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Chandigarh 09^th September:- As many as 25 pregnant women took part in an 'Quiz on Pregnancy' at Ivy Hospital, Mohali today which was specially designed for would-be-mothers.

Speaking during occasion, Dr Kanwaldeep, Medical Director of Ivy Healthcare Group said that the quiz was a new initiative by Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at hospital with an aim to increase awareness amongst women about various issues during pregnancy.

The participants in quiz were divided into teams and the quiz was presented in various rounds like rapid fire round, buzzer round, and MCQ round and audiovisual round . Everybody participated in the session with much zest and zeal.

Dr Sunaina Bansal , Senior Consultant- Gynaecologist at Ivy Hospital said that the aim of this activity was to increase awareness about various issues in a fun way instead of one-sided talks . There were interesting questions for the husbands sitting in the audience who were in-fact more eager than the wives , to answer the questions.

Meanwhile in MCQ round the women knowledge was checked on various pregnancy related issues including questions like pregnancy over 35-year increases what kind of complication, nutrition during pregnancy, what overweight women should do, painless labour medicines, how many pregnant women in India are anemic, when are fetal movements first felt usually, exact duration of pregnancy in weeks, Pica  is an  indicator of what ,  at what stage of the pregnancy is malformation scan done, how early  can  babies'  cardiac activity be seen on ultrasound and what is correct time to visit your gynaecologist.  

The rapid round was involving questions like; term for first milk that comes out of breast, what is a baby upside down known as, upto how many months can abortion be safely performed, the cut given on mother's vaginal parts during delivery is known as, name of the instrument applied sometimes when mother is not able to push down to facilitate delivery, what is the  medical term used for painless delivery, out of the three ultrasounds you do in pregnancy routinely, which is the most accurate in telling the exact date of delivery etc. 

The quiz winners were awarded attractive prizes and rewarded with discounts on their OPD packages . There was also a session of nail art and photo shoot for the participants and many games were played by the couples during occasion. 

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Chandigarh 09^th September:- Chandigarh Literature Festival(CLF) 2017 is to take place from November 10-12. As a prelude to the Festival, Adab Foundation, the not for profit Foundation which organises CLF every year, held a unique solo performance at Tagore Theater, Sector 18 by Askari Naqvi, a lawyer-activist-singer from Mustafabad, Raibareli. It is noteworthy that Naqvi is a proponent of Soz Khwani -- songs of lamentation against war, violence & authoritarianism.

Askari is a noted expert of Dastangoi, Urdu oral storytelling art form & is known for  re-contextualising Soz Khwani, for  audiences outside it's  strictly religious setting.

The audience was enthralled by the incredible performance by Askari Naqvi where he exchanged his thoughts through songs that told a story of grief & sorrow, which results from battle, violent incidents as well as totalitarianism. The songs gave a strong message against these aspects in society. Naqvi has made a name for himself by presenting his art form in front of audiences at intimate venues like the National School of Drama, Kiran Nadar Museum, Jawaharlal Nehru University's Arts and Aesthetics department to name a few.

Mitul Dikshit, Chairman, Adab Foundation and a noted educationist said that such events intend to bring writers, poets, artists and thespians together on a platform to initiate meaningful exchange of ideas. Through such events we are able to promote Indian art & culture among even younger audiences, who then will be in a position to appreciate rich traditions like Soz Khwani.  

Askari Naqvi said that he would like to thank Adab Foundation for giving him an opportunity to perform in Chandigarh, which presented a very responsive audience. This way we are able to celebrate art with some of the finest creative minds in different parts of the country. He is sure with such performances we will succeed in reaching out to audiences with a crucial message for the betterment of society.

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Chandigarh 11^th September:-Vivo, the global premium smartphone brand, today launched its flagship of the year, V7+, in Chandigarh. Popular actress Sonam Bajwa enthralled the audience at a glittering event in Chandigarh. The camera and music brand, Vivo aims to strengthen the selfie trend by its revolutionary 24MP HD selfie camera and Full View™ Display in V7+. Its contemporary and ingenious visual experience, futuristic design, superior performance makes V7+ a customer's delight.

Priced at Rs.21990 the Vivo V7+ will be available in Champagne Gold and Matte Black colour at stores near you from September 15^th, 2017 and can be pre-booked in stores, on Flipkart and Amazon. 

