Aditya Birla Education Academy, Johns Hopkins collaborates For Talented Youth To Bring Online Programs For Advanced Learners

Aditya Birla Education Academy (ABEA), India’s leading professional development institute, has collaborated with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) to offer scholarships for CTY’s Online Programs for advanced learners in India. Both ABEA and CTY aim to identify and support the needs of bright young learners in India through these online programs at reduced rates up to August 2021. Through this cooperation with CTY, Aditya Birla Education Academy is providing a 5% scholarship on tuition fees and reduction in the application fees up to August 2021. This scholarship can be availed by only first 50 advanced learners who apply to ABEA. Students in grades 2 through 12 can qualify through participation in the CTY Talent Search and demonstrating high ability in either quantitative or spatial reasoning (for math and science courses) or verbal reasoning (for humanities and writing courses).

CTY offers more than 200 challenging, engaging, and fun virtual courses, which are conducted by expert instructors who specialize in teaching advanced concepts to bright students. Courses are available in real-time, independent, and student-driven, collaborative formats. One can understand in detail about CTY courses in computer science, critical reading, engineering, history, mathematics, science, social science, world languages, and writing by attending a virtual information session or by visiting CTY's website.

Mrs. Neerja Birla, Founder, and Chairperson, Aditya Birla Education Trust, said, “We, at Aditya Birla Education Academy, are dedicated to offer unique, rigorous and relevant courses to learners in the country who are looking to upskill themselves in this dynamic environment. In this endeavour, we are happy to extend our cooperation with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth with a special scholarship to fulfil the learning needs of bright young minds in India to enrol in CTY’s Online Programs for advanced learners. I am confident that students will find tremendous value in these enriching courses.”

Mr. Samuel Robfogel, Senior Director for International Initiatives at CTY, said “CTY is committed to providing students with high ability around the globe with the optimal level of challenge to help them develop their academic talents. We are pleased to cooperate with Aditya Birla Education Trust to advance this work in India.”

About Aditya Birla Education Academy

Aditya Birla Education Academy (ABEA) is India’s leading professional development institute for teachers. ABEA aims to engage educators in the new-age global processes of education and empower them to evolve into the best knowledge-givers they can be, as they nurture young minds and contribute towards shaping the future. ABEA also facilitates unique and innovative courses for students, in order to impart new-age skills that are on par with the best in the world.

About Aditya Birla Education Trust

Aditya Birla Education Trust (ABET) is an organisation committed to the cause of education and mental health, with an objective to nurture young minds. Right from establishing the Aditya Birla World Academy, an International School with an Indian soul, to The Aditya Birla Integrated School, which acknowledges the need to cater to children with different learning needs, ABET has always prioritised the importance of a child’s overall development. Further under the aegis of ABET, the Aditya Birla Education Academy provides professional development opportunities for educators, and engages, empowers and equips them to contribute towards shaping the future of young minds. In an endeavour to stamp out stigma surrounding mental health concerns, ABET has established Mpower, a holistic mental health care initiative, which has become the pioneer of mental health awareness in the country. Aditya Birla Education Trust runs under the zealous leadership of its passionate and committed Founder & Chairperson, Mrs. Neerja Birla.

About Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth

A world leader in gifted education since 1979, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) is a nonprofit dedicated to identifying and developing the talents of academically advanced pre-university students around the world. CTY serves bright learners and their families through research, advocacy, and counseling, as well as its signature gifted and talented summer, online, international, and family programs.

Amazon Prime Video Announces Shahid Kapoor's Digital Debut In New Raj & Dk Series

* Created, Written and Directed by Raj and DK, this is Raj and DK’s next collaboration with the streaming service, after their spectacularly successful series, The Family Man

Amazon Prime offers incredible value with unlimited streaming of the latest and exclusive movies, TV shows, stand-up comedy, Amazon Originals, ad-free music through Amazon Prime Music, free fast delivery on India’s largest selection of products, early access to top deals, unlimited reading with Prime Reading and mobile gaming content with Prime Gaming, all available only for ₹129 a month. Customers can also watch latest shows and more by subscribing to Prime Video Mobile Edition. Prime Video Mobile Edition is a single-user, mobile-only plan currently available for Airtel Pre-Paid customers

Amazon Prime Video today announced to have commenced production on an upcoming yet-to-be-titled Amazon Original Series featuring Shahid Kapoor in the lead. The quirky drama thriller is created by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, and will mark the digital debut of actor Shahid Kapoor. Filled with Raj and DK’s trademark dark and wry humour, the series will mark the director duo’s new collaboration with Amazon Prime Video following spectacular success of The Family Man which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories. The show is co-written by Sita R Menon, Suman Kumar and Hussain Dalal.

