Category Archives: News

Dharma Media Consultants Partners with TiE Delhi-NCR for India Internet Day 2025

National, 24th April 2025: The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Delhi-NCR has roped in Dharma Media Consultants as its strategic communications partner for the 14th edition of India Internet Day—the nation’s premier summit for tech entrepreneurs. This collaboration will amplify the narrative for India Internet Day 2025, drive audience engagement, and shine a light on the innovators shaping India’s digital future.
Scheduled for 2nd May 2025 at The Leela Ambience, Gurugram, the summit will tap into the possibilities for India’s growth story against the backdrop of its digital and entrepreneurial revolution. India’s digital economy is booming—projected to contribute nearly one fifth of the national income by 2029-30. In 2022-23 alone, it accounted for 11.74% of the GDP and is expected to grow almost twice as fast as the overall economy.

Building on this momentum, India Internet Day has emerged as a leading platform for the visionaries, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers shaping the digital economy. From sharing unicorn stories to showcasing AI-powered futures, each edition has reflected the pulse of India’s internet and innovation landscape. This year’s theme, “Celebrating a Legacy, Investing in a Future”, marks 25 years of TiE Delhi-NCR’s impact and will spotlight the top 25 startups, investors, and changemakers leading India’s next innovation wave. The partnership with Dharma Media Consultants will play a key role in framing the conversation around India’s digital transformation and positioning the summit as a cornerstone of this unfolding story.

Shutapa Paul, Founder, Dharma Media Consultants, emphasised how strategic communications can elevate the summit’s presence, saying, “At Dharma, we don’t just communicate events—we build legacies. We are proud to partner with TiE Delhi-NCR on its landmark 14th edition of India Internet Day. From spotlighting the ‘Super 25’ to shaping bold conversations around India’s tech trajectory, our focus is to ensure the world sits up and takes notice of what’s unfolding at India Internet Day 2025.”

India Internet Day 2025 will be co-chaired by Akshay Chaturvedi, Founder and CEO, Leverage Edu; Apurva Chamaria, Global Head, VC and PE Startup Partnerships, Google; and Upasana Taku, Co-Founder, MobiKwik. An engaging line-up of speakers and sessions will include a keynote by Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder, One97 and Paytm; power panels featuring Shweta Rajpal Kohli, President and CEO, Startup Policy Forum; and a deep-dive investor discussion with Arpit Agarwal, Partner, Blume Ventures, and Sumit Sinha, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Filter Capital India.

Upasana Sharma, Executive Director, TiE Delhi-NCR, said, “We are delighted to welcome Dharma Media as our PR partner for India Internet Day 2025. Their deep understanding of the media landscape and ability to craft compelling narratives will be instrumental in driving the visibility and impact of this year’s event. We’re excited to have their expertise amplify the energy and ambition that India Internet Day stands for.”

Dharma Media Consultants, with its expertise in strategic communications and deep understanding of the startup space, is well-placed to enhance the visibility of the event, draw in key voices from the ecosystem, and highlight India’s growing influence as a global hub for technology and entrepreneurship.

Technogym Launches ‘Healthness’ After 40 Years of Wellness Excellence

At the 25th Wellness Congress, in the presence of 2,000 people from 100 countries, Nerio Alessandri launched Healthness, the new vision that will revolutionize the future of wellness and prevention

Forty years ago, in an industry characterized first by bodybuilding, then by fitness, Technogym launched a new concept: Wellness, which, capitalizing on the experience of fitness, generated a social opportunity, involving all stakeholders – governments, companies and citizens – in building a healthier and more active society. Since then, Technogym has continued to innovate relentlessly: from biomechanics, to digital, to artificial intelligence. Today Technogym is a Life Science company, able to offer Precision Training programs for every individual and need.

Over the years, Technogym has built an ecosystem that, as of today, connects 25 million users (out of a global community of 70 million people training with Technogym), industry operators, doctors, and trainers worldwide. Leveraging the company’s years of investments in cutting-edge technologies and AI, Nerio Alessandri introduced the new vision of Healthness.

The ability to predict disease before it occurs will be the greatest revolution of our time. Healthness leverages Wellness and takes this vision even further by making health prevention programs tangible thanks to data and AI.