Commenting on the launch, Martin, General Manager, Vivo India, said that with the festive season around the corner, we are committed to furthering our brand promise and add a surprise element for our valued customers with innovative devices. Through V7+ we are confident that its premium design and superior camera feature with Full View. Display will offer great value to customers. The forthcoming quarter shows real promise, and we are confident that our latest offering will gather positive response from the customers.

Martin said that we redefine the selfie experience with the revolutionary 24MP HD selfie camera. Now with the help of an advanced Bokeh mode, users can blur the background with sharper contrast and visual appeal of the subject.

Users will now enjoy an all-new gaming experience when paired with Vivo V7+ because of its impeccable 18:9 Full View™ Display. Further, the exclusive pure game mode allows users to play uninterrupted by cancelling incoming calls and messages.

He added further that the seamless interplay between hardware and software allows V7+ to offer superior smartphone experience. V7 Plus is the first Snapdragon SDM450 phone to launch in India. With the all new SD450, users can now enjoy battery life of 4 hours in a typical day versus SDM435.  The V7+ runs on Fun touch OS 3.2 based on Android 7.1. Powered by 4 GB RAM and 64 GB ROM, which is expandable up to 256 GB allows user to have smooth multitasking and easy operation.

The V7+ is equipped with exciting new age features like face access– unlock your phone by facial recognition, smart screen split, eye protection mode, and app clone – A user can use two separate accounts to log into various applications.

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Chandigarh 11^th September:-चंडीगढ़ युवा कांग्रेस के रविवार हुए चुनाव में अमनदीप सिंह स्लैच भारी मतों से जीत हासिल कर महासचिव निर्वाचित हुए है। उन्हें इस चुनाव में 556 वोट पड़े जबकि उनके निकटतम प्रतिद्वंदियों को बहुत ही कम वोट पड़े। वही इन चुनावों में सुखदेव सिंह जिला महासचिव चुने गए।

चंडीगढ़ युथ कांग्रेस के कल रविवार को हुए चुनावो में बरिंदर ठाकुर यहां प्रधान बने वही महासचिव पद पर अमनदीप सिंह स्लैच ने जीत हासिल की।

विजयी होने पर अमनदीप सिंह पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री मनीष तिवारी से आशीर्वाद लेने उनके निवास स्थान पहुंचे।

अमनदीप सिंह ने बताया कि मनीष तिवारी ने उन्हें जीत की शुभकामनाएं दी है। अमनदीप सिंह सलैच ने बताया की वो दूसरी बार युवा कांग्रेस के महासचिव चुने गए है, इससे पहले के कार्यकाल में भी वे महासचिव पद पर ही थे। उन्होंने बताया की इंडियन युथ कांग्रेस के क्राइटेरिया के हिसाब से प्रधान पद के लिए काम से काम उम्र 27 वर्ष होनी चाहिए । पर वो अभी 27 वर्ष के हुए नहीं है तो उन्होंने पुनः से महासचिव पद पर ही चुनाव लड़ने की सोची। जिसमे उन्हें प्रधान पद सहित अन्य पदों पर हुए मतदान में सब से अधिक वोट पड़े ।

By 121 News

Chandigarh 11^th September:-Panjab University, organised live telecast of the address by Hon'ble Prime Minister on the occasion of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya's Centenary Celebration and 125th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's address at the, Chicago World Parliament of Religions, for the students of various departments of the University, in the Law auditorium. The Theme of the Programme was "Young India, New India–A Resurgent Nation: from  Sankalp to Sidhi".

Prime minister highlighted the significance of this date as this is the date on which a great monk of India preached the lesson of love and universal brotherhood to the world on American soil and it is the same day when the greatest event of hatred which shook humanity happened on the same soil. Had we remembered the message of the swami Vivekananda we could have changed the course of history.

Prof Nandita Singh, Coordinator of Interdisciplinary Centre for Swami Vivekananda Studies highlighted Swami ji's message of tolerance and universal acceptance. She told that during his speech in Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Swami Vivekananda quoted from the "Shiva Mahima Stotram" through which he explained that even though people use different paths to reach the divine, they all ultimately reach Him, irrespective of the path they had chosen.

