Apollo Hospitals, Banerghatta Road, Bengaluru launched the Dementia Clinic to support the elderly afflicted with the condition. With the recent launch of the “Memory Clinic”, Apollo is pioneering the change required in the way we treat our senior citizens to ensure their physical and mental well-being. Apollo Hospitals has been at the forefront in providing quality care where it matters and has an established department of Geriatric Medicine and a Senior-friendly environment with a home-based care program. In recognition to their commitment for being a Dementia and Older Adult Friendly Institution, Apollo Hospitals, Banerghatta Road Bengaluru, was conferred with an award from The Alzheimer`s and Related Disorders Society of India, Bangalore Chapter, and Nightingales Medical Trust. This is the first multi-specialty corporate hospital in the country to receive this award.

On the occasion of World Heart Day, Dwarka based HCMCT Manipal Hospitals has posted heart-shaped stickers on over signals around South-West Delhi along with creative messages across the streets on the significance of heart health. Through this initiative, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals wants to encourage people to take a pause and understand the importance of heart health. This was followed by a dance fitness session in the hospital in collaboration with the health and fitness platform, Cult.Fit, in which over 150 people from the hospital and the local community took part. Speaking on the importance of heart health, Dr. Yugal Kishore Mishra, Chief of Clinical Services, Head of Cardiac Sciences and Chief Cardiovascular Surgeon, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka said, “Today, people are living a fast-paced lifestyle and have forgotten to take care of their health. Cases of heart attack among young people are on the rise, and people still ignore the fact that living a bad lifestyle can have an adverse impact on heart health. Heart attacks are no longer just a health concern for the elderly; even the youngest of people are suffering from this fatal condition today. This is mainly because of the increased prevalence of bad lifestyle behaviours like smoking, alcohol drinking, unhealthy diets, and sedentary lifestyles. With this initiative, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals urges people to take a pause and focus on their heart health for a healthy life. We also salute the traffic police for supporting us in conveying this message to the people.” Shri SK Singh, DCP, Road Safety, Delhi Police said, “This is a great initiative by HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka to encourage people to understand the importance of staying healthy. A lot of people may not seek timely treatment for heart problems because they overlook symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, excessive heartbeat, and arm weakness. Heart problems must be treated as a priority. We are glad to be a part of this initiative to help people better understand and care for their heart health. I thank the hospital for such an initiative. After all, it is a matter of the heart, and we must not take it lightly. “ The dance session hosted by HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, was a huge success among the participants today. Such physical activities are essential for improving heart health. Exercise at a moderate to intense level promotes cardiovascular function and keeps the heart healthy. People must engage in some form of physical activity, like running, jogging, swimming, aerobic exercise, dancing, or any physical activity that causes sweating and raises the heart rate. Physical activity of moderate intensity can even lessen a person`s risk of heart disease by reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels and burning unnecessary body fat.” said Shwetambari Shetty, Fitness Expert, Cult.Fit.

