Archive: June 30, 2022

52 percent women doctors make the first move in matrimony: DoctorsMatrimony survey report

On the occasion of National Doctors Day, DoctorsMatrimony.com, an exclusive matchmaking service for the medical professionals, from Matrimony.com, revealed in a report that over 52% women doctors have made the first move expressing their interest to a doctor, surgeon, dentist, healthcare professional or therapist. Each month, about 2 lakh interests are expressed by both women and male doctors.

The report also said that thousands of doctors, both women and men, have been registering every week and profiles have grown 50% over the past six months.

Reflecting the need for a companion who understands the strain of long hours at work after the pandemic, DoctorsMatrimony has seen steady increase in the number of doctors registering during the past year, with 53% of the total members being women doctors. The exclusive service was launched in January 2021 after Matrimony.com saw lakhs of doctor couples find each other through its services, over the last two decades. The company also found that shared values brought doctors together.  On DoctorsMatrimony.com, doctors can choose matches not only by religion, city, education, but also by doctor specialisation.

“Most doctors feel the need for a companion who understands their profession and shares similar values. For doctors, that’s very likely when the life partner is also a doctor. Through DoctorsMatrimony thousands of doctors have chosen another doctor as a life partner. We’re trying to provide an exclusive platform to help them find their perfect match,” says Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder and CEO, Matrimony.com.

The report also revealed that due to the longer years of academic specialisation, significant number of doctors marry a little later than the rest of the population. 28% of male doctors and 16% of female doctors are in the age group 31 to 40.

Interestingly, only 12% women and 4% men are seeking a life partner outside the country where they reside.

Surprisingly, 53% members are women and 47% men. Doctors seem to be more active from 6 to 10 in the evenings and engage better on Sundays and Mondays.

Within India, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad are among the top five cities by registrations. The top occupations listed on lakhs of profiles are doctor, surgeon, dentist, surgeon, psychologist, and healthcare professional. USA, UK, Canada, UAE and Australia contribute to nearly 50% of NRI Doctor Registrations.

Over £60,000 raised in support of women and their dependents fleeing Ukraine at The Loomba Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Gala

 The Loomba Foundation, an international UN accredited NGO dedicated to improving the lives of widows, commemorated its 25^th anniversary last week, on International Widows Day. Over 300 guests including senior politicians and leading business leaders gathered to celebrate the milestone occasion on 23^rd June, at the Banqueting House in London’s Whitehall.

The event was dedicated to raising funds for a humanitarian initiative launched by The Loomba Foundation in partnership with Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity, to support families, including mothers and their children, fleeing war-torn Ukraine to settle in the UK. The evening culminated with the successful fundraising of more than £60,000 within just a few minutes, with donations still ongoing. The Loomba Foundation has a goal to reach £100,000 going forward to fund the initiative with Barnardo’s to help 1,000 families.

A £100 voucher will be issued to each family settling in the UK from Ukraine to be spent in any of Barnardo’s 630 physical shops or online on essential items including clothing, toys and furnishings. Most recipients are likely to be vulnerable women and children who may have lost husbands and fathers in the conflict. They have experienced significant upheaval and trauma and require urgent support to set up a new life.

During the evening, Guest of Honour Rt Hon. Sir Tony Blair KG, former British Prime Minister, took to the stage to congratulate Lord Loomba on the milestone anniversary and the launch of this new initiative with Barnardo’s. He recalled how in 1997, seeing that this charity stood for a strong cause, his wife, Cherie Blair QC CBE, pledged to embark on the journey with Lord Loomba to advocate for official UN recognition of International Widows Day. He spoke about the inspiring personal story behind the launch of The Loomba Foundation, remembering how as a young boy Lord Loomba saw his mother treated like a second-class citizen once she became widowed.

Cherie Blair QC CBE – President of the Loomba Foundation, gave a rousing speech, wishing a happy birthday to The Loomba Foundation and praising the extraordinary determination of Lord Loomba over the past twenty-five years in campaigning for widows to have a voice. She said: “Huge congratulations to Lord Loomba for the amazing achievements of The Loomba Foundation as it turns 25 years old. The hard work paid off in 2010 when International Widows Day was finally recognised by the United Nations. It has been a huge privilege to work by his side and to see our community of global supporters grow. While we have come far, there is still a long way to go. We will not rest until the many grave injustices faced by widows are eliminated for good, aiming for the day when every widow has the help she deserves to rebuild her life and secure a bright future for her children.”