Vivekananda's speech was very well received by the audience at the Parliament and had great influence over them. The American press complimented, "Vivekananda is undoubtedly the greatest figure in the Parliament of Religions. He has brought the message of Harmony and peace and not dissension to the world. Vivekananda strongly believed in the power of the youth and called it Yuva Shakti. He exhorted youth to come forward and play a significant role in nation building. He was a great scholar, intellectual and a patriot who believed that science and innovation can take this country out of the shackles of poverty. Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya was a great thinker, self less worker and the leader of Bhartiya Jan Sangh. He is remembered for his philosophy of 'Integral Humanism'. He believed that indigenous Indian Culture had to be weaved into the social, political and economic fibre of the nation and it is only by doing that, we can move forward. A nation is like a human body which has body, mind, intellect and soul. The holistic development of a nation can only take place if we bring peace and harmony in the mind and awaken the soul. Audience connected to the Prime minister's speech and students felt motivated by his words.

This programme was attended by large number of Faculty members and students which was organised by  O.P. Katare, Director Research Promotion Cell and Computer Centre, PU.

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Chandigarh 11^th September:-Two of the Ph.D. students, Monika Kajal and Garima Bhatia from biotechnology department of Panjab University have been chosen to present their work at an EMBL organized international conference: The Non-Coding Genome, September 2017 at Heidelberg, Germany. They are working with Dr. Kashmir Singh on "how non-coding RNAs regulate plant functions and influence expression of important metabolites"?

Monika and Garima will present their research work on miRNAs mediated regulation of secondary metabolism and role of LncRNAs on plant development, respectively in the conference. The Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, is supporting students by means of travel grant.

By 121 News

Chandigarh 11^th September:-After the grand success of Punjabi films "Rupinder Gandhi The Gangster…? In year 2015 and the sequel, "Rupinder Gandhi 2: The Robinhood" this month, Dream Reality Movies is all set to announce their third home production with the movie title as "Dakkuan Da Munda". The film is almost planned to go on the floor soon this year and will be released on 7^th September, 2018. Our well-known film distributor Munish Sahni of Omjee Group has taken the charge of guiding and distributing this project worldwide.

The Production House along with its team of Producers, lead actor Dev Kharoud and few other Co-Actors interacted with the Media to announce the film and some interesting facts about this new film.

On this occasion, the Producers said that we can't reveal much about the story at the moment but the film is surely going to make a mark just like our last projects, "Rupinder Gandhi The Gangster…? And "Rupinder Gandhi 2 The Robinhood". We believe film-making is the greatest art and there is an unlimited scope of experiment and innovation, so we ready and confident to be a part of this Project.

The Lead Actor, Dev Kharoud, who has played the lead role in both the blockbusters said that he is very happy to be associated with this project & looking forward for something good in Punjabi cinema and further added that he totally rely on this Production house who has given me so much of fame and is confident of getting more successful with this project too.

Munish Sahni of Omjee Group said that film distribution now plays an important role in the success of the film and we have taken responsibility yet again for a Punjabi film. We are quite optimistic after going through the script of the film and seek your blessings for the same.

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Chandigarh 11^th September:-Bank of India celebrated its 112^th Foundation Day at Shanmukhananda Hall on 7^thSept, 2017. The function was attended by valued customers, eminent bankers including Senior Officials of RBI.

New products were launched in the retail and digital segments. A New Home Loan Scheme was launched which was named Star Dream Home with Tag Line Apna Ghar Ho Sapno Ka. The Scheme covers loan for affordable housing to EWS, LIG, MIG I & MIG II. In the digital segment four products were launched viz. VisaPayWave Card, Green PIN, Bharat Bill Payment System – Bill Payapp  & Cash Recycler.

The Managing Director and CEO Shri D Mohapatra in his speech recalled that bank had a glorious past and his aim was to bring it to its past glory. Towards this new initiatives have been taken like establishment of Area Manager's Offices, Star Prime, and Project Eklavya to enhance customer delight. He added that more such measures were in the offing.

The function started with Ganesh Vandana followed with performance by staff and a musical event by Shankar Mahadevan.

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Chandigarh 11^th September:-Department of Dietetics, PGIMER, in association with Nutrition Society of India, Chandigarh Chapter, organized a Continuing Nutrition Education Program  on the theme "Prevention and Management of Kidney diseases".  The program was inaugurated by Prof. Rajesh Kumar, Dean (Academic) PGIMER, Chandigarh.

