Category Archives: News

Punjab & Sind Bank Celebrates 77th Republic Day with Pride, Honouring the Constitution and India’s Unity

New Delhi, Jan 29: Punjab & Sind Bank marked the 77th Republic Day of India with great enthusiasm and patriotic fervour across its offices, reaffirming its steadfast commitment to the values and principles enshrined in the Constitution of India. The celebrations reflected the Bank’s deep respect for India’s democratic ethos and its enduring legacy of service to the nation.

At the Bank’s Corporate Office, the celebrations commenced with the unfurling of the National Flag by Shri Swarup Kumar Saha, Managing Director & CEO, in the presence of senior management, officers, staff members, and invited guests. The solemn flag-hoisting ceremony was followed by the singing of the National Anthem, instilling a strong sense of unity and national pride among all present.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Swarup Kumar Saha highlighted the significance of Republic Day and reiterated Punjab & Sind Bank’s unwavering commitment to nation-building, inclusive growth, customer-centric banking, and service excellence. He also commended the dedication and collective efforts of the Bank’s employees in strengthening its contribution to India’s economic development.

The celebrations were further enriched by a stirring military band performance, adding grandeur and patriotic spirit to the occasion. Reinforcing the Bank’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, a plantation drive was also organised as part of the event.

A vibrant cultural programme followed, featuring performances by Bank employees and their children, celebrating India’s rich cultural diversity. Special group dance performances by Amrit Saini Academy emerged as a key highlight of the celebrations and were met with enthusiastic applause from the audience.

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by the Chief General Manager, who expressed heartfelt appreciation to all participants, performers, and organising teams for making the celebration memorable. The event concluded with a brunch, fostering camaraderie and togetherness among employees.

Punjab & Sind Bank continues to uphold the spirit of the Constitution and remains committed to serving the nation with integrity, dedication, and excellence—where service truly remains a way of life.

Swiggy Now Lets You Order Food, Dineout, and Shop on Instamart Directly Inside ChatGPT and Claude

Swiggy Ltd India’s leading on-demand convenience platform, today announced a major leap in conversational commerce with the launch of Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations across various business verticals. This rollout, covering Swiggy Food, Instamart, and Dineout, enables users to order groceries, place food orders, and make dining reservations directly through popular AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini and others.

With this launch, Instamart becomes the first quick-commerce platform globally to adopt MCP, allowing users to browse and purchase from an assortment of over 40,000 SKUs using simple, natural language prompts.

The Shift to Agentic AI in Commerce

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open-source framework that connects AI systems and chatbots to live data, sources, and services, allowing them to interact securely with external applications. By exposing a secure set of tools via MCP servers, Swiggy allows AI agents to perform complex tasks that previously required navigating multiple app screens. Users can bypass traditional app interfaces and issue intent-based commands. For example, a user can simply type: “Order ingredients needed for Thai green curry.” or “Order a highly rated biryani I would love.”

The AI agent then handles the entire process: searching for products or restaurants, comparing options, building and updating the cart, applying the best offers or coupons, getting addresses, placing the order, and even tracking delivery. It can also retrieve available booking time slots for a specific restaurant and book a table by creating a cart, applying offers, and confirming the booking in a single prompt.

As users grow more AI-native, increasingly relying on conversational interfaces for planning and decision-making, Swiggy’s integration reflects this shift from static app navigation to dynamic, conversational commerce. This “agentic AI flow” significantly reduces friction by allowing the large language models to handle brand comparisons, quantity selection, and checkout details. The result is a simpler, faster, and more personalized shopping experience that lets users express their intent once and leave it on AI to handle the rest.

Madhusudhan Rao, Chief Technology Officer, Swiggy, said, “India’s convenience needs are deeply contextual, shaped by everyday moments, family routines, personal preferences, and time constraints. Swiggy has always focused on solving for convenience at scale, and conversational commerce takes that a step further by allowing users to simply express what they want, when they want it, whether it is to book a table at their favourite restaurant or order drinks and snacks for a match-viewing party. By bringing MCP to quick commerce, food delivery, and dining out, we’re removing friction from daily decisions and enabling a level of ease, personalisation, and joy that makes on-demand convenience feel effortless.”

Swiggy’s MCP launch builds the foundation for future AI-led experiences, where intelligent agents can act contextually across use cases like meal planning, health goals, dietary preferences, and occasion-based shopping, while remaining privacy-first and secure. In practice, this means users can ask an AI assistant to discover a recipe, identify the right ingredients for four people and add them to their Instamart cart before checking out, build and order a keto or vegan shopping list, compare brands and prices for everyday household staples, or search restaurants and menus, apply relevant offers and book a dine-in table, all through a single, conversational interaction.

