THIP Media and ĀCĀRA join hands to Fact Check Ayurveda-based misinformation in India

THIP Media and ĀCĀRA join hands to Fact Check Ayurveda-based misinformation in India

In a move to empower Indian citizens against Ayurveda-based health misinformation, THIP Media and Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda today announced their collaboration to check fake claims, myths, misinformation, and dis-information around Ayurveda.

THIP Media, the media arm of The Healthy Indian Project, is a health information and Fact check platform and is a signatory of International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).

Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda (ĀCĀRA) is a part of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham; a NAAC accredited A++ grade, multi-campus, multi-disciplinary teaching and research institution in India. It is ranked 4th by NIRF and has been accorded the Institution of Eminence status by UGC. THE Impact Rankings – the only global indicator to assess universities’ progress towards the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), has ranked Amrita, 1st in India and 41st in the world. ĀCĀRA works towards providing scientific backing for traditional medical practices and paving the way for developing an evidence-based integrative approach to health care.

Speaking on the partnership, Sudipta Sengupta, Founder and CEO of The Healthy Indian Project, says, “India’s pluralistic medical systems, less penetration of doctors, and regional language barriers create a perfect breeding ground of misinformation and disinformation about health, which often thrives on social media and WhatsApp forwards. Ayurvedic medicine remains one of India’s traditional health care systems and enjoys massive popularity. But, it is necessary to call out common myths and home remedies being claimed as scientifically proven Ayurveda facts. We are proud to be able to collaborate with ĀCĀRA for this initiative. With this alliance, we take a step forward to get support from ĀCĀRA’s knowledgeable and respected Ayurveda medical practitioners and researchers to build THIP Media as a verified health information and fact check platform.”

Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. P. Rammanohar from Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda says, “Ayurveda has been highly misunderstood concerning its medicines and treatment procedures. Unregulated advertisements, false claims, and prevailing myths on social media tarnish the reputation of this ancient health care system, whereas its positive contributions and potential are being undermined. The Indian Government has shown keen interest in mainstream Ayurveda in recent days. Favourable research policies have been formulated, allocated funds, and done studies even during the COVID-19 pandemic. At ĀCĀRA, we have been focusing on research to understand how Ayurveda can be deployed to better human health. Working with THIP Media, we wish to bring to light the ‘proven facts’ of Ayurveda.”

Under the collaboration, THIP Media’s chatbot RAKSHA will also be answering questions and clearing doubts about Ayurveda. RAKSHA, an acronym for Readily Accessible Knowledge and Support for Health Action (RAKSHA) is a chatbot by The Healthy Indian Project. Neelam Singh, Editor, THIP Media says, “Right knowledge is the first step of staying healthy. Any Indian citizen can Ask Raksha about any Ayurveda based questions they want answers to or share any health or Ayurveda-related message they want to get Fact Checked. All they have to do is send a message on whatsapp to +91-85078-85079. If RAKSHA knows the answer, she will reply back immediately. If RAKSHA doesn’t know the answer then she will refer the question to the internal editorial team who will then work with members of ĀCĀRA to get an answer as fast as possible. Through our partnership with ĀCĀRA we aim to make scientifically validated, evidence based knowledge about Ayurveda reach to all Indians and save them from misinformation.”

THIP Media currently publishes in 6 different languages: English, Hindi, Bangla, Punjabi, Nepali, and Gujarati. Singh confirmed that all Fact Checks done in association with ĀCĀRA would be made available in all the six languages.

LAKE360: An Epicurrean Delight!

LAKE360: An Epicurrean Delight!

LAKE360 is an exquisite fine-dining destination that charms you with its delectable delicacies and serene surroundings. Nestled between acres of greenery, LAKE360 is the popular golf resort, Karma Lakeland’s latest offering. For the city dwellers, an open-air restaurant, next to a lake spells bliss! And as one steps on the warmly lit elevated deck, the lake views, beautiful flowers, and birdsongs export you to a tranquil land.