Lord Raj Loomba CBE, Founder and Chairman Trustee of the Loomba Foundation, said: “It was a pleasure to see so many distinguished guests come together to commemorate the Foundation’s 25^th anniversary. I extend my special thanks to Tony and Cherie for their dedication, commitment and support over many years, and I’m confident that without it we would not be where we are today. I was extremely touched by the generosity of our supporters in aid of women and their dependents fleeing Ukraine and am calling on anyone in a position to do so to give what they can as we work with Barnardo’s to provide urgent help for families settling in the UK.”

Michelle Lee-Izu, Executive Director Development and Innovation at Barnardo’s, commented: “Barnardo’s has a proud history of supporting children and families seeking sanctuary in the UK, and in recent months we have stepped in to help those arriving from Ukraine. We are delighted to be working with The Loomba Foundation to provide vouchers to refugee families so they can buy the very basics – such as clothes, toys and bedding. We know that many women and children will have lost fathers and husbands, and all will have suffered the trauma of fleeing their home and moving to a new country. This new scheme will help them take the first vital steps towards settling in the UK and working towards a positive future.”

Other illustrious speakers and attendees at the event included Lord Karan Billimoria CBE DL – President, Confederation of British Industry and Chairman of the Advisory Council, The Loomba Foundation, and Harjiv Singh – Founder & CEO, Gutenberg and Trustee, The Loomba Foundation, whose contributions to the mission of The Loomba Foundation were also recognised. Lord Jeffrey Archer – author and former politician, called on guests to stand up and give generously, successfully generating tens of thousands in donations within minutes.

Special guest Bollywood producer Firoz Nadiadwala rounded up the night with the exclusive announcement that he will be producing a feature film to raise awareness of the plight of widows around the world as well as funds to help them.

With new warehouse, Gautam Solar makes solar modules easily available

In its endeavor to make solar modules easily available to consumers and solar system integrators, Gautam Solar has set up a new warehouse at Greater Noida, in the National Capital Region. With the new expansion, Gautam Solar will be providing the entire national capital with top-grade solar panels with lightning-fast delivery.

The solar panels to be stocked at Gautam Solar’s latest warehouse include Bifacial Solar Panels, Poly 335 Wp DCR & Non – DCR panels, Mono 440 Wp Bifacial and Mono Half Cut 540 Wp Solar Panels. The products will mostly cater to the requirements of solar system integrators and solar power plant EPC companies. The total area of the new warehouse is 3,400 square meters.

“Gautam Solar is ensuring delivery within 24 hours to solar EPC & system integrators at Delhi, NCR, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. The stocks are asserted to be picked up as soon as it is required. The faster delivery and easy availability of the Gautam Solar panels will be catered through full truck loads or part truck loads for big or small quantity of orders,” mentioned Managing Director of Gautam Solar Gautam Mohanka.

Gautam Solar is a solar manufacturer based out of New Delhi with over 25 years of experience in providing a wide range of domestic and industrial solar energy products and solutions all over the country. The products of Gautam Solar come from the culmination of four factories and the company is steadily expanding to 1 GWp capacity.

The company is both approved list of models and manufacturers (ALMM) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) approved and designs and manufactures solar products & delivers services which are tailored to satisfy the needs of Indian customers. The company’s motto is to make India a World Leader in solar innovation, designing and manufacturing of robust solar products that meet the requirement of Indian customers, which include commercial & industrial enterprises and residentials.

SIS Ltd appoints Mr. U.K Sinha as an independent director

Indian Multinational and Essential services Market Leader in India and Australia, announced the appointment of Mr. U.K. Sinha, as an Independent Director of the Company effective June 29, 2022.  This appointment is based on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee of SIS Limited and is subject to the approval of the shareholders.

Mr. U.K. Sinha served as the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”) for a period of over six years between 2011 and 2017.  During his stewardship, SEBI was credited with having brought in significant regulatory amendments in areas such as Takeover Code, Foreign Portfolio Investors, Alternate Investment Funds, REITIs, InVITs., Corporate Governance etc.  Prior to this, he was the Chairman and Managing Director of UTI Asset Management Company Pvt. Ltd. Preceding this, he was the Joint Secretary in Department of Economic Affairs at Ministry of Finance. He currently serves on the board of Vedanta Limited, Havells India Limited, Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited, Aavishkaar Venture Management Services Private Limited, and Cube Highways Fund Advisors Private Limited.

