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‘The Most Expensive Dinner, I Made was $39,000 For A Person’: Michelin Star Holder Chef Vikas Khanna

Mumbai, 27 February 2023: Chef Vikas Khanna shared the journey of his life while discussing the topic of “Master of Spices – Cooking up a storm,” at the second edition of ‘The ideas of India’ Summit. He mentioned growing up in a not-so-affluent family in Amritsar and discovering his passion for cooking and deciding to pursue it as a career.

Speaking at the session, he said, “Amritsar, or ‘Ambarsar,’ as we call it. I did not come from a wealthy household. We were all the same. That was the state of the economy in the 1970s. I began cooking at a young age. I was an expert at tandoor. I put it very well and another thing that got me into food and a better understanding of food is Golden Temple, it made me understand on a much different scale and magnitude. People from all walks of come and sit together,” he added.

While talking about his journey, Vikas discussed his accomplishments over the years. He said, “From Rs 10 to A Michelin Star, I prepared dinner the most expensive meal, 39,000 dollars for a person. When you work internationally, you are judged by your origin, color, and background. We were advised not to ask questions, and that we would be working under the white chef, but I questioned why. Why can’t I take the initiative? But look how the transition has transpired.”

Talking about his experience on serving as Prime Minister of India, he said, “When he was traveling to the UN General Assembly, I said, I want to do a dine-in food. The Prime Minister was throwing a dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York for some of the world’s most powerful CEOs and I was in command. The whole event proceeded smoothly and PM seemed really happy.”

Against the backdrop of global change and evolving dynamics, the summit has convened a diverse group of stakeholders including policymakers, cultural leaders, industry experts, celebrities, and business executives to deliberate on India’s critical role. With its extensive reach of 535 million viewers in India, ABP Network serves as a major platform for accomplished professionals across multiple fields to share their perspectives.

Keka’s HR Conclave in Delhi underscores the impact of digital HR on HR-business alignment

Delhi, February 27 , 2023: Keka, leading HR tech platform based out of Hyderabad, conducted the fourth chapter of its HR Conclave in Delhi on February 23. Through this conclave, Keka has voiced the impact and challenges of digital HR on HR-business alignment.

Technology has revolutionised every sector, and HR is no different. Today, traditional HR services and processes are being replaced with digital HR through mobile, analytics and cloud technologies. The challenges faced by organisations due to digital HR and their solutions formed the backdrop of Keka’s intriguing HR Conclave in Delhi.

The overarching goal of the conclave was to voice the challenges organisations face while efficiently adapting digital HR and connecting with their people. Experts in the HR sector gathered together to voice the challenges like misaligned goals, lack of integration, lack of data-driven divisions and inadequate resources while assimilating digital HR in an organisation.

On the event’s success, Vijay Yalamanchili, CEO of Keka said,” With this fourth conclave in Delhi, we have concluded four series of HR Conclave that was started with a goal to revolutionise how organisations interact with their people. We started Keka HR Conclave to offer a platform to HR professionals wherein they can come together as peers and learn and grow to the next level. I firmly believe community building is what keeps businesses alive. For us, employees’ experience is everything. We strongly believe that CX plus EX equals 10X Growth.”

He added,” I would like to thank my entire team for their constant support and for making Keka’s three series HR Conclave a huge success. It has been an enthralling experience to witness the HR community converge and engage in conversations that will help it grow and thrive.”

The Delhi chapter of Keka’s HR Conclave was attended by more than 150 people. It included a panel discussion that was graced by panelists and moderators like Sunny Verma- Group Head – Learning & OD – JBM Group, Renu Bohra – Chief People Officer – India & Indian Subcontinent Schenker India Pvt. Ltd, Divya Dang- Global HR Head – Cloud Analogy and Kshitiz Sachan – Lead process strategist -Keka HR. The last chapter of Keka’s HR Conclave ended positively, with HR leaders’ insightful interactions on digital HR. The other chapters of the conclave were held in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru earlier this year.

My biggest desire is to see number of young girls grow in the field of maths and science’, says Hon’ble Union Minister Smriti Irani at Arth – A Culture Fest 2023

New Delhi, 27 February 2023: Day 3 of Arth – A Culture Fest being held at New Delhi’s Sunder Nursery witnessed one of the most captivating sessions titled ‘Gender (in)equality: Creating Balance in an Uncertain World where Honourable Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani was in conversation with Anuraag Saxena.

Commenting on the broad theme of the session, she said, “Indians have quintessentially never used gender to operate. And women especially aren’t defined by gender alone. They’re defined by their relationships, denoted by their responsibilities. I have never represented myself as a female party member. I’m proud of the religion I am born in, the region I am born to. I cannot be restricted to a pronoun.”

“Today we have a PM who not only looks at responding to the needs of a country but also infuse enthusiasm in today’s generation. He helps us envision how the world will look like twenty-five years later. I’m very glad that today Amrit Kaal is part of the conversation in a cultural festival like Arth. It shows that it is the people’s movement. There is a partnership between the people and the PM. One of greatest joys is the vibrancy of our culture,” she added.