Elev8 Venture Partners (Elev8) has announced the forthcoming launch of its $200 million India-focused sector agnostic fund. The maiden fund intends to invest in growth-stage, technology-driven companies with a ticket size of $5-15 Mn. Elev8 will invest in Series B and C rounds in fast-growing tech companies. The Fund has received an AIF Cat II license from SEBI and includes a green-shoe option. The Fund will be led and cofounded by Navin Honagudi, a seasoned fund manager with over 15 years of experience in early and growth stage technology investments. Prior to starting Elev8, Navin was a Partner at Kae Capital for over a decade and has invested in over 50 companies in areas such as Consumer Internet, Enterprise, Fintech, Edtech and Healthtech. Navin started his career with the Corporate Venture of Reliance and has been part of India`s early internet investments and has seen several investments to exit cycles. Venture Catalysts, India`s leading Early-stage platform, is an institutional backer of Elev8. With Elev8 as the 4th fund backed by the firm, the total AUM of the Venture Catalysts group is poised to cross $450mn. Founded in 2016 by Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Anil Jain, CA Anuj Golecha and Gaurav Jain, the Mumbai-headquarter group also includes 9Unicorns accelerator fund, Beams Fintech fund and a 5,000+ member angel network with a portfolio of 300+ unique companies. It is ranked among the top 10 early stage investors globally. Elev8`s strategy leverages the team`s advantage of having access to high-quality deals at the growth stage, where Elev8 has also built proprietary data-driven algorithms in its investment framework, providing LPs with strong visibility into Elev8`s capital deployment strategy. Some of the previous investments of the team behind Elev8 include India`s leading fintech company Paytm, Intracity logistic marketplace Shiprocket, Ed-tech platform Vedantu, Agri-tech platform Reshamandi and other significant startups such as Bharatpe, Kenko, BluSmart, Beardo, Niyo, Goat, Airmeet, Toch & Zypp. Another part of Elev8`s strategy would be to focus on partnering with India`s leading seed funds, which have missed out on investing over $500mn of pro rata capital in 2021 alone for their successful portfolio companies. While similar successful structures exist in the US and Europe, this will be India`s first Pro-Rata fund, providing unparalleled access to oversubscribed rounds alongside top-tier investors. “Even though liquidity in technology investments is drying up, Elev8 has received an overwhelming LP interest as well as partnership avenues with seed funds, as the current vintage offers an excellent opportunity to invest in growth stage companies and earn/target attractive returns. We are in an advanced stage of discussions to establish several global partnerships which going forward will help our portfolio companies expand beyond India during their growth phase,” said Navin Honagudi, partner at Elev8. “We are enthusiastic about Elev8`s approach in a market where there is significant whitespace of domestic growth stage VC funds with the requisite experience. Elev8 considerably reduces risk by entering the growth stage, where companies have demonstrated product-market fit, resilience during downturns, and strong founders capable of driving their companies in the right direction irrespective of market conditions,” said CA Anuj Golecha, partner at Elev8 and co-founder, Venture Catalyst.

Mahatma Gandhi is a priceless gem India will continue to cherish. Wonderla Holidays, India’s largest amusement park chain has announced free tickets for first 100 visitors who visit the park in Gandhi style on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The offer is spread across the Bangalore, Kochi, and Hyderabad Parks on 2nd October 2022. Visitors can dress up like Gandhi using his iconic costume, spectacles, bald head and more to match the Gandhi avatar to take part in the contest. For further details on bookings reach out to: Kochi – 0484 2684001, 75938 53107 Bengaluru – 080 37230333, 080 35073966 Hyderabad – +91 8414676333

Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR), a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, today announced that they have been selected by the National Institute of Informatics (NII), the inter-university research institute in-charge of Japan`s nationwide academic information infrastructure, to upgrade its SINET6 academic information network to meet the diverse and complex needs of research and education institutions across the country and globally. With a secure, experience-first network powered by Juniper, SINET6 has achieved 400G connectivity, support for additional points of presence (POPs), added redundancy and enhanced security in its domestic network. Since its inception in 1992, the Science Information Network (SINET) has aided in the advancement of collaborative research and remote education in Japan and around the world by leveraging innovative technologies to upgrade its cutting-edge network every four to six years. Today, it serves as the academic backbone network for over 900 universities and research institutions. It connects over three million users and is linked to other research networks in the United States, Europe and Asia to support international research collaboration. In recent years, the exponential growth of data traffic and the growing need for data analysis has resulted in a demand for faster connectivity, expanded bandwidth and simplified networking services. Furthermore, there is a push to expand SINET into Society 5.0 and elementary, junior high and high school settings, making it a critical pillar in Japan`s $4.4 billion GIGA School Program, which aims to prepare students for the country`s push toward a post-information society. Building on a relationship that spans over a decade, NII engaged Juniper for SINET6 with the goal of improving its services by implementing advanced technologies such as 400G optical transmission, 5G mobile and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). To scale SINET6`s reach and performance to 400G, NII selected Juniper`s MX Series Universal Routing Platforms and ACX Series Cloud Metro Routers for router network. SINET6`s supported POPs have now seen a 1.5x increase to 70 sites, improving connectivity experiences for the country`s research institutions. SINET6 also utilizes Juniper`s PseudoWire Headend Termination (PWHT) capability provided by Junos OS, directly connecting sites using the ACX Cloud Metro Routers, lowering connectivity costs and simplifying the network. To safeguard against cyberattacks, the Juniper and Corero Joint DDoS Protection Solution was integrated with the MX Routing Platforms to enable high-speed, low-load and accurate attack traffic detection and defense. With networking upgrades from Juniper, NII officially launched SINET6 in April 2022, and it is now being considered for use in a broader range of research and education applications than ever before, with plans to evolve even further as a network service. Looking ahead, efforts to streamline and automate the network are planned for the upcoming SINET7 in order to meet the diverse needs s of the growing number of subscribers.

