India’s youngest entrepreneur, the 13-year-old founder of Papers N Parcels wins honour at the India Maritime Awards

  A special felicitation was given to Tilak Mehta during the awards function organised by Daily Shipping Times and attended by the captains of the logistics and maritime industry

  Tilak Mehta, the 13-year-old founder of the Mumbai-based courier company Papers N Parcels and India’s youngest entrepreneur, was given a special felicitation at the 3^rd edition of the prestigious India Maritime Awards constituted by Daily Shipping Times, the pioneer and the oldest among shipping newspapers. The awards function held in the city on Friday was attended by the captains and who’s-who of the shipping and the logistics industry.

Tilak Mehta was honoured for being the country’s and the logistic and maritime sector’s youngest entrepreneur and for having pioneered a digital disruption in courier services industry. His company, Papers N Parcels, marries the power of mobile technology with the efficiency of the Mumbai dabbawala network for a courier-delivery service that’s faster, cheaper and much more reliable.

Speaking about the achievement, Tilak Mehta, Founder, Papers N Parcels, said: “I am extremely thrilled and honoured that India Maritime Awards chose to felicitate me amidst the presence of the bigwigs and industry captains. This honour indeed means a lot to me as it is the first formal recognition to my innovation. I am encouraged to work harder for making PNP a bigger success. At the same time, I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of my teammates, my family members and the dabbawala dadas for believing in me and in my idea and making the venture a success.”

“We are delighted to award Tilak Mehta. It is heartening to know that a 13year old is drawn to entrepreneurship and that too in our logistics sector. He has blended traditional with digital to deliver a unique customer experience as also augment job opportunities for the common man. Our industry and India as a country certainly has a bright future with the likes of him. Children today are so much more than the iPad, mobile playing minds we think. These awards aim to also encourage people towards the sector but Tilak came up with the idea himself. I am proud and happy with this wonderful development in Indian maritime and logistics. Wish him every success.” says Mr Kalpesh Modi, Editor in chief and Managing Director Daily Shipping Times

Paper N Parcels is still on its Beta testing phase and the app will be launched soon in next 20 days. The innovative solution adopted by Tilak to make courier services within the city limits faster, cheaper and safer by using technology and the dabbawala network for deliveries was backed by his father, who is an established businessman himself, and put to execution by a team of highly-qualified and experienced professionals at the leadership position.

PNP deploys the network of Mumbai’s dabbawalas for ferrying couriers across the city, apart from having its own dedicated team of delivery boys. Each of these deliverymen is equipped with a smartphone loaded with the PNP app, which enables them to register pick-up and delivery requests on the go.

The courier company offers various benefits to its customers such as same-day delivery option, door-to-door pick up facility, a user-friendly app and direct dedicated customer service helpline to register requests and complaints, along with lowest prices for courier deliveries. The Real Time Tracking feature provided in the app enables customers to track their package on a real-time basis and also provides details of the person carrying the package, which enhances the safety factor. The company plans to employ 2,000 people with a pick-up in the business by next year.

Ankur Textiles expands into multi-fibre fabrics for womenswear

Ankur Textiles, Lifestyle Division of Arvind Limited, part of the US$ 1.7 billion textile-to-technology conglomerate, launched a wide range of modal, viscose, cotton Lycra blended fabrics as an alternative to traditional cotton for the new-age Indian woman. These include fabrics like Zoya, Glam and Glory, Blossom, Charm-me and Lilac which can be tailor-made into western and ethnic womenswear such as dresses, blouses, kurtis and tunics. Available in a wide range of colours, textures, and prints, these fabrics will be available at womenswear MBOs (Multi Brand Outlets) in the price range of Rs. 180 to Rs. 300 per meter.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Brijesh Bhati, CEO, Ankur Textiles, (A Division of Arvind Limited) said, "The launch of this collection marks our expansion into multi-fibre fabrics as a fashionable alternative to cotton. Our expertise in textile fabrics, combined with the use of technology, has enabled us to develop fabrics that offer both style with comfort for consumers. Our in-house design team will continue to introduce more such trendy collections in future to delight our customers.”