Mr. U.K. Sinha was an officer of the Indian Administrative Service in 1976, and he holds a master’s degree in science and a bachelors’ degree in Law.

Welcoming Mr. U.K.Sinha to the Board, Mr. Ravindra Kishore Sinha, Chairman, SIS Limited said, “We are proud and privileged to welcome Mr. U.K.Sinha on the Board of SIS.  Mr. U.K.Sinha is a distinguished bureaucrat, banker and a former chairman of SEBI. I am confident that his immense expertise will be invaluable to the Company.”

Welcoming Mr. U.K.Sinha to the Board, Mr. Rituraj Kishore Sinha, Managing Director, SIS Limited said, “We are delighted and honoured to welcome Mr. U.K. Sinha on the Board of SIS Limited. I am confident that his extensive experience and knowledge will bring tremendous value to the Board and to the Company.  We look forward for his guidance.”

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. U.K.Sinha, said, “ It is a pleasure and privilege to be on the Board of SIS.  I look forward to contributing to the growth of the Company.”

SBI Card partners with Aditya Birla Finance to launch ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card’

SBI Card, India’s largest pure-play credit card issuer, today announced the launch of ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card’, a highly rewarding lifestyle credit card, in a strategic partnership with Aditya Birla Finance Ltd (ABFL), the lending subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Ltd. The card has been designed to give customers significant reward points on their spending around telecom, fashion, travel, dining, entertainment, and hotels, among others. This makes ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card’ one of the most compelling cards for customers across segments, offering exciting benefits on both premium and mass brands that belong to the Aditya Birla Group.

The rewards-centric credit card has been launched in two variants – ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card SELECT’ and ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card’, on the Visa platform. Cardholders can avail greater value back in the form of reward points on their spends on Aditya Birla Group Companies, be it on telecom bills through Vodafone Idea (Vi) or on lifestyle stores such as Louis Philippe, The Collective, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Peter England, American Eagle, Polo, and Pantaloons among others. In fact, this card provides an added advantage of accelerated Reward Points on spends in hotels, a key benefit for travel savvy consumers.

According to Mr. Rama Mohan Rao Amara, MD & CEO, SBI Card, “We are delighted to join hands with Aditya Birla Finance, one of the leading NBFCs in India. This partnership will enable us to issue credit cards to Aditya Birla Group’s customer base, thereby providing them a great product for all their spending needs. This is in line with our strategy of enhancing value for both customers and co-brand partners. The customer acquisition process will be completely digital, thereby ensuring an enhanced customer experience. Aditya Birla SBI Card’s unmatched benefits coupled with Aditya Birla Group’s extensive and diversified brand portfolio will be a striking proposition for customers looking to spend across varied lifestyle categories.”

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Rakesh Singh, MD & CEO, Aditya Birla Finance Ltd, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with SBI Card to launch the ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card’, which will immensely benefit the 35 million customers of Aditya Birla Capital and help us leveraging the customer ecosystem of the Aditya Birla Group. Consumers are adapting to digital payments today, and this offering will fuel the purchasing power of our consumers. It will enable us to engage deeper with them by ensuring an impactful consumer experience, best–in–class rewards, and hassle-free payment services.”

Mr. Sandeep Ghosh, Group Country Manager, India and South Asia, Visa said, “This exciting partnership of Visa, Aditya Birla Finance and SBI Card for the co-branded credit card is a great example of delivering simple yet customized offerings, for various brands of Aditya Birla Group and in categories like dining, entertainment, and fuel. We are confident the proposition will appeal to consumers and help build loyalty.”

Through ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card SELECT’, customers can avail 20 Reward Points on every Rs 100 spent in Aditya Birla stores and 10 Reward Points on every Rs 100 spent in dining, entertainment, and hotels. As a welcome gift, the card offers 6000 Reward Points to customers upon payment of card membership fee. They also earn 3000 Reward Points on achieving annual spends milestone of Rs 1.5 lakh and an additional 3000 Reward Points when they reach Rs 3 lakh annual spends milestone.

The joining/annual renewal fee for ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card’ and ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card SELECT’ is Rs 499 and Rs 1499 respectively.

Key highlights of the card variants: