Ikea Opens its Second Outlet in Navi Mumbai Built on an Area Spanning Over 5.3 Lakh Square Feet

Sweden-based Ikea, one of the world’s largest furniture retailer, has opened its second store in India on Friday. The new store is located in Navi Mumbai and is its first big format store in Maharashtra.

The store, built on an area spanning over 5.3 lakh square feet is situated near Turbhe local railway station. Reports suggest that the store has over 7,000 varieties of home furnishing products.

However, customers will not be able to visit the store without a pre-booking — a step that has been taken by Ikea in order to prevent crowding amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Customers will have to visit the store in pre-booked slots, which can be availed through prior registration on Ikea’s website. After the booking process, customers will be allotted a day and time slot to visit the store.

As per Ikea's website, the slots are full for the next two weeks. Since the company is currently accepting two-week advance bookings, the availability of slots is likely to change on a daily basis.

“We are currently following a two-week advance booking opportunity. So new slots open up every day. Further, due to the addition of extra slots or any cancellations, the availability of slots is likely to change on daily basis,” Ikea said on its website.

Ikea had opened its first India retail store in Hyderabad in August 2018, followed by online stores in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune. Ikea has also planned to set up two city-centre stores in Mumbai, according to a company official.

BIC’s Global Education Week Celebrates Exceptional Educators from Around the World

BIC, world leading Stationery brand and parent company of Cello writing, announced the winners of its ‘BIC Cristal Pen Awards 2020’. Recognized among 10 impactful educators around the world, DilipsinhVihol from the Mahadevapura Primary School in Bengaluru was selected as the winner from India for his exceptional contribution towards his students and for being a beacon of hope and optimism in an academically exigent year.

Globally, the education system has been witnessing a sea-change due to the altering socio-economic landscape triggered by the ongoing pandemic. Through this, teachers have been the crucial connector between students and their schools, going beyond their call of duty to ensure their students continue to find joy in the new methods of learning. In an effort to recognize and honor the valuable contributions of teachers during these unprecedented times, BICintroduced the first edition of its BIC Cristal Pen Awards.Launched in conjunction with the company’s Global Education Week initiative, the award aims to celebrate exceptional educators around the world who inspire and bring joy to children every day while equipping them towards a more empowered future. The nominations of the educators came from BIC employees from around the world and the 10 winners came fromthe US, Australia, India, Uganda, Ethiopia, Brazil, Greece and Turkey.

DilipsinhViholhas been instrumental in blending education and technology and keeping students motivated and engaged during lockdown periods. His teaching methodology is unique andgoeswell beyond the simple textbook theory, combining innovative pedagogy to ensure a more culturally responsive curriculum for his students.  Dilipsinh’s humble background did not deter him from utilizing financial resources from the state and the government forimproving teaching infrastructure for his students. The BIC Cristal Awardsprize includes a grant of €5,000 (INR 4.45 lakhs approx.)and a Cello Stationery product donation towards his school in addition toa custom-designed trophy from Tiffany’s &Co that will be presented for Dilipsinh’sachievements.

Commenting on the new award, Manos Nikolakis, General Manager, BIC Cellosaid, “To invest in our future, we must invest in our children. This is a core tenet to BIC and BIC Cello’s philosophy of improving lives through education. As a company, our vision is to improve learning conditions for 250 million children worldwide by 2025. The BIC Cristal Pen Awards was conceptualized in essence to not just help students, but to also celebrate devoted educators whose resilience, expertise, and contribution in their field often goes unnoticed. For educators, the pandemic has been both an adaptive and transformative experience which had no organized playbook. This award is a recognition of their adaptability in the face of the unforeseen education challenge and protecting their student’s learning opportunities. We would like to congratulate Mr. Vihol for his exceptional contribution towards his school and his students and hope this grant can help him along in his mission towards improving more young lives.”

