Empowering Personal Development: An Insightful Conversation with Vijay Dalwani, Founder of The Masters

MUMBAI, 29 SEPTEMBER, 2023 (NHM): The Masters is a groundbreaking edtech platform conceived and led by Mr. Vijay Dalwani, designed to revolutionize personal development through the exploration of hobbies and skills. With a strong belief in lifelong learning and a profound understanding of the power of personal interests, Mr. Dalwani founded The Masters to provide a unique space for individuals to access top-notch masterclasses taught by industry experts. As a successful entrepreneur and professional musician, he recognizes the profound impact that acquiring new skills and pursuing one's passions can have on personal growth.

At the core of The Masters' vision lies the commitment to empower people from diverse backgrounds to unlock their full potential. By offering a wide range of masterclasses tailored to various interests and aspirations, The Masters aims to bridge the gap left by traditional education systems. This platform is not just about acquiring skills; it's about fostering creativity, instilling discipline, and promoting continuous personal development. The Masters envisions a future where education and skill development are accessible to all, providing a pathway for individuals to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and growth.

In our conversation with Mr. Vijay Dalwani, we discover more on this initiative. Read on for a gist of our interview. 

Can you tell us what inspired you to create The Masters, a unique edtech platform specializing in hosting hobby and skills masterclasses by industry experts?

The inspiration for The Masters came from a deep belief in the transformative power of hobbies and skills in one's life. I've always been a strong advocate for lifelong learning, and I wanted to create a platform where individuals of all ages and backgrounds could access high-quality masterclasses taught by industry experts. We live in a world where traditional education often falls short in nurturing personal development, and I saw a gap that needed to be filled. The Masters was born out of a passion to empower people to unlock their full potential through hobbies and skills. Being a professional musician myself, I can strongly relate to the abundant benefits my musical knowledge has given me in my overall development as a successful entrepreneur, leader and mentor.

Can you elaborate on how picking up a hobby or skill can contribute to personal development and why it's so crucial in today's world?

Hobbies and skills contribute significantly to personal development in several ways. Firstly, they provide an outlet for creativity and self-expression, reducing stress and enhancing overall well-being. They also foster discipline, dedication, and perseverance, which are essential qualities for success in any endeavor. Learning a new skill can boost one's confidence, and mastering a hobby can be a source of immense pride. In today's rapidly changing world, being adaptable and continuously learning new things is crucial, and hobbies and skills are a powerful way to achieve that.

The Masters seems to offer a wide range of masterclasses with industry experts. What sets your platform apart from others in the industry?

One of the key differentiators of The Masters is our commitment to excellence. We handpick industry experts who not only excel in their respective fields but also have a passion for teaching and sharing their knowledge. Our platform is dedicated to providing the highest quality content and an immersive learning experience.

Additionally, what truly sets us apart is our mission to make learning accessible to all. We offer our Learning Management System technology to schools, associations, NGOs, and companies absolutely free of cost. This allows them to harness the power of our advanced system for their internal programs, student and employee engagement, and more, without the financial burden. We believe in democratizing education and skill development, and this is one way we are contributing to that cause.

Please share an example of how The Masters' free Learning Management System technology has made a difference in an educational institution or organization?

Let me give you an example. We partnered with a local school that wanted to enhance its extracurricular programs and student engagement. By using our Learning Management System technology, they were able to seamlessly integrate our masterclasses into their curriculum. This not only enriched the students' learning experiences but also allowed the school to track their progress and engagement easily. The school reported a significant increase in student participation and enthusiasm for learning.

In conclusion, what do you envision for the future of The Masters, and how do you see it impacting individuals and organizations?

The future of The Masters is one where we continue to expand our offerings and reach more people around the world. We aim to be the go-to platform for anyone looking to explore their passions, learn new skills, and transform their lives. We want to see individuals and organizations thriving through continuous learning and personal development. Our free Learning Management System technology will continue to be a cornerstone in achieving this vision, making quality education and skill development accessible to all.

HDFC Securities eyes to rope in active clients with the launch of its all new trading app HDFC SKY -

Dhiraj Relli, MD & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER of HDFC Securities alongwith Sandeep Bhardwaj, chief operating and digital officer at HDFC Securities at the Launch of HDFC SKY

HDFC Sky app details: Fee, Charges, Features for Investing in Mutual Fund SIP, ETF, Indian & US Stocks-

MUMBAI, 25 SEPTEMBER, 2023 (News Hub Mumbai / Babita Prabhakar): HDFC Securities, which has a one per cent market share in active retail clients, launched its new app called HDFC Sky, the app allows users to invest in Indian Equities, US Securities, Mutual Funds, ETFs, and Fixed Income Instruments. With this app, users can trade in stocks of over 3,500 listed companies and more than 100 Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs).

