World Peace Museum Inaugurated In Bangalore On Occasion Of Sadako Day

KidsChaupal and WPM in Association with BGS National Public School, Bengaluru, India inaugurated the World Peace Museum on the occasion of Sadako Day. January is observed as Sadako Day as it marks the birth anniversary of Sadako Sasaki who was a victim of the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This museum has been established in her honour and the movement for world peace.

The co-founders of KidsChaupal Mr. Devendra Jaiswal, Mr. Ashish Srivastava & Mr. Dhiraj Singh extend their gratitude to all the participants & BGSNPS management, Academic Director, Dr. S. Ayyappan Nair, Principal Smt. Sreekala G Kumar for being part of the inaugural event & making it a grand success.

Event was physically organized in the BGSNPS auditorium and also virtually hosted on KidsChaupal’s live platform and social media platforms. The occasion was graced by lively song, dance, music, poetry and engaging speeches. Tisya Singh, the face of KidsChaupal, was also invited as a speaker. She shared her thoughts on world peace and urged today's youth to contribute towards the movement.

Apart from India, there were participants from Japan, Germany, Hungary that contributed to a packed audience. The event was executed successfully with the efforts of BGSNPS teachers & students under the guidance of Vice Principal Smt. Savitha Suverna, World Peace Museum founder Mr. John Devraj & Smt. Srivalli Nagiger along with the Art creative coaches. KidsChaupal and WPM are grateful to all those who joined hands to make this event a success.

About KidsChaupal 

KidsChaupal is an ed-tech start-up, founded in 2019 by Mr. Devendra Jaiswal and Mr. Dhiraj Singh. KidsChaupal aims at honing the skills of children to be ready for their future.  

Their vision is to enable the exposure of kids to multiple learning choices, exposure to inter-disciplinary ways of thinking, and help them make career choices beyond popular opinion. KidsChaupal uses the best in technology with its live platform and mobile applications to cater to the needs of both teachers and kids at the same time. They are one of the pioneer Indian companies who developed a live learning platform. 

They offer over 100+ courses and classes in areas ranging from Personality Development, Vocational Training, Arts and Crafts, Health & Fitness, Performing Arts, Languages, Emerging Technologies, and Entrepreneurship. With over 5000 kids enrolled, and 100+ mentors on board with KidsChaupal, they conduct approximately 3000 hours of skill development classes every month.It also focuses on the professional and leadership development of teachers and offers regular workshops/webinars and training programs based on NEP 2020. KidsChaupal is not only backed by experienced industry experts of the country but also US-based investors and mentors. KidsChaupal has been tying up with several public and private schools for delivering experiential sessions to the students with the help of mentors and teachers.

KidsChaupal focuses on providing a next-gen platform for the youth of India to help them reach their full potential by honing their skills. Mainstream education focuses more on academia, but skill training, which focuses on identifying, training, and nurturing talent in any desired field, will help the students to be confident and job-ready. To accomplish this, we have come up with a model of various curriculums for developing the skills of kids at the schooling level. The model developed is a result of years of research conducted by experts in every field. It promotes a holistic view of skill development throughout the curriculum.

Over 50,000 Students Of Narayana Group To Benefit From Fee Financing At Zero Cost By Financepeer

The Covid19 is not only seen as a health crisis but it has severe economic implications as well. Calling it an economic pandemic won’t be an exaggeration. The past 18 months have brought a serious economic imbalance which has impacted a large percentage of the population. With layoffs, pay cuts and revenue loss becoming obvious, the implications of fund shortage are reflected in the education sector too. There are several parents who are experiencing difficulties in managing their finances and in turn the education fees payment is also delayed and sometimes defaulted too.

As the education fee payment becomes a stressful task for several parents, so to address the challenge of parents about fee payment, one of the leading education groups of the country Narayana Group of Institutions has brought a path breaking mechanism of fees payment under fee financing model which comes with Zero cost EMI. The Fee Financing Facility will directly benefit around 50,000 students of Narayana group who will be able to pay their education fee on zero cost easy EMI which will further reduce the burden of parents.