Award-recipient DilipsinhVihol added, “It is indeed an honor for me to be selected as the BIC Cristal Award top educator for India. This award instils hope in my core belief that educators can play a pivotal role in shaping future leaders by helping them develop essential life skills. This year has been tough on the education system but I am happy to have been able to contribute my bit to successfully navigate challenges to ensure that learning and development of my students could continue unabated.  I express my gratitude to BIC for celebrating educators around the world and for encouraging our community to do better every day. I do hope that we all view this crisis as an opportunity to improve and accelerate and work harder to make our education system strongerand more equitable.”

BIC has long been an advocate for improving lives through education and is committed to enhancing the learning conditions for 250 million children globally by 2025. The Group aims to help children succeed in their education by providing improved learning conditions and in-school infrastructure. In support of this mission and given the constraints on in-person volunteering due to COVID-19, BIC created the BIC Cristal Pen Awards program as part of its annual Global Education Week. Whether classes are virtual, in-person or both, the awards aim to acknowledge the extraordinary work done by 10 educators globally through an open nomination programme for BIC team members.

ABOUT BIC

BIC is a world leader in stationery, lighters, and shavers. For more than 75 years, the Company has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, affordable products to consumers everywhere. Through this unwavering dedication, BIC has become one of the most recognized brands and is a trademark registered worldwide. Today, BIC products are sold in more than 160 countries around the world and feature iconic brands such as Cello®, Conté®, BIC FlexTM, Lucky Stationery, Made For YOUTM, Soleil®, Tipp-Ex®, Wite-Out® and more. In 2019,BIC Net Sales were 1,949.4 million euros. The Company is listed on “Euronext Paris,” is part of the SBF120 and CAC Mid 60 indexes and is recognized for its commitment to sustainable development and education. It received an A- Leadership score from CDP.

Skill India Establishes First Centre of Excellence for Skill Development in Power Sector

* India and Government of France join forces to establish first Centre of Excellence for Power Sector 

* Shri R K Singh, Union Minister of State for Power (I/C), New & Renewable Energy (I/C) and Minister of State for Skill Development launched the Centre of Excellence (CoE) virtually today, in presence of Mr. Daniel Maitre, Minister-Counsellor for Economic and Financial Affairs, Head of the Regional Economic Department for India and South Asia

* The CoE to provide special training to trainers and assessors; annual capacity 300+

In a significant development and in line with the commitment to skill development and vocational training, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, the Ministry of National Education and Youth, Government of the French Republic and Schneider Electric, today announced the inauguration of  first Center of Excellence (CoE) for skill development in power sector in the campus of National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) located at Gwal Pahari, Gurugram (Haryana) to create a robust cadre of certified trainers and assessors across the country.

The CoE has high-end modern labs designed keeping in mind the future technology, which will further strengthen India and France's relationship in energy sector. Union Minister of State for Power (I/C), New & Renewable Energy (I/C) and Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, Shri Raj Kumar Singh inaugurated the Centre of Excellence virtually today, in presence of guest of honour, Mr. Daniel Maitre, Minister-Counsellor for Economic and Financial Affairs, Head of the Regional Economic Department for India and South Asia.

The establishment of CoE is a result of the MoU signed earlier between MSDE, Ministry of Education-France and Schneider Electric. Further, an operational MoU was signed between National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Schneider Electric India Foundation (SEIF), Power Sector Skill Council (PSSC) and National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) for establishment of the centre, and to undertake high level training and skill development in the field of power and solar.

Inaugurating the CoE, Shri. Raj Kumar Singh, Union Minister of State for Power (I/C), New & Renewable Energy (I/C) and Minister of State for Skill Development said,” India is taking rapid strides to move towards renewable energy to accelerate economic development, improve energy security and energy access while mitigating climate change challenges too. Our success in achieving all of this demands for a rich pool of workforce in the energy sector to propel India to become one of the top leaders in the world’s renewable energy market. Sustained efforts towards boosting the growth of renewable energy sector will play a significant role in helping us inch closer to fulfill Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. Our partnership with Government of France for instituting the Centre of Excellence is another shining example of cooperation between the countries to achieve their long-terms energy goals.”

