Aditi Arya and Ruhi Singh to make their debut in the digital space with the successful digital series- 'Spotlight 2'

After winning the renowned crown of Miss India and having a successful start in the movie business, Aditi Arya and Ruhi Singh are all set to appear together in the first ever musical digital series​ by Viu,​ 'Spotlight 2'​,​ written by filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and directed by ​​​​Siddhant Sachdeva. Aditi Arya who started her career with modelling has got tremendous response for her role in Tollywood movie ISM, while Ruhi Singh grabbed the spotlight by being a part of Madhur Bhandarkar's movie Calendar Girls. Both of them are now a part of Spotlight 2 which revolves around a life of a rock star. 

​​Aditi Arya who plays the lead said ​​"Working in Spotlight 2 opened my eyes and layers as an actor. I’ve genuinely learnt alot from ​​​Siddhant, Karan and Ruhi and lived my character with several emotional parallels to my real self. No other project would ever be as close to my heart as this was. All thanks to the sheer brilliance of the team and also to Viu, ​​Siddhant and Vikram sir who put their faith in me and gave me this opportunity.

​​While Ruhi Singh who plays a negative lead in the series said​, ​"​​It was a very interesting experience working on Spotlight 2, as I’ve never played anything like this before. It was a very difficult character to play, and I have sincere respect for my director and the fellow cast. Also, ​the association with Mr​.​ Vikram Bhatt was a cherry on the cake, as I’ve always been an ardent appreciator of his work.​"​

Spotlight 2 is all set to premiere in ​the last week of ​January on Viu.

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Stemilt Inaugurates IG International’s newly acquired cold store facility

Mr. Tate Mathison, President, Stemilt Growers and Mr. William P Young, Export Manager, Stemilt Growers, during their visit to India inaugurated IG International’s newly acquired facility in Mumbai.

This cold store facility was earlier being operated by a leading cold chain company named ‘Kelvin’ and IGIPL will be using it for the handling and storage of fresh produce. The 4000 pallet facility has an area of 5000 square metres located in a 7000 square metre plot. It can maintain temperatures inside ranging from -20 to 20 degrees.

With this 16th cold store facility IG becomes the second largest cold chain company in India, said Mr. Tarun Arora, Director, IG International Pvt. Ltd. Looking at the yearly growth in the fresh produce sector, goal is to become the largest cold chain company in India in Fresh Produce industry by the year 2020 with a total capacity of 65000 pallets, he added.

Stemilt Growers is proud to be invited to participate in the inauguration of IG International’s newest cold storage facility in Mumbai. IG’s leadership in cold-chain maintenance continues to allow us to provide the best quality Word Famous Fruit for the eating pleasure of the Indian Consumer said Mr. William P Young, Exports manager, Stemilt Growers.

Until now, the company has facilities in Mumbai, Panvel, Bangalore, Chennai, Amravati, Jaipur, Ganaur, Chandigarh and this is the fourth facility in Mumbai.

Future plans include the upcoming project at Krishnapatnam which will be up and ready to use by March’18, the other ventures include facilities at Kolkata and Delhi.

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SIDBI India Opportunities Fund invests in Corporatedge Serviced Offices for expanding its presence across the country

Corporatedge, a leading provider of Serviced Office Infrastructure in India gets funded by SIDBI India Opportunities Fund to support the expansion of the company’s Serviced Offices business. With this funding, the company aims at expanding to over 6 locations across India.

Formed in 2012 as a privately held company, the company provides fully serviced offices, virtual offices, meeting rooms and co-working spaces for companies ranging from start-ups to multinational conglomerates. Since inception, CE Serviced Offices Private Limited (Corporatedge) has been passionately focusing on service delivery and premium yet value for money offering in the Serviced Offices vertical.