Further, the app allows investing in to over 2000 mutual funds across various sectors. For Mutual Fund investors, app allows automated SIPs, quick access to NFOs. The app also enables investors to chalk out their savings strategy while providing in-depth analysis (premium expert opinions) and tracking of one’s portfolio.

For users interested in international equity, the HDFC Sky app allows investing in more than 500 overseas companies, facilitating buying and selling in small quantities with fractional investing.

For stock traders, the app allows trading in futures, options, currencies and commodities. It also allows trading and investing in cash, derivatives, commodities and currencies.

Quick Trades, Portfolio baskets, Smart Dashboards, trading with zero downtime, and user and data security are some of the features promised by this app.

The KART feature on the HDFC Sky app allows traders to place multiple orders in one go. With this, traders can buy or sell a group of stocks simultaneously with just one tap instead of executing each trade individually.

With the launch, the broker will be competing with low-price broking services with a flat pricing of Rs 20 per all intraday trades and delivery. Speaking at the launch, Dhiraj Relli, MD & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER of HDFC Securities, said that the brokerage firm wants to increase the active derivative traders through the app, specifically targeting tech-savvy, new-age investors.

He further added, I’m proud to announce the launch of HDFC SKY, a revolutionary trading and investing app that is set to change the way you navigate the financial markets.

HDFC SKY is built on four key principles: discovery, decision-making, execution, and tracking. It provides you with access to a wide range of investment and trading offerings on a single platform, including Indian stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, futures and options, currencies, commodities, IPOs, and global equities.

HDFC SKY is packed with features designed to help you make smarter investment decisions, including:

• Flat pricing of ₹20 for Equity, FnO, Currency, Commodity 

• Buy Stock Pay Later with MTF at 12%

• An intuitive UI/UX for seamless navigation

• The ability to compare mutual funds with deeper insights

• Personalized watchlists with tags

• Free in-house research

• Advanced Option chain

• Educational resources via HDFC SKY Learn

Whether you’re a trader or investor, HDFC SKY has something for everyone. The access to features, research and user-friendly interface, makes HDFC SKY a delight to navigate the financial markets.

He urges one and all to Download HDFC SKY today and experience the future of finance!

Sandeep Bhardwaj, chief operating and digital officer at HDFC Securities, said apart from being an all-in-one app for various asset classes, it will provide free in-house research, personalised watchlists with tags, and educational resources. However, the current clients of HDFC Securities will have to shift to HDFC Sky if they wish to use the app.

Note- HDFC Sky is a new trading and investing app. Users should compare this app’s features and pricing with other popular apps and platforms before using it.Ends

Aditya Birla Finance Ltd to raise up to Rs 2,000 crore via non-convertible debentures

MUMBAI, 25 SEPTEMBER, 2023 (NHM):   Aditya Birla Finance, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital, has announced its first public issue of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) for an amount up to Rs 1,000 crore with an option to retain oversubscription up to Rs 1,000 crore for an aggregate amount of up to Rs 2,000 crore. The issue will open on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, and close on Thursday, October 12, 2023, with an option of early closure, the company said in an exchange filing.

The Allotment of NCDs shall be made, in consultation with the designated stock exchange, on a date priority basis, i.e., a first-come, first-serve basis, it said.The tenor options available will be 3 years, 5 years or 10 years offered with ‘monthly’, ‘annual’ or ‘cumulative’ interest payment frequency. The coupon rates will range from 8 percent to 8.10 percent for annual options with effective yields ranging from 7.99 percent to 8.09 percent across various series.

The company has proposed to utilise at least 75 percent of the net proceeds of the issue towards onward lending, financing and repayment of interest and principal of existing borrowings of the company and a maximum of up to 25 percent of the net proceeds towards general corporate purposes.The proposed NCDs to be issued pursuant to this issue have been rated IND AAA Outlook Stable by India Ratings & Research Private Limited and [ICRA]AAA (Stable) by ICRA Limited.Ends

Pure Storage Named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Primary Storage

Latest recognition marks tenth consecutive year of Pure Storage’s position as a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader 

MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 (NHM)— Pure Storage^® (NYSE: PSTG), the IT pioneer that delivers the world’s most advanced data storage technology and services, today announced it has been positioned by Gartner as a Leader in the Magic Quadrant for Primary Storage. The latest recognition by Gartner marks the tenth^[1] consecutive year of recognition in the Magic Quadrant for Pure Storage and the fourth consecutive year that Pure Storage has been positioned highest on the Ability to Execute axis and furthest on the Completeness of Vision axis, which validates Pure’s leadership across the enterprise storage industry.