With a phenomenal increase in chronic diseases like Diabetes and Hypertension, there are large segments of population affected by Chronic Kidney disease. The renowned speakers from PGI & other hospitals like Prof.  HS. Kohli, Prof.  AK.Mandal deliberated on the co-morbidities related to CKD, preventive strategies to manage kidney stones and knowledge regarding Renal Replacement Therapy was also shared by Prof.  Mukut Minz. The metabolic derangement of kidney disease also requires a very meticulous diet planning, which was discussed in detail.

Approximately 300 delegates who included Doctors, Dieticians, Nutritionists and Dietetics Students from Tricity as well as from states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi participated to make in the CNE.

The Continuing Nutrition Education program was organized by Sunita Malhotra, Chief Dietician and her dietetics team along with Prof S.V Rana convener, Nutrition society of India.

By 121 News

Chandigarh 11^th September:-National Bulk Handling Corporation Pvt. Ltd. (NBHC), India's leading provider of integrated commodity and collateral management services, procurement, handling, storage was awarded Outstanding 'Warehouse Service Provider' at Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi. Maninder Singh Juneja, MD & CEO–NBHC received the award from  Arjun Ram Meghwal -Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.  The ceremony also witnessed the presence of other key dignitaries including Ram Vilas Paswan -Union Minister of Food & Public Distribution-Consumer Affairs, G. C. Chaturvedi, IAS (Retd.)–Chairman WDRA, Amit Pradhan–Regional Director North SEBI, RC Meena, IRS–Officer on Special Duty, Minister of Food & Public Distribution –Consumer Affairs and Samir Shah-MD & CEO NCDEX.

The Awardwas part of NCDEX Krishi Pragati, an acknowledgement for significant contribution in helping farmers doubles their income. The Award was presented to NBHC in recognition of the Company's best and innovative practices and its overall contribution to the commodity value-chain.

Speaking on this occasion, Maninder Singh Juneja, Managing Director& Chief Executive Officer, NBHC said that we are pleased to receive this award and it is in recognition of our constant efforts to work for the betterment and benefit of farmers. NBHC is committed to contributing to India's agricultural growth and also working towards the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in regards to doubling the farmers' income. This award reinforces our pledge towards augmenting agri-business as a key driver of India's economic growth and competitiveness.

NBHC has positively impacted the lives of 2,45,000+ farmers and has the widest pan-India warehousing presence with more than 3600+ warehouses across 23 states adding up cumulatively to about 41 million metric tonnes of assets funded. It has 45+ functional QA labs and 200+ mobile labs for quality testing of around 170+ agri-commodities, as well as pest management services across 15 states. Having created such large facilities, NBHC is poised to accelerate the value creation for all its clients and stakeholders.

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Ludhiana 11^th September:-New Delhi based young singer Roy today reached Ludhiana for the promotion of his debut Punjabi song–Ruthey Yaar. While addressing the media, he said that however he is new to the singing industry but he has already done a Hindi single track–Bunty Bubbly which was well appreciated by audiences. Roy said that once upon a time singer used to release its entire album but now it is an era of single track.

Roy revealed that Bunty Bubbly was his first single track when he entered the industry. This success boasts him to experiment further with his talent. He said that although he hails from New Delhi, hence find bit struggle in Punjabi language but he still enjoy. He worked too hard for his new Punjabi release and hopeful audiences will surely like it. The shooting for the song is done in picturesque location.

Sheel has written the songs so has direction. The song is released under the banner of T-Series and music is composed by singer himself –Roy. Oshan Raj is the producer of the sing and this song can be seen on PTC and PTC Chak De apart from You Tube.

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Chandigarh 11^th September:-Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), India's leading SUV manufacturer, is all set to flag off the 'Himalayan Spiti Escape 2017', under the Mahindra Adventure umbrella brand. This expedition will be flagged off from Lalit, Chandigarh and will run from Chandigarh to Chandigarh while covering Narkanda, Nako, Tabo and Kaza in the Spiti Valley.