How this works

Users can connect the service with AI assistants such as Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any agent of their choice in just a few simple steps:

1. Navigate to Settings → Connectors → Add Custom Connector/App
2. Enter a Name for your connector
3. Provide the URL for the service you want to integrate

Kaynes Semicon Secures Fiscal Support Agreement Under India Semiconductor Mission

Kaynes Semicon executes Fiscal Support Agreement and all other Transaction Documents Required to Receive Fiscal Support under India Semiconductor Mission Framework

Bangalore, Jan 28 :   Kaynes Semicon Private Limited (“Kaynes Semicon”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kaynes Technology India Limited, today announced the execution of its Fiscal Support Agreement and all other Transaction Documents with the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), Government of India, under the policy framework established to develop semiconductor manufacturing capability in the country.

The signing of the Fiscal Support Agreement and all other Transaction Documents Required marks an important procedural milestone in the implementation of eligible fiscal support as notified under the scheme guidelines, and is a reflection of the Government of India’s sustained commitment to the success of the India Semiconductor Mission. For Kaynes Semicon, this underscores our resolve to operate with the highest levels of governance, transparency and compliance as we scale our semiconductor initiatives. We are deeply committed to playing a leadership role — both in execution and in shaping India’s semiconductor manufacturing capability — in alignment with the country’s long-term strategic objectives.

Shri Amitesh Kumar Sinha, CEO, ISM, added:

“The execution of the Fiscal Support Agreement and other Transaction Documents mark an important milestone for the project and we look forward to continued progress in line with the Mission’s objectives.”

Commenting on the development, Mr. Raghu Panicker, CEO, Kaynes Semicon, said:

“Execution of all these documents along with Fiscal Support Agreement and all other Transaction Documents Required is an important step forward for Kaynes Semicon as we progress on our semiconductor manufacturing journey. We remain grateful to the Government of India, India Semiconductor Mission and Government of Gujarat for their continued support in this journey. We are committed to building a globally competitive semiconductor ecosystem from India with a clear focus on operational excellence and robust compliance.”

Mr. Ramesh Kannan, Executive Vice Chairman, Kaynes Technology India Limited, added:

“Semiconductors are foundational to India’s digital and manufacturing ambitions, and this milestone reinforces our strategic commitment to play a meaningful role in this sector through Kaynes Semicon. We appreciate the structured governance framework established by the India Semiconductor Mission and remain focused on long-term value creation for all stakeholders.”

“Kaynes Semicon, an IESA member, has demonstrated how strong industry capability combined with decisive government action can accelerate India’s semiconductor journey. We commend ISM and MeitY for their timely approvals and structured execution framework, which are building confidence across the ecosystem, Commented Ashok Chandak, President IESA.

Zithara.AI Founders Chart Bold AI Roadmap for Budget 2026

Hyderabad, Jan 28: As India gears up for Union Budget 2026, Zithara.AI—a Hyderabad-based pioneer in AI-powered offline retail transformation—outlines key expectations to accelerate deep-tech adoption. Serving 500+ stores like jewellery chains and Bajaj Electronics, the company addresses challenges including data silos, skilling gaps, and infrastructure hurdles in India’s 12M+ offline retail ecosystem.

Varun Kashyap and Sridevi Reddy, Co-Founders, Zithara.AI, said:

To have the government be more all-in and to be more invested both in letter, money and spirit, for that matter, as far as the ecosystem is concerned. The Government set aside a budget of Rs. 10,300+  Crore to boost the India AI mission over 5 years might not be sufficient for scaling up the AI-powered ecosystem. We need to treat AI as a future technology and treat it like Infrastructure to ensure better accessibility to funding.

We would also like to highlight that if the government is more invested in the business, then the ecosystem will be primed to support the startups. If a startup gets the 1^st set of funding from the government and they need to scale up, going back to the government is not an option. The startup has to depend on VC’s. Therefore, we would like the Government to set up funds to facilitate the funding for scaling up, particularly for startups with a proven track record for performance.

AI startups, we can allocate only 10 to 15 percent budget allocated for AI R&D, which is not sufficient to scaleup. Moreover, currently, we use the GPUs that are not in India; we’re always living on borrowed technology and have to pay a substantial amount for the same. With the high velocity of AI startups in the country, we need to build that capability inside India – a budget allocation for the same will be a great trigger for future growth. If the government is backing an initiative, it is going to be the nation’s competitive advantage.

