JK Tyre Partially Resumes Operations Commenves Production at 3 Manufacturing Facilities

Indian tyre industry major and the pioneer of radial tyre technology in the country, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, today announced partial resumption of operations after adhering to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and permissions granted by the respective state governments and local authorities.

JK Tyre has commenced production in a graded manner at its manufacturing facilities in Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Kankroli (Rajasthan) and Laksar (through Cavendish industries Ltd.- subsidiary company,  in Uttarakhand). The Company has also resumed operations at its global Research & Development hub, Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence, Mysore, Karnataka.

The remaining manufacturing plants of JK Tyre in India and Mexico are in preparatory mode and will resume operations subsequently.

All the facilities will function with restricted manpower and stringent precautionary measures to ensure safety, sanitisation and social distancing.

Only the essential staff will be allowed to the listed facilities and the remaining employees across corporate office, sales offices and other plants will continue to work from home until further notice.

JK Tyre has kept the safety and wellbeing of its employees at the core of its resumption roadmap. The Company has prepared a detailed ‘SOP Manual’ that has been shared with the employees and supply chain partners much before the commencement of operations

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & MD, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., commented, “As a nation, we are passing through a challenging phase, yet it is imperative that we take small, but significant steps in our endeavour to achieve the right balance again. While we recommence our manufacturing operations, we are placing the safety and well-being of our employees and communities, which are the prime importance of our resumption plan. We have worked out a thorough and stringent roadmap that is not only aligned with the protocols of the authorities, but goes a step further in ensuring access to safe workplace. We are optimistic that the economy and business ecosystem will gradually proceed towards recovery in the coming months.”

Explorer Ed Stafford Biggest Survival Challenge Yet in New Discovery Show ‘Man Woman Child Wild’

Renowned adventurer Ed Stafford has survived alone in some of Earth’s most hostile environments, often desperate for food, shelter and water, but now he’s putting himself to the ultimate test. In the brand-new documentary ED STAFFORD: MAN WOMAN CHILD WILD premiering on Discovery, Discovery HD and Discovery Plus App on May 11, Ed will live off-grid on a remote uninhabited island in Indonesia for one month. He will be totally self-sufficient fending for himself in this unchartered location, but there’s a twist – this time, he won’t be alone as Ed will be joined by wife Laura Bingham and 20-month-old son Ran, where they will have to survive as a family, on the beautiful yet demanding island.

Completely self-filmed Ed, Laura and Ran’s survival challenge will see them based on one of Indonesia’s 18,000 islands, deep in the Indian Ocean. One hour away from civilisation and with no provisions, they will have to totally fend for themselves, with no idea of the water and food sources in advance, and with the looming threat of tropical storms ever present.

In the experiment, Ed and Laura want to take themselves away from the modern trappings of life to explore how life is when lived ‘back to basics’. With screen heavy lives, how will it affect them and their relationships when stripped of the modern trappings and obligations. Will they discover a more natural, wholesome way of living away from the distractions of modern-day life? Will their relationships get closer and will Ran’s development accelerate?

Talking about the show, Ed Stafford said, “I thought it would be fascinating as an experiment, for a family to go out and see whether they can survive and leave behind all the trappings of everyday life. Discovery Channel bought into the idea and they thought it would make a very interesting TV programme. I think we learned a lot of lessons along the way.” Talking about what helps him the most at stressful moments, Ed said, “The thing that I use on expeditions that helps me above everything else, especially, in survival situations is meditating.  It’s so important for me to be centred, to be aware, to be able to notice the things that are going on around you, but also to step back from your thoughts and your emotions and get to a place of calm.”

“Man Woman Child Wild’, with the involvement of Ed’s family, elevates the survival-adventure, in its own unique way. This show is inspiring and gains more relevance in times like these, when forced under lockdown, families are coming together, looking after each other. Such immersive programming is what our audiences are yearning for,” said, Sai Abishek, Director–Content, Factual & Lifestyle Entertainment – South Asia, Discovery. “Given Ed Stafford’s immense popularity, Discovery will premiere the next exclusive series ‘First Man Out Season 2’ immediately after starting May 16.”

This unique show, which started as an experiment, seeks to answer some very pertinent questions about the kind of lives we lead today, questions which have become even more important in light of the current pandemic that we are dealing with. Ed and Laura wanted to take themselves away from the modern comforts of life to explore how life is when lived ‘back to basics’. With screen heavy lives, how will it affect them and their relationship when stripped of the modern ways of living and social obligations? Will they discover a more natural, wholesome way of living away from the distractions of modern-day life? Will their relationship become stronger and will their son, Ran’s development accelerate?

