21K School Becomes World’s First Web 3.0 School; School Introduces NFT Marketplace And Metaverse For Students

* Introduces ‘Learn to Earn’ through Gamification

* Student to list their creations on School’s NFT Marketplace and redeem their earnings as scholarships

* Metaverse for students and teachers to redefine learning and teaching

21K School, India’s first online only school, has launched its very own NFT Marketplace, as well as, introduced Metaverse and Web 3.0 for their K12 students around the world. Transitioning online schooling from Web 2.0 to the world’s first Web 3.0., the visionary 21K School founders have taken their keen interest in technology and are adopting it for the school of the future, where students will be encouraged to use technology to amplify their learning journeys.

21K School students will soon be able to create and sell their Artwork, Books, Podcast, Music, Videos on 21K School’s NFT Marketplace. They can earn reward points in the form of coins for all activities, timely submission of assignments, assessments and marks scored in examinations, which can be redeemed for scholarships, etc. This ‘Learn to Earn’ model is truly one of its kind in the world! Students can also invite their friends to be part of a gamified learning journey and build the ecosystem.  The Web 3.0 school is also launching a blockchain based solution to identify marksheets, profiles of students and teachers with their accomplishments.

Santosh Kumar, Co-Founder & CEO, 21K School, said, “We are the world's first school to transition into Web 3.0. At 21K School, we are immensely proud to reimagine education with emerging technologies like Blockchain, Metaverse, NFTs, and more to instil learning, thinking, and creativity in the DNA of our students. We are the world's first Web 3.0 school to be implementing an NFT Marketplace, so children can have the opportunity to understand how cutting-edge technology can help them turn their creativity into financial empowerment. The NFT revolution is sure to impact countless industries unprecedentedly, and we are bringing it straight into our classrooms! We are thrilled to usher in a new era of learners who would be well poised to drive technology-led entrepreneurship in times to come.”

21K School is also introducing gamification within its classrooms, where students can complete their homework and assignments in a gamified manner, driven by the digital school’s artificial intelligence enabled Learning Management System. This will not only create deeper engagements for students, but will also encourage them to finish their given tasks with perfection. 21K School will also provide rewards based on views on their class videos, assessment scores and student’s feedback by 21K school, while parents can also earn points for their involvement in their child’s education journey, all in the form of 21K coins.

21K School is the first online-only school in India, offering children aged 3 to 18 years a choice of three curriculums to study in – Indian, American and British. The school recently raised Pre Series A funding of $5 million from Ronnie Screwvala, Co-Founder and Chairman, upGrad. Founded in 2020 by Santosh Kumar, Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal, Dinesh Kumar and Joshi Kumar, the 21K School model aims to disrupt the traditional K12 school system and offer personalised, affordable and flexible schooling for students, regardless of where they are located or their time zone. The company already has nearly 3,500 students enrolled from over 400 cities across India and 35 + countries.

For more information on the new technologies, refer to: https://21kschool.ai/

For more information on 21K School, refer to: https://21kschool.com/

About 21K School:

Founded in 2020, 21k School is the first online-only school in India. Co-founded by Santosh Kumar, Joshi Kumar, Dinesh Kumar and Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal, the school’s objective is to make world-class education accessible to all children irrespective of their geographical location and fluid lives. The school is known for its intellectual rigor, application-based learning, flexible options, trained faculty, and an environment of collective learning in a community that grows together instead of competing with each other. The school has over 3,500 happy students from over 35 countries and is well poised for global expansion. Mr. Ronnie Screwvala has recently invested in 21k School’s vision to expand the reach of quality International Education.

Himalaya Wellness Company Reiterates Its Commitment To Feed Government School Children Through Akshaya Patra Foundation

* Facilitating support to over 13,000 government schoolchildren with the mid-day meal scheme

* Himalaya also supports with a CAPEX requirement at the Akshaya Patra kitchen in Bengaluru

As part of its continued commitment to spread Wellness in every Home and Happiness in every Heart, Himalaya Wellness Company has strengthened its ongoing partnership with the Akshaya Patra Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, which strives to address issues like hunger and malnutrition in India. Through this initiative, Himalaya is supporting over 13,000 children studying in government schools across the city, with the mid-day meal scheme. Himalaya has also extended CAPEX support to refurbish the existing kitchen with a heavy-duty mixer, roaster machine, and bench drilling machine at the Bengaluru facility.