The Centre must fully commit to AI startups in Budget 2026 with enhanced funding and security measures to power India’s deep-tech ecosystem.

HIL Begins Toll Operations at Kaza Fee Plaza, Marks Largest Single Toll Mandate

Madhya Pradesh, India, Jan 28: Highway Infrastructure Limited (“HIL”), a leading integrated infrastructure development and management company with expertise in Toll Operations, EPC Infrastructure, and Real Estate, has commenced toll operations at Kaza Fee Plaza on the Chilakaluripet–Vijayawada section of NH-16 in Andhra Pradesh, effective 23 January 2026.

The project spans 82.5 km (from 355.0 Km to 437.5 Km) along NH‑16, a key north–south corridor connecting major economic hubs across southern and eastern India. Notably, Kaza Toll Plaza records the highest toll collection among public-funded plazas in South India (Source: IHMCL).

First-of-Its-Scale Toll Operations Contract

This marks HIL’s first toll operations contract of this scale, with a contract value of ₹328.77 crore, awarded by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). It also represents the company’s largest single toll mandate to date, reflecting a significant expansion of its toll operations vertical. HIL will operate the plaza for a one-year period, translating this order win into immediate operational activity and revenue generation.

The project aligns with HIL’s asset-light toll operations model, enabling:

• Efficient scaling with limited capital commitment

• Strong operating cash-flow visibility

• Rapid conversion of order book into executed revenues

Strengthening Presence on a Strategic Corridor

NH‑16 is among India’s busiest highway corridors and a vital part of the national logistics and passenger transport network. HIL’s entry into this stretch:

• Expands its pan-India toll operations footprint

• Strengthens long-term engagement with NHAI

• Reinforces its credentials as a scalable partner for large national projects

Robust Order Book Growth

With the addition of Kaza Fee Plaza and other recent wins, HIL’s consolidated order book now stands at ₹1,209 crore, reflecting:

• EPC Order Book: Up 52% since March 2025, from ₹417 crore to ₹633 crore

• Tollways Collection Order Book: Up ~404% since March 2025, from ₹114 crore to ₹575 crore

This growth enhances medium-term revenue visibility and demonstrates HIL’s ability to scale efficiently across segments.

Outlook

HIL continues to strengthen its resilient and scalable infrastructure delivery platform, leveraging a growing order pipeline and balanced EPC and toll operations to capitalize on India’s ongoing highway development initiatives.

Commenting on the milestone, Mr. Arun Kumar Jain, Managing Director, Highway Infrastructure Limited said:

“The commencement of toll operations at Kaza Fee Plaza marks our first-ever contract of this scale and represents a significant milestone in HIL’s growth journey. This project underscores NHAI’s confidence in our operational capabilities and strengthens our presence on a strategically important national corridor in Andhra Pradesh. With a rapidly expanding order book and an asset-light execution model, we remain focused on disciplined operations, technology-driven efficiency, and sustainable long-term value creation for our investors.”

Feeding India Serves 23 Crore Meals in 2024–25, Expands Fight Against Hunger

Feeding India Releases 2024-25 Annual Report: Over 23 Crore Meals Served, Highlights Fight Against Hunger Beyond Classrooms

New Delhi, Jan 28: Feeding India, a not-for-profit, released its Annual Report for the fiscal year 2024-2025, highlighting its cumulative impact of serving over 23 crore meals to underprivileged communities across India in the last seven years. Operational in more than 150 cities, the organisation has solidified its role as a key player in the fight against child malnutrition, supporting over 140,000 children daily through its partner network.

The report, titled “A Year of Nourishing Dreams,” highlights a strategic expansion that ranges from eliminating classroom hunger to holistic early childhood development through the revitalisation of Anganwadis.

Key Operational Highlights

Daily Feeding Program: The organisation’s flagship program now supports 1,097 partner schools and 726 Anganwadi centres, reaching 275 formal schools, 720 informal learning centers, 58 schools for children with disabilities, and 32 orphan homes. By adapting menus to local tastes (such as serving Rajma Chawal in the North and Idli Sambhar in the South), Feeding India ensures meals are culturally accepted, wholesome, diverse and nutritious. Meals are delivered either through on-site cooking with dry rations or via centralised kitchens.

Anganwadi Transformation: Recognising that malnutrition often starts before school age, the organisation has intervened in 726 Anganwadi centres across key districts like Gurugram, Kushinagar, and Varanasi, impacting ~27,000 young children aged 0-6 years. This includes infrastructure upgrades of over 30 Anganwadis using “Building as Learning Aid” (BaLA) concepts (vibrant spaces, improved sanitation, and child-friendly environments) and providing nutrient-dense supplementary nutrition. In Varanasi, a pilot initiative currently provides full breakfast and lunch meals, marking a significant upgrade from supplementary snacks.