20 expedition ready Mahindra vehicles will be driven from Chandigarh to Spiti Valley via Sangla valley and Manali. The convoy will traverse some of the highest motor-able and treacherous mountain passes in the world, such as Rohtang pass and Kunzum La. From the apple laden Sangla valley, the convoy comprising Scorpios, Thars and a Getaway will make their way over the world's most treacherous road to reach Spiti Valley. From visiting the 500 year old mummy at Gue monastery to the highest post office in the world, the expedition promises to take everyone off-roading to the top of the world. For the adventure enthusiast, the drive to Spiti Valley is nothing less than a roller coaster ride with the tough and rugged Mahindra vehicles taking the beating of the broken roads.

Until recently this land had been unexplored but slowly it has begun to capture the imagination of adventure seekers across the world. The idea of the drive is to offer an extreme Himalayan driving experience to all enthusiasts by providing adequate backup. The event is run to the standard of a motorsport event and participants will get a chance to enjoy the mountains thanks to well-planned halts (for ex: free days at Sangla, Kaza and Manali).

Route of the Rally                 

Day 1- Chandigarh to Narkanda

Day 2- Narkanda to Sangla

Day 3- Sangla (Free Day)

Day 4- Sangla to Nako

Day 5- Nako to Kaza via Tabo

Day 6- Kaza (Free Day)

Day 7- Kaza to Manali (via Kunzum La & Chandratal)

Day 8- Manali (Free Day)

Day 9- Manali to Chandigarh

The Mahindra Adventure Spiti Escape is led by veteran rallyist, Hari Singh. Title sponsor for the event is CEAT along with official lubricant partner Valvoline.

By 121 News

Chandigarh 12^th September:-A five day workshop on the management of biorisk while working with biological agentsand toxins is being organized in the Panjab University from Sep.11-15. 2017.

Theresource persons–Cecelia Williams and Chuck Skeens from SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES, USA are involved in International Biological and Chemical Threat Reduction Programs globally. The workshop intends to train scientists, faculty and research scholars to enable them to reduce the biorisk to a minimum at their work place. This is important for the biosafety of community at large. Sensitization to issues of biosecurity including bioterrorism are also on the agenda of the workshop. According to the organizer Prof Neena Capalash sixteen people from throughout India are participating. This is the sixth workshop in continuation and nearly 60 researchers have been trained on Biorisk Management at Panjab University till now since 2014.

By 121 News

Chandigarh 12^th September:-The total of 17 NSS volunteers from PU completed the 12 kms Kalka to Kasaulinature trail trek on this weekend. The aim of the trek was to instill the spirit ofadventure and creating awareness about healthy lifestyle choices. The trek was led byJeesu Jaskanwar Singh, NSS Programme Officer. The following 17 volunteers, from variousdepartments of Panjab University, participated in the trekking and hiking activity;Sandeep, Madhu, Anjali, Dipa, Jenab, Aarzoo, Jasmeen, Madhvi, Neha, Sanjay, Vikrant,Raju, Vineet, Sandeep Gupta, Harsh Vardhan, Gurpreet and Dara Singh.

The volunteers visited the heritage market of the Kasuali. The volunteers hadthe first hand experience of environment education and wildlife conservation whiletrekking on the nature trail. The volunteers witnessed the various facets of wildlife.The volunteers also encountered/witnessed the Sambhar, various species of butterfliesand birds, monkeys and Langurs in their natural habitat.

By 121 News

Chandigarh 12^th September:-Chandigarh Police in collaboration with AXIS Bank today organized workshop    on " Banking Fraud (ATM, Credit & Debit Card, Cyber Crime) and Anti Money Laundering"  in    Recruit Training Centre(RTC) , Sector-26, Chandigarh under the guidance of Tajender Singh Luthra, D.G.P., U.T., Chandigarh and under the supervision of Ravi Kumar, I.P.S.,  S.P./ Operations & Training.    87 police officers (Inspector, Sub Inspectors, Assistant Sub Inspectors and Constables) have attended this programme.

During this workshop, Harjit Singh, M.Sc. MBA, Regional Head (Pb, Hry & J&K) Fraud Control Unit, delivered lecture to the participants in which he explained the various channels of e-banking and precautionary measures to avoid the frauds. He further told that how the electronic frauds are perpetrated and how we can recognize the different type of deceptions and utilize the key information to investigate the frauds.

The purpose of this workshop was to aware the participants about various frauds in electronic banking and credit/debit cards and Anti money laundering. This training will help the Police officials in future while investigating such type of fraud cases.