“At Amazon Prime Video, we take pride in being home to some of the best talent and storytellers from India and across the world,” said Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India “Shahid Kapoor is an incredibly gifted actor and we are excited to have him join the Prime Video family with a brand new exciting collaboration with Raj and DK. This is a fresh and unique combination that we’re confident will be a hit with our customers!”

Talking about his digital debut, Shahid Kapoor said, “I have been keen to collaborate with Raj and DK for a while. My favourite Indian show on Amazon Prime Video is The Family Man. I couldn’t think of anyone better for my digital debut than them. Amazon Prime Video is a fabulous service and it’s a privilege to work with them. I loved the story idea when I first heard it and since then it has been an exciting ride so far! Can’t wait to share this series with the audience.”

“For us the objective is always to challenge ourselves to do better with every film or series we do.” said the creator duo Raj and DK. “This is our favourite script and has truly been a labour of love. We found a perfect match in Shahid! He was always our first choice for this series. We hit it off immediately, and have been on the same page from the first time we spoke. Shahid is an exciting actor to watch and work with! The intensity he brings to his roles is amazing. Our long-standing relationship with Amazon Prime Video makes us feel more responsible towards every series we do with them. They have been fantastic partners. And we can't wait to create this series!”

There will soon be an announcement on the surprise cast featured in the series.

The new series will join the thousands of TV shows and movies in the Prime Video catalog. These include Indian films Soorarai Pottru, V, CU Soon, Nishabhdam, Halal Love Story, Middle Class Melodies, Maara, Bheemasena Nalamaharaja, Mane No. 13, Penguin, Law, Sufiyum Sujatayum, Ponmagal Vandhal, French Biriyani, Gulabo Sitabo, Shakuntala Devi, Coolie No. 1, Durgamati, Chhalaang, among others along with Indian-produced Amazon Original series like Bandish Bandits, Tandav, Breathe: Into The Shadows, Paatal Lok, The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye, Four More Shots Please S1 and 2, The Family Man, Mirzapur S1 and S2, Inside Edge S1, and S2, and Made In Heaven and the award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series like Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. All this is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. The service includes titles in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Bengali.

Prime members will be able to watch the new series anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, etc. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost.

Customers can also watch the new series by subscribing to Prime Video Mobile Edition. Prime Video Mobile Edition is a single-user mobile-only plan. All Airtel customers on pre-paid bundled packs get 30-day free trial of Prime Video Mobile Edition. Subsequently, customers can activate Mobile Edition through recharge bundles starting at an introductory offer of ₹ 89.

Prime Video is available in India to Prime members for just ₹999 annually, or ₹129 monthly. New customers can find out more at www.amazon.in/ prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

Building With CO₂-Based Material, Technology Now Becomes Possible

 

Up to 20 percent CO₂ instead of oil in rigid polyurethane foam

Innovative rigid foam for insulation boards

Materials show enhanced sustainability in initial tests

More sustainable, CO₂-based materials for the construction sector - in the future, this could become reality. Since 2016, Covestro has been working with research and development partners as part of the "DreamResource" joint project (FKZ 033RC002) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to research new, more environmentally friendly polyols with the potential to be used, for example, in the form of rigid polyurethane foam in insulation for the construction sector. An initial prototype of an insulation board has now been developed together with the project partner puren gmbh, which contains the novel polyols based on conventional ethylene oxides and CO₂. This marks a decisive further development of Covestro's CO₂ technology for a particularly important part of the climate-relevant construction industry.

"Buildings are responsible for a large share of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This makes it all the more important for us at Covestro to contribute to the Circular Economy and make insulation even more sustainable and efficient in the future. Our goal is to end the use of fossil fuels and make our production processes more sustainable," says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer at Covestro.

Using innovative CO₂ technology, Covestro already produces the CO₂-based precursor cardyon®, which is utilized in the manufacture of mattresses, sports flooring, textile fibers and components for vehicle interiors.

New, promising approach thanks to CO₂ technology

Covestro has now succeeded in combining the petroleum derivative ethylene oxide with CO₂ in a chemical reaction to produce first polyols and finally rigid polyurethane foam. Up to 20 percent of petroleum-based raw materials are expected to be replaced by this process in the future. "With the development of these materials, we are endowing the greenhouse gas CO₂ with a new use with versatile applications," says Dr. Christoph Gürtler, Head of Catalysis and Technology at Covestro.