For this special arrangement Narayana Group has teamed up with Financepeer India's leading Fee Payment Solution provider. Under this agreement, Financepeer will provide a facility using which parents can pay their child’s education fee in multiple parts at zero additional cost. This facility will be made available to 50,000 students of Narayana Group of Institutions. Financepeer is also offering free insurance facility to the students that will ensure security to their education.

Speaking about the collaboration, Rohit Gajbhiye - Founder, Financepeer said: “Narayana Group of Institutions is among the most prestigious names in the industry and is known for its quality education. This partnership is a win-win situation as it opens the gates of a premier education institution for the parents while the institution will have access to the funds without any hassle. Also, the insurance facility that we provide will act as a safety guard for the students to pursue their education without interruption. This association will further motivate us to achieve our vision of ensuring quality education to the masses. This also gives us energy to continue working with great zeal to bring a revolution in the education system of the country."

Speaking about the initiative Mr. Puneet Kothapa- Executive Director, Narayana Group of Institutions said “We understand that there is a challenge faced by the entire industry and parents also have financial constraints but the continuity of education is essential for the children. We are committed to address and resolve the challenges faced by the students so that their education doesn't suffer. We have identified the fee payment challenge by a lot of parents and have partnered with Financepeer to facilitate them for ease of fee payments. This has helped a significant number of parents in managing their finances and we have also seen a spike in our admissions. The service quality and response mechanism of Financepeer are commendable and we are determined to bring back the lost balance in the education system.

This innovative approach taken by Narayana Group and Financepeer will set the benchmark for others to follow. The fee financing model will change the dynamics of the education industry and would facilitate access to quality education to more and more students.

About Narayana Group

Narayana Group is one of Asia's largest educational conglomerates that provides world class education to more than 4,00,000 students. The group is committed to bringing out the best in every student by imparting a strong educational foundation. Narayana group is widely recognized for its innovative and pathbreaking approach for creating exceptional and enriching student experiences.

About Financepeer

Financepeer is a leading fintech company which offers innovative and first of its kind Fee Payment solution where the parent can pay their education fees in multiple parts at zero additional cost thereby eliminating the parents' burden of making bulk payments. Financepeer platform envisages making education accessible to the masses and looks forward to spearheading a revolutionary impact for millions of people. 

Hero MotoCorp Strengthens And Expands Operations In El Salvador

In Strengthening its presence in El Salvador, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has expanded its operations and commenced retail sales at a newly opened flagship store in the country’s capital city San Salvador.

Customers have been thronging to the company’s new state-of-the-art dealership located in El Pedregal to purchase Hero MotoCorp’s products.

The showroom that offers 3S (sales, service, spares) operations and is spread over 600 sq. mt, displays Hero MotoCorp’s world-class products such as the Xpulse 200, Hunk 160R and Hunk 150 motorcycles and Dash 125 scooter. The workshop with five service bays provides the best-in-class aftersales service and spare parts to customers. In keeping with its commitment to provide a world-class customer experience, the company offers a 4-year or 40,000 km warranty across its range of products.

Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Bhan, Head – Global Business, Hero MotoCorp, said, “The strengthening and expansion of our network in El Salvador clearly underscore the market's importance for Hero MotoCorp. There has been a steadily growing demand among the customers here for our wide range of products and with this state-of-the-art flagship store in the capital city, our customers will now be able to experience Hero MotoCorp’s world-class products and services. We will continue to keep consolidating our presence in this market in both immediate and medium term.”

With a footprint in 43 countries across Asia, Africa, South and Central America and the Middle East, Hero MotoCorp has already sold over 100 million motorcycles and scooters globally since its inception. It’s range of products are designed and developed at the world class R&D facilities in the Center of Innovation and Technology in Jaipur, India and the Tech Centre Germany near Munich.

In El Salvador, Hero MotoCorp caters to its customers through a distribution network of over 200 touch points including five company-owned showrooms, 15 dealerships, 85 retail and 26 spare part outlets and service centers across 14 cities.