The restaurant offers a four-course set menu of Indian and European fusion dishes and operates only for dinner. The Chef has selected some popular Indian dishes and elevated them to cater to a global audience through presentation and fusion. We start with sandal wood-smoked lamb and devour every bite. The interesting sides are compressed watermelon, fresh greens, and spiced apple chutney, each worthy of being savoured. We also try the chicken spiedini which is roasted to perfection. After the heavenly appetizers, we are served warm asparagus soup. The greens are grown in the in-house organic farmlands at the resort. One spoonful of the soup and one can be sure of the fresh produce. Mildly flavoured, aromatic, and cooked to perfection.

For my main course, I sample the tandoori masala marinated grilled Atlantic Salmon, and it is easily the best grill I’ve had in a long time. Full of flavour and rich in taste, the texture and the paired arugula orange salad complimented the grill perfectly. The plating at Karma is a large size and one feels full after the mains. However, cannot miss the dish that goes to the heart – dessert. The almond chikki crusted Belgium dark chocolate mousse, the crunchiness of the chikki with the soft chocolate ice cream was the perfect juxtaposition

In a setting, so divine, one can easily get lost and forget the food. But the food at Lake360 scores high on visual, taste, and olfactorial senses. It is a place high on ideology as it is in its food offerings. This resort practices several ecological initiatives such as bio composting its waste, organic farming, waste harvesting and more. In speaking to the General Manager of the resort, on their latest offering, Mr Damandeep Singh said, “We wanted to create a place people could connect with nature, leave their worries behind and just escape into the moment. As we threw around ideas, we realised there is nothing a good meal cannot solve! Why not we combine a stellar dining experience with a scenic view for people to enjoy the sound of nature. That is how LAKE360 was born.”

Well, we can say, this is a proud endeavour, successfully delivered and should be devoured by the food and nature lovers in and around the region.

Jerphy: A Platform For Make in India Products That Aims To Improve The Healthcare Infrastructure In The Country

Jerphy: A Platform For Make in India Products That Aims To Improve The Healthcare Infrastructure In The Country

In the year 2017, three individuals decided to join hands and form a company that would work towards resolving the issues plaguing the healthcare sector and offer vendors with a platform that would make it easier for them to provide their services to people across the country. While Himansu brought his expertise in the field of prosthetics and orthotics to Jerphy, Ramesh’s experience as an investment banker helped in setting up the financial foundation for the company. Rakesh, the third member of this dynamic team, used his marketing knowledge to position the company properly in the marketplace.

With an aim to become a leading e-medical service application in India, the initial products of the company were launched under the brand name 2040healthcare.com. While offering different kinds of services in the healthcare sector, the company remained firm in its resolution of dealing with only Make In India products. In a very short span of time, Jerphy has managed to register a huge footprint for itself in the healthcare sector. Till date, the company has dealt with close to 10,000 hospitals in the country.

Talking about the goal which drives Jerphy’s operations, Founder Rakesh says, “The healthcare sector in India had always faced a lot of challenges. We identified some of those issues and decided to work on them one by one. We have helped countless local vendors build a brand for themselves and be active participant in the healthcare sector on a national level. As we follow the ‘Make In India’ model, our service proves to be beneficial to both the vendors and the country. Apart from creating brand values in the global market, our company’s initiatives will contribute towards increasing the value of the Indian currency.”

Jerphy has strived towards producing Make In India healthcare products that are not only of very high-quality but cost-effective as well. More than 200 hundred sellers are already registered with the flagship products of the company that have been introduced in different categories like healthcare and sports. Within 4 years Jerphy has managed to work with more than 10,000 Hospitals and Clinics in PAN India.

Though the focus of the company is on healthcare, it understands the importance of brand building and innovative marketing.

Shedding light on the achievements of the company, co-founder Himanshu says, “Though we started out just 4-5 years back, we have managed to achieve many milestones thanks to the hard work and dedicated efforts put in by our team. A couple of months back, the valuation of our company stood at Rs. 2 crores. Since then, we have grown exponentially. We launched our official website Jerphy.com in September 2019. We were named the third most conversion site on Google.”

Jerphy’s focus is on helping vendors connect with hospitals and all kinds of customers with effortless ease. Offering good services conveniently is what the company aims for. This is one factor that has contributed greatly to the rise of the company.

