Thursday 28 December 2017
MVSTF signs MoUs with eminent corporates and philanthropists in presence of CM
· MVSTF signs
key MoUs in the presence of Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra
Fadnavis
· Strategic
partnership to empower development of rural Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Village Social Transformation Foundation (MVSTF) initiative with a mission to
transform 1,000 villages across the state today signed Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with leading corporates and philanthropists in a bid to
empower and push development work in rural part of the state.
In an effort
to converge the developmental efforts between the Government of Maharashtra and
Corporate India, MVSTF enables a public-private partnership in development work
at grass root level. The partners provide financial resources to MVSTF, along
with domain knowledge and expertise to bring about lasting change in key
development areas. The MoUs were signed with the intent of furthering
collaboration between the Government of Maharashtra & Corporate India.
The MoUs were
signed in the presence of Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis
and other dignitaries like – Smt. Rajashree Birla, Idea Cellular, Mr. Amit
Chandra, ATE Philanthropic Foundation, Investor Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Mr.
Radhakrishna Damani, Founder, D-Mart, Mr. Hemendra Kothari, Wildlife
Conservation Trust, Mr. Vallabh Bhansali, Enam Financial Consultants Mr.
Krishnan Dharmarajan, CDFI & Mr.
John Santosh, BillionLives, and Mr. Ramnath Subramaniam, CEO, MVSTF signed the
MoUs on behalf of MVSTF. Also
present at the occasion were Sudhir Mungantiwar, Minister of Finance &
Planning Forests, Girish Mahajan, Cabinet Minister for Water Resources, Pankaja
Mundhe, Minister of Rural Development Women and Child Welfare Vishnu Sawra,
Minister Of Tribal Development Mahadeo Jankar, Minister for
Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Development, Ranjit Patil,
Minister
of State Home(Urban),Urban Development, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Law & Judiciary, Parliamentary affairs Sumeet Mallik
- CS- Government of Maharashtra, Praveen Pardeshi - ACS to CM.
Speaking on this occasion Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis said, “The
public and private sector partnership for village transformation brings
responsibility towards delivering change in rural Maharashtra. The ability,
technology, flexibility, knowledge and management skills of the private sector
will change the lives of the people with greater speed by enforcing social
schemes of the government.” He further
added, “Our main focus is to solve the agrarian crisis through water
conservation and tackle the problems of malnourishment in the tribal belt as
well as to provide best education in the rural sectors of Maharashtra.”
Speaking at
the event Mr. Ramnath Subramanian. CEO MVSTF, said “It is indeed very heartening to have people
of great status and caliber as also corporates join hands with Government of
Maharashtra, thereby endorsing their confidence on the vision and mission of
Honorable Chief Minister. MVSTF looks forward to their active participation and
guidance towards the transformation as also their support in roping in more
philanthropists and corporate partners.”
Under the
guidance and mentorship of Additional Chief Secretary Shri Praveen Pardeshi,
VSTF is gaining rapid momentum with 310 villages already covered under the
program and close to another 300 villages to be added shortly. His huge hands
on experience, passion and commitment has resulted in convergence of various
government schemes and innovative interventions by corporates. Secretary Rural
Development, Shri Aseem Gupta is a Director on board of MVSTF.
MVSTF is a
unique Public-Private Partnership in the country. MVSTF provides opportunity to
the youth in the form of Chief Minister’s Rural Development Fellowship (CMRDF)
programme. CMRDFs are assigned to a Gram Panchayat and work in close
association with local administration to prepare and implement participatory
development plans.
In the 1st
phase, 143 Fellows have been on-board since April, 2017 to serve 310 Villages
across 12 Districts of Maharashtra. The Fellows create community-led and
participatory Village Development Plans (VDP), which have been approved in the
Gram Sabhas. The Fellows are now working with the local administration and
District Mission Council (DMCs) to implement the plans. Several initiatives,
including setting up of solar electrification projects, last-mile digital
connectivity, promotion of local Self-Help Groups, are being piloted in these
villages.
GST: Myths and Realities |A conclave of practitioners, academicians and administrators on Goods and Service Tax held at Symbiosis School of Economics
By Viral Blogs01:34goods and service tax, GST, myths and realities, symbiosis school of economicsNo comments
Symbiosis School of Economics(SSE) organized a
conclave on the Goods and Services tax on 11th December 2017 at
Vishwabhavan auditorium. Dr. Jyoti Chandiramani, Director, Symbiosis School of
Economics and Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Symbiosis said,
“We have brought together a very diverse panel of industrialists, academicians
and administrators to provide a wholesome picture of the impact of GST”. She
further added that the early days of tax reforms in India date back to the
seventh plan in
1985-86 wherein for the
first time in India’s history the Government presented, what was then termed as
the “Long Term Fiscal Policy” with the objective of bringing predictability and
stability in the economic environment.
The
keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Kavita Rao, Professor, National Institute
of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), Delhi. The program was moderated by Ms. Manasi Phadke, Economist.
