Archive: November 18, 2022

Jeep(R) India launches the iconic Grand Cherokee at an introductory price of ₹ 77.5 Lakh (EX–SHOWROOM) T

Chennai, 18.11.22: The Jeep® brand introduced the all-new Grand Cherokee by recreating the iconic moment when the SUV has launched 30 years ago, driving through a glass window at an Auto show in Detroit. Since then, the Grand Cherokee has set an industry benchmark and quickly became synonymous with upscale design and uncompromised capability. Today, the 5th generation of the iconic nameplate continues to build on its legacy as the most awarded SUV ever, with its all-new exterior and interior design, world-class craftsmanship and first-to-market technologies.

Commenting on the launch of the all-new Grand Cherokee in India, Roland Bouchara, CEO and Managing Director, Stellantis India, said, “As promised, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is the fourth model to be Made in India. With the all-new Grand Cherokee, adventure lovers will have a distinctive blend of luxury, fortified with segment-best features, innovative technology, and composed driving dynamics elevating the brand position to the luxury segment.”

IITF-2022: Kerala pavilion resembles the tradition of God’s Own Country, says Rajeev Chandrasekhar

New Delhi, November 18, 2022: Union minister of State for Electronics, IT and Skill Development Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday said the Kerala pavilion at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) has recreated a mini Kerala at the national capital and it offers the people outside the state a good opportunity to experience the Kerala culture, art, and tradition. He was speaking after visiting the pavilion at IITF at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

“I am very happy to be here and see the cultural ambiance created at the pavilion. Kerala’s culture, tradition, art, and architecture are perfectly showcased here,” the minister said.

About the pavilion and stalls, he further said, “The ambiance is great. The stalls are very good. The pavilion is designed in such a way that it resembles the theme of ‘God’s Own Country’. The diversity of the state is perfectly displayed here. It is a good opportunity for the people of other parts of the country to visit the pavilion and experience the richness of Kerala culture.”

On the importance of giving protection to the traditional artworks and skills, the minister said, “such trade fairs also offer artists, artisans, and skilled workers a grand opening to showcase their artworks and talents at the national level. It’s a great encouragement, especially to some art forms like traditional puppetry (though pavakkoothu) and items like Aranmula kannadi (mirror made of polishing metal), which face extinction. They need to be protected. We will realize the need of protecting them only when we see such things on occasions like this,” the minister added.

Indian Vegetable oil Producers Association (IVPA) organizes ‘IVPA Global Roundtable 2022 on Veg Oil and Oilseed Sector

Hyderabad: 18th November 2022: Indian Vegetable oil Producers Association (IVPA) the apex body of the stakeholders from the Edible Oil Value chain organized ‘IVPA Global Roundtable 2022 on Veg Oil and Oilseed Sector’ in association with Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) and Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), at ITC Kohenur, Hyderabad, India on 18th and 19th November 2022. The event was inaugurated by Mr. Sri K. T. Rama Rao, Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Commerce, and Information Technology of Telangana along with Sri. S. Niranjan Reddy, Minister for Agriculture & Marketing, Cooperative, Govt. of Telangana in the presence of Mr. Sudhakar Desai, President IVPA, and other stakeholders from the edible oil sector.

The meeting will bring together edible oil experts, researchers, technologists, and industry players having a major stake in Edible Oils. The program will include specific keynote lectures, talks, industry talks, panel discussions on key market dynamics, Supply & Demand Forecast, Critical Areas of Self Sufficiency in the Veg Oil Sector, Oil Palm, and Sustainability issues. The event will also have a commercial exhibition for companies to display their projects, products and services will be available throughout the Conference. Space has been reserved in the Congress Venue for the exhibition.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sudhakar Desai, President IVPA, “The global food crisis triggered by the pandemic and the subsequent war between Ukraine and Russia, have thrown multiple challenges to the edible oil sector ranging from sourcing to managing demand and supply, production and other market dynamics. This has once again brought the issue of aiming for self-sufficiency in edible oils. The IVPA Global Roundtable 2022 on Veg Oil and Oilseed Sector is aimed at finding solutions to these problems, forging partnerships, and developing a road map to make India self-sufficient in edible oils.”

