News Wire
Goa Legislative Assembly in association with MIT School of Government inaugurates Goa@60
Celebrating democracy by empowering youth, women and panchayats
PANJIM, India, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — With the vision of creating ethical, spirited and committed Political Leadership for the country from the grassroots and from all walks of life, MIT School of Government (MIT-SOG) collaborated with Goa Legislative Assembly to celebrate the occasion of 60th year of liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule. This event is in line with the school’s vision to develop a pool of dedicated young leaders committed to nation building, infusing in them sense of national pride, democratic values and empathy for people coming from various walks of life. The event also marks 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements as the nation observes Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Through this momentous event the MIT-SOG and Goa Government aims to highlight the strides Goa has made since 1961. Goa’s journey post 1961 is breathtaking! The character, patience and resilience shown by the Goans is commendable.
The five-day mega event commenced on 8th November 2021 comprises of thought provoking conclaves on mainstreaming women in policy making through National Women’s Parliament, strengthening active participation of youth in policy making through National Youth Parliament, and reiterating the strength and utility of local governance through National Panchayat Parliament. The Conclaves are being organized by Goa Legislative Assembly, conducted by MIT School of Government (MIT SOG), Pune and supported by Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad.
The MIT School of Government in the past have collaborated with State Legislative Assemblies of Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala to organise similar youth and women parliaments to inspire, motivate and engage them to take the baton of democracy, leadership and governance forward. MIT School of Government aims to strengthen the democratic systems and governments that will pave the way for world peace by training young minds of the country in electoral systems and governance.
Dr. Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa who also is the Patron and Chief Convenor of the event said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the slogan of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and on the theme of Goa at 60, the Government of Goa is working towards giving more emphasis on women empowerment. To make women self-reliant, all the schemes of the central government and CM employment scheme have been implemented. Similarly, the government is providing employment to women by promoting the products made by various women self-help groups. On one hand we are working towards contributing to a self-reliant India and on the other we are working on a self-sufficient Goa. We thank MIT School of Government for giving us strength by organizing National Women’s Parliament along with National Youth Parliament and National Panchayat Parliament. Going forward we plan to organise such events every two years.”
Shri Rajesh Patnekar, Hon’ble Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly in his welcome address said, “The events on Women, Youth and Panchayat are part of diamond jubilee celebration of liberation of Goa. The events will focus on three important pillars of women, youth and local self-government bodies and will focus on increasing their participation in the democratic and electoral processes at various levels.”
He further stressed that the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by UNGA emphasizes on the need for gender equality, women participation in decision making process, and representation in legislature which lead to women empowerment in social, political, and economic context. Women participation in legislations is critical to achieving democracy in the true sense which in turn will help in creation of an inclusive society.”
Shri Rahul V. Karad, Managing Trustee & Executive President, MAEER’s MIT and Executive President, MIT World Peace University & Chief Initiator, MIT School of Government, addressed the audience on the vision behind having conclaves such as National Women’s Parliament. He said, “MIT School of Government was established in 2005 to give a new direction to politics and to bring educated youth into politics. Through this organization activities like Indian Student Parliament, National Women’s Parliament and Sarpanch Sansad are being implemented. Democracy is being celebrated on the occasion of 60th anniversary of Goa and Amrit Mahotsav of the country. Therefore, Women Parliament, Youth Parliament and Panchayat Sansad are being organized in collaboration with the Government of Goa for empowerment of women, youth and panchayats.”
Shri Shripad Naik, Hon’ble Minister of State for Tourism and Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Govt. of India was the Special Guest of Honor for the event along with Shri Rajesh Patnekar, Hon’ble Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly, Shri Chandrakant Babu Kavlekar, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Goa, Smt. Nirmala Sawant, Former Power Minister, Government of Goa, Shri Churchill Alemao, MLA, Benaulim Constituency, Alina Saldanha, MLA, Cortalim Constituency, and Shri Govind Gawde Hon’ble Minister for Art & Culture, Government of Goa.