The other eminent speakers for the day were:
Ms. Shilpa Pophale, Managing
Director of Electronica Finance;
Mr. Ranjit Naiknavare , Director,
Naiknavare Developers ;
Mr. Raju Kalera, Chief
Financial Officer, Zuventus Healthcare Limited;
Mr. Deepak Mohoni, Indian Stock
Market Analyst;
Mr. Rajendra Khadilkar,
Director, Ameya Management Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.
Dr. Kavita Rao opined
that while it was early to give a verdict on the impact of GST, she said the
abolition of Central Sales tax will help firms streamline their operations. She
was critical of the many slabs and exemptions to GST. “Exemptions are apologies
of the government for being unable to provide equitable access to goods. Direct
benefit transfers or other expenditure methods should be relied on for equity
and not a distortion of taxes”, said Dr. Rao.
Ms. Shilpa Pophale who
has a large client base of MSMEs said that although there were initial hiccups
for the proprietors in this sector, there is an increasing acceptance of the
tax. Everyone wants to get into the tax system today learning from
Demonetisation and GST.
Mr. Ranjit Naiknavare said that Demonetisation
and GST have been double blows to the real estate sector dampening demand in
the sector. He said that the initial impact of GST in India has been
inflationary quite similar to how it has been in other nations when GST was
implemented, but a tax slab of 28% is very high as compared to GST rates
elsewhere.
Mr. Raju Kalera shared the experiences of his
firm and the tremendous amount of background work that had to be done to get
GST compliant which helped them to transition smoothly. He said that the
pharmaceutical sector had gained from this unification of taxes.
Mr. Deepak Mohoni said that while
demonetization was expected to negatively impact the financial market, it
increased liquidity by channeling a lot of money into the sector. And if GST
was perceived to bring positive change in the stock market, it at best did
nothing. The markets find it hard to react as GST rates are dynamic and its
long term impact is not clear.
Mr. Rajendra Khadilkar appreciated how GST reduced
the firms’ interface with tax authorities but raised many loopholes that need
to be ironed out in the coming days. He particularly mentioned Section 17(5)
and Section 42 of GST Act relating to Input Tax Credit as contentious and said
that more than 80% of legal disputes regarding GST will be on these two areas.
Ms. Manasi Phadke added that India did face a
slowdown of growth but is currently in the recovery phase and the growth rates
will only improve in the years to come. While GST will have a positive impact
on growth, the magnitude of the impact wouldn’t be too large. She concluded
that while many academics are lauding the change, practitioners are having
trouble adjusting to it. But in the long run, it will pay out dividends.
A documentary prepared by the students of
Symbiosis School of Economics on the perceptions of GST was also screened.
Wednesday 27 December 2017
deAsra Foundation helps entrepreneurs to ‘Go Digital’ and increase the marketing potential of their business.
deAsra,
an organization aimed at empowering budding entrepreneurs, recently organized a
workshop to help entrepreneurs understand digital media and bring their
business online.
deAsra
is trying to address the growing need of businesses that are suffering from a
loss of customer's who now prefer to buy goods and services online. Statistics
show that 65% of people in India did all their festive shopping online. This
was a big hit for traditional businesses.
Conducted
by Miss. Neha Sarwal, Marketing Head at deAsra Foundation, the workshop was a
big success. entrepreneurs were shown how to Go Digital by using social media,
online marketplaces such as Amazon and websites to build their businesses.
“Digital
marketing is about connecting to your audiences in real time and making them
the hero of your activity.” said Miss. Sarwal.
She
also added that, “Before entrepreneurs ‘go digital’, they should be prepared
with the message they want to send and strategies on how to engage with their
prospective customers.”
The other
key takeaways shared, covered ways to register and operate social media and
online sales channels. Tips and tricks to increase reach and engagement of the
audiences. And how to generate leads from online channels and sources. All
these takeaways helped the audience walk away with easy and actionable ideas to
start and grow their online business activities. Additionally deAsra also
shared useful Social Media Marketing Checklists with those present at the
workshop which was held at Morya Hall, Pimpri Chinchwad.
Stuart Kippelman Joins the Advisory Board of SRKay Consulting Group to Help Accelerate its Global Footprint
Florida
& Pune, 21st December 2017: SRKay Consulting Group, a London-headquartered private equity venture
of the multi-billion dollar SRK Group, announces the joining of Stuart
Kippelman on its advisory board. Stuart is a highly acclaimed business and
technology leader in the U.S., and is the former Senior Vice President and
Global CIO at Platform Specialty
Products, based in Florida.
Stuart has
an illustrious track record receiving multiple industry awards including Top
100 CIOs in STEM 2015, Computerworld's 2014 Premier 100 IT Leader Award, and
the CIO Top 100 Award in 2012, 2013 and 2014 in areas such as business and ERP
transformation, cloud migrations and business intelligence. Stuart has been a
WSJ guest columnist, and a featured blogger on Computerworld.com. He is an
author, and holds multiple patents in data mining, and business intelligence.