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Chandigarh 12^th September:-Samsung Electronics today launched its flagship smartphone Galaxy Note8 in India, offering the next level Note for people who want to do bigger things.

Samsung will also introduce Bixby Voice capabilities with 'Make for India' innovations in its intelligent interface Bixby in the next few weeks. Bixby will be available on Galaxy Note8 and Galaxy S8 & S8+ devices.

 With Galaxy Note8, consumers get a big, immersive Infinity Display that fits comfortably in one hand, S Pen to communicate in more personal ways, and Samsung's best-ever true Dual Camera with dual Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to capture stunning photos in all conditions.

The incredible Note series loved by millions of consumers in India will also come with the revolutionary mobile payment service, Samsung Pay, and Samsung's defense-grade security platform Samsung Knox, making it the most desirable smartphone available in the market. Galaxy Note8 is designed for the way consumers lead their lives and lean on technology today.

HC Hong, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia, said that India loves the Galaxy Note for the infinite possibilities it offers with its big screen, unique S Pen and multi-tasking capabilities. He takes this opportunity to thank all our consumers in India who have made Samsung the Most Trusted Brand, especially those who have patiently waited for their next Note. This time, we have made the Galaxy Note8 bigger and better and added 'Make for India' innovations that will transform lives yet again. Galaxy Note8 lets people do things they never thought were possible.

 Asim Warsi, Senior Vice President, Mobile Business, Samsung India, said that Galaxy Note8 with its stunning Infinity Display, enhanced S Pen and a true Dual Camera, is designed for those who want to do bigger things. At Samsung, we listen to our consumers and bring in meaningful innovations that help make their lives better. With this launch, Samsung will further consolidate its leadership in the premium smartphone segment in India.

By 121 News

Chandigarh 12^th September:-Determined to keep its spirit of restorative rehabilitation, Delhi Prisons in collaboration with Pearl Academy had set up Tihar Fashion Laboratory in February, earlier this year. The idea was to provide the women inmates in Jail no.6 with set of skills that will enable them to create avenues for self-employment, entrepreneurship and ensure that the inmates can lead an independent life. Under this initiative, the fashion lab is a modern facility with the latest equipment with complete industrial standards of machinery, pattern tables and sewing machines.

In line with government of India's 'Skill India Mission' program that aims to transform India's workforce into skilled work force, 'Tihar Fashion Laboratory' has gone one step further to redefine the meaning of integration serving to build an 'inclusive community' of change agents by including these inmates who might not find themselves any avenue in the context of skill–building. The inmates have been trained by the academy in pattern making and construction of Indian wear.

Setting up new benchmarks in skill development, Pearl Academy awarded certificates to the first batch of women inmates of Tihar Jail who have completed their course from the 'Tihar Fashion Laboratory' at convocation today. The certification course was aimed at linking creative exploration and market understanding. The program has empowered each inmate to recognize their true potential, and develop aptitude in their area of expertise.

Based on Pearl Academy's domain expertise and experience, workshops were also conducted by the faculty and the inmates were able to develop strong skill sets. Following the footsteps of Tihar, Presidency Correctional Home in Kolkata has collaborated with designer Abhishek Dutta to train 40 inmates through a fashion unit to stitch trendy apparel—like Nehru jackets, kurtas, shirts and harem pants — besides bags, belts and shoes

Sudhir Yadav, Director General of Prisons, Tihar Jail, and Professor Nandita Abraham, CEO, Pearl Academy, awarded the certificates and encouraged the inmates. Also present on the occasion to extend their support to this unique initiative were Kailash Gehlot, Minister for Law, Justice & legislative Affairs, Delhi Government; Swati Jaihind, Chairperson-Delhi Commission for Women.

Professor Nandita Abraham, CEO, Pearl Academy said that this certification programs is a unique initiative that has helped the women inmates to learn self-sustaining skills and has equipped them with the means to earn a livelihood in their life-after-prison. It gives me immense satisfaction and pride that we have been able to add skills that will contribute to make life more sustainable for these inmates. We believe that society is best served when we use our collective skills and experience to create positive and lasting change. As Pearl Academy celebrates its silver jubilee journey this year, we look forward to taking more such initiatives and imparting skill-based learning that strongly promotes inclusion as a part of the learning process.

