Archive: May 1, 2023

Businesswoman-Philanthropist Sudha Reddy Represents India At White House Correspondents’ Dinner 2023

Hyderabad: May 01, 2023: Representing India on the world stage once again, Hyderabad’s much loved business personality and philanthropist Sudha Reddy made a smashing appearance at D.C.’s biggest weekend of pop and politics, the annual celebration of White House media and power players.

Creating a milestone moment for the worldwide South Asian community, Reddy became the very first celebrated public figure from Hyderabad to have been specially invited for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. In 2016, Priyanka Chopra Jonas marked her attendance at the event, making Reddy the second person to be handpicked from India for the prestigious event after almost 7 years.

As part of her only-by-invite attendance, Reddy was seen seated at a prominent table in the front row and mingling with VIP guests, Senators and Media Heads and exchanging notes on current affairs and corporate governance.

Around the prestigious gala, she also attended the State Of Qatar WHC Soiree and the glamorous CBS After Party, conducted at the palatial residence of the Ambassador of France, where she was seen interacting with the Ambassador of Qatar, Ambassador of Iran, Ambassador of France and other dignitaries.

The well-heeled fashionista donned a glittering emerald shaded gown by Jenny Peckham complemented by an exotic leather Hermès Berkin handbag, Bulgari Serpenti necklace and Hermès inspired headpiece for the big night, making quite a statement on the red carpet.

The star-studded event at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night witnessed a myriad of global stars such as John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Sophia Bush, Winnie Harlow, Julia Fox, Brittney Griner and Cherelle Griner, Lala Kent, Lisa Vanderpump, Ariana Madix, J. Cameron Smith, Liev Schreiber, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, Ego Nwodim, Bel Powley, Sofia Pernas, Rebecca Romijn, Rosario Dawson, John Leguizamo, Ke Huy Quan and many others.

Media personalities at the event included Poppy Harlow, Kate Bolduan, Dana Bash, Juju Chang, Stephanie Ruhle, Amy Landecker, Gayle King, Karine Jean-Pierre, Sunny Hostin, Jen Psaki, Al Sharpton, Ayanna Pressley and more.

Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. was the headline entertainer, following Biden with a roast of his own while action star and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Twins costar Danny DeVito kicked off the program with a pretaped ‘cold open’

Each spring, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner brings together the nation’s most powerful and influential stakeholders in journalism, politics, entertainment, and media to celebrate those whose reporting sustains our democracy. In the past celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Will Smith, Kerry Washington, Kate Hudson, Lindsay Lohan, Steven Spielberg, Kendall Jenner, Pete Davidson, Drew Barrymore, Trevor Noah, Bradley Cooper, Reese Witherspoon and Chris Tucker have made their presence felt at the event which is hailed as the Met Gala of the media world.

Sudha Reddy, Director of MEIL Group and Founder of Sudha Reddy Foundation rose to new heights of global acclaim when she made an appearance at various global events such as Met Gala, Paris Haute Couture Week, Doha Jewellery And Watches Exhibition and Ceremonial Service For The Most Excellent Order Of The British Empire. A prominent face in the Indian business and philanthropy fraternity she was empanelled into the family of Global Gifters of the Global Gift Foundation, as well as felicitated with the Fashion 4 Development Philanthropy Award at 2nd Annual Sustainable Goals Banquet during the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

projecthero launches wage discovery feature that allows construction workers to fight for pay transparency

May 01, 2023: Construction tech startup projecthero has launched a wage discovery feature in its app for workers. The feature, which allows workers to discover if they are being paid more or less than the average salaries in their fields, will ensure pay transparency and prevent wage exploitation in the construction industry. This is part of projecthero’s initiatives to build a membership driven professional network for the construction industry.

The construction industry is highly fragmented and unstructured, which enables the higher-ups in the industry to exploit workers by providing them with below-average and, often, below-minimum wages. Due to poor technological penetration, workers have to find employment through informal means, which leads to opacity regarding compensation amounts. projecthero’s in-app wage discovery feature enables workers to make sure that they are not being exploited by being paid below-average and below-minimum wages. Such transparency will also enable workers to understand and recognise the value of their work and prevent them from falling prey to fraudulent and corrupt recruitment practices.

