16, Feb 2023
URBAN Launches Next-Gen Premium Fit Z AMOLED Smartwatch with Bluetooth Calling

New Delhi, 16th February 2023: URBAN, a premium smart wearable brand, launches its flagship next-gen smartwatch- URBAN Fit Z in India. This advanced smartwatch has been specifically crafted to cater to the dynamic needs of modern individuals, who desire a smartwatch that seamlessly integrates into their fast-paced lifestyle while keeping them connected, healthy, and active. With advanced features such as Ultra HD fluid AMOLED Always On display, Bluetooth calling with speaker & mic, Inbuilt storage & wireless earphones connectivity along with dual sensors and Realtek chipset for 24×7 continuous health & fitness tracking, up to 10 days of battery backup, and a military-grade premium Aluminum finish, this smartwatch is set to revolutionize the market. URBAN Fit Z is available at all leading offline retail outlets, and online portals like Amazon, Flipkart & official website at an introductory price of INR Rs 5,999/-.

Aashish Kumbhat, Co-Founder, of URBAN, stated, “Our commitment is to provide premium products that are packed with innovative technology and features. The launch of the URBAN Fit Z smartwatch is a testament to our commitment. This is designed for individuals who lead fast-paced lives and are always on the go. We aim to make it easier for people to lead a healthy lifestyle and enhance their smartwatch experience. With URBAN Fit Z, we tried to craft one watch for all lifestyle and fitness needs; and all of this, at an accessible price point.”

Specifications and Features:

The URBAN Fit Z Smartwatch comes with a 1.4″ Super AMOLED Fluid HD Display with an Always On Feature. It also features a smart anti-glare screen and provides a bright display, visible even under sunlight. This smartwatch comes equipped with TWS connectivity and inbuilt memory, making it a versatile device for users. The watch also features a dedicated dual sensor for SpO2, HR, and BP, providing 24X7 continuous health monitoring. Urban Fit Z comprises multiple sports modes and an accurate step pedometer to monitor calories burnt and workouts.

In addition to its health and fitness features, the URBAN Fit Z Smartwatch offers an array of customization options, including 100+ cloud-based watch faces and an additional strap. The watch is also water and sweat-resistant, making it ideal for outdoor activities. With its fast charge capability and up to 10-day standby time, users never have to worry about running out of battery.

This newly launched smartwatch offers a unique blend of technology and style, making it the perfect accessory for modern individuals who want a smartwatch that fits their lifestyle and helps them stay connected, healthy, and active.

Price, color and availability

The URBAN Fit Z Smartwatch comes at an introductory price of INR 5,999/- and is available at leading offline retail outlets and through Amazon, Flipkart & URBAN’s official website. This smartwatch comes with dual straps and with 2 color combination options – Black silicone strap + brown vegan leather strap (black dial) and Gray silicone strap + black vegan leather strap (gunmetal gray dial).

16, Feb 2023
EuroKids is consistently recognised for its Innovation in Curriculum and Business Opportunities

Mumbai, February 16, 2023: EuroKids, one of India’s leading preschool chains, has bagged several awards this year, such as –

Asia’s Most Trusted Preschool Brand 2023 – Indo-Global Entrepreneurship Forum 2023

India’s Most Respected Early Childhood Education Brand Dec 22” – Education World;

Best Preschool Education in Asia – Indo-Asian Business Excellence Summit 2022

‘Best Franchisor of the Year 2022’ – Franchise India

‘The Best Education Brands Awards’ – The Economic Times

‘Best Online Children’s Learning’ – Education Innovation Awards 2022

‘Bengaluru’s Best Pre-School for the Year 2022’ – Bengaluru Pride Award for Excellence in Business and many more.

EuroKids has been rewarded for its outstanding pedagogy, passion for children’s education, business acumen, and growth in franchise business across India.