As an accomplished speaker, he has frequently presented at many major industry
conferences.
Stuart is
actively engaged in helping and guiding the next generation of IT leadership
and serves as a career mentor both for Columbia University's Executive Master
of Science in Technology Management program, as well as the CIO Executive
Council Pathways program.
Prior to
joining Platform Specialty Products, Stuart was SVP & CIO at Covanta, and
held many leadership, technology engineering and research roles of increasing
responsibility at Johnson & Johnson.
"With
SRKay actively looking at expanding its global footprint with its innovative
products & services ventures, we are lucky to have someone like Stuart to
guide and advise us to help us succeed in new global locations like the U.S.,
Australia and Europe with its ventures," said Alok Kumar, Partner and
Founder of SRKay Consulting Group.
"Our
upcoming data sciences venture will benefit a lot from the knowledge Stuart
brings in the field of data sciences with a practical business outlook,"
said Kesavan Srinivasan, Chief Data Scientist and CTO of SRKay.
Since its
inception in September 2016 by Alok Kumar, a leading name in the technology
industry, who started SRKay after his tenure as the Managing Director of Sears
India, the group is leaving no stone unturned to build the best leadership team
and advisory board. Recently, SRKay announced the appointment of Vinit Teredesai, ex-Global Head of Finance, HSBC GLT's as
Advisor Finance & Global Strategy for the group and Stuart adds a
technology dimension to the board.
HAHA with RiteBite Max Protein, Harley Davidson Bikers, and MS Dhoni’s Seven ride for Charity
HAHA (Happy and Healthy Aadmi) is a one of its kind event, multiple companies Ritebite, Seven Island HOG and Rhiti Group’s lifestyle brand Seven and fitness brand Fit 7 have come together to bring in a wishful Christmas 2017. These 100 Bikers from Harley Davidson will ride 200 kms on their bikes to an Old Age Home in Lonavala named Awaas Seva Sadan and spend time with the residents there. Ritebite Max Protein will be organizing this entire event and Seven and Fit 7 are the official event sponsors. While Seven is the official apparel sponsor for the event, team Fit7 will be conducting a warm up fitness session for the Bikers, followed by post ride fun fitness activities for both riders and the elderly. Ritebite Max Protein team will give a session on Nutrition and Protein.
There will be a lot of fun activities for the Riders as well as the residents and lots of assured gifts and goodies will be distributed throughout. All the present members will get to munch on some delicious Protein bars and chips from Ritebite Max Protein. Breakfast and refreshment will be served to everyone. To keep up the merry making and Festive vibes of Christmas, themed decoration and Christmas Jingles will seen and heard in plenty with Santa Claus adding to overall fun of the event.
As a token of appreciation and loving gesture, goodbye gifts will be distributed with the Old Age residents as well. The entire event will be well captured with help of notable videographers and will be available to watch on Ritebite Max Protein’s, Seven’s and Fit 7’s official Facebook page.
The spokesperson from these teams have shared their excitement with us and we are looking forward to get more details on this event as well.
While speaking about the association, Chairman and Managing Director of Rhiti Sports, Mr Arun Pandey expressed happiness.
“Rhiti Charitable Trust is actively involved in CSR initiatives, we look forward to our association with HAHA and making this joyous festival a memory for the old age home people,” said Mr. Pandey.
Also, Mr. Vijay Uttarwar the Managing Director and CEO of Naturell (India) Pvt. Ltd. (RiteBite Max Protein Brand) was ecstatic will talking about this initiative. Mr. Vijay feels that such events bring out the best vibes amongst the participants and create a Healthy and Happy environment which is why the event is named as HAHA.
Ritebite Max Protein – Naturell (India) Pvt. Ltd. is a visionary healthy lifestyle company, today also known as protein company. Naturell’s vision is to provide the finest nature-based products that will help consumers adopt a healthier lifestyle. Your busy hectic life can easily make your health take a back seat, Naturell offers a wide range of Ritebite premium products to keep up your energy levels. Naturell provides nutritious superior quality products that please your taste buds. Ritebite comes in a convenient pack; so wherever you go, whatever you do, we make it a perfect on-the-go snack.
Annapurna Pariwar Celebrates Baldin
Annapurna Pariwar recently celebrated Children’s day with
slum children in Pune. A children’s day is celebrated in December every year to
showcase the talents of these young children and to spread awareness about
child rights to improve their welfare.
Annapurna looks after over 600 children under their ‘Vatsalyapurna’
project. It runs a unique chain of low cost Day Care Centre’s for children of
poor working women. Annapurna Pariwar has been working for the empowerment of
slum women since last three decades. An early childhood development
intervention for slum children has thus become the focus of Annapurna.
A variety entertainment programme was organised for the
kids from every centre to display their skills and enjoy by singing and dancing
to the tune of local songs. In last 14 years Annapurna has set up 16 Day Care centre’s
in 14 slums in Pune and 4 Day Care centre’s in Mumbai and has given an
opportunity to 40 women to have self-employment. These centre’s today look
after more than 600 slum children in Mumbai and Pune.