For more than five decades, Ankur has been designing high-quality voiles ranging from 100% cotton to all fancy blends that are available throughout India and exported to Switzerland, Middle East, China, Thailand and Africa. A heritage brand, Ankur develops high-quality fabrics for womenswear and menswear.

About Arvind:

Arvind is a $1.7 billion conglomerate with interests in textiles, branded apparel and accessories, engineering and real estate and is one of the leading textile to retail and brands conglomerate in India. Arvind Limited, manufactures and sells about 300 million meters of fabrics and over 30 million pieces of ready to wear apparel. Its denim, woven and knit products are known for being innovative and sustainable, which are sourced by some of the most iconic apparel brands around the world. 

Urban Thinkers Campus in Mumbai, with Safecity , Developmatrix and The Urban Vision

 Safecity, Developmatrix and The Urban Vision are co-hosting a 2 day programme -Creating Resilient and Inclusive Cities on behalf of The Swedish Institute and The UN Habitat as part of the Urban Thinkers Campus on 21-22 nd June at ISDI ACE, Mumbai. 

This programme is being conducted in partnership with the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai, Indian School of Design and Innovation (ISDI), Tata Capital and BMW Foundation.

The Urban Thinkers Campus (UTC) model is an initiative of UN-Habitat’s World Urban Campaign, conceived as an open space for critical exchange between all stakeholders and partners aims to promote sustainable urbanization. Only 27 such UTCs have been approved for 2018 from around the world and we are honoured to be one of them.

Creating Resilient and Inclusive Cities, is a platform to bring together diverse voices to deliberate on existing barriers to gender equality and women empowerment and finding localised, community driven solutions for addressing the same. This is envisaged as a yearly program comprising of the following:

a) Stakeholder dialogue sessions with interactive innovation labs that generate action plans
b) Social incubator to engage youth to work on hyper local, community based solutions through a 5-month programme.

The platform includes the following activities:

a)21 June - a Stakeholder dialogue session for 150 people comprising from Government, Corporate, NGOs and Citizens (including youth). We will specifically be talking about gender in regards to Safety, Mobility, Urban environmental challenges and involvement in the planning/governance process.
b)22 June - Kick off for the Youth Design Innovation challenge, a 5 month social incubator programme commencing with an introductory session on how to define a problem and design solutions from a user's perspective. This will be followed by a formal application to apply for the challenge through submission of ideas to create Women Friendly cities toward the youth studying in the colleges of the Mumbai Metropolitan area. 10 teams of diverse gender will be selected for mentoring through experiential sessions, expert mentoring and capacity building support. The final working prototypes will be pitched to a jury in December and top 3 solutions recognised.
c) A white paper will be published for future reference on the UN Habitat's website as well as can be used to initiate dialogue with relevant stakeholders from Government or Corporate.

We will have influencers like Faye D’Souza and Meghna Pant moderating our panel discussions; Harish Iyer will be leading an Innovation Lab and Sapna Moti Bhavnani will be doing a spoken word piece.

Key Highlights:-
 The UTC will reach approximately 300 people
 Mentorship on design thinking and urban planning (to 100 + the 10 teams)
 Participation by youth on contributing to making our city resilient and inclusive
 Hyper local solutions for the city of Mumbai
 UNDP India will be mentoring potential projects ideated by female led teams and help pitch them to Start Mission Launch (Government of Maharashtra).
 BMW Foundation will be sponsoring the youth retreat in August and September.
 The U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai is our knowledge partner and the final pitch session will be on 14 December at the Dosti House, U.S. Consulate Mumbai.

About the Co-Hosts:-
Safecity is a platform that crowdsources personal stories of sexual harassment and abuse in public spaces. The idea is to make this data useful for individuals, local communities and local administration to identify factors that causes behavior that leads to violence and work on strategies for solutions.

Connect with Safecity on social media: : Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Developmatrix is a women-led social enterprise working in the area of sustainability - environment and CSR. Some of its partners are Adani Port & SEZ, Larsen & Toubro Infotech, Safecity.

Connect with Developmatrix on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

The Urban Vision has been initiated with the core belief that cities offer a remarkable way to create a socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable and economically vibrant society. It profiles best practices and the finest thinking in the key components of city building –Urban Design, Architecture, infrastructure planning, policy strategies et cetera.

