Insia Brings Exclusive Valentine’s Jewellery Collection with 20% Discount

Insia.in has recently introduced the exclusive collection of western jewellery in view of Valentine’s Day. The collection simply reflects the token of love as all the jewel pieces are designed to perfection keeping in mind the importance of Valentine’s Day for the couples. The connection is not just there to add glamour to the appearance of the wearer but also to reflect their sense of style and statement they create. These jewel pieces are the best collection for those who are in search of western and fashion jewelry that provide then a perfect blend of bold and stylish touch.

The design and style patterns of this collection of valentine jewellery will surely not fail to impress the women. Unlike gold and diamond jewellery, these beautiful jewel pieces are not too much expensive. Therefore one can easily buy and gift these Valentine’s jewellery to their special one. It will be to reflect their immense love for their better half.

To make this collection more affordable for the jewellery lovers, insia.in also offers 20 per cent discount for the period from February 1 to February 15 so it is the right time for every men to grab this offer and give a special gift to their loved ones on this Valentine’s Day.

The best thing about this special collection is that women can also pair it with their daily outfits. No matter whether they want to pair it with their professional outfit or casual outfit, it will surely goes well with all kind of attires. Inspired by the romantic month of February, this exclusive collection of classy yet stylish jewellery is surely an ideal choice for women of modern time who want to flaunt their fashionable taste and look to carry an appealing appearance on all the occasion. 

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Inox with Screening of Epic Opera Carmen

For the first time ever, leading multiplex chain will screen an Opera on the Silver Screen this Valentine’s Day. The first of many Opera’s that Inox will be bringing to their patrons is Carmen, an Epic Love Story by George Bizet.

It is a story of passion and destiny where Carmen, who is a rebellious protagonist explores love and everything that comes with it. Carmen represents a bold, go getter, layered and unapologetic girl who evolves with the plot while retaining her rebellious streak.  It is a story of a Gypsy from Seville who is fighting to death for the freedom of love and is directed by renowned director Casper Holten.

The most beloved and most popular opera of all time "Carmen" by George Bizet is a special and extraordinary production, a huge spectacle from the Bergentz festival in Austria is held on the lake shore.

Inox Leisure Ltd has been constantly working towards curating best and unique experiences for Inox patrons, with innovative partnerships. Bringing Carmen, one of the most successful Operas to Indian Audiences is yet another step towards the same.

Date- Feb 14, 2020

Venue- Inox, Garuda Mall, Bengaluru

Fantasia — An Extravaganza of Sound and Sight in Bangalore

We The Bangalore School(TBS) and The Green School Bangalore (TGSB),welcomes you for the first time in forever a Disney Fantasia Celebration capturing the best Disney moments to host its 8th Annual School Concert(TBS) and The Green School Bangalore (TGSB) its 1st Annual School Concert .

The concert is a musical tribute to the Disney World that showcases the underlying themes on the importance of family connections, loyalty being supportive, kind, patient, having courage and so forth through clippings from the magical moments of the timeless Disney characters.

Dance and theatre acts as an apt best platform to channelize young minds to understand the importance of these values put across by Disney stories. We make them believe that there is always a brighter future after tremendous struggle and hence has a great influence on young and old minds . This is the foremost priority of TBS and TGSB to build resilience in the future generations. Animated films can go a long way towards arousing national consciousness and nation-building by a skilful adaption of good moral, social and educative themes.

Shri Acharaya Ajit Kumar Ji, founder chairman of VDM ,as our chief guest and

Mr. Pruthvi Banwasi ,secretary of karnataka council of pre-schools as the guest of honour will be gracing the event by their esteemed presence.

The Bangalore School TBS) and The Green School Bangalore (TGSB) firmly believes in putting all children on the stage. We believe in instilling confidence in children from the preliminary years of development. We aim to build theatre, dance and music abilities along with academic excellence. We believe that ‘Every child is a change maker and every child is ‘UNIQUE’.