Satya Vyas, Founder and CEO of projecthero, said, “Urban organised workforces have various ways of discovering the average salaries in their fields. Gig workers are also aware of their colleagues’ salaries, as they have fixed compensation amounts. With pay transparency, employees can achieve a better standard of living, as they will know if they are being exploited and not being paid optimal salaries. Hence, we thought that developing a feature to prevent wage-based exploitation and wage discrimination in the unorganised construction industry will help blue-collar workers understand their worth and fight for it.”

According to the average salary metrics released by projecthero, 2,308 users have interacted with the average salary discovery feature, and in total, it has been viewed 7.1 K times. This implies an average viewership of 3.2 times per user. Moreover, with regard to workers being paid the minimum salary, in Uttar Pradesh, 79.9% of jobs pay below-minimum wage, and 815 users have been informed of this. In Maharashtra, 68.6% of jobs pay less than minimum wage, and 268 users have been made aware of this, and in Madhya Pradesh, 93.75% of jobs pay less than minimum wage, with 264 users having been informed about this.

The statistics show that Maharashtra has the highest number of users who have checked whether they are being paid more than the minimum wage. Conversely, Madhya Pradesh has the lowest number of users who have checked whether they are being paid the minimum wage, even though it has the highest percentage of jobs paying less than the minimum wage.

Previously, in January 2023, projecthero revealed that 87% of construction workers in India do not receive the government-mandated daily minimum wage. This was found to be true for the major cities of India (Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Pune). projecthero’s introduction of the wage discovery feature is in keeping with its goals to build a professional network for the construction industry and make the construction industry more organised, formalized, and ethical.

The World Belongs to People Who Manage to Execute Their Plans Well – C K Ranganathan at Tie Shift 2023

CHENNAI, May 01st, 2023…TiE SHIFT 2023, presented by TiE Chennai and Nanban Ventures, the largest personal transformation summit held at Chennai, saw a packed audience at the IIT Research Park Auditorium listening in rapt attention to a host of speakers who having transformed themselves, and their businesses into global successes spoke at length detailing their amazing journey. The summit brought together a range of speakers that spoke on personal development, leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation.

Mr. Reji Joseph, Vice President, TiE Chennai in his welcoming address said, “TiE is more than just an organization, it is a global network of entrepreneurs, innovators and business leaders dedicated to creating a better world through entrepreneurship. The SHIFT programme was created for entrepreneurs to focus on the intersection between personal growth and business success, to help them understand how personal development can lead to transformative change and business success.”

Ms. Akhila Rajeshwar, Executive Director, TiE Chennai in her welcome address said, “It has been two and a half years since TiE Catalyst and Personal Board were launched. All credit to Mr. C K Ranganathan who had the vision for it. Its growth has surpassed our expectations and now we take up every new challenge knowing fully well that we will make it happen.”

Mr. Kutraleeshwaran V, President & Managing Director, Nanban Ventures said, “Firstly, I believe in the principle that anything is possible. When I won my first swimming competition, I knew I had to have another target and mine was to swim across the English Channel. I believed I could do it, so I went ahead and achieved it. You alone are your limiting factor. If your thought is at a different level, you will reach those levels. Secondly, I would say Focus is a big ingredient in your journey towards success. Decide on a course of action and persevere to achieve it come what may. There will be plenty of distractions but if you show perseverance, you can excel in it. Thirdly, you need to dream big and make a start, a decision. Every success starts from the foundation. It is lonely at the top, but you must stay true to your convictions, take the decision and back it. Lastly, it is important to be happy. You must keep looking back and track your journey and then you will see how far you have come. That journey will be your biggest motivation.”

The keynote session was delivered by Mr. C K Ranganathan, President, TiE Chennai, CMD CavinKare Private Limited who said, “I will begin by identifying a few trends in today’s business environment that one must be aware of and track closely and these include Digitization & Technology, E-commerce and online services, Energy transfusion, Remote working, Cyber Security & Data Privacy and Industry 4.0 smart manufacturing.”

Mr. Ranganathan then spoke about issues that an entrepreneur should be prepared for, and these included, possessing a positive attitude, having motivation & empathy, social connectedness, having big goals to inspire thinking and creativity, adaptability, thinking and execution

“The last point I would like to talk about is execution. The world belongs to people who execute well and there some principles to it. The first principle is that if you have too many goals, you will not get much success. So, it’s important to have just two or three important goals that you can focus all your energies on. The second principle is to focus on lead indicators than lag indicators. Lead indicators are measurable and predictable. The third discipline is to create a five-second scorecard. Within five seconds, we should know if we are winning or losing. The last, but not the least is cadence and discipline. Remember all the things I just said. Ideas alone are not enough to win in life. Execution is required too. What I would like to further add is that there are only five principles in a business plan – strategy, structure, people, process, and technology. These five things should always be on your mind,” he added.

