Private School Students Perform Better than their Government Counterparts in Karnataka

 * The report released jointly by the Central Square Foundation and Omidyar Network India, highlights that nearly 40% of students in Karnataka attend private schools.

The recently released ‘State of the Sector Report – Private Schools in India’ highlights that Karnataka ranks 14th in private school enrollments with 41.1% school-going children attending private schools. This report by Central Square Foundation, a non-profit organisation working towards ensuring quality school education, and Omidyar Network India, an investment firm focused on social impact, also stresses that the number of students attending private schools in Karnataka has grown significantly over the past decade. It calls for improvement in student learning in private schools.

The report was released by Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog at a virtual webinar in July 2020, and gives a comprehensive analysis of existing research and evidence on the sector. It provides details on the size of the sector, dives into the challenges faced by it, and outlines potential reforms to ensure improved learning outcomes for students in each state. Specifically, in Karnataka, the report finds that reading and numeracy skills in rural private schools have witnessed a slight improvement in the last six years. It also emphasizes that private schools in the state perform better than their government counterparts on the reading and Mathematics parameters: 23% of grade 5 students in private schools are able to do division as compared to 19.6% of government school students. However, learning levels are not at par with grade-level learnings and this is a cause for worry.

Ashish Dhawan, Founder-Chairman, Central Square Foundation talks about how we can improve student learning in private schools: “It is important to acknowledge the significance of the private school sector which educates nearly 1 in 2 children in Karnataka. We need sectoral reforms to improve learning levels and ensure inclusion of regulations based on quality. Key stage assessments in grades 3, 5, and 8, as suggested in the new education policy, can help build a regulatory structure which focuses on learning outcomes. This can also become an indicator that empowers parents to compare learning across schools and choose the best school for their child.”

Roopa Kudva, Managing Director, Omidyar Network India adds: "We need to empower parents to make informed decisions based on learning quality when choosing a school. In the absence of meaningful information on how schools perform on learning, parents tend to give weightage to tangible parameters like school infrastructure or English as the medium of instruction. Philanthropic capital can play a vital role in setting the ground in three main areas: greater awareness building, increased transparency from the schools themselves and improving the quality of engagement between parents and the schools.”

Keeping in mind the challenges and the current needs of the sector, the report makes certain recommendations for sectoral reforms that will create an enabling environment for the private school sector:

●       Create a universal learning indicator to help parents compare learning performance across schools and make informed school choices

●       Develop a pragmatic accreditation framework that factors in constraints of low fee schools and state capacity to implement while focusing on learning outcomes and child safety                      

●       Establish an independent regulatory agency for the private school sector

●       Review non-profit mandate and existing fee regulations to attract investment and enable easy access to credit for schools

●       Strengthen RTE Section 12(1)(c) which mandates 25% reservations for underprivileged children to ensure more robust targeting and fee reimbursements

According to the demographics cited in the report, in Karnataka, 37.8% of girls and 44.2% of boys attend private schools. A higher share of OBCs but a smaller share of SCs and STs attend private schools than the state average. Further, Bengaluru U North, Bengaluru U South and Bengaluru Rural districts have the highest enrollment share, whereas Uttara Kannada Sirsa, Koppal and Haveri have the lowest. Among districts, Bengaluru U North has the greatest private enrollment share at 79.8% and Haveri has the lowest with 22.7%..

Network Advertising Bags Creative Mandate for Essilor India

Among India’s leading independent advertising agencies, Network Advertising has won the above-the-line creative mandate for Essilor India, a world leader in prescription lenses, following a multi-agency pitch. The account will be serviced out of Network's Mumbai office; the mandate includes all consumer-facing and partner communication across India for Essilor India. Network Advertising is best known for its path-breaking campaigns for HDFC, Jet Airways, Henko, Mahindra Lifespaces, Goa Tourism, i-Pill, Vijay Sales, Charagh Din, Vinod Cookware, among others.

Commenting on the win, Vinod Nair, Managing Director, Network Advertising, said, "Essilor India is a strategic addition to our growing clientele and this is a responsibility we feel proud to own. It was basis our ability to understand their business challenges and our sound strategic thinkingthat has helped us win this mandate. The win is sweeter because a global organization, with global alignments has chosen us, a 100% Indian agency, for their India business." 

Shayondeep Pal, Chief Creative Officer, Network Advertising, has an interesting take, "From an advertising standpoint, Essilor is unlike many other categories. Because you are communicating with the end consumer indirectly through her optician, knowing very well that the buyer is more interested in the frame, than in the lens. Having said that, both strategically and creatively, we are working on new-world insights as Indians embrace a new work culture where our exposure to screens is maximum. We hope to create excitement in a category which for some reason has believed in functional advertising."

Speaking on the partnership, Neha Sharma, Head – Marketing, Essilor South Asia, said “We have decided to associate with Network’s seasoned teamdue to their long standing exposure to the changing advertising landscape, their creative consumermind-set, and agood strategic approach. This will help Essilor strengthen its brand presence further. We are delighted to have Network on board with us and look forward to an enriching association.”

Essilor is the world leader in the ophthalmic industry and prescription lenses. Globally, Essilor is committed to providing solutions to correct and protect the visual health of people. Essilor India, with its headquarters in Bangalore, was founded in 1998 and since then has been providing solutions to correct vision of Indians through their various brands like Crizal, Varilux, among others. They are the leaders in their category and have been maintaining this position in the post-Covid world with a lot of product innovations and trade programs.