Toyota’s Sustainable Road Safety Education Program TSEP for School Children Reaches its 13th Year, Covers 7,50,000 Students

 Toyota Safety Education Program (TSEP), a road safety initiative emphasizes on the importance of instilling a positive behavioral change in children towards road safety and contributing towards reducing road fatalities

- Enthusiastic participation from over 18 schools from Delhi, 18 from Mumbai and 14 from Bangalore, across different phases ensured successful sensitization of children as change agents
- TSEP Module is curated in-line with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 set by the UN to train 200+ teachers and over 30,000 school children, engaging with more than 80 schools  across India, bringing about a positive change in their behavior as road users
- The Sustainable Development Goals pledges to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from traffic accidents by 2020 and provide access to safe affordable, accessible sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety by 2030
Bangalore, February 8, 2020: In-line with its commitment to the cause of Road Safety, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) curated a special road safety awareness program for school children in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, with the state level event taking place in the city of Bangalore, today. This initiative is a part of the Toyota Safety Education Program aiming at improving the road safety crisis in the country by inculcating a positive behavior towards road safety among children between grades 5th and 9th. This nation-wide program strongly advocates the need to start training and nurturing the young minds by instilling the sense of responsibility among these future road users.

The program commenced in New Delhi in January this year, followed by the Mumbai chapter on February 3, 2020. The Bangalore state event was organized at Shishumandir, and witnessed enthusiastic participation from the Police and Traffic Departments along with TSEP school children and teachers who played an active role in developing responsible road users of tomorrow.

Focusing on the ABC (Awareness, Behaviour and Campaign & Communication) approach, the program crafted a series of educative and interactive learning activities including: gamified content and assessment, experiential learning, classroom and project-based learning, intra-school, state and national championships. Furthermore, this program entirely focuses on sustainability and bringing about a mindset change among students through multiple interventions. Additionally, Toyota is working with various stakeholders including – school, business partners and police to take this initiative to a larger audience.

TKM’s Road Safety Initiatives for school children

* Toyota Safety Education Program: As a safety leader, Toyota initiated this initiative in 2007 with an aim to educate school children and teachers to instill a sense of responsibility among the future road users through innovative classroom methodology, quiz activities, and state and national level events. Through TSEP, so far, Toyota has educated more than 740,000+ school children from grades 5th – 9th on road safety across India

* Road Safety Hackathon: Under its Hackathon initiative, Toyota invites and incubates innovative ideas of students from grades 9th - 12th to drive the road safety mission with an ultimate goal of achieving “Zero Fatality”. Key focus is given to motivate and unleash the hidden talents, provides a platform for young minds towards “India Road Safety Mission”

* Safety Model School: As part of this initiative, Toyota establishes Safety Model Schools along with one-of-its-kind Traffic Parks to educate school children on the importance of traffic rules and responsible road safety habits. Safety Model School has been successfully implemented in Kolkata, Kochi, Delhi, Varanasi, Hisar, Rewari, and Mettupalayam (Coimbatore) with a promising impact on behavioral changes amongst school children

Commenting on Toyota’s role in driving a positive change, Mr. Vikram Gulati, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility & Public Relations, “As a safety leader, we emphasize on creating a strong safety culture within and outside the organization. Toyota’s safety approach to meet zero traffic fatalities integrates people, vehicles and traffic environment.  Today, some of the primary cause of road accidents are over speeding, drunken driving, overtaking and usage of mobile phones while driving. Through “Toyota Safety Education Program” our aim is to educate the future road users-school children on the importance of Road Safety and responsible road behavior to eliminate road fatalities. We all know that children are the decision makers of tomorrow who can bring the desirable transformations in the society. Hence, engaging with them an early stage through a sustainable education program is of paramount importance. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere regards to all the participants and related stakeholders, and request everyone to pledge to work collectively to create a society of safer mobility for future generation.”

Toyota’s relentless efforts to champion the cause of Road Safety

In pursuance of its deep rooted safety mission, Toyota Kirloskar Motor has been consistently engaged in Road Safety initiatives, spreading awareness about the safety culture through an integrated approach involving various stakeholders to enhance the safety mindset.