Elaborating on this further, founder Rakesh shares, “We developed this platform where the feature e-negotiation enables individuals to bargain or negotiate prices online and procure products at very reasonable rates. While customers can pay through cards and digital wallets, we also provide them with the option of COD or cash-on-delivery. Along with Pan India delivery services, we offer them live video demonstration of products before the shipment.”

In the last couple of years, several brands have contributed towards revolutionizing the e-commerce sector in different ways. In the healthcare sector, the arrival of Jerphy has been no less than a remarkable event. In a very short span of time, the company has revolutionized the way healthcare services are provided in the digital space and have set a benchmark that most companies will find difficult to match up. Its commitment towards improving the healthcare sector, while adhering to the principles of Make In India, has helped it stand out and leave a distinguishable mark in a highly competitive marketplace.

Social Media Handles:-

https://www.facebook.com/jerphyindia/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/jerphy/

https://instagram.com/jerphy_india?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y

ASOBO-English ver. by NiziU’s 9-member girls group out now!

ASOBO-English ver. by NiziU’s 9-member girls group out now!

The 9-member girls’ group, “NiziU”, who released their latest digital single ‘ASOBO’ recently, will now be releasing ‘ASOBO-English ver.-’ which is the English version of ‘ASOBO’ on the 26th of April.

NiziU is a girls’ group whose members are formed originally from an audition project called “Nizi Project”. This project was created by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and JYP Entertainment and the girls were selected from the 10,000 girls who competed to debut as a girl group.

Their pre-debut digital mini-album, “Make you happy”, charted at No.1 in three categories on various digital rankings. It was the first time a female artist group was able to achieve this. They also gained over a hundred thousand downloads for their digital album. They gained 110 rankings on music charts all over the world.

The total streaming views of the leading track, which is also the title track, ‘Make you happy’, has over 300 million streams. Its music video on YouTube has also been viewed almost over 300 million times.

In December 2020, they finally made their much-awaited debut with the single ‘Step and a step’. The song successfully hit No.1 on the Japanese Oricon Weekly Singles music chart as well as the Billboard Japan Hot 100. This song gained over 100 million views on their total streaming views. Also, the music video on YouTube has been viewed over 100 million times. They received a special award at the 62nd Japan Record Awards at the end of 2020. They appeared on the program of the 71st NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red-White Song Festival) just 29 days after their debut. They made a great impression on viewers with their amazing performance.

Their success continued through 2021 and they released their second single ‘Take a picture /Poppin’ Shakin’’ in April 2021. The song also ranked No.1 on the Japanese Oricon Weekly Singles chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100. This song also gained 123 titles on the music streaming charts around the world and its total streaming views are now over 100 million. In July 2021, the song ‘Super Summer’, which was the first summer song for NiziU, was a great hit, receiving great reception. The song was used as the song for an advertisement for Coca-Cola products.

On the 24th of November, they released their 1st album “U” which has been long-awaited by their fans. This album was a compilation of their activities since their debut, so the fans had been expecting its release. The focus track “Chopstick” and the album both ranked No.1 on the Oricon Weekly Digital Album chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100. On Billboard Japan, they ranked No.1 in the category of CD sales, Downloads, and Lookup. They totally dominated the charts.

The limited streaming edition called ‘U-Special Edition’, ranked No.1 on the Oricon weekly Digital Album as well as all different kinds of music streaming charts. The song ‘Take a picture’, which was included in their 1st album “U”, has been nominated for the Japan record awards for their excellent work. They also joined the 72nd NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red-White Song Festival) for two years in a row.

Their latest song ‘ASOBO’ has the main theme of ‘playfulness’. The message they want to send to fans is that “if you have a playful spirit you can learn to enjoy any mundane moments in daily life”. This song gives power to people who find boredom in their daily life and also it gives a positive feeling for when people are feeling down and are beaten up about their current situation. This is the latest single as well as their first digital single of 2022 since their 1st album “U” dropped, which was a big hit last year.

This song is a fun upbeat dance music with a pop nuance, which is influenced by house music and the Motown sound. The composition of the song is totally new for NiziU. NINA and MIIHI sing strongly in “ASOBO” as the lead vocalists and RIMA and MAYUKA join joyfully and build up the song together. The third part is about dancing and the sound is addictive and playful towards the climax. The sound is so rhythmic and you feel like dancing as soon as you start listening to the music.

