former Member of Parliament; Shri R. Krishnaiah Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Shri K. Narayana Reddy Member of Legislative Council; T. Achari Former Member, National Backward Classes; Sri C. Vamsi Chand Reddy EX. M.L.A. and Secretary ( AICC) and others will grace.

A brochure highlighting important milestones of his journey, his philosophy etc was launched on the occasion

S. Jaipal Reddy was one of the strongest proponents of Democracy.

Reddy was an elected representative for nearly 50 years and for his contribution to the discussions in Parliament earned him, “The Outstanding Parliamentarian Award, 1998”.

M3M Foundation’s Payal Kanodia Honoured with The Mahatma Award 2022 for CSR Excellence

New Delhi, 1st October 2022: Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee, M3M Foundation, has been honoured with The Mahatma Award 2022 for her exemplary leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and her unwavering efforts to help the unprivileged through M3M Foundation.

A grand award ceremony was held at the India International Centre, New Delhi on October 1, where all the awardees were felicitated. There were over 1900 nominations for the Mahatma Award and 90 award winners in different categories.

The award was presented by the Chief Guest of the event Prof. Dr. Sankar Kumar Sanyal, President, Harijan Sevak Sangh, founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1932. The event was also attended by Padma Bhushan Smt. Rajashree Birla (Chairperson, Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiative and Rural Development); Guest of Honour Ms Radhika Bharat Ram, who is the Jt. Vice Chairperson, Shri Ram Schools, and Founder, KARM Fellowship); and Mr. Amit Sachdeva, Social Entrepreneur and Founder, Mahatma Award.

As a leader in CSR initiatives, M3M Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the M3M Group, has always made a positive impact on society. Over the years, it has been working closely with the Government of India to develop, implement, and scale up its social welfare programmes. Through its community service programmes in education, health, sports, disaster management, and environmental protection, the Foundation creates a sense of value and empowerment for people from underprivileged communities.

Upon receiving the prestigious award, Dr. Kanodia said, “The honour has both humbled and inspired me. My sincere thanks go out to Rajashri Birla Ji and the Aditya Birla Group for this kind gesture. This achievement will remind me of my responsibility towards society for the rest of my life.”

She added, “This prestigious award is also a fitting recognition and validation of the incredible work M3M Foundation does to impact society positively. I am equally thankful to the M3M Foundation for providing me with the right platform to connect with the needy and underserved communities. I also owe this honour to my team members and their dedication to CSR. We have been acknowledged and honoured for our collective efforts.”

The Mahatma Award is an initiative supported by Rajashri Birla Ji and The Aditya Birla Group to recognise and honour individuals, organisations, and their compelling work. It cherishes impact leaders and change-makers worldwide who make a social impact and headway to a sustainable future. It also honours the most proficient sustainable, responsible social efforts and initiatives in the private, public, and development sectors.

Dr. Kiran Bedi (Social Impact Leader), Dr. Narendra Kumar Baldota (Baldota Group), Sh. Yogendra Yadav, (Social Activist), Dr. Raja Reddy and Dr. Radha Reddy (Indian Heritage and Culture promotor), Dr. Dhananjay Sarnath (Cancer Care), Dr. Purushottam Aggarwal (Famous Writer), Dr. V.K Raju (Eye Foundation of America) along with the organisations like Minda Group, Tech Mahindra, Aga Khan Foundation, AIIMS- Uttarakhand, Dabur India Limited, India Vision Foundation, Sterlite technologies, BALCO, Bharat Petroleum, Johnson and Johnson, The Moody’s Foundation, TCS and TATA Power-Delhi are some of the other recipients of Mahatma Award this year.

Since its inception, the Mahatma Award has honoured more than 325 change-making organizations and impact leaders across various categories and sectors. Some of the notable past recipients are Google Ad Grants, IBM Foundation, Twitter for Good, Microsoft Philanthropy, Piramal Foundation, ITC, L&T Technologies, Capgemini, Save the Children, Vodafone Americas Foundation, Feeding America, Hague Business Agency, Industrialist Ratan Tata – TATA Group, Rajashree Birla – Aditya Birla Group, Azim Premji – Wipro, Manish Sisodia, Deputy CM of Delhi, Shabana Azmi – Indian Actress and Social Worker, Rakhshanda Jalil – Author and Literary Historian, Bindeshwar Pathak – Sulabh International, Plan International, UNICEF, UNDP and many other Organizations and Individuals.