Cyberpeace Foundation and Truecaller Come Together to Give Cyber Safety Lessons Through Street Plays

Rajasthan, 18 November 2022: Truecaller, the world’s leading global communications platform in collaboration with CyberPeace Foundation, a non-partisan civil society organization, organised the first Nukkad Natak (street play) focused on digital safety under the #TrueCyberSafe campaign at the IIS (Deemed to be University) in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The joint initiative is aimed at spreading awareness and training people to tackle cyber frauds leading to a safer nline experience for society. Safety trainings under the #TrueCyberSafe campaign has been taking place in various parts of the country since February 2022 and as reached over 1 million citizens.

The event was graced by senior law enforcement officer Mr. Rajeev Sharma IPS, Additional DGP cum Director, Rajasthan Police Academy as the Chief Guest and Lieutenant Colonel Arvind Rajhans, Advisor, CyberPeace Foundation as the Guest of Honor. The program opened with a keynote address by the Chief Guest and was followed by a street play to educate the students about the growing menace of cyber threats and fraud. This was followed by a #TrueCyberSafe training session for the students and faculty of the University.

Addressing the audience in Rajasthan, Mr. Rajeev Sharma IPS, Additional DGP cum Director, Rajasthan Police Academy said, “As per reports, 1.5 million cyber-attacks happen annually, which means almost 4000 cyberattacks happen every day and around 170 attacks happen every hour. The best solution to address this appears to be having awareness. I’m sure all students being tech savvy, having smartphones, laptops, Ipads are comfortable using them, but just knowing how to use them is or laptop. Unless you are equipped and aware how to deal with all these issues, things will become out of control. It is in our benefit to therefore become aware and keep learning, as technology keeps updating. We’d like to reach the highest number in Rajasthan when it comes to these trainings with CyberPeace Foundation and Truecaller.”

Addressing the audience, ”Major Vineet Kumar, Global President and Founder, CyberPeace Foundation said: “These unfavorable externalities will increase as we continue on our journey toward technology. We must thus take action to empower citizens, and the first step in doing so is to increase knowledge of online safety and provie information on how to file a cybercrime rport. Together with stakeholders, we think that this training on recognizing online dangers and safety will help address this issue and pave the way for Internet u age in the future.”

Ms. Pragya Misra, Director of Public Affairs, Truecaller said: “We launched the #TrueCyberSafe campaign in February 2022 and since then we have reached more than 1 million citizens through online and offline training. In our efforts to reach citizens beyond colleges and universities, we explored street plays as a medium of communication to pass on the message & importance of cyber safety in an innovative, fun and lighthearted manner. We are confident that citizens will have a better response to visuals of street plays, helping to carry its lessons further to their friends and family to make their digital experience safer.”

Ahead of the training session at the college, the Nukkad Natak was also organized at prime locations within Jaipur such as Rajasthan Police Academy, Sindi Camp bus stand and Devri Ji ka Mandir in Johri Bazaar to attract the attention of the masses and deliver the message on cyber safety to protect them from scams and frauds. The street plays were performed by a specialized group of artists ‘Steps For Change.’

AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Reviews Women and Child Welfare Department

Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh; Nov 18, 2022: AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy instructed the Women and Child Welfare Department officials to take immediate steps to fill the existing vacancies in welfare hostels across the state while drawing out an action plan for constant monitoring of the Nadu-Nedu Program in Anganwadis that will be implemented in 3 phases.

During the review meeting on Women and Child Welfare Department held here on Friday, the Chief Minister told officials that there should be strict monitoring on the working of all welfare hostels and Anganwadis and filling of existing vacancies would help run them efficiently.