Commenting on this initiative,  Sudhir Yadav, DG Prisons, Tihar Jail, said that the Pearl Fashion Laboratory initiative has seen an amazing response and participation from inmates. He is happy that they have completed their course and have been imparted with skills that will help them lead an independent life after prison. This is for the first time that an education institute has partnered with us for such an initiative and he thanks Pearl Academy for their continuous cooperation and efforts in starting this well thought-out certification program for the inmates.

By 121 News

Chandigarh 12^th September:-Improving internet infrastructure across India, rising ownership of smartphones, and ubiquitous of its usage has made the mobile device the gateway of choice for the internet. A recent GfK study, focused on the top users of the country's internet population, the hyperconnected consumers, is defined as someone who owns a smartphone, at least one other connected device, accesses the internet daily with, and spends more than four hours daily on the smartphone. 

There are around 41 million hyperconnected consumers in India, with major cities like Delhi and Mumbai reporting the highest concentration of consumers belonging in this segment. According to the Hyperconnected Consumer study in India, they spend almost six hours daily online—double the amount of time compared to the average consumer. Prime time for them is 9pm to 12 midnight: the hyperconnected consumers have the most intense usage on their smartphone during the traditional media opportunity window.

Nikhil Mathur, Managing Director for South Asia at GfK informed that this study has uncovered an emerging category of connected consumer who is embracing and actively opting for digital modes of lifestyle. This evolution of the 'hyper' segment takes consumers' connectivity level up by a notch, proving that digitization is indeed taking place at a rapid pace, with smartphones being instrumental in the process.

Hyperconnected consumers spend more than half (61%) of their total time using smartphone for communication and social networking. WhatsApp and Facebook together account for 54 percent of the time spent on the smartphones. Compared to the average consumer, hyperconnected consumers access Instagram thrice as much, use taxi apps more often (1.3 times), and downloaded 6 more apps to total 16 new apps in the last month.

Karthik Venkatakrishnan, Regional Director for Digital Market Intelligence, GfK said that with the number of internet users in India expected to cross 450 million by June, the usage of smartphone for high social activity goes beyond simple networking and has evolved into a perpetually connected, digital-led lifestyle.

The frequency of engaging with brands online is also higher for this group of consumers. Four in five (80%) like or follow a brand on Facebook while two-third (65%) forward brand content to others, showcasing that they have some level of engagement with at least one brand on social media. In particular, hyperconnected consumers tend to search for coupons/vouchers from a particular brand nearly twice as much as the average consumer.

Nikhil Mathur said that these valuable insights can help brands targeting the Indian market to rethink their strategy, such that they can seamlessly integrate their offline and online offerings in the consumer purchase journey in order to be ready for them when and where they are wanted the most. He concluded that digital India will continue to spur the growth of hyperconnectivity with the plethora of opportunities it brings to the table. It is even more imperative for companies to have an in-depth understanding of how to deal with today's hyperconnected consumer and make the best use of it.

By 121 News

Chandigarh 12^th September:-The students and staff of Guru Gobind Singh College for Women today witnessed the Official Oath taking Ceremony of the Executive members of the Student Council. The newly elected members that included President Anjum Arrah, Vice President, Secretary, and Joint Secretary along the class representatives of various streams were formally sworn in.

Principal, Dr.Charanjeet Kaur Sohi, congratulated the council and apprised the members of their responsibilities towards the institution. While thanking, the student's council pledged their support and cooperation in taking the college to still higher standards by maintaining discipline and good academic atmosphere.

By 121 News

Chandigarh 12^th September:-The Chandigarh Administration has allowed the Conversions from lease hold to free hold basis. CHB has decided to invite applications from the allottees/authorized occupants of various Dwelling Units, desirous of converting their Dwelling Units from lease hold to free hold. If the applicants have already applied for conversion in the past and their cases are pending, then they need not  submit a fresh application, but they shall give an affidavit stating whether the facts and contents of the applications submitted earlier, have changed or not and whether they fulfill all the requirements of the Chandigarh Conversion of Residential Lease-hold land tenure into Free hold land Tenure Rules, 1996. The Board shall be scrutinizing/processing such applications and the documents so submitted by the applicants, and approval thereof shall be accorded by CHB in such cases. As soon as rates are notified by Chandigarh Administration, these conversions shall be given the go ahead and be given legal effect on payment of notified rates.