School-going children, especially in the age group of 6-12 years, are prone to nutritional deficiencies suffering from malnutrition. The mid-day meal scheme, which provides children with timely, healthy, and nutritious food, aims at addressing the issue of malnutrition. It further plays a contributory role in reducing the dropout rate and increasing attendance in government schools.

“Undernutrition, hidden hunger, and obesity are deemed to be key factors that threaten the survival, growth, and development of children and young adults. It is vital to provide essential nutrition to children during their early years to ensure their healthy future. Himalaya has always been a strong believer in empowering and enabling communities to lead healthier and happier lives. Our endeavor is to create a positive and long-term impact through health, education, and hygiene interventions. This is the very spirit of our association with Akshaya Patra that we have strengthened since 2016. We will continue to provide the required support to bring joy among children, by providing them with a strong and healthy foundation through good nutrition and nourishment,” says Jayashree Ullal, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

Expressing his gratitude, Mr. Sundeep Talwar, CMO of The Akshaya Patra Foundation said, “We are immensely grateful to Himalaya for becoming our valued partner over the years in our journey of providing health and nutrition to millions of children. We are thankful to Himalaya for their continued support of the noble cause of delivering healthy mid-day meals. This collaboration has taken us closer to our aim of providing nutritious meals to underprivileged children across India.”

The Akshaya Patra Foundation provides nutritious meals to children studying in government schools and government-aided schools. As its corporate partner since 2016, Himalaya, so far, has supported more than 50,000 children in government schools, and around 5 million meals have been served to needy schoolchildren, along with sponsoring 7,146 ”Happiness Kits” or dry ration kits during the lockdown.

About Himalaya Wellness Company:

In 1930, a young visionary by the name of Mr. M. Manal foresaw the benefits of herbal remedies while riding through the forests of Burma. After diligently researching the science of the traditional field of Ayurveda, he decided to dedicate his life creating products that would improve millions of lives across the world. Today, with a history spanning more than nine decades in herbal research, Himalaya has positioned itself as a brand that cares about not only enriching people’s lives but also the environment. With their “head-to-heel” range of products, Himalaya aims to provide a holistic solution to everyday ailments that affect our bodies.

Seeped in a legacy of researching nature, Himalaya has successfully been able to harness the science of Ayurveda through cutting-edge research to become a brand that is safe, gentle, and trustworthy. For more information, please visit: himalayawellness.in

About the Akshaya Patra Foundation

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Bengaluru, India, which strives to address issues like hunger and malnutrition in the country. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in government and government-aided schools, Akshaya Patra aims to fight hunger and at the same time, bring children to school. Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked towards reaching out to children with wholesome food on every single school day. The Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and attract curious visitors from around the world.

In partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments, and the inestimable support of many philanthropic donors and well-wishers, Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 schoolchildren across five schools to becoming the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal scheme, serving wholesome food to over 1.8 million children from 19,039 schools across 12 states and 2 union territories in India. For more details, please log on: www.akshayapatra.org

Honda India Power Products Limited Reaches 5 Million Units Production Milestone In February 2022

Honda India Power Products Limited (HIPP), a leading manufacturer of power products in India, successfully crossed 5 million units accumulated production milestone in February 2022. HIPP has been consistently introducing latest technology products with global standards and bringing joy to its customers since 1985. The company has been a trusted partner in progress for its valued customers in line with its vision of “Empower People, To Do Better”.

HIPP launched its first product namely Portable Generator Model EM650 manufactured at its Rudrapur factory in 1988. Buoyed by a strong demand from the customers, the company soon launched other well differentiated Generator models catering to the varying demands from a vast and well diversified market. HIPP made foray into the export markets in 1989 and its products were very well received in the competitive overseas markets. After having enlightened lives of many customers in domestic and overseas markets, HIPP made foray into agriculture by starting production of Engine range in 1991 followed by Water Pump range in 1992. Farmers across India immensely appreciated portable, reliable, and efficient Engines and Water Pumps meeting their timely irrigation, spraying and mechanisation needs. In the year 1995, HIPP established its second manufacturing plant at Puducherry to meet the ever-growing demand. HIPP undertook a major reconsolidation exercise in 2000 and amalgamated its production plants into its present “State-of-the-art” manufacturing facility at Greater Noida thereby achieving economies of scale while pursuing its mission of “Helping people get things done” by manufacturing products that have successfully established themselves as a benchmark for their performance and quality.