Dr. Medha Purao-Samant, MD Annapurna Pariwar said, “Slum
children are almost always left unattended when parents are at work or are looked
after by their eldest sibling. Children thus miss out on their childhood as a
result of poverty. Poverty deprives them of the capabilities needed to survive
and develop.”
She further stated that, “Around the world, poor girls and
boys are victims of sexual abuse and are deprived of education. We are
therefore working everyday on all fronts to provide long-term, sustainable and positive
change for children, to ensure their protection, to end violence against
children and to provide them with their right to education and offer good
prospects for the future.”
Annapurna Pariwar Celebrates Baldin
Annapurna Pariwar recently celebrated Children’s day with
slum children in Pune. A children’s day is celebrated in December every year to
showcase the talents of these young children and to spread awareness about
child rights to improve their welfare.
Annapurna looks after over 600 children under their ‘Vatsalyapurna’
project. It runs a unique chain of low cost Day Care Centre’s for children of
poor working women. Annapurna Pariwar has been working for the empowerment of
slum women since last three decades. An early childhood development
intervention for slum children has thus become the focus of Annapurna.
A variety entertainment programme was organised for the
kids from every centre to display their skills and enjoy by singing and dancing
to the tune of local songs. In last 14 years Annapurna has set up 16 Day Care centre’s
in 14 slums in Pune and 4 Day Care centre’s in Mumbai and has given an
opportunity to 40 women to have self-employment. These centre’s today look
after more than 600 slum children in Mumbai and Pune.
Dr. Medha Purao-Samant, MD Annapurna Pariwar said, “Slum
children are almost always left unattended when parents are at work or are looked
after by their eldest sibling. Children thus miss out on their childhood as a
result of poverty. Poverty deprives them of the capabilities needed to survive
and develop.”
She further stated that, “Around the world, poor girls and
boys are victims of sexual abuse and are deprived of education. We are
therefore working everyday on all fronts to provide long-term, sustainable and positive
change for children, to ensure their protection, to end violence against
children and to provide them with their right to education and offer good
prospects for the future.”
Tuesday 26 December 2017
14th Convocation Ceremony at Symbiosis International (Deemed) University
By Viral Blogs23:2014th convocation at symbiosis, convocation, symbiosis international, universityNo comments
“We need to unleash our energies as far as education is
concerned. Once we liberated human energies, restrictions were never helpful.
As long as we were restrictive, we grew very moderately. “, Shri ArunJaitley.
Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, held its 14 th
Convocation ceremony on December 17th ,2017 at their Lavale campus. Shri Arun
Jaitley Hon’ble Minister for Finance, Government of India graced the event as
the Chief Guest.
“Today the world is highly competitive. The survival of the
fittest, where what background or status you belong to does not matter. India
is today highly aspirational, it’s becoming impatient. And therefore, that
itself is now compelling governments and regimes to act. In twenty years from
now, if we continue to grow at a pace of 7.5% growth which is our normal
potential, India is yet not a satisfied nation. It wants to grow faster.”, Arun
Jaitley.
Dr. Prof. S.B. Mujumdar, Chancellor SIU, talked about the
inception and the journey of Symbiosis, from Cultural Centre to Educational
Centre and now an International University, with its objective to bring Indian
and foreign students together.
The prestigious D.Litt. degree was conferred upon Mr. Rahul
Bajaj, politician and chairman of Bajaj Group and Prof. Philip Altbach, a
leading global scholar in higher education with a nuanced ability to interpret
Indian higher education to the rest of the world.
Vice Chancellor, Rajani Gupte, presented the annual report,
revealing Symbiosis’ ranking 61st amongst the top 100 Universities in the
National Institutional Ranking Framework 2017. She also mentioned SIU’s latest
patents and its association with an International project- Erasmus+ programme.
SIU ranked 144 among BRICS Universities by the QS World University Rankings.
During this convocation ceremony, over 5000 students were
conferred diplomas, undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate degrees. In
addition, 12 gold medallists were bestowed for academic excellence. The
prestigious Prof. S.B. Mujumdar ‘Outstanding Foreign Student of the Year’ award
was established last year. In continuation of his life long mission to offer
learning opportunities to foreign students in India. This unique award and a
prize money of Rs. 1 Lakh from his personal savings is a recognition of the exemplary
achievements of students, studying anywhere in India. This year it was presented
to Mrs. Marzia Rahmanyar, Afghanistan. She studied gender, culture and
development studies at Savitribai Phule, Pune University.
Pro Chancellor, Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar thanked the guests,
and on behalf of the students. The
convocation ceremony concluded with caps tossing high.
International Research Organization honors heath care fraternity for their outstanding work
By Viral Blogs02:12fraternity, heath care, International Research Organization, outstanding workNo comments
Pune, 25
December 2017: Renowned, talented and reputed health professionals and
organizations from India were awarded for their outstanding work in their
respective fields in the second edition of the Indian Health Professionals
Awards 2017 organized by Pune-based International Research Organization for
Life & Health Sciences (IROLHS) held in Delhi on December 23rd.