About Network Advertising:

Network is an independent, fully-integrated, full-servicebrand, media and digital solutions provider. Its 25+year existence is defined by its ability to think fearlessly and help impact the client’s business. The agency has created several path-breaking and industry-defining creatives for the clients and the partners. From revolutionary Designs to comprehensive Business Strategy, and from Media Planning and Buying to Activations and Innovation, Network provides comprehensive services under a single roof. Network has been the communications partner helping create many sunrise industries through differentiated advertising for a host of sectors including Pharma, FMCG, BFSI, Real Estate, Travel, Logistics, Consumer Durables, among others.

Times Network Pays Tribute to the Galwan Martyrs with Special Documentary -‘Gallantry at Galwan – A Tale Of Valour’ on 'I' Day

Saluting the brave Galwan valley martyrs, Times Network, India's premium broadcast network, releases a special documentary, ‘Gallantry at Galwan – A Tale Of Valour’ this Independence Day. Marking two months to the deadly Galwan clash which witnessed the heroic sacrifice of 20 brave soldiers, who valiantly fought the Chinese transgression into the Indian territory, the special documentary scheduled for telecast on August 15, at 1:00 pm on TIMES NOW, TIMES NOW WORLD and Mirror NOW brings forth the story of grit and raw courage of these soldiers.

The 45-minute-long succinct account of factual events that took place in the intervening night of June 15-16 in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh, the documentary analyses the bloodiest engagement between Indian and Chinese troops in 45 years and aims to inform the viewers about the history of ongoing border dispute between the countries and reflects on how tensions unfolded over the years. Accessing high technology tools like 3D graphics and Google Earth studio, the documentary brings a comprehensive narrative of the circumstances that led to the fatal face-off and how men of 16 Bihar Regiment crushed the Chinese aggression.

Presenting viewers a well-researched account of the battle, the documentary features important voices from the Defence Forces and eminent Historians including Meera Shankar, Former India's Ambassador to the United States of America, Deep Pal, Non-resident Fellow at NBR, Lt Gen PJS Pannu, Ex Goc XIV Corps, Maroof Raza, Consulting Editor, TIMES NOW and Strategic Affairs Analyst, Nitin Gokhale, Author and Strategy Affair Expert, Maj Gen Sheru Thapliyal, Ex GoC, 3 Division, P. Stobdan, Expert on Indian Foreign Policy and National Security, Sim Tack, Chief Global Analyst, Statfor and Claude Arpi, Tibetologist and Historian.

Vivek Srivastava, President - Strategy and Business Head, News and English Entertainment Cluster, Times Network said, “Celebrating India’s undying spirit, ‘Gallantry at Galwan– A Tale Of Valour’ is our tribute to the selfless brave soldiers, who lost their lives in the line of duty. The Galwan Valley clash was a violent strike that changed the equation between two countries. Bringing an accurate account of the battle and the decade long territorial dispute between India-China, the documentary is an essential viewing for every Indian citizen, as it unravels every crucial aspect of the border dispute.”

Why couldn’t decades of martyrdom and truces, settle the Indo-China border dispute till date? Watch Gallantry At Galwan – A Tale Of Valour this Saturday August 15, at 1:00 pm and repeat on August 16, at 10:00 pm on TIMES NOW, TIMES NOW WORLD and Mirror NOW.

Randeep Hooda to Take Discovery India’s Message of ‘Restart Responsibly’ to the Masses

Discovery India, India’s most trusted and leading real-life entertainment network, has brought on board wildlife enthusiast and actor Randeep Hooda to urge India to exit the lockdown in a responsible manner with a unique campaign titled ‘Restart Responsibly’.  The campaign is Discovery’s humble appeal to the citizens of India to restart life, post the lockdown, due to pandemic, and subsequent unlocking, with a regard to environment. The campaign video, which is being played across all Discovery Network channels, has Randeep taking daily routine, but important actions, including placing water for birds, riding a bicycle, taking care of his pet etc while enlightening citizens about the impact that human action has had on environment.

“This campaign is close to my heart, as we are not asking people to take a pledge without any specific outcomes. The campaign aims to inspire people to take thoughtful steps, which can easily be added to their daily routines, in a more thoughtful way. Because, if everyone does small things right, then the overall impact on the environment will be huge,” said, Actor Randeep Hooda. “We all need to, and I can’t emphasize this enough, play our part to ensure that we create less pollution to ensure better quality air and water. An important observation we all need to make is that humans are not center of the universe, we are all a part of it, along with all flora and fauna – If we all just respect this fact and get on with life, I am sure tomorrow will be better.”

“Discovery is a powerful platform to tell critical stories, elevate cultural discourse and do the right thing. Through this campaign, we aim to bring the importance of individual behavior in shaping our environment. Often, we look at others for solutions, lets do our part – simple yet thoughtful steps – is our key message,” said, Vednarayan Sirdeshpande, Head of Marketing – South Asia, Discovery. “Randeep is a perfect face of our campaign. He is a passionate star, who lives the concept of responsible living, and has been actively contributing for the cause of environment both on and off the screen.”

Castrol Lubricants to Now be Available at Jio-BP Retail Sites

Castrol India Limited, India’s leading automotive lubricants company, has announced that Castrol lubricants will now be available at Jio-bp retail outlets across the country. This new channel offers Castrol enhanced visibility and reach for its products and solutions.

Castrol lubricants will be supplied to the joint venture’s fuel retailing network of 1,400 sites, which is expected to grow to 5,500 sites within five years.

Earlier this month, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and bp completed the formation of their new pan-India fuels and mobility joint venture – Reliance BP Mobility Limited (RBML). RIL’s existing sites will be rebranded to Jio-bp in due course.