The CoE will focus on creating a pool of highly skilled trainers and assessors for further training to increase employability of candidates in the field of Electricity, Automation and Solar Energy Sectors.  The centre will design and deliver Training for Trainers, Instructors, Training of Assessors and other high-end program in the power and solar sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Anil Chaudhry, CEO- Schneider Electric India Pvt. Ltd. & Zone President, Greater India, said, “I am delighted at the commissioning of this centre in partnership with the NSDC, NISE and PSSC and extend our gratitude to the Ambassador of France to India, for being a part of the design, conceptualization of the Center of Excellence and sharing best practices. It becomes imperative for each of us as stakeholders to come together, identify and align ourselves with the government’s vision towards reducing the skill gap and achieving an overall growth of the power sector.”

Established in an area of 4,000 sq. ft., the project received contribution of land from NISE to host the CoE at their campus. The CoE will be equipped with two labs, which have been set up by Schneider Electric as a part of its CSR initiative. The Advance Electrician Lab is equipped with specially designed instruments for training in home and building, and industry installation and automation. The Solar Lab will provide hands on practical training on latest technology in solar area. With the launch of CoE, online training of assessors will commence which will include trainers from all over the country. In addition, training of youth is also being considered in the center. Power Sector Skill Council, which will be managing the operations of the centre, has also developed necessary learning contents for various job roles in generation, transmission, distribution and downstream sub sectors to facilitate learning.  The Department of Education, France- deputed an expert to India for three years to conceptualise, design and head the proposed CoE. He has contributed by proposing the layout, guidelines, and best practices in electrical domain.  National Skill Development Corporation has been a facilitator to all the stakeholders and is providing professional guidance for the project. 

About Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)

MSDE was formed on November 9, 2014 by the Government of India to focus on enhancing employability of skills. Since its inception, MSDE has undertaken significant initiatives and reforms in terms of formalizing the policy, framework and standards; launching of new programs and schemes; creating new infrastructure and upgrading the existing institutions; partnering with States; engaging with industries and building societal acceptance and aspirations for skills. The Ministry aims to bridge the gap between demand and supply of skilled manpower to build new skills and innovation not only for existing jobs but also for jobs that are to be created. Till date, more than three crore people have been trained under Skill India. Under its flagship programme, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 2016-2020, the Ministry has trained more than 92 lakh candidates so far.

Tata Motors Leads Way for Greener India; Launches ‘Go Green’ Initiative Across Indian Market

Tata Motors, India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, along with its channel partners, has announced the launch of its ‘Go Green’ initiative in line with its commitment to environment sustainability. Under this initiative, Tata Motors, in association with an NGO, will plant a sapling for the sale of every new commercial vehicle and for every new customer who gets their vehicle serviced at the company’s dealer workshop and Tata Authorised Service Station. The company will nurture the sapling and bestow the customer with a certificate and a link with the geotagged location of the plantation, thereby allowing the customer to monitor its status.

The initiative will ensure the best health of these newly-planted saplings, which will include a variety of diverse species of fruit-bearing, medicinal and native trees. The plantation will be spread across various locations in over 10 states of the country, thereby adding to the green cover of the country.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Rajesh Kaul, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, “Environment sustainability is at the core of what we do at Tata Motors, its energy efficient manufacturing practices and environment friendly product offerings are a testament to this. We are pleased to announce this collaboration with SankalpTaru where we are actively engaging with the large base of consumers that the company caters to, in tree plantation drives. Tata Motors will continue to stay abreast of evolving needs in the best interest of future generations, constantly devising unique, sustainable, and future-ready solutions to tackle pressing problems.”

