Month: May 2023

~ Demystifying the magic of mother’s food: the perfect blending of love and taste~

 

 MTR Foods, a pioneer in packaged foods, today unveiled a heartwarming digital film in the light of Mother’s Day. Set as a social experiment, the film connects with the audience on a deeper emotional level by showcasing the special bond between mothers and their children through food.

 

The digital film conceptualized and executed by Scrambled Egg Productions is based on the insight that mother’s food is always made with the irreplaceable, special ingredient of love.  The film is set as a social experiment where MTR tests this out with three young children. They are given a variety of food options and asked to identify the dish made by their mother. Each child has a unique experience – one recognizes a heart-shaped idli, the second a soft and delicious gulab jamun and the third identifies the taste of his mother’s sambar.

 

Watch the brand film here:

 

The campaign drives home the message that every mother’s food has a secret ingredient called love, in an endearing way that is sure to resonate with all mothers.

 

Commenting on the campaign, Prerna Tiku, GM Marketing, MTR Foods said, “MTR has been a friend to mothers across generations. In fact, we take pride in co-creating our recipes with them. Our Mother’s Day campaign pays a tribute to Mothers and celebrates special yet universally known mother’s love, expressed through her food.

 

The film reinforces our commitment to be her ally, offering her a range of great quality products that help her delight her family”

 

In conclusion, MTR Foods’ Mother’s Day campaign aims to emotionally connect with viewers and highlight the brand’s commitment to offer authentic, high-quality food made with love. The digital film will be amplified through Instagram-led contests and stories. Additionally, the campaign will be supported by micro-influencer engagements. 

LoveMySmile, a brand dedicated to enhancing people's smiles — recently had the opportunity to host a team of students from Harvard Business School in New Delhi for one week as part of a required course called the FIELD Immersion. LoveMySmile is one of the 171 FIELD Immersion Project Partners spanning across 15 cities in 15 states. Together these Partners combined to host more than 1,000 Harvard Business School students in all.

 

LoveMySmile's project revolves around designing an engagement module that would help the brand to engage customers throughout the journey, who use their aligners diligently and build successful habits with the product resulting in best outcomes.

 

Amarinder Singh, CEO, LoveMySmile, says “LoveMySmile is proud to associate with Harvard Business School for the field immersion project. We've always identified ourselves as an innovative solution provider with emphasis upon grassroots level execution and continuous learning along the way and I hope the same would surely help the HBS interns to excel at their respective module.”

 

The FIELD Immersion is a course designed to strengthen and develop students’ ability to manage and operate effectively in a variety of business contexts. LoveMySmile executives have been working with the team remotely in the months leading up to their arrival. While here, the students pitching their ideas to the leadership team, conducting field research with consumers around Delhi and presenting their final recommendations to management. The purpose of this immersive experience is to provide students with the opportunity to ’learn by doing’ through the challenge of introducing a new product, service or customer experience for their Partner company. This requires students to also focus on building contextual intelligence and team effectiveness skills while delivering value in an unfamiliar context.

 

Harvard is quick to acknowledge that this important learning experience would not be possible without the Project Partners.

 

“We are extremely grateful to LoveMySmile and all the FIELD Immersion Project Partners organizations for all they do on behalf of our students,” said Carrie Elkins, Professor of Business Administration and Faculty Chair for the FIELD Immersion. “The students benefit immeasurably from this experience and we hope the partner organizations do as well.”

 

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                      •               CenturyPly launched new product ‘Sainik Laminates’

·         CenturyPly to launch its first ESG report in July

India’s leading plywood company, Century Plyboards (India) Ltd., held its board meeting today to announce the company’s Q4 financial results for the quarter ending March 31^st, 2023.

Highlights:

1.        Q4FY23 revenue, EBITDA and PAT at all time high

2.       Standalone Revenue at Rs 961.81 crore and PAT at Rs 112.79 crore

3.       Impressive numbers driven by strong operational performance of plywood division in particular

Business Outlook:

Commenting on the company’s performance, Mr. Sajjan Bhajanka, Chairman, Century Plyboards (I) Ltd said, “Despite the challenging demand scenario and sustained inflationary environment, CPIL managed to achieve its highest ever quarterly revenue, EBITDA and profitability in Q4FY23. CPIL achieved revenues of Rs 962 crore in Q4FY23 – reporting a growth of 7.4%/9.6% on YoY/QoQ basis. At EBITDA level we did Rs 176 crores (18.1% margins) as against Rs 166.15 crores (18.6% margins) in Quarter 4 of last year. Profit after tax was at Rs 112.79 crores as against Rs 91.03 crore YoY.”

In some measure of CenturyPly’s aggressive expansion plan, the company has made capital endowments to bolster their horizon across the country. The company is authorizing additional MDF plants with investments of more than 600 crore by the second quarter of financial year 2023-2024. The company’s growth in the recent past has been steady leading to significant revenues. With facilities, CenturyPly is planning to optimise and expand capacity wherever there is a possibility.