The decision to make Castrol lubricants available across the network was taken in 2019, when the joint venture was first announced.

“Castrol India is delighted to be a part of the Jio-bp network. We will offer a premium experience to our consumers, bringing innovative value-added solutions as together we look to transform the Indian mobility sector,” said Sandeep Sangwan, Managing Director, Castrol India Limited.

Harish C Mehta, CEO, Reliance BP Mobility Limited added “Jio-bp puts consumers at the center of its universe and will offer them differentiated products and services to set new benchmarks in mobility solutions. I am confident that Castrol’s cutting-edge lubricants, together with our fuels and convenience offers, will deliver best in class experience for Indian consumers visiting our outlets.” 

Castrol products will be available at the RBML retail network in the coming weeks.

About Castrol India: Castrol, is one of the world’s leading lubricant brands and has a proud heritage of innovation and fuelling the dreams of pioneers. Castrol India Limited is one of India’s leading lubricants company and has established itself as a pioneer and innovator in the Indian lubricants industry. Its iconic brands such as Castrol CRB, Castrol GTX, and in more recent times power brands like Castrol Activ, Castrol MAGNATEC and Castrol VECTON, are used by millions of consumers and customers across the country. The company also has a presence in select segments like High Performance Lubricants and metalworking fluids in industries as varied as automotive manufacturing to mining to machinery and wind & energy.

Castrol India has a large manufacturing and distribution network in India with three manufacturing plants and a distribution network of 350 distributors who sell to consumers and customers through over 100,000 retail outlets. Castrol sub-distributors also reach additional outlets in rural markets whilst Castrol India also directly services over 3,000 key institutional accounts.

Along with providing world class products and services, Castrol India is focused on safety, compliance and quality as its number one priority.

Blue Dart Encourages the ‘Bonds of Solidarity’ Thanking COVID-19 Warriors with Special ‘Rakhi Express’ Offer

Blue Dart, India’s leading logistics service provider and part of Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL), announces the launch of its annual ‘Rakhi Express’ on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. Straying from tradition, Blue Dart aims to go one step beyond the celebration of the bond between siblings. This year, Blue Dart encourages the ‘Bonds of Solidarity’ to ship rakhis, not just to siblings within India and internationally, but to go one step beyond and send your love and spread the joy of the festival to all protectors including our COVID-19 warriors who have safeguarded the nation through the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Blue Dart’s ‘Rakhi Express’ is a unique opportunity that has been loved by customers for years. Through its widespread Indian domestic network, Blue Dart will deliver rakhis to 34,000+ locations across India and to 220 countries and territories across the globe, as part of the DPDHL Group’s ‘Express Easy Rakhi’. Customers can avail a special rate of ₹200/- to send rakhis to COVID-19 warriors and ₹250/- to send rakhis to their loved ones between 10th July, 2020 and 05th August, 2020. The special rate applies for up to 0.5kg for domestic shipments (anywhere within India). These offers can be availed at any of the Blue Dart – DHL retail stores across India or by calling 1860 233 1234. Customers can send their rakhis through a specially designed ‘Rakhi Envelope’ and a greeting card for their personalized messages.

Speaking about the initiative, Ketan Kulkarni, CMO & Head - Business Development, Blue Dart said, “The year 2020 was different on every vertical. This year, the world crumbled around us, giving way to a Pandemic that shook businesses and individuals across the world. The only common underlying theme across industries, cities and nations was the ‘Bonds of Solidarity’ amidst people. While most of us stayed in the safety of our homes, our COVID-19 warriors geared up at their action stations to ensure the health and safety of all.

Our goal during this festive season is to ensure that Raksha Bandhan 2020 is more than a festival for sisters to send brothers their love; rather, it is to ensure that Raksha Bandhan 2020 is a festival that celebrates love in all its forms – to parents, to friends and most importantly to send gratitude to all our protectors including our COVID-19 warriors.

This initiative is a tribute to every Government Worker, Health Care Worker, every Armed / Paramilitary / Police Force personnel, every Civil Aviation / Railway / Bank employee who has tirelessly worked through the pandemic for the greater good.”

He further added, “We want to give families that live apart, the opportunity of experiencing Raksha Bandhan to the fullest by staying connected across the country and globe. In the world of social media, the Rakhi and personal note from a loved one delivered with care, holds a very special place. We strive to provide a hassle-free, accurate and timely delivery so that people may enjoy their Raksha Bandhan without any worries.”

Customers can register for the Rakhi Service at any of Blue Dart’s conveniently located stores across the nation. At the store, the customer needs to verbally confirm that the sender or receiver is a COVID-19 warrior. Blue Dart staff then offer the Domestic Rakhi Express at Rs.200/- on domestic Rakhi shipment up to 0.5kg. The Rakhi the customer brings is then inserted in the rakhi envelope along with the Blue Dart greeting card where the sender can write their personal message for their unwavered fighting spirit.

To avail our service or for any further enquiry, customers can call us on Customer Care Number - 1860 233 1234 or email us on - customerservice@bluedart.com.