Since the release on the 12th of April, the song has ranked No.1 beating many famous artists. They topped the Japan Oricon daily digital single ranking, Oricon daily streaming single ranking, LINE MUSIC, YouTube Music, AWA, mu-mu, and RecoChoku rankings. Furthermore, on the 15th of April, they gained over 10 million views for the music video of this song (https://youtu.be/SpPY1T8UU7Y). It is promising another great success for the girl group.

Now the English version of ‘ASOBO’, which has been an amazing hit in the music scene, is going to be released.

Previously, English versions of their songs were released on disk2, which was the limited album B type when their 1st album “U’ was released last year. Also, they have released English versions of ‘Take a picture’ and “Poppin’ Shakin’’ in the album “U-Special Edition-”, which was in the streaming limited-edition album.

Putting RIMA and NINA, who are native English-speaking members, as the center of the group, NiziU has worked very hard on the recording. Please check out the result of their efforts, ‘ASOBO -English ver.’. Their unique sound is so special to listen to.

NiziU will be joining the biggest Korean culture festival called “KCON 2022 Premiere” on Sunday, the 8th of May at CJ E&M center in Seoul Korea where they will be performing “ASOBO -English ver.- “for the first time ever! Stay tuned!

＜NiziU Member＞

MAKO, RIMA, RIO, RIKU, NINA, MAYA, MIIHI, MAYUKA, AYAKA

NiziU social media:

［NiziU Official Website］ https://niziu.com

［NiziU Official Twitter］ https://twitter.com/NiziU__official

［NiziU Info Official Instagram］ https://www.instagram.com/niziu_info_official

［NiziU Artist Official Instagram］ https://www.instagram.com/niziu_artist_official

［NiziU Official TikTok］ https://www.tiktok.com/@niziu_official

［NiziU Official Facebook］ https://www.facebook.com/NiziUinfoofficial

［NiziU Official YouTube Channel］ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHp2q2i85qt_9nn2H7AvGOw

Roscosmos and Rostec Developing Earth Observing System

Roscosmos and Rostec Developing Earth Observing System

Scientists of Russian Space Systems Holding (RSS, part of Roscosmos State Corporation) have developed a new-gen orbital observation device to support the prospective fleet of Earth remote sensing satellites (ERS). The satellite observation devices use a unique material, silicon carbide, manufactured by engineers of Rostec’s Shvabe Holding.

This domestic-originating system is being developed in cross-industry cooperation and will allow Russia to continuously monitor the Earth’s surface, providing high-resolution photos and videos. Specific materials, such as silicon carbide, help to reduce the weight and size of the spacecraft.

Silicon carbide manufactured by Lytkarino Optical Glass Factory of Rostec’s Shvabe Holding makes the body and parts of the optical circuit of the multispectral observation device, for which steel, aluminum, or titanium were previously used. The replaced material makes the device resistant to temperature fluctuations customary in space, greatly reduces the weight, and withstands even a temporary deformation of the outer shell exposed to an aggressive environment.

“Silicon carbide is one of the most promising composite materials for the aerospace industry. It has high specific stiffness, strength, and thermal conductivity. Through this, silicon carbide is the best fit to create optical devices operating under extreme temperature fluctuations, while maintaining image quality,” says Oleg Evtushenko, Rostec’s Executive Director.

Silicon carbide also allows for the installation of new imaging instruments on small satellites weighing below 120 kg. Satellites now operating in orbit have to bear as much as 500 kg of imaging instruments alone, which affects the total cost of both the satellite and its launching into orbit.

Rostec completes development of Russia’s first power plant for Arctic offshore rigs

Rostec completes development of Russia’s first power plant for Arctic offshore rigs

Rostec’s United Engine Corporation has developed the first Russian power plant, GTA-8RM, for offshore production platforms. The unit is designed to resist extreme conditions: saltwater, storms, and freezing temperatures. The first units will supply power to the Kamennomysskoye-Sea Arctic ice-resistant platform off the coast of the Yamal Peninsula.

The power plant can run on gaseous or liquid fuel. This feature lowers operating costs and streamlines maintenance. The platform will receive four GTA-8RM units, thus the total capacity of the power plant will be 32 MW.