* Employees and Driver Training: Toyota conducts internal awareness programs on road safety sharing insights tips etc. motivating them to be more aware of road safety challenges and be responsible road users
* Business Partners: As part of Team Toyota Activity (TTA), Toyota collaborates with Business Partners to educate and sensitize school children, teachers, parents and school bus drivers on responsible road safety habits, to create a safer traffic environment for all. Toyota has set up Safety Model Schools and Toyota Driving Schools in different part of the country promising impactful results
* Customers: As safety crusaders, Toyota has introduced global level safety features in advance before it was made mandatory by Indian regulations. The company has set a benchmark for safety in the industry for being the first manufacturer in standardizing dual SRS airbags, Antilock Braking System (ABS) with EBD across all models and all grades. Toyota also conducts Safety Awareness for the customers to bring in a positive behavioural change and drive the message of Road Safety
* TKM’s CSR initiatives: As part of its CSR interventions, Toyota engages with school children through multiple mediums encouraging them to be road safety ambassadors

Toyota will further continue its various CSR interventions from a longer-term perspective and development of socio-economic stature of the society, touching many more lives to make a difference in each one’s well-being.

GAIL and GAIL Gas Limited Usher People of India Towards a Better Future with PCRA Saksham Walkathon Initiative

In its attempt to spread awareness around extensive fuel and energy consumption due to rapidly increasing industrialization, the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) announced the launch of Saksham Walkathon initiative in Bengaluru today. The Saksham Walkathon is an awareness drive in association with GAIL (India) Limited and GAIL Gas Limited, to emphasize the need to cultivate the habit of walking for better individual health while also contributing towards greener environment, water and fuel conservation. The walkathon will start in the city on 9th of February 2020 from Sahakar Nagar. 

Air pollution in India is a severe issue with vehicle emissions being a catalyst by contributing 27% of the overall pollution caused and leads to premature deaths of 2 million Indians every year due to hazardous air quality. In Bangalore alone, nearly 50% of children suffer from asthma and calls for immediate action by people to reduce traffic congestion. Congestion of traffic is one of most prevailing causes for increased pollution as it slows down average vehicle speed and increases inefficient fuel burning. Increased number of vehicles has led to a staggering increase in traffic congestion and hence residents of the city must cut down the usage of vehicles and utilize sustainable modes for everyday commute.

With the prime motto to promote walking as a medium for the conservation of natural resources, the drive aims to engage with people across India and instill socio-environmental consciousness in each individual and society at large.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the initiative, Shri Vivek Wathodkar, Chief General Manager, GAIL Gas Limited, said “We are extremely delighted to be a part of Saksham Walkathon as it is a highly significant initiative by PCRA, in the era of evolving industrialization. GAIL Limited has been known in the country for not just delivering the best but also taking responsibility for sustainable growth for the masses. With this initiative we aim to bring more and more people under the umbrella of healthy and responsible lifestyle. We need people to come together with their family and friends and join us in our drive to lay the groundwork for a healthier life in turn building a stronger nation.”

Prior to this, PCRA recently organized a mega awareness cyclothon in 200 cities across the country to play a proactive role in fuel conservation and populate good health among people which in turn will also help in the reduction of India’s consumption of crude oil.

550 International and Indian Exhibitors are at FIGSI's STONA 2020 in Bengaluru from Feb 6-9, 2020

Federation of Indian Granite and Stone Industry (FIGSI) which was formerly known as All ndia Granite and Stone Association (AIGSA) is  the only all India body for the Natural Stone Industry of the country. FIGSI has been striving for the betterment and addressing the challenges faced by the industry. The Federation has about 1250 members from all over the country.

The sole object of the Federation is to promote natural stone industry of India across the globe and to resolve the issues faced by the Natural Stone Industry.