The first day of the National Women Parliament saw the presence of eminent dignitaries including Dr. Rama Jayasundar – Professor & Head, Department of NMR, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, Devi. Vaibhavishri Alekar – Shrimad Bhagvat Katha Exponent (Pune, Maharashtra), Adv. Manasi Pradhan – Founder, Nirbhaya Vahini, Nirbhaya Samaroh and OYSS Women, Smt. Laxmi Agarwal – Campaigner, Stop Acid Attacks Mission, Smt. Shovana Narayan – Padma Shri, Renowned Indian Kathak Dancer, Ms. Shital Mahajan – Padma Shri, Arjun Awardee, Indian Skydiver, Founder, Phoenix Skydiving Academy, Neli Rodrigues– Principal, MES College, Ex. Zilla Parishad, President, South Goa, Zilla Panchayat , Ch. Hima Bindu – Senior Associate Director, Indian School of Business, Shri. Nanik Rupani – Chairman, Neutron Electronic Systems Pvt. Ltd. & Chairman Emeritus, Priyadarshni Academy, Former President, Indian Merchants Chamber,Dr. Dilip Chenoy – Secretary General, FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Pratima Dhond– Ex Chairman Goa Women’s Bank, Vice President GOA Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
The themes of the post-inaugural session revolved around evocative topics that stressed upon the need for a greater participation of women in politics and policy making. Women are dynamic leaders of change, who can galvanize the society for achieving higher ideals, strengthen the community bonds, and protect the family system. Their participation is fundamental to decision making at all levels of democratic and inclusive governance.
Goa began its journey towards glory and a better life for its citizens with high hopes and strong resolve. Today, Goa is considered to be a very mature state with a stable economy, able political leadership, an ever increasing tourism industry as well as having the best quality of life in India. This journey would have been incomplete without the three strong pillars – women, youth and panchayats. With these conclaves the participation of the three groups will be further strengthened and will act as models of excellence for other states to replicate.
About MIT SOG
The MIT School of Government (MIT-SOG), a constituent unit of MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU), Pune, is the first institute of its kind to initiate a two-year Master’s degree program in Political Leadership & Government or MPG (UGC-approved program) for a Career in Politics.
MIT-SOG was initiated in the year 2005 under the visionary leadership of Shri. Rahul V. Karad – Initiator & Executive President, MIT World Peace University with the vision of creating Ethical, Spirited and Committed Political Leadership for the country from the grassroots and from all walks of life.
Under the able guidance of Late. Shri. T.N Seshan, First Chairman, MIT-SOG, former Chief-Election Commissioner of India (also well known as the Father of Electoral Reforms in India), the curriculum for MPG program at MIT-SOG was designed with the complete involvement of highly decorated officials from Government, Politics, Judiciary, Media and Academia. MIT-SOG specifically caters to the need for training students in politics & government in order to become trained Political Leaders of the country.
News Wire
Reliance Digital Introduces High-Performance iQOO 15R to its Nationwide Store Network
MUMBAI, India, March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Reliance Digital announces the offline retail availability of iQOO, the high-performance smartphone brand built for today’s youth and tech-forward consumers. Following strong traction in online channels, iQOO is now extending its presence into physical retail, allowing customers to experience and purchase its devices first-hand at Reliance Digital stores across India.
Known for pushing the boundaries of speed, and power, the iQOO 15R is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, delivering exceptional speed, responsiveness, and sustained performance throughout the day. It packs iQOO’s biggest battery yet in an ultra-slim 7.90mm design, making it India’s slimmest smartphone with a 7600 mAh battery.
The device features a 6.5K IceCore VC Cooling Chamber for stable performance and runs on OriginOS 6.0 based on Android 16 out of the box, supported by 4 years of software updates and 6 years of security updates. It is also equipped with a Sony LYT-700V OIS camera, a 1.5K 144Hz AMOLED EyeCare display, and IP68 & IP69 dust and water resistance, making it a dependable daily partner for professionals on the go.
The brand’s offline expansion marks an important step in deepening consumer engagement by offering hands-on access to its devices, enabling customers to explore iQOO’s powerful performance, advanced display technology, and flagship-grade camera capabilities in a real-world retail environment.