EuroKids believes in the ‘Child First, Safety First’ ideology and therefore ensures that a child’s growth and engagement needs are met in a homelike environment as they Play, Learn & Grow and imbibe essential life skills. Moving away from the traditional teaching standards, EuroKids introduced the innovative and Mindful Curriculum – EUNOIA, working towards building a Mindful School Culture with a focus on Attention. Resilience. Kindness. EuroKids also rolled out its HomeBuddy app to offer supplementary learning beyond the classroom walls as a part of the child’s home engagement and to aid the parents in being a part of their child’s learning journey. The HomeBuddy app is a treasure trove of content. It features weekly learning plans, recorded lessons, a fun zone consisting of interactive games to reinforce learning, worksheets, audio-visuals, DIY activities, EUROFIT and YOGAKIDS videos, MINDFUL+ and EURO MUSIC videos, read-along stories, live classes, and parent corner.

K V S Seshasai, CEO Pre-K Division, Lighthouse Learning, said, “We are glad to have bagged so many awards this year, and each award is a testament to the hard work our teachers, administrative staff, franchise partners, and those in the corporate office have been working round the clock to ensure that the learning never stops for our kids. To equip our children with 21st-century skills, we focus on a ‘Child First’ ideology to innovate and enhance learning outcomes.”

16, Feb 2023
The West Bengal state budget for the fiscal year 2023–24 was presented today: Stamp duty rebate is extended till 30 September 2023

Mr. Amit Goyal, CEO, India Sotheby’s International Realty.

In the backdrop of increasing home loan rates and no significant benefits announced in the union budget for FY24 for homebuyers, the West Bengal government’s decision to extend the rebate in stamp duty for another six months i.e. till September 30 is a respite. The decision will help in maintaining the demand in the housing sector. Incentives like relief in the stamp duty and registration fee can help the positive impetus in the real estate sector to continue.

16, Feb 2023
Cathay Pacific Releases Traffic Figures for January 2023

Cathay Pacific today released its traffic figures for January 2023, which showed positive signs as the airline continues to rebuild and restore connectivity at the Hong Kong international aviation hub.

South Asia, the Middle East & Africa saw an increase of 85,180.5% carrying a total of 187,106 passengers, marking the continued recovery of Hong Kong traffic from the region.

Cathay Pacific carried a total of 1,031,893 passengers last month, an increase of 4,077.9% compared with January 2022. The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) increased by 3,807.3% year-on-year. Passenger load factor increased by 46.4 percentage points to 86.8%, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), increased by 1,717.1% year-on-year.

The airline carried 95,139 tonnes of cargo last month, an increase of 28.1% compared with January 2022 when we had to suspend our long-haul schedule for seven days due to stricter quarantine measures. The month’s cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) increased 140.9% year-on-year. The cargo load factor decreased by 14.4 percentage points to 62.2%, while capacity, measured in available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs), increased by 196.8% year-on-year.

Travel

Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “The new year got off to a positive start in January as Cathay Pacific carried more than one million passengers for the first time since the start of the pandemic. We carried on average more than 33,000 passengers per day, up from about 26,000 per day in December 2022, and operated 18% more capacity than we did in December. We also continued to add more destinations in January, with our Phuket and Xi’an flights resuming.

“With the return of quarantine-free travel between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland on 8 January, we saw increased demand for travel into the Chinese Mainland, both from and through Hong Kong. We have been increasing our flights accordingly and by the end of the month, we were operating up to three return flights per day to Shanghai and 11 return flights per week to Beijing.

“Leisure travel demand over the Lunar New Year holiday was also strong, particularly from Hong Kong, with Japan, Bangkok and Singapore being the most popular destinations. Unfortunately, despite demand being high for Japan, we had to cancel some of our flights due to restrictions imposed by the Japanese authorities on the number of flights airlines are permitted to operate from Hong Kong.