The
second edition of the Indian Health Professionals Awards 2017 organized by
Pune-based International Research Organization for Life & Health Sciences
(IROLHS), Smile Nation in association with Green Park Dental received an
overwhelming response. More than 250 doctors were rewarded from 25 states of
India at the hands of sports legend former Indian sprinter Padma Shri Milkha
Singh. The event was held in Delhi at The Venetain- Castles & Banquets, Rajouri Graden.
This year’s
award ceremony witnessed presence of leading names from diverse sectors. Professionals
from various categories were awarded for their excellence in the field of healthcare delivery, research, new innovations and
rural social service for betterment of society and health education. The
nominees were judged by an independent jury comprising experts from the medical
and Dental field.
The
mega initiative witnessed get together of the who's who of the healthcare
sector in one place to discuss, network on issues that are so pertinent to this
Industry. The discussion highlighted the issue related to securing India's
health concerns. The event witnessed leaders from private & government
organizations, policy makers, representatives from the government & key
people from sector affiliates, all assemble to recognize & applaud the
achievements of the best health care providers.
The
event was graced by Hon. Shri Haribhai Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for
Coal & Mines, Hon. Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Union Minister of State for
Finance & Vice President of BJP Uttar Pradesh, Shri Kuljeet Singh Chahal,
General Secretary, BJP Delhi Sate, Shri Naresh Kumar, IAS Officer, Chairman,
New Delhi Municipal Council, Shri Madhup Vyas, IAS Officer, North, Commissioner,
DrDilraj Kaur, IAS Officer, Additional Commissioner in the South Delhi
Municipal Corporation and Padma Shri Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS,
Delhi.
Speaking
about the initiative, Dr. Swapnil Sunil Bumb, Founder & CEO, IROLHS and the
stalwart behind the initiative said, “We are thrilled with the response that we
received for the second edition of the awards. It is a matter of great pride
that the award is growing from strength to strength every passing year. I
strongly feel that such awards can definitely boost the outstanding
contribution of the healthcare professionals for the betterment of society and
health education. It is with this perspective IROLHS & Smile Nation come
together to hostIndian Health Professionals Awards. We strongly feel The Indian
Health Professionals Awards can become an exchange of idea forum where the
stakeholders from the healthcare sector can discuss, deliberate and put forth
their solutions to the issues plaguing the healthcare industry.”
Awards
Category
|
Distinguished Orthodontist
|
Distinguished Prosthodontist
|
Distinguished Pedodontist
|
Distinguished Public Health
Dentist
|
Young & Most Promising Dean
|
Distinguished Endodontist
|
Distinguished Young Dental
Achiever
|
Distinguished Periodontist
|
Dental Leadership Award
|
Wednesday 20 December 2017
MONTEGRAPPA ARMONIA PEN
When everything comes together “just so”, when all is right with the world, the condition is judged to be “harmonious”. Pen manufacturer Montegrappa has used this observation as the focal point for its new, entry-level writing instrument. Called “Armonia”, acknowledging its Italian roots, the pen embodies all that represents a perfect marriage of form and function … with flair.
Armonia is a slim design of medium length, enabling it to suit the hands of both male and female owners. It also imparts a degree of subtlety and discretion, the pen encouraging the words that flow from it to do all the speaking. And while it is an affordable writing tool, it is also purely a product of Montegrappa, with cleanly-shaped barrel and cap in shiny, pitch-black resin and stainless steel trim.
Despite the simplicity, Armonia is rich in detail. Its embellishments include a circumferential band around the lower section of the cap, which is engraved with the “Montegrappa” signature. The cap is also adorned with the brand’s 1912 symbol. Its pocket clip is sinuous, ending in the company’s rolling-ball that ensures smooth ingress and egress from a pocket.
Armonia is designed to serve all manner of writer, and is thus available in the three formats of fountain pen, rollerball and ballpoint, as preferred by the user. The fountain pen can employ both converter and cartridge filling systems. Its nib is enriched with a Greek fret etching and is offered in Fine, Medium and Broad writing grades.
Harmony is the blending of complementary voices, notes or tones. It also describes the “chemistry” between simpatico human beings. Montegrappa presents Armonia as the ideal “first pen’, the perfect gift for the graduate, the student, newlyweds or anyone embarking on another chapter in life’s journey.
Racold wins Most Energy Efficient Appliance of the Year
December 20, 2017: Racold, India’s largest provider of water heating solutions has been conferred the “Most Energy Efficient Appliance of the Year” award in the storage water heater category. It is the only brand in the category to receive this award.
The prestigious award by Bureau of Energy Efficiency was presented to Racold’s Head of Research and Development, Mr. Abhijit Banshelkikar by the Hon'ble Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R. K. Singh with the chief guest as Hon’ble President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind at a glittering ceremony in Delhi.