Scientific studies confirm that health is influenced by only 20-30% by genetics, while the remaining 70-80% depends on epigenetics (lifestyle). There are therefore no magic formulas to achieve Healthness: it requires training that targets muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, balance, flexibility, and cognitive quality. Physical exercise is a true medicine (Exercise Is Medicine) and Healthness represents a preventative medicine to improve physical performance in the short term and guarantee healthy longevity in the long term.

Thanks to the trillions of data collected in 30 years on the Mywellness Open Platform, today with AI, Technogym is able to offer Healthness as products and services: Technogym Checkup, the new assessment station based on AI is able to analyze psycho-physical and cognitive parameters and automatically calculate Precision Training programs. The new AI-based Biostrength and Biocardio product ranges, connected to the Technogym Ecosystem, allow you to deliver Precision Training Programs automatically thanks to the Technogym App, to track data and adapt the program to progresses.

In practice, Healthness means Precision Wellness and thanks to data-driven customized programs it allows you to obtain results superior by approx. 30% in the same amount of time.

Healthness, in addition to helping people live longer in good health, represents a great business opportunity for fitness, sports, hospitality, corporate and medical operators and personal trainers to evolve their offering and create value through hyper-personalization.

At the 25th Wellness Congress, in the presence of 2,000 people from 100 countries, Nerio Alessandri launched Healthness, the new vision that will revolutionize the future of wellness and prevention

Forty years ago, in an industry characterized first by bodybuilding, then by fitness, Technogym launched a new concept: Wellness, which, capitalizing on the experience of fitness, generated a social opportunity, involving all stakeholders – governments, companies and citizens – in building a healthier and more active society. Since then, Technogym has continued to innovate relentlessly: from biomechanics, to digital, to artificial intelligence. Today Technogym is a Life Science company, able to offer Precision Training programs for every individual and need.

Over the years, Technogym has built an ecosystem that, as of today, connects 25 million users (out of a global community of 70 million people training with Technogym), industry operators, doctors, and trainers worldwide. Leveraging the company’s years of investments in cutting-edge technologies and AI, Nerio Alessandri introduced the new vision of Healthness.

The ability to predict disease before it occurs will be the greatest revolution of our time. Healthness leverages Wellness and takes this vision even further by making health prevention programs tangible thanks to data and AI.

Scientific studies confirm that health is influenced by only 20-30% by genetics, while the remaining 70-80% depends on epigenetics (lifestyle). There are therefore no magic formulas to achieve Healthness: it requires training that targets muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, balance, flexibility, and cognitive quality. Physical exercise is a true medicine (Exercise Is Medicine) and Healthness represents a preventative medicine to improve physical performance in the short term and guarantee healthy longevity in the long term.

Thanks to the trillions of data collected in 30 years on the Mywellness Open Platform, today with AI, Technogym is able to offer Healthness as products and services: Technogym Checkup, the new assessment station based on AI is able to analyze psycho-physical and cognitive parameters and automatically calculate Precision Training programs. The new AI-based Biostrength and Biocardio product ranges, connected to the Technogym Ecosystem, allow you to deliver Precision Training Programs automatically thanks to the Technogym App, to track data and adapt the program to progresses.

In practice, Healthness means Precision Wellness and thanks to data-driven customized programs it allows you to obtain results superior by approx. 30% in the same amount of time.

Healthness, in addition to helping people live longer in good health, represents a great business opportunity for fitness, sports, hospitality, corporate and medical operators and personal trainers to evolve their offering and create value through hyper-personalization.

Letting Go: Mastering the Spiritual Art of Surrender

By AiR Atman in Ravi – Happiness Ambassador and Spiritual Leader

Many of us experience unhappiness due to our inability to accept things as they are, especially when it comes to letting go of people, events or situations we can’t change. We often believe we are entirely in control of our lives. While we have free will and can choose our actions, we also carry our past Karma from previous lives, which influences the circumstances we face. The Law of Karma ensures that we must settle our Karmic debts, and no one can escape this process. Challenges and events beyond our control are a part of this unfolding. Although we can continue to do good deeds for a happier destiny, the ultimate goal is to transcend Karma and attain Moksha or liberation.