“Earlier, Russia had to import foreign equipment for these purposes. With our scientific and industrial competencies, we can achieve full import substitution in this segment. The power plant based on GTD-8RM power plants is the first product in the range of units that we are working on. The equipment is capable of operating in extreme conditions and will be used to supply energy to offshore ice-resistant platforms. The first delivery is slated for 2023,” First Deputy General Director of Rostec State Corporation Vladimir Artyakov said.

Rostec also develops and manufactures a range of ground-based power units of 2.5 to 25 MW capacity, including GTES-2.5 and Ural-6000 gas turbine power plants and a high-power turbine GTD-110M.

The Kamennomysskoye-Sea field was discovered in 2000. It has 535 bcm of natural gas reserves. Production is planned to start in 2025 from 42 wells.

TrainerGoesOnline – Indian startup that turned over $2 Million for global fitness trainers is all set to launch in India

TrainerGoesOnline – Indian startup that turned over $2 Million for global fitness trainers is all set to launch in India

Founded in April 2020 by Akshay Paliwal, Abhinav Tripathi, and Nirmit ManiarAtul Verma, their startup TrainerGoesOnline has been disrupting the online fitness industry globally.

This bootstrapped venture started when most fitness professionals globally were either out of job or were struggling to attract clients during the pandemic. The team now looks to bring this impact in India by transitioning millions of Indian fitpros from face to face or zoom training to systematic online training in order to help them scale their business towards financial freedom.

Akshay Paliwal (Co-Founder) states, “In a very short while, we’ve been able to empower over 100 fitpros to earn $2 Million online. Our focus for the first couple of years was to work with some of the biggest fitpro names in the industrybring out numerous success stories. Now that we’ve perfected our systemit’s proven to work, we are now ready to launch in price sensitive countries like India where our vision is to achieve scale whilst making it affordable for any fitpro to work with us.”Nirmit Maniar (Co-Founder) adds, “The biggest challenge for us in terms of launching in India before was our premium pricinghyper-personalised services. However, we have been able to innovate quicklydevelop our own signature method that helps any fitpro to buildscale their business online in under 90 days that too just at a fraction of a cost. We’ve come up with a smart blend of TechnologyMarketing Services alongside our new product to enable this at scale”Ever since the pandemic started, there has been a rising demand of people who are eager to adopt the online form of getting personal training. There are many companies now looking to actively build their own solutions to address this new opportunity.

Abhinav Tripathi (Co-Founder) states, “While we see numerous SaaS companies trying to help fitpros deliver online training, what differentiates us is our primary focus of helping our clients make online income first. We believe that just delivering online fitness training is a fairly solved problem, but there exists not a single platform that can help trainers generate monetary results for their business, and seamlessly manage their clients all in a single place! We have built a very strong tech team which is headed by an IIT tech wiz, and an ingeniousinnovative Product Design team which is led by a NID design wiz”The company also believes that their low ticket offering will not only help Indian fitpros but can also empower beginner trainers from any part of the world to build a successful online business at an affordable price point.

Check out www.TrainerGoesOnline.com to know more.

Neeraj Epilepsy Clinic To Launch Free Check-Up Camp For 2 Weeks On International Epilepsy Day 2022 – Awareness Days

Neeraj Epilepsy Clinic To Launch Free Check-Up Camp For 2 Weeks On International Epilepsy Day 2022 – Awareness Days

Epilepsy is a disorder related to the central nervous system which leads to abnormalities in the activities performed by the brain. It further leads to seizures or occasions when an individual suffers from unusual sensations and loss of awareness. Both males and females, of any age or ethnic background, remain at the risk of suffering from epilepsy.

Epilepsy is also referred to as a seizure disorder by many. If an individual suffers from two unprovoked seizures, they will be said to be diagnosed with epilepsy. By ‘unprovoked’, we mean that the seizures would not be caused by a general medical condition like low blood sugar or alcohol withdrawal. While brain injury leads to an unprovoked seizure at times, most of the time its cause remains unknown or undiscovered.