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power felicitated the winners out of 322 energy efficient companies from select sectors across India. The BEE recognises innovation and achievements in energy conservation by industries and manufacturers of BEE star labelled appliances. The awards are also recognition of their demonstrated commitment to energy conservation and efficiency. The award is under a new category of awards which has been introduced this time as “Appliance of the Year”, which recognises the most energy efficient model in six product categories of Air Conditioner, Ceiling Fan, Refrigerator, Storage Water Heater, Television and Pumps.
This is the 8th consecutive BEE win for Racold with the first BEE award being conferred in 2010.
As a part of its key strategic initiatives, Racold has successfully created awareness about environmental consciousness among the society at large. Racold has been strengthening year on year, its energy efficient product portfolio in electric storage water heaters, resulting in outstanding growth in its sales of star rated water heaters. Racold’s parent company, Ariston Thermo’s target is to realize 80% of its total business from highly energy efficient or renewable energy products by 2020.
Speaking about the recent honour, Mr. V Ramnath, Managing Director, Ariston Thermo Private Limited, said, “Racold has placed energy efficiency at the heart of its sustainable growth strategy and is deeply committed to energy conservation. Our product portfolio consists of highly energy efficient water heating solutions that contribute decisively to the reduction of energy consumption without compromising on quality, efficiency and comfort. We have always worked towards development of the society and are strong advocates of producing energy efficient products for our audience.”
Racold recently launched a new range of aesthetic storage water heaters, the Andris across the country
designed by the renowned Italian designer Umberto Palermo, Andris is a premium designed water heater which is meant to enhance the aesthetic of the bath space.
A combination of compact design and thick injected PUF insulation makes it a very energy efficient water heater, which is also validated by its 5star rating from BEE. Andris is also rated 8 bar that enables it to withstand high pressure and makes it suitable for high rise buildings Racold has also recently rolled out its latest brand campaign with a social message “caring about your parents”- #PowerofHotShower.
About Brand Racold
Racold is a flagship brand of Racold Thermo Pvt. Ltd. Racold as a brand is synonymous with breakthrough innovation, premium quality and complete customer satisfaction. As a further testimony to their continuous delivery on performance, they have been the first to obtain quality and performance certifications as per IEC, CE and other similar International standards.
With a complete range of Electrical, Gas and Solar water heaters and Heat Pumps, Racold provides complete water heating solutions to all the sectors i.e. domestic, commercial and industrial. Racold focuses on consumer insight led innovation which has led to technological features like Programmable cycle, Smart Bath Logic and Eco sense.
Racold has won the prestigious National Energy conservation award consecutively 7 times in a row from 2010 to 2016. This award has been instituted by BEE in the electric storage water heater category.
Racold has been awarded as the ‘Most Trusted Brand in India’ in water heater segment by the Brand Trust report 2016 based on research conducted by Trust Research Advisory (TRA). The award is a testimony to the dominance that the brand enjoys in the customer’s mind
About Ariston Thermo Group
Ariston Thermo Group is the global leader in thermic comfort solutions for domestic, commercial & industrial spaces.
All over the world, Ariston Thermo is synonymous with comfort, energy efficiency and respect for the environment, thanks to its high efficiency products, its plants in compliance with the most advanced production standards and excellent pre- and after-sales customer support services.
The 1.43 billion Euro group employs 6900 people worldwide and manufactures over 7 million products per year, and over 35 million components. With 22 state-of-the-art production units in 13 countries, Ariston Thermo Group has a global presence in 150 countries with Ariston as its flagship brand. Over 6 million households choose us every year and more than 250 million people experience the comfort of Ariston Thermo products. The company invested over 69 million Euros across 19 R&D centers in 12 countries. The company has significant presence in Europe and Asia, with production sites in Belgium, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. There is now a major thrust on Renewable energy, through solar water heaters and systems. By 2020, the group aims to have 80% of its business coming from high efficiency and renewable solutions.
About Ariston Thermo India Private Limited Ariston Thermo India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ariston Thermo Group, Italy, is responsible for marketing, sales and service of “Racold” products in India.
Thursday 7 December 2017
deAsra's One-day Workshop on Finanacial Management to become a Successful Entrepreneur
On Friday, deAsra Foundation organized one day workshop on ‘Small Business Financial Management’ for new & existing entrepreneurs at S M Joshi Auditorium, Pune. The workshop was held for the entrepreneurs who are looking for the guidance in how to grow business by managing financial management & its importance.
deAsra is known for giving a hassle free approach to upcoming businesses by giving them a mentor to guide through the entire process flawlessly.
Mr. Sudhir Gijare, retired Deputy General Manager of State Bank of India, with an experience of 40+ years in Financing SME’s, risk management etc. guided the attendees. He quoted that “Entrepreneurs need to keep a close check on their expenses without affecting customer satisfaction”
Along with deAsra Foundation’s Mr. Prakash Agashe also stated that, “Strong financial literacy and management is a key skill for any successful entrepreneur to ensure the sustainable development of scalability of a business.”
