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Category: New Age Enterprises

  • Tips to Help You Easily Get Through the Hassle of Getting an Education Loan

    Mr. Amit Gupta, MD, SAG Infotech
    Mr. Amit Gupta, MD, SAG Infotech

    By CA Amit Gupta, MD, SAG infotech

    When looking to study in a prestigious institute in India or abroad, you might need to take an education loan to meet the increasing cost of higher education. There are many factors that will affect whether the education loan process is going to be easier for you or not.

    In this article, we talk about some valuable tips that can help smooth the process of getting an education loan for students in India.

    Getting an education loan, especially a big one for studying abroad, is not as simple as it might sound. The process of getting an education loan in India can be troublesome and lengthy. This is because a lender will consider everything from your credit history and the loan amount to the type of institution to which you’re planning to get admission.

    Here’s everything you can do to ensure a smooth education loan process:

    Choose a Reputable Institute

    The more famous the institute, the better are your chances to get your education loan approved. This is because it is easier for the lender to trust a reputable institute and it will boost their confidence in your ability to pay back the loan after graduating from that institute.

    Many students choose a foreign institute that costs less but is also less known or unheard of. This, however, might make the process of getting an education loan difficult or the lender might ask for high-value collateral or security against the loan.

    If you are confused, simply ask your bank or lender for the list of universities and courses for which they can offer special benefits such as lower interest rates and/or no collateral.

    Choose the Lender Carefully

    Thanks to the growing number of private lenders and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) in India, there is no shortage of options for someone looking to get a loan. That said, banks aren’t your only option to get an education loan for higher studies.

    Trying your luck across multiple lenders, including banks, NBFCs and other private organisations, both Indian and international (for study abroad), will open more doors for you and increase the probability of getting a loan easily and quickly.

    When selecting a lender, compare your options based on the rate of interest, loan terms, repayment period, and the need for collateral, among other things.

    Maintain a Good Credit Score

    Another thing that you would need to ensure an easy loan process is a good credit score. A credit score is decided based on your lending and repayment history. If you have ever taken out a loan or used credit cards, you may already have a credit score, which you can check for free online.

    Having a good credit score means that you can be trusted to pay back your loans on time, which increases your chances of getting an education loan quickly.

    Look for Alternatives

    When looking to study in a prestigious institution, consider alternatives such as scholarships to afford the cost of education. Many institutions offer scholarships to students based on their academics and extracurricular activities.

    See if you are eligible for any of this. Even if you can manage to get a partial scholarship from a respected organisation such as the Tata Group, getting a loan for the rest of the amount should become much easier as the lender might be much more inclined to trust a scholarship holder as a candidate for an education loan.

  • XLRI conducts CXO Session for PGDM(GM) batch with Mr. Ritesh Chopra

    Ritesh Chopra

    Mr. Ritesh Chopra, Partner & Chief Operating Officer of KPMG Global Services Pvt. Ltd., was guest speaker for students of the XLRI PGDM (GM) 2022-23 batch for a CXO session aimed at giving the students insights and learnings from the corporate world.

    The event began with an inaugural address by Urvashi Kaul, XLRI Jamshedpur, who welcomed Mr. Chopra.
    During the session, Mr. Chopra spoke about learnings from his journey which can be applied at all levels in the corporate world.

    He stressed the importance of deeply understanding one’s role, and that you derive success if business leaders under you succeed. He spoke about teamwork and complementing rather than competing against each other.

    XLRI conducts CXO Session

    He also spoke about continuously developing critical skills, emphasizing transformation skills. Being agile in today’s business environment requires shifting to new gear every day. Covid taught us to be agile, with how the business model changed overnight as everything moved to virtual platforms.

    As a leader, he highlighted how critical it was to build a strong team around yourself. An empowered and self-sufficient team is crucial for the success of a leader.

    He talked about learning from failure and embracing the journey. Growth will come to if you push your boundaries; there is no shortcut in life.

    Some of the key skills he stressed for the students were a fair understanding of finance, operating under ambiguity, managing stakeholders and expectations, being curious, strategic thinking, and influencing outcomes.

    Mr. Chopra then answered a number of questions from the students on a range of topics.

    The session ended with a vote of thanks by Shivank Chaudhary, and XLRI Jamshedpur.

    The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to Mr. Ritesh Chopra and do not necessarily represent the views of KPMG Global Services Pvt. Ltd.

  • MSc Financial Technology launched by Essex Business School of University of Essex to develop graduates ready to meet the FinTech challenge

    University of Essex Colchester Campus - Reflection

    New Delhi, December 2022: The launch of the digital rupee in India shows how fast technology is transforming our financial system – creating new services, products and even currencies.