Cargo

“In terms of cargo, we saw a small uptick in demand prior to the Lunar New Year holiday, which was supported by more normal cross-border trucking services as the COVID-19 situation on the Chinese Mainland stabilised. This resulted in a good level of cargo being carried in the first half of January. However, as we approached the Lunar New Year period, overall demand softened as factories closed for the holidays. This drop-off was expected and we rationalised our freighter capacity in advance to reflect the reduced demand. Therefore, our tonnage in January decreased 11% month on month, while our cargo flight capacity declined 4% compared with the previous month. Load factor was about 62%.

Outlook

“Looking at February and beyond, we are working hard to increase our passenger flight capacity as much as possible over the coming months, especially in the lead-up to the Easter holiday. Demand for flights to and from the Chinese Mainland, both for point-to-point and connecting traffic via Hong Kong, is expected to grow and we are endeavouring to provide more options for our customers as quickly as feasible. We are on track to operate more than 100 return flights per week to 14 cities in the Chinese Mainland by the end of this month.

“Regarding cargo, demand will take some time to recover following the Lunar New Year holidays. We expect regional lanes to resume earlier than long-haul lanes, as is typical for this period.”

16, Feb 2023
CSIR-CFTRI Patents Profess to be Game Changers in the Food Delivery Space JustMyRoots has announced the Submission of Revolutionary Patents

JustMyRoots has announced the submission of their two revolutionary patents that are going to change the course of the food delivery industry. Along with CSIR-CFTRI (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research) (Central Food Technological Research Institute), have developed Biodegradable thermo-stable containers for cold and hot supply chains for food products. The containers developed for hot food chain supply are capable of keeping perishable food hot between 42-65 degrees Celsius for up to 10 hours. This technology will reform food delivery for restaurants located 10+ km away or even in another city. The technology used for cold supply chain containers is capable of keeping perishable food fresh for up to 72 hours by maintaining its temperature between 2-8 degrees Celsius. The new technology will help JustMyRoots to expand its services both domestically and internationally. They already use a state-of-the-art packaging system that keeps the flavors intact, and a cooling system that stores the food at 2-8 degrees Centigrade, keeping the food fresh without preservatives for up to 24 hours.

Mr. Samiran Sengupta, CEO & Founder, JustMyRoots is an alumnus of IIM-A and IMD Lausanne. He has held many global and regional roles in Shell and Reckitt Benckiser, mostly in the area of Supply Chain and Business Processes. He is experienced in Building Technology based Supply Chains and Demand Management Enterprise Applications. He says,

“With JustMyRoots you are never away from either your favorite restaurant or the nostalgic dish cooked by your mom, we have perfected the art of intercity perishable food delivery without adding preservatives or freezing the food. Our two new patents are going to allow us to expand our horizon domestically as well as internationally.”

With the new packaging, JustMyRoots will pick up the food from the restaurant in the original restaurant container and transports it to the JustMyRoots office, where it would be placed in thermo-stable, biodegradable, reusable packaging and air shipped to the receiving city. The order is picked up from the airport and delivered to the customer by a delivery agent in the receiving city.

The technologies that are available in the market are rigid non-biodegradable containers that are not suitable for reverse logistics and therefore do not help in reducing carbon footprint, nor are they capable of holding food at the required temperatures for as long as JustMyRoots is offering. This technology invented by JustMyRoots will significantly change the way we look at take-out food. You can visit https://justmyroots.com/ or download their app ‘justmyroots’ from the play store or App store

16, Feb 2023
Craft Silicon and Leegality partners to accelerate digital adoption

Feb 16, 2023: India’s leading financial technology providers Craft Silicon and Legality have forged a strategic alliance to transform the Microlending Industry into a delightful and paperless experience. The partnership will address logistical and operational challenges in the processing of paperwork for seamless disbursal while enhancing technology adoption.

The partnership between Craft Silicon and Leegality will enable financial institutions to streamline field operations along with providing secured digital verification, digital paperwork, and smooth customer onboarding. Leegality’s Secure Virtual Signature, in conjunction with Face Capture, ensures 100% compliance and security in every transaction and is readily Integrated with Craft Silicon’s Loan Origination System. Microfinance Institutions will no longer have to look for separate service providers for digital paperwork and its integration with LOS / LMS.