The workshop touched upon financial management and moved on to financial strategies for growth, financial planning, cash flow management, risk management and resource management. The workshop helped participants to interpret and understand financial and economic data to support the key management tasks of planning, decision- making and creating value within the business and how to assess the risks and opportunities using financial data.
The workshop which was also attended by Mr.R R Shantapaa, Mr. Onkar Kumar, Mr.Shashikant M Choudhari, Mr.Anil Sawant, Mr.Amit Anand, Mr.Nitin Bhargave Chief Manager Lavale, Mr Rajesh Kumar Baitha, and Mr Umesh Joshi all from Bank of Maharashtra. The workshop received a huge response and was attended by 100+ businessmen, who benefitted from the valuable insights which were shared by experts.
Wednesday 29 November 2017
Challenging Chawa wins Kallakar Cricket League Season 3
Pune
November 2017:
Kallakar Cricket League concluded
in Pune with team Challenging Chawa taking home the trophy. The captain
if the team was renowned Marathi actor Sanjay Jadhav. Kallakar Cricket League
is one of Pune’s most awaited celebrity cricket league and is brought to you by
Kallakar Factory in association with Four Pillars Event Management Services.
After two
successful and entertaining seasons Four Pillars keeps its promise to
bring together well known faces of the Marathi entertainment industry for the
cricket fans. “We had ensured that all games are as entertaining as the
celebrities work has been. Kallakar Cricket League is a league that all fans
feel close to as they watch they favourite TV celebrities clashing against each
other”, said Sameer Pawani, Director, Four Pillars Event Management
Services.
"A lot of
planning went into conceptualizing ‘Kalla’kar Cricket League. The first season
had celebrities like Mahesh Manjrekar, Swapnil Joshi, Siddhartha Jadhav
among other well known faces. The championship title for the first season was
bagged by Ratnagiri Champions headed by Mr. Siddhartha Jadhav, which showed
promise from the start of the league", said Pankaj Satav of Kallakar Factory.
Season 2 also
was a huge success thanks to the support of the team franchise owners and the
Cricket loving artists. The new additions to the 2nd season were the very
popular Akash Thosar, the love-story champ Prathamesh Parab, the popular
Lord Malhar on TV Devdatta Nage and the bad-dad Suresh Vishwakarma. The
winners of the second season were Thane 11 headed by Mr. Akash Pandharkar.
This season has
celebrities like TV’s most popular wrestler Hardik Joshi, model and actor
Sameer Dharmadhikari, popular actor Sanjay Narvekar, popular comic presenter
and actor Sumeet Raghavan, and shala fame actor Amol Gokhale.
Nehru Stadium
was filled with cricket loving enthusiasts who came to watch their favourite
celebrities play against each other.
Tuesday 28 November 2017
Taxi rides in Pune get simpler with RezurvRide
Pune
- RezurvRide, a new cab aggregator service which safeguards the interests of
customers while incentivising drivers, was launched in the city. The innovative
app offers a vastly better alternative to existing players in the cab
aggregator market by simplifying the process of booking rides and offering over
90 per cent of ride revenue to drivers.
Some of the cutting edge
features offered by the service are
·
Reservation
of ride as per convenience with advance Cab Booking feature both for local and
outstation
·
Option
to mark “Favourite Drivers” based on experience
·
Option
to ride with favourite drivers first
·
Selection
of drivers based on their rating which takes into account cleanliness,etiquette
and timeliness of the drivers
·
Option
for tracking the ride by third parties through GPS for additional security
·
Outstation
rides charged on distance covered and not fixed slabs
·
QR
code enabled to start and stop rides, thus restricting misuse by drivers
·
No
surge pricing
A Driver’s First
approach, which entails incentivising drivers through higher revenue share,
unlike other aggregator services.
The need for cab
aggregators is growing exponentially in India, given the low car penetration
and poor public infrastructure. Research indicates that the cab/taxi demand is
scheduled to grow at a CAGR of 15 per cent till 2020. A recent Soft Bank study
says the app based taxi sector will be worth USD 7 Billion in India (Rs 45000
crore) by 2020.
‘Based on this research
and inspired by the market need for a fully functional cab aggregator that can
effectively address the needs of both customers and drivers, we have decided to
enter the market with a completely transparent product named RezurvRide that
will take the Indian taxi market to the next level,’ said Mrs SeemaMangal,
Director, RezurvRide.
RezurvRide has already
conducted the soft launch and intends to target 8000 cab drivers in Pune by the
end of 2018. 800 drivers have already registered for the RezurvRide service.
Mrs Mangal said, ‘RezurvRide aims to launch in 15 cities by the end of 2018,
with 75,000 drivers on its roster.’ The long term vision is to launch in 51
cities with 141,000 drivers by 2022.
“The system has to change in order to optimize a Millennial’s energy levels and way of thinking”:
Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Agriculture
(MCCIA) organized the Leadership in Industry 4.0 conference, in
association with IIM Ahmedabad, at the MCCIA, Pune on 24th November
2017. The conference elicited an overwhelming response with stalwarts from
various industries, members and guests attending the daylong session.