Hero MotoCorp’s comprehensive product range in El Salvador includes motorcycles from the premium to entry levels, including the XPulse 200, XPulse 200T, Hunk 160R, Hunk 190R, Hunk 150, Ignitor 125, Eco150, Eco 125 and the Dash 125 scooter. The Hunk 150 is the best-selling bike in the 150cc category in El Salvador.

Hero MotoCorp has been consistently engaged in ensuring customer delight in the country through its various initiatives such as free service camps, customer meets & greet sessions, training technicians across the region and providing strong aftersales support.

Experience Dimensions Of Religious Festivals: Religion And Spirituality At Paryaya, Udupi, India

*Article by researchers from Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, MAHE, published in The International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, by Technology University Dublin, Ireland

* The article is titled "Experience Dimensions of Religious Festivals: Religion and Spirituality at Paryaya, Udupi, India”

Research article by two researchers from Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, has been published in in The International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage published by Technology University Dublin, Ireland.

The article titled "Experience Dimensions of Religious Festivals: Religion and Spirituality at Paryaya, Udupi, India” indicates that ‘Paryaya’ as a festival helps the pilgrims to develop their spirituality. Festivals and events are an important motivation for travel and act as a great tourism attraction for destinations. The five-hundred-year-old ‘Paryaya’ is a festival known for its rituals and religious traditions followed at Sri Krishna Mutt, Udupi, held biennially, attracting thousands of pilgrims from Karnataka, other states of the country and abroad.

The researchers have adopted the concept of experience economy to understand the spiritual nature of religious festivals. Their quantitative research findings on a study conducted during Paryaya in January 2020 indicate that pilgrims' festival experience is a predictor of their revisit intention to Paryaya. Moreover, the research concludes that visitors to Paryaya can be considered as spiritual tourists as their experience reflects the features of spiritual tourism.

Stride Ventures Invests INR 20 Cr In Digital Freight Forwarding Company, Wiz Freight

Wiz Freight, a full-stack digital freight forwarder offering door to door international freight solutions to importers and exporters, today received a funding of INR 20 Cr. With this, Stride Ventures has added another new-age startup to its already stellar portfolio and are the first venture debt lender to Wiz Freight.

Wiz Freight uses its proprietary technology platform to offer end-end shipment management solutions including price discovery, booking management, shipment tracking, documentation, shipment finance and customer support. The company offers solutions across ocean, air and road freight. In addition to traditional freight forwarding services, Wiz also provides value added services such as door pick-up and delivery, custom clearance, road logistics, warehousing, etc. The company caters to mid and large corporates with a focus on the energy, manufacturing, and consumer sectors.

Digital supply chain solutions are becoming increasingly more important in the modern day shipment industry. Commenting on the funding, Mr. Ishpreet Singh Gandhi, Founder – Stride Ventures, said “Wiz Freight has been successful in growing consistently and on boarding key corporates while sustaining margins in a highly volatile freight market. In spite of the pandemic affecting the wider freight and logistics industry, the large-scale digitization has led to newer solutions. With Wiz, we are very keen and excited to be a part of their journey towards expanding global reach and creating disruptions in the international supply chain.”

Sharing his thoughts on this development, Mr. Ramkumar Govindarajan, Co-founder – Wiz Freight, said “Cross-border shipping has been the backbone of global trade and the last 2 years have seen unprecedented disruptions in the international supply chain driving prices and inventory shortages. We have been able to help our customers minimize disruptions with better visibility, planning and real-time shipment control using our tech-platform. We have grown 25x in the last 12 months and have established a presence across 10 Indian cities. We are planning to invest in hiring, tech development and global expansion in 2022. We are happy to partner with Stride Ventures in this journey.”

Since its commencement, Stride Ventures has focused on investing in market leaders across sectors. Through its myriad of financial products Stride Ventures provides comprehensive tailor made credit solutions to new age startups and is quickly becoming a one-stop shop for all financial requirements. Having been one of the most active venture debt companies this year, the total commitments have crossed INR 1000 crores in portfolio companies across both its debt funds.