He green signaled the appointment of 759 welfare officers and 80 caretakers in various hostels. Out of the 759 welfare officer posts to be filled up, 171 of them would be posted in Tribal Welfare Gurukula Hostels.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to examine all hostels and equip them with necessary facilities while putting in efforts to fill the vacancies of Class-IV posts in post-matric hostels. He told them to ensure that flavored milk is supplied to inmates of all Anganwadis in the State in the next three months. While cleanliness and proper toilet maintenance is a must in all Anganwadis, inmates of hostels should never feel they are staying in captivity, he remarked.

The Chief Minister suggested that out of a total of 3,013 Gurukula Schools and hostels where the Nadu-Nedu is to be implemented with an estimated cost of Rs.3364 crores, works should be taken up in 1366 hostels and schools in the first phase which would cost Rs.1500 crores. He specially asked the officials to take up the renovation works of all hostels in the western region of Kurnool district in the first phase itself.

The first phase operations should begin in January next and be completed in one year; he told them and suggested that modernization of kitchens should be given priority while upgrading all basic infrastructure in Gurukula hostels. There should be a constant monitoring on the working of all hostels at Mandal level to ensure that necessary items to run the kitchens are purchased and stocked in advance. He asked the officials to arrange grievance cell numbers in all hostels and Anganwadis to receive complaints from hostel inmates.

Women and Child Welfare Minister K.V. Ushasri Charan, Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma, Principal Secretary (BC Welfare) G. Jaya Lakshmi, Principal Secretary (Women and Child Welfare) M. Ravichandra, Finance Secretary K.V.V. Satyanarayana, APDDCF MD A.Babu, Director (Women and Child Welfare) Dr A.Siri, Tribal Welfare Department Director M. Jahnavi and Minority Welfare Director G.C. Kishore Kumar was among those present.

Life Sciences Executive Dr Georgia Papathomas Joins Indegene’s Board as Independent Director

Princeton, NJ, United States / Bangalore, KA, India, November 18, 2022: Indegene, a digital-first, life sciences commercialization company, today announced the appointment of Georgia Papathomas as a Non-Executive Independent Director to the Board.

Georgia brings several years of experience in life sciences. She works closely with many innovative healthcare and technology companies as an advisor and board member. Georgia worked at Johnson & Johnson in her last corporate role.

“Life sciences companies are increasingly looking to personalize the patient and physician experience through omnichannel journeys. They are aiming to transform operations across the commercialization value chain with a digital-first approach”, said Manish Gupta, CEO, Indegene. “I am excited to welcome Georgia to our Board at this interesting time in the industry. Her experience in building and managing teams at various life sciences companies, coupled with her engagement with new-age health-tech startups, will help us greatly as we prepare for Indegene’s next phase of growth.”

“Indegene is helping global life sciences organizations in an increasingly complex business environment. The company is propelled by an experienced leadership team, with a deep understanding of the sector and a focus on execution at scale”, said Georgia Papathomas, Independent Director, Indegene. “I am excited to join Indegene’s Board in their growth journey and I look forward to supporting the company’s future endeavors using my experience in leading innovative, diverse global teams around the world.”

Georgia is an executive advisory board member of numerous organizations, including the Executive Board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology, the Board of Advisor of Homeless Solutions, Inc., and Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science (also known as Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science).

Festive Joy and Cheer at Sayaji Pune’s Cake Mixing Ceremony!

Pune, November 18, 2022: At Sayaji Pune it’s already beginning to look a lot like Christmas as they recently hosted their annual Cake Mixing ceremony to bring in the yuletide season! The holiday season is just around the corner and as we look forward to those delicious festive desserts, the Christmas cake is always the star of the show Sayaji Pune is all set to make your holiday season filled with all those Christmas treats and goodies!

This age-old tradition dates to the 17th century wherein families and loved ones used to spend time together by soaking the varied dry fruits, assorted nuts, and spices in a liquor concoction to form a delightful mixture for baking those perfect Christmas treats. The Cake mixing ceremony at Sayaji was a joyous gathering that witnessed guests ringing in the festive season by soaking and mixing all the ingredients in liquor for those scrumptious bakes, indulging in bubbly conversations over appetizing hi-tea preparations, and spreading the festive cheer with each other. “The Cake mixing ceremony is an annual activity at the hotel, but also the most cheerful time of the year. We absolutely enjoyed kickstarting the festivities with our guests and look forward to celebrating many more special occasions with them”, says ________. Adults along with children were seen having a gala time capturing special moments together at the special selfie booth, and welcoming Santa Claus to make the celebrations all the merrier!