Along with this exciting family show like no other, Ed Stafford will also be seen competing against the world’s top survivalists in a gritty, real-life race to get out of some of the most hostile environments on the planet on yet another Discovery Channel show: ‘ED STAFFORD: FIRST MAN OUT Season 2’, starting from 16th May.

To view all the action, unfold, tune in to ED STAFFORD: MAN WOMAN CHILD WILD, which premieres in India on Monday, 11th May at 8 PM, only on Discovery, Discovery HD and Discovery Plus App.

Lionsgate Launches ‘Lionsgate Live! A Night At The Movies’ on Facebook from Friday, May 8

Content leader Lionsgate India has launched a unique initiative to bring the community experience of watching movies in movie theaters to live streaming and to raise funds for GiveIndia in order to support people impacted by the COVID19 pandemic. ‘Lionsgate Live! A Night at The Movies’ in association with Facebook India, will consist of a series of four Fridays of complimentary movies streaming LIVE on Facebook. Beginning Friday, May 8 at 8:00 pm, Lionsgate Live! will LIVE stream some of Lionsgate's biggest and most popular library titles every Friday  – The Hunger Games, Twilight, Now You See Me 2 and Wonder which audiences can watch together with their friends and family from the comfort of their own homes.

The ground-breaking initiative has already been a resounding success for Lionsgate in the U.S. and the UK with Hollywood stars like Jamie Lee Curtis, Gerard Butler, Margot Robbie and many more participating and extending their support. Further, Twilight series starrer, Peter Facinelli and The Social Network famed Jesse Eisenberg have shared  special video messages to support Lionsgate India in this noble initiative. Lionsgate has enlisted popular film stars Anil Kapoor, Ananya Panday and Sanya Malhotra to participate in this initiative.

Audiences will have an opportunity to join Lionsgate India in extending support to Indian NGO’s in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic by donating money via Facebook Fundraisers while watching their favorite films. People will be able to make a donation via the donate button next to the video while watching the movie.

Mr. Rohit Jain, Managing Director Lionsgate South Asia said, “In these unprecedented times, Lionsgate has launched this global initiative to support families of millions of people who have been impacted by COVID19. Here in India, we have partnered with Facebook to create a fundraiser whose proceeds will be donated to GiveIndia helping fight this pandemic. This will be a unique opportunity for viewers to extend their support and donate for this charitable cause. Moreover, we are delighted to have Ananya Panday, Sanya Malhotra and Anil Kapoor on board who will help us to spread awareness of this ground-breaking initiative.”

Speaking about the partnership, Ananya said, “I am really happy to be a part of this noble cause initiated by Lionsgate. I am glad if my voice can reach out to those who can extend their support as together, we can help the impacted people. This is truly a testing time for all of us and we can do with some lighthearted and entertaining distraction in the form of movies.  Movies act as a medium of escape and take us to parallel worlds. I would like to urge everyone that in this unusual time we need to come forward, act together and donate generously as even a little help from all of us can be of great help to the people in dire need.”

Sanya Malhotra commented,“I’m elated to be a part of ‘Lionsgate Live!A Night At The Movies’.  This is a noble initiative to assist thousands of families who have been impacted by the pandemic. All one needs to do is log on to Lionsgate Facebook page and watch some acclaimed movies and donate whatever they could. We all need to come together to fight this together. I request everyone to join me in this worthy initiative because in these tough times, every small contribution counts.”

Speaking on the occasion Manish Chopa a Head and Director of Partnerships, Facebook India commented, “ We are grateful to our partners for coming out in support of those  affected by the COVID -19 pandemic. ‘Lionsgate Live! A Night At The Movies’ on Facebook, is a great way to not only keep people entertained in their homes, but is also a great initiative that will enable people to donate. All of the proceeds from the fundraiser on Facebook will go to GiveIndia platform chosen by Lionsgate India.”

Online Digital Marketing Workshop by North Storm Academy will Host a Free 3-Day Digital Marketing Training

North Storm Academy is launching one of the Biggest Online Education events in the history of education where they are organizing a free 3-day Digital Marketing Training exclusively for students and till now there are 60,000+ registration received who wish to attend the event live. This event is happening on 8th, 9th and 10th of May from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Students from over 450 colleges and 250+ cities are participating.