“Greetings From RMD Care (Soulful Innovative Care Pvt Ltd)” We are very happy to invite you to the Inauguration of RMD Care (Soulful Innovative Care Pvt Ltd ) on 03.10.2022 at 07.00 PM GRT-Marigold Convention Center -T.Nagar. We look forward to your presence & support for the new Project. RMD care has been a pioneer since 1994 in providing affordable and accessible health to the underprivileged and general sections of the society. . RMD has managed over 90,000 elderly and palliative care patients with the help of its hospital and trust support over the last 2 decades. This launch consolidates its resolve to provide a larger perspective in the care services and also bridges the need for well run care centres across the state. RMD care will provide assistance to people with stroke ,Alzheimer`s ,dementia ,cancer and elders who are bedbound and need assistance for their daily living (ADL). In the next four years , we would like to manage over 500 beds in this category that will benefit the society at large.

Small Farmers` Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) and Bayer CropScience Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form and promote 50 specialized Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).   In collaboration with SFAC, Bayer CropScience Limited has identified clusters in 10 states and will aim to assist smallholder farmers with business planning, identification of key enablers, creation of market linkages and knowledge transfer, while working to establish 50 Farmer Producer Organizations.   SFAC`s partnership with Bayer CropScience Limited will help strengthen grower collectivization and support farmer collectives to evolve as profitable and self-reliant business entities. Bayer CropScience Limited is one of the world`s leading innovative crop science companies providing sustainable farming solutions and has conceptualized an initiative with key value chain partners to build capacities of FPOs in India.   SFAC has emphasised the importance of collectivisation and FPOs important role in it. FPOs play a big role in building socio-economic resilience of the farmers, leveraging economies of scale in production and marketing. Value Chain organisations like Bayer has an important role to play in achieving the project`s objective. Its vast experience and outreach will certainly benefit the ultimate primary stakeholder.   Speaking on this milestone occasion, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head – Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, said, “India is a nation of smallholder farmers. Collectivization in the form of a vibrant and strong network of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) will not only improve farmers` incomes but also supports the building up of a robust food value chain network to aid India`s food security, supporting food quality improvements and export potential. We as Bayer, are grateful to the Small Farmers` Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) for giving us this opportunity of forming 50 FPOs. It brings to life and makes tangible our global commitment of empowering 100 million smallholder farmers by 2030 and providing them necessary resources to enhance their productivity and livelihoods and at the same time also contribute to the development of the Indian agricultural ecosystem.”   The MoU is aligned towards achieving the goal of the Central Sector Scheme launched by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers` Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers` Welfare, Government of India (“DA&FW”) of forming and promoting 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations.