The cake-mixing ceremony at Sayaji Pune celebrated this joyful time of the year in the most spectacular manner by bringing all their guests together to end it on a merry note!

G20 Team led by Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla visits Nagaland

Kohima, November 18: G20 Chief Coordinator, Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla along with a team from the G20 Secretariat undertook a 2-day visit to Nagaland to explore opportunities to showcase India’s cultural diversity through G20 programs.

In a meeting with Chief Minister Shri Neiphiu Rio, Mr.Shringla discussed opportunities to showcase Nagaland’s famous Hornbill Festival which is scheduled to be held from the 1st of December to the 10th of December through the lens of G20, bringing India’s most prestigious multilateral event to the state of Nagaland. The start date of the Hornbill Festival also coincides with the day India officially begins its Presidency of the G20 grouping.

In line with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s direction to not limit G20 to major urban cities and use the opportunity to showcase India’s rich and diverse cultural landscape, the Chief Coordinator is on a mission to reach out various states to identify opportunities to showcase the States’ cultural heritage through G20 events.

During the meeting, the hon’ble Chief minister said, “This is a great opportunity for the state of Nagaland. All activities of G20 in Nagaland will get full cooperation from the state.” Mr. Shringla also highlighted the tourism potential of the lush green beauty of Nagaland. He said, “India’s G20 is an opportunity for the state of Nagaland to showcase its cultural diversity, uniqueness and tourism potential.”

During the 2-day visit to Nagaland, Mr. Harsh VardhanShringla also met with senior officials from the State government and visited culturally essential sites in Kohima.

Angel Investor & Ex-Shark Tank Consultant – Amit Raj Gogia Partners with Seasoned Investors to Launch Seed Pitchathon

November 2022: ARG aka Amit Raj Gogia, a Scale up expert; angel investor; mentor to consumer health ventures; 2X Founder & Ex Shark Tank Consultant S2 has launched Seed Pitchathon for early stage startup founders to pitch to investors for funding.

Founders of early stage startups struggle to raise seed rounds for several reasons, primary being no network in the investor community. Hence they resort to the option of cold calling or mailing any investor they get to know about. This simply does not work as the ratio of startups and investors is so skewed that such pitches are mostly lost in exchange itself.

Most importantly not all investors are active in all stages of a startup journey and sector agnostic.

Every Investor connected with a fund or angel network has an investment thesis which lays out the exact stage & sector in which they are active.

Only 5 selected startups get to pitch for 10 mins (5 mins for pitch and 5 mins for Q&A) to a select panel of investors. Those startups that excite investors are then formally introduced post the event over mail. This way, the founders get to showcase their ventures to a panel of diverse funds in one go, not only saving precious time and effort but also ensuring success of a startup journey by getting the much needed capital to scale up.

Commenting on the event, Amit Raj Gogia, curator of the event said: “As an ex-founder I can relate to the challenges being faced by founders during the early stage when resources are a constraint and they do not have enough run-way to make the right connections with investors for funds, hence the genesis of this Pitchathon to support them in the crucial phase of fundraising”

In order to support early stage founders in reaching out to the right investors and supporting them during the challenge of fund raising, On the occasion, Amit said: ”Seed Pitchathon” would be a series of pitching events where by seasoned investor panel will hear and decide which startups they are keen to proceed further with for investment”

The first of this series of events is scheduled on 26h November (virtually). We already have a confirmed panel of investors for this event from diverse funds.

ARG also moderates a FOC founder only community (touching 500 members already) which has been designed for sharing growth hacks for scaling up and also conducts VC sessions on weekends to support founders in fundraising (9 events have already been executed successfully) with the sole purpose being to pay it forward to founder community in all ways possible.