Takahiro Ueda, Chairman & Management Director, President & CEO, Honda India Power Products Limited said, “We were able to reach 5 million production units thanks to the support and the cooperation of all the people in India and the local society. Our suppliers and partners stood by us and believed in our common vision – delivering continuously even in acute times such as pandemic and I am grateful for their efforts all along. Our network of dealers, channel partners played excellent role as our extended arms in providing 3S - Sales, Service and Spare Parts support ensuring delightful experience of our customers all along. HIPP will continue to contribute to India and its society as a company that is expected to exist”.

Honeywell Strengthens Partnership With IISC To Boost Startup Ecosystem And Fuel Local Innovation

* Partnership to support 13 startups with seed capital and infrastructure support

Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), the philanthropic arm of Honeywell India, and the Society for Innovation and Development (SID) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have extended their partnership to support 13 new startups to promote research and development (R&D) in deep science and fuel local innovation. HHSIF will provide these startups with seed capital, while SID will offer infrastructure support, access to the right technology, mentoring, and human capital.

Startups focused on R&D in deep science solutions were eligible for funding and support under this partnership. Preference was given to startups with founders from marginalized communities or to those working on solutions that have a direct impact on disadvantaged communities.

Accordingly, startups that have been selected under this round of funding include those working on COVID-19 solutions, developing medical technologies to assist the elderly and differently abled, building eco-friendly specialty fluorescent dyes, creating rapid point of care diagnostics tools for use in limited resource settings, and working on solving issues related to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

“As a technology leader, Honeywell understands the importance of supporting and nurturing startups that are engaged in meaningful research in deep science. We were one of the first companies to dedicate CSR funds to incubate promising technologies. Our partnership with SID is an endeavor towards driving local innovation, fostering a dynamic startup ecosystem and enabling job creation,” said Ashish Gaikwad, Managing Director, Honeywell Automation India Limited and Director, HHSIF.

“At SID, our vision is to inculcate research excellence and nurture startup growth by facilitating access to lab infrastructure, technological support, capital, mentorship, and guidance. We believe that this association with Honeywell will act as a catalyst for technological innovation and lead the way for more corporates to form incubation associations through the CSR route,” said Professor B. Gurumoorthy, Chief Executive, SID, IISc.

Honeywell and SID, IISc entered into a partnership last year to support six startups working on deep science solutions, primarily in the healthcare sector. This partnership seeks to strengthen the country’s startup ecosystem and reinforce technology as a key driver of change.

About Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF)

Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF) is a not-for-profit organization that deploys Honeywell’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts in five critical areas: education, skill and research, gender equality, natural resources and the environment, holistic rural development, and disaster management. HHSIF’s programs include Honeywell STEM Education for Youth, a skilling program for women and youth to build a future-ready workforce; Honeywell Model Village for holistic rural development; Honeywell Start-up Support Program for incubation in deep science; Honeywell Center for Advancing Girls in Science at Avasara Academy to promote STEM education among girls; and Honeywell COVID-19 relief.

About Honeywell

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.

About the Society for Innovation and Development (SID)

Society for Innovation and Development (SID) is the industry interface of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). SID coordinates all industry R&D, collaborative developments and science and technology-based business incubation & transformation activities at IISc. SID’s objective is to translate scientific knowledge into practice for the benefit of society. SID has three divisions – CORE Labs that engages with large corporations for multiyear research; TIME2, that works with MSMEs in seeding disruptive innovation; and STEM Cell that incubates deep science startups. So far, SID has executed over 500 projects and has incubated over 60 deep science startups.

Manipal Academy Of Higher Education To Celebrate National Science Day On Feb 28, 2022

* It is annually celebrated all over India to commemorate discovery of Raman Effect by Sir CV Raman in 1928.

I* t will be hosted at the Auditorium at Manipal School of Life Sciences, MAHE, Manipal

* Students will be awarded for best science models, drawing and elocution competitions

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) will be hosting the National Science Day celebrations at 4.00 PM on 28th February, 2022 at the Auditorium at Manipal School of Life Sciences, MAHE, Manipal. The event will be hosted keeping all the Covid precautions in mind.

Mr. Rohith Chakrathirtha, Eminent Writer, Mathematician and Science Communicator will be Chief Guest of the function and Lt Gen (Dr) M D Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor, MAHE, Manipal will be the guest of honour. Dr H S Ballal, Pro Chancellor, MAHE, Manipal will deliver the Presidential Address.

Ever since 1987, February 28 is designated as National Science Day and it is being annually celebrated all over India to commemorate discovery of Raman Effect by Sir CV Raman in 1928.The objective of designating February 28th as National Science Day is to spread the importance of science and its application to all aspects of human life by showcasing the developments and implementation of science. 