Connect with The Urban Vision on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information on the  Urban Thinkers Campus – Facebook /Twitter.

Launch and Unveiling of Dr. Namita Jain's book 'Low Fat, Low Guilt' with Tennis Icon, Mr Vijay Amritraj

June 19, 2018  witnessed the launch and unveiling of Dr Namita Jain's 12th book titled Low Fat Low Guilt: Recipes & Lifestyle at The Leela Mumbai. The book was unveiled by India's Tennis Icon and Fitness Extraordinaire Padma Shri Vijay Amritraj. 

Fitness expert and author, Dr Jain was seen in discussion with Vijay Amritraj on 'Dispel fitness myths' followed by sharing of personal diet regimens and fitness mantras by both the personalities. 

Low Fat, Low Guilt is an essential guide to following a healthy diet without compromising on the taste. It features low-cal recipes of delicious soups, salads, wraps, toasts, rice dishes, pastas and dips, making healthy eating a pleasurable experience.

Dr Namita Jain, recipient of Post Doctorate award from the Young Scientist University, USA for excellence in the field of healthcare and wellness is a name synonymous to health an fitness. She is an author of 12 books and a wellness specialist at Bombay Hospital. She is also a consultant to the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and a leading columnist for newspapers and magazines.

Namita has been a recipient of many international and national awards. Dr Jain was nutrition partner for the Miss India pageant 2012, and a celebrity nutritionist on the Food Food tv channel. Namita Jain is the Managing Director of the heritage brand, Kishco and has curated an educational film on Dining Etiquette as a part of Kishco Initiative.

A Dabba full of Love from Nickelodeon this Father’s Day

Nicktoons Celebrates Father’s Day with the Dababwalas and their Kids

The Mumbai Dabbawallas play an important role in the life of every Mumbaikar. Irrespective of rain or sweltering heat they are always on the go, delivering hot food from our homes to our families at work.

This week of Father’s Day, India’s leading kid’s entertainment franchise channel Nickelodeon set out to celebrate this relentless spirit of the Dabbawalas by bringing some magic and love into the life.

The Nicktoons created some magical moments for the Dabbawallas to enjoy with their kids. A fulfilled evening of games with their kids, entertainment with the Nicktoons Motu Patlu, Shiva, Ninja Hatori and Rudra ensured that each of our spirited Dabbawalla’s had the time of their life, celebrating Father’s Day with their children.

MINISTRY OF FINANCE, RIS AND FICCI THEMATIC SEMINAR ON PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN RESOURCE MOBILIZATION

Mr.Subhomoy Bhattacharjee, Consultant, RIS, Mr. Deepak Mukhi, Head, FICCI – Maharashtra State Council,  Mr. Sujoy Bose, CEO, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, Dr. KV Pratap, Joint Secretary (IPF), Ministry of Finance, Mr. Shailesh Pathak, Chief Executive, L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Limited and Mr. Jaspal Bindra, Chairman, FICCI Maharashtra State Council and Executive Chairman, Centrum Capital Ltd., at a discussion during the THEMATIC SEMINAR ON PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN RESOURCE MOBILIZATION in Mumbai 

~ Experts call for a holistic approach on Private Sector Participation and Risk Mitigation ~

The infrastructure segment is a key propeller for the Indian markets, contributing significantly to the growth of the national economy. Consequently, the Government of India lays special emphasis on this industry, initiating and establishing several regulatory structures to ensure the advancement of this sector. With this backdrop, the event, hosted by Ministry of Finance, Government of India in collaboration with Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) as knowledge partner in partnership with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), aims to address the critical dimensions of infrastructure project funding and underline the need for financial support, from private sector players.

During the Inaugural Session, several eminent personalities, including Mr. Sujoy Bose, CEO, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, Mr. Shailesh Pathak, CEO, L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Limited and Dr. Kumar V. Pratap, Joint Secretary, (IPF), Ministry of Finance, Government of India, shared their expert perspectives of the investment landscape in the infrastructure sector.