● Presenting Sponsor: Nanban Ventures

● Powered By Sponsor: Metis Family Office Pvt. Ltd

● Powered By Sponsor: DAC Developers

● Event and Branding Partner: Brand Avatar

EaseMyTrip launches a special programme, EMT Royale, for its premium customers

Mumbai, 01st May, 2023: EaseMyTrip.com, India’s leading online travel tech platform, announced the introduction of EMT Royale – an invite only, special programme for its elite customers. Designed for the exclusive members, the programme, will have access to the most sought-after and luxurious travel concierge services hand-picked by some top of the line domain experts.

This is a premium membership-based programme for EaseMyTrip’s elite customers. Through EMT Royale, they can avail highly customised and bespoke services pertaining to flight and hotel bookings and holiday, charter and cruise packages.

Exceptional features of EMT Royale include –

– Invite only programme limited for the first few members based on their yearly spend on leisure travel.

– Exclusive services on business and first-class flight bookings

– Value-added services and benefits along with the best rates on hotel bookings

– Bespoke holiday packages customised as per travellers’ requirements and preferences

– Personalised and palatial charter experiences for travellers and their loved ones

– Access to the world’s top and best in line cruises with specially curated and personalised services

– A dedicated team of highly qualified travel experts available for instant query resolution and effective customer servicing

Commenting on this initiative, Rikant Pittie, Co-founder, EaseMyTrip, said, “With the significant growth of the global travel and tourism industry projected this year, one thing is for sure- travellers will be keen to indulge in once-in-a-lifetime experiences. At EaseMyTrip, we are happy and excited to be at the forefront, fulfilling all our customers’ needs, and being a part of millions and billions of travel journeys. We are grateful to our elite customers for their loyalty and constant support and look forward to servicing them better with exclusive offers. Launching the EMT Royale programmeis an effort in this directionto provide our elite travellers will have access to bespoke travel concierge services, which will be tailormade to suit their requirements and taste. This initiative is just a way to extend our gratitude to ourpremium customers and reward them for their unwavering commitment to our brand.”

126th Mahzooz draws crown 8th GUARANTEED weekly millionaire

01 st May 2023, Dubai, UAE: In its 126th edition, Mahzooz, the UAE’s favourite weekly draw with the biggest and most frequent pay-outs, crowned the eighth GUARANTEED winner of AED 1,000,000, as part of its recently launched prizes and saw 1,421 participants take home AED 1,544,750 in prize money.

While the top prize of AED 20,000,000 went unclaimed this week, 41 participants matched four out of the following five numbers 9, 23, 36, 39, 42 and shared the second prize of AED 200,000, earning AED 4,878 each. 1,379 other winners matched three out of five numbers and received AED 250 each.

As part of Mahzooz’s revamped prize structure, where one lucky participant becomes a guaranteed millionaire every week, the 126th draw awarded Sumair from India, holding the raffle ID number 33432901, the guaranteed raffle prize of AED 1,000,000.

While the new prizes have become bolder and better, the rules of participation remain the same and will now be exclusively offered through the Saturday Mahzooz draw, held live at 9.00pm. For only AED 35, participants can purchase a bottle of Mahzooz water, and enter the weekly draw consisting of the Grand Draw, for a chance to win the new top prize of AED 20,000,000 and the new weekly Raffle Draw, which will grant AED 1,000,000 every week to a GUARANTEED millionaire-to-be.

Mahzooz means ‘lucky’ in Arabic and is the UAE’s favourite draw that offers participants a life-changing opportunity to win millions every week. Mahzooz is dedicated to making people’s dreams come true and giving back to the community.

One Day Seminar on “Export Opportunities for Agro and Agri Related Products from Telangana held

Hyderabad, May 01, 2023…. A one-day Seminar on “Export Opportunities for Agro and Agri Related Products from Telangana held at FTCCI on Friday. It was organized by FTCCI in partnership with the Telangana Government, TSTPC, APEDA, Indian Institute of Millet Research, Sahasra Crop Science, HARIOM, Dodla Dairy, Sudhakar Pipes and others. About 300 people participated.

Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, Agriculture Minister, Govt of Telangana inaugurated the same. Speaking to the packed hall immediately after the inauguration he said, Farmers of India are going to be protectors of the world in terms of food protection. We are not only self-secured but also in a position to export many products, especially some from Telangana. Focus on Agri Products and Food Processing products, which have great potential for exports, he told his audience.