To promote awareness around this epilepsy, government authorities in different countries have taken several effective past in the last several years. International Epilepsy Day, for instance, is an event that has been designed to promote awareness of this medical disorder in more than 120 countries. As a part of this initiative, a large number of people from different backgrounds come together on the second Monday of February every year and work towards highlighting the issues faced by those who suffer from this disorder.

Neeraj Epilepsy Clinic is one institution in India that has been at the forefront when it comes to raising awareness around epilepsy and how it affects people’s lives. Neeraj Epilepsy Clinic, notably, is one of the top institutions that have received approval from the Government of India for Ayurveda treatment of epilepsy. This year, Neeraj Epilepsy Clinic will be launching a free check-up camp for two weeks on the occasion of International Epilepsy Day 2022 – Awareness Days.

Talking about this initiative, Dr. Gupta, Director of Neeraj Clinic, says, “If epilepsy is detected in the early days of an individual suffering from it, there is a high chance of it being treated successfully. Many a time, people discover the fact that they are suffering from epilepsy very late as they don’t undergo regular medical check-ups. Through this two-week-long camp, people can get their Nadi Pariksha (Pulse Diagnosis) check-up done by Ayurvedic Doctors for free.”

Neeraj Clinic has taken several important initiatives in the recent past that have greatly helped epilepsy patients heal and recover from this ailment. Last year, Neeraj Clinic had launched a week-long yoga and holistic treatment program that was attended by a large number of people. For 47 years, Neeraj Clinic has been using this knowledge of Combination Therapy to successfully treat epilepsy patients. Till now Neeraj Clinic has successfully treated more than 157000 patients worldwide.

“In Ayurveda, epilepsy is referred to as ‘apasmara’. This term roughly translates to ‘loss of consciousness. Those who practice Holistic Lifestyle on a regular basis, witness a massive improvement in their blood circulation, concentration, breathing and physical endurance. It also provides great relief to the nervous system. Through Ayurveda and Yoga, we have successfully been able to treat several individuals who were suffering from epilepsy”, he says.

With the way things have been planned, the two-week free check-up camp organized by Neeraj Epilepsy Clinic should add great value to International Epilepsy Day 2022 – Awareness Days this year. Dr. Gupta has been working towards realizing his dream of an Epilepsy Free India for years and this free medical check-up camp is a solid step in that direction. To get more information about the camp, visit https://www.epilepsytreatment.org/.

Based in the holy town of Yog Nagri Rishikesh, Dr. Gupta’s Neeraj Clinic has garnered accolades from reputed national and international medical organizations. The clinic’s contribution towards eradicating epilepsy has been documented by several leading publications across the globe. A book on epilepsy, authored by Dr. Gupta, has been referred to be used in more than 240 medical universities based in Indian and abroad. Neeraj Epilepsy Clinic has also been blessed by the former President’s, Prime Minister’s and renowned celebrities for the remarkable work done in the field of Epilepsy Treatment.

https://www.epilepsytreatment.org/best-epilepsy-treatment-clinic-in-india/

Statement to Media from The Indian Direct Selling Association

Statement to Media from The Indian Direct Selling Association

New Delhi:– With 16 of its member companies providing a sizeable bulk of the livelihoods of close to 80 Lakh (8 million) people as direct sellers – including nearly 38 Lakhs (3.8 Million) women, the Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) reiterates that its member’s companies judiciously follow all provisions of the Consumer Protection (Direct Selling) Rules 2021, in its present form. Along with other industry associations, IDSA has sought certain key amendments to these Rules, which are under consideration by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs.

The Indian Direct Selling market is around Rs 18,000 crores or just under the US $ 3 Billion, while globally, this is a US $ 180 Billion industry, providing livelihoods to around 125 million individuals. In terms of potential, this industry clearly has a long way to go in India. This fledgling industry is routinely rocked by regulatory challenges that question the very existence of the industry from time to time. It was to bring clarity to this industry, that the Consumer Protection (Direct Selling) Rules 2021 were notified by the Government. IDSA and other associations have been working with the Department of Consumer Affairs for an amendment, which now would appear to be under a cloud, given the recent negativity.