Portfolio Momentum: 

Pure Storage’s placement in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Primary Storage stems from its ability to deliver a data storage and management platform that can seamlessly satisfy all customer data storage needs across a range of prices and performance via the FlashArray^™ portfolio, based on a single, AIOps-driven management platform, Pure1® - all available via the Evergreen//One^™ cloud-like consumption model. Pure Storage has achieved several critical milestones over the past year contributing to its evolution into a platform organization, including:

• Introduction of FlashArray//E^™:  An expansion of the Pure//E Family, FlashArray//E enables customers to eliminate the last hard disk drives in their data center by delivering the simplicity and efficiency of flash for all file and block data repositories. With FlashArray//E, customers benefit from an 80% reduction in power and space, 60% lower operational costs, and 85% less e-waste compared to disk.
• Release of Next-Gen FlashArray//X^™ and FlashArray//C^™ R4 Models: With a 40% performance boost, over 80% increased memory speeds, and a 30% inline compression boost to stretch capacity compared to the prior models, the new models arm global customers with the data agility, performance, security, and cost savings needed to seamlessly and economically scale business operations.
• General Availability of File Services for FlashArray: A storage service enabling organizations to access native block and file services from a single, global pool of storage resources, File Services eliminates the need for pre-planning storage growth and offers a unified policy management system that dramatically cuts administration time.
• First-of-its-Kind Evergreen//One Ransomware Recovery SLA: Existing and new Evergreen//One customers can now purchase an add-on service guarantee for a clean storage environment following a ransomware attack. The SLA guarantees a next business day window to ship clean storage arrays, 48-hours to finalize a recovery plan started at any time, a data transfer rate of 8 TiB/hour, and a professional services engineer onsite through RMA.
• Impact on Enterprise Sustainability: On the heels of introducing the Pure1 Sustainability Assessment, Pure Storage released the first and only energy efficiency guarantee in the enterprise storage as-a-service market: the Evergreen//One Energy Efficiency SLA, enabling customers to measure the maximum number of actual Watts per tebibyte (TiB). Additionally, with the FlashArray product line, customers can achieve up to 85% energy and emissions savings compared to competitive flash-based products, based on Pure Storage’s latest ESG analysis, conducted by a third party. 

The current FlashArray family now includes FlashArray//E, FlashArray//X, FlashArray//C, FlashArray//XL^™, Pure Cloud Block Store, and Pure Fusion^™ - all of which are underpinned by Pure Storage’s AIOps platform in Pure1. Pure Storage’s Evergreen portfolio includes Evergreen//One, Evergreen//Flex^™, and Evergreen//Forever^™. Evergreen//One now offers a suite of six concurrent SLAs focused on eliminating downtime for upgrades, an uptime guarantee, a storage capacity buffer relative to usage, unrivaled storage performance aligned with service tier, an energy efficiency guarantee, and a clean array next-day guarantee for ransomware recovery.

Executive Insight:

“Pure’s continued recognition as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Primary Storage is a testament to our vision and commitment to improving every aspect of enterprise storage. We now deliver the most reliable, sustainable, and simple-to-use platform that meets the storage needs of any customer, with a cloud operating model and our inimitable Evergreen^® architecture. We’re incredibly honored by this achievement and couldn’t have done it without our great team, customers, and partners.” – Shawn Hansen, VP and General Manager, FlashArray, Pure Storage.

“The advancement of Pure’s Evergreen portfolio - including the addition of several critical SLAs to our Evergreen//One consumption model - underscores our unwavering commitment to drive simplicity, flexibility, and choice in data storage, at scale. Pure’s evolution into a platform company best suited to support any and all enterprise storage needs is evident in the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant positioning, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue our journey to disrupt the legacy storage market.” – Prakash Darji, General Manager, Digital Experience, Pure Storage.Ends

 

Patient safety week 2023 is being observed by the WOCKHARDT HOSPITAL GROUP

= A four-day initiative to promote the awareness on patient safety in hospitals =

MUMBAI, 21st SEPTEMBER, 2023 (NHM): Wockhardt Hospitals Ltd., a reputed chain of tertiary care super-specialty hospitals in India, celebrated Patient Safety Week from 18-21st  Sept 23 to commemorate World Patient Safety Day celebrated globally by WHO on 18 Sept. During the four days, various activities reinforcing patient safety protocols and practices were held across all group hospitals at Nagpur, Rajkot, Mumbai Central (South Mumbai) and Mira Road (North Mumbai). This year the WHO theme is 'Engaging patients for patient safety,’ which emphasizes the crucial role that patients and their families play in the safety of health care. Significant gains can be made in safety, patient satisfaction, and health outcomes when patients are treated as partners in their care. Keeping this theme in mind, multiple activities were planned and held for patients and visitors including a daily quiz to create awareness on patient safety.