Together with Covestro's industrial partners puren gmbh, BYK-Chemie GmbH and PSS Polymer Standard Service GmbH, it proved possible not only to investigate a wide range of applications but also to develop new analytical methods for the CO₂-based materials. With RWTH Aachen University and the Technical University of Berlin, the ecological and economic potential of this expanded CO₂ technology was investigated along with the in-depth characterization of the novel materials. "The results of DreamResource very clearly demonstrate the diverse opportunities that arise from the use of CO₂ as a basic building block for polyols to produce a wide variety of polyurethane types. The interaction between industry and science plays an essential role in this innovative field," says Dennis Krämer, project manager for national and international research projects for CO₂ utilization at DECHEMA e.V.

Versatile and sustainable insulation

"This renewed expansion of the product range yields enormous leeway," continues Gürtler. Thanks to the promising combination of ethylene oxide and CO₂, surface-active substances can also be produced through this new route in addition to CO₂-based rigid polyurethane foam, which can be used in insulating boards for buildings, for example.

Lake Constance-based puren gmbh is one of the pioneers of rigid polyurethane foam technology and investigated the use of CO₂ polyols in the rigid foam segment in this research project.

Following more than three years of joint research in the collaborative project, over 400 kilogram of the CO₂-based polyol was successfully delivered to puren for further processing. "These initial rigid foam insulation boards made with a CO₂-based rigid foam polyol conform to standards and are already comparable with the market standard in terms of their key technical specifications. During further cooperation, we plan to manufacture additional prototypes and to enhance the properties with the aim of taking a giant step closer to the use of CO₂ as an alternative raw material in rigid foam insulation boards and ensuring rapid final development to market readiness," says puren Managing Director Dr. Andreas Huther. Thanks to this successful collaboration, CO₂ can now be used as an alternative raw material in the rigid foam sector. This will make building insulations even more sustainable and will further reduce the dependence on fossil raw materials.

Bengaluru Based Rishi Shiv Prasanna With IQ level Of 180 Recognized As Young Genius!

As a child, many of us are curious and have lots of questions about many things, but Rishi Shiv Prasanna surprises everyone with his knowledge. The 6-year-old from Bengaluru has an insatiable thirst for knowledge and is a genius in the true sense. Rishi has been certified to have an IQ level of 180. and has been admitted to the Mensa High IQ Society. He is arguably amongst the youngest Certified Android application developers (has developed 3 apps  that are listed in Google play store-”IQ Test App” for kids,  “Countries of the world” and CHB which is COVID Help for Bangaloreans) and has even authored a book.

Rishi Shiv Prasanna’s extraordinary talent will now be recognized in Young Genius, a show that celebrates child prodigies. Rishi met former Indian Hockey player, Padma Shri awardee Sardar Singh and impressed him with his knowledge. Sardar Singh, who has made over 350 international appearances for India and became the youngest Hockey captain was awestruck when he met Rishi.   

Rishi started exhibiting his brilliance at a very young age. Rishi’s mother, Recheshwari S. says, “At the age of 3, Rishi started narrating about the Solar System, the Universe, planets, shapes and numbers. We were surprised to see his knowledge.” In fact, India Book of Records issued him a Certificate of Appreciation in 2019 at the age of 5 for his IQ.

Rishi developed an interest in space, science, technology and computer science at the age of 4. Rishi Shiv Prassana said, “At the age of 5, I learnt coding and now I have developed many user-friendly apps. I want to become a scientist who helps protect Mother Earth.”

Watch Rishi Shiv P with Sardar Singh in an exciting chat in the sixth episode of Byju’s Young Genius on 20th February 2021 (Saturday) and repeat telecast on 21st February on News18 Network!

Snapbizz Publishes State Of Kirana Retail 2020 Report In Indian Market

 

* Report shows how Kirana stores adapted to the situation and transformed their approach to daily selling

SnapBizz, India’s only vertical platform exclusively for the FMCG Industry fulfilling last mile connectivity with Kirana stores has released a new report outlining the transformation that Kirana stores from across India have gone through to fulfil the changing requirements of their consumers while facing a pandemic.

According to the new report, the majority of Kirana stores have created some system where customers can order via the internet or through an app, in an attempt to safeguard themselves from losing their customers to e-commerce platforms. The study also shows how in 2020 there was an increase in spends per bill reflecting more items in a bill, price rises and switching to more expensive items due to supply shortage and migration of new shoppers with different shopping habits from modern trade to Kirana stores.  

The study analysed over 2 million consumer bills recorded in the SnapBizz network of Kirana stores spread across 10 cities which include Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. SnapBizz is backed by marquee VCs such as Jungle Ventures, Taurus, Blume Ventures and strategic investors such as Nielsen, Qualcomm, AUO and Mr. Ratan Tata.