Speaking on the partnership, Siva Kumar, CEO – of Asia, Craft Silicon, said, “Over the last few years, rural India has seen a significant rise in technology adaption and India Stack has further helped in supporting various digital initiatives. Our alliance with Leegality will open new avenues for financial institutions and will offer a comprehensive solution to automate the documentation process securely and seamlessly. This is in addition to our efforts to fully digitize the financial inclusion loan origination process and reduce the operational costs for both end borrowers and the institution.”

Digitization helps Microlending Institutions attain better portfolio management, improved service, and reduced time as compared to the manual offering.

Shivam Singla, Founder & CEO, Legality, “We are extremely proud to partner with Craft Silicon, one of the leading providers of next-gen tech solutions for the banking and microfinance sector in India. Both Craft Silicon and Leegality are committed to driving financial inclusion in India by helping financial institutions increase their coverage to unbanked and underbanked segments through secure digital solutions. This partnership will provide BFSI companies a one-stop solution to digitally transform their operations for a better customer experience and accelerated business growth.”

Core loan management solution runs on a modern enterprise platform with robust architecture and easy-to-use technology that are custom developed to meet every micro-lending requirement. Craft Silicon worked closely with Leegality to deliver a remote implementation, providing expert support and consultation to ensure a smooth installation.

Maintaining physical paperwork poses business costs to microlending institutions:

  • · High Cost: Printing all loan application forms, KYC documents, and identification documents for verification. Warehousing, transportation, and courier costs.
  • · Compliance Risk: Physical paperwork is prone to damage, wear and tear, and manual errors – leaving financial institutions vulnerable during RBI audits.
  • · Team Utilization: Manpower is wasted on mundane paperwork-related tasks like physical verification and transportation of voluminous documents. With a digital solution, their productivity can be better utilized in collections and other services.
  • · Delayed Disbursals and Customer Experience: Physical paperwork significantly increases turnaround time and delays disbursals. With a faster verification process and remote onboarding, Financial Institutions can now boost customer experience to a higher level.

With technology adoption, documents are just one click away and are easily accessible on its DMS. They can be auto-populated via the template Engine eliminating any chance of human error.

16, Feb 2023
Heartfulness in association with the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of Telangana announces a Yog Mahotsav campaign ‘Har Dil Dhyan, Har Din Dhyan’

Hyderabad, 16 February 2023: Heartfulness held a press conference to announce an upcoming three-day Yog Mahotsav campaign called ‘Har Dil Dhyan, Har Din Dhyan’ that will be organised by Heartfulness in association with the Ministry of Culture at Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad between 17-19 February. The campaign is aimed at promoting the benefits of Yoga and Meditation among youth, corporates, and governmental bodies.

The Yog Mahotsav has four themes viz., 1. Anxiety 2. Weight management 3. Hypertension and 4. Diabetes is dedicated to each day respectively. Arrangements are being made for 10000 participants that will include students (mainly college-goers) and corporates. Anyone above 15 years of age can join. Chairs are being provided for the elderly or those who have ailments. The three-day event starts on 17 Feb between 5-6.30 pm on Anxiety followed by Day 2 event at 8-10 AM on Weight Management & 5-6.30 PM on Hypertension. The programme closes on Day 3 with a session on Diabetes between 8-10 AM.

Each Yoga session will be followed by Heartfulness meditation. While there is no virtual participation, there will be live streaming. Participation is free as well.