Disaster Response: In 2024-25, Feeding India deployed rapid emergency relief across multiple states, including distributing nearly 2,000 ration kits during the Assam floods and Kerala landslides, and serving over 190,000 hot meals following the Uttarakhand cloudburst. Relief efforts also extended to Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu following Cyclone Fengal.

Community Mobilisation & Transparency

The report underscores the power of community, notably through the Zomato Feeding India Concert featuring Dua Lipa, which united 28,000 attendees for the cause in 2024. Innovative initiatives like the Poshan Potli nutrition kits supported TB patients in Varanasi during treatment recovery.

The report further highlights the power of platform-driven impact: Zomato customers contributed nearly 80% of total funds (INR 74 crore), with Blinkit customers adding 15% (INR 14 crore). Institutional donors, employees, and website contributions combined account for ~5%. To bridge the gap between contribution and impact, the initiative focuses on “empowering dreams” through digital transparency. Donors can verify their impact directly on the Zomato or Blinkit apps by searching for ‘Feeding India’. This feature allows users to track the exact number of meals they have served and provides a window into partner schools, connecting donors personally to the mission.

Impact Stories

The report features success stories like that of the Malvi Educational and Charitable Trust in Gujarat, where students showed an average BMI improvement of 9.50% after the introduction of daily nutritious meals.

A Feeding India spokesperson said,

“Every meal represents hope, dignity, and opportunity for a child who might otherwise go hungry. As we scale our operations, we remain committed to not just feeding children, but nourishing their potential through holistic interventions in nutrition, infrastructure, and care.”

Cinema halls see ‘Sci-Fi Movie’ posters that are pure brand genius

Mumbai, January 27: What a unique way to position a brand and grab audience attention. SAEL, a vertically integrated and diversified renewable energy company, has creatively placed brand posters in various cinemas across major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and others.

The posters are visually compelling and so futuristic that moviegoers initially mistook them for an upcoming Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster. This smart storytelling showcases SAEL’s waste-to-energy and solar power verticals, turning casual theatre visits into intriguing introductions to clean energy innovation.

A campaign executed very subtly, yet impactful delivering a blockbuster narrative without saying a word.

Tata Power Renewables crosses 10 GW EPC Execution Milestone, Reinforcing its Leadership in India’s Clean Energy Transition

Chandigarh, Jan 28: Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL), one of India’s leading renewable energy companies and a subsidiary of The Tata Power Company Limited, has commissioned 10 GW of EPC projects till date thereby underscoring its position as the leader player in the renewable energy sector.

TPREL has commissioned 10 GW of EPC projects till date, which comprise 9.7 GW of solar projects and 290 MW of wind projects. These comprise both 4.2 GW in-house projects and 5.8 GW third-party projects.

TPREL has commissioned 1.88 GW of EPC RE capacity in the first 9-months of FY26. This represents a 33% increase compared to the 1.4 GW of projects commissioned during the first 9 months of FY25. These EPC project installations reflect Company’s seamless execution, rigorous project management, and an unwavering commitment to quality and safety.

Of the total 1.88 GW, 1329 MW of solar projects were completed for third party clients and 546 for in-house RE projects (187 MW Wind and 359 MW of Solar projects). These projects were executed at multiple sites across 5 states under challenging soil strata and climatic conditions.

In Q3FY26, TPREL completed 941 MW of RE projects, marking its highest-ever quarterly addition and representing a 139% increase over the 393 MW installed in Q3FY25.

This quarter of TPREL , notable projects commissioned include, NHPC, NLC and SJVNL (DCR-compliant solar projects in Bikaner, Rajasthan) and 187 MW wind project in Karur, Tamil Nadu. Leveraging advanced engineering practices, TPREL has consistently delivered projects, even in challenging environments. A robust supply chain, an agile execution model, and strong vendor partnerships enable efficient project delivery while optimizing costs.

TPREL’s  total utility-scale operational capacity now stands at 6.0 GW, including 4.8 GW solar and 1.2 GW wind. It further plans to commission 0.75 GW of its utility owned capacity during FY26.

PAN India to Hosts Landmark 50th Signature CME in Bengaluru, Advancing Evidence-Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice

Bengaluru, Jan 27: In a significant step toward placing nutrition at the core of modern healthcare, Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) India will host its 50th Annual Signature Continuing Medical Education (CME) on 25 January 2026 at Taj Yeshwantpur, Bengaluru, in collaboration with IMA Bangalore and Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI).