The company has two operational serviced office offerings in premium locations in Gurgaon. Corporatedge launched its first Centre with 40 office suites and 178 workstations spread over 16,000 sq ft – at DLF Cyber City in 2013. In 2016 another premium offering was set up at Corporatedge Horizon Centre, spread over 25,000 sq ft. with 60 suites and 280 workstations at DLF Two Horizon in April 2016. Corporatedge has created a mark in the Business Center industry with MNCs and international firms largely working out of their state of the art modern facilities. They have total of 500 desks operational and have grown their capacity by 60% in the last quarter of 2017.

Positioned as a Premium offering in the Serviced Offices space, ‘Corporatedge’ is known for its Premium offering as – Location, Address, Product-mix, Infrastructure, Interiors, Technology and Service support. With the India Growth story gaining momentum and the country’s brand equity in the business world being stronger than ever, the demand from foreign companies, domestic companies and start ups within the country for serviced offices will continue to grow over the next several years. “We want companies to have a premium workplace environment experience, second to none in the world. The world wants to do business with India and in India. And they will demand the best service standards and settle for nothing less”, says Mona Shukla, Founder and CEO at Corporatedge Serviced Offices.

“We are humbled by the support of SIDBI IOF Team. Our commitment of an excellent service, followed by manageable growth has made us reach this far. With this round of funding, we see ourselves grow into a national entity. We dream to be a global entity soon and this would be a major milestone in our journey. With this first round of funding, we would be having a roll out of 4-6 more centers with a deployment plan of INR 20-25 crores.”, adds Mona.

SIDBI Venture Capital Limited (SVCL), incorporated in 1999, is an investment management company and a wholly owned subsidiary of SIDBI (www.sidbi.in), the Apex Financial Institution in the country for the MSME sector. Over its life, SVCL has managed funds focussed on different themes including Startups/ early stage technology businesses, manufacturing SMEs, service entities, agri businesses, financial inclusion companies, etc. However, the common string in all investments has been the focus to identify strong & ethical leadership teams capable of executing innovation based business models or robust scalable businesses.

Acupro Consulting, a boutique investment banking outfit based out of Gurgaon acted as exclusive advisor to the Company in this transaction.

Corporatedge is all set to create a new benchmark in Premium Serviced Offices category and in Ms. Shukla’s words “We are ready for Business”.

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MVSTF conducts special training session for CM’s Rural Development Fellows

Pune: Maharashtra Village Social Transformation Foundation (MVSTF) initiative with a mission to transform 1,000 villages across the state, recently conducted a one week long training program to further educate and empower the Chief Minister Rural Development Fellows which was held at YASHADA recently.

Over 150 Chief Minister Rural Development fellows from 11 districts attended the week long training session. Senior government officials and administrators guided the Gram Parivartaks and shared their perspective on key issues regarding implementation of development activities. The refresher training program was to motivate the fellows by bringing all the field experience and inspiring them by giving a new outlook towards working in rural Maharashtra. They discussed key issues, future plans and the current state of work at the ground level through various presentations and case studies in the week-long training program.

Key speakers and guests were invited by MVSTF to address the CM Rural Development Fellows. Shri. Pravin Pardeshi IAS-ACS to CM, Shri. Sachin Pratap Singh, IAS- Commissioner Agriculture, Shri. Chandrakant Dalvi, IAS- Divisional Pune, M.S.Kalshetty, IAS - Collector Nandurbar, Mr. Umakant Dangat, retired IAS, Mr. Ajay Savrikar, Director SIRD YASHADA, Former IAS officer & Director of Chanakya Mandal Mr. Avinash Dharmdhikari, Mr. Vishwas Nangre Patil, IPS - IG Kolhapur range shared their key inputs during the training session held at YASHADA.

During the course of the training program various sessions were conducted which included the following subjects like Government convergence guidance, major schemes in Maharashtra, how to leverage scheme budgets and soft skills training. Various representatives from department such as water conservation, agriculture, skill development etc. addressed the Gram Parivartaks.  