Manasi Kirloskar, Executive
Director & CEO, Kirloskar Systems Ltd. was amongst the key speakers at the
conference.
Her speech
highlighted: “Industry 4.0 is about cyber physical systems, IoT, cloud
computing and cognitive computing that are enhancing automation to create smart
factories. Quantum jump in artificial intelligence, real time communication,
big data, and ubiquitous connectivity are some of the forces driving this
change, which will result in substantial efficiency enhancements and greater
flexibility in manufacturing systems. It will also lower the labor intensity of
manufacturing and require completely newer skill sets. Therefore, Industry 4.0
will also redefine the existing paradigms with low cost of labor and scale of
production no longer remaining the source of competitive advantage”, she
said.
The speech was followed by a
Q&A session moderated by Vandana Saxena Poria, OBE (CEO Get Through
Guides). When asked about her views on how leadership has changed with regard
to millenials, Manasi said, “I think it is important for us to understand that
millennials have been born in the age of instant everything. If we have an
idea, we want it executed that very second. Thanks to technology, we have
everything at our fingertips. Every piece of information can be accessed
instantly. I don’t think that it’s the millennials who have to adapt to the
system anymore. The system has to change in order to optimize a millennial’s
energy levels and way of thinking”.
The dynamic 5th generation
Kirloskar and great granddaughter of S.L. Kirloskar, Manasi carries forward a
150-year-old legacy with intelligence, commitment and style!
Besides Manasi Kirloskar,
some of the other distinguished speakers at this prestigious event were Ishaat
Hussein, Non-Executive Director, Tata Sons and Kishore Jayaraman, President
India & South Asia, Rolls Royce.
Pune Shines at MusiQuest Piano Festival 2017
Pune,
November 2017: The
sixth iteration of the national piano festival/competition MusiQuest concluded
in Pune on November 18 and 19th, 2017. Presented in an informal and
friendly workshop/ masterclass format with unrestricted repertoire
choice, participants had a unique opportunity not only for public
performance but to extend their musical learning experience by receiving
instruction at the piano as well as written adjudications and participation
certificates from an international panel of adjudicators. The emphasis
was on encouragement and positive feedback.
All ages and
musical levels performed within 4 main divisions : Preliminary (Beginner to
Grade 2), Junior (Grades 3 to 5), Intermediate (Grades 6 to 8), Advanced
(Diplomas). The age range of participants was 4 to 64!
The
international adjudication panel included internationally renowned
teachers/pedagogues from the USA
·
Mark
Neiwirth (Advanced)
·
Phyllis
Alpert Lehrer (Intermediate)
·
Timothy
Brown
(Junior)
·
Pierce
Emata (Preliminary)
·
Katherine
& Jeffrey Savage
(Ensemble)
·
Andrew
Linn (Popular Music & Jazz & Composer in Residence)
·
Fred
Karpoff (Technique Expert in Residence)
Additionally,
the adjudicators gave private lessons and piano masterclasses during the festival.
Each of the adjudicators also presented workshops for participants and for the
professional development of the participating teachers. Academy of
Music focuses on enhancing the skills of the students, teachers play an
importannt role in motivation and supporting the students to become successful.
Post
adjudications the adjudicators performed in a spell binding concert on November
18, 2017 and the prize winners’ announcement followed. There was an aura
of expectancy and suspense … followed by celebration and accomplishment!!
A majority of the prize winners were from Pune!!
The top grand
prize being first prize in the Intermediate division (a ND21
piano and a scholarship to the International Institute of Young Musicians) went
to 11 year old Trisham Bepari.
The 2nd prize
in the Intermediate division went to 11 year old Candice Rocha.
She was also awarded a very special prize instituted from this edition of the
festival THE MARY TICKNER PRIZE for the most musical
performance at the Honors Concert. This decision was a unanimous vote of
all the adjudication panel.
The first
prize in the Preliminary Division was awarded to 7 year old Srihita
Gottipati.
The
first prize in the Preliminary Mature Division was awarded to 11 year old
Kaavya Singh.
A majority of
the prizes were won by the students of the Academy of Music, Pune. A
press conference of all the prize winners can be arranged.
The festival
culminated on November 19, 2017 with an Honours recital presenting the winners
in performance and the awards ceremony
This is a
unique festival fostering musical performance, learning and interaction among
budding young talent across the country. MusiQuest 2017 is the sixth edition of
this popular festival. The 2017 festival drew a response of 125
participants and 21 teachers from across the length and breadth of India.
Each of the
divisions (Preliminary, Junior, Intermediate and Advanced) were awarded three
attractive prizes packages including Cash, music Books etc.
Several international music publishers have supported the event with book
prizes. Additionally prizes were awarded for the original composition,
Jazz/Popular categories as well as for ensemble (piano duets, two piano and
concertos).
MusiQuest is a
private non-profit festival and operates solely on the receipt of entry fees
and program advertising and is further supported by The Academy of Music in
Pune and the Framroz Foundation.