The group-wide Patient Safety Week program took place from September 18th to September 21st, 2023. The event was inaugurated by zoom call wherein associates from all units participated.  When talking about the initiative, Ms. Zahabiya Khorakiwala, Managing Director of Wockhardt Hospitals Ltd said, 'Prevention is always better than cure.' The majority of avoidable harm in health care worldwide is caused by unsafe healthcare practices. Our commitment at Wockhardt Hospitals is to provide high-quality care."

During the four days, multiple interactive events reinforcing the hospitals defined protocols and practices on patient safety were held in which there was active participation by the senior leadership team, doctors, general administrators, infection control officers, nursing leaders, and other staff members, along with patients and their relatives. These events included- The Patient Safety Quiz Competition, designing a safety logo competition, Poster Competition, Patient Safety Slogan Competitions based themes like Surgical safety, Fire safety, Hazmat safety, Patient safety goals, Radiation safety, Hand hygiene, Emergency Codes, Needle stick injury etc.

Dr Parag Rindani, Chief Executive Officer, Wockhardt Group Hospitals stated that at Wockhardt Hospitals we are committed to constantly strengthening patient safety practices in medication safety, fall prevention, surgical safety. We constantly invest in training our staff so that our patients receive the safest of care.

Dr Clive Fernandes, Group Clinical Director and Chief Operating Officer, Wockhardt Group Hospitals, stated we have always prioritized patient safety at Wockhardt Hospitals. All our clinical and operational protocols are designed keeping patient safety in mind. We regularly conduct such Group wide events to reinforce our defined protocols among all our associates thus ensuring at Wockhardt Hospitals, Life Wins.Ends

KGiSL Reimagines Broker Capabilities in Capital Market Back-Office Operations with the Launch of Dolphin 2.0

Prassadh Shanmugan, Director & CEO, KGISL Technologies addresses the gathering at the launch event for Dolphin 2.0 which was held at the Taj Santacruz in Mumbai

INDIA, SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 (NHM): KGSL, a leading provider of products and solutions to the BFSI space, recently announced the launch of Dolphin 2.0, its next-generation post-trading SaaS platform with readiness to cater to the global market. Dolphin 2.0 is the technologically advanced version of its flagship product Dolphin, which has been the market leader in the capital market’s post trading space serving the institutional and retail stockbrokers for close to two decades. The new version of Dolphin is ready to make a radical shift in the capital market segment, allowing businesses to have an impactful operational transformation. 

The launch event for Dolphin 2.0 was held at the Taj Santacruz in Mumbai and was partnered with Oracle. The event was a resounding success, drawing an influential presence from renowned global financial enterprises within the stockbroker community.

Prassadh Shanmugan, Director & CEO, KGISL Technologies, said “Our drive behind developing Dolphin 2.0 stemmed from the aspiration to provide a unified global SaaS platform with cutting-edge technology that is not just operationally effective but also cost-conscious. This updated version will now be a single platform for both institutional and retail brokers serving across regions, reinforcing our determination to emerge as the global leader in the capital market back-office space. 

Prassadh also stated, “Switching to Dolphin 2.0, stockbrokers can now look forward to an unparalleled user and operational experience. Our distinctive subscription model liberates businesses to concentrate on growth, eliminating interruptions caused by operational challenges. Dolphin is poised to handle the real-time settlement, whether it's T+1 day or T-Day, in alignment with future regulatory changes.

Speaking on the occasion, Vivek Gupta, Senior Director and Country Head, Oracle IaaS and PaaS Services, Oracle India said, “Dolphin is a powerful and seamless performer in back-office operations. Being database independent, it works best with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).  Partners deliver better value to their customers with OCI’s wide range of services and support. Along with our premium partner like KGiSL, Oracle is driving its cloud momentum in India to help meet the rising industry and compliance mandates by delivering enterprise-grade security with enhanced performance.”