Sarsijanabha – Navratri Songs – Day 4 : Sujaii Krishnamoorthy – Raga Miracle  About Singer  Born in Mangalore, a city in Karnataka, Sujaii Krishnamoorthy started learning music at the age of 8 and went on to pursue a career in Music. Shortly after her marriage in 1992, she moved to Chennai, where she trained in vocal music for 11 years under the tutelage of Nadabrahma Vidwan Shri T.P. Vaidhyanathan & Mrs. Indra Vaidhyanathan. She received her Bachelor and Master of Music honors from the University of Madras. She also trained under the Kalaimamani Shrimushnam.V. Raja Rao and Smt. Padma Chandilyan for a brief period of time. She performed in SUN TV and also at various Sabhas during the December musical fest in Chennai. She was honored with the Title “Gana Saraswathi” by the TAMBRAS Association, Tamil Nadu in the year 2007. She released 2 Audio CD`s namely “Shri Sadguru Charanam” and “Dasanubhava(exclusively Purandharadasa compositions)” respectively. She has presented more than a couple dozen episodes on Healing Ragas in the show Swara Raga Sangeetham on Vikku TV. About Raga Miracle Music is all about Divinity and therapy. The opportunity to help people using music has been a dream of mine. Yoga mudras and Music had the potential to cure ailments and heal people for generations. So I asked myself “How can we combine music with yoga?” The answer to it is Raga Miracle. Listening to the ragas while exercising the yoga mudras is the approach behind Raga Miracle. The term Raga Miracle means wonder through Raga. Ragas create positive vibrations that can be used to cure ailments in people. This app provides you with a list of ragas that can help you heal your ailments. Many musicians and scholars have conducted research on healing ragas and I pursued the research by understanding the profundity of each healing Raga. An article on the topic “Raga Lakshana” is what lead me to pursue this idea in the first place. Each Raga has its own authenticity, and this authenticity is the purpose behind healing ragas. Combining them with yoga mudras experimentally provides an absolute remedy for your ailments. This combination helps you heal yourself both physically and emotionally. There are few general instructions that are requested by you to follow to optimize the maximum benefits of this App. Contact Mail: ragamiracle@gmail.com Contact phone & Whatsapp: +91 91763 66071 Website: www.ragamiracle.com

There was excitement in the air as the Contestants and guests, including celebrities congregated to enjoy an evening of glitz and glamour as the Grand Finale the 11TH edition of “Iris Face of Chennai” got underway. `Who will be this year`s Face of Chennai?` was the question on everyone`s lips. The Grand Finale of GRT Hotels & Resorts IRIS Face of Chennai 2022 took place at The Convention Centre, Annexure, Grand by GRT Hotels. `Face of Chennai` is an annual event that seeks to identify complete beauty, talent, personality and positive attitude in young men and women aged between 18 -28 years. The prime target audience comprises college students and working professionals aspiring for careers in modelling and acting. This year the event was opened to married women as well. The event is being conducted for 11TH consecutive years having been first launched in the year 2012. Latha A Krishna of IRIS EVENTS, the brain behind the concept has this to say about `IRIS Face of Chennai 2022`, “This year`s contest saw an enthusiastic response with over 500 contestants auditioning in the first level, 70 of whom were shortlisted for the second level. The contestants went through an intensive workshop conducted by IRIS Glam in Styling, Ramp Walk Techniques, Make-over, Skin Care and Communication, imparted by experts from their respective fields. Of these, 27 contestants were shortlisted to participate in the Grand Finale.” This event is an initiative of IRIS team and IRIS Glam powered by Naturals – Training Future Stars. The curtain rose with a thematic Fashion Show choreographed by Mr. Rameez Meeran (Iris Face Of Chennai 2021 Winner) and the dance choreography was by Mrs Shri Latha –(Winner Of Iris Talent of Chennai- 2018) . The Finalists were a feast to the eyes of the audience as they grooved traditionally to the popular song from the film “Ponnyin Selvan”. The second round saw the contestants sashay the ramp glittering in evening wear. The Mrs Category walked the ramp to live singing of the ABBA`s “Mama Mia” rendered by Sunethra Selvam. Mr Robo Ganesh, an International variety entertainer & actor enthralled the audience with his special signature act. We also had a special BeatBoxing performance by Mr. Johnson Jubliee – (Winner of Talent round of Iris Face of Chennai 2021). The event was well attended by celebrities and noted personalities from all walks of life. Special guests along with jury members composed of renowned personalities graced the occasion. The guests & Jury panel consiisting of Vikram Cotah – CEO of GRT Hotels & resorts, Actor Prithiveeraj , Actor/ Model Namitha marimuthu, Model/ Actor/ Choreographer Sanjay Asrani. and Suma Harris crowned the winners – GRT HOTELS& RESORTS -Miss FACE OF CHENNAI winners – Miss Kowshika (Pathologist cum Audiologist) Sugamiya (theatre artist & clasical dancer) & Radhika (Management student), Mrs Swetha Goel (Chartered Accountant )Ms Priyanka (creative head at space polygon ) Mrs Sudha ( HR professionanal & Zumba Trainer), Mr Dhiverse ( Finance Trader) Rithik( manager in crossfit) Saravanan ( Farmer & Supervisor) CEO OFGRT HOTELS & RESORTS – Mr Vikram Cotah congratulated the winners and awarded Gift vouchers. IRIS FACE OF CHENNAI 2022 was presented by GRT Hotels & Resorts powered by Nails N Beyond by Naturals and supported by SLAM Fitness, Spexa, Hi-Auraa, In and Out, Tube Light Production, Elac, Fashiyana Boutique, Visualite, Kumaran Silks, Iris Glam and Harith Tharang. The event supported ARK India Service Society – Home for orphaned girl children.