Shri Srinivas Goud – Hon’ble Minister of Prohibition & Excise, Sports & Youth Services, Tourism & Culture and Archaeology of Telangana said, “Today the entire world people have begun to understand the relevance of Yoga. We are fortunate that our motherland India is the birthplace of Yoga. Shri Ram Chandra Mission played a pivotal role by enabling millions of people to practice Yoga and spread it across the world. The three-day Yog Mahotsav campaign at LB Stdium is being beautifully launched by Rev. Daaji (Shri Kamlesh Patel). He had earlier too hosted a global suryanamaskar campaign wherein the likes of Baba Ramdev alongside the Ministry of Health and I had the fortune of making a presence. Today Heartfulness is beginning a series of 75 Yog Mahotsav campaigns beginning from Hyderabad’s LB Stadium. Only sound health permits better sports, better academics, and other activities. Healthy thoughts come from a healthy body. Immunity power also develops through yoga. Sportsmen, youth, and those from all walks of life must take up yoga. All it requires 15 minutes devoted practice of yoga for your own wellbeing.”

Shri Kamlesh Patel ‘Daaji’, Guide of Heartfulness Meditation Worldwide said, “Yog and Meditation must go hand in hand if you want to get the full benefit of them. People need to understand that yoga is much more than just physical exercise. It is also a way of connecting with the inner self. Heartfulness meditation through Prananhuti takes it one step ahead. It gives you an easy access to the inner journey. I am very happy that the Ministry of Culture and the Telangana Govt. have come forward to support us in this initiative that will see a participation of almost 10000 people.”

Shri Pullela Gopichand, ace Indian Badminton Coach said, “We have a great mediation center right in Hyderabad. The man behind this is Shri Kamlesh Patel fondly called Daaji who transformed the once barren land by putting lakhs of saplings. He has brought hope into many lives. Fitness and health have taken precedence, especially after covid. The Govt. of India is celebrating 75 years of Azadi ka Amrit Mahostsav. Let us celebrate it with Yoga. For the first time in LB Stadium, we are bringing the Yoga festivities coinciding with the 75th glorious year of India’s independence to make Yoga beneficial for all. He added a few words on the latest book by ‘Daaji’ – The Wisdom Bridge saying, “He has beautifully woven in an understanding of balancing both the material and spiritual aspects of life. The last three years I have met him Daaji has always come across as a calm person despite all the chaos outside – it is a great association I have had with him.”

16, Feb 2023
Indian Information Service probationers call on the Vice President today

New Delhi, February 16: The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar interacted with a group of Indian Information Service (IIS) probationers at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas today & asked them to be “real protectors of democracy and nationalism.” Praising the role of IIS officers in fighting misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic and in addressing vaccine hesitancy, Shri Dhankhar told young officer trainees to remain ever-alert & vigilant as things get viral in a split second these days.

Shri Sunil Kumar Gupta, Secretary to the Vice President, Shri Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Sanjeev Shankar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of I&B, Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi, DG, IIMC, Shri Ashish Goyal, ADG, IIMC, Dr. Rinku Pegu, IIS officer trainees of 2020, 2021 & 2022 batches and senior officials were present.

Addressing the officers, Shri Dhankhar described India as the land of opportunities & investments and highlighted the role of effective communication in further enhancing these strengths. Describing the ‘dumping of information’ as ‘another way of invasion’, he called for bold and effective steps to neutralize it. The Vice President also underlined the need to remain alert to effectively counter the doctored narratives to run down India’s growth story. “We no longer have the luxury of delayed response,” he told young officers.

The Indian Information Service is a Central Group ‘A’ Service whose members work as media managers for the Government of India. The IIS officers, in their various capacities, act as a vital communication link between the Government and the citizens of the country by way of disseminating information and communicating various Government policies and schemes to the public at large.

16, Feb 2023
Music licensing agency Chain Reactor jazzed up the entertainment quotient at the Hockey World Cup opening ceremony

Mumbai: February 16, 2023 – Chain Reactor Music & Media, a new-age, multi-dimensional music licensing and music marketing agency, was able to procure licenses of over 50 Bollywood songs from 10 major labels in just under 48 hours! This quick turnaround of sorting out the legalities related to these music licenses made the live broadcast of the grand opening ceremony of the Hockey World Cup a truly mesmerizing and entertaining experience for the audience.