For the past 21 years, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), has been celebrating National Science Day on February 28th by promoting number of activities among the high school and higher primary school children in the region during the preceding two months. In addition, MAHE has been hosting bright and interested students for “Experience the Laboratories” residential hands-on science training at the Manipal School of Life Sciences (MSLS) culminating with science day celebrations.

During this year’s function best science models, drawings and elocution winners will be recognized by the Chief Guest Mr. Rohith Chakrathirtha, Pro Chancellor of MAHE, Dr HS Ballal, Vice Chancellor of MAHE, Lt Gen (Dr) MD Venkatesh and Registrar of MAHE, Dr Narayana Sabhahit.   

TransUnion CIBIL Partners With FICCI On A Unique Nation-Wide MSME Consumer Education Program

* Initiative to reach over one thousand MSMEs across MSME clusters to create credit awareness and help improve their credit profile for easier and faster access to credit

TransUnion CIBIL has partnered with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) to launch a unique nationwide MSME consumer education program that will support MSMEs in gaining awareness of credit management, CIBIL Rank and commercial credit information. The program objective is to empower MSMEs with knowledge on how to build a good credit history and CIBIL Rank to avail easier and faster access to finance. This program will kick off with MSME clusters in Maharashtra, Assam and Tripura and aims to reach thousands of MSMEs across key MSME clusters in India. 

TransUnion CIBIL is committed to supporting banks and credit institutions in sustainable growth of their MSME portfolios while improving reach and driving access to finance for MSMEs. In addition to offering MSME lenders solutions like CIBIL Rank and commercial credit reports for astute lending, TransUnion CIBIL also publishes insights reports like the MSME Pulse in association with SIDBI and the recent Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) analysis report to support policymakers and the industry with market insights on the MSME sector. CIBIL Rank assigns a rank to the MSME based on its credit history data on a scale of 1-10, CIBIL Rank -  1 being the best possible rank and CIBIL Rank - 10 being the riskiest rank.

Commenting on this partnership, the Chief Operating Officer of TransUnion CIBIL, Ms. Harshala Chandorkar, said: “The MSME sector forms the backbone of India’s economy and can act as a catalyst for growth. Insights show that only about one-third of MSMEs in India are served through the formal credit ecosystem, indicating significant opportunities for increasing credit penetration in this key sector. CIBIL Rank and commercial credit information have played a pivotal role in helping credit institutions formulate risk policies, digitize CIBIL Rank based lending and drive faster, easier and more judicious disbursement of loans to MSMEs. With the launch of this program, we aim to drive even greater awareness amongst MSMEs and empower them to build their CIBIL Rank for accessing faster and affordable financial opportunities”

Speaking about the partnership, Ms. Jyoti Vij, Deputy Secretary General, FICCI, said: “Lack of financial awareness is often cited as one of the key roadblocks for MSME development, which is a high priority segment for India’s economic growth. FICCI is delighted to partner with TransUnion CIBIL, India’s pioneer credit information company and a systemically important entity in our country’s financial infrastructure, on this very crucial program for MSME development. By driving credit awareness amongst MSMEs, we aim to contribute to the government’s endeavors on the resurgence of the MSME sector.”   

To assess the impact of the ECLGS, TransUnion CIBIL recently undertook a loan analysis study* based on ECLGS 1.0 and 2.0 disbursals made up to 31 March 2021. As part of this study, TransUnion CIBIL surveyed MSMEs from across geographies. The survey findings indicate that 65% of MSMEs believe that the ECLGS credit infusion has helped their business through financial troubles and 68% were confident about a future positive outlook**. About 85% of respondents also acknowledged that their TransUnion CIBIL credit history has played a critical role in facilitating ECLGS disbursals. 

The liquidity provided under the ECLGS scheme has resulted in a reduction in average credit balances for borrowers availing the scheme. Average balances have dropped by 17% between March 2020 and March 2021 for borrowers availing the scheme compared to a drop of 8% for borrowers not availing the scheme. The very small category of borrowers and micro segment of borrowers reduced their average balance by 33% after availing of the ECLGS facility, whereas small and medium segments showed a balance decrease of 22% and 14% respectively. For all segments, eligible borrowers who did not avail of the facility had a balance decrease of less than 10%.

“With several banks and credit institutions offering better rates of interest for MSMEs with a good CIBIL Rank, it becomes even more vital for MSMEs to understand the composition of CIBIL Rank and its salient features. We believe that this partnership program with FICCI will go a long way in strengthening India’s MSME sector towards its contribution in achieving our economy’s 5 trillion growth objective”, concluded Harshala. 