Acute and chronic stress, sedentary lifestyle, and unhealthy food are fast damaging the heart health of young Indians, thus compounding India`s burden of cardiovascular diseases multifold. In the last 20 years, there has been an alarming 200% increase in heart ailments among the most productive population in the age group of 20-50 years in India – the country that accounts for 50% of the world`s heart disease burden. However, about 80% of heart attacks and strokes can be prevented with a combination of healthy lifestyle, regular medical checkup and early treatment,” said medical experts of Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre. Addressing a media conference organised here to mark the World Heart Day 2022, which falls on September 29 every year, the experts pointed out that cardiovascular diseases, a group of diseases that affect heart and blood vessels (veins and arteries), have been the biggest killers in recent decades. Every year 18 million people die of these diseases globally – and nearly 5 million of the deaths occur in India. In his address Dr. N Ganesan, HOD of Cardiology, Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre said ” Acute and chronic stress is among the key but modifiable risk factors. “Constant and overexposure to stress due to competition and deadlines for young people has become a norm these days. Stress has the potential to change the inner linings of heart arteries, and cause inflammation. These changes can facilitate blood clot and result in heart attacks. In addition to stress, young people today sleep less – they are awake till midnight; they have no time for relaxation. They eat out at fast food joints too often. Besides, the smokers population is growing in India, which is home to 12% of the world`s smokers. Working in the services industry means less physical work. All these only increase the vulnerability of the youth to develop heart diseases.” “Though stress is common and is unavoidable, we must know how the body absorbs stress and how we can respond to it. Take time away from stressful situations. Know how to relax. It could be by listening to music or gardening or taking up a hobby. Yoga can really help. Walking is the best exercise. Bodybuilding can strengthen muscles and running and jogging can increase one`s stamina but they do not necessarily enhance heart health. But a brisk walk for about 45 minutes a day, five times a week can decrease the risk of heart attacks by 20%,” emphasised Dr. Ganesan the need for stress management. In his comments, Dr. R.M. Krishnan, Senior Consultant & HOD – Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery said ,” Indians are genetically disposed to heart ailments, and hence are at more risk of getting heart attacks than people elsewhere. “Every Indian is a loaded gun to have a heart attack. An average Indian is three times more likely to have a heart attack than an European, six times more than a Chinese, and 20 times more than a Japanese. In addition to genetic dispositions, changing lifestyle, and pollution is worsening the situation. Air and noise pollution can also result in inflammation of arteries.” “Going out to have a cup of tea or coffee and samosa appears to be the most favourite way for people to take a break. But addictive substances are not good for health. 75% of our snacks have harmful trans fats. Tea breaks can be replaced with exercise breaks. Moderate to intense exercises is important not only for adults, but also for children and teens. Overweight people must reduce the intake of calories from fats and sugar. We must keep ourselves hydrated throughout the day, and have a diet of unprocessed and fresh foods, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, foods that are low in saturated fats, sugar and salt,” added Dr. R.M. Krishnan,. Talking about the importance of medical examinations, Dr. S. Kumar, Senior Consultant and Head, Department of Cardiac Anaesthesiology said, “About 25% of heart diseases do not show any symptoms. Even if there is a block of just about 30-40%, it can result in heart attack and cardiac arrest. Though discomfort in the chest while having a brisk walk or pain in the left arm could be signs of heart ailments, some do not experience any symptom even when the blockage is severe. “Hence checkups are important. Every one of us must know our numbers in terms of the level of our blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar. Regular checkups are a must especially for people with family history, diabetes, smoking habit, and hypertension. When someone turns 20 he or she must go for a blood test. Exercise tests are important at 25, annual checkup and blood cholesterol check ups, from 30 years onwards, and CT scan is recommended for people who are 35 and above. These lab tests, physical examinations, and examinations of medical and family history and individual risk factors can help us act in time.” The other dignitaries from Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre present were Dr. B. Kannan, Medical Administrator, Dr. R Sivakumar, Sr. Consultant – Cardiology, Dr. S. Selvamani, Sr. Consultant – Cardiology, Dr. Jeyapandian, Sr. Consultant – Cardiology and Dr. M Sampath Kumar, Sr. Consultant – Cardiology.