At Hoshiarpur, the company is devising plywood plant alongside the MDF plant at Hoshiarpur in H2 FY 2023-2024. The plyboard expansion model in Chennai which is likely to materialise by March 2025 is also in the pipeline. In addition to that the company is sinking 500 crores for particle board in Tamil Nadu. The upcoming HPL (High Pressure Laminates) Line project in Andhra Pradesh has been commenced and is expected to come into force by end of FY 2023-2024. The company is preparing to invest 200 crores on the project.

 

~ Starting May 15, 2023, until October 25, 2023, passengers will be able to avail this offer every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (GMT + 7) (*Taxes & Fees included) ~

 

VietJet, Vietnam's largest private airline, has further announced a new Indian-tailored promotion to better meet the needs of its Indian passengers travelling on all routes flying across Vietnam. Starting from May 15, 2023, until October 25, 2023, passengers will be able to purchase this super deal ticket priced from INR 5,555(*) on every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (GMT + 7).

 

Passengers can avail this offer at www.vietjetair.com and VietJet Air mobile app for all the routes connecting Vietnam (HCMC/Hanoi) and India (Mumbai/New Delhi/Ahmedabad). The offer is available for flights from August 1,2023 until December 15, 2023.

 

Additionally, passengers who purchase a flight ticket between May 10 and August 15, 2023, can receive an e-voucher worth INR 350 [approx. 100,000 VND (***)]. The e-voucher can be redeemed on the purchase of next flight ticket to all domestic Vietnamese flights and Vietjet's international networks, valid from August 10 until December 31, 2023. To learn more, visit https://evoucher.vietjetair.com/.

 

Furthermore, members who join the Vietjet SkyJoy reward programme will receive 500 SkyPoints (**). Passengers can enhance the benefit by redeeming Vietjet flight tickets and more than 250 culinary, shopping, and travel brands from around the world via the SkyJoy application or at https://skyjoy.vietjetair.com/.

 

To serve its Indian Passengers better, the airline is offering its passengers soft leather seats, SkyBoss Business class and entertained light parties on its modern wide-body aircraft A330. The airline will additionally serve Indian cuisine prepared from accredited Indian restaurants on its flights to ensure its passengers’ comfortability, ethnic and religious diversity.

 

(*) Including taxes and fees

(**) Excluding holdiays in India and Vietnam

(***) Terms and Conditions applied

PayNearby, India’s leading branchless banking and digital network, today launched PayNearby Mall—a meta commerce platform to enable easy availability of good and services, in an assisted mode at the last mile. This will soon be integrated with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform. With this initiative, PayNearby aims to upgrade every retailer, in its million+ active network, to benefit from the ongoing e-commerce revolution, including the ONDC platform.

Within hours of the launch, the company shared that more than 6000+ retailers have upgraded themselves into a mall. More than 100+ retailers have ordered over 250+ orders. The most popular categories included mobile phones and accessories, home appliances, groceries and textiles while many searched for two wheelers also. PayNearby Mall is envisioned as a meta-commerce platform that will empower every retailer and seller, from big merchants and e-commerce platforms to local sellers and small businesses (through ONDC) meet the unmet demand of their customers, both locally and across a wider market PAN India. It will help retailers expand their market, run a more profitable business with no additional working capital requirement and use technology to make all forms of services available at the last mile.

It will also benefit crores of consumers in Bharat with wider choices, giving them a seamless, affordable one-stop-shopping experience at a nearby store. Customers can walk into their nearest PayNearby store and with the help of the local retailer, discover any seller, product or service at the most optimal price point. It will enable an optimal demand and supply match, fuelling the growth of our local economies and overall financial health of our country.

Commenting on the development, Anand Kumar Bajaj, Founder, MD & CEO, PayNearby, said, “With the past 18 months of work, we are finally thrilled to present PayNearby Mall, an initiative to elevate every trusted small store in Bharat into a super mall. With this feature, we look to empower local sellers and buyers and give them a user-friendly platform to discover products and sellers, compare prices, and make purchases with ease. It will help digitally overhaul small businesses gearing them towards a better livelihood and bringing them at par with the current times. Trust augmented.

With PayNearby Mall, e-commerce will now be accessible, easy and pocket-friendly, allowing retailers in Bharat to offer ‘Sab Kuchh’ from their stores. Retailers will no longer be limited by working capital, store size or shelf space. All they would need is their PayNearby/NeoDukaan app to offer worldwide inventory to their customers, supported by 50+ brands/ partners, at the click of a button. We will soon integrate with ONDC too, so that local goods and sellers can reach their full potential and serve the growing demands of ambitious and unstoppable Bharat at the last mile.