Honda Cars India Unveils the All New 5th Generation Honda City in Indian Market

Experience ‘Rush of Supremacy’

* Designed on the concept of ‘Ambitious Sedan’, 5th Generation model – Longest and Widest Sedan in its segment

* India’s first connected car with Alexa remote capability

* Honda Connect with Telematics Control Unit (TCU) – Standard offering across all grades with 5-year free subscription and over 32 connected features

* BS-6 compliant Powertrains – All New 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC Petrol engine with VTC and India exclusive refined 1.5L i-DTEC Diesel engine

* ASEAN N-CAP 5 Star rating equivalent

* First in segment features such as Full LED headlamps, Z- Shaped wrap-around LED Tail lamp, 17.7 cm HD full color TFT meter with G-meter, LaneWatch camera, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Agile Handling Assist (AHA) and many more

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, today launched its much-awaited All New 5th Generation Honda City in India.  First introduced in India in January 1998, Honda City has been the country’s most successful mid-size sedan. Now in its 5th Generation, the City has always defined the original authentic shape of sedan in India and reinvented itself according to the needs and aspirations of its customers. The much awaited All – New Honda City has been conceptualized to carry forward its legacy, deliver supremacy and exceed previous benchmark by offering superior value proposition to its customers.

The new Honda City has been developed at Honda R&D Centre located in Tochigi, Japan following extensive market surveys in India, ASEAN countries and other markets for people’s driving needs and lifestyles.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gaku Nakanishi, President & CEO, Honda Cars India said, “Honda City has been our key pillar of business for more than 22 years, being one of the longest running nameplates in the Indian automotive history. With cumulative sales of more than 4 million units worldwide, it has provided joy to almost 8 lakh customers in India and many more aspiring to own the model. Each generation of the City has raised the bar on design, technology, quality, driving pleasure, comfort & safety, and has come with several industry firsts or segment first features.” “Our vision has been to offer our customers with a new value that is unprecedented in the history of City and we are confident that the All New City will create fresh excitement in the mid-size sedan segment,” he added.

In the All New 5th Generation Honda City, the length and width has been expanded making it the longest and widest sedan in its segment. The All New City takes a huge leap in Connected Car Services with Next Generation of Honda Connect available as standard offering across all grades along with 5-year free subscription. It is India’s First Connected Car with Alexa Remote Capability.

The all-new Honda City has been introduced in both Petrol and Diesel, powered by Honda’s superior EARTH DREAMS TECHNOLOGY range of BS-6 compliant powertrains – All New 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC Petrol engine with VTC and India exclusive refined 1.5L i-DTEC Diesel engine respectively delivering high fuel efficiency, low emission and spirited driving performance. 

The Grand Concept of the 5th Generation Honda City is ‘Ambitious Sedan’ which aims to complement its customer’s ambitions and provide them a strong sense of confidence to upgrade their lives. Its design concept accentuates enhanced stance, higher strength, sportiness and sophistication. The All New City boasts of the largest in segment dimensions including 4549 mm length and 1748 mm width. The height of the new model stands at 1489 mm and wheelbase of 2600 mm.

Mr. Rajesh Goel, Sr. Vice President & Director, Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd. said, “Our aim was to make an ambitious sedan for an ambitious customer. The City has always enjoyed strong brand equity and with the 5th generation, we have further enhanced the Intelligent, Confident & Secure presence. City customers have always been very discerning and want a car that is class above the rest. Hence multiple ‘industry first’ and ‘best in segment features’ for Styling, Connectivity, Safety and Convenience have been offered as standard from the entry V variant of the All New City, setting a new benchmark for the segment.”

Supremacy of Design

The overall styling of the All New City with its Full LED Headlamps with 9 LED Array Inline Shell, Integrated LED DRL, L Shaped LED Turn Signal and distinct Z- shape 3D wrap-around LED tail lamps with Uniform Edge Light, One-touch Electric Sunroof, R-16 Diamond cut alloy wheels and shark fin antenna will surely be eye catching on Indian roads and immediately identifiable as ‘City’ even at a glance. In addition to stylish exterior, the 5th Generation Honda City delivers ambition of spaciousness and comfort within the car. Inspired by putting people first, the interiors are based on ‘Man Maximum Machine Minimum’ philosophy. The new City offers Best in class knee room and legroom, enhanced rear seat shoulder room, an ergonomically designed cockpit, multiple storage spaces and top Class Trunk Capacity of 506L.

Supremacy of Powertrains

In addition to grandeur, strength and stance, the 5th Generation Honda City offers Supremacy with Honda’s Earth Dream Series advanced and innovative powertrains which greatly enhance driving performance and fuel economy.

The Petrol variant of the All New City is powered by new 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC petrol engine with VTC, which is Honda’s first in India.  Based on the High Accuracy Valve Technology DOHC + VTC, this newly introduced BS-6 engine improves combustion efficiency, reduces friction and lowers emissions. This high performance engine delivers 89 kw (121PS) @6600 rpm best in segment power and 145 Nm@1750 rpm torque, with quicker torque increase at lower engine speed. It has been mated to an All-New 6 speed Manual Transmission and New 7 speed CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) offering fuel efficiency of 17.8 kmpl and 18.4 kmpl respectively.

The Diesel variant of the All–New City is powered by new 1.5L i-DTEC DOHC Diesel engine mated to the 6-speed manual transmission. It delivers best balance of powerful performance and high fuel economy with 73 kW [100 PS] @ 3600 rpm power, 200 Nm @1750 rpm torque and impressive fuel economy of 24.1 kmpl. Application of advanced exhaust gas after-treatment system with NSC (NOx Storage Catalyst) and DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) has been done to meet the challenging target of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission in case of diesel engines.

Supremacy of Connectivity

The All New City is India’s first connected car with Alexa remote capability and is equipped with Next Generation Honda Connect with Telematics Control Unit (TCU) standard across all grades with 5-year free subscription. The Next Gen Honda Connect, with over 32 features, aims to provide a sense of safety & security, convenience and peace of mind for customers. By giving voice commands to Alexa, the cloud-based voice service from Amazon, customers can use 10 key features of Honda Connect to monitor and control their car from home. Hence, they can remotely access features such as car AC On/ Off, door lock/ unlock, check fuel status, locate the car, and status from the car dashboard, for unparalleled comfort and convenience.