PESU Venture Labs invests in 21 start-ups chosen by angels at Aarambh

01, October 2022, Bengaluru: PesuVentureLabs (a venture created in partnership with CoCreate Ventures and PES University) invests up to 200K$ in 21start-ups selected at Aarambh. Aarambh, Festival of Funding Student Start-ups where 20 shortlisted start-ups presented a 90-sec elevator pitch in front of 250_ angels. Pesu VEnture Labs invests in venture-scale ideas by brilliant students. The start-ups that were funded include startups namely, Zeru, BAE, Board Games, Duonut, Carpet Areas, Data Nominee, Decisive, Golocal, Laszo, Meerkat, Sustify, Testbuddy, GoImpact, Primasvar, Realyze, SaniHue, SmartChakra, Subspace, Treasure, and Wellverse.

PESU Venture Labs (PVL) was set up in 2021, as a concept stage fund, and has invested in deep tech startups across sectors like weather tech, ed tech, cyber security, crypto, and pet wellness. This initiative has proved that interesting and scalable startups can emerge from Indian Universities. Aarambh is an effort to democratise the whole selection process of funding and increase the number of people who can engage with the students and build a better ecosystem. This whole idea was conceptualised so that a lot more people get to interact with the bright entrepreneurs and become part of an ecosystem that will go tomorrow and will scale to new heights.

Suresh Narasimha, Managing Partner, CoCreate Ventures said, ” Aarambh, is a great opportunity for angels & VCs to look at funding student entrepreneurs. They will have the opportunity to retain their rights to invest when they are comfortable in terms of idea & the entrepreneur. This also helps us to bring more transparency into our selection considering the large scale of our operations”.

Jawahar Doreswamy, Pro-Chancellor, PESU said, “PES provides a platform for our students to take up entrepreneurship while they are still on campus. Potential Investors participating in the selection process at ‘Aarambh’ brings credibility to the idea our students have”.

The unique aspect of Aarambh definitely lies in the selection process. Investors have an early insight into the start-ups and participate in the decision-making, without having the commitment to invest right now. They can follow the company and its progress for a period of time and then decide to follow on with CoCreate in the next round.

With PESU Venture Labs and CoCreate, have already invested in Startups like Fond, Frizzle, Greenifly, Assert, Seminar room, Physifit, Language Station, TeaminUp, Abhaya, and Consuma amongst others

Introducing millennials to capital markets and building a community of smart investors

There is a significant gap in equity investments in the country compared to the total population. Currently nearly 7% of India’s population has access to equity markets, as against over 14% in China and 65% in USA. With approximately 65% of India’s population residing in non-urban areas, which is largely under penetrated, this forms a large addressable market. This gap can be reduced through active participation of people investing in different asset classes.

In the past few years, the Indian stock market has been buzzing with investments from a wide range of investors. One standout feature of a relatively rapid influx of investors in the stock market investments is the role played by millennials. In the calendar year 2020, Demat accounts in India increased by more than 10 million. Young investors primarily drive the rise in investor accounts.

The overall increased interest of millennials in equity investing can deepen India’s capital markets, as this new cohort diversifies their investment avenues from the conventional low risk, low return yielding assets. With advanced technologies, new-age stock broking companies are building a community of smart investors. Below are the critical factors which are aiding and accelerating community of smart investors:

Millennials are receptive to new-age technologies

In the fintech revolution era, asset management, investments, security analysis and portfolio diversification can be carried out with the help of advanced and sophisticated apps controlled from a smartphone. Due to the receptive nature of millennials towards latest technologies, they have found innovative ways to make their investments work and grow over time at a better rate as compared to their risk-free assets.

Millennials make investment decisions on credible information

Rather than relying on tips, millennials seek credibility of information before making an investment decision. With the availability of sophisticated tools (provided by new age brokerage houses) that offer easy access to fundamental and technical analysis, the overall process of investment decision-making has become faster and more reliable than ever.

The quality of investment services has improved significantly

The entire process of stock market investments has undergone a 360-degree change in the past decade. AI and Blockchain have opened a lot of avenues to improve trading eco-system such as faster settlements, real-time monitoring, improved insights, and enhanced security measures.  In addition, transparency of operations adopted by brokers have ensured that the best quality of services is offered to their clients. It builds greater level of trust with the new age investor.

Research and data related to markets, companies, and stocks is more accessible than ever

The overall availability and quality of information and research have increased at an unprecedented rate due to analytics. Millennials now have unrestricted access to primary and technical analysis and interpretation of such information. Furthermore, a number of third-party services like 1) smallcase: a pre-defined basket of stocks, 2) streak: simplified technical analysis, 3) sensibull: simplified option trading, are now integrated by brokerage houses and offered to the clients to improve their entire stock trading experience.