 About Dolphin 2.0 

The new Dolphin 2.0, a cloud-native platform, is built on a robust microservices architecture bringing in more power, intelligence, and automation to its processing engine, ensuring minimal downtime and superior parallel processing capabilities. Dolphin 2.0 is SaaS-ready with the flexibility to be hosted on any preferred cloud platform, or as an on-premises offering. 

This new version is now database-independent and encompasses autoscaling and intelligent load balancing that ensures hassle-free business operations regardless of the trade volumes processed. Further, its indigenous accelerators such as workflow, rule engine, real-time notification, and intuitive dashboard make the operational ecosystem exceptionally efficient, automated, and user friendly.

Dolphin 2.0 leverages its indigenous accelerators to configure and adapt to any regional business and regulatory functionalities. Additionally, the multilingual and multi-currency capabilities make it a unified global-ready broker back-office platform. Dolphin 2.0 is a transformative leap in broker back-office systems, delivering cutting-edge technology, scalability, and global compatibility.

About KGiSL

KGiSL is a BFSI-centric multiproduct Enterprise Software company focused on Insurance, Capital Markets, & Wealth Management segments with a strong market presence in India, APAC and MEA region and a successful track record for 25+ years in the industry. The company is focused on integrating technology and human ingenuity for the Financial Services and Insurance sector through its unique digital transformation products and solutions. KGiSL, at its roots, believes in being empathetic to customers and offering products and services that deliver an incremental business outcome. Harnessing the power of Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Analytics, Data Science and Cloud to empower our clients through our products and deliver Empathy based Outcomes backed by next Generation Customer Experience. 

To know more visit: https://www.kgisl.com/ 

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit www.oracle.com 

TTK Prestige Unveils Nakshatra V2: The Ultimate Kitchen Companion

NATIONAL, 20 SEPTEMBER 2023 (NHM) - TTK Prestige, India's leading and most trusted kitchen appliance Company, is thrilled to announce the launch of a new range of mixer grinders, Nakshatra V2. Geared to redefine the cooking experience in every Indian kitchen, this Mixer Grinder is the perfect combination of cutting-edge technology and style.

Nakshatra V2 focuses on both style and functionality with its 550-watt motor, effortlessly grinding even the toughest ingredients, and its stainless-steel jars, boasting a stunning mirror finish. With carefully integrated flow breakers, these jars ensure efficient and consistent grinding results, perfect for all your culinary experiments and delights making cooking preparation a breeze.

Nakshatra V2 boasts stylish jar handles, offering a comfortable grip and reducing strain even during prolonged usage. To make this appliance more reliable for Indian Kitchens, it is equipped with overload protection, safeguarding the motor from unexpected power surges and fluctuations and ensuring a secure cooking experience. 

The Nakshatra V2 is also available in an exquisite purple color which exudes an air of sophistication, making it the perfect addition to modern kitchens. Its elegant appearance not only captures attention but also seamlessly blends with a variety of modular kitchen designs. The infusion of this stylish color injects a sense of vibrancy into the kitchen environment, enhancing its visual appeal. With its ability to effortlessly complement diverse modern kitchen settings, this product stands as a testament to both functionality and tasteful design.

This array is priced at 4495 INR and comes with three jars: a wet grinding jar that has a capacity of 1500ML a dry grinding jar with a capacity of 1100 ml, and a chutney jar that has a capacity of 450 ml, making it perfect for your respective needs. With this range, TTK Prestige is offering a generous 5-year warranty on the motor and a 2-year warranty on the product.

About TTK Prestige (www.ttkprestige.com)

TTK Prestige Limited is part of TTK Group. Over the past six decades, TTK Prestige Limited has emerged as India’s largest kitchen appliances company catering to the needs of homemakers in the country. Every Prestige brand product is built on the pillars of safety, innovation, durability, and trust, making the brand the first choice in millions of homes. In April 2016, TTK Prestige launched ‘Prestige Clean Home’ a range of innovative home cleaning solutions.  The company also bought UK-based Horwood Homewares in the same month and launched Judge Brand in India in August 2017.

Ministry of External Affairs Issues Advisory for Indians Living in Canada

Mumbai/New Delhi, 20th September, 2023 (NHM): Amidst the ongoing tensions with Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs has issued an advisory for Indians living in Canada. The Ministry of External Affairs said in the advisory that due to the increase in anti-India activities and politically motivated hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada, all Indians traveling there and present there are advised to exercise caution.

“Recently, threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda”, further stated the advisory. Therefore, Indian citizens should avoid going to places where violent incidents have taken place in Canada recently, or places where violence is possible. 