Supremacy of Safety

The City’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body enhances self-protection while mitigating damage to other vehicles in the event of a collision.  The 5th Generation Honda City offers host of active and passive advanced safety features like 6 Airbags system, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Assist with Agile Handling Assist, Hill Start Assist, Honda Lane Watch™ camera, Multi angle Rear Camera, Emergency Stop Signal, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, ISOFIX compatible Rear Side Seats with Lower Anchorages & Top Tether, and Immobilizer with anti-theft alarm.  

Supremacy of Convenience

In the All- New City, convenience reigns supreme in the form of Honda Advanced Smart Key System with the Walk Away Auto Lock feature, Remote Engine Start (in CVT) & Keyless Window Remote Operation, Fully Automatic Climate Control with Max Cool, Click feel AC dials with red blue elimination, Rear AC vents with Charging Ports, Driver Seat Height Adjuster, LED map and Rear reading lamps.

Cockpit of Supremacy

The ergonomically designed and thoughtfully laid instrument panel sports the 20.3 cm Advanced Touchscreen Display Audio which connects with Apple Car play and Android Auto opening new ways of staying social and digital on the drive. The other features include 17.7cm HD full color TFT meter with Multi-function driver information interface with G-meter, Digital Speed and Cruise Control display, Web Link smart connectivity, 8 speakers premium surround sound system, Ambient Lighting and LED Interior Lamps, Steering Mounted Paddle Shifters for CVT.

The All New 5th Generation Honda City will be available in 3 feature packed grades offered in Petrol and Diesel variants – V, VX and ZX. The Petrol model will be offered in 6-Speed Manual Transmission and 7-Speed CVT and the Diesel model will be offered in 6-Speed Manual Transmission, across the 3 grades. Multiple ‘industry first’ and ‘best in segment features’ for Styling, Connectivity, Safety and Convenience have been offered as standard in all the three grades setting a new benchmark for the segment.

The All New City will be available with a choice of 5 colour options – Radiant Red Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Modern Steel Metallic, Lunar Silver Metallic, Golden Brown Metallic.

5th Generation City also offers wide array of accessory choices to customers with wireless charger (with smartphone holder), front parking sensor with switch, leg room lamp, trunk spoiler with LED, front & rear bumper protector, Side air bag compatible seat cover, Door visor with chrome among many others.

HCIL will start deliveries of the Petrol variants of the new City immediately from HCIL dealer network across the country. The deliveries for the Diesel variants would begin from August 2020.

The All New City offers complete peace of mind with 3 years Unlimited Kilometres warranty as standard benefit to the customer. Additionally, customers can opt for Extended Warranty for additional two years Unlimited / Limited kilometres for extra peace of mind. The car offers low cost of maintenance with Service interval of 1 year/ 10,000km whichever is earlier. 

Customers can also book the All New City online from the comfort of their home through Honda's online sales platform "Honda from Home", alongside HCIL authorized dealership network across the country.

About Honda City

Honda City is one of the most successful car brands in India with very high brand equity. It was first introduced in India in its 1st Generation in January 1998 and later launched as 2nd generation in November 2003, 3rd Generation in September 2008, 4th Generation in January 2014 and has cumulatively sold 8 lakh units so far. The Honda City is currently sold in 60 countries with cumulative sales of 4 Mn units globally and is the leading brand of Honda in Asia and Oceania region.

About Honda Cars India Ltd

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), a leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, was established in December 1995 with a commitment to provide Honda’s latest passenger car models and technologies, to the Indian customers. HCIL has two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities at Greater Noida, U.P and at Tapukara, Distt. Alwar, Rajasthan. The company’s product range includes Honda Jazz, Honda Amaze, Honda WR-V, Honda City, Honda Civic and Honda CR-V, which are manufactured in India. Honda’s models are strongly associated with advanced design and technology, apart from their established qualities of durability, reliability and fuel-efficiency.

Students of Global Indian International School Shine in CBSE Class X and XII Exams

Students of Global Indian International School (GIIS), a network of premier international schools, achieved noteworthy academic feats in the recently announced CBSE Class X and XII results. The examinations were held in February 2020, before the nation was under lockdown due to the emergence of Covid-19. 

Commenting on the performance of GIIS students, Mr. Rajiv Bansal, Director-Operations, GIIS India said “It is extremely gratifying to see our students perform well in the board exams with many students scoring centum (100) and near perfect scores (99) in various subjects. At GIIS, our NINE Gems Framework is designed to focus on the holistic development of our students and academic excellence is a critical aspect of our pedagogy. The constant support from our teachers and the sincere efforts of our students has enabled GIIS to achieve such good results across the country. We are extremely proud of our students’ achievements and want to thank the parents for their constant support in nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.”

Out of 7 GIIS campuses in India, students of Noida, Surat, Ahmedabad & Whitefield (Bengaluru) campuses appeared for their Class X exams and achieved a 100% pass percentage. While students of GIIS Surat & Noida campuses appeared for Class XII exams, this being the first batch for GIIS Noida.

Sameeksha Srivastava, student of GIIS Noida topped her Class X batch with 97.6% while Dhanay Agarwal and Priyamvada Sinha scored 96% and 95% respectively to secure the second and third positions. Nehal Kaul, a science student of Class XII topped the school with 96.6% marks followed by Ronit (science) and Pratham Chhabriaa (commerce) scoring 90.4% and 86.2% respectively. Pratham Chhabriaa has also been selected and received a scholarship in University of Waterloo in Canada, where he will be doing his Honours in Economics with Business.