India is a country which is endowed with high quality natural stones like granite, marble, sandstone, slate, limestone and quartzite etc that are widespread in every corner of the nation. India has more than 11% export share in total world's stone trade. Indian share is more than 27% of the total stones produced throughout the world. India is recognized as one of the largest dimensional block producer in the world. Indian slabs, tiles, and monuments are supplied to more than 90 countries. Presently, stone industry is recognized as one of the fastest growing mineral industry in boosting the Indian economy and providing large employment opportunity in the rural sector after Agriculture.

Federation has been well recognised by all the state governments and central governments as the only national body to promote the Natural stone Industry. FIGSI is also member of various committees formed by the central and state governments.

Achievements of the Federation:

a)  Formation of Granite Development council by Government of India
b)  Formation of Group on Marble development by Government of India
c) The Granite conservation and Development rules 1999 for Granite Development was framed by Central Government for the entire country.
d) The marble conservation and development rules was framed for the development of Marble trade in India
e) Conducting of STONA fair from 1987onwards for promoting the Natural stone products in the domestic as well as international market (The export which was at Rs. 50 cr ores in 1987 has increased to Rs. 14,000 crores in 2016-17).
f) Participation in various fairs across the world to promote the Indian natural stones.
g) Impressed the Government  and has brought the marble blocks import under OGL scheme
h) Impressed the government to reduce the GST on polished slabs and tiles to 18% from 28%.
i) Now the federation is taking up the issue of GCDR which has been recommended by the sub-committee of GDC
j)  Taken up the issue of treating EOUs at par with the SEZs
  The federation has lined up various programme for the development of the Stone Industry as follows

To develop R & D centre  for Natural Stone Industry

Training institute of International standard to impart training to operate high tech machines used in quarrying and processing sectors.
World class stone museum
Trade Centre
Stone Testing laboratory
Artisans development
Exhibition Centre

As a Federation apart from seeking policy support and promoting the event STONA we have also taken up the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes in a big way.

1) The Federation in joint venture with Chamrajnagar quarry owners association has installed an RO Water Treatment Plant in the village of Rechambally Chamrajnagar. The said RO plant has been donated to Kagalavadi Panchyat of Chamrajnagar district.

2) Where the mining/quarrying hub/ industries have come up in those areas for the benefit of the workers and for the nearby villages the ambulances have been donated for medical emergency in the area of Jigani, Anekal Taluk Karnataka  and Jalore in Rajasthan.

Hope for better CSR activities projects in reaching the rural areas

STONA 2020.

You are all aware STONA fairs are having a long history of 33 years and till now the Federation has conducted 13 stona fairs and the 14th is being held at BIEC Bangalore from 6th to 9th February 2020.

During 1987 few of our visionaries felt the need of having a Stone exhibition to promote the Indian Natural stone.  At that period to conduct an International fair was not an easy job and lot of efforts were put by our seniors to get the necessary permission and conduct the fair in 1987.  STONA 1987 was the first ever stone Industry fair held in   entire Asia.  Fro, there onwards FIGSI has conducted 13 Internationals Granite and stone Fair at Bangalore.

Now the14th International Granite and Stone Fair – STONA 2020  is being held at Bangalore International Exhibition Center, Bangalore from 6th to 9th  February 2020 .

STONA fairs are well established name in the international market and Now STONA in one among 4 leading stone fairs in the world.

The contribution of STONA fairs can be seen from the growth of exports of Natural stones from India over a period of years.

STONA 2020 fair is the largest stone fair held in India with a gross area of 45000 sqmts which is being occupied by about 550 exhibitors from India and abroad.  In spite of global recession, the participation is in good numbers which shows the confidence of the Industry on STONA fairs. We are having country pavilion from Turkey, China, Iran and Italy and many of individual exhibitors  from Oman, Ukraine, Croatia, Spain and other countries are participating .

Exhibitors from all over India are also participating and the state governments from Gujarat, Orissa, Rajasthan and Karnataka are also exhibiting the stones of their states.