The dazzling opening ceremony of the mega sports event was recently attended by hockey fans from all over India and overseas in Cuttack, Odisha, and featured action-packed performances by Ranveer Singh, Disha Patani, Pritam and Lisa Mishra among others, all grooving to Bollywood hits. The ceremony was aired on DD Sports, Star Sports and YouTube.

“We are overjoyed to be given this opportunity to make the Hockey World Cup a memorable experience for the audience, through what was probably, one of the fastest licensing deals ever. We were able to pull this off because of our long-term relationships with the majors. This would not have been possible without their support,” said Anurag Rao, CEO, of Chain Reactor.

Chain reactor’s long-term relationships with major record labels, collecting societies, and artists enable them to provide end-to-end music supervision and licensing solutions across TVC, live entertainment, and brand campaigns. Chain Reactor has also licensed music and content for premium brands such as Dream 11, Swiggy, Amazon Prime, A23, Hotstar, ISL, Purplle cosmetics, and Nokia amongst others.

“The demand for popular music in advertising is on an upswing. However, many brands are still unaware of ‘music rights’ and how to procure content the right way. We help bridge that gap,” added Rao.

Chain Reactor’s other areas of specialization are dialogue licensing, brand anthems, footage licensing, music supervision, and talent booking in the media and entertainment space.

16, Feb 2023
Inland Is All Set To Awaken The Adventurer In You With Their Travel Curated Apparel

16th February 2023: Travelling makes us collectors of memories—of moments that opened our eyes; of strangers who guided us on the right path; of food that took us home while being in a strange land; and so much more. These moments live on in our minds and hearts, but by preserving them on a vast canvas, we preserve a part of ourselves. That’s exactly what made Swati and Siddharth start Inland, a curated travel apparel brand that presents some of their cherished memories on exclusive garments. The founders hope that by doing so, they will inspire you to take the road less travelled and return to places that have captured your heart and soul.

It all started in 2015, when Swati and Siddharth went on their first bike ride in the mountains of Ladakh. This was the trip that changed their lives and left them enthralled and exuberant. They kept going for more rides before getting back to their fast-paced life in Mumbai. Then the pandemic came and put a pause on all their travel plans, but they found themselves yearning to go back. “Being a photographer and an artist, the idea of creating a travel-inspired apparel brand felt like the most natural expression of our love for the mountains. In literal terms, we want to carry the mountains on our sleeves!” says Swati.

The brand website showcases a collection of jackets that feature scenic stills from the founders’ travels. On one jacket, one can catch a glimpse of a bike ride in the middle of a snowy paradise, while another gives an ethereal view of a morning in Manali. Every jacket is meant to tell a story and entice the wearer to become a part of it. Furthermore, what makes these jackets so special is the little poem written inside each of them. These writings are an ode to the picturesque beauty and the mystic aura of the places shown on the outside. All the jackets are unisex, made up of 100% polyester, which makes them anti-wrinkle, and are available in sizes ‘XS’ through ‘7XL’. “We are looking forward to launching T-shirts, scarves, kaftans, skirts, shirts, and other merchandise phase wise,” says Siddharth, while stressing the fact that all products will be based on real images taken by them on their travels without any filters and are size and gender inclusive.

In terms of future plans, Inland intends to become a force to be reckoned with in the international market, owing to their first mover advantage with their distinctive prints. The brand is also passionate about building a community of like-minded travellers on social media who are enthusiastic about sharing real stories that are meant to be seen, heard, and felt. These are the stories that are sure to inspire someone to take the road less traveled, to explore the unexplored, and to create moments that will last a lifetime. This is how the thrill of travelling can be kept alive, which will eventually rub off on all those who are yet to be consumed by wanderlust.

Inland strives to rekindle the spirit of adventure within you with its travel-inspired apparel. It is meant to make your heart yearn to go places and discover yourself while you discover the wonders around you. So, get ready to be a part of a larger story and flaunt the same through Inland’s stunning garments!