    In response to the new opportunities emerging in the finance sector thanks to the latest technology, Essex Business School at the University of Essex is launching a new MSc in Financial Technology (FinTech).

    The master course established by leading FinTech expert Professor Franco Fiordelisi offers three routes – finance, economics and computer science – depending on the focus and career aspirations of the student.

    Professor Franco Fiordelisi, Professor of Banking and Finance, University of Essex, said: “I realised that traditional Masters in finance are not able to train students for the new challenges that technology is giving to the financial system. Fintech cannot be addressed from a single
    perspective, such as the economic, financial, engineering, and physical ones. Fintech requires a specific program merging these different perspectives. Fintech needs a specific program to be well-addressed.

    “Our programme combines the skills from the Department of Economics, Essex Business School and the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering. Professor Fiordelisi is President of the Financial Intermediation Network of European Studies Bank, and the Federal Reserve of New York. 

    This gives him an insight into the skills and knowledge needed by FinTech graduates. “Our students will have a wide perspective of the Fintech world and will also be trained in programming and coding in Python,” said Professor Fiordelisi.

    “Our programme is also flexible, so the student can choose modules on their interest to go deep into the area they will be most interested in, including investments, asset management, banking, risk management and monetary policy.”

    According to Professor Fiordelisi, the pace and impact of technology are increasing in the financial sector.

    “Fintech is the new paradigm in finance,” he said. “Technology has initially affected how financial services are delivered, but now it has created new financial products, new currencies, a new form of financial exchanges and, finally, new financial players.

    “Traditional financial players have to compete with these new players that, although smaller in the size of financial transactions compared to the traditional financial system, are vastly growing and are a serious threat to traditional players.

    “Even regulators have to face the challenges driven by technological advances, leading to a new form of regulation/supervision and, likely, to a new form of traditional currency (such as the digital euro and the Indian digital rupee).

    “Technology is also impacting how traditional financial intermediaries work: machine learning, artificial intelligence, deep learning, big data, and blockchain are new tools that financial companies are deeply using for transactional data analysis and improvising their risk management and compliance activities.”

    Essex Business School has an international reputation for finance research and academic work alongside the financial industry, regulators, and policymakers both in the UK (for example, at the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of England) and internationally (such as the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve, and the Bank for International Settlements).

    Teaching is grounded in contemporary issues and professional practice, supported by industry- standard facilities like the Bloomberg virtual trading floor. The University of Essex is ranked in the Top 200 for Business and Economics in THE World University Rankings by Subject 2022 and in the top 200 for Accounting and Finance in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022.

    Pic Source: prhub

  • Utsav Educational & Cultural Society-ranjana’s Odissi Dance Academy Presents Vinod Kevin Bachan in “SUTRA- The Tales that NEVER Ends”

    Padmashree & SNA Awardee, Smt. Ranjana Gauhar
    Founder – President
    Utsav – Educational & Cultural Society

    I am happy to inform you that Utsav has shaped several talented artists and Vinod Kevin Bachan, a former scholarship holder from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations an empanelled artist of ICCRis one such student of Odissi Dance from Trinidad & Tobago. Kevin will present ‘SUTRA’ – choreographies by Vinod under my guidance.

    Through my cultural institution-Utsav, I have been training young students in the art of Odissi dance. My perseverance has resulted in the grooming and shaping of some very bright and talented young dancers who are actively performing on several national and international platforms.

    Sutra

    Vinod Kevin Bachan is one such example who can set the stage alive with his vibrancy, confidence, and graceful dance. His performance will be held on the 21st December 2022 at 7:00 PM, Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi wherein he will be presenting two choreographies.

    “Rasa Rang” anodiya based piece showcases the love ballet of Krishna with Radha and her sakhis through dance in the forest. In the forest, they are colouring each other with their love whilst dancing amongst the flora and fauna in the forest.

    “BhoomiSuta”- are episodes on Sita’s life taken from the Ramayana. It focuses on Sita’s inner voice, her thoughts, her feelings and emotions and how she faces each and every situation that she has faced.

  • Orchids the International School Opens Its First Branch in Rohtak

    ROHTAK FRONT VIEW

    Rohtak, December 14, 2022: Orchids The International School(OIS), the leading K12 school chain in India, has opened its first branch on Gohana Road, Rohtak. Open to admissions starting from the next academic year ( April 2023), the school will have grades from nursery to grade 8, with amenities at par with the standards of international schools in the cities.