This time large number of machinery manufacturers pertaining to the stone industry are showcasing the latest machinery available for the stone industry.

One special feature of the STONA 2020 fair is sponsored  buyers programme where in we have invited buyers from various countries across the world and more than 100  buyers are visiting the fair and definitely it will help the exhibitors to improve their business opportunity across the world.

As per the tradition of our federation and as a social obligation, this time also we are having a dedicated area for the rural artisans under SHILP GRAM Programme and stone artisans  from all over India will show their skills in front of the visitors.

Following are the salient features of STONA 2020

Display of new material in separate area
Display of Handmade Handicraft Granite Items display
Architect Seminar on Natural Stone for Sustainability - the business opportunities. On 7thFebruary 2020 at 10.30 A.M
Geology Seminar on  Sustainable Natural Stones- Prospects, Problems, Policies – on 8thFebruary 2020 at  10.30 A.M
Wonsa Seminar on Natural stones on 7thFebruary 2020 at 2 P.M

STATUS OF THE INDUSTRY:-

India has the second largest deposit of Natural Stones in the world with 15% of the world Natural Stone reserves which is about 46.23 billion cubic meters. India is one of the top 5 Granite producing countries along with China, Brazil and others.
India is the largest producer of dimensional granite blocks (about 35 Million tonnes) major producing states are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat etc.
India stands in 3rd position in the Natural Stone trade in the world. The total No. of people employed in the Natural Stone trade in India is about 1.5 million.
Indian exports have crossed $2.2 Billions (14,000 Crores) in 2018.
India has adopted the latest technology in quarrying sector for cutting, drilling & handling, which has lead to improved production, less environmental damage and safe quarrying.
The latest technology of wire saw cutting,  circular saw cutting and breakage powders has lead to  zero blasting, thereby leading to safe working environment with less pollution yielding more production.

The Indian quarrying sector pays the highest royalty in the world i.e., we pay about 15%  on invoice value, where as the world average royalty is 3%. We now contribute a percentage on royalty towards DMF (district Mineral Fund) which is utilized for infrastructure development and for providing basic facilities like education, health, drinking water, sanitation, roads etc in the particular district where the quarrying takes place. Thereby improving the quality of life for local people living in the quarrying areas.All the States have supported the policy in fixing the percentage. For eg in Rajasthan, DMF is fixed at 10 percent on royalty, Andhra 12.5 percent on royalty and Karnataka have fixed at 30 percent on royalty. Similarly all the States have fixed between 10 percent to 30 percent.

The processing sector has developed very well in the last 10 years. The processing units have been setup  in almost all the districts where quarrying activities takes place, since it is  easy to procure the raw material. Of late, the processing industry are starving for want of raw materials. In order to support the processing industry more quarries are required to be granted by the govt.
Today, India is exporting more than 80% of the stone products in value added form to more than 90 countries all over the world.

Since the closure of most of the quarries in Tamilnadu and Karnataka due to the State Government policy decisions, the processing units are importing marble  under OGL and EOU’S are importing both marble and granite blocks to overcome the shortage of supplies.  The need of the hour is to allow free import of Granite also under OGL to mitigate the problem of shortage of raw material

POLICY SUPPORT FROM GOVERNMENT WHICH  THE INDUSTRY REQUIRED

Long term quarry lease ranging from 30-50 years with guaranteed renewals. The support of the government by way of suggestion is that regarding the grant of mineral concessions on first – cum-first- served basis and not through auction. Presently, except the State of Telangana all other States have resorted to the auction policy. Therefore it requires to be revisited in framing the policy. The auction system does not suit the dimensional block as the mineral is natural in nature and recovery cannot be guaranteed. Natural Stones mining is mainly the production of blocks of considerable size and weight

Rajasthan model of royalty collection seems to be very practicable and other state governments may adopt this model with requisite modifications suitable to them. As a Federation, we too agree with the recommendation of IBM. This policy would end up in less corruption, and a drastic reduction in the illegal quarrying and transportation apart from earning more revenue to the State Exchequer.