Tata Motors as one of the leading companies in the country is uniquely positioned to create sustainable positive environmental impact. The company is constantly advancing environmental innovation and systematically reducing environmental impact, by assessing its footprint across the whole lifecycle and value chain of its products. The recently launched state-of-art BS6 product range assures significantly reduced tail-pipe emissions and attests to the company’s commitment towards climate resilience. Tata Motors is actively working towards a low-carbon strategy and has been leading the charge of environment-friendly alternate fuel mobility in the country. As a ‘Future Ready’ responsible corporate and a signatory of RE100 initiative, Tata Motors aims to source 100% renewable electricity by 2030.

How India Searched for Homes During The Pandemic Year 2020 – A Report by Magicbricks

 

* Pune, Bengaluru and Mumbai India’s most searched cities for 2020

* 2X growth in searches for 4BHKs and above due to WFH

* Affordability is the buzz word for real estate in 2020

With Work From Home (WFH) emerging as the new normal due to the outbreak of the pandemic, the desire to have an extra room double resulted in doubling of searches for 4BHK and above during the Pandemic year,  reveals How India Searched for Homes During The Pandemic Year 2020 – A Report by Magicbricks.

How India Searched for Homes During The Pandemic Year 2020 also reveals that most searched cities for homebuyers were Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and affordability was the key to all house hunts.

As per the Magicbricks report: 57% of buyers wished to invest in Multi-storey apartments and on a micro-level Gurgaon witnessed almost 73% individuals seeking for 3BHKs or more. The top 5 localities that buyers were looking for in the rental category were: Noida Extension, Whitefield- Bengaluru, Andheri West- Mumbai, Sarjapur road- Bengaluru, Saket - New Delhi.

In the South, 40% of the buyer searched for Independent houses/plots and people looked for meditation centres as key amenity in societies. From a lifestyle point of view, highest searches for veg only properties came in from Ahmedabad.

It is enlightening to see how Indians have evolved through their home buying/renting journey and what key factors have influenced the final decision.

How India Searched for Homes During The Pandemic Year 2020 – A Report by Magicbricks

* Pune, Bengaluru and Mumbai India’s most searched cities for 2020

* 2X growth in searches for 4BHKs and above due to WFH

* Affordability is the buzz word for real estate in 2020

With Work From Home (WFH) emerging as the new normal due to the outbreak of the pandemic, the desire to have an extra room double resulted in doubling of searches for 4BHK and above during the Pandemic year,  reveals How India Searched for Homes During The Pandemic Year 2020 – A Report by Magicbricks.

How India Searched for Homes During The Pandemic Year 2020 also reveals that most searched cities for homebuyers were Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and affordability was the key to all house hunts.

As per the Magicbricks report: 57% of buyers wished to invest in Multi-storey apartments and on a micro-level Gurgaon witnessed almost 73% individuals seeking for 3BHKs or more. The top 5 localities that buyers were looking for in the rental category were: Noida Extension, Whitefield- Bengaluru, Andheri West- Mumbai, Sarjapur road- Bengaluru, Saket - New Delhi.

In the South, 40% of the buyer searched for Independent houses/plots and people looked for meditation centres as key amenity in societies. From a lifestyle point of view, highest searches for veg only properties came in from Ahmedabad.

It is enlightening to see how Indians have evolved through their home buying/renting journey and what key factors have influenced the final decision.

Surat Girl, Kruti Dharaiya Beat 70K Women Coders to Become Geek Goddess 2020

She came, she coded, and she won – not once but twice! It’s a classic tale of a small-town girl toppling the tables for all top technologists twice. Hailing from Surat, Kruti Dharaiya - who graduated from National Institute of Technology, Surat this June - clinched the champion’s trophy from 70,097 women technologists at TechGig Geek Goddess 2020 recently. Earlier this year, she won the top woman coder trophy – Code Diva - at the Guinness World Record holder event TechGig Code Gladiators 2020 in August!