Mr Reddy told them to identify such export-worthy products. Indian exports have become essential food needs of many countries. We know California almonds are good. The way their products are branded, they are perceived as the best in the world and one must definitely try them. They have become a symbol of prestige. Our Telangana Groundnuts are eight times more nutritious and better than theirs. People in the Netherlands can not dream of their day without groundnut butter. We must focus more on producing groundnuts and exporting the same. Even educational institutions must focus on offering courses on groundnut research.

Ground nuts are one example. And we have many such products which are export worthy, he said.

A lady from Gujarat exports groundnut butter and related products. Now she exports to many countries. But the raw material (groundnuts) sourced is from Telangana. Her name is Sonia. The groundnuts grown in Telangana have less aflatoxin. Groundnuts are one example and there are many others, maybe mangoes, Millets and what have you. New Zealand with just 45 lakh population exports many products to neighbouring countries, he told them.

The per capita meat consumption in Telangana is much higher than the national average. Our villages’ rivers produce more fish. The surplus quantity can be exported, Mr Reddy told.

Speaking further Mr Reddy added that today’s degrees need to be relevant to current societal needs. He told the youth to be job creators rather than job seekers.

Agricultural exports are expected to play a pivotal role in doubling the farmers’ income and linking agriculture production to the export market is a critical step. The State government has been striving to achieve all possible linkages to the export markets. Telangana has made significant progress in the agriculture sector by adopting innovative methods, increasing technology use, expanding irrigation facilities, and providing financial support to farmers. Accordingly, the scope for exports of agro and agri-related products from Telangana has widened considerably. The day-long seminar was organized in light of the background, said Anil Agarwal, President of FTCCI.

Telangana is a state that is rich in agricultural resources and has a long history of being a major contributor to India’s agricultural economy. Telangana’s government rightly prioritised expanding irrigation projects in the State to bring more and more land under irrigation. It is heartening to note that there is a 117% rise in irrigated areas in Telangana since 2014, due to the planned investments in new irrigation projects and revitalisation of existing irrigation systems, said Mr. Anil Agarwal.

Dr. E Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, IFS, Special Secretary, Investment Promotion & NRI Affairs, and Jt MD of TSTPC graced as the guest of honour.

Dr. B Neeraja Prabhakar, Vice Chancellor of Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University; Anil Agarwal, President of FTCCI, S. Chandra Mohan, Chair, Agro and Food Processing Committee, Meela Jayadev, Sr VP and Suresh Kumar Singha, VP of FTCCI; Smt T. Sujatha, Dy CEO of FTCCI also graced.

The day-long seminar had several sessions such as Government Schemes for Export Promotions and Finance Schemes for Exporters. A panel discussion on Infrastructure and Logistics challenges for exports was held. It was moderated by Thumma Reddy Shanmukha, Co-chair of the Agro and FP Committee of FTCCI. Other sessions on Export Opportunities for Botanical Products; Export Opportunities for Millet & Millet Based Products, Agriculture/Horticulture Products, and Spice Products; Agriculture Infrastructure fund schemes held

The most ‘personal’ story is the most ‘global’: Durgesh Singh

New Delhi, 1st May: “There is no concept like a global story in the world today. Your ‘personal’ story becomes a ‘global’ story. The most important thing in storytelling is to engage the audience.” Durgesh Singh, author of the famous web series ‘Gullak’, shared this idea while addressing the students during ‘Friday Dialogue’ organized by the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. He said, “The stories make us. We all definitely have some story. If we don’t tell our story, who else will?” On this occasion, Director General of IIMC Prof. (Dr.) Sanjay Dwivedi, Dean (Students Welfare) Prof. Pramod Kumar, Course Director of Advertising and Public Relations Department Dr. Meeta Ujjain, faculty members & students of all the centers were present.

Addressing the lecture organized on the topic ‘Storytelling from Heartland’, Durgesh Singh shared that in the last twenty-thirty years, we have been listening to the stories of ‘Class’ and not ‘Mass’. Successes like ‘Gullak’ and ‘Panchayat’ are proof that this is the best time to tell your story. Today, OTT, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter stories are going everywhere and these stories are being told by people like you and me and also cinema or web series have their own grammar, which needs to be decoded. Scriptwriting is a technical matter. Like a story or a novel, you do not write it for yourself, but for the public. He told that his characters have a huge role in any story. Every successful web series is best remembered for its characters. According to Singh, traveling introduces us to new characters in life. That’s why we must travel.