Batch of Class X in GIIS Surat achieved 100% pass percentage. Kanishka Khandelwal topped the class with 94%, followed by Ishan Mittal and Suraj Rajput with 92.8% and 90% respectively. With respect to class XII, Neha Mishra topped the class with 91.2%, followed closely by Khushboo Mishra with 90.4%, both from the Commerce stream.

A scholar at the Advanced Learning Centre for bright students by IISC, Bengaluru, Sri Uma Maheshwari from GIIS Whitefield campus topped her class scoring 96.4%, and a perfect 100 in Mathematics in CBSE Class X examinations. Among other toppers from the batch, Anirudh Pradyumnan Srinivasan scored 95.6% and Himanshi Sarkar secured 3rd position with 94.4%. And Rushil Verma, who has scored a centum (100 marks) in Hindi, is an achievement worth mentioning.

At GIIS Ahmedabad, student Vaidehi Thanaki topped the batch with 93% in her Class X CBSE examinations. Aakriti Roy and Gaurav Nathani with 91.8% and 91.6% secured the second and the third rank respectively. The campus also achieved a 100% pass percentage.

GIIS’ focus on delivering quality education to its students with a strong emphasis on enhancing their learning outcomes has been a crucial factor in the excellent performance showcased by its students.

Homegrown Startup Trell Surpasses International Social Networking Giants like Twitter and Pinterest in India

Homegrown Startups 

* With over 45 million downloads, 20 million monthly active users, the lifestyle community commerce app witnesses a 25x surge in last 1 year

With the increasing demand for home-grown apps in India, the Lifestyle content commerce platform Trell has surpassed International Social Networking Giants like Twitter and Pinterest in India with more than 5 million daily active users. Trending at #1 in Free Lifestyle Apps, the platform has received 1.2M uploads in a single day with 400K+ New content creators.

 

With the bold decision by the Indian Government, budding startups like Trell are emerging as a leading industry player in the space. In comparison with Trell, Pinterest and Twitter have also seen an upsurge after the ban on the Chinese app with more than 2 Million DAU on Pinterest and 4.4 million DAU on twitter.

Popularly known as Video Pinterest for Bharat, Trell is the go-to platform for users to share their experiences, recommendations, and reviews across various categories including health and fitness, beauty and skincare, travel, movie reviews, cooking, home-décor and much more. The lifestyle vlogging platform allows users to create 3-5-minute videos in their native languages along with a ‘shop’ feature that lets them purchase the products featured in the vlogs. Additionally, the platform also allows users to earn rewards, goodies and vacations through its interface.

Commenting on the development, Pulkit Agarwal, Co-Founder - Trell said, “We are very excited to see the regular developments on the platform and the increasing interest from users and content creators. With this opportunity, the Indian Internet Startups can grow faster and build a superior experience for the consumers in the long run which was being capped by the established players earlier.”

Since its inception in 2017, Trell has been committed to serving the Lifestyle content needs of vernacular consumers across the country with over 60% of its users hailing from tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Trell has recently launched its platform in three new languages; Marathi, Kannada and Bengali, making the total count to 8 languages (Additionally, Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam) active so far. 

Muthoot Finance Launches ‘Sunheri Soch’ Radio Campaign By Amitabh Bachchan

Muthoot Finance, India’s No.1 Most Trusted Financial Services Brand and India’s largest gold loan NBFC has entered into a unique partnership with RED FM, one of India’s largest and much awarded private radio networks to launch a series of real-life inspirational stories that break stigmas around gold loans in India. With ‘Muthoot Finance Sunheri Soch’ campaign, the financial services conglomerate brings highly successful stories of various common men & women who dreamt big and made their dreams come true by availing gold loans from Muthoot Finance.

Sunheri Soch aims at encouraging and educating masses about actively adopting gold loans and realising their dreams. The campaign is a series of inspiring, real-life stories of common people who took a gold loan from Muthoot Finance and moved ahead in life. Muthoot Finance’s brand ambassador Shri Amitabh Bachchan beautifully narrates these stories in an all-new avatar. As part of this campaign, a melodious Sunheri Soch anthem was launched with Red FM’s top RJs saluting the courage of these successful people who have achieved their dreams in highly challenging circumstances. Sunheri Soch is a celebration of their achievement, and Muthoot Finance is proud to be a catalyst in this journey of millions of Indians.

Commenting on the association, Mr. Alexander George Muthoot, Deputy Managing Director, The Muthoot Group said, “We have always launched path-breaking campaigns that have brought attitudinal transformation in the lives of people. Gold loans have huge potential as Indian households have 26000 tons of gold & just 2-3% of this is monetised by way of gold loans. We at Muthoot Finance are the guardians of trust who empower society to realise the power of their dreams by unlocking the true value of their emotional currency. Our Sunheri Soch campaign brings inspirational real-life stories to life to help common people realise their dreams”

Mr.Abhinav Iyer, General Manager, Marketing & Strategy, Muthoot Finance added, “Sunheri Soch is a series of life-transforming stories that can inspire a million others. As humans-beings, we feel inspired by great success stories. With a little help from Muthoot Finance, these are people who realised their dreams. With +2.5 Lac customers being served every day, it wasn’t easy to hand-pick a few success stories. Mr Bachchan’s incomparable voice and amazing delivery has just brought in the magical touch to this campaign”