To truly let go and surrender, we must free ourselves from personal expectations. While it’s important to do our best in any situation, we must not fixate on a specific outcome, the fruits of our actions. The Divine Will, expressed through the Law of Karma, governs our lives, and everything that happens is part of this Divine unfolding. When we face unavoidable circumstances like the loss of a loved one or other inexplicable hardships, we must gracefully accept them as part of our Karma and not protest. The ABCD Mantra — Accept, do your Best, in Consciousness, surrender the rest, living as a Divine Instrument holds the key to a peaceful and blissful life. Ultimately, we must realize that this world is a cosmic drama, a show and we are but actors who come and go. When we understand this, we will sit back, be detached and dispassionate, and as spectators, enjoy the Leela of the Divine.

On a daily basis, we must consciously let go of past hurts, grudges, regrets, painful relationships and toxic emotions. These are often the sources of our suffering and clinging to them only aggravates our suffering. We must also let go of the fear of the future, as worrying about what’s to come only robs us of peace and of the joy of the moment. Letting go of material desires and choosing positive emotions is essential for happiness. Faith, Hope, and Trust are crucial in this process—Faith, Full Assurance In the Heart; HOPE, Having Only Positive Expectations, and TRUST, Total Reliance Unconditional Surrender To the Almighty. Trust, and surrender to the Divine must be 100%. If it is 99%, it is not complete trust and surrender.

When we recognize that we are not the body, mind, ego, but the immortal Divine Soul, a Spark Of Unique Life, a part of the Supreme Immortal Power we call God, we achieve complete surrender. We let go of our false identity — of the body, mind and ego and embrace the reality of our inherent Divinity. This realization of non-duality, where God is everything and we are one with the Divine, leads us to a life of eternal peace, love and bliss.

Lava Announces Exciting Smartphone Offers During Lava Days on Amazon

New Delhi, April 23, 2025: : Lava International Limited, the leading homegrown smartphone manufacturer, has announced the latest edition of its recurring festive sale property, Lava Days, which returns with exciting offers on a wide range of Lava smartphones. Running from April 23 to 27, 2025, this ongoing event on Amazon brings significant value to consumers looking to upgrade their devices, especially with special discounts on Lava’s flagship and budget smartphones.

The Lava Agni 3 stands out with its segment-first dual AMOLED displays (a 6.78″ 1.5K 3D Curved AMOLED in the front and a 1.74″ AMOLED screen at the back), a powerful MediaTek Dimensity 7300X processor, and a versatile triple rear camera setup led by a 50MP Sony sensor with OIS. With a 5000mAh battery, 66W fast charging, dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, and a clean Android 14 experience, Agni 3 offers a compelling package for users who demand both style and performance.

In addition to Agni 3, Lava is also offering flat coupon discounts on other popular models such as the Lava O3 and Lava O3 Pro, making this Lava Days sale a valuable opportunity for customers across segments.

AirAsia Offers 25 Percent Off All Seats

BANGKOK, 23 April 2025 – AirAsia is keeping the festive spirit of Songkran alive with a major travel deal, offering 25% off all seats on all domestic and international routes. Guests can also enjoy up to 25% off seat selection and 10% off baggage add-ons when booking through the AirAsia MOVE app and airasia.com.

The promotion runs until 27 April 2025, for travel between 28 April and 30 November 2025 – perfect for planning that mid-year getaway at unbeatable prices.

The offer follows a successful Songkran period, during which Thai AirAsia recorded over 90% load factor across its network. Travel demand in Thailand continues to surge, with the top international arrivals during the festival coming from Malaysia, China, India, and Russia. The promo makes mid-year travel to the Land of Smiles even more convenient and affordable.

Ms. Tansita Akraritpirom, Head of Commercial for Thai AirAsia, said: “Songkran welcomed a wave of travelers from across Asia and beyond, and we saw incredible demand throughout the holiday. The mid-year period is also a fantastic time to visit Thailand, with seasonal promotions from airfares to hotel deals – and the upcoming ‘Amazing Thailand Grand Sale’ by the Tourism Authority of Thailand will further reinforce the country as a world-class shopping and travel destination.

“By offering 25% off all seats via the AirAsia MOVE app, we’re giving travelers the chance to plan ahead and enjoy even more value. With the most extensive domestic network in Thailand – flying to 25 destinations across 41 routes, including Phuket, Hat Yai, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, and Udon Thani – we’re proud to hold over 40% domestic market share, offering travelers the most extensive domestic network in Thailand.