Prior to this event, North Storm Academy had organized a free online Faculty Development Program for teachers where over 7,000 teachers were educated on how to take their schools and colleges online. Teachers are silent COVID19 warrior forces who are trying their best to keep the country’s education system intact during this pandemic, but a lot of schools, colleges are not digitally ready for it. North Storm Academy, one of the finest institutes for Digital Marketing in India decided to change this. Before the onset of Largest Student Workshop

This event is happening on 8th, 9th and 10th of May and is a 3-day online event where the topics covered are

Day 1: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing & how to begin your online journey
Day 2: Path to become an Influencer and how to perform Affiliate Marketing
Day 3: How to build a perfect online resume & stand out among your peers

Time: 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Those who wish to join can register here: http://bit.ly/sdmay20

The event will be conducted on YouTube LIVE. This event aims to reach 1,00,000+ students and we wish to make a history in the field of education. In the past no other institute has handled and hosted such a big event online and at such a scale.

The communication with these students is powered by Zoho Campaigns—an email marketing software. North Storm Academy is thankful to Zoho Corporation—a made in India company with a suite of over 45 applications—for helping us connect and engage with all these students.

This event is for students across India and has received a tremendous response. This is one of the biggest events during the lockdown. The founders of North Storm Academy are Hitesh Motwani, Roshni Motwani and Neil Dodhia.

Hitesh Motwani, Director North Storm Academy said, “We aim to change the education system in India by empowering Youth, Teachers and everyone with Digital knowledge. Today Digital Marketing is no longer an option, but it is a necessity. Especially during Lockdown one of the most in demand skills is Digital Marketing skills. After empowering 7000+ teachers we thought why not empower students too. To our surprise one the first day itself we received 35000 registrations and we couldn't believe our eyes. We are excited and anxious as you can say this is equal to a Digital concert happening online. Help us reach 1,00,000 students by sharing this information with as many as people as possible.”

Matic Network, Harmony and æternity Join Telangana Blockchain District’s Accelerator Program

T-Block Accelerator, the inaugural accelerator program under the aegis of the Telangana Blockchain District today announced its partnership with three of the leading global blockchain protocol companies- Matic Network, Harmony and æternity as the platform partners.  A first of its kind public blockchain accelerator organised by Telangana government and Tech Mahindra and run by IBC Media, an innovation management company, T-Block Accelerator is aimed at startups that have a strong blockchain use-case; thereby accelerating the start-up growth and therefore contributing to the growth of the overall industry.

The platform integrators are fast, secure scalable, next-gen blockchain protocols that are equipped to help startups build scalable and decentralised solutions to everyday problems. The Matic Network - India’s homegrown public blockchain network, will provide a high scale platform for decentralised applications. The æternity Blockchain, engineered by Yanislav Malahov - the Godfather of Ethereum, provides scalable smart contracts for decentralised applications. The Harmony Protocol, a Silicon Valley-based sharded Proof-of-Stake blockchain, will give fintech startups the ability to create & transact digital assets on its global ledger with instant confirmation and near-zero transaction fees.

With the support and expertise of these protocols as innovation enablers in the blockchain realm, T-block will provide the Indian startups that make it into the boot camp phase with technical support to build their solutions on their platform, GTM (Go-To-Market) support in Europe, technology implementation support and grants on a case-on-case basis.

Jaynti Kanani - CEO & Co-founder, Matic Network, commented, “As a part of the partnership, we will extend the Matic Network and our in-house expertise to mentor and train the participating startups. The startups will be familiarised and trained to use the platform based on their projects’ requirements.” He also added that this is just a facet of Matic’s involvement. “In addition to mentoring the startups, our in-house experts will also join the judges’ panel to select the startups that will go on to the next level of acceleration and aid with financial grants to support the startups through their journey,” said Kanani.

Nikola Stojanow, CEO of AE Ventures and CBO of æternity added, “India has a booming blockchain ecosystem and we are happy to be a part of this growth story. Having concluded the first edition of Starfleet India Accelerator recently, we are excited to join this initiative by the Telangana government and Tech M for T-Block and look forward to supporting the startups with our GMT access in the European countries.”