Kruti - who works in Bengaluru with Amazon - is presently working from home and prepared for the contest along with her office tasks. Not just her, the rest 70,096 women technologists had pinned their hopes on the Geek Goddess code competition to see their dreams turn into reality. “I participated in Geek Goddess because I know that this platform helps participants network effortlessly with peers, and also gets you in the radar of top recruiters,” said Kruti. She loves competitive programming and is presently focussed on learning the nuances of her new job. This is the first time that she participated in Geek Goddess and Code Gladiators. 

TechGig Geek Goddess is an annual coding contest for women technologists that provides a national platform for the participants to showcase their programming skills. Conceptualised in 2016, this code competition concluded its 2020 edition with a virtual career fair and grand finale on December 4 & 5, 2020.

“Geek Goddess represents the adage that ‘alone we can do so little, and together we can do so much’. This is not just a coding contest but a collective rising of the Indian women technologists. In 2016, when the first edition of Geek Goddess was announced, about 15,000 participants registered. Today, in the sixth edition this number is more than 4 times with 70,097 registrations,” informed Sanjay Goyal, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig about the event.

For the participants of Geek Goddess, the journey in the coding fraternity has just started. As Laisha Wadhwa, winner of AI/ML hackathon at Geek Goddess 2019 and participant in the 2020 edition said, “My victory at Geek Goddess encouraged me to participate in seven other hackathons, many of which I won”. Winning and prizes apart, meeting industry icons are an opportunity second to none. As Snehlata Mishra, coding champion of Geek Goddess 2018 and runners-up in 2019 put it, “I got an opportunity to meet many women leaders on the Geek Goddess floor. In fact, after the win, my social media accounts started getting immense followership, and suddenly from an engineer, I became an icon of sorts”.

These experiences aren’t just limited to the winners but all participants - both present and past. Many participants relive the rich experiences shared during the code competition while forming a team or devising a solution or making a presentation to a jury. All these aspects transitioned Geek Goddess transition from an event to a dedicated community of women technologists who believe in growing together and learning together.

Apart from growing in scale, the event also added many layers in its format as hosting Women Disruptors Conference annually where women leaders descend to talk about issues related to tech careers.  Like the past two years, this year’s keynote too was delivered by Ruchika Panesar, Vice President, Technology at American Express. India’s first special-abled IAS officer and engineer, Ira Singhal, Joint Director, Department of Women and Child Development and Joint Director Department of Social Welfare, Govt of Delhi  delivered the special industry address and reflected upon how women professionals were working relentlessly in the government set-up during the pandemic times.

Other notable speakers included tech leaders, CHROs, diversity leads and entrepreneurs who shared their thoughts on how to define new normal in the pandemic time and why everyone should own the diversity agenda to make it more relevant. Speakers included Subha Iyer, Chief Operating Officer, Goldman Sachs, Smriti Ahuja, Chief People Officer, Times Internet, Arun Batra, GDS Consulting Leader, EY Global Delivery Services, Pranali Save, Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, Icertis and leaders from MedPrime - Nasscom Center of Excellence, Mphasis, Goldman Sachs India, American Express and Hinduja Global Solutions.

“TechGig Geek Goddess is one of the most eagerly anticipated events for women in technology in India,” said Ruchika Panesar. “At American Express, we strive to be the best, most inclusive and diverse place to work in technology, bar none. We continually work to strengthen the diversity of our organisation, while building a culture where everyone feels included, valued and respected, and is able to bring their experiences and authentic selves to work every day. We’re proud to sponsor TechGig Geek Goddess because their focus on building opportunities for women in technology closely aligns with our own. It is wonderful to see women coders embrace their engineering muscle and demonstrate their prowess. American Express congratulates the winners and all other participants in this year’s TechGig Geek Goddess coding contest. You should be proud of your success, and the example that you set for all women in technology,” she said.

The winners list is as follows:

Coding champion - Kruti Dharaiya

1st runner up - Gayatri Marathe

2nd runner up - Nikhitha

3rd runner up - Keerthana Selvakumar

4th runner up - Riya Pannu

The complete winners’ list is available at https://www.techgig.com/geekgoddess