Commenting on this association, Ms. Nisha Narayanan, COO & Director, Red FM and Magic FM said, “We are excited to announce our collaboration with Muthoot Finance, one of the most trusted financial services brand in India to feature inspirational success stories and break all the prevailing apprehensions associated with gold loans. With deeper engagement being the primary need of clients, we have taken a different approach in sharing some of the extraordinary real stories of Muthoot Finance Gold Loan customers”

Ms.Ruchi Mathur, Senior VP, Mindshare said:

“Magic happens when real life and storytelling come together. Especially in times like these when consumers and listeners are looking for something positive to latch on to. With this idea, we are not selling a brand or a product, but we are bringing hope to the many who have a dream, but just need the inspiration and a little help. We at Mindshare Content+ are proud to partner Muthoot Finance Sunheri Soch and hope this platform will bring the change we feel it can”,

About Muthoot Finance:

Muthoot Finance is the flagship company of The Muthoot Group which has 20 diversified business divisions. With 5000+ branches, the Group serves over 2.5 Lac customers every day. Muthoot Finance is also India's largest gold loan NBFC and India’s No.1 Most Trusted Financial Services Brand, according to the Brand Trusted Report. It is a reputed ‘Systemically Important Non-deposit taking NBFC’. As part of the core business, Muthoot Finance provides loans secured against household gold jewellery at highly affordable rates and amazing product features. Globally, the Group has presence across, USA, UK, UAE, Costa Rica and Sri Lanka. In the recently announced financial results for FY20, Muthoot Finance posted a record Net Profit of Rs. 3,168 Crores (a 50% growth over FY19). The Consolidated Assets Under Management (AUM) grew by 22% for the same period and stood at Rs. 46,800 Crores.

Infosys opens training centre in Mysore

It was a wistful Sonia Gandhi who loved her day out on Tuesday. Happy to have “bunked school”, she said she was charmed by the environment, the buildings, trees, flowers and atmosphere at the Infosys campus.

Said the lady who keeps her Congress school in order, “...If I may share a secret, there is another reason for me to be happy to be with you this afternoon, this visit is giving me an opportunity to bunk my school — politics — for a few hours. I honestly want to say I wish I could bunk a few days to be here with you all!” She brought the house down.

The Congress chief was in Mysore to inaugurate the Infosys Global Education Centre-II, which will be a hothouse for next-generation IT professionals. “Social harmony, secure frontiers and communal amity are the need of the hour to create a conducive atmosphere for creation of wealth. Governments should ensure these elements for wealth creators to strive and grow,” she asserted.

Appreciating the efforts of Infosys chief N R Narayana Murthy and his peers for struggling hard and building an empire like Infosys, Sonia said he and his colleagues have shown the world that India can not only lead the IT field, but also guide the rest of the world. “Serious efforts, hard work and determination have made them accomplish this task of building GEC, which is a monument of sorts, withworld class facilities to train IT professionals,” she said.

Sonia said the foundation stone for modern technology was laid way back in 1985 by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, with the establishment of an earth station. Recollecting Rajiv’s efforts to take the country’s development in science and technology to new heights, Sonia said many in politics had flayed Rajiv Gandhi and were skeptical about his efforts. But he has now been proved right. “He knew that development of communication and transport facilities would lead India into a new world of development,” she said. Then, a telephone was a luxury, now every village has a public call office and telephone network.

Agencies

New Booklet 3G from Nokia to take on Apple, Dell

Nokia started as a computer company in 1980's but sold the business in 1991 to focus on mobile phones. Now after two decades Nokia is all set to launch its booklet called "Booklet 3G" to broaden its product range to survive the tough competition in the declining mobile market.

Nokia is facing tough competition in the mobile market as many new players are now entering in the scene. Dell, Acer and Hewlett Packard (HP) are all interested to launch products in the mobile category. There are many speculations that Apple will soon be launching a tablet-type touch screen by next year. Nokia plans to take on these competitors in their own backyard with the launch of its Booklet 3G.

This booklet will mostly be mistaken for a netbook but it focuses on on-the-go networking. It is powered by a Windows operating system (not clear yet if it is Windows 7) and has a 10-inch color screen. It has both 3G and GPS functionality, as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when there's a network available. It will also have access to Nokia Music store and Ovi maps. Nokia claims that the Booklet will run for 12 hours on a battery charge.

"A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility. Nokia has a long and rich heritage in mobility, and with the outstanding battery life, premium design and all-day, always-on connectivity, we will create something quite compelling," said Kai Oistamo, Nokia's Executive Vice-President for devices to Telegraph.

Nokia will mostly give further details about pricing early next month at Nokia World '09 in Stuttgart. It is expected that the booklet will be expensive and will be in the range of $700 to $1000.

Agencies

Solution for European mobile operators to save billions

Bobby Srinivasan founded Roamware, a provider of mobile roaming software and solutions, has unveiled its Voicemail Call Completion (VMCC) product that can help the European operators to save a potential annual bill of $2.1 billion for compliance with new European Union (EU) regulations on roaming voicemail.

The EU regulations, which will be introduced next year, are meant for ensuring that consumers are not being charged additional fees for receiving voice mail messages while roaming.

Though the new regulations will cut costs for consumers, other than any more changes made, Roamware estimates states that European operators will collectively incur an annual cost of between $1.8 billion and $2.1 billion for re-bounding international voicemail calls known in the telecoms industry as "tromboning".

"If you make a call to customer who is roaming but who cannot be reached because the signal is bad or they are already using the phone, two international calls are effectively made - one to try to reach the phone, and a rebound leg back to the home network voice mail box to leave the message. This is what is known as tromboning," explains John Jiang, CTO, Roamware.