PayNearby Mall is an important step towards our vision of creating a truly digital ecosystem for retail in India. It comes at a time when the retail industry in India is undergoing a rapid transformation. It is a forerunner to our upcoming ONDC initiative, which will further democratise access to digital commerce for businesses of all sizes. We are excited about the potential of this platform to create value for our retail partners and customers alike. We believe that by empowering local retailers, we can accelerate the growth of the digital economy across Bharat and soon make 'Digital India' a reality. PayNearby Mall brings every retailer in the country an opportunity to succeed and actively contribute to India's digital economy and fulfil their Zidd Aage Badhne Ki!”

 

The growing number of women business owners in India gives the economy a significant boost. Women’s increased participation in the workforce has created jobs and helped millions of families lead a better life. Over 20% of women in India are the owners of MSME businesses, which are regarded as the foundation of the economy. They make up more than 23% of the work market, and U GRO Capital, a Data-Tech NBFC supports these MSMEs to reach their full potential with customized credit solutions and timely finance.

U GRO Capital takes inspiration from the Women Entrepreneurs of India who nurture their business like their baby and has launched #MinutesOfAMompreneur (M.O.M.), a digital campaign that recognizes all women entrepreneurs for their leadership skills and their dominance in new-age industries. U GRO Capital is India’s first data driven underwriting platform which uses the power of GST, Banking and repayment behavior on Bureau for credit decisioning. The Company has observed that when there is a woman partner, stakeholder, or guarantor, the borrowers are more credit conscious.

U GRO Capital’s majority of INR 6,000 Cr. loan portfolio has at least one-woman borrower participating on the loan structure, and with M.O.M., it applauds all the women entrepreneurs for their commendable business skills, high-precision work and better productivity levels. The Company plans to showcase the MSMEs led by its women borrowers to encourage and promote entrepreneurship among all women entrepreneurs across India. As a run-up to the Mother’s Day, U GRO plans to engage with around 1 million women across social media, hear their story, share, and take inspiration and collaborate with them to provide quality credit so that they can scale up their business.

Speaking about #MinutesOfAMompreneur, Monika Kapoor, Business Head, Secured and Unsecured at U GRO capital said, “I have seen a large number of women borrowers running their business more efficiently due to their superior qualities of multi-tasking, high risk appetite, adaptability and higher EQ. Women are far more disciplined with their financial behavior with their inherent nurturing skill. With this campaign we want to inspire all women across India who wish to take a leap in to entrepreneurship by sharing stories of successful women founders.”

A true disciple of Rabindranath Tagore and a firm believer of Gurudev’s philosophy that emphasizes education in one’s mother tongue, Home Minister Amit Shah said the National Education Policy (NEP) has been modelled on that philosophy of Tagore essentially to help ignite a child’s capacity of thinking & researching and explore her inner self. 

“Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore always laid great emphasis on education in one’s mother tongue. A child’s capacity for thinking and research is severely restricted if he/she cannot speak in his/her mother tongue. The New Education Policy, formulated under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has taken inspiration from the thoughts of Gurudev and given thrust on education in the mother tongue,” Shah said.

A voracious reader of Rabindranath’s immortal creations, the Home Minister said Gurudev’s idea of using the mother’s tongue for imparting education is exemplary across the world. Gurudev believed that glorifying foreign education and universities should not be the goal of our education system. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore put forth this new idea of education as opposed to education by rote learning.

“In Santiniketan, Tagore amalgamated the ancient Indian knowledge system with modern learning techniques. Tagore gave maximum impetus to learning in the mother tongue. He knew one could not explore his inner self without the use of his mother tongue. In the National Education Policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greatly inspired by these aspects and incorporated them into the NEP,” Shah said.

Shah said the formation of Santiniketan with the Nobel Prize money was no less revolutionary in those days. Tagore introduced the spirit of India to the world. His continuous efforts were to break barriers and to make young students free from mugging up lessons, to light the lamp of knowledge inside one's spirit.

 “Not the education system introduced by the Britishers and certainly not the parrot-learning methods, Kaviguru introduced an education system that could ensure the infinite evolution of human potential through Santiniketan. This is a legacy we all should cherish and feel proud of before the world. In a way, Gurudev introduced India's soul to the entire world,” he said.

Shah said he was amazed to learn how, despite being a son of a Zamindar family of Bengal, Rabindranath could express the thoughts of ideas of common people of this earth so eloquently.

Paying rich tribute to Rabindranath, Shah said Kaviguru was a global personality in true sense and contributed not just to art in India, but across various disciplines globally.

The educational experiments conducted in Santiniketan are exemplary for educationists across the globe and showcase a new vision of education for the entire world. He said that all the people associated with the field of education in India should take responsibility to strengthen the experiment of Santiniketan and put emphasis on it globally. Shah said that the university should act as an active medium for the exchange of ideas.

Shah said that Gurudev's thoughts continue to guide our nation even today. Gurudev's free thought for politics, social life, art and patriotism is unlike the kind of narrow-mindedness that we see in politics now. Shah said that Gurudev's thoughts are equally relevant and inspirational even today and his thoughts are the wealth for India and the whole world. (ends)