The panel lists at Neuberg Diagnostics` Panel discussion on `Hypertension and Heart Attack`, echoed the sentiment that monitoring our vitals is very important to keep heart health in check. Irrespective of any age group and symptoms, people should regularly monitor BP at home through different gadgets available for Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM). There are different conventional risk factors for heart attacks, but hypertension is one of the major factors to affect heart health, as this condition affects the body`s arteries. With high blood pressure, the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls is consistently too high. The heart has to work harder to pump blood. With time, the strain on the heart can cause the heart muscle to weaken and work less effectively. Sooner or later, the overwhelmed heart begins to fail. Diabetes, cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle, over ambition and stress, a lifestyle bereft of exercise, air pollution, smoking and an unhealthy diet and lifestyle are some of the other major reasons behind the rise of heart ailments. Dr. Vivek Mahajan, Consultant Interventional Cardiology, Fortis Hospital`s Mumbai, said, “There are some drugs which interferes with the action of the blood pressure medication, which further lead to increase in the blood pressure, like few categories of painkillers containing ibuprofen and diclofenac etc. The other group of drugs causing hypertension is nasal drops for cold, contraceptive pills and ayurvedic medicines comprising yashtimadhu and steroids”. He also added, “Now a day`s even school going kids are affected by primary hypertension due to the risk factors like overeating, imbalanced lifestyle, lack in vegetables and fruits consumption etc. Hence its always recommended to target this age group to educate them about prevention of hypertension and achieving better healthy life. Dr. Sandesh Prabhu, Consultant – Cardiology and Electrophysiology, Manipal Hospital`s Whitefield, said “Wehave seen increase in the prevalence of hypertension during the pandemic, commonly due to work from home. Not only in blood pressure but also cholesterol, diabetes etc.” “As per the latest guideline systolic blood pressure more than 130 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure more than80 mm Hg considered to be in stage 1 of hypertension” further Dr. Prabhu added. Dr. Ajith. K.N, Medical Director, Clinical and Imaging Services, Neuberg Diagnostics,said”As we all know, Prevention is anytime better than cure hence it is very important to get our blood pressure checked in a certain period of an interval, whether we have any symptoms or not. Along with that balanced lifestyle, checking on salt intake, having seasonal fruits, sleep hygiene, ideal body weight and physical activities help to rejuvenate cells and help to stay healthy and prevent blood pressure” Even if someone is under medication and the BP is stable for a long time, then also we should not stop the medication but rather consult the physician and can ask to reduce the power or dose of the medicine, as suggested by the panel lists. Because the low readings can be due to many different factors and not stable.