    The school has been built on a sprawling area of around 2 lakh square feet. OIS Rohtak is designed to accommodate over 1,000 students providing plenty of green space with best-in-class amenities for the students which include technology-enabled classrooms, scholastic and non-scholastic lesson plans, phoenix language training for the computers, fully equipped child-friendly and safe kids’ play areas, an infirmary, music room and art studio.

    The campus will provide best-in-class sports facilities to students who are sports enthusiasts with a swimming pool, football ground, skating rink, handball, volleyball, and basketball court. The school will also focus on training in foreign languages such as French and the curriculum is specifically designed with experiential learning in focus. Special attention is to be given to all the specially-abled children on the campus with counselors to be appointed as “shadow teachers” and special care in the classrooms.

    Speaking at the school launch, Dr. Kavita Nagpal, VP – Of academics (North) at Orchids The International School said, “Orchids is determined to bring quality education to every corner of the country. We are excited to establish our presence in Rohtak – with our first branch.. We are here to offer a holistic learning experience of International schooling to our students.”

  • 5 Websites for Online Certification Courses

    CTE

    A quick and efficient way to learn new abilities is through online courses. You may take a course from the convenience of your home, and they are less expensive than traditional programs.

    With the recent advancements in technology and the emergence of the global pandemic that resulted in widespread lockdowns, the popularity and usefulness of online educational courses are increasing.

    Students in India have access to a wide variety of free online courses with credentials through numerous online learning venues and platforms. The greatest websites for online courses are listed in this guide, and they cover a wide range of subjects, such as Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Data Science, Software Engineering, and much more.

    Accredited educational institutions and online learning platforms provide all courses online. The list also features several excellent, free online courses that are well worth your time in addition to the premium programs.

    (CTE) Consortium For Technical Education

    CTE is a nonprofit organization that aims to bridge the gap between academics and the technical industry through its cutting-edge programs and services. CTE provides learners with a competitive advantage in today’s demanding environment and gives more exposure to new technology and lateral thinking. CTE caters to the demand and supply mismatch in the industry and strategically plans to train and upskill the students by offering a bespoke training programme developed by Industry Experts and deliver through its LMS portal.

    SWAYAM

    It is a government-sponsored initiative that aims to uphold the three guiding principles of Indian education policy—access, equity, and excellence. The goal of this initiative is to make the best teaching and learning tools available to everyone, even the most disadvantaged. SWAYAM aims to close the digital divide for students who, up until now, have not experienced the digital revolution and are unable to participate in the knowledge economy.

    Coursera

    In order to provide adaptable, cheap, and career-relevant online learning to people and organizations around the world, Coursera collaborates with more than 275 top universities and businesses. Coursera provides a variety of learning options, ranging from practical projects and classes to degree and certificate programmes that prepare students for employment.

    Infosys Springboard

    In alignment with the Infosys ESG Vision 2030 to enable digital skills at scale, Infosys Springboard has been identified as a flagship digital learning platform to empower people, communities, and society with skills to be successful in the 21st Century. This integrated digital learning and collaboration platform, Infosys Springboard includes content spanning across digital learning, emerging technologies, and life skills. This program is led by a dedicated team of experts collaborating globally with the Infosys Education Training and Assessment (ETA) team, curriculum partners, non-profits and a global network of leading educational institutions.

    Udemy

    On the Udemy platform, educators can create online courses on the subjects they find most interesting. Instructors can upload videos, source code for programmers, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, audio files, ZIP files, and any other materials that students would find useful using Udemy’s course construction tools.

  • Plum, India’s first 100% vegan beauty brand, launches “Project Blackboard”- an initiative to support girl child education

    India, 14 Dec 2022:  

    Plum, India’s first 100% vegan beauty brand, with a philosophy of “Goodness that Delivers” is all set to roll out ‘Project Blackboard’ – an initiative to support girl child education. Nearly 40% of adolescent girls in India lack access to education*, stemming this thought, the brand has unveiled a digital film executed by Famous Innovations featuring Plum’s Founder and CEO- Shankar Prasad urging the audience to take one step in the right direction today that can create a positive impact for generations to come.

    What happens when one little girl goes to school? She becomes an inspiration for millions of others. Her education not just empowers her, but also drives many others to go to school, and has the potential to improve countless lives around her. And this is exactly what Plum captures in its commemorative film. With the traditional multiplication tables forming a musical backdrop, the film opens in an empty classroom and travels through an empty school, with the voices of many more little girls reading out their tables. An interplay of little girls’ names and the crescendo of “multiplying” voices capture the joy of more and more girls inspiring each other to come to school. Beautiful cinematography, real people, and memorable music together pay a fitting tribute to the noble objectives of Plum’s initiative ‘Project Blackboard’.