About Stride Ventures  

Stride Ventures is focused on providing debt solutions to growth stage start-ups. Stride provides tailor-made debt solutions to start-ups, enabling them to strategically allocate capital. Bringing more than six decades of collective underwriting experience, the fund helps its portfolio companies leverage the banking ecosystem through their domain expertise and extensive network. 

apna.co And Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council Partner To Provide More Opportunities To Professionals

* apna observing 34 percent month-on-month increase in jobs in hospitality & tourism sectors 

* Registered 1,00,000 job postings in these sectors in the last month 

With the mission to empower millions of professionals in travel, tourism and hospitality sectors, apna.co:  India’s largest professional networking and jobs platform has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC).

Through this partnership, apna.co will support THSC by providing easier access to hyperlocal opportunities, training sessions, upskilling courses and re-skilling courses to the professionals in the travel & tourism sector. 

apna has been recording a 34 percent month-on-month increase in jobs in hospitality & tourism. Last month alone, the platform registered around 1,00,000 job postings in these sectors.

Talking about the partnership, Manas Singh, Chief Business Officer, apna.co said “According to the recent reports, in FY20, the tourism sector in India accounted for 39 million jobs, which was 8.0% of the total employment in the country. By 2029, it is expected to account for about 53 million jobs. apna.co is glad to be playing a part in this growth journey. We are certain that this partnership will be beneficial to millions of professionals in the industry and look forward to working with Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council in our mission towards #AccleratingIndia”

Chief Executive Officer THSC, Mr. Rajan Bahadur believes there are immense job opportunities for the youth in the tourism & hospitality sector. Through this partnership, the Industry will be digitally connected with aspiring youths. This partnership will connect the “right talent” present in rural & urban India with the “right employer”.

According to the recent data by World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the tourism industry in India generated $194 bn, or 6.8% of India’s GDP in 2019, and supported 39.80 Mn jobs. The tourism sector in India is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 6.9% to $460 bn by 2028 which is 9.9% of GDP.

THSC operates to bridge the skilling gap in the Tourism & Hospitality Industry. THSC was incorporated in 2014, promoted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) & National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), by & for the industry. The vision is to create a robust industry-aligned skilling ecosystem benefiting millions of beneficiaries & providing respectable employment opportunities.

At present, apna has 22 million users, a presence in 48 cities and counting, and 2 lakh plus employer partners. The platform has been enabling 18 million monthly interviews and over 35 million professional conversations every month. The apna-THSC will prove beneficial as the travel & tourism industry embraces digital practices.

About apna

Founded in 2019, apna.co is India’s largest jobs and professional networking platform dedicated to helping India’s rising workforce to unlock unique professional networking, and skilling opportunities. 

Having secured more than $190 million from marquee investors such as Tiger Global, Owl Ventures, Insight Partners, Lightspeed India, Sequoia Capital India, Maverick Ventures, GSV Ventures, Greenoaks Capital and Rocketship.vc apna is on a mission to enable livelihoods for billions in India. With over 22 million users, present in 48 cities and counting, and over 200,000 employers that trust the platform - India has a new destination to discover relevant opportunities.

New Book “The Automation Advantage” Shows Organizations How To Achieve Full Value From Intelligent Automation

* Accenture experts provide structured approaches to weave automation and artificial intelligence across the enterprise

As organizations continue to execute compressed transformation strategies and increase their investments in automation technology, a new book authored by three top automation experts at Accenture (NYSE: ACN) provides an in-depth look at how intelligent automation has become one of the most powerful means of driving performance and value across organizations.

“The Automation Advantage: Embrace the Future of Productivity and Improve Speed, Quality, and Customer Experience Through AI” is a strategic, practical guide to using intelligent automation to reinvent business processes, jumpstart innovation, enhance customer experiences and free up capacity for employees to focus on more complex, value-added work. While automation has been used by organizations for centuries, intelligent automation brings in cognitive technology such as artificial intelligence to guide better business decisions and bring new opportunities to light. IDC Research found that up to 40% of companies worldwide increased their use of software bots and other forms of automation in response to the pandemic1, and spending on automation software is expected to reach $42.6 billion by 20252.