Prem Kumar, Founder & CEO adds “The consumer retail segment has witnessed rapid growth in terms of digitization of MSMEs in 2020. This was fuelled by the current COVID-19 era which brought in new opportunities in the retail sector specially for Kiranas. As a result, over a million Kiranas have gone digital in recent months and their stores have gone online by accepting online payments, ordering supplies online, managing inventory, etc. The technology cover now enables them to leverage their strengths like proximity, personal touch, and flexibility further to acquire new customers effortlessly.”

The report gives an in-depth analysis into food and non-food categories and a clear analysis on the effects of COVID and lockdowns on FMCG selling pattern, availability and pricing.

Highlights of the Study-

The staples categories witnessed a surge in baskets and spends by 20% even though the store presence had a marginal increase in 2020 vs. 2019; possibly due to more people working from home and eating out was limited for the greater part of the year. 

Most of the retailers (more than 90%) were not supported by distributors in terms of larger credit lines or longer credit periods; Adding to the working capital problem, more than 50% retailers had difficulty in collecting from customers. However, overall, the credit bills have remained stable in 2020 compared to the previous year.

Home deliveries increased and 75% stores are working towards going online

80% of Kirana stores saw an increase in customers

Banking sector has become very involved in the Kirana Eco-system

Sales were more consumption driven rather than price except for Dals & Pulses. It was observed that during lockdown and till Oct’20, the shopper spends increased significantly, however declined and went to pre-COVID-19 levels post that.

Overall, the consumer spends increased and this was primarily from the larger outlets than the smaller ones.

The consumer spends on categories like Snack Foods, Biscuits and Noodles also increased by 25% in 2020 and the same trend was noted except for Biscuits where the spends dropped in Nov '20.

Digital payments were on the rise in 2020, more through payment apps, and a lesser rise through credit / debit cards which require more KYC formalities.

There was a spike of 50% in the share of spends in the food category in March but now it is coming back close to pre-COVID-19 levels even though it is still 18% higher than pre-lockdown days.

The Kirana stores continue to leverage online ordering apps to cater to the current consumers. The number of consumers that ordered from grocery stores via SnapOrder mobile app increased by 5x as compared to Pre-COVID-19 levels.

SnapBizz is currently working closely with FMCG brands, distributors, wholesalers, e-commerce players (B2B/B2C), financial service players, consulting companies and Kirana stores to help bridge the information gap and find solutions based on the results of these reports. This analysis also helps Kirana stores better deal with their consumer requirements.

About SnapBizz

Headquartered in Bengaluru, SnapBizz provides new age solutions to convert the neighbourhood Kirana stores into smart stores and enable them to leverage their current strengths to gain competitive edge and increase store profitability.

SnapBizz provides Kirana stores with easy-to-use solutions to manage and optimize store operations with products such as Snapbilling (touch-based billing solution), SnapOrder (online B2C app), SnapSupply (FMCG distributor app) and SnapPulse (retail analytics solution).

With a presence in 7 major cities in India, they are today the only vertical platform exclusively for the FMCG Industry fulfilling last mile connectivity with Kirana stores its consumers and other stakeholders in the FMCG ecosystem. The stakeholders include FMCG brands, distributors, wholesalers, E-commerce players (B2B/B2C), advertising agencies, logistic players, and financial service players.

The company presently has a network of 10000+ Kirana stores who collectively do a business (GMV) of approx. of $1 Billion/year. Given its increasing relevance in the space due to the current circumstances, SnapBizz is on a fast-track mode to build a network of 150,000 stores across 42 cities and becoming a $ 15 billion platform.

Vodafone Idea Foundation Scholarships 2021 Now Open Across India

* All Teachers and Students from across the country can apply under ‘Learning with Vodafone Idea’ programme

* Rs. 1 lakh Cash scholarship for Teachers; Rs. 20,000 for Students

* 200 Teachers and 2500 Students were granted scholarships in 2020

Vodafone Idea Foundation - the CSR arm of Vi, has invited applications from Teachers and Students for the ‘Learning with Vodafone Idea Scholarship’ programme for the year 2021-22.

The Vi CSR initiative aims to bridge the social and fiscal divide that teachers and students face in terms of availability and accessibility to the necessary resources to help them excel.

Launched in 2020 these scholarships entitle teachers as well as students to access Direct Beneficiary Transfer (DBT) covering a list of permissible expenses. The scholarships are merit based for teachers and merit-cum-means based for the students. The selection process is entirely online, overseen by an independent jury, including eminent educators, representatives of civil society organizations.