    As part of the initiative, the brand along with its brand ambassador Rashmika Mandanna flipped text on their social media handles for a day to show how little girls feel when they don’t know how to read. Plum also roped in Ananya Pandey and Mithila Palkar to mobilize even more support for the cause.

    Speaking about the initiative, Shivani Behl, Chief Marketing Officer, Plum, said, “At Plum, we have always believed in the goodness that delivers – be it through our efficacious products or through our innovative recycling initiatives. With Project Blackboard we wish to further solidify our intent to add value to people’s lives and especially the girl child, who holds the key to a happier future for all of us. The campaign intends to bring to light the multiplier effect of girl child education and the simple joy of seeing children learn in school.”

    Echoing similar sentiments, Anvesha Sinha, Account Director, Famous Innovations – the agency behind the conceptualization of the brand film, said, “What’s a classroom without the pitter patter of its young students. That’s the spirit that Plum wanted to bring alive with its new campaign and initiative #ProjectBlackboard. The campaign builds on the simple insight that when one girl goes to school, she inspires a hundred others.”

    The brand will be collaborating with multiple NGOs for the initiative. The campaign is currently being initiated with Save the Children, India’s leading independent child rights NGO, who, since their inception have impacted the lives of more than 14 million children across 16 states. Under this initiative, whenever a customer chooses a Plum product, a part of the sales proceeds will go towards girl child education.

    To drive more awareness about this cause, the brand has undertaken innovative and fun activities across media touchpoints and also collaborated with several content platforms. Perhaps most tellingly, the brand sent out PR kits sent to key opinion leaders and a host of influencers with the message: “This is NOT for you”.The kits which are school bags with essentials have been given with the simple request that it should go to a little girl who needs it.

    And with this, the power of education continues to multiply.

    TVC Details:

    • Agency: Famous Innovations
    • Production House: DarkHorse Productions
    • Producer: Rishikesh Pawar, Sakshi Gupta
    • Director: Shankar Kamble
    • DOP: Kevin Crasta

  • Integrated Approach to Local Governments: A Study on Vertical Collaboration

    New study offers insights into the importance of vertical collaboration with the higher government for the sustainable functioning of municipalities.

    The traditional recourse to improve the efficiency of municipalities has been to strengthen inter-municipal cooperation. In an effort to maintain the autonomy of these local governments, building relationships with higher governments have largely remained under-surveyed. In order to address this issue, Prof. Yu Noda from Doshisha University, Japan, has undertaken an exploration of the potential of building better vertical relationships with data from Japanese municipalities and found that it led to more benefits.

    One of the major hindrances to the functioning of local governments is the lack of sufficient funds. Therefore, fiscal efficiency is the foremost factor that determines the productivity of a local government.

    In a new study published first on October 25, 2022, in the journal Public Administration Review, Prof. Yu Noda from the Faculty of Policy Studies at Doshisha University, Japan, examined waste management—a capital-intensive service—in the local municipal areas in Japan as an example of how “vertical” collaboration with higher governments can help local municipalities achieve efficiency in administrative functioning.

    Fiscal efficiency in the local governments can be achieved through collaboration, which helps in mitigating risks and gaining benefits. Now traditionally, this collaboration has been fostered with other regional municipalities because of the already existing trust and cooperation engendered over time among such bodies. These are psychological factors that enable smooth functioning of the municipalities. Such a “horizontal” collaboration is fiscally sound because it reduces transaction costs.

    Horizontal relationships in the form of contracted services also help to improve service quality. With the foundation of strong trust and ties across municipalities, contracted services ensure greater benefits. They enable a smooth, organic integration with low political costs. Although it dilutes autonomy of the local government to some extent in terms of managing services in the region, it can still hold the reins of regional governance by deciding the manner of integration with such services.

    In addition to the horizontal collaborations, this study explains the importance of another aspect of this integration—a “vertical” collaboration with the higher governments. “Democracy is based on the autonomous policy-making of local governments, but for fiscal efficiency, the appropriate involvement of higher-level government is rather crucial. As taxpayers pay taxes to both basic and higher levels of government, we need to reassess and monitor the division of roles between them,” says Prof. Noda. This vertical collaboration was found to accrue more benefits for the municipalities. Even though the transaction costs were found to increase, the overall benefits arising out of this collaboration more than made up for the rise in transaction costs.

    It was believed earlier that municipal cooperation alone would be sufficient to overcome fiscal problems. However, this study demonstrated that both vertical and horizontal relationships are required for the better functioning of local governments. The study also found that establishment of special district governments improved the efficiency of municipalities by enforcing fiscal distribution. But, collaborative benefits, including such efficiency, were higher when there were better horizontal ties within the regional government.

