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.

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GST: Myths and Realities |A conclave of practitioners, academicians and administrators on Goods and Service Tax held at Symbiosis School of Economics

Symbiosis School of Economics(SSE) organized a conclave on the Goods and Services tax on 11^th 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.

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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.

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Stuart Kippelman Joins the Advisory Board of SRKay Consulting Group to Help Accelerate its Global Footprint

Florida & Pune, 21^st 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.

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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.

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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.”

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14th Convocation Ceremony at Symbiosis International (Deemed) University

“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.

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International Research Organization honors heath care fraternity for their outstanding work

Second edition of "Indian Health Professionals Awards 2017”
receives overwhelming response

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 23^rd.

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

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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.

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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 8^th 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.

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Anytime Anywhere School (AAS) launched for widespread education across the country

A Mobile App based platform which brings an entire school to the children

Mumbai, 04 Dec 2017; India’s vision to be a world leader in the 21^st century can only be realized with a robust education system. Vikas Kakwani, an IIT-IIM Graduate launches AAS Vidyalaya- Anytime Anywhere School, a platform that brings an entire school on the phone. AAS Vidyalaya is a virtual school – a mobile app, built for millions of students who cannot go to school, in order to bring the school to them. The Social School operates exactly like a regular school with a dedicated class-teacher, timetables, subject periods and regular assessments.

According to Census Data, 8.4 crore Indian children don’t attend school. Poverty, lack of availability and accessibility are the major reasons why children drop out of school. On the other hand, India currently has a smartphone use base of over 300 million which is expected to cross 650 million by 2019. Harnessing the power of mobile technology and its reach, AAS Vidyalaya is a comprehensive user friendly app, built to fortify education- the backbone of the country’s growth and development. The app has been designed on Android platform and is easily available on Google Playstore.

“The idea is to create a virtual school available for everyone- a school ‘For the People, By the People’”, says Vikas Kakwani who proclaims himself to be a product of education and hence, believes that the only way India can benefit from its demographic dividend is when everyone in the country is educated.

Instead of bringing children to the school AAS gets the school to the children- Students can attend school from anywhere and teachers can work from home, while parents can seamlessly monitor day-to-day progress of the students. One can attend classes, interact with subject teachers; class teacher, take tests, and monitor their progress with this app. AAS has been launched for secondary education with CBSE curriculum, while the plan is to add other boards soon. AAS holistically brings in flexibility and cost benefits for students, teachers, as well as parents, thereby strengthening the educational system at the grass root level.

A revolutionary idea to bring continuing education to people who need it, AAS Vidyalaya has been recognized as a Changemaker by Global Action on Poverty (GAP) for 2017.

To download the app and find an entire school in your hand, click here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.org.vidyalaya.android

Website:

http://www.vidyalaya.org.in/

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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.  

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Happy Planet opens Pune’s largest indoor active play park

Pune, 30^thNovember 2017: Children and the young-at-heart of Pune now have a reason to cheer! Happy Planet, which has been spreading smiles and joy for the past eight years, is all set to open doors to Punekars. All roads will now lead up to Phoenix Market City as the mega 6000 sq. ft. space opens today.

Happy Planet aims at spreading smiles across the country by bringing the great outdoors, indoors. The place is buoyed on the philosophy that Freedom is the single biggest experience that each child must enjoy – Freedom to play and Freedom to choose the play are important aspects of overall growth and development. That is precisely what Happy Planet endeavours to offer within the precinct.

Speaking at the launch, Nimish Kenia, co-founder of Happy Planet said, “Our vision is to create a secure space where children and young adults can be a part of interesting and challenging games designed to develop one’s character and personality. Through tasks such as trampolines, zipline, obstacle courses, challenging rope walks and so on, we believe the child develops a keen sense of competitionand team spirit.”

“Pune is a melting pot of people from across the country who have now made this vibrant city home. Yet, there are not ample options for indoor recreational activities while the potential clearly is there. With Happy Planet, we are confident that the audience will enjoy the space and play-outs will become a more sought after location within the city for children, parents, grandparents anybody else who is looking to have an invigorating time – mentally and in play.”

Since opening in 2010, Happy Planet Mumbai has welcomed almost two lac children into its playpark and hosted more than 1,000 birthday parties in its various spaces. It was a keen understanding of the mindset of the Punekar and sensing the lacuna that existed in such entertainment options that prompted the Happy Planet team to set up this ambitious project in Pune.

The Pune outpost boasts of several firsts at Happy Planet:

1) Largest ever multi-activity place in Pune

2) First indoor zipline in Pune

3) First trampoline park in Pune

4) Multi-level aerial adventure in Pune

Additionally, there are a host of games to keep the children occupied including the twin level aerial adventure [rope course],trampoline park, zip line, sand pit, a dynamic combination of fast steep slide and Ninja obstacle course, elevated kiddyfutball turf, and so on.

“While children walking in to enjoy a good evening, we have designed the space at Happy Planet to curate interesting activities for children celebrating a special day. It, in fact, also houses a few activities for the parents or grown-ups who might pass by the area. We strongly believe that we are in the business of bringing smiles and joys to families, and we try to live upto it each day,” signed off Kenia.

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