* Based on Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) data provided by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC), TransUnion CIBIL Ltd has conducted the study to access the impact of ECLGS with an objective to see it from the lens of a borrower, lender and sector at large. The study is based on ECLGS 1.0 and 2.0 disbursals made up to 31 March 2021

** Survey conducted by TransUnion CIBIL based on data provided by NCGTC of MSMEs from across geographies. A sample of 756 responses were analyzed and findings included in the report.  

 About TransUnion CIBIL 

India’s pioneer information and insights company, TransUnion CIBIL makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing an actionable picture of each person so they can be reliably represented in the marketplace.  As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good®. TransUnion CIBIL provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people in India. We serve the financial sector as well as MSMEs, corporate and individual consumers. Our customers in India include banks, financial institutions, NBFCs, housing finance companies, microfinance companies and insurance firms.

For more information visit: www.transunioncibil.com 

About Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)

Established in 1927, FICCI is the largest and oldest apex business organization in India. Its history is closely interwoven with India's struggle for independence, its industrialization, and its emergence as one of the most rapidly growing global economies. 

A non-government, not-for-profit organization, FICCI is the voice of India's business and industry. From influencing policy to encouraging debate, engaging with policy makers and civil society, FICCI articulates the views and concerns of industry. It serves its members from the Indian private and public corporate sectors and multinational companies, drawing its strength from diverse regional chambers of commerce and industry across states, reaching out to over 2,50,000 companies. 

CollegeDekho Group Acquires Getmyuni And IELTSMaterial - Becomes Largest Student Enrollment Platform In India

CollegeDekho Group has acquired Getmyuni and IELTSMaterial to become the largest student enrollment platform in India in a deal valued over INR 50Cr.  

The acquisition enables CollegeDekho Group to hit a 4x revenue run rate growth over its last year’s numbers and scale further to maximise its growth this year. 

CollegeDekho and Getmyuni collectively cater to 50% of all college searches in India. With this partnership, CollegeDekho and Getmyuni collectively become the largest student enrollment platform in the country collectively driving more than 25Cr annual student traffic and facilitating 30K+ enrolments across almost 2000 partner colleges. 

Acquiring IELTSMaterial will also enable CollegeDekho to scale its recently announced online learning vertical CollegeDekho Learn by adding English Testing Exam preparation capabilities for exams like IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, and OET which will further boost its fast-growing study abroad business. 

“Like CollegeDekho, Getmyuni, works with the top universities and helps them with their admission solutions. While CollegeDekho’s focus area continues to fulfil end-to-end enrollment mandates of universities, Getmyuni will continue helping institutes with leads and branding solutions. We envision these as two complementary services, which will enable any university working with us to supercharge their enrolments. The acquisition of IELTSMaterial.com will help us enhance CollegeDekho Learn even further whilst strengthening CollegeDekho Study Abroad too." said Ruchir Arora, Co-Founder and CEO of CollegeDekho. 

"While Getmyuni was anyway a great fit with CollegeDekho Group, we are equally excited about scaling our respective learning verticals given the tremendous success of IELTSMaterial.com, which has hit a 20K online learner run rate in just under a year since inception" said Upneet Grover, Founder and CEO of Getmyuni. 

CollegeDekho Group now runs multiple businesses across student enrollment, study abroad, online learning, education lending and is looking at more avenues for inorganic growth. 

Getmyuni’s founding team will join CollegeDekho’s senior leadership and continue to operate independently as this adds fundamentally additive value to the partner universities. 

CollegeDekho recently raised $ 35mn in its Series B funding round and is fast becoming a leading EdTech juggernaut in the higher education space. 

About CollegeDekho  

Founded in 2015, CollegeDekho is on a mission to institutionalise students’ counselling in India in the higher education space. It connects prospective students with colleges using its proprietary technology and AI-based chat conversation bot. Its Common Application Form platform, which enables students to apply to multiple colleges with a single click, is India’s largest of its kind. Since its inception, CollegeDekho has counselled more than 2 million students and has helped almost 2000 colleges with their student recruitments. For study abroad students, CollegeDekho provides a full range of services from profile building, test preparation, university selection and visa assistance. The company recently announced a Fintech vertical that offers students with end-to-end financial assistance and CollegeDekho Learn, an online learning platform that helps students prepare for their future course of studies and placements. The startup is backed by investors like ETS, an organisation responsible for conducting GRE and TOEFL exams globally. (www.collegedekho.com)