Aster Volunteers, the global CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare, one of the largest integrated healthcare provider network in GCC and India, has launched the second edition of  ‘Heart2Heart Walks’ on occasion of World Heart Day. The global initiative aims to encourage people to walk for their heart health, while also providing them with a greater cause of saving the lives of underprivileged children in need of heart surgery. The second edition of #Heart2Heart by Aster Volunteers commenced today and will run until 16th October 2022. During this period, individuals wishing to participate can register online via heart2heart.astervolunteers.com and walk a minimum of 10,000 steps per day for 2 weeks of the campaign period. With the combined efforts of the participating individuals, Aster DM Foundation will be donating INR.100/- for minimum 10,000 steps a day, towards Pediatric Cardiac Surgery for underprivileged children through Aster Volunteers Treatment Aid programme in India. The initiative will conclude with a mega event on 16th October 2022 at each cluster of Aster DM Healthcare in India, where people who complete the highest number of steps will be awarded. Flagging off the initiative, Ms. Alisha Moopen – Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare, said, “cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of deaths globally, however, half of these can be prevented. In India, 2 million children have undetected congenital heart issues. Through the Heart2Heart Walk initiative by Aster Volunteers, we at Aster want to encourage people to take proactive measures to safeguard their heart health and support underprivileged children with cardiac ailments in gaining a healthy future. Our efforts are in line with WHO’s theme of World Heart Day 2022 – ‘Use Heart for Every Heart’. Let us give hope to people, lets walk for our own health and for the smiles of underprivileged kids.” The initiative kick-starting in Dubai, UAE will see local chapters of Aster Dm Healthcare through its brands “Aster”, “Medcare” and “Access” hosting this campaign across seven countries engaging its network of 29 hospitals, 121 clinics, 421* pharmacies, 17 labs and 109 patient experience centres, encouraging participation among the local communities. In India, all Aster units including 15 hospitals, 11 clinics, 176 pharmacies, 126 labs and patient experience centres will participate in this campaign to raise healthy heart awareness. Last year, the ‘Heart2Heart Walks’ organised by Aster Volunteers had contributed INR 2.26 million for pediatric-cardiac surgeries of underprivileged children, towards the right direction of touching little lives and promising them a healthier tomorrow. To contribute this year, participants will need to record their steps on their gadgets/smartphones and share their step count through screenshots on heart2heart.astervolunteers.com. Alternatively, one can upload it in on their social media channel with #Heart2Heart and #Astervolunteers. For more details, WhatsApp us! WA No. 9945542392

Airtel Payments Bank announced the launch of Micro ATMs – a step towards better facilitating convenient cash withdrawals for debit card users residing beyond the metro and tier 1 cities in India. The Bank will leverage its strong network of over 500,000 banking points across India to give users access to easy cash withdrawals through this initiative. To facilitate the Micro ATM transactions, Airtel Payments Bank is now integrated with the National Payments Corporation of India`s (NPCI) –  National Financial Switch (NFS). Customers associated with any bank will now be able to use the Micro ATM facility at the neighbourhood banking point of Airtel Payments Bank. They can now make instant cash withdrawals and check their account balance using their debit card of any bank at the designated banking point. A customer can withdraw up to INR 10,000 per transaction through the Micro ATMs. Ganesh Ananthanarayanan, Chief Operating Officer, Airtel Payments Bank, said, “We are committed to building a financially inclusive India by making banking services accessible to all. The launch of Micro ATMs is one more step by us to empower customers residing in the rural pockets of the country. It is the first device launched by the Bank, and we are truly excited, as it allows us to service customers of any bank who use a debit card. Micro ATM is an important addition to our existing bouquet of differentiated services.” Praveena Rai, COO, NPCI said, “The launch of Micro ATMs by Airtel Payments Bank through integration with our NFS will enable easy Micro ATM access for debit card users residing beyond larger metros and cities. This is an important development as it will further the country`s greater goal of financial inclusion. The strong standards for application and network-uptime held by NFS have enabled our member banks to provide better consumer experiences.” Micro ATMs will be rolled out in a phased manner. Initially, the bank will place 150,000 units in Tier II cities and semi-urban regions. These regions typically have a high demand for cash withdrawal services but limited access to ATMs. Here is how a customer can withdraw the cash: Banking Correspondents (BCs) will initiate the transaction by entering the withdrawal amount. The customer will then insert their debit card into the device and enter the PIN to confirm the transaction. The BC will authorize the transaction by entering their MPIN to complete the transaction. On a successful transaction, the BC will give the cash to the customer.