Speaking, on the occasion, Dr. Kumar V. Pratap says, ‘Developing at an extremely fast pace, India’s Infrastructure Sector has received an investment of ~$1 trillion in the period from 2007 to 2017, of which, more than a third of this capital was contributed by the private sector. India aims to invest ~$200 billion annually; has been able to do only ~$110bn. To encourage private participation, the Government of India has launched several initiatives. Schemes such as the Brownfield Asset Mobilization for Infra Investments (BAMII), Credit Enhancement Fund for raising bond ratings issued by infra companies and the New Credit Rating scale for infrastructure projects creates opportunities for private investors, thereby promoting a steady flow of financial resources into this sector’.

Sharing his thoughts on this subject, Mr. Sujoy Bose said, ‘India is a preferred destination for investments, with an improving economy, government led infrastructure projects and an increase in the flow of foreign direct investments. To ensure financial investments in the infrastructure sector, the Government of India has financed various projects under National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) and Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) to bridge the gap in the funding space.’

Earlier delivering the Welcome Address by Mr. Jaspal Bindra, Chairman, FICCI - Maharashtra State Council and Executive Chairman, Centrum Group welcomed the panel and spoke about the opportunities in the infrastructure sector relating to private financing. He added, “The global population will witness a growth of ~2bn people by 2040. The Global Infrastructure Hub Report states that, investment worth $97trillion is needed in the global infrastructure sector of which 50% is required by Asia.  India needs around $4.5 Trillion investments in the Infrastructure sector by 2040.”   Mr. Subhomoy Bhattacharjee, Consultant, RIS noted the paradigm shift in the definition of infrastructure in the 21^st century and highlights the need for private sector participation and innovation in resource mobilization in Government projects. Further to laying the framework for today’s Sessions, he stated the importance of understanding the current infrastructure scenario and the financial, institutional and regulatory operations, when investing in this segment.

The Session on Risk Management was chaired by eminent panelists like Mr. Sajjid Z Chinoy, Chief India Economist, JP Morgan, Mr. Sudip Sural, Senior Director, Infra and Public Finance, CRISIL Infrastructure Advisory, Mr. Praveen Gupta, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Raheja QBE General Insurance, Mr. Suneet Maheshwari, Founder and Managing Partner, Udvik Infrastructure Advisors, Mr. Raghwendra Pande, Head Infrastructure and Real Estate sector, Investment banking, ICICI Securities Limited and Mr. Soumyajit Neogi, Associate Director, India Ratings deliberated on various risks that one foresees once a project is bagged, right from Regulatory Risks, Political risk, market risk, sponsoring risk, judicial risk, etc.  The risks determine the payoffs that private companies will want to negotiate before contracting any projects.  The contract needs to be viewed holistically.

La Birra Cosmetics from Thailand Organic Way Of Life

La Birra ( by Rai Boon Chaluay ) creates amazingly natural & organic cosmetics with the ingredients from their own farms which are beneficial in daily lives. Raw materials from Rai Boon Chaluey farm are certified by Thailand Organic farming standard of GMP and Halan. 

Rai Boon Chaluay was founded for the purpose of eating healthy and natural for better health in our daily life. The best products emerge from the Earth. All Rai Boon Chaluay products are organic. They are rich in tradition , value , and effectiveness 
La Birra products are available at Tops Supermarket and online through their website  

Organic Kaffir Lime Shampoo:
Gently cleanses and detoxes the scalp, stimulates hair pigmentation to restore natural black hair, reduces hair loss , reduces scalp oil, reduces dandruff-itching.

Organic Aloe Vera Shower Gel :
Reduces damages caused by UV rays and restores moisture for naturally soft skin. It is enriched with enzymes, amino acids and Vitamin E & Vitamin C to reduce skin wrinkles.

Honey Herbal Cleansing Gel :
Contains the antioxidant, Vitamin C and Vitamin B. It helps slow down the degeneration of skin cell, protects the skin from UV Sun-rays, suitable for sensitive skin , maintains youthful skin, protects from all day activities and smoke. 

Organic Fuk Kao - Premium Rose -Body lotion :
It rejuvenates soft, smooth skin and protects skin from UV rays, prevents premature ageing, helps blood circulation and makes skin naturally pink