The highlight of the training session was the video conferencing session which was chaired by Shri. Pravin Pardeshi, along with Gram Parivartaks, collectors and senior officials from various districts. During the video conferencing sessions, Shri. Pardeshi reviewed the work done so far and shared his perspective on the current status of work and also provided valuable inputs on challenges faced while implementing government schemes. He also applauded success stories of the Gram Parivartaks and also guided and motivated them to further enhance the work they are doing at the ground level.

Shri. Chandrakant Dalvi, Divisional commissioner, Pune, shared his vast experience on way to mobilize people for participation in community development. He shared experience with regards to Nidhal village which is recognized as a model village. He guided the Gram Parivartaks on way to develop a plan for model village and ways to maximize people’s participation in welfare schemes.      

Shri Umakant Dangat, Former Divisional Commissioner, Aurangabad conducted a session on Convergence of various schemes – Administration Organogram for Line Departments.

they can transform the lives of people in rural India. He motivated the Gram Parivartaks and explained them how they can be agents of change in nation building. The training program concluded with a session by Shri. Vishwas Nangre Patil. In an interactive session he motivated the Gram Parivartaks to maximize participation of youth to bring about a positive change in the villages. He stressed on the importance of planning Shri Avinash Dharmadhikari, former IAS officer and founder of Chanakya Mandal Pariwar defined the role of youth and how and confidence building among rural youth and also guided them on ways to tackle the issues through participation of villagers for community development.     

The CM’s Rural Development Fellowship Program is a key initiative by MVSTF giving qualified fellows the opportunity to enable and engineer socio-economic development at the village level over 11 months. Each fellow is assigned one Gram Panchayat (GP), who is responsible for overall execution of development activities of 2-3 villages. Fellows are empowered by the Hon. Chief Minister to ensure timely and effective transformation of all the comprising villages of their GPs.

Sharing his perspective on the week long session Mr. Ramnath Subramanian, CEO, MVSTF, said, “The Gram Parivartaks are playing vital role in the village transformation through their consistent hard work and innovative ideas. This training session was conducted to know their reviews or problems which they face at the grassroots level and guide them for the future development of their respective villages. This training session empowers the fellows to accomplish the mission.”

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Blueair and Global Hospitals come together to raise awareness on the ill effects of air pollution

Mumbai, January 15, 2018: During the winter season, the air quality deteriorates triggering health alarms. As part of the company’s CSR initiative, Blueair, world’s leading indoor air Purifier Company from Sweden and Global Hospitals, Mumbai, a multi-super specialty hospital, come together to advocate people on clean air and the ill effects of air pollution. This initiative was graced by Mr. Manpreet Singh Sohal, Regional CEO for Global Hospitals, Dr. Samir Garde, a Renowned Pulmonologist, Dr. Bharat Shah, Nephrologist and Girish Bapat, Blueair Director West and South Asia Region. The initiative kicked off with Dr. Samir Garde sharing insights on the impact of air pollution on health and concluded with distribution of free 1000 units of F-95 anti-pollution masks to patients visiting the hospital with respiratory problems. 

speaking on this initiative, Dr. Samir Garde, Renowned Pulmonologist, said, “With temperature dipping in the city and pollution levels crossing the poor category mark, there has been a spike in the no. of cases with respiratory problems. In the past decade an increasing number of studies have highlighted that the particulate matter is a serious health threat which can be life threatening in many ways. The levels of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 have serious health implications as these tend to get lodged in the lung and can even enter the bloodstream.”

Mr. Girish Bapat, Blueair Director West and South Asia Region added, “Air pollution is a major environmental and health problem affecting all age groups. However, patients who are suffering from respiratory problems are more sensitive to toxic pollutants. In such situations, wearing a good quality anti-pollution masks and using indoor air purifiers with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are perhaps the best way to ensure that you are breathing good quality air. This initiative will surely aid people in understanding the importance of breathing clean air.”