The availability of iQOO at Reliance Digital brings together two brands driven by innovation and consumer experience. While iQOO continues to build its reputation as a performance-led smartphone brand, Reliance Digital strengthens its portfolio by offering customers access to cutting-edge technology brands through its extensive nationwide retail network.
Through engaging in-store experiences, knowledgeable staff, and immersive product demonstrations, Reliance Digital aims to help consumers better understand iQOO’s performance-first DNA. This move further reinforces Reliance Digital’s commitment to staying ahead of evolving consumer preferences and serving as a preferred destination for discovering new-age technology.
With this expansion, Reliance Digital continues to play a key role in shaping India’s consumer electronics landscape by bringing future-ready brands closer to customers, while enabling smartphone brands like iQOO to build stronger connections with a growing, performance-driven audience.
The all new iQOO 15R is now available at Reliance Digital stores nationwide.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/reliance-digital-introduces-high-performance-iqoo-15r-to-its-nationwide-store-network-302711079.html
News Wire
Kotak Alts announces winner of the inaugural Katalyst Awards
Ms Himani Choudhary named Katalyst for the year – India’s Best Financial Content Creator; wins Rs. 25 Lakhs
MUMBAI, India, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kotak Katalyst Awards, a national initiative instituted to recognise excellence and responsibility in financial content creation has announced the winner of its first Katalyst edition. Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (“Kotak Alts”) today announced Himani Choudhary as the winner. The winner was awarded a prize of INR 25 Lakhs, positioning Katalyst among the most meaningful recognitions for financial content creators in India.
Srini Sriniwasan, Managing Director, Kotak Alts, said, “The Kotak Alts Katalyst Awards were instituted to recognize content creators who are contributing meaningfully to financial literacy in India. As investor participation deepens, audiences are seeking clarity, context, and credibility. The response from creators was overwhelming and points to the new generation of financial educators. As the inaugural winner Ms. Himani Chaudhary, exemplifies the standard of financial communication that Katalyst seeks to encourage.”
The first edition of the Kotak Alts Katalyst Awards received over six hundred entries from across 19 states and in 8 languages, reflecting the growing role of digital creators in shaping financial awareness. Conceived in response to increasing clutter and misinformation in the financial ecosystem, Katalyst is designed to recognize creators who place accuracy, transparency, and investor interest at the core of their work.
The winning content, ‘Personal Finance & Major Finance Updates’ by Himani Choudhary, was recognised for its clarity, originality, and credibility. The jury noted the content’s ability to explain complex financial concepts in a clear and measured manner, supported by strong research and a consistent focus on investor education over virality.
To ensure a robust and transparent evaluation process, the awards framework was designed and audited by EY. The top thirty entries were assessed by an academic jury.
The top 10 finalists were subsequently evaluated by a grand jury comprising Kunal Shah, Founder and CEO of CRED; Radhika Gupta, Managing Director and CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund; and Alpesh Shah, Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group, and chaired by Ananth Narayan, former Whole–Time Member of SEBI with extensive capital markets and regulatory experience.
The Katalyst Awards recognise financial content creators who priorities financial literacy, substance, and long–term investor interest. Through this initiative, Kotak Alts aims to encourage responsible financial communication and support the development of informed and confident investors across India.
About Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Ltd: Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (‘Kotak Alts’), a part of Kotak Mahindra Group (‘Kotak’), focuses on Alternate Asset Management and Investment Advisory businesses. Kotak Alts was set up in early 2005 and has raised, managed, and advised over USD 22 billion across different asset classes, including Private Equity, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Special Situations, Private Credit, and Investment Advisory. The asset management business and investment advisory vertical are managed by independent specialist teams. For more information, visit https://www.kotakalternateasset.com/
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/kotak-alts-announces-winner-of-the-inaugural-katalyst-awards-302709187.html
News Wire
Paperpal for Life Sciences Establishes HIPAA Readiness, Strengthening Enterprise Adoption of AI in Regulated Medical and Scientific Writing Workflows
MUMBAI, India, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Paperpal for Life Sciences, an enterprise-grade Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform by Cactus Communications, purpose-built for Medical Affairs and Life Sciences organizations, announced the completion of an assessment evaluating its operational and technical safeguards to support Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements. This milestone reinforces Paperpal’s commitment to meeting the rigorous standards of security, data protection, and regulatory readiness required for regulated scientific workflows.