The Ministry of External Affairs has mentioned that it will remain in touch with Canadian authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of the Indian community in Canada. The Ministry has especially advised Indian students to exercise extreme caution and remain alert in such times of heightened violence. 

The Ministry of External Affairs has advised Indian citizens to register with the Indian High Commissioner in Ottawa, Canada or the Consulate General of India in Toronto and Vancouver through their respective websites, or the MADAD portal madad.gov.in. These registrations will help the Indian Missions better connect with Indian citizens in the event of any emergency.Ends

Agri ministries and NGOs from 18 countries come together for a three-day “4 per 1000 Asia-Pacific Regional Conference” hosted at Kanha Shanti Vanam

Chief Guest Shri Singireddy Niranjan Reddy – Honourable Minister for Agriculture, Govt. of Telangana and Rev. Daaji - Spiritual Guide of Heartfulness, President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission and Padma Bhushan Awardee

Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire among key players joins hands with Heartfulness in the initiative

Shri Singireddy Niranjan Reddy – Honourable Minister for Agriculture, Govt. of Telangana; Honourable Sakiasi Ralsevu Ditoka, Minister for Rural, Maritime Development & Disaster Management, Fiji; Honourable Consul General of France, Mr. Thierry Berthelot, Shri M. Raghunandan Rao, IAS – Honourable Secretary of Agriculture, Govt. of Telangana; and Dr Paul Luu, Executive Secretary and other stellar line up of guests present at the event

MUMBAI, 20 SEPTEMBER, 2023 (NHM): Heartfulness in association with Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire; Dr. Reddy’s Foundation; ICRISAT, Sammunati, Biospheres and Fondation pour l’agriculture et la ruralité dans le monde (FARM) is hosting a large scale ‘4 per 1000’ Asia-Pacific Regional Conference at Kanha Shanti Vanam, the headquarters of Heartfulness in the outskirts of Hyderabad starting today for three days. 

The conference is aimed at addressing Soil Health for Climate Change & Food Security. The inauguration was graced by Chief Guest Shri Singireddy Niranjan Reddy – Honourable Minister for Agriculture, Govt. of Telangana; and Guests of Honour - Honourable Sakiasi Ralsevu Ditoka, Minister for Rural, Maritime Development & Disaster Management, Fiji; Honourable Consul General of France, Mr. Thierry Berthelot, Shri M. Raghunandan Rao, IAS – Honourable Secretary of Agriculture, Govt. of Telangana; and Dr Paul Luu, Executive Secretary of the international « 4 per 1000 » Initiative under the Divine Guidance of Rev. Daaji – Spiritual Guide of Heartfulness, President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, and Padma Bhushan Awardee. ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), TAAS Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences), Bioversity International and International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have been the partners in this three-day conference. Delegations from 18 countries viz., France, Fiji, Thailand, Germany, USA, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UK, China, India and the United Nations came together for this conference at Kanha Shanti Vanam. 

The stellar list of experts and policy makers included  Ms. Ingeborg Bayer, Counsellor Food and Agriculture, Embassy of the Federal; Republic of Germany, India; Khun Chayaditt Hutanuwatra, Advisory of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand; Mr. Takayuki Hagiwara, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) Representative in India; Dr Shailander Kumar, Deputy Global Research Program Director, Enabling System Transformation, ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), India; Dr Praveen Rao, Former Vice Chancellor, PJTSAU (Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University), on behalf of TAAS (Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences), India; Mr. Shamik Trehan, CEO, Dr Reddy's Foundation, India;  Mr. Anil Kumar SG, Founder & CEO, Samunnati Financial Intermediation and Services Private Limited, India. 

Chief Guest Shri Singireddy Niranjan Reddy – Honourable Minister for Agriculture, Govt. of Telangana; said, “I proudly stand here in Telangana where our government under the leader of Chief Minister KCR Garu has done tremendous work on soil and environment for the past several years. Soil is the unsung hero of our lives. It is a complex living ecosystem teaming with microorganisms, insects and roots. It is a reservoir of water and nutrients. It sustains biodiversity and regulates climate. Soil degradation is rampant across the globe the statistics of which are alarming. There is a severe threat to global food security and environmental stability. With collective responsibility we can protect it by critical steps such as: 1. sustainable farming viz., crop rotation and cover cropping which can reduce delays, these enhance soil health and reduce erosion; 2. Regular soil monitoring and testing to determine nutrient levels and reforestation which can improve soil structure 3. Reducing pollution and sustainable waste management are other aspects. We need to educate policy makers and spread awareness. Soil conservation is not optional. We are grateful for the delegation choosing Kanha Shanti Vanam as the venue for this as it is teaching the world the importance of greening our planet. Kanha is a live example of that.”