Using the Voice Mail Call Completion (VMCC) service in the home network, the software recognizes the unavailable roaming mobile and deposits the call, complete with all the relevant information, straight to the home network mail box.

"We cut out the "trombone call" and ensure that roaming messages get left in exactly the same way as normal, helping operators meet their EU commitment and saving costs for both them and the consumers," said Jiang.

The company provides roaming software and services to more than 90 networks in the EU region. "We are seeing significant traction and interest from our existing customers and other operators both inside and outside the European region as operators realize the implication of the new EU regulations and the opportunities that exist to cut costs and improve service," said Abraham Punnoose, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, Roamware.

SiliconIndia

Report indicates 13 new WiMAX deployments in April

The need of the hour is to get data from one point to another as fast as possible. The availability of internet on the move has become necessity for many. The global WiMAX network has been growing significantly over the past years, with the advancements in telecommunication technology. According to a latest report published by WiMAX Forum, there have 13 new WiMAX network deployments in the month of April.

WiMAX Forum has started publishing its report starting this month that will contain an executive summary, global deployment update, POPS summary, monthly featured operator profile, certification update, regulatory update, survey data results and a third party research update. It will track a total of 468 WiMAX deployments in 139 countries.

According to a research by the Forum, currently WiMAX deployments cover over 430 million POPs globally. By the end of 2010, this number would reach almost 800 million POPs worldwide.

Countries like Iran and Chile have started showing more interest in WiMAX technology. The Iranian Communication Regulatory Authority has granted four six-year licenses for operators to offer fixed WiMAX services in the country. In Chile, the government announced that it had awarded a license for 30 MHz of spectrum in the 2.3 GHz band to INVERCA Telecommunications.

Last year, there were 82 products that were launched, which were certified by the WiMAX Forum and the first quarter of 2009, 15 products of WiMAX Forum Designated Certification Laboratories were WiMAX Forum Certified. The products are used by 25 base station vendors, 27 subscriber station vendors and four mobile station vendors.

A survey conducted in the first quarter by the WiMAX Forum Network Operations Task Force with the sample consisting of 70 WiMAX operators. In response to a question on the importance of certification, 89 percent of respondents were of the opinion that their company would require WiMAX Forum Certification for devices. Also, 74 percent of respondents to a question on sales channels plan to sell WiMAX devices through general retail stores.

Agencies

Buy your software from a cloud to ease your budget

As small and medium businesses in India struggle to stay afloat during the global economic slowdown, they are opting for cheaper computing services, and a Boston-based entrepreneur is here to promote his solution, cloud computing, in which software is shared over a wide network of computers.

Sumeet Sabharwal, senior vice-president of outsourcing and IT hosting firm Navisite Inc, says cloud computing is a viable Internet model for small and medium businesses across India, especially in the technology hubs in and around the capital and in Bangalore.

"The demand for having a reliable hosted infrastructure has increased over the years in India as businesses are shifting to the Internet from off-line facilities. At the same time, users do not want to burden themselves with the cumbersome processes of installations and hardware specifics. They look for solutions that are flexible, to scale and automated from the deployment standpoint, to maximise profit and output," Sabharwal said.

He said cloud computing was "still in a nascent stage in India and users need to be educated. Demand will grow as medium and small business owners realise its financial upside. I think it is the technology of the future for a country like India".

"Cloud computing," explained Sabharwal, a Cornell University alumnus, "is a computer paradigm in which tasks are assigned to a combination of connections. It operates on three basic principles - computer, bandwidth and storage.

"It eliminates the manual tasks of shipping the software to the user and allows users direct access to the software from the net. This network of servers and connections is collectively known as 'the cloud', which is a kind of a platform."

Computing at the scale of the cloud, said Sabharwal, allowed users to access supercomputer-level power. "Using a thin client or other access points like an iPhone, BlackBerry or laptop, users can reach into the cloud for resources they need. For this reason, cloud computing has also been described as on-demand computing."

Cloud computing, where the "intelligent network acts as the supercomputer", is a way to increase network capacity or add capabilities without investing in new infrastructure, new personnel or licensing new software.

"It is a pay-per-use service and cuts business cost by at least 40 percent depending on how the businesses leverage it. At the same time, one can scale up or scale down on the network itself, going by the number of visits to a business site
and its growth," Sabharwal said.

"Clouds are of two types - the public cloud, where infrastructure can be shared horizontally depending on areas and geographies of growth - and large private clouds dedicated to big companies, mostly the independent software vendors
, retail firms and technology providers.

"Cloud Computing," said Sabharwal, "is also the most effective technology for hosted e-mails for medium-sized corporate firms."

Agencies

White House network hacked

Chinese hackers have penetrated the White House computer network on multiple occasions, and obtained e-mails between government officials, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, quoting a senior US official.

The cyber attackers managed to penetrate the White House system for brief periods that allowed them to steal information before US government experts each time patched the system, the newspaper reported the official as saying.

The official told the newspaper that US was getting very targeted Chinese attacks so its stretches credulity that these are not directed by government-related organizations.

The US has increased efforts to tackle cyber security in the past year, especially since Chinese hackers penetrated the Pentagon last year, Financial Times said.

In that attack the hackers had obtained e-mails from the system serving Robert Gates, the defence secretary.

While the US has raised concerns about cyber attacks, many foreign governments believe the US is also engaged in electronic spying, the newspaper said. Bob Woodward, the Washington Post reporter had revealed that the US had been spying on the Iraqi government.