“At Harmony, we are confident of India’s technology prowess and are excited to enable the creation and innovation of highly-scalable & secure FinTech solutions from India through our partnership with T-Block Accelerator. We are happy to support them with the technical expertise to build products & applications on our platform and aid them with grants that will provide the necessary impetus for their growth in this journey.  ” Sahil Dewan, Co-Founder, Harmony commented.

These collaborations with prominent players like the Matic Network, æternity, and Harmony for initiatives like T-block will truly make an impact on Indian startups and innovators who are making their way through this realm and strengthen Telangana Government’s endeavor to make Telangana as the ‘Blockchain Capital of the World’.

Rama Devi Lanka (Director, Emerging Technologies & Officer on Special Duty, ITE&C Department, Government of Telangana) said “Building synergies between all the stakeholders in this ecosystem will propel India’s blockchain revolution and we are happy that our T-Block Accelerator is partnering with these platform protocols to strengthen this ecosystem. As the first government-led blockchain accelerator, this partnership is a true testimony to how a synergy between the government body and private players can support innovators in their entrepreneurial journey and will help build, scale, and create amazing opportunities for startups. We’re excited to see how the startups will benefit from these partnerships.”

With go-to-market support from Tech Mahindra, infrastructure support from the State Government of Telangana, innovation deal-flow support from IBC Media, and platform support from the Matic Network, æternity, and Harmony, the startups to be shortlisted are stepping into a growth-fueled environment. Launched in February 2020, the T-Block Accelerator has completed its deal flow and selected start-ups will undergo a one-week boot camp, followed by a four-month-long intensive training program.

Kids’ Food and Nutrition Startup ‘Lil’ Goodness’ Announces the Completion of Seed Funding

Funding

* Funding led by prominent institutional investor  Beyond Next Ventures (BNV), VC fund based out of Japan
* Funds to be used for expanding packaged foods product range, new digital interface with features such as real-time quality checks and 100% COVID-19 safe facilities.

‘Lil'Goodness’, a Bengaluru based kids’ food and nutrition start-up, has announced the successful completion of their seed funding round of RS. 5 Crores.

The new investors in the round included Beyond Next Ventures (BNV), a Japanese VC Fund, led by Tsuyoshi Ito, President and Mayu Morishima, Executive Officer.  Top business leaders such as Sajan Pillai, former CEO-UST Global, and General Partner-Season two Ventures, the family of Lalit Pai, ex-CEO, Nightingales Healthcare and Dr. Muthu Krishnan, ex-CEO Tata Health have also earlier invested in the seed round.

‘Lil’Goodness’ is empowering millennial moms with a unique combination of ‘goodness’ filled choices for their Lil’ ones. The company, led by IIM Calcutta alumnus, Harshavardhan & nutrition expert Pariksha Rao, is set to revolutionize the eating habits among children through a comprehensive ecosystem of fresh and packaged meal options integrated with technology to create awareness of eating right amongst kids at an early age. The start-up is focused on providing a range of kids foods based on good health to strengthen immunity, extreme focus on quality, hygiene and food safety, while providing the convenience of anytime, anywhere accessibility to moms. In the times of COVID-19, these core pillars are even more relevant.

Expressing his optimism on the fresh funding support, Harshavardhan, Co-Founder & CEO, Lil’ Goodness said, “We are excited to receive the additional investment support from ‘Beyond Next Ventures’. Given the current circumstances, this is indeed a good boost for the entire team. We, at ‘Lil’ Goodness’ have the vision to positively influence the eating habits of our future generations through tasty, nutritious food options. With this fund infusion, we are looking to further expand our product range & distribution of packaged foods, develop a digital interface that will enable mothers to order products directly to their homes through a contactless delivery option for the fresh meals business, SCoolMeal. We are already preparing ourselves for the new normal once this pandemic ends and are confident that our extreme focus on immunity based nutrition, highest standards of food safety, hygiene will be rewarded by our consumers.”

Tsuyoshi Ito, President and Mayu Morishima, Executive Officer, Beyond Next Ventures said, "We are quite excited by the vision of the founders -Harshavardhan & Pariksha, in building a scientific food and nutrition brand focused on the kids. There is a huge opportunity for growth in this space especially as mothers look for healthy and hygienic solutions in the current context of COVID-19. We are impressed with the differentiated business model of the enterprise that combines the range between fresh meals and packaged foods, enabled by technology, and with a deep focus on principles of good nutrition”.