Honourable Sakiasi Ralsevu Ditoka, Minister for Rural, Maritime Development & Disaster Management, Fiji said, “We have an unwavering commitment to address the impact of climate change and frequency of disaster. Fiji is particularly susceptible to an increase of frequency of cyclones and soil erosion. Losses incurred due to climate change are at 4% towards annual GDP posing a significant threat with more frequent droughts with a rise in 2 degrees in temperature and a forecast sea level rising by 1.4 meters by 2100. The erosion carries away essential nutrients and water bodies. The cultures and traditions are interlinked with the land and sea making direct threat to our way of life. Climate change affects agriculture and availability of drinking water. As of 2021 Fiji witnessed 8.1% of GDP. The temperature affecting food security, organic matter decomposition, depleting nutrients are inevitable. This is an opportunity for resilience, adaptation and management. We are very thankful to what we are doing here at Kanha for bringing in innovative sustainable measures for soil conservation.” 

Rev. Daaji – Spiritual Guide of Heartfulness, President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, and Padma Bhushan Awardee said, “Kanha stands as an example that we can convert a barren land into green living cover. Our Chief Minister Shri KCR Garu and Minister of Agriculture Shri Niranjan garu made Telangana into the fastest greening state of India. While every village has a nursery supported by their governments, we need to create the environment wherein cattle and fuel can be provided for without unscrupulous felling of trees. We need to make it an enticing agroforestry that can change the economics of our villages. Recognize the indigenous plant species that can bring the economic shift.  Share the knowledge with villagers. We should not only grow trees, but also pay attention to marine lives. For instance, seaweeds have more capacity than terrestrial plants in carbon sequestering and can be tapped in for medicinal purposes, as potent antioxidant. Seaweeds have a great importance in fertilizers as they can use potassium and phosphates and can prevent soil erosion. Many minerals are hidden in the oceans. It can change the quality of environment. The other component is charcoal that can help in greening initiatives. Thanks to the Govt. of Telangana in supporting us and thanks to this august delegation for selecting this ashram for this conference.”

The conference that inaugurated today will see through signing of documents and other MoUs, keynote speeches, presentations, and policy making and framework for soil health for climate and food security. The important keynote speeches are around the topics such as ‘The global level situation of Soil Health and the most promising developments”, “The importance of Soils and Soil Health in Asia”, “A successful example for landscape restoration at scale: The Heartfulness Green Initiative at Kanha Shanti Vanam” among others by leading experts from UNESCO MGIEP, Heartfulness Institute, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries - Japan; International Federation of Organic Agriculture among other prominent international organisations pertinent to soil health. Some key presentations also included topics such as “Advances in Soil Carbon and Soil Health Research in Asia”, “Soil Health situation and Research Advances in the Pacific area”, “Sustainable Landscape domain in India and other countries”, “Soil Health and Climate-Resilience and Low-Carbon Agriculture’ among others.Ends

Acer Introduces Nitro V - The Next Generation of Gaming Laptops: Delivering Unparalleled Gaming Performance with Stunning Visuals

MUMBAI, 20 SEPTEMBER, 2023 (NHM): Acer, one of the leading gaming PC brands, today unveiled its latest addition to the gaming laptop lineup, the Nitro V. This new entry comes with advanced features and enhancements in performance that aim to elevate the gaming journey. It boasts the remarkable NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 4050 graphics processing unit that comes with a dedicated 6GB GDDR6 VRAM. This configuration ensures exceptional and seamless gameplay, accompanied by a refresh rate of 144Hz. Furthermore, the 3ms overdrive response time maximizes the sense of immersion during gaming sessions. The Nitro V also comes with both the NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 3050 and the NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 2050, and these graphics are expected to become available at a later date.

The Nitro V is powered by the latest 13th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, ensuring seamless multitasking and lightning-fast processing speeds. This laptop offers gamers a stunning 15-inch display with IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology for an immersive visual experience. The Nitro V's dual-fan, dual-intake cooling technology optimizes its cooling capacities in order to eliminate throttling and achieve full CPU and GPU utilization, ensuring peak performance while gaming. 

One of the noteworthy features of the Nitro V laptop is its focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI). It comes with Acer Purified View and Purified Voice noise reduction technology powered by AI. This technology allows gamers to immerse themselves in the virtual world with exceptional sound precision, creating an experience akin to being at the helm of a spaceship command center.