The full-day, accredited CME brings together 600+ physicians, specialists, public health experts, and researchers from across the country to address one of India’s most pressing health challenges—the rapidly rising burden of obesity, pre-diabetes, and metabolic disease. Participants will earn 2 KMC credit points while engaging in in-depth scientific discussions, interactive sessions, and practical learning experiences.

The programme features an eminent panel of national and international experts and will focus on:

• Evidence-based dietary interventions in obesity and metabolic disorders
• Understanding insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk
• Re-evaluating macronutrient quality and dietary patterns
• Nutrition, healthspan, and longevity
• Translating research evidence into everyday clinical practice

A defining theme of the CME is clinical applicability. Beyond keynote lectures and panel discussions, the programme includes interactive quizzes, movement and fitness sessions, and a culinary medicine demonstration illustrating how to design calorie-appropriate, nutrient-dense dietary patterns suited to Indian contexts. A curated whole-food, plant-based lunch will offer participants a tangible experience of the dietary approaches discussed on stage.

Marking an important milestone, PAN India will also formally launch a new physician reference book on Healthy & Sustainable Diets during the CME. The book represents the first volume in a planned series of evidence-based, clinically practical nutrition resources tailored for Indian healthcare professionals.

“Nutrition is not an adjunct to treatment; it is foundational to prevention and recovery. When clinicians are equipped with evidence-based nutrition knowledge, we move from disease management to true health restoration. Embedding this evidence into healthcare systems and medical education is essential for sustained population-level impact.”

The CME also underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together perspectives from clinical medicine, nutrition science, public health, and policy to explore sustainable, patient-centred healthcare models.

“We are seeing a clear shift among clinicians who want to meaningfully integrate nutrition into their practice, not as an add-on, but as a core part of patient care.”

“What is particularly encouraging is the growing interest from medical colleges and professional organisations to integrate evidence-based nutrition into curricula and training programmes.”

As PAN India marks its 50th CME, the Annual Signature CME 2026 reaffirms the organisation’s long-standing mission to integrate evidence-based nutrition into medical education and routine clinical care. With growing engagement from the medical fraternity nationwide, PAN India continues to lead the conversation on food as medicine, shaping a future where nutrition is central to healthcare delivery.

Axis Bank’s #DeshKaLocker Reimagines Respect for the Tricolour

Mumbai, Jan 28:Axis Bank, in collaboration with Grey India, has unveiled #DeshKaLocker, a Republic Day campaign that redefines how Indians express respect for the national flag. The initiative urges citizens not only to raise the tricolour with pride, but also to reflect on what happens after the celebrations end.

Every year on January 26, millions of flags are hoisted across homes, schools, and workplaces nationwide. Yet once the day concludes, many of these flags are often left unattended, mishandled, or quietly discarded. Desh Ka Locker brings attention to this overlooked moment, reminding the nation that true respect for the flag extends beyond hoisting—it includes caring for it with dignity even after the occasion has passed.

Rooted in Axis Bank’s core promise of safety and trust, the campaign expands the idea of protection beyond financial security. This Republic Day, the Bank invites Indians to safeguard something deeply personal and patriotic—the national flag itself.

Commenting on the idea, Harsh Kapadia, Chief Creative Officer, Grey India, said:

“India knows exactly what to do on the morning of January 26. What we don’t talk about is the evening. Desh Ka Locker comes from that gap. It turns a moment of emotion into a simple behaviour—raise the flag with pride, then keep it with pride.”

The campaign is anchored by a powerful brand film inspired by the journey of world champion boxer Nikhat Zareen. It traces her years of discipline, sacrifice, and perseverance leading up to a defining moment on the podium, standing beneath the tricolour as the national anthem plays.

Just as the film seems to reach its natural conclusion, it reveals a quiet yet poignant second act. Nikhat carefully folds the flag and places it inside a locker—symbolising a simple but profound truth: responsibility towards the national flag does not end when it is hoisted, but continues even when it is no longer on display.

Through this gesture, the film brings alive the central thought of the campaign:
Whatever your reason to raise the flag—victory, a milestone, or a new beginning—keep that pride safe.

Activated across 4,600 Axis Bank branches nationwide, #DeshKaLocker transforms Axis Bank’s safe deposit lockers into more than just a place for valuables. This Republic Day, they become a respectful home for the national flag—serving as a reminder that protecting what matters most also includes the symbols we hold sacred.