Vodafone Idea Foundation is offering Rs. 1 Lakh cash Scholarship to Teachers and Rs. 20,000 to Students to help them avail necessary resources for quality education.

Launching the Scholarship this year, P. Balaji, Chief Regulatory & Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited said “Vi is committed to leverage our technology expertise and network to create social impact. Providing access to education is one of the fundamental ways of improving employability, thereby reducing poverty in the country. We strongly believe that no student or teacher should be held back from achieving their true potential due to financial constraints.”

Eligibility Criteria:

Full time teachers from government/government-aided schools or low income private schools with 3+ years of experience can apply for the scholarship. They must be teaching standards 8 and above and possess credentials in the form of recognized academic awards, papers, teaching-learning innovations and content creation, to be eligible.

Students from government/government-aided schools from 6th to 12th class with recognized academic or extra-curricular achievements can apply for the Vi CSR Scholarship.

Scholarship winners can use the money to procure IT equipment (laptop, printer) and pay for course fees, educational books, magazines, school tuition fees, amongst other school related essentials.

To know more and to apply, please visit: www.learningwithvodafoneidea.in/vi-scholarships

Quotes from Beneficiaries of ‘Learning with Vodafone Idea Scholarship’ 2020

Kalpana Rajauriya, one of one winners last year said “Students often find books boring and we as teachers have to constantly find new ways to keep them engaged. I always wanted to create content for students myself since it will be more relevant. However, doing it on a mobile phone was always cumbersome. Upon receiving the Vodafone Idea Teachers’ Scholarship, I have now purchased a laptop and recently created my first content and shared it with my students. Especially during the pandemic with the help of the laptop I could easily conduct classes and show my students a variety of content. The scholarship will inspire me to work harder for my students.”

Shmruti Prashant Patro, a student scholarship winner from Maharashtra said, “This year we could not go to the school and suddenly we were told to study from home. Our teacher was taking classes on mobile phones, but my parents could not provide me a phone and I had to borrow it sometimes from neighbours which was causing delay and many times I had to miss my class since the phone was not available. On receiving the Vodafone Idea Students’ Scholarship, one of the first things I purchased was a mobile phone, which I am now using to attend all classes and also use the internet as the teacher tells us. My school fee for the last few month was also pending, which I have paid using the scholarship.”

Vodafone Idea’s CSR has transformative programmes in the domain of Education, Agriculture, Women Empowerment and Technology.

About Vodafone Idea Limited

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is India’s leading telecom service provider. The Company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G and 4G platform. With the large spectrum portfolio to support the growing demand for data and voice, the company is committed to deliver delightful customer experiences and contribute towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The Company is listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

The company offers products and services to its customers in India under the TM Brand name “Vi”.

Ookla® - the global leader in broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications, has verified Vi, based on analysis of Speedtest Intelligence® data as the fastest 4G network pan-India in Oct to Dec ’20.

Twitter - @VodaIdea_NEWS

Logo And Theme Launch For The 15th Global Conclave Of PRCI Communication 2021 - 2030, Mapping The Mega Trends

 

The Public Relations Council of India, PRCI, launched the logo and theme for its 15th Global Conclave scheduled for May 28 and 29, 2021, in Goa, at Hotel Woodlands, recently. 

Mr. M.B.Jayaram, Chief Emeritus and Chief Mentor said, "We have been witnessing a major change in PR and Communication in the last few years. But the pandemic triggered off a change that was gradual to the fast lane. Out of necessity is born a new era of invention and innovation, the theme, 'Communication 2021 - 2030, Mapping the Mega Trend' is intended to tap into shaping the trends of our times."

The logo represents the theme of the 15th Global Conclave very aptly. Mr.R.T Kumar, Director and Logo conceptualizer, PRCI said, "Whether it is education, medical consultancy, shopping, customer relations, news and even eating out, all now at your fingertips. The fingertip is a prominent tool to communicate. The conclave logo shows how our lives and all that we do revolves around this one finger. The colour chosen is a stylish corporate grey since the focus of the conclave will be on PR and Communications."

The logo and theme was unveiled by Dr. K.R Venugopal, Vice Chancellor, Bangalore University. The launch was moderated by Nikhil Kumar, a multifaceted global music and media professional in the presence of Mr. M.B.Jayaram, Chief Emeritus and Chief Mentor, PRCI, Mr. Srineevasamurthy, Chairman, Governing Council, Dr. T Vinaykumar, National President, PRCI, Mr.US Kutty, Secretary General, Governing Council, Mr.R.T Kumar, Director and Logo conceptualizer, Dr.Latha T.S , State Head, PRCI, Karnataka and others.