Additionally, the laptop boasts a robust set of features, including Wi-Fi 6, HDMI 2.1, and Thunderbolt 4 support. These functionalities make it effortless for gamers to connect to external displays and peripherals, ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted gaming session. Furthermore, the laptop's inclusion of memory slots and DDR5 storage slots enhances its performance, enabling faster data access and transfer rates.

Sudhir Goel, Chief Business Officer at Acer India, shared his excitement about the Nitro V Series: “The Nitro gaming series has garnered immense popularity within the gaming community, standing as a testament to its exceptional blend of power, performance, and aesthetic appeal. With the introduction of Nitro V, Acer continues to push the boundaries of what mainstream gamers can expect from their laptops. This latest addition is a perfect synergy of enhanced capabilities, additional features, and an unparalleled immersive experience, all bundled within an affordable price range. We are delighted to give gamers the resources they need to succeed by reimagining the potential of gaming laptops with the Nitro V Series.”

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The all-new Nitro V starts at Rs.76990 and it is available in all Acer exclusive stores, Acer online store, Amazon, Flipkart, and in Multi-brand outlets.

About Acer:

Founded in 1976, today Acer is one of the world’s top ICT companies and has a presence in over 160 countries. As Acer looks into the future, it is focused on enabling a world where hardware, software, and services will fuse to open up new possibilities for consumers and businesses alike. From service-oriented technologies to the Internet of Things to gaming and virtual reality, Acer’s 7,000+ employees are dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of products and solutions that break barriers between people and technology. Please visit www.acer.com for more information.

Indegene announces the 5th edition of 'Indegene Digital Summit', An annual flagship event for global life sciences leaders, on September 21 - 22, 2023

INDIA, SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 (NHM): Indegene, a digital-first, life sciences Commercialization Company, announced the fifth edition of Indegene Digital Summit, the annual flagship event for global life sciences leaders, on September 21 - 22, 2023. This exclusive thought leadership virtual event will see thought-provoking strategic discussions pertinent to the commercialization functions of the life sciences value chain.

The summit brings a power-packed lineup of thought leaders from within and beyond the life sciences industry on a single platform to exchange views on the future of commercialization. The leaders will discuss the role of technology paradigms such as Generative AI in transforming traditional commercialization models. They will also address a wide range of topics like launch excellence, technology transformation, precision marketing at scale, and customer experience (CX) transformation.

Click here for the agenda and speaker information: https://digitalsummit.indegene.com/

The event is free from vendors or booths.

Keynote speakers include renowned industry leaders:

• Peter Schnack, Head of Data, Digital & Technology, SVP, Global Portfolio Division, Takeda

• Juanjo Francesch, Global CIO Human Health IT & MD of MSD Technology Center, Merck

• Matt Anderson, Chief Digital Officer and Managing Director, The Carlyle Group and 

• Sharon Barber-Lui, CFO & SVP, North America, Teva Pharmaceuticals

“The life sciences industry is at an inflection point, with commercial leaders on the lookout for new and different ways to ensure launch success”, said Gaurav Kapoor, Executive Vice President, Indegene, Inc. “This edition of Indegene Digital Summit brings a good mix of business and technology leaders to exchange thoughts on the future of commercialization and AI-driven transformation”.

Sessions to watch out for:

1. The future of content in the biopharma industry

2. Generative AI in Life Sciences - Sorting the hype from the hope!

3. The new world of omnichannel: Embracing emerging channels and disruptive tech in customer engagement

4. Breaking silos: Aligning HCP and patient engagement for better Rx and patient outcomes

5. Elevating MLR review: Commercial Ops', Reviewers', and Regulators' insights on emerging trends

Indegene Digital Summit is a #FutureReadyHealthcare initiative, orchestrated by Indegene. Visit https://digitalsummit.indegene.com/ to register for the free, virtual-only, two-day event. For live updates, follow #FutureReadyHealthcare on LinkedIn.

About Indegene

Indegene is a digital-first, life sciences commercialization company. It helps biopharmaceutical, emerging biotech and medical device companies develop products, get them to the market, and grow their impact through the life cycle in a more effective, efficient and modern way. Indegene brings together healthcare domain expertise, fit-for-purpose technology and an agile operating model to provide a diverse range of solutions. These aim to deliver, amongst other outcomes, a personalized, scalable and omnichannel experience for patients and physicians. It’s what drives Indegene’s team and their purpose to enable healthcare organizations be future ready. To learn more, please visit www.indegene.com