Sajan Pillai, General Partner, Season Two Ventures said, “I personally believe that in today's context good health, hygiene and the convenience of contactless digital ordering for convenience will be the key drivers in a COVID-safe world. Lil’Goodness founders have the right vision, attitude and hard work to make this happen. I am particularly impressed with the manner they have approached the go-to-market, from the perspective of an end to end solution to the mother’s daily problems. Given their experience in healthcare and nutrition, I believe the founders know what it takes to really understand and come up with innovative solutions in these challenging times”.

‘LiL'Goodness’, the packaged food brand, is currently offering 7 products across 67 stores in Bengaluru and through online delivery app Amazon India. The products are designed to build immunity in kids using vegetables, cereals, and milk in crackers, porridges, and shelf-stable yogurts. These products are manufactured in hygienic, sterile facilities to ensure the highest quality of food safety and hygiene. The products contain zero preservatives and no artificial colors. Lil’Goodness also owns and operates sCoolMeal, a fresh meal brand, has partnered with 55 educational institutions in Bengaluru serving around 1800 orders per day, in the next session it is expanding to across 90+ institutions in Bengaluru sCoolMeal is available at educational institutions, kids’ activity centers, and at home through online delivery app Swiggy.

The company is also introducing a new application that will enable mothers to order meals directly to their homes through a contactless delivery option. The kitchen facilities have been recently re-certified for ISO-22000 (2018), a testament to the high standards of hygiene being maintained.

Additionally, despite being an early-stage start-up, as a socially responsible corporate, the company like many other big corporate giants stepped up its relief efforts towards COVID-19 pandemic and provided 30,000 meals to less privileged and less fortunate kids in Bengaluru as part of the ‘Hope, Not Hunger’ program with Swiggy.

The startup also recently was recognised as one of the top 5 most disruptive startups for customer value creation by FICCI-FLO.

Deliver Hot Meals to Hungry Customers with ‘Food Delivery Run’ by Platanista Games

When it comes to food, everyone likes their meals to be hot, tasty, and served on time! With a growing number of food delivery apps in the market, there are fewer hungry customers worrying about the delivery of their meals. Inspired by the thrilling journey of food delivery riders, Platanista Games, a gaming studio by IN10 Media Network, announces the launch of ‘Food Delivery Run’ a 3D casual game for mobile devices.

Link to the trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVT2auwPgPI&feature=youtu.be

Food Delivery Run is a 3D casual game where the player gets to be a delivery boy. The mission is to fight through the city traffic, overcome various obstacles and challenges, and successfully deliver food to hungry customers. Features like ‘Speed Boost’, allows players to run at supersonic speed; ‘Multiplier’, doubles the player’s score and cash on delivery; and ‘Super Delivery’, let’s the player deliver the food in every lane of the city. The game also allows players to customize characters for the gameplay as well as collect and redeem in-game cash to unlock super vehicles from the shop for an enhanced experience.

Commenting about the launch, Mansi Darbar, Vice President - Corporate Strategy and Development, IN10 Media Network, says, “The rapid digitization of the food delivery industry is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating innovations and its market is booming at lightning speed, especially in current times. It’s the amalgamation of technology and a universal concept of delivery that inspired us to create Food Delivery Run, giving a fun peek into the world of riders. With Food Delivery Run, Platanista Games reaffirms its commitment to provide captivating gaming experience for a broad range of players.”

With an aim to create universal-appealing and immersive gaming experiences across all demographics, Platanista Games has launched several interactive, casual games in a short span. The first game by the studio was ‘Surgical Strike – Border Escape’, a multilingual (English, Hindi & Marathi) 3D endless shooting game, followed by ‘Super Keeper’, another multilingual (English, Hindi, Marathi & Tamil) 3D casual sports game wherein the player gets to play the role of their favourite wicket-keeper and recently launched ‘Space Finder’, an endless casual game offering space travel to players for iOS and Android users.

Along with Apple Store on iOS and Google Play Store on Android, players can download ‘Food Delivery Run’ from Catappult, Apptoide, Indus IOS, Amazon Apps, Samsung Apps, Cherry Mobile, Multilaser, 9 Apps, Bemobi, GetJar, Appxplore.

Download Food Delivery Run now, and zip, zap & zoom through city traffic to become a star delivery rider!

Game links below

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.platanista.fooddeliveryrun&hl=en_IN

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/food-delivery-run/id1507998016