“Thailand and AirAsia are ready to welcome visitors with not just great value, but great service. Thai AirAsia ranks among the top five airlines in Asia Pacific for on-time performance, according to Cirium, and upholds global standards for safety and reliability,” added Ms Tansita.

Over 40 Percent of Non-Premium Students Delay or Default on Fees Due to Financial Gaps Flashaid Report

New Delhi, India: According to Flashaid’s recent user research conducted across tier 2 and tier 3 colleges in India, over 40% of students in non-premium institutions either delay or default on their tuition fees due to the lack of accessible financial support. This finding highlights a growing affordability crisis within India’s education system, where rising costs and limited financing options are becoming significant barriers to higher education.

 India’s education sector is grappling with rising costs, and 44% of Indian parents report facing fee hikes of 50% to 80% over the last three years. Education inflation is running at 11% to 12%, well above the national average for consumer inflation, according to a LocalCircles survey. This is particularly concerning for families in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions where access to affordable financial support is limited. In addition to this, even tier 1 colleges are witnessing significant dropouts. As per a survey by the Ministry of Finance(Economic Survey 2024-25), 4.33 crore students enrolled in 2021-22 in higher education in India.

 The dropout rate is also higher in India’s centrally funded technical institutions, Rajya Sabha data show. Almost 40% of dropouts were from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, forming 88% of IIT Guwahati dropouts and 76% of IIT Delhi dropouts from reserved categories.

The highest dropouts were witnessed from Pune, Delhi/NCR, Noida, Lucknow and Karnataka and the courses that witnessed the most dropouts are Higher Education Courses like Engineering, Vocational Courses, Online Courses, and Professional Executive course.

 Given the same, Flashaid has introduced Flashaid Smart Fee, a loan-free, auto-EMI-based tuition payment solution designed to make education more accessible for students across India. This innovative platform enables colleges, coaching centres, and vocational institutions to offer flexible fee payment plans without the burden of interest or lengthy approval processes.

 In this context, Flashaid Smart Fee is developed to bridge the financial gap, especially for students in Tier-2 cities who often struggle to pay their tuition fees due to difficulties in securing traditional bank loans. By offering an easy, loan-free solution with automated EMI payments, Flashaid Smart Fee makes education accessible to a wider pool of students, while also helping institutions streamline their fee collection process.

 “Education should be a stepping stone, not a stumbling block. Yet today, millions of students are being forced to choose between aspiration and affordability. With Flashaid Smart Fee, we’re not just offering a payment solution, we’re creating a financial safety net that empowers families to invest in education without fear or compromise. This is about unlocking opportunity, one EMI at a time”, says Mr. Manoj Gupta, Founder & CEO, Flashaid

 

With the potential to increase admissions by up to 25%, Flashaid Smart Fee is set to redefine how India’s education ecosystem handles tuition fees, providing a brighter future for students and educational institutions alike.

Chloride Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete: Key Insights on Prevention and Repair

By Pushpam Kumar

Imagine moving into a brand-new high-rise apartment, built with the highest standards and boasting superior concrete strength. Everything looks flawless. But within a few years, cracks begin to appear, rust stains seep through the walls, and chunks of concrete start falling. What went wrong? The culprit is often an invisible yet relentless enemy: chloride corrosion.

Across India, from Delhi NCR to Chennai, even well-constructed buildings are suffering from premature deterioration due to chloride-induced corrosion. This isn’t just an Indian problem; it’s a global challenge, with major infrastructure projects facing chloride attacks. The good news? It’s entirely preventable, and the solution is proactive maintenance.

Chloride-related damage typically emerges over a longer period, often years after construction. The process involves chloride ions penetrating the concrete and reaching the steel reinforcements. This penetration can take time, depending on factors such as the presence of cracks and environmental conditions. Once the chloride ions reach the steel, they break down the protective oxide layer, leading to corrosion. The rust formed from this corrosion expands, causing internal pressure that can crack and weaken the concrete. This gradual process means that significant damage might not be visible until years after the initial exposure to chlorides. Corrosion can occur due to rainwater infiltration, plumbing leaks, or prolonged exposure to moisture. If left unchecked, corrosion weakens the structure and reduces its load-bearing capacity, making repairs both costly and unavoidable. Making regular maintenance is the only effective means of prevention.