Mr. Manpreet Singh Sohal, Regional CEO for Global Hospitals further added, “Global hospitals have always been at the forefront of providing quality health care to every individual. Air pollution is a significant risk factor for a number of pollution related diseases and health conditions. One of the most important steps in prevention of air pollution is educating and spreading awareness among people about the issue and the serious threat it poses to the health and wellbeing. This collaboration with Blueair will surely help patients combat the ill effects of air pollution.”

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Sodexo Joins Hands With BigBasket to Simplify Day-to-day Grocery Shopping This New Year

Sodexo, the leader in employee motivation and benefits services, welcomes 2018 with one more e-commerce partnership. The Sodexo Meal Card can now be used to shop for fresh and packed food & beverages on bigbasket.com, India's largest online grocery store. With an aim to ease the everyday food shopping experience for their 3 million+ daily users, Sodexo has joined hands with BigBasket to enable the acceptance of the Sodexo Meal Card on BigBasket.com. The Meal Card users can now shop for food and non-alcoholic beverages on BigBasket.com.

Sodexo caters to a large consumer base of millennials; this partnership empowers them with a wide variety of choice. These millennials can be rest assured that their food and grocery delivery will be taken care of once they place their order through the BigBasket platform and pay using their Sodexo Meal Card.

Stephane Michelin, CEO Sodexo Benefits and Rewards, explained, "Sodexo's focus in the past year in India has been about enhancing the consumer experience of our users. In our endeavour to completely digitize our solutions, we have partnered with various best-in-class solution providers. The partnership with BigBasket was a specific request from our consumers who are short on time and seek convenience. With this partnership, Sodexo will enable quick, hassle-free payments for the large base of 3 million daily consumers who can enjoy shopping on the go and be assured of secured transactions across web and app platforms of BigBasket."

Hari Menon, CEO of BigBasket said, "This is a critical partnership for BigBasket to ensure customer satisfaction and delight. In their offline avatar, Sodexo meal vouchers formed a substantial part of customer payments towards grocery purchases on BigBasket. With Sodexo going digital, it fits in even more seamlessly with the BigBasket online platform."

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BMW group records an annual growth of 25% with 9800 cars and 252 motorcycles delivered to customers.

GURGAON, India, January 4, 2018 

BMW Group has delivered its finest performance in India till date in calendar year 2017 with all three brands - BMW, MINI and Motorrad.

BMW Group India delivered 9,800 cars (BMW + MINI) in 2017, registering a growth of 25% as compared to 2016. BMW India sold 9,379 cars in 2017, clocking a notable growth of 25% as compared to 2016. MINI is leading the small-premium car segment in India with 421 MINIs hitting the road in 2017, a growth of 17% as compared to 2016.

In the first year of its operations in the country, BMW Motorrad has created a strong appeal among Indian customers, delivering 252 motorcycles.

Mr. Vikram Pawah, President - BMW Group India, said, "2017 was a challenging year for the automotive industry in India that adversely affected stability and impacted consumer confidence due to several policy fluctuations. BMW Group India has achieved this successful growth as a result of its robust strategy, a resolute approach in its implementation and absolute commitment to all customers and their needs. We have created a differentiating factor in the Indian luxury car market with the strength of our brands, products and innovative customer initiatives."

In 2017, the BMW sales growth was predominantly driven by the Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) segment, particularly the BMW X1 (compact SAV) and the BMW X5 (premium SAV). The second half of 2017 also saw an unprecedented acceleration in sales with the launch of the all-new BMW 5 Series, the most progressive sport-business sedan in India.

Mr. Pawah further added, "We are moving forward with a clear aim and our resolute strategy of 'Power to Lead'. We are well-prepared to set a benchmark in the Indian automobile industry in every aspect, with passion, performance and excellence. We are confident of continuing this momentum but our primary goal is to grow the size of the luxury car market in India. We strongly believe that leading the growth of the segment is more important than anything, even more important than being just Number One."

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