Direct Selling Companies especially those that are members of IDSA have invested heavily over the past 25 years in building Make-in-India facilities, creating supply chain, warehousing and logistical infrastructure, Training & Knowledge Management Infrastructure as well as Skilling and Digital Adoption.

IDSA is also strongly committed to several social causes including Education, Women Empowerment, Gender Diversity, Disaster Relief, and Response as well to environmental issues, in accordance with UN Sustainable Development Goals 2025.

Every Financial Transaction of each IDSA Member company is conducted and transacted with well-recorded financial statements, billing and invoicing records, etc that could be traced and cross-referenced as mandated by the Government of India. Almost all major Direct Selling companies in India, that provide direct employment to more than 20,000 people in India, contribute substantially to Employee Welfare, Benefits, and Caregiving schemes throughout the tenure of each employee with full superannuation benefits.

Furthermore, Direct Selling compensation is neither extravagant nor are out of the ordinary when compared to other multi-tiered business models where there could potentially be more tiers and levels of profit /revenue sharing among the distributor retailers wherein in Direct Sellers, there is a lesser number of intermediaries the remuneration would be notch higher. Among the most common misconceptions around Direct Selling is that it is a Get Rich Quick or Pyramid like the scheme is nothing but an agenda and design to subdue the hard reality that Direct Sellers have to work very hard for their income, be professionally trained, and skilled and where it may take several years to reach a particular level of financial self-actualization.

Furthermore, every IDSA Member company also reiterates and continues with its commitment towards responsible and mature conduct of ethical business norms adhering strictly to Avoidance, Prevention, and Restriction of business malpractices, misspelling, spreading of myths, etc. IDSA members clearly stand for the strict adherence to a Code of Business Ethics requiring Direct Sellers to be fully transparent, ethical, clearly explain the Business Model, The Product Science or Technology, and Skills of Sales, Presentation, Articulation, Engagement, and Negotiation for which Thousands of Hours of Training, Skilling and Knowledge is imparted to Direct Sellers.

IDSA reiterates that its member companies conduct their business in complete conformity and in full compliance with all applicable laws of India and have been doing so for the past 25+ years.

Edtech startup HiCounselor raises $1.8 million in funding

Edtech startup HiCounselor raises $1.8 million in funding

San Francisco-based edtech startup HiCounselor has raised $1.8 million in the pre-seed financing round, led by Silicon Valley-based Heroic Ventures.

The funding round saw participation from Tread’s CEO Dinesh Godara, and two angel groups, SuperMorpheus, and GoldenNivesh.

Founded in 2020 by Aditya Sharma and Rani Haroune, HiCounselor is an edtech platform that helps students with upskilling and job networking to become skilled software developers, data scientists, and product managers and get into a tech career in top companies and startups in the US. HiCounselor program consists of a 4-6 weeks long cohort-based course followed by networking and referrals using their AI-powered networking tool.

“The tech industry is evolving faster than ever before. But the education in universities is still outdated and does not equip students with the required skills to get a job at top tech companies. That’s why more than 50% of graduates remain unemployed or underemployed. On the other side, employers are desperately looking to hire skilled resources, but they struggle to find the right talent. We aim to bridge this massive gap through our personalized learning platform and AI-powered job search and networking tool,” said Aditya Sharma, Co-founder, and CEO, HiCounselor.

During six weeks of the training program, students learn technical skills via 100+ hours of coding during the training program, more than 50 hours of soft skills training, live projects, assessments, and 1:1 mentorship oversight – designed by reverse engineering industry requirements and taught by industry professionals. Then, HiCounselor finds interview opportunities for candidates using their strong network of partner companies and their unique AI-powered job search automation tool. This tool automatically identifies new jobs every day and connects them with the hiring manager and recruiters. This tool allows job seekers to cut the 30+ hours per week of manual job-searching and networking efforts down to just a few minutes.

There is no upfront payment to attend the HiCounselor program. Instead, students pay HiCounselor 9% of their first year’s salary in monthly installments only after landing a job.

Prior to co-founding HiCounselor, Aditya Sharma and Rani Haroune used to work as a Technology Consultant at Deloitte and Kronos in the US. They identified this gap in the recruitment process during their job, which made them leave their full-time job in 2019 and plunge into entrepreneurship.

Website: www.hicounselor.com