Stories emerge from small places: Prof. Dwivedi

Director General of IIMC Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi told the students that we all have stories in life. We are all the heroes of our own stories, but we don’t tell our own stories, because we don’t know how to tell. This is the situation when we have been a country of stories. We are a nation that tells stories to the world. He said that now we have stopped looking towards the ground, now we look towards the sky. Stories do not emerge from sky. Stories are found on the ground, emerge from small places. We need to pay attention to this.
During the program, Durgesh Singh answered the questions of the students and also discussed the important aspects related to writing.

The Soul of India’ goes greener as BLive opens its Third multi-brand store in Odisha

Odisha, 1st May 2023: Barely months after opening its first store in the state of Odisha – known as the ‘soul of India’, BLive – India’s fastest-growing multi-brand electric vehicle platform, has opened its third multi-brand experience store in the state, in Khordha. The store was inaugurated in the presence of Mr. Rajendra Kumar Sahoo – Honorable Member of the Legislative Assembly, Begunia (Khordha), and other dignitaries. The rising interest of the consumers owing to growing worldwide awareness toward transitioning to electric mobility, coupled with rising fuel costs has driven the brand to open its 21st EV experience store in India – in Khordha, Odisha.

The BLive EV Store offers a wide range of electric vehicles from multiple EV brands, expert support, easy finance and exciting offers. Buyers can opt for EVs at EMIs as low as 2,000 per month for a range of electric scooters, cycles, motorcycles and delivery vehicles. With a network of over 20 franchisee-owned stores, BLive has assisted over 2,500 families and businesses to switch to electric. The store has on display electric vehicles from renowned brands such as Kinetic Green, Hero Lectro, LML – Detel, Batt:re, Gemopai, Techo Electra, E-Motorad, and others. Customers can experience one of the most awaited high-speed EVs with stylish looks – the Batt:re Storie at BLive’s multi-brand store. This smart and innovative e-bike is the first of its kind in the Batt:re range.

Samarth Kholkar, CEO & Co-Founder, BLive, said “We are overwhelmed with the love the people of Odisha have showered upon us, coupled with their commitment towards the environment. We are excited to strengthen our presence in Odisha with our third store in the state, in Khordha. The store will provide the masses with the opportunity to ‘try and buy’ EVs for a confident transition to electric mobility. The store will also facilitate home demos and provide the customers with information on exciting offers and easy finance options.”

With global awareness around climate change concerns, aided by India’s commitment toward boosting electric mobility, the Odisha State government released its EV policy earlier this year aimed at supporting the adoption of Electric Vehicles in both personal mobility and public transport segments. The EV policy also seeks to enable the creation of a robust network of Electric Vehicle charging stations & battery swapping stations catering to all types of Electric Vehicles with a focus on clean energy sources.

According to its EV policy announced in February this year, the Odisha government had said it will provide a 15 per cent subsidy on the purchase of electric vehicles. For two-wheelers, the subsidy will be 15 per cent of the cost, up to a maximum of Rs 5,000. The cap on a 15 per cent subsidy for three-wheelers is Rs 10,000, and for four-wheelers, it is Rs 50,000. The scheme will be in place till December 31, 2025. In addition to the subsidy, the state government has announced the exemption of registration fees and motor vehicle taxes on all categories of electric vehicles.

Commenting on the launch, the proprietor of the Blive store in Khordha, Anoop Baliarsingh said, “We are proud to be partnering with BLive and show our commitment towards encouraging the transition to electric mobility in Odisha. While EVs are quickly gaining traction among the masses, there is mild apprehension about their performance and reliability. We request people to visit the store and explore our range of electric vehicles, and learn about why electric mobility is the need of the hour.”

While speaking at the occasion, Sandeep Mukherjee, Co-Founder, BLive said, “In addition to providing a range of environmental and economic benefits over conventional vehicles, electric vehicles are also powerful and reliable. Interested consumers can visit our store to learn more about the benefits of EVs, learn about the various types of EVs available, have the myths surrounding their use debunked, and also learn about available financing options. We are willing to go the extra mile to help consumers transition towards a cleaner, greener and economical mobility option.”

BLive store in Khordha: Automobili Alpha

Address: Kanta Chhak, Pala, near Old Petrol Pump, Khordha, Odisha – 752057