Grant of quarry leases in a time bound manner as the States deem fit.
Import of granite blocks to be allowed freely which will add variety and will enable us to take up projects all over the world.

Reduce GST to 5% on blocks & 12% on slabs & Tiles.

The quarrying activities are in progress for the past 4 to 5 decades and largely quarrying activities are confined to smaller areas in extent. Pursuant to the order passed by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India the lesser extent quarries are covered by environment clearance. However, the conditions imposed in the environmental clearance are on par with the condition imposed for major minerals which is larger in extent. Therefore, there is a requirement of relaxation in conditions prescribed in environment clearance to suit the requirement of the smaller areas for better compliances.

The future of the quarrying industry would be there in disposing of the huge accumulation of wastes which is a major threat to environment. In this context the wastes can be constructively utilised not only as a value added product but also to meet the societal needs like prevention of coastal erosion, the aggregates, M-Sand as a replacement to natural river sand, for usage  in the road construction and other works on par with building materials. The waste should not be considered as a real waste but to be treated more sensibly as an asset as in the quarries which is seen abroad mostly in China with proper management.

Recovery  percentage for saleable blocks to be rationalized The percentage recovery of dimensional granite blocks on the whole is quite low and varies from 5% to 20% due to inconsistency in colour and texture, geological disturbances like hairline fractures/streaks, joint spacing, integration of mineral constituents along planes giving non-uniform pattern etc. Such limiting factors vary from place to place in a single quarry and quarry to quarry having the same rock formation.
The Status of Natural Stone Quarrying Sector to be declared as an Industry
CHALLENGES:-

Competition from other countries like China, Turkey, Brazil, Iran etc.
Competition from other similar products like quartz, ceramic, porcelain, glass etc.
False propoganda like usage of child labour ,Radiation from  stones  etc.

FUTURE OUTLOOK:-

* With policy support, the industry can grow 10-15% annually.
* Increase exports by 15-20%.
* Investment  can go up to Rs 1 lakh crores from Present Rs 50,000 crores
* Provide employment to additional 15 lakh skilled and semiskilled people in rural & semi urban areas.
Over a period of time natural stone will prove that they are superior compared to other competitive products.
* For all this, measures require proper policy and government support. Long term mining/quarrying leases, fast processing of quarrying/mining applications, fixing of royalty rates at a reasonable level on par with the neighbouring states and countries, easing of environmental laws for better implementation required.

Warrior’s Campaign #KeepTheJoshHigh Goes Viral with Over 10 Million Views Across Social Media Channels

Leading safety shoe brand Warrior from the house of liberty has successfully garnered 10 million views on Facebook and Instagram for its campaign titled #KeepTheJoshHigh. The campaign showcases a series of videos and creative aiming to create awareness and educating the audience on identifying a real Warrior Jungle boot.

Warrior as a brand has been supplying boots to our forces from the past 20 years. The whole idea of the campaign was to strengthen their market position and to increase brand awareness among the target audience. The entire campaign consists of five videos and supporting creative which are educative, multilingual and provide information on how to differentiate between a fake and a real Jungle Boot. The main video centered on army garnered more than 5 million views and when combined with other videos the views in total touched over 10 million.

As the campaign went viral, Mr. Adesh Gupta, CEO Liberty Group, said, “We are proudly serving our forces from the past 20 years. The idea of the campaign was to highlight their sacrifices to the nation and also to educate the target audience on identifying original Jungle Boots offered by Warrior. I am happy to see the success of the campaign and look forward for more.”

The campaign was conceptualized and created by Olive e-business, a Delhi based digital agency. The director Mr. Dipin Kapur said “Client provided a very specific brief about targeting a certain audience group. We ideated a series of videos to build connect and reached the target audience set via geo-targeting and bi-lingual approach to reap the maximum benefit of the campaign. The videos are very energetic and leave a powerful impact on its audience. We are happy to see the success of the campaign across social media channels and hope to roll out more of such impactful content in the near future.