She also talked about how reservation was an attempt to bring about equal opportunity. She said, “I became the upadhyaksh of BJP because my party made reservation for women within the sangathan so that we could have a greater say. Until we create equal opportunity, how can we deny even one citizen an opportunity. To just simply put one question or one answer, we’re doing great injustice even if we leave one woman or one child behind.”

Commenting on women’s representation in the Indian government she said, “Recently when we computed how many women are in administration, we have 1.9 crore women serving in various administrative capacity in the country. That’s a huge number and they’re all decision makers. These women are sitting as District Magistrates, women who are running fast track courts, women who are running pani samitis deciding which village gets how much water, women who are sitting as swachagrihis who decide which house does not have a toilet and looks into the allocation of funds that’s needed to build that toilet. That’s a huge number and I’m hoping that will grow. My biggest desire is to see number of young girls grow in the field of maths and science.”

Taj Mahal, New Delhi hosts the 2nd Panel in the ‘She Remains the Taj’ Series

The timeless Taj Mahal, New Delhi presented an exquisite evening with leading voices celebrating the spirit of women. The panel was graced by distinguished leaders from various walks of life – H.E. Ms. Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Ambassador of Finland to India, Ms. Satyavati Berera, Partner, PwC India, Dr. Sanjukta Parasor, Indian Police Service, Dr. Ritu Garg, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer Fortis Healthcare and Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director & CEO, IHCL.

Panelists from Right to Left – Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director & CEO, IHCL, Dr. Sanjukta Parasor, Indian Police Service, H.E. Ms. Ritva Koukku-Ronde Ambassador of Finland to India, Dr. Ritu Garg, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer Fortis Healthcare, Ms. Satyavati Berera, Partner, PwC India and moderator Mr. Nikunj Dalmia

IOCL to offer mega gifts to customers during Scan & Win Campaign

Noida, February 27, 2023: To further enhance the customer experience of commuters availing petrol/diesel from petrol pumps, energy major Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has announced the commencement of this year’s grand Scan & Win sales promotion campaign for its customers at 203 petrol bunks in Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Hapur, and Muzaffarnagar districts. The commencement of this year’s mega campaign was announced during an event organized by IOCL at the energy Maharatna’s Uttar Pradesh State Office II (Noida Division).

The event, a part of IOCL’s New Year Bonanza, was graced by the presence of the Director (HR), IOCL, Mr Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, and other dignitaries from Indian Oil. During the event, a brand new Maruti Alto was awarded to the last year’s lucky winner of the campaign. Mr. Mohapatra also announced the initiation of the enrollment of the daughters of customer attendants at the retail outlets in the Noida division of Indian Oil under the government’s ambitious project, Sukanya Samridhi Yojna, launched under the “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” campaign.

“The core ideology of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited has always been to create the largest customer interface in the country and reach precious petroleum fuels to every nook and corner of the country. Our mega Scan & Win sales promotion campaign is intended to further engage with the consumers of IOCL. The campaign indeed showcases the quality of services IOCL has been providing and that is also a testament of how the energy major has always kept customers at its utmost priority,” said Mr. Ranjan Mohapatra.

Any consumers, except employees of IOCL and their family members, can participate in the Scan & Win sales promotion campaign. Customers can participate in the event by filling petrol / XP95 / XP100 of Rs 500 and above for two-wheelers and Rs 1500 and above for four-wheelers. Customers can redeem the e-coupon code by visiting https://pgshop.in/exclusive- deals/.

The exciting offers that customers can avail of through the lucky draw include one Maruti Alto, 8 Bajaj CT 110X bikes, 8 Lenovo detachable laptops, and 100 electric kettles. The campaign also includes instant gifts like Prolyte Energy Drinks, Hand Wash & Energy Drink Sachet on the purchase of fuels.

Veranda Learning Solutions Partners with IIM Raipur To Launch Executive Development Programme in General Management

Chennai, 27 February 2023: IIM Raipur is collaborating with Veranda Learning Solutions Limited (“Veranda”), a publicly listed education company (BSE: 543514, NSE: VERANDA), represented by its brand Edureka Higher Ed, to launch an Executive Development Programme (EDP) in General Management. This one-year programme will be offered through a combination of on-the-campus immersion modules and live online sessions.

This programme has been designed to upskill working professionals to foresee and take advantage of business opportunities, as well as, confront challenges in this world of uncertainty. Learners in this programme will become the managers of tomorrow, agile and capable of handling ambiguity. The programme is uniquely designed with a structured academic curriculum that will be taught by experienced IIM faculty. The programme will help professionals secure in-depth exposure to emerging themes, acquire a 360-degree approach to Management, gain access to an exclusive Startup Bootcamp and personalized Career Support Services, etc.

Elucidating on the association, Prof Ram Kumar Kakani – Director of IIM Raipur said, “At IIM Raipur, our endeavour has always been to create a niche with our industry partnerships, and this is another step on that path. We are looking forward to providing an excellent learning experience for students in partnership with Veranda.”

Speaking about the partnership, Aditya Malik, CEO– of Higher Ed, Veranda Learning Solutions said, “We are pleased to be teaming up with IIM Raipur and launching this Executive Development Programme in General Management. We are very confident that this course will help our students to become agile and take on challenges in the business environment head-on.”