ASDC and CBSE Unveil National Automobile Olympiad 2025 for School Students

New Delhi — In a bid to steer young minds toward the rapidly evolving automotive sector, the Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC), in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), has launched the fourth edition of the National Automobile Olympiad (NAO) 2025. NAO 2025 serves as a crucial touchpoint for future career decisions, aligning with the flexibility offered by the National Education Policy (NEP).

Speaking at the launch, F.R. Singhvi, President, ASDC, highlighted the broader vision behind the Olympiad. ” This nationwide initiative is designed to spark curiosity and interest among school students by introducing them to the dynamic and rapidly evolving world of mobility and manufacturing,” he stated. “The theme, ‘The Future of Mobility: Electric, Connected, and Autonomous’, reflects the industry’s transition toward advanced and sustainable technologies. Through this platform, students will gain exposure to emerging fields such as mechatronics, robotics, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and sustainable mobility — helping them envision potential career paths in these future-ready sectors.” He further added, “Now in its fourth edition, the National Automobile Olympiad (NAO) continues to play a pivotal role in making the automobile industry aspirational for young minds across the country.”

Vinkesh Gulati, Vice President, ASDC added “We want students to consider automotive not just as a subject but as a vibrant career option. With the flexibility NEP brings, we see NAO 2025 as a crucial touchpoint for future career decisions. Dr. Saha’s continued support is instrumental in bringing this vision to life.” He further explained “The Olympiad is open to students from classes 6 to 12 across all educational boards, NAO 2025 is designed to be inclusive and accessible, with participation open in both English and Hindi.

Set to close on 31st July 2025 for the first round. the Olympiad will feature a three-tier competition model. Group 1 includes students from Classes VI-VIII, Group 2 covers Classes IX-X, and Group 3 comprises Classes XI-XII. The regional rounds are scheduled between October and November, culminating in the national finals in December”. The collaboration aligns closely with the NEP, which encourages multi-disciplinary learning and real-world skill integration. ASDC remains committed to bridging the gap between academia and industry, fostering not just skills but also aspirations and future careers. CBSE-affiliated schools are strongly encouraged to participate in this Olympiad, aligning with the Board’s vision of holistic and skill-based education.

Quick Heal Technologies Limited Reiterates Its Commitment to Cyber Fraud Prevention, Launches Freemium Model of AntiFraud.AI

Pune, May 28th, 2025: In the face of rising cross-border cyber threats and increasing digital footprint among citizens, Quick Heal Technologies Limited, India’s most trusted name in cybersecurity, has announced a strategic move to offer its flagship fraud prevention solution AntiFraud.AI’s Freemium version. This bold and timely decision comes amid heightened cyber warfare activity, especially in the backdrop of escalating India-Pakistan tensions, where the digital front is as critical as the physical.

Amongst a host of features, AntiFraud.AI’s unique ability to detect not only malicious apps that are visible on the phone but also hidden or “invisible” apps sets it apart in the cybersecurity landscape. These hidden apps often operate without the user’s awareness and are commonly exploited in phishing, spyware, and financial fraud attacks. AntiFraud.AI alerts users about such apps, and helps them take corrective actions, making it an essential layer of defense for every mobile user.

Recognising the urgency of protecting citizens from scams, spyware, and cyber fraud, Quick Heal has extended this solution as a Freemium offering, ensuring access to essential protection tools at no cost to ensure consumers can go digital fearlessly. The offering includes features like:

Fraud App Detector to uncover harmful apps (both visible and hidden),

Scam Protection,

Risk Profile Assessment to gauge fraud exposure,

Call Forwarding Alert, Banking Fraud Alert, Payee Name Announcer, Fraud Protect Buddy, and Unauthorized Access Alert among others.

Speaking about this significant initiative, Vishal Salvi, CEO of Quick Heal Technologies Limited, said:

“At Quick Heal, we believe cyber safety is a fundamental right for all. In these tense times where, digital threats often mirror real-world conflict, it is our duty to stand with the nation. By making AntiFraud.AI’s Freemium version available to everyone at no cost, we’re reinforcing our commitment to national interest — helping every citizen stay protected against the evolving tactics of cybercriminals and fraudsters.”

This initiative aligns with the urgent need to safeguard India’s digital ecosystem, especially as the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) reported cyber fraud losses reaching ₹1750 crores in early 2024, with over 740,000 cases registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. Quick Heal’s move to empower users helps bridge the digital safety gap at a critical juncture.

ITM Institute of Design & Media Presents Neo Spark’25: A Dazzling Celebration of Design Innovation

Mumbai, India – May 28, 2025: The Institute of Design & Media at ITM is delighted to announce Neo Spark’25, the Annual Design Exhibition, taking place on the 30th and 31st of May 2025 at the ITM IDM campus. This signature event highlights the creativity, innovation, and professional readiness of the graduating students, offering a unique glimpse into the future of design.

At Neo Spark’25, we will have a large exhibition of students’ work in Fashion Design, Visual Communication, Interior Design, Animation & VFX and UI/UX. Each discipline will offer a range of projects that reflect technical learning and understanding of design problems and solutions around the contemporary context.