    While the horizontal collaborations increased the municipal capacity to solve regional issues, vertical collaboration led to a more efficient and integrated approach. Horizontal collaborations can only help to a certain extent. When severe financial difficulties strike, help from the higher government becomes necessary. “In 5 or 10 years’ time, municipalities may be facing more financial difficulties, and in such cases, not only inter-municipal cooperation, but also appropriate commitment from higher level governments such as prefectures and the national government could increase the financial efficiency of the municipalities,” explains Prof. Noda.

    This study offers novel insights into the importance of establishing vertical relationships, an area that has thus far largely been ignored. This research will pave the way to a sounder-working ecosystem of local governments in the future through an integrated framework.

  • D A Prasanna’s to announce the release of the book on “Innovate Locally to Win Globally”

    D A Prasanna's to announce

    Bengaluru 13th December 2022: India’s high-growth tech hub will witness two innovation stalwarts, Prasanna and Arun Tiwari narrate success stories on laying the foundation and growth of the Indian MedTech Industry through their book “Innovate Locally to Win Globally”.

    The book will be released today at the Bengaluru International Centre between 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM and will be presented by the Prasanna School of Public Health, the event will have deliberation through panel discussions on “Innovating affordable diagnostics”, “Innovative models in the government system and cancer care”, “Innovation and pandemic challenge”, and “Building a $50B market in India.”

    Prof Dr. Helmut Brand, Founding Director, Prasanna School of Public Health; Shri R Sachidananda, Former VP Marketing, Wipro GE HealthCare; Dr. Harit Chaturvedi, Chairperson, Max Institute of Cancer Care; and Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Founder, Mahajan Diagnostics Chain, will chair the panels.

    Authored by D A Prasanna and Arun Tiwari the book is an experiential narrative of the journey of the stalwarts as they reshaped the technology innovation landscape of the country. Affordability is a signature of Indian healthcare, making it a market that is the best inspiration for affordable and innovative solutions. Studded with rare pictures of luminaries and historical moments, the 18 chapters of the book inspire the indomitable spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship as it presents candid chronicles of the success of Indians globally.

    Author D.A Prasanna Said “Innovate locally to win globally” is his joint work with Arun Tiwari, a missile scientist, innovator, and well-known author best known as the co-author of “Wings of Fire” along with the most revered Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India who continues to be both an inspiration and pride to every Indian. The book is a must-read as it instills the reader with the mantra “Nothing the impossible”

    D A Prasanna is an engineer from the National Institute of Engineering, Mysore, and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. Well-known as the architect of Wipro HR policies, including the acclaimed Wipro Leadership program, DA Prasanna was instrumental in transforming the business ecosystem with a chain of technological disruptions at GE in toe with the “Make in India” innovation paradigms. He also founded the world’s leading CRO in regenerative medicine and diagnostics. As Executive Chairman of the Manipal Group, he corporatized education and healthcare delivery without compromises on fundamental ethics and values. As the chief patron of the Prasanna School of Public health, he envisions public health innovations for societal wellness.

  • 7-year-old Sharvaanica from Hatsun Chess Academy emerges as champion in 16th Asian Schools Chess Championships 2022 held in Kaluthara, Srilanka

    Sharvaanica

    Mumbai: 13th, December 2022: Sharvaanica A.S, a budding Chess player training at Hatsun Chess Academy has emerged as the Champion in three formats of the 16th Asian Schools Chess Championships 2022 held in Srilanka. Shaarvanica has won three titles in the categories namely Asian Schools U 7 rapid champion, Asian Schools U 7 Blitz champion, and Asian Schools U 7 Champion classical. 7-year-old Shaarvanica hails from Udayarpalayam, a small village in the Ariyalur district. Shadhursshaan. R, a member of Hatsun Chess Academy, won the bronze medal for Asian schools’ U-15 division.

    The Championship tournament is conducted under the aegis of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) and the World Chess Federation. The event was organized by the chess federation of Sri Lanka. Over 46 players from 13 countries participated in the event. The 8 days tournament started on 3rd December 2022 and concluded on 10th December 2022.

    Speaking on the occasion, Indian Grandmaster V Vishnu Prasanna, Head Coach, Hatsun Chess Academy said “Sharvaanica A.S is a brilliant player who has never missed out on a training session and this victory is a result of hard work. she has been constantly winning in all the tournaments. We value the passion of every athlete and encourage them by giving them opportunities, to perform their best.”