Growing AI use in medical affairs writing and publication workflows is intensifying scrutiny on data privacy, governance, and regulatory accountability. To support these evolving needs, Paperpal for Life Sciences has undertaken an assessment of its systems and processes to evaluate readiness to support HIPAA compliance, where applicable, and now proudly offers the option to execute a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) for Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII). This offering gives customers the confidence that PHI or PII, if received, is handled securely and responsibly, in line with regulatory expectations and enterprise risk management practices.
Paperpal for Life Sciences provides AI writing, literature search, source-grounded summarization with citation support, and critical publication checks, powering medical affairs content creation under stringent data privacy and governance controls. The platform accelerates research-to-publication timelines by upto 25%, supporting faster dissemination of clinical evidence and earlier commercialization of new drugs and therapies.
Nishchay Shah, Group CTO and EVP, Products and AI at Cactus Communications, said, “As AI becomes foundational to regulated scientific and medical workflows, compliance and trust are no longer optional. Paperpal for Life Sciences’ HIPAA readiness measures reflect our secure-by-design approach to AI, strong data governance framework, and alignment with real-world enterprise and regulatory requirements. This milestone enables organizations to adopt AI at scale with confidence that their data, processes, and compliance obligations are protected .”
Elvira Dsouza, President, Cactus Life Sciences, added, “Medical Affairs and Life Sciences teams operate in highly regulated environments where scientific rigor, data privacy, and compliance are non-negotiable. HIPAA readiness positions Paperpal for Life Sciences as a trusted AI partner, one that enables organizations to accelerate evidence generation and scientific communication without compromising regulatory integrity .”
With this announcement, Paperpal for Life Sciences reinforces its position as a purpose-built, enterprise-ready AI platform for medical affairs content generation that supports innovation while meeting the highest standards of privacy, ethics, and regulatory compliance.
Media Contact:
Nidhi Amin
nidhi.amin@cactusglobal.com
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/paperpal-for-life-sciences-establishes-hipaa-readiness-strengthening-enterprise-adoption-of-ai-in-regulated-medical-and-scientific-writing-workflows-302708082.html
India Emerging as Stable Investment Anchor in Turbulent Global Economy, Say Investors at IGF Mumbai 2026
Reliance Digital Introduces High-Performance iQOO 15R to its Nationwide Store Network
Reliance Digital Introduces High-Performance iQOO 15R to its Nationwide Store Network
-
Buzz2 months agoGLOBAL PAY – A New Era in Oman’s Digital Payments Solution
-
Buzz1 month agoCASA BACARDÍ unveils its first Tropical Edition in Goa, celebrating music, culture and collective expression
-
Buzz2 months agoOTM 2026 Set to Bring the Global Travel Industry to Mumbai as India’s Outbound Market Accelerates
-
Buzz1 month agoNew report from Standard Chartered highlights optimistic corporate outlook on India’s energy transition
-
Buzz3 weeks ago70% of Indian Firms Say Cross-Border Trade Has Become Harder to Navigate
-
Buzz1 month ago‘Made in India – The story of Desh Bandhu Gupta, Lupin and Indian Pharma’ Book Launched in Mumbai
-
News Wire1 month agoShriram Life Insurance launches Zaroorat Jaisi, Policy Vaisi: A Fully AI-Created Ad Film Campaign featuring Rahul Dravid
-
Buzz1 month agoTHE LEELA CONCLUDES THE FOURTH SEASON OF #POLOINTHEPINKCITY WITH A CELEBRATION OF THE ROYAL SPORT, CULTURE AND REFINED LUXURY
You must be logged in to post a comment Login