The Fashion Show, where collections designed by students will be modeled by professional models, is a major component of the exhibit. Interior Design students will also present their full portfolios in an organized fashion with completed models and custom designed furniture pieces. The Visual Communication students will showcase their final year films, branding projects, and packaging designs from their class in conjunction with Animation & VFX students, who look at visual storytelling in a different medium. The UI/UX design students will also share user-centric and immersive digital experiences.

Neo Spark has consistently drawn attention from prominent industry experts, creative professionals, social media influencers, and members of the press. It brings students together to engage with the design industry and experience opportunities. It showcases possibilities and inspires the creative sector at large.

“Neo Spark’25 is not only an exhibition, it is a launchpad for the next generation of creative leaders. The work on display showcases their skill, vision, and preparedness of our student designers to reinvent the world of design,” said Ms Nisha Chanda, Director, ITM Institute of Design & Media.

Experts Call for Access Reforms Amid Rising Cases of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in Mumbai

Mumbai, 28th May 2025 – In a city recognized for its premier cancer treatment centers, Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) remains a growing yet under-recognized health emergency. At an awareness discussion hosted by AbbVie India, leading oncologists, from the city spoke the need to examine Mumbai’s AML burden and its impact on healthcare access, survival outcomes, and affordability. For many patients, the onset is silent, the symptoms vague, and the window for intervention tragically narrow. Despite global strides in targeted therapies and diagnostics, India still faces major challenges in awareness, access, and affordability. With cases gradually rising, experts are calling for AML to be recognized as a national health priority to prevent avoidable loss of life.

Though Mumbai houses renowned oncology centers, access to molecular diagnostics and AML-targeted therapies remains limited outside certain hospitals. Many patients delay treatment due to financial constraints or seek care in late stages when treatment is less effective.

Dr. Abhay A. Bhave, MD, FRCPA(Australia) ,Haematologist, Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre in Bandra West, Mumbai said, “Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), while rare among all haematological malignancies, is the most feared one. It has an excellent chemotherapy combination for control of disease, including deep remission (control, not cure), but is fraught with complications, including life-threatening ones due to severe infections and bone marrow suppression. Literally, we carpet bomb the bone marrow with chemotherapy and hope that the fire settles in time to allow normal blood cells to regrow in the bone marrow! Sometimes this fire is uncontrolled, and we remain helplessly as passive onlookers. Fortunately, with better supportive care and facilities and with earlier diagnosis, we can still win in many of these patients and plan at least a functional cure with treatment followed by bone marrow transplantation.”

He further added, “AML can be a relapsing, relentless disease based on the genes that cause this disease. Fortunately, many new agents are available in the Indian market that allow precision therapy and hence better outcomes. However, this adds to cost and not all patients are able to avail the same. Also Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (normal HLA-matched stem cells from a relative or unrelated donor given to the patient) is expensive and not easy to obtain.”

“In 60% of the AML cases we see, patients arrive in advanced stages with infection and bleeding which impairs our ability to give full treatment to such patients. However with advent of newer agents which are non chemo therapy we are able to give a chance of treatment to such difficult patient presentations. Better public and physician awareness along with routine molecular screening may help save many lives said, Dr Punit L Jain, MBBS, MD, DM (Clinical Hematology) Fellowship (Leukemia) MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA |,Oncology at Apollo Hospitals, Mumbai

Advances in AML Treatment: A Hopeful Shift

Traditional chemotherapy, the mainstay of AML treatment, has often been poorly tolerated, especially in older patients. However, the emergence of targeted therapies—which act on specific genetic mutations driving the disease—has dramatically improved remission rates, reduced toxicity, and enhanced quality of life for patients globally.

India, however, has yet to fully benefit from these advancements. Access to molecular and genetic testing remains largely confined to private urban centers. Targeted drugs are often unaffordable, as they are not included in public health schemes or the National Cancer Drug Registry.

Policy Imperatives: A Roadmap for Transforming AML Care in India

To address the unmet needs in AML diagnosis and treatment, stakeholders are urging the Indian healthcare system to adopt a multi-pronged strategy:

• Recognize AML as a Public Health Priority: Integrate AML into the national cancer control strategy to enable focused funding, epidemiological tracking, and research prioritization.
• Expand Access to Diagnostics: Establish infrastructure for molecular and genetic testing at government and tertiary care hospitals. Promote public-private partnerships to train diagnostic personnel and scale up access.
• List AML-targeted Therapies in the National Cancer Drug Registry: Ensure regulatory inclusion of new therapies and adopt pricing mechanisms like subsidies or government procurement to reduce costs.
• Reform Insurance and Reimbursement: Include AML-targeted therapies in Ayushman Bharat and private insurance schemes to ease out-of-pocket expenditure for patients.
• Launch a National Awareness and Screening Program: Drive public education on early AML symptoms through national campaigns and equip general practitioners with tools for early detection.
• Integrate AML into National Health Data Systems: Link AML cases to digital health records and cancer registries for real-time tracking and better health planning.
• Support Clinical Research and Trials: Provide regulatory and financial incentives for India-focused AML research to enable locally viable treatment protocols and innovations.