Ensuring a building’s longevity depends on the developer’s commitment to proper maintenance and regular assessments of the building’s strength and other related issues. Even a well-built structure that meets Indian Standard codes at the time of construction / possession can suffer severe corrosion if maintenance is neglected. To prevent this, developers must implement stringent maintenance plans, educate residents on early detection, and ensure timely repairs.

Given that chloride contamination is inevitable, continuous monitoring and preventive maintenance are essential to safeguarding buildings. Regular inspections remain essential to detect early signs of damage, such as rust stains, cracks, or surface deterioration. Advanced testing methods, such as electrical resistivity, Half-Cell Corrosion Potential Mapping etc. allow engineers to check for chloride damage without drilling into the concrete. If corrosion is detected, various repair techniques can be used. Concrete Repair involve removing damaged concrete, treating reinforcement, and applying chloride-resistant concrete. Cathodic Protection applies a small electrical current to the steel reinforcement to prevent corrosion. Re-alkalization restores the concrete’s alkalinity to rebuild its protective properties, while Concrete Protection slow chloride penetration, extending structural life. Specialized products, like Sika® FerroGard®-903, penetrate concrete and form a protective layer around steel reinforcements, delaying corrosion and improving durability.

Addressing chloride corrosion is not just about repairing damage; it is about ensuring the long-term safety and sustainability of our infrastructure. The responsibility extends beyond construction to the ongoing upkeep of the structures. Without proper maintenance, no building is immune to chloride attacks. Regular inspections and timely repairs must be prioritized to prevent deterioration. Residents also have a crucial role to play. They should promptly report any signs of damage and insist on swift action. If their concerns go unaddressed, they should escalate the matter to local authorities to ensure necessary intervention.

Pushpam Kumar, National Target Manager, Engineered Refurbishment, Sika India Private Limited.

Vahan.ai Empowers Tier 2/4 Recruiters; Launches Vahan Premier League to Reward Top Partners

National, India | 23 April, 2025:  Vahan.ai, India’s leading AI-powered recruitment platform for the blue-collar workforce, continues its mission of building entrepreneurship and enabling economic growth in Tier 2/4 cities with the Vahan Leaders Platform (VL Platform). As part of this initiative, the company recently recognised top-performing recruitment partners in Bhopal and Hyderabad, awarding them with high-value rewards, including a Mahindra Thar and a Tata Punch, respectively, in appreciation of their outstanding achievements.

These recognitions come at a time when India’s non-metro cities are becoming central to the country’s employment engine, especially within the gig and logistics sectors. Vahan.ai, through its VL Platform, empowers small and mid-sized recruitment agencies in these regions to place over 40,000 workers every month across leading employers such as Swiggy, Zepto, Zomato, Blinkit, Flipkart, and others.

Commenting on the events, Madhav Krishna, Founder and CEO of Vahan.ai said, “We are witnessing a new wave of grassroots entrepreneurship emerge in Bharat. By enabling recruiters in Tier 2/4 towns with technology, access, and support, we’re not only solving the problem of job creation but also helping build lasting businesses in places that have historically lacked such opportunities.”

In line with its philosophy of engaging, incentivising high performance, and in the spirit of IPL, Vahan.ai has launched the Vahan Premier League (VPL)—a gamified business competition that motivates recruiters on the VL Platform to push their boundaries, unlock higher earnings, and win exciting prizes, including cars. “With VPL, we’re making growth exciting, measurable, and rewarding,” said Madhav Krishna. “It’s a celebration of how far these entrepreneurs can go with the right support and incentives.” 

The Vahan Premier League is designed to drive meaningful employment by facilitating stable, long-term job opportunities for lakhs of job seekers across India. Recruitment agencies that consistently deliver high-quality job opportunities and be able to maximize the number of retained riders, will be eligible for a range of performance-based recognitions. These include top-tier rewards such as brand-new cars and bikes, with three cars and four two-wheelers being awarded to the multiple highest-performing partners.

At its core, Vahan.ai is building ‘tech for good’—using cutting-edge AI to solve systemic employment challenges at scale. By making job discovery simple, localised, and accessible and by empowering a distributed network of recruiters through the VL Platform, Vahan is not just placing workers into jobs—it is creating a sustainable ecosystem of opportunity, dignity, and digital inclusion for India’s emerging workforce.