Overall environmental (economic) impact

The low-interest rate regime, coupled with positive sentiments with respect to the economy’s performance in the long run, is driving the highly-optimistic millennial investors. This class of investors believe in the fundamentals of the Indian economy and have a relatively long-term approach toward stock market investments. Even though there are uncertainties and volatility in the market, millennials can use a wide range of tech-enabled risk management tools to manage such risk.

Summing up 

Millions of millennials are piling investments in Indian stock markets through different instruments. This class of investors is far more educated, and better understand the volatility in equity investing. They are eager to further enhance their intellect about the market and make the best use of available technologies for retrieving credible information to make an investment decision. This community of smart investors in the country is expected to positively consolidate the situation of retail investors and create an entire generation of new-age investors with no scepticism towards stock market investments.

Planetary Wellbeing for All: AyurMa at Four Seasons

Extending heartfelt care to the world, AyurMa’s online complimentary Live Stream Yoga – accessible via http://www.ayurma.life/live-yoga – enables anyone across the globe to tune in for 30 minutes every day at 07:30 GMT for a gently energizing class set to soothing island sounds and the Maldives’ restorative beauty.

In addition, private 60-minute Yoga Connection Classes are also bookable via the website daily, anywhere in the world. A great way to connect or re-connect with loved ones and friends, anyone who books a class can invite another person to join for free.

The website also features a video library with complimentary access to previous classes, a blog with Ayurvedic tips and recipes, expert insights and more, with greater personalisation available via the private on-line yoga classes for individuals “plus one” with AyurMa’s Yoga Therapists.

AyurMa’s Instagram handle enables further connection to Landaa Giraavaru and its wider ethos of Planetary Wellbeing for those who have already visited the island – as well as those who might visit in the future.

“AyurMa was founded on the basis that nothing operates in isolation; the more we connect with the Earth, the more we heal her, and the more able she is to heal us in return,” explains Director of AyurMa Dr. Arun K. Tomson. “We anchor this approach in the inclusive idea of Planetary Wellbeing, which encompasses everything and everyone equally and involves taking care of nature – and each other – as we take care of ourselves. With our daily yoga live stream, blog and Instagram tips, people all over the world have the opportunity to tap into the healing energies, soothing nature and expertise of AyurMa, whether they’re able to visit us or not.”

A haven for people and planet, AyurMa (meaning “mother of life”) celebrates nature as the source of all wellbeing. Drawing from the four pillars of Planetary Wellbeing, Ayurveda, Yoga Therapy and Wellness, AyurMa’s expert team of Ayurvedic Doctors, Naturopaths and Yoga Therapists create bespoke therapeutic programs and invite guests to cultivate care for themselves, others, the oceans and the entire planet.

AyurMa’s harmonic play between humans and nature is immediately evidenced on the new website via a specially commissioned series by Keralan artis, Bara Bhaskaran. Rta: The Earth Mother both showcases the vibrancy of the AyurMa offering and pays homage to the interconnectedness of the Universe, and the healing Mother who aligns the energies of all.

AyurMa’s Planetary Wellbeing experiences explore the joys of connection, epitomised by Rahumathuge Vaguthu: a daily Earth Blessing ritual that unites guests and staff in celebration of Landaa’s natural beauty. Ayurveda imparts the benefits of a 5000-year-old “instruction manual” for natural living based on diet, herbal remedies, therapies and lifestyle modifications. Yoga centres around personal Yoga Therapy prescriptions, devised with S-VYASA, global pioneer of yoga therapy through scientific research, as well as AntiGravity, Aqua Float and a Yoga Energy Trail. Finally, Wellness experiences encourage deep personal care – the first step to extending care to others and the wider world. Alignment Rituals and Gifts of Connection therapies are complemented by the support of some of the world’s finest wellness experts, from on-site Rossano Ferretti stylists to the only Resort-based studio of “facialist to the stars” Teresa Tarmey.

AyurMa’s founding principle of Planetary Wellbeing extends far beyond the Spa’s tranquil surroundings. Part of an island-wide initiative that has long been woven into every aspect of Landaa life – from community outreach projects to country-leading conservation and regeneration – it encapsulates the Resort’s vision for a sustainable future. Aware of its responsibility as an industry leader, Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru partnered with EarthCheck and the NOW Force for Good Alliance in early 2020 to ensure accountability across all operations.

To reset awareness and embark on the AyurMa path to health, harmony and happiness, connect at: http://www.ayurma.life and @AyurMaMaldives, email AyurMa.Maldives@fourseasons.com, or call the Resort at (960) 66 00 888.