In the book, Accenture Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Bhaskar Ghosh and his co-authors, Rajendra Prasad and Gayathri Pallail, draw on their collective 75+ years of expertise to explain how intelligent automation works—and how it works best—providing business leaders with a proven roadmap for optimally deploying intelligent automation at scale to drive business excellence and growth. They cut through myths and misunderstandings to blaze a clear trail for any business leader looking to develop an intelligent automation strategy, create new value and realize growth—all with a human-centric approach.

“The Automation Advantage can help any business leader better understand how to scale automation across the enterprise and use artificial intelligence to empower people and transform business,” said Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO of Accenture.

In addition to providing real-world examples of how organizations across multiple industries and geographies are using intelligent automation to launch new services and spur business growth, the authors dispel many common myths regarding automation. The book lists clear steps to overcome barriers and build a customized framework and approach that identifies opportunities for automation across the organization, and how to design specific automation solutions that align technology transformation with business goals.

“We’re seeing a dramatic evolution from the era of industrialized automation to a new era of intelligent automation, with the focus shifting from costs savings to new goals around customer experience, business excellence, service improvements, innovations, and smarter strategic decisions,” said Dr. Ghosh. “Infusing automation with intelligent technologies has become one of the most powerful ways companies can boost their top-line performance by using new tools to operate more efficiently, upskill and enhance the performance and productivity of their people, and drive significant bottom-line savings.”

Recent research from Accenture underscores just how important automation has become to business success and sustained growth. While the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted companies’ technology strategies and performance, many companies stepped up investments in intelligent automation and other technology in order to leap beyond their peers and grow their businesses 5X faster. These leading companies listed automation as the most important technology to enable digital transformation for the majority (77%) of key business processes.

Accenture Global Lead for Automation Rajendra Prasad adds: “We offer frameworks and approaches based on years of helping enterprises move from strategy to successful execution on their automation journeys. Our book walks readers through the ‘how’ to go from vision to creating value with intelligent automation, including  identifying the right technology, communicating benefits to and inspiring stakeholders, modernizing processes and managing organizational and cultural changes for better collaboration between automation technology and people.”

“The Automation Advantage: Embrace the Future of Productivity and Improve Speed, Quality, and Customer Experience Through AI,” is published by McGraw-Hill and available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Porchlight and BAM! Books-A-Million.

Praise for The Automation Advantage:

“A brilliant field manual for the coming Automation Age.”

Richard D’Aveni, author of The Pan-Industrial Revolution and Bakala Professor of Strategy, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

“The book is spot on in laying out a practical guide for how to make an impact and realize value from automation. There is a strong focus on the real-world execution of an automation strategy that makes it an accessible, must-read for both a business management and technology audience.”

Mike Crisafulli, senior vice president, Software Engineering, Comcast

“Successful intelligent automation requires you to get more than just the technology right. The Automation Advantage addresses this – clearly and effectively – by providing the guiding principles and steps for changing your organization’s technology, governance, culture, and even leadership style.”

Charlene Li, entrepreneur, speaker and New York Times bestselling author of The Disruption Mindset

"Consistently creating value with technology is hard. The Automation Advantage makes it simple. The authors lay out a comprehensive path to value using modern techniques that will be appreciated by both the thinker and the practitioner."

Mark Spykerman, Chief Information Officer, AmerisourceBergen

About the Authors

Accenture Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Bhaskar Ghosh, Accenture’s Global Lead for Automation Rajendra Prasad, and Managing Director for Automation Deployment Gayathri Pallail are all experts in automation. Together, they hold 30 automation-related patents, with more than 60 additional patents filed related to automation, and have more than 75 years of combined experience in planning, designing and implementing automation and enterprise technology solutions for hundreds of organizations worldwide.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services — all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 674,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at accenture.com.